American Journal of Orthopsychiatry This is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader or to display this data on your own website or blog.

Nonevent stress contributes to mental health disparities based on sexual orientation: Evidence from a personal projects analysis.
This study examined the role of nonevent stress—in the form of frustrated personal project pursuits in the arenas of relationships and work—as a contributing factor to mental health disparities between heterosexual and lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) populations. A purposive sample of 431 LGB (55%) and heterosexually identified (45%) individuals living in the United States and Canada completed the Personal Project Inventory by describing and rating core personal projects they were pursuing. The intensity of perceived barriers to the achievement of relationship- and work-related personal projects served as indicators n...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - September 29, 2014 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Frost, David M.; LeBlanc, Allen J. Source Type: research

Sex and the sinner: Comparing religious and nonreligious same-sex attracted adults on internalized homonegativity and distress.
Homonegative prejudice has long been connected with poor psychological outcomes. These have often been purported to include internalized homonegativity (IH), an outcome regarded as especially detrimental given its association with a large number of adverse mental health correlates. Given the evidence that homonegative prejudice often prevails most strongly within many mainstream religious contexts, the current study examined whether religious lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals would possess higher levels of internalized homonegativity than their nonreligious, and formerly religious, LGB counterparts. To test this...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - September 29, 2014 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Sowe, Babucarr J.; Brown, Jac; Taylor, Alan J. Source Type: research

“I need you to listen to what happened to me”: Personal narratives of social trauma in research and peace-building.
This article explores the uses of personal narratives of massive social trauma in conflict, most specifically as they relate to the Palestinian–Israeli context. It is asserted that there are types of narratives, fixated on persecution, hatred, and fear, that can obstruct peace, and different types that encourage peace and reconciliation. The article discusses the impacts of sharing personal narratives on the victims and others in society, the connections between personal and master narratives, and ways in which dialogue that incorporates personal narratives can encourage peace. A theoretical categorization of 4 types of ...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - September 29, 2014 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Chaitin, Julia Source Type: research

The effectiveness of housing interventions and housing and service interventions on ending family homelessness: A systematic review.
Family homelessness has become a growing public health problem over the last 3 decades. Despite this trend, few studies have explored the effectiveness of housing interventions and housing and service interventions. The purpose of this systematic review is to appraise and synthesize evidence on effective interventions addressing family homelessness. We searched 10 major electronic databases from 2007 to 2013. Empirical studies investigating effectiveness of housing interventions and housing and service interventions for American homeless families regardless of publication status were eligible for inclusion. Outcomes includ...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - September 29, 2014 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Bassuk, Ellen L.; DeCandia, Carmela J.; Tsertsvadze, Alexander; Richard, Molly K. Source Type: research

Coming from behind: A historical perspective on Black education and attainment.
In our current reliance on “hard data,” achievement test scores are used incorrectly and without warrant as the ultimate mark of educational progress. While it is true that a gap continues to exist, educational history shows that, overall, both Black and White students have participated steadily in increasing numbers in the educational system, whether the measure is the number of students attending school, the increasing length of the school years, literacy rates, or in the actual level of educational attainment over a period of more than 100 years. The data examined in historical perspective show that the American edu...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - September 29, 2014 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Levine, Murray; Levine, Adeline G. Source Type: research

How can policy strengthen community support for children in military families?
The extraordinary demands of recent wars have increased burdens on many military families and existing systems of care. The sacrifices made by service members are made also by their children and families, and these sacrifices can have long-term consequences. Therefore, military children and families cannot go unrecognized and unsupported. Policy responses should be less about diagnosing and treating individuals and more about recognizing and supporting families’ and communities’ resilience in the face of wartime deployment. Policy should focus on identifying military children in diverse communities and supporting them ...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - September 29, 2014 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Boberiene, Liepa V.; Hornback, Bradley J. Source Type: research

Risk factors for suicidal behaviors among Filipino Americans: A data mining approach.
Filipino Americans have lower suicide rates than other Asian ethnic groups. The present study examined risk factors for suicide ideation and attempt among Filipino Americans with random forest. The data were from the Filipino American Community Epidemiological Study (Takeuchi, 2011). The results showed that the important predictors for suicide ideation were depressive disorder, substance use disorder, and years in the United States. The important predictors for suicide attempt were the number of family relatives and family conflict. Clinicians are advised to investigate familial and cultural factors among Filipino American...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - August 11, 2014 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Kuroki, Yusuke Source Type: research

Sudden losses and negative appraisal in people with severe mental illness.
Research on the impact of sudden or unexpected losses in people with severe mental illness is scarce. The purpose of our study was to examine the relationship between subjective distress from sudden losses in people with severe mental illness and posttraumatic stress symptoms while controlling for gender, psychiatric symptoms, and negative appraisals. As part of routine care, treatment personnel collected data from 371 community mental health clients diagnosed with a severe mental illness. Hierarchical linear regression revealed that negative appraisals of the self and the world correlated significantly with posttraumatic ...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - August 11, 2014 Category: Psychiatry Authors: O’Hare, Thomas; Sherrer, Margaret V.; Shen, Ce Source Type: research

