A systematic and meta-analytic review was conducted of the effectiveness of school-based mental health and behavioral programs for low-income, urban youth.Applying criteria from an earlier systematic review (Rones & Hoagwood, 2000) of such programs for all populations indicated substantially fewer effective programs for low-income, urban youth. The meta-analysis similarly failed to indicate effects of the typical program on primary outcomes. Effectiveness was evident, however, for programs that targeted internalizing problems or had a broader socio-emotional focus and those delivered to all youth (i.e., universal). In contrast, negative effects were apparent for programs that targeted externalizing problems and were delivered selectively to youth with existing problems. Distinctive characteristics of low-income, urban schools and nonschool environments are emphasized as potential explanations for the findings.

Poverty and low socioeconomic status (SES) play a profound role in the etiology and trajectories of child psychopathology. In order to better understand how poverty/SES can influence child psychopathology, we first describe the individual and social costs of SES‐related psychopathology before summarizing the internalizing and externalizing symptoms associated with childhood deprivation across the life stages of early childhood, middle childhood, and adolescence. Next, underlying mediating processes that help explain how deprivation leads to psychopathology as well as moderating factors that alter the course of SES impacts on child and youth psychopathology are discussed. Primary mediators include parenting, stress, executive functioning and coping, as well as the brain. Moderators discussed include gender, ethnicity, social support, coping, and social context (e.g., school, community). Implications for intervention science and policy are presented and an outline of future directions is presented.

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A meta-analytic review of 33 studies and 41 independent samples was conducted of the effectiveness of community-based mental health and behavioral programs for low-income urban youth. Findings indicated positive effects, with an overall mean effect of 0.25 at post-test. While this is comparable to previous meta-analytic intervention research with more diverse samples, it stands in contrast to findings of the school-based review (0.08 at post-test) focused on this population. The current review found type of intervention to significantly moderate effects, with effects highest for programs that were environmentally based.In fact, effect sizes for programs that did not target the environment were not significant. Findings are discussed with an emphasis on environmental influences, including the differing contexts affecting school-versus community-based interventions conducted with lowincome, urban youth.

This manuscript summarizes an iterative process used to develop a new intervention for low-income urban youth at risk for negative academic outcomes (e.g., disengagement, failure, drop-out). A series of seven steps, building incrementally one upon the other, are described: 1) identify targets of the intervention; 2) develop logic model; 3) identify effective elements of targets; 4) vet intervention with stakeholders; 5) develop models for sustaining the intervention; 6) develop measures of relevant constructs currently missing from the literature; 7) assess feasibility and usability of the intervention. Methods used to accomplish these steps include basic research studies, literature reviews, meta-analyses, focus groups, community advisory meetings, consultations with scholarly consultants, and piloting. The resulting intervention provides early adolescents in low-income urban communities with a) training in contextually relevant coping, b) connection to mentors who support youth's developing coping strategies, and c) connection to youth-serving community organizations, where youth receive additional support.