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Background The COVID-19 pandemic remains a public health priority, and vaccination is important for ending the pandemic. Racial and ethnic minorities are disproportionally affected by COVID-19 yet report high levels of vaccination hesitancy. Objective We conducted virtual Town Halls to address vaccine hesitancy among racial and ethnic minorities in South Florida. Methods Our approach used social influence and persuasion models. A formative phase gathered meeting preferences from our communities and developed and tested our approach. An implementation phase conducted six virtual Town Halls in partnership with minority community-based organizations. Results The Town Halls reached 383 participants (mean age 37.5 years; 63.4% female, 33.9% male, 2.7% nonbinary; 59% racial/ethnic minority), who completed pre- and post-meeting assessments. Among non-vaccinated participants, at the pre poll, 58% reported a high likelihood of seeking vaccination, rising to 63% at post-assessment. Unvaccinated “non-hesitant” and “hesitant” groups were compared on trusted information sources, and reasons and barriers for vaccination. Non-hesitant participants reported significantly greater trust in the COVID-19 Task Force (97.3% vs. 83.3%) as a source of vaccine information than did hesitant participants. Non-hesitant participants were significantly more likely to endorse family safety (82.5% vs. 63.2%), community safety (72.5% vs. 26.3%), personal safety (85% vs. 36.8%), and wanting to return to a normal life (70% vs. 31.6%), as reasons for vaccination than were hesitant participants. Hesitant participants were significantly more likely to endorse concerns about vaccine safety doubts (63.2% vs. 17.5%) and not believing the pandemic is as bad as people say it is (21.1% vs. 5%) as barriers to vaccination than were non-hesitant participants. Qualitative data revealed high consumer satisfaction with the Town Halls. Conclusion This study supports the feasibility, acceptability, and potential impact of virtual Town Halls for addressing vaccine hesitancy among racial/ethnic minorities; however, our approach was very resource intensive, required an extensive community-university collaborative infrastructure, and yielded a small effect.

More empirical research is needed to disentangle the phenotypes of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and cluster C personality symptomatology (CCPD), as both show similarities in their clinical presentation. We explored personality and psychopathology dimensions as conceptualized in contemporary dimensional taxonomies (i.e., hierarchical taxonomy of psychopathology; HiTOP) in adults with ASD without intellectual disability operationalized by the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF).Applying secondary analytic processes using clinical data, we cross-examined the MMPI-2-RF profiles of adults with ASD (The profiles of the ASD and CCPD groups evidenced to be similar, and both average clinical profiles diverged from the average control group profiles by elevated levels of demoralization, internalizing, and somatization symptomatology. There were small differences between the average profiles of adults with ASD and adults with CCPD. Additional research using dimensional measures of psychopathology could elucidate the dimensional phenotypes of ASD and CCPD.Based on the results in this study, the MMPI-2-RF may not meaningfully discriminate between the two clinical presentations, with the exception of various externalizing scales.

This study explored barriers, motivators, and trusted sources of information regarding COVID-19 vaccination among Hispanic/Latine individuals. Hispanic/Latine is a broad social construct that encompasses people from heterogeneous countries and cultures. In the U.S., foreign-born Hispanics/Latines tend to have better health outcomes than U.S.-born individuals. Thus, the study examined whether nativity is a significant factor in COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Binary logistic regression and linear regression analyses were employed and revealed that, regardless of nativity, Hispanic/Latine participants face similar barriers and find similar sources of information trustworthy. Controlling for age and race, vaccination rates or perceived likelihood of getting vaccinated did not differ between the two groups. The two groups significantly differed in specific motivators for vaccination: foreign-born Hispanic/Latine individuals were more motivated to get the vaccine to keep themselves, their families, and their community safe, and more often believed vaccination is needed for life to return to normal. Study results provide important insights into similarities and differences in barriers, motivators, and trusted sources of information regarding COVID-19 vaccination among native and foreign-born Hispanic/Latine individuals.

Alcohol and other drug (AOD) use problems among college students continue to represent a public health epidemic. In 2019, historically high rates of binge-drinking and marijuana use were reported among college-age adults, and the detrimental effects of excessive AOD use in college, such as poorer academic performance, sexual assault, injury or overdoses, and a range of other negative consequences, have been well-documented. Thus, there is a continued need for effective implementation of evidence-based, cost-effective interventions aimed at reducing risks associated with collegiate AOD use. Guided Self Change (GSC) is a brief intervention involving motivational enhancement and cognitive-behavioral strategies and has demonstrated effectiveness in reducing AOD use problems. Its brevity, client-driven style, and concrete here-and-now focus are appealing to individuals struggling with mild to moderate AOD use problems. In order to successfully intervene with collegians with AOD use problems attending minority-serving institutions, GSC requires developmental and cultural tailoring. The current report describes the developmental and cultural tailoring of GSC for emerging adult Latinx collegians, as well as our consumer-driven addition of mindfulness content. Key components of our GSC program are documented through qualitative feedback, quantitative results, and case vignettes.

