Differences Between Students of Color and White Students in Prevalence and Trauma Effects of Sexual Assault

Sexual assault is a public health issue, particularly among college students. College students have a risk of perpetrating sexual assault and being victimized. Students of color are at an increased risk of experiencing sexual assault and are more likely to have worse outcomes due to the trauma compared to White students. However, very little research has sought to understand the differences in prevalence and negative trauma outcomes. The following secondary data analysis sought to find out if there are differences in rates of sexual violence, where those differences are, and whether students of color have different outcomes. Results showed significant differences in the prevalence of sexual assaults and the effects of trauma for students of color, with students of color consistently demonstrating higher risk

Prevalence of Mental Health Disorder Symptoms and Rates of Help-seeking Among University-Enrolled, Black Men

Background. Black men in college represent a subgroup of emerging adults who are at increased risk of developing mental health disorders (MHDs), such as anxiety and depression. Such risk has been attributed to disproportionate experiences with everyday racial discrimination and high levels of psychological distress. Despite being at higher risk, university-enrolled, Black men are not utilizing mental health or health resources at optimal rates. The current evidence base describing prevalence of MHDs and health services utilization among Black men in college is limited. The present study addresses this by examining mental health prevalence among university-enrolled, Black men and their rates of health services utilization. Methods. We analyzed data (N ~ 2500) from a student survey, Spit for Science, a longitudinal, ongoing, research study at a mid-Atlantic, public university. Participants are given surveys in their freshman year and follow-up surveys every spring thereafter. Measures included: mental health disorders (depression and anxiety, as measured by the Symptom Checklist 90) and campus health service utilization (counseling center, health services, wellness center, and recreational sports). We conducted descriptive analyses to determine MHD symptom prevalence and utilization rates; Mann Whitney U tests to compare prevalence rates to White men and Black women; and, Chi-squared tests to compare rates of utilization among groups. Results. During their Freshman year, greater than 60% of students from each ethnic group reported at least one anxiety symptom and greater than 80% reported at least one depressive symptom. By senior year, reporting rates decreased significantly for Black men (49.6%) but remained high for White men (69.1%) and Black women (63%); p \u3c0.000. For depression, results were similar; however, only significant differences between Black men (72.7%) and Black women (87.1%); p\u3c0.000. Black men (20.4%), though reporting high levels of symptoms, still utilized counseling services at lower rates compared to White men (37.76%); p = 0.024. Conclusion. Findings suggest that Black men underutilize available campus health resources despite reporting one or more symptoms associated with anxiety and depression. Further research and prevention efforts are needed to improve help-seeking among this vulnerable population.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/gradposters/1077/thumbnail.jp

Emotion Regulation and Prosocial Tendencies Mediate the Association between Parenting Styles and Later Substance Use

PURPOSE: Substance use is common, heritable, and associated with negative outcomes in emerging adults. Previous work suggests that parenting styles are associated with substance use outcomes. Emotion regulation and prosocial tendencies, such as civic efficacy and engagement with community or school extracurricular activities, are associated with lower levels of substance use and may represent mechanisms of the influence of parenting styles on substance use. The current study examines whether the association between parenting styles and substance use is mediated by emotion regulation and prosocial tendencies in a large sample of emerging adult college students METHODS: Subjects were drawn from a longitudinal study of behavioral and emotional health at a large, urban university in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic region (n=755). Parenting styles, emotion regulation, prosocial tendencies, family members’ problems with alcohol or other drugs, and recent use of alcohol, cannabis, stimulants, cocaine, and opioids were assessed via self-report. Structural equation modelling was used to examine the mediated association between parenting styles and polysubstance use through emotion regulation and prosocial behavior after adjusting for heritable familial risk. All analyses controlled for age, sex, and race/ethnicity RESULTS: Parenting style marked by high involvement, low autonomy-granting, and low support for emotion expression predicted lower emotion regulation (=-0.398 [-0.559, -0.237]). Emotion regulation predicted greater prosocial tendencies (=0.214 [0.019, 0.408]). Prosocial tendencies predicted lower polysubstance use (=-0.149, [-0.251, -0.047]). Parenting style did not predict prosocial tendencies directly (=-0.026 [-0.176, 0.124]) and emotion regulation did not predict polysubstance use directly (=0.045 [-0.076, 0.167]). A significant indirect effect was identified, such that parenting style predicts emotion regulation, emotion regulation predicts prosocial tendencies, and prosocial tendencies predicts polysubstance use (=0.013 [0.001, 0.037]). CONCLUSION: Parenting styles influence substance use outcomes in emerging adulthood via a mediated pathway through emotion regulation and prosocial tendencies. Encouraging parenting styles marked by autonomy-granting and support for emotion expression early in development may improve a constellation of outcomes throughout development.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/gradposters/1056/thumbnail.jp