Adolescent substance use is a top national public health concern with approximately 50% of youth having tried an illicit substance by the end of high school. The transition to high school is a critical point for substance use initiation. Despite this fact, there is relatively limited research looking at factors that can protect students from…

Reports of deportation can create a state of chronic fear in children living in mixed-status immigrant families over their own or a loved one's potential deportation. One indicator of health disparities among youth is elevated rates of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use (ATOD). Yet little is known about the effects of fear of deportation (FOD)…

To help guide school mental health policy and practice, we evaluated patterns of mental health help-seeking across lifetime adversity among sixth-grade adolescents. An ethnically/socioeconomically diverse sample of sixth-graders (N = 751) self-completed assessments of help-seeking and indicators of lifetime adversities: violence victimization,…

Universal and selective preventive interventions targeting youth behavioral problems have shown crossover effects on suicide risk, the second leading cause of death among youth. However, the mechanisms that explain this long-term unanticipated benefit are understudied and unclear. The current study examines the crossover effects of PROSPER, a…

Polysubstance use is related to elevated risk for adverse outcomes but remains understudied among early adolescents. This study focused on a cross-sectional (N = 1568) primarily Black (79%) sample of eighth grade students living in urban communities (Mean age = 13.8, SD = 0.68) to identify subgroups based on adolescents' reports of lifetime and…

The current study assessed whether risk factors associated with vaping were distinct from risk factors associated with other substance use (e.g., alcohol, cannabis) during adolescence. Participants (N = 848, ages 10-16 years) completed a self-report survey to assess frequency and age of onset of substance use, risk perceptions of use, risk factors…

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with disparate health and educational outcomes. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to determine the relationship between ACEs and academic performance among U.S. children and adolescents. A total of 20 articles were included for a descriptive synthesis and 11 articles…

Annually, the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) collects, analyzes, and reports to the Governor and Legislature on disciplinary infractions and their consequences, as reported by school districts, to meet the requirements of the Public School Safety Law, N.J.S.A. 18A:17-46 through 48. This report includes statewide information on…

This study examined the program effectiveness of Health Rocks!, a youth substance use prevention program. Merging data from 128,544 youth participants in 21 states between 2009 and 2021, this study compared self-reported levels of knowledge, skills, and internal and external assets before and after the program. Youth reported significant increases…

Research is mixed on the common patterns of substance use within a college student population after trauma. Data was collected from students from a mid-sized, Midwestern university. Respondents often reported the use of combinations of medications and drugs that could lead to dangerous effects. Alcohol use was predicted by the substance use…

Despite widespread effects of parental substance use on children, little is known about the experiences of school counselors working with this student population. We examine the experiences of elementary school counselors working with school-aged children affected by parental substance use. Eight school counselors participated in semistructured…

Background and Purpose: Sleep is an important determinant of health in adolescence, but many adolescents around the world are sleep-deprived. Compared to children and adults, getting enough sleep is especially challenging for adolescents due to the natural alteration of circadian rhythms that govern sleep-wake cycles. The delayed circadian rhythm…

This research is motivated by the many cases of narcotics abuse in Indonesia which have now been found in various regions including the city of Palopo. This study aims to educate the public from an early age about the dangers of narcotics and hazardous substances such as inhalant abuse as a preventive measure for the development of narcotics cases…

An emerging body of research documents a relationship between sleep quantity and delinquency during adolescence. Absent from this line of research, however, is an evaluation of whether the associations between sleep duration and different forms of delinquency vary across periods of adolescence and sex. The current study aimed to address this gap…

Mental health problems in school-aged youth are a risk factor for poor outcomes in adulthood. Although these poor outcomes are well established, most youth with mental health problems continue to experience barriers to receiving appropriate services. Tier 2 interventions are sometimes provided to students who are at risk of developing a mental…