We investigated gender differences of children and adolescents on positive social and emotional competencies using a new strength-based measure of positive social-emotional attributes and resilience-the Social-Emotional Assets and Resilience Scales (SEARS) cross-informant system. Caregivers, teachers, and students in grades kindergarten through 12 from schools across several U.S. states completed SEARS rating scales and self-report forms. Females were consistently rated as having significantly higher total scores on all versions of the SEARS assessment system (p < .01), indicating consistent perceptions of females' higher levels of social-emotional competencies by all raters. These differences were not impacted by the grade students were in or the gender of the parent or teacher rater. Implications of these findings and future directions are discussed. C 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Youth living with HIV (YLWH) are at risk for depression. Depressive symptoms can impact treatment engagement, health outcomes, and quality of life. Early identification of symptoms can guide treatment planning. This study aimed to identify trends in depressive symptoms for YLWH in a specialty-care clinic and follow-up clinical treatment procedures. An archival review of a clinical database provided depression screening information for a sample of 130 YLWH between 11 and 25 years old in the southeastern United States. Findings indicated that approximately 24% of the sample screened positive for depression-risk. Most commonly endorsed symptoms included fatigue (54.3%) and sleep difficulties (48.5%). Depressive symptoms did not differ significantly by age, gender, race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. Youth who acquired HIV behaviorally were more likely to endorse the critical item (i.e., self-harm and/or suicidal ideation) than youth who acquired HIV perinatally. Forty-percent of the sample (i.e., 51 youth) had a follow-up treatment plan. YLWH who endorsed the critical item were more likely to receive follow-up action when compared to those who did not endorse the item. Despite limitations of the study, findings have important implications for clinical care and future research.

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