Child Psychology Commons^™

High-School-Age Youth Serving As “Emotion Coaches” For Young Children In The Early Grades: A Feasibility Study Of A Cross-Age Approach To Social And Emotional Learning, Amanda Moreno, Maria Kontoudakis, Whitney Davis-Mcintosh, Anita Evans, Olivia Bobbitt

Journal of Youth Development

While the benefits of cross-age programming within youth have been understood for decades, such programs are rarely employed with curricula specific to social and emotional learning (SEL) or with a wide age range between the two groups of youth. This article describes the findings of a pilot implementation and feasibility study of the Emotion Coaches program, which sought to explore whether the conceptual and pragmatic challenges involved in bringing early childhood students (i.e., preschool to second grade) together with adolescent teachers delivering an SEL curriculum could be overcome. Findings from the pilot evaluation suggested that middle-school-age students are likely too …

Promoting Positive Youth Development Through Mentoring In Alternative Education, Tia S. Andersen

Journal of Youth Development

This Program and Practice article provides a comprehensive overview of a university-school mentoring program specifically designed to address the school-to-prison pipeline by supporting youth in a disciplinary alternative school setting. The purpose of this article is to offer a detailed description of the program’s structure, components, and implementation strategies, with the goal of providing practitioners with a replicable model that can be adapted for use in similar school environments. This program matches undergraduate students with high school youth removed from traditional schools due to behavioral or justice-related challenges. Grounded in a strengths-based framework, the intervention incorporates a structured mentor training …

Coaching Life Skills Through Sport: Program Description And Evaluation, Lori Gano-Overway, Sarah Sackett, Robert J. Harmison, Dorian Hayden

Journal of Youth Development

While life skill development opportunities in sport and the coach’s essential role in facilitating the process have received much support, coaches often report they lack the tools and confidence necessary to integrate life skill development strategies into practice. Additionally, while life skill development focused coach education programming exists, few have been formally documented and systematically evaluated for effectiveness. The present study aimed to describe an accessible (online, free, asynchronous) and evidence- informed course while assessing the program’s fidelity and utility using the utilization-focused evaluation model (Patton & Campbell-Patton, 2021). The developed Coaching Life Skills Through Sport (CLSTS) course covers empirically …

Investigating The Role Of Motivation On The Effectiveness Of Computerized Cognitive Training Among At-Risk Youth, Emely N. Lugo

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Student motivation plays a central role in academic success, influencing persistence, engagement, and performance across grade levels. Within situated expectancy-value theory (SEVT), motivation is shaped by students’ beliefs about their ability to succeed (expectancy), the importance or usefulness they assign to a task (value), the perceived effort or trade-offs involved (cost), and the situational context in which learning occurs. Although the link between motivation and academic performance is well known, there is limited research on how motivational factors, like those proposed by SEVT, influence the extent of cognitive gains from school-based cognitive interventions designed to improve abilities related to academic …

Developing American Indian/Alaska Native Children As Leaders In The Climate Movement, Joseph Burns, Alessandra Angelino, Danielle Heims-Waldron, Allison Empey, Jason Deen

Journal of Youth Development

American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) voices are critical in the climate movement, as numerous social drivers have rendered these communities particularly vulnerable to the consequences of environmental change. In recent years, specific events, including the Dakota Access Pipeline, have galvanized AI/AN youth, who have been increasingly involved as leaders in the climate movement both in the United States and internationally. This yields a significant opportunity to promote leadership development for Indigenous youth, both through local, national, and international organizing and through curricular development to spark interests in environmental science. This review aims to discuss the role of AI/AN youth leadership in …

Exploring The Recognition Of Internalizing Problems Among Black Students: Delving Into The Youth Mental Health Help-Seeking Pathway, Marketta A. Adams

LSU Master's Theses

The mental health of Black adolescents is a growing concern, with high prevalence rates of internalizing disorders such as anxiety and depression. National studies report that nearly 47% of Black adolescents experience a mental health disorder by age 18, with over 60% reporting moderate to severe depressive symptomology. Despite these alarming rates, Black youth underutilize mental health services, often due to cultural stigma, limited access to culturally competent care, and under-recognition of their mental health needs. This study aimed to explore problem recognition as a key component in the mental health help-seeking pathway for Black adolescents in school settings. Grounded …

Parentcoach: Designing An Mhealth Parenting App To Enhance Parental Involvement In Adhd Support, Franceli L. Cibrian, Nancy Herrera, Jesus A. Beltran, Lucas M. Silva, Mikaela Pulse, Kayla Anderson, Cassie Zeiler, Luc Rieffel, Daniel I. Lee, Sabrina E. B. Schuck, Kimberley D. Lakes

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

Introduction: Parents play a vital role in supporting self-regulation and managing behaviors in children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). However, many face barriers to accessing consistent, evidence-based support. Mobile health (mHealth) technologies offer a promising way to deliver flexible, low-burden guidance for parents on best practices and strategies to support their children's self-regulation. However, designing them is non-trivial.

