Enhancing Racial/Ethnic Equity in College Student Mental Health Through Innovative Screening and Treatment

AbstractAlthough college campuses are diversifying rapidly, students of color remain an underserved and understudied group. Online screening and subsequent allocation to treatment represents a pathway to enhancing equity in college student mental health. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate racial/ethnic differences in mental health problems and treatment enrollment within the context of a largescale screening and treatment research initiative on a diverse college campus. The sample was comprised of n = 2090 college students who completed an online mental health screening survey and were offered either free online or face-to-face treatment based on symptom severity as a part of a research study. A series of ordinal, binomial and multinomial logistic regression models were specified to examine racial/ethnic differences in mental health problems, prior treatment receipt, and enrollment in online and face-to-face treatment through the campus-wide research initiative. Racial/ethnic differences in depression, anxiety and suicidality endorsed in the screening survey were identified. Students of color were less likely to have received prior mental health treatment compared to non-Hispanic white students, but were equally likely to enroll in and initiate online and face-to-face treatment offered through the current research initiative. Rates of enrollment in online therapy were comparable to prior studies. Online screening and treatment may be an effective avenue to reaching underserved students of color with mental health needs on college campuses. Digital mental health tools hold significant promise for bridging gaps in care, but efforts to improve uptake and engagement are needed.

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Peer Victimization and Mental Health Problems: Racial-Ethnic Differences in the Buffering Role of Academic Performance

Journal of Youth and Adolescence ◽

10.1007/s10964-021-01483-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Rui Fu ◽

Tracy Evian Waasdorp ◽

Julie A. Randolph ◽

Catherine P. Bradshaw

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Academic Performance ◽

Peer Victimization ◽

Ethnic Differences ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Health Problems ◽

Racial Ethnic

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Identifying as American Indian/Alaska Native in Urban Areas: Implications for Adolescent Behavioral Health and Well-Being

Youth & Society ◽

10.1177/0044118x19840048 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 53 (1) ◽

pp. 54-75 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Ryan A. Brown ◽

Daniel L. Dickerson ◽

David J. Klein ◽

Denis Agniel ◽

Carrie L. Johnson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Identity Development ◽

American Indian ◽

Behavioral Health ◽

Alaska Native ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Well Being ◽

Racial Ethnic ◽

Health And Well Being

American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth exhibit multiple health disparities, including high rates of alcohol and other drug (AOD) use, violence and delinquency, and mental health problems. Approximately 70% of AI/AN youth reside in urban areas, where negative outcomes on behavioral health and well-being are often high. Identity development may be particularly complex in urban settings, where youth may face more fragmented and lower density AI/AN communities, as well as mixed racial-ethnic ancestry and decreased familiarity with AI/AN lifeways. This study examines racial-ethnic and cultural identity among AI/AN adolescents and associations with behavioral health and well-being by analyzing quantitative data collected from a baseline assessment of 185 AI/AN urban adolescents from California who were part of a substance use intervention study. Adolescents who identified as AI/AN on their survey reported better mental health, less alcohol and marijuana use, lower rates of delinquency, and increased happiness and spiritual health.

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Racial/ethnic differences in perceived need for mental health care and disparities in use of care among those with perceived need in 1990–1992 and 2001–2003

Ethnicity and Health ◽

10.1080/13557858.2016.1252834 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 23 (2) ◽

pp. 142-157 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Andrea Ault-Brutus ◽

Margarita Alegria

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Health Care ◽

Mental Health Care ◽

Ethnic Differences ◽

Perceived Need ◽

Racial Ethnic

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Combining online and offline peer support groups in mental health care: A qualitative study of service users� experiences (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.9804 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Monica Strand ◽

Deede Gammon ◽

Lillian Sofie Eng ◽

Cornelia Ruland

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Health Care ◽

Mental Health Care ◽

Peer Support ◽

Support Groups ◽

Local Community ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Service Users ◽

Face To Face ◽

Individual Interviews

BACKGROUND Peer support groups for people with long-term mental health problems are at the heart of recovery-oriented approaches in mental health care. When conducted face-to-face (offline) or on the Internet (online), peer support groups have proven to have differing strengths and weaknesses. Little is known about the benefits and challenges of combining the two formats. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to gain insights into the benefits and challenges of combining online and offline peer support groups facilitated through an Internet intervention designed to support recovery processes. METHODS In this exploratory and descriptive study, an e-recovery portal called ReConnect was used by service users in two mental health communities in Norway for 6-12 months. The portal included an online peer support forum which also facilitated participation in local in-person ReConnect-cafés. Both formats of peer support were facilitated by an employed service user consultant with lived experience of mental health problems and with training in peer support. Qualitative data about service users’ experiences of using the portal were collected through focus groups and individual interviews and inductively analyzed thematically with focus on benefits and challenges of peer support online and offline. RESULTS A total of 14 service users 22-63 years of age with various diagnoses, receiving services at both primary and specialist levels of mental health care participated in three focus groups and 10 individual interviews. Two main themes were identified in the analysis: 1) balancing anonymity and openness, and 2) enabling connectedness. These themes are further illustrated with the subthemes: i) dilemmas of anonymity and confidentiality, ii) towards self-disclosure and openness, iii) new friendships, and iv) networks in the local community. Three of the subthemes mainly describe benefits. Challenges were more implicit and cut across the subthemes. Identified challenges were linked to transitions from anonymity to revealing one’s identity, how to protect confidentiality, or to participation at face-to-face meetings in the local community. CONCLUSIONS Our study suggests that online peer support groups and offline meetings complement each other, and the combination is mainly beneficial to users. The identified benefits appeared to arise from participants’ options of one format or the other, or that they could combine formats in ways that suited their individual values and comfort zones. We also identified challenges related to combination of formats, and both formats require appropriate facilitation of peer support. Combining online formats that enable anonymity, a non-judgmental atmosphere, and 24/7 accessibility regardless of location, with offline formats that foster local, in-person community ties, is a promising concept for facilitating recovery-oriented care, and warrants continued research.

