American journal of community psychology最新文献

This study reports on a qualitative thematic analysis of secondary data from group session recordings collected as part of the Community Wise Optimization Trial. Community Wise is a multilevel behavioral intervention designed to increase critical consciousness and reduce substance use among formerly incarcerated men living in predominantly Black and historically disinvested communities (BHDC). Radical healing is a process of recovering from the trauma of oppression based on identification with historically marginalized groups. The current analysis sought to examine if there is evidence of radical healing components (critical consciousness, radical hope, strength and resistance, cultural authenticity and self-knowledge, and collectivism or emotional and social support) in Community Wise's group sessions. Results revealed evidence of all radical healing components in Community Wise participants' rich narratives as they engaged in critical dialogue and explored ways to improve their communities. Given a lack of culturally relevant approaches, this study's findings provide supporting evidence for the incorporation of the radical healing framework in interventions seeking to enhance treatment outcomes and address social determinants of health in BHDC.

In the United States, mental health disparities persist between sexual minorities - people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or other nonheterosexual identifications - and heterosexuals. Although research shows that structural stigma in one's environment may contribute to such disparities, little research has examined religious environment as a source of structural stigma for sexual minorities. Given historic and ongoing religious-based sexual minority stigma, such research is needed. Thus, we conducted a secondary analysis of the Household Pulse Survey (n = 824,900) to test whether facets of the religious environment (i.e., presence of places of worship and conservative Christian adherents in one's U.S. state of residence) are associated with anxiety and depression. We test if associations are stronger for sexual minorities compared to heterosexuals and if associations remain significant after including other facets of the social environment (same-sex households, political conservatism, and urbanicity) and individual-level controls. We found that when considered separately, religious and social environmental factors demonstrated stronger associations with anxiety and depression for sexual minorities relative to heterosexuals, even after controlling for individual variables. Findings were more nuanced for integrated models. Overall, we address a gap in the literature by examining religion as a structural part of one's environment.

Equitable community-academic research partnerships provide an innovative way to advance health outcomes among criminal legal system-impacted individuals. The extant literature lacks accounts that detail the process for developing such partnerships, particularly in community-based (rather than carceral) settings and with community organizations (rather than system actors). This First-Person Account-co-written by members of a research team consisting of academic researchers and community partners, including formerly incarcerated individuals-details opportunities and challenges that emerged through a year-long pilot project intended to adapt a mental health intervention for correctional settings. The narrow focus of this project expanded dramatically over the course of the year as team members adapted to working together and realized the potential for the sustained impact of a long-term collaboration. Key elements allowing for successful partnership development included (1) devoting time to building relationships in addition to "doing business"; (2) flexibility regarding the project aims and approach, which allowed for more equitable decision-making; and (3) striving to understand and trust each other's respective expertise, whether based in academic training or lived experiences. Our experiences translate core principles of community-based participatory research into concrete actions and practical examples of how to center the perspective of criminal legal system-impacted individuals.

As researchers, advocates, and policymakers continue to emphasize community participation for people with serious mental illness (SMI), it is important to understand and strengthen the natural ties that these individuals have in the community. This study investigated how the social support provided by natural supports (i.e., relationships that occur in everyday life, such as friends, family members, co-workers, and neighbors) relates to community participation. It was hypothesized that natural supports would be positively associated with community participation. Forty-eight participants completed a survey, and 15 of these participants completed a semi-structured qualitative interview. Family, friends, and neighbors were the most frequently identified supports. However, spouses, religious leaders, and pets provided higher levels of emotional support. Average total support was significantly related to community participation. Themes included families spending time together, mental health challenges as barriers to participation, and the desire to do activities with others. These findings provide insight about the role of natural supports in promoting community participation and inform interventions aimed at increasing social support and community participation.

Women account for over one-third of the unhoused population in the U.S. (United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, 2023) and oftentimes experience barriers when seeking to manage their fertility while unhoused (Begun et al., 2019; Kennedy et al., 2014). Previous research examining contraceptive experiences while homeless has, for the most part, failed to account for the experiences of individuals who report less engagement with homeless services, such as those living in encampments and other unsheltered environments. Therefore, the present study sought to document the contraceptive experiences of unsheltered individuals capable of pregnancy. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 15 individuals capable of pregnancy residing in unsheltered locations to identify meaning ascribed to contraceptive access and use and linkages between reproductive health practices and feelings of empowerment. Findings offer novel contributions to the literature and have implications for future research and service delivery with individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness.

