Storylines of family medicine VII: family medicine across the lifespan.

Storylines of Family Medicine is a 12-part series of thematically linked mini-essays with accompanying illustrations that explore the many dimensions of family medicine as interpreted by individual family physicians and medical educators in the USA and elsewhere around the world. In 'VII: family medicine across the lifespan', authors address the following themes: 'Family medicine maternity care', 'Seeing children as patients brings joy to work', 'Family medicine and the care of adolescents', 'Reproductive healthcare across the lifespan', 'Men's health', 'Care of older adults', and 'Being with dying'. May readers appreciate the range of family medicine in these essays.

Different perceptual worlds: Parent and youth perspectives on parenting outcome trajectories from a Latino family-based program.

Discrepancies between parent and youth perceptions of their relationship are a common aspect of generational acculturation gaps influencing immigrant families. Programs designed to strengthen parenting practices among immigrant Latino families commonly address immigration stresses, including differences between parent and youth perceptions, but little is known about discrepancies in their appraisals of program effects on parenting behavior. A randomized trial was conducted examining effects on parent behavior of a program for immigrant families with youth aged 10-14, developed through community-based participatory research principles. Families (346 parents and youth) were recruited by organizations serving Latino families in a Midwestern metropolitan area and randomly assigned to the eight-session psychoeducation and skill-building program or a waitlist control. Parents and youth completed self-report measures at pre-intervention, post-intervention (4 months), and a 6-month follow-up regarding parents' expression of acceptance, efforts to solicit information about the child's experiences, and consistency of discipline, key foci of the program. Based on social cognition theory, the study focused on possible differences in parents' and youths' perceptions of change in parenting behavior. Parents in the treatment group reported pre-post improved acceptance, consistent discipline, and solicitation, whereas youth reported improvement only in parental solicitation, a pattern maintained at follow-up. In the control group, the only change was youth-reported reduction in parental acceptance. Parents' perceptions of improvement are encouraging, but overall lack of improvements from the youth perspective poses a potential problem for impact on parent-child relations. Interventions may need to target both parent and youth cognitions about behavior changes directly.

Health Equity and the Impact of Racism on Adolescent Health.

Racism is woven within the fabric of the United States culture, structures, and systems, including its healthcare system. There is extensive research on adults demonstrating racial discrimination's physical and mental health impacts, and the evidence showing similar disproportionate effects for adolescents of color continues to grow. Furthermore, the devastation of the coronavirus pandemic has paralleled the resurgence of white nationalism movements and adverse outcomes associated with the over-policing of Black and Brown communities. Scientific evidence continues to illustrate how sociopolitical determinants of health and experiencing vicarious racism amplify overt racism and implicit bias actions individually and within health care structures. Therefore, evidence-based strategic interventions are desperately needed to ensure the health and well-being of adolescents and young adults.

Latine Transgender/Gender Diverse Adolescents: Protective Factors Against Emotional Distress.

Purpose: Latine transgender/gender diverse (TGD) adolescents may be at increased risk of emotional distress due to structural oppression affecting their intersecting nondominant identities. Multiple protective factors may buffer emotional distress among Latine TGD adolescents. We studied how these protective factors relate to emotional distress, comparing Latine with non-Latine TGD students. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of the 2019 Minnesota Student Survey, which included 3861 TGD and gender questioning (GQ) youth (10.9% Latine) in grades 8, 9, and 11 across Minnesota. We used multiple logistic regression with interaction terms to examine associations between protective factors (school connectedness, family connectedness, and internal assets) and emotional distress (depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, self-harm, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempt) between Latine TGD/GQ students and non-Latine TGD/GQ students. Results: There was a significantly higher rate of suicide attempts in Latine TGD/GQ students (36.2%) compared with non-Latine TGD/GQ students (26.3%, χ2 = 15.53, p < 0.001). In unadjusted models, school connectedness, family connectedness, and internal assets were associated with lower odds of all five indicators of emotional distress. In fully adjusted models, family connectedness and internal assets remained associated with significantly lower odds of all five indicators of emotional distress; these protective associations were similar across all TGD/GQ students regardless of Latine identity. Conclusion: Higher rates of suicide attempts in Latine TGD/GQ youth emphasize the need to better understand protective factors in youth with multiple nondominant social identities and identify programming that supports well-being. Family connectedness and internal assets can protect against emotional distress among both Latine and non-Latine TGD/GQ youth.

A Structural Lens Approach to Vaccine Hesitancy and Identity.

