Linking Population-level Behavioral Interventions to Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Latino adolescents experience higher rates of behavioral health risks compared to their non-Latino Black and White peers, particularly for substance use and suicidality. Poor mental health and substance use have been attributed to experiences of childhood adversity and a range of multilevel stressors. Advances in the field of youth mental health research has been largely focused on individual and interpersonal factors. Few studies examine the impact of social and environmental contexts, such as those related to educational access, on youth mental health. Population-level interventions, and the educational access and economic trends that shape those contexts, also affect youth stress and access to resources, increasing mental health risk for adolescents. Some of these factors shape the social environment, amplifying experiences of stress and mental health issues. State-level contexts that increase access to health, social and educational resources are key factors in shaping the mental health of Latino youth. Research examining pathways between population-level interventions and the mental health of youth is needed. The proposed study will fill gaps by applying a transdisciplinary approach to understand and intervene upon an important health disparity issue. The objectives of this research are to: (1) construct a state-level dataset focused on population-level educational access interventions for students; (2) use quasi-experimental methods to quantitatively estimate the effects of population-level interventions, economic indicators and educational trends on youth mental health and qualitatively explore how population-level interventions shape the social lives, educational trajectories and mental health of all youth in the US; and (3) develop community-informed recommendations for prevention and intervention solutions. With a focus on interdisciplinary collaboration, Temple University offers early career scholars the intellectual and practical resources to develop into successful independent investigators. The overarching training plan for this K01 application serves to consider the effects of population-level behavioral interventions on the mental health of youth in the US. The training plan is designed to develop the candidate’s skills in population-level interventions, quasi-experimental design methods and community-engaged research, to develop ground-level recommendations for prevention and intervention. By engaging in coursework, trainings, applied experiences, and national conferences, complemented by a transdisciplinary team of mentors, Dr. Villamil Grest’s training and career development plan provides an opportunity to advance her interdisciplinary skills to understand the upstream, population-level factors that affect the health and well-being of youth. To achieve success as an independent scholar and researcher, this K01 will provide skills for the PI to become a multimethod investigator, examining the social and population-level interventions that contribute to youth mental health disparities, and to inform population-level and community-engaged prevention.
