Social Determinants of Health, Family Functioning, and the Family Check-Up: Neighborhood and Educational Influences on Parenting, Youth Mental Health,and Response to Intervention.

About This Grant

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Prior research has documented that social determinants of health such as neighborhood disadvantage and school context are associated with youth mental health3,7,10,11, with neighborhood effects on youth outcomes being mediated by parenting factors4. However, research on the role of these contextual factors in the trajectories of parenting and youth mental health and their relationships has been limited. Additionally, this prior work shows the importance of targeting parenting in family-focused preventive interventions in geographical areas with high contextual risk. While neighborhood economic disadvantage and subjective perceptions of neighborhood are associated with outcomes of preventive interventions32, 34, this prior work has used limited objective measures of social determinants of health, has had inconsistent longitudinal follow-up, focused on limited outcomes, and did not consider how social determinants of health influence intervention engagement. The proposed research will address these limitations with several aims: (1) Determine how neighborhood and educational risk and protective factors are related to youth mental health trajectories across childhood and adolescence and the role of parenting as a mediator between context and youth mental health trajectories, (2) Investigate whether neighborhood and educational risk and protective factors are associated with engagement in and response to the Family Check-Up, a family-focused preventive intervention, and (3) Determine whether findings from the first two aims differ based on urbanicity, race, or ethnicity. The results have implications for clinical practice and research in the development and dissemination of family-focused preventive interventions that promote positive family relationships and youth mental health for all families. The work addresses the NIMH Strategic Plan by aiming to examine trajectories of mental illness, strive for prevention, and advance services to strengthen public health. The proposed research and training plan, which will occur in a supportive, collegiate environment at Case Western Reserve University, will provide the researcher with critical training to support the transition to becoming an independent researcher in developmental psychopathology and prevention science. Specific training goals include (1) Develop a focused understanding of how neighborhood and educational social determinants of health influence parenting and youth mental health, focusing on how this perspective can inform development and dissemination of preventive interventions, (2) gain expertise in leveraging geocoded data to answer questions related to social determinants of health, family functioning, and intervention outcomes, and (3) master the use of complex quantitative methods to analyze longitudinal data. The applicant has assembled a mentorship team with an expertise in the areas which she plans to gain additional experience, and this team will provide superior guidance that will support her increasing independence as a researcher.