Estratificação Horizontal do Ensino Superior Brasileiro e as Profissões Imperiais: Os Concluintes de Medicina, Engenharia e Direito entre 2009 e 2017

Resumo O objetivo do artigo é analisar a estratificação horizontal do ensino superior no Brasil com enfoque nos cursos de engenharia, medicina e direito. Pretende-se investigar se essas áreas se diferenciam de acordo com o perfil socioeconômico de seus concluintes e se houve transformações nesse perfil em um período de rápida expansão do sistema de ensino. Resultados obtidos através de modelos multinomiais e de regressão logística indicam que esses cursos apresentam diferentes padrões de desigualdade de acordo com raça, sexo e escolaridade dos pais. O trabalho identificou uma diminuição nas desigualdades para o período analisado, mas com particularidades importantes entre as áreas e entre os tipos institucionais. As análises reforçam as hipóteses de que a estratificação horizontal pode ser um mecanismo de manutenção das desigualdades em períodos de expansão dos sistemas de ensino e que deve variar de acordo com o grupo profissional.

Predicting COVID-19 vaccination uptake in Armenia using the Health Belief Model: Results from a nationwide survey

Health behavior theories have been effectively used for studying populations' awareness, attitudes, and beliefs related to COVID-19 preventative behaviors. The aim of this study was to explore the factors associated with the intention to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in the Armenian population using the Health Belief Model (HBM) as a framework. We applied stratified two-stage random sampling to conduct a telephone survey of 3,483 adults in 2021. The multi-domain survey instrument included questions on socio-demographic characteristics, COVID-19-related knowledge, COVID-19 susceptibility, severity and self-efficacy beliefs, sources of information on COVID-19, COVID-19 vaccination practice, and its benefits and barriers. We performed bivariate and hierarchical multivariate regression analysis with the entry of variables in blocks. In total, about 12% of the sample (n = 393) was vaccinated against COVID-19. Of 2,838 unvaccinated participants, about 53% (n = 1516) had an intention to get vaccinated. The final hierarchical logistic regression model containing socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge about COVID-19, and HBM constructs explained 43% of the variance in the intention to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Participants' age, employment status, average monthly expenditures, perceived threat, benefits, perceived barriers, self-efficacy, and cues to action were significant and independent predictors of the intention to get COVID-19 vaccination. This study confirmed the utility of the HBM in highlighting drivers of an important health-protective behavior in the context of pandemics. Health policy makers, communication specialists, and healthcare providers should particularly stress the effectiveness and safety of the vaccines in their efforts to increase vaccination rates and focus on unemployed and low-income population groups.

Mapping Places of Encounter: An Integrative Methodological Approach to Understanding Social Inclusion

Physical places of encounter are nodes of social interaction in which moments of social inclusion and exclusion crystallize. On a methodological level, meeting places have in the past usually been associated either with firmly established spatial arrangements or with situational opportunities of encounter. Acknowledging the complexity of places of encounter and developing further a spatio-visual mapping tool conducted in various research projects on local inclusion of newcomers, we propose an integrative research approach to capturing, mapping and analyzing places of encounter via four dimensions: level of institutionalization, level of intentionality, level of inclusion and horizontal and vertical scale. The proposed place-based approach holds the chance to explicitly take into account a spatial perspective in the analysis of social interactions. Thus, it goes beyond mere network analysis, but is able to capture the socio-spatial conditions of encounters as pre-configurations of further social dynamics. In doing so, we address not only the methodological gap in research but also the practical relevance for identifying and evaluating locally important meeting places. More specifically, as part of a qualitative interview, the mapping tool can enable the participation of people whose voices are seldom heard, while the inclusion of multiple perspectives on places of encounter may facilitate local governance processes in the social realm.

How Corporate Sociopolitical Activism (CSA) impacts portfolio allocations: an experiment

If a firm signals that they identify on one end of the conservative-liberal spectrum, will political affiliation help predict how an investor will allocate their investment dollars to that firm? Using an experimental survey design with 1,494 participants, evidence was found that political affiliation does materially predict the allocation decisions of investors to firms engaged in corporate sociopolitical activism (CSA). More specifically, Democrats were more likely than Republicans to allocate investment dollars towards firms signaling a liberal political identity through their support of LGBT social issues and Planned Parenthood. By comparison, Republicans were more likely than Democrats to allocate investment dollars towards firms signaling a conservative political identity through their support of the Religious Freedom Institute. In addition, evidence was found that both Democrats and Republicans will under-allocate (relative to a control group) to firms that engage in CSA. Corporations should consider the potential costs from investor under-allocation for taking public stands on controversial partisan issues that favor some constituents at the expense of others.

