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Wang T. Sex reconfigured: DIY hormone therapy and vernacular endocrinology in transfeminine communities in China. Soc Sci Med 2024; 353:116956. [PMID: 38889561 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.116956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Revised: 04/27/2024] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024]
Abstract
Faced with a restrictive institutional medical landscape, trans people in China turn to DIY (Do-It-Yourself) hormone therapy. While existing health literature has studied the risks and impacts of informal hormone therapy, little is known about the practical strategies and the embedded meaning-making processes around hormone-taking on the ground. Building on digital and in-person participant observation conducted in two cities in China and semi-structured interviews with eight transfeminine individuals between 2021 and 2022, this article examines the embodied practices and community knowledge of tinkering with hormones. Specifically, I examine the ways that conventional biomedical notions of efficacy and risk are both enrolled and contested to understand bodily becoming in the community space. Closely engaging with biomedical structures, ideas, and knowledge, trans people challenge and reformulate dominant notions of efficacy, risk, and toxicity. A form of DIY hormone literacy is taking shape in the community, informed by the hands-on engagement with medicine, an affinity with pharmaceuticals, and people's temporal narratives of transition. Throughout these processes, DIY practitioners multiply the materials and imaginations of medicine. They reshape the narrowly-defined biomedical model of sex and enable an alternative onto-epistemology of hormonal sex-gender that is amenable to modification and constantly in flux. Drawing from medical anthropology, science and technology studies (STS), and feminist, queer, and trans studies, this article contributes to the conversation on the politics and poetics of sex-gender and embodied knowledge production in the community space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thelma Wang
- Program in History, Anthropology, and Science, Technology, and Society (HASTS) at MIT, USA.
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2
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Klinge I, de Vet E. Research priorities and considerations for nutrition research: methods of sex and gender analysis for biomedical and nutrition research. Proc Nutr Soc 2024; 83:66-75. [PMID: 38239085 DOI: 10.1017/s0029665124000065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
For some 20 years, science funding bodies have been asking for the integration of sex- and gender-related factors into the content of research and innovation. The rationale for those requirements has been the accumulated evidence that sex and gender are important determinants of health and disease. The European Commission (EC) has been the first, since 2002, to seriously ask for the integration of sex and gender into research and innovation in the context of their multi-annual framework programmes. When introduced, this condition was not immediately applauded by the research community, who perhaps lacked training in methods for the integration of sex- and gender-related factors. The EC Expert Group on Gendered Innovations sought to fill this gap. This review describes the work of this international collaborative project which has resulted in the development of general and field-specific methods for sex and gender analysis and 38 case studies for various research domains (science, health and medicine, environment, engineering) to illustrate how, by applying methods of sex and gender analysis, new knowledge could be created. Since 2010, science funding bodies in Canada, the USA and several EU member states have followed the example of the EC issuing similar conditions. Although the effects of nutritional patterns on a range of (physiological and health) outcomes may differ for men and women, sex and gender analyses are rarely conducted in nutrition research. In this review, we provide examples of how gender is connected to dietary intake, and how advancing gender analysis may inform gender-sensitive policies and dietary recommendations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ineke Klinge
- Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Charité Universitäts Medizin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Emely de Vet
- University College Tilburg, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands
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3
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Ritz SA, Greaves L. We need more-nuanced approaches to exploring sex and gender in research. Nature 2024; 629:34-36. [PMID: 38693410 DOI: 10.1038/d41586-024-01204-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2024]
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4
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Pape M, Miyagi M, Ritz SA, Boulicault M, Richardson SS, Maney DL. Sex contextualism in laboratory research: Enhancing rigor and precision in the study of sex-related variables. Cell 2024; 187:1316-1326. [PMID: 38490173 PMCID: PMC11219044 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024]
Abstract
Understanding sex-related variation in health and illness requires rigorous and precise approaches to revealing underlying mechanisms. A first step is to recognize that sex is not in and of itself a causal mechanism; rather, it is a classification system comprising a set of categories, usually assigned according to a range of varying traits. Moving beyond sex as a system of classification to working with concrete and measurable sex-related variables is necessary for precision. Whether and how these sex-related variables matter-and what patterns of difference they contribute to-will vary in context-specific ways. Second, when researchers incorporate these sex-related variables into research designs, rigorous analytical methods are needed to allow strongly supported conclusions. Third, the interpretation and reporting of sex-related variation require care to ensure that basic and preclinical research advance health equity for all.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madeleine Pape
- Institute of Social Sciences, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Miriam Miyagi
- Center for Computational Molecular Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Stacey A Ritz
- Department of Pathology & Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Marion Boulicault
- Department of Philosophy, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland
| | - Sarah S Richardson
- Department of the History of Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA; Committee on Degrees in Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Donna L Maney
- Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA; Harvard-Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
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5
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Meissen F, Breuer S, Knolle M, Buyx A, Müller R, Kaissis G, Wiestler B, Rückert D. (Predictable) performance bias in unsupervised anomaly detection. EBioMedicine 2024; 101:105002. [PMID: 38335791 PMCID: PMC10873649 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2024.105002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND With the ever-increasing amount of medical imaging data, the demand for algorithms to assist clinicians has amplified. Unsupervised anomaly detection (UAD) models promise to aid in the crucial first step of disease detection. While previous studies have thoroughly explored fairness in supervised models in healthcare, for UAD, this has so far been unexplored. METHODS In this study, we evaluated how dataset composition regarding subgroups manifests in disparate performance of UAD models along multiple protected variables on three large-scale publicly available chest X-ray datasets. Our experiments were validated using two state-of-the-art UAD models for medical images. Finally, we introduced subgroup-AUROC (sAUROC), which aids in quantifying fairness in machine learning. FINDINGS Our experiments revealed empirical "fairness laws" (similar to "scaling laws" for Transformers) for training-dataset composition: Linear relationships between anomaly detection performance within a subpopulation and its representation in the training data. Our study further revealed performance disparities, even in the case of balanced training data, and compound effects that exacerbate the drop in performance for subjects associated with multiple adversely affected groups. INTERPRETATION Our study quantified the disparate performance of UAD models against certain demographic subgroups. Importantly, we showed that this unfairness cannot be mitigated by balanced representation alone. Instead, the representation of some subgroups seems harder to learn by UAD models than that of others. The empirical "fairness laws" discovered in our study make disparate performance in UAD models easier to estimate and aid in determining the most desirable dataset composition. FUNDING European Research Council Deep4MI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Meissen
- Chair for AI in Healthcare and Medicine, Klinikum rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität München, Einsteinstr. 25, Munich, 81675, Germany.
| | - Svenja Breuer
- Department of Science, Technology and Society, School of Social Sciences and Technology, and Technical University of Munich, Arcisstr. 21, Munich, 80333, Germany; Department of Economics and Policy, School of Management, Technical University of Munich, Arcisstraße 21, 80333, Munich, Germany
| | - Moritz Knolle
- Chair for AI in Healthcare and Medicine, Klinikum rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität München, Einsteinstr. 25, Munich, 81675, Germany; Konrad Zuse School of Excellence in Reliable AI, Munich Data Science Institute (MDSI), Walther-von-Dyck-Str. 10, Garching, 85748, Germany
| | - Alena Buyx
- Department of Science, Technology and Society, School of Social Sciences and Technology, and Technical University of Munich, Arcisstr. 21, Munich, 80333, Germany; Institute for History and Ethics of Medicine, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Prinzregentenstraße 68, Munich, 81675, Germany
| | - Ruth Müller
- Department of Science, Technology and Society, School of Social Sciences and Technology, and Technical University of Munich, Arcisstr. 21, Munich, 80333, Germany; Department of Economics and Policy, School of Management, Technical University of Munich, Arcisstraße 21, 80333, Munich, Germany
| | - Georgios Kaissis
- Chair for AI in Healthcare and Medicine, Klinikum rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität München, Einsteinstr. 25, Munich, 81675, Germany; Institute for Machine Learning in Biomedical Imaging, Helmholtz Munich, Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, 85764, Neuherberg, Germany; Department of Computing, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Benedikt Wiestler
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Ismaninger Str. 22, Munich, 81675, Germany; TranslaTUM, Center for Translational Cancer Research, Technical University of Munich, Ismaninger Str. 22, Munich, 81675, Germany
| | - Daniel Rückert
- Chair for AI in Healthcare and Medicine, Klinikum rechts der Isar der Technischen Universität München, Einsteinstr. 25, Munich, 81675, Germany; Department of Computing, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
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6
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Barbier JM, Schwarz J. Beyond sex and gender: Call for an intersectional feminist approach in biomedical research. Eur J Intern Med 2024; 121:44-45. [PMID: 38185599 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejim.2023.12.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Jeanne M Barbier
- Health and Gender Unit, Department of Ambulatory Care, University Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), University of Lausanne, Rue du Bugnon 44, Lausanne CH-1011, Switzerland; Division of Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Joëlle Schwarz
- Health and Gender Unit, Department of Ambulatory Care, University Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), University of Lausanne, Rue du Bugnon 44, Lausanne CH-1011, Switzerland.
