Chicago Youth Research Articles

Chicago Youths' Exposure to Community Violence: Contextualizing Spatial Dynamics of Violence and the Relationship With Psychological Functioning.

This study explores where and when community violence exposure (CVE) matters for psychological functioning in a sample of low-income, racial/ethnic minority youth (M) age=16.17, 55% female, 69% Black, and 31% Non-Black/Latinx) living in Chicago. CVE was measured with violent crime data that were geocoded in terms of distance from youths' home and school addresses, and then calculated in terms of three distinct spatial dynamics: chronicity, pervasiveness, and spatial proximity. These measures reflect indirect/objective CVE across different conceptualizations of time, space, and neighborhood context. We tested the relationship between each CVE measure and trait anxiety and behavioral and cognitive dysregulation while controlling for youth-reported, direct violent victimization (e.g., being attacked) to examine how indirect/objective CVE occurring within youths' neighborhood contexts matters beyond direct/subjective violence exposure. Results revealed that long-term chronic, pervasive, and spatially proximal CVE was related to higher levels of behavioral dysfunction. In contrast, CVE within home- and school-based neighborhoods interacted to predict trait anxiety; youth living in low-crime neighborhoods and attending schools in high-crime neighborhoods had the highest rates of trait anxiety. Measuring CVE within both home and school neighborhoods at specific spatial measurements and time frames is critical to understand and prevent the consequences of CVE.

Theater Without a Script—Improvisation and the Experimental Stage of the Early Mid-Twentieth Century in the United States

It was in the mid-twentieth century that the independent theatrical form based entirely on improvisation, known now as improvisational/improvised theatre, impro or improv, came into existence and took shape. Viola Spolin, the intellectual and the logician behind the improvisational movement, first used her improvised games as a WPA worker running theater classes for underprivileged youth in Chicago in 1939. But it was not until 1955 that her son, Paul Sills, together with a college theater group, the Compass Players, used Spolin’s games on stage. In the 1970s Sills made the format famous with his other project, the Second City.
 Since the emergence of improv in the US coincides with the renaissance of improvisation in theater, in this paper, I will look back at what may have prepared and propelled the emergence of improvised theater in the United States. Hence, this article is an attempt to look at the use of improvisation in theater and performing arts in the United States in the second half of the 20th century in order to highlight the various roles and functions of improvisation in the experimental theater of the day by analyzing how some of the most influential experimental theaters used improvisation as a means of play development, a component of actor training and an important element of the rehearsal process.

Guns on social media: complex interpretations of gun images posted by Chicago youth

How should we interpret gun images on social media? Take for example the shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School. Media articles revealed that the gunman, a white adolescent male, posted images of firearms and other weapons on his social media profile prior to the shooting. On the other hand, when it comes to Black communities, digital policing strategies often intercept images with guns and individuals thought to be associated with gangs before a crime is ever committed. In this study, we use a mixed methods approach, situated in social systems theory, to make meaning of gun posting behavior among Black youth who associate with gangs in Chicago. We collected and examined a corpus of Twitter images (1851) through snowball sampling of a well-known deceased gang member in Chicago and users in their Twitter network. We identified 560 images that contain guns and asked two distinct groups to annotate images: formerly gang-involved outreach workers, known as community domain experts, at a local Chicago violence prevention organization and Master of Social Work students at Columbia University. After comparing their results, findings highlighted the prevalence and frequency of gun image posting within this corpus and critical differences in how community domain experts and social work annotators perceive guns. The various underlying intents provide a rich source of knowledge for understanding the symbolic nature of guns in the digital age.

Automated Mobile Phone-Based Mental Health Resource for Homeless Youth: Pilot Study Assessing Feasibility and Acceptability.

