scholarly journals The impact of racially-motivated housing discrimination on allostatic load among Indigenous university students

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheryl Currie ◽  
Takara A. Motz ◽  
Jennifer L Copeland
Keyword(s):  
Immune System ◽  
University Students ◽  
Allostatic Load ◽  
The Body ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Housing Discrimination ◽  
The Past ◽  
Wear And Tear ◽  
The Impact

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.

scholarly journals The impact of racially-motivated housing discrimination on allostatic load among Indigenous university students

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheryl Currie ◽  
Takara A. Motz ◽  
Jennifer L Copeland
Keyword(s):  
Immune System ◽  
University Students ◽  
Allostatic Load ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Housing Discrimination ◽  
The Past ◽  
Wear And Tear ◽  
The Impact

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.

scholarly journals Life Course Predictors of Allostatic Load Among LGBTQ Older Adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 735-735
Author(s):  
Charles Hoy-Ellis ◽  
Hyun Kim ◽  
Karen Fredriksen Goldsen
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Interpersonal Violence ◽  
Allostatic Load ◽  
Identity Management ◽  
The Body ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Psychophysiological Stress ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Wear And Tear

Abstract LGBTQ older adults are at significantly increased risk for poor mental and physical health, likely consequential to lifelong bias. Allostatic load (AL), the net effect of “wear and tear” on the body resulting from repeated, chronic over-activation of the psychophysiological stress response system. Utilizing the Health Equity Promotion Model, the aim of this study was to test potential life course predictors of AL, including interpersonal violence, legal marriage, and identity management in a sample of LGBTQ adults 50 to 97 years of age (n=317). Results from a series of hierarchical linear regression models showed that adult physical abuse and late identity disclosure for those who had been in an opposite-sex marriage predicted higher AL in this sample of LGBTQ older adults, indicating need for increased research on bias over the life course as contributory to AL and biopsychosocial dysfunction among LGBTQ older adults.

Basic mechanisms of, and treatment targets for, stress-related disorders

2020 ◽  
pp. 829-839
Author(s):  
Bruce S. McEwen
Keyword(s):  
Early Life ◽  
Allostatic Load ◽  
Life Experiences ◽  
The Body ◽  
The Social ◽  
Wear And Tear ◽  
Short Run ◽  
Social And Physical Environment ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Brain

The response to the social and physical environment involves two-way communication between the brain and the body and epigenetic adaptation (‘allostasis’) via mediators of the cardiovascular, immune, metabolic, neuroendocrine, and neural mechanisms. Chronic stress causes wear and tear on the brain and body (‘allostatic load and overload’), reflecting also the impact of health-damaging behaviours and lasting effects of early life experiences interacting with genetic predispositions. Hormonal and other mediators of allostasis promote adaptation in the short run but cause allostatic load/overload when they are overused or dysregulated. The brain is key because it determines what is threatening and the physiological and behavioural responses, while showing structural remodelling that affects its function. Besides pharmaceuticals, there are ‘top–down’ interventions, like physical activity, that engage ‘the wisdom of the body’ to change itself, as well as the impact of policies of government and business that encourage individuals to manage their own lives and promote increased ‘healthspan’.

scholarly journals The Impact of Racially Motivated Housing Discrimination on Allostatic Load among Indigenous University Students

2020 ◽  
Vol 97 (3) ◽  
pp. 365-376
Author(s):  
Cheryl L. Currie ◽  
Takara Motz ◽  
Jennifer L. Copeland
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Allostatic Load ◽  
Housing Discrimination ◽  
The Impact

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

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
J Copeland
Keyword(s):  
Racial Discrimination ◽  
Allostatic Load ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cultural Continuity ◽  
Full Model ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Multiple Systems ◽  
The Impact

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.

scholarly journals 004.From molecules to mind: stress, allostasis and integration of brain and body

