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Background: Variation in liability to cannabis use disorder has a strong genetic component (estimated twin and family heritability about 50–70%) and is associated with negative outcomes, including increased risk of psychopathology. The aim of the study was to conduct a large genome-wide association study (GWAS) to identify novel genetic variants associated with cannabis use disorder. Methods: To conduct this GWAS meta-analysis of cannabis use disorder and identify associations with genetic loci, we used samples from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium Substance Use Disorders working group, iPSYCH, and deCODE (20 916 case samples, 363 116 control samples in total), contrasting cannabis use disorder cases with controls. To examine the genetic overlap between cannabis use disorder and 22 traits of interest (chosen because of previously published phenotypic correlations [eg, psychiatric disorders] or hypothesised associations [eg, chronotype] with cannabis use disorder), we used linkage disequilibrium score regression to calculate genetic correlations. Findings: We identified two genome-wide significant loci: a novel chromosome 7 locus (FOXP2, lead single-nucleotide polymorphism [SNP] rs7783012; odds ratio [OR] 1·11, 95% CI 1·07–1·15, p=1·84 × 10 −9) and the previously identified chromosome 8 locus (near CHRNA2 and EPHX2, lead SNP rs4732724; OR 0·89, 95% CI 0·86–0·93, p=6·46 × 10 −9). Cannabis use disorder and cannabis use were genetically correlated (r g 0·50, p=1·50 × 10 −21), but they showed significantly different genetic correlations with 12 of the 22 traits we tested, suggesting at least partially different genetic underpinnings of cannabis use and cannabis use disorder. Cannabis use disorder was positively genetically correlated with other psychopathology, including ADHD, major depression, and schizophrenia. Interpretation: These findings support the theory that cannabis use disorder has shared genetic liability with other psychopathology, and there is a distinction between genetic liability to cannabis use and cannabis use disorder. Funding: National Institute of Mental Health; National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism; National Institute on Drug Abuse; Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine and the Centre for Integrative Sequencing; The European Commission, Horizon 2020; National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; Health Research Council of New Zealand; National Institute on Aging; Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium; UK Research and Innovation Medical Research Council (UKRI MRC); The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation; National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders; Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA); National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering; National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Australia; Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program of the University of California; Families for Borderline Personality Disorder Research (Beth and Rob Elliott) 2018 NARSAD Young Investigator Grant; The National Child Health Research Foundation (Cure Kids); The Canterbury Medical Research Foundation; The New Zealand Lottery Grants Board; The University of Otago; The Carney Centre for Pharmacogenomics; The James Hume Bequest Fund; National Institutes of Health: Genes, Environment and Health Initiative; National Institutes of Health; National Cancer Institute; The William T Grant Foundation; Australian Research Council; The Virginia Tobacco Settlement Foundation; The VISN 1 and VISN 4 Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Centers of the US Department of Veterans Affairs; The 5th Framework Programme (FP-5) GenomEUtwin Project; The Lundbeck Foundation; NIH-funded Shared Instrumentation Grant S10RR025141; Clinical Translational Sciences Award grants; National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; National Institute of General Medical Sciences.

Early alcohol use initiation has been linked to suicide attempts among youth. However, very little is known about the potential impact of alcohol-related norms and beliefs and how these may impact the association between alcohol use and suicide attempt. This study examines the associations between early alcohol use and suicide attempts while controlling for demographic characteristics, and alcohol-related beliefs and norms (e.g., believing alcohol causes harm to health or that adults or friends disapprove of alcohol use) and potential confounders. Analyses were based on the 2006 Georgia Student Health Survey (N=175,311) of students in grades 6, 8, 10 and 12. The current analyses were limited to students in grades 8, 10 and 12, who either began drinking prior to age 13 or who were non drinkers (n=87,349). Pre-teen alcohol use initiation was associated with suicide attempts (Adj.OR=1.51; 95%CI:1.38-1.66) relative to not drinking with similar associations for boys (Adj.OR=1.72; 95%CI:1.52-1.94) and girls (Adj.OR=1.26; 95%CI:1.08-1.45). Students who believed that alcohol was harmful to their health, or that friends or adults disapproved of their alcohol use, or who had been taught about substance use in school were less likely to make a suicide attempt, although findings differed for boys and girls. Pre-teen alcohol use initiation is an important risk factor for suicide attempts among boys and girls in Georgia. Increased efforts to delay and reduce early alcohol use through clinical interventions, education, and policies that impact norms and knowledge related to alcohol use are needed and may in turn reduce suicide attempts.

