Objective: Considering the interplay between normative and legal aspects of young adults’ cannabis environments may help improve cannabis use and misuse prevention and harm reduction among young people.

Method: Data came from 3,818 U.S. young adults (average age 23 years, 𝑆𝐷=.49) living in diverse legal cannabis contexts (54.8% illegal, 17.7% medical legal, 27.8% nonmedical legal). Cannabis norms were measured by young adults’ perceptions of cannabis use and approval by parents, peers, spouse/partner, and community members. Logistic regressions estimated the separate, additive, and interactive associations of cannabis norms and legal permissiveness with young adults’ past-year cannabis use and misuse, adjusting for past cannabis use and norms and other covariates.

Results: Legal and normative permissiveness were highly correlated. However, only norms were independently associated with past-year cannabis use (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]=6.50, CI=[1.62,5.05]), frequent past-month cannabis use (AOR=5.58, CI=[3.94,7.92]), and cannabis use disorder (AOR=2.48, CI=[2.10,2.94]) when examined together. The association between cannabis norms and use did not differ by legal permissiveness.

Conclusions: Changing cannabis norms in young adults’ social environments beyond peers could be an impactful prevention and intervention strategy.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted traditional youth mentoring practices as social distancing limited in-person interactions. This study analyzes how Friends of the Children (FOTC), a professional mentoring program, was able to maintain engagement with mentees during the pandemic. Using a sample of 112 youth (58% Black/African American) with an average age of 12.5, this study investigated how FOTC continued to support mentees during this period. The amount of time and types of activities mentors engaged in with youth before, during, and after the pandemic were assessed to gauge how service delivery and interactions evolved during the crisis. Key factors supporting organizational resilience included professional infrastructure, specialized training, supervision, and peer networks, enabling mentors to sustain relationships and progress towards positive youth outcomes. These findings highlight the resilience of professional youth mentoring programs during a crisis and suggest that this model may help overcome disruptions while maintaining vital support during challenging times.

OBJECTIVE: Parents represent a growing yet understudied population of people who use cannabis in the era of legalization. Studies examining how increasing availability of cannabis retail stores affects parental cannabis use, norms, and perceived harm are needed to guide interventions to support families. This longitudinal study examines whether perceived and objectively measured cannabis outlet availability are associated with parents’ cannabis use frequency, acceptability, and perceived addictiveness in Washington State, where nonmedical cannabis retail stores opened in 2014.

METHOD: Parents (n = 471) in the Seattle Social Development Project – The Intergenerational Project were surveyed in 2015, 2016, and 2017. Multilevel models were used to estimate within- and between-person associations between (a) perceived cannabis outlet availability (self-reported number of outlets in one’s neighborhood) and (b) objective cannabis outlet availability (number of outlets within a 10-minute drive time from home) with past-year cannabis use frequencies, acceptability of parental cannabis use, and perceived addictiveness.

RESULTS: Local retail outlet availability was higher in later waves. There were significant between-person associations, such that parents residing in neighborhoods with greater cannabis outlet availability (both perceived and objectively measured) over the course of the study had greater cannabis use frequency, higher acceptability of use, and lower perceived addictiveness. When comparing the same parents over time, the association between objectively measured outlet availability and acceptability of use was replicated in the within-person analysis, such that parents had greater acceptability of parental cannabis use in years when they lived in neighborhoods with higher objective outlet availability.

CONCLUSIONS: Legal cannabis retail stores are increasingly common within neighborhoods. Prevention programming to support families residing in neighborhoods with greater outlet availability may reduce permissive cannabis norms and use among parents, which can have strong implications for youth substance use prevention and positive youth development.

BACKGROUND: Multiple studies have shown an association of experiences of racial discrimination with adverse health outcomes, but relatively few have investigated the health consequences of expressions of discriminatory attitudes or racial animus. This study examined the breadth and persistence of links between racism and health, including how experiences of and expressions of racial discrimination and animus, as well as ethnic belonging, in the 20s were associated with health at age 39.

METHODS: Data were from the Seattle Social Development Project, a longitudinal panel study originating in 1985. Analyses examined survey waves at ages 21 through 39 (1996 through 2014) among 144 Asian, 168 Black, and 327 White participants. Negative binomial regressions modeled associations of prior racialized experiences and attitudes with symptoms of depression, anxiety, and alcohol use disorder, and physical health problems at age 39, accounting for sex, education, and parallel health measures in the 20s.

RESULTS: Prior experiences of discrimination were associated with more mental and physical health problems among all racial groups. Prior dislike of meeting people from other racial or ethnic groups was associated with more alcohol use disorder symptoms among Black and White participants.

CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest important associations given the study’s long timeframe and inclusion of key covariates. Potentially enduring health risks up to the cusp of midlife were indicated for experiences of discrimination and, for Black and White individuals, possible harm to those who hold discriminatory attitudes as well. Results may help broaden the perspective of efforts to reduce the harm of racial animus.

We assessed the Communities That Care Brief Depression Scale (CTC-BDS) for measurement equivalence for Latinx and white youth by immigrant generation status. The sample consisted of 1779 youth (17.8% Latinx children of immigrants [COI], 9.3% Latinx children of non-immigrants [CONI], 72.8% non-Latinx white CONI) surveyed in sixth, eighth, tenth, and twelfth grades. We used one-factor confirmatory factor analysis to examine equivalent assessment across groups at each grade and across all grades, testing configural, metric, and scalar equivalence. Individual and incremental model fit statistics were examined. We found evidence for both the one-factor structure and for measurement equivalence of the CTC-BDS across ethnicity and immigrant generation status, as well as grades over the course of adolescence. The CTC-BDS is an appropriate measure in community monitoring and research to compare depressive symptoms in Latinx youth of varying immigrant generation statuses and white youth.

