Adolescents involved in the juvenile justice system often express hope for their future. However, most research on this population centers on negative outcomes, such as being re-arrested or developing mental health problems. The purpose of the current study was to better understand factors that promote positive development of youth involved in the juvenile justice system. Guided by Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory (1979), we examined whether the following variables were associated with well-being: maternal warmth, peer warmth, school bonding, neighborhood conditions, or procedural justice. The current study used data from the Crossroads Study. Participants included 1,216 adolescent male first-time offenders who were arrested in California, Louisiana, or Pennsylvania. Baseline measurements were taken after the participants deposition in court, and follow-up measures were taken 1-year, 2-years, 3-years, 4-years, and 5-years after baseline. Linear curve models with structured residuals were used to assess between- and within- person relations between our ecological predictor variables and well-being. In the current study, well-being was operationalized using Seligman’s PERMA framework, with a measure that adapted this framework for adolescents (Kern et al., 2016). Results indicated that maternal and peer warmth had significant between and within-person effects on well-being. The relation between these constructs and well-being was reciprocal. School bonding had significant between and within-person associations with well-being, but the relation between constructs was unidirectional. Neighborhood conditions and procedural justice were not significantly associated with well-being on a between or within-person level. These results suggest that increasing maternal warmth, peer warmth, and school bonding may increase the well-being of youth involved in the juvenile justice system. Incorporating well-being components into interventions for youth involved in the juvenile justice system is a promising area for future research.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the benefits of being a Senior Peer Counselor, using both questionnaires and interviews. Thirty-six urban/suburban dwelling Senior Peer Counselors were queried about their life satisfaction before and after becoming Senior Peer Counselors. They were compared to a group of thirty-six active seniors living in a rural/suburban community. The increase in senior counselors' level of life satisfaction was statistically significant, however the difference between their final level and that of comparison group members was not statistically significant. Three directors of Senior Peer Counseling programs were interviewed about their perceptions of the benefits of being a Senior Peer Counselor. Two main themes emerged from these interviews. The directors felt that group support had a positive affect on well-being, specifically, training and supervision, and that being a trained peer counselor had a positive affect on personal development. Recommendations are proposed for the development of Senior Peer Counseling programs that would train and utilize volunteer Senior Peer Counselors to have therapeutic relationships with their senior clients, thereby benefiting both.

Previous research using violation-of-expectation paradigms suggests that very young infants have a good understanding of unobserved physical events. Yet toddlers appear to lack this knowledge when confronted with the door task, a visuospatial reasoning task which parallels ones used in the habituation/looking time studies. Many studies have been conducted in an effort to determine why toddlers perform poorly on the door task yet the answer remains unclear. The current study used a correlational approach to investigate door task performance from both psychological (executive function), and neuroscience (prefrontal cortex) perspectives. Children between the ages of 2½–3 years were tested on the standard door task as well as four other tasks. Three of the tasks were believed to activate prefrontal cortex: the three boxes-stationary, a spatial working memory task; the three boxes-scrambled, a non-spatial working memory task; and the three pegs task, an inhibitory control task. The fourth task was a recognition memory task which had been previously linked to the medial temporal lobe. Only a single task, the three pegs task, was found to correlate with door task performance (r = .510, p<.01). Even with age, sex, and performance on the other tasks controlled for, this correlation remained significant (r = .459, p<.05). Furthermore, in a logistic regression the three pegs task was found to be the only significant predictor of door task performance (z = 2.87, p<.01). An examination of the errors children made on the door task revealed that over half (58%) could be classified as inhibitory control errors (children returned to the previously rewarded location or repeatedly searched a favorite door). Taken together these data suggest a possible relationship between inhibitory control ability and successful completion of the door task.

