Jane Powers

The virtual cutting edge: the internet and adolescent self-injury

The 2 studies reported here use observational data from message boards to investigate how adolescents solicit and share information related to self-injurious behavior. Study 1 examines the prevalence and nature of these message boards, their users, and most commonly discussed topics. Study 2 was intended to explore the correlations between content areas raised for discussion. Both studies were intended to shed light on the role of message boards in spreading information about self-injurious practices and influencing help-seeking behavior. More than 400 self-injury message boards were identified. Most are populated by females who describe themselves as between 12 and 20 years of age. Findings show that online interactions clearly provide essential social support for otherwise isolated adolescents, but they may also normalize and encourage self-injurious behavior and add potentially lethal behaviors to the repertoire of established adolescent self-injurers and those exploring identity options.

Long-term Effects of Prenatal and Infancy Nurse Home Visitation on the Life Course of Youths: 19-Year Follow-up of a Randomized Trial

OBJECTIVE To examine the effect of prenatal and infancy nurse home visitation on the life course development of 19-year-old youths whose mothers participated in the program. DESIGN Randomized trial. SETTING Semirural community in New York. PARTICIPANTS Three hundred ten youths from the 400 families enrolled in the Elmira Nurse-Family Partnership program. Intervention Families received a mean of 9 home visits (range, 0-16) during pregnancy and 23 (range, 0-59) from birth through the childs second birthday. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Youth self-reports of educational achievement, reproductive behaviors, welfare use, and criminal involvement. RESULTS Relative to the comparison group, girls in the pregnancy and infancy nurse-visited group were less likely to have been arrested (10% vs 30%; relative risk [RR], 0.33; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.13-0.82) and convicted (4% vs 20%; 0.20; 0.05-0.85) and had fewer lifetime arrests (mean: 0.10 vs 0.54; incidence RR [IRR], 0.18; 95% CI, 0.06-0.54) and convictions (0.04 vs 0.37; 0.11; 0.02-0.51). Nurse-visited girls born to unmarried and low-income mothers had fewer children (11% vs 30%; RR, 0.35; 95% CI, 0.12-1.02) and less Medicaid use (18% vs 45%; 0.40; 0.18-0.87) than their comparison group counterparts. CONCLUSIONS Prenatal and infancy home visitation reduced the proportion of girls entering the criminal justice system. For girls born to high-risk mothers, there were additional positive program effects consistent with results from earlier phases of this trial. There were few program effects for boys.

Substantiation of child abuse and neglect reports.

A representative sample of 796 sexual abuse, 198 physical abuse, and 880 child neglect reports in New York State in 1985 was examined to identify case factors that predict the substantiation of the reports following an investigation by child protective services. This issue has taken on added significance as the number of child maltreatment reports continues to rise, whereas the percentage of those being substantiated declines. Regression analyses revealed that reports from professionals were substantiated at a significantly higher rate than reports from nonprofessionals for all types of maltreatment. These analyses further revealed that part of the effect of source of report was due to differences between professional and nonprofessional reports in the types of actions taken after the report was received. The most important predictors of substantiation, after source of report, were the variables that reflected the case investigatory process. The data also showed that background characteristics, such as the childs ethnicity or the number of children in the household, had some impact on the outcome of the investigation and that this varied as a function of the type of maltreatment.

Engaging Youth in Participatory Research and Evaluation

Although participatory research has been applied by a wide range of disciplines, the engagement of youth as partners in research and evaluation efforts is relatively new. The positive youth development movement has influenced scholars and practitioners to include youth as partners in the design and implementation of research involving issues that affect their lives. Engaging youth in research and evaluation not only generates useful knowledge for communities and individuals but also provides opportunities for the development and empowerment of youth participants, leading to benefits for young people, organizations, the broader community, and the research process. However, there has been little systematic study to establish an evidence base for these effects. This article describes four projects that illustrate active youth participation in research. These examples demonstrate opportunities for positive youth development, create a context for intergenerational partnerships, and generate research findings to inform future interventions and organizational improvements, including community mobilization.

The Psychology and Practice of Youth-Adult Partnership: Bridging Generations for Youth Development and Community Change

Youth-adult partnership (Y-AP) has become a phenomenon of interest to scholars and practitioners. Despite the potential of Y-AP to promote positive youth development, increase civic engagement, and support community change, the practice remains unfamiliar to many. Although research has increased over the past decade, the construct remains vague with an insufficient grounding in developmental theory and community practice. This article seeks to address these gaps by synthesizing data and insights from the historical foundations of Y-AP, community based research, and case study. We propose Y-AP as a unifying concept, distinct from other forms of youth-adult relationships, with four core elements: authentic decision making, natural mentors, reciprocity, and community connectedness. We conclude that Y-AP functions as an active ingredient and fundamental practice for positive youth development and civic engagement. Directions for future research are offered.

Reducing risks for antisocial behavior with a program of prenatal and early childhood home visitation

Risk factors for conduct disorder, antisocial behavior, and violence are reviewed and related to the known effects of a program of prenatal and early childhood home visitation. The program reduced three domains of risk for the development of problem behavior. The effects include: (a) a reduction in maternal substance abuse during pregnancy; (b) a reduction in child maltreatment; and (c) a reduction in family size, closely spaced pregnancies, and chronic welfare dependence. These factors—especially when they co-occur—have been shown to increase the risk for conduct disorder, delinquency, crime, and youth violence. There is increasing evidence that comprehensive prenatal and early childhood home visitation programs can affect these risks early in the life cycle and reduce conduct disorder and antisocial behavior among children and youth born into at-risk families.

The nature and substantiation of official sexual abuse reports

A representative sample of 796 sexual abuse reports from New York State in 1985 was studied to explore factors associated with the decision to substantiate or unsubstantiate these reports. This study focused on the age, sex, and ethnicity of the subject child, and the source of the report as predictors of case substantiation. Substantiation rates tended to increase with the age of the child although this was more characteristic of reports involving female than male victims. Overall, reports involving female children were more likely to be substantiated than those involving male children. Ethnicity of the child showed no significant relationship to substantiation. Source of report, however, showed a strong relationship to case determination, with mandated reports found to be substantiated at a rate 13% higher than reports from non-mandated sources.

LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF EARLY HOME VISITATION ON RATES OF STATE-VERIFIED CASES OF CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT. • 606

LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF EARLY HOME VISITATION ON RATES OF STATE-VERIFIED CASES OF CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT. • 606

Implementing Evidence-Based Programs: Lessons Learned from the Field.

Evidence-based programs (EBPs) are used in many health promotion efforts to ensure that the intended positive behavioral and health outcomes will be achieved. However, because EBPs are developed and tested in research settings, the contextual elements of real world implementation play an important role in their successful delivery in communities. As an intermediary charged with supporting the translation of research to practice for a statewide teen pregnancy prevention initiative, the ACT for Youth Center of Excellence conducted a mid-course evaluation to identify factors that contribute to the successful implementation of EBPs. The findings indicate that successful implementation involves systematic planning that addresses three critical contextual factors: community readiness, organizational capacity, and setting characteristics. By attending both to factors identified from local practice, and to theory and evidence identified through implementation science, practitioners can strengthen programming and enhance the quality of EBP delivery.