Kym R Ahrens
Biographic Data
| ID | 5223230 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Kym R Ahrens |
| GIVEN NAMES | Kym R |
| FAMILY NAME | Ahrens |
| SIGNATURE | AHRENS K R |
| AFFILIATIONS | Seattle Children's Hospital |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-8011-5566 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 18 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 96 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 18 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2008 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
Qualitative exploration of experiences with the adolescent community reinforcement approach with assertive continuing care among youth being released from juvenile incarceration
Gender and Sexual Health-Related Knowledge Gaps and Educational Needs of Parents of Transgender and Non-Binary Youth
Parents can have a substantial impact on adolescent sexual decision-making, but few studies have explored the role of parents in providing sexual health information to transgender and non-binary (TNB) youth, a population that experiences significant sexual and mental health disparities and lower levels of perceived family support compared with other youth. This study aimed to elucidate existing knowledge gaps and content deemed important for a se…
Mental Health Outcomes in Transgender and Nonbinary Youths Receiving Gender-Affirming Care
Importance: Transgender and nonbinary (TNB) youths are disproportionately burdened by poor mental health outcomes owing to decreased social support and increased stigma and discrimination. Although gender-affirming care is associated with decreased long-term adverse mental health outcomes among these youths, less is known about its association with mental health immediately after initiation of care. Objective: To investigate changes in mental hea…
Development and two-phased pilot RCT of a foster/kinship caregiver intervention to improve sexual health communication with youth
Caregiver‐endorsed strategies to improving sexual health outcomes among foster youth
Foster youth are at an increased risk of unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) compared with peers. We conducted 11 semistructured focus groups with 86 foster and kinship caregivers in three child welfare jurisdictions to understand their strategies for monitoring and communicating with youth in foster care around sexual health topics, with the overall goal of developing a training for caregivers to reduce STI and unin…
Talk about Bodies”
Evaluation of reproductive health education in transition-age youth
Foster youth experience increased sexual and reproductive health risks including unintended pregnancy or paternity and sexually transmitted infections compared with other youth. Transition-age foster youth (TAY) experience at least double the rate of pregnancy compared to the general population, yet few researchers have investigated ways to improve the reproductive health of transition-age foster youth. We assessed feasibility and gathered prelim…
Youth and caregiver experiences of gender identity transition
Stakeholder perceptions of barriers and facilitators to sexual health discussions between foster and kinship caregivers and youth in foster care
Caregiver perceived barriers to preventing unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections among youth in foster care
Impacts of media on sexual behaviour and relationships among youth in foster care
Youth in foster care (YFC) are at high risk of negative reproductive and other health outcomes and may be especially vulnerable to negative impacts of media due to early adversity and a lack of stable caregiver relationships. The aim of this project was to explore how access and exposure to media impacts YFC in order to inform future research in this realm and promote resilience in this understudied population. We conducted semistructured intervi…
Adverse childhood experiences among youth aging out of foster care
Youth and Caregiver Perspectives on Barriers to Gender-Affirming Health Care for Transgender Youth
Qualitative evaluation of historical and relational factors influencing pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection risks in foster youth
Pubertal Timing and Adolescent Substance Initiation
We tested 3 competing hypotheses regarding the relation between pubertal timing and substance initiation in adolescence: the early timing, off-time, and stressful change hypotheses. We used longitudinal data from the Developmental Pathways Project (N = 521). Youth reported whether they had ever tried alcohol, tobacco, or marijuana at baseline, and then again at 6-, 12-, 18-, 24-, 36-, and 72-month follow-up interviews. We estimated interval censo…
Qualitative exploration of relationships with important non-parental adults in the lives of youth in foster care
The University of Washington Pediatric Residency Program Experience in Global Health and Community Health and Advocacy
The University of Washington Pediatric Residency Program Experience in Global Health and Community Health and Advocacy embodies essential principles of successful short-term rotations from academic medical centers to resource-limited countries. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association
Youth in Foster Care With Adult Mentors During Adolescence Have Improved Adult Outcomes
OBJECTIVE. The goal of this study was to determine whether youth in foster care with natural mentors during adolescence have improved young adult outcomes. METHODS. We used data from waves I to III of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (1994–2002). Individuals who reported that they had ever been in foster care at wave III were included. Youth were considered mentored when they reported the presence of a nonparental adult mentor…
Qualitative exploration of relationships with important non-parental adults in the lives of youth in foster care
Adverse childhood experiences among youth aging out of foster care
Qualitative evaluation of historical and relational factors influencing pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection risks in foster youth
Caregiver perceived barriers to preventing unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections among youth in foster care
Stakeholder perceptions of barriers and facilitators to sexual health discussions between foster and kinship caregivers and youth in foster care
Talk about Bodies”
Gender and Sexual Health-Related Knowledge Gaps and Educational Needs of Parents of Transgender and Non-Binary Youth
Parents can have a substantial impact on adolescent sexual decision-making, but few studies have explored the role of parents in providing sexual health information to transgender and non-binary (TNB) youth, a population that experiences significant sexual and mental health disparities and lower levels of perceived family support compared with other youth. This study aimed to elucidate existing knowledge gaps and content deemed important for a se…
