As demonstrated by President Obama’s statement at the 2011 White House Conference on Bullying Pre... more As demonstrated by President Obama’s statement at the 2011 White House Conference on Bullying Prevention, there is a growing consensus that bullying is a harmful force in schools. A recent report by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and United States Department of Education presents a uniform definition of bullying that includes “unwanted aggressive behavior . . . that involves an observed or perceived imbalance of power and is repeated multiple times or is highly likely to be repeated” (Gladden, Vivolo-Kantor, Hamburger, & Lumpkin, 2014, p. 7). Although concern about peer victimization is now at the forefront, interventions to reduce its occurrence often come up short (Merrell, Gueldner, Ross, & Isava, 2008; Ttofi & Farrington, 2011). At one level, efforts to prevent peer victimization should center on the creation and dissemination of more effective intervention approaches (Bradshaw, Waasdorp, O’Brennan, & Gulemetova, 2013; Cook, Williams, Guerra, Kim, & Sadek, 2010). At a second level, it is necessary for researchers and stakeholders (e.g., teachers, parents, policy makers) to understand that bullying is often rooted in natural social dynamics in school and to ask ourselves how these dynamics can be leveraged to reduce bullying (Farmer, Lines, & Hamm, 2011; Rodkin, 2011). Peer systems in schools function as communities that differentially promote and constrain social roles, opportunities, and interactions available to students and, in turn, may affect the outcomes of individually focused interventions, including efforts to reduce involvement in peer victimization (Ahn & Rodkin, 2014; Farmer, Lane, Lee, Hamm, & Lambert, 2012). Furthermore, the peer community can be managed by teachers to create social ecologies to support vulnerable youth (Gest, Madill, Zadzora, Miller, & Rodkin, 2014). On this count, it is useful to view peer victimization from a person-in-context framework that focuses on the interplay between characteristics of students, the relationships they form, and the broader social structures within schools (Rodkin, Hanish, & Wang, 2014; Swearer, Espelage, Vaillancourt, & Hymel, 2010). The overarching goal of this special issue is to consider peer victimization involvement and corresponding interventions for youth with disabilities from a social dynamics perspective that situates risks for being a victim, perpetrator, or both within a person-in-context framework. The focus here is not on a specific age range or type of disability. Rather, the aim is to provide a broad overview of issues related to peer victimization involvement of children and adolescents with various disabilities and special education needs. In this introduction, we begin with a discussion of aspects of a person-in-context perspective that provide insights into the social dynamics of the peer victimization process. This is followed by a brief review of literature on risk factors for involvement in peer victimization for students with disabilities. Next, we summarize approaches for promoting school contexts that support students’ social success and reduce their risk for involvement in peer victimization. In the final section, we provide a brief review of the articles in this special issue and consider them in light of the 572911 RSEXXX10.1177/0741932515572911Remedial and Special EducationFarmer et al. research-article2015
LGBTQ+ youth experience higher rates of interpersonal violence, such as peer-based bullying and i... more LGBTQ+ youth experience higher rates of interpersonal violence, such as peer-based bullying and identity-based harassment, than their counterparts. Experiences of victimization can occur across different social contexts including family, school, peers, and community. LGBTQ+ youth in rural communities may be at increased risk for identity-based victimization due in part to geographic isolation and an often conservative value system that may create a hostile environment to LGBTQ+ individuals. However, few studies have examined the experiences of rural LGBTQ+ youth from their perspectives, and how the rural context may affect their experiences with victimization and social support. This qualitative study explores the victimization experiences of rural LGBTQ+ youth, the supports available to them, and ways they show resilience. We conducted qualitative interviews with a sample of 11 young people ages 12-21, recruited in partnership with a local LGBTQ+ agency across a rural five county r...
