Early life adversity, race, and childhood socioeconomic status: intersecting drivers of later life cognition.

OBJECTIVES: Research on associations between early life adversity (ELA) and later life cognition has yielded mixed results and generally have not considered how broader societal systems of stratification potentially influence associations. The current study addresses this gap by exploring if racialized identity and childhood socioeconomic status (cSES) moderate associations between ELA exposure and later life cognition. METHODS: Using data from the Health and Retirement Study (Waves 2010-2018), we used growth curve modeling to examine if the confluence of ELA, cSES, and racialized identity is associated with cognition. RESULTS: Among White participants, greater exposure to ELA was associated with poorer baseline cognitive functioning, and higher cSES buffered against this association. Among Black participants, exposure to ELA was not associated with baseline cognitive functioning, regardless of cSES. We did not find evidence of any associations between main predictors nor their interactions with change in cognition over time. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence that associations between ELA and later life cognition is contingent upon multiple social positions in the United States. These findings support the importance of integrating insights on intersecting social positions within life-course-oriented efforts to reduce racialized cognitive disparities.

A Relational Workforce Capacity Approach to Trauma-Informed Care Implementation: Staff Rejection Sensitivity as a Potential Barrier to Organizational Attachment.

This study explores the relationship between staff rejection sensitivity (a psychological concept grounded in histories of loss and trauma) and organizational attachment among mental health agencies transitioning to Trauma-Informed Care (TIC), which is currently outside the focus of most research. Specifically, this study examines: (1) whether staff rejection sensitivity predicts organizational attachment; (2) whether staff turnover intentions account for the association between rejection sensitivity and organizational attachment; and (3) whether those associations hold once taking into account staff demographic factors (gender, race and ethnicity, education, and income)? Around 180 frontline workers in three Northeastern U.S. mental health agencies responded to surveys collected between 2016 and 2019 using the organizational attachment, rejection sensitivity and turnover intention measures, and their previous TIC training experience. Rejection sensitivity was significantly associated with organizational attachment (ß = -0.39, p < 0.001), accounting for 6% of its variance in organizational attachment. The relationship between these variables retained significance, and staff education significantly predicted organizational attachment, with higher education predicting lower levels of organizational attachment (ß = -0.15, p < 0.05), accounting for 22% of its variance. This study concludes that TIC transitioning mental health agencies' staff with a higher rejection sensitivity are more likely to express lower organizational attachment and higher intent-to-turnover.

Expanding the Trauma-Informed Care Measurement Toolkit: An Evaluation of the Attitudes Related to Trauma-Informed Care (ARTIC-45) Scale with SUD Workers in PIMH.

Human service organizations (HSO) have increasingly recognized the value of employing trauma-informed care (TIC) in a variety of practice settings. Evidence suggests that effectively adopting TIC has shown client improvements. Organizational barriers to TIC implementation, however, exist. To improve TIC practice, the attitudes related to trauma-informed care (ARTIC) scale was developed to measure staff attitudes and beliefs towards TIC. The ARTIC has been widely adopted by researchers without evaluating its psychometric performance in diverse practice settings. The purpose of this study was to independently validate the ARTIC scale drawn from a sample of staff (n = 373) who provide services to substance-using parents. Psychometric tests were conducted to evaluate how the ARTIC performs with our HSO population. Results from a confirmatory factor analysis showed poor fit (X2 = 2761.62, df = 2.96; RMSEA = 0.07 [0.07, 0.08]; CFI = 0.72). An exploratory factor analysis was conducted to analyze how the data fit with our specific population, yielding 10 factors. Finally, a qualitative inter-item analysis of these factors was conducted, resulting in nine factors. Our findings suggest that measuring TIC attitudes and beliefs may vary according to field of practice and ethno-racially diverse workers. Further refinement of the ARTIC may be necessary for various services domains.

Trauma and Gang Affiliation Increase Likelihood of Committing Assault among Juveniles Admitted to Secure Custody.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the prediction of involvement in serious physical assault from risk factors collected during routine screening of juveniles admitted to secure custody with a focus on trauma and gang affiliation and an exploration of gender differences in risk. METHODS: We analyzed administrative data collected on 879 juvenile offenders (93% boys; M age = 17 years; 71% Black, 19% Hispanic, 9% White, 1% other race/ethnicity), including extensive data on histories of trauma exposure and other risk as well as gang affiliation. RESULTS: We found that participation in serious assault was linked to gender, gang affiliation, and both witnessing and experiencing various traumatic events. Contrary to predictions, we did not observe a significant interaction between trauma histories and gang affiliation in predicting serious physical assault. CONCLUSIONS: Trauma and gang affiliation are critical yet understudied aspects of violence perpetration in the justice-involved youth population, particularly among clinical child and adolescent psychologists. These results underscore the importance of continued efforts by clinical psychologists to enhance research and practice related to these issues for this population.

Trauma Exposure and Mental Health Needs Among Adolescents Involved With the Juvenile Justice System.

