Sarah E. Zemore, Elizabeth Mahoney, Meenakshi S. Subbaraman, Amy A. Mericle, Douglas L. Polcin
{"title":"Giving and receiving help in three contexts as predictors of alcohol outcomes in a longitudinal study of sober living house residents","authors":"Sarah E. Zemore, Elizabeth Mahoney, Meenakshi S. Subbaraman, Amy A. Mericle, Douglas L. Polcin","doi":"10.1002/ajcp.70029","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajcp.70029","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Although peer support is central to the social model approach emphasized in sober living houses (SLHs), no longitudinal studies have examined helping among SLH residents. This longitudinal study examined benefits of helping in three contexts among SLH residents. Data were from 205 participants entering 28 SLHs across 2021–2023. Interviews were at baseline and 1, 2, 3, and 6 months; focal variables were assessed at all interviews using a past-30-day timeframe. Predictors were help given to and received from SLH residents, 12-step attendees, and family/friends; outcomes included drinking days and alcohol problems. Analyses included hurdle and GEE models (both accounting for repeated measures) predicting outcomes from time-lagged helping measures and covariates. In controlled models, more help given in all three contexts and help received in 12-step and family/friends contexts predicted lower odds of alcohol use, while greater family/friends help given predicted fewer drinking days among drinkers. Greater help received in both SLH and 12-step contexts predicted lower odds of alcohol problems. In sum, help both given and received predicted better alcohol outcomes, and helping in all three contexts appeared to be beneficial. Implications are that SLH operators and other service providers might foster helping in recovery-related and other contexts to improve outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":7576,"journal":{"name":"American journal of community psychology","volume":"77 3-4","pages":"372-384"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2026-06-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13046102/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145562261","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jaehyun Nam, Sarah Jiyoon Kwon, Wonik Lee, Eunji Kim
{"title":"The intersection of health inequalities and COVID-19: Evidence from National Health Insurance Big Data in South Korea","authors":"Jaehyun Nam, Sarah Jiyoon Kwon, Wonik Lee, Eunji Kim","doi":"10.1002/ajcp.70044","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajcp.70044","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Health inequalities persist along lines of income and wealth, shaped by unequal access to healthcare, differences in health behaviors, and pre-existing chronic conditions. The COVID-19 pandemic further put families in Korea under health strain and worsened their health outcomes. This study investigates how pre-existing socioeconomic disparities intersect with health outcomes. Using the national administrative health big data provided by the Korean National Health Insurance Service, we employ logistic regression models for 10,459,043 randomly sampled cases from a total of more than 34 million registered positive cases in the country. We specifically examine whether and to what extent individuals from lower income backgrounds with positive cases are more or less likely to experience negative health outcomes. Our findings reveal that individuals from higher income backgrounds are less likely to experience negative health outcomes compared to the lowest income group, including hospitalization (odds ratio [OR] = 0.45, confidence interval [CI] = 0.44, 0.46), severe illness (OR = 0.70, CI = 0.61, 0.81), and fatalities (OR = 0.40, CI = 0.38, 0.41). Furthermore, our subsample analyses based on various demographic characteristics consistently showed that individuals from higher income backgrounds face a lower risk of adverse health outcomes. These results indicate that disadvantaged individuals are disproportionately affected by the health crisis, deepening health inequities. This paper emphasizes the need for targeted public policies.</p>","PeriodicalId":7576,"journal":{"name":"American journal of community psychology","volume":"77 3-4","pages":"485-495"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2026-06-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ajcp.70044","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145951247","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Neighborhood social vulnerability and depression prevalence in the United States.","authors":"Cong Gong, Weifang Liu, Peng Jiang, Yuting Wu, Meixin Zheng, Li Zhang, Ting Li, Anwen Wang, Yong Wu","doi":"10.1002/ajcp.70080","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.70080","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Depression is a leading global mental health issue, and social determinants of health (SDOH) influence its onset and progression. The role of neighborhood-level social vulnerability index (SVI), a comprehensive measure encompassing multiple SDOH indicators, in depression prevalence remains uncertain. Utilizing data from the US CDC, we employed mixed-effects linear regression models to explore this association and applied LASSO regression to analyze the relative importance of SVI domains and indicators Our analysis revealed that neighborhoods with higher SVI exhibited a significantly higher prevalence of depression, with an adjusted beta of 2.625 (95% CI: 2.518, 2.724) for continuous SVI, and the prevalence increased progressively from the second to the fourth SVI quartile (p for trend <0.001) Among all domains, race & ethnicity status (β = -9.090) and socioeconomic status (β = 8.252) demonstrated the strongest associations with depression prevalence, and we also observed a significant interaction between environmental burden and SVI (p for interaction <0.001). These findings indicate that higher SVI is associated with higher depression prevalence, with racial & minority and socioeconomic statuses emerging as key drivers of this relationship.