Analysis of longitudinal patterns of child maltreatment reports in the United States.

Background: Child maltreatment is a continuous and prevalent issue, and victims of maltreatment often suffer adverse effects well into adulthood. Since child maltreatment rates tend to be clustered geographically and temporally, intervention programs are best implemented at a local level, targeting local risk factors for sustained and effective reduction over time.

Objective: Quantifying geographic variation in child maltreatment rate trajectories can help states identify local risk factors to guide program development and resource allocation.

Adverse childhood experiences, parenting, and socioeconomic status: Associations with internalizing and externalizing symptoms in adolescence.

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), low socioeconomic status (SES), and harsh parenting practices each represent well-established risk factors for mental health problems. However, research supporting these links has often focused on only one of these predictors and psychopathology, and interactions among these variables in association with symptoms are not well understood.

Objective: The current study utilized a cross-sectional, multi-informant, and multi-method design to investigate the associations of ACEs, SES, parenting, and concurrent internalizing and externalizing problems in adolescents.

Predictors of placement disruptions in foster care.

Background: Many children who are removed from a dangerous or neglectful home and placed in state custody subsequently experience additional disruptions while in custody, which can compound the effects of ongoing stress and instability. As such, placement stability has been identified as a critical objective and a key indicator of success for children residing in substitutive care.

Objective: To examine the utility of child protective services data in identifying predictors of placement disruption.

Installing trauma-informed care through the Tennessee Child Protective Services Academy.

The Child Protective Services (CPS) Academy was designed to equip members of the child-welfare workforce with knowledge that would assist them with addressing trauma in the lives of children and families. In its design, the CPS Academy applied principles of trauma-informed care, integrating evidence-based research, and a variety of clinical strategies into a comprehensive training program. Over a 2-year period, 277 frontline workers completed training through the CPS Academy.

Evidence-based interventions for adolescents with disruptive behaviors in school-based settings.

Disruptive behaviors in the school setting can threaten the maintenance of optimal learning environments in schools. Challenging behaviors, such as defiance, hostility, and aggression, often define disruptive classroom behaviors. This article presents a clinical review of existing literature on interventions for adolescent disruptive behavior problems in school-based settings and in outpatient mental health settings and makes recommendations around working with adolescents with disruptive behaviors in school-based settings.