Overview: Forging research priorities for women's mental health.

After a decade of reports underscoring the inadequacy of existing scientific knowledge for understanding gender differences in mental disorder and its treatment, the National Institute of Mental Health has developed a women's mental health research agenda with five priority areas for research: diagnosis and treatment of mental disorder, mental health issues for older women, violence against women, multiple roles, and poverty. This overview highlights some of the major findings in each of these five areas and introduces the more in-depth treatment given in this Psychology in the Public Forum section to the areas of violence, poverty, and multiple roles. It also underscores the importance of identifying sources of gender bias in all mental health research. Women's mental health issues have become officially recognized as part of the NIMH research agenda. Only time and continued monitoring will determine how these official policy priorities will become translated into actual funding and research initiatives. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Neighborhood effects on physical and mental health: A study of Korean American older adults.

This study explored how the physical and mental health of Korean American older adults were influenced by neighborhood characteristics (i.e., proportion of individuals living below the poverty level, proportion of individuals 65 years of age and older, and proportion of racial/ethnic minorities in the census block groups where each respondent lived). Health perceptions (i.e., the subjective appraisal of one's own health) and depressive symptoms were used as indicators of physical and mental health. Multilevel analyses were performed with 567 individuals (at Level 1) nested within 233 census block groups (at Level 2). After controlling for individual demographic and health characteristics, we found that neighborhood poverty predicted health perceptions. The results add to the growing literature on the influence of the social environment and suggest that neighborhood characteristics should be taken into consideration in developing community-based policies for racially/ethnically diverse populations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

The challenge of double jeopardy: Toward a mental health agenda for aging women.

The elderly may be considered a group at risk with regard to mental health and the mental health system. Aging women experience a double jeopardy arising from social, economic, and psychological conditions surrounding age and gender—in particular, poverty, widowhood, and the dynamics of family caregiving. This double jeopardy translates into a vulnerability within the mental health system that is seen in issues of service utilization, therapist–client interactions, and diagnosis, most notably in diagnoses of Alzheimer's disease, alcohol and drug misuse, and depression. The failure of the mental health system to consider elderly individuals as psychological survivors further suggests an implicit assumption that mental decline is a normative part of the aging process. Recommendations for change include addressing gender and age interactions in mental health policy and in psychological research, training, and practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

大学生心理健康现状调查报告

采用《症状自评量表》,对湖南冶金职业技术学院2007级新生进行心理健康调查,量表因子分大于或等于3就被认定可能存在中度以上心理问题。采用SPSS11.0统计软件进行t检验,结果显示,贫困生、单亲家庭学生和人际交往能力较弱学生心理问题相对较严重,与相对应学生差异显著。女生心理健康水平低于男生,总分和人际关系敏感、抑郁、焦虑、恐怖4个项目因子分女生显著高于男生。而城乡学生、独生子女与非独生子女差异不显著。     

Community mental health service use by older adults with dementia.

We considered the role of community-based public mental health services in providing care to older persons with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia, and examined service outcomes within California's county-based public mental health system over a 3-year period. Treated prevalence rates, repeat service use rates, and service mix patterns were regressed onto individual, market, and contextual variables across 25 counties over 12 observation periods. The number of older adults with dementia who used community mental health services increased slightly over the observation periods, and service use was associated with age and Medicaid status. Service outcomes also were affected by complementary mental health and aging service systems within each county, as well as the poverty rate and location of the county. Future research is needed to clarify how administrative policies and service management practices contribute to increasing community mental health service use by persons with dementia. In the meantime, these findings can help program administrators and service providers understand the role of community-based mental health services in providing care to persons with dementia. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Children in low-income, urban settings: Interventions to promote mental health and well-being.

Urbanization provides unique political, cultural, economic, and educational opportunities for children and families. However, it may also have a negative impact on the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents, particularly when they are exposed to settings with high rates of crime, violence, delinquency, substance use, abuse, and poverty. Psychologists are well suited to intervene in problems associated with urbanization. However, most psychological services have been directed toward children who are experiencing problems, and there has been less focus on population-based or preemptive interventions that prevent problems before they occur. This review presents 11 recommendations for urban interventions that build on individual, family, and community strengths to promote the mental health and well-being of urban children and adolescents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Innovative service redesign and resource reallocation: responding to political realities, mental health reform and community mental health needs

General hospital mental health programs in large inner city communities face challenges in developing responsive services for populations facing high rates of serious mental illness, substance abuse, homelessness, and poverty. In addition provincial political pressures such as Mental Health Reform and hospital restructuring have caused general hospital mental health programs to reevaluate how services are delivered and resources are allocated. This paper describes how one inner city mental health service in a university teaching setting developed successful strategies to respond to these pressures. Strategies included: (a) merging two general hospital mental health services to pool resources; (b) allocating resources to innovative care delivery models consistent with provincial reforms and community needs; (c) fostering staff role changes, job transitions, and the development of new professional competencies to complement the innovative care delivery models; and (d) developing processes to evaluate the effects of these changes on client.     

APA/APAGS Award for Distinguished Graduate Student in Professional Psychology: Julie E. Braciszewski.

