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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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Articles 1 - 8 of 8

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Combating Social Isolation And Loneliness Among Veterans After Separation From Military Service, Emily Graham Dec 2022

Combating Social Isolation And Loneliness Among Veterans After Separation From Military Service, Emily Graham

Population Health Research Brief Series

Half of U.S. veterans report feeling like they don’t belong in society after separation from military service. Lack of belonging is often associated with feeling socially isolated or lonely. These feelings may increase the risk of veterans experiencing poor mental and physical health outcomes. This brief explores the negative impacts of social isolation and loneliness on veteran health and wellbeing. It calls for expanded veterans programing that connects veterans to each other while mimicking the values veterans miss about military life, including camaraderie, identity, purpose, physical activity, and learning.


Refugee Gardening: An Opportunity To Improve Economic Conditions, Food Security, And Mental Health, Laura-Anne Minkoff-Zern, Rashmi Gangamma, Bhavneet Walia, Anna Zoodsma Nov 2022

Refugee Gardening: An Opportunity To Improve Economic Conditions, Food Security, And Mental Health, Laura-Anne Minkoff-Zern, Rashmi Gangamma, Bhavneet Walia, Anna Zoodsma

Population Health Research Brief Series

Every year, thousands of refugees enter the United States. Conditions prior to resettlement, such as exposure to conflict, persecution, and loss, as well as conditions after resettlement, such as isolation and adjustment to a new culture, impact refugee mental health, economic security, and food security. Refugee access to land and resources for gardening has been shown to have quality of life benefits, including enhanced food security and mental health outcomes. This research brief summarizes the results of a recent study that examined how community gardening may reduce food insecurity and adverse mental health among refugees living in Central New York. …


Native American Mental Health: Adding Culture To The Conversation, Margaret Rose Aug 2022

Native American Mental Health: Adding Culture To The Conversation, Margaret Rose

Population Health Research Brief Series

American Indians/Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) experience higher rates of depression, suicide, and psychological distress compared to other communities in the United States. Despite this, they are less likely to receive mental health services due to barriers such as lack of resources, limited mental health service access, stigma, and mistrust of providers. This issue brief describes the influence of colonialism on AI/AN mental health and discusses how barriers to mental health treatment can be addressed by integrating AI/AN culture into traditional mental health services and increasing AI/AN presence in mental health occupations.


Social Support Protected Mental Health During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Jennifer Kowalkowski, Danielle C. Rhubart Aug 2022

Social Support Protected Mental Health During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Jennifer Kowalkowski, Danielle C. Rhubart

Population Health Research Brief Series

Social support can protect mental health from the stressors of life during times of widespread crisis, like the COVID-19 pandemic. Using nationally representative data on U.S. working-age adults (18-64), this brief shows that those who reported having emotional support from family and friends were less likely to report negative mental health effects from the COVID-19 pandemic (32.9%) compared to those without emotional support (50.2%). Adults with higher levels of instrumental support – being able to count on someone for a $200 loan or for a place to live - were also less likely than those without those types of support …


The Wqw Annual Program Report -- July 2022, Bonnie Chapman Beers, Keoki Spaulding, Kicia Sears Jul 2022

The Wqw Annual Program Report -- July 2022, Bonnie Chapman Beers, Keoki Spaulding, Kicia Sears

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

In early 2021, Warriors & Quiet Waters engaged the Evaluation and Capacity Building team at the IVMF to help measure and communicate the impact of their programs and better tell the story of the participant journey to thriving. The purpose of this evaluation was to test the hypothesis that participants experience a type of transformation or improvement during or immediately after a Fishing Expedition (FX), and that this effect is sustained for some individuals or can be enhanced through participation in additional FXs. Overall, this evaluation found that survey respondents reported improvements in nearly all domains investigated, including the value …


Resilience Is Low Among Both Military And Non-Military Populations With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Kelsey Roberts, Janet Wilmoth, Shannon M. Monnat Jun 2022

Resilience Is Low Among Both Military And Non-Military Populations With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Kelsey Roberts, Janet Wilmoth, Shannon M. Monnat

Population Health Research Brief Series

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects the lives of 12 million people in the United States. While commonly thought of in relation to military personnel and veterans, PTSD is also common among the general public. Resilience - the ability to cope with stressful events - is essential for recovering from PTSD. This data slice uses data from the National Wellbeing Survey to examine resilience among U.S. working-age adults with and without PTSD by their relationship to the military. Results show that those with PTSD have less resilience than those who have not experienced PTSD. In addition, those with military experience are …


Mental Health After Injury: How Neighborhoods Impact Recovery, Bryce Hruska, Maria Pacella-Labarbara, Ivan E. Castro, Richard L. George, Douglas L. Delahanty Apr 2022

Mental Health After Injury: How Neighborhoods Impact Recovery, Bryce Hruska, Maria Pacella-Labarbara, Ivan E. Castro, Richard L. George, Douglas L. Delahanty

Population Health Research Brief Series

Each year in the United States, there are over 90 million injury-related emergency department visits, resulting in $4.2 trillion in costs related to medical care, loss of work, and reduced quality of life. Nearly a quarter of injury survivors are diagnosed with a new mental health disorder within the first year of injury. This brief examines several aspects of neighborhood context and their relationship to PTSD symptom severity following an injury. Results show that survivors living in neighborhoods with higher racial segregation and lower socioeconomic status report higher PTSD symptom severity.


Unhealthy Workplace Conditions Contribute To Physician Suicide, Mariah Brennan Nanni, Alexandra Punch Mar 2022

Unhealthy Workplace Conditions Contribute To Physician Suicide, Mariah Brennan Nanni, Alexandra Punch

Population Health Research Brief Series

Physicians have the highest suicide rate of all professions. High-stress working environments, long hours, burnout, substance use, and financial stress all contribute to high physician suicide rates. Adding fuel to the fire, COVID-19 has intensified this long-term problem. This issue brief describes the unhealthy workplace conditions that contribute to poor mental health among physicians and calls for policies that encourage physicians to seek help and rest without the fear of punishment.