Sylvanna M Vargas
Biographic Data
| ID | 654368 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Sylvanna M Vargas |
| GIVEN NAMES | Sylvanna M |
| FAMILY NAME | Vargas |
| SIGNATURE | VARGAS S M |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Southern California |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-6824-1842 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 11 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 8 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 11 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2015 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Coethnic neighborhoods may lose their protective shield for Black and Latinx sexual minorities who experience intersectional discrimination
Cultural pathways to psychosis care: Patient and caregiver narratives from Puebla, Mexico
The current study used the McGill Illness Narrative Interview (MINI) to explore patients' ( n = 6) and caregivers' ( n = 3) narratives about how they identified and sought care for psychosis. Participants were recruited from an outpatient clinic at the Hospital Psiquiátrico Dr. Rafael Serrano , a public psychiatric hospital in Puebla, Mexico. All participants consented to complete semi-structured interviews in Spanish. Thematic analyses were used…
Depression, Perceived Burdensomeness, Thwarted Belongingness, and Suicide Risk Trajectories among Emerging Adults during the Early Covid-19 Pandemic
Introduction: This longitudinal study examined trajectories of depression, perceived burdensomeness (PB), thwarted belongingness (TB), and suicidality among emerging adults (18-24 years old) during the early COVID-19 pandemic. Demographic and contextual differences were explored. The study also examined how COVID-related stressors predicted mental health trajectories over time. Methods: One hundred ninety-eight participants completed three waves …
Practitioner Review: Common elements in treatments for youth suicide attempts and self‐harm – a practitioner review based on review of treatment elements associated with intervention benefits
BACKGROUND: Adopting a common elements approach, this practitioner review aims to highlight specific treatment elements that are common to interventions with demonstrated benefits in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for reducing suicide attempts and self-harm in youth. Identification of common treatment elements among effective interventions offers a key strategy for clarifying the most robust features of effective interventions and improving …
Worse for girls: Gender differences in discrimination as a predictor of suicidality among Latinx youth
INTRODUCTION: Gender and ethnic differences exist in suicidal ideation, plan, and attempt among adolescents in the U.S. However, limited research has used theoretically-informed approaches to integrate how cultural and classic risk factors together account for suicide-related pathways among vulnerable populations. Informed by the interpersonal theory of suicide, the present cross-sectional study examined gender differences in the association betw…
Engaging LGBTQ Communities in Community-Partnered Participatory Research: Lessons from the Resilience Against Depression Disparities Study
This project's engagement plan demonstrates that community-academic partnerships can be forged to create and modify existing study models for LGBTQ communities
Depression at the Intersection of Race/Ethnicity, Sexual Orientation, and Income
The current study uses an intersectional framework to examine subgroup differences in the prevalence of depression among a community sample of predominantly low-income, racial/ethnic and sexual minority adults. Between May 2017-June 2018, participants (N=1753) were recruited from and screened for depression in community organizations that predominantly serve sexual minority clients based in Los Angeles, California and New Orleans, Louisiana. Twen…
A critical review of current evidence on multiple types of discrimination and mental health
Little is known about people who experience multiple types of discrimination (e.g., racism and heterosexism). While some work suggests that multiply discriminated groups are at higher risk for poor mental health, other studies propose that they may develop resilience against additional kinds of discrimination. We conducted a review of published studies on the relationship between multiple types of discrimination and mental health to critically ex…
The Role of Cultural Values in the Folk Psychiatry Explanatory Framework: A Comparison of Chinese- and Euro-Canadians
The Folk Psychiatry (FP) model proposes a process through which people understand mental illness, comprising four dimensions: pathologizing, moralizing, psychologizing, and medicalizing. Cultural group differences have been observed in previous research using part of this model, with one prior study suggesting that adherence to cultural values may partly explain these differences. The current study, therefore, evaluated whether horizontal–vertica…
Measuring Congruence in Problem Definition of Latino Patients and Their Psychotherapists: An Exploratory Study
The current study developed a mixed-methods coding scheme to explore the degree of correspondence between Latino patients’ and their psychotherapists’ descriptions of the presenting problems. We interviewed 34 patients and clinicians (17 dyads) following an initial therapy session. Using a theoretical thematic approach, we generated a list of problem areas reported in participants’ descriptions. Independent coders reliably rated the presence and …
Toward a cultural adaptation of pharmacotherapy: Latino views of depression and antidepressant therapy
Relative to non-Latino Whites, Latinos in the United States with major depressive disorder (MDD) show low engagement in antidepressant therapy, whether engagement is defined as pharmacotherapy access, medication initiation, pill-taking, or treatment retention. One potential reason for this disparity in depression care is the low cultural congruence of pharmacotherapy for this population. To examine Latinos' views of depression and antidepressant …
Toward a cultural adaptation of pharmacotherapy: Latino views of depression and antidepressant therapy
