Diversity Supplement for Personal Health Libraries for Formerly Incarcerated Individuals

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PROJECT SUMMARY Black women in the U.S. are incarcerated at nearly twice the rate of their White counterparts. They are also more likely to experience mental illness (e.g., post-traumatic stress disorder) than noninstitutionalized Black women. Barriers such as limited access to services and support, lack of transportation, and lack of knowledge regarding mental illness and treatment options prevent recently released individuals from receiving care. Furthermore, the cost of mental health services, in addition to cultural preferences result in formerly incarcerated Black women seeking care from informal sources of support. The proposed supplemental project seeks to complement the parent grant by assessing the mental health care and social support needs of formerly incarcerated Black women and create culturally informed content for PerHL. The specific aims of this study are to: (1) assess the mental health care and social support needs of formerly incarcerated Black women, (2) develop and refine the PerHL to include culturally informed content to support the mental health of formerly incarcerated Black women, and (3) assess user satisfaction with the components of the PerHL that have been tailored to support the mental health of formerly incarcerated Black women. Dr. McCall's long-term goal is to become an independent researcher with expertise in addressing inequities in access to mental health services and resources through use of digital health tools that address the specific needs and preferences of underserved populations. In collaboration with her mentors, a comprehensive training plan was constructed to build her expertise in: (1) development of personal health information technologies for formerly incarcerated individuals, (2) conducting community-based participatory research, (3) qualitative data collection and analysis, (4) use of personal health information technology for mental health treatment management in vulnerable populations, (5) design and implementation of a pilot randomized trial to test the acceptance and use of a personal health information technology, and (6) scientific writing and research dissemination through grant proposal development, manuscript preparation and publication, and research conference presentations. The planned research and training activities builds upon Dr. McCall's prior experience studying the acceptance and use of mobile technology to deliver mental health services and resources to support and manage anxiety and depression in Black women. Completing the research activities of this proposal and achieving her training goals will not only provide her with the skills necessary to successfully complete the supplemental project, but also equip her for success on the pathway towards becoming an independent researcher by informing the development of her K01 Mentored Research Scientist Career Development Award proposal. Consistent with NLM's mission and the purpose of the Research Supplement to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research, the mentorship, training, and research activities will provide Dr. McCall the opportunity to acquire the skills necessary to become an independent research scientist and prolific contributor to the field.