Aidyn L. Iachini

Treatment Access Barriers and Disparities Among Individuals with Co-Occurring Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders: An Integrative Literature Review

The purpose of this integrative review is to examine and synthesize extant literature pertaining to barriers to substance abuse and mental health treatment for persons with co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders (COD). Electronic searches were conducted using ten scholarly databases. Thirty-six articles met inclusion criteria and were examined for this review. Narrative review of these articles resulted in the identification of two primary barriers to treatment access for individuals with COD: personal characteristics barriers and structural barriers. Clinical implications and directions for future research are discussed. In particular, additional studies on marginalized sub-populations are needed, specifically those that examine barriers to treatment access among older, non-White, non-heterosexual populations.

Capacity-Related Innovations Resulting From the Implementation of a Community Collaboration Model for School Improvement

A new genus of district and school improvement models entails partnerships with other organizations and new working relationships with families, community leaders, and youths. The Ohio Community Collaboration Model for School Improvement (OCCMSI) is one such model. It enables partners to leverage family and community resources for learning, healthy development, and overall success in school. This study presents qualitative research findings about the key capacities developed by 6 schools and 6 districts piloting the OCCMSI. Process and product innovations, as well as facilitators and barriers, were tracked as these sites progressed with their implementation efforts. Implications are drawn in relation to how these new and expanded capacities might be prioritized by district and school leaders, consultants, and other professionals involved in partnership-centered models of school improvement.

Initial Reliability and Validity of the Perceived Social Competence Scale

Objective: This study describes the development and validation of a perceived social competence scale that social workers can easily use to assess childrens and youths social competence. Method: Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted on a calibration and a cross-validation sample of youth. Predictive validity was also established. Results: A four-item measure, labeled the Perceived Social Competence Scale (PSCS), demonstrated acceptable internal consistency and factorial validity in samples of children and youth participating in youth development programs. Additionally, tests for gender invariance indicated that the PSCS worked equally well for males and females. The PSCS also demonstrated predictive validity, correlating positively with perceived belonging. Conclusion: Support was found for the PSCS as an empirically sound tool to assess children and youths perceptions of social competence.

Exploring the impact of a summer sport-based youth development program

The purpose of this study was to examine the benefits of youth participation in a sport-based youth development summer program, the National Youth Sport Program (NYSP). This study also identified areas of programmatic strength within the program, as well as areas for improvement. 193 participants in NYSP completed a pre- and post-test that assessed belonging, social competence, athletic competence, and competence related to eight specific sports. Significant improvements in perceptions of overall athletic competence and competence related to five specific sports were found. Although perceptions of social competence and belonging increased from pre-to-post test, findings were not statistically significant. Site observations resulted in the identification of strengths and areas that also inform areas for programmatic improvement. Implications for the design, implementation, and evaluation of sport-based youth development programs are discussed.

The Development of the Perceived School Experiences Scale

Objectives: This article describes two studies related to the development of the Perceived School Experiences Scale (PSES). The PSES may be used by social workers to assess youths’ perceptions of three school-related protective factors, including school connectedness, academic press, and academic motivation. Method: In Study 1, exploratory and confirmatory analyses were conducted on a calibration (n = 386) and cross-validation sample (n = 387) of middle and high school students. In Study 2, test–retest reliability and predictive validity were established on a sample of high school students (n = 97). Results: The resultant 14-item PSES demonstrated acceptable factorial validity and gender invariance in samples of middle and high school students. The PSES also demonstrated acceptable test–retest reliability, and correlated positively with perceived belonging and social competence. Conclusions: Overall, the PSES has important implications for social workers as they assess important protective factors and document the effectiveness of their interventions for the children and youth they serve.

Barriers and Facilitators to Substance Use Treatment in the Rural South: A Qualitative Study

PURPOSE Little qualitative research has examined factors associated with care in substance abuse treatment agencies in Southeastern rural communities. This study explored client- and agency stakeholder-perceived barriers and facilitators to substance use treatment delivery in southeastern rural communities. METHODS Group and individual interviews were conducted with 40 key stakeholders and 40 clients at 9 substance abuse agencies serving rural communities in a southeastern state. Qualitative thematic analysis was used to identify perceived barriers and facilitators to substance abuse services in rural communities. FINDINGS Four primary themes emerged from the client and stakeholder interviews as both barriers and facilitators: availability of services for individuals with substance use disorders; access to the current technology for client services and agency functioning; cost of services; and stigma. CONCLUSIONS This study identifies novel barriers and facilitators to substance use care in the rural South and highlights essential areas for consideration when developing and implementing substance use care in this geographic region. These findings can be used as guidelines to provide better care to individuals with substance use disorders living in rural communities.

