Justice involvement and girls' sexual health: Directions for policy and practice.

Arrested girls in the United States (US) are often diverted from detention through referrals to juvenile specialty courts (e.g., juvenile drug court), community-based diversion programs, or pre-adjudicated probation services. Limited research suggests that sexual and reproductive health needs for diverted, or court-involved, non-incarcerated (CINI) girls are similar to that of their detained counterparts. Despite the US justice system's emphasis on diverting youth from detention, research and programmatic efforts to improve sexual and reproductive health outcomes has primarily focused on detained girls. Policy and programming for CINI girls is scant and thus warrants further attention. This report details the immediate sexual and reproductive health needs of CINI girls. We discuss implications of current health care policies and practices for this population and conclude with recommendations for research focused on improving access to sexual and reproductive health care.

Exploring Mental Health and Substance use Treatment Needs of Commercially Sexually Exploited Youth Participating in a Specialty Juvenile Court.

The study sought to: (1) describe the mental health and substance use profiles among participants of a specialty trafficking court program (the Succeed Though Achievement and Resilience Court); (2) describe youths' mental health and substance use treatment prior to participating in the program; and (3) examine whether abuse influences report of mental health problems and/or substance use. Retrospective case review of court files was performed on commercially sexually exploited youth who volunteered to participate in the court from 2012 to 2014 (N = 184). All participants were female. Mental health problems and report of substance use was high among this population. Substance use differed at statistically significant levels between youth with a documented abuse history compared to those with no abuse history. Substance use also differed by report of mental health problems. Unexpected findings included the high rate of hospitalization for mental health problems and relatively low substance use treatment prior to STAR Court participation. Opportunities for improvement in critical points of contact to identify commercially sexually exploited youth and address their health needs are discussed.

Sexual Risk Behaviors and Substance Use Among Men Sexually Victimized by Women.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether forced sex of men by women was associated with sexual risk behaviors, and whether this association was mediated by substance use. METHODS: Data from US men aged 18 years or older at interview in the National Survey of Family Growth 2006-2010 (n = 8108) who reported sexual behavior history. Outcome variables were condom use at most recent sex and number of lifetime sexual partners. Sexual activity covariates included age at first consensual sex and treatment of sexually transmitted infections. Alcohol and drug use were the mediating factors. RESULTS: Six percent of men reported forced sex by a woman at a mean age of 18 years. On average, victimized men had 3 more lifetime sexual partners than nonvictimized men (P < .01). Furthermore, victimized men who reported drug use had, on average, 4 more female sexual partners (P < .01) than nonvictimized men. Marijuana (P < .05) and crack cocaine use (P < .05) partially mediated the association between forced sex and number of female partners. Neither condom use nor number of male partners differed between victimized and nonvictimized men. CONCLUSIONS: A nontrivial fraction of men experience forced sex by women; some of them have elevated sexual risk behaviors.

Resilience and Sub-optimal Social Determinants of Health: Fostering Organizational Resilience in the Medical Profession.

The relationship between social determinants of health (SDOH) and resilience has been investigated at the individual level and, to some extent, at the community level. The aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic further highlighted the necessity for organizational resilience in the United States. The US public health and health care system began the lengthy process of identifying the resiliency needs of its workforce that expand beyond disaster preparedness. The purpose of this article is to describe the relationship between resilience and SDOH and how medical training can infuse resiliency within the curriculum and clinical practice.

Comfort in seeking support from sexual violence prevention education health services among college women.

Objective: Explores racial differences of sexual violence-(SV) health service-(HS) outcomes among college women: (1) seeking support from a confidential-resource-(CR) and (2) reporting SV to the Title IX office. Participants: Data was collected from all ages of women (N = 583) and grade levels from one-large university on the Pacific-coast. Methods: Logistic-regression of HS outcomes were performed using the Fall 2016 American College Health Association-NCHA-II-survey. Results: The following variables increased the likelihood of women seeking support from the two health-services: (#1CR) relationship-status, race, and experiencing sexual-violence. WOC were 7x more likely to seek support if physically-assaulted, and WW were 3.9x more likely to seek support if a graduate student. (#2Title IX) year in school, physical-assault, and receiving prevention-education after the first-year in college. Overall, there were significant differences by race in the variables that influenced WW and WOC's comfort or likelihood to seek support. Conclusion: Colleges need to consider the disproportionate impact of SV on WOC.

