Acceptability and initial promise of trainings for community stakeholders serving refugee and immigrant families

Cumulative traumatic migration experiences are compounded by escalating chronic distress related to the current sociopolitical climate for refugee and immigrant children and families. The aim of this open trial was to conduct a preliminary evaluation of You're Not Alone, a rapidly mounted, strengths-based, community-focused capacity building training initiative for stakeholders interacting with refugee and immigrant children and families in the Chicago area. Trainings, based on Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) and psychological first aid frameworks, adapted education and universal health promotion strategies for population-specific chronic traumatic stress. Two groups of participants (N = 948), who attended either mandatory (n = 659 educators) or voluntary (n = 289 community stakeholders) trainings, completed surveys at pretraining, post-training, and 6-week follow-up. Outcome indices included participant satisfaction, acceptability of training model, and changes in knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. Over 90% of participants reported satisfaction and acceptability of trainings. For educators, hierarchical linear modeling analyses demonstrated significant increases in trauma knowledge, refugee and immigrant-specific knowledge, positive attitudes toward TIC over time, and a decrease in negative attitudes toward immigrants. Over 95% of participants indicated that they learned and intended to use new strategies to help serve refugee and immigrant children and families. At follow-up, over 80% of those who completed the survey had utilized at least one strategy, and over 55% indicated that they were using resources that they learned about in the training. This study demonstrates that capacity-building trainings swiftly developed and disseminated to community stakeholders can produce positive change in knowledge, attitudes, and practices. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Systems of Oppression: The Impact of Discrimination on Latinx Immigrant Adolescents' Well-Being and Development

With over 400 harmful immigration policy changes in the past 4 years, Latinx adolescents and families nationwide are developing within a context of extreme anti-immigrant sentiment (Dismantling and reconstructing the U.S. immigration system: A catalog of changes under the Trump presidency, Migration Policy Institute, 2020). This paper introduces the Multitiered Model of Oppression and Discrimination (MMOD), a conceptual model for understanding the impacts of multiple levels of discrimination on the well-being and development of Latinx immigrant adolescents. Interpersonal discrimination (Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 2010, 32, 259), community-held stereotypes (Social Psychology of Education, 2001, 5, 201), institutional policies (Children and Youth Services Review, 2018, 87, 192), and structural practices (Journal of Criminal Justice, 2020, 66, 1) can negatively impact well-being and development among these adolescents. Culturally sustaining interventions, civic engagement and mobilization, and policies targeting inequitable policies and practices will provide healing and an avenue for liberation.

Mexican-origin families coping together: Does family coping predict child coping?

Family is an important context for the development of adaptive child coping. Further, both family and child coping can promote positive mental health. This study examines whether family coping predicts child coping over 1 year among Mexican-origin immigrant families. Participants included 104 families with a child aged 6-10 years (Mage = 8.39, 61% female) and at least 1 Mexican-origin parent. The majority of primary caregivers (Mage = 37.13) identified as female (97%), while 82% of secondary caregivers (Mage = 43.14) identified as male. Family income was 150% of the poverty line or below. Families completed video-recorded interaction tasks and family coping strategies were coded. Caregivers completed surveys on children's coping. Family problem solving was associated with child primary and secondary control coping concurrently and predicted less use of disengagement over time. Family reframing was linked to less disengagement concurrently, and predicted child secondary control coping over time. Family coping may promote adaptive child coping among immigrant families. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

The impact of COVID-19 on immigrant and refugee families: Qualitative perspectives from newcomer students and parents

COVID-19 has exacerbated the challenges that newcomer refugee and immigrant families face. While many of the supports that schools typically offer were disrupted by the pandemic, school-based assistance remains critical in this challenging context. In addition to education-related challenges, many newcomer families have been disproportionately impacted across financial, employment, and health contexts. The present study highlights the perspectives of newcomer families to understand their experiences, stressors, and ability to cope during the pandemic, as well as how their school communities can offer support to mitigate the potential for increased disparities. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 14 parents (M_age = 38.68) and 13 students (M_age = 14.31) engaged in a school-based intervention for newcomer students. Among students, 71.4% were identified as male, and the majority of caregivers were mothers (85.7%). Newcomer families reported significant challenges due to COVID-19, including difficult social-emotional adjustment, financial challenges, and significant academic difficulties. Themes also emerged related to sources of support and coping. Implications for how schools can further support newcomer families given these challenges and strengths are considered. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Chronic Disease Self-Management Challenges among Rural Women Living with HIV/AIDS in Prakasam, Andhra Pradesh, India: A Qualitative Study

Rural women living with HIV/AIDS (WLHA) in India experience challenges self-managing HIV/AIDS in their rural communities. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore factors influencing their care and antiretroviral treatment (ART) adherence. Themes that emerged from the qualitative focus groups among WLHA (N = 24) in rural Prakasam, Andhra Pradesh, India, included: (1) coming to know about HIV and other health conditions, (2) experiences being on ART, (3) challenges maintaining a nutritious diet, (4) factors affecting health care access and quality, and (5) seeking support for a better future. Chronic disease self-management in rural locales is challenging, given the number of barriers which rural women experience on a daily basis. These findings suggest a need for individual- and structural-level supports that will aid in assisting rural WLHA to self-manage HIV/AIDS as a chronic illness.

Relationship Themes Present between Parents and Children in Recovery Homes

Approximately 12.5% of children have a parent with a substance use disorder. These children are likely to experience developmental delays, especially if they are placed into foster care. Oxford House recovery homes provide a useful setting that allows children to live with their parents after treatment for substance use. A sample of parents and their children who lived in Oxford Houses were interviewed, using mixed methods, and the outcomes suggest that Oxford Houses may provide a stable and supportive setting for parents and their children.

Important Activities Among Justice-Involved Individuals with Substance Use Disorders in Posttreatment Aftercare Settings

This study gathered data using the Important Persons and Activities instrument to record changes in popular activities over a 2-year study of 270 justice-involved individuals randomized into three aftercare conditions: self-run Oxford Houses, a staffed therapeutic community (TC), or usual aftercare (UA). Participants listed important activities during the 2-year study at baseline and at four subsequent 6-month intervals. Categorization of these activities and a descriptive analysis were conducted for Wave 1 (baseline), at Wave 3 (Year 1), and Wave 5 (Year 2). Standardized scores were computed to test differences in proportions of the #1 most favored activity across conditions. Descriptive results also demonstrated that Reading/Writing activities, and Exercise/Sports activities, were most reported at baseline. By Wave 5, Education/Work and Interacting with Others were the most reported activities. These findings indicated that solitary activities, such as Reading/Writing, may play a predominant role in early aftercare whereas Work/Education and social activities increase later on. Implications for future research of changing activities during recovery trajectories are discussed.