Browsing by Subject "Mental health"

Now showing 1 - 20 of 101

A healing space : a museum-based workshop for the promotion of psychological wellbeing in college students
(2020-09-03) Cahill Casiano, Iris Anne Xiomara; Ainslie, Ricardo; Rochlen, Aaron; Suizzo, Marie-Anne; Bain, Christina
An increasing number of college and university students are experiencing considerable challenges to their psychological wellbeing, including depressive symptomatology and high levels of perceived stress. The current pilot study addresses the growing need for the promotion of wellbeing in college students through the use an innovative workshop that integrates narrative approaches with therapeutic art-viewing to take treatment out of overburdened campus counseling centers and into an alternative space: campus art galleries and museums. While some extant research has touched on the healing potential of museum-based interventions, there has been little exploration on its use with college students. The current mixed-methods study examined the effects of a four-session workshop designed to help students alter negative life-stories by using engagement with art objects as points of discovery for positive personal narratives. Fifteen participants (n=15) were drawn from a convenience sample of students from the University of Texas at Austin; inclusion criteria included a minimum score of “5” on the PHQ-9, a validated measure of depressive symptom severity. Pre- and posttest measures were collected on primary variables of interest over the course of the workshop, including measures for depressive symptomatology, perceived stress, and level of insight/self-reflection. Paired sample t-tests revealed statistically significant improvements in key variables of interest, while qualitative data gathered during and post treatment revealed several clinically relevant themes to suggest that this innovative, arts-based intervention encouraged positive shifts in personal narratives and bolstered mental wellbeing among participants.
Adult attachment and mental health : the mediation role of emotion regulation
(2018-12) Haner, Morgynn Lynn; Awad, Germine H.; Rude, Stephanie; Ainslie, Ricardo; Benner, Aprile; Hazen-Swann, Nancy
It is well established in the literature that attachment style is related to mental health. However, theory and research suggest that attachment style does not exert its influence on adults’ mental health directly, but rather that it influences mental health due to its influence on a number of mediating variables. The current study tested the hypothesis that emotion regulation mediates the link between adult attachment and mental health. Five hundred and eighty-five college undergraduates completed an online survey consisting of measures of attachment style, rumination, experiential avoidance, perspective taking, distress, and wellbeing. Structural equation models tested hypotheses and perspective taking partially mediated the relationship between attachment anxiety and distress. With replications, these findings suggest promoting adaptive emotion regulation strategies in anxiously attached adults.
Adult Consent Form: Migration & Health Study: Latinos in Austin, Texas
(2018-12) Pinedo, Miguel
This qualitative study explored in-depth how migration-related stressors (e.g., antiimmigration sentiments, deportations) influence the mental health and substance-using behaviors of Latinos in Austin. This is the English version of the adult consent form.
Amanda Veasy Interview
(2022-02-18) Institute for Diversity & Civic Life; Department of Religious Studies
This interview is with Amanda Veasy, co-founder of One Love Longview, a nonprofit resource center for unsheltered, uninsured, and underserved populations. Amanda talks about the rapid rise of her organization as a response to community needs for accessible mental and physical health care. She describes the changes in her religious experiences over time, including being spurred to leave the church over her unwillingness to condemn the LGBTQ+ community. Amanda also talks about her methods of helping effectively by putting the individual’s desires and consent first and about the strength of her value of southern hospitality.
