Strengths and weaknesses of the Young Black Men, Masculinities, and Mental Health (YBMen) Facebook project

The Young Black Men, Masculinities, and Mental Health (YBMen) project is a Facebook-based intervention that provides mental health education and social support to young Black men. The YBMen project was created to better understand and address the pressures and needs of young Black men, particularly with regard to issues related to their conceptualization of masculinity and mental health. Black men from a 2-year liberal arts college in the Midwest (United States) enrolled in the YBMen pilot project. The purpose of this study is to report what participants in the YBMen pilot project liked and disliked about the intervention, along with their suggestions for improvement. Qualitative results from the 8 Black men who actively participated in the YBMen Facebook intervention and completed the postintervention interview are reported. A systematic analysis identified 9 subthemes that described participants’ reactions to different components and characteristics of the Facebook intervention. Results indicated that opportunities for relationship building and connectivity, coupled with engaging popular culture references used in the intervention encouraged young Black men to actively participate in the YBMen Facebook intervention. The YBMen project has potential to improve the health and well-being of young Black men by providing nontraditional resources that are easily accessible, culturally sensitive, and gender-specific. Implications of the YBMen project as an effective Internet-based program that promotes mental health and increases social support among young Black men are discussed.The Vivian A. and James L. Curtis School of Social Work Research and Training CenterThe Comprehensive Depression Center Phil Jenkins Award at the University of MichiganPeer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/164712/1/Watkins et al_2017_Strengths and weaknesses of the Young Black Men, Masculinities, and Mental Health YBMen Facebook project.pdfDescription of Watkins et al_2017_Strengths and weaknesses of the Young Black Men, Masculinities, and Mental Health YBMen Facebook project.pdf : Main articl

What Would I Know About Mercy? Faith and Optimistic Expectancies Among African Americans

A small body of research has begun to explore the association between faith and optimism among African Americans. However, missing from the extant work is an examination of the extent to which traditional indices of religious commitment work together with beliefs about God to shape optimism. The present study examines the utility of indices of social location, religious commitment (i.e., early and current religious service attendance, subjective religiosity), belief about the quality of one’s relationship with God (i.e., a belief that one is connected to a loving God), and beliefs about being the recipient of divine forgiveness for predicting dispositional optimism among a sample of community residing African American adults (N = 241). Age, subjective religiosity, and organizational religiosity were positively related to optimism in bivariate analyses. Hierarchical regression analyses demonstrated a significant association between age, subjective religiosity, and optimism; however, those associations were eliminated once relationship with God and belief in one’s forgiveness by God were entered into the model. Only belief in God’s love predicted optimism in multivariate analyses. Serial mediation analyses revealed that beliefs about the quality of one’s relationship with God and belief in divine forgiveness fully mediated the relationship between subjective religiosity and optimism, but that the relationship is driven largely by relationship with God. Implications of these findings are discussed

Alcohol use and mental health conditions among Black college males: Do those attending postsecondary minority institutions fare better than those at primarily White institutions?

While there is a sizeable body of research examining the association between alcohol use and mental health conditions among college students, there are sparse investigations specifically focusing on these associations among Black college students. This is concerning given Black college students face different stressors compared with their non-Black peers. Black males appear especially at risk, exhibiting increased susceptibility to mental health issues and drinking in greater quantities and more frequently than Black females. This investigation examined the association between alcohol consumption and mental health conditions among Black men attending institutions of higher education in the United States and sought to determine differences between Black men attending predominantly White institutions (PWIs) compared with those attending postsecondary minority institutions. Final sample included 416 Black men, 323 of which attended a PWI. Data were from the National College Health Assessment. Black men attending a PWI reported significantly greater levels of alcohol consumption and significantly more mental health conditions. Attendance at a minority-serving institution was associated with fewer mental health conditions among Black men. Future studies should seek to replicate these findings and conduct culturally sensitive and gender-specific research examining why Black men at PWIs report greater alcohol consumption and more mental health conditions than their peers attending postsecondary minority institutions.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/163991/1/Barry et al_Alcohol Use and Mental Health.pdfDescription of Barry et al_Alcohol Use and Mental Health.pdf : Main articl

“I Didn’t Know Who to Talk to”: Black College Men’s Sources and Descriptions of Social Support

Young Black men face unique interpersonal challenges throughout their time on college campuses, as they are forced to navigate anticipated developmental stressors (e.g., academic adjustment), coupled with race-specific microaggressions and structural forms of harm. Still, members of this group remain underrepresented in higher education, and their lived experiences have been neglected within existing men’s studies research. Therefore, carefully examining Black college men’s forms of social support is necessary when working to identify specific factors that either impede or promote their academic success and psychological wellbeing. Two research questions guided this analysis: (a) from whom do Black college men receive social support? and (b) for what circumstances or events do Black college men describe receiving or needing support? Interviews were conducted with 27 Black men enrolled at a large public Predominately White Institution (PWI) in the United States. Applied thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Study findings reveal that Black college men rely upon their peers, campus student groups, fraternities, and family members for social support. In a departure from existing research, participants also described the importance of women in their lives and showed great appreciation for the support provided by their mothers, grandmothers, sisters, and female friends. Additionally, participants also described receiving support from others when faced with challenging circumstances like adjusting to college, encountering discrimination, working through conflict with family, and experiencing depression. Study findings offer new insights by highlighting both the circumstances and specific people young Black men turn to when they are in needFord Foundation Predoctoral FellowshipThe Steve FundPeer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/175809/1/Goodwill Mattis Watkins_2022_I didn't know who to talk to.pdfDescription of Goodwill Mattis Watkins_2022_I didn't know who to talk to.pdf : Full articl

Alcohol Use and Mental Health Conditions Among Black College Males: Do Those Attending Postsecondary Minority Institutions Fare Better Than Those at Primarily White Institutions?

While there is a sizeable body of research examining the association between alcohol use and mental health conditions among college students, there are sparse investigations specifically focusing on these associations among Black college students. This is concerning given Black college students face different stressors compared with their non-Black peers. Black males appear especially at risk, exhibiting increased susceptibility to mental health issues and drinking in greater quantities and more frequently than Black females. This investigation examined the association between alcohol consumption and mental health conditions among Black men attending institutions of higher education in the United States and sought to determine differences between Black men attending predominantly White institutions (PWIs) compared with those attending postsecondary minority institutions. Final sample included 416 Black men, 323 of which attended a PWI. Data were from the National College Health Assessment. Black men attending a PWI reported significantly greater levels of alcohol consumption and significantly more mental health conditions. Attendance at a minority-serving institution was associated with fewer mental health conditions among Black men. Future studies should seek to replicate these findings and conduct culturally sensitive and gender-specific research examining why Black men at PWIs report greater alcohol consumption and more mental health conditions than their peers attending postsecondary minority institutions