Building cultural competence: A systematic evaluation of the effectiveness of culturally sensitive interventions with ethnic minority youth

Growing diversity within the US population accentuates the need for the development and implementation of culturally competent services in the field of child welfare. Despite this, few studies exist that examine the effectiveness of culturally sensitive interventions (CSIs) with ethnic minority populations, who are considerably more at risk of developing psychosocial problems including substance and alcohol abuse, delinquency, low academic achievement, and poor self-esteem. With the demand for evidence-based practice it is imperative that we examine the effectiveness of CSIs designed to prevent and treat youth problems. The main goal of this review was to systematically analyze the methodology of recent CSI research with populations of ethnic minority youth in order to evaluate each intervention's ability to adhere to existing standards of evidence-based practice. The fifteen CSI studies examined in this review illustrate progress in their attempt to adhere to the methodological rigor required of evidence-based practice. This review encourages the field of child welfare to position itself analogously with and embrace the movement toward building cultural competence by further investigating the effectiveness of culturally-sensitive interventions with ethnic minority youth.     

Peer-led interventions to reduce HIV risk of youth: A review

One approach in HIV prevention programming targeting youth is to use peer leaders in what is referred to as peer education programming. This paper critically reviews and synthesizes the results and lessons learned from 24 evaluated peer-led programs with an HIV/AIDS risk reduction component that target youth in the communities where they live and are delivered in low- and middle-income countries. Interventions were identified through a comprehensive search of the peer reviewed AIDS-related literature as well as publication lists of major organizations in the UN family that address HIV and AIDS. Our synthesis of study results finds that these programs have demonstrated success in effecting positive change in knowledge and condom use and have demonstrated some success in changing community attitudes and norms. Effects on other sexual behaviors and STI rates were equivocal. We include an overview of characteristics of successful programs, a review of program limitations, and recommendations for the development and implementation of successful community-based peer-led programs in low-income countries.     

School-based programs to prevent and reduce alcohol use among youth

Schools are an important setting for interventions aimed at preventing alcohol use and abuse among adolescents. A range of school-based interventions have been developed to prevent or delay the onset of alcohol use, most of which are targeted to middle-school students. Most of these interventions seek to reduce risk factors for alcohol use at the individual level, whereas other interventions also address social and/or environmental risk factors. Not all interventions that have been developed and implemented have been found to be effective. In-depth analyses have indicated that to be most effective, interventions should be theory driven, address social norms around alcohol use, build personal and social skills helping students resist pressure to use alcohol, involve interactive teaching approaches, use peer leaders, integrate other segments of the population into the program, be delivered over several sessions and years, provide training and support to facilitators, and be culturally and developmentally appropriate. Additional research is needed to develop interventions for elementary-school and high-school students and for special populations.     

Acculturation and school success: A study among minority youth in the Netherlands

In this study, we examine the school performance and school adjustment of youth from three different minority groups: Turkish and Moroccan labor migrants, and Christian-Turkish refugees. We compare these groups with their native Dutch peers in secondary school settings. The aim of the study was to test cultural explanations of ethnic differences in success and well-being in school. Acculturation attitudes were a central focus in the study and were viewed as a possible explanatory ground for ethnic diversity in educational profiles. With regard to school adjustment, our findings suggest highly selective acculturation effects for specific ethnic groups in specific contexts (home vs. school). We found that acculturation effects are highly context-dependent.     

Emotional school engagement among minority youth: the relevance of cultural identity,perceived discrimination,and perceived support

ABSTRACT

Minority student school dropout represents a challenging issue for educational systems in many countries. Notwithstanding minority families' overall high academic aspirations, there is a stable achievement gap between majority and minority students. Minority students who are emotionally engaged with their school tend to be psychologically and socioculturally better adapted to their country of residence and, as a result, report higher academic success. Therefore, emotional school engagement represents a relevant factor for integration into the host society. The goal of this paper is to investigate the interrelation between ethnic and national identity, perceived discrimination, and perceived support from parents, peers, and teachers with emotional school engagement. Results indicate that cultural capital within the family, cultural self-identification, and perceived support from peers and teachers play an important role for students’ emotional school engagement.     

