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There is a need to delineate best practices for referring, assessing, and retaining students suspected of posttraumatic stress (PTS) and maladaptive grief (MG) in school-based treatment. Evidence-based risk-screening procedures should accurately include students who are appropriate for group treatment and exclude students who do not require treatment or who are better served by other forms of intervention and support. We described and evaluated the sequence of steps used to screen 7th- and 8th-grade students (N = 89) referred by school staff as candidates for an open trial of group-based Trauma and Grief Component Therapy for Adolescents (TGCTA; Saltzman et al., in press). We used t tests to compare included versus excluded students on PTS symptom and MG reaction scores (University of California at Los Angeles Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Reaction Index; Grief Screening Scale) during the group screen, individual interview, and treatment-implementation phases. Logistic regressions tested the incremental utility of including measures of both trauma exposure and related emotional and conduct problems (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire) in the screening battery. Results suggest that the group screen helped to detect mental health needs and that the individual interview further identified students with PTS and emotional problems. Conduct problems and trauma exposure predicted attrition among students who qualified for treatment. MG incrementally predicted students who advanced from the group screening to the individual interview, and trauma exposure incrementally predicted attrition from treatment. Findings yield implications for improving research and practice, including procedures for enhancing school-based referral, screening, assessment, and selection procedures. (PsycINFO Database Record

Author(s): Ruth Abaya [sup.1] , Tita Atte [sup.2] , Joanna Herres [sup.2] [sup.3] , Guy Diamond [sup.4] , Joel A. Fein [sup.1] [sup.5] Author Affiliations: (Aff1) 0000 0001 0680 8770, [...], Assessing firearm access among adolescents with behavioral health risk factors is important for the primary prevention of suicide and interpersonal violence. We describe self-reported firearm access and the associated behavioral risk factors and demographic characteristics in a cross-sectional study conducted in the emergency department of an urban pediatric hospital from June 2013 to June 2014. A total of 2258 adolescents received a behavioral health survey to assess access to firearms inside and outside the home, mental health symptoms, and risk behaviors. One of 6 patients in our sample (15%) endorsed access to a firearm. Male gender, lifetime alcohol use, lifetime marijuana use, and lifetime other drug use were associated with access. Participants reporting access were more likely to report clinical levels of lifetime suicidality and depression. The odds of current suicidality were highest in those with 24-h access (OR 2.77 CI 1.73-4.46), compared to those who did not endorse access.

This manuscript offers an overview of 11 disciplinary perspectives on the failed and destructive War on Drugs and the salutary prospects from decriminalizing drug use, including History, African American studies, Journalism, Sociology, Political Science, Cost Accounting, Urban Education, Counseling, Psychology, Nursing, and Public Health. This offers a roadmap for counselor social and political advocacy with drug policy and highlights community collaboration opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the association between classroom order in 4th and 5th grades and student achievement growth over a school year. A three level transactional model tested the effects of classroom order on students' rates of growth in math and reading during the school year controlling for starting achievement levels, student risk factors, and classroom poverty. Classroom order influenced students' rates of math and reading growth and accounted for a significant portion of variance in student achievement trajectories above and beyond student-level risk factors. Cross-level analyses identified the moderating effects of classroom order on achievement growth for at-risk students with higher levels of classroom order predicting greater rates of math achievement growth among disadvantaged minority students. (Contains 5 tables and 1 figure.)

Sexual assault is a widespread problem among institutions of higher education. Students whose gender and/or sexuality are minoritized (GSM; non-cisgender and/or non-heterosexual) are especially vulnerable to experiencing sexual assault and its negative consequences, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A sense of belonging within the campus community can protect victims of sexual assault from negative psychological outcomes; however, no study to date has examined whether this aspect of a positive campus climate protects GSM victims, in particular, from developing more severe PTSD symptoms after sexual assault. We hypothesized that GSM victims would experience more severe PTSD symptoms than non-GSM victims after experiencing sexual assault and that their perceptions of campus climate would moderate this relationship. All undergraduate students from a public liberal arts college on the East Coast were asked to participate in an online survey about their history of sexual assault and emotional well-being. Of those who completed the survey, approximately 18% reported a history of sexual assault (N = 146). GSM victims of sexual assault reported more severe PTSD symptoms than non-GSM victims; however, a significant interaction showed that PTSD symptoms were similar for GSM and non-GSM victims with high ratings of campus climate. Thus, positive perceptions of campus climate protected GSM students from experiencing more severe PTSD symptoms. These findings inform administrative efforts by suggesting the need for more inclusive support resources (i.e., crisis centers and orientation materials), curricula, and community spaces for GSM students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Campus sexual assault (CSA) is a growing area of research and public health concern, yet little research has considered the sociocultural context in which CSA occurs or the effect of sociocultural factors on the posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms of CSA survivors. This study describes the results of a web-based census survey administered to students at a liberal arts college. Of the 1,611 students who completed the survey (74% female; 71.4% White, 4.3% African American, 12% Hispanic), 13.5% reported experiencing at least one type of completed or attempted CSA. Female students, participants in Greek life, and students who reported victimization prior to college were more likely to report having experienced CSA. CSA was positively correlated with PTSD symptoms, and this relationship was stronger for racial/ethnic minorities, those who reported less sense of community, and those who were more aware of campus services to address CSA. This study demonstrates multiple levels of sociocultural influence on the mental health of college students who have experienced CSA and may suggest ways for improving prevention and intervention strategies to address CSA and its consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individuals with histories of interpersonal trauma are at increased risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Risk of PTSD is particularly salient during critical periods of development, such as adolescence and emerging adulthood. However, little is known about the unique effects and interactions of protective factors and interpersonal trauma on PTSD symptoms in adolescents and young adults. The current study tested whether positive peer and family experiences decrease the associations between interpersonal trauma and PTSD symptoms and whether these associations differed by victim–perpetrator relationships. Participants included 3,618 adolescents and young adults (aged 14-24 years) who completed the Behavioral Health Screen—a web-based screening tool that assesses psychiatric symptoms and associated risk factors—during a routine visit across 10 primary care sites in Pennsylvania. In support of the stress buffering hypothesis, results revealed that positive peer and family experiences buffered the effects of interpersonal trauma by a romantic partner and an adult in the home. Future research should examine whether programs aimed at improving peer or family relationships improve outcomes for traumatized youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]