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Gudi-Mindermann H, White M, Roczen J, Riedel N, Dreger S, Bolte G. Integrating the social environment with an equity perspective into the exposome paradigm: A new conceptual framework of the Social Exposome. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 233:116485. [PMID: 37352954 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.116485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Revised: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023]
Abstract
The importance of the social environment and social inequalities in disease etiology is well-known due to the profound research and conceptual framework on social determinants of health. For a long period, in exposome research with its classical orientation towards detrimental health effects of biological, chemical, and physical exposures, this knowledge remained underrepresented. But currently it gains great awareness and calls for innovations in rethinking the role of social environmental health determinants. To fill this gap that exists in terms of the social domain within exposome research, we propose a novel conceptual framework of the Social Exposome, to integrate the social environment in conjunction with the physical environment into the exposome concept. The iterative development process of the Social Exposome was based on a systematic compilation of social exposures in order to achieve a holistic portrayal of the human social environment - including social, psychosocial, socioeconomic, sociodemographic, local, regional, and cultural aspects, at individual and contextual levels. In order to move the Social Exposome beyond a mere compilation of exposures, three core principles are emphasized that underly the interplay of the multitude of exposures: Multidimensionality, Reciprocity, and Timing and continuity. The key focus of the conceptual framework of the Social Exposome is on understanding the underlying mechanisms that translate social exposures into health outcomes. In particular, insights from research on health equity and environmental justice have been incorporated to uncover how social inequalities in health emerge, are maintained, and systematically drive health outcomes. Three transmission pathways are presented: Embodiment, Resilience and Susceptibility or Vulnerability, and Empowerment. The Social Exposome conceptual framework may serve as a strategic map for, both, research and intervention planning, aiming to further explore the impact of the complex social environment and to alter transmission pathways to minimize health risks and health inequalities and to foster equity in health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helene Gudi-Mindermann
- University of Bremen, Institute of Public Health and Nursing Research, Department of Social Epidemiology, Germany.
| | - Maddie White
- University of Bremen, Institute of Public Health and Nursing Research, Department of Social Epidemiology, Germany
| | - Jana Roczen
- University of Bremen, Institute of Public Health and Nursing Research, Department of Social Epidemiology, Germany
| | - Natalie Riedel
- University of Bremen, Institute of Public Health and Nursing Research, Department of Social Epidemiology, Germany
| | - Stefanie Dreger
- University of Bremen, Institute of Public Health and Nursing Research, Department of Social Epidemiology, Germany
| | - Gabriele Bolte
- University of Bremen, Institute of Public Health and Nursing Research, Department of Social Epidemiology, Germany
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8
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Reale C, Invernizzi F, Panteghini C, Garavaglia B. Genetics, sex, and gender. J Neurosci Res 2023; 101:553-562. [PMID: 34498752 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2021] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
This review aims to give an overview of what has been discovered so far and what still needs to be analyzed about how sex and gender affect the disease development. These two terms are often confused and indifferently used. In principle, the term "sex" refers to biological differences between males and females, specifically reproductive organs and their functions, while the term "gender" refers to the social context in which people live and which contributes to a subjective sexual identity, masculine or feminine. This dichotomy, however, is not so rigid and both sex and gender influence different aspects of human health, such as brain, health and aging and drug treatment and pharmacokinetics. In particular, we want to focus on genetic differences between men and women: indeed, the expression of the genes mapped on X chromosome or Y chromosome and all epigenetic interactions affect the diseases development. Finally, we will briefly outline sex and gender differences in clinical manifestations of three neurological diseases: Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and obsessive compulsive disorder. In the era of personalized medicine, we must not forget the importance of gender medicine to promote personalized care for any kind of patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Reale
- Medical Genetics and Neurogenetics Unit, Fondazione IRCCS, Istituto Neurologico "C. Besta", Milan, Italy
| | - Federica Invernizzi
- Medical Genetics and Neurogenetics Unit, Fondazione IRCCS, Istituto Neurologico "C. Besta", Milan, Italy
| | - Celeste Panteghini
- Medical Genetics and Neurogenetics Unit, Fondazione IRCCS, Istituto Neurologico "C. Besta", Milan, Italy
| | - Barbara Garavaglia
- Medical Genetics and Neurogenetics Unit, Fondazione IRCCS, Istituto Neurologico "C. Besta", Milan, Italy
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Ott J, Champagne SN, Bachani AM, Morgan R. Scoping 'sex' and 'gender' in rehabilitation: (mis)representations and effects. Int J Equity Health 2022; 21:179. [PMID: 36527089 PMCID: PMC9756604 DOI: 10.1186/s12939-022-01787-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2022] [Accepted: 11/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Researchers have highlighted a large-scale global unmet need for rehabilitation. While sex and gender have been shown to interact with each other and with other social and structural factors to influence health and wellbeing, less is known about how sex and gender shape rehabilitation participation and outcomes within health systems. METHODS Using an intersectional approach, we examine literature that explores the relationship between sex and/or gender and rehabilitation access, use, adherence, outcomes, and caregiving. Following a comprehensive search, 65 documents met the inclusion criteria for this scoping review of published literature. Articles were coded for rehabilitation-related themes and categorized by type of rehabilitation, setting, and age of participants, to explore how existing literature aligned with documented global rehabilitation needs. Responding to a common conflation of sex and gender in the existing literature and a frequent misrepresentation of sex and gender as binary, the researchers also developed a schema to determine whether existing literature accurately represented sex and gender. RESULTS The literature generally described worse rehabilitation access, use, adherence, and outcomes and a higher caregiving burden for conditions with rehabilitation needs among women than men. It also highlighted the interacting effects of social and structural factors like socioeconomic status, racial or ethnic identity, lack of referral, and inadequate insurance on rehabilitation participation and outcomes. However, existing literature on gender and rehabilitation has focused disproportionately on a few types of rehabilitation among adults in high-income country contexts and does not correspond with global geographic or condition-based rehabilitation needs. Furthermore, no articles were determined to have provided an apt depiction of sex and gender. CONCLUSION This review highlights a gap in global knowledge about the relationship between sex and/or gender and rehabilitation participation and outcomes within health systems. Future research should rely on social science and intersectional approaches to elucidate how gender and other social norms, roles, and structures influence a gender disparity in rehabilitation participation and outcomes. Health systems should prioritize person-centered, gender-responsive care, which involves delivering services that are responsive to the complex social norms, roles, and structures that intersect to shape gender inequitable rehabilitation participation and outcomes in diverse contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Ott
- grid.21107.350000 0001 2171 9311Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit, Health Systems Program, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD USA
| | - Sarah N. Champagne
- grid.21107.350000 0001 2171 9311Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit, Health Systems Program, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD USA
| | - Abdulgafoor M. Bachani
- grid.21107.350000 0001 2171 9311Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit, Health Systems Program, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD USA
| | - Rosemary Morgan
- grid.21107.350000 0001 2171 9311Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit, Health Systems Program, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD USA
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10
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Wieczorek LL, Chivers M, Koehn MA, DeBruine LM, Jones BC. Age Effects on Women's and Men's Dyadic and Solitary Sexual Desire. ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2022; 51:3765-3789. [PMID: 35916987 PMCID: PMC9663354 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-022-02375-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Revised: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
While most studies on sexuality in later life report that sexual desire declines with age, little is known about the exact nature of age effects on sexual desire. Using self-reported dyadic sexual desire relating to a partner, dyadic sexual desire relating to an attractive person, and solitary sexual desire from a large (N > 8000) and age diverse (14.6-80.2 years) online sample, the current study had three goals: First, we investigated relationships between men and women's sexual desire and age. Second, we examined whether individual differences such as gender/sex, sexual orientation, self-rated masculinity, relationship status, self-rated attractiveness, and self-rated health predict sexual desire. Third, we examined how these associations differed across sexual desire facets. On average, the associations between age and both men and women's sexual desire followed nonlinear trends and differed between genders/sexes and types of sexual desire. Average levels of all types of sexual desire were generally higher in men. Dyadic sexual desire related positively to self-rated masculinity and having a romantic partner and solitary desire was higher in people with same-sex attraction. We discuss the results in the context of the evolutionary hypothesis that predict an increase of sexual desire and female reproductive effort prior to declining fertility. Our findings both support and challenge beliefs about gender/sex specificity of age effects on sexual desire and highlight the importance of differentiating between desire types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Larissa L Wieczorek
- Institute of Psychology, Educational Psychology and Personality Development, University of Hamburg, Von-Melle-Park 5, 20146, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Meredith Chivers
- Department of Psychology, Sexuality and Gender Lab, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada
| | - Monica A Koehn
- Discipline of Psychology, Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, Canberra, Australia
