Associations between sexual health concerns and mental health symptoms among African American and European American women veterans who have experienced interpersonal trauma

2016 ◽  
Vol 100 ◽  
pp. 37-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robyn L. Gobin ◽  
Carolyn B. Allard
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
African American ◽  
Sexual Health ◽  
Women Veterans ◽  
Interpersonal Trauma ◽  
European American ◽  
Mental Health Symptoms ◽  
Health Symptoms ◽  
Health Concerns ◽  
American Women

Gender as a Moderator of the Relation between Race-Related Stress and Mental Health Symptoms for African Americans

2009 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 295-307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tawanda M. Greer ◽  
Adrian Laseter ◽  
David Asiamah
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
African American ◽  
African American Women ◽  
African American Men ◽  
Mental Health Symptoms ◽  
Health Symptoms ◽  
American Women ◽  
Stress Appraisals ◽  
Related Stress ◽  
Race Related Stress

The present study tested gender as a moderator of the relationship between race-related stress and mental health symptoms among African American adults. Because African American women are exposed to stressors associated with race and gender, we hypothesized that African American women would have higher levels of race-related stress and more severe mental health outcomes related to experiences of race-related stress compared to African American men. Multivariate analyses revealed that African American men had higher stress appraisals for institutional racism than did women. No significant gender differences were found for cultural and individual racism. Moderated regression analyses revealed that increases in stress appraisals for individual racism were associated with increases in anxiety and obsessive-compulsive symptoms for African American women. Race-related stress had no significant effects on mental health symptoms for African American men. The findings suggest that gender is an important factor in determining the impact of race-related stress on mental health.

scholarly journals Stages of change as a correlate of mental health symptoms in abused, low-income African American women

2006 ◽  
Vol 62 (12) ◽  
pp. 1531-1543 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiffany A. Edwards ◽  
Debra Houry ◽  
Robin S. Kemball ◽  
Sharon E. Harp ◽  
Louise-Anne McNutt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
African American ◽  
African American Women ◽  
Stages Of Change ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Mental Health Symptoms ◽  
Health Symptoms ◽  
American Women

Mental Health Symptoms, Quality of Life and Barriers to Accessing Health Care in Sickle Cell Disease

Blood ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 118 (21) ◽  
pp. 337-337
Author(s):  
Marsha J Treadwell ◽  
Fernando Barreda ◽  
Kimberly Major ◽  
Valentino Walker ◽  
Wanda Payton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
African American ◽  
Pediatric Patients ◽  
Cell Disease ◽  
Mental Health Symptoms ◽  
Health Symptoms ◽  
Hemoglobin Type

Abstract Abstract 337 Background: Individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD) face a number of barriers as they attempt to access timely and appropriate health care. We previously reported that adult and pediatric patients with SCD differed on some barriers reported, with adults citing more barriers related to insurance and provider knowledge and attitudes. Patients' emotional status, including worry, frustration and anger, were also reported barriers to accessing health care. However, there has been limited research formally assessing mental health symptoms as potential barriers to accessing health care in SCD. Objective: To investigate the relation between mental health symptoms, quality of life and reported barriers to accessing healthcare. We hypothesized that 1) mental health symptoms would be predictive of reported barriers, for adults with SCD compared with children, and 2) quality of life would be inversely related to the number of reported barriers, for adults and children. Methods: 112 patients with SCD were enrolled in a cross sectional study. Pediatric patients and their parents, and adults with SCD completed screening measures of depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 or Children's Depression Inventory) and anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder- 7 or Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children-10) and were categorized with no, mild, moderate or severe symptoms. They also completed quality of life measures (SF 36v2® or PedsQL®) and a validated checklist of barriers to accessing healthcare for SCD. Results: Participants were 35 children (M age 9.5, 1– 17 years) and their parents, and 77 adults (M age 31.2, 18 – 68 years); 53% female; 75% African American; 71% diagnosed with Hgb SS. Sixty one percent of adults reported moderate to severe depressive symptoms, compared with 4% of children (p <.001). Thirty-six percent of adults reported moderate to severe symptoms of anxiety, compared with 12% of children (p <.05). Adults reported significantly worse quality of life in the Physical (M =53.0, SD =23.7) and Mental Health (M =49.4, SD =23.2) domains compared with children (Physical M =65.6, SD =21.4, p <.05 and Mental Health M =66.0, SD =17.9, p <.01). In regression analyses, we found that, with gender and hemoglobin type controlled for, depression was predictive of number of barriers faced for adult (R2 =.27, β = 3.57 ±.88, n = 74) but not pediatric patients (R2 =.26, β = 5.68 ± 2.54, n = 26). Anxiety was predictive of number of barriers faced for adults (R2 =.28, β = 3.99 ±.94, n = 75) but not pediatric patients (R2 =.13, β = 2.13 ± 1.96, n = 26). Greater number of barriers faced was predictive of worse quality of life in the Mental Health domain for both adults and pediatrics, controlling for gender and hemoglobin type (R2 =.19, β = −.98 ±.26, n = 73 for adults and R2 =.28, β = −1.06 ±.36, n = 33 for pediatrics). In the Physical domain, greater number of barriers faced was predictive of worse quality of life for adults but not pediatrics, controlling for gender and hemoglobin type (R2 =.18, β = −.97 ±.26, n = 73 for adults and R2 =.15, β = −1.03 ±.46, n = 33 for pediatrics). Conclusion: Adults with SCD reported a higher prevalence of moderate to severe symptoms of depression and anxiety, compared with children with SCD and the general African American population. Mental health symptoms were predictive of difficulties with accessing health care for adult more so than pediatric patients. There is an urgent need to address barriers to health care for patients with SCD; to prevent morbidity in pediatrics that may contribute to impaired quality of life in adulthood; and to improve mental health services available to adults in particular. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Moral Injury as a Mediator of the Associations Between Sexual Harassment and Mental Health Symptoms and Substance Use Among Women Veterans

2021 ◽  
pp. 088626052098548
Author(s):  
Hannah C. Hamrick ◽  
Sarah J. Ehlke ◽  
Rachel L. Davies ◽  
Jennise M. Higgins ◽  
Jennifer Naylor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Sexual Harassment ◽  
Military Service ◽  
Women Veterans ◽  
Moral Injury ◽  
Health Providers ◽  
Mental Health Symptoms ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Health Symptoms ◽  
Military Members

Moral injury is an array of symptoms theorized to develop in response to morally injurious events, defined as events that challenge one’s core moral beliefs and expectations about the self, others, and world. Recent measures of moral injury have distinguished self-directed moral injury (e.g., moral injury symptoms that emerge following the perpetration of morally injurious events) from other-directed moral injury, the symptoms of which are believed to stem from one’s response to actions that others have committed (e.g., within-rank violence, failures of leadership, and acts of betrayal committed by trusted others or institutions). Using a convenience sample of 154 primarily former military women, the present study examined if other-directed moral injury symptoms (e.g., anger, betrayal, and mistrust) associated with military experience would mediate the association between military sexual harassment and mental health and substance abuse symptoms. Results demonstrated that 85.8% ( n = 127) of the of this sample of women veterans reported experiencing sexual harassment during their military service. Using a single mediation model, we further demonstrated that other-directed moral injury mediated the association between sexual harassment experience and mental health symptoms. Given the percentage of women veterans who reported sexual harassment, these results suggest that additional training for military members, and particularly, military leaders, is necessary to begin to reduce sexual harassment. In addition, mental health providers who work with current and former military members should consider how other-directed moral injury may be associated with mental health symptoms among women veterans who have experienced sexual harassment while in the military.

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