Julie E. Braciszewski, recipient of the APA/APAGS Award for Distinguished Graduate Student in Professional Psychology, is cited for her noteworthy efforts to decrease mental health and academic service disparities among low-income, urban African American youth. Braciszewski recognizes that educational achievement is the clearest and most reliable route to breaking the cycle of persistent poverty. She has substantially contributed to research in understanding the needs of inner city children and the processes that contribute to their risk and success. In addition to the citation, a biography and selected bibliography of Braciszewski's works are provided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Induction of immunity in the respiratory tract and protection from bovine herpesvirus type 1 infection by different routes of immunization with recombinant adenovirus

As part of a larger study, the Lehman Quality of Life Interview (QOLI) was conducted a total of 85 times with 55 clients with serious mental illness. Results revealed widespread adverse objective circumstances (unemployment, poverty and social isolation) despite which most clients rated their satisfaction levels about average (about equally satisfied and dissatisfied). As expected, subjective quality of life indicators were generally better predictors of global well-being (GWB) (itself based on subjective ratings) than were objective indicators. Correlations between objective and subjective indicators were very low and insignificant. Moderate relationships were found between GWB and levels of personal functioning, and changes in levels of personal functioning, as rated by mental health workers. Retests showed that subjective quality of life was relatively stable over intervals of several months. The findings suggest that leisure and social relations would be suitable areas for interventions that might improve clients' quality of life.     

The impact of victimization on the mental health and suicidality of lesbian, gay, and bisexual youths.

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual youths (aged 15–21 yrs) were studied to determine the impact of verbal abuse, threat of attacks, and assault on their mental health, including suicide. Family support and self-acceptance were hypothesized to act as mediators of the victimization and mental health-suicide relation. Structural equation modeling revealed that in addition to a direct effect of victimization on mental health, family support and self-acceptance in concert mediated the victimization and mental health relation. Victimization was not directly related to suicide. Victimization interacted with family support to influence mental health, but only for low levels of victimization. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The prevention of mental health problems in Canada: A survey of provincial policies, structures, and programs.

The purpose of this research was to obtain a profile of the state of prevention in mental health in Canada. In all the provinces and territories, we obtained information from the departments of children's mental health, adult mental health, and health promotion regarding administrative supports, personnel, policies, budgets, inter-ministerial collaboration, training, and programs allocated for prevention. The findings indicate that the rhetoric of prevention is present in many government policy documents and there are many interesting prevention projects that have been implemented. However, there has not been a reallocation of funding in the health field from treatment and rehabilitation services to prevention programs, and funding for prevention remains at a very low level. Recommendations to improve the state of prevention are made. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Identifying at-risk, ethnically diverse stroke caregivers for counseling: A longitudinal study of mental health.

Purpose: This study examined (1) causality in the relationship between stroke caregiver mental health and care-recipient functioning, and (2) the prediction from stroke caregiver and care-recipient variables 5 months and 11 months later. Research Method: Questionnaire, interview, and observational data were collected from 124 ethnically diverse stroke caregiver/care-recipient dyads in the homes of care recipients at 1, 6, and 12 months after discharge. Results: The magnitudes of the causal pathways between stroke caregiver mental health and care-recipient functioning were not significantly different. At 1 month after discharge, the best predictors of poor caregiver mental health 11 months later were care-recipient low daily functioning and caregiver low sense of coherence, high burden, and high depression. Conclusions: Caregiver mental health and care-recipient functioning may have reciprocal causal influence on each other, so one of the first steps in stroke rehabilitation may be providing counseling to the primary caregiver. Caregivers with high burden, a low sense of coherence, and a low-functioning care recipient are those most at risk for poor mental health outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Patterns and predictors of mental health service use and mental illness among older and younger adults in the United States.

The present study examined patterns of serious mental illness (SMI), specific mental health syndromes, and service use among older (65+) and younger (18-64) adults throughout the United States, and the extent to which various factors predict SMI and the use and magnitude of mental health treatment. Despite recent developments designed to improve mental healthcare access and treatment for older adults, older individuals were found to receive outpatient mental healthcare at very low rates. Compared to younger adults, older adults were three times less likely to report receiving treatment. Although prevalence estimates for SMI and specific syndromes were markedly lower among older than younger adults, older individuals most in need of care were highly unlikely to report receiving treatment. Findings point to the importance of perceived need in mental healthcare use. Significantly, however, those older adults that made it into services typically reported benefiting considerably from treatment, at least as much as all other age groups. Several predisposing, enabling, and need factors related to mental illness and service use were identified that have important implications for how we plan for, design, and deliver mental health services to older and younger Americans. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The mental health of men with a psychiatric disorder or traumatic brain injury: Wives' labeling and husbands' perceived control.

