Gordon Capp

Substance Abuse and Other Adverse Outcomes for Military-Connected Youth in California: Results From a Large-Scale Normative Population Survey

IMPORTANCE Military families and military-connected youth exhibit significant strengths; however, a sizeable proportion of these families appear to be struggling in the face of war-related stressors. Understanding the consequences of war is critical as a public health concern and because additional resources may be needed to support military families. OBJECTIVE To determine whether rates of adverse outcomes are higher for military-connected adolescents during war compared with nonmilitary peers. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This study is a secondary data analysis of a large, normative, and geographically comprehensive administrative data set (2013 California Healthy Kids Survey) to determine whether military-connected youth are at risk for adverse outcomes, including substance use, experiencing violence and harassment, and weapon carrying, during wartime. These outcomes are of particular concern because they affect socioemotional adjustment and academic success. Data were collected in March and April 2013 and participants included 54,679 military-connected and 634,034 nonmilitary-connected secondary school students from public civilian schools in every county and almost all school districts in California. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Outcomes included lifetime and recent use of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, prescription medications, and other drugs, as well as experiences of physical and nonphysical violence and harassment and weapon carrying during the last year. RESULTS Multivariable logistic regression models indicated that military-connected youth had greater odds of substance use, experience of physical violence and nonphysical harassment, and weapon carrying. For example, military-connected youth had 73% greater odds of recent other drug use (eg, cocaine and lysergic acid diethylamide; odds ratio [OR], 1.73; 95% CI, 1.66-1.80) and twice the odds of bringing a gun to school (OR, 2.20; 95% CI, 2.10-2.30) compared with nonmilitary-connected peers. Their odds of being threatened with a weapon or being in a fight were also significantly higher than their civilian counterparts (OR, 1.87; 95% CI, 1.80-1.95 and OR, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.62-1.71, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Most military-connected youth demonstrate resilience. However, results suggest that during wartime, military-connected youth are at increased risk for adverse outcomes. Further, when compared with data from 2011, the rates of these negative outcomes appear to be increasing. These findings suggest a need to identify and intervene with military-connected adolescents and reflect a larger concern regarding the well-being of military families during wartime.

Adult Relationships in Multiple Contexts and Associations with Adolescent Mental Health

Purpose: Adult relationships provide critical support for adolescents because of their potential to foster positive development and provide protective influences. Few studies examine multiple ecological layers of adult relationships in connection with well-being and depression. This study examines the influence of relationships from multiple contexts for adolescents and their mental health. Method: Data from the 2011 California Healthy Kids Survey was used for this analysis; a sample of 7th-, 9th-, and 11th-grade students (N = 14,931) was drawn from 6 school districts in Southern California. Results: Regression analyses revealed that parent, teacher, and community adult support were all significantly positively associated with well-being and significantly negatively associated with depression. Discussion: Social support explained more variance in well-being than in depression, indicating that adult support may be more important for supporting well-being. This study supports the belief that individual categories and combinations of adult support are important.

The association of parentification indicators with substance use patterns among military-connected adolescents.

Military-connected youths are a vulnerable population exposed to a unique set of stressors, which may put them at increased risk for adverse mental and behavioral health outcomes, compared to their civilian counterparts. Among military-connected adolescents, emotional and instrumental parentification are mechanisms hypothesized to account for negative outcomes, including substance use. However, parentification may be protective in some cultures and has not been examined in the military population. Data were drawn from 1,441 7th-, 9th-, and 11th-graders who had a parent in the military and completed the 2013 California Healthy Kids Survey. Latent class analysis was used to examine patterns of instrumental parentification indicators among military-connected youths and associated patterns of substance use. Military-connected students in the high parentification class were significantly less likely to be in the frequent polysubstance using class (odds ratio = 0.376, 95% confidence interval [0.180, 0.782]). Findings suggest that experiences of instrumental parentification, including having more responsibilities at home, being more independent, and being able to solve problems better than peers, may be protective. For military-connected youths, these skills, developed in the context of their families, may translate to better coping with other stressful situations. Professionals may be able to build on these strengths and develop adaptive coping strategies to support military-connected youths in managing the stressors of wartime military life. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Partners at Learning: A Service-Learning Approach to Serving Public School Students from Military Families

ABSTRACT The majority of 4 million United States military-connected students attend public schools, and many face various challenges that stem from factors related to military service. Schools can support these students through a positive school climate and attention to their needs. University service-learning programs can enhance the experiences of military-connected students. This study presents an evaluation of the Partners at Learning program, where undergraduate university students provided tutoring to underserved students, including military-connected students. Results show that Partners at Learning tutors reported greater awareness of the unique experiences of these military-connected students, increased understanding of diverse groups, and increased interest in social justice advocacy.

School Staff Perceptions of Military-Connected Students in Civilian Public Schools: Implications for Teachers, Counselors, and School Staff

ABSTRACT Nearly all public school districts serve some of the 4 million military-connected students in the United States. Little is known about the perceptions of school staff and their understanding of the challenges facing these students in their schools. Results from 4,616 California school staff in 2011 and 2013 indicate that many believe in their capacity to respond to the needs of these students. However, in many cases, they do not know whether particular challenges or assets exist. These results emphasize the importance of efforts to highlight the needs of this population and that school staff are integral sources of support.

An Evaluation of the Use of Educational Resource Guides for Military Students in Public Schools

ABSTRACT Most public school staff are unaware of the presence of military-connected students in their schools. The Building Capacity Consortium aimed to increase awareness of military-connected students and meet their needs in schools. The Consortium developed a series of guidebooks to share evidence-based and homegrown strategies to support military-connected students and their families. Educational guidebooks are frequently used for training, but few are evaluated for their usefulness. This evaluation included a survey of 649 recipients of resource guides and presents their feedback. Results indicate that the resource guides were well received. Recommendations for further dissemination of these guides are discussed.