Search Results (19)

Background: Exposure-based cognitive behavioral therapy (Ex-CBT) is widely seen as the gold-standard treatment for anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Yet, minoritized youth are underrepresented in efficacy studies, raising questions about the applicability of Ex-CBT to minoritized youth. Effectiveness data suggest systematic adaptation of Ex-CBT to address youth culture and context is likely needed, and many clinicians make adaptations and augmentations in practice. However, research on the specific strategies clinicians use to address their youth clients’ culture and context within anxiety and OCD treatment is lacking. In the current study, we assess practice-based adaptations, augmentations, and process-based approaches utilized when delivering treatment to youth for OCD and anxiety in public mental health clinics. Methods: We conducted qualitative interviews with 16 clinicians from both specialty anxiety and general mental health clinics serving youth with anxiety or OCD in the public mental health system. Participating clinicians had a mean age of 32.19 (SD = 5.87) and 69% of therapists identified as female; 69% identified as White, 25% identified as Asian, and 6% as Black or African American. In qualitative interviews, clinicians shared how they addressed clients’ culture and context (e.g., social identities, stressors and strengths related to social identities and lived environment). Thematic analysis identified the strategies clinicians employed to address culture and context. Results: Clinicians reported incorporating culture and context through process-based approaches (e.g., building trust gradually, considering clients’ social identity stressors, engaging in self-awareness to facilitate cultural responsiveness) and through culturally adapting and augmenting treatment to promote person-centered care. Core strategies included proactive and ongoing assessment of clients’ cultural and contextual factors, adapting exposures and augmenting Ex-CBT with strategies such as case management and discussion of cultural context, and taking a systems-informed approach to care. Conclusions: Examining practice-based adaptations, augmentations, and process-based approaches to treatment for minoritized youth with OCD or anxiety can inform efforts to understand what comprises person-centered culturally responsive Ex-CBT. Empirical testing of identified strategies is a needed area of future research. Full article

In France, minoritized migrant youth—a term encompassing various legal statuses and migration trajectories—are subject to systems of surveillance that include racialized policing, school securitization policies, and programs to counter extremism. These institutional practices are complemented by hostility within everyday public spaces and broader systems of representation. Together, institutional and everyday forms of surveillance constitute racialized mobility regimes for migrant youth within and beyond educational spaces. For researchers who work with migrant youth, such landscapes pose ethical demands—what forms of critical awareness, anticipatory planning, and improvisatory practices are necessary to mitigate harms resulting from participation in their projects? Drawing upon an autoethnographic revisiting of a 16-month digital storytelling engagement with newcomer migrant and refugee youth in two French high schools, I discuss the creation of a “youth researcher” pass in anticipation of the racialized surveillance confronting migrant youth in France. Informed by the works of Walter Benjamin and Michel de Certeau on mobility, storytelling, and facsimiles, as well as political developments in France, I argue that in settings in which migrant presence is deemed a threat, researchers must unapologetically opt for an ethical stance that takes protection of participants’ humanity—rather than legality—as its core aim. Full article

Objective: The objective of this study was to explore the acceptability and feasibility of a therapeutic assessment protocol for the Screening and Support of Youth (SASY). SASY provides brief but comprehensive community-based screening and support for diverse youth in the community. Methods: SASY screening evaluates symptoms, functioning and clinical risk. The Kiddie Computerized Adaptive Test was used to evaluate seven different diagnoses and symptom severity. The Weiss Functional Impairment Rating Scale-Self was used to measure functional impairment. Measures were scored according to nationally developed norms. An algorithm was developed to aggregate symptom and function ratings into an overall score for clinical risk. The results are discussed with participants in a motivational interview designed to promote insight, followed by the opportunity for the participant to engage in an online intervention. Protocol changes necessitated by social distancing during the pandemic led to innovative methods including the use of a QR code for recruitment, integration of both online and offline participation, and expansion from in-person recruitment within the schools to virtual engagement with youth throughout the community. The final sample included disproportionately more Black or African American and Hispanic youth as compared to school and community statistics, suggesting that optimization of online and offline methods in research may facilitate the recruitment of diverse populations. Qualitative interviews indicated that the screening and feedback raised youth awareness of their wellbeing and/or distress, its impact on their functioning, and engagement with options for improved wellbeing. Conclusions: The emergence of innovative methods optimizing the advantages of both online and offline methods, developed as a necessity during the pandemic, proved advantageous to the feasibility and acceptability of community-based recruitment of at-risk, minoritized youth. Full article

