Toxic stress in children and youth: Exploring the role of community‐based programming to support health and well‐being in the United States

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maribeth Clifton ◽  
Laura Boden ◽  
Lauren E. Milton
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Children And Youth ◽  
Toxic Stress ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Health And Well Being

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

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 909-918 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deanna Kerrigan ◽  
Victoria Chau ◽  
Melissa King ◽  
Emily Holman ◽  
Alain Joffe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
University Culture ◽  
High Level ◽  
And Coping ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Health And Well Being

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

scholarly journals Midlife as a pivotal period in the life course

2014 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margie E. Lachman ◽  
Salom Teshale ◽  
Stefan Agrigoroaei
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Middle Age ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Cross Sectional Studies ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
Health And Well Being

We provide evidence for multidirectionality, variability, and plasticity in the nature and direction of change in physical health, cognitive functioning, and well-being during the middle years of the life course. The picture of well-being in midlife based on longitudinal data from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study is a more positive one than portrayed in previous cross-sectional studies. We present middle age as a pivotal period in the life course in terms of balancing growth and decline, linking earlier and later periods of life, and bridging younger and older generations. We highlight the role of protective factors and multisystem resilience in mitigating declines. Those in middle age play a central role in the lives of those who are younger and older at home, in the workplace, and in society at large. Thus, a focus on promoting health and well-being in middle age can have a far-reaching impact.

scholarly journals Cultural Continuity as a Determinant of Indigenous Peoples’ Health: A Metasynthesis of Qualitative Research in Canada and the United States

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Monique D Auger
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Indigenous Peoples ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Cultural Continuity ◽  
Original Research ◽  
Acculturation Theory ◽  
Health And Well Being

As a strengths-based alternative to Western notions of enculturation and acculturation theory, cultural continuity describes the integration of people within their culture and the methods through which traditional knowledge is maintained and transmitted. Through reviewing relevant, original research with Indigenous Peoples in Canada and the United States, the purpose of this metasynthesis is to describe and interpret qualitative research relating to cultural continuity for Indigenous Peoples in North America. This metasynthesis was conducted through the selection, appraisal, and synthesis of 11 qualitative studies. Across the selected studies, five key themes arose: the connection between cultural continuity and health and well-being, conceptualizations of cultural continuity and connectedness, the role of knowledge transmission, journeys of cultural (dis)continuity, and barriers to cultural continuity.

The link between coronavirus, anxiety, and religious beliefs in the United States and United Kingdom

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Rigoli
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Religious Beliefs ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Christian Faith ◽  
Stressful Event ◽  
Cultural Implications ◽  
The Impact

Research has shown that stress impacts on people’s religious beliefs. However, several aspects of this effect remain poorly understood, for example regarding the role of prior religiosity and stress-induced anxiety. This paper explores these aspects in the context of the recent coronavirus emergency. The latter has impacted dramatically on many people’s well-being; hence it can be considered a highly stressful event. Through online questionnaires administered to UK and USA citizens professing either Christian faith or no religion, this paper examines the impact of the coronavirus crisis upon common people’s religious beliefs. We found that, following the coronavirus emergency, strong believers reported higher confidence in their religious beliefs while non-believers reported increased scepticism towards religion. Moreover, for strong believers, higher anxiety elicited by the coronavirus threat was associated with increased strengthening of religious beliefs. Conversely, for non-believers, higher anxiety elicited by the coronavirus thereat was associated with increased scepticism towards religious beliefs. These observations are consistent with the notion that stress-induced anxiety enhances support for the ideology already embraced before a stressful event occurs. This study sheds light on the psychological and cultural implications of the coronavirus crisis, which represents one of the most serious health emergencies in recent times.

To Provide or Protect? Masculinity, Economic Precarity, and Protective Gun Ownership in the United States

2021 ◽  
pp. 073112142199840
Author(s):  
Tara D. Warner ◽  
Tara Leigh Tober ◽  
Tristan Bridges ◽  
David F. Warner
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Gender Gap ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Family Status ◽  
Gun Ownership ◽  
Attitudes And Behaviors ◽  
Masculinity Threat ◽  
Economic Well Being

Protection is now the modal motivation for gun ownership, and men continue to outnumber women among gun owners. While research has linked economic precarity (e.g., insecurity and anxiety) to gun ownership and attitudes, separating economic well-being from constructions of masculinity is challenging. In response to blocked economic opportunities, some gun owners prioritize armed protection, symbolically replacing the masculine role of “provider” with one associated with “protection.” Thus, understanding both persistently high rates of gun ownership in the United States (in spite of generally declining crime) alongside the gender gap in gun ownership requires deeper investigations into the meaning of guns in the United States and the role of guns in conceptualizations of American masculinity. We use recently collected crowdsourced survey data to test this provider-to-protector shift, exploring how economic precarity may operate as a cultural-level masculinity threat for some, and may intersect with marital/family status to shape gun attitudes and behaviors for both gun owners and nonowners. Results show that investments in stereotypical masculine ideals, rather than economic precarity, are linked to support for discourses associated with protective gun ownership and empowerment.

scholarly journals Deregulation and the Assault on Science and the Environment

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 347-361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan M. Samet ◽  
Thomas A. Burke
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Environmental Pollution ◽  
Reasoned Action ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Research To Policy ◽  
Health And Well Being

The quality of the environment is a major determinant of the health and well-being of a population. The role of scientific evidence is central in the network of laws addressing environmental pollution in the United States and has been critical in addressing the myriad sources of environmental pollution and the burden of disease attributable to environmental factors. We address the shift away from reasoned action and science to a reliance on belief and document the efforts to separate regulation from science and to remove science-based regulations and policies intended to protect public health. We outline the general steps for moving from research to policy, show how each has been undermined, offer specific examples, and point to resources that document the enormity of the current efforts to set aside scientific evidence.

