Implementation Feasibility and Hidden Costs of Statewide Scaling of Evidence-Based Therapies for Children and Adolescents.

Objective: State mental health systems are retraining their workforces to deliver services supported by research. Knowledge about evidence-based therapies (EBTs) for child and adolescent disorders is robust, but the feasibility of their statewide scaling has not been examined. The authors reviewed implementation feasibility for 12 commonly used EBTs, defining feasibility for statewide scaling as an EBT having at least one study documenting acceptability, facilitators and barriers, or fidelity; at least one study with a racially and ethnically diverse sample; an entity for training, certification, or licensing; and fiscal data reflecting the costs of implementation.

Short-Term Impact of "Amaka Amasanyufu" Multiple Family Group Intervention on Mental Health Functioning of Children With Disruptive Behavior Disorders in Uganda.

Objective: We evaluate the mid-intervention (8 weeks) and short-term (16 weeks) impact of a culturally adapted multiple family group (MFG) intervention, "Amaka Amasanyufu," on the mental health of children with disruptive behavior disorders (DBDs) and primary caregivers in Uganda.

Method: We analyzed data from the Strengthening mental health and research training in Sub-Saharan Africa (SMART) Africa-Uganda study. Schools were randomized to the following: a control group; an MFG facilitated by parent peers (MFG-PP); or an MFG facilitated by community health workers (MFG:CHW).

Simulating the role of knowledge brokers in policy making in state agencies: An agent-based model.

Objective: To model children's mental health policy making dynamics and simulate the impacts of knowledge broker interventions.

Data Sources: Primary data from surveys (n = 221) and interviews (n = 64) conducted in 2019-2021 with mental health agency (MHA) officials in state agencies.

Study Design: A prototype agent-based model (ABM) was developed using the PARTE (Properties, Actions, Rules, Time, Environment) framework and informed through primary data collection.

Review: Structural Racism, Children's Mental Health Service Systems, and Recommendations for Policy and Practice Change.

Objective: Racism is a public health crisis that impacts on children's mental health, yet mental health service systems are insufficiently focused on addressing racism. Moreover, a focus on interpersonal racism and on individual coping with the impacts of racism has been prioritized over addressing structural racism at the level of the service system and associated institutions. In this paper, we examine strategies to address structural racism via policies affecting children's mental health services.

The effectiveness of PTSD treatment for adolescents in the juvenile justice system: A systematic review.

Objective: The objective of this study was to systematically review existing empirical evidence on the effectiveness of trauma-specific treatment for justice-involved adolescents and evaluate the impact of the interventions on the reduction of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, co-occurring mental health symptoms, and juvenile justice-related outcomes.

Method: A systematic literature search was conducted using a four-step process. Studies were included if they used a manualized, trauma-specific treatment with at least one control or comparison group and a sample comprised exclusively of justice-involved adolescents.

Academic-Policy Partnerships in Evidence-Based Practice Implementation and Policy Maker Use of Child Mental Health Research.

Objective: Strategies are needed to improve policy makers' evidence-informed decision making and the availability of evidence-based, state-supported services. This study examined whether academic-policy partnerships could promote these outcomes.

Methods: Data from two national surveys of state mental health agency representatives were used to compare barriers to implementation of evidence-based practices (EBPs) and policy makers' use of child mental health research in states with strong academic-policy partnerships in workforce training or in program implementation/evaluation (IE) with barriers in states with no or limited partnerships in these areas.

Promoting Children's Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral (MEB) Health in All Public Systems, Post-COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbates the mental, emotional, and behavioral (MEB) health problems of children and adolescents in the United States (U.S.).

Aligning dissemination and implementation science with health policies to improve children's mental health.

The prevalence of mental health problems among children (ages 0-21) in the United States remains unacceptably high and, post-COVID-19, is expected to increase dramatically. Decades of psychological knowledge about effective treatments should inform the delivery of better services. Dissemination and implementation (D&I) science has been heralded as a solution to the persistent problem of poor quality services and has, to some extent, improved our understanding of the contexts of delivery systems that implement effective practices.

Preventing Risk and Promoting Young Children's Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral Health in State Mental Health Systems.

Early neural development and maternal health have critical long-term effects on children's mental health and outcomes later in life. As child mental disorders continue to rise nationwide, a number of states are considering new ways of investing in the critical early childhood period to prevent later poor outcomes and reduce the burden on the mental health system. Because most state mental health authorities (SMHAs) have no dedicated mental health dollars to devote to this early, crucial period of child development, building coalitions is key to implementing prevention and promotion programming.

Trends Over a Decade in NIH Funding for Autism Spectrum Disorder Services Research.

