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Background: The majority of youth with mental health needs do not receive therapy services to treat their disorder, and unmet need is particularly high among racial and ethnic minorities and economically disadvantaged families in the population at large. Investigating whether these patterns emerge within systems of care can reveal opportunities to expand therapy access and utilization. Objective: This study examines multilevel predictors of receipt of therapy within the Children's Mental Health Initiative (CMHI), the largest federally-funded effort in the United States to serve youth with significant emotional or behavioral disturbance, to determine whether disparities in therapy use persist within this specialized population that has been connected to a service array. Method: Using data from 1604 youth aged 10-17 in 33 CMHI-funded system of care sites, the relationship between youth, family and site-level variables and the receipt of outpatient therapy in the first 6 months of service were examined using a multilevel model. Results: Youth who were African American, had caregivers with less education, were in families at or below the poverty level, or lived in sites that served a higher rate of families below the poverty level were less likely to receive needed therapy services after controlling for age, gender, and symptomatology. Conclusions: Despite the CMHI's success in connecting the majority of enrolled youth to therapy services, treatment disparities persist along racial and socioeconomic lines. These findings identify youth and communities that may require additional strategies and attention to better connect youth to needed therapy services.

Domestic and community violence are two pervasive societal issues. While research indicates significant connections between these forms of violence, detailed exploration of their co-occurrence and specific characteristics within intervention and prevention programs remains lacking. Understanding these complex interactions is crucial, as many programs are not designed to address the diverse manifestations of violence simultaneously. They often focus on one type, potentially overlooking the broader spectrum of violence that individuals might experience or contribute to. This study aims to illuminate the frequency and nature of these violence types within the context of intervention efforts. To bridge this gap, we engaged in a systematic, secondary analysis, delving into 1,943 conflicts documented across 25 CeaseFire program sites in Chicago between 2000 and 2015. Data included information from mediation forms regularly completed by CeaseFire staff post-mediation. Our primary focus encompassed a content analysis of these cases to establish a baseline occurrence of domestic violence within violence mediations. Subsequently, we probed the prevalence and intricate interplay between community and domestic violence, exploring potential bidirectional influences. Of the 1,943 conflicts mediated among program sites in Chicago, 151 conflicts displayed signs of interconnection with community violence, falling into the categories of retaliation or intervention. In summation, the findings underscore the entwined nature of domestic and community violence, often transitioning from one form (primarily domestic) to another (typically community-based) in the form of escalating retaliatory behaviors. Violence prevention and intervention endeavors must consider the plausible escalation patterns stemming from interconnected violence forms, significantly shaping mediation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In spite of common public condemnations of domestic violence, survey research suggests that citizens aware of actual abuse often believe they cannot or should not personally respond. Through in-depth interviews with 20 local citizens across the political spectrum, we sought to explore this dynamic more carefully by better understanding community interpretations of domestic violence and its appropriate response. This paper explores ten specific views identified in these interviews as potentially relevant to citizen action (or inaction) in response to known abuse. After examining subtle consequences of each belief, we explore broader implications for community mobilization and propose several ways of facilitating a more thoughtful and extensive deliberation about domestic violence among the general public. (Contains 2 tables and 4 footnotes.)

The American Journal of Community Psychology (AJCP) was founded in 1973 and has since its inception has been the flagship journal for the Society of Community Research and Action. AJCP publishes leading scholarship in community psychology and social action research. This special issue celebrates the 50 years of scholarship in AJCP by curating and assembling previously published articles in virtual special issues (VSIs) with accompanying commentaries. Nine VSIs were compiled as part of this special issue. Each of these VSIs were organized around themes that are of critical importance to community psychology and each VSI summarizes what has been learned from their included articles and future directions for the field. In this paper, we introduce this special issue on this collection of VSIs, discussing how each of these VSIs endeavor to push the field forward. Highlights: This special issue celebrates 50 years of the American Journal of community psychology.Nine virtual special issues (VSI) curated previously published papers in AJCP.We summarize these VSI introductions and discuss how each calls for future directions for the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community psychologists have a long-standing interest in promoting systems change to improve the lives of individuals and communities. To more fully illuminate a multilevel model of those factors involved in the promotion of systems change, the current study examined individual- and organizational-level characteristics related to health care providers' implementation of a desired reform in the community response to intimate partner violence, namely, universal screening practices. Efforts to reform the health care system's response to domestic violence prove to be difficult. The current study surveyed 209 providers across 12 health care settings to examine those factors related to reform implementation. Findings indicate that individual characteristics (perceived capacity to screen and positive beliefs about screening) and the presence of an organizational climate for implementation (e.g., consequences for implementation or failure to implement, resources to support implementation, policies and procedures consistent with desired practices) affect the extent to which health care providers engage in routine screening practices. The implications of these findings for promoting systems change, in general, and the health care system's response to domestic violence, in particular, are discussed. (Contains 4 tables and 5 footnotes.)

