CHHS Research

Risk factors for teen dating violence

tthoma8 — Thu, 15 Feb 2024 14:13:19 +0000

Risk factors for teen dating violence tthoma8 Thu, 02/15/2024 - 09:13

In This Story

Dating can be an exciting time as a teenager. They can go on their first date, or even experience a first kiss. However, some teens may not have the same positive experience—according to UCLA Health, one in every 10 teens experience dating violence. Dating violence, also known as intimate partner violence, can include aspects such as physical violence and emotional and verbal abuse. Some teens may be more at risk of experiencing dating violence than others due to certain risk factors.

During Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month (February), Daphne King, an assistant professor at George Mason University, stresses the importance of parents identifying potential risk factors and promoting healthy relationship dynamics with their children at an early age.

“The sooner a parent is in intervening, the less likely their child is to experience the long-term detrimental effects of experiencing teen dating violence,” King said.

Teen dating violence risk factors broadly fall into four categories:

Sexual history, including:
- Sexual activity before the age of 16
- History of experiencing sexual abuse
Family background, including:
- Minimal to nonexistent parental supervision
- Exposure to interparental or family violence
Poor self-regulation skills, including:
- Low self-esteem
- Depression
- Anger management issues
Social environment, including:
- Interaction with peers who also engage in teen dating violence
- Participating in risky behaviors such as alcohol and substance misuse
- Growing up in a community that normalizes or accepts violence

More information about risk factors can be found in research by The National Institute of Justice.

Youth who are exposed to teen dating violence, as either a victim or perpetrator, are more likely to continue to be victimized or perpetrate intimate partner violence later in their lives than youth who aren’t. King recommends that parents:

Talk honestly about what physical, emotional, and sexual abuse can look like from a significant other
Know and recognize the signs of intimate partner violence and abuse
Model healthy relationships for their teen
Talk to other parents about teen dating violence to reduce the stigma

Teens and parents can visit loveisrespect.org or www.thatsnotcool.com for support and help. Additional resources: National Domestic Violence Hotline 800-799-7233 or text START to 88788.

To speak to Dr. King, contact Michelle Thompson at 703-993-3485 or mthomp7@gmu.edu.

About George Mason

George Mason University, Virginia’s largest public research university, enrolls 39,000 students from 130 countries and all 50 states. Located near Washington, D.C., Mason has grown rapidly over the last half-century and is recognized for its innovation and entrepreneurship, remarkable diversity and commitment to accessibility. In 2022, Mason celebrates 50 years as an independent institution. Learn more at http://www.gmu.edu.

About the College of Public Health

The College of Public Health at George Mason University is the first and only College of Public Health in Virginia and a national leader in inclusive, interprofessional, public health research, education, and practice. The College is comprised of public health disciplines, health administration and policy, informatics, nursing, nutrition, and social work. The College offers a distinct array of degrees to support research and training of professionals dedicated to ensuring health and well-being for all. The College’s transdisciplinary research seeks to understand the many factors that influence the public’s health and well-being throughout the lifespan. Areas of focus include prevention and treatment of infectious and chronic diseases, inequalities and marginalized communities, environmental health and climate change, nutrition, violence, mental and behavioral health, informatics, and health technologies. With more than 500 partners, the College serves the community through research, practice, and clinical care with a focus on the social determinants of health and health equity.

The College enrolls more than 1,900 undergraduate and 1,300 graduate students in our nationally-recognized programs, including 6 undergraduate degrees, 8 master’s degrees, and 5 doctoral degrees, and 6 certificate programs. Our graduates are uniquely prepared to thrive in an increasingly multicultural, multidisciplinary, community-focused public health landscape.

Topics

Tip Sheet

Social Work Faculty

teen dating violence

Intimate Partner Violence

Domestic Violence

CHHS Research

Dr. Alison Evans Cuellar announced as Interim Associate Dean of Research at George Mason University College of Public Health

Mary Cunningham — Wed, 15 Mar 2023 16:47:32 +0000

Dr. Alison Evans Cuellar announced as Interim Associate Dean of Research at George Mason University College of Public Health Mary Cunningham Wed, 03/15/2023 - 12:47

In This Story

Alison Evans Cuellar, PhD, MBA

Melissa J. Perry, Sc.D., MHS

The College of Public Health is pleased to announce Alison Evans Cuellar, PhD, MBA, will lead efforts to advance research initiatives as the Interim Associate Dean of Research. Dr. Cuellar has been a professor in the Department of Health Administration and Policy since 2009, has served on prominent taskforces, and served as the College’s Interim Associate Dean of Research for the College in 2018-2019.

“Dr. Cuellar is a national leader on health policy research with an impressive portfolio of high-impact research and interprofessional leadership at the local and national levels. She is a natural choice to serve as Interim Associate Dean of Research,” said Dean of the College of Public Health Melissa Perry, Sc.D., MHS. “Her dedication, experience, and commitment to public health will enable Dr. Cuellar to thrive supporting research faculty throughout the pre-and post-award process and fostering internal and external collaborations. Under her guidance, the College’s research portfolio will continue to grow in service to Mason’s research goals.”

Dr. Cuellar has extensive research experience in health care systems, Medicaid, behavioral health, and justice-involved populations. Her scholarly work includes evaluating new organizational forms, such as hospital systems and physician alliances and their effects on quality, efficiency, costs, and prices. Currently, she is engaged in research related to Medicaid perinatal care, equity, and payment.

