University of Massachusetts Boston
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Latinos in Massachusetts Selected Areas: Methuen
Get PDFThis is a publication of the Mauricio Gastón Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy
Remembering the Dead in Silence: Formation and Transformation of National Mourning in Modern Japan
Get PDFRemembering the Dead in Silence: Formation and Transformation of National Mourning in Modern Japan. Volume 36, Issue 2 of the New England Journal of Public Policy
Discussant of the Third Symposium
Get PDFDiscussant of the Third Symposium. Volume 36, Issue 2 of the New England Journal of Public Policy
Opening Remarks
Get PDFOpening Remarks for Volume 36, Issue 2 of the New England Journal of Public Policy
Aging in Hanover: A Community Needs Assessment
Get PDFThis report describes research undertaken by the Center for Social & Demographic Research on Aging (CSDRA), within the Gerontology Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston, on behalf of the Town of Hanover. The report supports the Council on Aging’s objective to identify and serve the needs of residents age 55 and older. The contents of this report are meant to inform the Town of Hanover, the Hanover Council on Aging (COA), the Senior Center, and organizations that work with and on behalf of older residents of Hanover for the purposes of COA mission fulfillment alongside planning and coordination of services for current and future needs of residents. The report will also help to build awareness about issues facing Hanover among community members at large
Compounded Stigma?: Understanding Experiences of Parent-Perceived Stigmatization of Autistic Children and Its Association with Mental Health Problems and Unmet Mental Health Needs
Get PDFAutism is a stigmatized identity, meaning that autistic people often experience stereotyping, prejudice and/or discrimination because of their autistic identity and their behaviors that are characteristic of autism such as social communication differences and restricted and repetitive behaviors. Parents of autistic children and youth report that their children are frequently stigmatized however little is known about how experiences of stigma are associated with child mental health problems, despite the fact that co-occurring mental health problems are common among autistic youth and that mental health problems are also stigmatized in society. The current study quantitatively and qualitatively explored associations between autism characteristics, mental health problems, parent-perceived stigma, and unmet child mental health service needs. Parent-perceived stigma was defined as parent perceptions of their own and their child’s experiences of rejection, judgement, prejudice or disapproval from members of their community. Eighty-five parents responded to the online survey. Surveys were administered in English (92%) and Spanish (8%). A majority of parents were mothers (93%), identified as non-White or White, Hispanic (60%), and had a college education or greater (60%). By parent report, the majority of children in the sample identified as non-White or White, Hispanic (68%), a boy (72%), spoke English as their primary language (81%), and was an average of 10.6 years of age. Sixty percent of children in this sample fell into the “Clinical” range on a parent-report measure of mental health symptoms (CBCL) and 39% of parents fell into the “Moderate” or “Severe” ranges on a parent affective distress scale (K10). Overall, parents reported moderate levels of parent-perceived stigma. Results from step 1 and step 2 of hierarchical linear regression analyses indicated that greater autism characteristics and greater mental health symptoms were associated with greater parent-perceived stigma. These effects were additive. In step 3, greater parent affective distress was associated with greater parent-perceived stigma whereas child age was not. Results from a logistic regression predicting to unmet child mental health needs found that greater parent-perceived stigma was associated with greater child unmet mental health needs. Child autism characteristics, child and parent mental health problems, and child age did not contribute significantly to unmet child mental health needs. Qualitative analysis of parent responses to four open-ended questions highlighted the stigma that they face (e.g., judged for parenting and disciplinary style) and their child faces (e.g., lack of interest or respect from peers, lack of understanding from teachers or community members). Parent responses about stigma and mental health service engagement were mixed. Findings from this study underscore the importance of community-based initiatives that aim to increase autism awareness and reduce autism and mental health stigma, as well as the importance of accessible, neurodiversity affirming care for autistic youth with a range of developmental and mental health needs
Buffering the Impact of Trauma: Social-Emotional Competencies and Mentoring Outcomes for Youth with High Ace Exposure
Get PDFAdverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are potentially traumatic events (e.g., emotional abuse, physical neglect, incarcerated family member) that may undermine a child’s sense of safety, stability, and bonding. ACE exposure is experienced disproportionately by Black and Hispanic children (Slopen et al., 2016; Maguire-Jack et al., 2019). Research has shown that strong social bonds can buffer the impact of ACEs (Hughes et al., 2017; Astridge et al., 2023), leading to the referral of many children with ACEs to mentoring programs as a means of mitigating potential negative outcomes (Rhodes, 2020). However, while ACE exposure is higher among youth in mentoring programs compared to the national average (Jarjoura et al., 2018), less is known about how this exposure may influence the strength of mentoring relationships. This study examined the rates of ACE exposure in a community-based Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) mentoring program in eastern Massachusetts and explored the relationships among ACE exposure, parent-reported social-emotional competencies (SEC), and youth-reported strength of mentoring relationships. Mentees in the program reported significantly higher rates of ACEs compared to national estimates, and White mentees reported higher rates of cumulative ACEs, exposure to mental illness in the household, and substance abuse in the household compared to Black and Hispanic/Latiné mentees. Mentees with higher ACE exposure reported lower SEC. Surprisingly, however, ACE exposure was not directly related to the perceived strength of mentoring relationships. SEC, rather, was found to be a significant predictor of the strength of mentoring relationships. Understanding these associations may provide insights on how to strengthen mentoring programs and guide mentors who are matched with youth who have experienced a high number of ACEs. Understanding the impact of ACEs on mentees’ social-emotional skills can provide valuable insights for strengthening mentoring programs and guiding mentors working with youth who have experienced significant trauma
