Search

Background: Latina intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors often face great barriers to depression care. We sought to use a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach to create and evaluate a community-based depression care program for Latina IPV survivors., Methods: We created a multifaceted, culturally tailored intervention, based on principles of chronic illness management. A promotora provided case management services and led 12 weekly group sessions. Participants completed surveys at baseline and 6 months and participated in open-ended exit interviews., Results: Ten Spanish-speaking Latina women participated in the intervention. The program had excellent attendance, with 100% of women attending at least 10 group sessions, and high satisfaction. We found a large decrease in depression severity (Patient Health Questionnaire [PHQ]-9, 17.3-7.2; p = .001), as well as improvements in depression self-efficacy, self-esteem, and stress., Conclusion: This study offers promising preliminary data to support the use of community-based approaches to reducing depression disparities in Latina IPV survivors.

Background: African Americans are less likely than non-Hispanic Whites to find antidepressants acceptable or seek care for depression., Objective: To develop and pilot test a culturally tailored, community-based, psychoeducational wellness and exercise promotion program to reduce depressive symptoms in African Americans., Methods: Participants were African Americans with moderate depressive symptoms who were interested in exercise but were not exercising regularly. They attended a 6-week psychoeducational group program during which they set personal activity goals and learned depression self-management skills. We conducted pre- and postintervention surveys and postintervention feedback sessions., Results: Twenty-one African Americans participated in the intervention. The program had excellent attendance and satisfaction. We found a large reduction in depressive symptoms, with mean Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scores dropping from 14.8 to 7.1 (p < .0001), and increases in exercise and depression self-efficacy and behaviors., Conclusions: This pilot study offers promising preliminary evidence to inform further research on the use of community-based, culturally tailored wellness programs to address depression.

Background and Objectives: Substance use is a prevalent issue in primary care with wide-reaching implications, particularly for the care of HIV-infected patients. This analysis identified patient and provider characteristics associated with high comfort discussing substance use in HIV primary care clinics using multivariable logistic regression., Methods: A total of 413 patients and 44 providers completed surveys on their comfort discussing substance use. Additional independent variables from surveys included demographics, drug and alcohol use, self-efficacy, and activation for patients. Provider-level data included demographics, training, practice descriptors, and stress levels., Results: The majority of patients (76%) and providers (73%) reported high comfort. In multivariable analysis, patients with current problematic alcohol use or current drug use were half as likely to report high comfort compared to their non-substance-using peers. Higher patient self-efficacy and high levels of patient activation were independently associated with increased odds of high patient comfort. While provider-level characteristics were not associated with provider comfort, the types of patients a provider saw were. Namely, the proportion of patients on antiretroviral therapy was inversely associated with the odds of high provider comfort, whereas the proportion of patients with high patient activation was positively associated., Conclusions: Patients likely to benefit from a discussion of substance use, those with current use, are the least likely to report comfort discussing that use. Interventions that increase patient activation or self-efficacy may also increase their comfort. This research guides future interventions to increase the prevalence of discussions on substance use.

Background: Most community-based participatory research (CBPR) projects involve local communities defined by race, ethnicity, geography, or occupation. Autistic self-advocates, a geographically dispersed community defined by disability, experience issues in research similar to those expressed by more traditional minorities., Objectives: We sought to build an academic-community partnership that uses CBPR to improve the lives of people on the autistic spectrum., Methods: The Academic Autistic Spectrum Partnership in Research and Education (AASPIRE) includes representatives from academic, self-advocate, family, and professional communities. We are currently conducting several studies about the health care experiences and well-being of autistic adults., Lessons Learned: We have learned a number of strategies that integrate technology and process to successfully equalize power and accommodate diverse communication and collaboration needs., Conclusions: CBPR can be conducted successfully with autistic self-advocates. Our strategies may be useful to other CBPR partnerships, especially ones that cannot meet in person or that include people with diverse communication needs.