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With the exponential growth of online information seeking by young people, it is imperative for health and sexual health educators to consider online information a resource young people will pursue. Access to accurate and comprehensive sexual health information is important, yet there is a scarcity of research evaluating the quality of this information. Using youth-direct search terms, this study examined the quality of online information accessed with respect to usability and reliability. The top three US-based websites with the highest return rates were the US Centers for Disease Control, Planned Parenthood, and WebMD. Each of these websites was assessed using the Health Information Website Quality Assessment (HIWQA) to examine the quality of sexual health information provided. Results indicated that the reliability of sexual health information was highest on the CDC website while usability was highest on the Planned Parenthood and WebMD websites. These findings signal the variability of website quality and stress the need for websites that have both high usability and reliability when providing sexual health information.

Traumatic experiences are common among adolescents and can negatively affect learning and increase the risk of early pregnancy, parenthood, and sexually transmitted infections. Little is known about how current sexual health interventions address trauma. A scoping review was conducted to gain insight into how trauma is addressed in adolescent sexual health interventions. Peer-reviewed studies from the United States published between 2008 and 2018 describing a sexual health intervention for youth were considered. Studies were analyzed to determine if and how trauma was addressed in the interventions. Out of 169 articles initially screened, 29 met inclusion criteria and 23% (n = 6) addressed trauma. Four interventions addressed trauma in the intervention content, while two studies evaluated trauma in outcome measures. Educators can broaden this reach by developing trauma-informed content that is compatible with existing curricula. Ongoing study is recommended to evaluate the impact of trauma-informed content on the sexual knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of youth.

Objective: This study examined the effectiveness of traumatic incident reduction (TIR) among a sample of adults with trauma histories through a review of client records. TIR is a brief, structured, person-centered, memory-based intervention that helps individuals process traumatic memories, thus eliminating or significantly reducing negative psychological consequences and promoting insight and growth. Method: On average, participants (N = 247) were 37 years old (SD = 10.98), mostly women, and racially and ethnically diverse. Self-reported posttraumatic stress, anxiety, depression, and expectations for future success were assessed prior to treatment, midway, and after treatment. A series of analysis of covariance models with repeated measures were examined, controlling for participants' biological sex and total number of hours spent in psychoeducational groups. Results: Posttraumatic stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms were significantly reduced, and expectations for future success increased. Conclusions: Findings support the potential of TIR to positively impact clients' mental health and well-being.

Purpose: This systematic review provides an assessment of parent-focused preventive interventions that are effective in preventing early substance use (SU) and other problem behaviors among youth. Method: A systematic search following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines was conducted to identify prevention studies. Studies were then assessed utilizing the Society for Prevention Research (SPR) efficacy criteria. Results: Ten studies, utilizing 11 preventive interventions, met all inclusion criteria. Discussion: The efficacious interventions emphasized parent skills training and engagement, were school-based, and utilized multiple prevention strategies. The Strengthening Families Program met the most SPR efficacy criteria. This review suggests parenting interventions are effective at preventing early youth SU and other problem behaviors. Implications for social work practice are discussed.

Most youth with delinquency histories experience childhood adversity leaving them vulnerable to poor adult well-being. Previous research indicates that self-regulation difficulties could explain how childhood adversity affects adult well-being. Yet, very few studies target adult self-regulation intervention. Therefore, this study examined the intervening effects of emerging adult self-regulation on the association between childhood adversity and adult well-being. Using data from the first four waves of the Add Health Study, the researchers conducted structural equation modeling for mediation with bootstrapping. The researchers tested the mediation effects of emerging adult self-regulation on the association between childhood adversity (child maltreatment and violent victimization) and later adult well-being (mental health problems, alcohol and drug use, criminal behaviors) among people with delinquency histories and/or arrest prior to age 18 (N = 1,792). Several significant direct effects and one partial mediation effect were found. For example, child maltreatment significantly predicted adult mental health problems and criminal behaviors. Self-regulation (via the dissatisfaction with life and self subscale) mediated the association between child maltreatment and adult mental health problems. Findings highlight the need for social workers to focus on prevention services and trauma-informed treatment for people with delinquency histories. In addition, evidence-based practice requires self-regulation interventions for adults with histories of childhood adversity and delinquency to focus on their emotional and cognitive functioning as well as self-esteem. Implementing self-regulation interventions during emerging adulthood can be useful to mitigate later adult mental health problems among people with histories of childhood adversity and delinquency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several studies link adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) to delinquency. Yet, developmental sequalae accounting for this association remain unclear, with previous research limited by cross-sectional research designs and investigations of singular mediating processes. To redress these shortcomings, this study examines the longitudinal association between ACEs and delinquency as mediated by both sleep problems and low self-control, two factors which past research implicates as potentially important for understanding how ACEs contribute to antisocial behavior. Data collected from 480 adolescents (71.3% boys; 86.3% White) and their parents participating in the Michigan Longitudinal Study was used to conduct a serial mediation analysis. The association between ACEs (prior to age 11) and delinquency in late adolescence was found to operate indirectly via sleep problems in early adolescence and low self-control in middle adolescence. Nonetheless, a direct association between ACEs and later delinquency remained. Pathways through which ACEs contribute to later delinquency are complex and multiply determined. Findings indicate that early behavioral interventions, including improving sleep and self-control, could reduce later delinquency. Still, more research is needed to identify additional avenues through which the ACEs–delinquency association unfolds across development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This systematic review examines the literature related to digital interventions and applies the findings to the mental health and well-being of international migrants. Method: A total of 1,854 articles were found during the initial search. Removing duplicates (n = 95) produced a sample of 1,759 articles for review. Next, 1,750 articles were excluded based on inclusion criteria. The final sample was comprised of nine articles for review. Results: The final articles reviewed in this study were categorized according to the examined outcomes: 1) depression; 2) mental health literacy and stigma; 3) social connections; and 4) post-traumatic stress disorder. All but one of the studies reported positive effects ranging from small to large effect sizes. The majority of studies (n = 6) can be rated as moderate in quality using established measures. Conclusion: A few digital interventions have been designed to address mental health and well-being of international migrants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research examining oral sex during adolescence tends to investigate only potential negative consequences without considering its place in sexual development or distinctions between cunnilingus and fellatio. Using retrospective reports from 418 undergraduate women, we examined the relations among young women's ages of initiation of both cunnilingus and fellatio and sexual motives, experiences of sexual coercion, and indicators of psychological functioning. Age at cunnilingus initiation was unrelated to sexual coercion or psychological functioning; however it was related to engaging in sex for personal stimulation and gratification ("personal drive motive") and to feel agentic, assertive, and skillful ("power motive"). Age at fellatio initiation was related to feelings of inferiority compared to others and a devaluing of the self ("interpersonal sensitivity"). Findings challenge the unilateral assumption that all adolescent sexual activity is negative and indicate the need for future research distinguishing between cunnilingus and fellatio. (Contains 4 tables.)

