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Compared to research conducted with nondisabled samples, little is known about the relation between mental health and physical activity (PA) in individuals with a spinal cord injury (SCI). Despite this population being more at risk of experiencing anxiety and depression and less likely to engage in PA, few studies have investigated other factors that may impact this association in this population such as anxiety sensitivity (AS). AS is a fear of physiological arousal sensations, and importantly has been shown to be negatively associated with PA in people without disabilities. It is unknown if the changes to how one experiences physiological sensations after a SCI impacts the relation between AS and PA. Objective: This study investigated which forms of PA are predicted by anxiety and depression and whether AS is predictive of PA in this population. Research Method: 98 participants with a SCI (both paraplegia and tetraplegia) completed an online questionnaire that had measures of PA, AS, and anxiety and depression. Results: It was found that symptoms of anxiety were significantly associated with mild-intensity PA. Interestingly AS was positively associated with moderate-intensity PA. Conclusions: The results of this study show that the relation between mental health and PA in this sample may not mirror what has been found in people without disabilities. More research is needed to replicate these findings as well as to investigate other potential mechanisms that may be relevant for people with a SCI. Impact and Implications: The results of this paper provide important insights into the association between physical activity and mental health for people with a spinal cord injury (SCI). The results of this paper suggest that research looking at this association in people who do not have disabilities may not be generalizable to people with a SCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impacts of this pandemic have not been felt equally. The current pandemic has aggravated preexisting prejudices and shed light on long-standing social, economic, and health inequities that have been and continue to be perpetuated by systems of oppression. Psychologists are in a unique position to collaboratively work with marginalized individuals navigating pandemic threat, discrimination, and oppressive systems. This paper presents best practice recommendations for U.S.-based psychologists working with marginalized populations impacted by COVID-19. Psychologists are encouraged to synchronously develop the following three areas of evidence-based practice, as they relate to the impacts of COVID-19: (a) self-reflection and self-awareness in a COVID-19 context (i.e., reflecting on one's identities and one's knowledge and attitudes toward sociohistorical inequities), (b) knowledge acquisition (i.e., adopting an attitude of cultural humility, identifying "emotional contagion," identifying impacts of systemic injustice that may be compounded by COVID-19, and recognizing racial trauma in clients of color), and (c) collaboration with clients (i.e., identify the mental health toll of oppressive systems, explore COVID-19 relevant and culturally responsive methods of healing, encourage virtual community engagement, and incorporate ethnic and racial identity development in personal and professional work). Engaging with these best practice recommendations should result in the psychologist's improved ability to identify and address the consequences of systemic oppression that have been highlighted and exacerbated by COVID-19 on their own behavior and their clients' mental health. Furthermore, psychologists engaged with these best practice recommendations should find themselves better prepared to utilize culturally responsive interventions despite barriers created by COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, 15 million Mexican and Central American individuals live in the United States, with this number projected to rise in the next few decades (Lesser & Batalova, 2017; Zong & Batalova, 2017). Research has begun to investigate the impact of the nation's immigration practices and policies on immigrant Latino/a families and youth. Current immigration policies can create vulnerabilities, including fear and mistrust, discrimination, limited access to services, parent–child separation, and poverty. These experiences increase risk for poor mental health outcomes and may exacerbate prior exposure to traumas in the home country (e.g., violence) and during migration (e.g., extortion). This paper reviews current immigration policies for arriving Mexican and Central American immigrants and links to mental health among documented and undocumented immigrant families and youth. A discussion of positive policies and resources that may mitigate the damaging impact of immigration-related stress is included. Finally, social justice implications for clinicians and researchers are discussed, with culturally sensitive interventions, advocacy, and dissemination of research and policy as primary recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The changing healthcare environment is creating opportunities for psychologists to practice in non-traditional settings. This paper describes a Veterans Health Administration (VA) initiative to integrate psychologists into its Home Based Primary Care (HBPC) program. As psychologists new to HBPC are learning,, the home offers opportunities and challenges not routinely encountered in the traditional office setting. Home-based psychology offers improved access to mental health services, more effective treatment planning, and more accurate assessments in an underserved patient population. Psychologists practicing in this setting also encounter challenges in dealing with patient confidentiality, distractions, role confusion and boundaries, time management, safety, and professional competency. The VA experience is an instructive case example for psychologists considering this growing field of practice. This paper offers