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Presentation
Mental Health Intervention Strategies for Youth in Rural Northeast TN
Appalachian Student Research Forum
  • Adam Y Chan, ETSU Quillen College of Medicine
  • Gloria Kwak, ETSU Quillen College of Medicine
  • Tander Simberloff, ETSU Quillen College of Medicine
  • Austin Witt, ETSU Quillen College of Medicine
  • Sarah E Hawkins, ETSU College of Public Health
  • Ivy Click, East Tennessee State University
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
Publication date
4-5-2018
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 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.

Creative Commons License
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
Citation Information
Adam Y Chan, Gloria Kwak, Tander Simberloff, Austin Witt, et al.. "Mental Health Intervention Strategies for Youth in Rural Northeast TN" (2018)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/ivy-click/66/