Her research has been funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the National Institute of Justice, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and private foundations including National Institute for Health Care Management, Robert Wood Johnson, and John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur, among others.

Dr. Cuellar was recently appointed to The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's Improving the Health and Wellbeing of Children and Youth through Health Care System Transformation committee. Additionally, Dr. Cuellar was appointed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as Chair of the Community Preventive Services Task Force (CPSTF), an independent, nonfederal panel of public health and prevention experts that provides recommendations and findings on programs, services, and other interventions to protect and improve population health.

Read Cuellar’s full bio here.

Holly Park, MBA, will continue as interim assistant dean of research as of March 25. The College thanks Park for her service during this transition.

Topics

Public Health

CHHS Research

public health research

CHHS Faculty

Transition to adulthood brings mental health declines for Black youth who interact with juvenile justice system, study finds

Mary Cunningham — Tue, 07 Mar 2023 14:06:19 +0000

Transition to adulthood brings mental health declines for Black youth who interact with juvenile justice system, study finds Mary Cunningham Tue, 03/07/2023 - 09:06

In This Story

Melissa L. Villodas, PhD, LMSW, LCSW-A

A new study from Assistant Professor Melissa Villodas shows that connectedness is a protective factor against declining mental health.

A new study from Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Work Melissa Villodas found that for Black youth who interacted with the juvenile justice system, mental health symptoms worsened during transition to adulthood (when youth were about ages 19-20). This highlights the transition to adulthood as a key time to provide supportive interventions that reduce mental health challenges.

Black youth make up 14% of the U.S. population, yet 35% of juvenile justice cases. Of all youth in the juvenile justice system, up to 70% report mental health challenges, and Black youth experience the enduring challenge of systemic racism as they navigate meeting their mental health needs during this time.

“At around 18 something happens to patterns of connectedness for Black youth. Existing theories and research on this stage of life tells us that during the transition to adulthood, relationships with others begin to change, while mental health often worsens,” said Villodas. “Our research study found that higher levels of connectedness helped reduce mental health challenges in this sample of youth when they were on average about 16, so we as social workers need to try leverage important relationships to facilitate this same kind of support in the transition to adulthood as well.”

At age 14, Black youth with mental health symptoms reported higher connectedness to their family, community, and peers and this feeling of connectedness increased through age 16. However, at about 18 years old, Black youth reported that their feelings of connectedness began to stall. The transition from adolescence to adulthood is a time when mental health challenges often intensify and when mental health service use tends to decline.

Connectedness (defined as the degree to which individuals or groups are socially close, interrelated, cared for, and respected by others) has been identified as a protective factor against mental health symptoms. In this study, Villodas focused on connectedness to family, peers, and community.

“Among Black justice-involved youth in this sample, as mental health grew worse, connectedness scores improved, likely because of the strong support network from the Black youth’s family, peers, and community. This shows us that for Black youth, these networks of people are critical in improving mental health and have filled the gap that has been created by systemic racism in mental health care. Our study highlights that in order to help Black youth who interacted with the juvenile justice system during the transition to adulthood, there is more support needed within the juvenile justice system such as equitable mental health treatments and other rehabilitative services,” said Villodas.

The study was a secondary analysis using five waves of data from the Pathways to Desistance Project, a multisite study of serious juvenile offenders from adolescence to young adulthood.

“The Relationship Between Connectedness and Mental Health Symptoms Among Black Youth Involved in the Juvenile Justice System: A Random-Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Model” was published in Social Work in Mental Health in February 2023.

Other authors include Daniel Gibbs and Amy Blank Wilson from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Michelle R. Munson from New York University.

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Innovate for Good: Multidisciplinary Research Explores Wearable and Music Technologies to Support Cognitive Impairment

Mary Cunningham — Fri, 22 Jul 2022 18:27:17 +0000

Innovate for Good: Multidisciplinary Research Explores Wearable and Music Technologies to Support Cognitive Impairment Mary Cunningham Fri, 07/22/2022 - 14:27

In This Story

Emily Ihara, PhD, MSW, FGSA

Megumi Inoue, PhD

Mason’s Institute for Digital InnovAtion (IDIA) aims to connect Mason’s world class research community with other communities to engage in cutting edge work to shape the future of our digital society, promoting equality, wellbeing, security and prosperity.

Several Department of Social Work faculty were awarded 2021 IDIA seed grants, which are for projects that focus on what’s known as disruptive digital innovation, aimed at helping organizations reduce costs, improve services, or bring about a paradigm shift.

The next part of our Innovate for Good series explores how College of Health and Human Services faculty are expanding research on dementia and palliative care.

Improving Dementia Care with Wearable Technologies

Emily S. Ihara, chair of the Department of Social Work

Building off a successful research project called the Music and Memory initiative, a multidisciplinary team of Mason faculty members is collecting physiological data points to determine what happens to the body when those with dementia hear certain types of music.

Known as “Smart Music Intervention Program for Older Adults with Cognitive Impairment: A Protocol Development,” the project will develop a wearable technology device to measure things like heart rate and skin temperature in dementia patients.

The team is comprised of Emily S. Ihara, chair of the Department of Social Work; Megumi Inoue, associate professor in the Department of Social Work; Cathy Tompkins, professor in the Department of Social Work; Y. Alicia Hong in the Department of Health Policy and Administration; plus Parth Pathak and Huzefa Rangwala in the Department of Computer Science.

