Efficacy, Feasibility, and Acceptability of Perinatal Yoga on Women’s Mental Health and Well-Being: A Systematic Literature Review

Introduction: Perinatal major depressive disorder affects 20% of women, while perinatal anxiety affects 10% of women. Although pharmacological treatment has shown effectiveness, many pregnant women are concerned about potential adverse effects on the fetus, maternal–infant bonding, and child development. Approximately 38% of American adults use complementary and alternative medicine, including yoga and other mind–body strategies. Although complementary and alternative medicine has been less studied in the perinatal population, it potentially offers women and their providers alternatives to traditional medication for treatment of perinatal depression and anxiety. Thus, the purpose of this systematic review was to examine existing empirical literature on yoga and its effects on women’s health and well-being during the perinatal period. Method: Following PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines for systemic literature reviews, literature searches using relevant search terms were performed in four major electronic databases: CINAHL, PubMed, PsycINFO, and EMBASE. Thirteen publications met inclusion criteria. Results: Results indicated that yoga interventions are generally effective in reducing anxiety and depression in pregnant women. Discussion: The use of yoga in the perinatal period shows promise in improving mental health and well-being for women and infants. This review can inform future yoga intervention studies and clinical practice with the perinatal population

The Cultural Relevance of Mindfulness Meditation as a Health Intervention for African Americans: Implications for Reducing Stress-Related Health Disparities

African Americans experience a disproportionate rate of stress-related health conditions compared to European Americans. Mindfulness meditation has been shown to be effective for managing stress and various stress-related health conditions. This study explored the cultural relevance of mindfulness meditation training for African Americans adults. Fifteen African American adults with past or current experience with mindfulness meditation training were interviewed. Participants felt that mindfulness meditation helped them with enhanced stress management, direct health improvement, and enhanced self-awareness and purposefulness. They felt that they would recommend it and that other African Americans would be open to the practice but suggested that its presentation may need to be adapted. They suggested emphasizing the health benefits, connecting it to familiar spiritual ideology and cultural practices, supplementing the reading material with African American writers, increasing communication (education, instructor availability, “buddy system,” etc.), and including African Americans as instructors and participants. By implementing minor adaptations that enhance cultural relevance, mindfulness meditation can be a beneficial therapeutic intervention for this population

Mind-body interventions to reduce risk for health disparities related to stress and strength among African American women: The potential of mindfulness-based stress reduction, loving-kindness, and the NTU therapeutic framework

In the current article, the authors examine the potential role of mind-body interventions for preventing or reducing health disparities in a specific group-African American women. The authors first discuss how health disparities affect this group, including empirical evidence regarding the influence of biopsychosocial processes (e.g., psychological stress and social context) on disparate health outcomes. They also detail how African American women's unique stress experiences as a result of distinct sociohistorical and cultural experiences related to race and gender potentially widen exposure to stressors and influence stress responses and coping behaviors. Using two independent, but related, frameworks (Superwoman Schema [SWS] and the Strong Black Woman Script [SBW-S]), they discuss how, for African American women, stress is affected by "strength" (vis-à -vis resilience, fortitude, and self-sufficiency) and the emergent health-compromising behaviors related to strength (e.g., emotional suppression, extraordinary caregiving, and self-care postponement). The authors then describe the potential utility of three mind-body interventions-mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), loving-kindness meditation (LKM), and NTU psychotherapy-for specifically targeting the stress-, strength-, and contextually related factors that are thought to influence disparate outcomes for African American women. Self-awareness, self-care, inter- and intrapersonal restorative healing and a redefinition of inner strength may manifest through developing a mindfulness practice to decrease stress-related responses; using LKM to cultivate compassion and forgiveness for self and others; and the balance of independence and interdependence as a grounding NTU principle for redefining strength. The authors conclude with a discussion of potential benefits for integrating key aspects of the interventions with recommendations for future research

Perceptions of superwoman schema and stress among African American women with pre-diabetes

Three focus groups were conducted with African American women with elevated cardiometabolic risk to better understand how Superwoman Schema/the strong Black woman role influences their stress and how this cognitive-emotional aspect of health may need to be targeted in future research on cardiometabolic health disparities, such as prediabetes and diabetes. Results from this study revealed that participants' descriptions of stress and the superwoman role were consistent with the Superwoman Schema Conceptual Framework, including specific emphasis on 1) an obligation to manifest strength, 2) an obligation to suppress emotions and 3) an obligation to help others. Implications for targeting Superwoman Schema and stress as social determinants of health are described

Canola seed as affected by swathing time

Non-Peer ReviewedYield, weight, protein content (oil-free meal) and oil content of canola seed increased as seeds developed. Maximum values were obtained between 45-49 days after flowering, when seed moisture was 29-38%. Fatty acid composition of canola seed oil changed during seed development. The proportion of oleic (C18:1) and linolenic (C18:3) acids increased, while that of most other fatty acids decreased, as seeds developed, while Eicosenoic (C20:1) and erucic (C22:1) acids did not show a clear trend. Fatty-acids tended to stabilize by the 49th day after flowering. Early seeding resulted in higher seed yield, larger seeds, lower seed protein content and higher seed oil content, when compared to late seeding

