scholarly journals Racial discrimination and biological dysregulation among Indigenous adults: The role of culture

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
J Copeland

Abstract Background Racial discrimination is an ongoing social concern that requires public health solidarity to address. Indigenous peoples in many countries report high levels of discrimination across a variety of life domains, particularly when they migrate into urban centres for school or work. Discrimination has wide-ranging impacts that go beyond mental distress to include alterations in stress biomarkers across multiple systems. This study examined the impacts of discrimination on multisystem biological dysregulation among urban Indigenous adults in Canada, operationalized through allostatic load; and the role that Indigenous cultural continuity might play in resilience. Methods This cross-sectional study collected data from 150 Indigenous adults attending university in a small city in western Canada between 2015 and 2017 (M age: 28 years). Allostatic load (AL) was measured as a composite of 7 biomarkers assessing neuroendocrine, cardiovascular, metabolic, and immune system function. Bias-corrected and accelerated bootstrapped linear regression models examined associations adjusted for confounders. Results Past-year discrimination was significantly and linearly associated with increased AL adjusting for age and income (B = 0.17, p = 0.02). Among adults with low cultural continuity, past-year discrimination was associated with AL in models adjusted for age and child discrimination (B = 0.17, p = 0.01), with past-year discrimination and the full model explaining 24% and 41% of the variance in AL; respectively. Among adults with high cultural continuity, past-year discrimination was not associated with AL, and the full model explained 1% of the variance in AL. Conclusions Past-year racial discrimination was an adverse event capable of influencing multisystem biological dysregulation among Indigenous adults, independent of age and income. Indigenous cultural continuity may promote biological resilience against racism within this population. Key messages Racial discrimination was associated with multisystem biological dysregulation among urban Indigenous adults, controlling for age and income. Indigenous cultural continuity buffered the impact of discrimination on biological health.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheryl Currie ◽  
Takara A. Motz ◽  
Jennifer L Copeland

Abstract Background Allostatic load (AL) is a preclinical marker of the pathophysiologic processes that precede the onset of disease. The goal of this study was to examine the association between racially-motivated housing discrimination and AL score within a sample of Indigenous university students.Methods Data for this cross-sectional study were collected from Indigenous adults attending university in a small city in western Canada between 2015 and 2017 ( N = 104; Mean age = 27.8 years). An item adapted from the Experience of Discrimination Scale was to assess racially-motivated housing discrimination in the past 12 months. AL was measured as a composite of 7 biomarkers assessing neuroendocrine, cardiovascular, metabolic, and immune system function. Bias-corrected and accelerated bootstrapped linear regression models were used to examine associations adjusting for age, income, parenthood, and other situations in which discrimination had been experienced.Results Indigenous university students who experienced racially-motivated housing discrimination in the past year (16.8% of the sample) had an average AL score of approximately 4, which was almost double that of their peers who had not. In an adjusted model. racially-motivated housing discrimination was associated with a-1.5 point increase in AL score. This model explained 35% of the adjusted variance in AL score, of which racially-motivated housing discrimination explained 24% ( R 2 Change = 0.24, F Change = 32.52, Sig. F Change p <0.001).Conclusions Indigenous adults who experienced racially-motivated housing discrimination in the past year had early and more pronounced wear and tear on neuroendocrine, cardiovascular, metabolic, and immune system functioning in young and middle adulthood than Indigenous peers who did not. These findings combine with others to highlight the need for increased efforts to prevent racially-motivated housing discrimination in urban centres.


Author(s):  
Serena Barello ◽  
Rosario Caruso ◽  
Lorenzo Palamenghi ◽  
Tiziana Nania ◽  
Federica Dellafiore ◽  
...  

