Direct Support Professionals and COVID-19 Vaccination: A Comparison of Vaccinated Early Adopters and In-Betweeners.

Direct support professionals (DSPs) are at increased risk of contracting COVID-19. A four-wave survey series was conducted, in part, to understand DSPs' COVID-19 vaccination experiences. Fourth wave data were used to compare those vaccinated against COVID-19 when they became eligible (early adopters) and those waiting at least three months before vaccination (in-betweeners).

Examining Choice and Control for People With IDD Over Time.

Choice making is an important aspect of everyone's life in terms of fully becoming an adult within a democratic society. People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are at risk for diminished choice making due to various factors, including guardianships; dependence on supports that are not person-centered; and, in some cases, limited capacity to express one's desires effectively. Independent Monitoring for Quality (IM4Q) data for 9,195 and 9,817 for adult services users with IDD were analyzed across two types of choice.

Participation and Companions for Socially Inclusive Community Activities by U.S. Adults With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

We investigated socially inclusive participation in mainstream community groups and religious services by U.S. adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities using weighted secondary analyses of 2018-2019 National Core Indicators data.

The Direct Support Workforce: An Examination of Direct Support Professionals and Frontline Supervisors During COVID-19.

Direct support professionals (DSPs) and frontline supervisors (FLSs) have critical roles in home and community-based services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Low wages and high levels of responsibility created a long-term crisis in recruitment and retention and are exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. A national sample of DSPs and FLSs were compared on demographics and work-related circumstances using data from the third Direct Support Workforce COVID-19 Survey.

Using the Independent Monitoring for Quality Program to Examine Longitudinal Outcomes for People With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

The purpose of this study is to lay a foundation for illustrating the importance of longitudinal data collection by sharing the results of the Independent Monitoring for Quality (IM4Q) program in Pennsylvania designed to collect data over time on the quality of services for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In this article, we report on the history and characteristics of the IM4Q program, describe the key variables of interest, and highlight the trends in the key variables over 3 years of data collection (2013, 2016, and 2019). The descriptive results indicate mixed trends for the three areas of focus: comparable rates of people employed in community-based settings, less support-related choice, and better everyday choice-making outcomes.

Current services and outcomes of formerly institutionalised and never-institutionalised US adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities: A propensity score matching analysis.

Background: Deinstitutionalization research shows better services and outcomes relative to institutional life but has not compared formerly institutionalised and never-institutionalised service users.

Methods: We used propensity score matching (PSM) to match formerly institutionalised and never-institutionalised participants on six personal characteristics. Data came from the 2018 to 2019 National Core Indicators In-Person Survey.

Direct Support Professionals and COVID-19 Vaccination: A Comparison of Vaccinated and Unvaccinated Direct Support Professionals.

Direct support professionals (DSPs) may be at increased risk of contracting COVID-19 due to the proximal nature of their work. In response to the pandemic a three-wave study was launched to understand experiences of DSPs. An on-line national survey found that 70% of DSPs were vaccinated.

Community participation and staying home if you want: US adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Background: Requiring adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to go on community outings with co-residents and staff is contrary to community-living policy's focus on person centredness and choice of activities/companions.

Method: We analysed 2018-19 National Core Indicators data from 36 US states concerning 7968 adults living in staffed, non-family, multi-client settings. The focus outcome was being able to stay home if you want when others in your home go out.

Incentives, Wages, and Retention Among Direct Support Professionals: National Core Indicators Staff Stability Survey.

Direct support professionals (DSPs) provide a range of supports in a variety of settings to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) who count on these supports to live, work, and contribute in their communities. Despite this, high annual DSP turnover rates are problematic. DSP turnover is disruptive to people who receive supports as the lack of stable, reliable supports can negatively impact their important day-to-day outcomes (e.

Direct Support Professional and Frontline Supervisor Perspectives on Work-Life in a Pandemic.

Direct support professionals (DSPs) and frontline supervisors (FLSs) play an invaluable role in delivering home and community-based services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). DSPs provide support with employment, community living, developing social connections, health and well-being, and many other areas. FLSs' primary responsibility is to provide direction and guidance to DSPs in their work; however, they also frequently provide direct support to people with IDD.

Predictors of Annual and Early Separations Among Direct Support Professionals: National Core Indicators Staff Stability Survey.

Direct support professionals (DSPs) provide a broad range of supports in a variety of settings to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) that enables people to live, work, and participate in their communities. Despite the crucial importance in ensuring supports for community participation of people with IDD, high rates of annual turnover among DSPs in organizations that employ them have been documented for decades. This study utilizes National Core Indicators Staff Stability data from 2016 to examine the impact of organizational- and state-level factors related to DSP turnover, including annual DSP turnover and the percentage of DSPs who left their positions after less than 6 months.

Active Support Training, Staff Assistance, and Engagement of Individuals With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in the United States: Randomized Controlled Trial.

Two non-U.S. quasi-experimental studies reported Active Support training was associated with increased engagement in individuals with IDD, but no randomized controlled trials (RCTs) exist.