| | - Lisa M DeBruine
- School of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland
| | - Benedict C Jones
- School of Psychological Sciences and Health, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland
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11
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Dess NK. Stardust and feminism: A creatureliness agenda. Front Psychol 2022; 13:1039210. [PMID: 36405113 PMCID: PMC9667943 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1039210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 09/08/2024] Open
Abstract
People are living, breathing creatures. Dominant feminist discourses are situated within hegemonic human exceptionalism (HHE) which, by framing the body in terms of human forms of meaning-making and social life, eschews first-order embodiment (or creatureliness) as worthy of inquiry. Here, well-known reasons for avoidance of "the biological" are briefly summarized and an argument is advanced for meta-theoretical centering of creatureliness. A three-pronged agenda is proposed that embraces the creaturely body without the "-isms" (e.g., essentialism) and "-izings" (e.g., so-called "naturalizing") that subvert feminist commitments. By unsettling HHE, executing the agenda would promote broader feminist coalitions and new scholarly collaborations aimed at fleshing out gender.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nancy K. Dess
- Department of Psychology, Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA, United States
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12
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Gonzalez-Holguera J, Gaille M, del Rio Carral M, Steinberger J, Marti J, Bühler N, Kaufmann A, Chiapperino L, Vicedo-Cabrera AM, Schwarz J, Depoux A, Panese F, Chèvre N, Senn N. Translating Planetary Health Principles Into Sustainable Primary Care Services. Front Public Health 2022; 10:931212. [PMID: 35937241 PMCID: PMC9355637 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.931212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Global anthropogenic environmental degradations such as climate change are increasingly recognized as critical public health issues, on which human beings should urgently act in order to preserve sustainable conditions of living on Earth. "Planetary Health" is a breakthrough concept and emerging research field based on the recognition of the interdependent relationships between living organisms-both human and non-human-and their ecosystems. In that regards, there have been numerous calls by healthcare professionals for a greater recognition and adoption of Planetary Health perspective. At the same time, current Western healthcare systems are facing their limits when it comes to providing affordable, equitable and sustainable healthcare services. Furthermore, while hospital-centrism remains the dominant model of Western health systems, primary care and public health continue to be largely undervalued by policy makers. While healthcare services will have to adapt to the sanitary impacts of environmental degradations, they should also ambition to accompany and accelerate the societal transformations required to re-inscribe the functioning of human societies within planetary boundaries. The entire health system requires profound transformations to achieve this, with obviously a key role for public health. But we argue that the first line of care represented by primary care might also have an important role to play, with its holistic, interdisciplinary, and longitudinal approach to patients, strongly grounded in their living environments and communities. This will require however to redefine the roles, activities and organization of primary care actors to better integrate socio-environmental determinants of health, strengthen interprofessional collaborations, including non-medical collaborations and more generally develop new, environmentally-centered models of care. Furthermore, a planetary health perspective translated in primary care will require the strengthening of synergies between institutions and actors in the field of health and sustainability.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marie Gaille
- Laboratory SPHERE, UMR 7219, University Paris Diderot CNRS, Paris, France
| | | | - Julia Steinberger
- Institute of Geography and Sustainability, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Joachim Marti
- Department of Epidemiology and Health Systems, University Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Nolwenn Bühler
- STS Lab, Institute of Social Sciences, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Alain Kaufmann
- ColLaboratoire (ColLAB), University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Luca Chiapperino
- STS Lab, Institute of Social Sciences, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Ana Maria Vicedo-Cabrera
- Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (ISPM), University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Oeschger Center for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Joelle Schwarz
- Department of Family Medicine, University Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Anneliese Depoux
- Centre Virchow-Villermé and Centre des Politiques de la Terre, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Francesco Panese
- Institute of Social Sciences, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Nathalie Chèvre
- Faculty of Geosciences and the Environment, Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics (IDYST), University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Nicolas Senn
- Department of Family Medicine, University Center for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), Lausanne, Switzerland
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13
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Rioux C, Paré A, London-Nadeau K, Juster RP, Weedon S, Levasseur-Puhach S, Freeman M, Roos LE, Tomfohr-Madsen LM. Sex and gender terminology: a glossary for gender-inclusive epidemiology. J Epidemiol Community Health 2022; 76:jech-2022-219171. [PMID: 35725304 DOI: 10.1136/jech-2022-219171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
There is increased interest in inclusion, diversity and representativeness in epidemiological and community health research. Despite this progress, misunderstanding and conflation of sex and gender have precluded both the accurate description of sex and gender as sample demographics and their inclusion in scientific enquiry aiming to distinguish health disparities due to biological systems, gendered experiences or their social and environmental interactions. The present glossary aims to define and improve understanding of current sex-related and gender-related terminology as an important step to gender-inclusive epidemiological research. Effectively, a proper understanding of sex, gender and their subtleties as well as acknowledgement and inclusion of diverse gender identities and modalities can make epidemiology not only more equitable, but also more scientifically accurate and representative. In turn, this can improve public health efforts aimed at promoting the well-being of all communities and reducing health inequities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlie Rioux
- Department of Psychology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
- Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Ash Paré
- School of Social Work, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Kira London-Nadeau
- Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Sainte-Justine Hospital Pediatric Research Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Robert-Paul Juster
- Department of Psychiatry and Addictology, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Montreal Mental Health University Institute Research Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Centre on Sex*Gender, Allostasis, and Resilience, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Scott Weedon
- Department of English, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, USA
| | | | - Makayla Freeman
- Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology and Special Education, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Leslie E Roos
- Department of Psychology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
- Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Lianne M Tomfohr-Madsen
- Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology and Special Education, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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14
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15
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Transcending the Male-Female Binary in Biomedical Research: Constellations, Heterogeneity, and Mechanism When Considering Sex and Gender. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19074083. [PMID: 35409764 PMCID: PMC8998047 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19074083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 03/25/2022] [Accepted: 03/27/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Accounting for the influences of sex- and gender-related factors on health is one of the most interesting and important challenges in contemporary health research. In biomedical research, models, experimental designs, and statistical analyses create particular challenges in attempting to incorporate the complex, dynamic, and context-dependent constructs of sex and gender. Here, we offer conceptual elaborations of the constructs of sex and gender and discuss their application in biomedical research, including a more mechanism-oriented and context-driven approach to experimental design integrating sex and gender. We highlight how practices of data visualization, statistical analysis, and rhetoric can be valuable tools in expanding the operationalization of sex and gender biomedical science and reducing reliance on a male–female binary approach.
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16
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Packer M, Lambert DM. What’s Gender Got to Do With It? Dismantling the Human Hierarchies in Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Toxicology for Scientific and Social Progress. Am Nat 2022; 200:114-128. [DOI: 10.1086/720131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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17
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Sex and Gender Science: The World Writes on the Body. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2022; 62:3-25. [PMID: 35253110 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2022_304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Sex and Gender Science seeks to better acknowledge that the body cannot be removed from the world it inhabits. We believe that to best answer any neuroscience question, the biological and the social need to be addressed through both objective means to learn, "how it is like" and subjective means to learn, "what it is like." We call bringing the biological and social together, "Situated Neuroscience" and the mixing of approaches to do so, Very Mixed Methods. Taken together, they constitute an approach to Sex and Gender Science. In this chapter, we describe neural phenomena for which considering sex and gender together produces a fuller knowledge base: sleep, pain, memory, and concussion. For these brain phenomena examples, studying only quantitative measures does not reveal the full impact of these lived experiences on the brain but studying only the qualitative would not reveal how the brain responds. We discuss how Sex and Gender Science allows us to begin to bring together biology and its social context and acknowledge where context can contribute to resolving ignorance to offer more expansive, complementary, and interrelating pictures of an intricate neuro-landscape.