This study examines the role of human-animal interaction (HAI) in relations between sexual and ge... more This study examines the role of human-animal interaction (HAI) in relations between sexual and gender minority (SGM) stress, personal hardiness, and psychological stress during emerging adulthood. Data for the current sample reflect 136 SGM emerging adults between the ages of 18 to 21 years who reported living with a companion animal in the past year (37.5% racial/ethnic minority, 49.2% transgender or gender -expansive, 98.5% sexual minority). Mediation was tested using structural equation modeling with a bootstrapping approach. We found evidence of an indirect effect of microaggressions on personal hardiness. Specifically, increases in microaggressions were associated with increases in HAI; in turn, increases in HAI were associated with higher levels of personal hardiness. No other statistically significant indirect effects were identified in our model. We discuss the implications of these findings for enhancing community capacity to empower and facilitate successful coping among S...
Adolescent mothers and their children are at high-risk for depression and the associated negative... more Adolescent mothers and their children are at high-risk for depression and the associated negative educational, social, health, and economic outcomes. However, few pregnant adolescent women with depression receive psychiatric services, especially low-income or racial/ethnic minority adolescent women. This qualitative study explores perceptions of depression, psychiatric services, and barriers to accessing services in a sample of low-income, pregnant racial/ethnic minority adolescent women. Our goal was to better understand the experiences of depression during pregnancy for these vulnerable adolescent women, and thereby improve their engagement and retention in services for perinatal depression. We recruited 20 pregnant adolescent women who screened positive for depression from 2 public health prenatal clinics in the southeastern United States. Participants were low-income and primarily racial/ethnic minority women between 14 and 20 years old. Data were collected through individual in-depth, ethnographically informed interviews. Generally, participants lacked experience with psychiatric services and did not recognize their symptoms as depression. However, participants perceived a need for mood improvement and were interested in engaging in services that incorporated their perspective and openly addressed stigma. Participants reported practical and psychological barriers to service engagement, but identified few cultural barriers. Family perceptions of psychiatric services served as both a barrier and support. Adolescent women are more likely to engage in psychiatric services if those services reduce practical and psychological barriers, promise relief from the symptoms perceived as most meaningful, and address underlying causes of depression. Culture may affect Latina adolescent women's perceptions of depression and services.
Background: Perinatal depression (PND) is a leading cause of maternal morbidity/mortality associa... more Background: Perinatal depression (PND) is a leading cause of maternal morbidity/mortality associated with enduring negative maternal/child outcomes. Trauma history is often associated with PND. The highest estimates of PND (44%) and trauma history (82%) are found in low-income adolescent mothers. In fact, the strongest predictor of PND in adolescent mothers is trauma history. PND increases adolescent mother’s risk of negative maternal/child outcomes including poverty, abuse, and neglect. Although PND disproportionately affects low-income, adolescent mothers,evidence to guide treatment is severely limited and few adolescents receive any mental health care. The adaptation of IPT is necessary to engage and successfully treat this population. We aimed to test the feasibility of treating adolescent PND with an adaptation of brief interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT-B) using a mixed-method, case-series study design. Methods: Following established steps to adapt existing evidence-based interv...
Background and Purpose: Perinatal psychiatric disorders are a leading cause of maternal morbidity... more Background and Purpose: Perinatal psychiatric disorders are a leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality (Oates, 2003). Of these, perinatal depression is the most prevalent; disproportionately affects low-income adolescent mothers; and is strongly associated with additional enduring negative maternal, child, and family outcomes, including sudden infant death syndrome (Howard, Kirkwood, & Latinovic, 2007; Oates, 2003; Sarri & Phillips, 2004). Yet, evidence to guide the treatment of perinatal depression in adolescents is severely limited. Studies that account for the economic, cultural, and developmental needs of the most vulnerable mothers are virtually nonexistent (Bledsoe & Warrick, 2008). To address this critical gap, we conducted a pilot study testing the feasibility of an intervention providing culturally relevant, interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT-CRB; Grote et al, 2009) to depressed, pregnant adolescents in public health prenatal care clinics. Methods: For this case seri...
Background and Purpose: Evidence-based practice (EBP) and empirically supported interventions (ES... more Background and Purpose: Evidence-based practice (EBP) and empirically supported interventions (ESI) hold valuable potential for improving social work practice by making knowledge about research and best practices more accessible, timely, and informative for practitioners and clients. Partnerships between schools of social work and community agencies to promote EBP/ESI offer a promising strategy for increasing the implementation of EBP/ESI. Although partnerships between schools and agencies to support EBP have been implemented (McCracken & Corrigan, 2004; Bellamy, & Bledsoe, Mullen et al, 2008), little is known about these efforts. Moreover, Proctor (2004) and other EBP scholars have called for coordinated efforts to increase the uptake of EBP and ESI in social work practice. This paper presents results from a national survey of schools of social work about schools' efforts in partnering with agencies to promote EBP/ESI. Findings include the frequency and types of agency/universi...