“The goal of this project is to develop an easily accessible, automatic, personalized digital music intervention program for older adults living with cognitive impairment,” said Ihara. “We already know that personalized music has been shown to decrease negative psychological and behavioral symptoms for individuals living with cognitive impairment.”

“Nursing homes and long-term care organizations are implementing this nonpharmacological and affordable intervention both nationally and internationally,” said Ihara. But what’s next?

Given the benefits of personalized music for individuals living with dementia, development of a wearable device will give researchers some hard data on how listening to music can physically impact a person’s body.

“Our data thus far is observational,” said Ihara. “We see that patients are humming or smiling or rocking to the music. But we want to see what to see what’s going on inside—and we have the technology now to collect that information,” she said.

Through the prototype development process, the research team will triangulate the physiological, observational, and self-reported effects of personalized music for individuals living with dementia. This will inform how to further digitize the intervention, allowing for scale-up in a large randomized clinical trial.

Understanding and Combating Misconceptions about Palliative Care Using Artificial Intelligence

Megumi Inoue, associate professor in the Department of Social Work

On the surface, machine learning and big data may not seem to play an important role in palliative care. Megumi Inoue, associate professor in the Department of Social Work, is quick to correct misconceptions about palliative care, pointing out that the term “palliative care” does not necessarily mean end-of-life care.

“Palliative care is about symptom management,” said Inoue. “One of the misconceptions about palliative care is that it’s the same as hospice care. But that’s not true—with palliative care, anyone can use it.”

With such pervasive misinformation about palliative care, Inoue made it her mission to address these misconceptions. And what better way than to go the source of many of these misnomers—the internet.

Inoue is working with an interdisciplinary team: Mahdi Hashemi from Mason’s College of Engineering and Computing, Naoru Koizumi and Rajendra Kulkarni from Mason’s Schar School of Policy and Government, Denise Mohess from Inova Fairfax Hospital, and Matthew Kestenbaum from Capital Caring Health.

The team received a 2021 seed grant from Mason’s Institute for Digital InnovAtion (IDIA) for their project “Understanding the Impact of Misinformation on Palliative Care Demand Using Machine Learning and Qualitative Methods.”

The project will apply a methodology used mainly in the field of computer science to see what type of misinformation exists about palliative care online. They will use artificial intelligence (AI) information mining to scour the internet, including Twitter and Google, to see what is being said about palliative care.

“The impact of social media is huge,” she said “It’s a new data source for us and its reach is very important.”

Once the team goes through the data, the next step will be to conduct interviews and focus groups to further understand how misinformation about palliative care is heard and spread. The team’s goal is to help healthcare organizations strategically communicate about the benefits of palliative care to work with patients and their families more effectively.

“Palliative care is one of the fastest-growing medical specialties in health care,” said Inoue. “It saves money by reducing unnecessary treatment and it also provides comfort to patients.”

“At the same time, palliative care faces various challenges including misconceptions among the general public, a lack of awareness of its benefits, and limited and sporadic access and coverage by insurance companies,” Inoue said. She hopes her research can change this for the better.

Innovate for Good is an ongoing series that examines how Mason faculty in the College of Health and Human Services are harnessing technology to improve health outcomes.

If you have stories to share as part of the Innovate for Good series, email Mary Cunningham at mcunni7@gmu.edu.

Topics

Institute for Digital InnovAtion (IDIA)

Interdisciplinary Team Creating Guidelines for Probation Officers as Change Agents

Mary Cunningham — Tue, 19 Apr 2022 19:23:28 +0000

Interdisciplinary Team Creating Guidelines for Probation Officers as Change Agents Mary Cunningham Tue, 04/19/2022 - 15:23

In This Story

Faye S. Taxman

Researchers from the Schar School of Policy and Government’s Center for Advancing Correctional Excellence! and the College of Health and Human Services are translating research into actionable guidelines to help probation officers support their clients to achieve better outcomes.

With probation officers providing services to nearly five million people on community supervision in the United States, they play a critical role in the criminal justice system. Finding proven, effective ways to enhance probation and parole practices is important in keeping people from returning to the correctional system, which will improve lives and reduce costs. Evidenced-based research exists to help probation/parole officers improve their practice; however, the research can be difficult for probation/parole agencies to implement.

University Professor and Director of the Center for Advancing Correctional Excellence (ACE) Faye S. Taxman and Associate Professor in the Department of Social Work JoAnn Lee are collaborating to build on evidence-based research to help make implementing the research easier to digest--after all what good is research if it sits on a shelf?

Faye S. Taxman

Taxman considered this question and got to work. Easier to use research would hopefully strengthen the relationship between officers and their clients, improve their clients' lives and support them to achieve better outcomes, and prevent further involvement in the court system. Together with an interdisciplinary team of graduate students, Taxman and Lee are writing practical guidelines for officers as positive change agents instead of disciplinarians.

Probation/parole can be given as a sentence to people convicted of certain crimes instead of jail time or ordered for a period of time after a person is released from prison. For this project, Taxman, the principal investigator, wanted to partner with Lee, the co-principal investigator, to bring an interdisciplinary approach.

Taxman thought it would be helpful to have a partner who was more grounded in social work principles and had direct service experiences helping others. Taxman knew that having an interdisciplinary team would be the best way to incorporate all angles in the guidelines so they would be as effective as possible.

JoAnn Lee

“Having an interdisciplinary team helps us combine translating the research and clinical practice into actionable items,” said Taxman. "It has improved the project to be able to work with people in many academic fields, as well as people working in various roles within the probation process.”