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18
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Junker A, Wang J, Gouspillou G, Ehinger JK, Elmér E, Sjövall F, Fisher-Wellman KH, Neufer PD, Molina AJA, Ferrucci L, Picard M. Human studies of mitochondrial biology demonstrate an overall lack of binary sex differences: A multivariate meta-analysis. FASEB J 2022; 36:e22146. [PMID: 35073429 PMCID: PMC9885138 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202101628r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2021] [Revised: 12/18/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Mitochondria are maternally inherited organelles that play critical tissue-specific roles, including hormone synthesis and energy production, that influence human development, health, and aging. However, whether mitochondria from women and men exhibit consistent biological differences remains unclear, representing a major gap in knowledge. This meta-analysis systematically examined four domains and six subdomains of mitochondrial biology (total 39 measures), including mitochondrial content, respiratory capacity, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, morphometry, and mitochondrial DNA copy number. Standardized effect sizes (Hedge's g) of sex differences were computed for each measure using data in 2258 participants (51.5% women) from 50 studies. Only two measures demonstrated aggregate binary sex differences: higher mitochondrial content in women's WAT and isolated leukocyte subpopulations (g = 0.20, χ2 p = .01), and higher ROS production in men's skeletal muscle (g = 0.49, χ2 p < .0001). Sex differences showed weak to no correlation with age or BMI. Studies with small sample sizes tended to overestimate effect sizes (r = -.17, p < .001), and sex differences varied by tissue examined. Our findings point to a wide variability of findings in the literature concerning possible binary sex differences in mitochondrial biology. Studies specifically designed to capture sex- and gender-related differences in mitochondrial biology are needed, including detailed considerations of physical activity and sex hormones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Junker
- Division of Behavioral Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
| | - Jennifer Wang
- Division of Behavioral Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
| | - Gilles Gouspillou
- Département des Sciences de l’Activité Physique, Faculté des Sciences, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), Montreal, Québec, Canada
| | - Johannes K. Ehinger
- Mitochondrial Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden,Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Clinical Sciences, Skåne University Hospital, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Eskil Elmér
- Mitochondrial Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Fredrik Sjövall
- Mitochondrial Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Kelsey H. Fisher-Wellman
- East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA,Department of Physiology, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA
| | - P. Darrell Neufer
- East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA,Department of Physiology, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA
| | - Anthony J. A. Molina
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Luigi Ferrucci
- Translational Gerontology Branch, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Martin Picard
- Division of Behavioral Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA,Department of Neurology, H. Houston Merritt Center, Columbia University Translational Neuroscience Initiative, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA,NewYork State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York, USA
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19
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Bolte G, Jacke K, Groth K, Kraus U, Dandolo L, Fiedel L, Debiak M, Kolossa-Gehring M, Schneider A, Palm K. Integrating Sex/Gender into Environmental Health Research: Development of a Conceptual Framework. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:12118. [PMID: 34831873 PMCID: PMC8621533 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182212118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
There is a growing awareness about the need to comprehensively integrate sex and gender into health research in order to enhance the validity and significance of research results. An in-depth consideration of differential exposures and vulnerability is lacking, especially within environmental risk assessment. Thus, the interdisciplinary team of the collaborative research project INGER (integrating gender into environmental health research) aimed to develop a multidimensional sex/gender concept as a theoretically grounded starting point for the operationalization of sex and gender in quantitative (environmental) health research. The iterative development process was based on gender theoretical and health science approaches and was inspired by previously published concepts or models of sex- and gender-related dimensions. The INGER sex/gender concept fulfills the four theoretically established prerequisites for comprehensively investigating sex and gender aspects in population health research: multidimensionality, variety, embodiment, and intersectionality. The theoretical foundation of INGER's multidimensional sex/gender concept will be laid out, as well as recent sex/gender conceptualization developments in health sciences. In conclusion, by building upon the latest state of research of several disciplines, the conceptual framework will significantly contribute to integrating gender theoretical concepts into (environmental) health research, improving the validity of research and, thus, supporting the promotion of health equity in the long term.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Bolte
- Department of Social Epidemiology, Institute of Public Health and Nursing Research, University of Bremen, 28359 Bremen, Germany;
- Health Sciences Bremen, University of Bremen, 28359 Bremen, Germany
| | - Katharina Jacke
- Gender and Science Research Unit, Institute of History, Humboldt-University of Berlin, 10099 Berlin, Germany; (K.J.); (L.F.); (K.P.)
| | - Katrin Groth
- Section II 1.2 Toxicology, Health-Related Environmental Monitoring, German Environment Agency, 14195 Berlin, Germany; (K.G.); (M.D.); (M.K.-G.)
| | - Ute Kraus
- Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), 85764 Neuherberg, Germany; (U.K.); (A.S.)
| | - Lisa Dandolo
- Department of Social Epidemiology, Institute of Public Health and Nursing Research, University of Bremen, 28359 Bremen, Germany;
- Health Sciences Bremen, University of Bremen, 28359 Bremen, Germany
| | - Lotta Fiedel
- Gender and Science Research Unit, Institute of History, Humboldt-University of Berlin, 10099 Berlin, Germany; (K.J.); (L.F.); (K.P.)
| | - Malgorzata Debiak
- Section II 1.2 Toxicology, Health-Related Environmental Monitoring, German Environment Agency, 14195 Berlin, Germany; (K.G.); (M.D.); (M.K.-G.)
| | - Marike Kolossa-Gehring
- Section II 1.2 Toxicology, Health-Related Environmental Monitoring, German Environment Agency, 14195 Berlin, Germany; (K.G.); (M.D.); (M.K.-G.)
| | - Alexandra Schneider
- Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), 85764 Neuherberg, Germany; (U.K.); (A.S.)
| | - Kerstin Palm
- Gender and Science Research Unit, Institute of History, Humboldt-University of Berlin, 10099 Berlin, Germany; (K.J.); (L.F.); (K.P.)
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20
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Ray King K, Fuselier L, Sirvisetty H. LGBTQIA+ invisibility in nursing anatomy/physiology textbooks. J Prof Nurs 2021; 37:816-827. [PMID: 34742510 DOI: 10.1016/j.profnurs.2021.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Members of the LGBTQIA+ experience health disparities that are compounded by providers that lack cultural competence, i.e., the skills, attitudes, and knowledge to offer culturally sensitive care. Educational efforts focus on increasing LGBTQIA+ representation across undergraduate nursing curricula and the recruitment and retention of members of this community into nursing programs. However, the ways that classroom materials represent LGBTQIA+ people can perpetuate social norms rather than accurate scientific understandings, thus limiting students' development of cultural competence while also driving LGBTQIA+ students from nursing. This study performs a content analysis for LGBTQIA+ inclusion in four widely adopted undergraduate nursing anatomy/physiology textbooks. We identify specific social beliefs that exclude LGBTQIA+ people and compare the different ways these manifested in each of the four textbooks. We argue that the way these books represent LGBTQIA+ people violate the fundamental ethical principles of nursing. Based on our findings, we challenge educators to consider the impact that language, images, and other classroom materials have on LGBTQIA+ students and all students' ability to develop cultural competence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine Ray King
- Department of Biology, University of Louisville, Life Sciences Building #139, Louisville, KY 40208, USA.
| | - Linda Fuselier
- Department of Biology, University of Louisville, Life Sciences Building #139, Louisville, KY 40208, USA.
| | - Harshini Sirvisetty
- Department of Biology, University of Louisville, Life Sciences Building #139, Louisville, KY 40208, USA.
