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Principal Investigator: Alexandria Gabrielle Bauer
Organization: RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIV OF N.J.
Fiscal Year: 2024
Award: $197,181
Funding agency: National Institute of Mental Health
Project Summary/Abstract
Black/African American young adults are at elevated risk for trauma and related mental health concerns (e.g.,
PTSD, substance use) yet are less likely to engage in mental health care than other groups, due to substantial
and complex barriers to care. These disparities have been exacerbated by, and compounded with,
psychological and emotional distress due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Promoting mental health literacy (MHL),
defined as knowledge and beliefs related to mental health (e.g., recognition, prevention, and management of
symptoms) may be an important first step to improving mental health outcomes for Black/African American
young adults. This K01 Mentored Research Scientist Development Award will partner with a Community
Advisory Board to develop a community based MHL intervention, focused on trauma and substance use, for
Black/African American young adults. The culturally tailored intervention will be guided by the Theory of
Planned Behavior (TPB) and social ecological model as guiding frameworks, with intervention components
designed to promote TPB dimensions (i.e., behavioral, normative, and control beliefs related to mental health
care utilization) with resources at the individual, interpersonal, and organizational levels. Following
development, the intervention will be piloted among Black/African American young adults aged 18-35 years old
(N = 80), recruited from diverse community sites (e.g., colleges/universities, barbershops and hair salons,
churches, community organizations). Participants will complete a baseline survey assessing primary and
secondary outcomes (e.g., current MHL; stigma; beliefs, attitudes, and norms; history of mental health care),
with re-assessment mid-intervention and post-intervention. Post-study focus groups with intervention
participants (N = 30) will be held to elicit feedback on relevance, feasibility, acceptability, and satisfaction with
the intervention, to inform refinement and future dissemination efforts. Successful completion of the proposed
study will also benefit the PI, an early career researcher with goals to A) develop expertise in community
engagement and theoretically-driven translational research methods and B) build community capacity to
prevent mental illness, support recovery, and improve health outcomes with underserved and oppressed
communities. The PI is currently an Assistant Research Professor at Rutgers University at the Center of
Alcohol & Substance Use Studies, within the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology. Her
long-term career goals include becoming a tenure-track, independent investigator; contributing to recruitment
and mentorship of underrepresented students; and advancing health and social equity for underserved and
minoritized communities.
Terms: <21+ years old><Adult><Adult Human><African American><Afro American><Afroamerican><Age><Alcohol Drinking><Alcohol consumption><American><Area><Attitude><Baseline Surveys><Behavior><Behavioral><Belief><Black><Black race><COVID crisis><COVID epidemic><COVID pandemic><COVID-19 crisis><COVID-19 epidemic><COVID-19 era><COVID-19 global health crisis><COVID-19 global pandemic><COVID-19 health crisis><COVID-19 pandemic><COVID-19 pandemic affected><COVID-19 pandemic consequence><COVID-19 pandemic effects><COVID-19 pandemic impact><COVID-19 pandemic impacted><COVID-19 period><COVID-19 public health crisis><COVID-19 years><Church><Clinical><Communities><Complex><Counseling><Curriculum><Development><Diagnostic Findings><Dimensions><Disparities><Disparity><Educational Curriculum><Educational Materials><Educational workshop><Elements><Emotional><Ensure><Equity><EtOH drinking><EtOH use><European><Feedback><Focus Groups><Fostering><Future><Gender><Goals><Hair><Health><Health Care Systems><Health Care Utilization><Healthcare Systems><Hispanic><History><Individual><Intervention><Intervention Strategies><Investigators><K01 Award><K01 Mechanism><K01 Program><Knowledge><Learning><Mental Depression><Mental Health><Mental Health Services><Mental Hygiene><Mental Hygiene Services><Mental disorders><Mental health disorders><Mental health promotion><Mentored Research Scientist Development Award><Mentored Training Award><Mentors><Mentorship><Methods><Modeling><Outcome><PTSD><Participant><Perception><Planning Theory><Position><Positioning Attribute><Post-Traumatic Neuroses><Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders><Posttraumatic Neuroses><Prevention><Provider><Psychiatric Disease><Psychiatric