Associate Professor and Director of the Parenting in Context Research Lab, Shawna Lee, says parents throughout the country have encountered unprecedented challenges in the midst of the pandemic. The results help to illustrate how Coronavirus is impacting parenting and how adults are coping with Coronavirus. The report highlights an increase in shouting, yelling or screaming at children in the past two weeks. In addition, during that same timeframe, one in six parents spanked or slapped their child. “For a large number of parents, financial concerns, other worries, social isolation, loneliness and sadness are getting in the way of parenting,” said Lee. The report, co-authored by social work doctoral student Kaitlin Ward, examines how parents have responded to their children during the pandemic.
More states are announcing closings for the duration of the school year. Familiar sources of support, such as teachers and school counselors, will no longer be able to look after the health and wellbeing of vulnerable children. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation parents avoid physical punishment. Other evidence-based recommendations are below.
Associate Professor Terri Friedline’s research, “Mapping Financial Opportunity” can be used to inform the Automatic BOOST to Communities Act drafted by Rashida Tlaib, U.S. Representative for Michigan's 13th congressional district. In response to the coronavirus crisis, the proposed legislation would immediately provide a U.S. debit card preloaded with $2,000 to every person in America, which could be transitioned into a universal federal or postal banking account. Each card would be recharged with $1,000 monthly until one year after the end of the coronavirus crisis. Friedline's research focuses on universal bank account access and she maps post office locations to inform the potential for postal banking.
Professor Luke Shaefer is quoted in a New York Times article detailing how low-income families often bear the brunt of the pain in natural disasters and large-scale emergencies. “They tend to be the first hit when things go wrong and then also to take the longest time to recover.”
Alaska Public Media interviewed Professor Lisa Wexler about her work with a new suicide prevention model titled Promoting Community Conversations About Research to End Suicide. The program is a community health intervention designed, supported and implemented by remote communities in Northwest Alaska to decrease suicide. “The whole process is all about self-determination and about people deciding for themselves what they want to do and how they want to do it,” Wexler said.
When children experience stress and adversity in their homes and communities, schools become a critically important setting in which to intervene and foster their resilience. Marion Elizabeth Blue Professor of Children and Families Todd Herrenkohl has collaborated on a video to help school professionals understand and better educate vulnerable and traumatized students.
Ahead (Issue 4) - In-depth views of social work research at the University of Michigan. This issue includes:
Where are the nation’s most disadvantaged communities? With funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Professor Luke Shaefer, a team of researchers from U-M Poverty Solutions and Princeton University explored this question and developed an Index of Deep Disadvantage to identify and better understand America’s most disadvantaged communities. By identifying communities of deep disadvantage can help direct resources where they’re most needed.
Professor Brad Zerbrack’s research was cited in the New York Times, “When the Teenager or Young Adult Has Cancer.” His research reviews psychosocial challenges, support interventions and makes recommendations for young adults with cancer.
Professor Joe Ryan presented his findings on how data can drive policy changes and improve outcomes for vulnerable children and families at the Wolverine Caucus. The Wolverine Caucus is a forum held in the state capital where alumni, policymakers, and the public can hear from U-M faculty experts and engage discussions on topics that impact society.
Associate Professor Karen Staller is the author of a new book, “New York's Newsboys Charles Loring Brace and the Founding of the Children's Aid Society.” The book a lively historical account of Charles Loring Brace's founding and development of the Children's Aid Society to combat a newly emerging social problem, youth homelessness, during the nineteenth century. “Many of the issues she discusses with clarity and erudition --for example, the assimilation of immigrants, poverty and homelessness among urban youth, and the role of the juvenile justice and foster care systems -- have contemporary relevance for policymakers and practitioners." - Michael Reisch, PhD, MSW, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, University of Maryland.
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