</p>","PeriodicalId":7576,"journal":{"name":"American journal of community psychology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2026-06-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148293109","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Negotiating contested spaces and places: Narratives of social suffering and resistance in racialized Cape Town communities.","authors":"Guido Veronese, Chiara Fiscone, Ashraf Kagee","doi":"10.1002/ajcp.70077","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.70077","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study employs a schizocartographic approach to explore community narratives of space, memory, and violence in Kraaifontein, Cape Town. Through participants' accounts, ordinary places-gardens, shops, blocks, sports grounds, and streets-emerge as ambivalent geographies where trauma, resilience, and belonging intersect. Sites such as the green boxes (street utility containers) and Long Street (a main road in the township) carry memories of killings and erasures, while the garden created at the entrance of the residential block is remembered as a cultivated counter-space of healing, care, and safety. Sports grounds oscillate between vitality and danger, and residential blocks reveal community strategies of negotiation and survival. A postcolonial lens highlights how these racialized and marginalized spaces mirror the nonlinear continuum between well-being and distress, where rhizomes of dispossession and structural violence intersect with those of resilience and resistance. The findings highlight how ordinary urban locations become ambivalent places where care, danger, memory, exclusion, and survival coexist. These place-based dynamics are discussed as contextually grounded insights with implications for future research on spatialized experiences of distress and well-being.</p>","PeriodicalId":7576,"journal":{"name":"American journal of community psychology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-06-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148248651","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Contesting exile: Digital activism and the reimagining of intergenerational refugee resistance in lebanon.","authors":"Jasmin Lilian Diab","doi":"10.1002/ajcp.70079","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.70079","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This article examines the evolution of intergenerational resistance strategies among refugee communities in Lebanon, focusing on how younger generations reimagine and challenge borders in ways distinct from their predecessors. Drawing on qualitative interviews and ethnographic research with Palestinian and Syrian refugees, the study explores the diverse tactics used to navigate and contest restrictive border regimes, legal barriers, and socio-economic exclusion. While older generations engage in resistance rooted in traditional community solidarity, cultural preservation, and survival-based adaptation, younger refugees leverage digital activism, global networks, and creative expression to transcend the structural violence of borders. These acts of resistance are framed not merely as reactive responses but as proactive efforts to dismantle and redefine borders as sites of exclusion. The findings reveal how technological advancement, shifting political contexts, and the digitization of advocacy have reshaped resistance into a transnational and increasingly visible struggle. In doing so, the article demonstrates how digital activism is not merely a tool of visibility but a transformative force in reimagining refugee resistance across generations. This study contributes to broader discussions on mobility justice, border politics, and youth-led movements by emphasizing the enduring and evolving agency of displaced communities.</p>","PeriodicalId":7576,"journal":{"name":"American journal of community psychology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-06-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148248695","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Parenting in context: how urban neighborhoods shape experiences parenting young children: A qualitative exploration.","authors":"Daneele Thorpe, Jill Smokoski, Loris Caxaj, Krishna Shah, Keren Cruz, Kristin Bernard","doi":"10.1002/ajcp.70054","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ajcp.70054","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Research suggests that neighborhood conditions may shape parenting practices. However, few qualitative studies have examined these patterns in parents of young children. Using focus group methodology with 30 urban parents, this qualitative study examined how the neighborhood environment may relate to experiences of parenting young children (ages 3-5 years, M = 4.52, SD = 1.07; 63% female). The sample was predominantly composed of female and biological parents, with about 50% identifying as Hispanic/Latino, most identifying as Black/African American (63%), and 40% identifying as having an immigrant background. Analyses revealed six key themes across 314 nodes related to the influence of neighborhood conditions on parenting: (a) distal neighborhood influences, (b) parents' distress about the neighborhood, (c) parents shaping development, (d) restriction and withdrawal, (e) navigating neighborhood resources, and (f) the role of the social environment. These themes are consistent with extensions of the Family Stress Model, which suggest that parents' awareness of community stressors contributes to psychological distress, shaping how they engage with their children and navigate their neighborhoods. Notably, across themes, parents frequently reflected on how these challenges directly impact their young children's development and well-being. Findings also suggested that patterns of adaptive parenting may vary based on immigrant origin, neighborhood context, and parent and child characteristics (e.g., age, race, and biological sex). The results suggested that, despite neighborhood challenges, parents actively employ strategies to protect and nurture their children, demonstrating resilience in their parenting practices.</p>","PeriodicalId":7576,"journal":{"name":"American journal of community psychology","volume":" ","pages":"602-617"},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2026-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146211924","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"NO NĀ PUA: Exploring the feasibility of culture-based social prescribing on firefighters' wellbeing in Hawai'i.","authors":"Janice Ikeda, Margary Martin, Misty Pacheco","doi":"10.1002/ajcp.70076","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.70076","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Firefighters face an array of stressors due to the demands of their occupation, leading to a high prevalence of mental health challenges. Social prescribing represents a novel approach to healthcare that emphasizes a holistic view of health and wellbeing. This study examined the feasibility of a cultural-based social prescribing intervention for firefighters on Hawai'i Island and aimed to describe how their experience restoring a loko i'a (Hawaiian fishpond) affected their wellbeing. Using a mixed-methods design, feasibility was quantitatively measured by examining recruitment, adherence, retention, and exploratory wellbeing outcomes. