Search

Social work interventions are best applied when tailored to meet the specific needs of the target population. Practice perspectives that foster resilience by integrating core African-American values serve to decrease psychosocial risks and promote positive coping and adaptation. This article describes models of risk and resilience and the Africentric perspective. The discussion then integrates these concepts to highlight the importance of Africentric approaches for promoting resilience. In addition to placing risk and resilience at the forefront, the Africentric perspective is explored as a framework for developing new practice interventions that promote resilience. These perspectives are integrated in proposing engagement, assessment, and intervention strategies that employ the Africentric perspective. A case example illustrates the application of strategies that are informed by this integrated perspective. Implications for practice and research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Studies of mental health care received by persons with disabilities who make up a significant group of the U.S. population are limited., Objective: This cross-sectional study examined the relationship between disability and non-receipt of past year visits to a mental health professional among individuals with moderate to severe psychological distress., Methods: Study participants included a nationally representative sample of 5,566 people with moderate to severe psychological distress, extracted from 2011 to 2013 Integrated Health Interview using the 6-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale. Self-reported disability domains included vision, hearing, mobility, upper body self-care difficulty, learning difficulty, communication difficulty, and cognition difficulty., Results: Sixty-four percent of participants reported a disability. Logistic regression analyses showed that (adjusting for nativity, other mental health conditions, and chronic pain) people aged 18-64 years old with disabilities have significantly lower odds (OR = 0.52, p < 0.001) of unmet mental health care services than people without disabilities. However, foreign-born respondents have significantly higher odds (OR = 2.91; p < 0.001) of unmet mental health care services than U.S. born Americans. After controlling for gender, other mental health conditions and chronic pain, people aged 65 and above with disabilities have higher non-significant odds (OR = 1.34, p = 0.361) of unmet mental health care services than people without disabilities. Additionally, females have significantly higher odds (OR = 1.63, p = 0.039) than males., Conclusions: Findings indicate the importance of identifying demographic characteristics associated with an increased risk for psychological distress and increased unmet mental health care services among people with and without disabilities., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)