Search Results (58)

Background/Objectives: Children in early childhood experience higher rates of suspension and expulsion than K–12 students, with persistent racial disparities. Methods: This retrospective descriptive observational study examined exclusionary practices among children ages 0–5 reported by providers participating in a state-level Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation (IECMHC) initiative within the United States. Results: Providers (n = 689) reported that 3.50% of children were excluded in the 12 months prior to service initiation (1.90% suspended; 1.60% expelled), with higher rates among older children (ages 3–5), males, and Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) children. Among a subset of providers of children (n = 395) receiving child-and-family-focused (CFF) consultation, only 28 were expelled (7.09%), with the highest rate observed in children ages 30–36 months. Children expelled during CFF consultation more frequently exhibited atypical protective factors, elevated behavioral concerns, aggression at referral, and higher cumulative adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Conclusions: Findings suggest that CFF consultation may help mitigate childcare exclusionary practices when children present with severe social-emotional-behavioral challenges. Important considerations for future childcare research and prevention efforts are provided. Full article

This article examines how newsroom routines shape the health, safety, and professional experiences of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) journalists in U.S. broadcast news. While journalistic norms of objectivity and neutrality often frame risk as evenly shared, this study situates safety within routine newsroom practices to show how risk and institutional support are unevenly distributed, particularly during high-stakes coverage such as protests, door-knocks, and politically charged events. The analysis draws on qualitative, in-depth interviews conducted as part of a larger study on journalists’ identities and definitions of fairness and applies a critical framework attentive to power and postcolonial influences in newsroom organizations. Findings indicate that BIPOC journalists routinely navigate tensions between production demands and personal safety, with their lived experiences in the field frequently diverging from the assumptions of white colleagues and newsroom leadership. Participants describe adapting newsroom routines by setting boundaries, asserting professional judgment, and challenging unsafe expectations. These practices illuminate how newsroom routines are both sites of constraint and negotiation. This article concludes that attention to identity and power within newsroom routines is essential for understanding how fairness, safety, and ethical practice are enacted in contemporary broadcast journalism. Full article

Background: In recent years, the sociopolitical landscape in the United States has shifted due to an increase in state-level legislation regarding LGBTQ+ rights, a trend that has been particularly pronounced in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. While the mental health impacts of enacted laws are increasingly documented, a critical gap remains in understanding the psychological toll of the legislative debates themselves—the prolonged periods of public discourse surrounding the restriction of rights. Methods: Utilizing data from the 2025 Queer Kentucky Survey (N = 817), this exploratory study examined the association between LGBTQ+ community belongingness and acute suicidality attributed specifically to anti-LGBTQ+ legislative debates. Data were derived from a non-probability snowball sample. Binary logistic regression models that adjusted for age, race, gender identity, education, and income were utilized. Results: Prevalence of debate-attributed suicidality was alarmingly high: 59.7% of the sample attributed increased suicidal thoughts, and 44.1% attributed a suicide attempt, specifically to the legislative debates. LGBTQ+ belongingness was a robust protective correlate, associated with significantly lower odds of both suicidal thoughts (OR = 0.61, p < 0.001) and attempts (OR = 0.41, p < 0.001). Analyses further revealed divergent risk for suicidality across demographic characteristics. Conclusions: Findings are consistent with the interpretation that legislative debates may function as distinct structural stressors associated with suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts. While community belongingness may offer a critical buffer, the elevated risks among Transgender and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) populations highlight the need for intersectional, structural interventions beyond individual resilience. Full article

Amid escalating attacks on the diversity, equity, and inclusion, Historically Black Emerging Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HBeHSIs) represent overlooked spaces of resistance in U.S. Higher education. This study examines how faculty and administrators negotiate racial and professional identities within institutions shaped by Black liberatory traditions and exclusionary HSI policy. Guided by Bradley and Tillis’s Afro-Latinidades heuristic, we link psychosocial identity development to institutional praxis and anti-colonial resistance. Interviews with 10 BIPOC professionals reveal identity ork as collective praxis challenging essentialist narratives and affirming servingness beyond enrollment metrics. Five themes illustrate work as collective praxis challenging essentialist narratives and affirming servingness beyond enrollment metrics. Five themes illustrate strategies for sustaining equity-driven missions under racial retrenchment, calling for renewed commitments to justice-centered higher education. Full article

