At the roots of attribution of human rights to migrants

Introduction

This study (N = 141, M age = 20.15) aimed at deepening knowledge on the factors that can lead young adults to deny the inalienability of human rights to migrants by examining whether, under realistic and symbolic intergroup threat (versus no-threat), the denial of human rights to migrants increases. In doing so, the role of fraternalistic relative deprivation in mediating this relation was examined. Also, two potential positive factors were considered: in-depth exploration of personal identity in the educational domain and identification with the human group. Intergroup threat was expected to enhance perceived relative deprivation, thus reducing the attribution of human rights to migrants. Such relation was expected to be mediated by those factors expressing complex views of self and others (in-depth exploration of identity in the educational domain and identification with the human group).

Method

Realistic and symbolic threat were experimentally manipulated through a written scenario. In the no-threat condition, no scenario was presented.

Results

Showed significant effects of intergroup threat on the attribution of human rights to migrants, on perceived fraternalistic relative deprivation, on in-depth exploration of identity in the educational domain and identification with the human group. More specifically, intergroup realistic threat, but not symbolic threat, reduced the attribution of human rights to migrants and identification with the human group. Symbolic threat, but not realistic threat, increased the perception of fraternalistic relative deprivation, whereas both realistic and symbolic threat reduced in-depth exploration of identity in the educational domain, and identification with the human group. As shown by the sequential mediation analysis, and as expected, the effect of intergroup threat in reducing attribution of human rights to migrants was mediated by in-depth exploration of identity in the educational domain, identification with the human group, and fraternalistic relative deprivation. Implications of findings concerning the processes underlying identification with the human group and its beneficial effects in terms of humanization of a stigmatized outgroup were highlighted by stressing the intertwined nature of personal identity and social identity processes. The importance of complex views of self and others in helping to create inclusive generations of adults was also highlighted.

Barriers to Evidence-Based Treatment of Serious Burns: The Impact of Implicit Bias on Clinician Perceptions of Patient Adherence

The underlying assumption of modern evidence-based practice is that treatment decisions made by healthcare providers are based solely on the best available scientific data. However, the connection between evidence informed care guidelines and the provision of care remains ambiguous. In reality, a number of contextual and nonclinical factors can also play a role, among which is the implicit bias that affects the way in which we approach or treat others based on irrelevant, individual characteristics despite conscious efforts to treat everyone equally. Influenced by the social and demographic characteristics of patients, this bias and its associated perceptions have been shown to affect clinical decision making and access to care across multiple conditions and settings. This summary article offers an introduction to how the phenomenon of implicit bias can impact on treatment compliance in multiple care contexts, its potential presence and impact in burns care and describes some of the strategies which offer possible solutions to reducing the disconnect between the conscious attempts to deliver equitable care and the discrepancies in care delivery that remain.

Prejudice and Inclusiveness in Adolescence: The Role of Social Dominance Orientation and Multiple Categorization

This study examined the relations of multiple categorization and social dominance orientation with adolescents' prejudice against migrants and identification with the human group over time. Participants were 304 Northern-Italian late adolescents (61.84% female, M_age  = 17.49) involved in a three-wave longitudinal study (with 3 months interval between waves). Results showed that multiple categorization was negatively linked to prejudice at a later time, whereas social dominance orientation was positively associated with it; prejudice also negatively affected multiple categorization and positively affected social dominance orientation at a later time. Moreover, prejudice mediated the effects of multiple categorization and social dominance orientation on human identification. These findings have important implications suggesting the construens effect of multiple categorization for enhancing social inclusiveness.

The Central Role of Morality in Perceived Humanness and Unselfish Behaviors

Abstract. There is ample evidence for the central role of morality in social judgments. However, research has not examined whether perceived morality of others also drives perceived humanness, nor has it extensively considered its behavioral consequences. These issues were addressed across two studies. Study 1 revealed that information about a target person’s morality increased his/her perceived humanness, which in turn explained positive behavioral intentions toward him/her. Study 2 pointed out that information about a target person’s morality increased unselfish behaviors toward him/her. This effect was explained by perceived humanness of the target. Implications of the relationship between morality, perceived humanness, and unselfish behaviors are discussed.

The Interplay of Personal and Social Identity

Abstract. Personal and social identity have generally been considered as separate components of individual’s self-concept. In this review, after addressing classical models of personal and social identity, we focus on recent theoretical advancements. We propose possible interconnections, focusing on communalities between personal and social identity and outline how these processes, fed by social factors, can interact and influence one another. In addition, we advance the role of personal and social identity as a fundamental symbolic tool with which individuals can adapt to reality. Finally, we address the implications of identity for personal and social adjustment and inclusiveness.