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to assess feasibility by examining the key areas of focus for feasibility studies: acceptability, demand, and implementation, and to capture participant-reported experiences on wellbeing. The results indicated a 90% enrollment rate, 53.3% adherence, and small, non-significant improvements in exploratory wellbeing outcomes. A total of 24 participants were interviewed and strong feasibility was revealed; however, challenges related to communication, scheduling, clarity, and safety represent opportunities for refinement. Interviews also described firefighters' experiences of spiritual renewal, ancestral connection, relational wellbeing, and increased cultural identity working in the loko i'a. This study demonstrates the feasibility and promise of socially prescribing culturally grounded interventions for supporting the wellbeing of firefighters on Hawai'i Island.</p>","PeriodicalId":7576,"journal":{"name":"American journal of community psychology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-05-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148052060","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Germán A Cadenas, Thanharat Silamongkol, H Kenny Nienhusser, Fiorella L Carlos Chavez, Cristalís Capielo Rosario, Lucas Torres, Oswaldo Moreno
{"title":"Immigrant mental health, safe work, discrimination, and state policies: From racism and xenophobia to health equity.","authors":"Germán A Cadenas, Thanharat Silamongkol, H Kenny Nienhusser, Fiorella L Carlos Chavez, Cristalís Capielo Rosario, Lucas Torres, Oswaldo Moreno","doi":"10.1002/ajcp.70074","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.70074","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>An ecological model was developed to examine the pathways linking immigration state policies to physically safe work conditions and work volition, interpersonal discrimination, and mental health distress. The ecological framework was tested among two subsamples totaling 529 Latinx immigrant participants: (1) immigrants who resided in states with anti-immigrant policies, and (2) immigrants who lived in states with greater health equity policies for immigrants. We used path analysis to assess the model's goodness of fit and the strength and significance of the paths. The model fit well with both subsamples. For the anti-immigrant state subsample, greater health equity in state policies was associated with greater physically safe work and discrimination, but not work volition. For the pro-immigrant state policies subsample, more equitable policies were not linked to safer work conditions, work volition, or lower discrimination. Across both subsamples, safer work conditions were linked to lower discrimination, and higher discrimination was associated with mental health distress. We discuss implications for community research, interventions, employers, and policymakers in promoting migrant justice and responding to racist and xenophobic immigration policy climates.</p>","PeriodicalId":7576,"journal":{"name":"American journal of community psychology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-05-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147863379","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Two years and counting: The dynamics of long-term youth mentoring and association with parent and peer relationships.","authors":"Westley L Fallavollita, Michael D Lyons","doi":"10.1002/ajcp.70073","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.70073","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The current study seeks to explore the reciprocal associations between mentor-mentee relationship strength and relationships with parents and peers across 2 years of mentoring. It is a secondary analysis of data collected by a national mentoring organization from youth (N = 1368; M age = 11.5 years; 59% female; White [n = 629], 30% Black [n = 410], 16% Hispanic [n = 219], and 8% multiracial or other racial identities [n = 110]) participating at program sites across a Midwestern state. Random-intercept cross-lagged panel models test associations and control for between-person variability. No significant cross-lag associations were observed between mentoring relationship strength and relationships with parents (βs = .03 to 19, p > .05) or peers (β = -.25 to .09, p > .5) over 2 years of mentoring. However, youth reports of dynamic changes within mentoring relationships were observed, with effects becoming stronger over time (β = .22, p < .05). Findings suggest that long-term mentoring relationships may not directly influence parent or peer relationships alone but demonstrate meaningful growth over multiyear periods. Results underscore the potential of mentoring relationships to dynamically grow as an end unto themselves.</p>","PeriodicalId":7576,"journal":{"name":"American journal of community psychology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147831808","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Border harm and affective injustice: The politics of anger at the Melilla border, Spain.","authors":"Corina Tulbure","doi":"10.1002/ajcp.70070","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.70070","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This article examines protests in a detention center in Melilla, Spain-a site where structural violence intersects with the everyday harms of confinement. Adopting a justice and dignity-centered perspective, we analyze grassroots forms of resistance emerging at the border. The study focuses on the protests of Tunisian migrants and explores the role of emotions under specific conditions of oppression. Grounded in theories of affective injustice and in dialogue with community psychology scholarship on detention and resistance, we expose the emotional harms produced by confinement and the affective capacities that enable detainees to manifest their agency. In particular, we highlight the transformative potential of restorative anger. When collectively recognized, anger created a cross-border community between Spain and Tunisia-one in which each act of resistance built upon the next, in a chain reaction that challenged the logic of nation-states and border regimes. These findings advance our understanding of how affective border harms operate, while demonstrating that emotions can mobilize communities that transcend borders and structural hierarchies. We conclude by emphasizing the emotional dynamics of detention and their capacity to foster justice and liberation, and reflect on community psychology's potential to generate critical knowledge on border detention.</p>","PeriodicalId":7576,"journal":{"name":"American journal of community psychology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-04-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147721515","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}