FOCUS School-Based Skill-Building Groups: Training and Implementation

Garcia, Ediza; Pedro, Kris Tunac De; Astor, Ron Avi; Lester, Patricia; Benbenishty, Rami

doi:10.1080/10437797.2015.1001292

Cited by 13 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…23,39,40 Currently, 14 states have adopted this data element, but the identifier should be adopted nationwide to effectively monitor these and other outcomes. 23 In addition to universal prevention efforts involving enhanced social support and access to resources for military families, targeted interventions, such as Families Over-Coming Under Stress 41…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Substance Abuse and Other Adverse Outcomes for Military-Connected Youth in California

et al. 2015

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IMPORTANCE Military families and military-connected youth exhibit significant strengths; however, a sizeable proportion of these families appear to be struggling in the face of war-related stressors. Understanding the consequences of war is critical as a public health concern and because additional resources may be needed to support military families. OBJECTIVE To determine whether rates of adverse outcomes are higher for military-connected adolescents during war compared with nonmilitary peers. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This study is a secondary data analysis of a large, normative, and geographically comprehensive administrative data set (2013 California Healthy Kids Survey) to determine whether military-connected youth are at risk for adverse outcomes, including substance use, experiencing violence and harassment, and weapon carrying, during wartime. These outcomes are of particular concern because they affect socioemotional adjustment and academic success. Data were collected in March and April 2013 and participants included 54 679 military-connected and 634 034 nonmilitaryconnected secondary school students from public civilian schools in every county and almost all school districts in California. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Outcomes included lifetime and recent use of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, prescription medications, and other drugs, as well as experiences of physical and nonphysical violence and harassment and weapon carrying during the last year. RESULTS Multivariable logistic regression models indicated that military-connected youth had greater odds of substance use, experience of physical violence and nonphysical harassment, and weapon carrying. For example, military-connected youth had 73% greater odds of recent other drug use (eg, cocaine and lysergic acid diethylamide; odds ratio [OR], 1.73; 95% CI, 1.66-1.80) and twice the odds of bringing a gun to school (OR, 2.20; 95% CI, 2.10-2.30) compared with nonmilitary-connected peers. Their odds of being threatened with a weapon or being in a fight were also significantly higher than their civilian counterparts (OR, 1.87; 95% CI, 1.80-1.95 and OR, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.62-1.71, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Most military-connected youth demonstrate resilience. However, results suggest that during wartime, military-connected youth are at increased risk for adverse outcomes. Further, when compared with data from 2011, the rates of these negative outcomes appear to be increasing. These findings suggest a need to identify and intervene with military-connected adolescents and reflect a larger concern regarding the well-being of military families during wartime.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Substance Abuse and Other Adverse Outcomes for Military-Connected Youth in California

et al. 2015

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“…As a result of this broad base of resilience research, there are a number of interventions designed to promote resilience among diverse populations affected by adversity and trauma (Beardslee, Gladstone, Wright, & Cooper, 2003; Lester et al, 2016; Lester et al, 2012; Luthar & Cicchetti, 2000; Rotheram-Borus, Lee, Lin, & Lester, 2004). In this article, we describe the adaptation and implementation of a trauma-informed resilience prevention intervention, the Resilience Classroom Curriculum, for low-income, predominantly ethnic and racial minority youth in a large urban school district (Garcia, De Pedro, Astor, Lester, & Benbenishty, 2015). In addition to describing our process of implementation through an academic-community partnered approach, we provide an overview of school preventive programs, the argument between fidelity and adaptation, and examples of frameworks for cultural adaptation that can be used in school settings.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It was initially developed from a group modality of a trauma-informed resilience intervention for families affected by adversity (Garcia et al, 2015; Lester et al, 2011). The FOCUS (Families OverComing Under Stress) preventive intervention was developed using core components of the team’s evidence-based interventions for families and youth affected by adversity, including an intervention for youth coping with a parent with HIV that showed improved youth adjustment, (Rotheram-Borus et al, 2004) an intervention for families dealing with a depressed parent that found improved family functioning, (Beardslee, Wright, Gladstone, & Forbes, 2007) and a school-based intervention for children facing the stressors of war (Layne et al, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It has been successfully delivered to over 140 schools with military-connected students. An evaluation surveying the implementation of the Resilience Classroom Curriculum among social work interns in military-connected schools demonstrated that the interns believed the curriculum improved student well-being and was useful and easy to understand for students (Garcia et al, 2015). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Adapting and Implementing a School-Based Resilience-Building Curriculum Among Low-Income Racial and Ethnic Minority Students

Ijadi-Maghsoodi

Marlotte²,

Garcia

et al. 2017

Contemp School Psychol

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Although youth are at risk for exposure to adversity and trauma, many youth, especially ethnic and racial minorities, do not have access to mental health care. Resilience-building curriculums can teach important internal resilience skills and provide support to students who may not receive prevention or treatment services. We adapted a resilience curriculum initially used for military-connected youth facing adversities related to parental wartime deployments, to meet the needs of low-income, predominantly racial and ethnic minority students in a large urban school district. In this article we describe the cultural adaptation, the implementation process, and the evaluation of the trauma-informed resilience curriculum using pre-post surveys and focus group discussions. We found significantly improved overall internal resilience scores, as well as significantly improved scores on subscales of problem solving and empathy among students receiving the curriculum. The focus groups revealed that the curriculum enhanced connections among students, as well as students and teachers, and served as a way to destigmatize mental health issues. The acceptability of the curriculum, as well as implementation successes and challenges are described. We provide suggestions for future steps for school psychologists and school social workers for implementing this curriculum.

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“…Recent qualitative studies provide nascent knowledge informing how supportive and caring school environments protect military-connected youth from negative social and emotional outcomes and support healthy development (De Pedro, Atuel, Esqueda, & Malchi, 2014; Mmari et al, 2008). Studies have suggested that caring teacher relationships, peer support, school connectedness, and school leaders’ awareness of military-specific life challenges are critical in promoting the well-being of military-connected youth during times of war (De Pedro, Atuel, et al, 2014; De Pedro, Esqueda, Cederbaum, & Astor, 2014; Garcia, De Pedro, Astor, Lester, & Benbenishty, 2015; Mmari et al, 2008). However, these studies utilize small, purposive, and/or convenience samples and hence lack generalizability to the development of school-based interventions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

School Climate, Deployment, and Mental Health Among Students in Military-Connected Schools

et al. 2015

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Research has found that when compared with civilian students, militaryconnected students in the United States have more negative mental health outcomes, stemming from the stress of military life events (i.e., deployment). To date, studies on military-connected youth have not examined the role of protective factors within the school environment, such as school climate, in the mental health and well-being of military-connected adolescents. Given this gap in the research on military adolescents, this study draws from a large sample of military and non-military secondary adolescents in militaryconnected schools (N = 14,943) and examines associations between school climate, military connection, deployment, and mental health. Findings show that multiple components of school climate are associated with a lower likelihood of depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation and increased likelihood of well-being among students in military-connected schools, after

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FOCUS School-Based Skill-Building Groups: Training and Implementation

Cited by 13 publications

References 11 publications

Substance Abuse and Other Adverse Outcomes for Military-Connected Youth in California

Substance Abuse and Other Adverse Outcomes for Military-Connected Youth in California

Adapting and Implementing a School-Based Resilience-Building Curriculum Among Low-Income Racial and Ethnic Minority Students

School Climate, Deployment, and Mental Health Among Students in Military-Connected Schools

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