BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Despite the widespread epidemic of mass incarceration in the US, relatively little literature exists examining the longitudinal relationship between youth incarceration and adult health outcomes. We sought to quantify the association of youth incarceration with subsequent adult health outcomes.

IMPORTANCE Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with long-term poor mental health. Less is known about factors that improve long-term mental health among those with ACEs. OBJECTIVE To evaluate, among those exposed to ACEs, whether team sports participation during adolescence is associated with better mental health in adulthood and whether the association between team sports participation and mental health varies by sex. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This study used data from 9668 individuals who participated in waves 1 (1994-1995) and 4 (2008) of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. Individuals were included if they had complete data on exposure to ACEs (physical and sexual abuse, emotional neglect, parental alcohol misuse, parental incarceration, and living with a single parent) and a valid sample weight. Statistical analysis was performed from November 6, 2017, to January 4, 2019. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The association between team sports participation in grades 7 to 12 (wave 1) and diagnosis of depression and/or anxiety and current depressive symptoms (determined by Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale-10 scores) at ages 24 to 32 years (wave 4) among individuals exposed to ACEs. Multivariable logistic regression models were weighted based on propensity scores for factors associated with team sports participation and controlled for individual, family, and school characteristics. Interaction terms tested whether associations between team sports participation and mental health varied by sex. RESULTS Of 9668 individuals included in the study (4470 male [50.0%]; mean [SD] age, 15.2 [1.75] years), 4888 (49.3%) reported 1 or more ACE and 2084 (21.3%) reported 2 or more ACEs. Among those with ACEs, team sports participation during adolescence was significantly associated with lower odds of receiving a diagnosis of depression (unadjusted rate, 16.8% vs 22.0%; propensity score-weighted [PSW] adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.76; 95% CI, 0.59-0.97) or anxiety (11.8% vs 16.8%; PSW aOR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.56-0.89) and having current depressive symptoms (21.9% vs 27.5%; PSW aOR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.71-1.01). There were no significant differences in associations between team sports participation and mental health by sex. Stratified analyses showed significant associations for all outcomes among males (depression: PSW aOR, 0.67 [95% CI, 0.46-0.99]; anxiety: PSW aOR, 0.66 [95% CI, 0.45-0.96]; depressive symptoms: PSW aOR, 0.75 [95% CI 0.56-0.99]) but only 1 outcome among females (anxiety: PSW aOR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.54-0.98). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Among individuals affected by ACEs, team sports participation in adolescence was associated with better adult mental health. Team sports may be an important and scalable resilience builder.

OBJECTIVES Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by challenges in social communication and interaction and restricted or repetitive behavior, interests, or activities. Although ASD symptoms generally manifest in early childhood, many individuals experience delays accessing an autism diagnosis and related services. In this study, we identify the individual, social, and structural factors that influence parents’ experiences of children’s ASD diagnosis. METHODS Parents of 25 children with autism participated in 60- to 90-minute semistructured in-person interviews. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were analyzed using the method of grounded theory. This inductive method allowed analysts to identify key themes related to participants’ experiences of children’s ASD diagnosis. RESULTS The process of ASD diagnosis reflects an odyssey that includes 3 key phases: the prediagnosis phase, in which “Making Sense of Child Difference” is a primary characteristic of participants’ experiences; the during-diagnosis phase, when “Navigating Diagnosis” suggests systematic barriers that influence the timing of ASD diagnosis; and the postdiagnosis phase, when participants’ experiences of “Connecting to Services” point to the important role that personal efforts play in gaining access to care. CONCLUSIONS In this study, we highlight individual, social, and structural factors that influence parent experiences before, during, and after their child’s autism diagnosis. Our findings indicate the need for more consistent and continuous support for autistic individuals and their families during the diagnostic odyssey, as well as resources that better represent the diversity of experiences and symptoms associated with autism across the life course.

