Integrating Trauma-Informed Spiritual Care.

A call for a comprehensive practice that treats the whole person.

Religiosity & mental health seeking behaviors among U.S. adults.

OBJECTIVES: The association between religiosity and secular mental health utilization is unclear. Evidence suggests that religious and spiritual leaders (R/S leaders) may be more trusted than secular mental health therapists (SMHTs) and are often the first point of contact for individuals with mental health problems who identify as religious. METHODS: Generalized equation estimate (GEE) analyses were used to examine the association between religiosity and mental health seeking behaviours in 2,107 participants using t Midlife in the United States Study (MIDUS) data collected between 1995 and 2014. RESULTS: The final model indicated that after adjusting for covariates, higher levels of baseline religious identification and baseline spirituality (assessed in 1995) predicted an increase in visits to R/S leaders from 1995 to 2014 by a factor of 1.08 (95% CI=1.01-1.16) and 1.89 (95% CI=1.56-2.28), respectively. Higher levels of baseline religious identification reduced SMHTs visits by a factor of 0.94 (95% CI=0.90-0.98), whereas higher levels of baseline spirituality increased SMHTs visits by a factor of 1.13 (95% CI=1.00-1.27) during the same timeframe. CONCLUSION: Higher levels of spirituality and religious identification increased the frequency over time of seeking mental health support from R/S leaders relative to SMHTs. Individuals with mental illness may seek support from religious resources, mental health professionals, or both, underscoring the importance of collaboration between R/S leaders and SMHTs. Mental health training for R/S leaders and collaboration with SMHTs may help alleviate mental health burden, especially among those who highly value their religious and spiritual beliefs.

The Association Between Racial Attitudes, Alcohol Use and Mood Disorders Among Black Adolescents.

Alcohol is the most widely used substance among adolescents. Although Black adolescents use alcohol at lower rates than White adolescents, Black adolescents tend to have worse outcomes. This includes higher rates of mood disorders and criminal justice involvement associated with alcohol use and misuse compared to any other racial group. Black adolescents are also more likely to experience racial discrimination and be exposed to traumatic events within their communities, which may increase their chances of using substances. Understanding the relationship between racial attitudes (towards one's own group and others) and substance use and mental health can provide unique and meaningful insight into prevention programming for Black adolescents. Yet, these concepts have been understudied. To fill this gap, we examined the association between racial attitudes and alcohol use and mood disorders in Black adolescents in Philadelphia, PA (N = 154). We used the revised Adolescent Survey of Black Life to measure pro-Black (positive attitudes toward being Black and factors related to Black people), anti-White (negative attitudes toward White people due to experiences of racism and discrimination) and racism awareness (recognition of racism) domains. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to test the associations. Results showed that: higher pro-Black attitudes were associated with a lower odds of mood disorder (odds ratio [OR] = 0.72, 95% CI = 0.55, 0.89); and higher racism awareness was associated with an increased odds of alcohol use (OR = 1.18, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.06, 1.29). Findings provide preliminary support for interventions and policies for Black adolescents that bolster positive racial identity and eliminate experiences of racism as alcohol use and mood disorder prevention strategies.