Context: Adoption can provide a lifetime of benefits for children. Some adoptions however, experience severe challenges resulting in disruption, with children leaving home prematurely. Method: This qualitative study in Northern Ireland used interviews with parents from thirteen families whose adoptions had disrupted, to explore their perspective…

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…

Violent crimes and domestic violence are notoriously high in South Africa, which leaves many children defenceless to struggle with emotions such as loneliness and sadness. The healthy development and socialisation of children can be difficult in a society characterised by domestic tribulations, poverty, crime, single-parent homes, and absent…

Research of the opportunity and achievement gap shows: "College completion rates vary, with Black and Hispanic students earning credentials at a lower rate than white and Asian students" (Tate, 2017, pg.1). The purpose of this correlational study was to explore the relationship between grade-point average (GPA) (indicator of academic…

Ellis describes the Building Resilient Communities process, which in facing trauma, considers not only "adverse childhood experiences," but also adverse community environments--inequitable conditions within a community that feed trauma. In BRC networks, partners from various community sectors--schools, healthcare, criminal justice,…

Early life adversity influences the diurnal cortisol rhythm, yet the relative influence of different characteristics of adversity remains unknown. In this study, we examine how developmental timing (childhood vs. adolescence), severity (major vs. minor), and domain of early life adversity relate to diurnal cortisol rhythms in late adolescence. We…

Developmental trauma--distressing childhood experiences that include mistreatment, interpersonal violence, abuse, assault, and neglect--is associated with substance use and poor academic performance. The authors investigated the links between developmental trauma, grade point average, substance use, and resilience among first-year college students…

Since the 1980s, El Salvador has survived a 12-year civil war, two major earthquakes, devastating hurricanes, a massive drought, a famine, and now the current levels of violence related to gang presence across the country. Nearly everyone has had personal experience with at least one but more likely multiple traumatic experiences during their…

Statistical reports confirm that the female incarcerated population is not only increasing, but the frequency of mental disorders among this vulnerable population is accelerating. Women's pathways to crime show that gender matters significantly in shaping criminality. The frequency of mental disorders among incarcerated females is much higher than…

Traumatic events such as abuse, bullying, and exposure to violence are commonplace among typically developing children and occur at least as often among those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Children with ASD are vulnerable to traumatization due to their deficits in social communication and emotion regulation. Research on posttraumatic…

Children are powerful agents of change when given the chance to succeed. However, due to protracted crises and natural disasters, an estimated 33 million children have been forcibly displaced worldwide and denied their childhoods and an opportunity to reach their full potential. Psychosocial support is key to bridging the learning gap that…

Too many parents who find themselves involved with child welfare agencies have had lives threaded with deeply traumatic events. As adults, their childhood histories manifest themselves in substance abuse, domestic violence, relational problems, risk-taking behaviors, emotional lability, self-harming, anxiety, and depression. To successfully…

Heeding the call put out by the "New England Journal of Medicine" (2017), we utilize an ecological-transactional model as a conceptual framework for understanding existing literature and for guiding future research on immigration enforcement threat and Latino child development. Using the World Health Organization's definition of…

This comprehensive text, written by experts in each topical area, provides research-based approaches designed for work with youth in the difficult transition from adolescence to adulthood. Developmental in its orientation, the text moves from population definition and identification, to causal factors and issues most often identified with placing…

The definition of poverty in developed nations is "lack of income and productive resources sufficient to ensure sustainable livelihoods, hunger… lack of access to education and other basic services; increased morbidity and mortality from illness… unsafe environments; and social discrimination and exclusion" (Raphael, 2013, p. 5). Tenets…