BackgroundYouth experiencing housing instability have higher rates of mental health problems than their housed peers. Few studies have evaluated technological resources for homeless youth to determine how to effectively engage and reach them.ObjectiveThe primary aims of this pilot study were to establish the feasibility (as measured by phone retention rates) and acceptability (ie, participant ratings of resources) of delivering automated mental health resources via smartphone technology.MethodsYouth aged 16 to 25 years (N=100) were recruited through homeless shelter agencies in the Chicago metropolitan area. Eligible participants completed a baseline assessment and received a smartphone with a 3-month data plan. The phone was preloaded with several apps designed to promote mental health wellness and provide real-time resources. One app specifically designed for this study, Pocket Helper 2.0, sent participants daily surveys and tips via push notification. The tips focused on coping and motivation, and the surveys assessed mood. This app also included an automated self-help system with brief cognitive behavioral interventions (5-10 min) and access to several interactive mobile tools, including a crisis text line, a telephone hotline, a crowd-based emotional support tool, and an app providing up-to-date information on social service and mental health resources for homeless youth in Chicago. Participants completed assessments at 3 and 6 months.ResultsSome individuals (23%, 23/100) experienced problems with the phones (eg, theft, loss, and technological issues) throughout the study. Participant retention at the midpoint was moderate, with 48% (48/100) of youth responding to the 3-month surveys. At 6 months, only 19% (19/100) of the total sample responded to the end point survey. Overall, 63% (30/48) to 68% (13/19) of respondents at both time points reported benefiting from the intervention; however, participant usage and satisfaction varied with the different features. At both time points, participants reported receiving the most benefit from the daily tips and daily surveys. Daily tips that were most preferred by participants involved motivational tips related to overcoming struggles and making progress in life. Aside from the tips and surveys, the most used features were the app providing up-to-date resources and the automated self-help system. Interactive features, including the telephone hotline and crowd-based emotional support tool, were the least used features and were rated as the least beneficial.ConclusionsAutomated mental health interventions seem to be an acceptable way to engage homeless youth in mental health support. The participants preferred fully automated features and brief interventions over features requiring interaction with others or more engagement. Future research should explore ways to retain homeless youth in interventions and evaluate the clinical impact of automated technology-based interventions for improving mental health.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT03776422; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03776422

THE MANY FACES OF TRAUMA ACROSS CHICAGO: STORIES OF INNOVATIVE PROGRAMS OF ASSESSMENT, TREATMENT, AND RESILIENCE

Participants will: 1) develop an understanding of biological, psychological, and social determinants that affect manifestations of childhood trauma; 2) explore the potential diagnostic complexities in youth exposed to trauma; 3) review evidence-informed assessment and treatment approaches that consider these complexities and determinants; and 4) learn about innovative applications of interdisciplinary care delivery across 2 urban medical centers serving trauma-exposed minority youth in Chicago.

Contributors

Contributors

Posttraumatic Stress, Academic Performance, and Future Orientation as Pathways to Community Violence Exposure and Sexual Risk among African American Youth in Chicago's Southside

Posttraumatic stress, low academic performance, and future orientation as pathways from community violence exposure to sexual risk-taking behavior were examined among 753 African American youth in a large urban school district, ranging from ages of 13 to 24 years. Youth completed a self-report instrument. Youth completed a self-report instrument of Exposure to Violence Probe, University of California at Los Angeles’ PTSD Reaction Index Adolescent Version, and Coopersmith’s Self-Esteem Scale. Structural equation modeling was performed to examine relationships among the major study variables. Results indicated that community violence exposure was not directly associated with sexual risk behavior. However, community violence exposure had a significantly positive impact on posttraumatic stress, which was associated with low future orientation and sexual risk behavior. Findings suggest that targeted interventions need to consider variables that mediate the association between violence exposure and sexual risk behavior, which can reduce poor sexual health outcomes among urban youth who are exposed to violence in their community.

Parish Crossings: Race, Sports, and Catholic Youth in Chicago, 1914–1954

Parish Crossings: Race, Sports, and Catholic Youth in Chicago, 1914–1954

A Latent Class Analysis of Factors Associated with Levels of Aggression among Low-Income African American Youth in Chicago

African American youth are often stereotyped as being more aggressive than and experience more severe negative social sanctions relative to their European American peers. This cross-sectional study assessed self-reported levels of aggression among a sample of 538 low-income African American youth in Chicago, and employed latent class analysis to determine groups of aggression. Major study findings showed low, middle high aggression group. The largest number of youth fell within the low aggression group. Social factors (e.g., low student-teacher connectedness, high risky peer norms, neighborhood violence, and family conflict) were associated with inclusion in the high aggression group. Intrapersonal factors (e.g., depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder) were associated with inclusion in the middle aggression group. Future longitudinal research should examine what factors are associated with movement across aggression groups and capitalize upon knowledge gained in the current study to develop interventions.