<p> This research explores the cultural, sociopolitical, biological, and psychological aspects of spanking. Utilizing a hermeneutic methodology, it reviews the language used around spanking, such as abuse, trauma, violence, corporal punishment, maltreatment, adverse childhood experiences, interpersonal victimization, and discipline; its history in indigenous and post-Columbian America; and empirical findings about its effects on mental health. It concludes with suggestions as to how to use this information clinically, noting perspectives on treating intergenerational transmission of trauma and the ethical duties of mental health practitioners to advocate against abuse.</p>

<p>The impact that preschool education has on children&rsquo;s cognitive abilities as they prepare to enter kindergarten is a subject that is not widely researched. The purpose of this study is to examine the factors that are associated with cognitive development among preschool age children. This study was completed by conducting a quantitative study in which secondary data was obtained from an early education center Desired Results Developmental Profile (DRDP) from the 2014&ndash;2015 preschool year. The results found that the participant&rsquo;s age was positively associated with cognitive, language and literature, math and self and social development. The study also found that female participants had higher scores in the self and social developmental domain. Gender, ethnicity and home language were not significant to cognitive, English language and math development. Study findings have implications for social and behavioral sciences. The findings in the study were positively associated with the educational activities that preschool children receive as it relates to their cognitive developmental growth and readiness for kindergarten. </p>

<p> Cybervictimization is related to negative psychological adjustment (e.g., Tokunaga, 2010); however, not all cybervictims report negative outcomes, and it is not clear what factors may influence vulnerability. One possibility is that cybervictims' attributions regarding technology-based communication impact their emotional adjustment. Those who make hostile intent attributions in ambiguous situations are more likely to experience negative outcomes (e.g., Crick &amp; Dodge, 1994), and the inherent ambiguity of electronic communication may be particularly susceptible to misinterpretation. In addition, how individuals respond to cyber experiences may serve to either protect or damage their emotional well-being. Furthermore, those who are high in rejection sensitivity (Feldman &amp; Downey, 1994) may be especially likely to perceive ambiguous electronic communications negatively. Also, friendship quality may buffer negative outcomes for those that are cybervictimized (Parker &amp; Asher, 1993). This study examined whether college students' level of rejection sensitivity and friendship quality, as well as attributions and behavioral responses, help explain the relation between cybervictimization experiences and emotional adjustment. </p><p> Participants included 454 undergraduates (235 females) ages 18-24 years (M= 18.79) who completed an online survey assessing cybervictimization, cognitive attributions and responses to ambiguous cyber situations, depression, rejection sensitivity, friendship quality, social anxiety, loneliness, self-perception, and peer victimization.</p><p> Results indicated that cybervictimization was associated with increased social anxiety and loneliness and decreased self-worth, but not with depressive symptoms. Moderated mediation results indicated that rejection sensitive college students who experience low levels of cybervictimization and blame ambiguous peer provocation on their own inability to be socially effective are at increased risk for experiencing depressive symptoms, especially if they are female. It was hypothesized that rumination would further explain increased depressive symptoms but this assertion was not supported. It was also believed that friendship quality would mitigate poor adjustment for those who are cybervictimized. Interestingly, this was true only for those who experienced greater cybervictimization and who blamed the ambiguous peer provocation on something they could not change about themselves. Findings highlight the importance of investigating the role of cognitive attributions in the development of negative adjustment outcomes for those who experience cybervictimization.</p>

