Pandemic grief in El Salvador: factors that predict dysfunctional grief due to a COVID-19 death among Salvadoran adults

Abstract Thousands of people have died of COVID-19 in El Salvador. However, little is known about the mental health of those who are mourning the loss of a loved one to COVID-19. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the dysfunctional grief associated with COVID-19 death among Salvadoran adults. A sample of 435 Salvadorans ( M = 29 years; SD = 8.75) who lost a family member or loved one to COVID-19 completed a digital survey using the Google Forms platform, during April 2 and 28, 2022. The results revealed that 35.1% reported clinically elevated symptoms of dysfunctional grief and among those mourners, and 25.1% also exhibited clinical levels of coronavirus anxiety. A binary logistic regression revealed that predictor variables such as COVID-19 anxiety ( p = .003), depression ( p = .021), and COVID-19 obsession ( p = .032) were significant ( χ 2 = 84.31; Nagelkerke R 2 = .242) and predict a 24.2% chance of dysfunctional bereavement.

The strangest of all encounters: racial and ethnic discrimination in US health care / O encontro mais estranho de todos: discriminação étnica e racial no sistema de saúde dos Estados Unidos / El más extraño de todos los encuentros: discriminación racial y étnica en la atención de salud en los Estados Unidos

Abstract: In 2003, a Committee of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences summarized hundreds of studies documenting that US racial minorities, especially African Americans, receive poorer quality health care for a wide variety of conditions than their White counterparts. These racial differences in health care persist after controlling for sociodemographic factors and patients’ ability to pay for care. The Committee concluded that physicians’ unconscious negative stereotypes of African Americans, and perhaps other people of color, likely contribute to these health care disparities. This paper selectively reviews studies published after 2003 on the likely contribution of physicians’ unconscious bias to US health care disparities. All studies used the Implicit Association Test which quantifies the relative speed with which individuals associate positive attributes like “intelligent” with Whites compared to Blacks or Latino/as. In addition to assessing physicians’ unconscious attitudes toward patients, some studies focused on the behavioral and affective dimensions of doctor-patient communication, such as physicians’ “verbal dominance” and whether patients felt respected. Studies reviewed found a “pro-white” unconscious bias in physicians’ attitudes toward and interactions with patients, though some evidence suggests that Black and female physicians may be less prone to such bias. Limited social contact between White physicians and racial/ethnic minorities outside of medical settings, plus severe time pressures physicians often face during encounters with patients who have complex health problems could heighten their susceptibility to unconscious bias.

Resumo: Em 2003, um comitê do Instituto de Medicina da Academia Nacional de Ciências dos Estados Unidos resumiu centenas de estudos documentando o fato de minorias raciais americanas, e principalmente os afro-americanos, receberem cuidados de saúde piores para uma ampla gama de doenças, em comparação com seus concidadãos brancos. Tais diferenças raciais persistem mesmo depois de ajuste para fatores sociodemográficos e para a capacidade dos pacientes de pagar pela assistência. O comitê concluiu que os estereótipos negativos inconscientes dos médicos contra afro-americanos, e talvez contra outras pessoas de cor, provavelmente contribuem para essas disparidades. O artigo faz uma revisão seletiva de estudos publicados desde 2003 sobre a provável contribuição do preconceito inconsciente dos médicos americanos para as desigualdades nos cuidados de saúde. Todos os estudos usaram o Teste de Associação Implícita, que quantifica a velocidade relativa com que os indivíduos associam atributos positivos como “inteligentes” aos brancos, comparados com os negros ou latinos. Além de avaliar atitudes inconscientes dos médicos em relação aos pacientes, alguns estudos analisaram as dimensões comportamentais e afetivas da comunicação médico-paciente, como a “dominância verbal” dos médicos e o fato dos pacientes se sentirem, ou não, respeitados. Os estudos revisados detectaram um viés inconsciente “pró-branco” nas atitudes e na interação dos médicos com os pacientes, embora algumas evidências sugiram que os médicos negros e as médicas podem ser menos propensos a esse tipo de viés. O contato social limitado entre médicos brancos e minorias étnico-raciais fora do contexto clínico e a premência do tempo com que os médicos lidam muitas vezes durante encontros com pacientes com problemas de saúde complexos podem agravar a susceptibilidade dos médicos ao preconceito inconsciente.