Midinfrared third-harmonic generation from macroscopically aligned ultralong single-wall carbon nanotubes

We report the observation of strong third-harmonic generation from a macroscopic array of aligned ultralong single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs)with intensemidinfrared radiation. Through power-dependent experiments, we determined the absolute value of the third-order nonlinear optical susceptibility !(3) of our SWCNT film to be 5.53 × 10−12 esu, three orders of magnitude larger than that of the fused silica reference we used. Taking account of the filling factor of 8.75% for our SWCNT film, we estimate a !(3) of 6.32 × 10−11 esu for a fully dense film. Furthermore, through polarization-dependent experiments, we extracted all the nonzero elements of the !(3) tensor, determining the magnitude of the weaker tensor elements to be #1/6 of that of the dominant !(3) zzzz component

Barbers as community mental health advocates for African American men: A.D.A.A.M.-QR web design to address social determinants of depression and access to culturally-relevant resources

Depression is one of the costliest and most disabling illnesses worldwide (WHO, 2018). The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that over 350 million people worldwide are affected by depression, leading to over 800,000 suicides each year (WHO, 2018). Major depression symptoms include memory loss, lack of focus, irritability and cognitive dysfunction, leading to substantial societal and economic costs (McIntyre et al., 2013; Probst et al., 2007). The direct cost of depression rose from approximately $173.2 billion to$210.5 billion between 2005 and 2010 (Greenberg et al., 2015), and the estimation is expected to be higher when chronic diseases related to depression are considered (Hankerson, Lee, et al., 2015; Hankerson, Suite, & Bailey, 2015; Penner et al., 2010). Individuals suffering from depression-associated symptoms are less productive at work and in their personal lives, have decreased energy, feel they receive inadequate support from supervisors, and have lower concentration when trying to perform job-related tasks (Bertilsson et al., 2013)

Innovative Clinical Training Site for Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Students: Elementary School-Based Group Therapy (Manuscript ID UMHN-2017-0143)

The aim of this clinical training site innovation is to develop accessible pediatric mental health clinical training sites for psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) students. Mental health services in school settings provide treatment in the child's community and create opportunities for innovation and collaboration with teachers, school counselors, and school psychologists. School settings provide opportunities for early recognition of anxiety symptoms and accessible treatment that can help close the gap in clinical training sites for this population. Mild and moderate symptoms of anxiety often go untreated and may affect academic performance negatively. Cognitive behavioral play therapy is an effective treatment modality provided by PMHNP students and supports the roles of school personnel

Association Between Superwoman Schema, Depression, and Resilience: The Mediating Role of Social Isolation and Gendered Racial Centrality

Objectives: We examined dimensions of Superwoman Schema as predictors of both depression and resilience. We also investigated if social isolation and gendered racial centrality mediated these relationships. Method: We used path analysis to investigate the direct and indirect effects of an obligation to display an image of strength, emotional suppression, and resistance to vulnerability on depressive symptoms through social isolation. We also explored the direct and indirect effects of an intense motivation to succeed and an obligation to help others on resilience through gendered racial centrality. Results: Emotional suppression and an obligation to help others were directly associated with depression. Emotional suppression, resistance to vulnerability, and an obligation to help others were indirectly associated with depression through social isolation. In contrast, an obligation to display an image of strength and an intense motivation to succeed was associated with resilience and gendered racial centrality. Conclusion: Findings highlight the unique complexity of Superwoman Schema as suggested within qualitative research. Black women’s endorsement of Superwoman Schema may be both adaptive in navigating interlocking systems of oppression and psychologically distressin

It Is Not Just About Enrollment: Recognizing the Impact of RCT Recruitment Approaches on Prediabetes Awareness, Screening, and Capacity Building in African American Communities

Diabetes is a growing epidemic in the USA. Compared to white Americans, African Americans are 1.8 times more likely to have diabetes [1]. Additionally, African Americans with diabetes experience higher rates of morbidity and mortality than other racial groups. Compared to whites, African Americans are twice as likely to suffer from diabetes-related blindness, 1.5 to 2.5 times more likely to suffer from lower limb amputations and 2.6 to 5.6 times more likely to suffer from kidney disease [1, 2]. Prediabetes is a common precursor to diabetes and characterized by blood glucose levels that are above normal but below the criteria for a diagnosis of diabetes [3]. Approximately 30% or 88 million US adults have prediabetes [4] with African Americans disproportionately affected. During the average 3 years of follow-up of the landmark Diabetes Prevention Program, prediabetes developed into type 2 diabetes in approximately 11% of the subjects who participated in the standard care or control group [5]. Other estimates show that if prevention strategies are not implemented, individuals with prediabetes will be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes within 10 years [6]. While African Americans with prediabetes are at significant risk for developing diabetes, this outcome is not inevitable. Diagnosis of prediabetes is an example of secondary prevention, screening to identify diseases at an early stage, before symptoms begin [7]. The identification of pre-diabetes, and subsequent secondary prevention efforts to thwart or delay transition to diabetes, can reduce morbidity, impaired quality of life, monumental healthcare costs, and mortality rates [1, 2, 8, 9]