Exposure to community adversities and violence can be associated with a cascade of neurocognitive, mental health, and behavioral challenges among urban adolescents. Influenced by the bio-ecological framework, this study examines if problems with executive functioning (EF) exacerbate the relation between exposure to community adversity and violence…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the life of Harar City street children. In view of that, the following research questions were forwarded; what are the major causes that make children leave their homes for the streets? Do street children use psychoactive substances? What type of psychoactive substance do street children use? Based on…

This research brief draws upon the fall 2019 data from the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES) 2019. FACES provides information at the national level about Head Start programs, centers, and classrooms as well as the children and families that Head Start serves. Head Start is a national program that helps young children from…

Growing evidence suggests that exposure to early-life adversity poses risk to youth development, with impaired mental health a central concern. This population-representative study of adolescent students (n = 11,222) investigates the effects of two key forms of early adversity--victimization and poverty--on adolescent mental health in a step-wise…

Young adults face enormous economic, social and psychological challenges when they transition into adulthood. This transition can be especially overwhelming and daunting for young adults with disabilities. Among the challenges young adults with disabilities are faced with are greater risk of low food security and barriers to healthcare. This study…

The COVID-19 pandemic has raised huge concerns for the mental health of an entire generation of children. But the pandemic may represent only the tip of a mental health iceberg -- an iceberg we have ignored for far too long. For the first time, "The State of the World's Children" examines the mental health of children and adolescents.…

Research Findings: Addressing factors that influence children's self-regulation is a critical step toward closing achievement gaps that have consistently been found for African American and Latino children as well as children living in poverty. Cumulative sociodemographic risk in childhood is now widely understood to be a developmental risk factor…

After almost one year since the COVID-19 pandemic began, killing over 1 million people and putting futures into doubt, the impact of the virus on the world's children and young people is becoming clearer -- and increasingly alarming. Children face a trifecta of threats: direct consequences of the disease itself, interruption in essential services…

Collaboration between university researchers and community agencies offers the opportunity to pilot innovative, evidence-informed interventions. Partnerships of this nature also present unique ethical dilemmas to community agencies, particularly regarding research and agency policies, navigating privacy protections, adequate and consistent…

Residing in high-risk urban neighborhoods has a significant impact on the optimal psychosocial development of adolescent African American males. Living in these environments often increases exposure to economic distress and attendance at under-resourced schools, which may diminish opportunities for successful life outcomes. This qualitative…

This article presents an overview of the Healthy Steps for Young Children (Healthy Steps) program at Montefiore Medical Center, in the Bronx, NY. The authors review the theoretical underpinnings of this national program for the promotion of early childhood mental health. The Healthy Steps program at Montefiore is integrated into outpatient…

Poverty-associated chronic stress is a serious threat not only to a mother's mental health but also to maternal functioning. Recent neuroimaging studies suggest that a mother's brain undergoes dynamic changes to support her transition to parenthood, including better emotion regulation and heightened sensitivity to infants. However, we propose that…

According to UNICEF, 13.3 million children (0-17 years) worldwide have lost one or both parents to AIDS. Nearly 12 million of these children live in sub-Saharan Africa. Together, with other children who have been severely impacted by the AIDS pandemic, these orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC) are at higher risk of missing out on schooling,…

Parenting is one of the most emotionally powerful, demanding, and consequential tasks of adulthood. Previously, the task of parenting was shared with extended family and community members. Today, with less extensive networks of experience and support, parents are frequently not as well prepared. Research has identified the elements of competent…

In this paper, we call attention to the need to expand existing efforts and to develop policies, programs, and best practices in the United States designed to support parents at risk and promote parenting competence. Despite the existence of some services offered to parents of children at risk due to developmental delay or at economic risk, the…