Exploring the Link Between the Hazards and Value of Work, and Overcoming Risk for Community-Based Health Interventions for Immigrant Latinx Low-Wage Workers

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-15
Author(s):  
Isabel Cuervo ◽  
Emma K. Tsui ◽  
Nadia S. Islam ◽  
Homero Harari ◽  
Sherry Baron
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Workplace Issues ◽  
Integrate Work ◽  
Design And Practice ◽  
Barriers To Health ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Health Promotion Practice ◽  
Occupational Health Research

Few studies integrate work and immigration as intersecting social determinants of health. We synthesize data from 12 focus groups ( N = 97) originating from two separate community-engaged studies that originally centered on exploring barriers to health and hazards of work among immigrant Latinx women and men to explore the role of work in their overall health and well-being. The three major interrelated themes we drew from this research—hazards of work, value of work, and building agency to overcome risk—provide insights that can help to reframe and begin to operationalize how community-based health promotion practice might better incorporate workplace issues for Latinx low-wage workers. The value of work, and its subtheme, pride in performing well specifically, could be engaged by workers to actively change conditions for themselves and others. We discuss findings in light of previous occupational health research and implications for community-based intervention design and practice.

Engaging in Indigenous CBPR Within Academia

Affilia ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 379-394 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felicia M. Mitchell
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Community Based Participatory Research ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Illustrative Case ◽  
Best Interest ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Tribal Communities ◽  
Research Activities ◽  
Historical Accounts ◽  
Health And Well Being

Historical accounts of research conducted in American Indian (AI) communities have shown that research activities have not always been in the best interest of tribes. In some instances, research conducted with tribes has been harmful and resulted in unnecessary trauma and distress. In response to past wrongdoings, many researchers now seek to engage tribal communities in research that is collaborative, respectful, and reciprocal. Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is one such “epistemological orientation” that has the potential to address the “oppressive, exploitive legacy of research done on Indigenous people.” This article details the author’s experience of engaging in CBPR during their dissertation study of the significance of water and its relationship to AI health and well-being. The author reflects on their firsthand account of developing and implementing the study in partnership with a local tribe. Particular attention is given to the processes of CBPR through an illustrative case example that took place on an AI reservation located in the Midwestern United States. The case example is informed by “counter storytelling” and is critically reviewed using the principle tenants of CBPR. The article concludes with implications for doctoral education and research with AI communities.

Migration and Health Research Trends in the Americas from 2009 to 2018

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valeria Marina Valle ◽  
Caroline Irene Deschak ◽  
Vanessa Sandoval-Romero
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
South America ◽  
United Nations ◽  
North American ◽  
Clinical Medicine ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Right To Health ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Migration And Health

International migration flows have long been a defining feature of the Americas and have evolved alongside political and phenomenological shifts between 2009 and 2018, creating new patterns in how, when, and why people move. Migration is a determinant of health, and for the nations involved, regional changes create new challenges to defend the universal right to health for migrants. This right is repeatedly guaranteed within the global agenda, such as in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations; the 1966 International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights; and the 2015 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG 3 regarding health and well-being, and SDG 10, which aims to reduce inequalities within and among countries. The 2018 Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration confirms a worldwide partnership highlighting protection of migrants’ right to health and services. The literature reviewed on migration and health in the Americas between 2009 and 2018 identifies two distinct publication periods with different characteristics in the Central and North American subregions: 2009 to 2014, and 2015 to 2018. The first period is characterized by an influx of young adult migrants from Central America to the United States who generally traveled alone. During the second period, the migration flow includes other major groups, such as unaccompanied minors, pregnant women, disabled people, people from the LGBTIQ+ community, and whole families; some Central Americans drew international attention for migrating in large groups known as “caravans.” In South America, the 2010–2015 period shows three defining tendencies: intensification of intra-regional cross-border migration (with an 11% increase in South American migrants from 2010 to 2015 and approximately 70% of intra-subregional migration), diversification of countries of origin and extra-regional destination, and the persistence of extra-continental emigration. Social determinants of health have a foundational relevance to health and well-being for migrants, such as age, housing, health access, education, and policy environment. Guiding theories on migration and health include Push-and-Pull Theory, Globalization Theory, Transnationalism, Relational Cultural Theory, and Theory of Assimilation. Migration and health was analyzed through the lens of five disciplines (Management, Social Work, Communication, Education, Information Science & Library Science, Law): clinical medicine, social sciences, health (general), professional fields, and psychology. There is an overrepresentation of literature in clinical medicine, demonstrating a strong bias towards production in the United States. Another gap perceived in the literature is the minimal knowledge production in South America and the Caribbean, and a clear bias towards publication in the North American continent. At the regional level, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)’s agenda serves to highlight areas of success and opportunities for future research, particularly in two areas: strengthening partnerships, networks, and multi-country frameworks; and adopting policies, programs, and legal frameworks to promote and protect the health of migrants. As these strategic lines of action aim to provide the basis for decisions regarding migrant health in the region, they should be considered two important avenues for further academic exploration.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document