Meghan Costello
@MeghanACostello
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Postdoctoral K12 Fellow @MGHPsychiatry/@harvardmed | PhD in Clinical Psychology from @UVA | Adolescent Development, Peer Support, School-Based Prevention
Joined September 2020
School vaccine requirements keep both students and their communities safe from life-threatening diseases. Ending them is a dangerous mistake that will cost lives.
Public health experts and advocates have warned that the overhaul of vaccine policies could cause a resurgence of preventable diseases. “We can expect that measles will come roaring back,” a pediatrician said.
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Schools have to make challenging decisions about funding allocation all the time. Here, we see that when schools invest in their staff (hiring more mental health staff, promoting less teacher turnover), students benefit. The adults in the room really set the tone for youth!
New @JAACAP paper — school #MentalHealth staff buffer negative effect of neighborhood deprivation on student #MentalHealth. Delighted to support this critical work by @tersvar, @MeghanACostello, Henning Tiemeier, & crew! @MGHPsychiatry @HarvardChanSPH
https://t.co/9opiqU1LRQ
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Investing in school mental health staff can have a large impact on youth well-being. Learning at a young age that adults are accessible and care about mental health can fundamentally change students' relationship to seeking mental health care in the future.
In a new @JAACAP study, researchers from @MassGeneralNews and colleagues found that more staff addressing mental health in schools buffers toll of growing up in disadvantaged communities. Read more: https://t.co/VYxVErBHTn
https://t.co/k38RC6vXKJ
@RandiMSchuster @tersvar
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Call for papers: The role of non-clinical providers in expanding equitable access to effective youth #mentalhealth care. Deadline for abstracts is March 3rd, 2025! 📣 https://t.co/eEmYoJ7bOw
@MeghanACostello @RandiMSchuster @SCPdiv12
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Longitudinal research is the key to understanding mental health, but it can pose challenges to youth privacy and autonomy. By adding 7 “silly” questions (think: eye color, birth month, etc.) to routine school screeners, we can link and track symptoms over time - no ID required!
This paper by @MeghanACostello feels particularly important given today’s political climate. Reach out if you are interested in collaborating!
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THIS ⬇️ "We at the American Journal of Public Health have no interest in following the president's prohibitions on language," APHA's Georges Benjamin tells @medpagetoday. "We will publish things under our guidelines, under our ethical principles." https://t.co/aHGJA2Homh 🔥
medpagetoday.com
'We will publish things under our guidelines, under our ethical principles'
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‼️Call for Submissions‼️ Special Issue in @APA_Journals @SCPdiv12 CPSP: "The Role of Non-Clinical Providers in Expanding Equitable Access to Effective Youth Mental Health Care" Give @RandiMSchuster and I lots to read, and email with any questions! https://t.co/BpPLsyD8e7
docs.google.com
Call for Abstracts Special Issue of Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice: The Role of Non-Clinical Providers in Expanding Equitable Access to Effective Youth Mental Health Care Important dates...
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🚨Call for submissions!🚨 We're organizing a special issue on "Behavioral Genetics as a Public Science"🧬🌍 Relevant topics include: -Public outreach and education -(Mis)use and (mis)interpretations of BG research -Ethical, legal, and social issues https://t.co/6izxMacm6U
docs.google.com
Call for Submissions: Behavioral Genetics as a Public Science: Impacts and Implications Journal: Behavior Genetics Aim and Scope: Genetically informed studies of human behavior captivate a broad...
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We learn who we are, how to treat people, and how we expect others will treat us from our close relationships! Being supportive to your teen doesn't just help them in the moment - it may also help them support many others (their friends! their children!) for years to come!