Purpose Grit, defined as “working strenuously toward challenges, maintaining effort and interest over years despite failure, adversity, and plateaus in progress,” is strongly associated with academic achievement and life success and may also be associated with health outcomes and behaviors. We examined predictors of grit, and the association between grit and health behaviors among at-risk Latino adolescents. Methods We analyzed baseline survey data collected in 2013-2014 from a sample of 1,270 9th graders in low-income neighborhoods of Los Angeles. We examined factors associated with grit and whether grit is associated with substance use and delinquent behaviors, controlling for adolescent and parent sociodemographic factors. Results In a sample of mostly Latino adolescents (89.5%), compared to those with low grit, those with high grit had significantly lower odds of alcohol use in the last 30 days (OR=0.30, p<0.001), marijuana use (OR=0.21, p<0.05), and fighting (OR=0.58, p<0.05). Involvement in delinquent behavior was also lower (β=-0.71, p<.001). Factors associated with more grit included authoritative parenting style, parental employment, and high self-efficacy scores. Conclusion Grit may be an important candidate protective factor against substance use and other risk behaviors among Latino adolescents.

Objectives Up to 20% of school-age children have a vision problem identifiable by screening, over 80% of which can be corrected with glasses. While vision problems are associated with poor school performance, few studies describe whether and how corrective lenses affect academic achievement and health. Further, there are virtually no studies exploring how children with correctable visual deficits, their parents, and teachers perceive the connection between vision care and school function. Methods We conducted a qualitative evaluation of Vision to Learn (VTL), a school-based program providing free corrective lenses to low-income students in Los Angeles. Nine focus groups with students, parents, and teachers from three schools served by VTL explored the relationships between poor vision, receipt of corrective lenses, and school performance and health. Results Twenty parents, 25 teachers, and 21 students from three elementary schools participated. Participants described how uncorrected visual deficits reduced students’ focus, perseverance, and class participation, affecting academic functioning and psychosocial stress; how receiving corrective lenses improved classroom attention, task persistence, and willingness to practice academic skills; and how serving students in school rather than in clinics increased both access to and use of corrective lenses. Conclusions for Practice Corrective lenses may positively impact families, teachers, and students coping with visual deficits by improving school function and psychosocial wellbeing. Practices that increase ownership and use of glasses, such as serving students in school, may significantly improve both child health and academic performance.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Current recommendations emphasize developmental screening and surveillance to identify developmental delays (DDs) for referral to early intervention (EI) services. Many young children without DDs, however, are at high risk for poor developmental and behavioral outcomes by school entry but are ineligible for EI. We developed models for 2-year-olds without DD that predict, at kindergarten entry, poor academic performance and high problem behaviors.

Breaking cycles of juvenile incarceration will require that the public health community partner with legislators, educators, community leaders, and youths to determine how to make success, rather than incarceration, the easier path for disadvantaged adolescents.

Importance Although school environments are thought to influence health behaviors, experimental data assessing causality are lacking, and which aspects of school environments may be most important for adolescent health are unknown. Objective To test whether exposure to high-performing schools reduces risky adolescent health behaviors. Design We used admission lotteries—which mimic random assignment—to estimate the causal effect of school environments on adolescent health. We surveyed 1270 students who applied to high-performing public charter schools in low-income minority communities in Los Angeles. We followed lottery “winners” (Intervention) and “losers” (Control) from the end of 8th grade/beginning of 9th grade through the end of 11th grade. Intent-to-Treat (ITT) and Instrumental Variables (IV) techniques estimate the effects of “winning” the lottery and attending high-performing schools on health behaviors and whether effects varied by gender. Setting: Charter and non-charter public high schools in Los Angeles. Participants: Students applying to one of the 5 public charter schools in Los Angeles where the majority enrolled were economically disadvantaged, the school’s academic performance ranked in the top tertile of LA County public high schools, there were at least 50 more applicants than seats available, and they used an admissions lottery. Main Outcomes and Measures: Primary outcomes were 30-day marijuana use and high-risk marijuana use. Additional health outcomes included 30-day alcohol use, alcohol misuse, ever being in a fight, ever having sex and past year delinquency. We also examined potential intermediate factors (time studying, truancy, school mobility, school culture, school order, teacher support, and proportion of substance using peers in students’ social networks). Results Intent-to-treat analysis showed that lottery “winners” (n=694) reported less marijuana misuse than loterry “losers” (n=576), as well as fewer substance using peers, more time studying, less truancy, greater teacher support, more orderly schools, and less school mobility(all p<0.05). Stratified analyses suggest more consistent effects for boys with treatment effects noted as early as 9th grade. Conclusions and Relevance This natural experiment provides evidence that school environments can improve risky behaviors for low-income minority adolescents.