Research Scientists at innovation Research and Training are continuously working on advancements in research pertaining to improving outcomes for children and adolescents. Some of iRT’s recent findings in the field of adolescent development were presented at the Society for Research on Adolescents (SRA) Biennial Meeting by Senior Research Scientist Dr. Janis Kupersmidt, along with iRT Research Scientists Dr. Rebecca Stelter, Dr. Katie Stump, and Dr. Alison Parker, alongside iRT collaborators Dr. Jean Rhodes and Dr. Maaike Van Rest.
Paper Symposium: Children of incarcerated parents: Implications of research on population heterogeneity for mentoring interventions
Drs. Kupersmidt, Stelter, and Stump led a paper symposium which explored the work that iRT is doing to understand the role of population heterogeneity of children of incarcerated parents (both in terms of assessing risk and protective factors within the population and exploring the characteristics of incarceration) and its association with youth and adolescent outcomes. They also discussed how mentoring programs can best serve these youth, particularly by implementing specialized program practices for this population. The symposium brought together findings from two large national studies to inform how mentoring programs can best serve these adolescents by improving their outcomes and diminishing risk factors. Dr. Jean Rhodes of the UMass Boston Center for Evidence-Based Mentoring spoke as a discussant, interpreting these findings for the audience. Researchers were joined by Jennifer Tyson, a Research Coordinator from OJJDP, to discuss policy implications and funding opportunities for work with this population. The presentations are listed below.
Exploring heterogeneity of caregiver incarceration and its association with youth functioning
Kathryn Stump, innovation Research & Training; Janis Kupersmidt, Innovation Research & Training, Inc.; Jean Rhodes, University of Massachusetts Boston; Rebecca Stelter, Innovation Research & Training;
Behavioral and emotional adjustment of children of incarcerated parents based upon exposure to risk and protective factors
Janis Kupersmidt, Innovation Research & Training, Inc.; Kathryn Stump, innovation Research & Training; Jean Rhodes, University of Massachusetts Boston; Rebecca Stelter, Innovation Research & Training;
Mentoring program enhancements supporting effective mentoring of children of incarcerated parents
Rebecca Stelter, Innovation Research & Training; Kathryn Stump, innovation Research & Training; Janis Kupersmidt, Innovation Research & Training, Inc.; Jean Rhodes, University of Massachusetts Boston;
Paper Symposium: Individual and Contextual Social Factors Affect Social Decision-Making and Risk Behaviors such as Substance use and Aggression
Dr. Maaike Van Rest organized a paper symposium to bring together research that highlights new findings on social decision-making and risk behaviors in typically developing adolescents and adolescents with intellectual disabilities. These studies contribute to the research that is attempting to understand why and how some adolescents make decisions that put themselves and others at risk. The presentations are described below:
Children’s elementary school social experiences affect their social decision-making Susanne Asscheman, Department of Psychology, Education and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam; Pol Van Lier, Department of Psychology, Education and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam; Susanne Koot, Erasmus University Rotterdam; The Longitudinal Association between Risk-Taking Behavior and a Broad Spectrum of Externalizing Problems in the School-Context Jacintha Tieskens, Department of Psychology, Education & Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam; Marieke Buil, Erasmus University Rotterdam; Pol Van Lier, Department of Psychology, Education and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam; Social information processing and intentions to use substances in adolescents with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Alison Parker, innovation Research & Training; Janis Kupersmidt, Innovation Research & Training, Inc.; Cody Hiatt, Innovation Research & Training; Heather Carmichael Olson, University of Washington; Social Information Processing Links Executive Functions and Aggressive Behavior in Adolescents with Intellectual Disabilities Maaike Van Rest, VU Amsterdam Clinical Child and Family Studies; Maroesjka Van Nieuwenhuijzen, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam; Marleen De Moor, Vri je Universiteit Amsterdam, Clinical Child and Family Studies; Aart Vriens, RIBW Purmerend; Carlo Schuengel, VU Amsterdam, Clinical Child and Family Studies; Walter Matthys, UMC Utrecht, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychology and Psychiatry;
For more information regarding the content of the iRT presentations at the SRA conference or information about the research that iRT is doing the field of adolescent development, contact us at
info@irtinc.us