April 2023

Rural Vermont youth have shown an increase in mental health disorders and anxiety, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. Normalizing the discussions surrounding mental health, resilience training, and mindfulness behaviors can start within the K-12 school systems by supporting educators and staff in these trauma-sensitive, responsive, and informed techniques. Implementation of a multi-tiered cross-functional approach to incorporating these topics into K-12 classrooms will be achieved...

Notably, living in a community with high rates of gun violence is associated with increased levels of trauma amongst youth (Rajan et al., 2019). Trauma is considered harmful social, physical, and/or spiritual impacts of an event on one's life (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMSHA], 2014). Given the community level trauma faced in Gainesville, it is important to increase community resilience especially amongst youth. Significant trauma in youth has been tied to...

The Asian American population has doubled in size from 2000 to 2019 and is estimated to reach more than 46 million by 2060 in the U.S. (Budiman & Ruiz, 2021). In North Carolina, the Asian American population has grown by 85% from 2000 to 2010, ranking the third highest rate among all states (Asian Americans in North Carolina, n.d.). Despite this growth, little is understood about Asian Americans and their experiences with trauma and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) due to the lack of...

Background Adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs, are defined as negative experiences that occur in childhood and affect children’s mental and physical health throughout their life (Felitti et al., 1998). While ACEs are prevalent among American youth, youth in Alachua County, FL experiences a disproportionate amount of ACEs (CDC, 2022b). In a study done by the Florida Department of Children and Families, researchers found that 69.2% of Alachua high school students had experienced at least...

In Alachua County, teenage obesity rates have gradually risen since 2008, with nearly 80% of the teenage populace reporting low physical activity levels (University of Florida & Conduent Healthy Communities Institute, 2022). The response to this concern can be straightforward; encourage teens to get up, get outside, and get active. As simple as this may be, Alachua County teens are confronted with another grim reality about their community: community violence. Because Alachua County has...

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a virus that attacks the immune system by decreasing the number of healthy white blood cells in the body (CDC, 2022a). In 2020, 30,636 people in the United States (US) were diagnosed with HIV (CDC, 2022b). In 2019, there were 34,800 new HIV diagnoses in the US, of which 70% or 24,500 were from same-gender-loving (SGL) men (CDC, 2022c, & HIV, 2022). Unfortunately, SGL men are disproportionally impacted by HIV, with black men being diagnosed at a...

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and trauma have a profound impact on a child's physical, mental, and emotional well-being. The most recent census reported that 13.3% of residents in Osceola County, Florida, fall within the poverty level ( U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Osceola County, Florida , n.d.). Low-income families are at higher risk of experiencing ACEs and trauma, which can lead to lifelong health consequences, that perpetuate cycles of poverty. Raising awareness and providing...

LOQuYSIF aims to connect existing resources in Florida – foster organizations, mental health services, academic counselors, career planners, and legal services – to serve queer youth facing homelessness. Primary outcomes for LOQuYSIF include reducing homelessness, increasing the number of foster homes for queer youth, reducing queer youth in the juvenile justice system because of homelessness, advocating for policy change, increasing self-efficacy, and improving emotional regulation abilities.

Oral health is vital to systemic health and quality of life (Kabani et al., 2018). Despite Alachua County having Florida’s only state funded dental school, rates of negative dental disease are higher than other counties (Tomar, 2018). In a 2018 annual screening of all Alachua County public school third graders, between 20-60% had untreated dental caries (Tomar, 2018). In one school, over 20% of children needed urgent care due to clinical signs of infection or toothache (Tomar, 2018). Rates...

According to Beck et al. (2009) and Karsten et al. (2019), people with a history of ACEs, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and childhood maltreatment, are highlighted to have increased chronic pelvic pain (CPP) and pelvic floor dysfunction. Sexual abuse, violence, and childhood maltreatment events are reported to be linked to CPP, which is associated with various diseases and dysfunctions such as dyspareunia (painful sex), vulvodynia, interstitial cystitis, gastrointestinal disorders,...