Can a video game with a fictional minority group decrease intergroup biases towards non-fictional minorities? A social neuroscience study.

A critical scientific and societal challenge consists in developing and evaluating interventions that reduce prejudice towards outgroups. Video games appear to be a promising method but a number of falls in the current scientific literature prevents to fully understand the potential sizeable impact of video games on reducing prejudice. The present study investigated to what extent a video game designed to reduce prejudice towards minorities in a fictional society has the potential to reduce prejudice towards non-fictional minorities. Participants played either a recently developed game (Horns of Justice, HoJ) designed to reduce prejudice towards non-fictional minorities or a control game. After playing at home, participants performed two tasks in a lab context. We observed an overall positive effect of playing HoJ compared to the control game on attenuating prejudice towards an outgroup individual. We indeed observed that players of the control game had more midfrontal theta activity, reflecting more cognitive conflict, when they acted prosociality towards the outgroup participant and a lower neural response to the pain of the outgroup participant compared to the ingroup participant. These effects were attenuated for players of HoJ. We also observed that players of HoJ had a higher sense of agency when they decided to help the outgroup participant compared to when they did not help the outgroup participant, an effect not observable in players of the control game. These results are promising as they support evidence that using fictional characters in video game may induce positive changes on non-fictional individuals.

Perceived Discrimination, Experiential Avoidance, and Mental Health among Hispanic Adults in Primary Care

The Hispanic population is the largest minority group in the United States and frequently experiences racial discrimination and mental health difficulties. Prior work suggests that perceived racial discrimination is a significant risk factor for poorer mental health among Hispanic in the United States. However, little work has investigated how perceived racial discrimination relates to anxiety and depression among Hispanic adults. Thus, the current study evaluated the explanatory role of experiential avoidance in the relation between perceived racial discrimination and anxiety/depressive symptoms and disorders among Hispanic adults in primary care. Participants included 202 Spanish-speaking adults ( Mage = 38.99, SD = 12.43, 86.1% female) attending a community-based Federally Qualified Health Center. Results were consistent with the hypothesis that perceived racial discrimination had a significant indirect effect on depression, social anxiety, and anxious arousal symptoms as well as the number of mood and anxiety disorders through experiential avoidance. These findings suggest future work should continue to explore experiential avoidance in the association between perceived racial discrimination and other psychiatric and medical problems among the Hispanic population.

Collaborating with Culturally Competent Prenatal Education among Hispanic Communities

Introduction. Hispanics represent the largest minority group in the United States. In Kansas, the population of Hispanics has been increasing; unfortunately, their infant mortality rate has increased as well. Baby Talk is a prenatal education program promoting maternal and infant health through risk-reduction strategies and healthy decision-making. The aim of this pilot project was to develop and evaluate a Spanish curriculum for Baby Talk. Methods. A collaborative partnership between community members and bilingual health professionals from different origins, nationalities, and Spanish dialects was formed to create a culturally and linguistically appropriate Spanish Baby Talk curriculum. This interventional pilot study employed survey and interviews to evaluate participant knowledge, intentions, satisfaction and perceptions of the newly developed curriculum. Results. Fifteen pregnant women participated in Spanish Baby Talk. Of those, 12 participated in either phone interviews (n=6) or a focus group (n=6). All respondents described their experience with the Spanish Baby Talk program as “excellent”. Significant increases in knowledge were seen related to topics such as benefits of full-term pregnancy and benefits of breastfeeding. Four themes were identified from the focus group and interviews: 1) lack of accessible community resources; 2) sense of community; 3) Spanish Baby Talk strengths; and 4) areas for improvements. Conclusions. Findings suggested that the Spanish Baby Talk curriculum was linguistically appropriate and resulted in increases in knowledge and intentions related to health and safety behaviors. Areas for improvement were related to marketing the program and referring to resources that provide material supports (i.e., diapers) to continue the move towards a culturally competent program.

Unmet Health Need Among Roma: Visual Acuity and the Use of Vision Correcting Aids in the Hungarian Roma Population

The Roma population is the largest transnational ethnic minority group in Europe often facing socioeconomic inequalities and various health problems. In the present study we investigated the visual acuity and its affecting factors along with spectacle use of the Roma in comparison with the general population in Hungary.A cross-sectional survey was carried out including 832 participants aged 20 to 64 years. We recorded the visual acuity, anthropometric, demographic, socioeconomic and health-related data of each individual. Although the average uncorrected visual acuity was somewhat higher, the use of a visual aid was significantly less frequent in the Roma population, especially in the group with a visual acuity below 0.5 in both eyes (14.3% vs 77.1%, p<0.001). Age, abdominal obesity and disturbances of the carbohydrate metabolism had a negative impact on visual acuity in both populations, however, the latter was a much stronger risk factor in the Roma population (OR: 5.789, 95% CI: 2.239-14.964, p<0.001) than in the general population (OR: 2.075, 95% CI: 1.097-3.926, p=0.025). Our results show serious unmet health needs within the Roma population, which calls for public health programs to improve poor primary care indicators on regular eye examination, and a much more rigorous diabetes control.