Social services for sexual minority youth: Preferences for what,where, and how services are delivered

As part of an internet-based study to investigate experiences of sexual minority youth in the U.S., 544 youth, ages 14–19, were surveyed about their need for services, where they preferred to receive these services, and their preferred method of service delivery. The survey was anonymous and youth were recruited from LGBTQ-specific listservs and venues as well as through social networking sites as a way of reaching youth often not represented in LGBTQ surveys. Youth highly endorsed many types of services, settings, and modes of delivery. Some subgroup differences emerged. Transgender youth and those uncertain about their gender identity expressed stronger interest than others in services to address stress, family issues, and self-defense, and in receiving support and guidance from LGBTQ adults. Few differences in service preferences along demographic lines such as race/ethnicity emerged; however, African American youth were more likely than others to prefer services offered in a place of worship. Contrary to predictions, geographic and community variables were not related to service type, delivery format, or location preferences.     

Supporting the emotional and psychological well being of sexual minority youth: Youth ideas for action

Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) populations are susceptible to stress-related mental health disorders because of daily imposed stigma and prejudice. Yet minimal information exists from the perspective of sexual minority youth about how to support them in managing a challenging social environment during critical stages of development. Through the lens of youth from two geographic communities this study examined what is needed to support GLBT adolescent mental health. The study employed inductive secondary analysis of qualitative and quantitative data gathered through Concept Mapping needs assessments. Findings include 61 unduplicated ideas for support across the two groups of youth; 14 primary themes emerged with 22 stated needs common among both groups. Areas of need in multiple service systems are identified. The importance of the supports for meeting youths' emotional needs varied between the two communities. Ideas generated represent youth ideas for improving conditions which contribute to disparate community supports needed to develop positive emotional and psychological well being. The findings are conceptualized with regard to psychological and physical safety; community impact on emotional well being; schools and psychosocial supports; and access to relevant mental health and health care. Discussion includes implications for practice and policy.     

Commitment to care: managed care and child incarceration

Downsizing and managed care in the 1990s followed the psychiatric hospital scandals and closures of the 1980s. Many families are now unable to provide care for their troubled children. Childhood emotional or behavioral disorders have rapidly spread beyond the confines of the home into a community that has adopted a "zero tolerance" for crime. Intolerance for childhood criminal behavior has resulted in an explosion of children's prisons where, in the name of rehabilitation, many are finally receiving psychological help. This article discusses the decreased treatment of childhood psychiatric disorders and the increased admissions to children's prison facilities.     

Economic recession and migrant/minority youth in Western Europe and the United States

This paper considers the educational opportunities and employment futures of the children of migrants and minorities in Western Europe and the US beyond the lowest-paid and lowest-valued jobs currently held by their parents. Given that the economic recession has aggravated unemployment in the countries of origin of workers migrating to both Northern Europe and the US, it seems likely that workers will still want to go abroad. On the other hand, these workers in both regions have been concentrated in a highly segmented labor market in which they have little opportunity for professional advancement. A thriving black market for illegal workers also exists both for the US and for Northern Europe. Since this labor market structure shows no signs of fundamental change through natural or policy-directed means, it appears unlikely that migrants' children can expect any significant enhancement of their professional prospects. An alternative educational strategy might involve public commitment to provide effective education, training, and subsidized employment for all young people. Some type of allowance would be guaranteed to all young people engaging in further education and training schemes. Since the state is responsible for free elementary and secondary education, there may be a convincing argument that public responsibility extends to providing free further education and access to employment as well, as part of a forward-looking strategy for overcoming youth unemployment. Obviously, the current conservative climate across industrial nations is more inclined to blame the sloth of the victim who is unemployed. It is a legitimate question, however, as to how far a society can allow itself to widen the gap between rich and poor before it is obligated to change things.     

From concept to data: sleuthing social change-oriented youth voices on YouTube

The idea of youth voice has become commonplace in youth studies and advocacy, although its meaning is more often assumed than explicitly defined and critically analyzed. This article engages with the concept of youth voice through a discussion of how we designed and implemented a pilot study on social change-oriented videos produced and circulated by Canadian teens on YouTube. We discuss the challenges and issues we encountered while attempting to constitute our research sample of youth-produced videos. In our sleuthing process, we grappled with the limitations of online search engines for our research purposes, and as a result developed a purposeful, tactical and adaptive approach. Throughout this process, we found that technical and practical issues evoked ethical concerns regarding youth voice as well, which thus required constant decision-making. As we report on how we dealt with these issues, we contribute to ongoing discussions and debates on youth voice occurring at the intersection of critical youth studies, social media, and online research ethics.     

