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Many universities offer autism support programs (ASPs) to support college students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Initial studies support the promise of ASPs, but little research has explored which students do and do not enroll, or whether enrollees engage in program-sponsored mentoring. We explored these questions using an online survey and an ex post facto study design. Participants were students (N = 104) at a public university who identified with the university's center for disability services as having a diagnosis of ASD. We compared students who did and did not enroll in the university's ASP on a) demographic characteristics, b) pre-college academic achievement, and c) self-rated functioning. Enrollees rated the quality and frequency of interactions with program-sponsored mentors. Compared to ASP non-enrollees, enrollees were more often a) men, b) in their first or second year of college, with c) higher self-reported functioning. Enrollees also reported frequent, high-quality interactions with mentors.

Introduction: In this study, we examined patients' readiness to change behavior (their stage of change) in a primary care behavioral health (PCBH) setting. We examined sociodemographic and health correlates of patients' stage of change and whether stage of change related to follow-up visit attendance. Method: One-hundred eleven adult primary care patients completed self-report measures of psychiatric symptoms, hope, and stage of change at their initial behavioral health session. Demographic, health information, and follow-up visit attendance were gathered from patient electronic health records. Results: Results suggest most patients referred to PCBH providers were in preparation and action stages of change. At the bivariate level, older age and non-Latinx ethnicity were associated with greater readiness to change. At the multivariate level, older age and higher levels of hope were associated with later stages of change. Patients in preparation, but not action, stages of change were significantly more likely to attend a follow-up behavioral health appointment than were patients in precontemplation/contemplation. Discussion: Findings suggest most PCBH patients are prepared to take action or have already taken action to improve their behavioral health. Further, a single item assessing patients' stage of change is associated with continued retention in behavioral health treatment. Public Significance Statement The present study suggests patients receiving a warm hand-off to behavioral health providers at integrated primary care clinics serving a low-income and ethnically diverse community are most likely to be in preparation and action stages of change, compared to precontemplation and contemplation. Findings suggest a single item measure of readiness to change may predict attendance at behavioral health sessions, with patients in the preparation stage of change being most likely to return for additional sessions, and that action-oriented intervention strategies are appropriate for most behavioral health patients. Keywords: stage of change, integrated care, transtheoretical model, primary care, treatment retention, Most people who need behavioral health (BH) care do not receive it (Kazdin & Blase, 2011) or seek care in medical settings (Kessler & Stafford, 2008). Mental health providers are [...]

We examined the tendency for high status children to bully their classmates. Children liked by peers only (LPO), liked by teachers only (LTO), liked by both (Both), liked by neither (Neither), and children with average peer and teacher liking (Average) were compared on self-, teacher-, and peer-reported bullying. Participants were 676 fourth-grade children (50.7% girls). Children in the Neither group evinced the highest level of bullying, which increased significantly from fall to spring. We found little evidence that children in the Both group differed from other groups or that their bullying increased over time. Self-reported physical bullying increased for boys in the LPO and Average groups and for girls in the LTO and Neither groups. Gender-specific findings have implications for researchers and practitioners.

Introduction: Families of young children face numerous barriers to accessing evidence-based mental health treatments. These barriers contribute to low engagement and treatment dropout; thus, researchers have examined initiatives to reduce barriers and increase treatment involvement, such as the use of mobile health units (MHUs). Initial research suggests the delivery of services using MHUs is promising for treatment outcomes, yet little is known about whether MHUs improve access to services for long-term mental health treatments, particularly for families of young children. Method: The current study explored differences for families participating in parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT) delivered in an MHU versus an outpatient clinic. We compared treatment dropout, number of sessions attended, as well as reported barriers and treatment attitudes across locations. Results: Findings indicated comparable dropout rates and severity of treatment barriers, but families accessing services at the MHU reported less positive treatment attitudes compared with families at the outpatient clinic. Discussion: Our results highlight the need to understand the impact of MHUs for delivering mental health services, specifically which barriers are addressed, how this influences treatment completion, and how delivery of services in an MHU can influence family perceptions of therapy. Public Significance Statement Delivery of parent-child interaction therapy for families using a mobile health unit (MHU) led to similar treatment dropout rates compared with families seeking services at a traditional outpatient clinic. Families at both locations also reported similar barriers and comparable reductions in barriers over time; however, families at the MHU reported less positive attitudes toward treatment compared with families at the outpatient clinic. Keywords: mobile health unit, parent-child interaction therapy, children and families, access to care, treatment dropout, Child disruptive behaviors are a significant concern for many families of young children (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2019; Ghandour et al., 2019), however, less than 20% of [...]