The Transgenerational Consequences of Discrimination on African‐American Health Outcomes

Disparities in African American health remain pervasive and persist ransgenerationally. There is a growing consensus that both structural and interpersonal racial discrimination are key mechanisms affecting African American health. The Biopsychosocial Model of Racism as a Stressor posits that the persistent stress of experiencing discrimination take a physical toll on the health of African Americans and is ultimately manifested in the onset of illness. However, the degree to which the health consequences of racism and discrimination can be passed down from one generation to the next is an important avenue of exploration. In this review, we discuss and link literature across disciplines demonstrating the harmful impact of racism on African American physical health and the health of their offspring.     

Writers and politics: Gisèle Sapiro’s advances within the Bourdieusian sociology of the literary field

Theory and Society - This article undertakes a critical analysis of the work of Gisèle Sapiro, with reference to sociology of literature. From 1999 (Sapiro, 2014a), Sapiro has developed the...     

Searching for the invisible woman

Natural Rebels: A Social History of Enslaved Black Women in Barbados. Hilary McD. Beckles. London: Zed Books Ltd. 1989. ix, 197pp.

Slave Women in Caribbean Society 1650–1838. Barbara bush. London: James Currey Ltd. 1990. xiii, 190pp.

Slave Women in the New World: Gender Stratification in the Caribbean. Marietta Morrissey. Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas. 1989. xiv, 202pp.     

A psychological contract perspective to the link between non-profit organizations' management practices and volunteer sustainability

This study applies the concept of the psychological contract to the relationship between management practices and volunteers. Formalization of the voluntary sector is impacting on volunteers' experiences and may breach the psychological contract from the volunteers' perspective. This mixed method study interviewed 67 volunteers and volunteer coordinators/administrators, and collected mail survey information from 152 volunteer organizations. The transactional management practices of keeping formal records and not paying volunteers out of pocket expenses are negatively associated with volunteer recruitment and retention. Alternatively, publicly recognizing volunteers through a volunteer newsletter supports volunteers' relational expectations and is positively linked to adequate volunteer numbers. Our findings have important implications for the human resource development practices of non-profit organizations in dealing with theirvolunteers: they suggest that the relational expectations of volunteers are animportant aspect of the psychological contract, which could be used by organizations as a framework for developing management practices that fit the volunteer ethos of trust and networks.     

Social Networks and Support,Gender, and Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Hypertension Among Older Adults

Using data from the 2001 NHIS and the 2005–2006 and 2007–2008 NHANES, we examine how self-reporting a previous diagnosis of hypertension among adults aged 65+ differs by race/ethnicity for men and women; we explore the extent to which disparities are driven by group differences in social risk factors, particularly social support and integration; and last, whether these relationships mimic patterns seen for measured hypertension at interview. Findings indicate that rates of ever-diagnosed hypertension in both samples are highest among black seniors and older women and lowest among Mexican-American men, with the gender gap lowest among whites and substantially higher among blacks and Mexican-Americans. However, replication analyses of NHANES models using measured hypertension, instead of a self-report of having ever been diagnosed with hypertension, suggests that reporting bias and measurement error contribute to observed disparities, as racial/ethnic differences in hypertension rates are smaller when measured hypertension is examined, especially among women. Logistic regression models also show that while adjusting for group differences in measures of support and integration mediates some of the disparity in measured hypertension between Mexican-American and white seniors, adjusting for support and integration amplifies black-white disparities in both ever diagnosed and measured hypertension—driven primarily by adjustment for attendance at religious services, which reduces hypertension risk for all older adults but is more commonly reported among black seniors, especially women.     

Making midwifery work visible: The multiple purposes of documentation

Background

Midwives have a professional, ethical and legal obligation to effectively and thoroughly document the care provided to women and the decisions made within the partnership relationship. To appreciate the best approach to documenting midwifery care, it is important to first understand the purpose of midwifery documentation.

A randomized controlled trial of the effects of mindfulness practice on doctoral candidate psychological status

Objectives: To examine the impact of guided mindfulness practice on psychological distress and psychological capital (hope, optimism, resilience, and efficacy) in doctoral candidates. Participants: Recruitment of a convenience sample of doctoral candidates occurred in July 2015 and participants were randomly allocated to the control or intervention group (38 and 34 participants completed the trial, respectively). Methods: A single-blinded, randomized controlled trial with intention-to-treat analysis was conducted. The intervention consisted of a daily guided mindfulness practice, using an audio CD. Indicators of psychological distress and psychological capital were measured pre- and post-trial with validated questionnaires. Results: Compared to the control group, the intervention group reported a statistically significantly reduction in depression (p?=?.045) and increased self-efficacy (p?=?.004), hope (p?=?.000), and resilience (p?=?.011). Conclusions: These results highlight the effectiveness of self-administered mindfulness practice on the psychological health of doctoral candidates, and the positive effect on psychological capital is reported as a key finding.     

Silent privatisation of customary land in Zambia: opportunities for a few,challenges for many

The conversion of customary land into leasehold tenure has sparked intense debates in Zambia and beyond. Growing interest in land in the last decade and half has led to a spike in demand for land across Africa, especially land adjacent to major cities, towns and developed infrastructure. This growing demand for land is gradually being directed at customary land, which well-resourced urban and local elites, as well as foreign investors, are converting from customary to private tenure, raising serious questions about the future of customary land in Africa. This paper discusses the emerging dynamics around customary land conversion drawing from a case study conducted in Chongwe and Chibombo districts in Zambia. Evidence gathered in this study suggest that while the conversion of customary land to leasehold tenure is generating opportunities for the urban elite, a few traditional leaders and international investors, it is, at the same time, creating serious challenges for the majority of the people in the local communities.     

Women’s mental health during pregnancy: A participatory qualitative study

Background/objectives

British public health and academic policy and guidance promotes service user involvement in health care and research, however collaborative research remains underrepresented in literature relating to pregnant women’s mental health. The aim of this participatory research was to explore mothers’ and professionals’ perspectives on the factors that influence pregnant women’s mental health.