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Reproductive coercion (RC) can be conceptualized as any behavior that limits one's ability to make decisions about their reproductive health. Here, we broaden this definition to consider the impact of systemic and sociocultural factors on RC using an ecological model. Specifically, we use Bronfenbrenner's model as a framework for organizing the multilevel factors that influence reproductive coercion (RC) and its impacts on individual health. This paper is intended to offer a primer to historical, sociocultural, community, interpersonal, and individual processes that may interact to shape reproductive decision-making and its effect on individual health outcomes. We emphasize the importance of conceptualizing RC within the broader sociocultural and community context, and the potential implications for reproductive and sexual health research, clinical care, and policy in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On June 7th, 2019, Layleen Xtravaganza Cubilette-Polanco, a transgender woman from New York, died at Rikers Island while in solitary confinement. According to officials from the Department of Corrections, Layleen's death was a result of a series of interrelated health problems.. Trans, queer, and gender non-conforming people, especially youth of colour and Black trans women, face heightened rates of homelessness, violent victimisation, barriers to housing, employment, and healthcare. These social conditions are tied to heightened engagement in survival sex work, over-policing, and surveillance of their communities. As a result, Trans and queer people are disproportionately impacted by mass incarceration, and must contend with the nexus of a system that functions on racist and colonial legal construction of gender, making carceral spaces sites of (in)visibility and death. The death of Trans people within these carceral spaces are followed by multiple discursive deaths, including the use of dead names in media, misgendering, and transphobic political debate. This paper aims to highlight and explore carceral settings as sites of death and (in)visbility for Trans and queer people and how reframing allows us to identify how (neo)liberal reforms meant to protect Trans people only entrench mass incarceration in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Very little research has examined suicidal ideation or the factors associated with contemplating suicide among older transgender adults. This paper examines whether or not there is evidence of syndemic effects influencing suicidal ideation among transgender persons aged 50 or older. Data from the 2015 U.S. National Transgender Survey were used to examine five domains of potentially-syndemic effects (workplace issues, interactions with professionals, using public services, personal safety, and socioeconomic disadvantages) in a sample of 3,724 transgender Americans aged 50 or older. A dichotomous measure of suicidal ideation during the past year was the main outcome measure. The odds of contemplating suicide increased anywhere from 96% to 121% among people experiencing any of the problems under study, and anywhere from 258% to 1,552% (depending upon the syndemic effect domain in question) when they were faced by all of the experiences included in any particular domain. When all items were combined, exposure to any of the domains' problems elevated the risk of contemplating suicide by 276% and exposure to all of the problems examined increased the risk by 861%. The syndemic effects measure remained significant in multivariate analysis controlling for the influence of other potentially-relevant factors. Considerable evidence for the presence of syndemic effects was found, demonstrating that the more different types of adverse conditions that older transgender person's face, the more likely they are to experience to contemplate suicide. There is evidence that these effects diminish with advancing age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking broadly sociocultural or sociolinguistic perspectives, the five contributions to this special issue investigate various aspects of the co-construction of knowledge, as this is manifested in K-16 classrooms in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. While the authors of these papers address different educational settings, student populations, and curricular content, what unites them is their concern to better understand the cumulative, multidimensional nature of learning and teaching and the ways in which this is enacted in action and discourse across different spaces and over different scales of time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2019 the total accumulated digital data reached 4.4 trillion gigabytes; Facebook alone produced 4 million gigabytes, which includes 350 million photos and 100 million hours of video watch time, 65 billion messages via WhatsApp, and 95 million photos or videos on Instagram.1 With the vast volumes of data accessible to users, the necessity for filtering agents, which separate relevant data from noise, becomes clear for both the user and the businesses aiming to target specific audiences. The lack of regulation and misalignment of values between businesses and users, however, has led to poor design and implementation of filtering agents, which have been shown to be able to manipulate, extremize, and restrict users, even in situations and contexts beyond access to information and media. This paper aims to map the current state of interaction and dynamics between stakeholder groups and the consequences that arise from the current state and its perpetuation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to explore and depict the implicit force of classism impacting social work practice and discourse using the example of white rural poverty. The demographics and the specific psychosocial needs of this population will be explored. Cultural attitudes toward the white rural poor will also be examined, as well as the origin of the negative and pejorative sentiments that exist toward this population. Social work's participation in perpetuating these negative biases and stereotypes will be addressed, both currently and historically. The historic examples illustrated herein are social works' participation in the national eugenics movement and the efforts to eradicate hookworm in the early 20th century. These historic examples will be used as the backdrop to the examination of classist beliefs. By using boundary theory and the concept of implicit biases, this paper seeks to demonstrate the creation of belonging or not-belonging based on class standing. Using composite case material from this writer's own experience as a clinician working in primarily impoverished rural enclaves, this paper will highlight the risk of practicing clinically without acknowledging the implicit class bias at play in a cross-class dyad. