It was a busy month for the School of Social Work team. The November roundup includes nine published papers and 15 presentations.
Publications
Associate Professor Rainier Masa, Dicky Baruah ’26 (Ph.D.), Don Operario (Emory University) and Sylvia Shangani (Boston University) co-published “The Association of Food Insecurity, Mental Health, and Healthcare Access and Use Among Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Adults in the United States: Results From the 2021 National Health Interview Survey” in American Journal of Health Promotion. The authors examined the prevalence of food insecurity and the relationship it had with mental health, health care access and use among lesbian, gay and bisexual adults in the United States. They found that food insecurity often led to low medical and mental health care use rates, and concluded that achieving food security among LGB individuals required improving financial and other resources.
Associate Professor Rainier Masa, Dicky Baruah ’26 (Ph.D.), Megumi Inoue (George Mason University), Lucas Prieto (George Mason University), Sarah Nosrat (George Mason University), Samreen Mehak (George Mason University) and Don Operario (Emory University) co-authored “Mental Health of Older Adults by Sexual Minority Status: Evidence From the 2021 National Health Interview Survey” in Journal of Applied Gerontology. The authors examined the differences in mental health among older adults through sexual identity status. Their study found that adults who identified as lesbian, gay, or bisexual were experiencing anxiety, depression and psychological distress at a higher rate than older non-LGB adults. The study concluded that interventions and affirming mental healthcare that was cognizant of the negative experience among older LGB adults was needed to achieve mental health equity.
Associate Professor Rainier Masa, Sylvia Shangani (Boston University), Mathias Zimba (Rising Fountains Development Program), Gilbert Zimba (Rising Fountains Development Program) and Don Operario (Emory University) co-authored “Food insecurity and depressive symptoms among young people living with HIV in Eastern Zambia” in International Journal of STD & AIDS. The authors conducted a study to locate the association between severe food insecurity and depressive symptoms for young individuals living with HIV. Their study found that almost half of the respondents experienced food insecurity that was associated with depressive symptoms. The authors suggested interventions aimed at improving food insecurity could have positive effects on mental health and HIV outcomes.
Associate Dean for Global Engagement Gina Chowa, Associate Professor Rainier Masa, Rulof Burger (Stellenbosch University), Lauren Graham (University of Johannesburg), Leila Patel (University of Johannesburg) and Zoheb Khan (University of Johannesburg) co-authored “Youth Employability programmes in South Africa: Which features work best and for whom?” in Development Southern Africa. The authors examined eight youth employability programs in South Africa, identifying the features of the YEPs and whether they led to subsequent employment. They found that all eight YEPs conducted soft skills and technical training, and there was a financial capability intervention placed in half of the sites. They found that job training, skills training and financial training led to better employment odds.
Associate Dean for Global Engagement Gina Chowa, Associate Professor Rainier Masa, Clinical Assistant Professor Neil Bilotta and Research Project Coordinator Miranda Manzanares co-authored “A scoping review of positive youth development programming for vulnerable and marginalized youth in low- and middle-income countries” for Children and Youth Services Review. The authors examined the state of Positive Youth Development (PYD) programming for vulnerable youth in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and focused on the evidence to describe process evaluation and the effectiveness of the program. After reviewing 38 programs in 27 countries, the authors found gaps in using PYD as a tool to standardize evaluation and assessment of impact in PYD for vulnerable youth in LMICs.
Assistant Professor Bridgette Thom, Fumiko Chino (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center), Alexandra Baez (City College of New York), Ivy Elkins (EGFR Resisters), Emeline Aviki (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center) and Lauren Ghazal (University of Michigan) co-authored “The Patient Experience of Prior Authorization for Cancer Care” in JAMA Network. The study examined the perspective of patients receiving cancer-related care in regard to prior authorization to find patients’ perspectives on the process, outcomes and patient administrative burden. They found that 22% of the 178 respondents did not receive the care recommended by the treatment team due to prior authorization. A majority of respondents had delays in oncology care, which caused anxiety and a negative perception of the prior authorization process.
Assistant Professor Bridgette Thom, Neha Arora (Texas A&M University), Catherine Benedict (Stanford University), Emeline Aviki (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center), Fumiko Chino (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center), Danielle Friedman (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center), Samantha Watson (Expect Miracles Foundation) and Michelle Zeitler (Expect Miracles Foundation) co-authored “Using Real-World Data to Explore the Impact of One-Time Financial Grants Among Young Adult Cancer Survivors” in Journal of Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology. The study used data from Expect Miracles Foundation to examine the impact that a one-time financial grant had on well-being and care access for young adult cancer survivors. The study found individuals had an easier time paying expenses, had more power in making financial decisions, decreased medical debt, less difficulty accessing care and better access to transportation.
