VCU Clark-Hill Institute - Studies

Problems Faced By Latino Youth in Richmond

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 09:27:43 -0800

Lead Investigator/Co-Investigators: Rosalie Corona, Ph.D.

Background: The growing diversity in the U.S. highlights the need for more studies on interethnic and interracial interactions and relationships among youth. This is especially relevant in Richmond, VA given the rapid growth of the Latino population. In fact, between 1990 and 2000, the Latino population in the greater Richmond area increased by 202% (Bon Secours Richmond Health System, 2003). According to the US Census Bureau there were approximately 20,000 living in the greater Richmond area and 327,000 living in Virginia in 2000. The majority of these Latinos are immigrants suggesting that these numbers may underestimate the actual number of Latinos in Richmond and the surrounding areas since it is highly likely that a substantial number of undocumented Latinos did not figure into this estimate. Given this rapid growth, it is imperative that we understand how interethnic and interracial interactions and relationships are forming.

Metasynthesis

Wed, 13 Dec 2006 14:19:33 -0800

Qualitative research methods were applied to a set of interviews to produce a grounded theory about how adolescent boys and girls reason about challenging problems in their lives. A metasynthesis is a technique for drawing inferences from similar or related studies; bringing together and examining datasets, discovering essential features, and articulating findings representative of all data. Synthesizing is a methodology that increases the credibility and trustworthiness of qualitative research by data triangulation (Meadows-Oliver, 2003). As such, it is a valuable tool for generating theory about the phenomenon and producing new and integrative interpretation of findings about the constructs that emerge.

Inclusive Violence Prevention Project – Expanding the Focus of Violence Prevention Programs to Youth With and Without Disabiliti

Tue, 12 Dec 2006 08:04:44 -0800

This project focuses on expanding promising programs in the area of violence prevention to meet the needs of youth with disabilities. The promotion of health and well-being among youth with disabilities is an important public health issue. Almost 54 million Americans have disabilities that may interfere with life activities, and health promotion programs may benefit these individuals greatly. Although schools offer a practical and important social context for implementing such efforts, most school-based violence prevention programs were developed for the general population and the effectiveness of these programs has not been evaluated among youth with disabilities. A key step to making progress is to modify such programs using best teaching practices with the goal of creating a school-based violence prevention program that is effective for youth with and without disabilities. The goals of this research project include the following:

“Dating” Experiences in Adolescence Project

Tue, 12 Dec 2006 08:01:03 -0800

Dating violence during adolescence is a significant public health concern that is linked to a range of maladaptive outcomes. Although studies have identified a number of general risk and protective factors associated with dating violence, we know little about the specific problems situations associated with dating in adolescence. Our project focuses on learning more about situations faced by adolescents in the context of dating experiences, including both problem situations that may lead to exposure to violence as well as positive situations. The project also focuses on learning about protective and risk factors that may help or hinder adolescents in addressing the specific problem situations. The specific goals of the research project include the following:

The Expressive Writing Study

Wendy Kliewer — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 13:38:28 -0800

The Expressive Writing Study is an intervention designed for middle-school youth exposed to community violence. The intervention is based on an integrative model developed by Steve Lepore and colleagues. According to this model, writing about traumatic or stressful events can facilitate self-regulation, mainly through enhanced regulation of emotions. The model begins with the observation that dysregulated emotion—either excessively controlled or excessively uncontrolled emotion—is associated with poorer health outcomes, and expressive writing confers health benefits by regulating extreme emotional responses. Specifically, expressive writing regulates emotions by directing attention, promoting habituation or desensitization to distressing traumatic stimuli, and promoting cognitive reappraisals of the traumatic event. Each of these regulatory processes can have a positive impact on emotional responses in three channels: subjective, physiological, and behavioral.

Project COPE

Wendy Kliewer — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 08:55:39 -0700

This study directed by Dr. Wendy Kliewer focuses on stressors in the lives of youth living in impoverished areas of the city of Richmond., and how these stressors are linked to adjustment. We are particularly interested in exposure to violence – experiencing, witnessing, or hearing about violence. We are studying a number of aspects of the lives of these families, including the children’s coping resources, parent/guardian and family resources, and child and parent/guardian adjustment. This study is built on a model of risk and resilience, with attention to risk factors for adjustment difficulties, and individual and family-level protective factors. Core assumptions underlying the study include:

Building Community Social Capital

Torey Edmonds — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 13:52:25 -0700

Lead Investigator/Co-Investigators: Kevin W. Allison, Ph.D., Torey Edmonds, Karen Wilson

Background: Adaptive social connections among neighbors have been identified as important community-level resources associated with youth adaptation. Both conceptual and empirical work examining community factors linked to youth violence and youth violence prevention underline the important role of the community, neighborhood resources, social connections among community residents, and shared values among neighbors. In our current work, we focus on social capital at the community level as a central factor that works to reduce community-level risk of youth violence.

Barriers and Support for Community Level Youth Violence Prevention

Karen Wilson — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 12:15:25 -0700

Lead Investigator: Kevin W. Allison, Ph.D.

Background: Research and experience indicate notable limitations in the effective dissemination and widespread implementation of evidence-based prevention strategies. Within individual communities, decisions made by administrators in varied public (e.g., city government, public schools, police and health departments) and private (youth serving nonprofits, local and national philanthropic organizations) institutions determine the local availability of youth violence prevention activities and resources. In addition, there are often limited structures, organizational practices, or inter-agency linkages that support the coordination of prevention efforts that are lead by different institutions. In the current project, we will conduct a qualitative analysis of public and nongovernmental organization administrators’ perceptions of the barriers and supports to effective community violence prevention efforts for youth. Importance: The identification of specific challenges and supports to the provision of effective prevention services to youth provides an opportunity to articulate potential responses to these barriers and to support conversations that may assist in removing these barriers. This work will inform our local community mobilization plan.