<p> Citizenship/immigration status, high poverty rates and gender specific issues, present a significant problem, when addressing the mental health needs of Latino adolescents. This study utilized data from the 2009 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS). The independent variables for the study were citizenship/immigration status, socioeconomic status, and gender. The dependent variable was mental health. To examine the relationship between the independent and dependent variables, a frequency and regression analysis was performed. The results of the study indicate that citizenship/immigration status and gender are significant predictors of mental health among Latino adolescents. The results of the study suggest that social workers, community leaders, community members, and mental health providers, should explore selecting effective interventions with optimal outcomes for the mental health of this population.</p>

<p> Objective: Although externalizing behavior problems are the most common problems in childhood, most remain untreated. Identifying factors related to treatment use can help close the gap between need and utilization. This study examined how the severity of a child's behavioral symptoms moderates the relationship between parents' perceptions of treatment effectiveness and the likelihood of using offered treatments. </p><p> Method: Participants were 182 parents of three to eight year old children attending primary care pediatric visits in five Midwestern community-based practices. Parents completed questionnaires rating the perceived effectiveness of the treatment, likelihood of utilizing the treatment, and the Pediatric Symptom Checklist. </p><p> Results: Separate linear regressions were conducted for four treatment types. Child behavior moderated the relationship between parental perceived effectiveness and likelihood to use prescription medication, <i>p </i> &lt; .05. Parents of children with more severe behavior problems were more likely to use prescription medication than parents of children without severe behavior problems, and likelihood to use prescription medication had a weaker relationship with believing it will work than for other parents. For parents of children with less severe behavior problems, belief in the effectiveness of prescription medication was positively associated with likelihood to use. All other regressions were not significant. </p><p> Discussion: The impact of perceived effectiveness of prescription medication on likelihood to use it varies depending on the severity of a child's behavioral symptoms. Parents of children without a clinically-significant behavior problem need to believe in prescription medication's effectiveness in order to increase their likelihood to use it.</p>

<p> Theory suggests and research provides evidence that stigma can have a negative impact on the self-concept for individuals with severe and persistent mental illness. Labeling theory and modified labeling theory suggest that individuals who are labeled with a socially undesirable status (e.g. mental illness) may develop negative cognitions, self-perceptions and emotions as a result of the associated stigma. However, some evidence suggests that the harmful effects of stigma on self-concept may not have as strong or an enduring of an impact as labeling theories might predict. In this dissertation, I utilize longitudinal survey data of 221 individuals with mental illness to consider the role of empowerment and defensive responses that individuals use to resist the potentially negative effects of stigma. Specifically, I examine defensive strategies, such as secrecy and social withdrawal, and empowerment-oriented responses to stigma, including community activism and righteous anger, as factors that may moderate the effect of stigma on self-concept. I found limited support of the negative effect that perceived stigma has on self-concept. While I did find some evidence that stigma is negatively associated with both self-esteem and mastery, these associations were only of modest strength. There was no finding suggesting that the stigma response items moderate the relationship between stigma and self-concept, but mediating relationships are present. Further research is needed in order to better understand how stigma resistance strategies influence the varying effects of the stigma of mental illness on self-concept.</p>

<p> Literature and research with adult mothers indicate a transactional relation between maternal depressive symptoms and child behavior. Evidence also indicates that gender may moderate this relation, such that males may be more vulnerable to their mothers' depression early in life and may display higher levels of externalizing behavior than females. However, little research to date has investigated these relations in samples of adolescent mothers, specifically Latina adolescent mothers, and none, to the author's knowledge, have investigated the transactional nature of the relation. Latina adolescent mothers are important to study as they have the highest birthrate in the U. S. compared to other ethnic groups. Adolescent mothers also face negative risk factors that influence their own psychological adjustment; and their children already face high risk for negative outcomes. One potential protective factor for children of adolescent mothers is mothers' romantic partners whose involvement in child care has been shown to buffer children against the negative effects of maternal depressive symptoms and other maternal risk factors. Investigating these relations is imperative to inform intervention and prevention efforts for Latina adolescent mothers and their children. Using a sample of primarily Puerto Rican adolescent mothers and their toddlers for which data were collected at two time points, 6 months apart; the current study used a path analysis framework to test hypothesized models. First, the longitudinal, transactional relations between maternal depressive symptoms and two child behavior variables &mdash; internalizing and externalizing problems &mdash; were examined. Second, the current study examined the direct and moderating effects of gender in order to better understand the nature of the relation between maternal depressive symptoms and child behavior in our sample. Lastly, the potential protective effect of partner child care involvement was investigated to test whether it positively impacts children in the face of maternal depressive symptoms. Results were consistent with theory and research in that maternal depressive symptoms uniquely predicted changes in both child internalizing and externalizing behavior scores over 6 months when controlling for concurrent relations between the variables. Additionally, maternal depressive symptoms, child internalizing, and child externalizing each showed temporal stability in the current sample. However, transactional models were not significant as neither child internalizing nor child externalizing significantly predicted changes in maternal depressive symptoms over time. Neither child gender nor partner child care involvement moderated the relation between maternal depressive symptoms and child internalizing or externalizing behavior problems. In contrast to previous research and normative data, gender differences were found for child externalizing behavior problems such that males had significantly higher mean scores than females at Time 2. Results are discussed considering limitations, implications for prevention and treatment programs, and future research directions.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to examine various social and ecological factors that affect adolescents' nervousness and/or depression. Secondary data from the 2011- 2012 California Health Institute Survey were used to examine these factors. Chi-Square analyses were utilized to test if relationships existed between the variables in the data. This study examined race, poverty level, immigration status, physical well-being, safety of environment, and the receipt of psychological/emotional counseling as factors for influencing feelings of nervousness and/or depression among adolescents. Results indicated that adolescents feeling nervous were affected by race, poverty level, environmental safety, and the receipt of psychological/emotional counseling. Feeling nervous did not have a significant association with physical well-being in this study. Furthermore, adolescent depression was affected by race, poverty level, physical well-being, environmental safety, and the receipt of psychological/emotional counseling. Immigration status was not found to be associated with affecting adolescent nervousness or depression. Further research is suggested.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to explore the association between adolescent characteristics, community factors and mental health. This was achieved by completing a quantitative study analyzing secondary data obtained from a mental health agency in Orange County, California, and an online database, City-Data.com. The results rendered a statistically significant relationship between age and those who had the presenting problem of depression, relational problems, and poor coping. A statistically significant relationship between females and poor coping was also revealed. The most interesting finding, however, was the statistically significant relationship between presenting problems in relation to their community factors. Both poverty levels and educational attainment less than high school among the residents in the communities where these adolescents live were associated with depression and relational problems. The findings of this study are beneficial in identifyirig the need for further research regarding the relationship between educational attainment and mental health.</p>