An examination of acculturation, racial identity, perceived discrimination and mental health outcomes among Africans and Afro-Caribbeans in the United States
(2016-08) Awosogba, Olufunke Rachael; Cokley, Kevin O. (Kevin O'Neal), 1969-; Awad, Germine; Bentley-Edwards, Keisha; Sanchez, Delida; Foster, Kevin
In the realm of multicultural psychology, focusing on within-group differences facilitates to a deeper understanding of cultural constructs (Bernal, Cumba-Avilés, & Rodriguez-Quintana, 2014). Despite expanded research on acculturation, racial identity, and perceived discrimination on mental health outcomes among various racial and ethnic minority groups, the theoretical and empirical literature focusing on Black immigrants (i.e., Afro-Caribbeans, recent Africans, and their descendants) is scant. This study examined a conceptual model that describes the relationships among acculturation, enculturation, racial centrality, perceived discrimination, and mental health outcomes (specifically, anxiety and depression) among Africans and Afro-Caribbeans in the United States. Two hundred African and Afro-Caribbean adults across 25 states and territories in the United States participated in this study. Using Qualitrics, an online enterprise data collection and survey software, participants completed informed consent forms, a demographic questionnaire, the Measurement of Acculturation Strategies for People of African Descent (MASPAD), the Racial Centrality subscale of the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity (MIBI), the Perceived Discrimination Scale (PDS), and the Anxiety and Depression subscales of the Mental Health Inventory (MHI). A path analysis was employed to test the fit of the hypothesized model to the data using three widely used fit indices –comparative fit index (CFI), standardized root-mean-square residual (SRMR), and root-mean-square error of approximation (RMSEA). Two (CFI and SRMR) out of the three fit indices suggested adequate to good model fit. The hypothesized path model proposed that acculturation and enculturation would directly affect anxiety and depression, and that racial identity and perceived discrimination would explain the relationship between these cultural adaptation and mental health outcomes variables. Path coefficients were examined for significance to address the hypotheses. All paths in the model were significant accept direct paths from acculturation and enculturation to anxiety and depression. Overall, acculturation and enculturation had significant effects on anxiety and depression, only indirectly through racial centrality and perceived discrimination. Implications for findings are discussed.
Assessing teacher attitudes related to trauma-informed care in three urban high schools
(2018-08) Wendel, Erica Leigh; Cawthon, Stephanie W.; Minne, Elizabeth P; Pustejovky, James; McCarthy, Chris
Increased awareness of the impact and prevalence of trauma among youth has fueled interest in trauma-informed service delivery in diverse settings, especially among schools and school-based mental health centers. Given the substantial mental health risks facing youth populations with high incidences of complex stress and trauma (Perfect et al., 2016), it is imperative to identify interventions that promote resilience, improve access to trauma-sensitive mental health services, and bolster academic outcomes. School personnel, including administrators, teachers, and staff, have frequent and regular contact with youth throughout the school year. The consistent relationship between school personnel and students in the school context makes for an ideal environment to engage in trauma-informed teaching and mental-health care modalities. Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) describes an approach to mental health service that integrates an understanding of the pervasive effects of trauma on youth, with an approach to intervention that addresses associated biopsychosocial factors. TIC programming in schools is a method of intervening with traumatized youth, incorporating multiple systems that impact their lives. While the foundational research on the effectiveness of trauma-informed programs applied to other settings is promising, the evidence-base for trauma-informed programming in schools is in need of further development. More specifically, existing research has defined a direction for future inquiry: the exploration of both system- and individual-level variables as potential mediators of change throughout the TIC program implementation process. Because teachers play a key role in school-based TIC programming, their level of engagement and degree of buy-in are critical to the implementation, efficacy, and sustainability of these programs. In order to better understand the process of implementation of TIC programs in schools, research on teacher beliefs and attitudes toward TIC is needed to inform future TIC programming and evaluation efforts. The purpose of the current study was to examine the attitudes of teachers toward TIC across three urban high schools that participate in a multi-tiered, trauma-informed mental health care intervention. Given the nascent literature base related to correlates and outcomes associated with TIC interventions, this study also aimed to assess the predictive value of teacher characteristics, including perceived self-efficacy and several demographic features, on their attitudes toward TIC. The Attitudes Related to Trauma Informed Care (ARTIC) scale was used to determine whether there are meaningful differences in teacher attitudes within schools across different phases of implementation and tiers of intervention participation in a TIC model of school-based mental health care delivery. Qualitative methods were used to investigate specific contributors to observed differences in attitudes toward TIC among teachers with the relative highest and lowest composite scores on the ARTIC. Results from a series of hierarchical regression models evidenced a significant effect of tier of participation in the intervention in predicting teacher attitudes related to TIC. Findings from the qualitative phase of this study showed that teachers with relatively more favorable attitudes differed from teachers with less favorable attitudes along several important characteristics related to trauma-informed care, including their conceptualizations of factors that influence student success at school, behavior management strategies, and approaches to the teacher-student relationship. Teachers also discussed their involvement with and perceptions of the TIC programming at their respective campuses. The findings presented in this study support the development of an emerging body of evidence that sheds light on the design, implementation, and sustainability of trauma sensitive, school-based mental health care and programs for school-aged youth. The findings also propose important considerations for educators, administrators, and educational policy makers with regard to the practical application of trauma-informed systems of care in schools.