Process evaluation of “Girls on the Run”: Exploring implementation in a physical activity-based positive youth development program

Many positive youth development programs rely on physical activity as a primary program component. Referred to as physical activity-based youth development programs, these program designs have great potential for promoting healthy youth development. This study examined how one such physical activity-based positive youth development program was implemented in order to identify design features critical to maximizing positive youth outcomes. This mixed method, multi-site process evaluation of Girls on the Run (GOTR) utilized focus groups, site visits, and self-report implementation checklists. Implementation scores were calculated to assess implementation fidelity across twenty-nine sites, and qualitative data were inductively analyzed to identify factors influential for implementation. Results reveal variability in how GOTR was implemented. Five themes emerged from the data that represented factors serving as facilitators or barriers to programmatic implementation. These included contextual/environmental factors (e.g., parental involvement, relationships with school personnel), organizational factors (e.g., implementation support and responsiveness of staff), program-specific factors (e.g., curriculum design), coach factors (e.g., existing relationships with participants, responsiveness to participants needs), and youth factors (e.g., behavioral and discipline issues). Study findings have implications for improving the design of physical activity-based and other positive youth development programs, with relevance to evaluators, program planners, youth development leaders, and others working with children and youth.

Exploring the Youth and Parent Perspective on Practitioner Behaviors That Promote Treatment Engagement

Treatment engagement is critically important to child and family social work practitioners, given its documented relationship with youth and family outcomes. Despite this, little is known regarding the practice behaviors youth and parents perceive as important for promoting their engagement in treatment. The purpose of this study was to explore the perspective of youth and parents regarding practitioner behaviors important for fostering treatment engagement. Three semistructured focus groups were conducted with 30 youth and parents. Using a constant comparative analysis procedure, two domains of practice behaviors emerged: developing the therapeutic alliance and collaborative service delivery. Specific alliance-building behaviors included building rapport and demonstrating care, acknowledging and listening to the youth and family perspective, asking questions, not judging youth and parents, allowing youth and family input to direct care, and supporting motivation to change. Collaborative practice behaviors included providing culturally competent services, sharing treatment information, demonstrating awareness of other services/supports, and engaging other meaningful adults. Youth and parents both discussed the importance of these practice behaviors. Youth, however, seemed to emphasize the therapeutic alliance more than parents in the sample. Clinical implications for family social work practitioners regarding these key practice behaviors are discussed.

Exploring best practice teaming strategies among school-based teams: implications for school mental health practice and research

School-based teams are central to referrals, problem solving and decision-making in school mental health (SMH). Although the use of teams in SMH appears commonplace, research on these teams, however, is much more limited in scope. Using best practice teaming principles as a conceptual framework, this exploratory study examined the purpose, structure and function of 41 school-based service-delivery teams from 19 schools. Descriptive analyses revealed wide variations in teaming practices. Challenges related to youth and family members being involved in teams, as well as varied team leadership, were noted. In addition, teams discussed numerous topics as part of meetings. The discussion of data, however, was a topic that a limited number of teams discussed. Implications for SMH practice and research are offered.

A Meta-analysis of the Effectiveness of Interactive Middle School Cannabis Prevention Programs

This meta-analysis examines the effectiveness of interactive middle school-based drug prevention programs on adolescent cannabis use in North America, as well as program characteristics that could moderate these effects. Interactive programs, compared to more didactic, lecture style programs, involve participants in skill-building activities and focus on interaction among participants. A systematic literature search was conducted for English-language studies from January 1998 to March 2014. Studies included evaluations using random assignment or a quasi-experimental design of interactive school-based substance use prevention programs delivered to adolescents (aged 12–14) in North American middle schools (grades 6–8). Data were extracted using a coding protocol. The outcomes of interest were post-treatment cannabis use, intent to use, and refusal skills compared across intervention and control groups. Effect sizes (Cohen’s d) were calculated from continuous measures, and dichotomous measures were converted to the d index. A total of 30 studies yielding 23 independent samples were included. The random effects pooled effect size for cannabis use (k = 21) was small (d¯