By Laurel White
A School of Education faculty member recently received funding to investigate how some Asian communities in Wisconsin address mental illness among youth.
Sang Qin, an assistant professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education, is examining how Wisconsin Hmong and Chinese communities are prepared to address mental health disparities among young adults. Qin says a common concern in research on Asian mental health is that effective interventions and solutions, though available, are often underutilized or not adopted because they may not align with the community’s current stage of readiness.
“This study takes a unique upstream approach by evaluating community-level factors that determine readiness before developing or implementing new interventions,” she says.
In collaboration with community partners, including the Madison Area Chinese Community Organization (MACCO), Qin is engaging Hmong and Chinese community leaders across Wisconsin to share their perspectives on local knowledge, climate, ongoing efforts, and available supports related to mental health. She is using a Community Readiness Assessment in the work.
Qin says insights gleaned during her analysis will help reveal where each community currently stands in addressing mental health disparities among their members.
“We will aim to identify community-specific needs, co-create appropriate strategies with community members, and lay the groundwork for future research to create specific interventions that address mental illness differences,” she says.
Qin’s project was one of 10 community-engaged research pilot projects recently funded through the ICTR Community Engaged Research Pilot Awards Program. The program is provided through a partnership between the UW–Madison Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (ICTR) and the Wisconsin Partnership Program. It aims to provide resources to support the translation of research into practice, reduce health differences, and foster system changes needed to promote long-term sustainability in Wisconsin. The program also includes mentorship — Qin will work with mentor Maichou Lor, an associate professor in the UW–Madison School of Nursing, as her research progresses.
The School of Education launched its partnership with ICTR last year. In doing so, it joined a roster of ICTR partners at UW–Madison that includes the School of Medicine and Public Health, School of Nursing, School of Pharmacy, School of Veterinary Medicine, and College of Engineering. ICTR also has a formal partnership with the Marshfield Clinic Research Institute, a leader in rural health.
Qin joined the School of Education in 2022. Her research is centered on examining attitudinal barriers, including stigma, faced by marginalized communities — including those with serious mental illness. She aims to enhance treatment for those populations by developing culturally responsive services through a community-engaged approach.