Danelle Stevens-Watkins

The Roles of Spirituality in the Relationship Between Traumatic Life Events, Mental Health, and Drug Use Among African American Women from One Southern State

This study examines the role of spirituality as a moderator of the relationship between traumatic life experiences, mental health, and drug use in a sample of African American women. It was hypothesized that there would be an inverse relationship overall between spirituality and mental health and drug use among this sample of African American women. Secondly, was expected that spirituality would moderate the relationship between traumatic life events and mental health and drug use. African American women (n = 206) were recruited from the community and from probation officers in three urban areas of a southern state, and face-to-face interviews were completed. Findings indicated that there was a main effect for spirituality (as measured by existential well-being on the Spiritual Well-Being Scale) and traumatic life events, mental health, and alcohol use. In addition, spirituality was a significant moderator of the relationship between traumatic life events and cocaine use. Discussion and implications for African American women are included.

Black Lives Matter: A Call to Action for Counseling Psychology Leaders

Police brutality and widespread systemic racism represent historical and current sources of trauma in Black communities. Both the Black Lives Matter movement and counseling psychology propose to confront these realities at multiple levels. Black Lives Matter seeks to increase awareness about systemic racism and promote resilience among Black people. Counseling psychology states values of multiculturalism, social justice, and advocacy. Executive leadership in counseling psychology may seek to promote racial justice, yet struggle with how to participate in Black Lives Matter movements and address racial discrimination within larger systems spontaneously and consistently. However, counseling psychology trainees and professionals are actively involved in the Black Lives Matter movement, leading the way forward. Through the framework of spontaneity in social movements, this manuscript highlights what counseling psychologists are currently contributing to Black Lives Matter and makes recommendations that build on the opportunity counseling psychologists have for further involvement in the movement.

Studying Sex: A Content Analysis of Sexuality Research in Counseling Psychology

Using a sex-positive framework, we conducted a 61-year (1954–2015) content analysis of sexuality research featured in The Counseling Psychologist and the Journal of Counseling Psychology. We aimed to uncover (a) which human sexuality topics were published most, (b) whether the publications aligned with sex-positive, neutral, or negative discourse, (c) what methodologies were used, and (d) differences in how populations were investigated across racial groups. We used an integrative approach to the content analysis and human coding. Results highlighted in 188 articles meeting criteria, the largest focus (38%) was on sexual orientation, sexual identity, and sexual minorities; only 5% utilized a sex-positive perspective. Quantitative and conceptual articles were the most published methods, and publications disproportionately focused on non-Latino White populations. When people of color were included, the discourse was sex negative. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

African American Women and Sexually Transmitted Infections: The Contextual Influence of Unbalanced Sex Ratios and Individual Risk Behaviors

This study uses data from 564 African American women to examine the correlates of lifetime prevalence of a sexually transmitted infection (STI). Specifically, we test the effects of perceptions about the availability of African American males, five partner characteristics, and drug history. At the bivariate level, women with an STI diagnosis were significantly more likely to have dated a man who was married, older, had sex with another man, involved in concurrent partnerships, and had been incarcerated. About half of the participants stated it was difficult to find an eligible African American male and attributed the limited pool of same-race partners to drug trafficking, a lack of monogamy, and high rates of incarceration. Multivariate analyses revealed having dated a man who had concurrent sexual partnerships or had been incarcerated, as well as drug use during sex were positively associated with ever having an STI. Individual and contextual implications are addressed.

John Henryism Active Coping as a Cultural Correlate of Substance Abuse Treatment Participation Among African American Women.

The rates of illicit drug use among African American women are increasing, yet African American women are least likely to participate in treatment for substance use disorders when compared to women of other racial groups. The current study examined family history of substance use, perceived family support, and John Henryism Active Coping (JHAC) as correlates to seeking treatment for substance abuse. The underlying theoretical frame of JHAC (James et al., 1983) suggests that despite limited resources and psychosocial stressors, African Americans believe that hard work and self-determination are necessary to cope with adversities. The current study is a secondary data analyses of 206 drug-using African American women (N=104 urban community women with no criminal justice involvement and N=102 women living in the community on supervised probation) from urban cities in a southern state. It was expected that African American women with a family history of substance abuse, higher levels of perceived family support, and more active coping skills would be more likely to have participated in substance abuse treatment. Step-wise logistic regression results reveal that women on probation, had children, and had a family history of substance abuse were significantly more likely to report participating in substance abuse treatment. Perceived family support and active coping were significant negative correlates of participating in treatment. Implication of results suggests coping with psychosocial stressors using a self-determined and persistent coping strategy may be problematic for drug-using women with limited resources.