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the population of unmarried single adults has grown globally especially in the developed world. In this paper, we explore homeownership among never married singles in the US from 2000 to 2013 using a sample from the Current Population Survey. In particular, we investigate potential differences in the relationship between several homeownership determinants for the never married in comparison to the married. We also test for heterogeneous effects across education levels and ethnicity in homeownership determinants for the never married. Our results show that age, gender and number of children affect the probability of homeownership differently for singles compared to those who are married. We also find that while on average there is a higher probability of homeownership from 2007 onwards for singles, there are significant gender, education and racial differences. In particular, our results show that among the never married, those with at least a college education reverse the gender gap in homeownership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the influence of self-esteem on the professional success of inner-city adults in the workplace. The study used processes of reflective learning, particularly mentoring and reflective writing or journaling, as the research method to assess levels of self-esteem in students attending a workforce certification program at Columbia University, USA. These narratives focus on how students balance their personal and professional lives in an intensive technology training program which leads to subsequent employment in large corporations. The model used to measure self-esteem was the Inner-City Workplace Literacy Arc, a rubric researchers use to chart program participants' progress through assessments of their journal narratives. Specifically, this paper addresses one participant's trajectory on the Arc over 16 months, demonstrating how it charts students' cognitive growth necessary for workforce success. Daniel, the male student discussed in this paper, started the workforce certification program at great socio-economic deficit and with very low self-esteem. During the course of the program he cultivated a positive self-concept through writing his thoughts and experiences, sharing them with mentors and receiving their consistent social support. He went on to achieve success in an information technology job at a large company. Daniel's experience is representative of that of other students in the program as well, who demonstrate that inner city adults who cultivate self-esteem through self-reflection and reliance on mentors are found to have high levels of workforce success, regardless of academic scores. The results of the study suggest that inner-city young adults' self-esteem should be monitored and fostered, through close mentoring relationships and through reflective writing, to improve their chances of professional success. The Inner-City Workplace Literacy Arc facilitates this process by tracking students' development in these areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Domestic violence (DV) has serious implications for the welfare of South Asian (SA) women in the United States. Previous studies have identified significantly lower rates of help-seeking among SA women compared to the dominant culture and other cultural groups. However, there are no scoping reviews that summarize the literature to identify strategies for intervention and future research in order to promote faster and larger systemic wide change that is urgently necessary to meet the needs of this vulnerable population. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to review and synthesize empirical studies that explore the socio-cultural factors related to the help-seeking behavior of SA women primarily in the United States. Forty-five English language peer reviewed articles met the inclusion criteria. The socio-cultural factors identified in the reviewed studies using a descriptive analytical method with a narrative review are patriarchy, acculturation, socioeconomic status, cultural competency, and immigration status. Implications for research and practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a dearth of available supports and services aimed specifically at parents with disabilities. The Parent-Centered Planning (PCP) intervention was developed to fill this gap, aiming to enhance supports for parenting for parents with disabilities. This brief approach was modeled after person-centered planning, with a focus specifically on parenting. This qualitative paper explores the experiences of a sample of parents (N = 13) with physical, intellectual and/or developmental disabilities who participated in a pilot study of PCP. Our study found that nearly all parents participating in the intervention strengthened relationships during the process of participation in PCP, clarified their goals related to parenting, and made progress toward their identified goals. The study also found that parents had mental health concerns, often related specifically to their disability supports. The article describes the nuances of these findings and discusses the implications for practice and future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to show how Van Wel's theory of problem figuration, Carlen's concept of imaginary systems and Zizek's notion of cynical ideology may advance our theoretical and empirical understanding of the contemporary construction of housing policy narratives and embedded localised housing practise. Applying this theoretical framework to a case study of responses to homelessness in Scotland and further illustrative examples from the UK and the USA, the paper examines how housing practise is constituted through different imaginaries of housing systems. These are based on fictional as well as rational elements, located within a form of cynical ideology whereby actors act ‘as if’ the realities of the present housing crisis are distanced from the imagined intended functioning of housing systems. This masks alternative social realities and denies an explicitly articulated politics of housing which would reveal new processes of capitalism, generational and class realignments and a reframing of the role of government itself. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Maslow's "Hierarchy of Needs" theory—which hypothesized that if human lower level "deficiency needs" were not met, higher level "growth needs" would be impaired—has received substantial theoretical attention. However, less attention has been given to whether the theory is supported by empirical data in school-aged youth from the USA. In this paper, we begin by reviewing Maslow's theory and highlighting the extent of deficiency needs in USA school-aged children. Then, we (a) introduce the Success Program—a school-based child and family intervention program designed to address non-cognitive barriers to learning—as a vehicle for addressing some of these needs, and (b) summarize Success Program evaluation research that has been conducted over the past 13 years, considering alignment of the research findings with the principles of Maslow's theory. Our findings highlight preliminary support for the notion that basic needs fulfillment may contribute to growth needs satisfaction; however, further examination of Maslow's theory is clearly warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on factors affecting parenting for Latino families with young children is predominately reported using the aggregate category, "Hispanic" which obfuscates the unique contexts and challenges of specific ethnic/racial groups. Aggregate reporting of results obscures the unique social, cultural and historical experiences that inform parenting behaviors of historically marginalized families. This paper explores within group differences for Mexican and Puerto Rican mothers vulnerable to child welfare involvement. Data were drawn from the National Survey on Child and Adolescent Well-being II—Restricted Release (NSCAW-II), a nationally representative sample of child welfare involved families. Puerto Rican mothers were found to have significantly higher rates of risk factors (e.g., unemployment, depression, and IPV) compared to Mexican mothers. Results from this study illuminate within-group heterogeneity among Latina mothers related to their vulnerabilities to child welfare involvement. Attention to heterogeneity of Hispanic mothers allow for more refined assessments and interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This paper examines how