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21
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Rausser S, Trumpff C, McGill MA, Junker A, Wang W, Ho SH, Mitchell A, Karan KR, Monk C, Segerstrom SC, Reed RG, Picard M. Mitochondrial phenotypes in purified human immune cell subtypes and cell mixtures. eLife 2021; 10:70899. [PMID: 34698636 PMCID: PMC8612706 DOI: 10.7554/elife.70899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 10/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Using a high-throughput mitochondrial phenotyping platform to quantify multiple mitochondrial features among molecularly defined immune cell subtypes, we quantify the natural variation in mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNAcn), citrate synthase, and respiratory chain enzymatic activities in human neutrophils, monocytes, B cells, and naïve and memory T lymphocyte subtypes. In mixed peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from the same individuals, we show to what extent mitochondrial measures are confounded by both cell type distributions and contaminating platelets. Cell subtype-specific measures among women and men spanning four decades of life indicate potential age- and sex-related differences, including an age-related elevation in mtDNAcn, which are masked or blunted in mixed PBMCs. Finally, a proof-of-concept, repeated-measures study in a single individual validates cell type differences and also reveals week-to-week changes in mitochondrial activities. Larger studies are required to validate and mechanistically extend these findings. These mitochondrial phenotyping data build upon established immunometabolic differences among leukocyte subpopulations, and provide foundational quantitative knowledge to develop interpretable blood-based assays of mitochondrial health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannon Rausser
- Department of Psychiatry, Division of Behavioral Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, United States
| | - Caroline Trumpff
- Department of Psychiatry, Division of Behavioral Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, United States
| | - Marlon A McGill
- Department of Psychiatry, Division of Behavioral Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, United States
| | - Alex Junker
- Department of Psychiatry, Division of Behavioral Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, United States
| | - Wei Wang
- Columbia Center for Translational Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, United States
| | - Siu-Hong Ho
- Columbia Center for Translational Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, United States
| | - Anika Mitchell
- Department of Psychiatry, Division of Behavioral Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, United States
| | - Kalpita R Karan
- Department of Psychiatry, Division of Behavioral Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, United States
| | - Catherine Monk
- Department of Psychiatry, Division of Behavioral Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, United States.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, United States.,New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, United States
| | | | - Rebecca G Reed
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, United States
| | - Martin Picard
- Department of Psychiatry, Division of Behavioral Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, United States.,New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, United States.,Department of Neurology, Merritt Center and Columbia Translational Neuroscience Initiative, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, United States
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22
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Agarwal SC. What is normal bone health? A bioarchaeological perspective on meaningful measures and interpretations of bone strength, loss, and aging. Am J Hum Biol 2021; 33:e23647. [PMID: 34272787 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2020] [Revised: 06/28/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Bioarchaeological (the study of archeological human remains together with contextual and documentary evidence) offers a unique vantage point to examine variation in skeletal morphology related to influences such as activity, disease, and nutrition. The human skeleton is composed of a dynamic tissue that is forged by biocultural factors over the entire life course, providing a record of individual, and community history. Various aspects of adult bone health, particularly bone maintenance and loss and the associated skeletal disease osteoporosis, have been examined in numerous past populations. The anthropological study of bone loss has traditionally focused on the signature of postmenopausal aging, costs of reproduction, and fragility in females. The a priori expectation of normative sex-related bone loss/fragility in bioanthropological studies illustrates the wider gender-ideological bias that continues in research design and data analysis in the field. Contextualized data on bone maintenance and aging in the archeological record show that patterns of bone loss do not constitute predictable consequences of aging or biological sex. Instead, the critical examination of bioarchaeological data highlights the complex and changing processes that craft the human body over the life course, and calls for us to question the ideal or "normal" range of bone quantity and quality in the human skeleton, and to critically reflect on what measures are actually biologically and/or socially meaningful.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina C Agarwal
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
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23
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Lockhart JW. Paradigms of Sex Research and Women in STEM. GENDER & SOCIETY : OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF SOCIOLOGISTS FOR WOMEN IN SOCIETY 2021; 35:449-475. [PMID: 35958390 PMCID: PMC9365066 DOI: 10.1177/08912432211001384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Scientists' identities and social locations influence their work, but the content of scientific work can also influence scientists. Theory from feminist science studies, autoethnographic accounts, interviews, and experiments indicate that the substance of scientific research can have profound effects on how scientists are treated by colleagues and their sense of belonging in science. I bring together this disparate literature under the framework of professional cultures and show population-level trends supporting it. Drawing on the Survey of Earned Doctorates and the Web of Science, I use computational social science tools to argue that the way scientists write about sex in their research influences the future gender ratio of PhDs awarded across 53 subfields of the life sciences over a span of 47 years. Specifically, I show that a critical paradigm of "feminist biology" that seeks to de-essentialize sex and gender corresponds to increases in women's graduation rates, while "sex difference" research-sometimes called "neurosexism" because of its emphasis on essential, categorical differences-has negative effects on women's graduation rates in most fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey W Lockhart
- University of Michigan, Department of Sociology and Center for the Study of Complex Systems
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24
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25
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Parsons JL, Coen SE, Bekker S. Anterior cruciate ligament injury: towards a gendered environmental approach. Br J Sports Med 2021; 55:984-990. [PMID: 33692033 DOI: 10.1136/bjsports-2020-103173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury rate for girls/women has not changed in over 20 years, and they remain 3-6 times more likely to experience injury compared with boys/men. To date, ACL injury prevention and management has been approached from a sex-based biological point of view which has furthered our understanding of injury risk factors, mechanisms, and prevention and rehabilitation programmes. However, the traditional sex-based approach does not take into account the growing recognition of how sex and gender (a social construct) are 'entangled' and influence each other. OBJECTIVE This paper discusses the curious absence of gender as an influencer in the dialogue surrounding ACL injuries. We propose adding gender as a pervasive developmental environment as a new theoretical overlay to an established injury model to illustrate how gender can operate as an extrinsic determinant from the presport, training and competition environments through to ACL injury and the treatment environment. APPROACH We draw on social epidemiological theories of the embodiment of gender and health to provide plausible examples of how gender may influence ACL injury, and demonstrate the opportunity for new, interdisciplinary research in the field. CONCLUSION Over 20 years of research has failed to decrease the ACL injury rate disparity between girls/women and boys/men. Embedding gender in the study of ACL injury will heighten awareness of possible influences outside the traditional biological elements, challenge us to think about the inextricable 'entanglement' of sex and gender, and inform more effective approaches to ACL injury prevention and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanne L Parsons
- College of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Stephanie E Coen
- School of Geography, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, UK
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26
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Li Y, Guo G. Peer influence on obesity: Evidence from a natural experiment of a gene-environment interaction. SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH 2021; 93:102483. [PMID: 33308683 PMCID: PMC8607809 DOI: 10.1016/j.ssresearch.2020.102483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2020] [Revised: 06/30/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The role of peers in explaining the obesity epidemic is difficult to evaluate, largely due to selection (the tendency of similar individuals to make friends with each other). Our study addresses this selection issue by using data from a natural experiment of randomly assigned college roommates. We investigate whether and how peers, gender, and the FTO gene interactively influenced BMI. We find that women with a weight-prone version of the gene were about three pounds lighter if assigned frequently-exercising roommates than if assigned non-frequently-exercising roommates. However, living with frequently-exercising roommates had little impact for women without the weight-prone version of the gene or for men regardless of genotype. We find that individuals with the weight-prone version of the gene exercised more often when assigned frequently-exercising roommates. This might be a mechanism through which the effect of frequently-exercising roommates worked.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Li
- Department of Sociology, University of Macau, Macau, China.
| | - Guang Guo
- Department of Sociology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA; Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA; Carolina Center for Genome Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA
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27
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Saad G. The Epistemology of Evolutionary Psychology Offers a Rapprochement to Cultural Psychology. Front Psychol 2020; 11:579578. [PMID: 33224071 PMCID: PMC7670065 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.579578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2020] [Accepted: 09/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Many detractors of evolutionary psychology (EP) presume that adaptive arguments are nothing more than whimsical and unfalsifiable just-so stories. The reality though is that the epistemology of EP is precisely the opposite of this antiquated canard in that it fixes the evidentiary threshold much higher than is typically achieved by most scientists. EP amasses evidence across cultures, time periods, disciplines, paradigms, methodologies, and units of analyses in validating a given scientific explanation. These nomological networks of cumulative evidence stimulate greater interdisciplinarity, lesser methodological myopia, and increased consilience (unity of knowledge). A component in building such nomological networks is to examine phenomena that are cross-culturally invariant (human universals) versus those that vary cross-culturally as adaptive responses (the domain of behavioral ecologists and gene-culture coevolution modelers). The epistemological efficacy of this unique approach is highlighted using two cases studies, the sex-specificity of toy preferences and men’s preference for the hourglass figure.