Vaccine hesitancy is an increasing global health threat, and to improve vaccine uptake, it is critical to account for identity-based considerations including racial and ethnic, religious, and contemporary socio-political identities. Using critical consciousness to create awareness of the diverse cultural viewpoints on vaccines can help providers have conversations that are identity aware, equity-focused, and linguistically sensitive with their patients. It is necessary to collaborate with patients, families, communities, and community leaders to share information about vaccines, their safety profiles, and on how to have vaccines readily accessible in each community, to protect children and adolescents against vaccine preventable illnesses.

Dismantling Inequities in Adolescent and Young Adult Health through a Sexual and Reproductive Health Justice Approach.

This article provides an overview of the social determinants of adolescents and young adults' (AYAs') sexual and reproductive health (SRH), from a global health perspective. The status of AYAs' SRH constitutes leading health indicators across nations and globally, and reveals the well-being of this population. Throughout the article, AYAs' SRH is approached from a health equity perspective, which includes SRH health rights and reproductive justice. Using this health equity lens, salient topics are presented: sexual abuse/assault among AYAs; immigrant and refugee populations; child, early, and forced marriage; human trafficking; and female genital mutilation. The article also discusses access to SRH services and comprehensive education. Practical implications and resources are offered for healthcare providers for their daily encounters with AYAs, as well as for community, institutional level, and advocacy action. Healthcare providers are well positioned to advance AYAs SRH through mitigating inequities and in so doing, they are assuring the health of the population and future generations.

Adolescent Health: Communication With Adolescent Patients.

Communication is an essential component in providing health care for adolescent patients. A critical part of adolescence is identity development. Affirmation of identity and emphasis on individual strengths are important for this age group. The concept of resilience is at the center of adolescent care and shapes how care is defined and delivered. A primary goal is to protect patients from harm through a combination of promotion of protective factors, including resilience, and risk factor reduction. In adolescents, use of motivational interviewing has been shown to decrease risky sexual behaviors, help prevent unplanned pregnancy, increase physical activity levels, and decrease substance use. Confidentiality is another essential component of care. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends use of the Strengths, School, Home, Activities, Drugs/substance use, Emotions/eating/depression, Sexuality, Safety (SSHADESS) screen for psychosocial assessment. Several other standardized, validated screening tools also may be valuable in guiding discussions and identifying risky behaviors. Sexual orientation, gender identity, religious, racial, and ethnic components of identity development should be addressed. The empowerment of adolescent patients to achieve personal independence in the health care setting is part of the transition from an adolescent approach to health care to an adult approach.

Adolescent Health: Prevention of Injury and Death.

Unintentional injuries, suicide, and homicide were the leading causes of deaths among US individuals ages 10 to 24 years in 2017. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death by unintentional injury among US adolescents. Family physicians can encourage adolescent patients who drive to use safe driving practices (eg, seat belt use, cell phone-free driving, sober driving). Poisoning and drowning are the second and third most common causes of death by unintentional injury among adolescents, respectively. Suicide is the second overall leading cause of death among adolescents and is a growing problem. Depression is a risk factor. The Ask Suicide-Screening Questions (ASQ) suicide risk screening tool has been validated for use in patients ages 10 to 21 years in all medical settings. Screening, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of adolescent patients for depression and development of safety plans are key to suicide prevention. Homicides are the third leading cause of death among adolescents, and firearms are a clear contributor. Family physicians should assess adolescent patients for risk factors for violence, provide trauma-informed care, promote resilience and strong relationships with adults, and empower adolescents to use their strengths and skills to reduce their risk of involvement in violence.

Adolescent Health: Substance Use.

Substance use in adolescents affects brain development and can influence health in adulthood. The substances most commonly used by adolescents are alcohol, cannabis, and tobacco. Adolescent alcohol use has been shown to inhibit and alter normal brain development, and has been associated with alcohol use disorder and other mental disorders in adulthood. Cannabis use during adolescence has been associated with adverse mental health outcomes. Adolescents may incorrectly assume that the negative health effects of smoking will not affect them. Electronic nicotine delivery systems, such as e-cigarettes, for vaping may be used to inhale nicotine, cannabis, or both. Strong family relationships and parental monitoring are protective factors against substance use. Screening at every preventive services visit is an essential element of adolescent care. The evidence-based Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) strategy has been shown to decrease substance use and its adverse effects in adolescents. On societal and community levels, family physicians have numerous opportunities to advocate for adolescent well-being and prevention of substance use. The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) recommends that family physicians advocate for legislation and governmental policies that facilitate the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of substance use.

Adolescent Health: Media Use.

