Research

Proyecto Esperanza

The goal of Proyecto Esperanza is to identifying avenues for alleviating mental health disparities among Latinx families using a community-engaged approach. We aim to understand challenges, sources of resilience, and avenues for seeking support within Latinx families in the state of Tennessee.

Raíz

The goal of Raíz is to better understand the effects of state-level (U.S.) structural ethnoracism and xenophobia on mental health outcomes among Latinx youths. We aim to understand how state-level differences in ethnoracism/xenophobia exposure relate to risk for youth adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), substance use, suicidality, and availability of language-accessible services. 

Heridas

The goal of Heridas is to adapt/translate measurement tools to assess ethno-racial trauma among Latinx youths and their caregivers that results from chronic exposure to discrimination, persecution, and threats of physical harm. We aim to adapt existing measurement tools used to assess ethno-racial trauma into a caregiver report questionnaire assessing ethno-racial trauma among youths. Scales will be translated into Spanish. 

ACT Guide for Immigrant Resilience 

The Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) Guide for Immigrant Resilience is an online self guided mental health intervention for young adults. The original ACT Guide was developed by Dr. Michael Levin and was then adapted for immigrant populations by a team led by José Manuel Gonzalez Vera and Dr. Melanie Domenech Rodríguez at USU. We will be translating and adapting the ACT Guide for Immigrant Resilience for young adults whose primary language is Spanish. Both English and Spanish language versions will be evaluated for feasibility and efficacy within a context with high immigration enforcement that limits access to traditional mental health services.  

Pathways to Latinx Mental Health

The goals of the Pathways to Latinx Mental Health study is to improve our understanding of factors contributing to disparities in mental health service access among Latinx youths. Phase 1 focused on youth mental health utilization patterns, preferences, and related correlates among Latinx caregivers. Phase 2 focused on perceptual barriers to care that prevent Latinx caregivers from accessing needed mental health services for their youths. Phase 3 (upcoming) will focus on the psychological well-being of Latinx caregivers.

Factors Affecting the Mental health and Intergenerational trauma among LatInx fAmilies: A Socioecological Exploration of Risk and Protective Factors (FAMILIA) 

The FAMILIA study is being conducted in collaboration with Dr. Lucybel Mendez and the Socioecological and Trauma-informed Adolescent Advocacy, Research, and Services (STAARS) Lab at UTK.The goal of the FAMILIA study is to understand the occurrence of the intergenerational transmission of trauma (ITT) from Latinx caregivers to youth, and the direct and interactional effects of putative risk and protective factors at various levels of the social ecology on ITT among Latinx families.

Machine Learning Approach to Studying the Intersection of SDoH, Physiological Psychological Well-being, and Academic Performance, and Subsequent Holistic Intervention Development (TennWell)

The TeenWell study is being conducted in collaboration with Drs. Ji Youn Yoo (PI, College of Nursing), Kristen Ravi (Co-PI, College of Social Work), Anujit Sarkar (Co-PI, College of Nursing), and Hyunhee Kim (Co-PI, Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling). We are partnering with Emerald Youth Foundation, local schools, and other community organizations for this research study examining how stress, trauma, and social determinants of health (SDoH) impact the psychological and physical well-being of adolescents aged 14–18 in East Tennessee—particularly how these factors influence school attendance and academic success. This research focuses on the gut microbiome’s role in mental and immune health and explores how chronic stress may disrupt this system, leading to increased health issues and educational challenges.

The study has two phases:

• Phase 1 involves collecting data on adolescents' SDoH, mental health, gut microbiome, and academic performance. Using machine learning and canonical correlation analysis, we aim to identify the strongest predictors of academic success.

• Phase 2 will use these findings to design targeted, data-driven interventions to support students' well-being and educational outcomes, with the goal of informing future community-based solutions.

Community-based Participatory Research

We are collaborating with community partners on projects aiming to address the needs of marginalized families in Tennessee.

Tennessee Justice Center 

We are collaborating with the Tennessee Justice Center (TJC) to address basic needs among marginalized families in Tennessee by promoting the use of Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). 

Cherokee Health Systems

We are also collaborating with Cherokee Health Systems as part of the UTK SPARK team to develop technology-based educational interventions to support pre- and post-natal health among undocumented and mixed status families in Eastern Tennessee. 

Centro Hispano de East Tennessee

We are also collaborating with Centro Hispano to provide secondary traumatic stress (STS) workshops and ongoing consultation for process groups with medical interpreter students in training at Centro Hispano. Part one of the project focuses on analyzing existing data collected through these process groups. We aim to assess students’ experiences of STS during their training, explore the effectiveness of process groups as a coping and support mechanism, and identify common themes in students’ reflections that can inform improvements to interpreter training programs and broader support services. Part two will involve online data collection with graduates of the medical interpreter program to better understand their experiences of STS symptoms, associated risk and protective factors, and preventative strategies. This phase will also assess the strengths and areas for improvement of the psychoeducational intervention implemented for STS (i.e., STS workshops and processing group) that was delivered to trainees in the program.