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Exposure to natural environments offers an array of mental health benefits. Virtual reality provides simulated experiences of being in nature when outdoor access is limited. Previous studies on virtual nature have focused mainly on single \"doses\" of virtual nature. The effects of repeated exposure remain poorly understood. Motivated by this gap, we studied the influence of a daily virtual nature intervention on symptoms of anxiety, depression, and an underlying cause of poor mental health: rumination. Forty college students (58% non-Hispanic White, median age = 19) were recruited from two U.S. universities and randomly assigned to the intervention or control group. Over several weeks, anxious arousal (panic) and anxious apprehension (worry) decreased with virtual nature exposure. Participants identifying as women, past VR users, experienced with the outdoors, and engaged with the beauty in nature benefited particularly strongly from virtual nature. Virtual nature did not help symptoms of anhedonic depression or rumination. Further research is necessary to distinguish when and for whom virtual nature interventions impact mental health outcomes.

Background Cognitive reserve (CR) is the ability to maintain cognitive performance despite brain pathology. CR is built through lifecourse experiences (e.g., education) and is a key construct in promoting healthy aging. However, the operationalization of CR and its estimated association with late-life cognition varies. The purpose of this study was to systematically examine the operationalization of CR and the relationship between its operationalization and late-life cognition. Methods We performed a comprehensive review of experiences (proxies) used to operationalize CR. The review informed quantitative analyses using data from 1366 participants of the Memory and Aging Project to examine 1) relationships between proxies and 2) the relationship between operationalization and late-life cognition. We also conducted a factor analysis with all identified CR experiences to create a composite lifecourse CR score. Generalized linear mixed models examined the relationship between operationalizations and global cognition, with secondary outcomes of five domains of cognition to examine consistency. Results Based on a review of 753 articles, we found the majority (92.3%) of the 28 commonly used proxies have weak to no correlation between one another. There was substantial variability in the association between operationalizations and late-life global cognition (median effect size: 0.99, IQR : 0.34 to 1.39). There was not strong consistency in the association between CR operationalizations and the five cognitive domains (mean consistency: 56.1%). The average estimate for the 28 operationalizations was 0.91 ( SE  = 0.48), compared to 2.48 ( SE  = 0.40) for the lifecourse score and it was associated with all five domains of cognition. Conclusions Inconsistent methodology is theorized as a major limitation of CR research and barrier to identification of impactful experiences for healthy cognitive aging. Based on the weak associations, it is not surprising that the relationship between CR and late-life cognition is dependent on the experience used to operationalize CR. Scores using multiple experiences across the lifecourse may help overcome such limitations. Adherence to a lifecourse approach and collaborative movement towards a consensus operationalization of CR are imperative shifts in the study of CR that can better inform research on risk factors related to cognitive decline and ultimately aid in the promotion of healthy aging.

In questionnaire-based research, leisure investigators must balance the need for comprehensive measurement with participant fatigue associated with lengthy questionnaires. Planned missing data designs (PMDD) offer a solution to reduce survey length while maintaining precision in measurement. This study introduces PMDD through an examination of the influence of parental years of camp experience as a child (M = 2.54 years) and their child's level of camp experience (M = 1.39 years) on parental perceptions of developmental outcomes (PPDO) associated with camp participation. Data were collected from a cross-sectional sample of 699 parents via an online survey examining the influence of repeated camp experiences on adolescent socioemotional development following their child's (M age = 12.25 years) participation in a residential summer camp experience. Utilizing a structural equation model in combination with the PMDD, the results indicated neither parent nor child level of camp experience influenced PPDO score.

The 4-H Thriving Model predicts that participation in high-quality 4-H programs helps youth thrive and that thriving youth achieve key developmental outcomes, thus illuminating the process of positive youth development in 4-H. This paper provides an update on the 4-H Thriving Model, with particular attention to model modifications based on additional research. The paper then describes the formation of the Advancing the 4-H Model Task Force, a 3-year project chartered by the national 4-H Program Leaders Working Group (PLWG). The paper describes how the work of the task force will support efforts related to the professional development of 4-H youth development professionals and volunteers, replication of and further research on the 4-H Thriving model, and organizational alignment across the national 4-H system.

In 2021, national leaders in the United States declared a “national youth mental health crisis.” Still, only 1-in-4 children receive adequate mental healthcare access. Patient Navigator Programs (PNPs) can improve children’s referral-to-connection to mental health services. We examined patient- and community-level factors associated with pediatric mental healthcare access. Pediatric Support Services (PSS) is a PNP that triages mental and behavioral health referrals within a large health system in a southeastern state. This study analyzes PSS data from September 2017-March 2023 and Child Opportunity Index 2.0 state-normed zip-code level data to assess social drivers of health estimates. Structural equation modeling was conducted between patient- and community-level factors and connection to mental health services. Overall, 62.7% of children connected to mental health services since PSS’ inception. Regardless of SDOH, as children get older, they are more likely to connect with mental health services (β = .053, SE  = .010, p  < .001). Children with greater number of referral needs are more likely to connect with mental health services (β = .034, SE  = .011, p  = .002). Further, children who live in communities with higher opportunity levels are more likely to connect with mental health services (β = .016, SE  = .008, p  = .040), suggesting that children who live in low-income communities experience more barriers to mental healthcare. Social drivers may inform referral practices and tiered navigation support for optimal mental healthcare access among children. Further research should demonstrate the effectiveness of PNPs integrated within healthcare and community-based settings.