They are working with experienced probation officers and a team of criminologists, social workers, and psychologists with expertise in substance use treatment, mental health and probation, intimate partner violence, violence, and criminal thinking. Additionally, they have included several criminology and social work students into the project.

“We hope when we disseminate our guidelines to the field, we do it in a way that probation officers and agencies will use them and begin to talk about what do they need to improve their existing practice,” said Taxman, who is professor at the Schar School of Policy and Government. “We’ve taken existing evidence-based research and our own research from the field to create real-world guidelines.”

Creating Easy-to-Use Guidelines

Taxman and Lee began by looking at the existing research and identified where there were gaps that they needed to fill in order to provide complete guidelines. They also surveyed probation officers to get direct input from the field about what practices should be done, under what circumstances, and for whom. Researchers also turned to their interdisciplinary panel of academic experts to help provide missing guidance.

The result will be nearly 20 different actionable statements that are easy for probation/parole agencies and officers to apply in their day-to-day work. The statements include guidelines on how and when each guideline should be used and when it may be harmful. Topics include contacts and monitoring; screening for substance and mental health services and treatment services; electronic monitoring; contacting employers and family members; and fines, fees, and restitution. The project, “Developing Probation Guidelines Using Appropriateness Statements,” is funded by a $500,000 grant from the Arnold Ventures Foundation.

For example, motivational interviewing is a skill that can be used alone or integrated with other approaches that focus on preparing a client for behavior change. Evidence-based research might say “use motivational interviewing for substance misuse," but it does not tell probation officers how to use that skill or when it is most helpful. Taxman and Lee’s statements explain what motivational interviewing is, when to use it, and tips for how to use it.

“This is different because we’re clear about what are evidence-based practices and what are existing practices directly from those in the community supervision field,” says Lee. “Our statements identify when probation officers’ experiences and research agree about an effective technique. The voice of the audience is more integrated into the presentation and we believe this helps officers understand the ‘why’ behind the technique, which may make them more likely to include it into their practice.”

They have been working on this project for about three years and plan to present the guidelines this summer at the American Probation and Parole Association annual training institute. Throughout the process, the team has published several papers (or are in the process of publishing) including in the Handbook of Issues in Criminal Justice Reform in the United States, Aggression and Violent Behavior, Federal Probation, and The Oxford Handbook of Psychology and Law.

The team is also sponsoring a special issue for Federal Probation about working with specific populations such as substance abusers, individuals with mental illness, individuals involved with intimate partner violence, and individuals that are considered violent or violent-prone.

“When we surveyed the field, there was very little attention to working with special populations,” said Lee. The issue will include practices, written by experts in the field, for working with specific populations such as young or violent offenders, those affected by intimate partner violence, and people with mental health challenges.

Topics

Schar School News April 2022

Mason Momentum

Research

In the George

Center for Health Equity

Expert Addresses Common Misconceptions About Men Who Experience Intimate Partner Violence

Mary Cunningham — Tue, 19 Apr 2022 18:12:11 +0000

Expert Addresses Common Misconceptions About Men Who Experience Intimate Partner Violence Mary Cunningham Tue, 04/19/2022 - 14:12

In This Story

Denise Hines, PhD

With the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard trial underway in Fairfax, VA, an expert on male victims of domestic violence seeks to address misconceptions about male victims of abuse and the role that false accusations can play in intimate partner violence (IPV). Denise Hines, associate professor of Social Work at George Mason University, located just down the street from the trial, is one of the world’s leading experts on intimate partner violence and false allegations of abuse in under-recognized survivor groups.

Though Hines is not directly involved in the case nor does she have direct insight into either party’s allegations or their culpability, Hines sees this as an important opportunity to discuss misconceptions about males as victims of abuse and false allegations of IPV.

How common are false allegations of domestic violence?
Our research shows that threats to make false accusations are common in situations where women perpetrate violence against men. 73% of men who experienced female-perpetrated violence reported that their partner threatened to make false accusations versus less than 3% of males in the general population. Among men who experience female-perpetrated violence, 56% said their female partners actually did make false accusations that he physically or sexually abused her, compared to less than one percent in the general population.

Why would people falsely accuse their partner of domestic violence?
False accusations are a form of domestic violence, another tool in an abuser’s “toolbox.” They are a way for abusers to further manipulate, control, and maintain power over their partners.

Our studies show that women are significantly more likely to use false accusations of domestic violence against their male partners than the other way around. It is likely that a female perpetrator is able to engage in these behaviors because of existing widespread misconceptions in both the public and legal sector that domestic violence is exclusively something that men do to women.

Why is it important to address stereotypes about female-perpetrated domestic violence and false accusations?
There are many accounts in the scholarly literature from men who spent much money, time, and other resources to prove their innocence in a court of law because of restraining orders being filed against them under false accusations of abuse; men who said the police assumed the men were at fault; and men whose wives used domestic violence service agencies to further manipulate the men (e.g., by telling the services they were the victims and then using that against him in further legal battles). Employees of relevant non‐governmental (e.g., domestic violence agencies) and governmental (e.g., family courts) agencies often hold stereotypes that men are always the perpetrators of domestic violence and that women are always the victims, making it difficult for men to seek services.

How do false accusations impact the victim?
Our studies suggest that false accusations can have severe consequences for the victim’s physical and mental health, potentially leading to depression, post-traumatic stress symptoms, and poor physical health.