Background and Purpose The implementation of evidence-based practice (EBP) has been less than opt... more Background and Purpose The implementation of evidence-based practice (EBP) has been less than optimal. Partnerships between schools of social work and agencies to promote EBP offer a promising solution to the challenge. However, little is known about the implementation of partnerships efforts between schools and agencies to support EBP. Understanding this gap is critical to develop effective strategies of implementing EBP and evidence-supported interventions (ESI). This study complements data collected by this research team through a national survey of EBP partnerships between schools of social work and agencies; it provides an insightful overview of the frequency, variety, and nature of EBP partnerships between schools and agencies. These areas cover respondents’ experiences and perspective on (1) current involvement of partnership efforts to promote EBP (2) benefits and barriers of EBP to her/his efforts, schools, and agencies (3) assessments and strategies planned and taken on ho...
Background and Significance: Evidence-based practice (EBP) is mandated by CSWE accreditation stan... more Background and Significance: Evidence-based practice (EBP) is mandated by CSWE accreditation standards, and many schools are making efforts to integrate EBP into teaching and research. However, little is known about how schools of social work can support the implementation of EBP in the field. EBP partnerships between schools of social work and social service agencies represent particular promise for advancing EBP. Although EBP partnerships exist, there is little research to guide the development and advancement of these efforts. Building on a national survey of deans and directors of schools of social work and qualitative interviews with social work faculty, staff, and administrators, this paper aims to examine the barriers and promoters related to EBP partnership models and propose an agenda for the further development, refinement, and testing of these models. Methods: We conducted a national web-based survey of CSWE-accredited schools of social work (N=196; response rate > 70%...
As demonstrated by President Obama’s statement at the 2011 White House Conference on Bullying Pre... more As demonstrated by President Obama’s statement at the 2011 White House Conference on Bullying Prevention, there is a growing consensus that bullying is a harmful force in schools. A recent report by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and United States Department of Education presents a uniform definition of bullying that includes “unwanted aggressive behavior . . . that involves an observed or perceived imbalance of power and is repeated multiple times or is highly likely to be repeated” (Gladden, Vivolo-Kantor, Hamburger, & Lumpkin, 2014, p. 7). Although concern about peer victimization is now at the forefront, interventions to reduce its occurrence often come up short (Merrell, Gueldner, Ross, & Isava, 2008; Ttofi & Farrington, 2011). At one level, efforts to prevent peer victimization should center on the creation and dissemination of more effective intervention approaches (Bradshaw, Waasdorp, O’Brennan, & Gulemetova, 2013; Cook, Williams, Guerra, Kim, & Sadek, 2010). At a second level, it is necessary for researchers and stakeholders (e.g., teachers, parents, policy makers) to understand that bullying is often rooted in natural social dynamics in school and to ask ourselves how these dynamics can be leveraged to reduce bullying (Farmer, Lines, & Hamm, 2011; Rodkin, 2011). Peer systems in schools function as communities that differentially promote and constrain social roles, opportunities, and interactions available to students and, in turn, may affect the outcomes of individually focused interventions, including efforts to reduce involvement in peer victimization (Ahn & Rodkin, 2014; Farmer, Lane, Lee, Hamm, & Lambert, 2012). Furthermore, the peer community can be managed by teachers to create social ecologies to support vulnerable youth (Gest, Madill, Zadzora, Miller, & Rodkin, 2014). On this count, it is useful to view peer victimization from a person-in-context framework that focuses on the interplay between characteristics of students, the relationships they form, and the broader social structures within schools (Rodkin, Hanish, & Wang, 2014; Swearer, Espelage, Vaillancourt, & Hymel, 2010). The overarching goal of this special issue is to consider peer victimization involvement and corresponding interventions for youth with disabilities from a social dynamics perspective that situates risks for being a victim, perpetrator, or both within a person-in-context framework. The focus here is not on a specific age range or type of disability. Rather, the aim is to provide a broad overview of issues related to peer victimization involvement of children and