mortality covaries with observed skin tone among blacks and in relation to whites. Additionally, the study analyzes the extent to which social factors such as socioeconomic status affect this relationship. Design: This study uses data from the 1982 General Social Survey (N = 1,689) data linked to the National Death Index until 2008. We use this data to examine the links between race, observed skin tone among blacks, and all-cause mortality. Piecewise exponential hazard modeling was used to estimate disparities in skin tone mortality among blacks, and relative to whites. The multivariate models control for age, education, gender, region, metropolitan statistical area, marital status, labor force status, and household income. Results: Observed skin tone is a significant determinant of mortality among blacks and in relation to whites. Light skinned blacks had the lowest mortality hazards among blacks, while respondents with medium and dark brown skin experienced significantly higher mortality. The observed skin tone mortality disparities covaried with education; there are significant mortality disparities across observed skin tone groups among black respondents with high school or more education, and nonsignificant disparities among those with less education. Conclusion: It is crucial to identify the social processes driving racial disparities in health and mortality. The findings reveal that the nuanced social experiences of blacks with different observed skin tones markedly change the experience of racial inequality. Research on the nuanced social processes and biological mechanisms that connect differences in observed skin tone to mortality outcomes promises to better illuminate the experience of racial inequality and policy mechanisms we can use to undermine it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a nationally representative dataset, this paper examines the nonprofit/for-profit difference in the gender pay gap specifically within the human services field. This industry-specific analysis is necessary because nonprofit organizations are concentrated in these fields. Unlike the conventional finding (based on economy-wide analyses) that the gender pay gap is smaller in nonprofits, this study does not find a significant nonprofit/for-profit difference in the gender pay gap within the human services. In addition, it examines the nonprofit pay differential for both female and male human services workers relative to their for-profit counterparts and finds an overall wage premium for nonprofit men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the grid of sentiment that structures medical travel to India. In contrast to studies that render emotion as ancillary, the paper argues that affect is fundamental to medical travel's ability to ease the linked somatic, emotional, financial, and political injuries of being ill 'back home'. The ethnographic approach follows the scenes of medical travel within the Indian corporate hospital room, based on observations and interviews among foreign patients, caregivers, and hospital staff in Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, and Bangalore. Foreign patients conveyed diverse sentiments about their journey to India ranging from betrayal to gratitude, and their expressions of risk, healthcare costs, and cultural difference help sustain India's popularity as a medical travel destination. However, although the affective dimensions of medical travel promise a remedy for foreign patients, they also reveal the fault lines of market medicine in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To understand health disparities, it is important to use an intersectional framework that examines unique experiences of oppression faced by particular groups due to their intersecting identities and social positions linked to societal structures. We focus on Black and Latina women and their experiences with 'gendered racism' – unique forms of oppression due to the intersection of race/ethnicity and gender – to foster understanding of disparities between Black and Latina versus White women in sexual and reproductive health outcomes in the U.S. Specifically, we focus on stereotype-related gendered racism (ongoing discrimination and stereotype threat based on historically-rooted stereotypes about Black and Latina women's sexuality and motherhood) and birth control-related mistrust (ongoing mistrust of the government and medical system related to birth control due to historical and current abuses). Design: We analyzed data from two survey studies with adult women in New York (Study 1: paper-and-pencil community data collection, N = 135, Mage = 43.35) and across the U.S. (Study 2: online data collection, N = 343, Mage = 29.49) who were currently pregnant or had at least one child and identified as Black, Latina, or White. Results: Black and Latina women reported greater frequency of and concern over stereotype-related gendered racism (F(3,131) = 17.90, p <.001 Study 1; F(3,339) = 22.23, p <.001 Study 2) and greater birth control-related mistrust (F(3,131) = 7.55, p <.001 Study 1; F(3,339) = 17.32, p <.001 Study 2) than White women did. In turn, stereotype-related gendered racism was positively associated with pregnancy-specific stress (ß =.40, p <.001 Study 1; ß =.33, p <.001 Study 2), and birth control-related mistrust was negatively associated with sexual relationship power (ß = −.19, p =.002 Study 2), which are factors known to contribute to birth outcomes and sexual risk, respectively. Conclusion: Findings suggest that gendered racism may play an important role in existing racial/ethnic disparities in women's sexual and reproductive health outcomes, and interventions addressing gendered racism at multiple levels are needed to promote health equity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the cultural attitude of reluctance in the United States, as reflected in recent opinion polls and federal budgets, toward agency spending in relation to addiction prevention, treatment, and research. The author posits that the prevalent spiritual lens, through which addiction is widely perceived, contributes to hesitancy in committing more to these areas of public funding. Its etiological interpretation of addiction, as a spiritual/moral disease that is innate to afflicted individuals, essentially releases culture and society from accountability for its prevalence. Further, publicity surrounding the New Recovery Advocacy Movement might lead to a complacent belief that a radical movement, addressing addiction on a broad, collaborative, and socioeconomic scale is already occurring. In order to widen the scope of spirituality as it generally pertains to addiction and accommodate the potentialities embedded in positive social change, the construct of spirituality needs to expand beyond the narrow and culturally entrenched notion of inner personal growth through individual effort. Therefore, this paper advances participatory spiritual theory as a means to integrate the reciprocity of socioeconomic and political factors as well as social engagement within a spiritual framework for recovery from addiction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Black Caribbeans in the United States have been the victims of major discrimination (e.g. unfairly fired, denied a promotion, denied housing). What is not known is the degree to which they also experience more routine forms of everyday discrimination such as receiving poor restaurant service, being perceived as dishonest, and being followed in stores. This paper investigates the distribution and correlates of everyday discrimination among a national sample of black Caribbeans in the U.S. Design: This analysis used the black Caribbean sub-sample (n = 1,621) of the National Survey of American Life. Demographic and immigration status correlates of ten items from the Everyday Discrimination Scale were investigated: being treated with less courtesy, treated with less respect, receiving poor restaurant service, being perceived as not smart, being perceived as dishonest, being perceived as not as good as others, and being feared, insulted, harassed, or followed in stores. Results: Roughly one out of ten black Caribbeans reported that, on a weekly basis, they were treated with less courtesy and other people acted as if they were better than them, were afraid of them, and as if they were not as smart. Everyday discrimination was more frequent for black Caribbeans who were male, never married, divorced/separated, earned higher incomes, and who were second or third generation immigrants. Black Caribbeans attributed the majority of the discrimination they experienced to their race. