Adverse Childhood Experiences, Household Income, and Mentorship Among Interns Who Are Underrepresented in Medicine.

Background: Underrepresented in medicine (UIM) interns have unique lived experiences that affect their paths to medicine, and more information is needed for medical residency and fellowship programs to better support them. Objective: We describe self-reported differences between UIM and White physician interns in key demographic areas, including household income growing up, physician mentorship, and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Methods: Between 2019 and 2021, we administered a diversity survey to incoming medical interns at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. Response rates across the 3 years were 51.2% (167 of 326), 93.9% (310 of 330), and 98.9% (354 of 358), respectively. We conducted analyses to compare UIM and White groups across demographic variables of interest. Results: A total of 831 of 1014 interns (81.9%) completed the survey. Relative to White interns, UIM interns had lower household incomes growing up, lower rates of mentorship, and higher rates of experiencing 4 or more ACEs. The odds of experiencing the cumulative burden of having a childhood household income of $29,999 or less, no physician mentor, and 4 or more ACEs was approximately 10 times higher among UIM (6.41%) than White (0.66%) interns (OR=10.38, 95% CI 1.97-54.55). Conclusions: Childhood household income, prior mentorship experiences, and number of ACEs differed between UIM and White interns.

A Phenomenological Study on the Experience of Syrian Asylum-Seekers and Refugees in the United States.

Violence in Syria has displaced an unprecedented number of people from their homes. While couple/family therapy (C/MFT) scholars have explored migration experiences, particularly among refugees, there is still limited research using a bioecological framework. This exploratory study examined the experiences of Syrian asylum-seekers and refugees living in the United States using a qualitative phenomenological approach. Twelve Syrians (n = 8 men, n = 4 women) between 20 and 52 years of age (M = 35.8, SD = 10.7) were interviewed about their experiences across three stages of resettlement: (1) pre-resettlement, (2) resettlement/migration, and (3) post-resettlement. Findings suggest that the effects of conflict-induced displacement and resettlement permeate across multiple ecologies. These range from the individual and his or her interpersonal relationships to their larger community and society. C/MFTs should account for contextual factors while becoming familiar with the sociopolitical impact of displacement and resettlement in their clinical work with this population.

La violencia en Siria ha desplazado a un número de personas sin precedentes de sus hogares. Si bien los especialistas en terapia de pareja, conyugal y familiar han analizado las experiencias de migración; particularmente entre los refugiados, aun hay escasas investigaciones que usan un marco bioecológico. Este estudio exploratorio analizó las experiencias de los solicitantes de asilo y los refugiados sirios que viven en Estados Unidos utilizando un enfoque fenomenológico cualitativo. Se entrevistó a doce sirios (n = 8 hombres, n = 4 mujeres) de entre 20 y 52 años (M = 35.8, SD = 10.7) con respecto a sus experiencias en tres etapas del reasentamiento: (1) prereasentamiento, (2) reasentamiento/migración, y (3) posreasentamiento. Los resultados sugieren que los efectos del desplazamiento inducido por el conflicto, junto con el reasentamiento, penetran en las ecologías. Estos pueden variar desde la persona y sus relaciones interpersonales hasta su comunidad y sociedad más amplias. Por lo tanto, la terapia de pareja, conyugal y familiar debería justificar los factores contextuales y a la vez familiarizarse con el efecto sociopolítico del desplazamiento y el reasentamiento en su trabajo clínico con esta población.

Integrated care clinic: Creating enhanced clinical pathways for integrated behavioral health care in a family medicine residency clinic serving a low-income, minority population.

INTRODUCTION: Research examining the implementation and effectiveness of integrated behavioral health (BH) care in family medicine/primary care is growing. However, research identifying ways to consistently use integrated BH in busy family medicine/primary care settings with underserved populations is limited. This study describes 1 family medicine clinic's transformation into a fully integrated BH care clinic through the development of an Integrated Care Clinic (ICC) and enhanced clinical pathways to promote regular use of behavioral health clinicians (BHCs). METHOD: We implemented the ICC at the Broadway Family Medicine Clinic serving a low-income (<$25,000 annual income/year) and minority population (>70% African American) in Minnesota. We conducted a pre- and postevaluation of the ICC during regular clinic activity. RESULTS: Pilot findings indicated that the creation of ICC and the use of enhanced clinical pathways (e.g., 5-2-1-0 obesity prevention messages, Transitional Care Management, postpartum depression screening visits, warm hand-offs) to facilitate regular use of integrated BH care resulted in 6 integrated care visits per BHC per clinic half-day. In addition, changes in the behavioral/mental health therapy appointment time slot (from 60 to 30 min) reduced therapy no-show rates. Transitional Care Management (TCM) visits also showed improved pre- and postchanges in patient and clinician satisfaction and reductions in patient hospital readmission rates. DISCUSSION: The transformation into a fully integrated BH family medicine clinic through the creation of ICC and enhanced clinical pathways to facilitate regular integrated BH care showed promising pilot results. Future research is needed to examine associations between ICC and patient outcomes (e.g., weight, depressive symptoms). (PsycINFO Database Record

Stressful life events and perceived parental control in formerly homeless families: Impact on child-internalizing symptoms.

Research has neglected the potential role of perceived parental control as a moderator between stressful life events (SLEs) and child-internalizing symptoms. Using secondary data from the Early Risers "Skills for Success" Program (August, Realmuto, Hektner, & Bloomquist, 2001), this study examined the impact of perceived parental control on the association between SLEs and child internalizing symptoms in formerly homeless families. The sample consisted of 137 families with 223 children between 4 and 12 years of age (M = 8.1, SD = 2.3) living in supportive housing sites in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Participants completed measures assessing the number of SLEs experienced (e.g., unemployment of parent, death of loved one, serious illness, homelessness), perceived parental control, and child-internalizing symptoms. In this sample, 65% of children (n = 144) experienced at least 1 SLE with an average experience of 2 SLEs (M = 2.0, SD = 1.9, range = 0-7). A regression analysis found that experiencing more SLEs and a perceived absence of parental control over child behavior were positively associated with child-internalizing symptoms. A significant interaction between SLEs and perceived absence of parental control over child behavior in predicting child internalizing symptoms was also found. These findings suggest that children of parents who model appropriate control are more likely to experience fewer internalizing symptoms in response to SLEs. (PsycINFO Database Record

Broken Promises and Lost Dreams: Navigating Asylum in the United States.

Nearly 65 million people around the world have been displaced by war, conflict, and persecution since 2014 (UNHCR; United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 2015). This yields an average of 42,000 people refugees, asylum seekers, or internally displaced every day. Displacement has adverse and disruptive consequences, including mental health problems (e.g., anxiety, depression), impaired interpersonal relationships, and heightened conflict. These consequences are compounded by profound ambiguity associated with navigating asylum in the United States. In this article, we describe the treatment of a couple from Syria who is seeking asylum in the United States. Informed by personal and professional experience, this case illustrates how ambiguous loss theory and awareness of relevant legal processes enhance our understanding of working with asylum seekers.