Abstract Purpose The purpose of the present cross-sectional study is to investigate the role of perceived COVID-19-related organizational demands and threats in predicting emotional exhaustion, and the role of organizational support in reducing the negative influence of perceived COVID-19 work-related stressors on burnout. Moreover, the present study aims to add to the understanding of the role of personal resources in the Job Demands-Resources model (JD-R) by examining whether personal resources—such as the professionals’ orientation towards patient engagement—may also strengthen the impact of job resources and mitigate the impact of job demands. Methods This cross-sectional study involved 532 healthcare professionals working during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy. It adopted the Job-Demands-Resource Model to study the determinants of professional’s burnout. An integrative model describing how increasing job demands experienced by this specific population are related to burnout and in particular to emotional exhaustion symptoms was developed. Results The results of the logistic regression models provided strong support for the proposed model, as both Job Demands and Resources are significant predictors (OR = 2.359 and 0.563 respectively, with p < 0.001). Moreover, healthcare professionals’ orientation towards patient engagement appears as a significant moderator of this relationship, as it reduces Demands’ effect (OR = 1.188) and increases Resources’ effect (OR = 0.501). Conclusions These findings integrate previous findings on the JD-R Model and suggest the relevance of personal resources and of relational factors in affecting professionals’ experience of burnout.


BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. e027659 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raoping Tu ◽  
Kuan-Yu Pan ◽  
Guoxi Cai ◽  
Taro Yamamoto ◽  
Hui-Xin Wang

ObjectivesThis study aims to examine the association between self-rated health (SRH) and levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) among adults aged 45 to 101 years old in rural areas of China, and to explore the role of education in the association.DesignCross-sectional study.SettingThe study population was derived from two databases in China: Nanping project (NP) and the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS).ParticipantsThere were 646 participants from a rural area of Nanping (NP) and 8555 rural participants from a national representative sample of China (CHARLS).MethodsCRP was measured using a high sensitivity sandwich enzyme immunoassay in the NP and immunoturbidimetric assay in the CHARLS. SRH was assessed by SRH questionnaires and categorised into good and poor. Education was measured by the maximum years of schooling and dichotomised into illiterate and literate. Multivariate linear regression models were used to study the associations.ResultsCompared to people with good SRH, those with poor SRH had higher levels of CRP in NP (β=0.16, 95% CI −0.02 to 0.34) and in CHARLS (β=0.07, 95% CI 0.02 to 0.11) after adjusting for potential confounders. Similar findings were observed in the pooled population (β=0.08, 95% CI 0.03 to 0.12), especially in men (β=0.13, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.20) and in literate people (β=0.12, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.18).ConclusionPoor SRH may be a predicator of elevated levels of CRP among middle-aged and older people in rural areas, especially in men and literate people.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 173
Author(s):  
Liliana Simões-Silva ◽  
Ricardo Araujo ◽  
Manuel Pestana ◽  
Isabel Soares-Silva ◽  
Benedita Sampaio-Maia

Factors influencing the occurrence of peritoneal dialysis (PD)-related infections are still far from fully understood. Recent studies described the existence of specific microbiomes in body sites previously considered microbiome-free, unravelling new microbial pathways in the human body. In the present study, we analyzed the peritoneum of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) patients to determine if they harbored a specific microbiome and if it is altered in patients on PD therapy. We conducted a cross-sectional study where the peritoneal microbiomes from ESKD patients with intact peritoneal cavities (ESKD non-PD, n = 11) and ESKD patients undergoing PD therapy (ESKD PD, n = 9) were analyzed with a 16S rRNA approach. Peritoneal tissue of ESKD patients contained characteristically low-abundance microbiomes dominated by Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidetes. Patients undergoing PD therapy presented lower species richness, with dominance by the Pseudomonadaceae and Prevotelaceae families. This study provides the first characterization of the peritoneal microbiome in ESKD patients, bringing new insight to the human microbiome. Additionally, PD therapy may induce changes in this unique microbiome. The clinical relevance of these observations should be further explored to uncover the role of the peritoneal microbiome as a key element in the onset or aggravation of infection in ESKD patients, especially those undergoing PD.