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first study to provide an in-depth investigation of everyday discrimination among the black Caribbean population. It provides the frequency, types and correlates of everyday discrimination reported by black Caribbeans in the United States. Understanding the frequency and types of discrimination is important because of the documented negative impacts of everyday discrimination on physical and mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the high incidence of comorbid conditions of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Substance Use Disorder (SUD) among women living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), there is a critical need to develop integrated interventions to address the comorbidity of HIV/AIDS, PTSD and SUD. This paper discusses a study conducted with African American women living with HIV/AIDS and histories of substance abuse and trauma in a major metropolitan city in the U.S. The purpose was to have women respond to a presentation on the acceptability of an integrated intervention entitled Trauma Affect Regulation: Guide for Education and Therapy (TARGET). The women also generated ideas on how to adapt the intervention for African American women. Participants responded favorably to TARGET and indicated that a holistic focus on the stigma of HIV/AIDS, and disclosure of HIV/AIDS to children and sexual partners were important considerations to include in an integrated PTSD/SUD treatment intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research suggests that lower socioeconomic status (SES) adolescents bully more than their higher-SES peers. This paper tests whether aggression-related mindsets, defined as mindsets that theoretically influence aggressive behavior, explain the relationship between SES and bullying engagement among adolescents. Using a large and diverse dataset of survey responses from secondary students in the U.S. (N = 146,044 students, 30% White, 70% students of color from 5th-12th grade), this study applies structural regression modeling with complex survey data analysis. Results suggest that differences in aggression-related mindsets, including feelings of academic efficacy, feelings of purpose, global self-esteem, academic-status insecurity, school-related anger, and school-related happiness account for almost half of the relationship between SES and bullying. Students' school-related anger is the strongest direct predictor of bullying (0.88 standard deviation), which suggests that strategies to reduce adolescent bullying are more effective if they teach anger-reducing skills or eliminate the root causes of students' school-related anger. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nationally, juvenile justice reforms have largely rolled back the surge in youth incarceration that resulted from the "tough on crime" era of the late 1990s and early 2000s: the numbers of young people arrested, detained, and placed in the justice system has fallen by half to the lowest numbers the country has seen since the 1980s. This paper analyzes gender-specific trends in juvenile justice involvement to assess whether declines in juvenile justice-involved youth population have made it possible to eliminate the practice of detaining or placing girls in juvenile justice facilities in many jurisdictions around the country. Descriptive data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics "Arrest Data Analysis Tool" as well as the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's "Easy Access to Juvenile Court Statistics" and "Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement" are compiled to provide an overview of gender demographics and charge severity at arrest and placement over time. Findings indicate that in many states girls numbers are sufficiently small and the severity of their offenses sufficiently low-level that targeted policy changes, diversion efforts, and investment community-based prevention and intervention programing could eliminate confinement altogether. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivating consumers to conserve energy has proven to be a difficult task in the United States. One tactic that has been used on a limited basis by the Department of Energy is paid advertising. This paper examines the role of conservation within the country's broader energy problems, delineates several consumer issues that affect the success of government conservation programs, discusses the controversy surrounding the use of paid advertising to promote consumer conservation efforts, and describes those DOE programs that have used paid advertising as an integral component of conservation program strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The health disparities that are prevalent among American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities are connected to the ideology of sovereignty and often ignored in social work and public health literature. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to examine the health outcomes of American Indians from the time of contact with European settlers to the present through the ideology of sovereignty and federal government AI health policy. The foundation for the health outcomes of AIs and the governmental policies affecting them lie in the ideology of tribal sovereignty. This ideology has greatly impacted how the government views and treats AIs and consequently, how it has impacted their health. From the earliest treaties between European settlers and AIs, this legal relationship has been and remains a perplexing issue. With the examination of tribal sovereignty comes the realization that colonization and governmental polices have greatly contributed to the many social and health problems that AIs suffer from today. Understanding that the health disparities that exist among AI/AN populations cannot only be attributed to individual behavior and choice but is driven by societal, economic and political factors may be used to inform social work education, practice, and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper details results of a study examining administrative case data from 2010-2015 from abortion funds serving the USA and the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man. Driven by the available data, the researchers compared organisational characteristics, patient characteristics, procedural costs, patient resources and the ratio between patient resources and procedural costs. Independent t-tests were conducted to assess whether differences in characteristics, costs or resources were significant. The number of patients serviced by abortion funds across the two datasets increased yearly from 2010-2015. While patients in the USA had more resources, on average, to contribute to their abortion procedure, Irish, Northern Irish and