Suicide is a pressing issue for many, though far from all, Native American (Native) communities. Although there is significant mental health research on suicide among Native people, community authorities and scientific studies have questioned its relevance for any particular Native community. To examine its relevance, we conducted a systematic review of how Indigeneity and suicide were represented in mental health research on suicidal thoughts and behaviors among American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) published 2010-2020. Following guidance by Siddaway and colleagues (2019), seven databases were searched for publications focused on AI/AN suicide, yielding 937 citations; 240 full-text articles were screened for inclusion, and 72 articles were included in this review. These data capture trends in the mental health literature that homogenize Native peoples through the terms used and generalizations made, that racialize Native peoples as an ethnoracial minority group within the U.S., and that pathologize Native peoples by emphasizing health risks and vulnerabilities to the exclusion of Native strengths, resources, and resistance. This literature offered a distorted reflection of Native peoples and their experiences related to suicide, undercutting its potential relevance for Native communities. Recommendations for future research and guidance for Native community leaders are provided.

The study examines whether and how transitions into and out of social connections with neighbors have asymmetric effects on residents' attitudes toward the siting of locally unwanted land uses-commonly referred to as "Not In My Backyard" (NIMBY) responses. These facilities, like special schools or public housing, may benefit society, but are often opposed locally due to perceived harms. We used data from the Seoul Public Rental Housing Panel Survey (N = 6317). An asymmetric fixed effects model was employed to separately estimate the associations for transitioning into and out of social connections to neighbors. Additionally, gender-stratified models were used to examine whether the asymmetric effects of these transitions differ by gender. Transitioning out of social connection to neighbors is associated with an increase in NIMBYism (b = 0.149), which was larger than the decrease observed when transitioning into social connections to neighbors (b = -0.064). These effects were more pronounced for women than for men. Policymakers should consider initiatives that strengthen community bonds as a strategy to reduce NIMBYism and promote inclusive neighborhood planning.

Violent injuries tend to cluster together geospatially. The discriminatory housing practice of redlining undertaken by the United States federal government in the 1930s has been repeatedly linked with various contemporary community-level disparities. However, no known work has explored the association between historical redlining and the risk of violent injuries among adolescents. To this end, we utilized surveillance data of adolescent patients (N = 401) who presented to a Level I trauma center in Richmond, VA, for violence-based injuries across 2 years (2022-2023). Our analyses revealed significant spatial clustering of violence events using Moran's I after controlling for population density. High violence clusters (N₂₂ = 9, N₂₃ = 12), and low violence clusters (N₂₂ = 9, N₂₃ = 10) were identified across both years. Historically redlined neighborhoods comprised most of the high-violence regions identified (i.e., 85.71% of hot spots were in redlined areas). Our findings suggest that the legacy of historic redlining practices in Richmond, VA is observable in the current-day risks of violent injury for adolescents. Interventions aimed at reducing community violence should consider how such efforts may address the extant effects of past policies (e.g., redlining) as one means of reducing violence.

Neighborhoods influence health in part through social processes. However, little is known about how multiple neighborhood social processes co-occur, or about within (vs. between) neighborhood variation in social processes and health. This study asked how residents of a large public housing development describe their neighborhood and used latent profile analysis to develop profiles of residents according to their social environment perceptions (N = 527, M_age = 44, 15% Asian, 19% Black, 38% Latino, 19% White, 8% other). We included cross-race interactions as an understudied aspect of the social environment, along with social cohesion, place attachment, sense of safety, and neighborhood problems. Five profiles were identified. The largest (35% of participants) was generally content with their neighborhood. Another 18% had strongly positive perceptions, 18% were well connected but concerned about neighborhood problems, 15% were socially disengaged, and 15% were strongly dissatisfied. Profile membership was systematically related to individual and contextual factors. Anxiety and depression were highest in the strongly dissatisfied profile and the two profiles containing a mix of positive and negative perceptions (connected but concerned and socially disengaged). Findings show how differences within (not just between) neighborhoods relate to health and have implications for social programs targeting the unique needs and strengths of public housing residents.