In recent years, public discourse on pesticide impacts has increasingly recognized institutional and structural racism as key drivers of health disparities in Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. While pesticides are vital for crop protection from causing yield losses, extensive research highlights their adverse effects on environmental quality and human health. These impacts disproportionately burden BIPOC populations, making pesticides a major environmental justice (EJ) concern like many other environmental pollutants. Despite progress in understanding these effects and advancing EJ, significant technical, social, and policy gaps remain. The objective of this review is to systematically examine critical gaps in technical, social, and policy dimensions, as well as the environmental and human health impacts of pesticide exposure on BIPOC communities in the United States, through the lens of environmental justice. This review synthesizes 128 sources peer-reviewed articles, books, reports on pesticides, EJ, and BIPOC communities in the U.S. Key findings reveal uneven distribution of pesticide-related health and environmental burdens along racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic lines. Non-Hispanic Blacks and Mexican Americans exhibit higher pesticide biomarkers and greater exposure risks than non-Hispanic Whites. Structural racism and classism, rooted in historical systems, perpetuate these inequities, compounded by regulatory failures and power imbalances. In addition, the EPA has flagged 31 pesticide manufacturing facilities for “Significant Violations” of key environmental laws, including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. These systemic issues underscore urgent needs for transparency, accountability, and equitable policy reform. An EJ framework exposes critical knowledge gaps and calls for structural changes to ensure equal protection and responsive policies for the most affected communities. Full article

This paper reconceptualizes intellectual safety in mathematics spaces by centering the voices and lived experiences of BIPOC students. The marginalization of BIPOC students is compounded by structural racism, historical exclusion, and deficit narratives that continue to shape academic environments, especially in mathematics contexts. While definitions of intellectual safety reflect white, Eurocentric norms, we argue that for BIPOC students, intellectually safe environments must be anti-racist, culturally responsive, and rooted in belonging. We started with existing definitions of intellectual safety and incorporated a more critical approach to sense of belonging. Through ethnographic research design we gathered student interviews and daily journal entries from a 12-day anti-racist mathematics summer institute for secondary students. Analysis revealed that while existing attributes captured much of the scholar’s joy, cultural affirmation, and belonging, new themes, like pride/confidence, clarity/transparency, and being listened to, emerged directly from how students experienced intellectual safety in practice. This led to a refinement of our initial conceptualization. This study provides insight into how intellectual safety manifests in a space intentionally designed to support BIPOC youth in exploring mathematics in agentic and culturally sustaining ways. Full article

All too often, the Sport for Development (SfD) field minimizes talent development and competition in lieu of youth development. In this article, we deconstruct assumptions about what is important for young people who are marginalized to learn and experience as they grow up, along with the role of talent development and competition in an SfD intervention, by centering their stories. The young people featured in these stories experience marginalization because of their race, ethnicity, and parents’ country of origin (outside the United States), among other factors that play a role in their everyday lives, and yet their stories highlight the symbiotic relationship between talent development and youth development. Full article

Students as Partners (SaP) programs have centered student voices since their inception. Student–faculty pedagogical partnerships are grounded in the notion that students have the expertise to contribute to faculty in preparing for, reflecting on, and revising teaching and learning practices in ways that are inclusive and responsive to all learners. This expertise is based in part on their lived experiences—both as students and as members of the student populations that SaP programs were intentionally created to help empower (e.g., first generation, low-income, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of Color) and others marginalized in higher education). These students, in dialogue with faculty, help to expose equity issues across classrooms. As SaP programs have proliferated in colleges and universities across the globe, the student partners’ role as social justice advocates in these programs have expanded too. This review explores the pedagogical partnership literature over the past 20 years, to establish the ways in which undergraduate students and post-bacs have flourished in leadership roles in SaP programs: (a) acting as leaders for social equity on campus, (b) serving as peer mentors to new student partners in existing programs, (c) co-creating new programs, and (d) publishing in the literature. This review reveals opportunities for new directions with peer mentorship in SaP programs through the role of lead student mentors who can help to scale up SaP programs, support the emotional labor involved in partnership work, and create pathways to future social justice leadership opportunities. Full article

