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Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a youth relationship education program (YREP) on psychological functioning and to understand the mechanisms associated with change in distress. Background: Successfully (or unsuccessfully) navigating romantic relationships is a robust predictor of adolescent mental health. Youth relationship education programs have been found to promote adaptive relationship knowledge, attitudes, and skills; however, little research has examined how such programs influence mental health. Method: This study examined whether significant reductions in psychological distress occurred for a diverse sample of adolescents (N = 113) completing a YREP. The study also explored whether the curriculum, Love Notes 3.0, was effective in reducing distress due to changes in hope and compromising conflict‐resolution behaviors. Results: From pretest to posttest, psychological distress decreased for young women but not for young men. Furthermore, reductions in distress were associated with simultaneous increases in hope, but not reductions in conflict‐resolution behaviors. Conclusion: YREPs can assist in improving youth's knowledge about adaptive relational dynamics while also significantly improving psychological functioning, primarily through increasing hope. Implications: YREPs may be beneficial for youth's mental health, and hope may play an important role. Encouraging youth to set clear goals and promoting self‐efficacy for behaviors that enact those goals may be helpful considerations for those serving youth (and particularly adolescent young men) in YREPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers have suggested that bystander behaviors and victim coping play an important role in counteracting the negative effects of bullying. The current study investigated the relationship between students' ratings of coping effectiveness when addressing bullying and their behaviors as bystanders when witnessing bullying. Surveys were administered in a Midwestern, suburban school district. Some associations between perceptions of coping effectiveness and bystander behavior supported our hypotheses (e.g., constructive coping associated with defending bystander behaviors, externalizing associated with pro‐bullying behaviors). However, some findings did not support hypothesized relationships. For example, higher ratings of effectiveness for cognitive distancing as a coping strategy were associated with increased defending behaviors as a bystander. Gender moderated some of these relationships. Pro‐bullying bystander behavior was associated with increased ratings of cognitive distancing and decreased reports of constructive coping effectiveness for girls. Implications for future research and practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the current study is to investigate the relationships between suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs), school climate, and student demographics among middle school students. The study was conducted with a sample of 152,191 middle school students across 607 schools within 182 school districts in a southeastern state. Results support prior research that positive perceptions of school climate are associated with fewer reports of STB. Participants identified family reasons, bullying, peer problems, and 'other' as the most common reasons for STB. Further, older students and males were more likely to engage in STB than their counterparts. When examining cross-sectional interactions, race/ethnicity moderated the relationship between school climate and STB. Findings from the study support the role of school psychologists in advocating for prevention and intervention STB supports for middle school students with particular attention to students who may be at increased risk based on group identification. Implications for future research and practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]