<p> The purpose of the project was to design a program, identify potential funding source, and complete a grant to fund an educational and supportive program for foster parents who care for autistic foster youth. The services would be offered at SHIELDS a non-profit agency serving the Compton and Watts communities of South Los Angeles. The awareness supportive program will be design to provide educational workshops for foster parents and caregivers who provide care for County of Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services autistic children. The Weingart Foundation was chosen as the best applicant for submitting this grant proposal based on the population they serve and their interests to provide services to disadvantage communities. Research supports the high need for autistic awareness support services for foster parents and caregivers who care for the youth. The submission of a tangible grant application was not required for the completion of this project. </p>

<p> Despite increased numbers of intercultural couples in the United States, data shows that the pairing of non-Hispanic Black-White interracial couples falls short on all scales (Pew Research Center, 2012). The number of cohabitating interracial couples is almost double the number of married interracial couples; however, they have the lowest rates of marriage and are more likely to divorce when compared to all other intercultural couples. To determine what non-Hispanic Black-White interracial couples must do to strengthen and maintain their relationships, this study interviewed seven cohabitating couples. The qualitative analysis revealed five themes: Culture, Secure Attachment, Communication, Authenticity, and Humor. The themes and implications for couple therapy and future research are also discussed.</p>

<p> The public use version of the National Comorbidity Survey &ndash; Replication (NCS-R) dataset was used (N = 995) to investigate risk factors for recurrent major depressive disorder (MDD) that are evident before recovery from the first major depressive episode (MDE) by comparing persons diagnosed with MDD who experienced a single MDE to persons with recurrent MDD. </p><p> Multiple logistic regression analyses assessed the independent risk of recurrent MDD for each of the following risk factors: an early age of onset (&lt;30 years old), absence of a life stress trigger, chronic first episode, childhood parental loss, parental maltreatment, parental depression, comorbid anxiety disorder, and comorbid substance disorder. The relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI) assessed the risk of recurrent MDD associated with the interaction of an early onset with three childhood-based vulnerabilities: a) parental depression, b) parental loss, and c) parental maltreatment. </p><p> There was a statistically significant risk of recurrent MDD found for the following risk factors: early onset, stress trigger absent, childhood parental loss, parental maltreatment, parental depression, and anxiety disorder; marginally significant results suggested an increased risk of recurrent MDD for substance disorder. There was a significant increased risk found for the interaction of an early onset with parental depression and similar non-significant trends were found for the interactions of early onset with parental loss and early onset with parental maltreatment. </p><p> An early onset, the absence of a life stress trigger, and the presence of parental loss, parental maltreatment, parental depression, a comorbid anxiety disorder, and a comorbid substance disorder each confer greater risk of recurrent MDD among persons that have not yet recovered from their first lifetime MDE. The presence of an early onset combined with a childhood-based vulnerability such as parental depression, parental loss, or parental maltreatment, indicate an especially high risk of recurrent MDD. These findings may inform the development of a screening tool to assess risk for recurrent MDD and early intervention to prevent recurrent MDD. Future research should employ a longitudinal research design to replicate and expand upon these findings.</p>

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Pacific Graduate School of Psychology, 1999. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 60-10, Section: B, page: 5228. Adviser: Phillip Akutsu.