Background: Adolescents and young adults make important sexual health decisions that are deeply rooted in the social, cultural and structural fabric of their lives. Few studies have examined the complex and cumulative conditions young people in foster care experience in their efforts to make positive sexual health decisions and engage in healthy intimate relationships.

Method: Through an ecological lens, 18 sexually active Black participants (18-22 years old) in foster care were interviewed about their experiences in preventing STIs/HIV. Grounded theory strategies were used to construct a conceptual framework illustrating the youths’ safer sex efforts and intimate relationship pathways.

Results: The findings indicated that a combination of protective factors and obstacles directly and indirectly influenced the participants’ decisions to practice safe and/or safer sex. The majority of the youth engaged in four types of relationships. Over half (59%) reported being in a relationship with a current or recent partner for at least six months and were either: 1) abstaining from having sex or using condom all of the time (“Extended Safety Relationships”) or 2) employing safer sex strategies (“Modified Safety Relationships”). Participants in “Tenuous Safety Relationships” and “Lone Safety Relationships” were in intimate partnerships that were more precarious or lacked emotional closeness.

Conclusion: Black youth transitioning from foster care may engage in healthy intimate relationships that have a similar trajectory as their non-foster care peers. More inquiry is needed to investigate the factors that promote and hinder their safer sex efforts and ensuing intimate relationships.

Our world is more connected today than it ever has been. Within the past seven years, social media use among adults in the United States has increased; however, while digital connectivity is on the rise, life satisfaction and happiness are declining (Twenge, 2019). The need to belong and social connectedness are innate to humans. Social connection goes beyond survival and reproductivity; connection is vital to the emotional well-being of individuals. The connection that is fostered varies and is impacted by several societal and individual factors. This quantitative study examines the correlation between social media use, sense of belonging and emotional well-being among college students. Using an anonymous survey, 353 college students participated in this study. The questionnaire contained five scales focused on emotional well-being, social media use, mindfulness, need to belong, and self-compassion. MANOVA and regression analysis were used to test variables. Findings indicate there is a significant relationship between social media use and emotional well-being. The study is important because it examines the impact of social media to the emotional well-being of college students. As well as the implications it has on the social work profession as it strives to strengthen the social fabric and reduce the risk of social isolation among all age groups.

Youth involved with child welfare agencies are more likely to become involved with the juvenile justice system than their peers. The phenomenon of cross-over from child welfare to the juvenile justice system has been investigated by large-quantitative studies examining youth characteristics and types of experiences in foster care. Findings indicate that this experience is both economically and racially stratified. Cross-over youth are predominantly Black, Latinx, and male, and face higher rates of adverse childhood experiences, as well as maltreatment and neglect compared to their counterparts. In the existing literature, the role of child welfare professionals’ relationships with youth clients as a potential factor in preventing cross-over from child welfare to juvenile justice is under-explored.

This qualitative phenomenological study utilizes in-depth semi-structured interviews (n=20) with child welfare social workers and attorneys to explore how these professionals make meaning of their role in the lives of youth, including actions they take to prevent youth cross-over and to promote positive youth development outcomes.

Findings suggest that youth in custody of the child welfare system experience greater scrutiny of adolescent behaviors compared to their non-involved counterparts, are exposed to various traumatic experiences, and are often subject to criminalization for trauma-related behaviors. In order to promote optimal youth outcomes and experiences including preventing cross-over, child welfare professionals deploy various strategies to blur or reinforce their personal boundaries with clients, and to navigate complex and potentially detrimental agency rules and procedures.

Implications on strategies for preventing child welfare to juvenile justice cross-over will be discussed.

Background: Behavioral health treatment should promote physical health and wellness. While health-focused interventions are increasingly delivered in conjunction with therapeutic work, health issues may also be discussed within routine sessions. Little work has examined how health talk naturally occurs during therapy, and the implications this has for therapeutic interventions. This qualitative study examines the frequency and content of health talk in clinical social work sessions, and describes how it is impacting therapeutic work.

Methods: This study occurred within the behavioral health department of an integrated community health center. Data consisted of 51 therapy sessions, transcribed verbatim, between MSWs and their clients. Coding was completed iteratively, guided by sensitizing concepts and an inductive approach to detecting emergent themes. Thematic analysis was used to distil codes into meaningful patterns and themes. This process was facilitated by memo writing, peer debriefing, and constant-comparative techniques.

Results: Health talk occurred in 92% (n=47) of sessions. Discussions about sleep (40%, n=19), diet/exercise (35%, n=16), and chronic health conditions (28%, n=13) were most common. Analysis suggests that health talk either complimented or conflicted with therapeutic work, depending on both the topic and when it arose. Health talk also changed the scope of therapeutic work by integrating care coordination into routine care.

Conclusions: Findings suggest that health talk is pervasive in therapeutic sessions. Engaging in routine health talk has implications for social work practice. Social workers may benefit from additional skills and resources that will improve their capacity to meaningfully and effectively integrate health talk into therapeutic work.

There is a crisis of violence against Native women in North America. Murder is the third leading cause of death for Native women (CDC, 2019). The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) movement seeks to increase awareness of this public health crisis, but further inquiry is needed to better understand its geographic, political and social causes.

