Global Journal of Community Psychology Practice

Volume 14, No. 3

DOI:https://doi.org/10.17161/gjcpp.v14i3

Published October 30, 2023

Articles

  1. Jennifer M. Gómez and Robert Ty Partridge

    Jennifer M. Gómez, Robert Ty Partridge

    But Is It Okay? The Need to Still Ask Black/African American Mothers About Violence Exposure During The COVID-19 Worldwide Pandemic

    Black/African American communities endure the double pandemic of COVID-19 and police- and civilian-perpetrated anti-Black violence, with Black/African American mothers at risk for exposure to violence in the home. Questions remain about the potential harm in asking about violence exposure, particularly in the current climate. The purpose of the study is to examine Black/African American mothers’ reactions to participating in violence research during the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. Participants (N = 127; Age: M = 32.46 years, SD = 5.61 years) were Black/African American mothers living in an urban, predominantly Black city in the Midwestern U.S. who completed online measures of exposure to violence before, during, and after shelter-in-place orders, as well as their reactions to participating in violence research. We found that the majority of participants did not find participation more distressing than other day to day experiences, with 100% of those with violence histories reporting such research is important. The current study’s findings can promote inclusion of violence measures in research and healthcare settings, with results guiding trauma-informed care for Black/African American mothers.

  2. Amanda L. Davis , Neshat Yazdani , Mariah Kornbluh , and Samuel D. McQuillin

    Amanda L. Davis, Neshat Yazdani, Mariah Kornbluh, Samuel D. McQuillin

    Exploring the Impact of Natural Mentors on Sociopolitical Stress: Implications for Educators and Youth Workers

    Aims: This study examines college students’ access to natural mentors during the contentious 2020 U.S. presidential election and considers the role of natural mentors as protective factors in relation to coping and sociopolitical stress.

    Methods: Data were collected from 588 students between the ages of 18 and 29 who were enrolled at 10 institutions of higher education across the U.S. at the time of data collection. Chi-square tests of independence explored differences in access to mentors. T-tests examined differences in sociopolitical stress and coping between those with and without mentors, and multivariable regressions examined whether relationship characteristics influenced these associations.

    Results: Findings indicated significant differences in access to mentors based on gender, religion, and political affiliation. Furthermore, results indicated that mentored college students reported higher levels of coping. Relationship characteristics did not affect these associations.

    Conclusion: Results highlight global implications for community practitioners as they support young adults’ civic engagement in divisive sociopolitical climates, especially as elections become increasingly polarizing on a global scale.

  3. Cover Image

    Stephen J. Almada, Gina Panozzo

    Is Marketing an Adverse Childhood Experience? Practical Implications and Suggestions for Community Psychologists

    Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) have negative health effects on children that last a lifetime, heighten risks of premature mortality, and are likely to be passed on to subsequent generations. The causes of ACEs are both domestic and community-based. Marketing of the Western lifestyle and diet is an unrecognized but ubiquitous community cause of ACEs. The potential for ACEs is inherent in marketing designed to maximize gains that serve the self-interest of economic actors by exploiting children’s vulnerability. Using classical conditioning, marketing produces a consumer placebo effect that develops into a lasting belief in consumerism as a means to feeling healthy and happy.

    Despite public health policies to protect children from the ACEs of marketing and promote positive childhood experiences, political opposition to mandating these policies prevails and the governments’ duty to protect the health rights of children goes unfulfilled. The combination of unregulated neoliberal economic power and government inaction renews the call for a public health revolution to protect and promote the health of children, families, communities, humanity, and the planet. The psychosocial demands of organizing and implementing this public health revolution make community psychologists ideal candidates to lead the way in this important endeavor.

  4. Ray Legler

    Ray Legler

    The Pathways to Success Project

    This paper describes the Pathways to Success Project (PSP), which was designed to help students in a low-income community in Chicago more easily navigate the transition from high school to postsecondary education. Statistics from Chicago Public Schools show that only about two-thirds of high school graduates enroll in post-secondary education. This can leave many students ill equipped to succeed in our skills-based economy, and contribute to the ongoing problems of unemployment and poverty. Programs that provide support for students as they work to enroll in a college, university, or career/technical school can be effective at facilitating this transition and helping students gain the skills they need to compete in the 21st century workforce. In addition, collaboration that builds connections between the K-12 system, colleges and universities, and local businesses and organizations, can create a system of support for such programs and further ease for students the process of transition from school to employment. The pilot intervention described here built on existing college and career activities in 3 local high schools and engaged an existing community-based collaborative (the Bronzeville Community Action Council) to help address these issues. During the project, 202 students participated in 10 interactive visits to two local universities and two large, international corporations. Successes and challenges to implementing system-level change with high schools are discussed.

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