Child welfare caseworkers have significant decision-making authority, ultimately determining if allegations are substantiated, if a case should be opened for ongoing services, and if removal from the parental home is required. This research considers the role of caseworker turnover on these decisions, considering decisions for 372,968 unique screened-in reports assessed by 2,128 unique child welfare caseworkers in Wisconsin. Specifically, this study uses logistic regressions to estimate the likelihood of maltreatment substantiation, case opening, child removal, and the timeliness of the assessment as a function of the caseworker's timeline to departure from the public child welfare field, net of case-related characteristics, caseworker demographics, and county/year fixed effects. Results indicate that the odds of substantiation, case opening, and timely assessment are lower as caseworkers near departure. Findings expand our understanding of the consequences of turnover, highlighting how it influences case decisions and providing insight into effects on child and family well-being.

Objectives This scoping review aimed to map and synthesize the available literature on interventions that mitigate the effects of housing insecurity on the health and wellbeing of children and adolescents (0–18 years), describing their characteristics, levels of action (structural, intermediate, or individual/group), and reported outcomes. Methods In January 2025, we conducted a comprehensive search across four databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and CINAHL) and 1 gray literature search engine (Carrot2), without time restrictions. 6,002 articles underwent three sequential screening phases. Results were described through a narrative synthesis of the evidence. Results Twenty-six studies were included. Public housing, housing vouchers, and subsidies to private housing developers were the most common interventions, targeting structural and intermediate levels. Reported outcomes varied: physical health and healthcare use generally improved, while mental health and educational effects were mixed. Only two studies assessed multi-assistance programs. Conclusion Affordability-focused interventions can improve health for children and adolescents, while multi-assistance approaches show promise. Broader welfare policies may also benefit this population. Future research should diversify geographically, use mixed methods, address age-specific outcomes, and examine more decommodifying housing strategies.

Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) brings distinct experiences for families, especially around social communication and understanding certain behaviours, which may require tailored support and approaches. Best practice guidelines emphasise the need for timely post-diagnostic support for parents. This study explores parents' experiences and perceived impact of a multidisciplinary psychoeducational workshop designed for parents of children with ASC, conducted in a child and young people's mental health service in the east of London, UK. Using a qualitative design with Thematic Analysis, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 29 parents and carers who had attended the workshop within the past year. Findings revealed that parents found the workshop valuable, both for acquiring practical strategies to support their child and for fostering a sense of community. Some participants expressed a desire for earlier intervention and emphasised the need for follow-up support. Overall, parents reported increased understanding of their child's condition, which contributed to greater acceptance and improved family dynamics. The findings suggest that such interventions may enhance parental confidence, reduce household stress, and positively impact both child and parent wellbeing. These insights highlight the importance of accessible, ongoing support for families navigating ASC-related challenges.

Physical Activity Buffers Screen Time's Impact on Flourishing in U.S. Youth and Children: Findings from the 2022-2023 NSCH.

Guided by developmental psychopathology and evolutionary developmental psychology models, the aim of the present study was to investigate the role of executive functioning (EF) in associations between neighborhood harshness and adolescent internalizing symptomology, for youth who both were and were not exposed to child maltreatment. Data were obtained from a sample of 234 children (52.3% male; 59.2% Black/African American, 12.4% White, 9.2% Latine/Hispanic, 13.7% biracial or multiracial, 5.6% other race) who were recruited from an urban region to participate in a longitudinal study beginning at, approximately, 4 years old. The present study included data collected at age 9 and age 11 timepoints. Child maltreatment data were coded from Child Protective Services records. Results showed that child maltreatment occurring birth through early adolescence was not directly associated with adolescents' EF. EF moderated the association between harsh neighborhood contexts and prospective internalizing symptomology for adolescents with and without exposure to child maltreatment. In addition, the pattern of results was significantly different for adolescents with and without maltreatment exposure. Lower EF scores were associated with fewer internalizing symptoms for adolescents with maltreatment exposure who were living in harsh neighborhoods. Moderation results differed by type of EF task. Overall, findings underscore the need to approach research on early life adversity and the development of psychopathology from an adaptation-based perspective, and to consider the impact of neighborhood context on the development of internalizing psychopathology during adolescence. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Negotiating the tensions of applying a perinatal harm reduction approach: Service providers' perspectives.

