Racial differences in the psychosocial response to the COVID-19 pandemic in veterans with psychosis or recent homelessness

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to disproportionately impact people of color and individuals experiencing psychosis and homelessness. However, it is unclear whether there are differences by race in psychosocial responses to the pandemic in vulnerable populations. The double jeopardy hypothesis posits that multiply marginalized individuals would experience worse psychosocial outcomes. The present study investigated the clinical and functional initial responses to the pandemic in both Black (n = 103) and White veterans (n = 98) with psychosis (PSY), recent homelessness (RHV), and in a control group (CTL) enrolled in Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare services. Clinical interviews were administered via phone at two time points: baseline (mid-May through mid-August 2020) and follow-up (mid-August through September 2020). The baseline interview also included retrospective measures of pre-COVID status from January 2020. There were no significant differences between Black and White veterans in depression, anxiety, or loneliness. However, Black veterans did endorse more fears of contamination, F(1, 196.29) = 9.48, p = .002. Across all groups, Black veterans had better family integration compared to White veterans, F(1, 199.98) = 7.62, p = .006. There were no significant differences by race in social integration, work/role productivity, or independent living. In sum, there were few significant differences between Black and White veterans in initial psychosocial response to the pandemic. The lack of racial disparities might reflect the presence of VA's wrap-around services. The findings also highlight the robust nature of social support in Black veterans, even in the context of a global pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Examining racial differences in community integration between black and white homeless veterans

Black Americans are overrepresented in Veteran and non-Veteran homeless populations. Community integration remains a problem for many Veterans after they obtain housing, and Black Veterans may encounter additional difficulties due to systemic racism. However, no prior study has specifically examined whether there are racial differences in community integration; similarly, no study has considered racial differences in psychosocial correlates of community integration in homeless Veterans. Knowledge of these factors could inform the development of culturally congruent rehabilitative interventions for Black Veterans. Semi-structured clinical interviews were administered to Black (N = 99) and White (N = 49) homeless Veterans to examine relations among psychiatric symptoms, motivation, and community integration domains (e.g., social integration, work productivity, and independent living). There were no significant racial differences in independent living or work productivity. Black Veterans had better social integration with family compared to White Veterans. In addition, psychiatric symptoms were more strongly correlated with social integration for Black than White Veterans. The association between motivation and work productivity was also stronger for Black Veterans. Recovery-oriented interventions could harness family connections and better target psychiatric symptoms to improve community integration for Black Veterans. Work productivity may improve from interventions aimed at enhancing motivation for Black Veterans.

Personal networks and mortality in later life: racial and ethnic differences

Background

Social network characteristics are associated with health outcomes in later life, including mortality. Moreover, there are well-established mortality disparities across race and ethnicity. Although previous studies have documented these associations separately, limited research considers the two in tandem. The present study addressed how the associations between social network characteristics and mortality differ across race and ethnicity in later life.

Methods

Data were from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project. At baseline, 3005 respondents were interviewed with regards to their health and social networks. Five years later, 430 respondents had died. Logistic regression models were used to estimate the odds of all-cause mortality over the study period.

Results

Network size and kin composition were negatively associated with mortality, whereas density was positively associated with mortality. There was a stronger negative association between the kin composition and mortality for Hispanic respondents compared with white and Black respondents.

Conclusion

The present study contributes to the large literature documenting the link between social networks and health by highlighting the importance of analyzing networks through a sociocultural lens.

Editor's Choice: Deliberative and non-deliberative effects of descriptive and injunctive norms on cancer screening behaviors among African Americans

Objective: Two longitudinal studies examined whether effects of subjective norms on secondary cancer prevention behaviors were stronger and more likely to non-deliberative (i.e., partially independent of behavioral intentions) for African Americans (AAs) compared to European Americans (EAs), and whether the effects were moderated by racial identity. Design: Study 1 examined between-race differences in predictors of physician communication following receipt of notifications about breast density. Study 2 examined predictors of prostate cancer screening among AA men who had not been previously screened.Main Outcome Measures: Participants' injunctive and descriptive normative perceptions; racial identity (Study 2); self-reported physician communication (Study 1) and PSA testing (Study 2) behaviors at follow up. Results: In Study 1, subjective norms were significantly associated with behaviors for AAs, but not for EAs. Moreover, there were significant non-deliberative effects of norms for AAs. In Study 2, there was further evidence of non-deliberative effects of subjective norms for AAs. Non-deliberative effects of descriptive norms were stronger for AAs who more strongly identified with their racial group. Conclusion: Subjective norms, effects of which are non-deliberative and heightened by racial identity, may be a uniquely robust predictor of secondary cancer prevention behaviors for AAs. Implications for targeted screening interventions are discussed.

Familial Self as a Potent Source of Affirmation

Does affirmation of familial self have a distinct buffering function compared to affirmation of close other (friend, partner) self or individual self? We addressed this question in an East-Asian culture (China) that places particularly high value on familial self. Familial self-affirmation (compared to other forms of self-affirmation as well as low affirmation) curtailed the mortality salience–induced intolerance to birth-control policy (Experiment 1), reduced female participants’ performance detriments—due to stereotype threat—on mental rotation (Experiment 2), and diminished the disadvantageous influence of negative feedback on further interest in information about one’s weaknesses (Experiment 3). Close other self-affirmation, devoid of family context, was no more potent than individual self-affirmation or low affirmation. The findings underscore the utility of distinguishing among different sources of self-affirmation, highlight the relevance of familial self-affirmation to self-affirmation theory, and call for research testing the germaneness of familial self (and, more generally, the construct of family) in other Eastern, as well as Western, cultures.

Racial Group Identification and Its Relations to Individualism/ Interdependence and Race-Related Stress in African Americans

This study examined individualistic and interdependent notions of self and race-related stress across racial group identification profiles extracted from cluster analyses. African American college students were recruited from an introductory psychology course and were asked to complete several self-report measures. Using k-means cluster analysis, four group identification profiles emerged. The results suggest that cluster profiles marked by an in-group focus on race (Internalization profile) were more likely to endorse individualistic and interdependent values than cluster profiles that emphasize commonality among in-group and out-group members (Universalist profile) or an Undifferentiated profile. The fourth cluster (Multicultural profile), marked by strong endorsement of oppressed ideologies as an essential feature of group identification, endorsed collectivistic values, but no individualistic values. In terms of race-related stress, participants in the Internalization profile were more likely to report cultural race-related stress than participants in the Universalist profile. The results suggest that cultural values related to interdependence and independence differ across African Americans’ racial group identifications. Implications for future research are discussed.