Jaime M. Booth

Beyond Primary Prevention of Alcohol Use: A Culturally Specific Secondary Prevention Program for Mexican Heritage Adolescents

Classroom-based primary prevention programs with adolescents are effective in inhibiting the onset of drug use, but these programs are not designed to directly address the unique needs of adolescents at higher risk of use or already using alcohol and other drugs. This article describes the initial efficacy evaluation of a companion psychosocial small group program which aims at addressing the needs of Mexican heritage students identified by their teachers as being at higher risk for substance use or already experimenting with alcohol and other drugs. The adolescent (7th grade) small group curricula, REAL Groups, is a secondary prevention program which supplements the primary classroom-based substance use prevention program, keepin’ it REAL. Following a mutual aid approach, a total of 109 7th grade students were referred by their teachers and participated in the REAL Groups. The remaining 252 7th grade students who did not participate served as the control group. To account for biased selection into REAL Groups, propensity score matching (PSM) was employed. The estimated average treatment effect for participants’ use of alcohol was calculated at the end of the 8th grade. Results indicate that alcohol use decreased among students who participated in the REAL Groups relative to matched students who did not participate. These findings suggest that REAL Groups may be an effective secondary prevention program for higher-risk Mexican heritage adolescents.

Experiences of Online Harassment Among Emerging Adults Emotional Reactions and the Mediating Role of Fear

Online harassment is a growing problem. Among college students, 43% report some experience receiving harassing messages. Previous research has shown negative online experiences to be typical among “emerging adults” (especially college students), and these incidents may be related to normative developmental behaviors, such as “on-again-off-again” romantic relationships. Study hypotheses were derived from previous research. Undergraduate student respondents (N = 342) were surveyed about their experiences with online harassment, emotional responses to online harassment, and their relationship with the sender of harassing messages. Findings suggest that online harassment is linked to issues of intimate partner violence. Those who were harassed by a partner reported feelings of depression and anxiety. Using a gendered framework to explore online harassment is warranted because young women who are 18 to 29 years of age have higher rates of intimate partner violence than other demographic groups. Findings suggest future research is needed to understand the time ordering of these issues.

Familias: Preparando la Nueva Generación: A Randomized Control Trial Testing the Effects on Positive Parenting Practices.

Objectives: This article reports the effects of a culturally grounded parenting intervention to strengthen positive parenting practices. Method: The intervention was designed and tested with primarily Mexican origin parents in a large urban setting of the southwestern United States using an ecodevelopmental approach. Parents (N = 393) were randomly assigned three treatment conditions: (1) a parenting and youth intervention, (2) a youth only intervention, or (3) a control group. A measurement model for positive parenting was first evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis, followed by structural equation modeling to estimate the effects of the intervention on positive parenting (i.e., baseline to follow-up). Results: As hypothesized, parents in the intervention group reported higher rates of positive parenting compared to parents in youth-only condition. Conclusion: The results are promising and add to growing evidence that interventions tailored to the cultural characteristics and environments of parents and their children can strengthen positive parenting.

Short-Term Effects on Substance Use of the Keepin' It REAL Pilot Prevention Program: Linguistically Adapted for Youth in Jalisco, Mexico

This article presents the short-term effects of a pilot study of keepin’it REAL (Manténte REAL) conducted in central Mexico by a binational team of investigators. This middle school-based model program for preventing substance use was adapted for Mexico linguistically but not culturally. Two Guadalajara public middle schools were recruited and randomly assigned to either implement the prevention program or serve as a control site. The program was implemented in the treatment site by the students’ regular teachers, who were trained by the research team. Seventh graders in ten classrooms in the treatment and control schools (N = 432) completed a pretest and posttest survey in Spanish similar to the survey utilized in the original efficacy trial of keepin’it REAL in the US. T-tests and OLS regressions were conducted to determine the effects of the intervention on substance use outcomes. Differences between treatment and control groups in frequency of use of alcohol and tobacco, the two substances of choice in this sample, were significant and in the desired direction. Differences in amount of use were also in the preferred direction but were not significant for alcohol and only marginally significant for tobacco. When the sample was split by gender, statistically significant treatment effects remained for females but were not observed among males. Effects of the linguistically adapted version of keepin’it REAL appears to be driven by the change in female use; however, the difference in male and female outcomes was not statistically significant. Implications for cultural adaptation and prevention in Mexico are discussed from a communication competency perspective. The promising results of the pilot study suggest that the linguistic adaptation was effective, but that a comprehensive cultural adaptation of keepin’it REAL in partnership with Mexican investigators and communities may be warranted.

Examining the Interaction of Daily Hassles Across Ecological Domains on Substance Use and Delinquency Among Low-Income Adolescents of Color

The increased risk for substance use and delinquency among adolescents of color has been partially attributed to increased exposure to daily hassles. Although a certain number of hassles are normative, especially among family and peers, adolescents of color experience more stressors in their neighborhood or directly related to fewer resources than their White counterparts. These hassles may interact across ecological systems to impact behavioral outcomes among adolescents. This may be especially true for young people living in public housing. Based on ecological systems theory, this study tests the relationship between experiences of hassles across multiple ecological levels and problem behaviors in a sample of 315 ethnically diverse early adolescents (Mage = 12; 51% female) living in public housing neighborhoods in two large metropolitan areas in the United States. A positive relationship was found between family hassles and both substance use and delinquency, as well as between school hassles and substance use. When the interactions between family, peer, school, and neighborhood/resource hassles were considered, five statistically significant interactions were found. The study results reinforce the role of contextual factors, such as living in low-income neighborhoods and the complexity of hassles interacting at multiple levels of a young person’s daily ecology, on adolescent outcomes.

