Effects of Racist Microaggressions and Sexual and Gender Minority Stress on Mental Health Among Latinx Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer or Questioning + Young Adults.

This study examines the effects of racist microaggressions and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ)-related minority stressors (i.e., identity concealment, family rejection, internalized LGBTQ-phobia, victimization, and racialized heterosexism/cisgenderism) on psychological distress among Latinx LGBTQ+ young people, specifically college students. Participants are a Latinx subset (n = 80) from a national online nonprobability cross-sectional survey of LGBTQ+ college students. The study aim was examined using linear/logistic regression. Findings indicated that racist microaggressions and family rejection were associated with psychological distress. In addition, racist microaggressions were the only stressor associated with clinically significant psychological distress that may warrant psychiatric/psychological treatment. Therefore, racist microaggressions and family rejection are unique stressors that may saliently affect mental health among Latinx LGBTQ+ students. There is a great need to integrate minority stress theory with other critically-oriented theories, such as intersectionality, in research and intervention to eliminate mental health inequities faced by Latinx LGBTQ+ young people.

Adult and student perspectives on racial and ethnic equity-informed school-based strategies.

Although racial and ethnic equity-informed school-based strategies are important to addressing racialized structures and processes that create and sustain racial trauma, disadvantage and disparity, little is known about the process of embedding racial and ethnic equity in school-based strategies and how adults and young people perceive them to promote a positive school climate and youth development. Using a qualitative research approach that included focus groups, this study examined student of color and school and community partner staff perceptions of the role and influence racial and ethnic equity-informed school-based strategies in one middle school have on the school's climate and students of color experiences and development. Findings suggest that racial and ethnic equity-informed social and emotional learning strategies are important in facilitating positive student-teacher interactions and identity and social-emotional development among students of color. Participant's experiences in and perceptions of the impact these strategies have on school climate and youth development substantiate the need to understand racial and ethnic equity as a process-oriented approach that requires continuous improvement, rather than just an outcome-focused endeavor. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

The competing effects of racial discrimination and racial identity on the predicted number of days incarcerated in the US: A national profile of Black, Latino/Latina, and American Indian/Alaska Native populations.

OBJECTIVE: Racial discrimination and racial identity may compete to influence incarceration risk. We estimated the predicted days incarcerated in a national US sample of Black, Latino/Latina, and American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) individuals. METHODS: We used the 2012-2013 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III (n = 14,728) to identify individual incarceration history. We used zero-inflated Poisson regression to predict the number of days incarcerated across racial discrimination and racial identity scores. RESULTS: Racial discrimination and identity varied between races/ethnicities, such that racial discrimination exposure was highest among Hispanic individuals, while racial identity was highest among Black individuals. Racial discrimination was positively associated with days incarcerated among Black individuals (ß = 0.070, p<0.0001) and AI/AN individuals (ß = 0.174, p<0.000). Racial identity was negatively associated with days incarcerated among Black individuals (ß = -0.147, p<0.0001). The predicted number of days incarcerated was highest among Black individuals (130 days) with high discrimination scores. CONCLUSION: Racial discrimination and racial identity were associated with days incarcerated, and the association varied by racial/ethnic sub-group. Informed by these findings, we suggest that intervention strategies targeting incarceration prevention should be tailored to the unique experiences of racial/ethnic minoritized individuals at the greatest risk. Policies aimed at reversing mass incarceration should consider how carceral systems fit within the wider contexts of historical racism, discrimination, and structural determinants of health.

Leading with data: Using an impact-driven research consortium model for the advancement of social emotional learning in schools.

Weissberg, Durlak, Domitrovich, and Gullotta (2015) note that social and emotional learning (SEL) is increasingly recognized as a critical component of academic and life success. In many schools around the nation, SEL is becoming (or has become) part of a comprehensive strategy to strengthen students' academic performance, improve school and classroom climate, and lessen conduct problems. A recent benefit-cost analysis by Belfield et al. (2015) of six prominent SEL programs showed a positive return on the original investments in these programs at a ratio of about 11 to 1. SEL supports the development of skills in emotion regulation, social awareness, conflict resolution, and responsible decision making, all of which are essential to students' success within and outside the classroom. These so called noncognitive skills are associated not only with proximal gains in students' academic performance and reductions in conduct problems but also with their later choices related to education and employment, as discussed by the economist, James Heckman and his team (Heckman, Stixrud, & Urzua, 2006). Furthermore, according to a report by Nagaoka, Heath, Farrington, and Cureton Turner (2015) for the University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research, evidence shows that not attending to fundamental SEL skills and competencies within and outside the context of formal schooling can actually undermine children's long-term development and keep them from succeeding in adult roles. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

"Everybody is an Artist": Arts-based Education and Formerly Incarcerated Young Black Men's Academic and Social-Emotional Development in an Alternative School.

Although arts-based programming is shown to positively influence the development of youth exposed to adversity, little is known about the influence these programs have on formerly incarcerated emerging adult Black men enrolled in an alternative school. With educational resilience as a guiding framework, this qualitative case study explored the ways in which an arts-based program in the context of an alternative school designed for formerly incarcerated young people facilitates emerging adult Black men's academic and social-emotional development. Data collection consisted of observations and interviews with school personnel and formerly incarcerated Black male students. Analysis and interpretation included a range of inductive techniques (coding, constant comparisons, and memoing). Results indicate that offering arts-based activities fostered an environment where students could build caring and supportive relationships with peers and school personnel. Instructional practices that integrated music and poetry provided meaningful opportunities for the young men to participate, which appeared to enhance their motivation and attitudes (self, others, learning, and school) and academic self-efficacy, and lessen their psychological and emotional distress. Study findings provide insights into how an arts-based program in an alternative school can improve healthy development and academic achievement among formerly incarcerated young Black men transitioning into adulthood.

"Blocking" and "Filtering": a Commentary on Mobile Technology, Racism, and the Sexual Networks of Young Black MSM (YBMSM).

While research investigates the role and influence of geo-social networking (GSN) applications on HIV, less is known about the impact of GSN functions on disease transmission. In our formative research on young Black men who have sex with men's (YBMSM) technology use patterns and preferences for a smartphone-based HIV prevention intervention, we found that study participants used GSN "block" and "filter" functions as protective mechanisms against racism and racial sexual discrimination. Yet, we suggest that these functions may unintentionally create restrictive sexual networks that likely increase their risk for disease transmission. As such, we contend that attention to the unintended effects of these protective mechanisms against racism on GSN applications is fundamentally a public health issue that requires more research and explicit intervention. Ultimately, we use this work to hypothesize the role of blocking and filtering as a strategy to avoid racism on GSN applications that may partly explain HIV disparities among YBMSM.