Family caregivers assist older adults with memory loss but may need to be more effectively engaged in the healthcare team. Caregiver inclusion may help address known disparities in mental health care access and quality for these patients who experience high rates of comorbid mental health (MH) disorders. We sought to identify facilitators and barriers to effective caregiver inclusion for older patients with dementia and comorbid mental health concerns. Nine multidisciplinary MH clinicians (psychiatry, social work, psychology, and clinical pharmacy) completed individual, 30-minute, semi-structured interviews on working with family caregivers of older patients in a MH service at a large Veterans Affairs medical center. Content analysis using the Nvivo qualitative software program will guide the identification of factors relevant to inclusive care in this setting. An initial team-based rapid content analysis resulted in a structured codebook with 32 codes reflecting patient, caregiver, and provider factors that impact caregiver involvement in the MH setting. Codes include identifying and developing rapport with the caregiver and good communication between the patient, caregiver, and provider. Increasing caregiver inclusion for older Veterans [persons] with memory loss is critical to meet this growing patient population's healthcare needs and reduce MH care disparities for older Veterans and their families. Future steps include interviews with patients and caregivers. Ultimately, our findings will go towards developing clinician guidelines and training to support more effective caregiver involvement in the healthcare setting.

The stigmatization of individuals with a pedophilic orientation prompts maladaptive functioning in several domains and is associated with deleterious effects in the realm of child sexual abuse (CSA), most notably an increased risk of committing a sexual offense. A growing body of research has examined interventions aimed at reducing pedophilic stigmatization thereby increasing treatment utilization and early intervention. The present study serves as an extension of previous research conducted by Harper and colleagues (2016), and evaluates the impact of two interventions (narrative humanization and informative material) on university students’ explicit attitudes toward pedophilic-oriented individuals, as compared to a control condition. Participants completed a series of baseline measures, followed by exposure to either an intervention or the control condition. The Moral Disengagement Towards Sexual Offenders Scale (MDS-SO) and Stigma and Punitive Attitudes Toward Pedophiles Scale (SPS) were readministered to assess changes in explicitly conveyed views toward individuals with a pedophilic orientation among all groups. We hypothesized that both interventions will significantly reduce negative perceptions of individuals with a pedophilic orientation, but that narrative humanization will exhibit a greater effect size. Preliminary results reveal stigma-reducing effects among all conditions, particularly among both interventions. Still, a larger sample size is required to confidently conduct comprehensive inferential statistical analysis. Future directions for research and societal implications are discussed.

Black men face a wide range of discrimination imposed by society, resulting in detrimental effects on the black community. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI, 2023) data demonstrates that suicidality among young Black or African American men aged 15-24 ranks as the third leading cause of death. This research explores the stigma surrounding mental health, social influences, and the availability of treatment, all of which contribute to the occurrence of suicide among Black men. The study examines existing research on factors that predict mental health issues and obstacles that hinder Black men from receiving necessary care. This study aims to diminish the stigma associated with mental health, increase awareness, and provide support tailored to the unique needs of Black men. By addressing the stigma, social factors, and accessibility to treatment, we can reduce disparities and foster a welcoming and empathetic community that promotes positive mental health outcomes. Keywords: Black Men, Black Community, Mental Health

Cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS) may affect more of our canine companions that we may think. Diagnostics for CDS in dogs are not standardized as they are not evenly scored, varying the criteria for diagnosis. CDS is defined as morphological changes to the cerebral cortex and hippocampus. Both aid dogs to assess context of appropriate behaviors. Brain aging can result in morphological changes, including loss of brain cells, global cortical atrophy, cerebral amyloid angioplasty with compromised cerebral blood flow, and ventricular enlargement. Many veterinarians will have to diagnose based upon owners own observations of any behavioral changes in their dog. Common symptoms of CDS are disorientation, increased anxiety, decreased social interaction, incontinence, decreased activity, and abnormal sleep patterns. Studies have found that humans diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and dogs with CDS have similarities. Dogs can represent good models for comparison one memory, inhibitory, and spatial awareness tasks to help detect early onset CDS. Vice versa as well medications utilized for humans with Alzheimer’s can be used to apply to dogs, as they metabolism in a fashion similar to humans. Utilizing a touchscreen computer to test dogs using location discrimination, allowing the dog to make a choice. Once the dog has selected the assigned correct side 7 out of 8 attempts with an allowed 1 incorrect attempt. The correct side would switch. Data is currently being collected and will be analyzed later this month. We will be analyzing how well a dog performs with the location discrimination and its correlation to age.