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Individuals who report everyday experiences of discrimination are at heightened risk for adverse health outcomes and tend to report underutilization of health services. Systems of care (SOCs) have the potential to engage members of minority groups and to reduce health disparities. We examined the service‐related experiences of predominantly Latinx caregivers enrolled in a SOC for their children with severe psychological health needs. We used independent samples t‐tests and regression analyses to compare relations among service access, perceived service characteristics, and caregiver stress according to whether caregivers reported frequent or infrequent discrimination. The frequent discrimination group scored significantly higher on dimensions of stress and had greater dosage than the infrequent group. There were no differences in relations between service characteristics and outcomes by group. Findings indicated important differences in the service‐related experiences and outcomes of caregivers who reported frequent and infrequent discrimination. We discuss limitations and implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Participation in community-based family interventions characterized by an integrated service approach is linked to enhanced caregiver and child outcomes. However, more research is needed that examines the developmental impacts of interventions serving young children and their families, given that adversity in early childhood may predict problematic developmental trajectories. We examined potential relations among perceived characteristics of an early childhood system of care serving children with severe emotional and behavioral challenges and their families, dimensions of family involvement, and changes in child and caregiver functioning from intake to 6 months. We analyzed data from 158 caregivers of children under age 6 ( M = 3.9 years, SD = 1.11, Range = 1.4-5.9 years) who were primarily White and boys. Results indicated, for instance, that perceived cultural competence and general satisfaction were positively associated with active caregiver participation in services. Although multiple path models tested via path analyses were not statistically significant, the model that assessed the potential mediating effect of active caregiver participation on the relation between cultural competence and caregiver stress approached significance ( z = −1.89, SE = .03, p = .06). Qualitative results indicated that caregivers primarily viewed receiving family support as the most helpful aspect of the SOC, followed by learning enhanced parenting skills and observing positive changes in their children's behaviors. Our findings highlight important facets of an early childhood SOC linked to positive participant experiences and outcomes. We discuss limitations of our study and implications for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article is to present a new brief measure for efficiently and effectively identifying children who have been exposed to violence. The tool was derived from an epidemiological survey of children's experiences completed by parents and was designed to be practical and nonthreatening. The instrument was completed by the parents of 215 children ages six years old and younger. Psychometric evidence indicates satisfactory internal reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.82), and the measure also yields consistent results over time. In addition, it relates appropriately and as expected to another measure of violence and trauma exposure, which indicates validity. While the new measure is still under development, it has implications for use by service providers of young children and their families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous programs have been established to help children who have experienced or are experiencing family violence, but few of these programs have been systematically evaluated. To contribute to the field's understanding of interventions for young children exposed to family violence and their families, we evaluated an intervention that offers comprehensive assessment, targeted caregiver-child intervention, individualized service planning, and care coordination. Baseline-to-discharge results revealed (1) a significant decrease over time in the number of potentially traumatic events that children experienced, including family and nonfamily violence events, (2) significant decreases over time in children's post-traumatic stress-intrusive thoughts and post-traumatic stress-avoidance behaviors, (3) significant decreases in self-reported stress associated with the parenting role among caregivers, (4) favorable ratings of services by caregivers, and (5) high levels of service receipt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to present systems of care as an example of how counseling psychology and public health overlap with regards to prevention and intervention approaches for children's mental health. A framework for prevention is presented as is the state of children's mental health promotion, with a particular focus on ecological and systemic approaches to children's mental health and how these approaches cut across multiple perspectives. Systems of care are highlighted as an example of the congruence of prevention and ecological or systemic approaches to address the mental health promotion of children and their families, with the potential to impact at the universal, selective, and indicated levels of risk. Results from a longitudinal outcome study of a school-based system of care are presented to exemplify the positive outcomes experienced by children. An increase in the awareness and implementation of systems of care across mental health perspectives is recommended, along with continued research from the public health and counseling psychology communities focused on which prevention and intervention services within systems of care work, why they work, and how they can be improved upon.