Child Psychology Commons^™

Helping Families Thrive: The Impact Of A Health-Focused Parent Training On Family Outcomes, Mary Capili M.S.

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Behavioral parent training (BPT) is a well-established intervention for children with ADHD and has been shown to reduce challenging behaviors in children and decrease caregiver stress. The Lifestyle Enhancement for ADHD Study (LEAP) is the only physical activity intervention that includes children with ADHD and their parents. To examine the relationships between child physical activity, caregiver physical activity, ADHD outcomes, and positive parenting. I hypothesized that H₁) caregiver physical activity will amplify the effect of child physical activity on reducing child ADHD symptoms, and H₂) caregiver strain will mediate the relationship caregiver physical activity and positive …

The Meaning Of Happiness Among Urban Children And Adolescents In Indonesia: A Qualitative Study Through Drawings, Eko Handayani, Dewi Maulina, Winarini W. Dahlan

Psychological Research on Urban Society

Urban children and adolescents face various stressors, including academic pressure, digital media exposure, and limited green spaces, which influence their happiness perception. This study aims to explore the meaning of happiness in children and adolescents living in Indonesia’s urban areas through qualitative research using a drawing-based approach. A total of 243 participants, aged 9-15, from elementary and junior high schools in Jakarta, were asked to draw "I am happy when..." with written brief explanations. Data were analyzed using visual and narrative-thematic approaches across children and adolescents from a developmental psychology perspective. The findings reveal that the images and explanations of …

Therapeutic Outcomes Of Racially Matched Families And Clinicians In Parent-Child Interaction Therapy With Toddlers, Emily B. Frey, Julia L. Kiefer, Lauren B. Quetsch, Rebecca S. Bradley, Emma I. Girard

Inquiry: The University of Arkansas Undergraduate Research Journal

Abstract

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is an evidence-based therapy for children aged 2.5-7 with disruptive behavioral problems. In recent years, the PCIT protocol has been adapted for use as a preventative model with toddlers (PCIT-T) aged 12-24 months. Given the recency of the PCIT-T adaptation, research has not yet examined the similarity of PCIT-T attrition rates compared to PCIT, though it is speculated rates are similar (between 30-69%; Ufford et al., 2022). Previous research suggests that racial dissimilarity between a treatment provider and the family may influence treatment dropout. Therefore, the current study explored the effect of racial matching between …

The Natural Agent Of Change: The Therapeutic Power Of Play To Children Who Have Experienced Aces And Trauma, Jingyu Chen

Orphans and Vulnerable Children Senior Capstone

The power of play lies in its natural expression which children speak. When engaged in safe play, children are allowed to explore, comprehend, connect, and communicate in a developmentally appropriate way without criticism. Yet those who are impacted by ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experience) often find play foreign as they are stuck in survival mode, missing the developmental benefits of safe play. This paper examines the role of play in childhood development, explains the relationship between ACEs, trauma and play, and suggests that play is a natural agent of change that carries therapeutic power. The paper supports play as a medium …

Hungry Minds: Analyzing The Impact Of Food Insecurity And Food Assistance Programs On Neurocognitive Development And Childhood Mental Health, Kayla A. Davenport

Senior Theses

Introduction: Food insecurity affects millions of children in the United States and is increasingly recognized as a significant risk factor for poor nutritional intake and adverse health outcomes. However, less is known about how the experience of food insecurity disrupts healthy development and well-being, particularly among American youth. This thesis had two aims: (1) to examine the relationship between household food insecurity and children’s neurocognitive and mental health outcomes and (2) to evaluate how major food assistance programs address, or fail to address, these developmental risks.

Methods: This thesis uses a mixed-methods approach, integrating a narrative literature review, a cross-sectional …

Neonatal Striatal Volume Is Associated With Infant Anhedonia, Melissa Nevarez-Brewster, Catherine H. Demers, Jessica L. Irwin, Laura M. Glynn, Martin A. Styner, Mercedes Hoeflich Haase, M. Camille Hoffman, Diego A. Pizzagalli, Benjamin L. Hankin, Elysia Poggi Davis

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Anhedonia is increasingly recognized as a transdiagnostic risk factor for psychopathology. New evidence demonstrates that anhedonia is present in infancy and early childhood. Structural variability in striatal regions involved in reward processing and pleasure seeking is concurrently linked to anhedonia, yet few studies have examined whether striatal differences presage anhedonia, and none have examined prospective associations before middle childhood. The present study examined whether neuroanatomical markers that confer risk for anhedonia can be detected as early as the neonatal period. Specifically, we tested whether the volume of striatal regions in neonates predicted the emergence of infant anhedonic behaviors at six …