adolescents with various disabilities and special education needs. In this introduction, we begin with a discussion of aspects of a person-in-context perspective that provide insights into the social dynamics of the peer victimization process. This is followed by a brief review of literature on risk factors for involvement in peer victimization for students with disabilities. Next, we summarize approaches for promoting school contexts that support students’ social success and reduce their risk for involvement in peer victimization. In the final section, we provide a brief review of the articles in this special issue and consider them in light of the 572911 RSEXXX10.1177/0741932515572911Remedial and Special EducationFarmer et al. research-article2015
LGBTQ+ youth experience higher rates of interpersonal violence, such as peer-based bullying and i... more LGBTQ+ youth experience higher rates of interpersonal violence, such as peer-based bullying and identity-based harassment, than their counterparts. Experiences of victimization can occur across different social contexts including family, school, peers, and community. LGBTQ+ youth in rural communities may be at increased risk for identity-based victimization due in part to geographic isolation and an often conservative value system that may create a hostile environment to LGBTQ+ individuals. However, few studies have examined the experiences of rural LGBTQ+ youth from their perspectives, and how the rural context may affect their experiences with victimization and social support. This qualitative study explores the victimization experiences of rural LGBTQ+ youth, the supports available to them, and ways they show resilience. We conducted qualitative interviews with a sample of 11 young people ages 12-21, recruited in partnership with a local LGBTQ+ agency across a rural five county r...
This study examines the role of human-animal interaction (HAI) in relations between sexual and ge... more This study examines the role of human-animal interaction (HAI) in relations between sexual and gender minority (SGM) stress, personal hardiness, and psychological stress during emerging adulthood. Data for the current sample reflect 136 SGM emerging adults between the ages of 18 to 21 years who reported living with a companion animal in the past year (37.5% racial/ethnic minority, 49.2% transgender or gender -expansive, 98.5% sexual minority). Mediation was tested using structural equation modeling with a bootstrapping approach. We found evidence of an indirect effect of microaggressions on personal hardiness. Specifically, increases in microaggressions were associated with increases in HAI; in turn, increases in HAI were associated with higher levels of personal hardiness. No other statistically significant indirect effects were identified in our model. We discuss the implications of these findings for enhancing community capacity to empower and facilitate successful coping among S...
Adolescent mothers and their children are at high-risk for depression and the associated negative... more Adolescent mothers and their children are at high-risk for depression and the associated negative educational, social, health, and economic outcomes. However, few pregnant adolescent women with depression receive psychiatric services, especially low-income or racial/ethnic minority adolescent women. This qualitative study explores perceptions of depression, psychiatric services, and barriers to accessing services in a sample of low-income, pregnant racial/ethnic minority adolescent women. Our goal was to better understand the experiences of depression during pregnancy for these vulnerable adolescent women, and thereby improve their engagement and retention in services for perinatal depression. We recruited 20 pregnant adolescent women who screened positive for depression from 2 public health prenatal clinics in the southeastern United States. Participants were low-income and primarily racial/ethnic minority women between 14 and 20 years old. Data were collected through individual in-depth, ethnographically informed interviews. Generally, participants lacked experience with psychiatric services and did not recognize their symptoms as depression. However, participants perceived a need for mood improvement and were interested in engaging in services that incorporated their perspective and openly addressed stigma. Participants reported practical and psychological barriers to service engagement, but identified few cultural barriers. Family perceptions of psychiatric services served as both a barrier and support. Adolescent women are more likely to engage in psychiatric services if those services reduce practical and psychological barriers, promise relief from the symptoms perceived as most meaningful, and address underlying causes of depression. Culture may affect Latina adolescent women's perceptions of depression and services.