Assistant Professor Orrin Ware authored “Mental health facilities with ketamine infusion therapy in the United States in 2020: Co-location of dual diagnosis mental health and substance use disorder treatment” in Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology. Ware’s study sampled 134 mental health treatment facilities that provided ketamine infusion therapy. He identified locations of the facilities, availability of counseling, payment options and the ability to provide treatment for those with mental health and substance use disorders. He found that there was an association between group therapy being provided and having dual treatment for substance use disorders and mental health issues among facilities, and concluded that “the present study’s up-to-date information about the distribution salient characteristics of MH facilities that offer this effective treatment can inform future efforts to identify the potential of these facilities to treat co-occurring disorders with ketamine and psychotherapy.”
Assistant Professor Orrin Ware, Jennifer Ellis (Johns Hopkins University), Eric Strain (Johns Hopkins University), Denis Antoine (Johns Hopkins University), Suky Martinez (Columbia University) and Cecelia Bergeria (Johns Hopkins University) co-authored “Increases in primary opioid use disorder diagnoses co-occurring with anxiety or depressive disorder diagnoses in mental health treatment in the United States, 2015–2019” for Drug and Alcohol Dependence. The authors examined the integrated treatment necessities for those with an opioid use disorder who were treated in mental health facilities. They sampled 83,975 individuals with a primary diagnosis of opioid use disorders who received treatment in a United States mental health facility between 2015 and 2019, and concluded that there was an increase in adults receiving mental health treatment for opioid use disorders also having anxiety or depression diagnoses, and the authors stressed the importance of “integrated dual disorder treatment.”
Presentations & Trainings
Associate Professor Lisa de Saxe Zerden, Jose Reyes (University of Southern California), Julie Cederbaum (University of Southern California), Jennifer Zelnick (Touro University) and Abigail Ross (Fordham University) presented “Understanding the experiences of US social workers with organizational changes during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative content analysis” at the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Ga., in November.
Associate Professor Lisa de Saxe Zerden, Research Assistant Professor Brianna Lombardi, Erica Richman (UNC Cecil G. Sheps Center), Connor Sullivan (UNC Cecil G. Sheps Center), Evan Galloway (UNC Cecil G. Sheps Center) and Maria Gaiser (UNC Cecil G. Sheps Center) presented “Are buprenorphine prescribers co-located with behavioral health clinicians?” at the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Ga., in November.
Research Assistant Professor Todd Jensen led four presentations at the National Council on Family Relations Annual Conference in November, including the workshop “Leveraging Intensive Longitudinal Data in Family Science: A Gentle Introduction to Two-Level Dynamic Structural Equation Modeling.” Jensen’s other presentations were “A Latent Class Analysis of Family Maltreatment Experiences Among Active-Duty Air Force Members,” “Prioritizing the Pressing Issues in Family-Structure Research” and “Diverse Family Structures Focus Group.”
Assistant Professor Bridgette Thom led two presentations — “System-level changes to decrease the financial hardship of modern cancer care for patients and families” and “Payer-driven denials and delays for cancer-related supportive care medications” at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Quality Care Symposium in Boston, Mass.
Assistant Professor Bridgette Thom virtually presented “Enhancing health cost literacy and financial capability among young adult cancer survivors” at the National Cancer Institute Investigator Meeting: Reducing Morbidity and Improving Care for Pediatric and AYA Cancer Survivors.
Assistant Professor Bridgette Thom presented “Interventions to address financial toxicity and medical debt” at the Academy of Oncology Nurse and Patient Navigators Annual Meeting in San Antonio, Texas.
Research Associate Professor Tonya Van Deinse, Dana Rice (UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health), Julia Metz (UNC Project Coordinator), Allison Waters ’23 (MSW), Emily Chavez ’24 (MSW) and Mikayla Welch (UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health) presented “A community-engaged approach for assessing the needs of underserved crime victims in North Carolina” at the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Ga., in November.
Research Associate Professor Tonya Van Deinse, Director of Practicum Education Andrea Murray-Lichtman, Dana Rice (UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health) and Erum Agha (UNC School of Medicine) presented “Mixed methods, community-engaged approaches for assessing the needs of crime victims from underserved and minoritized populations” at the American Society of Criminology Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, Pa.
Research Associate Professor Tonya Van Deinse, Director of Practicum Education Andrea Murray-Lichtman, Allison Waters ’23 (MSW), Emily Chavez ’24 (MSW) and Mikayla Welch (UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health) presented “Variation in perspectives on service adequacy across crime victim service providers, culturally specific organizations, and law enforcement” at the American Society of Criminology Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, Pa.
Research Associate Professor Tonya Van Deinse, Director of Practicum Education Andrea Murray-Lichtman, Allison Waters ’23 (MSW), Emily Chavez ’24 (MSW) and Mikayla Welch (UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health) presented “Barriers impeding access to crime victim services: Variation and commonalities across underserved and minoritized communities” at the American Society of Criminology Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, Pa.
Research Associate Professor Tonya Van Deinse presented “Results and next steps of a nationwide survey of probation and mental health” at the American Society of Criminology Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, Pa.