The purpose of "MMIW: An exploration into the crisis of violence" is to synthesize the available data to understand the ways in which Indigenous nations and individuals are particularly vulnerable to this violence, in order to cultivate culturally-informed interventions for combatting the crisis. Following a comprehensive literature review, qualitative interviews with female members of the Native community were conducted to better understand the limits of existing research and to identify where more data is needed. Data is under analysis. Preliminary findings from the initial thematic analysis include: 1) specific gaps in quantitative data; 2) need for use of a community resilience framework to better understand how omnipresent violence affects surviving female members of the community and; 3) lack of comprehensive US policy to address the crisis.

The findings provide insight into the community, sexual and gender-based violence Native women experience as a result of continued colonization of their lands and bodies. Public health social workers must be involved in surveillance and data collection of MMIW cases, analysis of policy to address the violence across North America and advocacy work alongside community grassroots efforts combatting the crisis, to bring safety and health for these women.

Objective: Delivering person-centered care is a key component of health and mental health care reform. Despite widespread trainings, behavioral health agencies struggle to operationalize person-centered care. This study presents the validity and reliability of the Person-Centered Care Planning Assessment Measure (PCCP-AM), an objective global measure that measures the extent to which service planning is person-centered.

Method: The 10-item PCCP-AM chart review instrument rates service plans on attention to service user strengths, life goals, natural supports, self-directed actions and community integration. Item scores range from 1 to 4, with 3 and above indicating competency. As part of a larger RCT of PCCP, service plans completed by community mental health clinic providers were rated using the PCCP-AM. PCCP-AM scores of 2 raters for 62 service plans were compared using to measure inter-rater reliability with a weighted Kappa analysis. PCCP-AM scores for 437 service plans were used to measured internal consistency with the Cronbach’s alpha. PCCP-AM scores of 77 plans were correlated with independent PCCP expert ratings to establish validity.

Findings: Weighted Kappas ranged from k = .324 to k = .681 (p = .001), indicating fair to substantial agreement between raters. Cronbach’s Alpha (a = .72), indicated acceptable reliability. Moderate correlation of total scores (r = .600, p = .010) supported PCCP-AM validity.

Impact: Findings demonstrate the PCCP-AM to be a valid and reliable objective measure of person-centered care. By paying attention to service user life goals, strengths, and self-direction, the PCCP-AM can help agencies transition from deficits-based care towards health promotion.

Background

Uptake of Truvada (PrEP) is low among Black heterosexual women, although Black women face a higher burden of new HIV diagnoses. PrEP use is ideal as it promotes autonomy among individuals who are unaware of their partners’ status, particularly for individuals experiencing sexual violence, coercion, and condom sabotage. This study explores the association between sexual risk and prevention behaviors, and PrEP pill/ring interest among Young Black women (YBW).

Methods

A sample of YBW (N = 200) ages 18-25 completed a self-administered questionnaire, assessing sexual risk and prevention behaviors, HIV/STI testing, and PrEP interest. Binomial logistic regressions assessed the impact of sexual risk and prevention behaviors on PrEP ring/pill interest.

Results

Of YBW, 36% reported PrEP pill interest and 29% reported PrEP ring interest. A chi-square test of independence revealed a significant relationship between PrEP pill and PrEP ring interest. YBW who reported being interested in the pill and YBW who reported not being interested in the pill, both reported being less likely to be interested in the PrEP ring, X² (1, N=206) = 7.45, p<.01. Sexual risk and prevention behaviors were not associated with PrEP pill/ PrEP ring interest among YBW.

Conclusion

The PrEP pill is a gateway to increasing awareness of biomedical prevention availability for HIV. YBW are interested in the pill first, and then become accepting of other novel methods. Although the logistic regression models were not significant, PrEP awareness and other preventive sexual health education are paramount for reducing sexual health disparities among this population.

Background: Approximately one fourth of older adults (ages 65+) living in the United States have a diabetes diagnosis. As many older adults reside in Long Term Care (LTC) facilities and nursing homes, it is important to have resources in place at these settings to assist them in managing their diabetes. There is a dearth of research studying the experiences of “younger” older adults (ages 60-75) in LTC living with diabetes, which suggests that this is an area where further interventions and research need to be done.

Methods: Two sessions of eight-week semi-structured groups were organized at Parker Jewish Institute LTC units to provide education about diabetes and foster a supportive environment for residents to discuss challenges, successes, and concerns about having a diabetes diagnosis within the facility. This group was geared towards the unique “younger” older adult population, aged 60-75, whom have significantly different diet and care needs compared to the typical older adult residing in LTC. A thematic analysis will be completed to assess common themes discussed within the groups.

Preliminary Findings: Common themes included: (1) experiencing trauma when presented with their diagnoses, (2) difficulty managing diet and exercise with a loss of autonomy within the LTC community, and (3) lack of understanding about what their diagnosis entails.

Discussion: An increase in similar initiatives within LTC units to promote autonomy regarding diabetes management for older adults may occur. This may empower LTC residents by providing an opportunity for them to take an active role in managing their health.