scholarly journals Structural violence and the nature of cemetery-based skeletal reference collections

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 81-103
Author(s):  
Greer Vanderbyl ◽  
John Albanese ◽  
Hugo F. V. Cardoso

The sourcing of cadavers for North American skeletal reference collections occurred immediately after death and targeted the poor and marginalised. In Europe, collections sourced bodies that were buried and unclaimed after some time in cemeteries with no perpetual care mandate, and may have also targeted the underprivileged. The relationship between socio-economic status (SES) and abandonment was examined in a sample of unclaimed remains (603 adults and 98 children) collected from cemeteries in the city of Lisbon, Portugal, that were incorporated in a collection. Results demonstrate that low SES individuals are not more likely to be abandoned nor to be incorporated in the collection than higher SES individuals. Furthermore, historical data indicate that the poorest were not incorporated into the collection, because of burial practices. Although the accumulation of collections in North America was facilitated by structural violence that targeted the poor and marginalised, this phenomenon seems largely absent in the Lisbon collection.

2011 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. von Soest ◽  
J. G. Bramness ◽  
W. Pedersen ◽  
L. Wichstrøm

Aims.The current study examines the relationship between socio-economic status (SES) and antidepressant prescription among young adults and investigates mechanisms that could explain such a potential social gradient.Methods.Longitudinal survey data from a population-based Norwegian sample (N = 2606) was collected in four waves over a 13-year period. The data were linked to register data on antidepressant prescription and several indicators of SES (education, income, social or unemployment benefits, disability or rehabilitation benefits and parents' education).Results.Apart from parents' education, all indicators of low SES were related to higher rates of antidepressant prescription. A part of the relationship between SES and antidepressant prescription was due to low SES being related to higher levels of anxiety and depression. Moreover, low SES was related to more frequent use of mental health services, which again was related to higher rates of antidepressant prescription. Both contact with physicians and other mental healthcare professionals accounted for some of the relationship between SES and antidepressant prescription.Conclusions.The study provides information about mechanisms involved in the relationship between low SES and antidepressant prescription. More research is needed about whether a comparable social gradient in antidepressant prescription is also to be found outside the Nordic countries.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lou Safra ◽  
Coralie Chevallier ◽  
Amine Sijilmassi

A correlational study to test the relationship between socio-economic status and reactivity to threats.


2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (S2) ◽  
pp. 1795-1795
Author(s):  
D. Bhugra

IntroductionWith the process of globalisation in full flow, the movement of people and products across the globe has brought a series of difficulties. With migration the socio-economic status of the individuals may change with the likelihood that this status will be lower rather than higher, although depending upon the reasons for migration this may change too.ObjectivesLiterature shows that low socio-economic status is associated with a higher level of psychiatric morbidity.AimsWhether migration acts as a mediator needs to be investigated further.MethodsVarious studies have shown that rates of psychosis are elevated in migrants though these rates are differentially increased in different groups indicating that factors other than migration may be at play.ResultsIn this presentation the literature and link the acculturation and cultural identity with post-migration experiences will be reviewed.ConclusionA link exists between the perceptions within cultures and level of economic development of what constitutes mental health. The state of advancement of mental health services of a country will certainly have a large impact on prevalence rates. Further investigation should be carried out to examine in greater depth the relationship between social inequality and disorder prevalence, as distinct from income inequality.


Author(s):  
Kudzanai Mateveke ◽  
Basant Singh ◽  
Alfred Chingono ◽  
E. Sibanda ◽  
Ian Machingura

HIV related stigma and discrimination is a known barrier for HIV prevention and care. We aimed to assess the relationship between socio-economic status (SES) and HIV related stigma in Zimbabwe. This paper uses data from Project Accept, which examined the impact of community-based voluntary counseling and testing intervention on HIV incidence and stigma. Total of 2522 eligible participants responded to a psychometric assessment tool, which assessed HIV related stigma and discrimination attitudes on 4 point Likert scale. The tool measured three components of HIVrelated stigma: shame, blame and social isolation, perceived discrimination, and equity. Participants’ ownership of basic assets was used to assess the socio-economic status. Shame, blame and social isolation component of HIV related stigma was found to be significantly associated with medium [odds ratio (OR)=1.73, P<0.01] and low SES (OR=1.97, P<0.01), indicating more stigmatizing attitudes by participants belonging to medium and low SES in comparison to high SES. For HIV related stigma and discrimination programs to be effective, they should take into account the socio-economic context of target population.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 124-129
Author(s):  
Björn Quanjer ◽  
Kristina Thompson