Breaking the silence around infertility: a scoping review of interventions addressing infertility-related gendered stigmatisation in low- and middle-income countries

Infertility is a reproductive health concern that deserves attention, as reconfirmed by the 2018 report of the Guttmacher-Lancet Commission on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). However, governments and SRHR organisations tend to neglect infertility. We conducted a scoping review of existing interventions aiming to decrease the stigmatisation of infertility in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The review consisted of a combination of research methods: academic database (Embase, Socological abstracts, google scholar; resulting in 15 articles), Google and social media searches, and primary data collection (18 key informant interviews and 3 focus group discussions). The results distinguish between infertility stigma interventions targeted at intrapersonal, interpersonal and structural levels of stigma. The review shows that published studies on interventions tackling infertility stigmatisation in LMICs are rare. Nevertheless, we found several interventions at intra- and interpersonal levels aiming to support women and men to cope with and mitigate infertility stigmatisation (e.g. counselling, telephone hotlines, and support groups). A limited number of interventions addressed stigmatisation at a structural level (e.g. empowering infertile women to become financially independent). The review suggests that infertility destigmatisation interventions need to be implemented across all levels. Interventions geared to individuals experiencing infertility should include women and men and also be offered beyond the clinical setting; and interventions should also aim to combat stigmatising attitudes of family or community members. At the structural level, interventions could aim to empower women, reshape masculinities and improve access to and quality of comprehensive fertility care. Interventions should be undertaken by policymakers, professionals, activists, and others working on infertility in LMICs, and accompanied with evaluation research to assess their effectiveness.

A social network perspective on peer relationship formation of medical undergraduates within large-scale learning communities

INTRODUCTION

Students' formal networks, which are formed by a formal curriculum design, such as formally organized study groups within learning communities (LCs), may benefit students' interactions and learning. It is unclear how large-scale LCs contribute to the formation of different informal peer relationships, which refers to student self-organized out-of-class relationships. Two mechanisms can explain relationship formation in LCs. Propinquity within formal networks and homophily of students' characteristics (nationality, sex, academic performance) may promote students' peer relationships. This study explores to what extent the formation of students' informal networks was determined by their formal networks (LCs) while controlling for students' characteristics and which mechanisms play an important role.

METHODS

With online surveys, data were collected about five informal networks (help-seeking, collaboration, information sharing, friendship, and learn-from) from 69 first- and 51 second- bachelor year medical students (2890 relationships). Students were divided into four LCs in the formal curriculum. We compared students' five informal network structures between first- and second-year students, domestic and international students, within and between formal networks. Besides, we used Quadratic Assignment Procedure (QAP) Regression Analysis in Ucinet to investigate the associations between students' informal and formal networks (LCs) and students' characteristics.

RESULTS

Propinquity (in the same LC) plays a role since students have more informal connections within LCs than between LCs. Furthermore, it seems to play a greater role for second-year students than for first-year students. Homophily of nationality is important in informal networking since students are more likely to connect with others of similar nationalities.

CONCLUSION

Students become more connected within the LC when they remain in the same LC for a longer period. Formal networks enhance the students' informal interactions within LCs but seem to restrict the interactions among students from other LCs. International students need support in order to integrate with domestic students in LCs.

Alcohol and cannabis co-use in a national sample of U.S. adults ages 30-80

INTRODUCTION

Growing cannabis legalization has coincided with an increased focus on use of both alcohol and cannabis (AC co-use) among younger people; however, little is known about AC co-use among adults over age 30. This study examines the prevalence of different types of AC co-use among adults, as well as compares AC co-users and alcohol-only users on individual, social network, and neighborhood characteristics.

METHODS

Data come from three annual surveys of a nationally representative sample of 1,770 U.S. adults, initially between the ages of 30-80, conducted between 2019 and 2021. The baseline sample is 52.8 years old on average, 51.8 % female, and 60.1 % non-Hispanic White.

RESULTS

Past month co-use at baseline was reported by 8.4% of adults, and mostly consisted of simultaneous use, with less than 5% of the sample initiating co-use over the two-year follow-up period. Multivariable models indicate AC co-use was cross-sectionally associated with respondents being male, younger, Hispanic (vs White), and having more alcohol use and related problems, and with their social network composition (e.g., having more drinking buddies and cannabis users in the network). However, co-use status was not associated with mental health, physical ailments, or neighborhood quality. Longitudinal analyses indicated that AC co-use at baseline predicted more alcohol use one year later and alcohol related problems two years later among men only.

CONCLUSIONS

AC co-use among adults over age 30 deserves further attention given its prevalence and associations with heavier drinking and related problems. Network-focused interventions may be a promising approach for reducing AC co-use.

Racial Discrimination, Social Disadvantage, and Racial-Ethnic Disparities in COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake

Introduction

Racial-ethnic disparities in COVID-19 vaccination are well documented. The extent to which racism, manifested at the individual and ZIP code levels, explains disparities in early vaccination uptake remains unclear.

Methods

Data from a statewide poll of California registered voters (N=10,256), conducted between April 29 and May 5, 2021, linked to area-level resource data, were analyzed. Weighted multivariable logistic regression models examined racial disparities in COVID-19 vaccination. Decomposition analyses quantified how much of the observed racial disparities in vaccination were explained by racial discrimination and social disadvantage (i.e., educational attainment, 2019 household income, and ZIP code social vulnerability).