Disorder><Psychological Health><Psychologist><Psychology><Public Health><Recording of previous events><Recovery Support><Research><Research Assistant><Research Methodology><Research Methods><Research Personnel><Research Resources><Research Scientist Development Award><Researchers><Resources><Risk><SARS-CoV-2 epidemic><SARS-CoV-2 global health crisis><SARS-CoV-2 global pandemic><SARS-CoV-2 pandemic><SARS-coronavirus-2 epidemic><SARS-coronavirus-2 pandemic><Sampling><Schools><Services><Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoV 2 epidemic><Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoV 2 pandemic><Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 epidemic><Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pandemic><Signs and Symptoms><Site><Socio-economic status><Socioeconomic Status><Substance Use Disorder><Symptoms><Translational Research><Translational Science><Trauma><Underrepresented Students><Universities><Woman><Workshop><Writing><adult youth><adulthood><aged><ages><alcohol ingestion><alcohol intake><alcohol product use><alcohol use><alcoholic beverage consumption><alcoholic drink intake><barrier to care><barrier to health care><barrier to healthcare><barrier to treatment><behavior construct><behavior outcome><behavioral construct><behavioral outcome><care burden><career><career development><collaboration with communities><college><college student><collegiate><community advisory board><community advisory committee><community advisory panel><community based design><community based organizations><community based research><community building><community collaboration><community engaged participatory research><community engaged research><community engagement><community organizations><community partnered research><community setting><community-based collaboration><community-engaged study><community-partnered study><coping><coronavirus disease 2019 crisis><coronavirus disease 2019 epidemic><coronavirus disease 2019 global health crisis><coronavirus disease 2019 global pandemic><coronavirus disease 2019 health crisis><coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic><coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic consequence><coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic impact><coronavirus disease 2019 public health crisis><coronavirus disease crisis><coronavirus disease epidemic><coronavirus disease pandemic><coronavirus disease-19 global pandemic><coronavirus disease-19 pandemic><culturally adapted intervention><culturally appropriate intervention><culturally centered intervention><culturally focused intervention><culturally informed intervention><culturally responsive intervention><culturally tailored intervention><depression><design><designing><developmental><disparities in race><disparity due to race><effects following the COVID-19 pandemic><emotional distress><engagement with communities><ethanol consumption><ethanol drinking><ethanol ingestion><ethanol intake><ethanol product use><ethanol use><experience><exposure to trauma><feeling distress><feeling upset><graduate school><health care service use><health care service utilization><health literacy><healthcare service use><healthcare service utilization><healthcare utilization><histories><impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic><improved><inequality due to race><inequity due to race><intervention design><intervention participants><intervention refinement><interventional strategy><lesson plans><manage symptom><member><men><mental development><mental health care><mental healthcare><mental illness><minority communities><obstacle to care><obstacle to healthcare><peer><post intervention><post-trauma stress disorder><posttrauma stress disorder><prevent><preventing><primary outcome><professor><psychiatric illness><psychoeducation><psychologic><psychological><psychological disorder><psychological distress><psychosocial><race based disparity><race based inequality><race based inequity><race disparity><race related disparity><race related inequality><race related inequity><racial disparity><racial inequality><racial inequity><racially unequal><recruit><research and methods><satisfaction><secondary outcome><severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 global health crisis><severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 global pandemic><social><social stigma><socio-economic position><socioeconomic position><stigma><substance use><substance use and disorder><substance use treatment><substance using><symptom management><tenure process><tenure track><theories><therapy design><translation research><translational investigation><trauma exposure><traumatic neurosis><treatment design><trend><under served community><underserved community><university student><young adult><young adulthood>