Amie Pollack

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Papers by Amie Pollack

Cultural Beliefs, Intimate Partner Violence and Mental Health Functioning among Vietnamese Women

International perspectives in psychology : research, practice, consultation, 2013

Intimate partner violence (IPV) against women occurs in all countries, with wide-ranging negative... more Intimate partner violence (IPV) against women occurs in all countries, with wide-ranging negative effects, including on mental health. IPV rates vary widely across countries, however, suggesting cultural factors may play a role in IPV. The primary purpose of the present study was to assess relations among IPV, mental health symptoms, and cultural beliefs among Vietnamese women, focusing on moderator effects of cultural beliefs on relations between IPV and mental health. IPV, anxious and depressive mental health symptoms, and culturally-related beliefs about IPV were cross-sectionally assessed in 105 married adult Vietnamese women randomly selected from public population registries in five provinces. IPV was significantly correlated with anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. Relations were moderated by wives' culturally-related beliefs about abuse (e.g., relations between IPV and mental health symptoms were smaller for women who believed that nothing could be done about abu...

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A nationally representative epidemiological and risk factor assessment of child mental health in Vietnam

International Perspectives in Psychology: Research, Practice, Consultation, 2014

As part of the global mental health movement’s focus on identifying and reducing international di... more As part of the global mental health movement’s focus on identifying and reducing international disparities, this study conducted the first nationally representative child mental health epidemiological survey in Vietnam. We assessed as risk/protective factors several family social structure characteristics (e.g., presence of grandparents, number of siblings in the home) of particular relevance to non-Western countries. Epidemiological data using the Child Behavior Checklist and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire were collected at 60 sites in 10 of Vietnam’s 63 provinces selected to provide a nationally representative sample, which included 1,314 adult informants of children 6 to 16 years of age, and 591 children aged 12 to 16. Vietnamese children’s mental health functioning was reported overall to be better by approximately a third standard deviation than the international average; this international difference was particularly large for externalizing (behavior) problems as...

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Development of Clinical Psychology and Mental Health Resources in Vietnam

Psychological Studies, 2011

In this paper, we discuss development of the Vietnam National University graduate Clinical Psycho... more In this paper, we discuss development of the Vietnam National University graduate Clinical Psychology Program, which has the goal of training both Vietnamese researchers who will develop and evaluate culturally appropriate mental health treatments, as well as Vietnamese clinicians who will implement and help disseminate these evidence-based treatments. We first review the background situation in Vietnam regarding mental health, and its infrastructure and training needs, and discuss the process through which the decision was made to develop a graduate program in clinical psychology as the best approach to address these needs. We then review the development process for the program and its current status, and our focus on the schools as a site for service provision and mental health task shifting. Finally, we outline future goals and plans for

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Child Mental Health Literacy Among Vietnamese and Cambodian Mothers

Psychological Studies, 2021

Parents’ perceptions of their children’s mental health—including recognition of specific mental h... more Parents’ perceptions of their children’s mental health—including recognition of specific mental health problems as such, and their beliefs about the causes and treatments for the problems—have an important impact on child mental health. This study investigated child mental health literacy among Cambodian and Vietnamese mothers. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 357 mothers in Hanoi, Vietnam, and Pnom Penh and Kampong Speu, Cambodia. The Child Mental Health Literacy Questionnaire was used to assess mothers’ mental health literacy, in particular, their ability to correctly identify different mental health disorders, and their understanding of causes of the mental health problems, and about the utility of different treatments. The overall level of mental health literacy among mothers in these two countries was low, with the proportions of mothers able to correctly identify different mental health problems ranging from 0.17 (Oppositional Defiant Disorder) to 0.35 (Trauma-relat...

Adaptation of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-IV (WISC-IV) for Vietnam

Psychological Studies, 2012

Intelligence testing is used for many purposes including identification of children for proper ed... more Intelligence testing is used for many purposes including identification of children for proper educational placement (e.g., children with learning disabilities, or intellectually gifted students), and to guide education by identifying cognitive strengths and weaknesses so that teachers can adapt their instructional style to students' specific learning styles. Most of the research involving intelligence tests has been conducted in highly developed Western countries, yet the need for intelligence testing is as or even more important in developing countries. The present study, conducted through the Vietnam National University Clinical Psychology CRISP Center, focused on the cultural adaptation of the WISC-IV intelligence test for Vietnam. We report on (a) the adaptation process including the translation, cultural analysis and modifications involved in adaptation, (b) present results of two pilot studies, and (c) describe collection of the standardization sample and results of analy...

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Model for Sustainable Development of Child Mental Health Infrastructure in the LMIC World

Children and adolescents are among the highest need populations in regards to mental health suppo... more Children and adolescents are among the highest need populations in regards to mental health support, especially in low and middle income countries (LMIC). Yet resources in LMIC for prevention and treatment of mental health problems are limited, in particular for children and adolescents. In this paper, we discuss a model for development of child and adolescent mental health (CAMH) resources in LMIC that has guided a ten year initiative focused on development of CAMH treatment and research infrastructure in Vietnam. We first review the need for development of mental health resources for children and adolescents in general, and then in Vietnam. We next present the model that guided our program as it developed, focused on the twin Capacity Development Goals of efficacy and sustainability, and the Capacity Development Targets used to move towards these goals. Finally we discuss our CAMH development initiative in Vietnam, the center of which has been development of a graduate program in clinical psychology at Vietnam National University, linking program activities to this model.

