The Case of the United States

Connectedness is vital for health and well-being. Families with lower socioeconomic status and of racial and ethnic minority groups experience inequities in social connections compared to families with higher income and of White race in the United States. We aimed to understand how families in lower-income neighborhoods experienced social connectedness and isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic and if and how political, economic, and other societal factors influenced social connectedness. We conducted in-depth interviews with nineteen caregivers of young children in Cincinnati, Ohio. Participants had a decreased sense of social connectedness to family and friends but also across all aspects of their lives. The current crisis has exacerbated preexisting societal conditions within the United States. We can learn from these caregivers how best to bolster social connectedness and disrupt social isolation.

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Capitalism and Its Current Crisis

Monthly Review ◽

10.14452/mr-067-08-2016-01_1 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 67 (8) ◽

pp. 1 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Prabhat Patnaik

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Well Being ◽

The United States ◽

Economic Security ◽

Current Crisis ◽

Average Growth ◽

The Great Depression ◽

Recent Developments ◽

Capitalist World ◽

The Interest Rate

The "thirty-year crisis" of capitalism, which encompassed two world wars and the Great Depression, was followed by a period that some economists call the Golden Age of capitalism. Today, however, capitalism is once again enmeshed in a crisis that portends far-reaching consequences. I am not referring here to the mere phenomenon of the generally slower average growth that has marked the system since the mid-1970s. Rather, I am talking specifically of the crisis that started with the collapse of the U.S. housing bubble in 2007-8 and which, far from abating, is only becoming more pronounced.… The Western media often give the impression that the capitalist world is slowly emerging from this crisis. Since the Eurozone continues to be mired in stagnation, this impression derives entirely from the experience of the United States, where there has been talk of raising the interest rate on the grounds that the crisis is over, and inflation is now the new threat.… To claim…that the United States is experiencing a full recovery is, in terms of working class well-being and economic security, wrong. And if we consider the rest of the world, especially recent developments in the "emerging economies," the situation is much worse.<a href="http://monthlyreview.org/index/volume-67-number-8" title="Vol. 67, No. 8: January 2016" target="_self">Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website.</a>

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There Is No Performance, There Is Just This Moment: The Role of Mindfulness Instruction in Promoting Health and Well-Being Among Students at a Highly-Ranked University in the United States

Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine ◽

10.1177/2156587217719787 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 22 (4) ◽

pp. 909-918 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Deanna Kerrigan ◽

Victoria Chau ◽

Melissa King ◽

Emily Holman ◽

Alain Joffe ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Stress Reduction ◽

Well Being ◽

The United States ◽

University Culture ◽

High Level ◽

And Coping ◽

Depth Interviews ◽

Health And Well Being

Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) has been shown to improve health outcomes across populations. We explored the feasibility, acceptability, and initial effects of a pilot MBSR program at a highly-ranked university in the United States. We conducted 23 in-depth interviews with 13 students. Interviews explored stressors and coping mechanisms, experiences with MBSR, and its reported impact and potential future use. Interviews were analyzed using thematic content and narrative analyses. Results indicated that students are exposed to a very high level of constant stress related to the sheer amount of work and activities that they have and the pervasive surrounding university culture of perfectionism. MBSR offered an opportunity to step back and gain perspective on issues of balance and priorities and provided concrete techniques to counter the effects of stressors. We conclude that MBSR and mindfulness programs may contribute to more supportive university learning environments and greater health and well-being among students.

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Interns’ perspectives on impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the medical school to residency transition

BMC Medical Education ◽

10.1186/s12909-021-02777-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Ariel S. Winn ◽

Matthew D. Weaver ◽

Katherine A. O’Donnell ◽

Jason P. Sullivan ◽

Rebecca Robbins ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Medical School ◽

Social Connectedness ◽

Well Being ◽

The United States ◽

Medical Conditions ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Medical School Training ◽

School Training ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in disruptions to medical school training and the transition to residency for new post-graduate year 1 resident-physicians (PGY1s). Therefore, the aim of this study was to understand the perspectives of United States PGY1s regarding the impact of the pandemic on these experiences. Our secondary aims were to understand how desire to practice medicine was impacted by the pandemic and whether PGY1s felt that they were able to meaningfully contribute to the COVID-19 response as students. Method We conducted a national, cross-sectional study of PGY1s who had recently graduated from medical school in 2020. A survey was distributed to PGY1s from across specialties, in programs distributed throughout the United States. It included questions about medical school training during the pandemic, impact on graduation timing and transition to internship, concerns about caring for patients with COVID-19, desire to practice medicine, and ability to meaningfully contribute to the pandemic. Findings are presented using descriptive statistics and univariate logistic regression models. Results 1980 PGY1s consented to participate, 1463 completed the survey (74%), and 713 met criteria for this analysis. 77% of PGY1s reported that the pandemic adversely affected their connection with their medical school communities, and 58% reported that the pandemic impeded their preparation for intern year. 4% of PGY1s reported graduating medical school and practicing as an intern earlier than their expected graduation date. While the majority of PGY1s did not have a change in desire to practice medicine, PGY1s with concerns regarding personal health or medical conditions (OR 4.92 [95% CI 3.20–7.55] p < 0.0001), the health or medical conditions of others in the home (OR 4.41 [2.87–6.77], p < 0.0001]), and PGY1s with children (OR 2.37 [1.23–4.58], p < 0.0001) were more likely to report a decreased desire. Conclusions The COVID pandemic disrupted the social connectedness and educational experiences of a majority of PGY1 residents in a sample of trainees in United States training programs. Those with health concerns and children had particularly challenging experiences. As the current and subsequent classes of PGY1s affected by COVID-19 proceed in their training, ongoing attention should be focused on their training needs, competencies, and well-being.