<p> Health care organizations typically have a hierarchical structure, with physicians dominant and nurses subordinate. The challenge to open and honest communication between doctors and nurses is real, and communication errors contribute significantly to undesirable patient outcomes. Nurse executives (NEs) have a responsibility to help lead transformation of health care organizations to support nurses to speak up and communicate all critical information.</p><p> NEs are challenged to improve safety and quality, decrease costs and increase access to care. Combining health care expertise with business ability can support these goals. Rooke and Torbert found correlations between successful business leaders and postconventional action-logics, or world-views. Action-logics can be developed to make leaders increasingly effective.</p><p> The Magnet Recognition Program recognizes health care organizations that have achieved high quality care and excellence in nursing practice. The purpose of this study was to determine what action-logics the NEs demonstrate who have led their organizations to Magnet designation or re-designation in the Veterans Healthcare Administration. The study also sought to determine what actions NEs took to support nurses speaking up about their concerns, the barriers that impede those efforts, and the sources of influence these NEs implemented to support nurses speaking up. This exploratory study used a mixed methods design and each participant completed the Maturity Assessment Instrument (MAP) and an interview.</p><p> The study demonstrated, in contrast with other business leaders, that conventional action-logic was sufficient for the NE to bring an organization to Magnet status. However, the study found specific limitations those possessing conventional action-logic have to support speaking up, and that those possessing postconventional action-logic have transcended these limitations. This strength of the postconventional action-logic is very important to support speaking up in health care. The use of multiple sources of behavioral influence by Magnet NEs was confirmed, as was the existence of a culture of organizational silence. Multiple speaking up behaviors were required to address every single barrier encountered to speaking up, and strong emotion routinely accompanied speaking up. The absence of sources of behavioral influence in an organization was determined to be a barrier to speaking up.</p>

The current study examined if the narrative comprehension deficits that children with ADHD exhibit during childhood and adolescence continue in college students as a function of ADHD symptoms, and if a relationship existed between ADHD symptoms and self-efficacy. Children and adolescence with ADHD have difficulties in several areas of narrative comprehension, including maintaining goal structure, distinguishing important events from unimportant events, and making causal connections. If these deficits persist there also may be a relationship between ADHD symptoms and self-efficacy. Higher levels of ADHD symptomatology were associated with difficulties recalling story events in the college population. Some findings differed from the patterns observed for children and adolescents. College students with higher symptoms of ADHD recalled fewer events in the Growing Pains recall. However, unlike children and adolescents, college students with higher symptoms of ADHD did not recall fewer of the Growing Pains important events or causally connected events. The pattern of findings for the fables is consistent with that seen in research studying children with symptoms of ADHD. These deficits may lead to a serious deficit in academic outcomes within this population.

<p> The purpose of this descriptive research was to create awareness and an understanding of how participation in campus recreation contributes to students&rsquo; wellness, and how students can create healthy lifestyles throughout and after their college experience. This study was designed to examine the benefits of participation in campus recreation for undergraduate and graduate students at the University of South Florida. This study investigates the dimensions of wellness in campus recreation and explains how the wellness components of campus recreation have the ability to benefit a student&rsquo;s quality of life during their college years. Both quantitative and qualitative data were gathered and used to help determine the benefits of participating in campus recreation facilities, programs, and services. A random sample of students was chosen to participate in the NASPA Recreation and Wellness Benchmark used to gather data about campus recreation users and their attitudes and opinions on campus recreation at the University of South Florida. A purposeful, convenience sample of students participated in focus groups providing qualitative data. The data showed that students at USF receive benefits from participating in campus recreation; several questions stand out to show students attitudes, opinions, and beliefs about how and why participation in campus recreation is benefiting their wellness and quality of life. This study may leave a footprint for other growing universities in evaluating the importance for students and the benefits of campus recreation departments.</p>

<p>Not since the Cold War and the launch of Sputnik has there been such a focus on producing college graduates in fields related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). As manually driven careers disappear, new diverse careers are created and they have one thing in common, STEM. As students move into these challenging curriculums they will need to have faith in their abilities to achieve their goals. This self-efficacy is vital component for their collegiate and career success. This mixed methods study examines the unique pre-college STEM outreach phenomenon called Mind Trekkers. Mind Trekkers uses the `WOW? of experiential learning in the areas of STEM to motivate K-12 students to engage in STEM related fields. The focus of the study is on the first-year college freshmen that join this program, becoming STEM serviceteers, and how being part of this STEM phenomenon impacts their self-efficacy. The findings can be summed up in a quote I get to help people understanding in a different way than I would if I was just doing volunteering like I did in high school. It?s cool. I just love it and it gives me the confidence that what I am doing is the right thing here at (the university). (Jean) The results of the study indicate that the Mind Trekkers program acted as a catalyst to increase the self-efficacy of the students that participated in it, through personal social and academic impact.