Latinx LGBTQ Youth, COVID-19, and Psychological Well-Being: A Systematic Review

OBJECTIVE

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Latinx youth report high rates of negative mental health outcomes such as anxiety and depression. Similarly, research with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) youth have documented increased negative mental health outcomes such as depression and anxiety as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the current literature has yet to systematically uncover the intersectional experiences of Latinx LGBTQ youth during this time.

METHOD

We conducted a systematic review to uncover the experiences of Latinx LGBTQ youth during the pandemic. Our systematic review resulted in 14 empirical studies that explored the challenges, stressors, and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Latinx LGBTQ youth.

RESULTS

Findings revealed that most studies include cisgender, gender binary, heterosexual, Latinx youth. Findings across studies include: (a) impact from school closures, (b) pandemic stressors, (c) impact from online media, (d) family and Latinx cultural values as a source of support and stress, and (e) the implementation and evaluation of interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

DISCUSSION

We provide recommendations for clinicians working with Latinx LGBTQ youth including expanding their knowledge about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on these communities, considering the experiences of Latinx LGBTQ youth as multifaceted, and considering the role of heterogeneity in the mental health of Latinx LGBTQ Youth.

COVID-19 Economic and Academic Stress on Mexican American Adolescents' Psychological Distress: Parents as Essential Workers

OBJECTIVES

In a sample of Mexican American adolescents (N = 398; 51% females; aged 13-17), we examined the associations between psychological distress, COVID-19 household economic stress, COVID-19 academic stress, and whether these associations varied by adolescents' gender and by parents/caregivers' essential worker status.

METHOD

First, linear regression models assessed the main effects of household economic and academic stress on psychological distress. Second, the moderating effects of gender and parents/caregivers' essential worker status on the association between household economic and academic stress, and psychological distress were examined. Third, the three-way interaction effect of household economic stress, gender, and parents/caregivers' essential worker status on psychological distress as well as the three-way interaction effect of academic stress, gender, and parents/caregivers' essential worker status on psychological distress were calculated.

RESULTS

Household economic and academic stress were associated with psychological distress. However, these associations did not vary based on adolescents' gender or parents/caregivers' essential worker status. The three-way interaction for household economic stress, parents/caregivers' essential worker status, and gender for psychological distress was significant. Specifically, the effects of household economic stress on psychological distress was worse for boys than girls whose parents/caregivers were essential workers. Furthermore, the three-way interaction among academic stress, parents/caregivers' essential worker status, and gender was significant. Particularly, the effects of academic stress when grades were worse on adolescents' psychological distress was worse for boys than girls whose parents/caregivers were essential workers.

CONCLUSION

Parents/caregivers' essential worker status was salient among Mexican American adolescents' mental health outcomes during COVID-19, particularly for adolescent boys.

Taking Action towards an Inclusive Career Counselling for Asylum Seekers and Refugees-A Literature Review Based on the PRISMA Model

Over the past decade, scholarly attention has increasingly focused on what is known as the 'refugee gap', which refers to the great difficulty asylum seekers and refugees face in entering the labour market in the host country. This poses a grave threat of social and occupational marginalisation for this group and highlights the role of systemic factors in facilitating resilience outcomes. By adopting a systemic perspective, this research aims to provide a critical reflection on the key features that should be considered when designing and implementing effective career counselling interventions for asylum seekers and refugees. To this end, a systematic review of the international applied research published by October 2022 has been carried out, using the PRISMA model. The 20 selected publications are grouped according to three main career research strands that reflect the core aspects to be addressed within career interventions in order to assist asylum seekers and refugees in their life and career transition in the host country, namely (i) psychosocial resources, (ii) identity transformation processes, and (iii) lived experiences and meaning-making processes. The main findings of the studies are discussed by looking into common themes that emerge from the literature, namely challenges related to migration contexts, self-regulating personal resources and skills, and sense of self and identity in career transitions, as well as considerations on the design aspects of career counselling and research targeting As&R. Finally, some guidelines and directions for action are provided for the purpose of developing inclusive career counselling interventions for As&R.

Youth Perceptions of Their Futures, Society, and the Work Landscape: A Psychology of Working Perspective

In recognition of growing economic inequality and rapid transformation in the world of work, we seek to understand how young people perceive their futures to develop career development education that supports both personal goals and promotes social and economic justice. Thirty-six students attending high-performing high schools in the United States ( n = 19) and Israel ( n = 17) were interviewed to assess their espoused future plans and conceptions of work and society. Consistent with the psychology of working theory, students' plans were reflective of the social, economic, national, and historical contexts in which they are embedded. US and Israeli students expressed optimism and anxieties about their futures, along with recognition of social and economic inequalities and limited motivation and awareness of how to effect social change. The findings are discussed with regard to implications for career development education and the promotion of social and economic justice.

Grasping at the Root: Transforming Counseling Psychology

In her 2022 Society of Counseling Psychology (SCP) Presidential Address, Amy L. Reynolds reflects on the need for transformation within counseling psychology through critical consciousness and radical action. With a focus on transforming our curriculum, centering Indigenous people and perspectives, and disrupting anti-Black racism and white supremacy in SCP policies, structures, and practice, Reynolds proposes using reparations and accountability as critical frameworks for counseling psychology.