Digital media use has increased rapidly during the past two decades, and media use is now a major issue in adolescent development. Online connections and communities can help foster healthy identity development and provide needed peer support, particularly for adolescents from historically marginalized communities. Online harassment, or cyberbullying, is a common phenomenon. Media use can interfere with sleep hygiene and quality, and screen-based sedentary behaviors have been associated with decreased physical activity, decreased aerobic fitness, and increased adiposity among adolescents. The literature on media use and adolescent mental health still is evolving. Some research suggests a U-shaped association between these two factors, with high and low levels of internet use associated with depression. Social media use may amplify peer pressure to engage in sexual behavior, provide exposure to a greater network of individuals with sexual experience, and increase the risk of sexual behaviors. Counseling adolescent patients about safe and healthy media use is essential. Conversations with patients and their families about media use should begin before adolescence and continue through adolescence in the context of routine preventive care. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends creation and implementation of a Family Media Use Plan.

Designing a Mobile App to Enhance Parenting Skills of Latinx Parents: A Community-Based Participatory Approach.

BACKGROUND: Latinx families are among the highest users of smartphones, yet few health-focused Web programs have been developed for this audience. Parent-based smartphone apps designed for Latinx families may help increase access to evidence-informed parenting programming and ultimately reduce health disparities among children and adolescents. To maximize uptake of such apps, the Center for eHealth Research and Disease Management (CeHRes) Roadmap for electronic health (eHealth) development recommends 5 phases of development: (1) contextual inquiry, (2) value specification, (3) design, (4) operationalization, and (5) evaluation. OBJECTIVE: Guided by the CeHRes Roadmap, our objective was to apply a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach to mobile app development. We present a formative evaluation to inform the design of an eHealth mobile app for Latinx parents of adolescents based on a face-to-face parenting program, Padres Informados/Jovenes Preparados (PIJP). METHODS: Community participants in the process included Latinx parents and stakeholders. We conducted a parent survey (N=115) and interviews (N=20) to understand the context and obtain feedback on a mockup and prototype of the app, facilitator workshops to streamline content, and stakeholder interviews (N=4) to discuss values and app requirements. RESULTS: We report results from the first 3 phases of the CeHRes Roadmap. In the survey, 96.5% (111/115) of parents reported they had access to a cell phone, 85.6% (89/104) reported they would use a parenting app in the next month if they had access, and 80.2% (89/111) reported intentions to use a stress reduction app. Parents reported that setting goals about parenting and tracking those goals were important potential features of an app. In logistic regression analyses, technology attitudes and barriers were not related to parent's intentions to use a parenting mobile app (95% CI 0.51-1.17 and 95% CI 0.28-2.12, respectively). Qualitative interviews confirmed Latinx parents' technology engagement and desire for education and child development information online. Stakeholder interviews identified 3 community values: familism, the promotion of adolescent health, and delivery of economic value. Community stakeholders participated in defining the mobile app requirements. On the basis of community and parent input, the mobile app prototype was designed with 3 sections: (1) 8 modules of video-based parenting skills instruction with content from the face-to-face PIJP program, (2) breath rate information from a wearable device to support awareness of stress levels that could affect parenting, and (3) goal setting and tracking capacities. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study highlight the utility of an iterative, participatory design process. The CBPR approach and community collaboration enhanced the CeHRes Roadmap by promoting power sharing, facilitating recruitment, and building trust among community members. Experiences applying community research to the initial 3 phases of the CeHRes Roadmap in a Latinx community are discussed, along with plans for the 2 final phases.

Providers' Perspectives on Adolescent Confidentiality and the Electronic Health Record: A State of Transition.

PURPOSE: Electronic health records (EHRs) have led to more transparency and improvements in patient safety, yet electronic access to personal health information can pose significant threats to maintaining confidentiality for adolescents. To date, no studies have explored clinicians' perspectives on EHR functionality and institutional policies related to confidentiality and health information sharing for adolescents aged <18 years. METHODS: A Web-based survey was sent out via the national listserv of the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. All English-speaking members practicing in the U.S. were eligible to participate. The survey included questions about demographics, EHR functionality, information sharing, and attitudes about confidentiality within the EHR. RESULTS: Participants included 212 clinicians who consented to the survey and used an EHR to document clinical visits with minors. Most participants were physicians and nurse practitioners (96.5%), and 60.0% had been on their institution's EHR for >5 years. Positive findings included high levels of experience and comfort using the EHR and awareness of confidential features within their EHR. However, providers reported lack of training related to confidentiality within the EHR, low confidence in their EHR's ability to maintain confidentiality, and variation in approaches to portal access for adolescents and their adult proxies. CONCLUSIONS: Despite high comfort levels and robust EHR functionality at many institutions, significant concerns about adolescent confidentiality remain. Varying institutional approaches to protecting confidentiality underscores the need for a standardized and comprehensive framework to enable providers and institutions to take better care of adolescents in the age of EHRs.