Non-parental adults in the social and risk behavior networks of sexual minority male youth

The presence of non-parental adults (NPAs), or adults outside of caregivers (e.g., extended family and natural mentors), in the lives of adolescents and emerging adults has received a rapidly expanding amount of empirical attention in the last decade. Compared to their heterosexual counterparts, sexual minority male youth (SMMY) experience disproportionate rates of abuse and victimization from parents and peers. Yet, despite the fact that this group, therefore, may be potentially vulnerable to negative interpersonal influences but also poised to benefit from additional relationships, NPA involvement in the lives of SMMY is currently not well understood in the extant literature. This study sought to examine and characterize the involvement of NPAs in the social and risk networks of SMMY (n = 175; 54% African American, 21% Hispanic/Latino, 14% Caucasian; ages: 17–23). Most SMMY identified at least one NPA, such as friends and grandparents, in their networks. Three categories of relationships were identified, Strictly Social, which only involved social interactions; Complex, which were both social and involved substance use and/or sexual activity; and Risky, which purely consisted of substance use or sexual activity. Relationships were rated as emotionally “closer” among ethnic minority SMMY, although, racial/ethnic similarity between SMMY and NPAs was not associated with relationship closeness. In addition, relationships involving female and heterosexual NPAs were also rated as stronger. These findings suggest the potential usefulness of considering multiple types of relationships between SMMY and NPAs when designing intervention and prevention efforts. Moreover, African American and Latino SMMY, who represent the most vulnerable sub-groups of SMMY in terms of HIV-risk, may be particularly poised to benefit from positive NPA relationships.     

Religion and bullying: Perspectives from sexual and gender minority youth (SGMY) in Michigan

Abstract

This paper explored whether SGM (sexual and gender minority) young adults in Michigan thought religion played a role in the bullying they had witnessed or experienced. Twenty-four self-identified SGM young adults ages 20–29 participated in this study. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with participants following protocols approved by an institutional review board. The majority of participants (23/24) stated that religion had played a role in the bullying they witnessed or experienced. Additionally, several participants noted that the worst bullying they experienced based upon religion came from their families.     

Neighborhood structural inequality, collective efficacy, and sexual risk behavior among urban youth

We draw on collective efficacy theory to extend a contextual model of early adolescent sexual behavior. Specifically, we hypothesize that neighborhood structural disadvantage--as measured by levels of concentrated poverty, residential instability, and aspects of immigrant concentration--and diminished collective efficacy have consequences for the prevalence of early adolescent multiple sexual partnering. Findings from random effects multinomial logistic regression models of the number of sexual partners among a sample of youth, age 11 to 16, from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (N = 768) reveal evidence of neighborhood effects on adolescent higher-risk sexual activity. Collective efficacy is negatively associated with having two or more sexual partners versus one (but not zero versus one) sexual partner. The effect of collective efficacy is dependent upon age: The regulatory effect of collective efficacy increases for older adolescents.     

Truth and consequences: using the bogus pipeline to examine sex differences in self-reported sexuality

Men report more permissive sexual attitudes and behavior than do women. This experiment tested whether these differences might result from false accommodation to gender norms (distorted reporting consistent with gender stereotypes). Participants completed questionnaires under three conditions. Sex differences in self-reported sexual behavior were negligible in a bogus pipeline condition in which participants believed lying could be detected, moderate in an anonymous condition, and greatest in an exposure threat condition in which the experimenter could potentially view participants responses. This pattern was clearest for behaviors considered less acceptable for women than men (e.g., masturbation, exposure to hardcore & softcore erotica). Results suggest that some sex differences in self-reported sexual behavior reflect responses influenced by normative expectations for men and women.     