Investments in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) research, guided by the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC), have focused disproportionately on etiology over a well-established stakeholder priority area: research to improve accessibility and quality of community-based services. This study analyzed National Institutes of Health ASD services research funding from 2008 to 2018 to examine funding patterns, evaluate the impact of IACC objectives, and identify future directions. Approximately 9% of total funds were allocated to services research.

Festschrift for Leonard Bickman: Introduction to The Future of Children's Mental Health Services Special Issue.

This introductory article describes the genesis of the Festschrift for Leonard Bickman and of this Festschrift special issue entitled, The Future of Children's Mental Health Services. The special issue includes a collection of 11 original children's mental health services research articles, broadly organized in accordance with three themes (i.e.

Predictors of Hospitalization in a Cohort of Children with Elevated Symptoms of Mania.

Describe hospitalization rates in children with elevated symptoms of mania and determine predictors of psychiatric hospitalizations during the 96 month follow-up. Eligible 6-12.9 year olds and their parents visiting 9 outpatient mental health clinics were invited to be screened with the Parent General Behavior Inventory 10-item Mania Scale.

Evaluation of a Web-Based Training Model for Family Peer Advocates in Children's Mental Health.

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare knowledge gains from a new online training program with gains from an existing in-person training program for family peer advocates.

Methods: Data were used from a pre-post study of individuals who enrolled in the Web-based Parent Empowerment Program training; 144 participants completed the training and pre-post tests, and 140 were admitted to the analyses. Knowledge was assessed with 34 questions, 29 of which were common to the online and in-person trainings.

Sustainability of an Evidence-Based Practice in Community Mental Health Agencies Serving Children.

Objective: The authors documented rates of sustained use of an evidence-based practice following training sponsored by New York State (NYS), and they identified clinician characteristics related to sustained use.

Methods: Clinicians (N=89) who were employed in licensed NYS Office of Mental Health agencies serving children and adolescents and who were trained to proficiency in Managing and Adapting Practice (MAP) in 2016 were contacted between 9 and 18 months later and asked whether they were still using (users) or had stopped using (nonusers) MAP and their reason for doing so.

Results: Responses were received from 57% of trainees and of those, 80% reported continued use of MAP.

Evaluation of a Train-The-Trainers Model for Family Peer Advocates in Children's Mental Health.

Standardized training and credentialing is increasingly important to states and healthcare systems. Workforce shortages in children's mental health can be addressed through training and credentialing of professional peer parents (called family peer advocates or FPAs), who deliver a range of services to caregivers. A theory-based training program for FPAs targeting skills and knowledge about childhood mental health services (Parent Empowerment Program, or PEP) was developed through a partnership among a statewide family-run organization, state policy leaders, and academic researchers.

A Response to Proposed Budget Cuts Affecting Children's Mental Health: Protecting Policies and Programs That Promote Collective Efficacy.

Children stand to lose if the federal government follows through on threats to cut funding for critical safety-net programs that have long supported families and communities. Although cuts directly targeting children's mental health are a great concern, cuts to policies that support health, housing, education, and family income are equally disturbing. These less publicized proposed cuts affect children indirectly, but they have direct effects on their families and communities.

Animal-Assisted Therapies for Youth with or at risk for Mental Health Problems: A Systematic Review.

Unlabelled: To systematically review experimental evidence about animal-assisted therapies (AAT) for children or adolescents with or at risk for mental health conditions, we reviewed all experimental AAT studies published between 2000-2015, and compared studies by animal type, intervention, and outcomes.

Methods: Studies were included if used therapeutically for children and adolescents (≤21 years) with or at risk for a mental health problem; used random assignment or a waitlist comparison/control group; and included child-specific outcome data. Of 1,535 studies, 24 met inclusion criteria.

Developing a sustainable child and family service system after a community tragedy: Lessons from Sandy Hook.

This paper describes a systematic approach to assessing community services post-Sandy Hook shooting. An evaluation team was invited to develop a sustainability plan for community services in Newtown. Service organizations, providers and families were interviewed.

Trauma-informed juvenile justice systems: A systematic review of definitions and core components.

Objective: The U.S. Department of Justice has called for the creation of trauma-informed juvenile justice systems in order to combat the negative impact of trauma on youth offenders and frontline staff.

Addressing Parental Mental Health Within Interventions for Children: A Review.

Purpose: Untreated parent mental health problems have deleterious effects upon the family, yet caregivers are unlikely to receive services for their emotional health. We conducted a review of treatments and services for children and adolescents that also offered services to parents.

Methods: Child treatment and service studies were included in the present study if they analyzed parent symptoms or diagnoses over time, and the intervention contained a parent component.

A Narrative Synthesis of the Components of and Evidence for Patient- and Family-Centered Care.

A narrative synthesis was conducted to determine typical patient- and family-centered care (PFCC) components and their link to outcomes in pediatric populations. 68 studies with PFCC interventions and experimental designs were included. Study features were synthesized based on 5 core PFCC components (i.