Every day, acts of violence injure more than 6000 people in the United States. Despite decades of social science arguing that joblessness among disadvantaged youth is a key cause of violent offending, programs to remedy youth unemployment do not consistently reduce delinquency. This study tests whether summer jobs, which shift focus from remediation to prevention, […]
Individual
Mental Illness Drives Hospitalizations for Detained California Youth
Hospitalization for mental health problems is far more common among kids behind bars than among children and teens in the general population, a new study finds. Juvenile inmates also have longer hospital stays, which suggests they have more serious underlying mental health problems, according to the Stanford University School of Medicine researchers. “We know young […]
Persistent Complex Bereavement Disorder Checklist — Youth Version
Everybody grieves the death of a loved one, and the process helps most mourners adjust to their loss. “Charlie Brown was right,” said Christopher Layne, a psychologist and researcher at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA. “There is good grief.” But for some people, bereavement becomes a problem in itself, prolonging […]
Effect of Attention Training on Attention Bias Variability and PTSD Symptoms
A computerized attention-control training program significantly reduced combat veterans’ preoccupation with – or avoidance of — threat and attendant PTSD symptoms. By contrast, another type of computerized training, called attention bias modification – which has proven helpful in treating anxiety disorders – did not reduce PTSD symptoms. NIMH and Israeli researchers conducted parallel trials in […]
Development of a Composite Trauma Exposure Risk Index
The high burden of exposure to chronic life adversities and trauma is quite prevalent, but assessment of this risk burden is uncommon in primary care settings. This calls for a brief, multiple dimensional mental health risk screening tool in primary care settings. We aimed to develop such a screening tool named the University of California, […]
Initial Findings from a Novel School-Based Program, EMPATHY, Which May Help Reduce Depression and Suicidality in Youth
A program is helping strengthen the mental health of public school students. The EMPATHY program, created and implemented in 2013, shows after just three months of use in schools, the program significantly decreased anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts among the student population. Peter Silverstone, a professor in the University of Alberta’s Department of Psychiatry, is […]