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28
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Dror OE. Comment: Historians in the Emotion Laboratory. EMOTION REVIEW 2020. [DOI: 10.1177/1754073920930806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
In this comment, I indicate several challenges and opportunities—out of the many—for an integrated science–humanities approach to emotions, from the perspective of a historian of the modern sciences of emotions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Otniel E. Dror
- History of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
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29
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Calasanti T, King N. Beyond Successful Aging 2.0: Inequalities, Ageism, and the Case for Normalizing Old Ages. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2020; 76:1817-1827. [PMID: 32211766 DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbaa037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
This paper reviews challenges to Rowe & Kahn's Successful Aging (SA) framework, particularly those that focus on the ways social inequalities, including ageism, stratify age groups and affect possibilities for SA. We then assess the authors' replies to these critiques. We find that SA 2.0 maintains a naturalization of outcomes of age relations, and retains both its focus on personal choice and its indifference to inequalities. We advocate a paradigm shift that recasts the problems of aging in three distinct ways: 1) avoids treating old age as a problem; 2) avoids treating medical and other maladies as results of aging; and 3) treats the problems of old age as results of age relations instead. By focusing on age relations, this paradigm goes beyond calls to examine inequalities over the life course, and seeks to normalize old ages, valuing both different modes of aging and old age itself.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Neal King
- Department of Sociology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
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30
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Cavanagh A. When i say … gender. MEDICAL EDUCATION 2019; 53:1176-1177. [PMID: 31667863 DOI: 10.1111/medu.13963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2019] [Accepted: 08/21/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Alice Cavanagh
- Health Policy PhD Program, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- Michael G DeGroote School of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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31
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Eraso Y. Oestrogen receptors and breast cancer: are we prepared to move forward? A critical review. BIOSOCIETIES 2019. [DOI: 10.1057/s41292-019-00173-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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32
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Holland A, Moffat T. Gendered perceptions of osteoporosis: implications for youth prevention programs. Glob Health Promot 2019; 27:91-99. [PMID: 31033426 DOI: 10.1177/1757975918816705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The presentation of osteoporosis as a woman's disease in prevention information influences how osteoporosis is perceived and how prevention information is internalized and applied. Using the Health Belief Model as a framework, gendered perceptions of osteoporosis were investigated in Canadian young adults to inform the design of prevention programs. A combination of the Osteoporosis Health Belief Scale (OHBS) and semi-structured interviews were used to explore participants' perceptions of osteoporosis severity, susceptibility, and motivation to engage in prevention activities. Sixty multiethnic men and women aged 17-30 years living in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada participated in the study. While the findings from the OHBS indicated that both genders scored high for self-efficacy, the results from the qualitative interviews showed ambivalent attitudes toward prevention behaviors, indicating a disconnect between quantitative and qualitative findings. Perceptions related to severity and susceptibility revealed that while osteoporosis was generally viewed as a woman's disease, perceived individual risk of disease was a negotiation between larger gender constructs of osteoporosis and a variety of risk factors. This study indicates that osteoporosis prevention programs should consider actively acknowledging gendered and youth-based conceptions of osteoporosis in order to increase prevention behaviors in the whole population to reduce future disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyson Holland
- Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Tina Moffat
- Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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Annandale E, Wiklund M, Hammarström A. Theorising women's health and health inequalities: shaping processes of the 'gender-biology nexus'. Glob Health Action 2018; 11:1669353. [PMID: 31587620 PMCID: PMC6792043 DOI: 10.1080/16549716.2019.1669353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Since the theoretical frameworks and conceptual tools we employ shape research outcomes by guiding research pathways, it is important that we subject them to ongoing critical reflection. A thoroughgoing analysis of the global production of women's health inequality calls for a comprehensive theorization of how social relations of gender and the biological body mutually interact in local contexts in a nexus with women's health. However, to date, the predominant concern of research has been to identify the biological effects of social relations of gender on the body, to the relative neglect of the co-constitutive role that these biological changes themselves may play in ongoing cycles of gendered health oppressions. Drawing on feminist and gender theoretical approaches, and with the health of women and girls as our focus, we seek to extend our understanding of this recursive process by discussing what we call the 'shaping processes' of the 'gender-biology nexus' which call attention to not only the 'gender-shaping of biology' but also the 'biologic-shaping of gender'. We consider female genital mutilation/cutting as an illustration of this process and conclude by proposing that a framework which attends to both the 'gender-shaping of biology' and the 'biologic-shaping of gender' as interweaving processes provides a fruitful approach to theorising the wider health inequalities experienced by women and girls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen Annandale
- Department of Sociology, University of York , York , England
| | - Maria Wiklund
- Department of Community Medicine and Rehabilition, Physiotherapy, Umeå University , Umeå , Sweden
| | - Anne Hammarström
- Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet , Stockholm , Sweden.,The Stress Research Institute, Stockholm University , Stockholm , Sweden
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Hankivsky O, Doyal L, Einstein G, Kelly U, Shim J, Weber L, Repta R. The odd couple: using biomedical and intersectional approaches to address health inequities. Glob Health Action 2018. [PMID: 28641056 PMCID: PMC5645663 DOI: 10.1080/16549716.2017.1326686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Better understanding and addressing health inequities is a growing global priority. Objective: In this paper, we contribute to the literature examining complex relationships between biological and social dimensions in the field of health inequalities. Specifically, we explore the potential of intersectionality to advance current approaches to socio-biological entwinements. Design: We provide a brief overview of current approaches to combining both biological and social factors in a single study, and then investigate the contributions of an intersectional framework to such work. Results: We offer a number of concrete examples of how intersectionality has been used empirically to bring both biological and social factors together in the areas of HIV, post-traumatic stress disorder, female genital circumcision/mutilation/cutting, and cardiovascular disease. Conclusion: We argue that an intersectional approach can further research that integrates biological and social aspects of human lives and human health and ultimately generate better and more precise evidence for effective policies and practices aimed at tackling health inequities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olena Hankivsky
- a School of Public Policy , Simon Fraser University , Vancouver , BC , Canada
| | - Lesley Doyal
- b Health and Social Care, School for Policy Studies , University of Bristol , Bristol , UK
| | - Gillian Einstein
- c Department of Psychology , University of Toronto , Toronto , ON , Canada
| | - Ursula Kelly
- d Atlanta VA Medical Center , Emory University Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing , Atlanta , GA , USA
| | - Janet Shim
- e School of Nursing , University of California, San Francisco , CA , USA
| | - Lynn Weber
- f Department of Psychology , University of South Carolina , Columbia , SC , USA
| | - Robin Repta
- g Interdisciplinary Studies Graduate Program , University of British Columbia , Vancouver , BC , Canada
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Messing K, Lefrançois M, Saint-Charles J. Observing Inequality: Can Ergonomic Observations Help Interventions Transform the Role of Gender in Work Activity? Comput Support Coop Work 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s10606-018-9337-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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36
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Shildrick M, Carnie A, Wright A, McKeever P, Jan EHC, De Luca E, Bachmann I, Abbey S, Dal Bo D, Poole J, El-Sheikh T, Ross H. Messy entanglements: research assemblages in heart transplantation discourses and practices. MEDICAL HUMANITIES 2018; 44:46-54. [PMID: 28972037 PMCID: PMC5869462 DOI: 10.1136/medhum-2017-011212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/30/2017] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
The paper engages with a variety of data around a supposedly single biomedical event, that of heart transplantation. In conventional discourse, organ transplantation constitutes an unproblematised form of spare part surgery in which failing biological components are replaced by more efficient and enduring ones, but once that simple picture is complicated by employing a radically interdisciplinary approach, any biomedical certainty is profoundly disrupted. Our aim, as a cross-sectorial partnership, has been to explore the complexities of heart transplantation by explicitly entangling research from the arts, biosciences and humanities without privileging any one discourse. It has been no easy enterprise yet it has been highly productive of new insights. We draw on our own ongoing funded research with both heart donor families and recipients to explore our different perceptions of what constitutes data and to demonstrate how the dynamic entangling of multiple data produces a constitutive assemblage of elements in which no one can claim priority. Our claim is that the use of such research assemblages and the collaborations that we bring to our project breaks through disciplinary silos to enable a fuller comprehension of the significance and experience of heart transplantation in both theory and practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margrit Shildrick
- Tema Genus, Tema Institute, Linkopings universitet, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Andrew Carnie
- Winchester School of Art, Southampton University, Winchester, UK
| | - Alexa Wright