🚨It's here! Our study tracking empathy across 3 generations over 25 years is out in Child Development @SRCDtweets🎉 We observed moms' empathy for teens & teens' empathy for their friends at 13-19, +assessed parenting 10y later. Here's what we found:🧵1/4 https://t.co/KITxFb2f8D
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🚨It's here! Our study tracking empathy across 3 generations over 25 years is out in Child Development @SRCDtweets🎉 We observed moms' empathy for teens & teens' empathy for their friends at 13-19, +assessed parenting 10y later. Here's what we found:🧵1/4 https://t.co/KITxFb2f8D
srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
This study examined the development of empathic care across three generations in a sample of 184 adolescents in the United States (99 female, 85 male; 58% White, 29% African American, 8% mixed...
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Constantly inspired by my lab-sisters and our award-winning mentor! Even as I look at my impending graduation (whoa), I refuse to truly *graduate* from this group of fiercely supportive scientists.
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Adolescents hone their vulnerability based on social contexts! In this study of emotional support between best friends, teens increased self-disclosure when *seeking* support, and decreased self-disclosure when *providing* support. Cheers to my friends, lab, and first diss pub!
🚨New paper led by the fabulous @MeghanACostello in @JoSoPerRel, on the importance of vulnerability & self-disclosure in teens' close friendships. Adolescents with more self-disclosing friends showed ⬆️ vulnerability w/ romantic partners in adulthood. https://t.co/OTGgeeDHaS
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"Substance use in kids is often the smoke, not the fire" - HUGE for the way we think about comorbidities, punishments for drug-related offenses, and treatment planning for young people.
JUST OUT in @JAMAPediatrics! #alcohol, #cannabis, & #nicotine were each linked w/suicidal thoughts & other psych sxs. #SubstanceUse in kids is often the smoke, not the fire...@tervoclemmensb @jorsmo @mk_nock @drkatebentley @MGH_RI @MGHPsychiatry @mgh_cam
https://t.co/3teRQmpwwb
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The ~friends~ who’ve been there for it all. So proud of us!
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The way we treat those who are close to us might matter longer than we think. Learning to have (and resolve) conflict is a crucial part of being a teenager (and person)!
🚨New paper: Teenage experiences of conflict w/ friends + father verbal aggression show unique & compounding effects on romantic aggression 20 years later. Teens need healthy conflict modeled! https://t.co/aXQknTZaWa By Joe Allen @MeghanACostello Corey Pettit, Natasha Bailey @uva
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The kids have it right: their friendships are incredibly important in-the-moment and long-term! Love doing work with friends about friends!
📣New paper: Friendship competence in adolescence has long-term implications for #mentalhealth 20+ years later. More evidence that adults should *encourage* positive peer relationships in the teen years. By Joe Allen @MeghanACostello Amanda Hellwig @UVA
https://t.co/tBGfq8PDVH
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🚨New paper in Child Development Perspectives: "What attachment scholars can learn from research on Black family resilience," with Stephanie Irby Coard @Phd4SIC, Oscar Barbarin @AASD_UMD & Jude Cassidy https://t.co/A97S6OFeyC
@SRCDtweets A total joy working with this team💖
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The goal of my research career is to knit together our understanding *specific* adolescent needs and contexts with our efforts to provide effective prevention and intervention programs - glad to see the field going in this direction.
Researchers from @mghfc and colleagues find a need for tailored vaping cessation approaches for youth, in an @AmerAcadPeds study.
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Our paper on teen-reported barriers to accessing mental health care is now published online! Link to the full-text article from @JAdolesHealth (FREE for 50 days):
‼️Just accepted paper in J. Adolescent Health, by @vmoraringle @jennaysung @caroulston & me: In a mixed-methods study of 211 teens, parents were BY FAR the most common teen-reported barrier to accessing mental health care Parent-centered consent processes can mask youth needs.
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For the science behind this work, see our open access article at @A_J_Comm_Psych! Immense shout-out to our students and facilitators who made this work possible, and the research team for 'walking the walk' of creating a scalable product!
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
This randomized controlled trial examined the impact of The Connection Project, an experiential, relationship-focused intervention designed to improve school belongingness and decrease symptoms of...
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