Ongoing Projects

Older adults are often underdiagnosed, undertreated, and underrepresented in addictions research. Despite increasing rates of alcohol and drug use, many older adults receive professional help for substance use concerns. Guided by the Andersen Behavioral Model of Health Service Use, this study explores factors that relate to perceived need for substance use treatment and past-year service use among older adults.

*Sponsored by the International Association of Addictions and Offender Counselors Research Grant

Religion can serve as both a source of harm and healing for transgender and gender non-conforming racial and ethnic minority emerging adults. In this study, we examine how positive and negative religious coping and affirming religious environments relate to internalized transphobia and feelings of not belonging, guided by the Religious/Spiritual Stress and Resilience model.

*Sponsored by the Society for Sexual, Affectional, Intersex, and Gender Expansive Identities Research Grant

Suicide risk remains a growing concern among Latine university students, however students often go without formal mental health support. This Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis illuminates the experiences of undergraduate Latino students at elevated risk of suicide and how they make sense of available suicide prevention services.

The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline provides free, 24/7 support to individuals experiencing mental health, substance use, and suicidal crises. College students are experiencing these concerns at high rates, yet have been shown to have low rates of help-seeking, especially in relation crisis lines. This exploratory study examines the rates of 988 knowledge and use and help-seeking among undergraduate students.

Men of color in emerging adulthood face unique barriers to accessing life-saving services. Given the history of harmful interactions between men of color and law enforcement, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline can serve as a safer alternative to support men of color during mental health crises. In this consensual qualitative research study, we examine factors that influence help-seeking for suicidal thoughts among undergraduate men of color.

Black and Latine youth experience systemic challenges in accessing mental health care, leading to delays or misdiagnoses of conditions such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). As a result, many are turning to digital tools like Artificial Intelligence (AI), mobile apps, and social media for support and self-assessment. We examined how Black and Latine Neurodivergent youth use digital technologies to manage their mental health.

*Sponsored by the Hopelab Early Career Research Grant

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death among Asian American emerging adults, yet the intersection of suicide and cultural factors within this population is an understudied topic. This cross-sectional, quantitative analysis explored the impacts of Asian culture-specific factors on perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness among adults of Asian descent guided by the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide.

Older adults represent a growing population who present with historically high rates of suicide. This cross-sectional, quantitative analysis examines predictors of suicide risk and mental health service use among a community sample and a national sample of older adults at risk of suicide using the Andersen Behavioral Model of Health Services Use.

*Sponsored by the Society for Public Health Education/CDC Fellows in Injury Prevention Program

*Sponsored by the Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling Sponsored Scholarship Program