Background Mindfulness-based interventions have been shown to improve psychological outcomes including stress, anxiety, and depression in general population studies. However, effectiveness has not been sufficiently examined in racially and ethnically diverse community-based settings. We will evaluate the effectiveness and implementation of a mindfulness-based intervention on depressive symptoms among predominantly Black women at a Federally Qualified Health Center in a metropolitan city. Methods In this 2-armed, stratified, individually randomized group-treated controlled trial, 274 English-speaking participants with depressive symptoms ages 18–65 years old will be randomly assigned to (1) eight weekly, 90-min group sessions of a mindfulness-based intervention (M-Body), or (2) enhanced usual care. Exclusion criteria include suicidal ideation in 30 days prior to enrollment and regular (>4x/week) meditation practice. Study metrics will be assessed at baseline and 2, 4, and 6 months after baseline, through clinical interviews, self-report surveys, and stress biomarker data including blood pressure, heart rate, and stress related biomarkers. The primary study outcome is depressive symptom score after 6 months. Discussion If M-Body is found to be an effective intervention for adults with depressive symptoms, this accessible, scalable treatment will widely increase access to mental health treatment in underserved, racial/ethnic minority communities. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03620721. Registered on 8 August 2018.

Background. Mindfulness-based interventions have been shown to improve psychological outcomes including stress, anxiety and depression in general population studies. However, effectiveness has not been sufficiently examined in racially and ethnically diverse community based settings. We will evaluate the effectiveness and implementation of a mindfulness-based intervention on depressive symptoms among predominantly Black women at a Federally Qualified Health Center in a metropolitan city. Methods. In this 2-armed, stratified, individually-randomized group-treated controlled trial, 274 English-speaking participants with depressive symptoms ages 18–65 years old will be randomly assigned to (1) eight weekly, 90-minute group sessions of a mindfulness-based intervention (M-Body), or (2) enhanced usual care. Exclusion criteria include suicidal ideation in 30 days prior to enrollment and regular (> 4x/week) meditation practice. Study metrics will be assessed at baseline, and 2, 4, and 6 months after baseline, through clinical interviews, self-report surveys, and stress biomarker data including blood pressure, heart rate, and stress related biomarkers. The primary study outcome is depressive symptom score after 6 months. Discussion. If M-Body is found to be an effective intervention for adults with depressive symptoms, this accessible, scalable treatment will widely increase access to mental health treatment in underserved, racial/ethnic minority communities. Trial Registration. ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03620721. Registered on 8, August, 2018.

Purpose: This study assessed the perspectives of pregnant and postpartum African immigrant women on mental illness. Methods: We conducted a focus group session ( n =14) among pregnant and postpartum African immigrant women in June 2020. We used an inductive driven thematic analysis to identify themes related to mental health stigma. Results: Five core themes emerged: conceptualization of mental health, community stigmatizing attitudes, biopsychosocial stressors, management of mental health, and methods to reduce stigma. Conclusion: Understanding the perspectives of pregnant African immigrant women at the intersection of their race, ethnicity, gender, and migration are necessary to improve engagement with mental health services.

We conducted a cross-sectional analysis in a convenient sample of Black adults in the United States ( n = 269, ages 18–65) from diverse ethnic backgrounds (African-Americans, African immigrants, Afro-Caribbean immigrants). We examined mean differences in self-reported medical mistrust, use of mental health services, depression symptom severity, mental health knowledge and stigma behavior (or a desire for separation away from people living with a mental illness) according to ethnicity, citizenship status, age group, and gender. African Americans with moderate to severe depression symptoms had greater stigma behavior (mean = 12.2, SD = 3.2) than African Americans who screened in the minimal to mild depression range (mean = 13.1, SD = 3.5). Across the spectrum of depression, immigrants showed greater stigma than African Americans ( p = 0.037). This is a pilot study that explores heterogeneity in the Black population in depression symptom severity and psychosocial factors related to mental health. Understanding these differences may contribute to how we approach needs and health system practices and policies at the individual, systemic, and structural level of mental health care.