The impact of inclusive mentoring and identity work on self-efficacy in career advancement and career commitment among underrepresented early-career faculty and post-doctoral fellows.

Objective: Researchers from underrepresented groups leave research positions at a disproportionate rate. We aim to identify factors associated with self-efficacy in career advancement and career commitment among underrepresented post-doctoral fellows and early-career faculty.

Methods: Building Up is a cluster-randomized trial with 25 academic health institutions.

Perseverance and consistency of interest in underrepresented post-doctoral fellows and early-career faculty.

Introduction: Underrepresented researchers face more challenges than their well-represented counterparts. Perseverance and consistency of interest are associated with career success in well-represented physicians. Therefore, we examined associations of perseverance and consistency of interest with Clinical Research Appraisal Inventory (CRAI), science identity, and other factors related to career success among underrepresented post-doctoral fellows and early-career faculty.

The impact of social unrest due to systemic racism on underrepresented post-doctoral fellows and early-career faculty.

Introduction: Social unrest tied to racism negatively impacted half of NIH-funded extramural researchers underrepresented (UR) in science. UR early-career scientists encounter more challenges in their research careers, but the impact of social unrest due to systemic racism in this group is unclear. We used mixed methods to describe the impact of social unrest due to systemic racism on mentoring relationships, research, and psychological well-being in UR post-doctoral fellows and early-career faculty.

Temporal variation in individual social risk factors associated with testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 among veterans in the veterans health administration.

Purpose: Marginalized communities have been disproportionally impacted by SARS-CoV-2. How the associations between social determinants of health and the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection shifted across time is unknown. In this evaluation, we examine individual-level social determinants of health as social risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection across the first 12 months of the pandemic among US Veterans.

Peer specialists deliver cognitive behavioral social skills training compared to social skills training and treatment as usual to veterans with serious mental illness: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Serious mental illness (SMI) affects 4.6% of the American population. While treatments are available, adherence to specific regimens is often suboptimal.

The role of Sociodemographic factors on goal achievement in a community-based diabetes prevention program behavioral lifestyle intervention.

Background: The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) behavioral lifestyle intervention was effective among a diverse sample of adults with prediabetes. Demonstrated effectiveness in translated versions of the DPP lifestyle intervention (such as Group Lifestyle Balance, DPP-GLB) led to widescale usage with national program oversight and reimbursement. However, little is known about the success of these DPP-translation programs across subgroups of sociodemographic factors.

Explaining Service Use and Residential Stability in Supported Housing: Problems, Preferences, Peers.

Background: The behavioral model of health service use identified health needs, service preferences (predispositions), and service availability (enabling factors) as important predictors, but research has not conceptualized consistently each type of influence nor identified their separate effects on use of substance abuse and mental health services or their value in predicting service outcomes.

Objectives: To test hypotheses predicting use of substance abuse and mental health services and residential stability and evaluate peer specialists' impact.

Research Design: Randomized trial of peer support added to standard case management in VA-supported housing program (Housing and Urban Development-VA Supportive Housing program).

Impact of Peer Specialist Services on Residential Stability and Behavioral Health Status Among Formerly Homeless Veterans With Cooccurring Mental Health and Substance Use Conditions.

Objectives: This study tested the impacts of peer specialists on housing stability, substance abuse, and mental health status for previously homeless Veterans with cooccurring mental health issues and substance abuse.

Methods: Veterans living in the US Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Administration Supported Housing (HUD-VASH) program were randomized to peer specialist services that worked independently from HUD-VASH case managers (ie, not part of a case manager/peer specialist dyad) and to treatment as usual that included case management services. Peer specialist services were community-based, using a structured curriculum for recovery with up to 40 weekly sessions.

Health service preferences among veterans in supported housing in relation to needs expressed and services used.

Background: Understanding consumer service preferences is important for recovery-oriented care.

Aims: To test the influence of perceived service needs on importance attached to treatment for alcohol, drug, mental health, and physical health problems and identify the influence of service needs and preferences on service use.

Methods: Formerly homeless dually diagnosed Veterans in supported housing were surveyed in three waves for 1 year, with measures of treatment interests, health problems, social support, clinician-assessed risk of housing loss, and sociodemographics.

Predicting Engagement With Mental Health Peer Specialist Services.

Objective: Peer specialists are individuals with behavioral disorders who complete training to use their experiences to help others with similar disorders. Recent analyses have suggested that greater engagement with peer specialist services is associated with fewer psychiatric symptoms. This study assessed predictors of engagement with peer specialist services.

Peer specialists: Exploring the influence of program structure on their emerging role.

Although peer specialists play an increasing role in mental health service delivery, little is known about the best program structures for maximizing effective service delivery. This study reports on qualitative data from a larger study on peer specialists working with veterans in a Veterans Affairs homelessness program who were dually diagnosed with substance abuse and mental health concerns. Peer specialists were trained to deliver a recovery support program that is carried out weekly over 9 months and includes 20 structured sessions using a workbook and 20 unstructured, individually planned sessions.

Investigating the Degree of Reliable Change Among Persons Assigned to Receive Mental Health Peer Specialist Services.

Objective: Peer specialists are individuals with mental illness and substance use disorders trained to use their experiences to help others with similar disorders. Evidence for the effectiveness of peer specialist services has been mixed in previous randomized trials using intent-to-treat analyses, possibly because of variation in the intensity of treatment delivered. This study, which was part of a larger randomized trial, assessed whether level of peer specialist engagement was associated with reliable positive change on measures of psychiatric symptoms and hope.

Patterns and predictors of engagement in peer support among homeless veterans with mental health conditions and substance use histories.

Objectives: Patterns and predictors of engagement in peer support services were examined among 50 previously homeless veterans with co-occurring mental health conditions and substance use histories receiving services from the Veterans Health Administration supported housing program.

Method: Veteran peer specialists were trained to deliver sessions focusing on mental health and substance use recovery to veterans for an intended 1-hr weekly contact over 9 months. Trajectories of peer engagement over the study's duration are summarized.

Early stages of development of a peer specialist fidelity measure.

Objective: Research on peer specialists (individuals with serious mental illness supporting others with serious mental illness in clinical and other settings) has not yet included the measurement of fidelity. Without measuring fidelity, it is unclear whether the absence of impact in some studies is attributable to ineffective peer specialist services or because the services were not true to the intended role. This article describes the initial development of a peer specialist fidelity measure for 2 content areas: services provided by peer specialists and factors that either support or hamper the performance of those services.

Characteristics and smoking patterns of intermittent smokers.

Current models of smoking and dependence assume a need to smoke at regular intervals to maintain nicotine levels, yet about 25% of adult smokers do not smoke daily. This subset of intermittent smokers (ITS) has gone largely unexamined. In this study, we describe the demographics, smoking history, and smoking behavior of ITS (n = 282; 50.