Mitigating the Stigma of Mental Illness: The Impact of Story-Telling in the Black Community.

Racial/ethnic minorities, including the Black community, experience stigma as a significant barrier to mental health care, with fears of being devalued or discriminated against deterring individuals from seeking help. Racial stigma further exacerbates mental health issues and negatively influences perceptions of service utilization. To address this, our research team partnered with a national non-profit storytelling organization to develop and evaluate a virtual narrative storytelling intervention series that amplifies the voices and experiences of Black Americans living with mental illness and addiction.

Test Validity of a Single-Item Food Insecurity Screening Assessment Among College Students.

Purpose: Given the high prevalence of food insecurity among college students, there is an interest in identifying whether the use of a single item can adequately screen for food insecurity. The current study aimed to determine the validity of a single-item food insecurity screening question among college students.

Design: Cross-sectional study exploring food insecurity among racial and ethnic undergraduate college students.

Exploring differences in perceived barriers and facilitators to COVID-19 vaccine uptake and testing intention by vaccination status and testing hesitancy among rural Latino communities in Southwest Florida.

Background: Identifying factors impacting vaccination and testing for COVID-19 is crucial to reduce health disparities, especially for rural/agricultural, low access and high poverty Latino communities disproportionately affected by the pandemic. This study examined differences in perceived barriers and facilitators (such as values, beliefs, and concerns) to COVID-19 vaccine uptake and testing intention by vaccination status and testing hesitancy among rural Latino community members in Southwest Florida.

Methods: Rural Latino community members ( = 493) completed a cross-sectional survey in Spanish (86.

Perceived self- and social stigma among campus-based food pantry users.

A critical public health issue facing many universities is food insecurity. Food insecurity has been associated with many academic, physical, and mental health issues. Although the number of campus-based food pantries has grown exponentially, self-, and social stigma have been associated with low rates of utilization.

Multi-Level Determinants of Food Insecurity among Racially and Ethnically Diverse College Students.

Compared with the general population, the prevalence of food insecurity (FI) is higher among college students. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated FI disparities and highlighted the need for further research to better understand and address FI in this population. Although race and ethnicity are two of the strongest predictors of FI among college students, little research is available on the determinants of FI among racial/ethnic minority college students.

Music Engagement and Episodic Memory Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults: A National Longitudinal Analysis.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to examine associations between music engagement and episodic memory for more than 12 years in a nationally representative sample of middle- and older-aged adults in the United States.

Methods: This study is based on a secondary analysis of data from a sample (N = 5,021) of cognitively normal adults from the Health and Retirement Study (2006-2018). Episodic memory was measured by immediate and delayed recall tasks.

The Impact of a Culturally Meaningful Storytelling Intervention on Stigma and Attitudes About Mental Health Treatment.

The fear of being devalued or discriminated against is a salient deterrent to seeking mental health care, especially in communities of color where racial stigma also impacts mental health and perceptions of service utilization. To address this issue, our research team partnered with This Is My Brave Inc to develop and evaluate a virtual storytelling intervention to highlight and amplify the voices of Black and Brown Americans living with mental illness and/or addiction. We utilized a pretest-posttest survey design administered electronically to viewers of the series ( n = 100 Black, indigenous, people of color and n = 144 non-Hispanic White).

Centering Culture in Mental Health: Differences in Diagnosis, Treatment, and Access to Care Among Older People of Color.

Mental healthcare disparities are routinely documented, yet they remain wider than in most other areas of healthcare services and common mental disorders (depression and anxiety) continue to be one of the highest health burdens for older people of color. To address disparities in mental health services for older people of color, the narrative must move beyond simply documenting these inequities and attain a better understanding of the internalized, interpersonal, systemic, and medical racism that have harmed these communities and excluded them from its services in the first place. It is imperative that researchers, clinicians, and policymakers acknowledge the realities of racism and discrimination as leading causes of mental healthcare disparities.

A Pilot Study of Brief, Stepped Behavioral Activation for Primary Care Patients with Depressive Symptoms.

In a prior pilot study with primary care patients experiencing depressive symptoms, we observed positive outcomes for a behavioral activation protocol involving one visit and three calls. We aimed to pilot test a stepped version with flexible numbers of contacts. Fifteen primary care patients scoring 5-14 on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 engaged in the three-tiered telephone-based intervention: (1) two calls (15-20 min each); (2) one 30-60 min encounter followed by two calls; and (3) one to six calls.

The Influence of Health Literacy and Social Support on Loneliness Among Patients With Severe Mental Illness in Rural Southwest China.

Loneliness is an important risk factor for poor health outcomes among adults, especially among those with severe mental illnesses (SMIs). Existing research has shown that adults with SMIs often lack health literacy, which contributes to more restricted social networks and low levels of social support. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to examine the influence of health literacy and social support on the loneliness of patients with SMI in rural Southwest China.

Enhancing care transitions intervention with peer support to improve outcomes among older adults with co-occurring clinical depression: a pilot study.

The Care Transitions Intervention (CTI) is an evidence-based intervention aimed at supporting the transition from hospital back to the community for patients to ultimately reduce preventable re-hospitalization. In a pilot randomized controlled trial, we examined the preliminary effectiveness of an Enhanced Care Transitions Intervention (ECTI), CTI with the addition of peer support, for a racially/ethnically diverse sample of older adults (age 60+) with co-morbid major depression. We observed a significant decline in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) after being discharged from the hospital among those who received CTI.