Contemporary heterosexism on campus and psychological distress among LGBQ students: The mediating role of self-acceptance.
Contemporary heterosexism includes both overt and subtle discrimination. Minority stress theory posits that heterosexism puts sexual minorities at risk for psychological distress and other negative outcomes. Research, however, tends to focus only on 1 form at a time, with minimal attention being given to subtle heterosexism. Further, little is known about the connection between minority stressors and underlying psychological mechanisms that might shape mental health outcomes. Among a convenience sample of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer (LGBQ) college students (n = 299), we investigated the role of blatant victimization ...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - August 11, 2014 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Woodford, Michael R.; Kulick, Alex; Sinco, Brandy R.; Hong, Jun Sung Source Type: research

Posttraumatic growth in children and youth: Clinical implications of an emerging research literature.
Posttraumatic growth (PTG), positive change resulting from the struggle with trauma, has garnered significant attention in the literature on adults. Recently, the research base has begun to extend downward, and this literature indicates that youth also evidence PTG-like changes. Researchers have sought to assess the construct, examine its correlates, and understand the factors that contribute to PTG in youth. Drawing from this work, this article considers clinical implications for youth. After briefly describing the PTG construct, its hypothesized process, and its distinction from resilience, the article focuses on key the...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - August 11, 2014 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Kilmer, Ryan P.; Gil-Rivas, Virginia; Griese, Brook; Hardy, Steven J.; Hafstad, Gertrud Sofie; Alisic, Eva Source Type: research

The psychosocial impact of detention and deportation on U.S. Migrant children and families.
This article critically examines the current state of the literature on the psychosocial consequences of detention and deportation for unauthorized migrants, mixed-status families, and their U.S.-born children. In particular, drawing on social and psychological theory and research, we (a) review the impact of parents’ unauthorized status on children; (b) summarize the literature on the impact of detention processes on psychosocial well-being; (c) describe the dilemma faced by a mixed-status family when a parent faces deportation; (d) examine the current social scientific literature on how parental deportation impacts chi...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - August 11, 2014 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Brabeck, Kalina M.; Lykes, M. Brinton; Hunter, Cristina Source Type: research

Reciprocal influences between maternal parenting and child adjustment in a high-risk population: A 5-year cross-lagged analysis of bidirectional effects.
This study examines longitudinally the bidirectional influences between maternal parenting (behaviors and parenting stress) and mothers’ perceptions of their children’s adjustment, in a multivariate approach. Data was gathered from 361 low-income mothers (many with psychiatric diagnoses) reporting on their parenting behavior, parenting stress, and their child’s adjustment, in a 2-wave longitudinal study over 5 years. Measurement models were developed to derive 4 broad parenting constructs (involvement, control, rejection, and stress) and 3 child adjustment constructs (internalizing problems, externalizing problems, a...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - August 4, 2014 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Barbot, Baptiste; Crossman, Elizabeth; Hunter, Scott R.; Grigorenko, Elena L.; Luthar, Suniya S. Source Type: research

A compensatory model of risk and resilience applied to adolescent sexual orientation disparities in nonsuicidal self-injury and suicide attempts.
This study investigated and applied a compensatory model of risk and resilience to differences in past-year nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) and suicide attempts by sexual orientation using representative data from the 2007 Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey (n = 3,131). Self-identified lesbian, gay, bisexual, and questioning (LGBQ) adolescents comprised 7% of the sample, but accounted for 67% of NSSI and 80% of suicide attempts. Compared with heterosexuals, LGBQ adolescents had an increased odds of NSSI (adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR) = 2.76; 95% Confidence Interval (CI) [2.00, 3.81] and suicide attempts (aOR = 2.73; 95% C...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - August 4, 2014 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Reisner, Sari L.; Biello, Katie; Perry, Nicholas S.; Gamarel, Kristi E.; Mimiaga, Matthew J. Source Type: research

Complicated grief in help-seeking torture survivors in sub-Saharan African contexts.
Many help-seeking torture survivors in sub-Saharan Africa report sudden or violent bereavements, as well as risk factors associated with complicated grief. This mixed-methods article reviews 85 therapeutic client files from torture treatment centers in 3 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Thirty-nine clients had lost loved ones and were at greater risk for depression (effect size 0.65) and thoughts of suicide (OR = 4.99). Qualitative analysis of case histories and interviews with clients elaborate the links between torture and complicated grief. Recommendations are offered for the treatment of complicated grief in sub-Sahara...
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - August 4, 2014 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Higson-Smith, Craig Source Type: research

Does Job Stability Mediate the Relationship Between Intimate Partner Violence and Mental Health Among Low‐Income Women?
This study demonstrates the need for interventions that effectively address barriers to employment as a means of enhancing the mental health of low‐income women with abusive partners. (Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry)
Source: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - October 28, 2013 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Adrienne E. Adams, Deborah Bybee, Richard M. Tolman, Cris M. Sullivan, Angie C. Kennedy Tags: Original Article Source Type: research