2004 ◽  
Vol 16 (9) ◽  
pp. 4
Author(s):  
B. McEwen
Keyword(s):  
Life Style ◽  
Allostatic Load ◽  
The Body ◽  
Stressful Events ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Human Society ◽  
Wear And Tear ◽  
The Mind ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Physiological Systems

The mind involves the whole body and two-way communication between the brain and the cardiovascular, immune and other systems via neural and endocrine mechanisms. Stress is a condition of the mind and a factor in the expression of disease that differs among individuals. A broader view is that it is not just the dramatic stressful events that exact their toll but rather the many events of daily life that elevates activities of physiological systems so as to cause some measure of wear and tear. We call this wear and tear 'allostatic load', and it reflects not only the impact of life experiences but also genetic load' individual life-style habits reflecting items such as diet, exercise and substance abuse' and developmental experiences that set life-long patterns of behavior and physiological reactivity (1). Hormones associated with stress and allostatic load protect the body in the short-run and promote adaptation, but the long run allostatic load causes changes in the body that lead to disease. This will be illustrated for the immune system and brain regions involved in stress, fear and cognition (e.g. hippocampus, amygdala and prefrontal cortex). Besides developmental influences associated with mother–infant interactions, the most potent of stressors in adult life are those arising from competitive interactions between animals of the same species, leading to the formation of dominance hierarchies. Psychosocial stress of this type not only impairs cognitive function of lower ranking animals, but it can also promote disease (e.g. atherosclerosis) among those vying for the dominant position, as well as depressive illness. Social ordering in human society is also associated with gradients of disease, with an increasing frequency or mortality and morbidity as one descends the scale of socioeconomic status (SES) that reflects both income and education. Although the causes of these gradients of health are very complex, they are likely to reflect, with increasing frequency at the lower end of the scale, the cumulative burden of coping with limited resources and negative life events as well as differences in life style, and the allostatic load that this burden places on the physiological systems involved in adaptation and coping. (1) McEwen, B.S. (1998) Protective and damaging effects of stress mediators. New England J. Med. 238, 171–179.

scholarly journals Impact of Smartphone Addiction on Neck Pain and Disability in University Students

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anjali Suresh ◽  
SG Sudhan ◽  
Prasanna Mohan ◽  
A Thangamani Ramalingam
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Neck Pain ◽  
Neck Disability Index ◽  
The Body ◽  
Smartphone Addiction ◽  
Short Version ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Musculoskeletal Problems ◽  
Neck Disability ◽  
The Impact

Introduction: In the present era, the use of smartphones for teaching, learning and communication for education in India has raised manyfold. The increasing use of smartphones in our daily life has brought about numerous musculoskeletal problems. Impairments of neck are the most common when compared to other parts of the body. Aim: To find out the impact of smartphone addiction on neck pain and disability. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on students from Garden City University aged between 18-25 years through non probability sampling technique. The data was collected from August to September 2019. The addiction level to a smartphone was measured using Smartphone Addiction Scale Short Version (SAS-SV) and the Neck disability was measured using the Neck Disability Index (NDI) and were circulated. The questionnaires were shared with the students through electronic media and 108 subjects participated in it but only 100 were considered. The data were analysed using IBM SPSS 20.0 statistical software to correlate smartphone addiction scale and NDI. Spearman’s correlation test was performed to analyse the relationship between SAS-SV and NDI. Results: The Spearman correlation analysis clearly showed that there was a moderate positive correlation (r=0.682) between smartphone addiction and neck pain and neck disability in university students and the level of significance was p<0.01. Conclusion: This study concluded that longer use of smartphones would result in significant neck pain and disability. The students who were under the category of smartphone addicts would require ergonomic advice and education about the ill-effects of smartphone and the various musculoskeletal problems that may arise due to overuse.

scholarly journals Stress Perceived by University Health Sciences Students, 1 Year after COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 5233
Author(s):  
Yolanda Marcén-Román ◽  
Angel Gasch-Gallen ◽  
Irene Isabel Vela Martín de la Mota ◽  
Estela Calatayud ◽  
Isabel Gómez-Soria ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Students ◽  
University Students ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Health Sciences ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Occupational Therapy Students ◽  
Health Sciences Students ◽  
The Impact

