Witnessing for Black mental health: Formative steps for designing a community-based mental health education intervention
Year: 2024
Type: preprint
Abstract: Following the May 14, 2022, racially motivated mass shooting killing 10 Black members of the Buffalo, New York, community, mental health care was found to be the most frequently endorsed unmet need among Black community members surveyed. In response, a community-university partnership formed in pursuit of developing culturally and racially sensitive mental health programming. The partnership conducted community-engaged research to understand diverse stakeholders’ relevant concerns, beliefs, and preferences. In Study 1, experienced community health workers (n=13; 92% Black; 100% women; 23–78 years old) participated in one-on-one semi-structured interviews. In Study 2, community members (n=54; 100% Black; 63% women, 31% men, 6% gender not reported; 18–91 years old) participated in focus groups. In both studies, transcripts were coded using descriptive, semantic, realist thematic analysis. Across both studies, participants described cultural and material barriers to mental health care; systematic and interpersonal mental health risks; willingness to discuss mental health; and preferences and needs for mental health education and services. Results informed the partnership’s development of a pilot mental health education program, “Witnessing for Mental Health.” The community health worker–delivered program addresses participant-identified barriers to mental health care and leverages community preferences for mental health programming.
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
OpenAlex ID: W4403783072