American Journal of Orthopsychiatry最新文献

For youth involved in foster care, maltreatment poses enormous challenges to healthy development. The involvement of kin and fictive kin in children's lives has been shown to be a protective factor following maltreatment and may therefore aid in youth's strength development. The present study investigated the association between kin and fictive kin involvement and longitudinal strengths development among youth in foster care (N = 300). We then examined whether any deleterious relationship between maltreatment and strengths development is buffered by kin and fictive kin involvement. Using the child and adolescent needs and strengths measure, youth strengths were categorized into four domains: community involvement (i.e., spiritual/religious, talents/interests, community life), psychosocial (i.e., optimism, coping/savoring, interpersonal), relationships (i.e., family, relationship permanence), and educational setting. Using multilevel modeling to estimate and predict strengths trajectories, results showed that kin and fictive kin involvement was associated gains in relationship and community involvement strengths. After adjusting for possible false discoveries, maltreatment was not associated with strengths trajectories, nor was the interaction between maltreatment and kin and fictive kin involvement. These results indicate that kin and fictive kin involvement may not just play a role in preventing negative outcomes but may also play a vital role in supporting youth thriving. These results further support efforts to find, engage, and support kin and fictive kin, so that their importance in children's development is realized. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

We investigated whether effects of an 8-week mindfulness training (Mindfulness Institute for Emerging Adults), known to result in changes in mindfulness, well-being, and mental health, would carry over into changes in compassion and then into changes in prosociality (a cascade effect). A total of 190 college students were randomly assigned to either the intervention group (n = 93) or a waitlist control group (n = 97). The intervention was conducted online, via Zoom. Measures were completed pre-, mid-, and postintervention; principal component analysis of the surveys suggested the presence of four components, associated with measures of (a) mental health, (b) well-being, (c) compassion, and (d) lack of prejudice. We found larger beneficial change across time in mental health, well-being, and compassion for the mindfulness intervention group compared to the waitlist control; the benefits did not extend to measures related to prejudice. These benefits of the intervention were already evident at midpoint and further increased until posttest. There was no support for a cascade effect: Changes in mental health and well-being were coupled, but changes in compassion were not predicted by changes in any of the other variables. For the composites that showed effects, those who initially scored lowest benefitted the most. The results suggest that a standard mindfulness training not only benefits mental health and well-being but also impacts compassion, the latter through mechanisms that are currently unclear. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

What is the role of contemplative practices in the movement toward a more "just" criminal legal system? Over the past 8 years, we have explored this question through parallel lines of research and practice with police officers and incarcerated individuals who, despite very different relationships to this system, are all traumatized by an unjust system that erodes the humanity of all those connected to it. This article integrates our perspectives and critical reflections on this work with qualitative data from three groups we have engaged as research participants and community advisors. First, we share excerpts from semistructured interviews with police officers suggesting that an overemphasis on individual resilience and well-being may limit the extent to which mindfulness practices lead to interpersonal benefits or raise critical awareness of officers' role in an unjust criminal legal system. Second, we share perspectives from community advisors on how future research and training with police officers can be more responsive to community concerns and priorities. Third, after sharing reflections on offering mindfulness practices in prisons, we summarize recommendations from an advisory board of formerly incarcerated individuals on how mindfulness can best support community reentry. To advance justice through contemplative practice and research, our experiences suggest we must be explicit about the ethical framework in which mindfulness practices are offered; bring these practices to individuals and organizations with the capability to influence systems change; and foreground shared humanity above perceived differences for individuals with very different relationships to the criminal legal system. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Colleges and universities are increasingly common contexts in which young people navigate the transition to adulthood. Research suggests that mindfulness and compassion may support undergraduates as they navigate this developmental transition. Embedding learning about mindfulness, compassion, and flourishing into college curricula demonstrates promise in supporting undergraduate wellness and academic outcomes. However, there is a need to generate curricula that are relevant to the lived realities of undergraduates and attentive to relational dimensions of wellness, including social justice and systemic determinants of health. Codesign holds promise as a method to generate such curricula. This study used qualitative methods to examine the codesign of an accredited college-level course that teaches about the interrelationship between mindfulness, compassion, human flourishing, and social justice. Qualitative data that emerged during the codesign process were analyzed to answer the following research questions: (1) How did mindfulness and compassion practice support the codesign process? (2) What design tensions emerged during the adaptation and collaborative design of a social justice-oriented mindfulness and compassion-based course? We found that weaving shared mindfulness and compassion practice into the codesign process supported study participants in working with their emotions, connecting with others, and balancing power. In turn, these skills allowed codesign team to effectively grapple with complex design tensions that arose on the levels of vision, approach, and project tensions as the team sought to fulfill its commitments to individual and collective transformation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Inclusive research is needed to understand how contemplative practices are used by people of diverse identities. Metta meditation-also known as loving-kindness meditation-may be particularly relevant for people committed to equity and justice because of the social nature of the practice. Using community-based participatory research and an intersectional framework, we assessed how people in a diverse meditation community teach and practice metta meditation. In partnership between university researchers and a community-based meditation center, we conducted virtual focus groups on experiences with metta meditation during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. We used reflexive thematic analysis to analyze focus group data, with a member checking process to include participant feedback. Forty-seven people participated in six focus groups (M_age = 47; 62% lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex or asexual; 23% Asian, 19% Black, 13% Hispanic/Latina/o, 32% White, 24% multiracial). Qualitative analysis identified three central themes: (1) the importance of a community of practice for creating a sense of belonging (including during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic); (2) the benefits of metta practice for cultivating compassion and equanimity; and (3) the use of metta practice to cope with harmful situations, including individual-level stressors and structural oppression. Metta meditation supported participants in navigating stressors and injustice. Community-based spaces designed to cultivate belonging among diverse communities can support people to connect contemplative practice with their efforts for social change. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Although Black women face disproportionately high rates of gun violence and incarceration loss, there is a scarcity of culturally relevant interventions for this population. The aims of this study were to (a) examine the need for a culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and evidence-based grief intervention and to (b) identify key program components and considerations. Using a community-based participatory research framework, co-collaborators interviewed and surveyed 13 Black women who experienced gun violence and/or incarceration loss. Thematic analysis of interview data confirmed a need for this type of intervention due to the traumatic impact of losing a loved one, the inadequacy of available resources, and the personal and communal importance of addressing their grief. Critical intervention components included relationships and social support, help in "moving beyond" the experience, opportunities for emotional expression and validation, acknowledgment of spirituality and self-care, personal freedom in the grieving process, and addressing "underlying issues." The participants also completed a survey with 24 proposed intervention activities. The 22 they identified as "very important" largely corresponded with interview codes. Barriers to treatment included judgment and invalidation, lack of trust, disinterest, feeling stuck, mental health stigma, and lack of knowledge. Opinions about combining women with different types of loss in the same group and the importance of the group developers' lived experience were mixed. Overall, our findings support the need for culturally relevant, trauma-informed interventions in this population and provide a foundation for developing such an intervention. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Poor psychological health has been consistently documented for sexually minoritized women. However, little is known about the association between poor psychological health and physical health. This study examined associations between psychological distress and cardiometabolic health, including cardiovascular disease risk conditions (hypertension, high cholesterol, and diabetes) and diagnoses (stroke, coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, and angina), by sexual identity among women. Data are from the 2013-2018 National Health Interview Survey and included 102,279 women, who were straight (n = 97,909), lesbian/gay (n = 1,424), bisexual (n = 1,235), something else (n = 360), did not know (n = 712), and refused to disclose (n = 639). Multivariable multinomial logistic regression models were fit to estimate associations between psychological distress (measured with Kessler-6) and cardiometabolic health (self-reported diagnosis) and to examine sexual-identity differences in these associations. Covariates included sociodemographic characteristics. Overall, severe psychological distress was associated with significantly higher odds of having a cardiometabolic health condition (OR = 2.66). These associations generally did not statistically significantly differ based on sexual identity. However, potential substantive differences in the magnitude of the association existed among lesbian/gay (OR = 4.00) compared to straight women (OR = 2.73). Moreover, women who identified as gay/lesbian, bisexual, "something else," or "I don't know" all reported significantly higher prevalence of severe psychological distress than straight women. Given the overall positive association between psychological distress and cardiometabolic health as well as the higher prevalence of severe psychological distress among sexual minority women, more work is needed to longitudinally examine the effects of psychological distress on health among sexually minoritized women. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

