scholarly journals Stigma Diminishes the Protective Effect of Social Support on Psychological Distress Among Young Black Men Who Have Sex With Men

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 406-418 ◽  
Author(s):  
José A. Bauermeister ◽  
Kathryn E. Muessig ◽  
Dalmacio D. Flores ◽  
Sara LeGrand ◽  
Seulki Choi ◽  
...  

Addressing stigma remains a pressing HIV priority globally. Young Black men who have sex with men (YBMSM, ages 18–30; N = 474) completed an in-person baseline survey and reported their experiences of externalized stigma (i.e., racial and sexuality discrimination), internalized stigma (i.e., homonegativity), social support, and psychological distress (i.e., anxiety and depression symptoms). We used structural equation modeling to test the association between stigma and psychological distress, and examined whether social support mediated the relationship between stigma and psychological distress. Recognizing that these associations may differ by HIV status, we compared our models by self-reported HIV status (n = 275 HIV negative/unknown; n = 199 living with HIV). Our findings suggest that YBMSM who experience stigma are more vulnerable to psychological distress and may have diminished buffering through social support. These effects are accentuated among YBMSM living with HIV, highlighting the need for additional research focused on the development of tailored stigma reduction interventions for YBMSM.

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Keita Kiuchi ◽  
◽  
Katsumasa Kishi ◽  
Kanto Araki

This study investigated the physical and psychological impacts of elements related to coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and demographic data in Japan both directly and as mediated by stressors, immediately following the rescinding of the state of emergency declaration accompanying the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 outbreak. An online survey was administered to 1,500 Japanese registered with an online outsourcing service. Data were analyzed with structural equation modeling using Mplus. Relatively large total effects were observed for “insufficient exercise” on physical health (β = –0.24, SE = 0.03), “mental health issues related to COVID-19” on mental health (β= –0.25, SE = 0.03) and psychological distress (β= 0.24, SE = 0.03), neuroticism on mental health (β= –0.30, SE = 0.02) and psychological distress (β= 0.36, SE = 0.02), and social support on suicidal ideation (β= –0.32, SE = 0.03). Thus, mitigating the harm resulting from the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 infection outbreak by raising awareness of risk factors and promoting social support is feasible.


Author(s):  
Anderson Reis de Sousa ◽  
Jules Ramon Brito Teixeira ◽  
Waandererson Carneiro Moreira ◽  
Milena Bitencourt Santos ◽  
Herica Emilia Félix de Carvalho ◽  
...  

Objective: to analyze the relationships between sociodemographic variables, intolerance to uncertainty (INT), social support and psychological distress (i.e., indicators of Common Mental Disorders [CMDs] and perceived stress [PS]) in Brazilian men during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: a cross-sectional study with national coverage, of the web survey type, and conducted with 1,006 Brazilian men during the period of social circulation restriction imposed by the health authorities in Brazil, for suppression of the coronavirus and control of the pandemic. Structural equation modeling analysis was performed. Results: Statistically significant direct effects of race/skin color (λ=0.268; p-value<0.001), socioeconomic status (SES) (λ=0.306; p-value<0.001), household composition (λ=0.281; p-value<0.001), PS (λ=0.513; p-value<0.001) and INT (λ=0.421; p-value<0.001) were evidenced in the occurrence of CMDs. Black-skinned men, with higher SES, living alone and with higher PS and INT levels presented higher prevalence values of CMDs. Conclusions: high levels of PS and INT were the factors that presented the strongest associations with the occurrence of CMDs among the men. It is necessary to implement actions to reduce the stress-generating sources, as well as to promote an increase in resilience and the development of intrinsic reinforcements to deal with uncertain threats.


2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 1309-1321 ◽  
Author(s):  
LaRon E. Nelson ◽  
Leo Wilton ◽  
Nanhua Zhang ◽  
Rotrease Regan ◽  
Chia T. Thach ◽  
...  