Resumen: En 2003, un comité del Instituto de Medicina de la Academia Nacional de Ciencia de los Estados Unidos resumió cientos de estudios que documentan el hecho de que las minorías raciales estadounidenses, especialmente los afroamericanos, reciben atención de salud peor para una amplia gama de enfermedades, en comparación con sus conciudadanos blancos. Las diferencias raciales en persisten incluso después del ajuste por factores sociodemográficos y la capacidad de los pacientes para pagar la atención. El comité concluyó que los estereotipos negativos inconscientes de los médicos contra los afroamericanos, y tal vez contra otras personas de color, probablemente contribuyen a estas disparidades. El artículo es una revisión selectiva de los estudios publicados desde 2003 sobre la posible contribución de la predisposición inconsciente de los médicos estadounidenses a las desigualdades en la atención sanitaria. Todos los estudios utilizaron el Test de Asociación Implícita, que cuantifica la velocidad relativa con la que los individuos asocian atributos positivos, como “inteligente”, a los blancos en comparación con los negros o latinos. Además de evaluar las actitudes inconscientes de los médicos hacia los pacientes, algunos estudios se centraron en las dimensiones conductuales y afectivas de la comunicación médico-paciente, como la “dominación verbal” de los médicos y si los pacientes se sentían respetados. Los estudios revisados encontraron un sesgo inconsciente “pro-blanco” en las actitudes e interacciones de los médicos con los pacientes, aunque algunas evidencias sugieren que los médicos negros y las mujeres pueden ser menos propensos a este sesgo. Un contacto social limitado entre los médicos blancos y las minorías raciales/étnicas fuera de los ambientes médicos, más las presiones de tiempo severas a las que suelen enfrentarse los médicos durante encuentros con pacientes que tienen complejos problemas de salud, podrían aumentar su susceptibilidad al sesgo inconsciente.

Alcohol drinking patterns by gender, ethnicity, and social class in Bahia, Brazil

OBJECTIVE: To study patterns of alcohol consumption and prevalence of high-risk drinking. METHODS: A household survey was carried out in a sample of 2,302 adults in Salvador, Brazil. Cases of High-Risk Drinking (HRD) were defined as those subjects who referred daily or weekly binge drinking plus episodes of drunkenness and those who reported any use of alcoholic beverages but with frequent drunkenness (at least once a week). RESULTS: Fifty-six per cent of the sample acknowledged drinking alcoholic beverages. Overall consumption was significantly related with gender (male), marital status (single), migration (non-migrant), better educated (college level), and social class (upper). No significant differences were found regarding ethnicity, except for cachaça (Brazilian sugarcane liquor) and other distilled beverages. Overall 12-month prevalence of high-risk drinking was 7 percent, six times more prevalent among males than females (almost 13 percent compared to 2.4 percent). A positive association of HRD prevalence with education and social class was found. No overall relationship was found between ethnicity and HRD. Male gender and higher socioeconomic status were associated with increased odds of HRD. Two-way stratified analyses yielded consistent gender effects throughout all strata of independent variables. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that social and cultural elements determine local patterns of alcohol-drinking behavior. Additional research on long-term and differential effects of gender, ethnicity, and social class on alcohol use and misuse is needed in order to explain their role as sources of social health inequities.

Dynamical complexity and temporal plasticity in pancreatic beta-cells.

We discuss some of the biological and mathematical issues involved in understanding and modelling the bursting electrical activity in pancreatic beta-cells. These issues include single-cell versus islet behaviour, parameter heterogeneity, channel noise, the effects of hormones, neurotransmitters, and ions, and multiple slow biophysical processes. Some of the key experimental and modelling studies are described, and some of the major open questions are discussed.

Mortalidade infantil e sobrevida de crianças na Bahia, Brasil: uma revisäo da literatura sócio-epidemiológica / Infant mortality and survival in Bahia, Brasil: a social and epidemiological review of the literature

Revisa os estudos empíricos sobre a mortalidade infantil e a sobrevida de crianças na Bahia, Brasil. Como em outros estados nordestinos, a mortalidade infantil na Bahia está entre as mais altas do país. Discute o impacto do desenvolvimento econômico diferenciado sobre as persistentes diferenças regionais quanto a mortalidade infantil. Faz uma revisäo dos estudos epidemiológicos sobre mortalidade infantil na Bahia que, em funçäo de semelhanças estruturais como outros estados a regiäo, poderia ser considerada um caso-exemplo de uma situaçäo mais geral. Mesmo em pequeno número, os estudos desenvolvidos na Bahia até o presente confirmam o conhecimento existente acerca das características epidemiológicas das famílias que compöem o grupo de alto risco de mortalidade infantil. Enfatiza a necessidade de se contar com uma nova geraçäo de estudos epidemiológicos que, a nível prático, poderäo avaliar a eficiência dos atuais programas que buscam incrementar a sobrevida infantil e no plano teórico, integrariam de modo mais efetivo as perspectivas macro e micro-social da pesquisa