Attrition and body mass index change in pediatric weight management: the predictive value of demographic and mental health variables
(2016-08) Lotz, Elijah John Strong; Keith, Timothy, 1952-; Gray, Jane; Pont, Stephen; Stark, Kevin; Rodriguez, Erin
Child and adolescent obesity has increased dramatically in the last few decades, and remains a pressing health concern in the United States. Responding to the problem of obesity in youth has been a challenge, as body mass index (BMI) change is difficult to attain, and attrition from pediatric weight management programs is often very high. The purpose of the current study was to identify demographic and mental health variables that can predict attrition and BMI change in a pediatric weight management program using multiple linear regression and binary logistic regression. Participants were children and adolescents with obesity 6-18 years of age and their parents living in the central Texas area and participating the a hospital-based multidisciplinary pediatric weight management program. Results provided several significant findings. Rates of attrition from the intervention were similar to findings from prior research. No study variables significantly predicted dropout prior to the third visit. However, parent’s preferred language, taking psychiatric medication at the first visit, and symptoms of inattention were all significant predictors of dropout prior to the fourth visit. In paired-samples t- tests, unstandardized BMI scores increased significantly from first to last visit, while BMI z-scores decreased significantly. Average time between visits significantly predicted unstandardized BMI change and BMI z-score change in this sample. Last visit number was also a significant predictor of unstandardized BMI change. Implications, limitations, and areas of future research are discussed.
The balance of souls : self-making and mental wellness in the lives of ageing black women in Brazil
(2010-05) Henery, Celeste Sian; Vargas, João Helion Costa; Gordon, Edmund T.; Ali, Kamran; Visweswaran, Kamala; Cvetkovich, Ann
The dissertation explores new understandings about the uses of emotional work in the social struggles of racialized people. This project is a case study that analyzes how a singing group of ageing black women organized to improve the mental wellness of women in a low-income, peripheral neighborhood of the city of Belo Horizonte. This grassroots effort was a response to the women’s use of anti-anxiety medication, specifically Valium, and an attempt to attend to the women’s ongoing issues not addressed through the use of pharmaceuticals. The dissertation examines these women’s self-making as a critical window into how the embodied experiences of the interlocking forces of race, class, gender, age and place of residence are lived in the demanding material and psychological conditions of these women’s lives and the nature of the group’s healing work in their life narratives. Through considering these women’s self-making in discourses of madness, geographic landscapes of memory, musicality and performance, the dissertation investigates how the psycho-emotional transformations of these women illuminate the types of therapeutic work beneficial to anti-racist, sexist and age diversified modes of being and collective mobilization in the current social context of Brazil’s re-democratization. It also considers the group’s re-conceptualization of blackness and mental wellness as exemplary of and contributing to the personal and social work of black women’s struggle and praxis. The research methodology includes participant observation, interviews (structured and un-structured), oral histories, documentary photography and archival research conducted during an extended period (sixteen months) of fieldwork in Brazil.
