Longitudinal change in adolescent hope among recent immigrant Latinx adolescents: Links with adolescent and parent cultural stress, family functioning, emotional well‐being, and behavioral health

Children entering custody within the child welfare system have been found to have high levels of trauma and significant behavioral health needs. In this paper, authors demonstrate how a structured functional well-being assessment can be used with the custody population to promote an understanding of behavioral health needs, inform case planning, and measure functional improvement over time. Specifically, this paper will: (a) briefly describe how two states implemented a common standardized assessment of functioning to inform case planning and measure well-being progress of children in the custody of a public child welfare system (b) examine what this common assessment tool reveals about the strengths and needs of children entering custody across two sites and (c) describe the magnitude of change in functional improvement measured across 6 months. This paper will contribute to the existing knowledge by sharing possible themes in functioning related to children entering custody while examining changes in functioning over time. Implications for practice, policy, and future research will be discussed.

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Acculturation, Communication Competence, and Family Functioning in Mexican–American Mother–Daughter Dyads

Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health ◽

10.1007/s10903-021-01256-x ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Becky Marquez ◽

Tanya Benitez ◽

Zephon Lister

Keyword(s):

Family Functioning ◽

Relationship Quality ◽

Communication Skills ◽

Adult Children ◽

Indirect Effect ◽

Mediation Analysis ◽

Mexican American ◽

Communication Competence ◽

Well Being ◽

Actor Partner Interdependence Model

AbstractLittle is known of how intergenerational acculturation discrepancy relates to communication skills differences that may influence relationship quality among parents and adult children. Mexican–American mother–daughter dyads (n = 59) were studied using the Actor Partner Interdependence Model to examine dyadic associations of acculturation and communication competence with family functioning and mediation analysis to determine the indirect effect of acculturation discrepancy on family functioning through communication competence differences. Communication competence of mothers exerted significant actor and partner effects on daughter-perceived cohesion and closeness. Higher acculturation discrepancy predicted greater communication competence difference which in turn was associated with lower cohesion and closeness. There was a significant indirect effect of acculturation discrepancy on daughter-perceived cohesion through communication competence difference. Communication competence of mothers impacts their own as well as their daughters’ perceptions of dyad cohesion and closeness. Intergenerational discrepant acculturation contributes to discordant communication skills that impair family functioning, which has implications for psychological well-being.

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The Effect of Stressful Life Events and Transitions on Family Functioning and Well-Being

Journal of Marriage and Family ◽

10.2307/351979 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 49 (4) ◽

pp. 857 ◽

Cited By ~ 129

Author(s):

Yoav Lavee ◽

Hamilton I. McCubbin ◽

David H. Olson

Keyword(s):

Family Functioning ◽

Life Events ◽

Stressful Life Events ◽

Well Being ◽

Stressful Life

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Identifying as American Indian/Alaska Native in Urban Areas: Implications for Adolescent Behavioral Health and Well-Being

Youth & Society ◽

10.1177/0044118x19840048 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 53 (1) ◽

pp. 54-75 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Ryan A. Brown ◽

Daniel L. Dickerson ◽

David J. Klein ◽

Denis Agniel ◽

Carrie L. Johnson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Identity Development ◽

American Indian ◽

Behavioral Health ◽

Alaska Native ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Well Being ◽

Racial Ethnic ◽

Health And Well Being

American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth exhibit multiple health disparities, including high rates of alcohol and other drug (AOD) use, violence and delinquency, and mental health problems. Approximately 70% of AI/AN youth reside in urban areas, where negative outcomes on behavioral health and well-being are often high. Identity development may be particularly complex in urban settings, where youth may face more fragmented and lower density AI/AN communities, as well as mixed racial-ethnic ancestry and decreased familiarity with AI/AN lifeways. This study examines racial-ethnic and cultural identity among AI/AN adolescents and associations with behavioral health and well-being by analyzing quantitative data collected from a baseline assessment of 185 AI/AN urban adolescents from California who were part of a substance use intervention study. Adolescents who identified as AI/AN on their survey reported better mental health, less alcohol and marijuana use, lower rates of delinquency, and increased happiness and spiritual health.

