About

Melissa M. Ertl is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Minnesota's College of Liberal Arts. Her research in the STRIPE Lab (Social Team Research in Promoting Health Equity) focuses on preventing health risk behaviors, promoting health equity, and addressing health disparities at the intersections of mental health, substance use, and sexual health. Her work emphasizes intersectionality and the nuanced influences of identity in relation to health, with a social justice lens. She prioritizes research with marginalized, underrepresented, and underserved populations, including women, Latinx immigrants, young adult college students, and individuals with disabilities and their informal familial caregivers. Ertl holds a PhD in Counseling Psychology with a Certificate in Health Disparities in Public Health from the University at Albany-State University of New York, earned in 2021, and a BA in Spanish and Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2015. Her scholarly contributions include numerous publications on topics such as substance misuse, sexual health, acculturative stress, and health disparities among diverse populations. She actively participates in professional activities, serving on editorial boards and co-chairing conferences, and has received multiple awards recognizing her research excellence and advocacy efforts.

Research topics

• Psychology
• Medicine
• Clinical psychology
• Social psychology
• Demography

Selected publications

• Comorbidities of substance use: Opportunities realized and future needs

  Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment · 2026-04-01

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Determinants of psychological distress among Latina young adults during initial years in the United States

  Ethnicity and Health · 2026-04-09

  article

  OBJECTIVES: This longitudinal study investigated how theorized cultural-, interpersonal/familial-, and individual-level experiences during initial years after immigrating to the United States may relate to changes in psychological distress over time among young adult Latina women in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States (U.S.). METHODS: = 9.94) at baseline assessment. Trajectories of distress were measured over a three-year time period. We investigated whether cultural- (immersion to dominant society/assimilation, immersion to ethnic society/enculturation, acculturative stress, marianismo), interpersonal/familial- (trust and communication with parents, peers, partner), and individual- (immigration authorization status, education level, relationship status) level determinants experienced soon after immigration predicted changes in participants' distress over a subsequent two-year time period. RESULTS: = .002). CONCLUSIONS: Findings inform theoretical and empirical knowledge bases concerning determinants of psychological distress during initial years after immigration among foreign-born young Latina women in the U.S. The study provides a longitudinal examination of psychological distress during the rarely studied time period of initial years in the U.S. Results elucidate the substantive influence of acculturative stress and interpersonal/familial relationship dynamics soon after immigration. Mental health interventions should attend to these modifiable factors during young Latina women's early years in the U.S. to reduce psychological distress and promote well-being soon after immigration and subsequent years.

  PublisherDOI

• Listening to Adolescents in Substance Use Treatment: A Qualitative Study of Perspectives on Sexuality and Substance Use

  Journal of Prevention and Health Promotion · 2025-03-21

  article

  Although adolescents with substance use disorders (SUDs) are at high risk for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV, few interventions have been tailored to address sexual risk for young people in substance use treatment. Guided by the Social-Personal Framework for HIV Risk Behavior, this study sought to elucidate the motives, norms, meanings, and contexts of sexuality and sexual risk behavior, especially with respect to substance use, to inform the development of tailored intervention programs for them. Using purposive sampling, we recruited a diverse sample of 30 adolescents ages 13 to 18 in five substance use treatment programs in lower and upper Manhattan in New York City. We conducted qualitative individual in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with adolescents. Qualitative data were analyzed for salient themes and variations using framework analysis. Several major themes emerged related to adolescent sexual experience and the salient psychosocial, relational, and contextual risk and protective factors related to sexual behavior, including thoughts and feelings about having sex; aspects of sexual safety and prevention of STIs/HIV and pregnancy; sexual decision-making; substance use and intoxicated sex; sexual abuse; and peer and family influences on sexual risk. Findings underscored the importance of STI/HIV risk prevention interventions tailored to this population of teens, including their feelings about sexual satisfaction and intimacy, safer sexual behaviors, and the role of substance use in their sexual lives. Study results may guide the adaptation of efficacious risk reduction interventions for adolescents in SUD treatment.

  PublisherDOI

• Psychometric properties of the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale–21 (DASS-21) across nine countries/regions

  International Journal of Testing · 2025-04-03 · 7 citations

  article

  Examinations of the internal structure of the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) have yielded inconsistent conclusions within and across cultural contexts. This study examined the dimensionality and reliability of the DASS-21 across three theoretically plausible factor structures (i.e., unidimensional, oblique three-factor, and bifactor) as well as measurement equivalence/invariance of the DASS-21 using two different approaches (i.e., multigroup confirmatory factor analysis and the alignment approach) with a large, diverse sample of 2,920 young adult college student participants from nine countries/regions (i.e., Australia, Brazil, Germany, Hong Kong, Lithuania, Taiwan, Türkiye, United Arab Emirates, and the United States). Results showed an excellent fit of the bifactor model in all countries/regions except the UAE and the US in which the model did not converge. Regarding parameter equivalence, we found configural, threshold, and loading invariance for the oblique three-factor model (across the nine studied countries/regions) and for the bifactor model (across seven countries/regions). Results indicate that DASS-21 scores measure a general psychological distress factor with more validity and reliability than depression, anxiety, or stress constructs independently. Findings supported the bifactor structure of DASS-21 and demonstrated that cross-cultural comparisons using this scale should be conducted using proper procedures, such as the alignment approach.

