Yumiko Aratani

Who Are America's Poor Children? The Official Story

On the expense side, the official poverty measure does not include the cost of payroll and income taxes or work-related expenses, such as child care and transportation. Nor does it take into account varying family needs, such as the cost of out-of-pocket medical expenses. And finally, the poverty measure does not adjust for the substantial variation in the cost of living from state to state and between urban and rural areas. Who are America’s Poor Children? The Official Story

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Continuation of Community-Based Children’s Mental Health Services

This paper examines racial and ethnic disparities in continuation of mental health services for children and youth in California and how English language proficiency moderates the effect of race/ethnicity on the continuation of service. While previous research indicated racial/ethnic or geographic disparities in accessing mental health services among children and youth, few studies specifically focused on the continuation of mental health care. The authors used administrative data from California county mental health services users under age 25. Applying logistic regression, English language proficiency was found to be the major determinant of continuation of mental health services in this age group. With the exception of children of Asian descent, non-English speaking children and youth of diverse racial/ethnic background were significantly less likely to continue receiving mental health services compared with White English-speaking peers, even after controlling for sociodemographic, clinical and county characteristics.

The Effects of Runaway-Homeless Episodes on High School Dropout.

This article uses data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 to examine the relationship between running away from home between the ages of 12 and 14 and dropping from high school among youth. Propensity score matching was conducted in estimating the effect of running away on high school dropout while controlling for confounding factors, such as familial instability and socioemotional health risks. The findings suggest that having runaway-homeless episodes have a detrimental effect on academic achievement.

Socio-demographic Variations of Homeowners and Differential Effects of Parental Homeownership on Offspring's Housing Tenure

Previous research indicates a positive effect of parental homeownership on offsprings homeownership, but rarely tests whether the effect is due to self-selectivity. In the context of socio-demographic variations of American homeowners, this study extends previous research by examining the differential effects of parental ownership of a single-family home. The current study employs the Panel Studies of Income Dynamics data, using propensity score matching to address self-selection problems. The results suggest that the intergenerational effect of parental housing tenure has been differentiated by race, income and the housing tenure history of parents while reinforcing inequality. Even within the same housing tenure, offspring of socio-economically disadvantaged groups are less likely to take advantage of parental homeownership in attaining a single-family owner-occupied home.

Energy Insecurity among Families with Children

The National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) is dedicated to promoting the economic security, health, and well-being of America’s low-income families and children. Using research to inform policy and practice, NCCP seeks to advance family-oriented solutions and the strategic use of public resources at the state and national levels to ensure positive outcomes for the next generation. Founded in 1989 as a division of the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, NCCP is a nonpartisan, public interest research organization.

Examining the Landscape of Child Poverty in the US Today

R ecent data from the US Census Bureau indicate that many of our youngest citizens live in poverty; the size of this population has been teadily increasing over time since the 1970s. There s a wide body of research documenting the imporance of family income for children’s health and ell-being. Thus, trends in child poverty suggest that growing share of children today are experiencing ircumstances that are detrimental to their overall ealth and development and that could have lifelong onsequences. In this article we use data from the urrent Population Survey, March Annual Social and conomic Supplements, to describe the prevalence of hild poverty in the US over time and the sociodemoraphic and geographic characteristics of children and heir parents living in poverty. We also expand on berg and Aga’s (2010—see article in this issue) iscussion of the social safety net by providing a etailed illustration of what families need to meet their ost basic necessities and the very real impact work upports and public benefits, such as the Earned ncome Tax Credit and child care assistance, have on family’s budget and net family resources. This nalysis is based on data from the National Center for hildren in Poverty’s Basic Needs Budget Calculator nd Family Resource Simulator, web-based tools that alculate how much families need to afford minimum

Children's mental health policies in the United States: perspectives from advocates and state leaders

Previous research suggests a disconnect on both policy and practice between advocates and state leaders in child mental health.

The Prevalence of Mental Illness and Substance Abuse Among Rural Latino Adults with Multiple Adverse Childhood Experiences in California

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been found to increase health and mental health risks in adulthood. Previous ACE studies tend to have small samples of Latinos; however, as Latinos are projected to be the largest minority group in the United States, it is important to examine how ACEs are associated with self-reported mental distress and alcohol and/or substance abuse among Latino populations. An ACEs survey was conducted in a predominantly Latino town; the sample included 195 individuals (18 or older), and the majority (92%) identified as Latino. Logistic regression showed that respondents with three or more ACEs, compared to those with no ACEs, were three times more likely to report more days of mental distress and eight times more likely to have alcohol and/or substance abuse problems. Further studies are needed to understand the association between ACEs and behavioral health using culturally and linguistically competent mental health screening tools.

English Proficiency, Threshold Language Policy and Mental Health Service Utilization among Asian-American Children

This paper explores the role of English proficiency, ethnicity, and Californias threshold language policy in the rates of discontinuing mental health services among Asian-American children. We used data from the 2001-2006 Client and Services Information (CSI) System, which contains county-level information about service users in public mental health systems. Our data included 59,218 service users under the age of 18. We used logistic regression to determine the likelihood of discontinuing services, while controlling for sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. English-speaking Asians were 11% more likely than English-speaking Whites to discontinue mental health services. Non-English-speaking Asians were 50% significantly more likely to stay in services. The results also revealed some inter-ethnic variations in the discontinuation patterns; however, the patterns of mental health service utilization appear to be driven by the availability of mental health services in Asian-ethnic languages in county of residence. Further research is needed to understand the intake and referral processes that Asian children go through within the mental health service system.

Stalled on the Roadmap? The Status of Cultural and LinguisticCompetence-related Policies that Impact Children's Mental Health in theUnited States

There are acknowledged disparities in access to quality children’s mental health services and in outcomes based on race/ethnicity and English language proficiency in the United States. To assess how states currently make operational key principles of cultural and linguistic competence and to assess barriers, we surveyed United States state child mental health directors on their policylinked strategies to increase cultural and linguistic competence and reduce disparities. Based on previous research, strategies to address system-level challenges were identified. They included: the existence of cultural advisory bodies, implementation of a cultural competence plan, workforce development, measurement and self-assessments and leadership. Forty states participated in the survey. Our findings indicate that state-led efforts remain limited. Only seven states had updated strategic plans, and eleven reported having regular assessments on disparities. Twenty-three states reported implementing cultural and linguistic competence training for providers. States face numerous barriers to their efforts to devise and implement policy-linked strategies to reduce disparities. With the Affordable Care Act of 2010 and the enhanced national standards for culturally and linguistically appropriate services in health and health care, states should advance policy to address disparities in children’s mental health based on race/ethnicity and English language proficiency.