Disparities in Hospital Services Utilization Among Patients with Mental Health Issues: A Statewide Example Examining Insurance Status and Race Factors from 1999-2010

There exist many disconnects between the mental and general health care sectors. However, a goal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010 is to change this by improving insurance access and the intersection of mental and general health care. As insurance status intersects with race, the present study examines how race, insurance status, and hospital mental health services utilization differ across groups within the state of New Jersey. The present study aims to determine trends in hospital mental health care utilization by insurance status and race from 1999 to 2010. The rate of self-pay for mental health disorders in the Black population was significantly higher than the rate for Whites and Asians during this period. However, though Asian mental health utilization increased the most over the 11-year period, the Asian population had the slowest growth in self-pay rates. ANOVA tests demonstrated significant differences in the rate of self-pay mental health cases between race groups (

Racism, Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms, and Racial Disparity in the U.S. COVID-19 Syndemic

The COVID-19 syndemic, with a disproportionately higher adverse impact on communities of color (i.e., COVID-19 infection and death), will likely exacerbate the existing health disparities in trauma-related symptoms between people of color (POC) and White Americans. However, no studies have examined the racial disparity in posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) during COVID-19. Grounded in ecological theory and racial trauma framework, we investigated racial disparity in PTSS and three possible mechanisms, 1) COVID stress, 2) direct racism, and 3) indirect racism, for these discrepancies using a large U.S. national sample. Results indicated that POC reported higher levels of PTSS than White Americans. The PTSS racial disparity was accounted more by direct and indirect racism than by the COVID-19- specific stressors, after controlling for age, gender, education, income, parent status, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and intimate partner violence (IPV). Additional fine-grained analyses for Hispanic/Latinx Americans, Black/African Americans, and Asian American and Pacific Islanders by and large corroborated the above findings. Our findings highlighted the deleterious impact of the ongoing racism pandemic on the POC community as a public health crisis in addition to the COVID-19 pandemic

Hot Yoga Establishments in Local Communities Serving Pregnant Women: A Pilot Study on the Health Implications of its Practice and Environmental Conditions

Hot yoga establishments have been increasing in popularity in local communities. Studios may support participation among pregnant women though no clinical studies currently exist that examine prenatal hot yoga effects. The pilot study described in this article aimed to assess the spread of prenatal hot yoga and to provide information on the environmental conditions and practices of those who engage in hot yoga within a local community. A thermal environment meter was used to measure ambient air conditions during three 90-minute hot yoga classes. Mothers who practiced prenatal hot yoga were more likely than non-hot yoga practitioners to have someone aside from an obstetrician/gynecologist discuss prenatal exercise safety with them. Prenatal public health education campaigns need to he refined. Public health officials and obstetricians/gynecologists need to he aware that those who engage in a hot yoga practice are more likely to trust someone other than their health care provider or public health professional regarding safety of this practice

Feasibility, Acceptability, and Preliminary Effectiveness of an Online Adaptive Yoga for Psychological Wellbeing in Adults with Disabilities

The present study’s research objectives were to: Assess the feasibility and acceptability of assessments for people with disabilities in a community-based adaptive yoga program; Explore the preliminary effectiveness of adaptive yoga programs in a community rehabilitation setting; specifically, examine the within-person effects of mindfulness (primary outcome), psychological wellbeing, social connectedness, and communicative participation (secondary outcomes) on individuals with a disability in a weekly adaptive yoga program

Evaluation of Online Adaptive Yoga for Psychological Well-Being in Adults with Disabilities

Purpose/Objective. The present study examined the preliminary effectiveness of an online, community-based adaptive yoga program on mindfulness, social connectedness, life satisfaction, and communicative participation. Research method/Design. Adults (N = 48) were from a U.S. Midwest rehabilitation program and modally identified as White (73%), women (68%), and in their 30s (24%). One-third (35%) of participants were able to walk independently, and cerebral palsy was the most common primary disability diagnosis (32%). The 90-minute adaptive yoga program and assessments were offered online weekly for six weeks, in which data from 29 participants across three sessions were included in the present analyses. Results. Regarding our primary outcome of interest, there was a statistically significant positive increase in mindfulness over time (F[1, 28] = 5.66, p = .02), with a strong effect size, d = 2.43. All secondary variables had statistically nonsignificant changes over time, although with large effect sizes: social connectedness (d = 0.77), life satisfaction (d = 0.92), and communicative participation (d = 0.40). Conclusions/Implications. The present study provides support for well-being programs for an underserved group; specifically, an online adaptive yoga program with routine outcome monitoring assessments has preliminary effectiveness in increasing mindfulness. Consideration of such well-being programs alongside insurance would be an important policy consideration. Further controlled research is necessary to draw decisive conclusions