They can have other severe consequences as well, such as the victim being arrested for domestic violence, losing custody of their children, losing their job and reputation, and losing time and money as they fight these legal battles for years on end.

(This information is from three separate studies about male victims and criminal justice response, legal and administrative aggression, and the health of male victims.)

Is it possible that both people in a relationship are abusing each other?
Yes, that is certainly possible. One of the strongest predictors of domestic violence by one partner is domestic violence by the other partner, and over half of all violent relationships are characterized by bi-directional violence.

This bi-directional violence can take a few forms. One member of the couple can be the one most responsible for the abuse, but the other partner is also abusive sometimes; both parties can be equally abusive to each other; or one person may just be fighting back or defending themselves. It’s difficult to know in any given situation what is going on because each party may feel abused and victimized, and each party may not recognize or may try to justify their own abusive behavior.

How common is domestic violence victimization?
The most recent domestic violence prevalence data from the U.S. comes from the 2015 National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS), a national study of 5,758 women and 4,323 men that provides information on victimization from sexual violence, partner physical violence, stalking, and psychological aggression. According to the NISVS:

About 1 in 3 men and women (34% of men, 36% of women) reported lifetime IPV that encompassed any contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking.

In addition, 14.9% of men and 21.4% of women reported lifetime severe physical IPV victimization (e.g., hair-pulling, hit with fists, beating, burning, choking).

When considering the percent of IPV victims by sex, NISVS reports that a substantial portion are men:

For lifetime rates, the NISVS showed that approximately 46% of all IPV victims, which includes any contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking victimization by an intimate partner, were men, while 54% were women (calculated from Smith et al. 2018).
Similarly, approximately 47% of all IPV victims in the past year were men, while 53% were women (calculated from Smith et al. 2018).

What are the key differences in what female vs male victims of domestic violence experience?
Men’s experiences with domestic violence are not that different from women who experience it in terms of mental health, physical, and even sexual abuse. The key difference is around seeking help. Men are less likely to seek help on a broad range of mental and physical health issues. Coupled with society viewing domestic violence as a women’s issue, it is hard for men to identify what’s happening to them as domestic violence. They often think “my partner is mentally ill,” not “I need help.”

Resources for male victims of domestic violence are available here.

Denise Hines, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Social Work, College of Health and Human Services, at George Mason University. She is one of the world’s leading experts on male victims of domestic violence and false allegations against them. Hines’ expertise includes the causes, consequences, and prevention of family violence and sexual assault, with a particular focus on under-recognized victims of violence. As the former director of the Massachusetts Family Impact Seminars, she also has a specialization in translating university-based research for policymakers.

Dr. Hines is the author of over 70 peer-reviewed articles and two books on issues of family violence, one of which – Family Violence in the United States – was recently released by Sage in its third edition. She and her colleagues are currently working on an international handbook entitled, Handbook of Men’s Victimisation in Intimate Relationships, currently under contract with Taylor and Francis. She has spoken about her work in front of various audiences, including state coalitions against domestic violence, the Massachusetts State legislature, the White House domestic policy staff, staff of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Canadian Parliament.

Media/press may contact Michelle Thompson (mthomp7@gmu.edu).

About George Mason
George Mason University, Virginia’s largest public research university, enrolls 39,000 students from 130 countries and all 50 states. Located near Washington, D.C., Mason has grown rapidly over the last half-century and is recognized for its innovation and entrepreneurship, remarkable diversity and commitment to accessibility. In 2022, Mason celebrates 50 years as an independent institution. Learn more at www.gmu.edu.

About the College of Health and Human Services
The College of Health and Human Services prepares students to become leaders and to shape the public's health through academic excellence, research of consequence, community outreach, and interprofessional clinical practice. The College enrolls more than 1,900 undergraduate and 1,300 graduate students in its nationally-recognized offerings, including 6 undergraduate degrees, 13 graduate degrees, and 6 certificate programs. The college is transitioning to a college of public health in the near future. For more information, visit chhs.gmu.edu.

Topics

CHHS

CHHS Research

Tip Sheet

Intimate Partner Violence

Social Work

Social Work Faculty

Risk of Homelessness or Incarceration among Foster Youth Varies by Type of Disability

Mary Cunningham — Wed, 30 Mar 2022 13:53:37 +0000

Risk of Homelessness or Incarceration among Foster Youth Varies by Type of Disability Mary Cunningham Wed, 03/30/2022 - 09:53

Ages 17-21 are important transitional years as young adults learn to become adults with more responsibilities. Many youth have family members who provide social and financial support to help them during this critical time; however many transitioning out of foster care lack these supports. Without social supports, they face a greater risk of homelessness, incarceration, and other socially isolating outcomes.

A new study shows that the likelihood of a foster youth with disabilities experiencing homelessness or incarceration during the transition to adulthood varies by type of disability. Associate professor of Social Work JoAnn Lee and associate professor of Health Administration and Policy Gilbert Gimm found that youth with emotional disabilities are more likely to experience homelessness and incarceration than those with other disabilities. However, after digging a little deeper, they found that there are other factors that explain the association between emotional disabilities and both homelessness and incarceration: “Our findings did not find statistical significance for an emotional disability when controlling for other variables, contrary to what we expected based on prior studies,” said Lee. “This is especially notable since emotional disability is the disability type people tend to focus on, if they differentiate the type of disability diagnosis.”