Manx patients had the resources to pay for a greater percentage of their costs, on average, which was mainly attributable to the differences in gestational age of those helped by the different abortion funds. Patients across all nations were similar in terms of their marital status, average age and number of existing children. Patients across these countries face expensive procedures and a lack of resources that are bridged in part by abortion fund assistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Though college students have high rates of heavy drinking, few studies have examined the various pathways through which risks affect drinking and whether this varies by institution. We examined whether alcohol expectancy mediates the relationship between social factors (i.e., hooking up, friends drinking, Greek affiliation, entitlement) and drinking behavior comparing college students from one Midwestern and one Southeastern university.Methods: In the 2013–14 academic year, 1,482 college students (51% female) enrolled in undergraduate courses at two public universities completed a paper and pencil survey of attitudes and experiences about dating, sexuality, and substance use. Multiple group path analysis was used to compare two institutions.Results: Drinking behavior was positively associated with hooking up more often, Greek affiliation, being male, having close friends who consume more alcohol, and greater alcohol expectancies. We found unique differences in the mediating pathways for the two campuses.Conclusion: This study provides a more nuanced understanding of risk factors for heavy drinking. Moreover, it adds to the scarce body of literature concerning entitlement and drinking and the unique pathways between two college campuses. Finally, the results could lead to the development of more specific intervention strategies to reduce risky drinking among U.S. college students. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The contraceptive needs of women for whom the benefits of menstrual bleeding may outweigh its disadvantages have largely been overlooked, especially outside high-income countries. Some providers and researchers have assumed that users of nonhormonal birth control (non-HBC) are misinformed about the positive and negative effects of HBC and/or the need for menstrual bleeding. This study takes the position that many of those rejecting HBC in favor of methods that do not alter bleeding are, in fact, making informed decisions. Using questionnaire data from 4,255 contraceptive users in three countries, we compared current HBC users explicitly open to hormone use ("H-receptive") and non-HBC users explicitly rejecting hormones ("H-averse"). To the extent that menstrual bleeding attitudes affect contraceptive choice, these two groups should have the greatest contrasts in those attitudes. This novel study design mitigates ambiguities arising from posing hypothetical scenarios to those ambivalent about using hormones or who are not currently using contraception. In all three countries, of those agreeing with the prompt, "I don't want to change my natural menstrual cycle," the fractions of H-averse and H-receptive users are disproportionally high and low, respectively (p ≤.0026). Responses to other prompts varied across populations, revealing complex juxtapositions of multiple criteria, including bleeding preferences, that likely influence contraceptive choices. These patterns, reflecting personal and culturally salient values, highlight the necessity of not assuming that menstrual bleeding is undesirable or relying on a single criterion to ascertain clients' contraceptive needs and preferences. Rather, acknowledging a client's personal hierarchy of preferences regarding contraceptive attributes best serves their goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the plight of the Meskhetian Turks ( Akhyskha Turkleri ) originally from Georgia, who subsequently relocated to Central Asia by order of Stalin, later migrated to Russia just prior to the break-up of the USSR, and in the post-Soviet era, a sizeable population immigrated to the United States. After researching the subject and conducting interviews with a number of Meskhetian Turks residing in the US coming from various professional and socio-economic backgrounds, my findings suggest that the most prominent feature of these people is their multiple, non-voluntary relocations and experience of discrimination by host populations everywhere. Indeed, like most other minorities persecuted by majority rule worldwide, the hardships of the Meskhetian Turks are derived from social and political conditions not of their making—it is as though they have been the pawns in a world shaped largely by local and international political agendas. This paper examines the origins of Meskhetian Turks; their various deportations; the hardships that they and their predecessors endured under Stalin's administration and the Ferghana Pogrom of 1989; their successive persecution in Krasnodar, Russia; and their current life in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper compares left-wing Latin American populism with Donald Trump. Despite their different social bases and economic policies, they use a similar logic to construct politics as an antagonistic struggle between two camps. Left-wing and right-wing populists aim to rupture existing political institutions to give power to the people, yet they differ in how they construct this category. Whereas Trump used ethnic criteria to differentiate the people from three out groups – Mexicans, Muslims, and African-American militant organisations – left-wing Latin American populists used political and socio-economic criteria. Despite their democratising promises, Latin American populists like Hugo Chávez in Venezuela and Rafael Correa in Ecuador undermined democracy from within. Even though stronger institutions might protect American democracy, Trump has disfigured democracy. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on children are often misinterpreted in schools as misbehavior and can impact students' academic progress. We explore how the intersection of race and ACEs make students of color hypervisible and more likely to enter the school discipline pathway. Using tenets of critical race theory and the concept of the disciplinary gaze; we found that children of color, experiencing complex trauma, had 1.85 times the odds of receiving a call home (surveilled) for problems at school compared to their White counterparts. Implications for trauma-informed and culturally responsive practices are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective.Multiracial (two or more races) American health related to racial stability over the life course is a pressing issue in a burgeoning multi-ethnic and multicultural global society. Most studies on multiracial health are cross-sectional and thus focus on racial categorization at a single time point, so it is difficult to establish how health indicators change for multiracials over time. Accordingly the central aim of this paper was to explore if consistency in racial categories over time is related to self-rated health for multiracial young adults in the USA.Methods.Data were drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) survey (N= 7957). Weighted multivariate logistic regression was used to exam health status in early adulthood between individuals who switched racial categories between Waves 1 and 3 compared to those who remained in the same racial categories.Results.There were significant differences in report of self-rated health when comparing consistent monoracial adults with multiracial adults who switch racial categories over time.Diversifying(switching from one category to many categories) multiracial respondents are less likely to report fair/poor self-rated health compared to single-race minority young adults in the fully adjusted model (OR = 0.20; 95% CI [0.06–0.60]).Conclusion.These results demonstrate the importance of critically examining changes in racial categories as related to health status over time. Furthermore, these results demonstrate how the switch in racial categories during adolescence can explain some variations in health status during young adulthood. