Alan W. Leschied

Recommendations derived from research evidence regarding program implementation in school-based mental health [SBMH] require knowledge of the intervention outcomes as well as the potential to translate program components into schools. The Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) analysis was applied to major areas of the SBMH literature in addressing the areas of effectiveness and the strength of recommendation in implementation. Nine areas were addressed: emotional intelligence, stigma reduction, mindfulness, anxiety, depression, addictions, suicide prevention, trauma, and eating disorders. Ninety-eight studies were retrieved across the nine areas. Effect sizes based on reported outcomes and estimates on the strength of recommendation were generated in each of the nine areas of interest. These results provide an overview of the quality of the evidence that will be of relevance to school personal in making program selections.

This study investigated differences in the experiences of Canadian foster parents providing regular and treatment foster care and their consideration to withdraw from their position. Survey responses from 852 foster parents were analyzed subsequent to separating the participants into two groups based on the primary type of care they provided (regular N = 454; treatment N = 398). Results revealed that treatment foster care parents considered withdrawing at a higher rate compared to regular foster care parents. Subsequent analysis revealed numerous differences between the two groups regarding foster parents’ experiences in fostering and reasons to withdraw. The results are discussed in the context of increasing concern for a declining number of foster parents with the coincidental increase in the number of children who enter foster care with higher rates of trauma and mental health disorders requiring a treatment response.

The present study investigated the impact of motivational interviewing (MI) and stage of change on a self-report measure of global functioning (Outcome Questionnaire [OQ 45.2]). Participants were men mandated to attend the Responsible Choices for Men (RCM) group therapy program following an incident of domestic violence. The study design utilized a quasi-experimental between-groups comparison utilizing data collected at three time points (pregroup, first group session, and final group session). One group of mandated program attendees received two sessions of MI (n = 106), whereas the comparison group did not (n = 106). Stage of change was assessed using the URICA-G and the URICA-DV (University of Rhode Island Change Assessment—Domestic Violence). Multilevel growth modeling indicated that stage of change has a significant relationship to global functioning. Discussion focuses on the potential benefits of MI as a pregroup treatment and the importance of accounting for individual readiness to change.

This study examined outcomes with 170 children and youth admitted to residential treatment with complex mental health problems. Overall, outcomes at 2 years post-treatment was predicted by children and youth's behavioral pretreatment status reflected in lower internalizing and externalizing behavior at admission. These findings recognize a cluster of variables upon admission that are differentially predictive of specific outcomes. Higher school participation/achievement and an absence of witnessing interparental abuse predicted educational status. Family status was predicted at admission by higher family functioning, being younger in the family, and children and youth who had poor community behavior. The results are discussed as they relate to pretreatment screening and the need to evaluate service outcomes.

This review provides a general presentation of the factors that are linked to youth violence. In general, these risk factors can include any of the following: pregnancy and delivery complications, emotion-related disorders, hyperactivity, concentration problems, restlessness, risk taking, aggressiveness, early initiation into violent behaviour and beliefs, and attitudes supportive to violent behaviour. What can increase our accuracy of prediction for youth violence is an appreciation of the systemic factors that interact with these individual risk factors. These can include factors within the family including: early family conditions related to poverty, abuse, a generally poor relationship between child and parent, and parental criminality. Peers also play a role in rewarding behaviour and attitudes supportive of youth violence. The implications for knowledge with respect to these correlates are highlighted in a review of promising programs that address youth violence.

Research indentifies that a significant proportion of youth within the justice system possess some form of mental health disorder, and that the presence of an emotional disorder can provide important explanatory value regarding the causes of crime. Evidence is now overwhelming that services within the youth justice system need to account for the causes of crime in order to effectively reduce the likelihood of reoffending. Such an ethic within youth justice service delivery not only reduces symptoms and risk within the youth and their families but also is linked to increasing community safety through reductions in reoffending. This review characterizes the relevance of mental health disorder in considering the needs of anti-social youth, and how this appreciation is linked to the delivery of effective services as well as what constitutes supportive youth justice legislation.