Previous studies either grouped everyone with a disability together or focused only on emotional disability. This study found that intellectual or developmental disability, visual/hearing disability, and physical disabilities are associated with a lower likelihood of homelessness and incarceration. Out of the disabilities analyzed, those with a physical disability reported the lowest rates of homelessness and incarceration and those with an emotional disability reported the highest rates.

“This study brought to light the need to tailor social supports and policies to the specific needs of young adults with disabilities, which can reduce barriers to services and improve community participation. In turn, improved access to services and social engagement can ultimately reduce the risk of homelessness and incarceration," said Lee.

Additionally, the research revealed that youth connections to school, employment, and extended foster care support were associated with lower likelihood of experiencing homelessness and incarceration. The study also identified a smaller group of youth who had not yet been evaluated and requires more study because they appear to have the worst overall outcomes.

In the study, nearly half (46%) of youth aging out of foster care were diagnosed with a disability. The majority had an emotional disability (36.8%) and a small percentage of youth aging out were diagnosed with an intellectual/developmental disability (4.3%), visual or hearing disability (6.3%), and a physical disability (1.1%). Nine percent of the study cohort had not been evaluated for a disability.

“We recommend two important policy implications based on our findings. First, transition services for high-risk youth should be bolstered. Second, extending transition services up to age 25 can help to reduce the risk of homelessness and incarceration,” said Gimm.

The paper titled “Assessing Homelessness and Incarceration Among Youth Aging Out of Foster Care, by Type of Disability” was published online in the Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal in February 2022. Researchers did an analysis to identify associations between disability type and both homelessness and incarceration while controlling for other demographic and child welfare system characteristics.

The study merged the administrative data from the 2014 cohort of the National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD) and Adoption and Foster Care Analysis Reporting System (AFCARS). The NYTD outcomes database interviewed youth when they were 17 years old, with follow-up interviews when they reached 19 and 21 years of age, respectively, to find out how they were doing as they age out of care and transition to adulthood.

Topics

Center for Health Equity

Introducing the Innovate for Good Series

John Brandon Cantrell — Fri, 04 Feb 2022 13:52:43 +0000

Introducing the Innovate for Good Series John Brandon C… Fri, 02/04/2022 - 08:52

Innovate for Good is a new ongoing series that examines how faculty in the College of Health and Human Services are improving health outcomes using technology such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and personal apps.

Part I: Reducing Caregiver Stress & Improving Recovery Cues

By its very nature, the practice of social work involves people. After all, the definition of social work is, essentially, people helping people. But in an era of artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and machine learning, technology is playing an increasingly central role in how people help people.

In George Mason University’s College of Health and Human Services, faculty members from the Department of Social Work are embracing technological innovation in its many forms to advance the practice of social work.

“In the field of social work, our goal has always been to figure out how to help those in our communities, whether through practice, organizational leadership, or policymaking,” said Emily S. Ihara, chair of the Department of Social Work. “What’s new is that we’re looking at fresh ways to gather more data to assess how we can best and most efficiently create social change.”

Innovate for Good begins with two ways researchers are using apps and virtual reality to improve the lives and health of those they work with.

Managing and Minimizing Caregiver Stress with a Phone

Caregiver burnout? There’s an app for that.

Funded by a Virginia Center on Aging, Alzheimer’s & Related Diseases Research Award Fund (ARDRAF) grant of $45,000, Ihara and Cathy Tompkins, professor of Social Work, are working with developers Ram Balasubramanian and Atreya Chaganty to help those who provide care for people living with dementia.

They are evaluating use of an app called Zelar developed by health care company Mantrah. This app will be geared toward caregivers with the intent of helping them manage the care of both the dementia patients they help and themselves.

“Care partners are often overwhelmed,” said Ihara. “The idea is that caregivers will enter information about different aspects of the care plan and they will be given reminders and helpful tips to provide organization.”

The app will have several features, including care plan creation, the ability for collaboration with other caregivers, plus self-care plans, a journaling option, and insights that provide feedback to caregivers on their reported performance.

“We’re trying to see if we can use technology to reduce caregiver stress,” said Ihara.

The project, Managing Mental Health Through Technology: Examining the Effects of Collaborative Care Management Technology Application, is being developed with Mantrah.

“In the field of social work, our goal has always been to figure out how to help those in our communities, whether through practice, organizational leadership, or policymaking. What’s new is that we’re looking at fresh ways to gather more data to assess how we can best and most efficiently create social change.”

Emily S. Ihara, Chair of the Department of Social Work

Harnessing the Power of Recovery Cues with Virtual Reality

A multidisciplinary team of researchers, working across four colleges and centers at Mason, is using technology to develop customized, real-time recovery supports to prevent drug relapse.

The research team is made up of Holly Matto in the Department of Social Work, along with Padmanabhan Seshaiyer in Mason’s College of Science, Stephanie Carmack in Mason’s Center for Adaptive Systems of Brain-Body Interactions, Nathalia Peixoto in Mason’s Volgenau School of Engineering, Siddharth Bhattacharya in Mason’s School of Business, plus graduate students in engineering Vinicius Zanini and Bryce Dunn and in social work Cate Feldkamp, as well as Rudra Nagalia, a Mason intern and student at the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, in Pilani, India.

The team hypothesizes that they can disrupt the drug trigger-craving-relapse cycle by reorienting people to what is personally rewarding in their lives and regulating the brain and body’s response to drug triggers. These are known as recovery cues.

