Community Health Commons^™

Using “Remote” Training And Coaching To Increase Providers’ Skills For Working Effectively With Older Youth And Young Adults With Serious Mental Health Conditions, Janet S. Walker, Caitlin Baird

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Since about the turn of the century, a growing awareness of the poor outcomes resulting from “as usual” community mental health care has led to increasing efforts to implement programs and interventions with empirical evidence of effectiveness. However, these efforts have encountered numerous barriers, in particular the high cost of implementation, which has severely limited uptake and sustainment of empiricallysupported programs and interventions. Typically, the largest contributor to cost is the training and coaching required to ensure provider competence and fidelity to the intervention or program model. This paper describes a social innovation that aims to provide high-quality training and …

Development And Testing Of An Assessment Of Youth/Young Adult Voice In Agency-Level Advising And Decision Making, Janet S. Walker, Brie Masselli, Jennifer E. Blakeslee, Caitlin Baird, Kristin Thorp

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

There is a range of stakeholder benefits when youth- and young adult-serving agencies include service recipient “voice” in advising and decision making regarding agency policies and programming. Yet many agency stakeholders lack awareness of strategic best practices to ensure the consistent and meaningful participation of young people in decision-making processes, and few tools exist to evaluate agency efforts. This paper describes the development and validation of the Youth/Young Adult Voice at the Agency Level (Y-VAL), an assessment of the extent to which agencies have implemented best practices for supporting meaningful participation. The Y-VAL is intended for research purposes, as well …

Introduction To The Special Section: Positive Developmental Strategies For Engaging Emerging Adults And Improving Outcomes, Janet S. Walker, Celeste Seibel, Sharice Jackson, John D. Ossowski

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

As compared to any other age cohort in the US population, young people in late adolescence and early adulthood have a higher rate of unmet need for mental health services. Not only are these young people (from about 16 to 25 years old, and referred to here as “emerging adults”) more likely to experience a serious mental health condition (SMHC), but they are also less likely to engage in services. Furthermore, when emerging adults do engage in services, they face multiple barriers to service continuity, particularly as they come up to “milestone” ages at 18, 21, and 24.

There is …

Motivational Interviewing At The Intersections Of Depression And Intimate Partner Violence Among African American Women, Stéphanie Wahab, Jammie Trimble, Angie Mejia, S. Renee Mitchell, Mary Jo Thomas, Vanessa Timmons, A. Star Waters, Dora Raymaker, Christina Nicolaidis

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article focuses on design, training, and delivery of a culturally-tailored, multi-faceted intervention which used motivational interviewing (MI) and case management to reduce depression severity among African American survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV). We present the details of the intervention and discuss its implementation as a means of creating and providing culturally appropriate depression and violence services to African American women. We used a CBPR approach to develop and evaluate the multi-faceted intervention. As part of the evaluation, we collected process measures about the use of MI, assessed MI fidelity, and interviewed participants about their experiences with the program.

Patients’ Perception Of Patient–Provider Communication In Fertility Preservation Decision Making Among Young Women With Cancer, Aakrati Mathur, E. Roberto Orellana, Amy Frohnmayer, Pauline Jivanjee, Lillian Nail, Brandon Hayes-Lattin, Rebecca G. Block

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Fertility preservation (FP) for patients with cancer is an emerging field. With the advancement of technology, patients may face a complex decision-making process about whether to preserve fertility. The purpose of this article is to explore how young women with cancer perceive patient–provider communication in FP decision making. In this study, 25 women between the ages of 18 and 39 were interviewed retrospectively. They were interviewed one time to learn about their decision-making process related to FP. Results of this analysis indicate that patients seek support and involvement from providers throughout the process of decision making. They prefer providers to …

A Community-Based Wellness Program To Reduce Depression In African Americans: Results From A Pilot Intervention, Christina Nicolaidis, Corliss Mckeever, Sandra Meucci

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background

African-Americans are less likely than non-Hispanic Whites to find antidepressants acceptable or seek care for depression.

Objective

To develop and pilot-test a culturally-tailored, community-based, psycho-educational wellness and exercise promotion program to reduce depressive symptoms in African-Americans.

Methods

Participants were African-Americans with moderate depressive symptoms, who were interested in exercise, but were not exercising regularly. They attended a 6-week psycho-educational group program during which they set personal activity goals and learned depression self-management skills. We conducted pre- and post-intervention surveys and post-intervention feedback sessions.

Results

21 African-Americans participated in the intervention. The program had excellent attendance and satisfaction. We found …

Htlv-1 And -2 Infections Among 10 Indigenous Groups In The Peruvian Amazon, Isaac E. Alva, E. Roberto Orellana, Magaly M. Blas, Antonio Bernabe-Ortiz, Armando Cotrina, Marina Chiappe, Tadeusz J. Kochel, Cesar P. Cárcamo, Patricia J. García, Joseph R. Zunt, Anne L. Buffardi, Silvia M. Montano

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Infections with HTLV-1 and -2 were detected in 12 (1.9%) and 6 (0.9%) indigenous individuals living in 27 Amazonian villages in Peru. All infections occurred in Shipibo-Konibo people. HTLV was more common among participants living in villages distant from larger port cities and women with non-monogamous sexual partners.

Social And Contextual Factors That Influence Hiv Risk Behaviors Among Indigenous Msm In The Peruvian Amazon, Isaac E. Alva, E. Roberto Orellana

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Men who have sex with men (MSM) face a significantly higher risk of HIV infection than the general population around the globe. In Peru, HIV prevalence among MSM range from 14% to 23%, with Lima, the capital, and port cities in the Amazonian region being the most affected. Recent studies found that indigenous MSM who leave their villages for cities along the Amazon River and its tributaries, engage in high risk behaviors such as high alcohol consumption and unprotected sex with mestizo (non- indigenous) MSM. This study examined social and contextual factors associated with risky behaviors among indigenous MSM in …

Motivating Men Who Have Sex With Men To Get Tested For Hiv, Magaly M. Blas, Luis A. Menacho, Isaac E. Alva, E. Roberto Orellana

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Although men who have sex with men (MSM) have the highest HIV prevalence in Peru, they are underserved by traditional preventive programs. Interestingly, in Peru the Internet and cell-phones have emerged as a convenient tool to reach this population.

Increased Hiv Risk Associated With Criminal Justice Involvement Among Men On Methadone, Matthew Epperson, Nabila El-Bassel, Louisa Gilbert, E. Roberto Orellana, Mingway Chang

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper examines the relationship between HIV risk and criminal justice involvement among a random sample of 356 men enrolled in methadone maintenance treatment programs in New York City. Bivariate and logistic regression analyses were performed to estimate the associations between measures of criminal justice involvement and participant HIV risk, controlling for socio-demographic variables. A lifetime history of incarceration was significantly associated with being HIV positive (Adjusted OR = 5.08). Recent arrest was associated with unprotected vaginal sex and having multiple female sexual partners. Sex trading was associated with both arrest and incarceration, and the strongest association was found between …