A biosocial perspective on poverty and the early-life origins of mental health : the effects of timing and associated chains of risk
(2012-08) McFarland, Michael Jason; Hayward, Mark D.; Umberson, Debra; Crosnoe, Robert; Mirowsky, John; Paige Harden, Kathryn
The poor disproportionately bear the burden of diminished mental health. Despite the pronounced prevalence of these iniquitous disparities, researchers lack a comprehensive understanding of their origins and also the requisite knowledge to reduce or eliminate them. Past studies have largely focused on adult precursors and trajectories of change but have largely neglected the early-life origins, timing, and consequent chains of risk associated with mental health. This dissertation examines these elements and also considers the early-life origins of mental health in a novel way by integrating sociological-based frameworks with biosocial ones. More specifically, this dissertation examines the sensitive periods and chains of risk by which mental health problems develop or persist over time and provides clues as to when and how poverty exerts its noxious effect on mental health. This dissertation employs two national datasets: the Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development and the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health to assess these issues. Viewed in tandem these datasets span from approximately ages 0 to 30 and provide an especially apropos opportunity to examine the early-life origins of mental health. This dissertation found five particularly important results. First poverty experienced in infancy had lasting effects on awakening cortisol – a marker of hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis functioning. HPA dysregualtion, in turn, is thought to be related to a host of mental health disorders. Second poverty experienced in infancy had a pernicious effect on internalizing and externalizing behaviors in adolescence, net of poverty experienced at other points in time. Third, poverty experienced in adolescence was of particular importance compared to poverty exposure at other ages in shaping mental health in young adulthood. Fourth, poverty experienced during sensitive periods acted as a catalyst that set in motion a number of complex chains of risk that proliferated over time. Fifth there were meaningful gender differences in regards to both timing and chains of risk. Overall, these results underscore the need for both theoretical and empirical models that span from infancy to adulthood
Birthing while Black : a qualitative exploration into the experiences and implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on Black maternal health and care in Texas
(2024-02-07) Wright, Jaylen; Nydegger, Liesl; Pinedo, Miguel (Pinedo Bañuelos); Bartholomew, John; Burse, Nakeitra
Given the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on vulnerable and marginalized communities, it is essential that the unique implications of additional significant life stressors for Black women and birthing communities are carefully considered. These implications include addressing the complex intersectionality of pregnancy, gender, race, and social class and how structural inequalities which existed before the pandemic have been magnified in the COVID-19 era. Guided by an adapted stress process model, Black feminist thought, and the reproductive justice framework, this dissertation sought to qualitatively explore the lived and observed experiences of stress and perinatal care among Black mothers (Study 1; n=35) and maternity care professionals (Study 2; n=29) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Following a qualitative descriptive research design, in‐depth, semi-structured, virtual interviews were conducted with a total of 64 individuals between May and August of 2022. For Study 1, mothers recounted experiences of discrimination stress, trauma, support, and well-being as it related to the stigmas around their pregnancies and evolving motherhood. For Study 2, in addition to providing sentiments that validated the perinatal experiences shared by Black mothers in Study 1, maternity care professionals reflected on their journeys to, challenges of, and outlook for birthwork, including implications for Black maternal health. In addition to prompting dramatic changes to the delivery of maternal healthcare in the United States, findings from this dissertation have highlighted major dimensions of well-being, safety, and respectful maternity care described by Black mothers and care practitioners. Therefore, Future research should continue to center the experiences of Black mothers and include the voices of birthwork professionals around their roles in Black birth justice and maternal health equity.
Breaking the cycle : evidence-based diversion for homeless individuals with mental illness
(2019-09-17) Gray, Bailey Douglas; Springer, David W.; Streeter, Calvin L.
