Mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are disproportionately experienced by refugees who have often witnessed traumatic events in the process of fleeing their homelands. For many refugees these problems persist even after they have escaped the threat of persecution and physical harm through resettlement in a host country. The present study examined the effect of a group-based financial education program for Bhutanese refugee women who had been recently resettled in the United States. Participants were divided into three groups, two that were provided a version of the intervention and one that served as a control. Results from pre/post and follow-up assessments indicate that participants in both intervention groups experienced significantly less depression, anxiety, somatization, and PTSD symptoms at posttest and that these improvements in mental health status persisted at 3-month follow-up. Control participants' mental health symptoms became more severe over time. These results suggest that a structured group-based educational intervention can have a positive impact on the mental health of recently resettled refugees. Further, these results provide alarming evidence that without intervention, recently resettled refugees may actually experience declines in mental health status over time in their host country.

The connection between mental health and weather extremes is a public health concern, but less studied to date than physical health. This exploratory study examines the mental health impacts of two kinds of weather extremes increasingly linked to climate change—summer heat waves and extreme winter weather—in a low- to middle-income population in the Southeastern U.S. The distribution of mental health impacts, and potential pathways to them, are examined with a focus on race. Data are from a random-sample survey of 426 participants and are analyzed with bivariate statistics and path analysis. Self-reported mental health impacts, in both seasons, were common in our study, with White participants tending to report worse impacts than participants who identified with other racial groups. Physical health had direct effects on mental health across several models, overall and by racial group. For summer heat waves, concern about climate change and social cohesion had direct and indirect effects, respectively, on mental health in White participants only. For extreme winter weather, preparedness had a direct negative effect on mental health in White, but not Black, participants. Results suggest that there may be racial differences in the influence of human and social capital factors on mental health related to weather extremes, warranting further study of this critical topic and with larger racial subgroup samples.

Introduction: Female genital mutilation or cutting (FGM/C) is a public health problem. Approximately three million women and girls undergo FGM/C every year, worldwide. The purpose of the study was to assess the influence of education on hegemonic masculinity attitudes between male and female students and whether parental education differentiated the groups. Method: A cross-section design was used. Data were collected through a survey response from 338 students in May 2017. The data were analyzed using chi-square and correlational tests. Results: Education did not change the attitudes of students toward FGM/C (χ² = 3.64, p = .16); however, parental education had an influence on both male and female students’ attitudes toward FGM/C. Discussion: The study suggests that education alone may not be sufficient to end FGM/C practice. A comprehensive community-led strategy incorporating culturally congruent health care to involve multiple parties of health professionals, religious leaders, government, and policy makers may be needed to address the problem.