Schnavia Smith Hatcher

Mental Health, Substance Abuse, and HIV Disparities in Correctional Settings: Practice and Policy Implications for African Americans

Mental health challenges, substance use disorders, and HIV/AIDS disproportionately affect Black people in correctional settings. Culturally responsive practice and equitable policy is predicated upon research that explores the burden, prevalence, and mortality of these public health concerns on the health and social well-being of African Americans in the correctional setting. This paper has three sections: (1) mental health; (2) substance abuse; and (3) HIV/AIDS. Each section summarizes current treatment issues unique to correctional settings, and provides recommendations for enhancing programs and policy to meet the needs of Black people who have been arrested, detained, incarcerated, paroled, or released. Further, we make recommendations for how interdisciplinary researchers and health care/treatment providers can engage in science-guided advocacy to address these issues and reduce related disparities experienced by people of African ancestry.

HIV Prevention Programs in the Black Church: A Viable Health Promotion Resource for African American Women?

ABSTRACT Nearly 40 million people worldwide are living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The Centers for Disease Control report that women account for more than 50% of the existing 40 million HIV/AIDS cases to date. Moreover, African-American women are infected with HIV/AIDS 25 times more often than white women and four times more often than Hispanic women, making HIV/AIDS the leading cause of death for black women ages 25–34. Given the increasing rate of transmission with this population, the purpose of this article was to review the existing literature to investigate the risk factors associated with African-American women with HIV/AIDS and identify an effective method of HIV prevention for them. A discussion of religion and African-Americans in terms of the Black church and its health promotion efforts was also included. The article concludes with a discussion of program elements of HIV prevention programs in the Black church and possible challenges faced for the programs.

An Assessment of Secondary Traumatic Stress in Juvenile Justice Education Workers

Given the frequency and violent character of the traumas encountered by juvenile offenders, staff members who regularly interact with juveniles in custody are at risk of developing secondary traumatic stress. Juvenile justice teachers and staff (N = 118) were administered a cross-sectional survey, including the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale. Respondents said the students were moderately traumatized (47%), severely traumatized (27%), and very severely traumatized (7%). Regarding STS, the most frequently reported symptom was intrusive thoughts related to work with the students, mentioned by 61% of respondents. Additionally, 81% met at least one, 55% met two, and 39% met all three core diagnostic criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder. Recommendations for juvenile justice staff members and for the organization are provided to address practice and policy implications.

Examining the Long-Term Racial Disparities in Health and Economic Conditions Among Hurricane Katrina Survivors: Policy Implications for Gulf Coast Recovery

This study examines disparities in the long-term health, emotional well-being, and economic consequences of the 2005 Gulf Coast hurricanes. Researchers analyzed the responses of 216 Black and 508 White Hurricane Katrina survivors who participated in the ABC News Hurricane Katrina Anniversary Poll in 2006. Self-reported data of the long-term negative impact of the hurricane on personal health, emotional well-being, and finances were regressed on race, income, and measures of loss, injury, family mortality, anxiety, and confidence in the government. Descriptive analyses, stepwise logistic regression, and analyses of variance revealed that Black hurricane survivors more frequently reported hurricane-related problems with personal health, emotional well-being, and finances. In addition, Blacks were more likely than Whites to report the loss of friends, relatives, and personal property.

Recognizing Perspectives on Community Reentry From Offenders with Mental Illness: Using the Afrocentric Framework and Concept Mapping with Adult Detainees

By using concept-mapping techniques and incorporating the Afrocentric framework, this study demonstrated that people with mental illnesses, when asked and provided the means to participate, can engage in meaningful identification of their needs, service conceptualization, and prioritization. They provided 13 service area needs that included 104 indicators of their success when returning to the community. The identification of these indicators of success is helpful to program developers so that they can address the challenges of the consumer, and move offenders with mental illness toward independent living. Implications of the findings for social workers and public health professionals working in the corrections field are explored and discussed.

Trauma and Substance Abuse Among Child Welfare Involved African American Mothers: A Case Study

Using a multiple embedded case study design, this study highlights the experiences of 26 African American mothers with substance-abuse histories who were trying to regain custody of their children, and 26 professionals who were helping these women accomplish that goal. Thematic analysis revealed that trauma interfered with these womens ability to successfully navigate child protection in two ways: external and internal expressions of trauma. Women who lost custody of their children had more external expressions of trauma and/or all four effects of trauma. Developing trauma-informed services for parents who are child welfare-involved is an important next step.

Etiology of school shootings: Utilizing a purposive, non-impulsive model for social work practice

Many schools have introduced violence prevention measures that aim to combat acts such as bullying and carrying weapons on school premises. Despite these attempts, students and faculty live in fear of a school shooting happening in their community. This article reviews the factors that are most prevalent in those who follow through with school violence and the most prevalent cluster of variables seen in cases of school shootings. Next, the etiology of school shootings and the stages-of-change model, applied to school violence, is discussed. The analyses are then followed by implications for social work and how to augment existing practices through practice and policy changes.

An Exploration of Risk Factors Associated With Dating Violence: Examining the Predictability of Adolescent Female Dating Violence Perpetration

Teen dating violence is a growing issue impacting the adolescent experience, with adolescent females at risk to perpetrate violence. This study used the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health to examine the prevalence of related dating violence risk factors and their ability to predict perpetration by adolescent females. The predictor variables identified for teen dating violence perpetration were race, exposure to violence, adolescent alcohol use, propensity to engage in risk behaviors, mental health, and delinquency. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine the likelihood to predict perpetration. Unlike prior regional studies, this research did not support inclusion of these risk factors for adolescent female dating violence perpetration. Practice implications are also discussed with attention to curriculum support, community needs, and research opportunities.

Mental health for youth: Applying an African-centered approach

ABSTRACT Service delivery challenges persist for African American youth who are impacted by mental health conditions. Along with access, of primary concern is the absence of an Afrocentric perspective that can be used to honor the cultural uniqueness, personal strengths, and interconnectedness of those receiving services. The African-centered philosophy, a system based on holistic values and ways of living, is encouraged as a standard framework in mental health service delivery. Nguzo Saba principles, also rooted in the Afrocentric paradigm, can be essential in improving mental health practices by countering the conventional pathological approach and promoting a commitment to augment service delivery for the individual and strengthen access in the community. This article discusses the historical and cultural significance of the African-centered philosophy in mental health practice and utilizes a case study narrative to demonstrate its usefulness in mental health service delivery.

Deliberate Indifference in Jail Suicide Litigation: A Fatal Judicial Loophole

Numerous national lawsuits have alleged that certain U.S. jails and detention centers are at fault for suicides that occur within their facilities. However, a significant number of court decisions have released the jail of liability. This article contends that the judicial rationale used in deciding the standard for liability, deliberate indifference, favors ignorance and has created an environment of ambiguity for jail suicide prevention policies. Cases involving custodial suicides and the recommended prevention policies developed by organizations affiliated with the U.S. correctional system are discussed. These are supplemented with anecdotal data from key informants working in the system. The analyses are followed by implications for augmenting existing practices through proactive policy changes to support enhanced systems of care.