Caregiver‐endorsed strategies to improving sexual health outcomes among foster youth
Foster youth are at an increased risk of unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) compared with peers. We conducted 11 semistructured focus groups with 86 foster and kinship caregivers in three child welfare jurisdictions to understand their strategies for monitoring and communicating with youth in foster care around sexual health topics, with the overall goal of developing a training for caregivers to reduce STI and unin…
Evaluation of reproductive health education in transition-age youth
Foster youth experience increased sexual and reproductive health risks including unintended pregnancy or paternity and sexually transmitted infections compared with other youth. Transition-age foster youth (TAY) experience at least double the rate of pregnancy compared to the general population, yet few researchers have investigated ways to improve the reproductive health of transition-age foster youth. We assessed feasibility and gathered prelim…
Youth and caregiver experiences of gender identity transition
Development and two-phased pilot RCT of a foster/kinship caregiver intervention to improve sexual health communication with youth
Youth in Foster Care With Adult Mentors During Adolescence Have Improved Adult Outcomes
OBJECTIVE. The goal of this study was to determine whether youth in foster care with natural mentors during adolescence have improved young adult outcomes. METHODS. We used data from waves I to III of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (1994–2002). Individuals who reported that they had ever been in foster care at wave III were included. Youth were considered mentored when they reported the presence of a nonparental adult mentor…
The University of Washington Pediatric Residency Program Experience in Global Health and Community Health and Advocacy
The University of Washington Pediatric Residency Program Experience in Global Health and Community Health and Advocacy embodies essential principles of successful short-term rotations from academic medical centers to resource-limited countries. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association
Qualitative exploration of relationships with important non-parental adults in the lives of youth in foster care
Pubertal Timing and Adolescent Substance Initiation
We tested 3 competing hypotheses regarding the relation between pubertal timing and substance initiation in adolescence: the early timing, off-time, and stressful change hypotheses. We used longitudinal data from the Developmental Pathways Project (N = 521). Youth reported whether they had ever tried alcohol, tobacco, or marijuana at baseline, and then again at 6-, 12-, 18-, 24-, 36-, and 72-month follow-up interviews. We estimated interval censo…
Youth and Caregiver Perspectives on Barriers to Gender-Affirming Health Care for Transgender Youth
Qualitative evaluation of historical and relational factors influencing pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection risks in foster youth
Impacts of media on sexual behaviour and relationships among youth in foster care
Youth in foster care (YFC) are at high risk of negative reproductive and other health outcomes and may be especially vulnerable to negative impacts of media due to early adversity and a lack of stable caregiver relationships. The aim of this project was to explore how access and exposure to media impacts YFC in order to inform future research in this realm and promote resilience in this understudied population. We conducted semistructured intervi…
Adverse childhood experiences among youth aging out of foster care
Youth and caregiver experiences of gender identity transition
Stakeholder perceptions of barriers and facilitators to sexual health discussions between foster and kinship caregivers and youth in foster care
Caregiver perceived barriers to preventing unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections among youth in foster care
Caregiver‐endorsed strategies to improving sexual health outcomes among foster youth
Foster youth are at an increased risk of unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) compared with peers. We conducted 11 semistructured focus groups with 86 foster and kinship caregivers in three child welfare jurisdictions to understand their strategies for monitoring and communicating with youth in foster care around sexual health topics, with the overall goal of developing a training for caregivers to reduce STI and unin…
Talk about Bodies”
Evaluation of reproductive health education in transition-age youth
Foster youth experience increased sexual and reproductive health risks including unintended pregnancy or paternity and sexually transmitted infections compared with other youth. Transition-age foster youth (TAY) experience at least double the rate of pregnancy compared to the general population, yet few researchers have investigated ways to improve the reproductive health of transition-age foster youth. We assessed feasibility and gathered prelim…
Development and two-phased pilot RCT of a foster/kinship caregiver intervention to improve sexual health communication with youth
Mental Health Outcomes in Transgender and Nonbinary Youths Receiving Gender-Affirming Care
Importance: Transgender and nonbinary (TNB) youths are disproportionately burdened by poor mental health outcomes owing to decreased social support and increased stigma and discrimination. Although gender-affirming care is associated with decreased long-term adverse mental health outcomes among these youths, less is known about its association with mental health immediately after initiation of care. Objective: To investigate changes in mental hea…
Gender and Sexual Health-Related Knowledge Gaps and Educational Needs of Parents of Transgender and Non-Binary Youth
Parents can have a substantial impact on adolescent sexual decision-making, but few studies have explored the role of parents in providing sexual health information to transgender and non-binary (TNB) youth, a population that experiences significant sexual and mental health disparities and lower levels of perceived family support compared with other youth. This study aimed to elucidate existing knowledge gaps and content deemed important for a se…
Qualitative exploration of experiences with the adolescent community reinforcement approach with assertive continuing care among youth being released from juvenile incarceration
Psychology (16 works) · Medicine (15 works) · Child Welfare and Adoption (11 works) · Developmental psychology (11 works) · Nursing (11 works) · Qualitative research (10 works) · Foster care (8 works) · Population (8 works) · Sociology (8 works) · Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (7 works)