Background and Purpose: African Americans are at increased risk for stress-related disparities. Mindfulness-based interventions are effective in reducing adverse outcomes; yet, racial/ethnic minorities are underrepresented in these interventions. Also, the development of culturally-responsive interventions has been mostly non-existent. Materials and Methods: Focus group and interview data were acquired following a four-week mindfulness intervention with African American women. Results: Using Brigg's (2011) mental health utilization model to guide analysis, several recommended culturally-responsive modifications emerged. Recommended modifications internal to the intervention included using African American facilitators, incorporating cultural values, using culturally-familiar terminology, and providing cultural resources. Suggested modifications to the intervention's external factors included offering the intervention within culturally-familiar settings. Individual-level factors to address were religious concerns, perceived benefits, and holistic health goals. Conclusions: Themes were used to propose a model toward the creation of a culturallyresponsive mindfulness-based interventions to guide culturally-relevant treatment modifications and improve underserved communities' engagement in these interventions.

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In social psychology, stereotypes have generally been viewed as overgeneralized beliefs about social groups in society. Although stereotypes—especially those that are negative—tend to be recognized as contributing to prejudice and discrimination of marginalized communities, they are often conceptualized as containing a “kernel of truth.” Meanwhile, there has been relatively little consideration of the historical and cultural origins of racial stereotypes. This is an important oversight given that stereotypes have and continue to be used as a means to excuse and reinforce the systemic oppression of communities of color. Thus, the current paper uses a historical framework to review major stereotypes that have targeted communities of color throughout U.S. history, with a focus on stereotypes of Black people. In doing so, we conceptualize racial stereotypes as propaganda that have historically functioned to support oppressive societal systems in the U.S. by both (a) shaping public perceptions and expectations and (b) by influencing the thoughts and behavior of members of stereotyped groups. By situating stereotypes within their historical and cultural frames, readers can recognize the way stereotypes reinforce systems of oppression. We conclude with research implications and encourage stereotyping scholars to foreground the social construction of stereotypes and the function that they serve by contextualizing their work in the social and historical context in which stereotypes emerged.

Black families are significantly less likely to receive evidence-based trauma treatment services; however, little is known about factors impacting engagement, particularly at Children’s Advocacy Centers (CACs). The goal of this study is to better understand barriers and facilitators of service utilization for Black caregivers of CAC referred youth. Participants ( n = 15) were randomly selected Black maternal caregivers (ages 26–42) recruited from a pool of individuals who were referred to receive CAC services. Black maternal caregivers reported barriers to accessing services at CACs including a lack of assistance and information in the referral and onboarding process, transportation issues, childcare, employment hours, system mistrust, stigma associated with the service system, and outside stressors such as stressors related to parenting. Maternal caregivers also shared suggestions for improving services at CACs including increasing the length, breadth, and clarity of investigations conducted by child protection services and law enforcement (LE) agencies, providing case management services, and having more diverse staff and discussing racial stressors. We conclude by identifying specific barriers to the initiation and engagement in services for Black families, and we provide suggestions for CACs seeking to improve engagement of Black families referred for trauma-related mental health services.

Although prior research has linked perceived neighborhood characteristics to cognition, scant research has investigated underlying mechanisms regarding how neighborhood characteristics impact cognition. One pathway, in particular, may be through mental health outcomes. Poorer neighborhood characteristics have been independently linked to greater depressive and anxiety symptoms, which may, in turn, be risk factors for cognitive decline in later life. The current study examined direct and indirect effects of perceived neighborhood characteristics (social cohesion, physical disorder) on cognitive functioning (episodic memory, executive functioning) through anxiety and depressive symptoms using longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study (2010–2014). Results revealed that higher social cohesion was associated with better memory and executive functioning through lower anxiety and depressive symptoms. Physical disorder was associated with worse episodic memory and executive functioning through greater anxiety symptoms. These findings highlight the importance of neighborhood context for promoting both mental and cognitive health outcomes in older adulthood.