  PublisherDOI

• Attitudes toward and experience with naloxone among people who use drugs in the Southeastern United States

  International Journal of Drug Policy · 2025-03-11 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Using Structural Equation Modeling to Examine Barriers and Facilitators of HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Willingness and Length of Use in Men Who Have Sex with Men Who Use Substances in Eight Southern US Cities

  AIDS Patient Care and STDs · 2025-05-22 · 2 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Men who have sex with men who use substances (SU-MSM) can benefit from pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention, especially in Southern US cities where HIV incidence is high; however, uptake remains low. Identifying barriers and facilitators is crucial for developing and implementing strategies to enhance uptake. Few studies of PrEP barriers and facilitators have focused on Southern SU-MSM, and most existing studies have not robustly measured such barriers and facilitators. In this study, 225 SU-MSM were recruited from community STI clinics, syringe services programs, or substance use treatment programs in eight Southern cities. Using structural equation modeling, we examined latent variable constructs of barriers and facilitators (i.e., affordability, burden, risk compensation, side effects, and stigma) and their associations with both willingness to take PrEP and length of PrEP use. Greater concern over affordability was robustly associated with more willingness to take PrEP under a variety of conditions. Risk compensation was associated with greater length of PrEP use, suggesting a major motivator to remain on PrEP was the perceived freedom to forego condoms during sex. Findings advance research on measurement of barriers and facilitators of PrEP willingness and uptake and highlight the importance of addressing affordability in PrEP implementation.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• “PrEP is always on the table”: mixed methods study of provider willingness to refer/link clients to PrEP in community sexual health and drug use-related programs

  Journal of HIV & Social Services · 2025-08-22

  article

  = 191) completed a survey about willingness to refer/link clients with HIV risk to PrEP. Through in-depth interviews, 12 directors (5 sexually transmitted infection [STI] clinics; 5 syringe services programs [SSPs]; 2 substance use treatment programs [SUTPs]) described multi-level factors that contextualized provider willingness. Providers were more willing to refer/link clients with unspecified HIV risk and men who have sex with men to PrEP vs. other populations. SUTP (vs. SSP) providers were less willing to refer/link clients with unspecified risk and men who use opioids. Older (vs. younger) providers were less willing, and more (vs. less) experienced providers more willing to refer/link to PrEP. Directors described facilitators (e.g., comprehensive health center partnerships) and barriers (e.g., provider stigma toward people who use drugs) to PrEP implementation. Findings highlight the importance of considering multi-level factors in PrEP implementation.

  PublisherDOI

• Development and initial validation of the measure of internalized misogyny with cisgender U.S. women.

  Journal of Counseling Psychology · 2025-10-23

  article1st authorCorresponding

  = 403) samples, we conducted exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses as well as tests of construct validity, test-retest reliability, and measurement invariance. In Study 1, an exploratory factor analysis yielded a 13-item, one-factor scale with strong support for internal consistency reliability. Study 2 demonstrated support for the one-factor scale with the new sample as well as support for measurement invariance across race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. Study 2 also evidenced convergent validity of the MIM with related measures of sexist or oppressive attitudes toward women, discriminant validity with both unrelated (e.g., social desirability) and similar but distinct measures (e.g., hostile sexism), and incremental validity via association of the MIM with psychological distress and flourishing above and beyond the influence of hostile, benevolent, and modern sexism. Finally, we also found support for strong test-retest reliability 1 month later. Findings provide strong support for the use of the new MIM and offer implications for future research seeking to identify and address adverse mental health outcomes in women. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

  PublisherDOI

• Future pandemic preparedness: conceptualizing vaccine willingness in drug-using populations during COVID-19 in Southeastern U.S. Cities

  Journal of HIV/AIDS & Social Services · 2025-11-19

  article
  PublisherDOI

• HIV Prevention in Syringe Service Programs Since the Start of COVID-19: Where Do We Go From Here?

  Current HIV/AIDS Reports · 2025-01-15 · 2 citations

  reviewOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Jessica L. Martin

  SUNY Upstate Medical University

  48 shared

• Juan Carlos Arango‐Lasprilla

  Virginia Commonwealth University

  45 shared

• Frank R. Dillon

  Arizona State University

  35 shared

• Yajaira A. Cabrera Tineo

  University at Albany, State University of New York

  22 shared

• Michael G. Verile

  VA Western New York Healthcare System

  19 shared

• Margaret M. Paschen-Wolff

  Columbia University

  19 shared

• Mario De La Rosa

  17 shared

• Cara L. Fresquez

  University at Albany, State University of New York

  15 shared

Labs

• STRIPE LabPI

Education

• PhD, Counseling Psychology

  University at Albany, State University of New York

  2021

• BA, Psychology, Spanish

  University of Wisconsin

  2015

Awards & honors

• Early Career Award for Excellence in Counseling Health Psych…
• Pace University LGBTQA+ Employee Advocate of the Year (2021)
• Stephen C. Rose Award for Research on Latinx Youth, The Stev…
• Council of Counseling Psychology Training Programs Outstandi…
• Barbara A. Kirk Award for Outstanding Grad Student Research,…