Perceiving mixed valence emotions reduces intergroup dehumanisation

To deny others' humanity is one of the most heinous forms of intergroup prejudice. Given evidence that perceiving various forms of complexity in outgroup members reduces intergroup prejudice, we investigated across three experiments whether the novel dimension of emotional complexity, or outgroup members' joint experience of mixed-valence emotions, would also reduce their dehumanisation. Experiment 1 found that perceiving fictitious aliens' experience of the same primary emotions (e.g. sadness) presented in mixed vs. non-mixed valence pairs led to reduced prejudice via attenuated dehumanisation, i.e. attribution of uniquely human emotions. Experiment 2 confirmed these results, using an unfamiliar real-world group as an outgroup target. Experiment 3 used a familiar outgroup and found generally similar effects, reducing social distance through reduced dehumanisation. These processes suggest that an alternate route to reduced dehumanising of outgroups might involve presenting mixed valence emotions.

Discrimination against childbearing Romani women in maternity care in Europe: a mixed-methods systematic review

BACKGROUND

Freedom from discrimination is one of the key principles in a human rights-based approach to maternal and newborn health.

OBJECTIVE

To review the published evidence on discrimination against Romani women in maternity care in Europe, and on interventions to address this.

SEARCH STRATEGY

A systematic search of eight electronic databases was undertaken in 2015 using the terms "Roma" and "maternity care". A broad search for grey literature included the websites of relevant agencies.

DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS

Standardised data extraction tables were utilised, quality was formally assessed and a line of argument synthesis was developed and tested against the data from the grey literature.

RESULTS

Nine hundred papers were identified; three qualitative studies and seven sources of grey literature met the review criteria. These revealed that many Romani women encounter barriers to accessing maternity care. Even when they are able to access care, they can experience discriminatory mistreatment on the basis of their ethnicity, economic status, place of residence or language. The grey literature revealed some health professionals held underlying negative beliefs about Romani women. There were no published research studies examining the effectiveness of interventions to address discrimination against Romani women and their infants in Europe. The Roma Health Mediation Programme is a promising intervention identified in the grey literature.

CONCLUSIONS

There is evidence of discrimination against Romani women in maternity care in Europe. Interventions to address discrimination against childbearing Romani women and underlying health provider prejudice are urgently needed, alongside analysis of factors predicting the success or failure of such initiatives.

Examining the Presence, Consequences, and Reduction of Implicit Bias in Health Care: A Narrative Review

Recent evidence suggests that one possible cause of disparities in health outcomes for stigmatized groups is the implicit biases held by health care providers. In response, several health care organizations have called for, and developed, new training in implicit bias for their providers. This review examines current evidence on the role that provider implicit bias may play in health disparities, and whether training in implicit bias can effectively reduce the biases that providers exhibit. Directions for future research on the presence and consequences of provider implicit bias, and best practices for training to reduce such bias, will be discussed.

How group processes influence, maintain, and overcome health disparities

This special issue of Group Processes and Intergroup Relations presents new theory and research on how group processes influence, maintain, and overcome health disparities. We present eight papers that document the causes and consequences of health disparities from the perspective of stigmatized and disadvantaged groups, health care providers, and during the course of interaction between patients and providers. Several papers describe interventions and other factors that have the potential to reduce differences in health and well-being. We hope the research in this collection inspires more investigators to consider how their work on group processes and intergroup relations can address, and help to eliminate, disparities in health outcomes for the disadvantaged.

Humanizing Outgroups Through Multiple Categorization: The Roles of Individuation and Threat

In three studies, we examined the impact of multiple categorization on intergroup dehumanization. Study 1 showed that perceiving members of a rival university along multiple versus simple categorical dimensions enhanced the tendency to attribute human traits to this group. Study 2 showed that multiple versus simple categorization of immigrants increased the attribution of uniquely human emotions to them. This effect was explained by the sequential mediation of increased individuation of the outgroup and reduced outgroup threat. Study 3 replicated this sequential mediation model and introduced a novel way of measuring humanization in which participants generated attributes corresponding to the outgroup in a free response format. Participants generated more uniquely human traits in the multiple versus simple categorization conditions. We discuss the theoretical implications of these findings and consider their role in informing and improving efforts to ameliorate contemporary forms of intergroup discrimination.