This study examined 427 urban middle school students' perceptions of bullying, cyberbullying, and school safety utilizing the Student Survey of Bullying Behavior-Revised 2 (Varjas, Meyers, & Hunt, 2006). A unique finding is that cyberbullying may represent a unique modality of victimization and bullying compared with other school-based modalities. Cyberbullying and relational bullying were not associated with perceived school safety. Males reported more physical victimization, verbal victimization, and verbal bullying, and less relational victimization. Males and older students reported feeling safer at school. Older students reported less physical, verbal, and relational victimization, and less physical and verbal bullying. Importantly, physical, verbal, and relational bullying and victimization may represent more general underlying constructs of bullying and victimization, calling into question the distinctiveness of individual forms.

School climate research emphasizes the critical role teachers play in providing safe and supportive environments for students to learn. Despite numerous negative physical and mental health consequences related to bullying in schools, research investigating teachers' responses to reduce bullying is scarce. Individual in-depth interviews were conducted with 30 fourth through eighth grade teachers to determine their perceptions, experiences, and self-reported responses to address bullying. Results yielded a two dimensional model representing four response types: constructive-direct, constructive-indirect, punitive-direct, and punitive-indirect responses. Implications for this innovative model of teacher responses to bullying and future research agendas are discussed.

This qualitative study aims to investigate urban students' perceptions of bullying. Thirty participants were recruited from the fourth through eighth grade in an urban school system. Five primary themes emerged representing these youths' perceptions of: (a) the nature of the bullying; (b) the characteristics of victims and bullies; (c) the perceived reasons for bullying; (d) reactions to bullying; and (e) preventive measures. Discrepancies pertaining to perceived power and the intent to inflict harm were found between student responses and adult-generated views of bullying in the literature. Future research is needed to verify the discrepancies found and to inform intervention development.

Gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, questioning and inter-sex (GLBTQI) youth, and those perceived to be GLBTQI, face extensive verbal and physical bullying in schools. Although increasing attention has been made at examining the safety concerns of sexual minority (GLBTQI) youth, there remain important gaps in the literature as well as significant sampling limitations. This article seeks to identify and respond to research gaps by: (a) reviewing existing literature about the causes and risk factors associated with homophobic bullying; (b) reviewing existing literature about the consequences associated with the victims of sexual minority bullying; (c) identifying the limitations to research procedures and methodologies that have been used to investigate this topic; and (d) proposing a research agenda for future investigations of homophobic bullying in schools.

Violence in schools and its prevention have become focal points for research, practice, and policy. This study investigated the effectiveness of the Second Step violence prevention curriculum on all fourth and fifth grade students (N = 455) in one small urban school district. Scores on tests measuring knowledge of the curriculum increased significantly. Significant positive changes were also found for Behavior Assessment System for Children items reflecting student use of problem solving as well as report card items indicating respectful and cooperative behavior. Qualitative data from interviews with students provided in depth information about treatment acceptability and types of behavioral changes observed. Student interviews support the conclusion that the quantitative pre-post changes were directly connected to key components of the violence prevention curriculum. Implications for future research and practice are considered. EDITORS' STRATEGIC IMPLICATIONS: The authors present quantitative and qualitative data to suggest that a cognitive problem solving model represents a promising practice for school violence prevention efforts with urban, elementary school children. Longitudinal, experimental research will be necessary to draw any stronger conclusions.

While childhood agricultural injury has long been recognized as an important public health issue, most research has focused on family farms and there have not been many interventions targeting hired youth. This study evaluated the impact of a high school English as a Second Language (ESL) curriculum, designed to provide teen agricultural workers with the knowledge and tools to protect their health and safety in the fields. Using a quasi-experimental design, the research consisted of two intervention groups and a comparison group, and included over 2,000 students from communities that lead California in agricultural production. The research findings revealed that the curriculum had significant impact in terms of increases in knowledge and attitudes, and nearly half of those interviewed after a summer of working in the fields reported implementing new behaviors to protect their health and safety. The curriculum also had extended effects in the broader community, as the majority of students reported sharing the new information with others. The study found that a school-based ESL curriculum is an effective intervention to reach and educate teen farm workers and that ESL classes can serve as a much-needed access point for young farm workers.