Measurement invariance of the Grief Facilitation Inventory with respect to youth gender, race, ethnicity, and age.

The Grief Facilitation Inventory (GFI) assesses caregiver grief facilitation behaviors among bereaved youth. Initial analyses supported the GFI's reliability and validity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate measurement invariance of the GFI across gender, race/ethnicity, and age.

Protective Factors in the Context of Childhood Bereavement: Youth Gratitude, Future Orientation, and Purpose in Life.

The objective of the study was to examine potential associations between positive youth development constructs (gratitude, future orientation, purpose in life) and psychological functioning (posttraumatic stress symptoms, depressive symptoms, maladaptive grief reactions) among bereaved youth and test whether these associations vary by age. A diverse sample of 197 clinic-referred bereaved youth (56.2% female; = 12.

Validation of the four-item very brief University of California at Los Angeles Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Reaction Index screening tool for children and adolescents.

Objective: Experiencing traumatic events places children and adolescents at risk for developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), often leading to adverse mental health consequences. Although well-validated measures of PTSD are available, very brief screening tools are needed to assess PTSD when resources are limited. This study was conducted to develop and validate the four-item University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) PTSD Reaction Index for -Very Brief Form (RI-5-VBF) to be used in settings requiring rapid and efficient screening.

Identity-based bullying and mental health among Black and Latino youth: The moderating role of emotional suppression.

The current study examined the prevalence of identity-based bullying, the unique links between identity-based bullying and mental health (i.e., depressive and posttraumatic stress symptoms [PTSS]), and emotional suppression as a potential moderator of these links.

Prevalence and correlates of externalizing behaviors among youth seeking treatment following trauma exposure.

Objective: Trauma-exposed youth often experience impairing externalizing problems (EXTs), yet the relationship between EXTs, trauma exposure, and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) are not well understood. To examine the extent of their co-occurrence, we report the rates and correlates of youth EXTs relative to clinically elevated PTSS in a sample of youth referred to a trauma and grief specialty clinic.

Method: Self- and caregiver-report measures were obtained from 260 youth ages 7-19 years ( = 11.

Developmental Manifestations of Grief in Children and Adolescents: Caregivers as Key Grief Facilitators.

The death of a loved one represents one of the most distressing and potentially traumatic life events in childhood and adolescence. Grief reactions in youth are influenced by ongoing developmental processes and manifest differently depending on the child's age and developmental stage. These grief-related processes unfold within youths' caregiving context, as children and adolescents rely heavily on the adults in their environment to navigate and cope with the death of a loved one.

Racial, ethnic, and neighborhood income disparities in childhood posttraumatic stress and grief: Exploring indirect effects through trauma exposure and bereavement.

Previous findings suggest that experiences with systems of oppression that disproportionately affect individuals based on race and neighborhood residency (e.g., systemic racism, neighborhood income disadvantage [NID]) can be associated with higher odds of developing psychological problems following traumatic events.

Supporting children and adolescents following parental bereavement: guidance for health-care professionals.

Death of a parent in childhood and adolescence is a distressing life event. Childhood grief reactions are distinct from those in adults, and are affected by developmental and contextual factors such as age of the child and changes in caregiving environments. Following parental bereavement, children and adolescents face unique emotional and behavioural challenges, and are susceptible to several adverse biopsychosocial outcomes.

Caregiver behaviors and childhood maladaptive grief: Initial validation of the Grief Facilitation Inventory.

The Grief Facilitation Inventory (GFI) is a newly-developed measure of caregiver behaviors theorized to facilitate or hinder children's adaptive grief reactions. We examine its factor structure, reliability, and validity. An exploratory factor analysis identified four factors: , , , and .

Performance of the interpersonal needs questionnaire in adolescent clinical samples: Confirmatory factor analyses and evaluation of measurement invariance.

Objective: This study evaluated the factor structure, internal consistency reliability, construct and criterion validity, and measurement invariance of the Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire (INQ) among adolescents.