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Suicide is a very contemporary issue in the USA. Despite the social characteristics related with suicide, the discipline of sociology has remained relatively silent on the issue. This paper builds upon Durkheim's approach by using social capital theory as a framework to examine suicide rates across 2688 US counties. Using ordinary least-squared regression modelling, we found that counties with higher rates of social capital, diversity, and population density experienced lower suicide rates. Counties that had higher levels of divorce, unemployment, poverty, education, and median age experienced higher suicide rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on the new second generation has paid much attention to testing one of the hypotheses posed by segmented assimilation theory – downward assimilation into America's underclass – and has neglected to examine other possible outcomes. In this paper, I address a much understudied pathway – assimilation by way of the ethnic community – based on a case study of Chinese immigrant children in the USA. I show that the children of Chinese immigrants have made inroads into mainstream America through educational achievement, not only because of the strong value their parents put on education but also because resources generated in the ethnic community help actualize that value. The Chinese American experience suggests that, in order to advance to the rank of middle-class Americans, immigrant parents have chosen the ethnic way to facilitate children's social mobility and achieved success. Paradoxically, ‘assimilated’ children have also relied on ethnicity for empowerment to fight negative stereotyping of the racialized other. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

As the homeownership rate in the United States reached its highest ever level in 2004, the distribution of homeownership remained uneven along racial and ethnic lines. Using data from the 2005–2007 3-Year Sample of the American Community Survey (ACS), this paper employs a multivariate regression model and a decomposition technique to delineate the socio-economic and demographic characteristics as well as the immigration and spatial patterns that shape racial and ethnic inequality in homeownership. The findings reveal three distinct patterns; the Asian-white homeownership gap is explained entirely by differences in immigration and spatial patterns of residence, whereas the disadvantage of blacks and Puerto Ricans is attributable to demographic, socio-economic and unobserved factors. For Mexicans and other Hispanics, all four sources influence homeownership patterns, with socio-economic factors relatively important for Mexicans and spatial variables relatively important for other Hispanics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young people interested in careers in advertising often ask: Do advertising agencies offer good career opportunities? What functions do agencies perform, and why? How will agencies evolve in the future? This article traces the evolution of services that advertising agencies perform and identifies major factors that explain such evolution. The reader may wish to perform the same kind of analysis to predict or anticipate future evolution of advertising agencies. The intent is not only to explain or predict changes, but also to exhibit "systems thinking" which is appropriate for the historian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was designed to gather market information on customer attributes and the collective size and scope of live aquatic products markets in the Northeastern United States. The paper presents the results of socioeconomic characteristics of live aquatic products consumers and their preferences. According to market information, Asians have a higher per capita consumption of live aquatic products than the average American. Asian populations are growing rapidly in the Northeast, however, very little is known about purchasing habits and preferences of customers who frequent these markets or overall current and future market demand for live fish. The Ordered Probit Model presents the results of socioeconomic characteristics of live aquatic products consumers and their preferences towards the importance of year-round availability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an introduction to the Mexican-American culture, describing (1) cultural diversity and linguistic policies in the United States; (2) cultural and linguistic studies that have examined the backgrounds of Mexican-American individuals; (3) the characteristics of this population; (4) issues on discrimination and human relations; (5) the socioeconomic factors that Mexican-American individuals encountered due to their lack of education; and (6) the predominance of poorly paid and undereducated unskilled workers. Although many Mexican Americans have moved up the social ladder to the middle class, others have not. However, they have a richness of language and culture to share with the school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the association between educational attainment, relative to that of an intimate partner, and all-cause mortality for men and women in different-sex relationships. Research suggests some health benefits for partnered adults that arise from economic benefits and improved access to health-promoting tools. One way these benefits could be gained is through the pairing of the highly educated. While high individual educational attainment lowers mortality risk, less is known about the risks of mortality associated with one's education, relative to their partner's education. Using National Health Interview Survey Linked Mortality Files (NHIS-LMF) for the years 1999–2014 with prospective mortality follow-up through December 2015 (N = 347,994), we document the association between relative educational attainment and mortality for men and women with different-sex partners in the United States. Fully adjusted Cox proportional hazard models revealed a higher risk of all-cause mortality for men and women who have more education than their partner, relative to those having the same education as their partner. For women only, having less education than their male partner was associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality. A better understanding of relative status within different-sex partnerships provides insights into partnered adult's mortality risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the percentage of right-handers increases in a state, the tightness of that state's culture, as measured, also increases. The relations between handedness, tightness, and various COVID measures (cases per 100,000, vaccination rates, hospitalization rates, death rates, and mask wearing adherence) were examined. Left-handedness rates and tightness both marginally predicted COVID cases and significantly predicted vaccination rates (more right-handers and more tightness associated with higher COVID rates and lower vaccination rates), only left-handedness rates predicted mask wearing adherence (more left-handers associated with increased adherence), only tightness predicted death rates (more tightness associated with higher death rates), and neither