Summary

During the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately 51% of Canadian youth aged 12 to 18 reported experienced depression and 39% reported experiencing anxiety (Craig et al., 2023). To address such concerns, a Youth Mental Health Photovoice Project was developed by researchers in Canada to engage and co-create knowledge with youth (aged 12-17) regarding factors that impact their mental wellbeing and strategies for maintaining mental wellness. Each photovoice group involved 5 to 11 participants and two co-facilitators who attended six to seven 1.5-hour sessions. The youth had the option of using their cell phone or a digital camera provided by the team, or utilizing pictures they had already taken, to explore four photo themes: 1) their perception/understanding mental health and wellness; 2) challenges to youth mental health; 3) strategies to maintain mental wellness; and 4) community support for youth mental health. Twenty-five photo stories were developed as a group or by individual participants. Manifest coding was used for the data analysis. Findings suggested that participants often shared metaphors while discussing their photos and the themes. For example, one participant shared that "your mental health is a shadow that can reach every aspect of your life, from your school, personal relationship, your mental health can also impact your physical health." Another youth stated that mental health "means like the weather to me. Sometimes it can be good and sometimes it can be pretty bad too. It affects my daily life a lot, but I cannot control it." The photos and narratives from youth demonstrated a creative and insightful way to express mental health and strategies on how to foster wellbeing using metaphors. This presentation will explore the youth's use of metaphors to express their perceptions of mental health and wellbeing. Recommendations for practice, future photovoice projects, and research will be provided.

Keywords (separate with commas)

photovoice, children and youth, mental wellbeing, mental health

Summary

It is estimated that over thirty-five million people around the world live with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), and over 71% live in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite scientific gains in HIV prevention, Uganda is still one of the countries seriously affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. HIV is a highly stigmatized disease with social ridicule and discrimination, leading to depression, trauma, and severe mental health problems. Despite the scientific discoveries and knowledge, we know very little about pathways to resiliency and empowerment adolescents employ to manage the disease. Utilizing resilience theory, the study explored adolescents’ lived experiences and the processes of responding to adversity and building resilience after HIV diagnosis among youth ages 18 to 24 living with HIV in Uganda. We used a qualitative interpretive phenomenological approach (IPA) to collect data using semi-structured interviews with six focus groups (N=31) and analyze them using the grounded theory method. Participants included young men, women, men having sex with men (MSM), sex workers, and perinatally infected young people who receive services at a local private and government-run clinic. The findings indicate that adolescents living with HIV went through several pathways in their HIV experiences: from denial to despair, suicidal ideation, substance use, and developing resilience which were seldom linear. In this study, we present the framework of resilience to empowerment among youth with HIV and discuss the implications for researchers, healthcare providers, advocates, and policymakers to develop interventions to bolster individuals’ inherent determination to be better and overcome the social, physical,  and health headwinds that stand in the way of those with HIV. 

Keywords (separate with commas)

Resiliency, empowerment, HIV/AIDS, Sub-Saharan Africa, Uganda

Summary

Over 60 million Americans self-identify as Latinos, representing 18.5% of the total population. The Latino population will continue grow and comprise 27.5% of the United States (U.S.) population by 2069. As the largest minority population in the U.S., it is imperative for Latinos to access appropriate and comprehensive healthcare, including mental health treatment. Current research suggests Latinos have low regard for mental health services overall. This presentation details a research study that explores Latino’s treatment preferences and pathways to care when seeking assistance for mental health related concerns using data from a community-based survey of approximately 500 Latino adults on beliefs and attitudes about mental health and help-seeking. Results found that more than half of participants prefer to seek help through informal source of care (e.g., friends, family members, co-workers, religious leaders, faith healers) initially rather than formal mental health service providers (e.g., licensed health professionals, a hospital, clinic). Demographic characteristics of respondents and symptoms experienced by the person in need of help predicted preferences in preferred paths of help seeking.\ Implications are presented for increasing treatment engagement for Latinos with mental health concerns. The size and importance of this community make it critical for Latinos to seek mental health services when necessary. Furthermore, there is a great need for social and psychological support systems within our Latino communities. These supports can include targeted messaging campaigns aimed at helping the community increase their mental health literacy, their knowledge of treatment options, and their willingness to seek and engage in formal mental health care. Access, however, remains just as important. Policymakers must continue to expand access to health and mental health care. Moreover, professional organizations must endeavor to present positive portrayals of mental health services providers in Latino communities, and testimonials from Latino individuals who have found mental health services helpful.\ 

Keywords (separate with commas)

Latino, Hispanic, mental health, addictions, help-seeking, attitude, formal care, informal care

Summary

Most people in need of mental health services in Mexico and Latinos in the (United States) U.S. do not seek formal support or professional services to address their mental health needs. It is imperative for adults in Mexico and Latinos in the U.S. to access appropriate and comprehensive healthcare, including mental health treatment. Understanding help-seeking behaviors is crucial to addressing underutilized mental health services across these communities. This presentation will highlight data was collected as part of a larger research project on stigma and help-seeking for mental health related concerns in Mexico and in Latino Communities in the United States (U.S.). A sample of adults residing in Mexico City and of Latino adults in the U.S. participated in two studies using an experimental vignette methodology assessing stigma toward individuals with mental health conditions, along with characteristics and demographic correlates of help-seeking will be presented. All survey measures in Mexico and the U.S. were administered in Spanish. Structural regression was conducted for the outcome “openness to professional help seeking for mental health problems” as a latent variable. In Mexico, compared with males, females were more open to professional help seeking, as were people who endorsed higher spirituality; while people who experienced self-stigma were less open to professional help-seeking for mental health concerns. Whereas among US Latinos, openness towards seeking professional help for mental health concerns is influenced by participants’ age, marital status, gender, region of origin, education, public stigma, and self-stigma towards mental health problem. Adults in Mexico and Latinos within US communities continue to have low levels of mental health service utilization. Understanding the specific the nuanced differences with regard to the predicts help-seeking for mental health issues across communities is essential to promote early detection, entry into care, and outreach efforts.

Keywords (separate with commas)

Latinos, Hispanics, Mexico, United States, mental health, help-seeking, service utilization,stigma