Educational Attainment of Male Homicide Victims Aged 18 to 24 Years in Chicago: 2006 to 2015.

Homicide is a preventable public health issue that has detrimental effects on both victims and witnesses and increases health care costs. From 2006 to 2015, homicide has been the second leading cause of death for youth aged 15 to 24 years in the United States. Educational attainment has been widely regarded as a protective factor against justice system involvement and violent injury. We conducted a time-trend analysis examining educational attainment levels for male victims of homicide aged 18 to 24 years in the City of Chicago, 2006 to 2015, to describe the educational attainment of youth homicide victims in Chicago. We used data from the Illinois Violent Death Reporting System and the United States Census Bureau from 2006 to 2015. Cases included male victims of homicide, 18 to 24 years of age, the injury leading to death occurred in the City of Chicago, injury leading to death occurred between 2006 and 2015, and whether or not a high school degree or equivalent had been obtained. Data were described over time using percentages and rates per 100,000 with 95% confidence intervals. Chicago male homicide victims aged 18 to 24 years were less likely to have at least a high school degree than the general population of males aged 18 to 24 years in Chicago. The homicide rate for males aged 18 to 24 years without a high school degree was significantly higher than those with a high school degree or equivalent for every time point, except 2007, and also in four of the seven Chicago Planning Regions when compared with the other three. We found there is a concentrated risk pool for undereducated male youth in Chicago.

Artificial Intelligence and Inclusion: Formerly Gang-Involved Youth as Domain Experts for Analyzing Unstructured Twitter Data.

Mining social media data for studying the human condition has created new and unique challenges. When analyzing social media data from marginalized communities, algorithms lack the ability to accurately interpret off-line context, which may lead to dangerous assumptions about and implications for marginalized communities. To combat this challenge, we hired formerly gang-involved young people as domain experts for contextualizing social media data in order to create inclusive, community-informed algorithms. Utilizing data from the Gang Intervention and Computer Science Project-a comprehensive analysis of Twitter data from gang-involved youth in Chicago-we describe the process of involving formerly gang-involved young people in developing a new part-of-speech tagger and content classifier for a prototype natural language processing system that detects aggression and loss in Twitter data. We argue that involving young people as domain experts leads to more robust understandings of context, including localized language, culture, and events. These insights could change how data scientists approach the development of corpora and algorithms that affect people in marginalized communities and who to involve in that process. We offer a contextually driven interdisciplinary approach between social work and data science that integrates domain insights into the training of qualitative annotators and the production of algorithms for positive social impact.

Impact of Maternal Support and Involvement on Coping in Adolescent Males of Color

The current study examined maternal support and maternal involvement as moderators of the association between exposure to community violence (ECV) and both violence-related and non-violence related stressors in adolescent males of color. The current study included 250 African American (61%) and Latino (39%) male adolescents from the Chicago Youth Development Study to examine the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between community violence exposure, maternal support and involvement, and youth coping strategies. Neither maternal support nor maternal involvement were moderators of the association between ECV and coping, cross-sectionally or longitudinally. However, higher levels of both maternal support and involvement predicted lower levels of maladaptive coping with non-violence related stressors both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Maternal support and involvement were unrelated to coping with violence-related stressors. It was expected that these parenting variables would show a protective effect on the relationship with violence exposure and coping, but the results suggest that these parenting attributes have direct ameliorative effect on coping with non-violence-related stressors. However, this finding did not extend to coping with violence-related stressors, underscoring the traumatic nature of violence exposure and importance of specificity frameworks for conducting research on the impact of violence exposure.