The resources and infrastructure in place to serve our nation’s homeless is spread thin. Issues of capacity, funding, and lack of individualized treatment plans create limited opportunities for individuals to escape their current, often cyclical circumstances. For many, this results in continuous interactions with the justice system and physical-behavioral health systems. This Professional Report seeks to examine the effectiveness of evidence-based diversion strategies used to keep individuals experiencing homelessness from cycling in and out of correctional facilities and unnecessary hospitalization, in both general and psychiatric settings. As a community, we have an ethical and moral responsibility to support homeless individuals suffering with mental illness who may require additional support. This report seeks to determine the most effective way to meet this obligation. Austin is rapidly changing its approach to solving homelessness, which has the potential to increase the number of unsheltered individuals experiencing homelessness, even if only for a brief amount of time. This can in turn lead to negative social determinants of health and an increased need for diversion from crisis settings. Individuals experiencing homelessness are unique—their needs, conditions, and mitigating circumstances are different. In order for successful diversion to take place, Austin must be robust in its approach. This report surveyed diversion strategies used nationwide in order to examine strategies and resources currently available in Austin and Travis County. Although Austin has a strong capacity for diversion, findings show there is room for improvement. Recommendations to improve Austin’s ability to divert homeless individuals with mental illness from unnecessary crisis system interactions include: increased outreach capacity; expansion of the Combined Transportation, Emergency, & Communications Center, Austin’s current central dispatch center; creation of a crisis stabilization unit; and 24/7 availability of Integral Care’s Expanded Mobile Crisis Outreach Team
Childhood adversity and its effects on military members’ health and readiness : the mediating and moderating effects of social support
(2019-05-13) Paine, Christopher Michael; Von Sternberg, Kirk; DiNitto, Diana; Borah, Elisa; Castro, Yessenia; Gerlach, Beth
This cross-sectional study examined (a) the mediating role of several social pathways (i.e., unit cohesion, task cohesion, organizational support, positive and negative perceptions of officer and noncommissioned officer support, and anxiety in experiencing close relationships) on the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and service members’ mental health, and (b) the moderating effect of the aformentioned social support types on ACEs’ effect on service members’ mental health. A secondary analysis of data through structural equation modeling (SEM) and linear regression was conducted using responses from 1,285 active duty Army soldiers (1,137 males and 148 females) from a single brigade combat team (BCT) six months post-deployment. The Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) provided the data. SEM demonstrated that the effects of ACEs on several mental health outcomes were consistently mediated by the perceptions of poor officer and noncommissioned officer leader support and positive officer leader support, and anxiety in experiencing close relationships, but buffered by organizational support. Linear regression analyses also demonstrated that ACE’s effects on various mental health outcomes was positively or negatively moderated by distinct types of military cohesion (e.g., positive and negative officer and noncommissioned officer leadership, organizational support, anxiety in experiencing close relationships) and military cohesion appears to have a more important moderating effect among women than for men (e.g., among women, the effect of ACE on aggressive behavior and PTSD decreased as positive NCO leader support increased; and the effect of ACE on alcohol problems increased as poor NCO leader support increased). These findings broaden knowledge about ACEs as a growing antecedent for mental health problems among service members, elucidate key mechanisms through which ACEs are linked to service members’ mental health risk, and demonstrate that distinct types of vertical cohesion (i.e., organizational and supportive leader support behaviors) appear to be robust health capacity builders and military strength-multipliers.
Children of the Evening
(Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, 1972) Smith, Bert Kruger
Constructing spirit-level interventions for African American women living with HIV
(2012-05) Runnels, Ratonia Cheryl; Pomeroy, Elizabeth Cheney, 1955-
African Americans are disproportionately affected by HIV comprising only 12% of the U.S. population but accounting for nearly 50% of all HIV cases (CDC, 2009). HIV surveillance data estimate that one in 30 Black women will be diagnosed with HIV during their lifetime. For many HIV positive African American women, treatment of HIV infection and the subsequent psychological stress is complicated by lack of resources and competing life priorities. These women also face additional challenges such as fear of disclosure and lack of adequate social support. The complexity of challenges faced by African American women who are HIV positive highlight the need to explore their preferred ways of coping. Studies show that minority women tend to utilize alternative coping strategies when faced with dual mental and physical health challenges. Spirituality has been found to have a direct relationship with cognitive and social functioning and inversely related to HIV symptoms among African American women. Psychosocial interventions are a key component to improved quality of life for women living with HIV and spirit-level interventions are shown to buffer psychosocial distress experienced by HIV positive persons. This dissertation will consist of three publishable quality articles that examine issues associated with the function of spirituality in HIV positive women. This first article will review published spiritually oriented interventions and compare, contrast, and critique the various components, sample, and intervention methods to determine the applicability and replicability of these interventions as a basis for increasing treatment options for co-morbid African American women. The second article will offer a conceptual framework incorporating the health belief model and a discussion of Lazarus & Folkman's stress and coping model to examine theoretical frameworks for integrating spirituality into social work practice interventions for HIV positive women. The third article for this dissertation seeks to contribute new information to the literature on the spirituality in the lives of HIV positive women. This article will present data that identifies, defines, and describes various uses of spirituality as a coping mechanism. The article will also discuss historical factors that influence the use of religion and spirituality among African Americans.