Objective: To investigate the relations among wives' labeling of their husbands' psychiatric disorder or brain injury as an organic illness, the husbands' perceived control over their disabilities, and the husbands' mental health. Participants: 57 male clients of the Department of Rehabilitation, Israel's Ministry of Defence (26 with a psychiatric disorder and 31 with a traumatic brain injury) and their wives. Measures: Illness Labeling Questionnaire, the Perceived Control Over Illness Questionnaire, and the Mental Health Inventory. Results: Husbands' mental health was low but did not differ according to disability; wives' labeling of husbands' condition was negatively related to the husbands' mental health; husbands' perceived control was positively related to their mental health for both disabilities. Conclusion: Organic illness labels, even when adopted by the wives of the persons with the disability, seem to be negatively related to that person's mental health, whereas perceived control over a mental disorder or a brain injury seems to contribute positively to mental health, independently of how the disorder or injury is labeled. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Promoting and protecting mental health as flourishing: A complementary strategy for improving national mental health.

This article summarizes the conception and diagnosis of the mental health continuum, the findings supporting the two continua model of mental health and illness, and the benefits of flourishing to individuals and society. Completely mentally healthy adults--individuals free of a 12-month mental disorder and flourishing--reported the fewest missed days of work, the fewest half-day or greater work cutbacks, the healthiest psychosocial functioning (i.e., low helplessness, clear goals in life, high resilience, and high intimacy), the lowest risk of cardiovascular disease, the lowest number of chronic physical diseases with age, the fewest health limitations of activities of daily living, and lower health care utilization. However, the prevalence of flourishing is barely 20% in the adult population, indicating the need for a national program on mental health promotion to complement ongoing efforts to prevent and treat mental illness. Findings reveal a Black advantage in mental health as flourishing and no gender disparity in flourishing among Whites. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cultural mistrust and mental health help-seeking attitudes among Filipino Americans.

As low as the rate of mental health help-seeking is among Asian Americans, Filipino Americans seek mental health services at a much lower rate even compared with other Asian Americans. Despite the field’s progress in identifying and understanding factors that may influence mental health help-seeking attitudes among Asian Americans, despite research on other minority groups suggesting that cultural mistrust may influence attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help, and despite the abundance of literature documenting the historical and contemporary experiences of oppression by Filipino Americans, the possibility that cultural mistrust may play a significant role in Filipino Americans’ mental health help-seeking attitudes have yet to be empirically investigated. Thus, using a sample of 118 Filipino Americans, the current study demonstrates that higher levels of cultural mistrust is related to lower likelihood of seeking professional psychological help. Furthermore, cultural mistrust predicted variance in mental health help-seeking attitudes that are not accounted for by income, generational status, loss of face, and adherence to Asian cultural values. Implications for future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

After every darkness is light: Resilient Afghan women coping with violence and immigration.

This qualitative research study examines the experiences and strategies that eight Afghan women engaged in to support the mental health of themselves and others, while facing significant war-related trauma in Afghanistan and the process of immigration and resettlement in the United States. The coping processes identified represent diverse and often culturally grounded methods of facing hardship. The participants endorsed relatively low levels of current mental health difficulties, suggesting that the coping mechanisms the women engaged in may be effective. The study also illustrates the culturally grounded nature and equifinality of resilience, as no two women engaged in all the same coping processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mental Illness and/or Mental Health? Investigating Axioms of the Complete State Model of Health.

A continuous assessment and a categorical diagnosis of the presence (i.e., flourishing) and the absence (i.e., languishing) of mental health were proposed and applied to the Midlife in the United States study data, a nationally representative sample of adults between the ages of 25 and 74 years (N = 3,032). Confirmatory factor analyses supported the hypothesis that measures of mental health (i.e., emotional, psychological, and social well-being) and mental illness (i.e., major depressive episode, generalized anxiety, panic disorder, and alcohol dependence) constitute separate correlated unipolar dimensions. The categorical diagnosis yielded an estimate of 18.0% flourishing and, when cross-tabulated with the mental disorders, an estimate of 16.6% with complete mental health. Completely mentally healthy adults reported the fewest health limitations of activities of daily living, the fewest missed days of work, the fewest half-day work cutbacks, and the healthiest psychosocial functioning (low helplessness, clear life goals, high resilience, and high intimacy). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Women, psychology, and public policy: Selected issues.

Asserts that the dramatic changes in women's work and family roles in recent decades have profound implications for employment and family policy. It is argued that the market forces used by economists to adjust salary levels do not counteract the forces that devalue women's contributions to the economy. Depressed wages and a benefit structure based on earnings increases the likelihood of poverty of women. Many employment issues, such as the assumption that workers and family members are physically and mentally able-bodied, disabled women's employment status, and the relationships among women's physical and mental health status and work and family roles, require psychological research. The slowness of public policies to reflect women's changing roles is discussed, and tools for meeting the challenges of change, including science and technology and educational equity, are presented. (31 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Health status and the use of outpatient mental health services.

Investigated the effects of mental health status—self-reported psychological distress and psychological well-being—on the use of outpatient mental health services, based on mental health data from the Rand Corporation's Health Insurance Survey. Results reveal that probability of mental health care and intensity of treatment provided by mental health specialists increase significantly with increases in psychological distress, independent of insurance plan, physical health, and sociodemographic variables. Results support the validity of self-report mental health surveys. (42 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)