handedness or tightness predicted hospitalizations. Results are discussed in terms of the connection between consistent right-handedness and decreased cognitive flexibility and its implication for sociopolitical outcomes, and implications for the framing of public health messaging are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physical inactivity has become an increasingly important concern for public health. "Fitspiration" social media posts may influence attitudes and intentions toward exercising. An online survey (N = 485) was conducted to examine the potential for fitspiration content from weak and strong ties to shape user emotions, attitudes, norms and behaviors related to exercising. Guided by the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and social cognitive theory (SCT), the results show that exposure to fitspiration content from both strong ties and weak ties were significant predictors of particular attitudes, norms, intentions, actual exercise frequency. However, our path analyses reveal significant indirect paths between exposure to fitspiration content and outcomes for weak ties through negative emotions (guilt), but only through positive emotions (hope and curiosity) for strong ties. Additionally, we found evidence that body satisfaction levels do matter in shaping the interrelationships between exposure to fitspiration content, emotions, and our outcome variables. In light of our results, we encourage researchers to consider the inclusion of emotional responses as antecedents to TPB outcomes and for practitioners to consider the role of source in campaign design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We assessed the impact of bearing multiple marginalized identities, experiencing discrimination and perceived social status on the prevalence of depression in college students using an intersectional approach. Public health students at a diverse urban public university in Northern California (N = 338, response rate = 85%; 77% women, mean age 22). We used a cross-sectional survey to assess demographics, depression, discrimination and social standing using validated scales and estimate the relations between depression and co-factors. 25.4% of students reported depression. Discrimination was associated with a higher level of depression and more severe symptoms. Higher perceived social status was associated with a lower level of depression and less severe symptoms. Hispanic/Latinx first generation women had three times the prevalence of depression as non-Hispanic/Latinx non-first generation men and there was a significant disparity in depression severity. Intersectional approaches can shed light on the experiences of marginalized groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Substantial out-of-pocket costs for hearing aids constitute a barrier to hearing health care accessibility for older adults among whom prevalence of hearing loss is high. This study is the first to estimate the proportion of Americans with functional hearing loss for which out-of-pocket expenditures for hearing aids would be unaffordable at current average costs and determine how affordability varies by sociodemographic factors. We utilized data from the 2016 American Community Survey to determine the proportion of adults with functional hearing loss for whom hearing aids would constitute ≥3% of annual income or have post-purchase income below a poverty standard. Chi-square tests were used to identify differences in affordability outcomes by sociodemographic characteristics. Results indicated that an average bundled cost of $2500 would constitute a catastrophic expense for 77% of Americans with functional hearing loss (N = 7,872,292) and would add an additional 4% of the population into poverty for the year (N = 423,548). Affordability outcomes varied significantly by age, race, sex, educational attainment and geographic location. Hearing aids were unaffordable for three-fourths of Americans with functional hearing loss, and their purchase would result in impoverishment for hundreds of thousands of individuals. Reductions in out-of-pocket hearing aid costs to $500 or $1000 would alleviate affordability issues for many Americans with hearing loss. Future federal and state policy should address poor rates of insurance coverage for hearing care, specifically among Medicare and Medicaid, to reduce out-of-pocket costs for hearing care particularly for older adults. An average out-of-pocket hearing care cost of $2500 was unaffordable for over three quarters of Americans with functional hearing loss. Hearing care affordability varied significantly by demographic characteristics such as age, sex, gender, educational attainment and geographic region. Affordability constitutes a significant barrier to hearing care accessibility in the United States, where most costs of hearing aids and rehabilitation are statutorily excluded from insurance coverage, including the largest insurer of Americans, Medicare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the prevalence of firearm ownership among low-income U.S. military veterans and associated sociodemographic, trauma, and clinical characteristics. Data were analyzed from a nationally representative study of low-income U.S. veterans conducted in 2021 (n = 1,004). Hierarchical logistic regression analyses identified characteristics associated with firearm ownership and mental health correlates of firearm ownership. The results revealed 41.7% of low-income U.S. veterans (95% confidence interval [CI] = 38.7–44.8%) reported owning firearms in their household. Controlling for other factors, firearms owners were significantly more likely to be male and living in their own house. There were no significant associations between trauma exposure (history of assault, unwanted social contact, death of close friend/family, homelessness) or mental health characteristics (history of bipolar disorder, suicide attempt, drug use problems) with firearm ownership. In conclusion, two of five low-income U.S. veterans own a firearm; the prevalence of firearm ownership is higher among men and homeowners. Targeted research on these key segments of the U.S. veteran population and ways to mitigate their firearm misuse may be needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose: Over 247,000 people died in the U.S. from overdoses related to prescription opioids in 1999–2019, leading the WHO to deem the situation an epidemic. The purpose of this study is to examine whether culture is related to perceptions and behaviors around opioid consumption because culture has been shown, for example, to influence decision-making strategies, risk-taking, and responses to self-congruent communications. Methods: Scores for country-wide dimensions of culture from Hofstede and opioid consumption data from the International Narcotics Control Board were used to study a possible relationship. The relationship was tested by including a set of economic and socio-economic indicators from the World Bank, the United Nations, and PROSPERED. Results: The scores for the cultural dimension of individualism are correlated with opioid consumption on a country level, with higher levels of individualism connected to higher consumption. This correlation is robust to the inclusion of economic and socio-economic variables (GDP per capita, inflation, income inequality, unemployment, education, life expectancy, median age, and sick leave coverage). Conclusions and Importance: Because messages that reinforce a group's cultural value are more meaningful and effective in motivating action, educational health messages about opioid consumption in the U.S. need to be designed with culture in mind to disrupt decisions to take opioid analgesics unless medically