Financial challenges and capacity among African refugees in the Southern USA: A study of socio-demographic differences

Refugees' successful integration into US society requires adaptation to economic, financial and social norms. Despite the importance of considering financial challenges (financial stress and financial anxiety) and financial capacity (financial literacy and financial self-efficacy) in reaching personal financial goals, literature examining the relationship between financial challenges and capacity-critical in refugee resettlement and integration-is sparse and fragmented. This study explored financial challenges and capacity amongst resettled African refugees (N = 130) in the southern USA using data from a larger community-based participatory research study that used a mixed-methods approach. We explored socio-demographic differences in financial stress, financial anxiety, financial literacy and financial self-efficacy across African refugee subpopulation groups. Our study highlights the importance of social work advocacy for data disaggregation, which helps establish the scope of the problem, unmask subpopulation differences and make vulnerable groups more visible to facilitate the development of tailored programmes and services to reach economic integration goals. We provide social work implications for data disaggregation in the current coronavirus context, which will leave long-term financial scars on refugee subpopulations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Ecological Factors of Telemental Healthcare Utilization Among Adolescents with Increased Substance Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Moderating Effect of Gender.

Background: Adolescent substance use is often associated with concurrent mental health problems (e.g., depression, suicide attempts, parental emotional and physical abuse, not feeling close to people at school, and lower virtual connectedness) at multiple ecological levels. Objective: This study examined whether such risk factors among adolescents were associated with the use of telemental healthcare (TMHC) and whether gender moderated these associations. Methods: Data were drawn from the Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey, collected by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from January to June 2021. A hierarchical multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted using a national sample of 1,460 students in Grades 9-12 in the United States who reported having used more alcohol and/or drugs during the pandemic than before it started. Results: The results showed that only 15.3% of students sought TMHC. Students reporting increased substance use during the pandemic were more likely to use TMHC if they experienced more severe mental health problems (e.g., suicide attempts) compared to other ecological factors, such as issues with their family, school, or community. Analysis of the moderating effect showed that the closer male students felt to people at school, the more likely they were to seek TMHC, whereas the opposite was true for female students. Conclusions: The findings highlighted that feeling close to people at school is an important aspect of understanding the help-seeking behavior of female and male adolescent substance users.

Mask wearing and self-harming thoughts among international students in the United States during COVID-19: The moderating role of discrimination.

Objective: This study examined associations among discrimination, mask-wearing behavior, and self-harming thoughts among international students in the United States during COVID-19. Participants: Undergraduate and graduate international students enrolled in universities during the 2020 summer semester participated in the online survey (N = 103). Methods: Perceived discrimination, mask-wearing behavior, and self-harming thoughts during COVID-19 were assessed by self-reports. Multivariable logistic regressions examined the association among discrimination, mask-wearing behavior, and self-harming thoughts and explored the potential moderation effect of discrimination on the association between mask-wearing and self-harming thoughts. Results: 18.6% of participants reported self-harming thoughts. Increased discrimination was significantly associated with increased odds of self-harming thoughts. Discrimination significantly moderated the association between mask wearing and self-harming thoughts. Conclusions: The findings highlight the importance of increased availability of culturally appropriate mental health services for international students and the need for increased advocacy to decrease discrimination against international students in the current societal context.

Sociodemographic characteristics, preventive behaviors, and the mental health status of social work students in the US during the COVID-19 pandemic

Using data from a cross-sectional online survey among social work students (N = 457) in the US, our study explored differences in mental health status based on sociodemographic characteristics and preventive behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results showed disparate experiences related to anxiety, depression, self-harming thoughts, stress and hopelessness by age, gender, employment status, marital status, education, number of children, living arrangement, and mask-wearing and social distancing preventive behaviors. Findings provide implications to mitigate both the current and prolonged impact of the pandemic among social work students who will be playing crucial roles in the provision and delivery of health and human services. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Social Work in Mental Health is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

The hidden minority: Discrimination and mental health among international students in the US during the COVID-19 pandemic.

International students in the US occupy a precarious position at the intersection of immigration policy and global education mobility, one made more challenging by the disparate impact of COVID-19 on college students' mental health. Few studies, however, have explored the pandemic's effects on mental well-being among the international student population in the US. Our study aims to provide initial empirical evidence on the mental health status of these students, with a specific focus on discrimination, loneliness, anxiety, and depression. We propose a mediation framework and estimate the mediating effects of loneliness and anxiety in the relationships between discrimination and depression in a sample of US-based international students (N = 103). We collected cross-sectional data from July to August 2020, using a 50-item online survey instrument with three open-ended questions. Mediation analyses using PROCESS Macro were used to analyse quantitative data and thematic analysis was used to analyse qualitative data. Findings showed that higher levels of discrimination were significantly associated with higher levels of loneliness. Higher levels of loneliness were significantly associated with higher levels of anxiety, which in turn led to high levels of depressive symptoms. Our study contributes to understanding the needs and capacities of international students in the wake of COVID-19 and simultaneously provides pragmatic program and policy implications for inclusive higher education environments and the overall health and well-being of this crucial US student population.