Objectives: Experiences of racial discrimination within the healthcare system are potentially traumatic events (PTEs) that have been associated with lowered perceived trust in healthcare providers, ongoing symptoms of PTSD and depression, and anticipated healthcare avoidance. Based on the BITTEN trauma impact model, we test a pathway such that greater past healthcare discrimination would be associated with anticipated future healthcare avoidance among BIPOC college students. We posited that this direct relationship would be sequentially mediated by healthcare institutional betrayal (HIB) during one’s worst healthcare event and subsequently reduced trust in healthcare. Methods: Our model was tested in a subsample of undergraduate students, all of whom self-identified with at least one minoritized racial or ethnic identity (n = 472). Participants reported on their past experiences with racial discrimination in healthcare. Each then chose and described their worst and/or most traumatic previous healthcare experience. Subsequently, they indicated if this experience included acts of HIB and/or led to medical mistrust. Finally, they reported on the degree to which they anticipated engaging in future healthcare avoidance. Results: Our model explained 31% of the variance in anticipated healthcare avoidance. As hypothesized via BITTEN, greater HIB during one’s worst or most traumatic healthcare experience and resulting mistrust in healthcare sequentially mediated the relationship between past experiences of healthcare racial discrimination and anticipated future healthcare avoidance. However, a direct relationship between racial discrimination in healthcare and anticipated healthcare avoidance was retained. Conclusions: Racial discrimination is a potentially traumatic experience associated with deleterious health outcomes. Current results suggest that healthcare discrimination may drive BIPOC college students’ future healthcare avoidance both directly and through experiencing increased healthcare institutional betrayal during one’s worst healthcare experience and resultant mistrust in healthcare. Due to the crucial role both discrimination and HIB experiences may play in healthcare outcomes, greater organizational adoption of anti-racist trauma-informed healthcare and the enactment of deliberate system-level repair strategies post discrimination and/or HIB is critical. Understanding the interplay of racial discrimination, HIB, and medical mistrust is also likely to help us address and repair system-level factors leading to anticipated healthcare avoidance behavior among BIPOC emerging adults. Full article

Background: Ableism obstructs employment equity for disabled individuals. However, research lacks a comprehensive understanding of how ableism multidimensionally manifests across job types, disability types, stages of employment, and intersecting identities. Objectives: This scoping review examines how ableism affects disabled workers and jobseekers, as well as its impacts on employment outcomes, variations across disabilities and identities, and the best practices for addressing these. Eligibility Criteria: The included articles were 109 peer-reviewed empirical studies conducted in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, Norway, and Finland between 2018 and 2023. Sources of Evidence: Using terms related to disability, ableism, and employment, the databases searched included Sociology Collection, CINAHL, PsycInfo, Web of Science, SCOPUS, Education Source, Academic Search Complete, and ERIC. Charting Methods: Data were extracted in tabular form and analyzed through thematic narrative synthesis to identify study characteristics, ableist barriers within employment, intersectional factors, and best practices. Results: Ableism negatively impacts employment outcomes through barriers within the work environment, challenges in disclosing disabilities, insufficient accommodations, and workplace discrimination. Intersectional factors intensify inequities, particularly for BIPOC, women, and those with invisible disabilities. Conclusions: Systemic, intersectional strategies are needed to address ableism, improve policies, and foster inclusive workplace practices. Full article

Background/Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic created a growing need for insights into the mental health of children and youth and their use of coping mechanisms during this period. We assessed mood symptoms and related factors among children and youth in Saskatchewan. We examined if coping abilities mediated the relationship between risk factors and mood states. Methods: “See Us, Hear Us 2.0”, a cross-sectional study of 563 child–parent dyads, provided the data. The dependent variable, current mood state, was measured by the CoRonavIruS health Impact Survey (CRISIS) scale. Independent variables included sociodemographics, behaviors, household conditions, and coping ability. Multiple linear regression and mediation analyses were conducted, ensuring sample representativeness with sampling weights and addressing missing data through multiple imputations. Results: The participants reported mood symptoms (“moderate” to “extreme”) ranging from 23% to 38% on the CRISIS scale. Factors such as older children, hybrid learning, disrupted activities, and increased screen time worsened moods. The ethnic minority groups (BIPOC) living in mid-sized cities/towns experienced more negative moods compared to Whites residing in cities. Coping ability mediated the relationship between extracurricular activities and mood states. Conclusions: Our results underscore the importance of tailored interventions, recognizing the diverse needs of specific age groups, gender identities, and ethnicities and addressing the adverse effects of the pandemic-related disruptions on the mental health and well-being of school children in Saskatchewan. Our study also suggests prioritizing the diverse needs of children and youth during the planning and implementation of mental health services in the province. Full article