justified or to limit their use. More research is needed on how to design self-congruent individualistic versus collectivistic persuasive appeals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technology-facilitated abuse (TFA) is of growing concern and is a form of elder abuse. There is limited TFA research in general population samples in the U.S. among older adults. Researchers conducted a survey of behavior-based forms of TFA experiences in a nationally representative sample of n = 1,011 U.S. adults ages 50 and older. Within this sample, 63.8% of respondents reported some experience of TFA during their lifetime. Latent class analyses were applied to understand the pattern of older adults' exposure to ten different forms of TFA resulting in three classes distinguished by the number of different TFA types experienced: low TFA (55%), low-mid TFA (40%) and high TFA (5%). Socio-economic characteristics associated with these TFA profiles, as well as perpetrator relationship, post-TFA behaviors, and resulting harms associated with the TFA experiences, were examined to inform research, prevention, and intervention activities. Attention across different sectors to TFA among older adults is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Household job loss during COVID-19 constitutes a public health crisis. Research suggests associations between household job loss, harsher parenting practices, and mental health challenges in the general population. Sexual minority adolescents (SMA) face high rates of family stress and rejection, but evidence linking household job loss to SMA mental health is lacking. This study evaluated associations between household job loss, family rejection, and mental health with a national sample of SMA who were sheltering in place with families during the pandemic. SMA from an ongoing prospective study completed an online questionnaire between May 13-31, 2020. It was hypothesized that household job loss during the pandemic would be associated with elevated depressive and anxiety symptoms through family rejection. Household job loss during the pandemic was indirectly associated with SMA mental health through family rejection. These findings highlight how socioeconomic change and policy carry implications for SMA health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This project examined the impact of childhood maltreatment types on psychosomatic outcomes among adults with a range of self-reported disabilities. Participants (n = 643) were recruited using Amazon Mechanical Turk and Cloud Research. Single-item questions assessed sociodemographic information. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire measured childhood maltreatment types (emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, and emotional and physical neglect) and the RAND-36 Item Health Survey evaluated physical functioning, pain, and energy/fatigue. Logistic regressions determined associations between childhood trauma and psychosomatic outcomes; stratified models compared men and women. Multivariate-adjusted models indicated physical abuse was positively associated with poor physical functioning (OR: 2.03; 95%CI: 1.35–3.06) with this relationship being stronger for men (OR: 3.25; 95%CI: 1.42–7.43) than women (OR: 1.91; 95%CI: 1.17–3.13). Adjusted models showed that physical neglect was protective against fatigue (OR: 0.58; 95% CI: 0.36–0.94), while emotional neglect increased the risk of fatigue (OR: 1.74; 95%CI: 1.02–2.95). Lastly, physical abuse was positively associated with pain (OR: 1.53; 95%CI: 1.01–2.33). This relationship was stronger in men (OR: 4.99; 95%CI: 1.91–12.99). Results improve our understanding of risk factors for poor physical health outcomes and can guide the development of trauma-sensitive rehabilitation services. Individuals with disabilities who report childhood maltreatment may experience poor psychosomatic outcomes in adulthood. Consequences of experiencing childhood maltreatment may manifest differently between men and women over the course of the lifespan. It is essential to integrate trauma-informed principles into treatment plans for individuals with poor psychosomatic health. Rehabilitation professionals should screen for abuse and refer individuals to the appropriate mental and physical health services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence shows that reports of psychopathology symptoms by youth and their caregiver informants differ. To quantify youth-caregiver discrepancies in psychopathology symptoms and factors associated with such discrepancies, we investigated differences in how youth and their caregivers rated psychopathology symptoms. The sample (N = 5094) was extracted from the Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort, a community-based sample of youth and included participants ages 11-17 years old with both youth and caregiver reported symptom scores. Across psychopathology symptoms, youth-caregiver concordance was poor to fair (Cohens kappa for symptom items ranged between 0.03–0.41). Psychosis symptoms had the lowest concordance—Cohen's kappa ranged from 0.03 to 0.17 across psychosis symptoms. Discrepancies between youth and caregiver symptom reports were greater than average for Black youth and for youth of low socioeconomic status; discrepancies were also higher than average in youth with any psychiatric disorder when compared to typically developing youth. Network analysis of difference scores obtained by subtracting youth symptom scores from caregiver reported symptom scores showed that network connectivity (i.e., correlated difference scores) was sparsest for psychosis spectrum compared to other psychiatric disorders. Using a large sample, we show that youth and their caregiver informants tend to report psychopathology symptoms differently. Youth-caregiver discrepancies were the most pronounced for Black youth and youth of low socio-economic status. Race and socioeconomic status contribute to significant differences in how youth and their caregivers report such symptoms and are important factors that should be accounted for to facilitate accurate mental health symptom assessment and evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Older displaced persons often receive limited attention from aid organizations, policy-makers and service providers in countries of resettlement. The objective of this study is to identify the relationship between experiencing traumatic events and stressors prior to resettlement, current resettlement stressors, social support, and mental health of older Bhutanese with a refugee life experience. Study participants were 190 older Bhutanese with a refugee life experience living in a metropolitan area in New England (US) and Ontario (Canada). We used structural equation modeling to determine the association between traumatic and stressful events in Bhutan and Nepal, current resettlement stressors, and symptoms of anxiety and depression, as measured by the GAD-7 and PHQ-9. We assessed the role of social support as an effect modifier in the relationship between these variables. Surviving torture was associated with anxiety (p=.006), and experiencing threats to physical wellbeing in Nepal was associated with both anxiety (p=.003) and depression (p=.002). The relationship between physical threats in Nepal and current mental health were partially mediated by resettlement stressors. Social support moderated the relationship between trauma, stress, and mental health. Both past traumas and current resettlement stressors contribute to the current psychosocial functioning of older Bhutanese with a refugee life experience. Based on our findings, social support is critical in promoting mental health in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]