The Therapeutic Efficacy of Domestic Violence Victim Interventions

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Posttraumatic Stress among Young Urban Children Exposed to Family Violence and Other Potentially Traumatic Events

This study examines the relationship between the number of types of traumatic events experienced by children 3 to 6 years old, parenting stress, and children\u27s posttraumatic stress (PTS). Parents and caregivers provided data for 154 urban children admitted into community-based mental health or developmental services. By parent and caregiver report, children experienced an average of 4.9 different types of potentially traumatic events. Nearly one quarter of the children evidenced clinically significant PTS. Posttraumatic stress was positively and significantly related to family violence and other family-related trauma exposure, nonfamily violence and trauma exposure, and parenting stress. Additionally, parenting stress partially mediated the relationship between family violence and trauma exposure and PTS. This study highlights the need for early violence and trauma exposure screening in help-seeking populations so that appropriate interventions are initiated

The association between neighborhood social vulnerability and cardiovascular health risk among Black/African American women in the InterGEN Study

BACKGROUND : Black/African American women in the United States are more likely to live in neighborhoods with higher social vulnerability than other racial/ethnic groups, even when adjusting for personal income. Social vulnerability, defined as the degree to which the social conditions of a community affect its ability to prevent loss and suffering in the event of disaster, has been used in research as an objective measure of neighborhood social vulnerability. Black/African American women also have the highest rates of hypertension and obesity in the United States. OBJECTIVES : The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between neighborhood social vulnerability and cardiovascular risk (hypertension and obesity) among Black/African American women. METHODS : We conducted a secondary analysis of data from the InterGEN Study that enrolled Black/African American women in the Northeast United States. Participants’ addresses were geocoded to ascertain neighborhood vulnerability using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Social Vulnerability Index at the census tract level. We used multivariable regression models to examine associations between objective measures of neighborhood quality and indicators of structural racism and systolic and diastolic blood pressure and obesity (body mass index > 24.9) and to test psychological stress, coping, and depression as potential moderators of these relationships. RESULTS : Seventy-four percent of participating Black/African American women lived in neighborhoods in the top quartile for social vulnerability nationally. Women living in the top 10% of most socially vulnerable neighborhoods in our sample had more than a threefold greater likelihood of hypertension when compared to those living in less vulnerable neighborhoods. Objective neighborhood measures of structural racism (percentage of poverty, percentage of unemployment, percentage of residents >25 years old without a high school diploma, and percentage of residents without access to a vehicle) were significantly associated with elevated diastolic blood pressure and obesity in adjusted models. Psychological stress had a significant moderating effect on the associations between neighborhood vulnerability and cardiovascular risk. DISCUSSION : We identified important associations between structural racism, the neighborhood environment, and cardiovascular health among Black/African American women. These findings add to a critical body of evidence documenting the role of structural racism in perpetuating health inequities and highlight the need for a multifaceted approach to policy, research, and interventions to address racial health inequities.http://journals.lww.com/nursingresearchonlinehj2022Psycholog

The intergenerational impact of genetic and psychological factors on blood pressure study (InterGEN) : design and methods for recruitment and psychological measures

BACKGROUND : Although studies show that genomics and environmental stressors affect blood pressure, few studies have examined their combined effects, especially in African Americans. OBJECTIVE : We present the recruitment methods and psychological measures of the Intergenerational Impact of Genetic and Psychological Factors on Blood Pressure (InterGEN) study, which seeks to investigate the individual and combined effects of genetic (G) and environmental (E) (psychological) stressors on blood pressure in African American mother-child dyads. Genetic methods are presented elsewhere, but here we present the recruitment methods, psychological measures, and analysis plan for these environmental stressors. METHODS : This longitudinal study will enroll 250 mother-child dyads (N = 500). Study participation is restricted to women who (a) are ≤21 years of age, (b) self-identify as African American or Black, (c) speak English, (d) do not have an identified mental illness or cognitive impairment, and (e) have a biological child between 3 and 5 years old. The primary environmental stressors assessed are parenting stress, perceived racism and discrimination, and maternal mental health. Covariates include age, cigarette smoking (for mothers), and gender (for children). The study outcome variables are systolic and diastolic blood pressure. ANALYSIS : The main analytic outcome is genetic-by-environment interaction analyses (G × E); however, main effects (G) and (E) will be individually assessed first. Genetic (G) and interaction analyses (G × E) are described in a companion paper and will include laboratory procedures. Statistical modeling of environmental stressors on blood pressure will be done using descriptive statistics and generalized estimating equation models. IMPLICATIONS : The methodology presented here includes the study rationale, community engagement and recruitment protocol, psychological variable measurement, and analysis plan for assessing the association of environmental stressors and blood pressure. This study may provide the foundation for other studies and development of interventions to reduce the risk for hypertension and to propose targeted health promotion programs for this high-risk population.http://journals.lww.com/nursingresearchonline2017-07-31hb2016Psycholog