ObjectivesThis study examined associations between child disability and parent-reported overparenting, autonomy granting, and affect management among a purposeful sample of parents whose children attended a camp serving early adolescents with disabilities or a camp serving early adolescents without disabilities.Methods868 parents completed a post-camp online questionnaire designed to measure overparenting, autonomy granting, and affect management. The measure’s factor structure and model fit were examined through Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and the relations between variables were tested using a Structural Equation Model (SEM).ResultsParents of children attending the camp serving early adolescents with disabilities reported higher levels of overparenting as compared to parents of early adolescents without a disability. Further, overparenting had a positive effect on affect management, but not on autonomy granting. Finally, disability status did not have a statistically significant negative effect on affect management or autonomy granting.ConclusionsOverparenting appears at higher rates among parents of early adolescents with disabilities, which may reflect overparenting as normative for parents with children with disabilities. Such overparenting behaviors may support children with disabilities to perform more consistently when compared to their peers.

ObjectivesOverparenting research has been primarily confined to parents of adult, college-aged children. Few studies have examined overparenting among parents of early adolescent children, particularly in non-academic out-of-school time settings. The present study examined the relation between overparenting, commonly associated parental behaviors, and child gender, to determine if, in a sample of 169 parents of youth ages 11–17 (M = 15.49), the same relations would be present as in prior overparenting research with emerging adult samples.MethodsData were collected using a cross-sectional design with a questionnaire administered to parents following their child’s participation in a one-week university-based residential summer camp. The initial seven-factor scale included items related to overparenting, affect management, parental monitoring, digital limit setting, psychological control, risk aversion, and autonomy granting. The final seven-factor 22-item measure was validated through confirmatory factor analysis and study hypotheses were tested through a structural equation model.ResultsConsistent with much of the overparenting literature involving parents of emerging adults, overparenting had a significant positive direct effect on affect management, parental monitoring, parental digital limit setting, psychological control, and risk aversion, and a significant negative direct effect on autonomy granting. No relation was found between child gender and affect management, parental monitoring, parental digital limit setting, overparenting, risk aversion, psychological control, or autonomy granting.ConclusionsThe findings were partly consistent with prior studies of emerging adults and have implications for our understanding of overparenting during adolescence as well as within the out-of-school time contexts in which overparenting research is emerging.

Few studies have explored the long-term impacts of camp experiences on career choice, although there is a need to better understand how camp experiences may influence this decision to guide staff recruitment and retention efforts. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of camp experiences on future career paths for women. Twenty-two camp alumnae who attended an all-girls camp completed a retrospective online survey. Salient themes related to career impacts included human service career interest, outdoor career interest, leadership and interpersonal skill development, and social-emotional skill development. Considerations for future research include a national study of a more representative sample of camp alumni to shed greater light on occupational choice and career path for camp alumni.

During the summer months food insecurity increases for some children because many youth who receive meals during the academic year do not receive meals during the summer. Federal summer feeding program data suggest that recreation providers play a role in addressing summertime food insecurity, but few targeted studies have been conducted. This study assessed South Carolina recreation provider participation in programs addressing summertime food insecurity as well as challenges associated with summer feeding program implementation. Data were collected from 58 South Carolina recreation providers (i.e., summer camps and parks and recreation agencies) via an online questionnaire. Provider-reported quantitative, qualitative, and spatial data were analyzed. Findings were visualized using concept mapping and ArcGIS Pro mapping. Twenty-three of the 58 (39.6%) responding organizations participated in a summer feeding program. Transportation of youth to a feeding site was the most salient challenge. Spatial analyses suggest that communities with the greatest economic needs are underserved by recreation providers in this study sample. Recreation providers are important community-based intermediaries between federal, state, and local food suppliers and youth/families in need, with food distribution via recreation providers occurring through diverse youth program mechanisms (i.e., camp sessions, parks, recreation centers, and after school program sites). However, more recreation providers can be engaged as summer feeding sponsors or sites. Future research examining summertime food insecurity following the onset of COVID-19 as well as the ways in which summer feeding program recipients are engaging with recreation providers is needed.

Although intentionality has been explored within the camp literature, evidence of the effectiveness of intentionality for producing specific positive youth outcomes is mixed. While some empirical studies have produced findings indicating that intentionality enhanced youth growth and development, other studies have produced the opposite result. This study explored the potential relationship between intention toward program outcomes and corresponding parent observed outcomes resulting from the camp experience. A sample of 13 camp directors and the 2,952 parents they served completed surveys exploring the relationships between camp practices and youth development outcomes. The director survey included questions about their levels of camp industry experience, education level, practices related to intentionality and youth outcome achievement, staff training strategies, staff return rate, and staff characteristics. The parent survey included questions about parent and child demographics as well as parent perceptions of their child’s growth and skill development as a result of the camp experience. After confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) verified the reliability and validity of the outcomes measure, the hypothesized relationships were tested using structural equation modeling (SEM) to determine if camp director intention had a meaningful influence on growth as a result of the camp experience. The study findings suggest that intentional targeting of outcomes in many instances does not make a meaningful difference in observed developmental outcomes. Out of five program outcomes measured (i.e., communication, responsibility, self-regulation, attitude, and exploration), no outcomes were meaningfully influenced by director intentionality. Additionally, director practices, including staff adaptation of programs, youth engagement, youth-leading activities, and youth involvement in the design of activities, had no statistically or practically meaningful moderational influence on observed growth as a result of attending camp. However, in spite of these somewhat contradictory findings, positive and meaningful pre-to-post camp growth was noted in all outcomes of interest (e.g., communication, responsibility, self-regulation, attitude, and exploration), suggesting that the unique context residential summer camp provides may be the greatest influence on youth socio-emotional growth. This study makes an important contribution to the body of empirical evidence about the relationship between director intentionality and positive youth development. Limitations, study relevance, and future directions are explored.