Substance use disorders and opioid use disorders are powerful predictors for re-incarceration for youth exiting the legal system. An intervention that has been shown to be effective in achieving better outcomes for adolescents is Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach with Assertive Continuing Care (A-CRA/ACC). The purpose of this study was to describe youth perspectives on the effects of the intervention to better understand possible mechanisms by which A-CRA/ACC functions in program participants. Twenty individuals were recruited in partnership with the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families Juvenile Rehabilitation System. All participants were part of a larger parent study, Preventing Opioids through Successful Transition. Participants underwent one 30-minute interview with a single interviewer. Transcripts of interviews were then analyzed to determine common themes. Analysis demonstrated major themes that included positive relationships, life skills, communication, problem solving, quality-of-life improvements, and diffusion of benefits into the community. Findings were consistent with a positive response to the intervention.

Objective: To better understand and characterize how young adults with minoritized racial and ethnic identities perceive and experience the discrimination against them. We applied an intersectional lens and examined variation in perceived discrimination by sex (across all racial/ethnic groups) and United States immigrant generation status (among Latine participants).

Methods: Data were collected from young adults (MAge = 23.3, SD = 0.51) who self-identified as Black (N = 164), American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN; N = 261), and/or Latine (N = 884) who were part of a longitudinal community sample originally recruited from 24 small/rural communities. Participants reported the frequency and type of discrimination they experienced in their day-to-day life. Those reporting frequent discrimination were asked to indicate the primary reason/s (e.g., race, gender). Descriptive analyses were completed separately within each racial/ethnic group and by immigrant generation status among the Latine sample. Chi-square tests assessed differences in the prevalence of discrimination experiences by sex and immigrant generation status.

Results: Two thirds or more of Black, AIAN, and Latine YA reported experiencing discrimination. Across all ethnic/racial groups, the most commonly cited reasons for discrimination were race/ethnicity, gender, and age, and more females than males reported gender and age as reasons for discrimination. More first- and second-generation than third-generation Latine young adults (YA) reported race and ancestry as reasons for discrimination.

Conclusion: Attributing discrimination to identity factors beyond race and ethnicity was common among ethnic and racial minoritized YA, underscoring the importance of considering intersectional identities when studying experiences of interpersonal discrimination.

Little is known about behavioral health outcomes of gang-involved youth outside urban areas. This study examines diverse early-adulthood outcomes among gang-involved youth from rural and small communities and whether these outcomes differ by degree of involvement. Data came from a panel of youth (n = 2002) from the 12 rural and small-town control communities of the Community Youth Development Study, a community-randomized trial of the Communities That Care prevention system. Repeated Measures Latent Profile Analyses, conducted within gender groups, derived classes of gang involvement during adolescence (Grades 7–12), including gang member, gang-associated, and nonaffiliated youth. Logistic regression models then compared outcomes at Age 19 between classes. Male and female rural gang members and gang-associated adolescents had significantly greater odds of multiple outcomes, including delinquency, substance use, and well-being outcomes, compared to nonaffiliated youth. Findings suggest gang-associated rural youth should be considered alongside gang members in preventive interventions

We described the experiences of a sample of rural Latinx young adults to identify relevant adult roles and events from their unique perspectives at ages 21 and 26 focusing on heterogeneity by age, sex, and immigrant generational status. Using survey data collected in 2014 (n = 308) and 2019 (n = 285) from respondents who grew up in two rural US towns, we qualitatively examined responses to an open-ended question; explored thematic patterns across age, sex, and immigration generation; and contextualized with quantitative data. Rural Latinx young adults identified milestones typical of young adults (e.g., work, school, relationships, family, living arrangements) and diverse pathways into adulthood. They expressed positive and challenging sentiments regarding transitions, but mostly optimism about their futures. We observed heterogeneity within and between ages, sexes, and generational statuses. Increasing work and educational opportunities for Latinx young adults in rural communities can help them navigate this transition more successfully.

Well-implemented social and emotional learning (SEL) programs are associated with positive student outcomes. Through CalHOPE, County Office of Education (COE) leaders are providing implementation support to districts and schools seeking to improve SEL delivery statewide. CalHOPE uses the SHIFT model to guide the regional implementation of systemic and equity-oriented SEL. This study assesses the conceptually driven conditions among COEs for providing implementation support, including adult well-being, workplace climate, and levers of transformation (forging partnerships within and outside of the organization, providing support through funding, training, coaching, and tools, and building capacity of leaders in the form of mindsets, knowledge, skills, and efficacy, to improve the structures and routines of SEL implementation-such as having a vision, SEL leadership team, data systems, and goals/plans). Ninety-seven COE SEL leaders participating in CalHOPE reported on their conditions and activities. COE SEL leaders reported positive well-being, workplace climate, and levers of transformation. Having a greater variety of partnerships was significantly associated with a stronger presence of all levers. Findings advance our understanding of the scaling up realities of SEL implementation in a statewide effort and highlight the value of partnerships in advancing SEL implementation.