Monastic Blessings: Deconstructing and Reconstructing the Self

This paper explores the development and maintenance of the self among members of an Orthodox Christian monastery. The principal communicative resource by which members effect their unique social order, the blessing sequence, is interpreted as a spiritual technology for altering processes of reality construction, especially those associated with agency and selfhood. The deconstruction and reconstruction of the monastic self is essential to their membership in the community and a necessary preparation for the achievement of their shared objective: immediate experience of Ultimate Reality. This study demonstrates the interdependence of communicative practice and psychological experience and suggests that specific interactive routines may be identified and enacted in order to secure desirable psycho-social outcomes.     

No Path to Paradise: Deconstructing the Promise of Public Sociology

This essay treats Burawoy’s advocacy for public sociology as a social problems claim. Using a social constructionist approach, I examine the rhetorical strategies Burawoy uses to construct the discipline in a way that makes public sociology seem not only relevant, but integral to what sociologists do. Sociology’s history, ethos and practitioners are framed in ways that make its commitment to the civil sphere appear as a “natural” direction for the discipline. Certain features of the discipline are foregrounded. Motives and desires are imputed. Villains are constructed and the paths to progress are outlined. By examining the framing strategies Burawoy uses to present his vision, the promise of public sociology is called into question. I do not argue that public sociology is without value. Rather, I unpack the claims its advocates make and question whether public sociology can deliver on its promise of a better sociology or a better society.     

Paternal incarceration and the family: Fifteen years in review

Since the turn of the 21st Century, research has highlighted the use of the American criminal justice system as a forager of young, low‐income, low‐educated, men of color, but less is known about how these men exist within such realities and construct meaningful relationships in their families. Research in the early 2000s has focused on how paternal incarceration affects these men, their partners, and their children. However, there is limited research about how these men understand fatherhood and the mechanisms for how paternal incarceration disrupts relationships and exacerbates inequality in the larger family system. Highlighting the consequences to family and child well‐being, the incarceration literature is beginning to focus on the variational and complicated experiences that families cope with when a father is incarcerated. This paper reviews the literature since the early 2000s, tracing what is known about incarcerated fathers and consequences for their children and families. In doing so, this paper discusses both the evolution of the literature and how more research about family processes is needed to understand the dynamic experiences of families and caregivers who manage periods of confinement during the age of mass incarceration in America.     

Entrepreneurial development for U.S. minority homeless and unstably housed youth: A qualitative inquiry on value,barriers, and impact on health

BackgroundHomeless and unstably housed youth in the U.S. have high rates of unemployment and often rely on survival strategies that negatively impact their economic, emotional, and physical health. While integrated health and entrepreneurial development initiatives targeting the poor have been successfully implemented in developing countries, little is known regarding interests in similar initiatives among vulnerable U.S. youth, particularly racial minorities who are disproportionately impacted by poverty and homelessness. This study examined African-American homeless and unstably housed youth's interests in entrepreneurial development programming to enhance economic self-sufficiency and health-related outcomes.MethodsQualitative methods using nine focus groups and one in-depth interview were conducted from December 2013 to March 2014 with 52 purposively-selected youth, aged 15 to 24, who had experienced homelessness within the prior 18 months in Baltimore, Maryland and Washington, D.C. An emergent, open-ended topic guide was used to examine reasons why youth may want to participate in entrepreneurial development initiatives, what barriers they anticipated in becoming an entrepreneur, and how engaging in entrepreneurial and other economic empowerment activities might impact their physical and emotional well-being. All focus groups and interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed.ResultsThe majority of youth were unemployed in the formal sector, but actively engaged in income generating activities in the informal sector. Four themes related to youth's interest in entrepreneurial development initiatives: the perceived inadequacy of traditional income and educational pathways, wanting to be one's own boss, desires for alternatives to joblessness and illicit income risks, and interests in building on current entrepreneurial activities. Commonly perceived barriers were lack of business mentors and opportunities, not knowing “what was possible”, difficulty in changing prior mindsets, and anticipated negative reactions from peers. Youth envisioned entrepreneurial development activities would inspire a range of health protective behaviors by minimizing poverty-related depression, hopelessness, and anxiety.ConclusionThis study underscores the need to address the intersection of poverty and health outcomes. Integrated health and entrepreneurial development programs should target low-income U.S. minority youth, particularly those with the greatest housing, health, and economic needs. More research is needed in understanding the behavioral dynamics between economic empowerment and health risk reduction among disadvantaged youth.