Building on previous work examining the three central theoretical models driving the youth mentoring literature, the present paper presents an updated conceptual framework on how youth mentoring can equitably support health outcomes for young people, particularly minoritized or otherwise marginalized youth. Youth mentoring has been demonstrated to support positive health outcomes (e.g., mental health, well-being) for all young people, and has a growing literature base to match the enthusiasm in findings. The core conceptual models, however, had not been updated for nearly 20 years. This paper starts with the guiding values behind the updated model, including centering the pursuit of social justice, a recognition of structural oppression, and utilizing key modern theoretical bases (healing-centered engagement, a strengths-based approach, and community cultural wealth). Ultimately, this paper presents an updated conceptual model, outlining key aspects needed to support mental health for minoritized young people through youth mentoring, including building a foundational relationship, key mechanisms of mentoring, reciprocal benefits, and context-specific support. Full article

This qualitative study utilized semi-structured interviews with 22 Indian youth climate activists (mean age = 19) from 13 cities across India to explore factors that sustain or detract from climate activism. Data were analyzed using reflexive Thematic Analysis. In addition to two gatekeeping factors (lack of family support and financial and job pressures) that may prevent youth from joining or cause youth to quit their climate activism entirely, this study identified factors that affected youth’s sustained climate activism: two detracting factors (negative interactions with government, and online and in-person bullying and harassment); four supporting factors (sense of community, internal motivations, seeing tangible achievements, and personal growth); and one factor (climate anxiety) with mixed effects on sustaining youth activism. Further, we describe ways in which youth holding minoritized identities, including lower-income, Muslim, and rural youth, had distinct experiences. Full article

Youth mentoring as a field of study has grown immensely in recent years, with hundreds of peer-reviewed research articles on the subject. A key driver of this interest is the demonstrated ability of youth mentoring to support positive mental health for minoritized youth. Three central theoretical models, published nearly twenty years ago, drive the majority of this body of research: the systemic model, the relational model, and the mechanisms of mentoring model. The present paper examines these theoretical models through conversation with their authors and presents their reflections and insights, the contexts in which these models were originally written, and the similarities and differences among them. By understanding the origins of these three influential theoretical models, what they center, and what they do not center, we can begin to consider the ways in which the body of work on youth mentoring is framed. Ultimately, these analyses and reflections outline future directions for the field and a forthcoming updated conceptual model of youth mentoring that centers issues of equity and social justice. Full article

The majority of data on food insecurity in diabetes comes from samples of type 2 diabetes or youth with type 1 diabetes. This study screened for food insecurity among adults with type 1 diabetes in the 2022 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey, which was the first year that respondents who endorsed diabetes were asked to indicate whether they had type 1 or type 2. One validated screening item asked, “During the past 12 months, how often did the food that you bought not last and you didn’t have money to buy more?”. Respondents who answered “always”, “usually”, “sometimes”, or “rarely” were categorized as having a positive screen for food insecurity. Seventy-six percent of the sample was white/non-Hispanic. Over one-quarter screened positive for food insecurity. This prevalence is higher than some reports of food insecurity in type 1 diabetes but consistent with reports that include ‘marginal’ food security in the count of food-insecure individuals. White/non-Hispanics had a lower risk of a positive screen than minoritized respondents. Respondents reporting older age, lower educational attainment, not working, lower income, and receiving SNAP benefits had higher rates of a positive screen. Significant healthcare factors associated with a positive screen were receiving government insurance instead of private, not being able to afford to see a doctor, and worse general, physical, and mental health. In conclusion, rates of a positive screen for food insecurity among people with type 1 diabetes in this study were alarmingly high and associated with other socioeconomic indicators. Screening for food insecurity with appropriate instruments for samples with type 1 diabetes, across the U.S. and internationally, should be a priority. Full article