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Expanding social cognitive career theory : academic satisfaction of female students of color in STEM

10.32469/10355/88141 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Chan Jeong Park

Keyword(s):

Ethnic Differences ◽

Students Of Color ◽

Social Cognitive Career Theory ◽

Social Cognitive ◽

Female Students ◽

Career Theory ◽

Academic Satisfaction ◽

Three Samples ◽

Social Cognitive Career ◽

Racial Ethnic

Underrepresentation of women and students of color has been a longstanding issue in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Although the gender gap has narrowed in several STEM fields in recent years, female students, especially those of color, continue to face challenges in thriving in their chosen fields. The present study examined factors that contribute to these students' academic satisfaction, based on the satisfaction model of Social Cognitive Career Theory. Perceived discrimination and proactive personality were selected as an environmental obstacle and a person input in the model, respectively, as they were postulated to be especially relevant to these students. In addition, critical consciousness was included as an additional socio-cognitive variable. Data from 585 female college students of color (Mage = 21.42, SDage = 3.25; nBlack = 174, nLatina = 171, nAsian = 240) were collected through Qualtrics. Multigroup measurement invariance tests and multigroup sing were conducted to examine the racial/ethnic differences in constructs and their interrelationships. The findings showed that the three samples were equivalent at the scalar level and the proposed model fit the data from the three samples well. Significant racial/ethnic differences in several latent means and structural paths were observed. Theoretical, clinical, and institutional implications are discussed in light of the findings. Limitations and future research directions are also discussed.

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Promotion of Mental Health Literacy in Adolescents: A Scoping Review

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18189500 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (18) ◽

pp. 9500

Author(s):

Joana Nobre ◽

Ana Paula Oliveira ◽

Francisco Monteiro ◽

Carlos Sequeira ◽

Carme Ferré-Grau

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Health Literacy ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Classroom Environment ◽

Mental Health Literacy ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Stigma Reduction ◽

Face To Face ◽

School Settings ◽

Good Mental Health

In recent years, there has been an important commitment to the development of programs to promote mental health literacy (MHL) among adolescents, due to the prevalence of mental health problems and the low level of MHL that affects this group. The aim of this study was to map the structure and context of programmes/interventions for promoting MHL among adolescents in school settings. A scoping review was conducted following the guidelines of The Joanna Briggs Institute. We searched for studies on programmes/interventions promoting at least one of the components of MHL of adolescents, written in Portuguese, English or Spanish, published from 2013 to 2020, in MEDLINE, CINAHL Plus with Full Text, SciELO, SCOPUS, OpenGrey, RCAAP and in the article reference lists. This review included 29 articles. The majority of programmes/interventions addressed one or more of the four components of MHL, with the knowledge of mental disorders and stigma reduction components being the most covered; were taught by adolescent’s regular teachers; used face to face interventions; had a height variable duration; used non-validated instruments; were implemented in a classroom environment; and showed statistically significant improvements in adolescent’s MHL levels. More research is needed to implement/construct programmes/interventions promoting adolescents’ MHL concerning knowledge on how to obtain and maintain good mental health.

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Racial/Ethnic Differences in Video Game and Internet use among us Adolescents with Mental Health and Educational Difficulties

Journal of Children and Media ◽

10.1080/17482798.2012.724592 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 6 (4) ◽

pp. 450-468 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Nicholas Carson ◽

Benjamin Lê Cook ◽

Chih-Nan Chen ◽

Margarita Alegria

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Ethnic Differences ◽

Video Game ◽

Internet Use ◽

Racial Ethnic

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MULTIPLE ACCESS POINTS AND LEVELS OF ENTRY (MAPLE): ENSURING CHOICE, ACCESSIBILITY AND EQUITY FOR CBT SERVICES

Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy ◽

10.1017/s1352465800004070 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 28 (4) ◽

pp. 379-391 ◽

Cited By ~ 131

Author(s):

Karina Lovell ◽

David Richards

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Developed Countries ◽

Evidence Base ◽

Health Problems ◽

Behaviour Therapy ◽

Face To Face ◽

Cognitive Behaviour ◽

Traditional Service ◽

Common Mental Health Problems

Mental health problems contribute 23% to the global burden of disease in developed countries (WHO, 1999). In the U.K., recent legislation attempts to address this by modernizing mental health services so that they provide evidence based, accessible and non-discriminatory services for both serious and common mental health problems. Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) has a robust evidence base that fits very well with the thrust of policy. However, CBT's delivery systems are rooted in traditional service models, which pay little attention to the growing evidence base for brief and single-strand treatments over complex or multi-strand interventions. Services characterized by 9-5 working, hourly appointments and face-to-face therapy disenfranchise the majority of people who would benefit from CBT. In this paper we argue that the evidence exists for service protocols that promote equity, accessibility and choice and that CBT services should be organized around multiple levels of entry and service delivery rather than the more usual secondary care referral systems.

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