Contains fulltext : 219399.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access) The long-term stability of maladaptive personality traits in the general population has been under-investigated. The current study examined the longitudinal 20-year mean-level stability and rank-order consistency of five maladaptive personality traits - as measured with the Personality Psychopathology-5-r scales. Correlations and regression analysis were conducted to test both types of stability comparing raw scores of scale administrations in a general population sample in both 1992 and 2012 (N = 65). Repeated measures analysis of variance demonstrated significant mean-level stability of the PSY-5-r traits over 20 years. The PSY-5-r scales demonstrated significant rank-order consistency as evidenced by correlational analyses and reliability coefficients. The scales Aggressiveness-r (r = .73), Neuroticism/Negative Emotionality-r (r = .65), Introversion/Low Positive Emotionality-r (r = .63), and Disconstraint-r (r = .56), evidenced strong rank-order stability, whereas Psychoticism-r (r = .3) showed moderate rank-order consistency. The results of the present study indicate that maladaptive personality traits as measured with the PSY-5-r scales are relatively stable over 20 years in an adult community population. 6 p.

Contains fulltext : 234476.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access) Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) currently constitute 40% of the US population and will become the majority by 2045. Current mental health systems have not sufficiently accounted for disparities, inequities, and social determinants impacting BIPOC lives. We outline several advances that could improve mental health disparities research. Research on BIPOC requires mental health assessment accurately capturing multiple facets of one's identity, taking into account the complexities of multifaceted historical oppression. Assessing (personality) psychopathology in a dimensional and hierarchical manner could provide greater insight into mental health disparities between diverse identity individuals. We encourage studying moderators that are protective assets for BIPOC - such as resiliency and community factors - as opposed to deficit-dominant, category-based, and majority-dominant assessments. 16 p.

The NIH-funded Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) program is currently funding 18 academic institutions to strengthen the research environment and contribution to health disparities research. The purpose of this multiphase mixed-methods study was to establish a uniform evaluation framework for demonstrating the collective success of this research consortium. Methods included discussions of aims and logic models at the RCMI Evaluators&rsquo, Workshop, a literature review to inform an evaluation conceptual framework, and a case study survey to obtain evaluation-related information and metrics. Ten RCMIs participated in the workshop and 14 submitted responses to the survey. The resultant RCMI Evaluation Conceptual Model presents a practical ongoing approach to document RCMIs&rsquo, impacts on health disparities. Survey results identified 37 common metrics under four primary categories. Evaluation challenges were issues related to limited human resources, data collection, decision-making, defining metrics, cost-sharing, and revenue-generation. There is a need for further collaborative efforts across RCMI sites to engage program leadership and community stakeholders in addressing the identified evaluation challenges and measurement. Program leadership should be engaged to apply the Evaluation Conceptual Framework and common metrics to allow for valid inter-institutional comparisons and consortium-wide evaluations. Stakeholders could ensure evaluation metrics are used to facilitate community impacts.

The present study aims to evaluate the efficacy of Trial-Based Cognitive Therapy (TBCT), a new cognitive-behavioral therapy approach, for generalized social anxiety disorder (GSAD) in a population with high rates of comorbid disorders, especially depression. This two-arm randomized clinical trial included 39 adults (TBCT=18; waitlist group=21) diagnosed with GSAD. The TBCT group received 16 weekly sessions of individual TBCT. Symptom severity was assessed at pre- and post-treatment. Participants in the TBCT group showed reduction in social anxiety, social avoidance, and depression, all associated with a large effect size. No differences between pre- and post-treatment scores were observed in the waitlist condition. Results also showed that comorbidity significantly moderated treatment efficacy. Patients with comorbid conditions showed greater reductions in social anxiety symptoms across treatment than those with SAD only. In summary, TBCT was effective in reducing social anxiety and depressive symptoms, particularly for patients with comorbidity.

Met deze pilotstudie is onderzocht of, en in hoeverre, gescheiden mensen oververtegenwoordigd zijn in een psychologenpraktijk in de regio Overbetuwe Oost (de regionale populatie is representatief voor de algemene Nederlandse bevolking vanwege de demografische gelijkenissen). De verwachting is dat de ggz procentueel meer gescheiden mensen in behandeling heeft dan het voorkomende percentage gescheiden mensen in de algemene bevolking. Uit eerder onderzoek blijkt namelijk dat echtscheidingen negatieve effecten hebben op verschillende aspecten van de geestelijke gezondheid. Daarnaast is descriptief onderzocht of er zich binnen de steekproef opvallende verschillen voordoen in de representativiteit van het aantal mannelijke en vrouwelijke clienten dat gescheiden is. Voor deze studie is een dossieronderzoek gedaan waarvoor uit het clientenbestand van de praktijk in de regio een steekproef van 801 dossiers is getrokken. Uit de onderzoeksresultaten blijkt dat de vertegenwoordiging van het aantal gescheiden mensen in de psychologenpraktijk relatief lager is dan die in de algemene Nederlandse bevolking. De hypothese wordt verworpen en de mogelijke verklaringen worden besproken.