Background/Objectives: Breastfeeding is widely acknowledged for its benefits to child development and maternal well-being. Yet breastfeeding practices often decline during early childhood transitions, particularly when children enter early childhood education and care (ECEC) services. Research has largely concentrated on healthcare contexts, leaving the educational domain comparatively underexplored in its potential to sustain or hinder breastfeeding continuation. This cross-sectional study examines associations between maternal beliefs regarding the value of breastfeeding and personal, relational, and contextual factors related to breastfeeding continuation within ECEC settings. It also incorporates educators’ perspectives and situates breastfeeding practices within the broader framework of parental ethnotheories. Methods: The study formed part of a pilot parental engagement initiative involving 17 childcare centers in Northern Italy, designed to promote dialogue and supportive practices around breastfeeding within ECEC services. This context is acknowledged when interpreting findings related to organizational climate and educator perspectives. Participants included 490 mothers of children enrolled in ECEC services and 118 educators. Mothers completed questionnaires assessing breastfeeding beliefs and experiences, co-sleeping practices, perceived social support, and parental ethnotheories (independence versus interdependence). Educators reported on their experiences in supporting breastfeeding within the childcare context. Analyses included descriptive statistics, analyses of variance, chi-square tests, and binary logistic regression to examine factors associated with breastfeeding continuation. Results: Mothers strongly endorsed the developmental benefits of breastfeeding and expressed greater alignment with caregiving practices emphasizing interdependence and physical proximity. Continued breastfeeding within childcare settings correlated with interdependence-oriented ethnotheories, younger child age, and higher engagement in co-sleeping practices. Educators reported generally positive views of breastfeeding in childcare, highlighting its contribution to children’s emotional security and maternal calm, alongside its negligible impact on educational organization. Conclusions: ECEC services play a crucial role in sustaining breastfeeding beyond the domestic sphere. Relational practices and organizational climates that welcome breastfeeding can foster continuity of care, strengthen parental engagement, and promote child well-being.

This study examines the state's responsibility in ensuring the fulfillment of the human rights of child victims of infant abandonment in Indonesia. Cases of infant abandonment continue to occur every year, violating children's fundamental rights to life, identity, and proper care. This study uses a normative research method with a legislative and conceptual approach. It analyzes primary legal materials, including the 1945 Constitution, Law No. 35 of 2014 on Child Protection, and Law No. 39 of 1999 on Human Rights. The results of the study show that the state has three main obligations, namely to respect, protect, and fulfill children's rights as mandated by the constitution and laws. However, its implementation faces challenges, including limited institutional coordination, an inadequate social protection system, and limited resources. The state should strengthen integrated child protection mechanisms through the establishment of a comprehensive early detection system, provide easily accessible safe places for those in need, strengthen social security programs, and improve coordination between institutions. This study contributes to the development of legal knowledge, particularly regarding the state's obligations in child protection, and provides recommendations for strengthening the child welfare system in Indonesia.

Interventions that combine parenting support with parental mental health components hold promise for enhancing child and family well-being. Yet, few integrate robust mental health strategies or draw on formative research to ensure contextual and cultural relevance. We conducted qualitative research in Ghana to explore local experiences of parenting and parental mental health to inform the development of a multi-component intervention. We conducted 31 in-depth interviews and 6 focus group discussions with 83 parents, nonparental caregivers, and community members across three districts in southern Ghana. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to identify key patterns. Participants highlighted facilitators and barriers to engagement in positive parenting practices and supporting mental health. Maintaining a positive couple’s relationship, financial stability, awareness of appropriate disciplinary methods, and participation in religious and social gatherings facilitated positive parenting. Barriers included financial difficulties, limited time with children due to work, and lack of paternal involvement. Supporting parental mental health was facilitated by religious engagement, financial stability, and strong social support, whereas financial difficulties, social isolation, rigid gender norms, and lack of access to mental health services were barriers. All parents and nonparental caregivers expressed interest in attending a parenting and mental health support program, highlighting the need for community-based support. Our results highlight the need for culturally relevant multi-component strategies that reflect local needs. Findings will inform the design of a multi-component parenting and parental mental health intervention to improve child and family well-being.

Effectiveness of Attachment-Based Interventions for Maltreated Children's Well-Being: A Systematic Review.

Eating behaviours of children with ASD: Associations with parental stress, perceived symptom severity, and parenting style in a sample from Türkiye.

Parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT) improves parenting and child behavior, yet little is known about how dosage of its two phases, warm relationship building focused child-directed interaction (CDI) sessions and safe, effective discipline skills-focused parent-directed interaction (PDI) sessions, contributes to outcomes, particularly in child welfare-involved families. Understanding these dose-response patterns can clarify the pathways through which PCIT produces change. In a sample of 204 child welfare families with young children, we examined the dose-response relationship between each PCIT phase and key intervention outcomes of positive and negative parenting skills and disruptive child behavior problems. We also used sequential mediation models to test time-ordered intervention dosage effects (i.e., number of CDI sessions completed and subsequent number of PDI sessions completed) on the parent and child outcomes. Sequential mediation models showed that the PCIT intervention exerted significant indirect effects on increased positive parenting skills and decreased negative parenting behaviors and child behavior problems through higher dosage of relationship-enhancing CDI sessions followed by higher dosage of safe discipline-focused PDI sessions. Further, CDI dosage interacted with PDI dosage to predict greater gains in positive parenting skills outcomes. These results contribute new insights into the pathways through which PCIT shapes outcomes in a sample of child welfare-involved families. Findings also highlight the significant unique contribution that limit-setting-oriented PDI, a relatively understudied phase of PCIT, plays in enhancing positive parenting skills and mitigating child behavior problems.

