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The present study examines the relationships of low-income children’s mental health services utilization with five social factors. A sample of 8,971 low-income children was extracted from a national data set. Logistic regression results indicate that these children’s use of mental health services is positively associated with safe neighborhood, girl, caregiver education, family income, nonrelative caregiver, difficulty of parenting, child’s mental health problem, child’s difficulty with peers, and family mental health problem; such use also has negative associations with young child, Asian child, poor communication, caregiver mental health, and difficulty of accessing services. Implications included interventions for families and children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractBackground: This study investigated relationships between low-income adolescent drinkers’ frequent alcohol use and five factors: social disorganization, social structural, social integration, mental health, and access to healthcare. Objective: A sample of 1,256 low-income adolescent drinkers and caregivers were extracted from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study. Results: Logistic regression yielded results showing adolescent drinkers’ weekly drinking to be associated positively with Hispanic adolescents, drinking peers, adolescents’ depression/anxiety, and caregiver’s daily drinking. Adolescent drinkers’ weekly drinking was associated negatively with caregiver’s age, family income below 100% of federal poverty level, caregiver supervision, and having usual place for health care. Conclusions/Importance: Implications included support of adolescents’ selection of desirable peers, promotion of caregiver supervision (especially among Hispanic adolescents), provision of assistance to families in poverty, provision of substance use treatment for caregivers and adolescents, and provision of mental health services to adolescents with depression or anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study of 6- to 13-year-old children in the United States examined bullying victimization's relationships with social disorganization, social structural factors, social relationships, mental health, access to health insurance, and caregiver types. A sample of 12,966 children aged 6 to 13 years was extracted from the 2018 National Survey of Children's Health for secondary data analysis. Logistic regression results indicated that these children's likelihood of being bullied was positively associated with racial discrimination, family violence, child mental health problems (depression, anxiety, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and behavioral/conduct problems), girls, children aged 6 to 10 years, caregiver education level, and nonrelative caregivers; such likelihood also had negative associations with Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, other ethnic minorities, family cohesiveness, caregiver mental health, and caregiver age. Implications included interventions for family support and bullied children's mental health problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated relationships between low-income children's health and six factors: social disorganization, social structural, social relationship, parent health/mental health, parent substance use, and access to healthcare. A sample of 7,349 low-income children extracted from a national data set. Logistic regression results showed low-income children's excellent or very good health to be associated positively with safe neighborhood, family cohesiveness, family support, caregiver health, and caregiver mental health. Children's health was associated negatively with racial discrimination experience, professional support, Medicaid receipt, and child age. Implications included promotion of neighborhood safety, cultural competency of professionals, respect racial/ethnic diversity, and cohesive families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using principles underlying the social constructivist approach, we redesigned an undergraduate course on social problems, seeking to employ three learning activities (online assignments and small-group and class discussions) to facilitate knowledge construction by students and promote their intellectual capabilities and critical-thinking skills. We collected qualitative and quantitative data from students enrolled in the redesigned, hybrid course (it comprised class meetings on campus plus online work), two sections of which were taught. Students in both sections completed two feedback evaluation surveys about satisfaction and learning; this survey data comprised narrative comments completed across the fall and spring semesters of 2010-2011. We examined the data, seeking social processes linking the three learning activities to student satisfaction and to student learning. Results showed a link between student satisfaction and student learning generated from, notably, in-class small-group and class discussions. Some implications for pedagogy are outlined.

Using data collected in spring 2009 from students at a southern research university enrolled in either of 2 sections of a general education course that fulfilled a social/behavioral sciences graduation requirement, the present study examined whether participating in online assignments enhanced students' satisfaction with those assignments and with their learning. Online assignments included chapter exams, video questions, and survey questions; they were due weekly. Additional online assignments were 2 threaded discussions over the semester. The study used subjective and objective measures of student learning. Overall results confirmed that having students participate in online assignments can promote student satisfaction and foster critical thinking and deep learning. Practice implications are briefly discussed. (Contains 3 tables.)

Data from students in two sections of a general education course offered at a research university in spring 2009 were used to explore whether student satisfaction factors are associated with perceived learning as rated by students. A list of 22 elements in the learning environment was explored. The 22 were used in creating 3 satisfaction factors related to the roles of student, instructor, and policy. The study showed all of these satisfaction factors to be associated with higher rates of perceived learning, measured via students' expectations of academic success. The findings' implications for practice are briefly discussed. (Contains 1 table.)

Employing school catchment areas (SCAs) to represent communities in Alabama, this study hypothesized that student substance use would be most prevalent where structural disadvantages were most numerous and school- and community-bestowed encouragement of or rewards for students' prosocial behaviors were scant. We employed data from the 2000 census and a secondary data set produced by the Alabama Department of Mental Health. Overall, we observed significant, strong effects on student substance use wielded by the community's and school's protective roles. Our results confirmed location as an explanatory factor, in that substance use in one community affected substance use in neighboring communities.

Using data from the 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, this study examines whether several social exclusion and psychological factors affect adolescents' receipt of substance abuse treatment. Multinomial logistic regression techniques were used to analyze data. The study asked how the specified factors provide pathways to receipt of specialty and non-specialty substance abuse treatment, as compared to receiving no treatment. The results suggest that, for adolescents, there are racial/ethnic, gender, and socioeconomic differences in receiving substance abuse treatment; there is also a role played by race/ethnicity in income's effect on treatment receipt. Policy implications are briefly discussed. (Contains 4 tables.)

The impact of a parent's incarceration and adolescents' emotional health on their substance abuse and delinquency is described for a group of at-risk 10- to 14-year-old adolescents. Data were drawn from a two-wave longitudinal study from the federally funded Children at Risk program, ongoing in five states from 1993 to 1997. Results point to a significant role played by a parent's incarceration in at-risk adolescents' problem behaviors but no mediating role played by the adolescents' emotional health. Adolescents' self-reports suggest that emotional health is associated with comparatively few problem behaviors, and associations that were observed were stronger for females than for males. The results call for further studies specifying models of the social mechanism that leads from parents' incarceration to children's problem behaviors. (Contains 4 tables.)