Exposure to childhood religious affiliations where the majority of members discourage homosexuality may have negative psychological impacts for Black men who have sex with men. This study tested the hypothesis that exposures to these environments during childhood were associated with adulthood human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/sexually transmitted infection (STI) behavioral risk and HIV infection, because these exposures influenced HIV/STI risk by undermining race/sexual identity congruence and increasing internalized homophobia and interpersonal anxiety. Structural equation modeling as well as logistic and Poisson regressions were performed using baseline data from HIV Prevention Trials Network 061 ( N = 1,553). Childhood religion affiliations that were more discouraging of homosexuality were associated with increased likelihood of HIV infection; however, the association was no longer significant after adjusting for age, income, and education. Having a childhood religion affiliation with high prevalence of beliefs discouraging homosexuality was associated with increased numbers of sexual partners (adjusted odds ratio = 4.31; 95% confidence interval [3.76, 4.94], p < .01). The hypothesized path model was largely supported and accounted for 37% of the variance in HIV infection; however, interpersonal anxiety was not associated with HIV/STI risk behaviors. Structural interventions are needed that focus on developing affirming theologies in religious institutions with Black men who have sex with men congregants.


Author(s):  
Anderson Reis de Sousa ◽  
Jules Ramon Brito Teixeira ◽  
Emanuel Missias Silva Palma ◽  
Wanderson Carneiro Moreira ◽  
Milena Bitencourt Santos ◽  
...  

Objective: To analyze the relationships between sociodemographic variables, intolerance to uncertainty (INT), social support, and psychological distress (i.e., indicators of Common Mental Disorders (CMDs) and perceived stress (PS)) in Brazilian men during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional study with national coverage, of the web survey type, and conducted with 1006 Brazilian men during the period of social circulation restriction imposed by the health authorities in Brazil for suppression of the coronavirus and control of the pandemic. Structural equation modeling analysis was performed. Results: Statistically significant direct effects of race/skin color (λ = 0.268; p-value < 0.001), socioeconomic status (SES) (λ = 0.306; p-value < 0.001), household composition (λ = 0.281; p-value < 0.001), PS (λ = 0.513; p-value < 0.001), and INT (λ = 0.421; p-value < 0.001) were evidenced in the occurrence of CMDs. Black-skinned men with higher SES, living alone, and with higher PS and INT levels presented higher prevalence values of CMDs. Conclusions: High levels of PS and INT were the factors that presented the strongest associations with the occurrence of CMDs among the men. It is necessary to implement actions to reduce the stress-generating sources as well as to promote an increase in resilience and the development of intrinsic reinforcements to deal with uncertain threats.


2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 395-410
Author(s):  
Paul A. Burns ◽  
Casey D. Xavier Hall ◽  
Tonia Poteat ◽  
Leandro A. Mena ◽  
Frank Y. Wong

Utilizing the Andersen Healthcare Utilization Model, we examined the role of neighborhood context on pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) utilization among a sample of Black men who have sex with men (MSM) residing in a medium-sized city in the Deep South. Data were derived from a sample of 142 Black MSM aged 18–64 years who were eligible for PrEP from a community-based study known as “ACCELERATE!” We used multilevel structural equation modeling to assess PrEP use. Social support, sexual risk, and health care access were predictive of PrEP use. Notably, residing in a neighborhood with concentrated poverty was associated with decreased PrEP use. Our findings reveal neighborhood structural disadvantage is associated with decreased PrEP use among Black MSM, after adjusting of individual-level sociodemographic characteristics. There is an urgent need to develop HIV prevention interventions and programs that explicitly address structural-level factors to eliminate racial/ethnic differences in HIV.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacob D Gordon ◽  
Andre L Brown ◽  
Darren L Whitfield