This idea was inspired by Matto’s work in the field of addiction and from the lived experiences of people in recovery. After treatment, individuals often go back to the same environments that trigger a desire to use drugs, resulting in a need for ongoing, consistent support.

“Because craving can still be quite intense even after months of abstinence, real-time interventions to support recovery are essential to preventing relapse long-term,” said Matto. Examples of recovery cues include music, soundscapes, inspirational quotes, and more.

The Mason team and its industry partner, Brightline Interactive, are examining the effects of recovery cues using virtual reality simulations. The work is being supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Drug Abuse through a Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Grant.

“Rather than focusing on drug triggers, our team believes that by focusing on the rewarding parts of their lives, their recovery cues and supports, individuals in recovery can strengthen and grow,” said Matto.

Virtual reality is unique among other technological enhancements in that it can recreate some elements of the social situations and physical environments that typically trigger relapse, allowing patients to practice skills they will need when they encounter such situations in real life.

Along with investigating recovery cues using virtual reality, the team is developing their Recovery Engaged Mind (REMind-h) app. In this app, individuals in recovery will be able to upload their customized recovery cues according to their preferred sensory modality (visual, auditory, tactile) and content category (people, places, objects), and be able to access these cues when experiencing intense craving.

Innovate for Good is an ongoing series that examines how Mason faculty in the College of Health and Human Services are harnessing technology to improve health outcomes.

Topics

Healthcare Technology

Addiction

Recovery

In the George

COVIDsmart Study Launched to Understand Pandemic’s Impact on Individuals and Communities Across Virginia

mthomp7 — Tue, 02 Mar 2021 14:55:34 +0000

COVIDsmart Study Launched to Understand Pandemic’s Impact on Individuals and Communities Across Virginia mthomp7 Tue, 03/02/2021 - 09:55

In This Story

Amira Roess, PhD, MPH

Virtual study utilizes advanced health research technology to examine health, well-being, social and economic effects of COVID-19 on people of all walks of life

COVIDsmart, a digital health study designed to examine the many impacts of COVID-19 on individuals and their communities launched today, with an open call for participation. The study welcomes participants from all walks of life across Virginia to share information on how the pandemic has affected their lives, even if they have not had COVID-19.

The initiative is sponsored by EVMS-Sentara Healthcare Analytics and Delivery Science Institute (HADSI), George Mason University (Mason), and health technology company Vibrent Health who are leading the initiative to gather information to help participants, researchers and public health entities better understand and address the impacts of the pandemic and future health crises.

The study asks participants questions related to the pandemic and its impact on daily life, particularly its impact on financial, mental, and physical well-being such as, “Over the past 30 days, has your consumption of alcohol increased, decreased, or remained the same?” and, “How likely are you to want to receive COVID-19 vaccination?”

COVIDsmart examines the many impacts of COVID-19 on individuals and their communities.

“Minimizing the impact of future pandemics on you and your community requires a deeper understanding of how COVID has affected you - even if you or those you know have not had COVID-19. Everyone can make a difference during this pandemic by contributing to research. Sharing important information not just about your health but how you’ve been impacted emotionally, socially, economically, and other ways will help inform decisions that benefit all of us,” said Sunita Dodani, MBBS, PhD, Professor of Internal Medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS), Director of HADSI and member of the Federation of American Scientists’ COVID-19 Rapid Response Task Force.

COVIDsmart differs from other COVID-19 studies because it will give back aggregate de-identified study data to participants, so they can see how the pandemic has impacted them and their community. The study will also provide participants with resources and information — such as health and safety recommendations from governmental organizations — to help them protect themselves and their communities from COVID-19 infection.

“As we look to the future, policymakers will require a deep understanding of the multi-faceted impact of the pandemic on people and on our public health infrastructure," said Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Resources, Daniel Carey, MD, MHCM. "Studies like this one can help us to fully assess the effects of COVID-19 and chart a path forward."

To represent the full picture of COVID’s impact, the study aims to recruit individuals who are diverse in age, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, race, and culture to reflect Virginia’s diversity and to include groups historically underrepresented in biomedical research.

“Diversity in COVID-19 research is essential for the public health decision-makers to accurately address disparities, such as infection rates, access to testing, health care, unemployment and availability of support services,” said Amira Roess, an epidemiologist and professor in the Department of Global and Community Health at George Mason University. “Our goal with COVIDsmart is to gain and share knowledge that will aid public health organizations in giving guidance and dedicating resources that will help minimize the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and any other future health crises among individuals, their families and communities.”

COVIDsmart uses a privacy-protecting, secure platform, provided by Vibrent Health, developers of the technology platform for NIH’s All of Us Research Program. The platform, which was built to collect many types of data from diverse populations, can expand to accommodate broad data sources such as wearables and biospecimens, depending on the needs of the longitudinal study. COVIDsmart’s anonymized results will be made available to researchers and public health policy officials to help guide them in identifying at-risk communities that are disproportionately affected by COVID-19. These insights can help direct resources and services where they are most needed during the coronavirus pandemic and any potential future health crisis.

“One of the valuable features of COVIDsmart is that participants can engage in the study virtually and remotely,” said Vibrent Health CEO Praduman “PJ” Jain. “Technology allows us to reach people wherever they are, so that everyone can have a voice and make an impact in this important health research.”

The study is open to anyone at least 18 years old living in Virginia and will gather information about participants’ experiences through the course of the pandemic. The study consists of easy-to-understand online surveys. As an incentive to participants, COVIDsmart offers gift card drawings for those who stay active in the study.

