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Category: Rural Education & Communities

‘Homegrown’ training program fills need for rural mental health professionals

Beth Doll and Matthew Gormley are leading a virtual training program that can be accessible to anyone interested in a career in school psychology, no matter where they reside. Learn more in the CYFS Research Network.

For small towns scattered throughout Nebraska, mental health professionals are hard to come by. Recruiting and retaining such professionals is crucial to ensuring these rural populations have access to quality mental health care.

Because mental health trainees are more likely to stay and work in the rural communities where they live, Beth Doll, professor of educational psychology, and Matthew Gormley, assistant professor of educational psychology are leading a virtual training program that can be accessible to anyone interested in a career in school psychology, no matter where they reside. Full Article

Study reveals many American atheists hide their non-belief

Research by Dena Abbott, assistant professor of counseling psychology, reveals that because American atheists continue to experience a variety of social challenges, many are uncomfortable about disclosing their non-belief. Learn more about this project in the CYFS Research Network.

The religiously unaffiliated, including atheists, are the fastest-growing (non)religious population in the United States. But the social stigma associated with atheism leaves this population vulnerable to isolation and poor mental health outcomes.

Dena Abbott, assistant professor of counseling psychology, recently completed a yearlong study to investigate the psychological well-being of two groups of atheists — rural-residing and woman-identified atheists — in the context of anti-atheist discrimination in the U.S. Full Article

Project affirms voices of Indigenous LGBTQ and two-spirit youth

A recent study found that although Indigenous LGBTQ2S youth experience a wide range of challenges, they also possess moderate to high levels of strength and resilience. Learn more about this project in the CYFS Research Network.

Indigenous youth with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and two-spirit (LGBTQ2S) identities experience high rates of violence, which may lead to harmful outcomes, such as mental health problems and substance abuse.

But despite the issues faced by Indigenous LGBTQ2S youth, a recent study suggests reasons for optimism. Full Article

Nebraska researchers expand reach of TAPP family-school intervention

From left, Amanda Witte, CYFS research assistant professor, and Susan Sheridan, CYFS director, are leading efforts to expand the reach of TAPP. Learn more about this project in the CYFS Research Network.

A family-school intervention program that has seen success in Nebraska and surrounding states is expanding its reach.

Susan Sheridan, director of the Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools, and Amanda Witte, CYFS research assistant professor, are working with University of Wisconsin researchers to bring the Teachers and Parents as Partners (TAPP) intervention to schools in their state, along with ongoing studies in the region. Full Article

Grand Challenges research effort aims to prevent sexual violence among Indigenous youth

Funded by a $3.2 million UNL Grand Challenges Catalyst Award, Nebraska researcher Katie Edwards is leading a four-year project to establish an Indigenous-led sexual violence prevention center on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Learn more about the project in the CYFS Research Network.

For the past six years, Nebraska educational psychologist Katie Edwards has worked with Native American communities and organizations to combat sexual violence — a trauma Indigenous peoples experience at rates higher than any other racial or ethnic group in the U.S. Full Article

Study: Sleep deficits add up during busy seasons for farmers, ranchers

Data from a recent study found that during peak seasons — planting, harvesting and calving — farmers and ranchers spent about 25 fewer minutes in bed and 28 fewer minutes actually sleeping each night. Learn more in the CYFS Research Network.

As any agricultural worker will readily admit, occasional sleep deprivation is all part of the job.

But for farmers and ranchers who routinely work around livestock and machinery, bad things can happen when sleepiness leads to lack of concentration, slower reaction times or distractibility. Full Article

Research assessing impacts of, solutions to sex trafficking of Native Americans

Researchers in Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota are using two U.S. Department of Justice grants — one from the National Institute of Justice, the other from the Office on Violence Against Women — to examine the impacts of sex trafficking on Native American survivors and communities. Learn more in the CYFS Research Network.

Although Native American women and girls experience disproportionally high rates of sex trafficking, little is known about the impact that sex trafficking has specifically on Native survivors — or what Native survivors need to heal and achieve safety and justice. Full Article

2022 Summit on Research in Early Childhood helps connect research, practice, policy

Participants gather during the 2022 CYFS Summit on Research in Early Childhood at the Nebraska Innovation Campus Conference Center on April 13. View photo gallery.

Creating connections among early childhood research, practice and policy — and how each can enhance the lives of young children and their families — provided the central theme of the 2022 CYFS Summit on Research in Early Childhood.

Nearly 200 attendees, including researchers from across the University of Nebraska system, practitioners, administrators, community partners and policymakers, gathered April 13 at Nebraska Innovation Campus for the daylong, sixth biennial summit, which highlighted the latest research to advance early childhood education and development, and implications for practice and policy. Full Article