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Essential Work in the U.S. during COVID-19: Navigating Vulnerability–Sustainability Tensions

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su131910665 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (19) ◽

pp. 10665

Author(s):

Astrid M. Villamil ◽

Suzy D’Enbeau

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Well Being ◽

The United States ◽

Organizational Sustainability ◽

Essential Work ◽

Emotional Work ◽

Constant Comparative Analysis ◽

Anxiety Depression ◽

Depth Interviews ◽

Practical Implications

The COVID-19 pandemic affected every functioning system in the United States. Workers deemed “essential” faced multiple threats to their well-being that quickly led to acute symptoms of anxiety, depression, burnout, and overall exhaustion, and organizations were challenged to devise employee protocols to maintain sustainability. This qualitative study takes a tension-centered approach to discern how “essential workers” in the United States navigated this tenuous work landscape, particularly with regard to emotional work and workplace dignity. We conducted 19 semi-structured in-depth interviews with essential workers during COVID-19. Our constant comparative analysis of the data identified a macro-tension between vulnerability and sustainability that was revealed through two micro-tensions: (a) essential work as instrumental and disposable, and (b) workplace dignity as recognized and transgressed. We unpack the emotional responses enmeshed in these micro-tensions and situate our findings at the intersection of organizational sustainability, emotional work and workplace dignity. We offer theoretical and practical implications for essential workers and organizations.

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Risk for Disability and Poverty Among Central Asians in the United States

Central Asian Journal of Global Health ◽

10.5195/cajgh.2015.220 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Carlos Siordia ◽

Athena K. Ramos

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Risk Factors ◽

Former Soviet Union ◽

English Language ◽

Minority Groups ◽

Well Being ◽

The United States ◽

Limited Information ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

The Us

Understanding the disability-poverty relationship among minority groups within the United States (US) populations may help inform interventions aimed at reducing health disparities. Limited information exists on risk factors for disability and poverty among “Central Asians” (immigrants born in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and other Central Asian regions of the former Soviet Union) in the US. The current cross-sectional analysis used information on 6,820 Central Asians to identify risk factors for disability and poverty. Data from the 2009-2013 Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) file from the American Community Survey (ACS) indicate that being married, non-Latino-white, and having higher levels of educational attainment are protective against disability and poverty. In contrast, older age, residing in the Middle Atlantic geographic division, and having limited English language ability are risk factors for both disability and poverty. Research should continue to develop risk profiles for understudied immigrant populations. Expanding knowledge on the well-being of Central Asians in the US may help impact public health interventions and inform health policies.

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THE RACIAL INCORPORATION OF LATINOS INTO THE U.S. MAINSTREAM

Du Bois Review Social Science Research on Race ◽

10.1017/s1742058x13000106 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 291-297

Author(s):

Tiffany Joseph

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Minority Groups ◽

Racial Diversity ◽

The United States ◽

Intermediate Group ◽

Lower Socioeconomic ◽

Ethnic And Racial Diversity ◽

Economic Landscape ◽

Latin Americanization ◽

The U.S

For the last decade, scholars have pondered how the changing ethnoracial demographics of the United States would influence the country's racial, social, political, cultural, and economic landscape. Latinos are now the country's largest ethnoracial minority and the 2012 election provided an indication of just how significant this group will be for shaping the future of the United States. Scholars of race in particular have speculated how the ethnic and racial diversity of Latinos will change existing U.S. racial dynamics with some arguing that the historical Black/White binary will remain intact with Latinos falling on one or the other side of the binary. Yet, other scholars suggest that the Black/White binary will shift to a Black/non-Black binary in which Blacks will remain at the bottom of the U.S. ethnoracial hierarchy while Asian Americans and Latinos will be grouped with Whites. Going even further, another set of scholars argues that the size of the Latino population and its more fluid racial boundaries will trigger a Latin-Americanization of U.S. race relations such that Whites will remain at the top of the hierarchy, with Blacks and a few other lower-socioeconomic-status (SES) minority groups at the bottom while there will be an intermediate group between, “the Honorary Whites,” that consists of mixed-race individuals and higher SES Asians and Latinos.

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“IT’S LIKE WE HAVE AN ‘IN’ ALREADY”

Du Bois Review Social Science Research on Race ◽

10.1017/s1742058x16000357 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 145-163 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Chandra D. L. Waring

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Social Interactions ◽

Conceptual Development ◽

Well Being ◽

The United States ◽

Social Psychological ◽

Predominately White ◽

Racial Boundaries ◽

Racial Harmony ◽

Depth Interviews

AbstractThe increasing bi/multiracial1community in the United States has generated much literature about racial identity and social psychological well-being. Drawing on sixty in-depth interviews with Black/White biracial Americans, this paper shifts the theoretical focus from identity and well-being to the conceptual development of how race shapes bi/multiracial Americans’ social interactions with both Whites and Blacks. The majority of participants reported interacting differently when in predominately White settings versus predominately Black settings. I offer the concept of “racial capital” to highlight the repertoire of racial resources (knowledge, experiences, meaning, and language) that biracial Americans use to negotiate racial boundaries in a highly racialized society. These findings reveal the continuing significance of racial boundaries in a population that is often celebrated as evidence of racial harmony in the United States.

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