Lifetime Interpersonal Violence or Abuse and Diabetes Rates by Sex and Race.

INTRODUCTION: Lifetime exposure to interpersonal violence or abuse has been associated with several chronic diseases, including adult-onset diabetes, yet this pattern has not been confirmed by sex and race within a large cohort. METHODS: Data from the Southern Community Cohort Study collected between 2002-2009 and 2012-2015 were used to explore the relationship between lifetime interpersonal violence or abuse and diabetes (N=25,251). Prospective analyses of lower-income people living in the southeastern U.S. were conducted in 2022 to examine the risk of adult-onset diabetes associated with lifetime interpersonal violence or abuse by sex and race. Lifetime interpersonal violence or abuse was defined as (1) physical or psychological violence, threats, or abuse in adulthood (adult interpersonal violence or abuse) and (2) childhood abuse or neglect. RESULTS: After adjustment for potentially confounding factors, adult interpersonal violence or abuse was associated with a 23% increased risk of diabetes (adjusted hazard ratio=1.23; 95% CI=1.16, 1.30). Diabetes risks associated with childhood abuse or neglect were 15% (95% CI=1.02, 1.30) for neglect and 26% (95% CI=1.19, 1.35) for abuse. When combining adult interpersonal violence or abuse and childhood abuse or neglect, the risk of diabetes was 35% higher (adjusted hazard ratio=1.35; 95% CI=1.26, 1.45) than those experiencing no violence, abuse, or neglect. This pattern held among Black and White participants, and among women and men. CONCLUSIONS: Both adult interpersonal violence or abuse and childhood abuse or neglect increased the risk of adult-onset diabetes in a dose-dependent pattern for men and women, and by race. Intervention and prevention efforts to reduce adult interpersonal violence or abuse and childhood abuse or neglect could not only reduce the risk of lifetime interpersonal violence or abuse but may also reduce one of the most prevalent chronic diseases, adult-onset diabetes.

Association of Psychosocial Factors on COVID-19 Testing among YWCA Service Recipients.

The purpose of this study was to examine how psychosocial factors affect receipt of COVID-19 testing among Black and Hispanic women. In this cross-sectional study of Black and Hispanic women who received services from the YWCAs in Atlanta, El Paso, Nashville, and Tucson between 2019 and 2021 (n = 662), we used Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information Systems (PROMIS) item bank 1.0 short forms to examine the impact of psychosocial factors (i.e., depression, anxiety, social isolation, instrumental support, emotional support, and companionship) on COVID-19 testing. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for receipt of a COVID-19 test associated with psychosocial factors while adjusting for confounders. There was little effect of moderate/severe depressions or anxiety on receipt of COVID-19 testing. Black (odds ratio [OR] 0.58, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.26-1.29) and Hispanic (OR 0.61, 95% CI 0.38-0.96) women with high levels of emotional support were less likely to receive the COVID-19 test. While high levels of instrumental support was associated with less likely receipt of the COVID-19 test among Black women (OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.34-1.66), it was associated with more likely receipt among Hispanic women (OR 1.19, 95% CI 0.74-1.92). Our findings suggest that certain psychosocial factors influence one's decision to get a COVID-19 test which can be useful in encouraging preventive healthcare such as screening and vaccination.

COVID-19 Incidence and Mortality in Long-Term Care Facilities in Tennessee.

Background: Coronavirus Disease 2019, COVID-19, a viral infection, responsible for the latest pandemic has been shown to particularly affect the older population. Older adults, those aged 65 years and older, and individuals with serious underlying medical conditions are at a higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19 with a greater likelihood for hospitalization, admittance to the intensive care unit (ICU), and mortality. In this article, we describe the incidence and mortality rate found in Long Term Care facilities (LTCFs) and delineate any variations observed across varying types of LTCFs in the state of Tennessee (TN). Methods: Using aggregated data from the Tennessee (TN) Department of Health on COVID-19 Cases and Deaths from June 2020 to November 2021, we compare and contrast the incidence and fatality of COVID-19 among Long Term Care Facilities (LTCFs) in TN and describe the trends observed in these settings. Results: Our study indicates that there were major variations in COVID-19 prevalence rates in Nursing Homes (NHs) - 49% versus Assisted Care Living Facilities (ACLFs) in TN -16%. Although COVID-19 prevalence rates differed for NH and ACLFs, 12% of infected residents died in NHs while 13% of infected residents died in ACLFs. (Odds Ratio [OR]: 1.08 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 0.93 -1.3, z-score: 1.37, p value: 0.085). Cases were more prevalent in five counties namely Davidson, Shelby, Hamilton, Knox, and Rutherford, majority of which were Metropolitan. Conclusion: As new variants continue to appear, counties with higher prevalence of COVID-19 should take continued effort to protect both resident and staff members especially in NHs settings and Metropolitan cities, where prevalence rate of the illness is higher.

