ABSTRACT
Introduction: Social unrest tied to racism negatively impacted half of NIH-funded extramural researchers underrepresented (UR) in science. UR early-career scientists encounter more challenges in their research careers, but the impact of social unrest due to systemic racism in this group is unclear. We used mixed methods to describe the impact of social unrest due to systemic racism on mentoring relationships, research, and psychological well-being in UR post-doctoral fellows and early-career faculty. Methods: This is a cross-sectional analysis of data collected in September 2021-January 2022 from 144 UR early-career researchers from 25 academic medical centers in the Building Up Trial. The primary outcomes were agreement on five-point Likert scales with social unrest impact statements (e.g., "I experienced psychological distress due to events of social unrest regarding systemic racism"). Thematic analysis was conducted on responses to one open-ended question assessing how social unrest regarding systemic racism affected participants. Results: Most participants were female (80%), non-Hispanic Black (35%), or Hispanic (40%). Over half of participants (57%) experienced psychological distress as a result of social unrest due to systemic racism. Participants described direct and indirect discrimination and isolation from other persons of color at their institutions. Twice as many participants felt their mentoring relationships were positively (21%) versus negatively (11%) impacted by social unrest due to systemic racism. Conclusions: Experiences with racial bias and discrimination impact the career and well-being of UR early-career researchers. Mentoring relationships and institutional support play an important role in buffering the negative impact of racial injustice for this population.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Marginalized communities have been disproportionally impacted by SARS-CoV-2. How the associations between social determinants of health and the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection shifted across time is unknown. In this evaluation, we examine individual-level social determinants of health as social risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection across the first 12 months of the pandemic among US Veterans. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort analysis of 946,358 Veterans who sought testing or treatment for SARS-CoV-2 infection in U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs medical facilities. We estimated risk ratios for testing positive by social risk factors, adjusting for demographics, comorbidities, and time. Adjusted models were stratified by pandemic phase to assess temporal fluctuations in social risks. RESULTS: Approximately 19% of Veterans tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Larger household size was a persistent risk factor and this association increased over time. Early in the pandemic, lower county-level population density was associated with lower SARS-CoV-2 infection risk, but between June 1 and August 31, 2020, this trend reversed. CONCLUSIONS: Temporal fluctuations in social risks associated with Veterans' SARS-CoV-2 infection suggest the need for ongoing, real-time tracking as the social and medical environment continues to evolve.