The COVID-19 pandemic and police brutality, especially the murder of George Floyd, have intensified the focus on racial equity within a diverse array of organizations. While a variety of strategies are employed in the pursuit of racial equity in mental health care, there is a notable gap in recognizing the crucial role of individual staff driving change within organizations. Few studies have examined these individuals and the ways they think about their work and its impact. Here, we examine the ways that state health and mental health authority (SH/MHA) staff understand racial equity in mental health care when faced with unusual support for equity reform following the Summer of 2020. Through in-depth qualitative interviews with 58 individuals working in SH/MHAs of 31 states across the United States, we examine the perspectives and experiences of staff engaging in racial equity work when they sense that sociohistoric events perhaps temporarily lifted constraints. Findings confirm the importance of people in the racial equity work process and show that study participants have the characteristics of champions with (a) a conceptualization of (in)equity that involves White systems, including their own organizations, and the need for persistent, sustainable work, (b) an emotional investment toward racial equity, and (c) autonomous motivations of morality and empathy. This study underscores the profound transformative capacity of champions within organizations. Gaining insight into their perceptions and experiences offers a deep understanding of the qualities of a champion and equips us to bolster their pursuits toward racial equity within mental health systems. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

The goal of the present study was to examine the role expectations of mentors for care leavers and the factors associated with these expectations-namely, hope, coping strategies, and anticipated closeness with the mentee. The sample included 133 mentors at the beginning of the mentoring relationship. The findings showed that mentors who exhibited higher levels of hope and utilized problem-focused coping strategies were significantly more likely to have task-oriented role expectations. Additionally, the mediation analysis revealed that problem-focused coping served as a mediator, explaining the link between mentors' levels of hope and their task-oriented role expectations. We address the study's findings as they pertain to Snyder's (2002) hope theory and Lazarus and Folkman's (1984) transactional model of stress and coping. Implications for practice include emphasizing the importance of having mentors discuss their initial expectations of the mentoring relationship. In addition, mentoring programs should foster hope among mentors and assess their coping strategies at the outset of the mentor-mentee relationship in order to identify well-suited pairings of mentors-mentees. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Eliminating mental health disparities requires simultaneously addressing numerous determinants of health, including social inequities. Although emphasis on multilevel change is growing, interventions typically involve separate efforts or people focusing on each level. We propose a trans-level conceptual model for mental health intervention that simultaneously facilitates change across multiple intersecting levels with four guiding principles: (1) emphasis on structural change; (2) involvement of people experiencing health and social inequities in achieving structural change by addressing the necessary preconditions of access to resources for basic needs, community membership and belonging, and knowledge or information to participate in social change efforts; (3) valuing and building on the expertise and strengths of individuals, families, and communities experiencing health inequities; and (4) dismantling unequal power dynamics of helping relationships through a focus on mutual learning and support and cocreation of change. Tracing the trajectory of a 23-year community-based mental health intervention partnership (the Refugee and Immigrant Well-Being Project), we illustrate the trans-level intervention model and describe its impact on individual mental health and sustainable change at multiple levels. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).