Social Justice Through Collaborative Research and Action

What is Community Psychology?

Social justice. Action-oriented research. Global in nature. Influencing public policy. Working for empowerment. Multidisciplinary in focus. Celebrating culture. Preventing harm. Behavior in context. Social action. Supporting community strengths. Reducing oppression. Promoting well-being. Scientific inquiry. Honoring human rights. Respecting diversity.

Community psychology goes beyond an individual focus and integrates social, cultural, economic, political, environmental, and international influences to promote positive change, health, and empowerment at individual and systemic levels.

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Featured New Content

Immigrants Who Actively Participate in Receiving Communities have Better Mental Health

Posted in: Marginalized Groups, Sense of Community | Tags:
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Active community participation is positively associated with a sense of community and adding value which, in turn, increases immigrant wellbeing. Supporting organizations in their outreach to immigrants and promoting their active engagement in the community can contribute to support immigrant mental health.

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Counterspaces: Fostering Healthy Identity Development

Posted in: Anti-Racism, Education, Marginalized Groups, Sense of Community | Tags:
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The Cultural Identity Project facilitated a space where students spoke to their own empowering actions developing from critical awareness, healing, and solidarity. People with power in any system must work to uproot oppression for spaces to live up to their potential.

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The Power of Policy: Business Closures in Rural Communities

Posted in: Poverty and Socioeconomic Status, Rural Communities | Tags:
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Twenty percent of the population, or one out of five people, live in rural USA, where the rural population holds 12.4 percent of the manufacturing jobs. Deciding what to do with closed plants or manufacturers is an environmental issue and a public health issue. Outside of the immediate loss of jobs, the impact of closures […]

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Blog: We Said It’d be Meaningful Not Easy: Navigating the (Unexpected) Hardships of Qualitative Research

Posted in: Blog, Children, Youth and Families, Prevention Science | Tags:
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The Hope Resilience Action Study was developed by Black and Latina women scholars to amplify the lived experiences of Afro Latina/Caribbean, Black, and Latina girls. The study required review by the institutional review board (IRB). The IRB reviewers shared concerns about inclusive definitions of gender and sexual orientation. This is what we did next.

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Intersectionality & Ecological Systems Theory (Spanish Language)

Posted in: Environment, Public Policy | Tags:
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Carlos and his colleagues apply psychological theory to practice. As a result, he and his colleagues advance genuine and sustainable change alongside the Mapuche people.

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Disaggregating the Term AAPI for Nuanced Mental Health Research

Posted in: Marginalized Groups, Mental Health | Tags:
Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) is an umbrella term that includes fifty different ethnic groups speaking over one hundred languages. There is profound diversity and unique experiences among AAPIs including historical trauma and mental health care needs. Mental health research today addresses the AAPIs as a monolith and obscures the complex diversity of the […]

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Featured Research

Supports that White Mentors and BIPOC Mentees Need

Posted in: Children, Youth and Families, Marginalized Groups | Tags:
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There is often a mismatch between volunteer mentors’ backgrounds and the diverse youth they serve. Anti-racism training and applying a social justice framework throughout the mentor-mentee relationship may be important to their success.

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Colonial Ideologies are Embedded in Unreturned Cultural Artifacts

Posted in: Anti-Racism, Sense of Community | Tags:
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Cultural heritage is often found in the museums of colonizers. Returning historical artifacts to their rightful, original home is an important step to restoring that cultural heritage. A shift in thinking removes the colonizer’s viewpoint and replaces it with reclamation of indigenous history and pride.

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Intimate Partner Violence in People Who are Non-Cisgender and/or Heterosexual

Posted in: Marginalized Groups, Uncategorized, Violence Prevention | Tags:
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Social stigma puts LGBTQ+ people at a greater risk for IPV. IPV is under-reported in all groups, and this may be particularly true in the LGBTQ+ community. IPV can present differently in the LGBTQ+ community and therefore explicit and inclusive training for behavioral health professionals is needed.

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“At Risk” Framing of Black Youth Can Fuel Anti-Blackness in Research and Practice

Posted in: Anti-Racism, Children, Youth and Families | Tags:
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To counteract the effects of racism, community practitioners and researchers must take intentional steps to address common expectations for Black youth. Emphasizing Black youths and Black communities’ strengths and supporting their agency are essential.

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Physical Space Impacts the Founding of Sexual Assault Cases

Posted in: Criminal Justice, Marginalized Groups | Tags:
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Physical space can affect police decisions in sexual assault cases. Communities with a greater number of Black, Latinx, and Asian residents, as well as wealthier communities, had higher rates of founding, but the effect was geographically uneven. Interventions addressing gender-based violence and systemic biases are needed so lower-resourced individuals or individuals part of minoritized groups […]

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Housing…A Human Right and Path to Well-Being and Empowerment

Posted in: Housing, Poverty and Socioeconomic Status | Tags:
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Shortcomings in public housing should be addressed to promote social participation and well-being. Findings from six different housing sites underline the importance of investing in better building materials, increased maintenance, and community organization to support public housing tenants’ participation.

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