Authors' Affiliations

Adam Y. Chan1, Gloria Kwak1, Tander Simberloff1, Austin Witt1, Sarah E. Hawkins 2, Ivy Click 3 1 James H. Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 2 College of Public Health, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN 3 Department of Family Medicine, Quillen College of Medicine, Johnson City, TN

Location

Mt. Mitchell Room 220

Start Date

4-5-2018 8:00 AM

End Date

4-5-2018 12:00 PM

Poster Number

138

Faculty Sponsor’s Department

Family Medicine

Name of Project's Faculty Sponsor

Ivy Click

Faculty Sponsor's Department

Department of Family Medicine

Classification of First Author

Medical Student

Type

Poster: Competitive

Project's Category

Social Sciences

Project's Category

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Abstract or Artist's Statement

Title: MENTAL HEALTH INTERVENTION STRATEGIES FOR YOUTH IN RURAL NORTHEAST TN

Introduction: A major need in Hawkins County entails lack of access to mental health resources. As a rural Appalachian county, this scarcity is especially felt by the area’s youth, who are subject to peer pressure, higher ACE scores, and may lack the autonomy to seek out professional help.

Methods: The community-based intervention spanned in three consecutive weekly small-group sessions. Eligible participants were recruited from the afterschool program at the Boys and Girls Club of Hawkins County and must have been in the 5th to 8th grade (middle school) during the course of the study (n=13). Each participant completed a pre-­intervention assessment, a series of short weekly surveys (one per session) and a post-­intervention assessment to determine effectiveness and retention of the material presented. Statistical significance was determined using a paired T-Test.

Results: Results did not provide any statistically significant relationships but trends were observed in perceived stress which decreased overall from pre-survey to post-survey (p=0.716), as did the self-reported use of negative coping strategies in the group (p=0.193). There was also a slight increase (p=0.653) in self-reported use of positive coping skills. A trend for greater change in the male participants was also observed. The mindfulness activity was perceived with a higher affinity than the baseline knowledge (Unpacking Mental Health) session (p=0.017).

Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that short 1-hour interventions per week, especially those incorporating mindfulness strategies, can influence attitudes and coping strategies in rural adolescent children compared to mental health knowledge sessions alone (p=0.017). Trends in gender differences could underlie cultural and societal norms. Due to the limited number of mental health providers, evaluating behaviors were considered but not utilized. These trends, especially in mindfulness activities, could help further guide community partner mental health strategies for youth in rural Appalachia. Overall, these initial trends warrant further work in a much larger sample size and power of the study to draw definitive results.

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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Apr 5th, 8:00 AM Apr 5th, 12:00 PM

Mental Health Intervention Strategies for Youth in Rural Northeast TN

Mt. Mitchell Room 220

Title: MENTAL HEALTH INTERVENTION STRATEGIES FOR YOUTH IN RURAL NORTHEAST TN

Introduction: A major need in Hawkins County entails lack of access to mental health resources. As a rural Appalachian county, this scarcity is especially felt by the area’s youth, who are subject to peer pressure, higher ACE scores, and may lack the autonomy to seek out professional help.

Methods: The community-based intervention spanned in three consecutive weekly small-group sessions. Eligible participants were recruited from the afterschool program at the Boys and Girls Club of Hawkins County and must have been in the 5th to 8th grade (middle school) during the course of the study (n=13). Each participant completed a pre-­intervention assessment, a series of short weekly surveys (one per session) and a post-­intervention assessment to determine effectiveness and retention of the material presented. Statistical significance was determined using a paired T-Test.

Results: Results did not provide any statistically significant relationships but trends were observed in perceived stress which decreased overall from pre-survey to post-survey (p=0.716), as did the self-reported use of negative coping strategies in the group (p=0.193). There was also a slight increase (p=0.653) in self-reported use of positive coping skills. A trend for greater change in the male participants was also observed. The mindfulness activity was perceived with a higher affinity than the baseline knowledge (Unpacking Mental Health) session (p=0.017).

Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that short 1-hour interventions per week, especially those incorporating mindfulness strategies, can influence attitudes and coping strategies in rural adolescent children compared to mental health knowledge sessions alone (p=0.017). Trends in gender differences could underlie cultural and societal norms. Due to the limited number of mental health providers, evaluating behaviors were considered but not utilized. These trends, especially in mindfulness activities, could help further guide community partner mental health strategies for youth in rural Appalachia. Overall, these initial trends warrant further work in a much larger sample size and power of the study to draw definitive results.