While in modern, high-income populations, obesity is associated with being from a low socio-economic background, this may not have always been the case. We test the relationship between obesity and educational level (as a proxy for socio-economic status) in a historical cohort of Dutch military conscripts, from the conscription years 1950–1979. We find that in the 1950s cohort, being in tertiary education was significantly associated with an increased likelihood of being overweight. In contrast, in the 1970s cohort, being in tertiary education was significantly associated with a decreased likelihood of being overweight. We find evidence that the prevalence of obesity remained broadly similar among more highly educated men, while it increased among men of a lower educational level. This likely contributed to the overall rise in the obesity rate. Our findings echo other studies that find a crossover in education’s relationship to BMI as populations become wealthier and obesity rates rise.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Robert Slevc

A growing body of research suggests that musical experience and ability are related to a variety of cognitive abilities, including executive functioning (EF). However, it is not yet clear if these relationships are limited to specific components of EF, limited to auditory tasks, or reflect very general cognitive advantages. This study investigated the existence and generality of the relationship between musical ability and EFs by evaluating the musical experience and ability of a large group of participants and investigating whether this predicts individual differences on three different components of EF – inhibition, updating, and switching – in both auditory and visual modalities. Musical ability predicted better performance on both auditory and visual updating tasks, even when controlling for a variety of potential confounds (age, handedness, bilingualism, and socio-economic status). However, musical ability was not clearly related to inhibitory control and was unrelated to switching performance. These data thus show that cognitive advantages associated with musical ability are not limited to auditory processes, but are limited to specific aspects of EF. This supports a process-specific (but modality-general) relationship between musical ability and non-musical aspects of cognition.


Circulation ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 125 (suppl_10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander V Sergeev ◽  
Christina M Nyirati

Background: Gestational hypertension (GHTN) remains a compelling clinical and public health problem. It can increase risks of intrauterine growth restriction, low-birth weight, and stillbirth. Little is known about whether racial and ethnic minorities and lower socio-economic status (SES) population groups are more vulnerable to GHTN. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that racial and ethnic disparities in GHTN exist beyond the scope of SES-related health disparities. Methods: A case-control study of GHTN was conducted using the data of 114,298 births in the year 2010 in Ohio. The comprehensive births data were obtained from Ohio Department of Health. Cases were identified as those with GHTN. Controls were identified as those without GHTN. Mothers utilizing Medicaid or the Federal Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children were considered of low SES. Odds ratios of GHTN in relation to mother’s race, ethnicity, and SES were obtained using multivariable logistic regression (SAS software), adjusting for known confounders - gestational age, mother’s age, pre-pregnancy and pregnancy smoking status, pre-pregnancy or gestational diabetes, and plurality. Results: GHTN was statistically significantly associated with maternal race and ethnicity, even after adjustment for SES. Compared to non-Hispanic whites, non-Hispanic blacks were more likely to develop GHTN (adjusted OR = 1.867, 95% CI 1.663–2.096, p<0.001), while Asian women were less likely to develop GHTN (adjusted OR = 0.538, 95% CI 0.426–0.679, p<0.001). Hispanic white women were less likely to develop GHTN than non-Hispanic white women, although the difference between them did not reach a conventional p<0.05 level of statistical significance (adjusted OR = 0.651, 95% CI 0.395–1.076, p=0.09). Adjusted for maternal race, ethnicity, age, and known clinical confounders, women of lower SES were more likely to develop GHTN (adjusted OR = 1.475, 95% CI 1.32–1.647, p<0.001). Conclusions: Non-Hispanic black women are at the highest risk of developing GHTN, while Asian women are at the lowest. The Hispanic paradox phenomenon extends to the issue of GHTN. Racial and ethnic disparities cannot be attributed to low SES only; other mechanisms need to be investigated further.


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