Justice-involved adolescents typically report high levels of lifetime trauma exposure, although research on juvenile justice system-wide screenings is limited. Further, there is little evidence from research on the psychological and substance abuse treatment related needs of youth relative to the trauma levels or types of trauma experienced by justice-involved adolescents. We documented lifetime exposure to traumatic events and its relation to psychological and substance use concerns in a sample of adolescents admitted to custody in the New Jersey Juvenile Justice Commission. This study examined lifetime exposure to traumatic events experienced by justice-involved adolescents (N = 627) using negative binomial regression modeling and zero-inflated negative binomial regression modeling to identify which adolescents have the greatest trauma exposure, and determine how cumulative types of trauma relate to youths' mental health and substance use needs. Adolescents reported experiencing an average of 4 of 17 traumatic exposures on the Life Events Checklist. The most common traumas experienced directly and indirectly were physical assault and assault with a weapon. Considering particular traumas, there were differences in exposures based on race and ethnicity, sex, child welfare involvement, and gang affiliation. Higher levels of some types of traumatic exposure were consistently related to higher levels of mental health needs. Results indicate that adolescents enter the juvenile justice system with high levels of polytraumatization. These adverse events are associated with elevated mental health and substance use needs that should be considered in case planning.

All in the family: parental substance misuse, harsh parenting, and youth substance misuse among juvenile justice-involved youth.

PURPOSE: Research consistently connects parental and youth substance misuse, yet less is known about the mechanisms driving this association among justice-involved youth. We examine whether harsh parenting is an explanatory mechanism for the association between parental substance use and parental mental health and youth substance use disorder in a sample of justice-involved youth. METHODS: Data were drawn from the Northwestern Juvenile Project, a large-scale longitudinal survey of mental health and substance misuse in a representative sample of youth in juvenile detention. Harsh parenting, child maltreatment, youth alcohol and cannabis use disorder, and parental substance misuse and mental health were assessed among 1,825 detained youth (35.95% female) at baseline, three-year follow-up, and four-year follow-up. RESULTS: At baseline, over 80% of youth used alcohol and/or cannabis; at the four-year follow-up, 16.35% and 19.69% of the youth were diagnosed with alcohol and cannabis use disorder, respectively. More than 20% of youth reported their parent misused substances and 6.11% reported a parent had a severe mental health need. Black youth experienced significantly fewer types of harsh parenting compared to White youth. Multivariate path analyses revealed harsh parenting mediated the association between parental substance misuse and mental health on youth alcohol and cannabis use disorder. Harsh parenting that does not rise to the level of child maltreatment mediated the association between parental substance misuse and mental health on youth alcohol use disorder; in contrast, child maltreatment did not mediate these associations. Multigroup analyses revealed the effect of harsh parenting on youth alcohol and cannabis use disorder did not vary across sex or race-ethnic subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: Harsh parenting represents one mechanism for the intergenerational continuity of alcohol and cannabis misuse and should be regularly assessed for and addressed in juvenile justice settings.

Mentors' experiences of mentoring justice-involved adolescents: A narrative of developing cultural consciousness through connection.

Mentoring provides a relational intervention that can promote positive youth development among adolescents who are involved in the juvenile justice system. The perspectives of mentors engaging these youth, particularly insights considered through a cultural humility lens, have been largely absent from the literature to date. This study examined predominately White, middle- to upper-class adult mentors' experiences mentoring racially diverse, working-class youth. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were completed with 23 mentors participating in a community-based mentoring program. Themes were derived from inductive content analysis. Emergent themes illustrative of the mentoring process included (a) establishing a connection despite differences, (b) identifying mentees' personal and environmental challenges, and (c) raising consciousness around structural issues. Despite coming from different backgrounds and experiences, mentors who worked with justice-involved adolescents were motivated to connect with their mentees. Mentors developed a greater awareness of structural challenges influencing adolescents by learning about the multifaceted experiences and needs of their mentees.

Frontline Staff Characteristics and Capacity for Trauma-Informed Care: Implications for the Child Welfare Workforce.

BACKGROUND: Improved understanding of the lasting ways trauma can impact self-regulatory and relational capacities have increased calls for Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) for child welfare-involved families. Little is known, however, about how the attitudes and characteristics of frontline workers impact the implementation of TIC and job retention. This work fills an important gap in knowledge regarding the relationship between staff relational capacities, the implementation of TIC and staff retention. OBJECTIVE: To understand the relationship between staff characteristics, endorsement of TIC and intent to turnover. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Three child and family serving agencies surveyed 271 staff from a populous Northeastern state. METHODS: Regression analyses were used to examine the relationship between staff characteristics, Attitudes Related to Trauma Informed Care (ARTIC) score, and intent to turnover. RESULTS: Higher levels of staff rejection sensitivity was associated with lower endorsement of Principles of Trauma-Informed Care (p < .05). Lower staff alignment with principles of TIC was associated with higher levels of intention to turnover and leave their organization (p < .05). CONCLUSION: Staff histories of relational loss and trauma may impact both workforce buy-in and readiness to implement TIC. Therefore, identifying staff sensitivity to rejection in the hiring process or after hire, and providing specific supports, such as reflective supervision, may enhance both service delivery and staff experiences' of their work. Additionally, using the ARTIC scale in the hiring process may also reduce staff turnover and burnout. Attending to staff relational characteristics is a critical component of promoting worker resilience.