- Department of English, Linguistics and Cultural Studies, University of Westminster, London, UK
| | - Patricia McKeever
- Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Emily Huan-Ching Jan
- Department of Studio Arts, Faculty of Fine Arts, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Enza De Luca
- Department of Cardiology and Transplantation, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ingrid Bachmann
- Department of Studio Arts, Faculty of Fine Arts, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Susan Abbey
- Department of Psychiatry, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Dana Dal Bo
- Department of Studio Arts, Faculty of Fine Arts, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Jennifer Poole
- Faculty of Community Services, School of Social Work, Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Tammer El-Sheikh
- Department of Studio Arts, Faculty of Fine Arts, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Heather Ross
- Department of Cardiology and Transplantation, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Sanz V. No Way Out of the Binary: A Critical History of the Scientific Production of Sex. SIGNS 2017. [DOI: 10.1086/692517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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Messing K. A Feminist Intervention That Hurt Women: Biological Differences, Ergonomics, and Occupational Health: Une intervention féministe qui a nui aux femmes: différences biologiques, égalité, ergonomie et santé au travail. New Solut 2017; 27:304-318. [PMID: 28803518 DOI: 10.1177/1048291117724800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
The University of Québec in Montréal has agreements with trade unions providing access to university resources. Researchers involved in this program worked in partnership with union women's and health and safety committees for more than twenty years. Not all studies succeeded in improving women's working conditions. One joint project involved observational studies of tasks done by health-care workers, complemented by interviews and questionnaires. We found that task assignments, movements, postures, and work-related musculoskeletal disorders varied by gender/sex and made recommendations for change. However, issues of pay equity, spending on health care, and contracting-out of "ancillary work" were salient. Researchers learned that in the absence of changes in power relationships in the workplace, women may be disadvantaged by denial as well as by exaggeration of female-male differences. Men may also be at risk when their gender is invisible. We suggest some feminist approaches to workplace solutions and some pathways for research. Résumé L'Université du Québec à Montréal a signé avec des centrales syndicales des ententes leur donnant un accès à des ressources universitaires. Des chercheures ont travaillé en partenariat avec des comités syndicaux de condition des femmes et de santé-sécurité au travail pendant plus de 25 ans, mais ce ne sont pas toutes les études qui ont abouti à des améliorations. Un projet concernait des observations du travail d'employé.e.s du secteur de la santé, dont les tâches, mouvements, et postures variaient selon le genre/sexe. Nous avons recommandé des transformations, mais des enjeux d'équité salariale, de coûts et de sous-traitance y ont fait obstacle. Les chercheures ont appris qu'en l'absence de transformation des rapports de pouvoir au travail, le déni des différences hommes-femmes, autant que leur exagération, peut désavantager les travailleuses (et les travailleurs). Nous suggérons des approches féministes aux solutions pour le milieu de travail, ainsi que des pistes de recherche.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen Messing
- 1 14845 Université du Québec à Montréal , Québec, Canada
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Dwyer R, Fraser S. Engendering drug problems: Materialising gender in the DUDIT and other screening and diagnostic ‘apparatuses’. THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DRUG POLICY 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2017.05.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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40
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Jahn I, Börnhorst C, Günther F, Brand T. Examples of sex/gender sensitivity in epidemiological research: results of an evaluation of original articles published in JECH 2006-2014. Health Res Policy Syst 2017; 15:11. [PMID: 28202078 PMCID: PMC5312447 DOI: 10.1186/s12961-017-0174-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2016] [Accepted: 01/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND During the last decades, sex and gender biases have been identified in various areas of biomedical and public health research, leading to compromised validity of research findings. As a response, methodological requirements were developed but these are rarely translated into research practice. The aim of this study is to provide good practice examples of sex/gender sensitive health research. METHODS We conducted a systematic search of research articles published in JECH between 2006 and 2014. An instrument was constructed to evaluate sex/gender sensitivity in four stages of the research process (background, study design, statistical analysis, discussion). RESULTS In total, 37 articles covering diverse topics were included. Thereof, 22 were evaluated as good practice example in at least one stage; two articles achieved highest ratings across all stages. Good examples of the background referred to available knowledge on sex/gender differences and sex/gender informed theoretical frameworks. Related to the study design, good examples calculated sample sizes to be able to detect sex/gender differences, selected sex/gender sensitive outcome/exposure indicators, or chose different cut-off values for male and female participants. Good examples of statistical analyses used interaction terms with sex/gender or different shapes of the estimated relationship for men and women. Examples of good discussions interpreted their findings related to social and biological explanatory models or questioned the statistical methods used to detect sex/gender differences. CONCLUSIONS The identified good practice examples may inspire researchers to critically reflect on the relevance of sex/gender issues of their studies and help them to translate methodological recommendations of sex/gender sensitivity into research practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingeborg Jahn
- Department Prevention and Evaluation, Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology – BIPS, Achterstr. 30, 28359 Bremen, Germany
| | - Claudia Börnhorst
- Department Biometry and Data Management, Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology – BIPS, Achterstr. 30, 28359 Bremen, Germany
| | - Frauke Günther
- Department Biometry and Data Management, Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology – BIPS, Achterstr. 30, 28359 Bremen, Germany
| | - Tilman Brand
- Department Prevention and Evaluation, Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology – BIPS, Achterstr. 30, 28359 Bremen, Germany
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42
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Day S, Mason R, Lagosky S, Rochon PA. Integrating and evaluating sex and gender in health research. Health Res Policy Syst 2016; 14:75. [PMID: 27724961 PMCID: PMC5057373 DOI: 10.1186/s12961-016-0147-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2016] [Accepted: 09/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Both sex (biological factors) and gender (socio-cultural factors) shape health. To produce the best possible health research evidence, it is essential to integrate sex and gender considerations throughout the research process. Despite growing recognition of the importance of these factors, progress towards sex and gender integration as standard practice has been both slow and uneven in health research. In this commentary, we examine the challenges of integrating sex and gender from the research perspective, as well as strategies that can be used by researchers, funders and journal editors to address these challenges. Barriers to the integration of sex and gender in health research include problems with inconsistent terminology, difficulties in applying the concepts of sex and gender, failure to recognise the impact of sex and gender, and challenges with data collection and datasets. We analyse these barriers as strategic points of intervention for improving the integration of sex and gender at all stages of the research process. To assess the relative success of these strategies in any given study, researchers, funders and journal editors would benefit from a tool to evaluate the quality of sex and gender integration in order to establish benchmarks in research excellence. These assessment tools are needed now amidst growing institutional recognition that both sex and gender are necessary elements for advancing the quality and utility of health research evidence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzanne Day
- Women’s Xchange, Women’s College Research Institute, Women’s College Hospital, 76 Grenville Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1B2 Canada
| | - Robin Mason
- Women’s Xchange, Women’s College Research Institute, Women’s College Hospital, 76 Grenville Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1B2 Canada
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health and Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, 27 King’s College Circle, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A1 Canada
| | - Stephanie Lagosky
- Women’s Xchange, Women’s College Research Institute, Women’s College Hospital, 76 Grenville Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1B2 Canada
| | - Paula A. Rochon
- Women’s Xchange, Women’s College Research Institute, Women’s College Hospital, 76 Grenville Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1B2 Canada
- Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, 27 King’s College Circle, Toronto, M5S 1A1 Ontario Canada
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Perry BL. Gendering Genetics: Biological Contingencies in the Protective Effects of Social Integration for Men and Women. AJS; AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY 2016; 121:1655-1696. [PMID: 27416652 DOI: 10.1086/685486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Evidence that social and biological processes are intertwined in producing health and human behavior is rapidly accumulating. Using a feminist approach, this research explores how gender moderates the interaction between biological processes and men's and women's behavioral and emotional responses to similar social environments. Using data from the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism, the influence of gender, social integration, and genetic risk on nicotine and alcohol dependence is examined. Three-way interaction models reveal gender-specific moderation of interactions between genetic risk score and social integration. Namely, being currently married and reporting positive social psychological integration are predictive of reduced risk of nicotine dependence among men with genetic susceptibility to strong nicotine cravings in the presence of social cues like stress. In contrast, the protective effects of marital status and social integration are substantially attenuated and absent, respectively, among women with high-risk genotypes. This pattern reflects the dualism (i.e., simultaneous costs and benefits) inherent in social integration for women, which may disproportionately affect those with a genetic sensitivity to stress. These findings contest the notion of genotype as static biological hardwiring that is independent from social and cultural systems of gender difference.
