RESEARCH UPDATE
Developmental Status and Early Intervention Service Needs of Maltreated Children - Final Report
This U.S. Department of Health and Human Services study looks at the developmental problems of youth receiving child welfare services that indicate a need for Part C early intervention services. In particular, the study investigates: the extent to which maltreated children have developmental problems or are subject to factors associated with poor developmental outcomes; the services maltreated children are eligible for and what services they receive through child welfare systems; the child and/or case characteristics that influence developmental service receipt by maltreated children; and the barriers that exist to service provision and solutions.
» Read this report.
Mental Health Case Study Report: Transitioning Youth with Mental Health Needs to Meaningful Employment and Independent Living
The National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth, with funding from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy, recently achieved their goal of carrying out a study on successful strategies to help youth with mental health needs transition to postsecondary education, employment, and independent lives. The study focuses on the role of skills development, work, and career exploration.
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Read this report (PDF).
Youth Do Better With Relatives than With Foster Care
There has been a national charge to improve the mental and overall well-being of children placed in foster care homes and facilities across the nation. A recent study by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia shows that children who leave their homes because of abusive parents have fewer behavioral problems when placed with relatives in kinship care than if they are placed in foster care.
» Read the study summary.
Bulletin Examines Teenage Violence
The first in a series of publications from its Girls Study Group, this bulletin from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) assesses general trends of juvenile arrest rates for violent crimes, focusing on simple and aggravated assault. It then focuses on the context in which girls and boys offend, including the type of victims targeted and environments where offenses commonly occur.
» Read this bulletin.
Bipolar Youths’ Misreading of Faces May be Risk Marker for Illness Linked to Genetics, Altered Brain Circuitry
Researchers at the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH) have discovered that youngsters with pediatric bipolar disorder and their healthy peers who have first-degree relatives with bipolar disorder share the same difficulty labeling facial emotions. Reporting in the February 2008 online edition of the American Journal of Psychiatry, the scientists suggest that the facial emotion recognition impairment might be part of an inherited predisposition to the illness.
» Read this article.
Addressing Barriers in Identifying and Managing Psychosocial Issues in Children and Maternal Depression
The American Academy of Pediatrics surveyed pediatricians across the country to assess the barriers to identification and management of psychosocial issues in children and maternal depression. The barriers identified include the lack of time in an average practice, long waiting periods for appointments for mental health providers, and lack of training. The conclusion was that there must be a multifaceted approach that spans primary care and mental health providers and families.
» Read this article.
Study Suggests that Bipolar Youth Have Higher Risk of Addiction
Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital say that adolescents with bipolar disorder are more likely than youth with no mood disorders to use drugs and alcohol. In a recent study, the bipolar group had a substance use/abuse rate of 34 percent, while the control group had a substance use/abuse rate of 4 percent.
» Read this article.
The Mental Health of Adolescents: A National Profile, 2008
This research brief from the University of California, San Francisco provides an overview of the available national data on adolescent mental health, including a list of the most common reasons why teens enter mental health treatment.
» Read this brief (PDF).