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Culturally Sensitive Assessment of Anxious-Depressive Distress in Vietnam: Avoiding Category Truncation

Transcultural Psychiatry

The present study investigated what complaints are prominent in psychologically distressed Vietna... more The present study investigated what complaints are prominent in psychologically distressed Vietnamese in Vietnam beyond standard symptoms assessed by Western diagnostic instruments for anxiety and depression. To form the initial Vietnamese Symptom and Cultural Syndrome Addendum (VN SSA), we reviewed the literature, consulted experts, and conducted focus groups. The preliminary VN SSA was then used in a general survey (N = 1004) of five provinces in Vietnam. We found that the VN SSA items were highly and significantly correlated with a measure of anxious-depressive psychopathology (a composite measure of the General Anxiety Disorder-7; Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale; and Patient Health Questionnaire-9). The VN SSA item most highly correlated to anxious-depressive psychopathology was “thinking a lot” ( r = .54), reported by 15.8% of the sample. Many other symptoms in the addendum also were prominent, such as orthostatic dizziness (i.e., dizziness upon standing up; r = .41), reported b...

Mental Health and Functioning in School Age Children of Female Entertainment Workers in Cambodia

VNU Journal of Science: Education Research

Globally, approximately 10% - 20% of children and adolescents experience mental health problems a... more Globally, approximately 10% - 20% of children and adolescents experience mental health problems and the majority of them are living in low- and middle-income countries. Children of female sex workers are often exposed to unsafe environments, traumatic experiences and a mentally ill parent, putting them at risk for developing mental health problems themselves. Research on the mental health and functioning of children of female sex workers during their school age is limited. This paper will explore the mental health and functioning of female sex workers’ children. Method: The study included 160 female entertainment workers (FEWs) and 60 of their children from four provinces of Cambodia. FEW’s mental health, and children’s mental health and functioning were measured. Result: FEWs demonstrated high rates of depression (67%) and anxiety (61%), and 54.38% reported symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Of the 60 children, the majority got their education at primary school (68%) and s...

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Testing Robustness of Child STEPs Effects with Children and Adolescents: A Randomized Controlled Effectiveness Trial

Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology

Explanatory variables for women’s increased risk for mental health problems in Vietnam

Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology

Barriers to global health development: An international quantitative survey

PLOS ONE

Background Global health's goal of reducing low-and-middle-income country versus high-income coun... more Background Global health's goal of reducing low-and-middle-income country versus high-income country health disparities faces complex challenges. Although there have been discussions of barriers, there has not been a broad-based, quantitative survey of such barriers. Methods 432 global health professionals were invited via email to participate in an online survey, with 268 (62%) participating. The survey assessed participants' (A) demographic and global health background, (B) perceptions regarding 66 barriers' seriousness, (C) detailed ratings of barriers designated most serious, (D) potential solutions. Results Thirty-four (of 66) barriers were seen as moderately or more serious, highlighting the widespread, significant challenges global health development faces. Perceived barrier seriousness differed significantly across domains: Resource Limitations mean = 2.47 (0-4 Likert scale), Priority Selection mean = 2.20, Corruption, Lack of Competence mean = 1.87, Social and Cultural Barriers mean = 1.68. Some system-level predictors showed significant but relatively limited relations. For instance, for Global Health Domain, HIV and Mental Health had higher levels of perceived Social and Cultural Barriers than other GH Domains. Individuallevel global health experience predictors had small but significant effects, with seriousness of (a) Corruption, Lack of Competence, and (b) Priority Selection barriers positively correlated with respondents' level of LMIC-oriented (e.g., weeks/year spent in LMIC) but Academic Global Health Achievement (e.g., number of global health publications) negatively correlated with overall barrier seriousness. Conclusions That comparatively few system-level predictors (e.g., Organization Type) were significant suggests these barriers may be relatively fundamental at the system-level. Individual-level and system-level effects do have policy implications; e.g., Priority Selection barriers were PLOS ONE |

format_quoteFirst broad, quantitative survey revealed 34 of 66 barriers rated moderately serious or above, indicating widespread global health challenges.format_quote

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Vietnam as a case example of school-based mental health services in low and middle income countries: Efficacy and effects of risk status

School Psychology International, 2017

The purposes of this study were to (a) assess the efficacy of a universal classroom-based mental ... more The purposes of this study were to (a) assess the efficacy of a universal classroom-based mental health and social skills program for primary school students in Vietnam, and (b) given the universal nature of the intervention, assess outcomes as a function of risk status (high vs. low). RECAP-VN is a semi-structured program that provides students with classroom social skills training, and teachers with in-classroom consultation on program implementation and classroom-wide behavior management. Project data were collected at three time-points across the academic year from 443 2(nd) grade students in regards to their social skills and mental health functioning, in the Vietnamese cities of Hanoi and Danang. Mental health functioning (emotional and behavioral mental health problems) was the ultimate outcome target (at Time 3), with social skills intermediate (at Time 2) outcomes targeted to improve mental health functioning. Significant treatment effects were found on both social skills a...