Health care Affordability and Associated Concerns Among Adults Aged 65 and above in Florida.

Objective: This study assessed affordability of care in a diverse sample of Floridians aged ≥ 65 to ascertain concerns about health care costs.

Methods: We surveyed 170 adults (40.6% white, 27.

Screening and Priority-Setting to Determine Home- and Community-Based Aging Services for Older Floridians.

The National Aging Network serves millions of older Americans seeking home- and community-based services, but places others on waitlists due to limited resources. Little is known about how states determine service delivery and waitlists. We therefore conducted a process evaluation and analyzed data from one five-county Area Agency on Aging in Florida, where an algorithm calculates clients' priority scores for service delivery.

Social support and quality of life among rural family caregivers of persons with severe mental illness in Sichuan Province, China: mediating roles of care burden and loneliness.

Objective: To explore the relationship between social support and quality of life (QoL) among family caregivers of persons with severe mental illness (SMI) and examine the mediating roles of care burden and loneliness.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out between December 2017 and May 2018. A random sample of 256 family caregivers of persons with SMI in rural areas of Sichuan Province, China was recruited for participation.

The Strong Black Woman versus Mental Health Utilization: A Qualitative Study.

Recent investigations have elucidated the influence of the strong Black woman (SBW) ideal on the mental health and treatment-seeking behaviors of Black women in the United States. However, factors related to how the SBW ideal affects Black women's positive and negative attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help have yet to be identified. The current study fills this void in the literature through a qualitative examination of how the SBW ideal affects Black women's mental health utilization.

Challenging the Stigma of Mental Illness Through Creative Storytelling: A Randomized Controlled Trial of This Is My Brave.

This Is My Brave (TIMB) is a contact-based mental illness stigma reduction program set in theaters. A randomized controlled trial of TIMB, compared the effect of TIMB videos to a comparison and control condition video. Pre- and post-surveys (153 adults) assessed mental illness stigma, beliefs about recovery and empowerment, and willingness to seek treatment.

Longitudinal Analysis of Mortality for Older Adults Receiving or Waiting for Aging Network Services.

Objectives: For older adults screened by an Area Agency on Aging (AAA) in the National Aging Network, we aimed to examine the 12-month mortality rate for wait-listed callers compared with those who received services within 12 months, and to assess whether the mortality rate differed according to how quickly they received services.

Design: The design was a longitudinal analysis of 3 years of AAA administrative data, using survival analysis.

Setting: The data source was administrative data from an AAA spanning a five-county region in west central Florida.

Individual and Organizational Factors Associated With Hospital Readmission Rates: Evidence From a U.S. National Sample.

Hospital readmission rate is an important indicator for assessing quality of care in the acute and postacute settings. Identifying factors that increase risk for hospital readmissions can aid in the recognition of potential targets for quality improvement efforts. The main objective of this brief report was to examine the factors that predict increased risk of 30-day readmissions.

Effects of in-person and telephone-based cognitive behavioral therapies on health services use and expenditures among African-American dementia caregivers with depressive symptoms.

To compare the effects of telephone-based and in-person cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) on health services use and expenditures among African-American dementia caregivers (CGs) with depressive symptoms. We analyzed data collected from 109 caregivers in a randomized controlled trial comparing the effects of telephone-based and in-person CBT on health services use and costs. Study participants were assigned randomly to either telephone or in-person CBT.

Factors associated with the choice of primary care facilities for initial treatment among rural and urban residents in Southwestern China.

Objective: To explore influential factors contributing to the choice of primary care facilities (PCFs) for the initial treatment among rural and urban residents in Southwestern China.

Methods: A face-to-face survey was conducted on a multistage stratified random sample of 456 rural and 459 urban residents in Sichuan Province from January to August in 2014. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data on residents' characteristics, provider of initial treatment and principal reason for the choice.

Factors associated with willingness to enter long-term care facilities among older adults in Chengdu, China.

Objective: To describe Chinese older adults' willingness to enter long-term care facilities and to examine individual factors associated with the willingness of using this growing model of long-term care in China.

Methods: A cross-sectional study involving a random sample of 670 adults aged 60+ in the Hezuo community in Chengdu, China in 2016. Respondents were interviewed by trained staff on socio-demographics, health status, quality of life, social support, and willingness to enter long-term care facilities.

Peer Education: Productive Engagement for Older African Americans in Recovery From Depression.

Background And Objectives: Older adults who have personal experience with the mental health service delivery system gain unique and potentially valuable insight from their treatment experiences. Research suggests that incorporating trained individuals in recovery from a mental illness (i.e.

Cross-sectional study of factors associated with community health centre use in a recently urbanised community in Chengdu, China.

Objectives: Public investment in community health centres (CHCs) has been increasing as a response to rapid urbanisation in China. The objectives of this study were: (1) to examine factors associated with CHC use among residents from a recently urbanised community in western China and (2) to describe satisfaction with CHC among users.

Design: Cross-sectional design.

The Reduction of Public and Internalized Stigma in Late-Life Depression: A Pilot Study.

Innovative strategies are needed to reduce the impact of stigma as a barrier to mental health services for older adults living with a mental illness. The purpose of this brief report was to examine the impact of a 3-month peer educator (PE) intervention on stigma reduction in a sample of depressed older adults. PEs are individuals of similar age, and racial and socioeconomic backgrounds who have been previously treated for depression, and are trained to provide support and education to depressed individuals within their community.