Video game intervention for sexual risk reduction in minority adolescents : randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND : Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disproportionately impacts minority youth. Interventions to decrease HIV sexual risk are needed. OBJECTIVE : We hypothesized that an engaging theory-based digital health intervention in the form of an interactive video game would improve sexual health outcomes in adolescents. METHODS : Participants aged 11 to 14 years from 12 community afterschool, school, and summer programs were randomized 1:1 to play up to 16 hours of an experimental video game or control video games over 6 weeks. Assessments were conducted at 6 weeks and at 3, 6, and 12 months. Primary outcome was delay of initiation of vaginal/anal intercourse. Secondary outcomes included sexual health attitudes, knowledge, and intentions. We examined outcomes by gender and age. RESULTS : A total of 333 participants were randomized to play the intervention (n=166) or control games (n=167): 295 (88.6%) were racial/ethnic minorities, 177 (53.2%) were boys, and the mean age was 12.9 (1.1) years. At 12 months, for the 258 (84.6%) participants with available data, 94.6% (122/129) in the intervention group versus 95.4% (123/129) in the control group delayed initiation of intercourse (relative risk=0.99, 95% CI 0.94-1.05, P=.77). Over 12 months, the intervention group demonstrated improved sexual health attitudes overall compared to the control group (least squares means [LS means] difference 0.37, 95% CI 0.01-0.72, P=.04). This improvement was observed in boys (LS means difference 0.67, P=.008), but not girls (LS means difference 0.06, P=.81), and in younger (LS means difference 0.71, P=.005), but not older participants (LS means difference 0.03, P=.92). The intervention group also demonstrated increased sexual health knowledge overall (LS means difference 1.13, 95% CI 0.64-1.61, P<.001), in girls (LS means difference 1.16, P=.001), boys (LS means difference 1.10, P=.001), younger (LS means difference 1.18, P=.001), and older (LS means difference=1.08, P=.002) participants. There were no differences in intentions to delay the initiation of intercourse between the two groups (LS means difference 0.10, P=.56). CONCLUSIONS : An interactive video game intervention improves sexual health attitudes and knowledge in minority adolescents for at least 12 months.Grant R01HD062080 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.http://www.jmir.orgam2017Psycholog

Macrointervention processes and strategies for leaders, changemakers, advocates, allies, and targets : a new framework to address macroaggressions in systems

The presence of macroaggressions, or obvious, overt, system-wide racial offensives and abusive acts evidenced in organizational systems and structures (e.g., confederate flags; signs in public places that read: “we only speak English”), have continued to penetrate American society at an unparalleled rate. The onslaught of violence toward racial, ethnic, and cultural minority citizens—in particular Black Americans and the disproportionate death rates of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color linked with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) underscores an urgent need for broad-based systemic action. While microaggressions are well-documented in the psychological literature, less attention has been directed toward macroaggressions and how to address the ever-present forms of racism that propagate inequity within all aspects of organizations and larger systems (e.g., health care, legal, education). We propose a six-step conceptual framework to address macroaggressions evinced in these systems. Additionally, we introduce macrointervention strategies and illustrative examples that can be deployed and tested in diverse ecologies by institutional leaders, changemakers, advocates, allies, and targets of bias. We recommend well-designed empirical investigations to evaluate the proposed conceptual framework and to what extent it can affect changes at the macro-level.Michael Awad’s contribution to this project was partially supported by the National Institute of Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number T32DA019426.http//www.elsevier.com/locate/newideapsych2023-03-01am2022Psycholog

Diabetes prevention in the Caribbean using Lifestyle Intervention and Metformin Escalation (LIME): Protocol for a hybrid Type-1 effectiveness-implementation trial using a quasi-experimental study design

Background: Globally, several diabetes prevention interventions have been shown to be cost-effective, yet they have had limited adaptation, implementation, and evaluation in the Caribbean and among Caribbean-descent individuals, where the burden of type 2 diabetes is high. We report on the protocol for the Lifestyle Intervention with Metformin Escalation (LIME) study – an evidence-based diabetes prevention intervention to reduce the incidence of diabetes among Caribbean-descent individuals with prediabetes. Methods: LIME is a hybrid type-I effectiveness-implementation quasi-experimental study taking place in 4 clinical sites in Barbados, Trinidad, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. LIME targets individuals who self-identify as Caribbean or Caribbean-descent and have high-risk prediabetes with a hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) between 6 and 6.4%. Eligible participants in the intervention arm are enrolled in a six-week lifestyle modification workshop. Six months later, individuals who have not lost at least 5% of their bodyweight or continue to have an HbA1c of 6% or higher are prescribed metformin medication. In total, participants are followed for one year. The primary effectiveness outcome is proportion of individuals who lower their HbA1c below 6%. Discussion: LIME is a unique diabetes prevention intervention for Caribbean and Caribbean-descent individuals. LIME utilizes a tailored lifestyle change curriculum, incorporates appropriate metformin prescribing when lifestyle change alone is insufficient, targets the highest-risk individuals with prediabetes, and is based in a clinical setting to ensure sustainability