Results

Latinx (64.6%) and Black (66.7%) adults were less likely to have at least 1 COVID-19 vaccine dose by April or May 2021 than White adults (74.7%). In adjusted analyses, Latinx (AOR=0.69, 95% CI=0.57, 0.84) and Black (AOR=0.51, 95% CI=0.37, 0.70) adults had a lower likelihood of being vaccinated than Whites. Social disadvantage accounted for 77.4% (p<0.05) and 35.8% (p<0.05) of the explainable variation in Latinx-White and Black-White disparities, respectively. Self-reported racial discrimination was not associated with COVID-19 vaccination in adjusted analyses.

Conclusions

Social disadvantage but not self-reported racial discrimination explained racial-ethnic disparities in COVID-19 vaccination in California. Removing resource-related barriers may help to increase the relatively low COVID-19 vaccination rates among Black and Latinx populations.

Stigmatizing attitudes toward Internet gaming disorder, Problematic smartphone use and Problematic social networking site use: An experimental vignette study

Public stigma on substance and gambling disorders have been well documented. Negative effects of stigma include shame, embarrassment, fear being judged and the determent of help-seeking behaviors among stigmatized individuals. Less is known about the public perception toward Internet gaming disorder (IGD) and other widespread problematic behaviors that share some characteristics with established behavioral addictions, such as Problematic smartphone use (PSU) and Problematic social networking sites use (PSNSU). The purpose of this study is to compare the public perception of problematic Internet gamers, problematic smartphone users and problematic social networking sites users using an experimental within-group vignette study design. A sample of 280 adults (F = 72.1%; M_age = 32.84, SD = 13.85) was recruited and completed the study online. Participants were presented with male OR female vignettes (i.e. the gender of the target in the vignette was randomized) describing an individual with IGD, PSU, and PSNSU. A repeated-measures ANOVA followed by post hoc tests using Bonferroni's correction was used. IGD was seen as more serious, more noticeable, and less understandable than both PSU and PSNU. Moreover, participants' emotional reaction (e.g., anger and sadness) and desired social distance were significantly stronger toward IGD. However, vanity attributions were higher for individuals with PSNSU, which were also more blamed compared to both IGD and PSU. PSU was seen as more controllable than both IGD and PSNSU. The results, taken together, suggest that IGD is perceived as more inherently problematic, but PSNSU also seem to deserve scientific attention as individuals showing symptoms of PSNSU are blamed more than problematic Internet gamers. Our findings provide initial information that can be used when developing interventions to impact stigma toward technological addictions.

One stream, two channels? A parallel-process latent class growth model of homicide rates and suicide rates in 183 countries, between 2000 and 2019

Background

Suicide and homicide have long been viewed in Western culture as moral, ethical and legal equivalents. This view has underpinned many theoretical and empirical explorations into their relationship over the centuries. However, there has been little evaluation of longitudinal heterogeneity.

Methods

Suicide and homicide rates in 183 countries between 2000 and 2019 were collected from the World Health Organization Global Health Observatory Repository. Corresponding structural variables (i.e., GDP per capita, unemployment rate, percentage of urban population, percentage of elderly population, and Gini index) were acquired from The World Bank and Standardized World Income Inequality Database. Parallel-process latent class growth modelling was applied to identify different classes within the joint suicide and homicide rate trajectories. Multinomial logistic regression examined relationships between the structural covariates and trajectory classes.

Results

Four trajectory classes were identified, two with inverse relationships between suicide and homicide, and two with parallel relationships: 1) countries with increasing suicide rates and decreasing homicide rates ("suicide up, homicide down": UD, n = 41) or 2) countries with decreasing suicide rates and increasing homicide rates ("suicide down, homicide up": DU, n = 17); and 3) countries where suicide and homicide rates both trended up (UU, n = 19), or 4) both trended down (DD, n = 106). A higher average annual growth rate (AAGR) of GDP per capita was related to an increased possibility of being in DD than in DU. Countries with higher AAGR in unemployment rates were more likely to be in UD and UU than in DD, while those with higher AAGR in urbanization were less likely to be in UD than in DD.

Conclusion

The over-time relationship between suicide and homicide is heterogenous and complex. It is influenced differently by GDP per capita, urbanization and unemployment in different countries, and it is not well described by a single theory.

Black/white differences in the relationship between debt and risk of heart attack across cohorts

Background

Numerous studies show that increasing levels of education, income, assets, and occupational status are linked to greater improvements in White adults' health than Black adults'. Research has yet to determine, however, whether there are racial differences in the relationship between health and debt and whether this relationship varies across cohorts.

Methods

Using data from the 1992-2018 Health and Retirement Study, we use survival analyses to examine the link between debt and heart attack risk among the Prewar Cohort, born 1931-1941, and Baby Boomers, born 1948-1959.

Results

Higher unsecured debt is associated with increased heart attack risk for Black adults, especially among Baby Boomers and during economic recessions. Higher mortgage debt is associated with lower risk of heart attack for White but not Black Baby Boomers. The relationship between debt and heart attack risk remains after controlling for health behaviors, depressive symptoms, and other economic resources that are concentrated among respondents with high levels of debt.

Conclusion

Debt is predictive of heart attack risk, but the direction and strength of the relationship varies by type of debt, debtors' racial identity, and economic context.