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Background: Extant research suggests that disparities in healthcare utilization and experiences of mental health disorders such as depression exist across sociodemographic groups. One understudied pathway that may have significant implications for these disparities is the role of family functioning. How families interact, communicate, and adapt may vary, but these relationships remain integral for vulnerable subsets of the population due to their seemingly protective properties. Yet, few studies have examined the relationship between family functioning and health. Objective: The aim of this study was to explore family functioning as a predictor for healthcare utilization and depression among young mothers and as a moderator of disparities for each of these outcomes. Design/methods: This analysis uses data from a prospective cohort study which was conducted with 296 pregnant young women recruited from obstetrics clinics in Connecticut between July 2007 and February 2011 and followed 1-year postpartum. Logistic regression models were used to assess family functioning, race/ethnicity, and immigrant status as predictors of healthcare utilization and depression. Family functioning was evaluated as a moderator for both outcomes. Results: Black and Latina mothers had decreased odds of using physical healthcare services (odds ratioBlack = 0.13, p < 0.001; odds ratioLatina = 0.31, p = 0.02). Family functioning was associated with decreased odds of using mental healthcare services (odds ratio = 0.97, p = 0.04) and had a protective effect against depression (odds ratio = 0.96, p = 0.003). Family functioning significantly moderated the relationship between immigrant status and physical healthcare utilization, Black race/ethnicity and physical healthcare utilization, and Other race/ethnicity and depression. Conclusion: Family functioning is a significant factor associated with both healthcare utilization and depression among young mothers. It should be a strongly considered component within healthcare settings to mitigate risks among vulnerable populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CONTEXT: Given the high rates of infection among urban young adults, STD and HIV testing promotion is a public health priority. To inform future testing efforts, lifetime and recent testing behaviors of this population within casual and serious relationships should be better understood. METHODS: Data from a 2007-2008 study conducted in select neighborhoods in Hartford and Philadelphia were used to examine self-reported STD and HIV testing behaviors and attitudes among 483 sexually active black and Puerto Rican young adults aged 18-25. Multivariate ordered logit regression analyses were conducted to assess characteristics associated with lifetime number of STD tests. RESULTS: More than eight in 10 participants reported having been tested for STDs, and a similar proportion for HIV, most of them multiple times. Nineteen percent had ever had an STD diagnosis. A majority-86%-perceived their risk of STD infection in the next year as 'not at all likely.' Sixty-one percent of those in serious relationships reported that both partners had been tested, compared with 25% of those in casual relationships. Characteristics associated with higher lifetime number of STD tests were being female (odds ratio, 2.2), being from Philadelphia (2.5), being black (1.5), having lived with two or more serious partners (1.7) and having ever received an STD diagnosis (2.3). DISCUSSION: Despite their risks, participants did not perceive themselves to be at risk of STDs. However, they did report testing repeatedly. Testing was highly acceptable, particularly within serious relationships. Questions about the timing of testing initiation and repeat testing merit attention for the benefits of widespread testing to be fully realized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]