“Childhood Emotional Maltreatment and the Stress Generation Model of Depression.” By Dorothy H. Uhrlass, Binghamton University. IN: Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, vol. 26, no. 1 (January 2007) pp. 119-130.

[“Despite consistent support for Hammen's (1991, 1992) stress generation model of depression and support for the adverse effects of childhood emotional maltreatment on later functioning and vulnerability to depression, the relation between the two is unclear. Therefore, the primary aim of the current study of young adults was to examine whether changes in recent negative life events would mediate versus moderate the relation between childhood emotional maltreatment and prospective changes in depressive symptoms. We also examined whether the stress generation effect was specific to depressive symptoms. Changes in recent negative events mediated the relation between childhood emotional maltreatment and changes in depressive symptoms. Additionally, initial depressive symptoms, but not anxiety symptoms, contributed to prospective changes in negative life events.”]

[Request #S705064]

“Mental Health of Young People: A Global Public-Health Challenge.” By Vikram Patel, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and others. IN: The Lancet, vol. 369, no. 9569 (April 2007) pp. 1302-1313.

[“Mental disorders account for a large proportion of the disease burden in young people in all societies. Most mental disorders begin during youth (12-24 years of age), although they are often first detected later in life. Poor mental health is strongly related to other health and development concerns in young people notably lower educational achievements, substance abuse, violence, and poor reproductive and sexual health. The effectiveness of some interventions for some mental disorders in this age-group have been established, although more research is urgently needed to improve the range of affordable and feasible interventions, since most mental-health needs in young people are unmet, even in high-income countries. Key challenges to addressing mental-health needs include the shortage of mental-health professionals, the fairly low capacity and motivation of non-specialist health workers to provide quality mental-health services to young people, and the stigma associated with mental disorder. We propose a population-based youth focused model, explicitly integrating mental health with other youth health and welfare expertise. Addressing young people’s mental-health needs is crucial if they are to fulfill their potential and contribute fully to the development of their communities.” NOTE: The Lancet is available for loan. ]

[Request #S705065]

“Successful Transitions for Young Children with Disabilities and Their Families: Roles of School Social Workers.” By Sharon E. Rosenkoetter, Oregon State University, and others. IN: Children and Schools, vol. 29, no. 1 (January 2007) pp. 25-34.

[“Three early transitions are significant for young children with disabilities and their families: (1) into Early Intervention, (2) between that program and preschool services, and (3) from Early Childhood Special Education into kindergarten special education. Each of these transitions is significant for families in terms of obtaining appropriate intervention services, involving Families in their children's development, and building foundations for the children's later learning. This article details responsibilities for social workers at each transition. Roles are synthesized into nine important social work contributions that will help to ease the stress of transition for all participants, bridge people and programs, support families, and foster shared efforts to launch young children on a lifetime of learning.”]

[Request #S705067]

"Immigration-Related Factors and Mental Disorders among Asian Americans." By David T. Takeuchi, University of Washington, Seattle, and others. IN: American Journal of Public Health, vol. 97, no. 1 (January 2007) pp. 84-90.

[" The purpose of our study was to examine the lifetime and 12-month rates of any depressive, anxiety, and substance abuse disorders among US-born and immigrant Asian Americans. We examined the bivariate associations among different immigration-related factors, including nativity, length of residency, and age at arrival, generational status, and English language proficiency, to assess how they are associated with mental disorders. These analyses were made in coordination with Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Studies (CPES), which provided the unprecedented opportunity to compare how immigration-related factors are associated with psychiatric disorders across 3 major racial/ethnic categories (Asian, Black, and Latino). For each factor considered in these analyses, we assessed whether immigrants had lower rates of different mental disorders than did their US-born counterparts." NOTE: The American Journal of Public Health is available for loan.]

[Request #S705070]

“Alcohol, Drug, and Mental Health Specialty Treatment Services and Race/Ethnicity: A National Study of Children and Families Involved with Child Welfare.” By A. M. Libby and others. IN: American Journal of Public Health, vol. 96, no. 4, (April 1, 2006) pp. 628-631.

[“According to the authors, unmanaged alcohol, drug, and mental health problems among caregivers can be a risk factor for their children. Thus, this study compared American Indian caregivers with White, Black, and Hispanic caregivers with regard to whether they received services for alcohol, drug, and mental health problems. Results indicate Hispanic, Black, and White caregivers were more likely to receive services for these problems than were American Indians. “American Indian caregivers were [statistically] significantly less likely to receive services than were Hispanic caregivers, but not significantly less likely than were White or Black caregivers.’ (p. 628)…

At baseline, 22% of all caregivers had alcohol, drug, and mental health problems. Yet only 15% of American Indian caregivers with these risk factors received a formal assessment: of this group, about 25% were referred for services and only 12% received any type of specialty services for alcohol, drug, or mental health problems. In general, caregivers of children ages 3-5 received more services than caregivers of older children, and comorbidity problems ‘more than doubled’ (p. 630) a caregiver’s probability of receiving services when compared with substance abuse problems only.” NOTE: The American Journal of Public Health is available for loan.]

[Request #S705071]

“Dimensions of Mental Illness Stigma: What about Mental Illness Causes Social Rejection?” By David B. Feldman, Santa Clara University, and Christian S. Crandell, University of Kansas. IN: Journal of Social & Clinical Psychology, vol. 26, no. 2 (February 2007) pp. 137-154.