Suicidality and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) among youth in the United States continue to be a growing and serious public health concern. With alarming rates of suicide trending in the wrong direction, researchers are committed to bending the curve of suicide and reducing rates by 2025. Understanding the antecedents and conditions, existing measures, and disparate prevalence rates across minoritized groups is imperative for developing effective strategies for meeting this goal. This study presents a narrative review of the operationalization, measurement, risk factors (e.g., firearms and social media), and disparities across race, ethnicity, age, gender identity, ability, sexual orientation, immigration statuses, and system involvement (e.g., foster care and juvenile justice) of suicidality and non-suicidal self-harm across youth in the United States. Implications for research, practice, and policy approaches that incorporate positive youth development, cultural, and youth participation in interventions are discussed. Full article

Despite the known benefits of social-emotional learning (SEL) for children, evidence-based, culturally sensitive, and multisensory SEL programs are limited. To address existing challenges in SEL for underprivileged youth, we developed the multicomponent B.E. M.Y. F.R.I.E.N.D. (BMF) framework that capitalizes on (1) cultural tailoring to foster acceptability, (2) tools and strategies to build healthy habits, (3) parental engagement using the Child-Mediated Health Communication Model, (4) social engagement of teachers via peer interaction during learning experiences, and (5) multisensory learning. Each letter (component) of the BMF stands for a unique SEL skill. To test the BMF framework, we developed a proof of concept (POC) focused on one component of the BMF—mindfulness and gratitude SEL (M-letter). The POC includes a description of immersive and interactive multimedia modules with tailor-made music, digital games, cartoons, and booster activities. The outcomes from the POC will inform the development of fully powered randomized studies of each component of BMF and, ultimately, the implementation and dissemination of the entire BMF program. The Multisensory Multilevel Health Education Model (MMHEM) guided the design of the program. In the POC, we used a learning management system (LMS) platform to facilitate program scalability. The modules encompassed culturally and age-relevant real-world examples and were digitized and integrated with traditional learning approaches. This article presents qualitative and quantitative data evaluating feasibility, preliminary acceptability, and preliminary outcomes from the mindfulness and gratitude modules (letter “M” of the BMF). The studies were conducted with 4th and 5th-grade students (Studies 2–4) attending a New York City public school-affiliated after-school program in the Bronx and Queens and their teachers (Study 1). Study #1 presents the focus group data on teachers and principals; Study #2 shows the focus group data on minoritized students; Study #3 presents data from the pilot testing of study-specific outcome measures; and Study #4 presents data on the preliminary efficacy of the BMF mindfulness and gratitude modules using a within-subjects repeated measures pre-posttest study design. Results suggest that the “M” component (mindfulness and gratitude) of the BMF framework is feasible and highly engaging among minoritized children, with high acceptability among teachers and students. We also found a positive impact of the intervention on measures of gratitude and life satisfaction (preliminary efficacy). Full article

Discursive experiences can contribute to shaping lives and their identities. For minoritized youth in Hong Kong, the 2019 protest movement provided many such experiences, although very little has been heard about them. Instead, reporting has focused on the experiences of the dominant Chinese population. This paper aims to highlight the voices of minoritized youth in relation to the social movement that dominated Hong Kong in the second half of 2019. It is well recognized that identity is not fixed and that there are more likely multiple identities that transition from one to the other. Yet little is known about the influences on identity formation and the processes that underlie them. This was the issue addressed here. The paper draws on Lacan’s theory of identity in examining interviews involving minoritized youth and their engagement in Hong Kong’s 2019 protest movement. It shows how individual responses to the movement differed, how the movement challenged identities, and how these challenges were resolved. Full article

70%+ of youth and young adults experiencing homelessness (YYEH; 14–24 years old) smoke combustible tobacco. Little is known about the prevalence of acquired brain injury (ABI) among youth and young adult smokers experiencing homelessness (YYSEH) and its impact on tobacco use progression—the aim of our study. Through an interviewer-administered survey, YYSEH were asked about timing of tobacco use; exposure to causes of ABI; including brain oxygen deprivation (BOD; strangulation; accidental; choking games) and blunt force head trauma (BFHT; intentional; shaken violently; accidental); and perpetrators of intentional assault. Participants (n = 96) were on average 22 years old and from populations who experience structural disparities; including those minoritized by race (84.4%) and gender/sexual orientation (26.0%). In total, 87% of participants reported at least one exposure to BFHT and 65% to BOD. Intentional injury was more common than accidental. Furthermore, 60.4% of participants (n = 59) were classified as having ABI using the Brain Injury Severity Assessment. A significant proportion of YYSEH living with ABI were exposed to both BFHT and BOD prior to trying (68.5%, p = 0.002) and to first regular use (82.8%, p < 0.001) of tobacco. Among YYSEH with ABI; injury exposure occurred a median of 1 and 5 years before age of first regular tobacco use, dependent on injury mechanism. ABI from intentional violence is prevalent and precedes tobacco use among YYSEH. Full article

