Background: Lack of physical activity is a contributor to mental health issues. Strength training exercise has been an effective intervention that yields physical and psychological benefits. Purpose: This qualitative study aimed to explore and identify the perceived factors to maintain long-term strength training programs among women, and to…

This demonstration brief provides teaching and learning stories from districts and schools implementing PBIS with an integrated systems focus and is organized across the following areas: (a) the context of the school/district, (b) the changes made in the systems, (c) the impact of the changes made in the systems, and (d) next steps to improve the…

Transgender and gender diverse (TGD) adolescents experience mental health challenges at higher rates than cisgender peers due to a combination of minority stress and gender dysphoria. Many TGD youth use video games to cope with stress and access informal networks of support. However, very little is known about the potential positive influence…

Community-based learning (CBL) is a form of experiential learning that integrates academic theory and content with active service in an applied setting. CBL is especially well suited for teaching about complex social issues. We present the case study of a psychology course on substance use recovery that leverages CBL to dismantle stereotypes,…

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are potentially traumatic events occurring in the household or community that hold painful or distressing outcomes for children immediately and in their future (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019). School counselors work with children and young adolescents suffering from negative mental health…

In "Critical Conditions," Elaine Weiss, Bruce Levine, and Kimberly Sterin outline successful strategies for whole child and whole community support that can help school systems meet broader student needs in times of disruption. They take a deep look at Integrated Student Supports (ISS), an approach to education policy and practice…

This study examined the clinical utility of the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument--Second Version (MAYSI-2) among African American (AA) incarcerated youth and used White incarcerated youth as a comparison group. Data were analyzed for 314 incarcerated youth (193 AA offenders and 121 White offenders) of ages 13-17 years who were adjudicated…

Adolescent behavior now occurs offline and online. Frequently studied and treated independently, the relationship between offline problem behaviors and online risk taking is not well understood. This study asked whether there are any problematic behaviors predictive of online risk taking by high school students. Using a 2009 dataset of 2,077 high…

Healthcare services outside of school impact the likelihood of receiving a school-based special education classification and services. Using Massachusetts administrative data on public school students, this paper employs difference-in-differences to examine the impacts of expanded Medicaid coverage for mental and behavioral healthcare brought by…

Almost two-thirds (64%) of students who are considering dropping out of college cited emotional stress or personal mental health challenges as the reason--more than twice the percentage of those who cite the cost of attendance. The mental health crisis disproportionately impacts students of color, and there is also a critical lack of diversity in…

The number of students experiencing homelessness in Massachusetts has grown substantially over the last few years. More than 31,000 Massachusetts students experienced homelessness during the 2023-2024 school year, a 20 percent increase from the previous year. We know homelessness puts an immense strain on child development and that experiencing…