On the politics of fear

Muslims, India’s largest minority group, have often found themselves excluded from the country’s mainstream political power circles. The historically constructed clash between Muslims and Hindus has been used by the members of the far right – such as the Rāṣtriya Svayaṃsevak Saṇgh (RSS) or the Viśva Hindū Pariṣada (VHP) – to present the Muslim community as outsiders and ill-intentioned others with a view to subjugating the Hindu majority. There has been a notable rise in majoritarianism since the Bhāratiya Janata Party (BJP) rose to power in 2014. Prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, many BJP and RSS members made overtly racist remarks and incited violence against the Muslim community. The COVID-19 pandemic appears to have exacerbated this religious polarisation that has been gradually intensifying since Narendra Modi (BJP) won a landslide re-election victory in May 2019. Fears surrounding the pandemic have rapidly fuelled societal divisions, as well as hyper-nationalism and religious extremism targeted at Indian Muslims. A tarnished social fabric would have obvious long-term ramifications, specifically relating to stigmatisation, stereotyping and violent attacks. In this paper, the author will attempt to examine the role of BJP politicians in stoking Islamophobia. The author will address the question of whether the COVID-19 pandemic has been politicised against the Muslim minority. Are politicians primarily responsible for stoking intercommunal fear and hatred? What roles have state actors played in fomenting sectarian discord during COVID-19? This article tackles these and other salient questions pertaining to the politicisation of the coronavirus outbreak and mounting hate speech authorised by the ruling party in India. The article concludes by suggesting that Hindutva-driven Islamophobia, supported by the BJP government, may have permeated the Hindu mainstream but cautions that this claim still needs empirical validation. This article informs readers of the specific process of Islamophobic violence during the COVID-19 pandemic which remains a largely understudied phenomenon in India. My interpretation is partially based on spending two months doing fieldwork, mainly in New Delhi, in February and March 2020 during the coronavirus outbreak.

Transgender Microcelebrity Activists: Self-broadcasting as Politics

This research is a qualitative study of Natalie Wynn and Blaire White, two transgender women who empower themselves via social media. Through microcelebrity practices, these two figures have garnered audiences online to disseminate ideas pertaining to their political ideologies. I examine the transgender microcelebrities’ Instagram accounts and YouTube videos via Jerslev’s framework for microcelebrity practices based on observations of self-celebrification on YouTube. The observed content was then examined through a political activist lens using framework from Daskal on digital rights. Participatory technologies become a tool for mobilization and information sharing. Broadcasting one’s experiences and how they relate to larger dialectics of a minority group is political in nature. This self-representation is significant for minority groups that lack sufficient mainstream approval and media representation. This study cannot define what success looks like for a digital activist, as it would be difficult to find and measure qualitative actions directly resulting from self-broadcasting. As more communication takes place on computer-mediated technologies, it must be acknowledged these interactions do not take place within a vacuum, and effects are felt offline, even if we cannot measure each instance of influence from watching a 40-minute video on YouTube.

Balinese Muslim Minority Rights in Education and Islamic Family Law

Islam came in peace to Bali in the 14th century, initiated by communities from Java, and followed by those from Bugis, Makassar, Lombok, and even Malays and Arabs. Muslims in Bali are a minority group, which only accounts for 10.08% of the total population of Bali. This study aims to examine the rights of the Balinese Muslim minority in education and Islamic family law. This study is empirical legal research that examines the law in relation to problems in society realistically, or a socio-legal study, using a phenomenological approach. Data collection techniques included interview, observation, and literature review. The respondents interviewed were selected purposively from the Regional Office of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the Mosque Management, the Provincial Council of Ulema, and the local Muslim community. The findings reveal that the rights of Balinese Muslim minority in terms of education, both formal and informal, are displayed through strengthening the family resilience by building the spirit of Islam, carrying out children’s education in an Islamic way by promoting tolerance, and sending children to Islamiceducational institutions such as Taman Pendidikan Al-Qur' an (TPA), Raudhatul Atfhal (RA), pesantrens, and madrasas. Further, Islamic family law is implemented in matters of marriage, divorce, waqf, child guardianship, and joint property under the simple, fast, and low-cost principles carried out by the Office of Religious Affairs, Religious Counselors, and the Religious Courts in Denpasar. It seems that historical bonding is highly fundamental that allows the Muslims and the Balinese people in general to continue to live in harmony and peace to this day.