BACKGROUND Black men who have sex with men (BMSM) continue to experience disproportionate rates of HIV/STI infection despite advances in effective prevention tools. Over the last decade the method of finding sexual partners has evolved, with BMSM increasingly using geospatial dating applications to find sexual partners. Sexual health communication between partners has been associated with safer sex practices by previous scholars, but it is unclear how sexual health communication of BMSM differs for sex partners found on or offline. OBJECTIVE The current study explored sexual health communication in relationship to how one found their last sexual partner and factors associated with poorer sexual health communication. METHODS This study used secondary data in the form of a self-administered national survey. BMSM were recruited online and in-person and answered questions about their sexual health behaviors regarding their last sexual partner. RESULTS In total, 403 individuals were included in the analysis. The majority of respondents 55.8% (225/403) were more likely to have found their last sexual partner through geospatial dating applications and online websites than offline venues 44.3% (178/225). There was not a significant difference in scores of sexual health communication between those who found their last sexual partner on or offline (P=.49). Additionally, sexual health communication was also not significantly associated (P = .25) based on the venue of their last sexual partner after controlling for covariates. Significant predictors of lower sexual health communication of BMSM were found: positive HIV status (P = .003), a casual partner type (P < .001), and endorsement of traditional masculinity ideologies (P = .01). CONCLUSIONS Findings from this study confirm high rates of sexual partner seeking via online venues among BMSM. The significant predictors of lower sexual health communication, endorsement of traditional masculinity ideologies and positive HIV status, suggest that stigma is a barrier to effective sexual health communication of BMSM.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Atsurou Yamada ◽  
Fujika Katsuki ◽  
Masaki Kondo ◽  
Hanayo Sawada ◽  
Norio Watanabe ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Although caregivers of patients with eating disorders usually experience a heavy caregiving burden, the effects of social support on caregivers of patients with eating disorders are unknown. This study aimed to investigate how social support for mothers who are caregivers of patients with an eating disorder improves the mothers’ mental status and, consequently, the symptoms and status of the patients. Methods Fifty-seven pairs of participants were recruited from four family self-help groups and one university hospital in Japan. Recruitment was conducted from July 2017 to August 2018. Mothers were evaluated for social support using the Japanese version of the Social Provisions Scale-10 item (SPS-10), self-efficacy using the General Self-Efficacy Scale, loneliness using the University of California, Los Angeles Loneliness Scale, listening attitude using the Active Listening Attitude Scale, family functioning using the Family Assessment Device, depression symptoms using the Beck Depression Inventory (Second Edition), and psychological distress using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale. Patients were evaluated for self-esteem using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, assertion using the Youth Assertion Scale, and their symptoms using the Eating Disorder Inventory. We divided the mothers and patients into two groups based on the mean score of the SPS-10 of mothers and compared the status of mothers and patients between the high- and low-scoring groups. Results High social support for mothers of patients with eating disorders was significantly associated with lower scores for loneliness and depression of these mothers. We found no significant differences in any patient scores based on mothers’ level of social support. Conclusions For patients with eating disorders, social support for a caregiver cannot be expected to improve their symptoms, but it may help prevent caregiver depression and loneliness.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Che Wan Jasimah Bt Wan Mohamed Radzi ◽  
Hashem Salarzadeh Jenatabadi ◽  
Nadia Samsudin

Abstract Background Since the last decade, postpartum depression (PPD) has been recognized as a significant public health problem, and several factors have been linked to PPD. Mothers at risk are rarely undetected and underdiagnosed. Our study aims to determine the factors leading to symptoms of depression using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis. In this research, we introduced a new framework for postpartum depression modeling for women. Methods We structured the model of this research to take into consideration the Malaysian culture in particular. A total of 387 postpartum women have completed the questionnaire. The symptoms of postpartum depression were examined using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), and they act as a dependent variable in this research model. Results Four hundred fifty mothers were invited to participate in this research. 86% of the total distributed questionnaire received feedback. The majority of 79.6% of respondents were having depression symptoms. The highest coefficients of factor loading analysis obtained in every latent variable indicator were income (β = 0.77), screen time (β = 0.83), chips (β = 0.85), and anxiety (β = 0.88). Lifestyle, unhealthy food, and BMI variables were directly affected by the dependent variable. Based on the output, respondents with a high level of depression symptoms tended to consume more unhealthy food and had a high level of body mass indexes (BMI). The highest significant impact on depression level among postpartum women was unhealthy food consumption. Based on our model, the findings indicated that 76% of the variances stemmed from a variety of factors: socio-demographics, lifestyle, healthy food, unhealthy food, and BMI. The strength of the exogenous and endogenous variables in this research framework is strong. Conclusion The prevalence of postpartum women with depression symptoms in this study is considerably high. It is, therefore, imperative that postpartum women seek medical help to prevent postpartum depressive symptoms from worsening.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document