Prior to the federal law passed in December 2019, many states passed an increased age of sale law prohibiting youth under age 21 (or Tobacco 21) from purchasing tobacco products, including e-cigarettes. Although previous research has documented tobacco retail sale violations, fewer studies have examined age verification and illegal tobacco sales in the context of Tobacco 21 or repeated purchase attempts in various settings. In this study conducted between 2019 and 2022, buyers aged 18 to 20 years made repeated unsupervised purchase attempts of cigarettes, cigars, e-cigarettes, tobacco-free nicotine pouches, and smokeless tobacco at over 180 tobacco or e-cigarette retailers in New Jersey, New York City, and Pitt County (North Carolina). Buyers documented whether they were asked for identification and whether they were able to successfully purchase a tobacco or nicotine product at each visit. The primary outcome will be the percent of retailers that checked the buyers’ identification at store visits and the percent of visits that resulted in a successful underage tobacco product purchase. We will compare the results across time periods, study sites, products, and buyer characteristics (i.e., gender, minoritized racial/ethnic identity) while controlling for repeated visits. These results will inform improvements to current compliance check inspection programs as well as interventions that reduce youth access to tobacco. Full article

Undocumented Latinx youth in Tennessee envision higher education as the single pathway to enable their upward economic and social mobility. Many of these young people enroll in private, historically white, Evangelical Christian colleges that provide financial support otherwise unavailable to undocumented youth. At the same time, university actors struggle to meet students’ other needs as undocumented and minoritized individuals. Based on long-term ethnographic fieldwork, I demonstrate how youth struggle with the hidden personal costs of educational access and the upward mobility it promises. Most significantly, Latinx immigrant youth must navigate the tensions between the ever-present legacy of racial segregation and animus in Evangelical traditions and their status as the embodiment of newfound, institutionally desirable “diversity.” As these students negotiate deeply racialized social and academic orders, they grow ambivalent about the promises of educational mobility, particularly if that mobility is contingent upon conforming to “respectable” forms of diversity. Centering youth’s ambivalence reveals both the contingent value of educational mobility to those experiencing it and the limits of university policies intended to increase educational access. Full article

There is limited literature on anti-sexual violence programming on college campuses for historically underrepresented groups in the United States, including, and especially, for Muslim students. This study will explore the following questions: (a) What is Muslim students’ awareness of sexual violence on college campuses? (b) What are Muslim students’ attitudes towards sexual violence?, and (c) What challenges do Muslim survivors and allies of sexual violence face on college campuses? A mixed methods analysis of quantitative (n = 91) and qualitative data (n = 8) was utilized to understand the impact of anti-sexual violence advocacy programming on college campuses. Results demonstrate that Muslim women reported knowing more survivors of sexual assault than Muslim men. Women also reported significantly higher levels of disagreement with victim-blaming statements compared to men. Qualitative interviews with eight student leaders demonstrated challenges to sexual assault programming on campus, include Islamophobia, power struggles between student groups, denial that sexual violence is a problem, and a lack of engagement from men. Results from this study highlight several key findings including (1) rape culture attitudes vary significantly between Muslim men and Muslim women, (2) barriers to facilitating sexual violence programming include several systems of oppression, and (3) the urgent need to provide nuanced programming to support minoritized youth communities on college campuses. Full article

This article focuses on The Hijab Project, a collective art exhibit that was created by a Critical Participatory Action Research (CPAR) collective to address assumptions about Muslim women and girls who veil. The art project used data from a survey collect at Mount Top High, a suburban public high school in Utah, to inform the need for a public intervention that addressed issues of Islamophobia during a time of contentious political climate in the United States. Using transnational feminism to think about concepts of agency and piety, the article contends that, despite traditional framing of Muslim women as passive victims, through their artwork, the girls in this research group prove that religiosity and choice are not dichotomous. Lastly, this piece argues that The Hijab Project represents a successful example of critical community-engaged scholarship by demonstrating that partnerships between community members and universities can be a force for civic engagement and social change. Full article