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Appendix F contains the report "From Tragedy to Triumph A Segue to Community Building For Children and Families." This report takes a case study from Tarrant County Texas, where are agencies came together to make systematic changes to the mental health care system, taking a "No Wrong Door" approach to services.
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Cultural and social influences on mental and physical health are increasingly recognized by social science researchers. Researchers have found that specific, Afrocultural factors are related to the functioning of African Americans. The current research considered whether interdependence is especially salient for African American women since women and African Americans tend to define themselves within the context of social relationships. The study outlines processes affecting the mental and physical health of African American women including communalism, collective efficacy, and social capital. The also study examined the relationship between socioeconomic status and both mental and physical health among African American women in a low-income residential area.
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Research consistently has revealed the damaging consequences of children's repeated exposure to community violence and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is the most commonly cited internalizing disorder associated with such exposure. However, not all children who are exposed to community violence develop PTSD symptoms; thus, it is important to identify factors that contribute to this deleterious relationship. The purpose of the present study was to examine the relation of community violence exposure (CVE)and PTSD in a sample of urban adolescents.
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Oral history is a method of preserving historical information through in-depth interviews. Because the process requires narrators to use remote recall while sharing their life experiences, it can also be considered a reminiscence-related activity. The purposes of this study were to evaluate the influence of an oral history intervention on the life satisfaction of community-dwelling elders and to identify participant characteristics associated with change in life satisfaction scores.
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Written by Kathryn Wilder Schaaf in May, 2010 in pursuit of a Ph.D. in Psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University, this report sought to assess family needs in polytrauma situations. The authors states, "Given the tremendous impact TBI [tramatic brain injury] has on families and the important caregiving role assumed by many, there is an urgent need to better understand their needs. The Family Needs Questionnaire (FNQ) was administered to 44 family members of patients at the Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center (PRC) at McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) over a 30 month period. Family members rated 40 needs indicating the importance and extent to which needs were met. Results were compared with findings from similar studies in civilian rehabilitation settings."
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Written by Anna Lisa Harmon in May, 2007 in pursuit of a Ph.D. in Psychology at the VCU Department of Psychology, the purpose of this study, "was to test the feasibility of a method of assessment to identify the needs of individual family members of service personnel and veterans receiving inpatient rehabilitation services at the Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center (PRC) located within the Hunter Holmes McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Richmond, Virginia." According to Ms. Harmon, "study participants report overwhelming satisfaction with the program of care offered to patients and family members on the PRC. Furthermore, results of this study suggest that family members benefited from participating in the study. A strength-based family care pathway that utilizes an individual assessment of family needs is proposed and recommended for use with family members of individuals enrolled in the Veterans Health Administration polytrauma network services."
[Local]
Written by Nichole Kelly in May, 2009 in pursuit of Master's of Science with the VCU Department of Psychology, this study "addressed limitations in the research and examined the psychosocial outcomes of adolescent participants in T.E.E.N.S., a culturally sensitive, multidisciplinary weight loss intervention. From baseline to 6 month post-testing, program participants demonstrated significant improvements in physical, emotional, and social functioning, as well as body dissatisfaction. Moreover, increases in physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness were associated with significant enhancements in several domains of psychological well-being."
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Written by Jennifer Kienzle in August, 2009 in pursuit of a Ph.D. with the VCU Department of Psychology, this "present study (N=150) employed a computer-directed assessment to examine smoking in an urban sample of AA adolescents recruited through their primary care provider...Findings indicated that AA adolescent smokers (ever smokers) were more likely to have friends who have tried smoking, were more likely to have adult smokers in the home, and scored lower in self-efficacy skills germane to avoiding situations where smoking was present, as compared to nonsmokers. Additionally, computerized assessment for tobacco use was found to be useful in clinic settings. Study findings can aid in the development of specialized prevention and cessation campaigns for minority populations."
[Local]
Written by Jennifer Barber in May, 2010 in pursuit of Master's of Public Health with the VCU Department of Epidemiology and Community Health, this study sought to "conduct a secondary analysis to explore demographic variables (race, gender, academic performance, living arrangement, alcohol and other drug usage, and affiliation with a fraternity/sorority) and their relationship with nonmedical prescription drug use. Also, this study aims to identify potential strategies and provide suggestions to address nonmedical prescription drug abuse for future interventions...The study consisted of n = 1,417 undergraduate students attending Virginia Commonwealth University...The past year prevalence use of nonmedical prescription central nervous system depressants, opioids, and stimulants use were 4, 11.2, and 8.7% respectively. According to bivariate analyses, nonmedical use was higher among certain college students, however characteristics varied by type of prescription drug."
[Local]
In 2001, the community launched a five year business plan to improve the response to homelessness. To continue to address the remaining gaps and to build on what has been learned in the region and from other communities around the country, the community’s stakeholders developed this ten year plan.