Launching IDeA state early career clinician-scientists with mentored just-in-time grant-writing support

Institutional Development Award (IDeA) programs build research infrastructure in regions with historically low access to NIH funds. The Mentored Research Development Award (MRDA), a professional development program embedded in our IDeA-funded center, provides junior investigators with mentorship and effort offset to write a grant. We evaluated outcomes from the first eight years (2013-2021; N = 55) using administrative records, publicly available data, and a self-report survey (n = 46, 84% response rate). Fifteen MRDA recipients (27%) went on to receive NIH funding. Providing just-in-time grant-writing support may launch early career clinician-scientists in an IDeA state context.

Mechanisms for change: A theoretical pathway for a school-wide social-emotional learning initiative in an urban middle school

Introduction

Investment in academic instruction without complementary attention to the social-emotional environment of students may lead to a failure of both. The current study evaluates a proposed mechanism for change, whereby academic achievement occurs as a result of the social-emotional learning environment impacting behavioral (discipline) outcomes.

Methods

We tested the hypothesized model during each year of a 3-year intervention to determine whether the relations among these constructs held potential as a pathway for targeted improvement.

Results

Path analysis for each year demonstrated excellent fit [Year 1: χ² (19) = 76.16, CFI = 0.99, RMSEA = 0.05,TLI = 0.98; Year 2: χ² (19) = 70.68, CFI = 0.99, RMSEA = 0.048, TLI = 0.98; Year 3: χ² (19) = 66.59, CFI = 0.99, RMSEA = 0.05, TLI = 0.98] supporting the theoretical model for change. For each year the effect of the SEL Environment construct on discipline was significant, as was the effect of discipline on Academic Performance. Further, the indirect effect of SEL Environment on Academic Performance was significant across all years.

Discussion

The consistency of these relationships supports the proposed logic model as a potential mechanism for change and has the potential to guide interventions for whole school improvement.

Adolescent homelessness: Evaluating victimization risk based on LGBT identity and sleeping location

BACKGROUND

Teen homelessness confers risk for victimization experiences, and teens that identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) are at an even greater risk of experiencing victimization and homelessness.

METHODS

Using the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, we evaluated the association of experiencing homelessness with physical and sexual victimization and we examined whether LGBT identification moderated this relationship. We also evaluated if the odds of experiencing sexual and physical victimization differed depending on the reported sleeping location.

RESULTS

Students who reported homelessness had increased odds of having experienced physical and sexual victimization. LGBT identity was related to increased risk for physical and sexual victimization; however, LGBT identity did not moderate the relationship between homelessness and victimization. Considering nighttime sleeping arrangement, students who reported having no usual place to stay had the highest odds of experiencing sexual or physical victimization, followed by car, park, campground, hotels/motels, emergency housing, and doubled-up with family or friends. Notably, all homeless sleeping locations were associated with increased odds of experiencing victimization relative to sleeping at a parent or guardian's home.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings confirm links between teen homelessness and sexual and physical victimization, as well as increased risk for victimization experienced by LGBT youth. Special considerations should be made when developing and implementing interventions for teens experiencing homelessness and teens who identify as LGBT.

Establishing a Valid, Reliable, and Efficient Chart Review Process for Research in Pediatric Integrated Primary Care Psychology

Retrospective chart review is an accessible form of research that is commonly used across medical fields but is underutilized in behavioral health. As a relatively newer area of research, the field of pediatric integrated primary care (IPC) would particularly benefit from guidelines for conducting a methodologically sound chart review study. Here, we use our experiences building a chart review procedure for a pediatric IPC research project to offer strategies for optimizing reliability (consistency), validity (accuracy), and efficiency. We aim to provide guidance for conducting a chart review study in the specific setting of pediatric IPC so that researchers can apply this methodology toward generating research in this field.

Student Self-Reported Positive Purpose Over Two Years in Urban Middle Schools

We used Developmental Systems Theory as a framework for understanding the role of contextual factors in the development of purpose in urban adolescents. The sample included primarily low-socioeconomic students of color attending urban middle schools (n = 2,629; 10-16 years of age). Longitudinal data were collected at four time points across two years. We used hierarchical linear modeling to model change in purpose. On average, purpose declined over time. We also identified several predictors of intercept and slope. For example, Black youth had a higher average purpose intercept, as well as a steeper average decline than other racial/ethnic groups. Females demonstrated a higher average purpose intercept than males, but this effect disappeared when academic achievement was added to the model.