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Putative neural consequences of captivity for elephants and cetaceans

Reviews in the Neurosciences ◽

10.1515/revneuro-2021-0100 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 0 (0) ◽

Author(s):

Bob Jacobs ◽

Heather Rally ◽

Catherine Doyle ◽

Lester O’Brien ◽

Mackenzie Tennison ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Basal Ganglia ◽

Behavioral Health ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Well Being ◽

Present Review ◽

Large Mammals ◽

Impoverished Environment ◽

Neural Underpinnings ◽

The Impact ◽

The Brain

Abstract The present review assesses the potential neural impact of impoverished, captive environments on large-brained mammals, with a focus on elephants and cetaceans. These species share several characteristics, including being large, wide-ranging, long-lived, cognitively sophisticated, highly social, and large-brained mammals. Although the impact of the captive environment on physical and behavioral health has been well-documented, relatively little attention has been paid to the brain itself. Here, we explore the potential neural consequences of living in captive environments, with a focus on three levels: (1) The effects of environmental impoverishment/enrichment on the brain, emphasizing the negative neural consequences of the captive/impoverished environment; (2) the neural consequences of stress on the brain, with an emphasis on corticolimbic structures; and (3) the neural underpinnings of stereotypies, often observed in captive animals, underscoring dysregulation of the basal ganglia and associated circuitry. To this end, we provide a substantive hypothesis about the negative impact of captivity on the brains of large mammals (e.g., cetaceans and elephants) and how these neural consequences are related to documented evidence for compromised physical and psychological well-being.

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South African Adolescents’ Neighborhood Perceptions Predict Longitudinal Change in Youth and Family Functioning

The Journal of Early Adolescence ◽

10.1177/0272431617725196 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 38 (8) ◽

pp. 1142-1169 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Nicholas Tarantino ◽

Nada M. Goodrum ◽

Christina Salama ◽

Rebecca H. LeCroix ◽

Karie Gaska ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Family Functioning ◽

South African ◽

Externalizing Behavior ◽

Longitudinal Change ◽

Neighborhood Conditions ◽

Hiv Prevention Intervention ◽

Parental Responsiveness ◽

Neighborhood Contexts ◽

Sex Communication ◽

African Community

This study examined South African early adolescent youth (aged 10-14 years) and their female caregivers ( N = 99 dyads) participating in an HIV prevention intervention over a period of 8 months. We examined youth perceptions of neighborhood cohesion, safety, and collective monitoring as they related to concurrent and longitudinal associations with youth (externalizing behavior and hope about the future) and family (parent-youth relationship quality, parental involvement, and parental responsiveness to sex communication) functioning while controlling for baseline characteristics. Neighborhood perceptions were significantly associated ( p < .05) with short- and longer term outcomes. Gender differences suggested a greater protective association of perceived neighborhood conditions with changes in functioning for boys versus girls. Unexpected associations were also observed, including short-term associations suggesting a link between better neighborhood quality and poorer family functioning. We account for the culture of this South African community when contextualizing our findings and conclude with recommendations for interventions targeting neighborhood contexts.

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Family functioning of elderly with depressive symptoms

Revista da Escola de Enfermagem da USP ◽

10.1590/s0080-623420140000300012 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 48 (3) ◽

pp. 469-476 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Rosely Almeida Souza ◽

Gislaine Desani da Costa ◽

Cintia Hitomi Yamashita ◽

Fernanda Amendola ◽

Jaqueline Correa Gaspar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Family Functioning ◽

Family Health ◽

Female Gender ◽

Well Being ◽

The Elderly ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Dysfunctional Family ◽

The Family

Objective: To classify families of elderly with depressive symptoms regarding their functioning and to ascertain the presence of an association between these symptoms, family functioning and the characteristics of the elderly. Method: This was an observational, analytical, cross-sectional study performed with 33 teams of the Family Health Strategy in Dourados, MS. The sample consisted of 374 elderly divided into two groups (with and without depressive symptoms). The instruments for data collection were a sociodemographic instrument, the GeriatricDepression Scale (15 items) and the Family Apgar. Results: An association was observed between depressive symptoms and family dysfunction, female gender, four or more people living together, and physical inactivity. Conclusion: The functional family may represent effective support for the elderly with depressive symptoms, because it offers a comfortable environment that ensures the well-being of its members. The dysfunctional family can barely provide necessary care for the elderly, which can exacerbate depressive symptoms. 

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