lessons learned from this VA initiative and discusses strategies for dealing with potential challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The United States military force includes over 2.2 million volunteer service members. Three out of five service members who are deployed or are preparing for deployment have spouses and/or children. Stressors associated with the deployment cycle can lead to depression, anxiety, and behavior problems in children, as well as psychological distress in the military spouse. Further, the emotional and behavioral health of family members can affect the psychological functioning of the military service member during the deployment and reintegration periods. Despite widespread acknowledgment of the need for emotional and behavioral health services for youth from military families, many professionals in a position to serve them struggle with how to best respond and select appropriate interventions. The purpose of this paper is to provide an empirically based and theoretically informed review to guide service provision and the development of evidence based treatments for military youth in particular. This review includes an overview of stressors associated with the deployment cycle, emotional and behavioral health consequences of deployment on youth and their caretaking parent, and existing preventative and treatment services for youth from military families. It concludes with treatment recommendations for older children and adolescents experiencing emotional and behavioral health symptoms associated with the deployment cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is accumulating evidence that individual differences in stress reactivity contribute to the risk for stress-related disease. However, the assessment of stress reactivity remains challenging, and there is a relative lack of questionnaires reliably assessing this construct. We here present the Perceived Stress Reactivity Scale (PSRS), a 23-item questionnaire with 5 subscales and 1 overall scale, based on an existing German-language instrument. Perceived stress reactivity and related constructs were assessed in N = 2,040 participants from the United Kingdom, the United States, and Germany. The 5-factor structure of the PSRS was found to be similar in the 3 countries. In the U.S. sample the questionnaire was applied using 2 modes of administration (paper-pencil and computerized), and measures were repeated after 4 weeks. Measurement invariance analyses demonstrated full invariance across mode of administration and partial invariance across gender and countries. Scale scores differed between countries and genders, with women scoring higher on most scales. Overall, reliability analysis suggested good stability of PSRS scores over a 4-week period, and validation analysis showed expected associations with related constructs such as self-efficacy, neuroticism, chronic stress, and perceived stress. Perceived stress reactivity was also associated with depressive symptoms and sleep. These associations were particularly strong when individuals scoring high on perceived stress reactivity were exposed to chronic stress. In sum, our findings suggest that the PSRS is a useful and easy-to-administer instrument to assess perceived stress reactivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) beneficiaries with primary psychiatric impairments comprise the largest, fastest growing, and most costly population in the SSDI program. The Mental Health Treatment Study provides a comprehensive test of the hypothesis that access to evidence-based employment services and behavioral health treatments, along with insurance coverage, can enable SSDI beneficiaries with psychiatric impairments to return to competitive employment. It will also examine which beneficiaries choose to enter an employment study under such conditions. Currently in the field in 22 cities across the U.S., the MHTS aims to recruit 3,000 SSDI beneficiaries with psychiatric impairments into a randomized con- trolled trial. This paper describes the MHTS, its background, and its process and outcome assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on Antonovsky's salutogenic model, the authors hypothesized that sense of coherence would mediate the effects of parent and peer attachment and college challenges on depressive symptoms as well as moderate the relationship between college challenges and depressive symptoms in Chinese Americans. To test our hypotheses, 353 Chinese American college students completed paper-pencil measures. Supporting our hypotheses, sense of coherence fully mediated the effects of parent and peer attachment on depressive symptom level and served as a partial mediator and moderator of the effect of college challenges on depressive symptoms. Implications of the study findings for promoting the mental health of Chinese American students are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Invitational Conference on the Future of School Psychology held at Indiana University in Fall 2002 included a number of paper presentations and group discussions. Toward the end of the conference, four participants were asked to present their reactions, reflecting input from a practitioner, a graduate student in school psychology, a faculty member at a university program educating school psychologists in the United States, and a school psychologist/faculty member at a university from a different country (Greece). The purpose of this article is to share their combined perspectives of the future of school psychology. This article also includes their suggestions for the future direction of school psychology, and encourages all school psychologists to awaken to a change in the field. The article considers the educational and mental health needs of students, and offers a prospectus for the field including (a) data-supported services; (b) group-focused practices; (c) collaboration and partnerships with professionals, families, and schools; and (d) multicultural considerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]