Substance use treatment facility access and utilization among mothers in child welfare.

Lifestyle interventions are critical for optimizing maternal and child health outcomes during pregnancy. As a mind-body exercise rooted in the principles of traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), qigong shows promise as adaptable prenatal interventions, but the evidence is limited. This multicenter randomized controlled trial (RCT) protocol aims to evaluate the additive effect of a qigong intervention program, compared to routine lifestyle intervention alone, on reducing the rate of caesarean section (primary outcome) and improving a range of secondary maternal and child health outcomes. This multicenter RCT will be conducted across 11 institutions in China. A total of 1062 participants aged 18-45 years, with singleton pregnancies at 11-13+ 6 weeks of gestation, will be enrolled and randomly allocated to two groups using a central stratified block randomization method. Participants will be randomized to either a control group receiving standard prenatal care plus evidence-based lifestyle education (encompassing nutrition, physical activity, sleep hygiene, stress management, and environmental avoidance), or an intervention group receiving all control components supplemented with supervised pregnancy-adapted qigong intervention (a modified seated Baduanjin exercise program). The primary outcome is caesarean section rate. Secondary outcomes include obstetric complications (abortion, preterm birth, gestational diabetes mellitus, gestational hypertension, postpartum hemorrhage, fetal growth restriction), neonatal indicators (birth weight, Apgar scores), maternal gestational weight gain, and mental health and sleep-related outcomes assessed through validated instruments such as Perceived Stress Scale-4 (PSS-4) for stress levels, Fear of Birth Scale (FOBS) for fear of childbirth, and Brief Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (B-PSQI) for sleep quality. This rigorously designed multicenter RCT protocol addresses a significant gap by investigating whether integrating the traditional mind-body practice of qigong into standard prenatal lifestyle education confers additional benefits for reducing cesarean sections and enhancing broader maternal-child health metrics. The findings will provide robust evidence on the clinical value of this TCM intervention in integrative prenatal care to improve pregnancy outcomes and maternal and child well-being. This trial was registered at International Traditional Medicine Clinical Trial Registry, ITMCTR2025002612.

Research evidence exists on associations of subjective well-being, self-efficacy and various academic and non-academic outcomes with older students; however, there is a research gap on how these variables relate to each other in elementary school students. The goal of this cross-sectional study within a larger longitudinal project was to examine the role of subjective well-being and self-efficacy in predicting academic achievement in math and reading among elementary school students in Russia. The sample included 1,962 students' responses (50.4% girls, 7.7% in rural areas) from elementary schools in central Russia. To measure students' well-being, two subscales from the Survey of Subjective Well-being in School (SSWBS) were used: satisfaction with school (k = 7) and affect toward school (k = 3). Domain-specific Self-efficacy Scales: self-efficacy for mathematics (k = 4) and self-efficacy for reading (k = 4) were used to measure students' self-efficacy. To measure students' academic achievement in mathematics and reading, the Progress assessment - the computer adaptive test - was used. Based on the results, self-efficacy for math relates positively to girls' (SD = 0.32) and boys' (SD = 0.34) results in math (p < 0.01). In contrast, for girls, self-efficacy in reading is more important for their results in reading (SD = 0.27) than for boys (SD = 0.16). Hence, both types of self-efficacy are significant for girls and moderate the relationship between subjective well-being and their academic results (satisfaction with school: SD = 0.09, p < 0.01; affect toward school: SD = 0.1, p < 0.05). The results confirmed the role and importance of self-efficacy in academic performance as well as its relationship to subjective well-being for elementary school students, thus expanding the theoretical views and providing the evidence for the moderating effect of self-efficacy. The paper articulates ideas for future research and implications for teachers and policy makers on targeted development of self-efficacy for math through school wide interventions, especially for elementary school girls.

Most important predictors of father-child contact in the U.S. child welfare system: A machine learning approach.

Adding insult to injury: Examining the influence of peer pain-related stigma on daily functioning in youth with chronic musculoskeletal pain.

Reasoning about eating animals across the lifespan.

The intergenerational cycle of substance use and its association with child maltreatment and school maladjustment: A path analysis.

Does telomere length mediate the association between early life adversity and mental health in childhood?