Depression and HIV risks: Engaging older African American women in HIV prevention education through the church.

This report describes the recruitment of a sample of older African American women to test the effectiveness of an educational HIV prevention intervention that sought to reduce depressive symptoms and thereby HIV risks in this population. The outreach venue is the Black church. A framework for maximizing response is suggested. Of 62 women who participated in two arms of the intervention, 29 were assigned randomly to a four-session discussion group (experimental condition) and 33 were assigned to a one-session informational group (control condition) focused on HIV prevention education. Between-within subjects analyses of variance showed that participation in the study was associated with a significant improvement in the women's psychological status, i.e., decreased depressive symptoms. This change in depressive symptoms was due in part to the experimental condition assignment. Implications for future HIV prevention interventions, research, and methods used to maximize the probability of response among older African American women are discussed.

How Mental Health Professionals Can Address Disparities in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is an unparalleled crisis, yet also a unique opportunity for mental health professionals to address and prioritize mental and physical health disparities that disproportionately impact marginalized populations. Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) have long experienced structural racism and oppression, resulting in disproportionately high rates of trauma, poverty, and chronic diseases that span generations and are associated with increased COVID-19 morbidity and mortality rates. The current pandemic, with the potential of conferring new trauma exposure, interacts with and exacerbates existing disparities. To assist mental health professionals in offering more comprehensive services and programs for those who have minimal resources and the most profound barriers to care, four critical areas are highlighted as being historically problematic and essential to address: (a) recognizing psychology's role in institutionalizing disparities; (b) examining race/ethnicity as a critical variable; (c) proactively tackling growing mental health problems amidst the COVID-19 crisis; and (d) understanding the importance of incorporating historical trauma and discrimination in research and practice. Recommendations are provided to promote equity at the structural (e.g., nationwide, federal), professional (e.g., the mental health professions), and individual (e.g., practitioners, researchers) levels.

Social Workers Must Address Intersecting Vulnerabilities among Noninstitutionalized, Black, Latinx, and Older Adults of Color during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Scant attention has been paid to intersecting vulnerabilities experienced by Black, Latinx, and older adults of color (BLOAC) that increase COVID-19 related risks. Structural inequities have resulted in disproportionate rates of chronic conditions and limited access to care. Media coverage, focused on COVID-19 mortality among institutionalized older adults (OA), has overlooked community-dwelling OA, leaving their unique risks unaddressed in research and intervention efforts. Key vulnerabilities impacting noninstitutionalized BLOAC exacerbating adverse health outcomes during COVID-19 are discussed, and recommendations are given for gerontological social work (GSW) education, training, and practice to meet the needs of BLOAC during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mental health ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic for Black Americans: Clinical and research recommendations.

Mental health clinicians and researchers must be prepared to address the unique needs of Black Americans who have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Race-conscious and culturally competent interventions that consider factors such as discrimination, distrust of health care providers, and historical and racial trauma as well as protective factors including social support and culturally sanctioned coping strategies are needed. Research to accurately assess and design treatments for the mental health consequences of COVID-19 among Black Americans is warranted. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

HIV Prevention Programming for Older African American Women: The Impact of a Faith-Based and Behavioral Science Partnership on Depressive Symptoms.

Objective: The current study sought to test the effect of an HIV prevention intervention on depressive symptoms in a sample of older African American women. Design Setting and Participants: A pretest-posttest randomized control group design was conducted in a mega-church in Los Angeles with a sample of 62 older African American women, aged ≥50 years, 29 of whom were randomly assigned to the experimental condition and 33 to the comparison/control condition. Measures: A measure of psychological wellbeing (CES-D) was utilized to test the effect of the four-session group intervention vs the one-session informational group intervention on change in depressive symptoms from pretest to posttest. Demographic characteristics included: measures of age in years; relationship and employment statuses (coded 1 for yes, 0 for no); and educational attainment. Results: Participation in the study was associated with a significant improvement in the women's psychological wellbeing from baseline to time 2; ie, decreased depressive symptoms. This change was greater for women in the four-session experimental group than for those in the one-session comparison group, due in part to a marginally significant interaction between time and experimental conditions. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the utility of faith-based/behavioral-scientist partnerships in HIV programming. Findings contribute to the evidence on interventions that might reduce depressive symptoms and HIV risk among older African American women.