Individual, community, and structural factors associated with linkage to HIV care among people diagnosed with HIV in Tennessee.

OBJECTIVE: We assessed trends and identified individual- and county-level factors associated with individual linkage to HIV care in Tennessee (TN). METHODS: TN residents diagnosed with HIV from 2012-2016 were included in the analysis (n = 3,751). Individuals were assigned county-level factors based on county of residence at the time of diagnosis. Linkage was defined by the first CD4 or HIV RNA test date after HIV diagnosis. We used modified Poisson regression to estimate probability of 30-day linkage to care at the individual-level and the contribution of individual and county-level factors to this outcome. RESULTS: Both MSM (aRR 1.23, 95%CI 0.98-1.55) and women who reported heterosexual sex risk factors (aRR 1.39, 95%CI 1.18-1.65) were more likely to link to care within 30-days than heterosexual males. Non-Hispanic Black individuals had poorer linkage than White individuals (aRR 0.77, 95%CI 0.71-0.83). County-level mentally unhealthy days were negatively associated with linkage (aRR 0.63, 95%CI: 0.40-0.99). CONCLUSIONS: Racial disparities in linkage to care persist at both individual and county levels, even when adjusting for county-level social determinants of health. These findings suggest a need for structural interventions to address both structural racism and mental health needs to improve linkage to care and minimize racial disparities in HIV outcomes.

A longitudinal study of justice characteristics among girls participating in a sex trafficking court program.

BACKGROUND: Sex trafficking is a public health and social justice issue that has traditionally been addressed with criminal justice solutions. Because many sex trafficking survivors are incarcerated for crimes related to their exploitation, specialty, human trafficking courts were developed to offer resources and assistance to labor and sex trafficking survivors. This study assessed justice-involved youth participating in a specialty, anti-trafficking court program. The purpose of this study was to investigate justice-related outcomes of participants in a specialty court program. We examined: (1) the relationship between age at first citation and justice characteristics (number of bench warrants, number of citations, number placements, and number of times ran away); and (2) the number of months between first citation and enrollment into the program with the aforementioned justice characteristics. We used negative binomial models to estimate the relationships between age at first citation, number of months between first citation and program enrollment, with the four justice characteristics (n = 181). RESULTS: Adjusted models showed that younger age at first citation was associated with significantly more bench warrants and citations while in the program. Likewise, fewer months between first citation and program entry was related to more bench warrants and citations. CONCLUSIONS: There is a need to evaluate the appropriateness of specialty, trafficking court programs in reducing continued justice involvement and these programs ability to meet the evolving needs of sex trafficking survivors over time. We recommend universal screening for trafficking indicators for all systems-involved youth and relocating trafficking specialty courts out of juvenile courts to dependency courts.

Adverse Childhood Experiences and Chronic Disease Risk in the Southern Community Cohort Study.

We used the Southern Community Cohort Study of people residing in 12 states in the southeastern United States (n=38,200 participants) to examine associations between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and chronic disease risk. After adjustment for confounding, there were statistically significant positive associations for people reporting four or more ACEs relative to those reporting no ACEs, and this was true for all chronic diseases except hypertension. The most elevated risk was seen for depression when measured as a yes/no variable (odds ratio (OR) 2.84, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.64-3.06) or when using the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Student Depression (CESD) scale (OR 1.88, 95% CI 1.75-2.02). There were also statistically significant monotonic increases in risk with worsening ACE score for all chronic diseases except hypertension, cancer, and high cholesterol. The need to establish programs that build resilience during childhood is paramount for preventing chronic diseases that may result from childhood abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction.

Adverse childhood experiences and adult diet quality.