Counselors in Academic Residence : a program evaluation report for the CARE Program
(2017-05) Balsan, Michael Jordan; Pustejovsky, James E.; Borich, Gary D.
Undergraduate students in the United States experience alarmingly high rates of mental health disorders (Blanco et al., 2008). In response to this concerning trend, Colleges and universities are working to establish effective mental health programs (Eisenberg, Hunt, & Speer, 2012). As entering mental health counseling at or near the onset of a disorder is associated with better outcomes and lower life-time disease burden, such programs would benefit from taking an early intervention approach (Gore et al., 2011; Wang et al., 2005). The current study examined whether the Counselors in Academic Residence Program (CARE) can serve as an early intervention for college students’ mental health. The CARE Program has also been considered a possible solution for early intervention with students from populations that tend to under-utilize traditional counseling services (e.g. male, Asian American/ Asian, Hispanic/Latino/a students) (Wong et al., 2014a). The present study includes a secondary data analysis of 2,147 intake records from students in two different mental health programs on a large public university’s campus. Two years of student records from both the CARE Program and a traditional counseling center were analyzed. These records included presenting clinical symptoms and socio-demographics factors. Results suggest the CARE Program captures students with less severe symptoms, which suggests an early intervention effect on student distress. Additionally, the CARE Program served proportionally more students from some of the targeted socio-demographic groups that traditionally underutilize counseling services. This report also offers a logic model of program transactions, inputs, constraints, and outputs for evaluators to consider.
Cultural stress and adaptation : the experience of Venezuelan crisis immigrants in the United States
(2023-07-28) Perazzo, Patrizia; Ainslie, Ricardo C.; Schwartz, Seth; Gulbas, Lauren; Sanchez, Delida; Eddy, Mark
As of August 2022, the United Nations (UN) Refugee Agency confirmed that there are 6.8 million displaced Venezuelans worldwide. This makes Venezuelans the largest group of refugees and crisis migrants worldwide, tying with Ukraine and surpassing Syria for the first time (Alvarez, 2022). Even though the number of Venezuelans in the U.S. continues to grow, their migration and acculturation experiences are not well understood. Once they arrive in the U.S., Venezuelan migrants continue to face challenges and stress, such as adapting to a new culture, language, system, and overall environment, which exacerbates the stress and trauma that this group of migrants brings with them. The present study examined the experiences of Venezuelan crisis immigrant parents. Using an explanatory sequential mixed-method design, the present study was guided by two objectives. The first objective was to quantitatively examine the relationships among cultural stress, cultural adaptation, psychological symptoms (anxiety and depression), and how this relationship is impacted by co-ethnic density and Latino/a density. The second objective was to qualitatively examine how access to cultural elements (such as food, cultural traditions, and customs, support from other Venezuelans, etc.) in their environment may contextualize the relationship between cultural stress and psychological symptoms. Quantitative results indicated that Latino/a density had a marginal moderating effect on the relationship between psychological adaptation and depressive symptoms. Specifically, for participants in neighborhoods with a greater percentage of Latino/a residents, psychological adaptation was less strongly and negatively related to depressive symptoms. Regarding the qualitative results, four themes emerged. One of the most important findings highlighted that the most influential aspect of adaptation is being able to cover basic needs.