Objective: This paper introduces ParentCoach, a mobile application designed to support parents of children with ADHD through brief daily lessons, reflection prompts, and skill-building activities.

Methods: ParentCoach was developed in two phases: (1) secondary analysis of qualitative data from over 30 families …

“Home.”: A Trauma-Informed Children’S Book Exploring Secure Attachment For Children In Foster Care, Keeli Langford

Undergraduate Theses

Estimates suggest 6% of U.S. children (nearly half a million) will be placed in foster care at any point between their birth and eighteenth birthday (Turney & Wildeman, 2017). This population of children is subject to multiple adverse childhood experiences (ACEs; Turney & Wildeman, 2017). Such ACEs include parental divorce, parental incarceration, parental abuse, a household member with a psychological disorder, violence exposure, or a household member grappling with substance use. Exposure to childhood ACEs can negatively affect children behaviorally, emotionally, socially, and academically (Lawrence et al., 2006; McGuire et al., 2021). Research indicates youth in foster care are more …

Investigating The Relationship Between Noun Classes And Plant Folk Taxonomy In Chasu Language Of Kilimanjaro Region In Tanzania, Peter Rabson Mziray

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The current study investigates the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu (G 22). The study focuses on two objectives: the first objective is to describe the plant folk taxonomy in Chasu and the second objective is to determine the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu. Data were collected from rural villages in Same and Mwanga districts by using free listing, field interviews (jungle-walk-and-identify), and written texts containing Chasu plant names. The findings reveal that Chasu folk taxonomy reflects different ethnobotanical categories; including a unique beginner which is mmea/mimea ‘plant(s)’, and three life …

Design Considerations For Conversational Agents To Assess The Social-Emotional Well-Being Of Young Children In Low-Income South African Communities, Lucretia A. Williams, Elizabeth A. Ankrah, Catherine E. Draper, Caylee J. Cook, Franceli L. Cibrian, Jesus A. Beltran, Kimberley D. Lakes, Gillian R. Hayes

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

A variety of digital technologies have been used to support early childhood development (ECD) programs in low-income South African communities. Even though technology has provided opportunities to increase access to health interventions, the lack of trust and socio-economic constraints under which these tools would need to work pose complex challenges. We examine home visitors’ work processes, experiences, and preferences of a conversational agent to support their work of administering social-emotional well-being assessments to young children ages 0-5. Analysis of the results of focus groups with 51 home visitors indicates the need for designing conversational agents that support ECD in the …

Three Good Things And Family Process, Julia Prouty

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

There is a need for adaptive and affordable prevention/intervention strategies to promote happiness, health, and well-being in families. Three Good Things (3GT) is a free exercise from the field of positive psychology meant to shift an individual’s focus and perceptions towards gratitude. 3GT promotes focusing on gratitude by reflecting on what an individual is grateful for from the past day/week. Persons are encouraged to write down and share their 3GT with another individual. A mindset of gratitude is closely associated with improved happiness, health, and well-being. The exercise of reflecting on 3GT is adaptive to most individuals/families. To date, most …

Exploring Cultural Perspectives On Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Literature Review, Carly A N Kuhlman

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by impairments in personal, social, academic, or occupational functioning. Despite its universal recognition, perceptions and responses to autism vary widely across different cultural contexts. This paper explores the impact of cultural perspectives on the diagnosis, intervention, and support for individuals with autism. It highlights how cultural beliefs, values, and societal norms shape the understanding and management of ASD, revealing significant differences in diagnostic practices and support systems around the world. The paper discusses how cultural factors influence the interpretation of autism, using case studies from diverse settings, including Africa, Southeast Asia, …

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 …

Table Of Contents

Journal of Youth Development

No abstract provided.

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 …