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Objective: Black/African American women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) experience greater organ damage and at younger ages than white women. The objective of this study was to advance research on SLE inequities by identifying sociodemographic risk profiles associated with organ damage accrual specifically among Black/African American women. Methods: Latent profile analysis was conducted among 438 Black/African American women with SLE living in Atlanta, GA and enrolled in the Black Women's Experiences Living with Lupus (BeWELL) Study (May 2015 to April 2017). Proportional hazard and Poisson regression models examined prospective associations between sociodemographic profiles and the timing and degree of organ damage accrual over 2 years. Results: Four profiles emerged: (1) "Younger/Lower SES with Uncontrolled SLE" (44.8%), (2) "Older/Lower SES with Uncontrolled SLE" (23.3%), (3) "Mid-SES with Controlled SLE" (19.6%), and (4) "Higher SES with Controlled SLE" (11.2%). Approximately 42% of participants experienced new organ damage during the follow-up period. Proportional hazard models indicated that "Older/Lower SES with Uncontrolled SLE" participants were at greatest risk of new organ damage (HR = 2.41; 95% CI = 1.39, 4.19), followed by "Younger/Lower SES with Uncontrolled SLE" participants (HR = 1.56; 95% CI = 0.92, 2.67), compared to those in the "Higher SES with Controlled SLE" profile. Poisson regression models revealed that these two groups also exhibited greater organ damage accrual (b = 0.98, SE = 0.24, 95% CI = 0.52, 1.44 and b = 0.72, SE = 0.23, 95% CI = 0.27, 1.17, respectively). Conclusions: Black/African American women with fewer socioeconomic resources and uncontrolled SLE are at greatest risk for increasing disease severity over time. Social inequities likely contribute to racial inequities in SLE progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Vicarious racism—witnessing or hearing about other individuals of one's ethnic/racial group being the target of racism—has been salient among Asian Americans during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. There is emerging evidence that such experiences adversely impact several health-related outcomes, including sleep. The present study examines associations between vicarious racism and subjective sleep duration and quality, and the potential moderating role of ethnic/racial identity (ERI). Method: Multivariable regression models assessed the association between vicarious racism, private regard, and centrality on self-reported sleep disturbance and duration. The sample consisted of an online sample of 600 Asian American adults (Mage = 38.55, SDage = 17.11; 65.17% female; 60% ≥ Bachelor's degree) recruited from May to June 2020. Results: Vicarious racism was associated with compromised sleep quality and duration, including after adjustment for sociodemographic variables that have been linked to sleep. Private regard toward one's own ethnic/racial group and centrality of ethnicity/race to self-identity buffered the association between vicarious racism and sleep quality and duration. Adverse effects of high vicarious racism on sleep quality and duration were lessened among respondents reporting high levels of ERI private regard and centrality. Conclusions: Findings from this study extend research on racism and sleep by examining vicarious racism, an understudied facet of racism, and by focusing specifically on Asian Americans and in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Future research and practice should consider expanding research on discrimination to include a broader range of unjust experiences. Vicarious racism contributes to health hazards experienced by Asian Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic. Public Significance Statement: This study suggests that among Asian Americans in the United States, experiences of vicarious racism during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic had detrimental impacts on sleep quality and duration. Two facets of ethnic/racial identity—private regard and centrality—may serve to buffer the negative effects of vicarious racism on sleep. These findings demonstrate the importance of addressing racism as a public health threat and provide greater understanding of the role that ethnic/racial identity may play in protecting against the negative impacts of this unique, and increasingly salient, form of racism on sleep outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a rise in anti-Asian hate crimes in the United States. Previous work has established that experiencing racism increases one's dysfunctional anxiety and avoidance actions-key symptoms of race-based stress symptoms. However, the psychological impact of vicarious, or secondhand, discrimination (witnessing racism targeting one's own race group) remains less understood., Method: We tested the hypothesis that higher reported vicarious discrimination would be associated with higher levels of race-based stress symptoms reported by Asian American young adults ( n = 135) during the pandemic using a cross-sectional analysis of the COVID-19 Adult Resilience Experiences Study (CARES). Starting in April 2020, CARES assessed sociodemographic characteristics and key psychometric scales in young adults through three waves of online surveys., Results: Our multiple regression analysis showed vicarious discrimination significantly predicted race-based stress symptoms, even after controlling for direct discrimination ( p < .01). This association remained significant after controlling for age, gender, subjective childhood family social status, and preexisting psychiatric disorders ( p < .01). Our results demonstrate that regardless of the effect that direct discrimination might have on race-based stress symptoms, witnessing discrimination against members of one's own racial group is significantly associated with increased race-based stress symptoms ( b = 2.68, p < .01). Social media was the most common source of vicarious discrimination, with one out of three participants in our sample reporting nearly daily exposure., Conclusion: Providers should intentionally create a space within the therapeutic setting to discuss the effects of vicarious discrimination. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).