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Objective: Asian Women's Action for Resilience and Empowerment (AWARE) is a psychotherapy intervention designed to improve the mental health of Asian American women. This study documented the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of AWARE at three university health service centers in Massachusetts. Participants: 174 female Asian American college/graduate students were screened, and 48 (64%) met the eligibility criteria and enrolled in the study. Methods: This study was a non-randomized, pre-post design at three university/college health service centers in Massachusetts. Retention rates and changes in depression, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms were measured. Results: Results demonstrated high feasibility and significant preliminary efficacy of AWARE across the sites. After the completion of AWARE, participants showed statistically and clinically significant reduction of depression, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms (p-values <0.001). Conclusions: This study provides strong evidence that AWARE can be successfully implemented in university settings and provides a promising model of mental health treatment for Asian American women.

To identify stressors affecting international students' mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Twenty-two international students from 10 countries and 17 US institutions participated. Participants were recruited from a larger study examining the wellbeing of young adults during the pandemic. Four main stressors were identified: (1) Uncertainty and anxiety induced by decisions and policies in response to COVID-19; (2) Fears regarding xenophobia; (3) Limited understanding by educators and school staff of international students' unique challenges; (4) Greater awareness of racial and cultural identity. The pandemic has contributed to additional stressors for international students. Educators and mental health professionals may help support international students' mental health by gaining basic knowledge about common stressors and directly acknowledging the challenges, educating international students on race and racism and supporting anti-racism efforts, and encouraging the creation of shared affinity spaces and increasing psychoeducation to promote resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study focuses on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on international students' overall experiences. Method: We interviewed 22 international students from 11 countries and 17 universities in the US who participated in a large longitudinal study that aims to understand the physical and emotional wellbeing of young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Guided by Bronfenbrenner's ecological model, the findings suggested that students were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic at interpersonal, institutional, political, and personal levels. Results: The results showed that the pandemic exacerbated existing stressors such as the lack of social support fromfamily, various visa regulations, competitive and limited job opportunities, discrimination and xenophobia, particularly toward students from Asia, and financial burdens. Additionally, the findings highlighted students' perceived loss of the "American dream" and the uneven return on investment due to the pandemic. Discussion: This study reveals the importance of US higher education institutions in supporting international students during the pandemic, particularly in terms of their sense of belonging. Recommendations for institutions drawn from the findings are proposed to better support international students during times of COVID-19 and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to investigate how different types of child maltreatment, independently and collectively, impact a wide range of risk behaviors that fall into three domains: sexual risk behaviors, delinquency, and suicidality. Cumulative classification and Expanded Hierarchical Type (EHT) classification approaches were used to categorize various types of maltreatment. Data were derived from Wave III of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). Our sample consisted of White, Black, Hispanic, and Asian females ages 18 to 27 (n = 7,576). Experiencing different kinds of maltreatment during childhood led to an extensive range of risk behaviors within the three identified domains. Women experiencing sexual abuse plus other maltreatment types had the poorest outcomes in all three domains. These findings illustrate that it may no longer be appropriate to assume that all types of maltreatment are equivalent in their potential contribution to negative developmental sequelae.

Latinas in the United States are at a disproportionate risk for STDs and sexual risk behaviors. Among Latinas, acculturation has been found to be one of the most important predictors of these behaviors. Therefore, this study examined the longitudinal association between Latina adolescents' level of acculturation and multiple sexual risk outcomes, including self-report STD diagnosis, four or more life-time sex partners, regret of sexual initiation after alcohol use, and lack of condom use during young adulthood. Based on the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), this study includes a nationally representative sample of 1,073 Latina adolescents (ages 11-20 at Wave 1) transitioning into young adulthood (ages 18-27 at Wave 3). Our findings indicate that more acculturated Latinas who spoke English at home were more likely to have STDs and to exhibit sexual risk behaviors than Latinas who were foreign-born and did not use English at home. Interventions that aim to promote sexual and reproductive health among young Latinas should take into consideration their different levels of acculturation. This approach holds greater potential for reducing health disparities among Latinas.

In the United States, the interplay of racism, sexism, and acculturation creates psychological and social stressors that may affect the development of positive ethnic/sexual identities among Asian and Pacific Islander (API) adolescents. This article proposes a new model of identity formation theory for API gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) youth in order to increase understanding of the diversity of the "new gay teenager." Our model presents a spectrum of identities to which API sexual-minority youth belong. Sixteen possibilities (4 x 4) were generated from the four stages of a sexual-development model (Initiation, Primacy, Conflict, and Identity synthesis) and the four strategies of J. W. Berry's (1980) acculturation model (Assimilation, Integration, Separation, and Marginalization). Our model also reflects how minority stress impacts API sexual minorities and sets them apart from Western GLBT communities. The Eurocentric model of "coming out" and the sexual-identity process ascribed to herein are reconsidered to include social norms from within the API cultures that govern discourse on sexuality and other taboo topics. The mental-health risk implications for research, practice, and policy are also discussed. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.)

Using the 2001 California Health Interview Survey, this study compared health status, medical insurance, and having a usual source of care for 2,230 ethnic minority adolescents based on language use at home: Group 1, English only; Group 2, both English and another language; and Group 3, exclusively another language. Adjusting for demographic variables, adolescents in Group 3 were more likely to report fair or poor health (OR=2.37, p=0.012) and to not have medical insurance (OR=4.61, p less than 0.001) compared to adolescents in Group 1. Young adolescents in Group 3 were more likely to have no usual source of care (OR=4.07, p=0.029). Interventions need to consider language barriers in the context of an adolescent's age. (Contains 3 tables.)

Objective Asian Women's Action for Resilience and Empowerment (AWARE) is a psychotherapy intervention designed to improve the mental health of Asian American women. This study documented the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of AWARE at three university health service centers in Massachusetts. Participants: 174 female Asian American college/graduate students were screened, and 48 (64%) met the eligibility criteria and enrolled in the study. Methods: This study was a non-randomized, pre-post design at three university/college health service centers in Massachusetts. Retention rates and changes in depression, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms were measured. Results: Results demonstrated high feasibility and significant preliminary efficacy of AWARE across the sites. After the completion of AWARE, participants showed statistically and clinically significant reduction of depression, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms (p-values <.001). Conclusions: This study provides strong evidence that AWARE can be successfully implemented in university settings and provides a promising model of mental health treatment for Asian American women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]