The Association between Engaging in Romantic Relationships and Mexican Adolescent Substance Use Offers: Exploring Gender Differences

Gender differences in alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs use in Mexico are rapidly disappearing. This study explores the possible relationship between engaging in romantic relationships on substance use offers and the moderating effects of gender among a group of adolescents (N = 432) living in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. The data used to test these relationships were collected through self-administered surveys in 2010. OLS regressions were estimated, predicting substance offers. The results demonstrate an association between having been in a relationship and receiving substance use offers in the previous 12 months. Having had a boyfriend/girlfriend had a significant influence on the offers received by adolescent females, but not for males.

The Role of Disadvantaged Neighborhood Environments in the Association of John Henryism With Hypertension and Obesity.

Objective The John Henryism hypothesis proposes that high-effort, active coping in impoverished, low-resource environments is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, but a lower risk of disease in a high-resource environment. To test this hypothesis, we examined the association of John Henryism Active Coping (JHAC) with objectively measured neighborhood disadvantages and the relationship to hypertension (including systolic [SBP] and diastolic [DBP] blood pressure) and elevated body mass index (BMI). Methods The study included 3105 participants— 39.93% non-Hispanic blacks, 31.66% non-Hispanic whites, and 25.83% Hispanic and 2.58% non-Hispanic other. All participants aged 18 to 92 years were surveyed and underwent a baseline clinical examination as part of the Chicago Community Adult Health Study, from 2001 to 2003. Coping was measured using four items from the JHAC scale, and neighborhood disadvantage was assessed using rater assessments and the US Census data. Results In multilevel regression models clustered by neighborhood, neither JHAC nor neighborhood disadvantage was significantly associated with hypertension (SBP and DBP) or BMI. However, significant interaction effects of neighborhood disadvantage and JHAC on hypertension (odds ratio [standard error {SE}] = 0.66 [0.11], p = .018), SBP (B [SE] = −2.63 [1.33], p = .048), DBP (B [SE] = −2.08 [0.87], p = .017), and BMI (B [SE] = −1.86 [0.46], p < .001) were found, such that JHAC was related to increases in disadvantaged neighborhoods and decreases in advantaged neighborhoods. Conclusions In a large study that modeled objective measures of neighborhood disadvantage, JHAC was associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease among individuals living in highly disadvantaged neighborhoods which lack resources and opportunities for upward social mobility. This is consistent with the John Henryism hypothesis.

Community Engagement and HIV Prevention with American Indian/Alaska Native Communities: Working with the Whole Person

Although HIV/AIDS was not initially identified as a major public health challenge in Indian Country and among urban American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities, today it disproportionately affects this population. Using a postcolonial perspective, we review the state of HIV prevention knowledge generated by and in partnership with AI/AN communities. We also provide specific recommendations for the development, implementation, and evaluation of successful HIV prevention interventions and programs, through authentic community engagement and partnership, as we move forward in the next phase of the epidemic.

Preventing violence in disadvantaged communities: Strategies for building collective efficacy and improving community health

ABSTRACT Violence is a critical health issue that compromises the strength of communities and permanently damages the lives of individuals and families. The impact of violence on health and well-being is particularly devastating in disadvantaged and minority communities, leading to negative health outcomes, including premature death. However, research suggests that communities can prevent violence and negative health outcomes by developing collective efficacy, which happens when neighbors share norms and values, trust one another, and are willing to intervene to address problems. Despite the importance of collective efficacy in preventing violence and improving health, almost no research has investigated actionable strategies to build collective efficacy in disadvantaged neighborhoods. This article describes a theoretical and conceptual model that illustrates how collective efficacy impacts community violence and related health outcomes. We begin by reviewing other approaches to community violence prevention, including criminal justice and developmental approaches. We then discuss how collective efficacy works and why it matters, including theoretical and empirical research explaining collective efficacy and its impact on community violence and health. We then discuss a research-based intervention that social workers can use to facilitate collective efficacy, including our conceptual model and the key components of the intervention. Finally, we discuss implications for social workers who are working with communities to address violence and related health issues.

Empirical Status of Culturally Competent Practices

Effective prevention and treatment programs are rooted in each individual client, their families, and their larger social and cultural networks. This chapter considers the role of culture of origin in relation to resiliency and protection from substance abuse and addiction processes. Research findings suggest that substance abuse treatment and prevention interventions can be more effective when they are grounded in the clients’ culture. Further, cultural specific interventions tend to be more efficacious in recruiting and retaining participants and in attaining prevention and treatment goals. Specifying ways in which culture of origin can be successfully integrated into preventive interventions based on the empirical research literature in this area is delineated.