Racial and Ethnic Differences in Use of State-Operated Inpatient Substance Abuse Services, 2004-2005 Versus 2010-2011.

Objective: This study examined ethnic-racial differences in referral source, length of stay, legal status, and diagnosis in state-operated substance abuse inpatient treatment in Connecticut.

Methods: Data from 2004-2005 (N=1,484) and from 2010-2011 (N=4,529) were investigated with regression analyses.

Results: At both time points, African Americans were more likely than other groups to be referred by criminal justice sources, Hispanics were more likely than whites to be referred by other sources, and whites were more likely than African Americans to have emergency-crisis admissions; length of stay was shorter for Hispanics than for whites and longer for African Americans than for whites and Hispanics; and Hispanics were less likely than other groups to have an alcohol use disorder, more likely than other groups to have a drug use disorder, and more likely than whites to receive a discharge diagnosis of a personality disorder from cluster B.

An Evaluation of Racial and Ethnic Health Differences in State Mental Health Inpatient Services: 2002-2005 Versus 2010-2011.

This study analyzed racial-ethnic differences previously documented in the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services mental health inpatient system across two time periods (2002-2005 and 2010-2011). Comparisons of logistic regression analyses from the two time periods showed that, at time 1, significant racial-ethnic differences were found for referral by other sources (e.g.

Learning from those we serve: Piloting a culture competence intervention co-developed by university faculty and persons in recovery.

Objective: This article describes the development and piloting of a bilevel intervention codeveloped by persons in recovery from mental illness and addiction and university faculty with expertise in cultural competence to improve the cultural competence of a community mental health center in the northeastern United States.

Method: Two faculty and 5 persons in recovery met for 6 months to develop the bilevel training intervention. They discussed experiences of culturally responsive care and developed experiential activities and case examples for the 2-day training.

Relationship self-efficacy protects against mental health problems among women in bidirectionally aggressive intimate relationships with men.

Research examining predictors or correlates of mental health problems among women who experience or use aggression in intimate relationships typically assesses factors that confer risk. Such research has primarily examined intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization or aggression frequency or severity as central risk factors for mental health problems. In the general population, one factor demonstrating a protective effect on mental health problems is self-efficacy.

Preventive counseling for chronic disease: missed opportunities in a community mental health center.

Background: The tremendous burden of cardiovascular risk among persons with serious mental illness underscores a critical need for prevention. Counseling by primary care clinicians increases patient smoking cessation, physical activity, and the consumption of fruits and vegetables. The extent to which community mental health clinicians counsel about cardiovascular risk factors has not been reported.

LONGITUDINAL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN NEIGHBORING BEHAVIOR AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS IN HISPANIC OLDER ADULTS IN MIAMI, FLORIDA.

This study examines the relationship between neighboring behavior and depressive symptoms across 3 years in a prospective study of 273 community-dwelling, Hispanic older adults in Miami, Florida. The analyses extend the literature by testing for a bidirectional or reciprocal relationship between neighboring behavior and depressive symptoms over time and examining the relationship between these variables in Hispanic older adults, a group at risk of developing depressive symptoms. Structural Equation Modeling with a cross-lagged panel design showed that depressive symptoms were unrelated to subsequent neighboring behavior.

The relationship of neighborhood climate to perceived social support and mental health in older Hispanic immigrants in Miami, Florida.

Objective: This study examines the relationship of neighborhood climate (i.e., neighborhood social environment) to perceived social support and mental health outcomes in older Hispanic immigrants.

The relationship between social support and psychological distress among Hispanic elders in Miami, Florida.

This study compared 5 psychological models of the relationship between social support (SS) and behavioral health. These theoretical models, which have garnered some level of prior empirical support, were as follows: (a) main effects, (b) buffering effects, (c) social exchange, (d) equity, and (e) protective health outcomes of providing SS. A population-based sample of 273 community-dwelling Hispanic elders drawn from East Little Havana, Florida (ages 70-100 years old; 86% Cuban) completed self-report measures of SS, financial strain, and psychological distress (PD).