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Purpose: This study is a meta-analysis on the efficacy of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) in reducing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and co-occurring depression, and anxiety symptoms among forcibly displaced people. Methods: A search was followed by data extraction and assessment of risk of bias. Within- and between-conditions effect sizes of posttest and follow-up outcomes using a random effects model were examined, with heterogeneity and subgroup analyses. Results: Twenty-two studies ( N = 1964) were included and seventeen ( N = 1652) had complete data for the meta-analysis. There were medium to large effect size reductions on PTSD, depression, and anxiety within-conditions. EMDR was more effective than other conditions at posttest for PTSD symptoms but outcomes for the posttests and follow-ups for depression and anxiety were inconclusive. Discussion: EMDR effectively reduced PTSD symptoms, depression, and anxiety among forcibly displaced people. More studies with larger samples and better designs are needed.

Refugees are one of the most at-risk groups to experience economic exclusion and poverty due to the often abrupt and unplanned nature of their forced displacement and structural barriers after resettlement. This study aimed to explore the prevalence of multidimensional poverty (deprivations in five domains of education, health, living standard, economic security and housing) and factors associated with this complex problem amongst newly resettled refugees in the USA. Using 2016, 2017 and 2018 Annual Survey of Refugees data-sets and an adjusted version of the census Multidimensional Deprivation Index, poverty in different aspects of life was measured. Multivariate correlational analyses were utilised to explore possible associations between poverty, length of residence in the USA, permanent residency status and English language proficiency. The findings of this study suggested that over half of the surveyed refugees were multidimensionally poor. Limited English language proficiency at the time of the data collection was the best predictor of multidimensional poverty amongst the explored factors. Estimated rates of poverty amongst refugees call for further attention to policies fostering the economic integration of refugees as new Americans in the USA. Recommendations for resources, interventions and policies fostering refugees’ economic integration and well-being were discussed.

The COVID-19 crisis has increasingly exerted a disproportionate impact on the lives of migrant populations. A group of interdisciplinary migration experts convened a round table in June 2020, to discuss the numerous challenges faced by immigrants, refugees, and migrants in the United States. The discussion revealed many social inequities, including insufficient financial and social resources, non-existent or minimal health supports, lack of or inadequate access to community supports, and social and racial discrimination, among other difficulties. To promote social justice and encourage research, the ensuing essay is a call for action to stimulate and build knowledge about social work and public health issues as they relate to the needs of immigrants, refugees, and migrant populations in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Disparities in breast cancer mortality rates among older Black and Hispanic women are due in part to low participation in cancer screening. Participation in cancer screening could be affected by an array of factors, including social support. Understanding the complex interplay between social support and breast cancer screening among older female adults, specifically among groups with higher mortality rates, is extremely important for timely and appropriate interventions to increase survival rates. Thus, utilizing the social network theory as the conceptual framework, this study aims to examine effects of social support on receiving a mammogram among a representative sample of older adults, specifically African American and Hispanic populations in the United States. Logistic regression models were conducted using the 2008 and 2012 Health and Retirement Study data. Findings from this study indicate that specific aspects of social support influence breast cancer screening participation among older Hispanic and non-Hispanic White women. However, this was not the case for the older Black women after adjusting for the sociodemographic factors. Given the role that family members play in the care of older adults, it is critical that social workers consider both the possible positive and negative interactions older women may have and how these interactions may affect their cancer screening behaviors. Findings can provide formative data to develop public health and social work interventions to increase positive social support and reduce negative social support by spouses and children to enhance breast cancer screening among older adults.

Given the cultural value of family in Hispanic culture, older Hispanic immigrants are likely to have family caregivers. This study examined the economic implications of caring for older Hispanic adults regarding non-housing financial wealth over time. Using the 2008, 2010, and 2012 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and RAND HRS data files, this study compares changes in the non-housing financial wealth between 2008 and 2012 by caregiving and immigration status among Hispanics. This study examined differences in assets between Hispanic caregivers and non-caregivers and more specifically examined the subpopulation of Hispanic caregivers who immigrated prior to and after 1968 as compared to U.S.-born caregivers to better understand the effect of the Immigration and Nationality Amendment Act of 1965 on asset change. Results indicate that caregiving itself did not have a statistically significant association with wealth, but the timing of immigration to the US had a statistically significant correlation (p

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning/queer (LGBTQ) people face widespread oppression around the world, leading some to decide emigrate, and some to be forced to seek refuge in other...

Background Stigma against HIV profoundly affects the quality of life (QOL) of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). We aimed to assess the factors associated with QOL in PLWHA in Iran, specifically HIV-related stigma, sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Methods Two hundred PLWHA participated in this cross-sectional study. Data were collected using sociodemographic, stigma, and WHO-QOL-BREF questionnaires. Correlations, ANOVAs, and Student's t-distribution tests were performed as bivariate analyses. We employed stepwise multiple linear regression analysis to explore the main factors associated with QOL domains. Results Six domains of QOL were negatively correlated with three domains of stigma (p

Afghan refugees may be a high-risk group for substance use problems. However, research is scarce in this area, specifically among Afghan refugees in one of their main host countries, Iran. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of substance use among this population and explore the associated risk factors using a mixed-methods design. Findings suggest that 4.2% of the surveyed households had at least one adult member using illicit drugs. Moreover, results show that substance use among Afghans had statistically significant associations with illiteracy, lack of documentation, living in slum areas, and multidimensional poverty. Policy implications are discussed and recommendations provided.

The aim of this study was to systematically review randomized controlled trials on non-pharmaceutical interventions for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among adult refugees with a focus on id...

