The nexus between immigration status, policy, and proceedings, and mental health.

Many immigrants are exposed to immigration court (IC) proceedings and their related policies either directly or indirectly. Although, little is known about the impact that immigration status, policy, and proceedings have on the mental health of immigrants, the body of literature is growing. This article explores how mental health may be impacted by factors such as fear of deportation and uncertainty regarding the future. We discuss risk factors, such as vilification of racial/ethnic groups, legal status, and detention; and protective factors, including religion, social support, economic stability, and linguistic proficiency. We conclude by addressing adequate training for mental health professionals working with non-citizen immigrants and recommend steps to becoming a competent professional in the context of ever-changing immigration policy.

Reverse-Coded Items Do Not Work in Spanish: Data From Four Samples Using Established Measures.

The potential for suboptimal psychometric performance of reverse-coded items may be particularly pronounced when scales are translated and administered in Spanish with these problems exacerbated in youth respondents. This is a significant concern, given the rapid rise in Hispanic-American and Spanish-speaking individuals in the US and their rightful, growing representation in psychological research and clinical care. The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric performance of reverse-coded items across four Spanish-speaking samples spanning developmental stages including youth, college students, and parents (N = 1,084; Adolescents n = 107; M = 19.79; SD = 2.09; 41.1% female; Caregivers n = 58; M = 40.79; SD = 7.94; 60.3% female; Spanish-speaking adults in the US n = 157; M = 33.4; SD = 9.5; 68.8% female; and College students living in Latin America n = 783; M = 21.04; SD = 3.13; 69.2% female) and four scales (Big Five Inventory; Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire; Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale; Beck Hopelessness Scale); we expected reverse-coded items would demonstrate inadequate item-total correlations and their inclusion would compromise scale internal consistency. Hypotheses were supported with evidence of poor psychometric performance for at least two reverse-coded items on each instrument, such that un-reversing the items improved their item-total correlations. Across every instrument, alpha was either improved by excluding reverse-coded items or by including them in an un-reversed fashion and, overall, there was a moderate, negative effect of reverse-coded items on scale alphas. In growing consensus with previous authors, we recommend that reverse-coded items not be included in Spanish scales.

Risk and protective markers for well-being in Latinx immigrants in removal proceedings.

OBJECTIVES: There are currently 1,308,327 immigrants in removal proceedings, over 80% of whom are Latinx (TRAC, 2021b). This study examined the relation among putative protective markers (i.e. social support, religious support, and legal support) and the emotional and physical well-being of Latinx individuals facing removal proceedings. HYPOTHESES: We hypothesized that increased social support, religious support, and legal support would buffer the negative relations between hopelessness, poor self-efficacy, and well-being measures (depression, anxiety, stress, mental well-being, somatic symptoms, and physical well-being). METHOD: Participants (N = 157; 31.2% men, M age = 33.4 years) had an active immigration court case in Texas and completed a demographic questionnaire, the Beck Hopelessness Scale, General Self-Efficacy Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Multi-Faith Religious Support Scale, Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale-21, Patient Health Questionnaire-15, and Short Form Health Survey-12. RESULTS: Higher levels of hopelessness and poor self-efficacy were associated with more negative well-being outcomes, while social support was associated with more positive well-being outcomes. Contrary to hypotheses, religious support and legal support served as risk markers independently, while legal support interacted with hopelessness, such that decreased legal support was associated with higher mental well-being at lower levels of hopelessness and interacted with poor self-efficacy, such that increased legal support was associated with poorer mental well-being at lower levels of self-efficacy. All effect sizes were small (rsp2 = .04 to .16). CONCLUSIONS: Targeting hopelessness and poor self-efficacy while promoting social support may help mental health professionals improve the well-being of immigrants in removal proceedings. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Racial/ethnic and gender disparities in anger management therapy as a probation condition.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined whether race/ethnicity and gender predicted sentencing to anger management therapy as a probation condition. HYPOTHESES: We predicted judges would be more likely to assign African Americans and Hispanics, and males to anger management than Caucasians and women, respectively. We hypothesized demographic variables would predict assignment to anger management beyond legal and nondefendant extralegal variables. METHOD: Data for this study are administrative and originate from an adult probation department in southern Texas. The sample (N = 4,001; 72.3% male) was 53.4% Caucasian, 28.6% African American, 16.7% Hispanic, 0.9% other, and 0.4% unknown and included individuals who had committed violent (14.2%) and nonviolent (85.8%) offenses. RESULTS: Data analyses consisted of binary logistic regression, with anger management placement as the dependent variable, and offense, judge, county, race/ethnicity, and gender as the independent variables. The final model emerged as statistically significant, χ²(16) = 552.76, p < .001, Nagelkerke's R² = .32. Specifically, the odds of receiving anger management were 1.71 times higher for African Americans than Caucasians, and 1.68 times higher for men than women. Exploratory analyses examining a Race/Ethnicity × Gender interaction revealed the odds of receiving anger management was significantly lower for Caucasian women than all other racial/ethnic by gender groups. CONCLUSION: Results suggest being part of a racial/ethnic minority group or male may disproportionately increase the odds of being required to comply with extra time and fiscal requirements associated with anger management as compared to one's racial/ethnic and gender counterparts who have committed similar crimes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Conducted-Energy Device (Taser) Usage in Subjects With Mental Illness.

Use of a conducted-energy device (CED), or Taser, by law enforcement officers (LEOs) is recommended over more lethal forms of force. LEOs interact with a wide variety of people including individuals with mental illness and those with substance use disorders. The literature is devoid of data regarding the effect of CEDs on this special population. We used data collected by LEOs from 2008 to 2009. There were 233 cases over the two-year period. Of the 233 individuals on whom the Taser was used, 38 had a mental illness and 91 were under the influence of substances (not mutually exclusive). The average number of shocks necessary to achieve compliance was 1.92 for persons with a mental illness (t(231) = 2.565; p = .011, versus nonintoxicated control subjects without mental illness and 2.55 for persons under the influence of stimulants (t(143) = 3.027; p = .003, versus nonintoxicated control subjects without mental illness). The results of this study serve to inform LEOs and administrators of the patterns of use of CEDs in communities.