Relative to non-Latino Whites, Latinos in the United States with major depressive disorder (MDD) show low engagement in antidepressant therapy, whether engagement is defined as pharmacotherapy access, medication initiation, pill-taking, or treatment retention. One potential reason for this disparity in depression care is the low cultural congruence of pharmacotherapy for this population. To examine Latinos' views of depression and antidepressant …
Engaging LGBTQ Communities in Community-Partnered Participatory Research: Lessons from the Resilience Against Depression Disparities Study
This project's engagement plan demonstrates that community-academic partnerships can be forged to create and modify existing study models for LGBTQ communities
Toward a cultural adaptation of pharmacotherapy: Latino views of depression and antidepressant therapy
Relative to non-Latino Whites, Latinos in the United States with major depressive disorder (MDD) show low engagement in antidepressant therapy, whether engagement is defined as pharmacotherapy access, medication initiation, pill-taking, or treatment retention. One potential reason for this disparity in depression care is the low cultural congruence of pharmacotherapy for this population. To examine Latinos' views of depression and antidepressant …
The Role of Cultural Values in the Folk Psychiatry Explanatory Framework: A Comparison of Chinese- and Euro-Canadians
The Folk Psychiatry (FP) model proposes a process through which people understand mental illness, comprising four dimensions: pathologizing, moralizing, psychologizing, and medicalizing. Cultural group differences have been observed in previous research using part of this model, with one prior study suggesting that adherence to cultural values may partly explain these differences. The current study, therefore, evaluated whether horizontal–vertica…
Measuring Congruence in Problem Definition of Latino Patients and Their Psychotherapists: An Exploratory Study
The current study developed a mixed-methods coding scheme to explore the degree of correspondence between Latino patients’ and their psychotherapists’ descriptions of the presenting problems. We interviewed 34 patients and clinicians (17 dyads) following an initial therapy session. Using a theoretical thematic approach, we generated a list of problem areas reported in participants’ descriptions. Independent coders reliably rated the presence and …
A critical review of current evidence on multiple types of discrimination and mental health
Little is known about people who experience multiple types of discrimination (e.g., racism and heterosexism). While some work suggests that multiply discriminated groups are at higher risk for poor mental health, other studies propose that they may develop resilience against additional kinds of discrimination. We conducted a review of published studies on the relationship between multiple types of discrimination and mental health to critically ex…
Worse for girls: Gender differences in discrimination as a predictor of suicidality among Latinx youth
INTRODUCTION: Gender and ethnic differences exist in suicidal ideation, plan, and attempt among adolescents in the U.S. However, limited research has used theoretically-informed approaches to integrate how cultural and classic risk factors together account for suicide-related pathways among vulnerable populations. Informed by the interpersonal theory of suicide, the present cross-sectional study examined gender differences in the association betw…
Engaging LGBTQ Communities in Community-Partnered Participatory Research: Lessons from the Resilience Against Depression Disparities Study
This project's engagement plan demonstrates that community-academic partnerships can be forged to create and modify existing study models for LGBTQ communities
Depression at the Intersection of Race/Ethnicity, Sexual Orientation, and Income
The current study uses an intersectional framework to examine subgroup differences in the prevalence of depression among a community sample of predominantly low-income, racial/ethnic and sexual minority adults. Between May 2017-June 2018, participants (N=1753) were recruited from and screened for depression in community organizations that predominantly serve sexual minority clients based in Los Angeles, California and New Orleans, Louisiana. Twen…
Depression, Perceived Burdensomeness, Thwarted Belongingness, and Suicide Risk Trajectories among Emerging Adults during the Early Covid-19 Pandemic
Introduction: This longitudinal study examined trajectories of depression, perceived burdensomeness (PB), thwarted belongingness (TB), and suicidality among emerging adults (18-24 years old) during the early COVID-19 pandemic. Demographic and contextual differences were explored. The study also examined how COVID-related stressors predicted mental health trajectories over time. Methods: One hundred ninety-eight participants completed three waves …
Practitioner Review: Common elements in treatments for youth suicide attempts and self‐harm – a practitioner review based on review of treatment elements associated with intervention benefits
BACKGROUND: Adopting a common elements approach, this practitioner review aims to highlight specific treatment elements that are common to interventions with demonstrated benefits in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for reducing suicide attempts and self-harm in youth. Identification of common treatment elements among effective interventions offers a key strategy for clarifying the most robust features of effective interventions and improving …
Cultural pathways to psychosis care: Patient and caregiver narratives from Puebla, Mexico
The current study used the McGill Illness Narrative Interview (MINI) to explore patients' ( n = 6) and caregivers' ( n = 3) narratives about how they identified and sought care for psychosis. Participants were recruited from an outpatient clinic at the Hospital Psiquiátrico Dr. Rafael Serrano , a public psychiatric hospital in Puebla, Mexico. All participants consented to complete semi-structured interviews in Spanish. Thematic analyses were used…
Coethnic neighborhoods may lose their protective shield for Black and Latinx sexual minorities who experience intersectional discrimination
Psychology (10 works) · Social Psychology (9 works) · Clinical Psychology (8 works) · Psychiatry (8 works) · Medicine (6 works) · Mental health (5 works) · Ethnic group (4 works) · Mental Health Treatment and Access (4 works) · LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy (3 works) · Racial and Ethnic Identity Research (3 works)