Transitioning to post-secondary education is often challenging for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). To address this, Florida International University, specifically FIU Embrace, piloted the Embrace Mentoring Program (EMP), which provided unique role-specific workshops to both faculty/staff mentors, and student mentees with IDD. A mixed-method design was used to analyze knowledge acquisition and participant perceptions of the workshops. Quantitative findings indicated knowledge improvement in a key area for mentors, while qualitative data demonstrated a positive response to workshop content, and highlighted areas of improvement for future workshops. Ultimately, the results from the pilot EMP demonstrated promise in supporting students with IDD towards academic and career-related goals, by providing mentorship training to both mentors and mentees.

OBJECTIVE: A lack of understanding of the causes of attrition in longitudinal studies of older adults may lead to higher attrition rates and bias longitudinal study results. In longitudinal epidemiological studies of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, high rates of attrition may cause a systematic underestimation of dementia prevalence and skew the characterization of the disease. This can compromise the generalizability of the study results and any inferences based on the surviving sample may grossly misrepresent the importance of the risk factors for dementia. The National Institute on Aging outlined a National Strategy for Recruitment and Participation in Alzheimer’s Disease Clinical Research to address this problem, providing evidence of the magnitude of this problem. METHOD: To explore predictors of attrition, this study examined the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center (NACC) Uniform Data Set; a repository of observations of older adults spanning 11 years, using survival analysis. Four samples were examined: the full sample (n=30,433), the alive subsample excluding those who died (n=24,231), the MRI sample (participants with complete MRI data (n=1,104)), and the alive MRI subsample (participants with MRI data excluding those who died (n=947)). RESULTS: Worsening cognitive impairment, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and difficulty with functional activities predicted attrition, as did lower hippocampal volume in the MRI subsample. Questionable co-participant reliability and an informant other than a spouse also increased risk of attrition. DISCUSSION: Special considerations exist in recruiting and retaining older adults in longitudinal studies and results of baseline psychological, functional, and cognitive functioning should be used to identify targeted retention strategies.

Objective Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is associated with increased memory problems although the ability to complete daily life activities remains relatively intact. This study examined: (1) if sleep disturbance increased the hazard of MCI; (2) if APOE e4 carriers with sleep disturbance experience an increased risk of MCI; and, (3) if prescription sleep medications provide a protective effect against MCI. We hypothesized that sleep disturbance increases the hazard of MCI, this relationship is stronger among APOE e4 carriers reporting a sleep disturbance. Furthermore, we hypothesized that sleep medications decrease the hazard of MCI. Methods To determine whether sleep medication mediates the risk of developing MCI for individuals with sleep disturbance and/or APOE e4, we analyzed the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center Uniform Data Set. We selected participants with normal cognition at baseline (n = 6798), and conduced survival analyses. Results Our main findings indicated that the hazard of MCI was significantly associated with sleep disturbance. The hazard remained among those who did not use sleep medication. Trazodone and zolpidem users did not have a significant hazard of MCI, but the significant hazard remained for those who did not use these medications. APOE e4 carriers had a significantly higher hazard of MCI. Among e4 carriers who used trazodone or zolpidem, there was not a statistically significant risk of MCI. Conclusion This study demonstrated the potential utilization of trazodone and zolpidem in the treatment of sleep disturbance while potentially mitigating the risk of MCI. While trazodone and zolpidem have been shown to positively impact sleep disturbance in individuals with normal cognition, further research should explore these findings given that these medications are potentially inappropriate for older adults.

Hispanic individuals are at greater risk for health disparities, less than optimal health care, and are diagnosed at later stages of cognitive impairment than white non-Hispanics. Acculturation and different attitudes toward test-taking may result in decrements in performance, especially on unfamiliar measures that emphasize speed and accuracy. Non-Hispanic individuals often outperform Hispanic individuals on cognitive and neuropsychological measures in community and clinical populations. Current neuropsychological testing may not provide accurate data related to monolingual and bilingual individuals of Hispanic descent. Testing instruments were identified by searching academic databases using combinations of relevant search terms. Neuropsychological instruments were included if they were designed to detect cognitive impairment, had an administration time of less than 45 minutes, and were available in English. Validity studies were required to employ gold standard comparison diagnostic criteria. Twenty-nine instruments were evaluated in dementia staging, global cognition, memory, memory and visual abilities, working memory and attention, verbal learning and memory, recall, language, premorbid intelligence, literacy/cognitive reserve, visuospatial, attention, problem-solving, problem solving and perception, functional assessment, and mood/daily functioning domains. Spanish-language neuropsychological instruments need to be made widely available and existing instruments to be normed in Spanish to best serve and assess diverse populations. Psychometric data were reported for neuropsychological instruments, which may be administered to Hispanic older adults presenting for evaluation related to dementia-spectrum disorders. This is one of the few reviews to provide an overview of the sensitivity and specificity of available Spanish translated neuropsychological instruments.

Harmful use of alcohol is one of the primary risks to public health (World Health Organization, 2018). In 2016 alone, the use of alcohol resulted in 3 million deaths and 132.6 million alcohol-attri...

Little is known about the likelihood of future functional deficits based on current neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPSs). This study seeks to examine the impact of NPSs on functional activities (FAs) by cognitive status and ethnicity. A secondary analysis of the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center Uniform Data Set was conducted using ordered logistic regression to examine the effect of NPSs (based on the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire [NPI-Q]) on FAs (based on Functional Assessment Questionnaire). Participants had a mean age of 74 (SD: 9.88) and were included if normal cognition was assessed at baseline (n= 13,470). Higher rates of NPSs were associated with higher dependency in almost all FAs. Among NPSs, apathy was the best predictor (p

This article presents introductory information on asylum seekers, refugees, and immigrants in the United States, including distinctions among them, major regions of origin, demographic, and socioeconomic characteristics, challenges in social, economic, and cultural adaptation, and best practices for social work with these populations.