Crossing Parish Boundaries: Race, Sports, and Catholic Youth in Chicago, 1914–1954

Book Review| April 01 2018 Crossing Parish Boundaries: Race, Sports, and Catholic Youth in Chicago, 1914–1954 Crossing Parish Boundaries: Race, Sports, and Catholic Youth in Chicago, 1914–1954. By Timothy B. Neary. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2016. 293 pp. Illustrations, notes, bibliography, and index. $45 (cloth); $36 (paper). Paul Emory Putz Paul Emory Putz Baylor University Paul Emory Putz is a PhD candidate in history at Baylor University. He is writing a dissertation on the links between Christianity and big-time sports in the twentieth-century United States, has published articles in Nebraska History, and has articles forthcoming in the Annals of Iowa and the Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Journal of American Ethnic History (2018) 37 (3): 134–136. https://doi.org/10.5406/jamerethnhist.37.3.0134 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Permissions Search Site Citation Paul Emory Putz; Crossing Parish Boundaries: Race, Sports, and Catholic Youth in Chicago, 1914–1954. Journal of American Ethnic History 1 January 2018; 37 (3): 134–136. doi: https://doi.org/10.5406/jamerethnhist.37.3.0134 Download citation file: Zotero Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All Scholarly Publishing CollectiveUniversity of Illinois PressJournal of American Ethnic History Search Advanced Search The text of this article is only available as a PDF. Copyright 2018 by the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois2018 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Crossing Parish Boundaries: Race, Sports, and Catholic Youth in Chicago, 1914–1954

Crossing Parish Boundaries: Race, Sports, and Catholic Youth in Chicago, 1914–1954

Expressions of loss predict aggressive comments on Twitter among gang-involved youth in Chicago

Recent studies suggest social media shapes the transmission of firearm violence in high-poverty, urban neighborhoods. However, the exact pathways by which content on social media becomes threatening has not been studied. We consider a dataset of tweets by gang-involved Chicago youth that are coded for expressions of aggression and/or loss. Using a permutation test and mixed-effects log linear regression, we find that aggression and loss tweets do not occur randomly, and furthermore that in a 2-day window after loss expressions we find an increase in aggressive tweets. We discuss implications for intervention.

What does self-esteem have to do with behavioral health among low-income youth in Chicago?

ABSTRACTMany studies have examined risk factors associated with poorer behavioral health among low-income African American youth, such as low school engagement, delinquency, mental health problems, drug use, and risky sex. However, fewer studies have examined protective factors for such behavioral health risk behaviors. This study sought to address this gap by examining whether high levels of self-esteem were associated with better behavioral health factors for this population. A survey was administered to a sample of 638 low-income African American adolescents in Chicago to examine the degree to which high self-esteem was associated with less delinquency, substance use, and sexual risk behaviors, and more school engagement, and whether such associations varied by gender. Stepwise linear and logistic regression models were estimated to assess the influence of self-esteem. Higher self-esteem for this sample of low-income African American adolescents was associated with lower rates of delinquency, drug use, and risky sexual behaviors and increased rates of school engagement. Gender moderated only a few of these relationships. These findings suggest that programs that promote high self–esteem alone or in combination with other resilience factors may promote better behavioral health factors for African American adolescents.

Timothy B. Neary. Crossing Parish Boundaries: Race, Sports, and Catholic Youth in Chicago, 1914–1954.

Crossing Parish Boundaries: Race, Sports, and Catholic Youth in Chicago, 1914–1954, offers a nuanced and richly documented interpretation of the role of Chicago’s Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) and its founder, Bishop Bernard Sheil, in promoting better race relations throughout the CYO’s duration from 1930 through 1954. Timothy B. Neary opens his account with an in-depth analysis of Chicago’s dramatically changing racial profile during the early decades of the twentieth century, when Cardinal George Mundelein and Cardinal Samuel Stritch presided over the church. Although African Americans were in theory free to worship in any Catholic parish, during Cardinal Mundelein’s tenure they found themselves in segregated “missionary” parishes staffed by priests from religious orders “dedicated to spreading Catholicism to non-Christian populations, especially in Africa and Asia” and in segregated parochial schools (23). Mundelein premised his policy on maintaining viable white parishes at the cost of perpetuating second-class status for African Americans, many of them recent arrivals from the South. Nevertheless, the increase in the African American population ultimately resulted in white flight and the spread of black neighborhoods and parishes on the South Side.