Childhood trauma is strongly associated with poor health outcomes. Although many studies have found associations between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), a well-established indicator of childhood trauma and diet-related health outcomes, few have explored the relationship between ACEs and diet quality, despite growing literature in epidemiology and neurobiology suggesting that childhood trauma has an important but poorly understood relationship with diet. Thus, we performed a cross-sectional study of the association of ACEs and adult diet quality in the Southern Community Cohort Study, a largely low-income and racially diverse population in the southeastern United States. We used ordinal logistic regression to estimate the association of ACEs with the Healthy Eating Index-2010 (HEI-10) score among 30 854 adults aged 40-79 enrolled from 2002 to 2009. Having experienced any ACE was associated with higher odds of worse HEI-10 among all (odds ratio (OR) 1⋅22; 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1⋅17, 1⋅27), and for all race-sex groups, and remained significant after adjustment for adult income. The increasing number of ACEs was also associated with increasing odds of a worse HEI-10 (OR for 4+ ACEs: 1⋅34; 95 % CI 1⋅27, 1⋅42). The association with worse HEI-10 score was especially strong for ACEs in the household dysfunction category, including having a family member in prison (OR 1⋅34; 95 % CI 1⋅25, 1⋅42) and parents divorced (OR 1⋅25; 95 % CI 1⋅20, 1⋅31). In summary, ACEs are associated with poor adult diet quality, independent of race, sex and adult income. Research is needed to explore whether trauma intervention strategies can impact adult diet quality.

Commercially sexually exploited youths' health care experiences, barriers, and recommendations: A qualitative analysis.

The current study sought to understand commercially sexually exploited (CSE) youths' health care experiences, barriers to care, and recommendations for improving health care services. We conducted focus groups (N=5) with 18 CSE youth from February 2015 through May 2016 at two group homes serving CSE youth in Southern California. We performed thematic content analysis to identify emergent themes about CSE youths' perspectives on health care. Youth described facilitators to care, including availability of services such as screening for sexually transmitted infections, knowledge about sexual health, and a strong motivation to stay healthy. Barriers included feeling judged, concerns about confidentiality, fear, perceived low quality of services, and self-reliance. Overall, youth emphasized self-reliance and "street smarts" for survival and de-emphasized "victimhood," which shaped their interactions with health care, and recommended that health providers develop increased understanding of CSE youth. Our findings suggest that providers and community agencies can play an essential role in raising awareness of the needs of CSE youth and meet their health needs through creating a non-judgmental environment in health care settings that validates the experiences of these youth.

Understanding and Responding to the Needs of Commercially Sexually Exploited Youth: Recommendations for the Mental Health Provider.

Mental health providers are frequently at the forefront of addressing the multifaceted needs of commercially sexually exploited youth. This article provides an overview of the definition of commercial sexual exploitation of children and relevant legislation including the shift toward decriminalization of commercially sexually exploited youth. To provide clinicians with tools needed to deliver competent care to this population, a review of risk factors for commercial sexual exploitation of children and the role of the clinician in identification, assessment, and treatment of commercially sexually exploited youth are discussed.

Career readiness and externalizing behaviors of children affected by maternal HIV/AIDS: 15-year outcomes of the PACT study.

The purpose of this 15-year longitudinal study was to assess the effects of maternal HIV/AIDS on child/adolescent career readiness and externalizing behaviors. Interviews were conducted with 66 pairs of healthy children and their mothers living with HIV/AIDS (MLH), who are participants in the Parents And children Coping Together (PACT) project begun in 1997. All study participants were English or Spanish speaking. About half (48.5%) of the youth were female. Maternal health status (e.g., viral load biomedical marker, illness symptoms, physical functioning and depression) and child/adolescent outcomes (e.g., career readiness, conduct disorder, drug use, sexual behaviors, parent attachment and youth autonomy) were assessed over 20 time-points. Individual growth and GEE logistic regression models showed lower variability in maternal viral load was positively associated with better career readiness and parent attachment among adolescent/young adults. Externalizing behaviors (conduct disorder, alcohol and crystal methamphetamine use) were positively associated with maternal depression. Adolescent coping efficacy was shown to be a protective factor when applied to models on career readiness. Stability in MLH health positively affects children's career readiness over time, particularly career planning and career choices. The finding that adolescent coping efficacy may act as a protective factor against poor career planning has important implications for developing interventions to assist children in coping with parental HIV.