Anti-Blackness, Sanism, and Ableism: Establishing a Critical Context to Understand Black Americans\u27 Experiences with the Mental Health System and Mental Health Stigma
No full textExisting literature suggests Black Americans underutilize the mental health system and experience significant barriers to accessing mental health treatment (Taylor & Kuo, 2019). Research targeted at understanding what factors influence Black Americans decisions to seek mental health treatment have highlighted the role of mental health stigma and linked this construct to reduced utilization of mental health services (Clement et al., 2015). Existing research has also suggested that mental health stigma is “elevated” within Black American samples (Rao et al., 2007), yet few have examined the unique relationship between anti- Blackness and ableism/sanism and how these systems influence Black Americans\u27 reports on mental health stigma. Black Americans navigating the mental health system are often faced with double stigma (Gary, 2005), stigma grounded in both ableism and anti-Blackness, which may function as a deterrent from engaging with the mental health system. Little research exists within clinical psychology examining the mental health system as a system grounded in anti-Blackness and ableism/sanism. Using this framework to understand why Black Americans may not seek care from a system grounded in their oppression, highlights the need for conversations surrounding mental health stigma to center an analysis of the structural forms of oppression that necessitate stigma to maintain hierarchies. Namely, centering an analysis of anti-Blackness, the present and historical systematic devaluation and dehumanization of Black people and culture across social, political, and cultural domains (Sharpe, 2016), ableism, systemic oppression of disabled or labelled disabled people resulting in worth being determined by a person’s ability to comply and produce (Lewis, 2022) , and sanism, systemic oppression normalizing violence (i.e., incarceration, discrimination, exclusion) against people designated as “other” through conceptions of “mental illness diagnoses, history, or even suspicion” (Meerai et al., 2016), as co- existing and interacting systems of oppression establishes important context in attempts to understand the varying ways Black Americans conceptualize mental health stigma and the mental health system itself. The present study aims to use a structural oppression framework of the mental health system, focusing on anti-Blackness and ableism/sanism, to critically interpret data on Black Americans\u27 experiences within the mental health system and reports on different dimensions of mental health stigma
Exposing the Pervasive Culture of Whiteness at Predominantly White Institutions: A Narrative Analysis of White Deans of Students\u27 Understanding and Role in Responses to Campus Racial Incidents
Get PDFDeeply embedded in U.S. higher education institutions is a culture of whiteness that benefits white students, staff, faculty, and administrators through racist policies, structures, and cultural norms designed to uphold whiteness. This culture not only minimizes the presence of racism, but also is pervasive on college campuses, where administrators often fail to recognize blatant racism and treat ongoing campus racial incidents as isolated events. Despite the frequency of racial incidents, campus responses are typically ineffective, failing to address the underlying institutional practices that reinforce white supremacy and further harm those affected. This study explored the experiences of white deans of students at predominantly white campuses, focusing on their understanding of whiteness and its influence on their responses to campus racial incidents, revealing their investment in whiteness. Utilizing a qualitative narrative research approach with 11 white deans of students, this study effectively captured and conveyed their individual stories and professional experiences, uncovering key findings. The deans often relied heavily on their professional diversity, equity, and inclusion counterparts, deferring to them in handling racial incidents. Additionally, the participants displayed reluctance in describing racial incidents, raising concerns about communication and transparency in addressing racist incidents. The results also highlighted the deans\u27 recognition of the symbolic significance of power and decision-making spaces within higher education, typically occupied by white administrators. However, the deans overlooked deeper, systemic manifestations of racism within their institutions and viewed themselves as powerless to address the daily struggles faced by those directly experiencing racism. Fundamentally, the white deans in this study exemplified the racial challenges present in U.S. higher education. This study offers important implications for white deans of students and other senior white leaders, who play influential roles within educational institutions and possess significant power to shape policies and practices. These leaders must recognize how institutional processes, often designed to cater to the needs of white students, have contributed to creating a hostile environment for BIPOC students. The findings collectively provide a valuable understanding to guide the future efforts of white deans and senior leaders at predominantly white colleges and universities in improving racialized campus cultures
Novel Roles of BRCA2 in Suppressing Replication Stress Induced Genomic Instability
No full textBRCA2 is a tumor suppressor gene. Germline mutation in BRCA2 significantly elevates the risk of breast, ovarian, pancreatic and prostate cancer. In this project, I focused on investigating molecular mechanisms that drive tumorigenesis and chemoresistance in BRCA2 mutation carriers and developing novel preventative and therapeutic strategies to reduce the cancer burden in individuals carrying BRCA2 mutation. A critical mechanism through which BRCA2 maintains genomic stability, and therefore preventing the formation of these cancers, is the suppression of replication stress (RS) through facilitating stalled replication fork repair. I have identified a novel role of BRCA2 in stalled fork repair, and show that BRCA2 inhibits the accumulation of a toxic intermediate at stalled forks, the ubiquitinated, phosphorylated RPA (ubq-pRPA)-coated single-stranded DNA (ssDNA). I found that such ssDNA persistently accumulated in BRCA2-deficient cells under RS resulting in two consequences: 1) the ssDNA becomes a target for cytosine deamination, leading to the increased uracil-in-DNA (U-DNA) accumulation. Removing uracil on ssDNA by UNG2 followed by downstream process significantly contributes to the genomic instability in BRCA2-deficient cells. 2) persistent accumulation of ssDNA leads to the exhaustion of replication protein A (RPA), inducing nucleotide excision repair (NER) deficiency. Last, I investigated early pathogenic events that drive the transition of ostensibly normal cells (BRCA2+/-) to tumor cells