About This Issue

About This Issue David J. Endres (bio) On January 30, Dr. Christopher J. Kauffman, long-time editor of U.S. Catholic Historian (1983–2013) passed. We dedicate this issue to his memory. For three decades, Chris was the heart and soul of the U.S. Catholic Historian. Along with assistant and associate editors, he selected themes, solicited manuscripts, and reviewed and edited contributions. His commitment allowed the journal to thrive, filling an important role in the scholarly world, one that we strive to continue. As a friend and mentor to many in our field, he will be greatly missed. May the Lord grant him light and peace! ________ In its more than three decades of publication, our journal has never published an issue devoted to athletics. We are pleased to present this assembly of essays on the role of Catholics and athletics in various contexts: as members of collegiate and professional teams, as agents of assimilation, and as a means of furthering social justice. We are grateful to our contributors: Patrick Kelly, S.J., is associate professor of theology and religious studies at Seattle University, Seattle, Washington. Gerald R. Gems is emeritus professor in the Department of Kinesiology at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois. He is a past president of the North American Society for Sport History. David Campmier is a doctoral candidate in U.S. history at the City University of New York, New York City. Richard Crepeau is professor emeritus of history at the University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida. He is a past president of the North American Society for Sport History. Timothy B. Neary is associate professor of history and coordinator of American studies at Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island. He is author of the recent monograph, Crossing Parish Boundaries: Race, Sports, and Catholic Youth in Chicago, 1914–1954. Robert Emmett Curran is professor emeritus of history at Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. [End Page i] David J. Endres On January 30, Dr. Christopher J. Kauffman, long-time editor of U.S. Catholic Historian (1983–2013) passed. We dedicate this issue to his memory. For three decades, Chris was the heart and soul of the U.S. Catholic Historian. Along with assistant and associate editors, he selected themes, solicited manuscripts, and reviewed and edited contributions. His commitment allowed the journal to thrive, filling an important role in the scholarly world, one that we strive to continue. As a friend and mentor to many in our field, he will be greatly missed. May the Lord grant him light and peace! Copyright © 2018 The Catholic University of America Press

Dysfunction among Families of Children with Intellectual Disability in India Using Systems Model: Prevalence, Pattern, and Severity of Impairment.

Objectives:Family dysfunction is observed in families with children with intellectual disability (ID). We study the prevalence, pattern of dysfunction, and severity of impairment in these special families using Systems approach.Methods:Sixty-two special families (a child with ID) and 62 typical families (all children with typical development) were included in the present study. The presence of ID was confirmed and quantified with the Binet–Kamat Scale of intelligence or Gesell's Developmental Schedule and Vineland Social Maturity Scales among the special families. In the typical families, brief ID scale was used to rule out ID. Prevalence, pattern, and severity of family dysfunction were assessed using Family Apgar Scale, Chicago Youth Development Study Family Assessment Scale and Global Assessment of Relational Functioning Scale, respectively. Appropriate bivariate analyses were used.Results:About 53% of special families and 19% of typical families had family dysfunction. About 21% of special families and 71% of typical families had the satisfactory relational unit. Areas of adaptability, partnership, growth, affection, resolve, beliefs about family, beliefs about development, beliefs about purpose, cohesion, deviant beliefs, support, organization, and communication were significantly different between special and typical families. The functional impairment was significantly more in the special families.Conclusion:Family dysfunction is more prevalent among special families in India using systems approach. These families should be screened for dysfunction, and family therapy be prescribed when required.

Fear of Crime and Behavioral Adaptations: Testing the Effects of Fear of Violence on Unstructured Socializing with Peers

ABSTRACTThis study examines whether fear of violent crime experienced by adolescents influences their involvement in unstructured socializing with peers. To test this relationship, we examine data on youth in Chicago collected as part of the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN). The results show that the fear of violent crime in neighborhoods and at schools reduces participation in unstructured socializing with peers. However, this result was only observed for adolescents living in neighborhoods with low levels of concentrated disadvantage. This study provides insight into the consequences of fear of crime for individual behavior. Fear of crime can result in withdrawal from social situations, including avoidance of situations that increase the risk for delinquency and victimization.