Background:Latino/a/x adults have higher rates of unmet mental health needs than other racial and ethnic groups. One promising solution to help bridge this gap in care is digital mental health tools. Digital tools, such as self-help websites, have demonstrated the ability to enhance mental health literacy, reduce stigma, and improve mental health symptoms. Despite the potential benefits, engagement remains a critical challenge, and there has been a large oversight of unique considerations for Latino/a/x adults as end users. Objective:Guided by the Technology Acceptance Model and the Behavioral Model for Vulnerable Populations, the study's overarching objective is to characterize within-group variation of Latino/a/x adults' engagement with a government-funded, prevention-focused mental health website that was co-designed with community partners during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods:The Together for Wellness/Juntos Por Nuestro Bienestar (T4W/Juntos) website offered free digital mental health resources to help Californians cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. A pilot evaluation of the website involved baseline and 4-week follow-up surveys about demographics, behavioral health needs, and overall website user experience. This current subanalysis focused on a stratified sample of Latino/a/x adult participants (baseline N=131; baseline and follow-up n=68). The baseline sample was mostly female (106/130, 81.5%); 66.9% (87/130) preferred to use the website in English and 30% (39/130) preferred Spanish. Behavioral health needs were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-2, Generalized Anxiety Disorder 2-item scale, and a COVID-19 stressors checklist. We measured usability, comfort using the website, relevance of the website, and past-month use of resources. Data were analyzed using ordered and standard logistic regression methods. Results:Latino/a/x adults who preferred using the website in English (odds ratio [OR] 13.76, P<.001) compared with Spanish were more comfortable using the website. Compared with adults aged 18-30 years, adults aged 41-50 years had significantly lower odds of agreeing that the website was easy to use. Sensitivity analyses revealed that participants who found the website easier to use (OR 2.22, P=.001) and those with greater behavioral health needs (OR 1.22, P=.045) were more likely to perceive the website's topics as relevant. Participants with higher behavioral health needs at baseline were more likely to use the website and engage with resources for anxiety or stress at follow-up (OR 1.42, P=.047). Conclusions:This study addresses gaps in understanding Latino/a/x adults' experiences with a prevention-focused mental health website. The language-based disparity in comfort highlights the need to significantly improve the user experience for Latino/a/x Spanish speakers. Still, the website can be a helpful resource for Latino/a/x adults with high behavioral health needs, bridging a critical gap in support. A collaborative approach to developing resource-rich websites with trusted community organizations is vital for effectively reaching Latino/a/x communities and tailoring resources to address their unique needs.
The unique culture and languages of Indigenous Mexican immigrants to the United States, a substantial portion of the nation’s agricultural workforce, has limited participation of this population in tobacco and other health related research. Our established community-academic team [Mixteco Indigena Community Organizing Project (MICOP) and UCLA] developed and conducted a community survey (n = 200) from February – October 2024, in Spanish (n = 145), English (n = 10) or Mixteco (n = 45), aimed to understand tobacco use and knowledge among adults in this population. Participants (mean age 26 years; 71
This study examined problems associated with unregulated access to Indigenous music materials in the public domain, utilizing the HathiTrust Digital Library as a case study. It focused on music materials and employed content analysis, and descriptive statistics as major methodological instruments. This study revealed the presence of musical notation as a primary condition rendering materials vulnerable to potential exploitation. This study confirmed that unregulated access may expose sensitive content protected under NAGPRA. Methodologically, this study offered a model of critical assessment of multi-institutional digitized collections. Substantively, it proposed strategies to support the protection of Indigenous content in HathiTrust.
The Problem. The lack of theoretical frameworks representing voices and leadership experiences of women of color, compounded by multiple ways intersectionality changes the experience, continues to be under-represented in Human Resources Development (HRD) literature. Furthermore, given the field of HRD is fundamental to developing the whole person, lack of attention to voices and leadership experiences of women of color is problematic. Here, women of color represent Black, African American, and Indigenous women leaders. The Solution. Applied critical leadership is introduced as a theoretical framework to expand and enhance HRD research, theory, and practice in the development of women of color as leaders. A conceptual development model, the Feminist Indigenous Mixteco Migrant Epistemology (FIMME) is introduced as a sociocultural view of leadership, defining multiple ways women of color harness the power of intersecting racial, ethnic, gendered, linguistic, socio-economic, and migrant leadership practices. The Stakeholders. Human Resources Development scholars, students, and policymakers benefit from novel ways to think about women of color in leadership through culturally grounded concepts, bringing light to nuanced understandings. Exemplars for women's leadership for culturally and linguistically diverse and Indigenous societies are provided as solutions to socio-political complexity.