2016 ◽  
Vol 49 (8) ◽  
pp. 933-955 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Smith ◽  
F. Kinnafick ◽  
S. J. Cooley ◽  
G. M. Sandal

Results from previous studies suggest that stressful environmental conditions such as those faced on expedition may result in psychological growth. Building on previous research, the present cross-sectional study examined the role of personality and perceived stress in relation to post-expedition growth. Eighty-three participants who had completed a mountaineering expedition responded to measures of stress, personality, growth, well-being, and resilience. Findings implicate perceived stress, and personality dimensions of agreeableness and openness, in post-expedition growth. Growth was associated with well-being but distinct from psychological resilience, highlighting the need to consider growth and resilience independently. Present findings support the proposition that stressful expedition environments may promote positive psychological adjustment and identify factors that may influence this change. Research is needed to delineate the impact of other variables, such as coping, on changes that occurs during the post-expedition phase. Such research holds relevance for maintaining health following immersion in extreme and unusual environments.


Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 701
Author(s):  
Orhan Koçak

The effect of religiosity on individuals is seen more in stressful situations. Religion strengthens people in coping with the issues given rise by COVID-19 due to its contributions, such as reducing death fear and giving hope. The impact of religious commitment on COVID-19 fear, psychological consequences, and satisfaction with life levels in the COVID-19 period is investigated. To measure this impact of religious commitment, a cross-sectional study was designed with 2810 adults in Turkey. For this purpose, religious commitment, COVID-19 fear, DASS-21, and satisfaction with life scales were used. Mediation and moderation analyses were conducted to test the formed hypotheses. First, the impact of religious commitment on satisfaction with life with depression, anxiety, and stress was tested. Then, the moderating impact of COVID-19 fear in terms of the effect of religious commitment on satisfaction with life was analyzed. Finally, the role of depression’s mediation and COVID-19 fear’s moderation in terms of the impact of religious commitment on satisfaction with life was found. It was found that satisfaction with life decreased more in those with high COVID-19 fear than those with low COVID-19 fear; additionally, religious commitment increased satisfaction with life by reducing depression.


Author(s):  
Łucja Bieleninik ◽  
Karolina Lutkiewicz ◽  
Mariusz Cieślak ◽  
Joanna Preis-Orlikowska ◽  
Mariola Bidzan

(1) Background: There is a continuing discussion concerning the impact of preterm birth on Maternal-Infant bonding with inconsistent results. The large burden of preterm births calls for research to evaluate the impact of it on material psychological outcome in the early postpartum period. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between maternal postpartum bonding with maternal mental health, socio-demographical factors, and child’s characteristics. (2) Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used. In total, 72 women (a mean age of 31.44 years old) of preterm infants (mean gestational age = 33.54; range 24–36) filled out socio-demographic questionnaires, Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire (PBQ), Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS), Postpartum Depression Screening Scale (PDSS), Generalized Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD-7), and Parental Stress Scale (PSS) 1–3 days post-delivery; (3) Results: The results analyses have shown positive correlations between the overall result of maternal postpartum bonding with stress (p < 0.01), maternal educational level (p < 0.01), maternal age (p < 0.05) and the number of children (p < 0.01). However, there were no significant relationships between other investigated variables. The results of linear regression have revelated the important role of the overall scores in experience of stress among mothers (explaining 49% of the variability). The mediating role of maternal stress on maternal postpartum bonding was not found. That relationship of maternal postpartum bonding and maternal stress was not moderated through socio-demographic variables. (4) Conclusions: In this study mothers of prematurely born children had a good level of Maternal-Infant bonding. Maternal stress was found to be a predictor of maternal postpartum bonding among the tested variables. Surprisingly, the study results did not show significant relationships between maternal postpartum bonding and maternal mental health (depression and anxiety).