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Schmitt DP, Long AE, McPhearson A, O'Brien K, Remmert B, Shah SH. Personality and gender differences in global perspective. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY 2016; 52 Suppl 1:45-56. [PMID: 27000535 DOI: 10.1002/ijop.12265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2014] [Accepted: 02/01/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Men's and women's personalities appear to differ in several respects. Social role theories of development assume gender differences result primarily from perceived gender roles, gender socialization and sociostructural power differentials. As a consequence, social role theorists expect gender differences in personality to be smaller in cultures with more gender egalitarianism. Several large cross-cultural studies have generated sufficient data for evaluating these global personality predictions. Empirically, evidence suggests gender differences in most aspects of personality-Big Five traits, Dark Triad traits, self-esteem, subjective well-being, depression and values-are conspicuously larger in cultures with more egalitarian gender roles, gender socialization and sociopolitical gender equity. Similar patterns are evident when examining objectively measured attributes such as tested cognitive abilities and physical traits such as height and blood pressure. Social role theory appears inadequate for explaining some of the observed cultural variations in men's and women's personalities. Evolutionary theories regarding ecologically-evoked gender differences are described that may prove more useful in explaining global variation in human personality.
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Affiliation(s)
- David P Schmitt
- Department of Psychology, Bradley University, Peoria, IL, USA
| | - Audrey E Long
- Department of Psychology, Bradley University, Peoria, IL, USA
| | | | - Kirby O'Brien
- Department of Psychology, Bradley University, Peoria, IL, USA
| | - Brooke Remmert
- Department of Psychology, Bradley University, Peoria, IL, USA
| | - Seema H Shah
- Department of Psychology, Bradley University, Peoria, IL, USA
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Agarwal SC. Bone morphologies and histories: Life course approaches in bioarchaeology. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2016; 159:S130-49. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina C. Agarwal
- Department of Anthropology; University of California Berkeley; Berkeley CA 94720-3710
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46
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Ahlgren C, Fjellman-Wiklund A, Hamberg K, Johansson EE, Stålnacke BM. The meanings given to gender in studies on multimodal rehabilitation for patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain – a literature review. Disabil Rehabil 2016; 38:2255-70. [DOI: 10.3109/09638288.2015.1127435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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47
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Wallström S, Ulin K, Määttä S, Omerovic E, Ekman I. Impact of long-term stress in Takotsubo syndrome: Experience of patients. Eur J Cardiovasc Nurs 2015; 15:522-528. [PMID: 26572162 PMCID: PMC5134193 DOI: 10.1177/1474515115618568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2015] [Revised: 10/19/2015] [Accepted: 10/28/2015] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Background: The connection between stress and disease has been part of folk wisdom for a long time and has even made its way into our language with phrases such as ‘scared to death’ and ‘a broken heart’. Takotsubo syndrome is a form of acute, reversible heart failure characterized by ballooning of the left ventricle. Post-menopausal women are primarily affected, but cases have been described in both sexes and at all ages. The complete pathophysiology is unknown, but the disease has been connected to psychological or physical stress and a surge in catecholamines. Despite the strong connection with stress, knowledge about the life of patients before the onset of Takotsubo syndrome is lacking. Aim: The aim of this study was to describe and interpret patients’ narratives about long-term stress experienced before the onset of Takotsubo syndrome. Method: Nineteen people diagnosed with Takotsubo syndrome were interviewed. The narrative interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. The resulting texts were analysed using phenomenological hermeneutics. Results: The analysis revealed that the interviewees lived under stressful circumstances, characterized by feeling burdened by responsibilities, injustice and uncertainty, long before the onset of Takotsubo syndrome. This long-term stress wore down the defences of the interviewees to the degree that their capacity was exhausted and the smallest stressor could ‘tip them over the edge’. The findings indicated that the social structure of gender possibly contributed to the interviewees’ condition. Conclusions: These findings indicated that long-term stressful circumstances may cause vulnerability to acute psychological or physical stressors and, subsequently, to the onset of Takotsubo syndrome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Wallström
- Institute of Health and Care Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden .,University of Gothenburg Centre for Person-Centred Care, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Kerstin Ulin
- Institute of Health and Care Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.,University of Gothenburg Centre for Person-Centred Care, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Sylvia Määttä
- Institute of Health and Care Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Elmir Omerovic
- Department of Cardiology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden.,Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Inger Ekman
- Institute of Health and Care Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.,University of Gothenburg Centre for Person-Centred Care, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
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48
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van Anders SM, Steiger J, Goldey KL. Effects of gendered behavior on testosterone in women and men. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2015; 112:13805-10. [PMID: 26504229 PMCID: PMC4653185 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1509591112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Testosterone is typically understood to contribute to maleness and masculinity, although it also responds to behaviors such as competition. Competition is crucial to evolution and may increase testosterone but also is selectively discouraged for women and encouraged for men via gender norms. We conducted an experiment to test how gender norms might modulate testosterone as mediated by two possible gender→testosterone pathways. Using a novel experimental design, participants (trained actors) performed a specific type of competition (wielding power) in stereotypically masculine vs. feminine ways. We hypothesized in H1 (stereotyped behavior) that wielding power increases testosterone regardless of how it is performed, vs. H2 (stereotyped performance), that wielding power performed in masculine but not feminine ways increases testosterone. We found that wielding power increased testosterone in women compared with a control, regardless of whether it was performed in gender-stereotyped masculine or feminine ways. Results supported H1 over H2: stereotyped behavior but not performance modulated testosterone. These results also supported theory that competition modulates testosterone over masculinity. Our findings thus support a gender→testosterone pathway mediated by competitive behavior. Accordingly, cultural pushes for men to wield power and women to avoid doing so may partially explain, in addition to heritable factors, why testosterone levels tend to be higher in men than in women: A lifetime of gender socialization could contribute to "sex differences" in testosterone. Our experiment opens up new questions of gender→testosterone pathways, highlighting the potential of examining nature/nurture interactions and effects of socialization on human biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sari M van Anders
- Departments of Psychology and Women's Studies, Program in Neuroscience, Reproductive Sciences and Science, Technology, and Society Programs, and Biosocial Methods Collaborative, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109;
| | - Jeffrey Steiger
- The New Theater of Medicine, The George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences, Washington, DC 20052; Center for Research on Learning and Teaching Players Theatre Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
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Short SE, Mollborn S. Social Determinants and Health Behaviors: Conceptual Frames and Empirical Advances. Curr Opin Psychol 2015; 5:78-84. [PMID: 26213711 PMCID: PMC4511598 DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2015.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 216] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Health behaviors shape health and well-being in individuals and populations. Drawing on recent research, we review applications of the widely applied "social determinants" approach to health behaviors. This approach shifts the lens from individual attribution and responsibility to societal organization and the myriad institutions, structures, inequalities, and ideologies undergirding health behaviors. Recent scholarship integrates a social determinants perspective with biosocial approaches to health behavior dynamics. Empirical advances model feedback among social, psychological and biological factors. Health behaviors are increasingly recognized as multidimensional and embedded in health lifestyles, varying over the life course and across place and reflecting dialectic between structure and agency that necessitates situating individuals in context. Advances in measuring and modeling health behaviors promise to enhance representations of this complexity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan E. Short
- Department of Sociology, Brown University, Box 1916, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | - Stefanie Mollborn
- Institute of Behavioral Science and Department of Sociology, University of Colorado Boulder, UCB 483, Boulder, CO 80309-0483, USA
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50
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van Anders SM. Beyond Sexual Orientation: Integrating Gender/Sex and Diverse Sexualities via Sexual Configurations Theory. ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2015; 44:1177-213. [PMID: 25772652 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-015-0490-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 225] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2013] [Revised: 09/12/2014] [Accepted: 12/25/2014] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Sexual orientation typically describes people's sexual attractions or desires based on their sex relative to that of a target. Despite its utility, it has been critiqued in part because it fails to account for non-biological gender-related factors, partnered sexualities unrelated to gender or sex, or potential divergences between love and lust. In this article, I propose Sexual Configurations Theory (SCT) as a testable, empirically grounded framework for understanding diverse partnered sexualities, separate from solitary sexualities. I focus on and provide models of two parameters of partnered sexuality--gender/sex and partner number. SCT also delineates individual gender/sex. I discuss a sexual diversity lens as a way to study the particularities and generalities of diverse sexualities without privileging either. I also discuss how sexual identities, orientations, and statuses that are typically seen as misaligned or aligned are more meaningfully conceptualized as branched or co-incident. I map out some existing identities using SCT and detail its applied implications for health and counseling work. I highlight its importance for sexuality in terms of measurement and social neuroendocrinology, and the ways it may be useful for self-knowledge and feminist and queer empowerment and alliance building. I also make a case that SCT changes existing understandings and conceptualizations of sexuality in constructive and generative ways informed by both biology and culture, and that it is a potential starting point for sexual diversity studies and research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sari M van Anders
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, 530 Church St., Ann Arbor, MI, 48105, USA,
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