We conducted focus groups with girls ages 14 to 17 (N = 43) to study how the dominant discourse of sexual risk shapes young women's understanding of the sexual domain and their management of these presumably pervasive threats. Through inductive analysis, we developed a coding scheme focused on three themes: (a) "types of sexual risk," (b) "factors that moderate sexual risk," and (c) "strategies for managing sexual risk." Collectively, participants identified many risks but distanced themselves from these by claiming that girls' susceptibility is largely a function of personal factors and therefore avoidable given the right traits, values, and skills. We consider this reliance on other-blaming and self-exemption, as well as instances in which individual participants diverged from this group discourse, in the context of neoliberalism.

Childhood adversity can negatively impact development across various domains, including physical and mental health. Adverse childhood experiences have been linked to aggression and substance use; however, developmental pathways to explain these associations are not well characterized. Understanding early precursors to later problem behavior and substance use can inform preventive interventions. The aim of the current study was to examine neurobiological pathways through which childhood adversity may lead to early adolescent problem behavior and substance use in late adolescence by testing two prospective models. Our first model found that early adolescent externalizing behavior mediates the association between childhood adversity and alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use in late adolescence. Our second model found that activation in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) during an inhibitory control task mediates the association between childhood adversity and early adolescent externalizing behavior, with lower ACC activation associated with higher levels of adversity and more externalizing behavior. Together these findings indicate that the path to substance use in late adolescence from childhood adversity may operate through lower functioning in the ACC related to inhibitory control and externalizing behavior. Early life stressors should be considered an integral component in the etiology and prevention of early and problematic substance use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Religious institutions can be a source of support for recent Latino immigrants struggling to adjust to a new culture. For undocumented immigrants, who are often marginalized from other formal institutions, they may symbolize a place of refuge and hope through supportive social networks that mitigate common challenges such as social isolation and other forms of immigration stress. This cross-sectional study examined the impact of religious social capital and social support on immigration stress among documented and undocumented recent Latino immigrants (N = 408). Religious social capital was associated with higher levels of social support, while social support was protective against immigration stress. Social support mediated associations between religious social capital and immigration stress, but only among undocumented immigrants. Findings suggest religious social capital may be a particularly useful resource for undocumented immigrants, aiding in the provision of social support and in decreasing levels of immigration stress. Future research directions and implications for culturally tailored service delivery are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined biological sex differences in the development of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and probable Alzheimer's disease (AD) development as predicted by changes in the hippocampus or white matter hyperintensities. A secondary data analysis of the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center Uniform Data Set was conducted. We selected samples of participants with normal cognition at baseline who progressed to MCI (n = 483) and those who progressed to probable AD (n = 211) to determine if hippocampal volume or white matter hyperintensities (WMH) at baseline predicted progression to probable AD or MCI and whether the rate of progression differed between men and women. The survival analyses indicated that changes in hippocampal volumes affected the progression to probable AD (HR = 0.535, 95% CI [0.300-0.953]) only among women. White men had an increased rate of progression to AD (HR = 4.396, CI [1.012-19.08]; HR = 4.665, 95% CI [1.072-20.29]) compared to men in other race and ethnic groups. Among women, increases in hippocampal volume ratio led to decreased rates of progressing to MCI (HR = 0.386, 95% CI [0.166-0.901]). Increased WMH among men led to faster progression to MCI (HR = 1.048. 95% CI [1.011-1.086]). Women and men who were older at baseline were more likely to progress to MCI. In addition, results from longitudinal analyses showed that women with a higher CDR global score, older age at baseline, or more disinhibition symptoms experienced higher odds of MCI development. Changes in hippocampal volumes affect the progression to or odds of probable AD (and MCI) more so among women than men, while changes in WMH affected the progression to MCI only among men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]