Publications

Recent Publications

Addressing disparities involves insuring access to preventive and treatment-focused mental healthcare and applying cultural humility in clinical and community settings. The authors add to the reviewed literature by highlighting interventions that are population-based, culturally grounded, and focused on indigenous youth. Guerrero, A. P., Chock S Lee, A. K., Sugimoto-Matsuda, J., & Kelly A. S. (2019). Mental health disparities, mechanisms, and intervention strategies: perspective from Hawai'i. Current opinion in psychiatry, 32(6), 549-556.
The process of infusing implementation strategies in the development of a school-based drug prevention curriculum for rural Native Hawaiian youth is described. The curriculum (Ho'ouna Pono) is a video-enhanced, teacher-implemented curriculum developed using a culturally grounded and community-based participatory research approach and validated through qualitative data across two interrelated studies with community stakeholders in rural Hawaii. Implications for prevention, community, and educational practices are shared. Okamoto S. K. Helm, S., Chin S. K. Hata, J., Hata, E., & Okamura, K. H. 2020). The implementation of a culturally grounded, school-based, drug prevention curriculum in rural Hawai'i. Journal of Community Psychology, 48(4), 1085-1099.
Within the context of Hawaii and Native Hawaiian history, the emergence and conceptual orientation of culture-based addiction treatment is contextualized. In discussing substance use disorder treatment in the Hawaiian context, insights and perspective consider cultural-political trauma a key factor in developing a beneficial framework of practice. Contemporary culturally-based design and service delivery is not aligned with the objective of specifically improving treatment for Native Hawaiian. Williams, I L., Laenui, P. Makini Jr, G.K., & Rezente III, W. C. (2020). Native Hawaiian culturally based treatment: Considerations and clarifications. Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse, 1-35.
Evidence suggests that interdisciplinary care leads to improvements in patient care and efficiency. To determine whether integrating inpatient hospital behavioral health services would result in improved perceptions of patient care and efficiency, team members were surveyed after integration on measures of patient care, efficiency, and personal satisfaction. Overall satisfaction was high. The results suggest integration of behavioral health services improves individual perceptions of patient care, efficiency, and satisfaction. Agapoff, J. R., Goebert, D., Takeshita, J., Kracher, S., & Currivan, A. (2020). Improving Patient Care through Collaborative Consultation Integration: a Quality Improvement Initiative. The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research, 47(1), 139-145.
The way in which behavioral health interventions are designed, implemented, and evaluated must be responsive to the ethnocultural characteristics of the targeted youth and their families, schools, and communities. This article examines the relationship between ethnocultural identity measures and substance use among Native Hawaiian compared with non-Hawaiian youth. We found that selected ethnocultural variables were moderately associated with fewer drug offers and lower levels of gateway drug use for Hawaiian versus non-Hawaiian youth. Helm S., Hishinuma E., Okamoto S., Chin, S. K., & Silva A. (2019). The relationship between ethnocurtural identity measures and youth substance use among a school-based sample: A focus on Native Hawaiian youth. Asian American Journal of Psychology, 10(3), 206.
Treatment resistant depression is a significant source of morbidity and mortality. For patients having failed or unable to undergo the electroconvulsive therapy procedure few effective alternative treatments exist. A case series is presented. All six of our patient experienced clinical improvement with intravenous ketamine, with resolution of suicidality, increased food intake, and commitment to treatment adherence. Lu, B.Y., Agapoff, J. R., Olson, D.J., Williams, S. R., Roller, A., & Goebert, D. (2020}. Rapid and sustained improvement in treatment-refractory depression through use of acute intravenous ketamine and concurrent transdermal selegiline: A case series. Journal of affective disorders, 262, 40-42.
Suicide is a serious public health issue, particularly for Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islander youth living in rural communities in Hawaii. We used a strength-based, youth leadership approach to suicide prevention. Five themes emerged that fit with an adapted socio-ecological model framework, which included increased knowledge in suicide risk, pride in leadership identity, sense of positive relationships, positive affirmation from community members, and sustainability. Antonio, M.C., Chung-Do, J. J. Goebert, D. A., Bifulco, K., & Alvarez, A. R. (2020). A Qualitative Evaluation of the Impacts of a Strength-based and Youth-driven Approach to Suicide Prevention in Rural and Minority Communities in Hawaii. Hawaii Journal of Health & Social Welfare, 79(5 Supp 1), 96.
A "boot camp" or senior preparatory course can help to bridge the gap between knowledge and skills attained in required clerkships and residency expectations. An under-researched area is in interventions across specialties and with student confidence as the outcome. The robust increase in student confidence suggested that a multi-specialty, school-wide approach to a capstone curriculum should be considered by medical schools, which will not only benefit students but faculty as well. Len, K. A., Gavero, G. C., Savala, M. C. & Hishinuma, E. S. (2020). Multi-Specialty Boot Camp: Enhancing Student Confidence in Residency Preparation. Medical Science Educator, 1-9.
Mental health continues to be a significant concern both globally and locally in Hawaii, with nearly half of all mental illness beginning in childhood or adolescence. A shortage of mental health providers has led to less than a third of patients receiving appropriate and timely care. Primary care providers are often the first-line responders to untreated mental health conditions, but they are often underprepared to address these conditions. To help provider guidance, a child and adolescent mental health resource manual was developed, that is tailored to Hawaii. Sy-Layug, R., Yoshimoto, J., Goebert, D., Guerrero, A. P., & Alicata D. (2020). The Hawaii Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Resources for Primary Care: An Evidence-Informed Tool to Improve Quality of Care. Hawaii Journal of Health & Social Welfare, 79(5 Suppl 1), 76.
The development of the field of psychiatry with the evolution of patient safeguards is presented. They address the recent publicized events involving sexual harassment and abuse perpetrated by mental health service providers who have harmed youth who were under their direct psychiatric care. Recommendations are provided for primary care physicians and parents and legal guardians to further ensure patient safety. Makini Jr, G. K., Hishinuma, E. S., Guerrero, A. P., & Goebert, D. A. (2020). Protecting Youth In the Mental Health Service Settings. Hawai'i Journal of Health & Social Welfare, 79(5 Suppl 1), 80.
Resilience has conventionally focused on an individual's ability to overcome adversity. Despite the pressing need to address health disparities, minimal research examines resilience factors that serve as buffers for adverse experiences of Native Hawaiians. According to structural equation models, resilience slightly mediated and moderated the effect of adversity. These findings have implications for future research exploring resilience as a mediator or moderator of adversity among Native Hawaiians and emphasize a multi-faceted construct of resilience to promote better health outcomes. Antonio, M. C. Hishinuma, E. S., Ing C. T., Hamagami, F., Dillard, A., Kekauoha, B. P., & Kaholokula, J. K. (2020). A Resilience Model of Adult Native Hawaiian Health Utilizing a Newly Multi-Dimensional Scale. Behavioral Medicine, 1-20.
Increasing evidence indicates that youth leadership programs that hold youth as key stakeholders are successful for suicide prevention. This project served to evaluate a train-the-trainer program for youth and their supportive adults to promote individual and community well-being and to decrease suicide risks. Interventions centered on strength-based models of youth leadership promote healing and use of youth voices to prevent suicide in the community. Trinh, T., & Goebert, D. (2020). Youth Voice in Suicide Prevention in Hawai'i. Hawai'i Journal of Health & Social Welfare, 79(5 Suppl 1), 71.
books and book chapters

For a complete list of publications and presentations, link to the DoP Dissemination List.