Indonesian Muslim Diaspora in Contemporary South Korea: Living as Religious Minority Group in Non-Muslim Country

The process of migration and cross border mobility occurs for a number of reason or background such as politics, economics, education and so forth has made a number of Muslim leave their homeland to another countries. Due to this migration, a significant number of Muslims becomes a diasporic communities in other countries and sometimes lives as religious minority group in non-Muslim country. It is reported that one third of Muslims in the world live as minority in a number of countries both in the West and also in some Asian countries such as India, Japan, South Korea, etc. In general, the existing academic discourse and publication has focused more Muslim in the West, and overlooked the Muslims minority in Eastern countries which is also considered as non-Muslim land such as Japan, South Korea, and such. This article discusses the Muslim minorities in South Korea, with a specific focus on Indonesian Muslim as it made up a significant number of Muslim in South Korea recently. Their challenge, balancing their personal identity and loyal citizenship as well as integration issues will also discussed from fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) of minorities (fiqh al-aqaliyyat) point of view.

Pemikiran Bunuh Diri dalam Kalangan Lelaki Gay yang Mengalami Kemurungan: Satu Kajian Kes

Gay men are among high-risk minority groups that are vulnerable to depression and suicidality, having three times the rate of depression compared to the general adult population. They are also at high risk for suicidality. Despite the high prevalence of such disorders, medical practitioners have tended to focus more on aspects related to diseases and their medical treatment and rarely explore factors contributing to those mental issues. In general, gay men have weak coping strategies when dealing with mental health issues. This research explores a single case study of a gay male who had depression that led to suicidal thoughts. SBQ-R is used to measure the level of suicidal thoughts, and in-depth interviews were employed to explore the risk factors contributing to suicide ideation. The findings show that risk factors underlying depression and suicidality among gay men include lack of family acceptance of their sexual identities, low social support, internalized homophobia, and societal stigma. The paper discusses in detail the barriers preventing gay men from seeking help as well as how mental health practitioners might advance the well-being of this underserved minority group by effectively addressing depression and suicidality. Abstrak Lelaki gay adalah kumpulan minoriti berisiko tinggi yang terdedah kepada kemurungan dan bunuh diri. Jumlah kemurungan dalam kalangan lelaki gay adalah tiga kali lebih tinggi daripada populasi dewasa umum. Mereka juga berisiko tinggi untuk bunuh diri. Walaupun terdapat kemunculan kemurungan dan bunuh diri yang tinggi, pengamal perubatan cenderung memberi tumpuan kepada masalah kesihatan seperti virus dan ubat-ubatan tetapi jarang sekali mereka menekankan faktor-faktor yang menyebabkan mereka mengalami kemurungan. Justeru itu, lelaki gay mempunyai strategi daya tindak yang negatif ketika menangani masalah kesihatan mental. Kajian ini meneroka satu kajian kes lelaki gay yang mengalami kemurungan dan membawa kepada pemikiran bunuh diri. Inventori Kecenderungan Bunuh Diri (IKBD) telah digunakan untuk mengukur kecenderungan pemikiran bunuh diri dan temubual mendalam untuk meneroka faktor risiko yang menyumbang kepada ideasi bunuh diri. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan terdapat beberapa faktor risiko kemurungan dan bunuh diri dalam kalangan lelaki gay termasuk kekurangan penerimaan keluarga berkaitan identiti seksual mereka, sokongan sosial, budaya homofobia, dan stigma masyarakat. Halangan untuk mendapatkan bantuan juga dibincangkan secara terperinci, bagaimana pengamal kesihatan mental dapat membantu mengatasi kemurungan dan bunuh diri dan seterusnya mencapai kesejahteraan mental kumpulan minoriti yang kurang terlindung ini.

Temporal trends in the epidemiology of childhood severe visual impairment and blindness in the UK

Background/aimsUnderstanding temporal trends in childhood visual disability is necessary for planning and evaluating clinical services and health policies. We investigate the changing epidemiology of severe visual impairment (SVI) and blindness (BL) in children in the UK in the 21st century.MethodsComparative analysis of two national population-based epidemiological studies of incident childhood SVI/BL (ICD-10 definition; visual acuity worse than 1.0 LogMAR in the better eye). We carry out comparative analysis of studies conducted in 2000 and 2015 using identical methods.ResultsOverall annual and cumulative incidence rates remained broadly stable in 2015 at 0.38 per 10 000 (95% CI 0.34 to 0.41) for 0–15 years old and 5.65 per 10 000 (5.16 to 6.18) by 16 years, respectively, and with annual incidence in infancy (3.52 per 10 000, 3.13 to 3.97) remaining considerably higher than any other age. Mortality among children diagnosed in infancy declined (from 61.4 to 25.6 per 1000), despite an increase (from 77% to 84%, p=0.037) in the overall proportion with significant non-ophthalmic impairments/disorders. The relative contribution of all the main groups of disorders increased over time, most notably cerebral visual impairment (from 50% to 61%). Aetiological factors operating prenatally continued to predominate, with an increased relative contribution of hereditary conditions in all children (from 35% to 57%, p<0.001). The substantially elevated rates for any ethnic minority group and those born preterm were unchanged, with amplification of increased rates associated with low birth weight.ConclusionThe changing landscape of healthcare and increased survival of affected children, is reflected in increasing clinical complexity and heterogeneity of all-cause SVI/BL alongside declining mortality.