Today’s COVID-19 situation can affect university Health Sciences students’ psychological health. This study aimed to analyze the stress caused by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Health Sciences students from the University of Zaragoza (Spain) almost 1 year after the pandemic began. This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted with a sample of 252 university students who completed a self-administered online questionnaire. It evaluated the impact of perceived stress with a modified scale (PSS-10-C), and assessed anxiety and depression on the Goldberg scale. Students presented stress (13.1%), anxiety (71.4%) and depression (81%). Females (81.7%) and the third-year Occupational Therapy students (p = 0.010) reported perceived stress. Nursing students perceived less stress (OR: 0.148; 95% CI: 0.026 to 0.842). University students developed stress and anxiety due to COVID-19 almost 1 year after the pandemic began. Psychological support measures for these groups should be prioritized.

scholarly journals Gender-specific physical activity-related injuries and risk factors among university students in China: a multicentre population-based cross-sectional study

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. e040865
Author(s):  
Weicong Cai ◽  
Shangmin Chen ◽  
Liping Li ◽  
Pengying Yue ◽  
Xiaofan Yu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
University Students ◽  
Leisure Time ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Past ◽  
Chinese University ◽  
Gender Specific

ObjectivesData on the problem of physical activity-related injury (PARI) in university students and the risk factors for PARI among different genders are rare. We conducted a multicentre population-based study to investigate the occurrence of PARI and to explore the gender-specific risk factors for PARI among Chinese university students.DesignCross-sectional study.ParticipantsA total of 5341 students in grades 1–3 at eight universities in four Chinese cities were selected to complete the online questionnaires during March and April 2017. The questionnaires assessed sociodemographic characteristics, physical activity PA) involvement, sleep duration, sedentary behaviour and PARI experiences in the past 12 months.Main outcome measuresPARI during the past 12 months.ResultsAmong the 5341 participants, 1293 suffered from at least one PARI in the past 12 months, with an overall incidence rate of 24.2% (males: 26.2%, females: 23.2%) and an injury risk of 0.38 injuries/student/year (males: 0.48, females: 0.32). Over half of the injured (57.3%) experienced a withdrawal time of PA and nearly two-fifths (39.6%) required medical attention. Irrespective of gender, Shantou and Xi’an students, sports team members and those who engaged in sports and leisure-time vigorous-intensity PA (VPA) at a higher frequency were more likely to suffer from PARI. Male students who participated in sports and leisure-time VPA for long durations had a greater likelihood of sustaining PARI, while having a chronic condition and being involved in sports and leisure-time moderate-intensity PA at a higher frequency and longer duration were potential contributors to PARI among females.ConclusionsThe occurrence of PARI and its risk factors differed by gender, which provides a direction towards developing targeted and effective gender-specific preventative programmes to protect Chinese university students from PARI.

Measuring Value Change in Western Industrialized Societies: The Impact of Unemployment

1991 ◽  
Vol 85 (3) ◽  
pp. 905-920 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harold D. Clarke ◽  
Nitish Dutt
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Economic Conditions ◽  
Aggregate Level ◽  
Value Change ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Past ◽  
Value Priorities ◽  
Time Series Analyses ◽  
The Impact

During the past two decades a four-item battery administered in biannual Euro-Barometer surveys has been used to measure changing value priorities in Western European countries. We provide evidence that the measure is seriously flawed. Pooled cross-sectional time series analyses for the 1976–86 period reveal that the Euro-Barometer postmaterialist-materialist value index and two of its components are very sensitive to short-term changes in economic conditions, and that the failure to include a statement about unemployment in the four-item values battery accounts for much of the apparent growth of postmaterialist values in several countries after 1980. The aggregate-level findings are buttressed by analyses of panel data from three countries.

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