The Indirect Effect of Ethnic Identity on Marijuana Use Through School Engagement: An African American High School Sample

ABSTRACT Background: African American marijuana use is associated with many negative social, emotional, and health-related consequences. Of significance, over recent years this population has shown an increase in use. In the literature, ethnic identity and school engagement are prominent protective factors against substance use. Objective: This study will examine how these protective factors are related, specifically whether ethnic identity mitigates risk through school engagement to reduce marijuana use. Method: A path analysis was conducted with 437 African American high school students (41% male) from Midwestern schools to examine the role of school engagement in the relationship between ethnic identity and marijuana use. Results: The results revealed that students high in ethnic identity have higher school engagement, which lessens their frequency of marijuana use. Therefore, ethnic identity reduces marijuana use by increasing students school engagement. Conclusions/Importance: The results offer a clearer picture of how ethnic identity and school engagement protect against marijuana use. The results also present insight into how to protect students who are low in ethnic identity.

Pre-Incarceration Rates of Nonmedical Use of Prescription Drugs among Black Men from Urban Counties

There are inconsistent findings regarding the rates of nonmedical prescription drug use (NMPDU) among Black Americans. The majority of previous studies used pharmaceutical names of drugs and relied on national data that excludes incarcerated populations, in which Black men are overrepresented. Therefore, the current study aimed to describe pre-incarceration rates of NMPDU among Black men in prison using culturally relevant alternative drug names. We recruited 208 incarcerated (adult age 18 or older) Black men nearing community reentry to urban counties from four state prisons in Kentucky. Results indicated the majority of participants engaged in lifetime NMPDU. The most commonly endorsed class of prescription drug was, “Other Sedatives, Hypnotics, and Tranquilizers” and the most commonly endorsed specific prescription drugs were “Syrup,” Lortab/Hydrocodone, and Xanax. There were significant age differences in the number of days that drugs were used in the year prior to incarceration. The current study contributes to the dearth of literature on NMPDU among Black Americans. These findings have implications for disease transmission, overdose risk, and culturally relevant data collection methods and interventions aimed at reducing NMPDU among Black men.

Life After: Examining the Relationship Between Sociobehavioral Factors and Mental Health Among African American Ex-Offenders:

Mental health problems are 3 times higher among prisoners than the general population. After release, reentry barriers and other factors can exacerbate mental problems. This study of 250 African American ex-offenders examines the relationship between sociobehavioral factors and mental health. Independent variables included self-reported health, alcohol use, employment, and history of mental problems before prison. Covariates included the number of immediate family with mental problems and the number of serious conflicts with family members or friends. Analyses revealed that men who had serious conflicts, used alcohol more often, reported less than excellent health, and not employed were more likely to report being troubled by mental problems. Family mental health history was not statistically significant. The current study adds to the literature by identifying selected factors associated with the mental health of African American male, ex-offenders. Findings from this study can inform interventions to address mental health issues and reduce recidivism.

Alcohol-Related Disorders and Other Substance Use Disorders

Adolescent substance use is a national health concern. About 7% of adolescents aged 12–17 meet diagnostic criteria for substance use disorders, and approximately 145,000 adolescents enroll annually in outpatient substance use treatment nationwide. The purpose of the present chapter is to provide an overview of the changes in the DSM-V concerning alcohol and other related substance use disorders as well as the research surrounding these disorders. Substance use disorders have undergone several changes in the DSM-V, including the addition of drug craving and the removal of problems with law enforcement from the criteria, among others. Further, the chapter provides a review of the current state of literature related to the etiology, risk factors for use, associated comorbidities, as well as evidence-based interventions and prognosis.

Perceived Risk of HIV Infection Among Drug-Using African American Male Prisoners: One Year After Community Re-entry

ABSTRACT Background: African Americans represent 13% of the U.S. population but 46% of people living with HIV and nearly 40% of state and federal prisoners. Disproportionate rates of HIV among African American males involved in the criminal justice system have been associated with risk factors, including: contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs), substance misuse, and inconsistent condom use. However, many African American males may not perceive an elevated risk of HIV upon re-entering the community. Objective: The current study examines correlates of perceived HIV risk among incarcerated African American drug-using males about one year after release from prison. Methods: Derived from a larger Health Services Utilization study, interviewing (N = 661) incarcerated men at baseline with a 92% follow-up rate approximately one year after community re-entry, the current study is a secondary data analyses from self-identified African American men (N = 250). After list-wise deletion, the total N = 221 for the final study results. Results: An ordered logistic regression model examining perceived risk of HIV as the dependent variable found age, cocaine use before sex, and condom use were significant correlates in the model. Alcohol use before sex mediated the relationship between cocaine use before sex and perceived HIV risk. Conclusions: Results suggest men in this study are engaged in HIV risk behaviors and risk perception varies. Implications for individual-level, community-level and policy interventions are discussed.