Examining Student Critical Thinking Dispositions Within The College And Career Readiness Of Students Involved In Ffa And 4-H In Georgia, James D. Scott, Eric Rubenstein, Jason Peake, Nicholas E. Fuhrman Phd, Jori N. Hall

Journal of Youth Development

Preparing youth, primarily as they become high school graduates, to be ready to enter college and careers, has been a primary driving force in primary and secondary education for over 20 years. However, there lacks consistency in the definition and of the true idea of college and career readiness in the twentyfirst century. Additionally, there is a lack of research examining the impacts that student involvement in youth organizations has on the development of college and career-readiness skills. One facet of college and career readiness is the development of critical thinking skills and dispositions, which include enjoying solving problems, respecting …

Early Adult Outcomes Of 4-H Program Alumni: A Propensity-Matched Comparative Study, Steven M. Worker, Roshan K. Nayak, Anne Marie Iaccopucci, Nicole Marshall-Wheeler

Journal of Youth Development

A young person’s engagement in high-quality youth development programs should lead to stronger positive outcomes as a young adult. Theoretical literature advances broad indicators that mark success in young adulthood; however, there is a dearth of empirical publications reporting long-term outcomes to support this assumption. We conducted a cross-sectional survey study to report on three long-term outcomes (economic stability, health and well-being, and community involvement) of young adult (aged 19 to 34) alumni of the University of California 4-H Youth Development Program. We compared 4-H alumni outcomes to matched peers using secondary data sources. The 4-H alumni sample demonstrated more …

Closing The Youth Activity Gap Through School District–Community Partnerships, Joseph Anthes

Journal of Youth Development

A growing divide in physical activity amongst youth, fueled by the privatization of youth athletic programs, most negatively impacts underrepresented students. Intramural-sports programs hold the potential to engage more of our youth in physical activity, including those from marginalized populations. Utilizing a collective impact approach, school-community partnerships can create opportunities for access and strive toward equity in youth health. This study evaluates a partnership between a school district and a regional health care provider that resulted in the creation of a youth intramural-sports program by describing the partnership’s implementation strategies and by comparing first year enrollment data. Implementation strategies include: …

Strategies For Out-Of-School Time Stem Educators Working With Youth Experiencing Diverse Abilities, Joelle Lemer, Rasha Elsayed, Kirsten Daehler, Nena Bloom

Journal of Youth Development

Out-of-school time learning occurs in a variety of settings including formal-learning environments, such as afterschool programs, or informal-learning environments, such as museums or youth clubs. Educators in out-of-school time contexts serve diverse youth populations. Many educators often have limited experience or preparation in how to support STEM learning, particularly with learners experiencing diverse physical and/or sensory abilities, such as mobility, dexterity, vision, or hearing. The purpose of this article is to share research-to-practice strategies for STEM in out-of-school time settings for professionals working with youth experiencing diverse physical and/or sensory abilities. These strategies are derived from a review of available …

How Young People Mobilize Social Capital Within Youth-Serving Organizations, Erica J. Van Steenis, Brian Lightfoot, Ashley Boat, Miray Seward

Journal of Youth Development

Youth-serving practitioners can incorporate organizational and programmatic approaches to support young people in strengthening their social capital. Through a robust network of support, young people can successfully transition to postsecondary education and obtain meaningful career opportunities. One way practitioners can support young people’s social capital is by leveraging their social-capital mobilization (i.e., the way relationships and resources are accessed and used to accomplish goals). Informed by an adapted version of the institutional space framework, the current study draws on insights from qualitative focus groups centered around social-capital mobilization within six education and workforce development programs. Data come from the perspectives …

Media And Mindfulness: Associations Between Adolescent Mindful Social Media Use, Chenae Christensen-Duerden, Sarah Coyne

Journal of Youth Development

The objective of this study is to examine social media mindfulness and other social media habits as predictors of depression in adolescents. As depression and poor mental health increase for American adolescents, so does the research surrounding the positive outcomes associated with mindfulness. It is possible that mindfulness could be an effective tool in managing individual social media habits, however, very little research exists exploring the effects of mindfulness on media use. The sample for the current study includes a national quota sample of 1,158 adolescents (between the ages of 10 and 17 years old) from the United States. Participants …

Table Of Contents

Journal of Youth Development

No abstract provided.

