Building stronger bonds: The impact of family support and communication on suicidal behaviors among Black men who have sex with men.

INTRODUCTION: It has been well documented that men who identify with a sexual orientation other than heterosexual are at a greater risk for suicide-related outcomes. What is less known are the protective factors that can reduce such negative outcomes and contribute to their resilience. METHODS: This study used data collected between December 1, 2021, and January 2022 to understand how family factors contribute to or prevent depression symptoms and suicide outcomes among young Black men who have sex with men (BMSM) ages 18 to 29 (N = 400). A path analysis was conducted to explore the direct and indirect effects of suicide attempts. RESULTS: Surprisingly, there were nuanced findings that showed having a family member or friend die by suicide was indirectly associated with suicide planning and suicide attempts. It was also unexpectedly noted that there was a positive relationship between higher rates of depressive symptoms and higher levels of support from family members. CONCLUSIONS: The population focused on in this study is understudied and has unique needs. Identifying familial support may not automatically reduce the thoughts and plans of young BMSM, which is an example of why their intersecting marginalized identities must be considered when conducting further research, creating interventions, and providing therapeutic services.

Racial Bias in School Discipline and Police Contact: Evidence From the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Social Development (ABCD-SD) Study.

OBJECTIVE: Black youth are disproportionately exposed to school exclusionary discipline. We examined the impact of race on age at the onset of school disciplinary actions and police contact, and the rate of receiving increasingly severe disciplinary actions. METHOD: Youth (N = 2,156) and their caregivers participating in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Social Development (ABCD-SD) study reported on the occurrence and timing of disciplinary events and youths' demographics, delinquency, and neighborhood conditions. Experiences of exclusionary discipline were analyzed using logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS: Black youth reported significantly higher rates of almost all disciplinary events compared to White youth. In logistic regression and Cox models, Black youth experienced higher risk for exclusionary discipline and police contact (odds ratios from 2.47 [detention] to 5.16 [sent home]; hazard ratios from 1.36 [detention] to 4.71 [expelled]), even after adjusting for sex, delinquency, neighborhood conditions, and the interaction between race and sex. Black youth who received detention and suspension were at higher risk for additional, more severe school discipline than were White youth. CONCLUSION: Consistent with a racial bias in exclusionary discipline practices and policing, Black youth, particularly Black male youth, were at a higher risk for experiencing almost all disciplinary outcomes and at younger ages than White youth, after controlling for delinquency, sex, and neighborhood factors. Compared to White students, school detention and suspension status predicted an accelerated cascade of school discipline outcomes for Black students, suggesting racial disparities in how the severity of school discipline escalates over time. DIVERSITY & INCLUSION STATEMENT: We worked to ensure that the study questionnaires were prepared in an inclusive way. One or more of the authors of this paper self-identifies as a member of one or more historically underrepresented racial and/or ethnic groups in science. We actively worked to promote inclusion of historically underrepresented racial and/or ethnic groups in science in our author group. While citing references scientifically relevant for this work, we also actively worked to promote sex and gender balance in our reference list. While citing references scientifically relevant for this work, we also actively worked to promote inclusion of historically underrepresented racial and/or ethnic groups in science in our reference list.

Where's the BIPOC Blueprint for Healthy Youth Development? The Role of Scientific Omissions in Our Struggle for Science Translation and Racial Equity in the United States.

Prevention Science seeks to advance the prevention research and to translate scientific advances into the promotion of healthy development for all youth. Despite tremendous progress creating a robust evidence-base and set of translational tools, elaborations and expansions for equity are required. Our collective errors of omission as prevention researchers have left prevention practitioners and policy-makers without sufficient information to identify strategies that have been demonstrated to prevent behavioral health problems in young people who identify as Black, Indigenous, or other People of Color (BIPOC). We first describe the current shortcomings of available evidence, and then we call for individual and collective action to conceptualize equity-enhancing prevention, sample more inclusively, and improve analytic approaches such that we can truly promote the healthy development of all youth.

Assessing the Modified Neighborhood Cohesion Index Among African American Adolescents Living in Public Housing: An Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis.

Objective: African American youth are disproportionately overrepresented in low-resourced segregated urban neighborhoods. Consequently, they experience greater exposure to neighborhood risks and subsequent depressive symptoms. Neighborhood cohesion represents a protective factor for youth in such environments. However, the concept remains underexplored among African American youth. This study examines the psychometric properties of a modified version of the Neighborhood Cohesion Index (NCI) among African American youth living in public housing. Method: Psychometric properties were assessed through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses using data from African American youth (N = 235) living in public housing in two large northeastern cities. Results: The EFA resulted in the use of a single-factor structure with two dropped items and good internal validity. Findings from the CFA indicated that model fit indices were unacceptable for chi-square and RMSEA (χ2 [62; N = 235] = 170.19, p < .001); RMSEA = 0.09 [90% CI: 0.071, 0.102]) but were acceptable for SRMR and CFI (SRMR = 0.06; CFI = 0.91) with three error covariances. Conclusions: The modified NCI is not ideal for assessing neighborhood cohesion among this understudied population. Future research should prioritize psychometric testing alongside cognitive interviewing, to provide a contextualized measure of neighborhood cohesion for this population.

