Lessons Learned in Implementing an Aging Research Training Program for Underrepresented Minority Students.

This brief report provides an overview of lessons learned through evaluation of the first five years of the NIA-funded South Carolina-Advancing Diversity in Aging Research (SC-ADAR) undergraduate program, whose goal is to increase the number of qualified underrepresented minority (URM) students who pursue scientific graduate studies in programs focusing on medicine, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and aging. Partnering with five Historically Black Colleges and Universities in South Carolina, we implemented a research training approach that included two consecutive summers of research training in a University of South Carolina faculty laboratory, as part of a comprehensive 24-month research education program. In addition to the mentored research experience in a laboratory, students had coursework in the biology of aging and social gerontology, with additional workshops tailored to emergent student needs including basic academic skills development, work-life management skills, reflective social experiences, and enhanced support in the transition from undergraduate to graduate school. We provide an overview of lessons learned throughout the early program period, and a description of the iterative changes we made in the program in response to this learning, all of which have been incorporated into the existing SC-ADAR program.

Examining Racial/Ethnic Differences in Positive Childhood Experiences Among Respondents in a Southern State.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and positive childhood experiences (PCEs) may impact brain development in children and adolescents into adulthood. While prior research demonstrated racial-ethnic disparities in ACEs, less is known about racial and ethnic differences in PCEs, particularly among adults. To better understand racial and ethnic differences in positive childhood experiences, this study (1) examined the prevalence of PCEs in an adult population in South Carolina (SC), a representative southern US state and (2) examined whether PCE exposure differed across racial and ethnic groups. Data were drawn from the 2019 SC Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey (BRFSS). Descriptive statistics and bivariate analyses were used to calculate frequencies, proportions and unadjusted associations for each variable. Multivariable regression models were used to examine the association between race/ethnicity and PCEs. Our analyses revealed that people of color were less likely to be supported by friends, have an adult who took interest in them, and have a family who stood by them during difficult times. Education and poverty were significantly associated with feeling safe and protected, supported by friends, and having a family that stood by them during difficult times. Conclusions: Findings from this study may be used to promote health equity in early childhood through programs, policies, and practices that seek to address historic, systemic, and intergenerational trauma.

Safe Neighborhoods and Supportive Communities Protect Children from the Health Effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs).

Protective factors such as safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments can prevent the long-term effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Recently, policymakers and practitioners have sought to better understand environmental level influences on exposure to ACEs, given the crucial role of social determinants of health in alleviating racial health inequities. Thus, this study seeks to understand how ACEs can be mitigated through neighborhood-level factors; it examines the relationships among ACEs, safe and supportive neighborhoods, and overall health status by race/ethnicity using a national data sample. Data were obtained from 30,530 households with children who participated in the 2018 National Survey for Children's Health, a nationally representative survey. Using multivariable logistic regression, safe and supportive neighborhoods were assessed as potential moderators of the association between ACEs and overall health status by race/ethnicity. Two separate models were run for each moderator, controlling for sex, age, and gender of the child. The presence of a safe neighborhood weakened the association between ACEs and overall health status. This was demonstrated by lower odds of experiencing poor health. The presence of a supportive neighborhood showed a similar pattern. However, these patterns varied when disaggregating the data by race/ethnicity. This study underscores the importance of community-level prevention and intervention efforts to mitigate the health effects of ACEs. Public health efforts seeking to prevent poor health outcomes should consider the socio-environmental influences on health behaviors across the lifespan and continue to address the varying needs of historically disadvantaged populations.

Writing Skills Development for Graduate Studies and Career Readiness in Science and Aging Fields: A Case Study Approach.

Increasing the number of racially and ethnically underrepresented students who pursue scientific graduate studies in programs focusing on science and aging offers an opportunity to increase the number of aging specialists while simultaneously promoting diversity in the research labor market and supporting new ideas. This case study aims to better understand how students participating in an academic preparatory program experience a writing class contextualized within (1) students' writing background and (2) students' future ambitions related to science and aging. The individually-tailored writing class was taught as a critical component of a comprehensive educational program that targets underrepresented racial and ethnic minority undergraduate students who are interested in pursuing scientific graduate studies in fields related to aging. The researchers conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with students (n = 4) enrolled in the 24-month fellowship training program, which included participation in the writing course during the summer prior to their senior year of undergraduate education. All participants were young adult college students who identified as Black or African American and female. Using thematic coding, statements about professional writing skills were divided into four primary themes: (1) prior experiences, (2) class experiences, (3) future goals and ambitions, and (4) structural considerations. These themes suggest potential implications for effective interventions aimed to advance the writing skills and academic and career readiness of racially and ethnically diverse students entering fields of science and aging.

Child Welfare Services Response to COVID-19: Addressing Face-to-Face Contacts.

During the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, child welfare case managers faced contradictions in their responsibility to make regular in-person contact with children and families to promote safety, permanency, and well-being while following public health directives to avoid social contact in order to curb COVID-19 infections. In response, federal guidance was issued regarding the use of technology to maintain mandated contacts with children in foster care. States had to make decisions about how to handle other contact types. This study reviewed documentation of state child welfare agency practices regarding face-to-face contact between case managers and child-welfare involved families between March 2020 and May 2020. Using a point-in-time search to obtain publicly accessible documents related to caseworker face-to-face contact and COVID-19, data was located for 49 states and the District of Columbia (n = 50). Documents were analyzed in NVIVO 12 using document analysis. Within the context of face-to-face interactions by child welfare case managers, documents were analyzed in six themes based on the types of services provided to children and families: (1) investigations, (2) family preservation, (3) family team meetings, (4) foster care, (5) adoption, and (6) general child welfare. State decisions about how to manage these contacts varied. In several states case managers were directed to document both virtual and in-person contacts during this time as face-to-face; which may impact future evaluations of child welfare systems during COVID-19. Findings highlight a range of strategies used by state child welfare systems. By reviewing previous practice and hearing what other states are doing, child welfare service agencies have the potential to evaluate appropriately, strengthen their plans and address disparate impacts.

Youth in Foster Care and the Reasonable and Prudent Parenting Standard.

Children in foster care face disproportionate rates of biopsychosocial challenges but social and extracurricular activities (SEAs) may support their healthy development. The Reasonable and Prudent Parenting Standard (RPPS), a 2014 federal policy, aims to increase access to these opportunities for children in foster care. Analyses of statutes from 50 US states and the District of Columbia (n = 51) revealed similarities and differences in state-level RPPS policy implementation. Building on these findings, researchers conducted semi-structured retrospective telephone interviews with foster parents across one southeastern state (n = 20) to identify local retrospective perspectives on RPPS implementation. Using thematic inductive coding two unique themes emerged about SEAs prior to RPPS: 1) negative social impacts and 2) complicated activity approval processes. Three unique themes emerged after RPPS: 1) empowerment, 2) implementation disparities and 3) resource recommendations. Policy implications include the need to support foster parents by increasing resources (funding, transportation, access), clarifying liability and clarifying motivation expectations.