Psychotropic Medication Use for Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder who Receive Services and Supports Through Adult Developmental Disability Services in the United States.

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have higher rates of co-occurring diagnoses and use of psychotropic medication prescriptions than people with other developmental disabilities. Few studies have examined these trends in samples of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) with and without ASD. Using a random sample of 11,947 adult IDD service users from 25 states, co-occurring diagnoses and psychotropic medication use were compared for those with and without ASD.

Relationships Between Mental Health, Skill Sets, and Violence Perpetration Among Adolescent Girls.

This study examines relationships between emotional health, stress management skills, fight-avoidance skills, and two forms of violence perpetration among adolescent girls at high risk for violence involvement. Participants ( n = 253) were 13- to 17-year-old girls enrolled in a randomized controlled trial. The current study was completed with baseline data collected prior to the start of the intervention.

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Preventive Care: An Analysis of Routine Physical Examination Among Adolescents, 1998-2010.

Routine health care plays a central role in health promotion and disease prevention for children and in reducing health disparities. The purpose of this study is to examine the prevalence of routine physical examination among racially and ethnically diverse adolescents at 5 different time points. The study used data from the Minnesota Student Survey.

Protective Factors, Risk Indicators, and Contraceptive Consistency Among College Women.

Objective: To explore risk and protective factors associated with consistent contraceptive use among emerging adult female college students and whether effects of risk indicators were moderated by protective factors.

Design: Secondary analysis of National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health Wave III data.

Setting: Data collected through in-home interviews in 2001 and 2002.

Relationships Between Social-Emotional Intelligence and Sexual Risk Behaviors in Adolescent Girls.

Social-emotional intelligence (SEI) has been linked with a number of health behaviors in adolescent populations. However, little is known about the influence of SEI on sexual behavior. This study examined associations between three indicators of SEI (intrapersonal skills, interpersonal skills, stress management skills) and adolescent girls' sexual risk behaviors.

The roles of partner communication and relationship status in adolescent contraceptive use.

Introduction: Because of high rates of pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections among adolescents, factors influencing adolescents' contraceptive use require close examination. This study explores how different types of partner communication relate to contraceptive use among adolescent girls and whether these associations vary by relationship status.

Method: Cross-sectional, self-report data from 253 sexually active 13- to 17-year-old girls were used to examine associations between partner communication, relationship status, and contraceptive consistency.

Racial and ethnic disparities in educational achievement and aspirations: findings from a statewide survey from 1998 to 2010.

Educational achievement and attainment are associated with health outcomes across the entire life span. The objective of this study was to determine whether racial/ethnic disparities in academic achievement and educational aspirations have changed over time. The study used data from the Minnesota Student Survey (MSS) from 1998, 2001, 2004, 2007, and 2010.

Brief report: Associations between adolescent girls' social-emotional intelligence and violence perpetration.

This study examined associations between social-emotional intelligence (SEI) and two measures of violence perpetration (relational aggression and physical violence) in a cross-sectional sample of high-risk adolescent girls (N = 253). We evaluated three aspects of SEI: stress management, intrapersonal, and interpersonal skills. Results of a multiple linear regression model accounting for participants' age, race/ethnicity, and experiences of relational aggression victimization indicated that girls with better stress management skills were less likely to perpetrate relational aggression.

Prime time: 18-month violence outcomes of a clinic-linked intervention.

Prime Time, a youth development intervention, aims to reduce multiple risk behaviors among adolescent girls seeking clinic services who are at high risk for pregnancy. The purpose of the current study was to examine whether Prime Time involvement produced changes in relational aggression, physical violence, and related psychosocial and behavioral outcomes. Qualitative case exemplars illustrated social contexts of intervention participants with differing longitudinal patterns of relational aggression and physical violence.

Prime time: sexual health outcomes at 24 months for a clinic-linked intervention to prevent pregnancy risk behaviors.

Importance: Preventing early pregnancy among vulnerable adolescents requires innovative and sustained approaches. Prime Time, a youth development intervention, aims to reduce pregnancy risk among adolescent girls seeking clinic services who are at high risk for pregnancy.

Objective: To evaluate sexual risk behaviors and related outcomes with a 24-month postbaseline survey, 6 months after the conclusion of the Prime Time intervention.

Risk and direct protective factors for youth violence: results from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health.

Background: The majority of studies on youth violence have focused on factors that increase the risk for youth violence.

Purpose: To assess whether determinants of violence operate as risk factors, direct protective factors, or both during adolescence and young adulthood.

Methods: Data from participants in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, aged 13 years at Wave 1, were analyzed.

Prime Time: 12-month sexual health outcomes of a clinic-based intervention to prevent pregnancy risk behaviors.

Purpose: Prime Time, a youth development intervention, aims to reduce pregnancy risk among adolescent girls seeking clinic service who are at high risk for pregnancy. This article examines sexual risk behaviors and hypothesized psychosocial mediators after 12 months of the Prime Time intervention.

Methods: This study was a randomized controlled trial with 253 girls aged 13-17 years meeting specified risk criteria.