Students of color experience academic, social, and emotional challenges due to colorism in schools. The purpose of this scoping review is to compare the experiences with colorism of students from varying racial backgrounds (African Americans, Native Americans, Asians, and Latin) in U.S. public schools. It is predicted that the understudied group of Latinx and indigenous students of color will uniquely experience colorism in academic settings when compared to African American and Asian students. A 30 article literature review utilizing search dates from 1990 to 2020 was conducted employing a scoping review framework. Themes emerged that include: the privileging of lighter skin and more Eurocentric features in academic outcomes, the complicated social status created for students of color experiencing colorism in schools, and the increased potential for emotional challenges as a result of colorism. This review highlights possible school reform efforts to affirm all skin tones, reduce colorist biases, and offer mediation to mitigate colorist experiences in the school environment.

Objective: The objective of this study was to estimate time-specific, population-based prevalence of 14 specific barriers to respite services, as reported by parents of children with special health care needs (CSHCN) with and without emotional, behavioral, or developmental problems (EBDPs), and to identify individual, family, and environmental characteristics associated with the most common barriers to respite care for families of CSHCN. Methods: Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to examine data from the National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs for 2005/2006 and 2009/2010. Results: Among families reporting unmet need for respite care services, service availability or transportation barriers (23.8%) and cost barriers (19.8%) were the most commonly reported obstacles among all CSHCN, followed by lack of knowledge about where to obtain respite services (12.1%) and inconvenient service times (11.3%). Reports of location or availability barriers decreased significantly from 2005 to 2009, but service time barriers increased simultaneously. All types of barriers to respite services were reported significantly more frequently by CSHCN with EBDPs than those without, even when other demographic factors were controlled for. CSHCN conditional severity and discontinuity in insurance were positively associated with cost barriers, whereas CSHCN public health coverage was associated with reduced rates of reported cost and information barriers to respite care. Conclusion: Increased understanding of parent-reported barriers to respite care for families of CSHCN is critical to creating structural and practice-oriented solutions that address obstacles and increase access to respite care for these vulnerable families.

This study aims to examine current research about trauma-exposed, justice-involved (TEJI) female youth, and evaluate the current literature regarding the effectiveness of gender-specific interventions aimed at reducing their recidivism. Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) methodology was utilized to examine quantitative and qualitative literature, published from 2000 through March 2020, about interventions for female justice-involved youth with trauma exposure. Analysis of selected studies utilized an integrated framework based on Andrew’s Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) model and Lipsey’s factors of effectiveness, which reviewed studies showing the relationship between female justice-involved youth with mental health symptomologies and trauma. The findings show that effective intervention for this population targets the youth’s negative internal mechanisms related to trauma-subsequent psychosocial problems. These studies suggest that trauma-sensitive modalities have the potential to mitigate the further risk of problematic external behaviors. All studies had limited sample sizes, low follow-up rates, and unknown long-term outcomes. Future research should explore dimensions of sustainability and achieving stability in relation to intervention setting. Selecting the proper venue and facilitator for quality implementation and stability of setting is critical in delivering effective therapies. Modifications in public expectations of juvenile justice policy and practice, from disciplinary to therapeutic approaches, is needed.

Via colorist and white privilege, colorism and racism mirror one another. Colorism is internalized racism; an oppressive internalization regarding phenotypes and skin tones. Mindfulness and other self-reflective practices have been used to modify manifestations of racism such as prejudiced thoughts and biased behaviors. Mindfulness may also help change expressions of colorism as a derivative of racism. Therefore, the implicit manifestations of colorism were further examined in addition to the viability of mindfulness as an intervention. A review of existing literature was conducted using secondary data collection. Analysis resulted in thematic formulation. The findings suggest increasing awareness and self-determination are salient in mindfulness response to colorist bias and behaviors. Mindfulness alone is symbolic of the past and present legacy that African Americans face with embedded racism and colorism experiences. Social workers will find it optimal to use interventions that aid in transforming colorist bias. Implications for healing others from colorism implicit bias is proposed in social workers’ use of self-reflective practices and the RAIN modality, illustrative of actions to recognize, allow, investigate, and nurture. Continuous education is vital in social work practice; therefore, future research is suggested to build on this review because colorism as a hierarchy affects all of humanity.

Racial socialization of African American youth has been found to be a buffer for some of theracial discrimination they face as youth. It denotes the manner by which parents communicateboth unspoken and explicit messages or ideas about the significance of one’s nationality in abroader social context. Considering the important factor of skin color in the racial socializationof African American youth is needed as the world becomes increasingly multicultural. This studyprovides a descriptive analysis of the attitudes based on parental preferences towards skin colorof a sample of African American college students in a rural university in the Southern UnitedStates. Using Spearman’s Rho and MultiCrit framework, the analysis reveals a strong correlationbetween parental preferences for a certain skin color and participants’ skin preferences.Implications for social work and for the study of racial socialization are discussed.