[“The stigma of mental illness can be as harmful as the symptoms, leading to family discord, job discrimination, and social rejection. The existence of mental illness stigma has been well established, but stigma theory must go beyond demonstrations and mere descriptions. This article addresses which characteristics across mental disorders lead to stigmatization and social rejection. Participants (N = 270) read case histories depicting individuals with 40 mental disorders, rated those individuals on 17 dimensions (e.g., dangerousness to others, treatability, social disruptiveness), and indicated how willing they were to reject these individuals on a social distance scale. This yielded a ranking of mental disorders by degree of stigmatization; most importantly it reveals the structure of mental illness stigmatization. Only three dimensions were essential in accounting for rejection: personal responsibility for the illness, dangerousness, and rarity of the illness. These dimensions provide an efficient and effective account of the causes of social rejection in mental illness.”]

[Request #S705073]

Unraveling the Contexts of Stigma: From Internalization to Resistance to Change. [Issue Theme.] By Catherine Campbell, London School of Economics, and Harriet Deacon, Human Sciences Research Council Cape town, South Africa. IN: Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, vol. 16, no. 6 (November/December 2006) pp. 411-417.

[“This special edition on Understanding and Challenging Stigma; seeks to further our understandings of the types of representations and practices through which stigma is perpetuated, the social contexts within which they are produced and reproduced, and the possibilities for agency, resistance and intervention. In this introductory piece, we outline three broad approaches to stigma in the existing literature; individual, macro-social and multi-level. Aligning ourselves with the latter, we discuss how social effects become sedimented in the individual psyche in ways that often make it difficult for stigmatised group members to resist their devalued social status. This insight frames our discussion of the papers in this volume, which cover various types of stigma, drawing on research in six countries. We focus on the ways in which the papers contribute to our understandings of (i) the material, political, institutional and symbolic contexts of stigma; (ii) the possibility of resistance to stigma; and (iii) the types of interventions most likely to facilitate such resistance. We conclude that the fields of social and community psychology have a central role to play in advancing the types of understandings that are so urgently needed to inform effective multi-level stigma-reduction interventions.”]

[Request #S705074]

“Assessing Suicide Risk in Children: Guidelines for Developmentally Appropriate Interviewing.” By Casey A. Barrio, University of North Texas. IN: Journal of Mental Health Counseling, vol. 29, no. 1 (January 2007) pp. 50-66.

[“Although suicide is considered a leading cause of death for all age groups, resources and recommendations regarding methods of assessment of suicide risk in children appears to be scattered across related disciplines. Most risk assessment measures for ‘youth’ are intended for use with adolescents, and the nature of children's developmental functioning presents particular challenges for accurate assessment. This article includes a brief review of risk factors and recommendations for preparing to conduct suicide risk assessments with children. Guidelines for mental health counselors who conduct developmentally appropriate risk assessments with children are detailed, and suggestions for consulting with caregivers are provided.”]

[Request #S705075]

“The Long-Term Consequences of Early Childhood Trauma: A Case Study and Discussion.” By Julie B. Kaplow, John Jay School of Criminal Justice, and others. IN: Psychiatry: Interpersonal & Biological Processes, vol. 69, no. 4 (Winter 2006) pp. 362-375.

[“There is a great need to better understand the impact of traumatic events very early in life on the course of children's future development. This report focuses on the intriguing case of a girl who witnessed the murder of her mother by her father at the age of 19 months and seemed to have no recollection of this incident until the age of 11, when she began to exhibit severe symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in response to a traumatic reminder. The case presentation serves as the basis for a discussion regarding pertinent issues involved in early childhood trauma. This case and accompanying discussion were originally presented at the 19th Annual Meeting of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies and were transcribed and revised for use in this article. Specific topics include early childhood memory and trauma, learning and the appraisal of danger, and PTSD and traumatic grief in early childhood. Clinical and public health implications are also discussed. This case illustrates the dramatic impact that "preverbal" traumatic memories can have on children's later functioning and speaks to the importance of assisting very young children in the immediate aftermath of traumatic events.”]

[Request #S705076]

“Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Service Utilization in a Sample of Service Members from Iraq and Afghanistan.” By Christopher Erbes, Department of Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center, and others. IN: Military Medicine, vol. 172, no. 4 (April 2007) pp. 359-363.

[“The purpose of this study was to evaluate levels of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, alcohol abuse, quality of life, and mental health service utilization among returnees from Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Methods: One hundred twenty returnees, enrolled for health care at a Midwestern Veterans Affairs medical center, completed questionnaires approximately 6 months after their return from deployment. Results: PTSD levels (12%) were consistent with previous research while problematic drinking levels were also elevated (33%), PTSD and, to a lesser degree, alcohol abuse were associated with lower quality of life in multiple domains, even when controlling for the influence of depression.

Of those screening positive for PTSD. 56% reported using mental health services. Only 18% of those screening positive for alcohol abuse reported using such services. Conclusions: PTSD and alcohol problems are prevalent in Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom returnees and associated with lower quality of life. Mental health service utilization is limited, even among returnees enrolled for Veterans Affairs health care.”]

[Request #S705077]

“Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Needs to Be Recognized in Primary Care.” By Jennifer Fisher Wilson. IN: Annals of Internal Medicine, vol. 146, no. 8 (April 2007) pp. 617-620.

[“This article stresses the need to recognize the diagnosis and treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in primary care in the U.S. PTSD refers to the certain severe psychological consequences of exposure to, or confrontation with stressful events. According to the author, the disorder should not be ignored for its harmful effects like increased risk for suicide, social isolation and illness. The disorder can be treated using selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor and psychotherapy.”]

[Request #S705078]