A - 04 Sociocultural and Health Equity Barriers Influencing Time to Clinic Following Sports-Related Concussion

Objective Given the strong association between time to specialty concussion clinic and recovery, the purpose of this study was to examine sociocultural factors influencing time to clinic. Methods 1001 participants ages 8–18 (M = 14, SD = 2.2) with SRC were seen in a specialty concussion clinic. Groups were divided into early (within 7 days of injury) and delayed (8–20 days) to clinic. Sociocultural factors including race, insurance category of private vs. non-private (i.e., Medicaid and CHIP), and their intersectionality were examined to determine potential differences in access. Results There was a significant difference between insurance category X2(1) =41.37, p < 0.001 and days to clinic, 34.7% of those with non-private insurance compared to 15.7% with private insurance were in the delayed to clinic group. There was a significant difference in insurance category by race X2(6) =253.28, p < 0.001, with Hispanic (60.8%) and Black (50.3%) patients being more likely to have non-private insurance compared to just (9.4%) of White participants. There was a significant difference in days to clinic by race X2(6) =40.02, p < 0.001, with 34.8% of Hispanic and 25.9% of Black participants compared to 14.5% of White participants being in the delayed to clinic group. White males with private insurance on average got to clinic faster (M = 3.78, SD = 3.94) than minority females with non-private insurance (M = 9.04, 4.94). Conclusions Even though early access to a specialty concussion clinic is associated with faster recovery times, there are glaring disparities regarding health equity and whom is getting to clinic early. Further research is needed to help determine ways to minimize these barriers.

Research Note on Whether Sexual Minority Individuals Are Over-Represented Among Suicide's Casualties

Background: Past studies have repeatedly shown higher suicidal thoughts and attempts among sexual minority members, yet have remained opaque on whether these groups are more prone to taking their own lives. Aims: This short report focuses on suicide deaths among sexual minority members. Method: We utilized two large-scale surveys: one, among adults, the updated Cumulative General Social Surveys, and the other, among adolescents, The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), where respondents' data were cross-linked to National Death Index death records. Results: Results confirmed pre-existent findings showing elevated suicide rates among sexual minority females but not among sexual minority males. Limitations: The shortfall of female adolescent suicides in the Add Health sample prevented us from examining the question of female sexual minority suicides within this population. Conclusion: Although ample evidence demonstrates higher suicidal thoughts and attempts among sexual minority males, three studies presently do not confirm their greater propensity to die by suicide, compared with heterosexual males; yet, for sexual minority females the evidence is steadily mounting showing their greater suicide risks.

Determinants of Job Satisfaction Among U.S. Federal Employees: An Investigation of Racial and Gender Differences

The purpose of this study is to examine whether the determinants of job satisfaction vary between male and female and between White and minority employees of the U.S. federal government. The study investigates nine potential determinants associated with existence, relatedness, growth needs, and organizational equity, based on data from the 2015 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey. The study uses multiple regression analysis to assess and compare the strength of the relationships between these determinants and work satisfaction among each of four demographic subgroups (White males, White females, minority males, and minority females). Results indicate that there are no dramatic differences among these groups in terms of which factors have the strongest impact on satisfaction. However, a few subtle distinctions are apparent. In particular, employee development is a higher priority for men than for women, and recognition for good work is not as important to minorities as it is to Whites. There is also some evidence of intersectionality, in that pay satisfaction and diversity management are most important to minority women and least important to White men, and workplace participation is most important to White men and least important to minority women. The study provides potential explanations of these findings, and briefly addresses implications for research and practice.

Human Sociosexual Dominance Theory

This chapter presents an evolutionary theory of racial discrimination, human sociosexual dominance theory. This theory is built on the social dominance theory of Sidanius and colleagues, who note that sexually selected predispositions can account for the disproportionate experience of prejudice and discrimination by minority males, not minority females. This chapter goes beyond Sidanius and others by emphasizing that the operation of these evolved predispositions continues to limit mating opportunities for minority group males. The chapter also stresses how coalitions and culture are used as tools in this process. Examples pertaining to race relations in the United States in both the recent past and the present are presented to illustrate the utility of this biocultural framework.

