A school-based post-Katrina therapeutic intervention.

The current study presents the implementation of a set of school based interventions in a greater New Orleans school district one year following Hurricane Katrina. The interventions included adaptation and implementation of evidence based treatments in a crisis situation with at-risk youth which involved training and clinical challenges. 386 students found to have significant depressive and/or disruptive disorder symptoms received treatment from the School Therapeutic Enhancement Program (STEP).

Youth Substance Use in a Context of Family Homelessness.

OBJECTIVE: This study examines the relationship between family processes and youth substance use debuts among a sample of youth residing in urban family homeless shelters. METHOD: Data regarding shelter experiences, youth and family characteristics, and the use of three substances (i.e.

Cultural Pride Reinforcement as a Dimension of Racial Socialization Protective of Urban African American Child Anxiety.

The study objective was to examine how parental endorsement of cultural pride reinforcement messages may explain African American child anxiety. Data were gathered from 72 African American parents and their elementary school-aged children. Results indicated stronger parental endorsement of cultural pride reinforcement messages predicted less child anxiety.

Correlates of Externalizing Behavior Symptoms Among Youth Within Two Impoverished, Urban Communities.

The current study examines whether risk factors associated with child externalizing behavior symptoms differ between two similar low-income urban communities, using baseline parent data of 154 African American youth (ages 9-15) participating in the Collaborative HIV-Prevention and Adolescent Mental Health Project (CHAMP) family program. Separate multiple regression analyses of each city sample indicated that greater child externalizing symptoms were associated with increasing parenting hassles for New York families (n = 46), but greater parent mental health symptoms for participants in Chicago (n = 108). Understanding such distinctions between communities is an important first step towards tailoring services to unique community needs.

An Introduction to Parenting and Mental Health Services Utilization Among African American Families: The Role of Racial Socialization.

The articles in this special issue are a significant contribution to the literature pertaining to racial socialization, which is defined as messages parents communicate about race and culture, how African Americans are perceived societally, and how to cope with discrimination due to their skin color. More specifically, these articles examine the relationship between racial socialization and parental mental health status, child socio-behavioral functioning, and the utilization of mental health and prevention services for both parent and child. Overall, the results of these articles indicate that various racial socialization practices do indeed influence key variables such as the child's behavioral functioning and decision-making, parental mental health status, and the receipt of prevention and mental health services.

The Role of Racial Socialization in Relation to Parenting Practices and Youth Behavior: An Exploratory Analysis.

Racial socialization is receiving research attention because of growing evidence that it can be a protective developmental process in African American families. The present study was an exploration of the relationship of parental mental health, discipline effectiveness, monitoring and racial socialization strategies on child externalizing behaviors in a sample of 140 African American parent/caregivers. Findings indicated that certain types of racial socialization-particularly, spirituality and religious coping-in conjunction with discipline effectiveness was related to child behavior problems.

The Protective Effect of Adult Mental Health Upon the Utilization of Racial Socialization Parenting Practices.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of parental mental health and types of racial socialization. The sample consisted of 169 African-American parents and their children (ages 9-11) who participated in a federally funded research project, "Knowledge about the African American Research Experience" (KAARE). Bivariate analyses revealed significant positive relationships between parent mental health status and two forms of racial socialization: spiritual/religious coping, and racial awareness teaching, while multivariate analyses supported the positive association between parental mental health and spiritual/religious coping.

The Effect of Racial Socialization on Urban African American Use of Child Mental Health Services.

OBJECTIVE: To examine how parental endorsement of racial socialization parenting practices relates to child mental health service use among an urban sample of African American families. METHODS: A cross-sectional sample of urban African American parents (n = 96) provided ratings of their beliefs concerning various dimensions of racial socialization constructs, i.e.

A novel economic intervention to reduce HIV risks among school-going AIDS orphans in rural Uganda.

This study tested an economic intervention to reduce HIV risks among AIDS-orphaned adolescents. Adolescents (n = 96) were randomly assigned to receive the intervention or usual care for orphans in Uganda. Data obtained at baseline and 12-month follow-up revealed significant differences between the treatment and control groups in HIV prevention attitudes and educational planning.

Creating Mechanisms for Meaningful Collaboration Between Members of Urban Communities and University-Based HIV Prevention Researchers.

This article provides a description of a Community/University Collaborative Board, a formalized partnership between representatives from an inner-city community and university-based researchers. This Collaborative Board oversees a number of research projects focused on designing, delivering and testing family-based HIV prevention and mental health focused programs to elementary and junior high school age youth and their families. The Collaborative Board consists of urban parents, school staff members, representatives from community-based agencies and university-based researchers.

Understanding Motivators and Challenges to Involving Urban Parents as Collaborators in HIV Prevention Research Efforts.

This study was designed to explore the experiences of urban parents in their role as Collaborative Board members as part of the CHAMP (Collaborative HIV prevention and Adolescent Mental health Project) Family Program Study. The CHAMP Collaborative Board is comprised of urban parents, representatives from schools and community-based agencies and university-based researchers and is charged with overseeing the design, delivery and testing of a family-based HIV prevention program for pre and early adolescent youth. The current qualitative study, guided by the Theory of Unified Behavior Change, is meant to elucidate: (1) pathways to involvement by urban parents; (2) benefits and costs of participating in this collaborative HIV prevention research effort; and (3) the role of social relationships in influencing initial and ongoing participation by parent participants.

Post-9/11 helpseeking by New York City parents on behalf of highly exposed young children.

This study examines factors related to helpseeking among New York City parents on behalf of their young children after the September 11th terrorist attacks. Data were gathered from 180 parents about their children (under age 5) through in-depth parent interviews 9-12 months postdisaster. Parents were asked to describe their children's disaster-related experiences, their own and their children's mental health status, and post-9/11 helpseeking behavior for their children.

Seeking help a second time: parents'/caregivers' characterizations of previous experiences with mental health services for their children and perceptions of barriers to future use.

This study examines the relationship between urban parents'/caregivers' previous experiences obtaining mental health care for their children and their perceptions of barriers to their children's use of services in the future. Assessments of prior treatment outcome and aspects of relationships with former providers were linked to endorsements of doubt about the utility of treatment as a potential barrier to the children's use of services in the future and the number of barriers parents endorsed. Implications for urban child mental health service delivery are drawn.

Understanding inner city child mental health need and trauma exposure: implications for preparing urban service providers.

This article presents the results of a study documenting the complex mental health needs of 95 inner city youth consecutively referred for mental health care. An ecological perspective of mental health need guides the presentation of issues and stressors that occur at the level of the individual child; within the family, school, and community; and within the larger service system context. Findings related to the intersection between child mental health needs and trauma exposure are described.

Engaging families in child mental health services.

To increase the involvement of urban youth and families who need mental health services, child mental health agencies and providers might consider the following: (1) examining intake procedures and developing interventions to target specific barriers to service use; (2) providing training and supervision to providers to increase a focus on engagement in the first face-to-face meetings with youth and families; (3) providing service delivery options with input from consumers regarding types of services offered. Involvement of youth and their families is a primary goal that must receive as much attention as any other part of the service delivery process. One might argue that without youth and family participation, effective services never will be provided to youth and families in need.

Inner-city child mental health service use: the real question is why youth and families do not use services.

Objective: This study examines pathways to urban child mental health care as well as explores reasons why care was not received.

Methods: A single group longitudinal design was used to study initial attendance rates at an outpatient child mental health clinic and identify factors associated with initial service use for urban children and their families.

Results: Approximately one-third of families (n = 82) do not follow up with care despite their child being referred and an initial appointment scheduled.