The effectiveness of a strengths- and community-based support and advocacy intervention for battered women and their children was examined. The study included a longitudinal, experimental design and employed multimethod strategies to measure children's exposure to abuse and their self-competence over a period of 8 months. Maternal experience of abuse and maternal well-being were also assessed. The experimental intervention involved advocacy for mothers and their children and a 10-week support and education group for the children. Families in the experimental condition received the free services of a trained paraprofessional for 6 to 8 hours per week over 16 weeks. Eighty mothers and their 80 children participated in the study. Findings were modest but promising. Children in the experimental condition reported significantly higher self-competence in several domains compared to children in the control group. The intervention caused improvement in women's depression and self-esteem over time. Policy, practice and research implications are discussed.

There is a growing concern about women's safety in India. This study examined a grassroots agency's response to domestic violence in the community by examining their empowerment-focused work with survivors through crisis intervention centers. Multi-informant perspectives examined (a) the organizational process of facilitating or strengthening empowerment of survivors and (b) the mechanisms central to this process. Results highlight various salient mechanisms, namely, the adoption of a survivor-centered approach, collaborative relationships with staff, meeting women where they are, systems advocacy, fostering independence, and building long-term networks with formal and informal supports. Implications for intervention and prevention work are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Pacific Island of Guam, recent high‐profile incidents of violence against Indigenous Chamoru women have sparked growing local concerns regarding rates of domestic violence and sexual assault. These and other indicators of elevated rates of violence against women in Guam are discordant with historical narratives of gender egalitarianism and community‐based sanctions regarding violence against women in Chamoru culture. Using qualitative interviews with responders to violence against women in Guam, this study investigated current community narratives surrounding violence against women. Findings highlighted the centrality of culture in participant understandings of violence against women, particularly the complex interplay of themes of Indigenous cultural loss and desire for revitalization alongside a preference for Western cultural ideals. Curiously, in spite of a strong cultural framework in participant understandings of violence against women, few participants framed their professional response in cultural terms, other than to describe "culturally competent" approaches for commonly scapegoated communities in Guam. Study findings highlight the need for a closer analysis of culture in understandings of and responses to violence against women in Indigenous communities. Highlights: Findings showed that responders to Violence Against Women (VAW) in Guam emphasized cultural factors in community narratives.Cultural loss and Western dominance were seen as important factors in narratives of VAW in Guam.The importance of revitalizing Indigenous values and cultural practices was also a key theme.Findings highlighted a discrepancy between narratives of VAW and contemporary response strategies.A closer analysis of cultural factors is recommended to improve community responses to VAW in Guam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Domestic violence affects women globally. Domestic violence in India is embedded in structures of patriarchy, cultural norms, and a conservative social structure (Biswas, 2017). Community narratives help to create meaning and impact human behavior and can be tools of empowerment (Rappaport, 1995). They can also provide an important means of detecting changes in norms. Community engagement efforts that focus on empowering communities can play an important role in creating empowering narratives. Organizational settings like grassroots agencies can play a salient role in providing opportunities for community engagement leading to the creation of new community narratives and personal stories. This study sought to examine the work of a grassroots agency in India engaged in community action aimed at social change in the response to domestic violence, with a special focus on understanding shifting community narratives related to the response to domestic violence. Based on data from semi‐structured interviews, archival data, and participant‐observations, and using a modified‐grounded theory approach, our results identified five major themes reflecting counter narratives on domestic violence. These included (a) awareness and discourse on gender related issues, (b) framing domestic violence as a social issue, (c) supporting the empowerment of women, (d) supporting disclosure of violence, and (e) supporting intervening in cases of violence. Implications of our findings for social change work in the response to domestic violence are discussed. Highlights: Community narratives can provide an important means of detecting changes in norms.Social movements can target and change community narratives to redefine problems.Community engagement that empowers communities can create empowering narratives.This study highlights various counter narratives in the response to domestic violence.Implications for social change work are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examined 41 councils in one state, to understand the types of issues they addressed, the extent to which they reported accomplishing their goals and the degree to which councils' climate and membership influenced achieving their goals within the criminal justice system and in other community sectors. The Study suggests that councils have a positive role to play in developing a coordinated response to domestic violence but deviation towards criminal justice is to be checked.

The method of prioritization of help-seeking activities by the survivors is examined. Findings suggest that comprehensive and individualized approaches to advocacy for battered women are essential.