Social stigma and negative consequences: factors that influence college students' decisions to seek testing for sexually transmitted infections

College students often delay or avoid seeking testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), even if the services are readily available. We used in-depth, semistructured interviews to survey 41 college students aged 18 to 23 years about factors that influence decisions about STI testing. We grouped statements into 9 themes that represent influences on the decision. The most frequently mentioned factors were negative consequences of testing and perceived vulnerability to infection; other issues that influenced decision making included perceived benefits, perceived severity of diseases, public knowledge and opinion, social norms, provider characteristics, test-site characteristics, and personal considerations. Social stigmas and negative consequences appear to represent significant barriers to college students' being tested, which could increase the risk of spreading infections to others. Clinicians and health educators should raise students' awareness of the need for screening and should work to reduce the barriers to screening, including social stigmas and negative consequences.     

On their own: The experiences of youth after foster care

This study used multiple means to identify 55 young adults who had left foster care in recent years. The young adults who had all emancipated from foster care under the auspices of social services were most often identified by former foster parents, social workers, or other foster youth. This sample of former foster youth are often struggling with ill health, poor educations, severe housing problems, substance abuse, and criminal behavior. Yet the youth in this sample may be surviving more ably than the many former foster youth whom we could not reach.The author thanks Rich Clarke, Pat Lovelock and Sharon Ikami. This study was prepared under Contra Costa County Contract #20-719.     

Beating the blues: Cognitive-behavioral treatment for depression in child-maltreating young mothers

Young mothers are at risk for depression. The article first reviews research on social and cognitive risk factors for depression and then considers the relationship between depression and child maltreatment. Cognitive-behavioral casework techniques that may improve social integration and self-management—mitigators of depression—are detailed. Finally, a case study demonstrates the use of these techniques with a depressed and maltreating mother.I am indebted to Joni Hardcastle, Andre Ivanoff, Rita Marlow, and Josie Solseng Maxwell for their contributions to the development and testing of the methods herein described and to Victoria Velasquez for permission to use the case study. I am grateful to Steven Paul Schinke and the staff of Social Work Research, Child Development and Mental Retardation Center, University of Washington, for their support of this project and the William T. Grant Foundation for funding this work and for their commitment to improving the mental health care of young people. Special thanks to Pixie Reiten and Mary Ann Liebert. For assistance preparing this article I thank Jordana Ash, Lorretta Morales Dodson, Christine Frazita, Lois Holt, Vicki Keller and Sharon Ikami.