Method: Participants (N = 539) included three distinct samples of youth drawn from two outpatient psychology clinics and an inpatient psychiatric unit. The combined sample was 63.

Measurement Invariance of the Persistent Complex Bereavement Disorder Checklist With Respect to Youth Gender, Race, Ethnicity, and Age.

The Persistent Complex Bereavement Disorder (PCBD) Checklist was constructed to facilitate the developmentally sensitive assessment of proposed PCBD criteria in bereaved children and adolescents 8-18 years of age. Initial analyses of the PCBD Checklist provided support for the hypothesized two-factor model. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the measurement invariance of the PCBD Checklist with respect to gender (boys and girls), race/ethnicity (White, Black, and Hispanic youth), and age (school age, preadolescent, and adolescent youth).

The UCLA PTSD Reaction Index for DSM-5 Brief Form: A Screening Tool for Trauma-Exposed Youths.

Objective: Children and adolescents who experience potentially traumatic events are at risk for developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although psychometrically sound measures are now available to assess these youths, brief tools are currently needed for screening purposes. Two studies were conducted to develop and validate the UCLA PTSD Reaction Index for DSM-5-Brief Form (RI-5-BF).

Validation of the UCLA PTSD Reaction Index for DSM-5: A Developmentally Informed Assessment Tool for Youth.

Objective: To describe the test construction procedure and evaluate the internal consistency, criterion-referenced validity, and diagnostic accuracy of the Child/Adolescent Self-Report Version of the UCLA PTSD Reaction Index for DSM-5 (RI-5) across 2 independent samples.

Method: Study 1 examined the clarity, developmental appropriateness, acceptability of individual RI-5 items, and internal consistency and criterion-referenced validity of the full test. The study 1 sample included 486 youth recruited from 2 major US cities who completed the RI-5 and a measure of depression.

Historical Trends in Concerns About Social Issues Across Four Decades Among U.S. Adolescents.

This study examined adolescents' concerns about social issues and how these concerns have changed over historical time. Separate cohorts of U.S.

Associations between dimensions of religiousness and psychosocial functioning among bereaved youth.

Using a sample of recently bereaved youth ( = 2,425; = 15.31,  = 1.50), this study examined associations between dimensions of religiousness and current functioning.

Calculating the incidence rate of sibling bereavement among children and adolescents across the United States: A proposed method.

This study proposes a method for calculating the annual incidence rate of sibling bereavement among US youth using national epidemiological data. The proposed model combines data on family household size with national death statistics to calculate the number of siblings affected by the death of a child annually. From 2012 to 2015, an average of 61,389 children per year experienced the death of a sibling, resulting in an estimate of 0.

Links between bereavement due to sudden death and academic functioning: Results from a nationally representative sample of adolescents.

Bereavement due to sudden loss may disrupt positive adjustment among youth, yet few studies have examined the age at which youth are most likely to first encounter sudden loss, the co-occurrence of sudden loss with other traumatic events, and the independent effects of sudden loss on academic functioning. Data were analyzed from the National Comorbidity Survey-Adolescent Supplement (N = 10,148, Mage = 15.18, 51.

Out of the Mouths of Babes: Links Between Linguistic Structure of Loss Narratives and Psychosocial Functioning in Parentally Bereaved Children.

This study examined links between the language bereaved children use to describe the death of their caregiver and children's psychological/behavioral functioning and coping strategies. Participants included 44 children (54.5% male) aged 7 to 12 (M = 9.

Validation of the Persistent Complex Bereavement Disorder (PCBD) Checklist: A Developmentally Informed Assessment Tool for Bereaved Youth.

The inclusion of Persistent Complex Bereavement Disorder (PCBD) in the DSM-5 appendix signifies a call for research regarding the distinguishing features and clinical utility of proposed PCBD criteria. Rigorously constructed tools for assessing PCBD are lacking, especially for youth. This study evaluated the validity and clinical utility of the PCBD Checklist, a 39-item measure designed to assess PCBD criteria in youth aged 8 to18 years.