Promising Strategies For Impacting Youth Development Systems From Christian Summer Camps, Rachael Botting, Jacob Sorenson, Karen K. Melton, Rob Ribbe Dr.

Journal of Youth Development

As research on summer camp continues to expand and both scholars and practitioners gain a better understanding of the impact of the experience, it has become important to explore how the experience of summer camp is connected to the larger ecology of youth development. This study explores strategies of Christian summer camps for impacting faith in the home through interviews with 20 Christian summer camp leaders across three faith-based camping organizations: Christian Camp and Conference Association (CCCA), Lutheran Outdoor Ministries (LOM), and United Methodist Camp and Retreat Ministries (UMCRM). Using semi-structured interviews and an appreciative inquiry approach, this study identified …

Covid-19 Adolescent Technology Use And Physical Activities: Cluster Analysis For Mental Health, Chunling Niu, Rui Jin, Ashley Love, Sohelia Sadeghi, Loren Cossette, Marissa Molina

Journal of Youth Development

This study examined how COVID-19 disrupted adolescent education, social interactions, and mental health by conducting exploratory cluster analysis to identify distinct profiles of technology use and physical activities, then comparing resulting clusters on demographics, social support, and mental health dimensions. Using the first wave of the longitudinal Oxford Achieving Resilience during COVID-19 (ARC) study of 1,196 United Kingdom adolescents aged 13-18, three clustering algorithms (k-means, k-medoids, and agglomerative hierarchical) identified optimal groupings validated both statistically and empirically. Three distinct clusters emerged: Cluster 1 (n = 380) characterized by low media use and moderate activity; Cluster 2 (n = 153) showing …

Best Practices For Hybrid Positive Youth Development Programming, William Wilton, Claudia Mincemoyer, Jill Lingard, Maria Walker

Journal of Youth Development

CLOVER by 4-H is an online learning platform that creates a space for youth to explore interactive learning experiences across a range of 4-H program areas. This article provides an overview of a pilot conducted around the implementation of CLOVER by 4-H to provide positive youth-development experiences in 4-H programming. As a result of the pilot, three distinct models for hybrid program delivery and a set of seven best practices for hybrid positive youth development have been identified. This article outlines the hybrid models that were examined and discusses the best practices for hybrid PYD with examples from the pilot …

Culturally Responsive Stem Education: Integrating Mapping Techniques And Drone Technology For Youth, Mayra Rodriguez Gonzalez, Kevin G. Torres Garrido

Journal of Youth Development

Integrating drone and geospatial technologies with participatory techniques offers a promising approach to culturally responsive STEM education. However, these areas are rarely combined in existing literature. Drone and geospatial education for youth generally focuses on technical skills, while participatory methods in youth-led initiatives often aim to foster community connection and a sense of place. Unfortunately, these approaches typically exist in isolation within youth programming. This disconnect limits the potential to engage underrepresented youth in STEM by not linking spatial data to local contexts and culturally meaningful narratives. By combining these approaches, both technical learning and personal engagement could be enhanced, …

Full Issue, Volume 20, Issue 3

Journal of Youth Development

No abstract provided.

The Experiences Of School Psychologists Serving Students With Traumatic Brain Injuries: A Phenomenology, E. Grace Ritchie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a complex experience associated with a diverse constellation of symptoms and challenges. TBI scholars have extensively explored the varying needs of youth in the aftermath of a head injury. Likewise, recent literature details recommendations for school psychological services in support of these students. Such recommendations largely reflect insights drawn from broader TBI and disability research, integrated with the established scope of school psychologists’ practice (e.g., the National Association of School Psychologists Practice Model). Nevertheless, school psychologists’ perceptions of these students’ challenges have been inadequately examined. Such perspectives are likely valuable, given school psychologists’ unique training …

A Guidance Practice Model: Reframing Prevention, Identification, And Treatment Of Trauma-Impacted Students With Intellectual Disabilities, Mark H. Thomas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The experience and exposure of trauma among youth, especially continuous traumatic experiences, poses considerable risks of long-term effects. Moreover, untreated trauma and subsequently negative mental health outcomes, like anxiety and depressive disorders, can negatively impact the psychosocial and academic functioning of students. One population that is generally overlooked regarding mental health in schools are students with intellectual disabilities (ID). This is problematic as this population is at an increased risk of traumatic experiences, such as maltreatment and social exclusion.

Moreover, the comorbidity of trauma and internalizing disorders among students with ID can exacerbate already existing challenges and deficits with social …