The Collaborative Center for Trauma and Mental Health Disparities

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): We propose to establish a five-year, multi-ethnic and multi-disciplinary "Collaborative Center for Trauma and Mental Health" (CCTMHD) to promote interdisciplinary research examining the prevalence and impact of traumatic experiences on PTSD, depression and concomitant cognitive/emotional, behavioral, psychological and biological processes in ethnic minority populations. The overarching aim is to inform new strategies to reduce mental health disparities associated with trauma exposure. Multiple sources of acute and chronic stress combine to have a cumulative effect in the lives of ethnic minorities, giving rise to our use of the conceptual framework of allostatic load to (1) describe the socio-cultural context in which violence occurs; (2) examine cultural differences in the appraisal of traumatic events; (3) identify protective and vulnerability factors within ethnic groups; and (4) characterize the expression of mental health symptoms and help-seeking that contribute to mental health disparities. The Center, led by Dr. Gail Wyatt in collaboration with an experienced team of minority mental health researchers includes an Administrative Core, which will coordinate and integrate all Center activities including mentoring of investigators and a Methods & Statistics Core, which will be responsible for providing methodological support to all Center investigators and projects. Project 1 is a 4-year, longitudinal study, "Intimate Partner Violence and Mental Health Outcomes among Latinas", led by Dr. M. Rodriguez. He will investigate the longitudinal course of PTSD and depression, attachment and related biological sequelae in an existing cohort of 205 Latina mothers, who vary on intimate partner violence histories. Project 2, "Disclosure & Appraisal of Child Sexual Abuse (CSA): Relationships with PTSD, Depression, & Associated Biomarkers" is led by Drs. J. Vargas-Carmona and T. Loeb. This 2-year pilot study focuses on the impact of CSA disclosure and self-blame among 110 Black and Latina women with CSA histories. Project 3, a 2-year pilot study, "Coping among Ethnic Men Sexually Abused as Children", is led by Dr. F. Galvan. He will recruit 150 Latino and Black men to examine ethnic differences in coping strategies and their role as possible moderators or mediators of psychological distress, biological effects of childhood sexual trauma and mental health service utilization. This Center will stimulate state-of-the-art research on trauma and mental health disparities, and inform the development of future interventions to close these gaps.