Among Hispanic/Latino immigrants, substance abuse, intimate partner violence, HIV, and mental health form a syndemic that exacerbates health inequities. Promotoras (community health workers) play a critical role in reaching these vulnerable populations by providing culturally relevant healthcare connections. This study examines the feasibility, acceptability, and effects of an intervention by promotoras addressing acculturative stress and resilience among Hispanic/Latino immigrants to the US. The intervention consisted of four virtual sessions- two one-on-one and two group sessions- delivered by Latino/a community health workers, known as promotoras, using motivational interviewing and group coaching strategies to enhance resilience and reduce health risk behaviors. Feasibility and acceptability were assessed through study logs and post-intervention participant feedback, while a pre-post assessment measured intervention effects. A single-group, longitudinal pilot intervention design was employed. Participants included 30 young adult (18-44 years) immigrants from Latin America or the Caribbean residing in the US for ≥ 1 year. Measured variables included acculturative stress, depressive symptoms, emotional and instrumental support, pandemic stress, COVID-19 knowledge, and COVID-19 risk behaviors. Multiple analytic methods (paired sample t-test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, McNemar's test) were applied to assess the feasibility, acceptability, and effects of the intervention. Findings indicate high intervention satisfaction, with participants recommending increased social engagement for enhanced impact. Acculturative stress (p = .041), depressive symptoms (p = .005), and risk behaviors (p = .021) showed significant reductions, while COVID-19 knowledge and pandemic stress remained unchanged. This study supports the feasibility and scalability of the intervention in addressing syndemic behavioral and mental health conditions, with broader implications for reducing health inequities among Hispanic/Latino immigrants. Clinical Trial Registration: NCT03527654.

ObjectivesThis study explores the incidence of first episode psychosis (FEP) in young people residing in the Top End of the Northern Territory and explores factors associated with FEP hospitalisations in the two years post-diagnosis.MethodsRetrospective review of data from all people aged between 15- and 24-years old presenting to health services with FEP between January 2012 and December 2018. Demographic and clinical data were collected at intervals in the two years after FEP.ResultsData from 313 youths with FEP were included in the study (214 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples). The overall FEP incidence was 203 per 100,000 person-years; however, this was much higher among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (435 per 100,000). Being Indigenous and living remotely were significantly associated with longer hospitalisations two years after initial diagnosis.ConclusionThis study demonstrates an elevated incidence of FEP among young people in the Top End of Australia. Psychosis disproportionately affected Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and this group had longer hospitalisations in the two years following FEP. This problem is multifactorial, and findings suggest that sociocultural disadvantage may play a role.

In this prospective longitudinal multiple-cohort study, we investigated mental health outcomes in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) or Orthotrauma (fracture excluding head/neck) using data from six University of California civilian healthcare settings between 2013 and 2022. Trauma cohorts were propensity matched 1:1 by age, race and ethnicity, sex, site, insurance coverage, area deprivation index, and number of visits within the year preceding injury diagnosis in the health record (index), then propensity matched to unexposed individuals. International Statistical Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification codes identified patients and study mental health outcomes (depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress or PTSD, suicidality, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia). Cox proportional hazard models generated hazard ratios (HR) from 1 year pre- to 7 years post-index for 3 groups: TBI vs unexposed, Orthotrauma vs unexposed, and TBI vs Orthotrauma. Analyses included patients with pre-index mental health outcomes and were adjusted for documented suicide attempt. Age and sex stratifications were explored. Results included 174,384 patients (99,356 female [57.0%]; 10,584 Black [6.1%]), including 43,596 each in TBI and Orthotrauma cohorts and 87,192 unexposed (all median [IQR] age, 57.0 [42.0-70.0] years). Compared to Orthotrauma, TBI affected post-index HRs most strongly for PTSD (HR range 1.75-2.59 through Year 6, pre-index 1.74-1.84) and suicidality (HR range 2.34-6.17 through Year 7, pre-index 1.51-1.95) with particularly elevated suicidality risk within 6-12 months of index. Mental health diagnoses served as precursors to and consequences of TBI. Patients with traumatic injuries should be screened and treated for mental health conditions. Etiologic studies are urgently needed.

The present study investigated variance in overall quality of life in relation to a broad spectrum of correlates, including sociodemographic characteristics, health self-reports related to the COVID-19 pandemic, sedentary behavior, and habitual physical activity, as well as examined the relationship between habitual physical activity and quality of life domains in university students during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This cross-sectional observational study was conducted with 4059 undergraduate students (1859 men). Data were collected between June and October 2020. The electronic questionnaire comprised four main domains: sociodemographic characteristics, self-reported health conditions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, sedentary behavior and physical activity level, and quality of life.

Students reported a mean score of 58.3 (± 21.2) for overall quality of life (males: 59.7 ± 21.0; females: 57.2 ± 21.4, p < 0.001). Male students exhibited significantly higher scores than female students across all quality of life domains, with the exception of the social domain (p > 0.05). Notably, a set of variables was associated with higher quality of life scores across both sexes including having private health insurance, sleeping between 7 h and 9 h per night, and engaging in moderate or high levels of physical activity. Students classified as physically active associated with better perception in all quality of life domains across both sexes.

While these findings are consistent with the existing literature, they further underscore the importance of addressing the interplay of sociodemographic, lifestyle, and health-related factors in strategies aimed at improving quality of life in university students during lockdown.