Background/Objectives: Despite national efforts, smoking rates during pregnancy remain high among certain demographics, particularly American Indian/Alaska Native and younger women. This study examines the causal link between maternal smoking, maternal and fetal mortality, and social determinants of health, highlighting disparities faced by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and American Indian/Alaskan Native (AIAN) pregnant persons. Methods: Data from various sources, including national reports and committee findings, were analyzed to assess trends in maternal smoking, mortality rates, and associated factors. While smoking rates among all groups have declined, disparities persist. Young women, BIPOC, and American Indian/Alaska Native women, and those with lower educational attainment, have higher smoking rates. Black women exhibit significantly higher maternal mortality rates, often linked to cardiac/coronary conditions. Stress, exacerbated by social determinants of health like poverty and housing insecurity, emerges as a key factor driving smoking behavior, particularly among African Americans. The leading causes of pregnancy-related deaths vary by race and ethnicity, with preventability noted in 80% of cases. Perinatal exposure to cigarette smoking is also identified as a leading cause of poor infant health outcomes, emphasizing the importance of addressing smoking behavior during and after pregnancy. Results: This report advocates for a comprehensive approach to reducing maternal and fetal mortality rates, with a focus on adapting existing smoking cessation programs to adopt culturally tailored agendas in order to address social and political determinants of health as well as behavioral drivers of tobacco use among pregnant persons. Full article

Background: While mindfulness-based interventions targeted toward parents (and families) in the U.S. offer promise for the treatment and prevention of youth psychological disorders, current research has established the underrepresentation of diverse participants in the research literature. The full extent of inequalities in the demographics of participation in parent mindfulness intervention is less understood. Objective: This study aimed to utilize a narrative literature review approach to examine and describe the degree to which research on mindful parenting interventions is inclusive of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) communities, non-clinical samples (no diagnosed disorder), cultural adaptions, and skills specific to parenting. Methods: An electronic database search of US-based studies was undertaken for empirical studies that primarily focused on parent mindfulness interventions, which reported outcomes related to either parenting behaviors or child mental health outcomes. After a full-text review, the search resulted in 34 articles. A narrative literature review of the 34 studies was conducted to assess the inclusion of BIPOC communities, non-clinical samples, cultural adaptions, and skills specific to parenting. Results: This review found notable gaps in the degree to which mindful parenting research (1) included BIPOC populations in study samples; (2) focused on non-clinical samples; (3) adapted interventions to align with the cultural needs of participants; and (4) included the application of mindfulness to enhancing knowledge, skills, and behaviors specific to parenting. Conclusions: Given these gaps in the parent mindfulness literature, greater research attention is needed on mindful parenting interventions targeted toward BIPOC communities with no clinical diagnoses, interventions optimized by cultural adaptations, and explicit applications to parenting. Full article

Psychedelics, combined with talk therapy, indicate promise with challenging clients, such as those struggling with PTSD. Furthermore, groupwork, with the emphasis on social connections, can be an effective modality. There appears, however, little movement with integrating psychedelics with professional counseling and even less in groupwork. Societal perceptions of psychedelics and the concern of practicing outside one’s scope may cause practitioners to hesitate. This article provides a brief overview for the lack of progression in implementing psychedelics in group counseling. I explain what potentially inhibits the utilization of psychedelics, then offer a resolution to these issues by advocating for a psychedelic-assisted groupwork (PAG) model. The argument is that psychedelic approaches can be an innovative and transformative method for group facilitators. I conclude with an overview depicting what a PAG with an interdisciplinary team could entail, including recruitment, screening, selection, therapeutic processes, and termination. Full article

A growing number of college students are nontraditional learners (age 21–65) who are people of color. These students face unique challenges in a higher education system increasingly shaped by neoliberalism and the ongoing context of institutionalized racism. In Oregon, policymakers have established ambitious goals to address racial disparities in educational attainment. In this study, focus groups and interviews were conducted with 111 Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) adult learners in Oregon to better understand their perspectives and experiences in regard to educational and career pathways. Participants included currently enrolled students, adults who had enrolled and left, and adults who had never enrolled in post-secondary education. Thematic analysis focused on support that facilitates educational access and persistence for these learners. Consistent with the existing literature, our findings revealed that support fell into three broad categories: economic, social/cultural, and institutional support. Recommendations focus on utilizing targeted universalism as a strategy for supporting non-traditional students of color to access and complete college through the expansion of economic support for students, shoring up relevant academic and career resources, and building more meaningful partnerships between higher education and communities of color. Limitations and directions for future research are also discussed. Full article