Author(s):  
Davide Petri ◽  
Gaetano Licitra ◽  
Maria Angela Vigotti ◽  
Luca Fredianelli

Noise is one of the most diffused environmental stressors affecting modern life. As such, the scientific community is committed to studying the main emission and transmission mechanisms aiming at reducing citizens’ exposure, but is also actively studying the effects that noise has on health. However, scientific literature lacks data on multiple sources of noise and cardiovascular outcomes. The present cross-sectional study aims to evaluate the impact that different types of noise source (road, railway, airport and recreational) in an urban context have on blood pressure variations and hypertension. 517 citizens of Pisa, Italy, were subjected to a structured questionnaire and five measures of blood pressure in one day. Participants were living in the same building for at least 5 years, were aged from 37 to 72 years old and were exposed to one or more noise sources among air traffic, road traffic, railway and recreational noise. Logistic and multivariate linear regression models have been applied in order to assess the association between exposures and health outcomes. The analyses showed that prevalence of high levels of diastolic blood pressure (DBP) is consistent with an increase of 5 dB (A) of night-time noise (β = 0.50 95% CI: 0.18–0.81). Furthermore, increased DBP is also positively associated with more noise sensitive subjects, older than 65 years old, without domestic noise protection, or who never close windows. Among the various noise sources, railway noise was found to be the most associated with DBP (β = 0.68; 95% CI: −1.36, 2.72). The obtained relation between DBP and night-time noise levels reinforces current knowledge.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheryl Currie ◽  
Takara A. Motz ◽  
Jennifer L Copeland

Abstract Background Allostatic load (AL) is an aggregate measure of wear and tear on the body due to the chronic activation of the stress response system. The goal of this study was to examine the association between racially-motivated housing discrimination and AL score within a sample of Indigenous university students.Methods Data for this cross-sectional study were collected from Indigenous adults attending university in a small city in western Canada between 2015 and 2017 ( N = 104; Mean age = 27.8 years). An item adapted from the Experience of Discrimination Scale was to assess racially-motivated housing discrimination in the past 12 months. AL was measured as a composite of 7 biomarkers assessing neuroendocrine, cardiovascular, metabolic, and immune system function. Bias-corrected and accelerated bootstrapped linear regression models were used to examine associations adjusting for age, income, parenthood, and other situations in which discrimination had been experienced.Results Indigenous university students who experienced racially-motivated housing discrimination in the past year (16.8% of the sample) had an average AL score of approximately 4, which was almost double that of their peers who had not. In an adjusted model. racially-motivated housing discrimination was associated with a-1.5 point increase in AL score. This model explained 35% of the adjusted variance in AL score, of which racially-motivated housing discrimination explained 24% ( R 2 Change = 0.24, F Change = 32.52, Sig. F Change p <0.001).Conclusions Indigenous adults who experienced racially-motivated housing discrimination in the past year had early and more pronounced wear and tear on neuroendocrine, cardiovascular, metabolic, and immune system functioning in young and middle adulthood than Indigenous peers who did not. These findings combine with others to highlight the need for increased efforts to prevent racially-motivated housing discrimination in urban centres.


Author(s):  
Olta Braçe ◽  
Marco Garrido-Cumbrera ◽  
Ronan Foley ◽  
José Correa-Fernández ◽  
Gina Suárez-Cáceres ◽  
...  

Although a large body of research supports the theory that exposure to nature results in mental health benefits, research evidence on the effects of having a view of green space from home is still scarce. The aim of the present study is to assess the impact that access to a green space view from home has on anxiety and depression. This is a cross-sectional study extracting data from the “2018 Green Spaces, Daily Habits and Urban Health Survey” conducted in Carmona (Spain). The study included variables on sociodemographic and lifestyle, view of green spaces from home, self-perceived health status, and risk of anxiety and depression measured using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Chi-square tests were used to assess variable’s associations and a multiple linear regression models used to identify the variables explaining the risk of anxiety and depression, taking into account sociodemographic characteristics, frequency of visits and view of green spaces from home. According to our results, adults who enjoy a view of green spaces from home have a lower risk of anxiety and depression.


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