Black Lives Matter, and Yes, You are Racist: The Parallelism of the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries.

The United States of America is at a crossroads, one that we have been at before. This is not the first time that we have battled a pandemic while experiencing an economic downturn, state sanctioned violence and racial terror against Blacks, the boiling over of racial tensions encouraged by the president of the United States, and a movement focused on forcing America to reckon with its endemic racism, anti-Blackness, and state-sanctioned violence against Blacks. This article provides a brief overview of that history and its striking parallel to what is happening today. It pushes White social workers to understand how they are beneficiaries of racism. It reminds social workers of their ethical obligation to be change agents. Finally, it provides basic suggestions for those who are willing to see their complicity and are still willing to work on dismantling the injustice that impacts Black people in America.

Correlates of Somatic Symptoms Among African American Males Transitioning From a Public System of Care.

Exploration of somatic symptoms and their correlates among adolescent and young adult African American males are limited in the empirical literature. In the current study, correlates of somatic symptoms among African American males ( n = 74) transitioning from a public system of care, namely, foster care, was explored. Potential correlates assessed included indicators of child maltreatment, approach and avoidance coping strategies, as well as the following emotional and behavioral problems: oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, major depressive disorder, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Results indicated that meeting the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition, diagnostic criteria for conduct disorder was related to increased somatic symptoms. In addition, greater use of seeking social support as a coping strategy was related to fewer somatic symptoms. The findings provide a good foundation for further exploration of individual, situational, and contextual factors that may influence the physiological and psychological stress responses of vulnerable populations of young African American males.

What the MAYSI-2 Can Tell Us About Anger-Irritability and Trauma.

The rate of experiencing trauma can be quite high for juvenile offenders and those experiences can lead to feelings of anger and irritability. This study uses Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument-Version 2 (MAYSI-2) data to examine the relationship between the Traumatic Experiences (TE) and Angry-Irritable (AI) scales for juvenile offenders (N = 1,348) from a Midwest detention center. Chi-square analyses revealed statistically significant relationships between the AI scale and gender, race, and the TE scale. In addition, ordinal logistic regression results showed that as the number of traumatic experiences increased, so did the odds of scoring Caution or Warning on the AI scale. Recommendations are that juvenile justice systems utilize a trauma-informed process throughout the adjudicatory process and there be improved efforts to coordinate services across multiple systems, such as child welfare and special education, where juvenile offenders are often engaged.

Negative Social Contextual Stressors and Somatic Symptoms Among Young Black Males: An Exploratory Study.

This study examines whether negative social contextual stressors were associated with somatic symptoms among young Black males (N = 74) after accounting for background and psychological characteristics. Using Cunningham and Spencer's Black Male Experiences Measure, negative social contextual stressors connoted those experiences connected to the personal attributes, devaluation, and negative imagery of young Black males, such as being followed when entering a store or police or security guards asking them what they are doing when hanging out (e.g., in the park or playground or on the street corner). Results showed that such stressors made a unique and significant contribution to the experience of somatic symptoms. Future research directions and implications for addressing the larger societal perceptions of young Black males are discussed.

Descriptive analysis of individual and community factors among African American youths in urban public housing.

African American adolescents are disproportionately represented in urban public housing developments. These neighborhoods are generally characterized by high rates of poverty, crime, violence, and disorganization. Although evidence is emerging on youths in these communities, little is known about their depressive symptoms, perceived efficacy, or frequency of substance use and sex-risk behavior. Further, even less is known about their exposure to community and household violence, their parents' behavior, or their sense of connection to their communities. Using a sample of 782 African American adolescents living in public housing neighborhoods located in four large U.S. cities, this article attempts to rectify the observed gap in knowledge by presenting a descriptive overview of their self-reported depressive symptoms; self-efficacy; frequencies of delinquent and sexual-risk behavior; and alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use. The self-reported ratings of their parents' behavior as well as their exposure to community and household violence are presented. Analytic procedures include descriptive statistics and mean comparisons between genders and across research cities. Results suggest several differences between genders and across research sites. However, results are not very different from national data. Implications for social work practice are discussed.

Caution or warning? A validity study of the MAYSI-2 with juvenile offenders.

Given the high prevalence of mental health and substance use disorders in the juvenile justice system and the emphasis on efficient screening and referrals, the current study sought to further validate the use of the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument version 2 (MAYSI-2). Using data from institutionalized delinquents (N=836) committed to the California Youth Authority, finite mixture modeling was employed to identify distinct latent classes based on MAYSI-2 scale scores. Identified classes were then compared across a range of covariates, including prior offenses, official records of misconduct, and multiple measures of mental health and psychological well-being. Findings revealed a three-class, gradient-based structure: low distress (n=380), moderate distress (n=327), and high distress (n=129). Overall, the MAYSI-2 identified juvenile offenders with mental health and substance use issues, but it did not differentiate youths with respect to offending patterns.