To learn more about COVIDsmart, visit: www.covidsmartstudy.org

About HADSI

EVMS-Sentara Healthcare Analytics and Delivery Science Institute (HADSI) is committed to improved patient outcomes through enhanced analytics. A partnership between Eastern Virginia Medical School and Sentara Healthcare, the institute designs, implements and evaluates clinical research, healthcare delivery system evaluation, health economic analysis, and patient-centered outcome effectiveness projects. HADSI leads EVMS and Sentara efforts in applying rigorous, high-quality analytic science to the evaluation of real-world innovations aimed at improving the quality, safety and value of healthcare and aims to reduce health disparities in the Hampton Roads region and beyond through community partnerships and collaborative efforts. To learn more, please visit: https://www.evms.edu/research/centers_institutes_departments/healthcare_analytics_and_delivery_science_institute/

About George Mason University

George Mason University’s Institute for Biohealth Innovation (IBI) bridges disciplines to promote progress and share innovation with the goal of enhancing health and well-being through new ideas to predict, prevent, treat, and eradicate disease. IBI harnesses the collective talent of faculty, staff, and students at Mason including those in the College of Health and Human Services, and College of Humanities and Social Sciences who are conducting translational research in the fields of cancer, infectious diseases, brain and behavior, injury and performance, reproductive and family health, cardiovascular and metabolic health, and digital health and informatics. The IBI provides a collaborative space that allows researchers to make novel connections to implement innovative solutions to today’s most pressing health issues. To learn more visit: https://ibi.gmu.edu/

About Vibrent Health

Vibrent Health’s mission is to accelerate health research to optimize human health through precision technology and digital tools that empower participant engagement, research analytics and research management for researchers, research organizations and research participants. Through its Digital Health Solutions Platform, the company provides a large-scale versatile global platform for health research. The platform provides an infrastructure for data collection from broad sources including genomics, environment, lifestyle, behaviors and electronic health records. Since February 2017, Vibrent Health has served as the Participant Technology Systems Center for the National Institutes of Health’s All of Us Research Program, which aims to collect health data from one million or more people to support a wide variety of research studies. To learn more, please visit: vibrenthealth.com.

Media Contacts:

Vibrent Health
Pearson Brown
(310) 994-7057
pbrown@vibrenthealth.com

George Mason University
Michelle Thompson
(703) 993-3485
mthomp7@gmu.edu

EVMS/HADSI
Doug Gardner
(757) 446-6073
gardneda@evms.edu

Topics

coronavirus; covid-19

CHHS Research

CHHS News

Mason’s College of Health and Human Services Joins Johns Hopkins Clinical Research Network

dhawkin — Tue, 02 Mar 2021 14:04:05 +0000

Mason’s College of Health and Human Services Joins Johns Hopkins Clinical Research Network dhawkin Tue, 03/02/2021 - 09:04

Mason joins university and health care system collaboration to conduct translational research to improve health outcomes.

George Mason University’s College of Health and Human Services (the College) has recently joined the John Hopkins Clinical Research Network (JHCRN). This collaboration between regional health care systems and research institutions will have a direct impact on health care delivery throughout the Mid-Atlantic Region.

The JHCRN is a translational research organization dedicated to facilitating collaboration between diverse, community-based health care delivery systems and researchers. Translational research focuses on applying knowledge to address the needs of health care systems; it is specifically designed to improve health outcomes.

The JHCRN specializes in clinical trials across a variety of disciplines including oncology, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal conditions, neurological disorders and genomics. Sites within the network also collaborate with Johns Hopkins physicians. Some of the topics the College plans to explore with JHCRN include health disparities, social determinants of health, and health care costs.

“As part of the JHCRN, we look forward to improving the flow of scientific information and bringing a collaborative approach to clinical and translational research,” said Dr. Rosemary Higgins, associate dean of research for the College.

Collaborations between regional health care systems are an important part of the College’s dedication to making a positive impact on local communities in the surrounding areas. The College will join a number of other regional sites within the network including the Johns Hopkins Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, Luminis Health, TidalHealth and Reading Hospital, an affiliate of Tower Health.

“We are proud to join this highly-respected network of health care delivery organizations to bring research discoveries into clinical practice in a timely manner to improve the health of those we serve,” says Dr. Germaine Louis, Dean of the College. “It is only through partnerships such as these that we can improve health equity and make health visible and accessible for all people.”

About George Mason University

George Mason University is Virginia's largest and most diverse public research university. Located near Washington, D.C., Mason enrolls 39,000 students from 130 countries and all 50 states. Mason has grown rapidly over the past half-century and is recognized for its innovation and entrepreneurship, remarkable diversity and commitment to accessibility. For more information, visit https://www2.gmu.edu/.

About the College of Health and Human Services

George Mason University's College of Health and Human Services prepares students to become leaders and shape the public's health through academic excellence, research of consequence, community outreach, and interprofessional clinical practice. George Mason is the fastest-growing Research I institution in the country. The College enrolls more than 1,900 undergraduate and 1,370 graduate students in its nationally-recognized offerings, including: 5 undergraduate degrees, 13 graduate degrees, and 7 certificate programs. The college is transitioning to a college of public health in the near future. For more information, visit https://chhs.gmu.edu/.

Topics

CHHS Research

Social Determinants of Health

Health Disparities

health care

Health Care Finance

College of Health and Human Services

CHHS News