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The prevalence and impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on the mental health of college students is a growing concern. According to Butler and Kaplow (2019), college students with a history of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are at a higher risk for developing mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. The proposed grant aims to provide support and resources for college students affected by ACEs using a trauma-informed approach, which recognizes...

My grant proposal focuses on educating obstetricians and gynecologists about adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and trauma-informed care. Obstetricians and gynecologists (OB/GYN) lack clarity on identifying and addressing patients’ trauma symptoms and experiences (Nagle-Yang et al., 2022). Physicians using trauma-informed care during patient examinations can help promote mental health in patients and prevent re-traumatization in some (Hall et al., 2021). This program will host biweekly...

Instances of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) such as experiencing violence, and abuse are connected to mental health illness in adulthood (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020). The Hispanic community is a heterogenous and growing population in the United States (U.S.). This group is estimated to be 30% of the U.S. population by 2060 (Colby & Ortman, 2015). Hispanics face social, legal, and economic adversities (Vega et al., 2009) which affect their overall health and...

My grant proposal focuses on a trauma-informed and primary prevention program for ACEs by addressing poverty, a prominent risk factor for ACEs and trauma, through providing a guaranteed livable wage/universal livable income to impoverished families residing in Gainesville, FL. The program partners with the Central Florida Community Action Agency (CFCAA), a non-profit community-based organization working to reduce poverty and increase self-sufficiency among low-income families in multiple...

In Weld County, Colorado, 5.5 out of every 1,000 children experienced out-of-home placement in 2018 due to involvement with the child welfare system for concerns of abuse or neglect (CO Children’s Campaign, 2020). When a child is placed into a home other than that of their nuclear family, it inflicts trauma on the whole family unit (Casey Family Programs, 2018). One significant predictor of the perpetration of child abuse is the parent having experienced abuse as a child (Anderson et al.,...

The overall age-adjusted death rate in rural areas has been greater than that of urban areas over the last two decades (Garcia, 2017; Moy 2017). Alachua County reported the county experienced an age adjusted death rate of 764.8 deaths per 100,000 in 2018, about 80 more deaths than the Florida average of 679.4 deaths per 100,000 for the same year (Florida Department of Health, 2020). A confluence of predisposing and reinforcing psychological and socioeconomic risk factors at the individual,...

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...