Kathleen Brown-Rice

Stressors, Coping Resources, and Depressive Symptoms among Rural American Indian Older Adults

The purpose of this study was to examine the associations of physical health stressors and coping resources with depressive symptoms among American Indian older adults age 50 years or older. The study used a convenience sample of 227 rural American Indian older adults. A hierarchical multiple regression tested three sets of predictors on depressive symptoms: (a) sociodemographics, (b) physical health stressors (functional disability and chronic medical conditions), and (c) coping resources (social support and spirituality). Most participants reported little difficulty in performing daily activities (e.g., eating, dressing, traveling, and managing money), while presenting over two types of chronic medical conditions. Depressive symptoms were predicted by higher scores on perceived social support and lower scores on functional disability; women and those having no health insurance also had higher levels of depressive symptoms. Findings suggest that social work practitioners should engage family and community support, advocate for access to adequate health care, and attend to womens unique circumstances and needs when working with American Indian older adults.

Depression Literacy Among American Indian Older Adults

Older American Indians experience high rates of depression and other psychological disorders, yet little research exist on the depression literacy of this group. Depression literacy is fundamental for individuals seeking help for depression in a timely and appropriate manner. In the present study the authors examine levels and predictors of knowledge of depression symptoms in a sample of rural older American Indians (N = 227) living in the Midwestern United States. Data from self-administered questionnaires indicate limited knowledge of depression and negative attitudes toward seeking help for mental health problems. Additional findings and implications for social work practice and policy are discussed.

Neural and psychological characteristics of college students with alcoholic parents differ depending on current alcohol use

&NA; A significant proportion of college students are adult children of an alcoholic parent (ACoA), which can confer greater risk of depression, poor self‐esteem, alcohol and drug problems, and greater levels of college attrition. However, some ACoA are resilient to these negative outcomes. The goal of this study was to better understand the psychobiological factors that distinguish resilient and vulnerable college‐aged ACoAs. To do so, scholastic performance and psychological health were measured in ACoA college students not engaged in hazardous alcohol use (resilient) and those currently engaged in hazardous alcohol use (vulnerable). Neural activity (as measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging) in response to performing working memory and emotion‐based tasks were assessed. Furthermore, the frequency of polymorphisms in candidate genes associated with substance use, risk taking and stress reactivity were compared between the two ACoA groups. College ACoAs currently engaged in hazardous alcohol use reported more anxiety, depression and posttraumatic stress symptoms, and increased risky nicotine and marijuana use as compared to ACoAs resistant to problem alcohol use. ACoA college students with current problem alcohol showed greater activity of the middle frontal gyrus and reduced activation of the posterior cingulate in response to visual working memory and emotional processing tasks, which may relate to increased anxiety and problem alcohol and drug behaviors. Furthermore, polymorphisms of cholinergic receptor and the serotonin transporter genes also appear to contribute a role in problem alcohol use in ACoAs. Overall, findings point to several important psychobiological variables that distinguish ACoAs based on their current alcohol use that may be used in the future for early intervention. HighlightsAdult children of alcoholic parents (ACoA) have increased risk for alcohol problems.ACoA with alcohol problems have poorer mental, physical and social health.Increased activity of middle frontal gyrus seen in ACoC with alcohol problems.Nicotinic subunit gene variants may increase risk for alcohol problems in ACoA.

Psychology Doctoral Students Perceptions of Peers’ Problems of Professional Competency.

Doctoral students in American Psychological Association (APA) accredited programs (clinical psychology PhD, counseling psychology PhD, and clinical psychology PsyD; n = 939) were asked to evaluate their knowledge of peers who displayed problems of professional competency (PPC) and the impact of these behaviors on their own experiences as doctoral students. The vast majority of students reported identifying at least 1 peer displaying PPC (77.8%) with the majority (58.3%) indicating that they experienced an impact from this behavior. The behaviors identified as affecting them included peers who (a) were not able to regulate emotions (58.5%), (b) engaged in unprofessional behavior (47.8%), (c) had inadequate clinical skills (32.8%), (d) engaged in unethical behavior (32.1%), and (e) displayed psychological concerns (31.7%). The resulting impact of these behaviors included (a) feeling resentful of the peer (65.1%), (b) encountering a disrupted learning environment (59.4%), and (c) feeling stress because of the peer’s PPC (57.8%). Doctoral students were frustrated with their programs for allowing peers displaying PPC to graduate and expressed concern about the quality of their profession. A large number of the participants (79.9%) reported a desire for information regarding how to respond to a peer’s PPC. These results are examined in the context of the APA Profession-Wide Competencies as related to professional values, attitudes, and behaviors.