Comparisons Between Smoking Patterns Among Sexual Minority Females and Males in Romantic Relationships

Purpose. Several studies have noted sexual minority disparities in tobacco smoking; however, few studies have examined the role of intimate partners in these different smoking behaviors among sexual minority men and women. Furthermore, few studies distinguish between intermittent and daily smokers. Thus, this study sought to examine whether perceptions of their partner’s smoking behaviors were associated with their own smoking behaviors in a sample of sexual minority adults in romantic relationships. Method. In total, 898 participants (413 sexual minority females and 485 sexual minority males) completed a one-time online anonymous survey. Results. Approximately one third of the sample reported smoking, with 21.2% daily smokers and 9.8% intermittent smokers. Multinomial regression results revealed that for both sexual minority females and males having a partner who was a daily or intermittent smoker was associated with an increased odds of being a daily smoker, whereas having a partner who was an intermittent smoker was associated with an increased odds of being an intermittent smoker. Conclusions. These findings provide valuable information on the need to attend to romantic partners and consider tailored programming to account for different smoking patterns and partners’ potential role in reinforcing smoking.

A multi-method study of health behaviours and perceived concerns of sexual minority females in Mumbai, India

Background: This multi-method study explores the perceived health status and health behaviours of sexual minority (i.e. self-identifying with a sexual identity label other than heterosexual) females (i.e. those assigned female at birth who may or may not identify as women) in Mumbai, India, a population whose health has been generally absent in scientific literature. Methods: Using community-based participatory research approaches, this study is a partnership with The Humsafar Trust (HST). HST is India’s oldest and largest LGBT-advocacy organisation. An online survey targeted towards sexual minority females was conducted (n = 49), with questions about sexual identity, perceived health and wellbeing, physical and mental healthcare access and experiences, and health behaviours (including substance use). Additionally, photo-elicitation interviews in which participants’ photos prompt interview discussion were conducted with 18 sexual minority females. Results: Sexual minority females face obstacles in health care, mostly related to acceptability and quality of care. Their use of preventative health screenings is low. Perceived mental health and experiences with care were less positive than that for physical health. Participants in photo-elicitation interviews described bodyweight issues and caretaking of family members in relation to physical health. Substance use functioned as both a protective and a risk factor for their health. Conclusion: Our findings point to a need for more resources for sexual minority females. Education on screening guidelines and screening access for sexual minority females would also assist these individuals in increasing their rates of preventative health.

The Differential Representation of Latina and Black Female Victims in Front-Page News Stories: A Qualitative Document Analysis

Critical race feminists posit that perceptions of White and minority females differ, which suggests that media representations will vary among female crime victims. To explore this proposition, we examined front-page crime stories from four different U.S. newspapers using Altheide’s approach to qualitative document analysis. We found that stories about White female victims received more repeated coverage and were more likely to contain sympathetic narratives than stories about Latina/Black female victims. In contrast, Latina/Black female victims were more likely to be portrayed as risk-takers and “bad” women, and their victimization was normalized through descriptions of their unsafe environments.

Birds of a Feather Do Not Always Flock Together: A Critical Analysis of Latina Engineers and Their Involvement in Student Organizations

While an abundance of literature addresses undergraduate students’ lack of success in engineering programs, fewer studies examine the persistence of minority females, especially of Latinas. This study employed a qualitative method of inquiry to gain insight into the reasons why Latina undergraduate engineering majors sought membership in student organizations. Data analysis emerged the following findings: (a) fulfilling academic and social needs, (b) seeking a sense of belonging, and (c) choosing not to coalesce on the basis of race. The categorization of the aforementioned broad themes provides greater insight into the reasons why Latinas sought membership in certain student organizations.