Description/Overview: This symposium will be an in-depth focus on research with adolescents and young adults and the association of psychosocial factors with health outcomes as it relates to sickle cell disease (SCD), human immune deficiency virus (HIV), and those experiencing pain or mental health conditions. Research evidence suggests that psychosocial stressors are associated with adverse psychological (stress) and physiological (pain) health outcomes. Lacking are sufficient research evidence on the association of psychosocial factors with mental and physical quality of life in minority patients at risk for or suffering with a lifelong disease. We will address this gap using the studies described in this symposium. The first paper discusses how one’s response to stress can trigger acute pain crisis or intensify chronic pain in some adults living with SCD. The second paper summarizes the practices and perspectives, educational and testing needs, and community resources for those living with HIV-AIDS. The third paper draws attention to the socio-demographic variables and other factors related to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use among adolescents. The relationship of psychosocial factors to mental and physical quality of life outcomes in patients with SCD, HIV, and pain and mental health conditions are not well delineated. Understanding these relationships among ethnic minorities at risk for or suffering with a lifelong disease will provide us with insightful preliminary data to begin to determine psychosocial stressor-specific interventions. These interventions can be used to effectively reduce mental and physical symptoms and improve the quality of life in the mental and physical health domains for adults with SCD, HIV-AIDS, and adolescents with pain or mental health conditions. Further, findings from these studies will provide practice and research communities with the evidence pertinent to move forward both the science and debate regarding the relationships between psychosocial variables and adverse health outcomes in these vulnerable populations.