Background: Perinatal depression (PND) is a leading cause of maternal morbidity/mortality associa... more Background: Perinatal depression (PND) is a leading cause of maternal morbidity/mortality associated with enduring negative maternal/child outcomes. Trauma history is often associated with PND. The highest estimates of PND (44%) and trauma history (82%) are found in low-income adolescent mothers. In fact, the strongest predictor of PND in adolescent mothers is trauma history. PND increases adolescent mother’s risk of negative maternal/child outcomes including poverty, abuse, and neglect. Although PND disproportionately affects low-income, adolescent mothers,evidence to guide treatment is severely limited and few adolescents receive any mental health care. The adaptation of IPT is necessary to engage and successfully treat this population. We aimed to test the feasibility of treating adolescent PND with an adaptation of brief interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT-B) using a mixed-method, case-series study design. Methods: Following established steps to adapt existing evidence-based interv...
Background and Purpose: Perinatal psychiatric disorders are a leading cause of maternal morbidity... more Background and Purpose: Perinatal psychiatric disorders are a leading cause of maternal morbidity and mortality (Oates, 2003). Of these, perinatal depression is the most prevalent; disproportionately affects low-income adolescent mothers; and is strongly associated with additional enduring negative maternal, child, and family outcomes, including sudden infant death syndrome (Howard, Kirkwood, & Latinovic, 2007; Oates, 2003; Sarri & Phillips, 2004). Yet, evidence to guide the treatment of perinatal depression in adolescents is severely limited. Studies that account for the economic, cultural, and developmental needs of the most vulnerable mothers are virtually nonexistent (Bledsoe & Warrick, 2008). To address this critical gap, we conducted a pilot study testing the feasibility of an intervention providing culturally relevant, interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT-CRB; Grote et al, 2009) to depressed, pregnant adolescents in public health prenatal care clinics. Methods: For this case seri...
Background and Purpose: Evidence-based practice (EBP) and empirically supported interventions (ES... more Background and Purpose: Evidence-based practice (EBP) and empirically supported interventions (ESI) hold valuable potential for improving social work practice by making knowledge about research and best practices more accessible, timely, and informative for practitioners and clients. Partnerships between schools of social work and community agencies to promote EBP/ESI offer a promising strategy for increasing the implementation of EBP/ESI. Although partnerships between schools and agencies to support EBP have been implemented (McCracken & Corrigan, 2004; Bellamy, & Bledsoe, Mullen et al, 2008), little is known about these efforts. Moreover, Proctor (2004) and other EBP scholars have called for coordinated efforts to increase the uptake of EBP and ESI in social work practice. This paper presents results from a national survey of schools of social work about schools' efforts in partnering with agencies to promote EBP/ESI. Findings include the frequency and types of agency/universi...
Background and Purpose The implementation of evidence-based practice (EBP) has been less than opt... more Background and Purpose The implementation of evidence-based practice (EBP) has been less than optimal. Partnerships between schools of social work and agencies to promote EBP offer a promising solution to the challenge. However, little is known about the implementation of partnerships efforts between schools and agencies to support EBP. Understanding this gap is critical to develop effective strategies of implementing EBP and evidence-supported interventions (ESI). This study complements data collected by this research team through a national survey of EBP partnerships between schools of social work and agencies; it provides an insightful overview of the frequency, variety, and nature of EBP partnerships between schools and agencies. These areas cover respondents’ experiences and perspective on (1) current involvement of partnership efforts to promote EBP (2) benefits and barriers of EBP to her/his efforts, schools, and agencies (3) assessments and strategies planned and taken on ho...
Background and Significance: Evidence-based practice (EBP) is mandated by CSWE accreditation stan... more Background and Significance: Evidence-based practice (EBP) is mandated by CSWE accreditation standards, and many schools are making efforts to integrate EBP into teaching and research. However, little is known about how schools of social work can support the implementation of EBP in the field. EBP partnerships between schools of social work and social service agencies represent particular promise for advancing EBP. Although EBP partnerships exist, there is little research to guide the development and advancement of these efforts. Building on a national survey of deans and directors of schools of social work and qualitative interviews with social work faculty, staff, and administrators, this paper aims to examine the barriers and promoters related to EBP partnership models and propose an agenda for the further development, refinement, and testing of these models. Methods: We conducted a national web-based survey of CSWE-accredited schools of social work (N=196; response rate > 70%...
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