2025 Issues

This study investigates the relationship between school connectedness, mental health, and school safety using data from the 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). School connectedness, defined as students' sense of belonging and care within the school environment, is a critical protective factor against mental health challenges. The purpose of this study is to examine whether school connectedness is associated with better mental health outcomes and whether this relationship is mediated by perceptions of school safety. Participants included 7,089 high school students from the nationally representative YRBS sample.  Binary logistic regression, accounting for the survey's complex sampling design, was employed to estimate adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and interaction effects. Findings revealed that approximately 63% of students reported feeling close to people at their school. Students who experienced safety concerns, bullying, or threats reported significantly lower levels of school connectedness and poorer mental health outcomes. School connectedness was positively associated with reduced levels of anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. Notably, perceptions of school safety significantly mediated the relationship between connectedness and mental health, underscoring the importance of fostering safe and inclusive school environments. These findings highlight school connectedness as a vital intervention target for promoting youth well-being. Implications and future directions for research as discussed.

Understanding employer perspectives toward necessary work qualifications for justice-involved youth and aligning transition planning and employment preparation activities with these perspectives is integral in increasing employment rates and decreasing recidivism for this population. This study investigated the psychometric properties of the Juvenile Justice Work Qualifications Scale (JJ-WQS), a measure of the importance of work qualifications for entry level employees previously involved in juvenile services from the perspective of employers. Analyses explored and confirmed the scale’s factor structure, measured internal consistency, and examined group differences based on geographic location, business structure, and business size. Results indicated evidence of a four-factor structure, strong internal consistency, and mean differences based on company size. Implications for both research and practice are discussed including the need for further replication research on this instrument to confirm these findings and generate additional evidence of its efficacy with entry-level employers to inform supports for justice-involved youth in preparing for employment.

Objective: Youth in contact with the justice system have higher rates of risky behaviors such as substance use than youth not in contact, yet the mechanisms underlying these behaviors are not clearly understood. Research with incarcerated and post-adjudicated adolescent samples have examined some of the individual level factors by examining the relationship between psychosocial maturity and substance use; however, adolescents at point of first contact with the juvenile justice system, a crucial point of intervention and diversion, have been given little attention. Method: The current study examined the relationship between psychosocial maturity, including emotion regulation, and high-risk behaviors such as substance use and delinquency in court-involved, non-incarcerated youth at point of first juvenile court contact. Results: MANCOVA analyses and logistic regressions partially supported our hypotheses that lesser psychosocial maturity was associated with earlier onset of substance use and increased delinquent behaviors. Conclusion: Findings inform potential intervention needs around specific elements of psychosocial maturity for youth involved in the justice system.