Curtain Calls: Puppetry for Seniors
(Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, 1980) Fiske, Pat S.; Spearly, James L.
Developmental timing, type, severity, and chronicity of early adverse childhood experiences : associations with adolescent mental health and behaviors
(2022-11-03) Berendzen, Hannah Michelle; Gershoff, Elizabeth T.
Despite the abundant literature demonstrating the negative consequences of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) across the lifespan, there is little known about the specific nuances in how children experience adversity. Using longitudinal data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, this thesis examined associations between adolescent wellbeing and the various ways in which they experienced ACEs earlier in life. Results indicated that ACEs are related to poor adolescent mental health and negative behaviors. ACEs at age nine had particularly strong associations with negative adolescent outcomes over and above ACEs that occurred at earlier ages. In addition, the impacts of individual ACEs varied according to how they were experienced earlier in life, including the single occurrence, severity, and chronicity of each type of adversity. These results suggest that the developmental timing, type, severity, and chronicity of ACEs are important considerations for both future research and intervention efforts.
Differences and similarities in mental health trajectories between sexual and gender minority youth
(2023-08) Gonzales Real, André; Russell, Stephen Thomas, 1966-; Hwang Han, Sae; Monge, Maria; Lorenzo-Blanco, Elma
LGBT youth experience disproportionate rates of compromised mental health when compared to cisgender heterosexual peers. Experiences of victimization, family acceptance, and disclosure of their sexual or gender minority identity to family members are important factors associated with mental health. Studies have often categorized LGBT identities as only one group, neglecting differences between cisgender sexual minorities (LGB) and transgender gender diverse (TGD) youth. Moreover, there are few longitudinal studies that examine LGBT youth's mental health over time. Data come from a four-wave longitudinal, community-based sample of 661 LGB and TGD youths between the ages of 15–21 at baseline (Mage = 18.53) from two large cities in the United States. This study aims to: (1) elucidate how LGB and TGD youth experiences of positive and negative affect change over time, (2) explore whether family acceptance, and outness to family change, and experiences of victimization accumulate over time, (3) investigate differences in those patterns for LGB or TGD youth, and (4) examine whether cumulative experiences of victimization, family acceptance, and outness to family are associated with positive and negative affect over time. Hierarchical Linear Modeling analyses show both LGB and TGD youth experienced increasing levels of victimization over time, but TGD youth experienced higher levels of victimization and more accumulation of victimization over time. LGB youth had increasing levels of family acceptance over time. Over time, both groups on average were more out to their families. Despite decreasing levels of negative affect over time among LGB and TGD youth, participants also reported slight decreases in self-esteem over time. Additionally, TGD youth reported lower overall positive affect and higher overall negative affect throughout the study. Cumulative experiences of victimization were associated with higher negative and lower positive affect while being out to family and being accepted by family was associated with lower negative and higher positive affect. Implications of this study's findings and future study directions are considered.
Don't forget the late bloomers : hormones predict longitudinal depression in ninth grade girls
(2019-12) Chafkin, Julia Ellen; Josephs, Robert A.
Adolescent girls, who are at elevated risk for the development of depressive symptoms, undergo a number of sweeping changes across multiple internal domains at the same time that they are experiencing the external transition to high school. The underlying ways in which the interaction of biology and environment influence this risk at a time when adolescents are motivated to fit in socially with their peers are important to understand in order to better predict individual risk. Here we hypothesized that two of the hormones that surge near and at puberty, cortisol and estradiol, may be interacting with perceived pubertal development to predict longitudinal risk for depressive symptoms in a group (N=79) of ninth graders from a single high school in Texas. Findings showed that girls with elevated estradiol and cortisol levels, who also reported low pubertal development relative to peers at the start of ninth grade (1 standard deviation below the mean) were at elevated risk of depressive symptoms in the spring of 9th grade (8 month follow-up) and the spring of 10th grade (20 month follow up). These findings highlight the need for more research that incorporates multiple measures of pubertal development in models of psychopathological risk in adolescence.