The high attrition and turnover rates of qualified special education teachers (SETs) is a significant concern exacerbated by COVID-19. Unfortunately, there are limited studies available on research-based interventions to decrease burnout. The purpose of this study was to describe our processes and results for adaptations and modifications of…

Background: To examine the associations between adolescent pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes on substance use and suicide attempts in a sample who is at greater risk for substance use and suicide attempts -- those who have been involved with the juvenile justice and child welfare systems. Methods: Using a prospective, longitudinal design, we…

The cross-sectional study ascertained prevalence rates of stress-related outcomes of 490 special educators (i.e., major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder) and examined the relative importance of variables hypothesized as predictive of stress outcomes (i.e., psychosocial model of stress, school/teacher variables). Over 60% scored at…

Little is known about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on special education teachers. Of 468 surveyed across the United States, 38.4% met clinical criteria for generalized anxiety disorder, a rate 12.4 times greater than the U.S. population, and 37.6% for major depressive disorder, a rate 5.6 times greater than the population. Race/ethnicity,…

Clients display considerable variations in functioning across the contexts that encompass their social environments (e.g., home, school/workplace, peer interactions). No single measurement method can fully capture these variations. Yet, assessors must balance the need to accurately capture clients' clinical presentations, and at the same time…

Students' experiences of boredom at school are receiving increased research attention. Most inquiries to date have focused on how often students experience boredom in classroom situations and in specific subject areas. Despite its frequency, limited research efforts have explored how students' boredom experiences might inform positive education…

Online parenting interventions hold promise for increasing access to behavioral support for families with low income and who reside in rural areas. The current study evaluates the efficacy of a mobile app-based parenting support program, the Family Check-Up Online (FCU-O) with telehealth coaching support, for parents of children 1.5-5 years old at…

In 2010, the National Institute of Mental Health launched the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC). The RDoC seeks to enhance research on the "active ingredients" of mental health concerns, and conceptualizes these concerns as disorders of neural circuitry. A key focus of the RDoC involves understanding mental health across biopsychosocial…

There is scant empirical work on associations between current and past cannabis use in parents of young children. As recreational cannabis use is now legal in nearly half of states in the U.S., cannabis use is becoming more ubiquitous. In the current study, parents of toddler and pre-school age children were randomly assigned to participate in an…

Purpose of review: School-based health centers (SBHCs) primarily serve underserved students and families through removing barriers to care. The number of SBHCs have increased dramatically with investments from state- and federal-funding programs, including expanded funding from the American Rescue Plan. This article reviews findings on the…

Researchers strategically assess youth mental health by soliciting reports from multiple informants. Typically, these informants (e.g., parents, teachers, youth themselves) vary in the social contexts where they observe youth. Decades of research reveal that the most common data conditions produced with this approach consist of discrepancies…

The article describes a prevention science approach to impacting population health. We use activities of the Missouri Prevention Science Institute that address youth mental health concerns with a public health approach to illustrate the approach. In particular, we focus on several lessons that may be relevant for advancing the success of…

Objective: This study explores whether variability in the implementation of an undergraduate course on human flourishing is differentially associated with student outcomes. Participants: 101 students in the "Art and Science of Human Flourishing" across three large, public, R1 universities in Fall 2018 participated in the study. Methods:…

Mounting evidence demonstrates that exclusionary discipline practices like suspensions and expulsions have long-term negative socio-emotional, behavioral, and academic consequences for the students who experience them, with evidence of spill-over effects for non-excluded students. Restorative practice has emerged as a promising alternative to…

Background: Since returning to in-person instruction after the emergence of COVID-19 schools have seen a dramatic increase in the number of students chronically absent, with data indicating a greater increase for low-income, Black, and Hispanic students. Given the role of school attendance in both promoting positive educational outcomes as well as…