First-generation college students encounter barriers that negatively impact their educational trajectory such as having a hard time navigating college culture and struggling financially. Mentors can provide one form of support that helps first-generation college students overcome barriers during college. Specifically, institutional agents (i.e., professors, university staff) serving as mentors are well-positioned to provide first-generation college students critical support. Yet, few studies have investigated the formation of these relationships. Thus, the purpose of the study is to examine what are the contextual- and individual-level factors that are related to developing natural mentoring relationships with institutional agents? We conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 21 first-generation, third-year college students (Mage = 20), across two predominantly white institutions. The majority of the students identified as male (n=10) and female (n=10), with one student identifying as non-binary (n = 1). Participants’ race/ethnicity included the following: 52% White, 48% Latinx, and 24% African American). A modified grounded theory approach was used to analyze the data. Preliminary themes indicate that there are both contextual- and individual-level factors that serve as facilitators (e.g., peer support in approaching institutional agents; seeking out institutional agents) and barriers (e.g., lack of institutional agents who their race/ethnicity, not seeking support from institutional agents) to developing these relationships. This study fills gaps in the literature on natural mentoring and first generation college students. Suggestions for future research and implications for practice will be discussed.

This study examined attentional biases for processing emotional faces in patients diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), extending prior studies by controlling for comorbidity. Patient groups diagnosed with BPD, PTSD, or both were compared to healthy controls. In each trial, participants viewed emotional faces (angry, happy, sad, and fearful), each paired with a neutral face; next, the faces disappeared and a screen appeared with a dot on one side or the other. Participants were instructed to press a key indicating on which side the dot appeared. Response times for the dot appearing on the same or opposite side of the emotional face were used to compute an attentional bias score. Results indicated that BPD-only patients showed a greater bias toward fearful faces and a bias away from sad faces; PTSD-only patients were biased toward sad faces and away from happy faces. Patients diagnosed with both BPD and PTSD as well as control participants selectively attended to angry faces and oriented away from sad ones. Findings suggest specificity in attentional bias depending on diagnosis and comorbidity. Of interest, control participants exhibited greater attentional bias toward angry and fearful faces in contrast to patients with a single diagnosis. This work echoes findings of research revealing adverse childhood experiences are related to a bias away from angry faces later in life and suggests a mechanism for risk of revictimization. Implications on the roles of cognitive and emotional processing help better understand how to interpret emotions is considered.

STAND (Supporting Teens Autonomy Daily) is an evidence-based practice modular therapy that helps ADHD (Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) teens build academic and interpersonal skills. STAND has been shown to be cost-effective in promoting evidence-based practices compared to the usual-care psychological services and medication. The purpose of this study is to assess the utilization and efficacy of online resources and training tools for therapists and supervisors implementing STAND. Six therapists and four supervisors administered STAND with the use of LYSSN, an AI (Artificial Intelligence) based tool that provides feedback on audio tapes, and Care4, a dashboard that provides a library of resources. I analyze 49 therapist sessions and 3 supervision sessions to determine the attitudes and engagement of the therapists and clients with STAND activities. Supervisors used the data collected from the therapist’s LYSSN score and formulate their feedback for therapists. Therapists spent an average time of 11 to 30 minutes reading through the STAND session description and preparing client worksheets and an average of 1 to 10 minutes reviewing LYSSN feedback, watching STAND demonstration videos, seeking consultation from the STAND research team, and reviewing feedback from their supervisor. Therapists found LYSSN to be “occasionally” accurate and credible. Collection of this research will provide insight about the implementation of STAND through an online format and about the general appeal of the use of AI, the workload of supervisors and therapists could be reduced and give feedback more efficiently to them with regards to STAND treatment.

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the rise of worldwide mental health illnesses among different populations. At the bottom of the socioeconomic status, Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color communities took the biggest hit in the decline of resources for physical and mental health during the pandemic. With limited research conducted on BIPOC populations on mental health changes during the COVID-19 pandemic, this current study aims to provide updated information on mental health changes among BIPOC young adult populations during the pandemic. Findings from this study may shed light on necessary psychological interventions and treatment modalities (e.g., telemedicine/teletherapy) to promote mental well-being among BIPOC young adults since the COVID-19 onset.

Low-income families of color have faced increasing economic hardships from the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in an inability to meet their basic needs. A subset of these families enroll their children in Catholic school to obtain an educational advantage, stretching their limited resources even further. COVID-19 has also negatively impacted Catholic schools’ ability to provide support to their families. Partners for Children South Los Angeles (PCSLA) partnered with seven Los Angeles Catholic schools to identify families’ needs across six areas and connect families with service provider(s). The literature suggests faith-based partnerships invoke greater willingness to accept interventions and care. A descriptive study design with a quantitative approach was used to identify family needs. The sampling frame included 37 Latinx (64.7%,) and (32.4%) Black families referred to PCSLA by Catholic schools in Spring 2022. Most caregivers were 18-39 years of age (n=27, 79.5%). Baby donations (i.e., diapers, wipes, etc.) (47.1%) and parenting classes (17.6%), constituted the highest needs for the families. Of note, 14.7% of family caregivers needed a mental health referral due to feelings of sadness or worry. This contrasted with the literature which indicated that childcare and housing would be the highest needs. Bivariate chi-square analyses revealed a significant association between ethnicity and need for baby donations and predominant language and need for baby donations. Latinx caretakers were in need of donations, of which 56% primarily speak Spanish. Additional trends may be identified as families continue to enter the PSCLA program.