scholarly journals Pain Among African American Family Caregivers: Association With Health Outcomes

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 518-518
Author(s):  
Janiece Taylor ◽  
Lyndsay DeGroot ◽  
Thomas Travison ◽  
Richard Skolasky ◽  
Sarah Szanton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
African American ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Regression Model ◽  
National Study ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Care Recipients ◽  
Excellent Health ◽  
African American Caregivers

Abstract African Americans experience high rates of undermanaged pain as they age. African Americans often become family or informal caregivers, and undermanaged pain may have implications for their overall health and ability to perform caregiving tasks. The purpose of this study was to examine if pain was related to overall health and number of caregiving activities among African American caregivers. We used data from round 7 of the National Study of Caregiving (N= 646 African American caregivers, mean age= 57 years [SD=15]). Pain over the prior month was participant-assessed. Of this sample, 451 (69.7%) were women, 324 (50.1%) had pain, and 309 (47.8%) had multiple comorbidities. The number of caregiving activities ranged from 8 to 14 with mean of 11.6 (SD= 1.4). In a logistic regression model, controlling for income, education, and comorbidities, we found having pain in the last month was associated with lower likelihood of very good or excellent health (Adjusted OR 0.48; 95% CI 0.33 to 0.69) and greater likelihood of having depressive symptoms (Adjusted OR 2.04; 95% CI 1.34 to 3.10). In a linear regression model, however, pain was not significantly related to the number of caregiving activities (R2 = 0.04). Findings suggest that while pain is related to poorer physical and mental health outcomes among African American caregivers, even pain does not deter them from providing care for care recipients. Management of pain among African American caregivers may be beneficial for improving their own overall health and mental health.

African American men who become mental health advocates

2021 ◽  
pp. 002076402110127
Author(s):  
Sandra Yaklin ◽  
Miyong Kim ◽  
Jacklyn Hecht
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
African American ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Intervention Program ◽  
African American Men ◽  
Working Relationships ◽  
Major Theme ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Tailored Messages ◽  
Promote Mental Health

Using a narrative approach, this study explored how African American men became mental health advocates. This ancillary study is part of a formative within an ongoing community based intervention program that was designed to promote mental health of African Americans (AMEN) project within an ongoing community based intervention program that was designed to promote mental health of African Americans (AMEN) project. Narrative research techniques were used to analyze and synthesize the data. Analysis generated one major theme (interdependence) with four supporting sub-themes (credibility, social depression, stigma, and calling). These findings and insights through this qualitative study guided the AMEN project team to formulate effective communication strategies in establishing working relationships with community partners and wider stakeholders as well as crafting culturally tailored messages for African American participants.

Disentangling adversity timing and type: Contrasting theories in the context of maternal prenatal physical and mental health using latent formative models

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
André Plamondon ◽  
Nicole Racine ◽  
Sheila McDonald ◽  
Suzanne Tough ◽  
Sheri Madigan
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Middle Childhood ◽  
Emotional Abuse ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Physical Health Outcomes ◽  
Mental Health Difficulties ◽  
Cumulative Adversity ◽  
Independent Effects ◽  
In Pregnancy

Abstract Research on the effects of adversity has led to mounting interest in examining the differential impact of adversity as a function of its timing and type. The current study examines whether the effects of different types (i.e., physical, sexual, and emotional abuse) and timing (i.e., early, middle childhood, adolescence, or adulthood) of adversity on maternal mental and physical health outcomes in pregnancy, are best accounted for by a cumulative model or independent effects model. Women from a prospective pregnancy cohort (N =3,362) reported retrospectively on their experiences of adversity (i.e., physical, sexual, and emotional abuse) in early childhood (0–5 years], middle childhood (6–12 years], adolescence (13–18 years], and adulthood (19+ years]. Measures of overall health, stress, anxiety, and depression were gathered in pregnancy. Results showed that a cumulative formative latent model was selected as more parsimonious than a direct effects model. Results also supported a model where the strength of the effect of adversity did not vary across abuse timing or type. Thus, cumulative adversity resulted in greater physical and mental health difficulties. In conclusion, cumulative adversity is a more parsimonious predictor of maternal physical and mental health outcomes than adversity at any one specific adversity timing or subtype.

scholarly journals Potential impact of physical distancing on physical and mental health: a rapid narrative umbrella review of meta-analyses on the link between social connection and health

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. e042335
Author(s):  
Nexhmedin Morina ◽  
Ahlke Kip ◽  
Thole Hilko Hoppen ◽  
Stefan Priebe ◽  
Thomas Meyer
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Physical Symptoms ◽  
Vaccine Uptake ◽  
Living Alone ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Social Connection ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Meta Analyses

BackgroundThe imperative for physical distancing (mostly referred to as social distancing) during COVID-19 pandemic may deteriorate physical and mental health. We aimed at summarising the strength of evidence in the published literature on the association of physical and mental health with social connection via social isolation, living alone and loneliness.MethodsWe conducted a systematic search in April 2020 to identify meta-analyses using the Medline, PsycINFO and Web of Science databases. The search strategy included terms of social isolation, loneliness, living alone and meta-analysis. Eligible meta-analyses needed to report any sort of association between an indicator of social connection and any physical or mental health outcome. The findings were summarised in a narrative synthesis.ResultsTwenty-five meta-analyses met our criteria, of which 10 focused on physical health and 15 on mental health outcomes. The results suggest that lack of social connection is associated with chronic physical symptoms, frailty, coronary heart disease, malnutrition, hospital readmission, reduced vaccine uptake, early mortality, depression, social anxiety, psychosis, cognitive impairment in later life and suicidal ideation.ConclusionsThe existing evidence clearly indicates that social connection is associated with a range of poor physical and mental health outcomes. A potential negative impact on these outcomes needs to be considered in future decisions on physical distancing measures.

Racial Discrimination Predicts Mental Health Outcomes Beyond the Role of Personality Traits in a Community Sample of African Americans

2021 ◽  
pp. 216770262095731
Author(s):  
Yara Mekawi ◽  
Courtland S. Hyatt ◽  
Jessica Maples-Keller ◽  
Sierra Carter ◽  
Vasiliki Michopoulos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Posttraumatic Stress ◽  
Racial Discrimination ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Mental Health Outcomes ◽  
Hierarchical Regression

Despite a consistent body of work documenting associations between racial discrimination and negative mental health outcomes, the utility and validity of these findings have recently been questioned because some authors have posited that personality traits may account for these associations. To test this hypothesis in a community sample of African Americans ( n = 419, age: M = 43.96 years), we used bivariate relations and hierarchical regression analyses to determine whether racial discrimination accounted for additional variance in depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress symptoms beyond the role of personality. Bivariate relations between personality traits and racial discrimination were small and positive (i.e., rs ≈ .10). Regression results demonstrated that racial discrimination accounted for variance in depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress independent of personality traits ( ps < .01). These results suggest that personality traits do not fully explain associations between racial discrimination and negative mental health outcomes, further supporting the detrimental impact of racial discrimination on the mental health of African Americans.

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