ABSTRACT
Can the institutional systems that prepare Black nurse researchers question the ways their systemic pathways have impacted health equity knowledge development in nursing? We invite our readers to keep this question in mind and engage with our conversation as Black nurse researchers, scholars, educators, and clinicians. The purpose of our conversation, and this article, is to explore the transactional impact of knowledge development pathways and Black faculty retention pathways on the state of health equity knowledge in nursing today. Over a series of conversations, we discuss the research exploitation of communities of color, deficit research funding, knowledge capitalization, the marginalization of diversity as a continuous process, a lack of sociocultural authority, and our thoughts on solutions. We conclude by using the wisdom of a generation to answer our initial question.
Subject(s)
Faculty, Nursing , Health Equity , Knowledge , Research Personnel , Black People , HumansABSTRACT
Perceived discrimination has been shown to be strongly associated with mental health outcomes, such as depression, anxiety, chronic stress, post traumatic stress disorder, and low self-esteem. This study (N = 88) examined the effects of perceived discrimination and its association with child mental health symptoms. African American children had a significantly stronger association between social stress and a sense of exclusion/rejection than Multiracial or European American children. Nurses need to assess and counsel families of color about their experiences with perceived discriminatory acts.
Subject(s)
Black or African American/psychology , Child Behavior Disorders/nursing , Child Behavior Disorders/psychology , Health Status Disparities , Racism/psychology , Stress, Psychological/nursing , White People/psychology , Adaptation, Psychological , Adolescent , Adult , Child , Female , Humans , Interpersonal Relations , Male , Mental Health , Middle Aged , Nurse's Role , Parent-Child Relations , Self Concept , WashingtonABSTRACT
Very little research has been conducted investigating the health status and social needs of women with incarcerated male partners, despite the large number of men from underserved communities who are currently incarcerated. Research with women who have incarcerated male partners has primarily focused on communicable disease risk and family interactions. Women with incarcerated partners are often mothering children who are at risk for early and repeated incarceration, behavioral problems, and poverty. Gaining a better understanding of the health and social needs, and the resources use of these women and their children may lead to developing policies and programs that help them better manage their health, as well as aid in strengthening their family relationships.
Subject(s)
Health Services Needs and Demand , Mental Health Services , Prisoners/psychology , Prisons , Spouses/psychology , Adolescent , Adult , Causality , Child , Child Behavior Disorders/nursing , Child Behavior Disorders/psychology , Family Relations , Female , Humans , Juvenile Delinquency/prevention & control , Juvenile Delinquency/psychology , Male , Parenting/psychology , Poverty/psychologyABSTRACT
In undergraduate nursing curricula, the rhetoric of social justice has held more prominence than its operationalization. Although undergraduate education is a prime vehicle for fostering social change, articles that describe social justice as praxis in baccalaureate nursing curricula are relatively uncommon. Addressing this gap, we explain how four RN-to-BSN courses use social justice as a framework for instruction. The first two courses generate emancipatory knowledge and advocacy ideas among students by underscoring how privilege and oppression operate in society, as well as in the production of health inequities. The final two courses demonstrate how partnerships with communities can enhance student knowledge regarding structural barriers to health and health care and lead to actions that target those issues. Despite challenges that exist when implementing curricula on amending health inequities, nurse educators are urged to press onward in planting the seeds of social justice in their classrooms; suggestions are made for accomplishing this goal.
Subject(s)
Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate/organization & administration , Social Change , Social Justice/education , Curriculum , HumansABSTRACT
A qualitative study was conducted to determine factors influencing how women with incarcerated partners participate in health research. Interviews were conducted with 10 women with male incarcerated partners and analyzed using content analysis. Factors that influenced whether women participated in research included their knowledge of health-related research and the conditions under which the interviews were conducted (eg, the presence of children, how information obtained is used). The notion of "location" is described as it pertains to how women maintain relationships with their incarcerated partners. Future research to examine how incarceration affects partner health and family relationships is required.
Subject(s)
Interpersonal Relations , Prisoners/psychology , Research Subjects/psychology , Social Environment , Spouses/psychology , Women/psychology , Adult , Aged , Attitude , Female , Humans , Interviews as Topic/methods , Male , Middle Aged , Nursing Research , Qualitative Research , Researcher-Subject Relations , Socioeconomic Factors , United StatesABSTRACT
More than 800,000 African American men are currently incarcerated in prisons or jails in the United States. Most of these men leave prison ill prepared to return to society as workers, or to reintegrate into family settings. Returning from prison is complicated by struggles in the housing and job markets. This article begins with a review of literature exploring drug laws and disproportionate incarceration rates, homelessness, and joblessness. Data from a community-based, qualitative study of African American men following incarceration is presented. A discussion of how incarceration influenced their return to family situations is included that supports the findings by earlier studies on the effects of homelessness and joblessness on individuals and families. The article concludes with recommendations for the development of targeted support systems and offers suggestions for future nursing research with this population.
Subject(s)
Black or African American , Family Nursing , Family Relations , Ill-Housed Persons/psychology , Men/psychology , Prisoners/psychology , Unemployment/psychology , Adult , Black or African American/statistics & numerical data , Family/psychology , Health Status , Ill-Housed Persons/statistics & numerical data , Humans , Interviews as Topic , Male , Middle Aged , Unemployment/statistics & numerical data , United StatesABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To explore how joblessness and homelessness influence the health of men leaving prison. DESIGN: A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews was conducted with 17 formerly incarcerated African American men. Participants were interviewed for 1-2 hours in a private setting. Data were collected over 3 months in late 2001. METHODS: Questions were focused on the experiences of participants during incarceration and after release from prison. Discourse analysis was used to analyze the data. FINDING: Findings related to unemployment included, (a) being incarcerated was associated with decreased types of employment available after release from prison, (b) a history of incarceration altered how participants were able to conduct job searches, and (c) men who did well after release were those who were self-employed. Findings related to homelessness showed that barriers in either systems or relationships interfered with finding homes. CONCLUSIONS: If formerly incarcerated African American men are to reenter society in meaningful ways, steady, living-wage employment and a stable living environment are needed for these men to be able to successfully reintegrate into both families and the larger society, and to avoid conditions that are precursors of health problems.
Subject(s)
Attitude to Health , Black or African American , Health Status , Ill-Housed Persons , Men/psychology , Prisoners , Unemployment , Adaptation, Psychological , Adult , Black or African American/ethnology , Black or African American/statistics & numerical data , Attitude to Health/ethnology , Ill-Housed Persons/psychology , Ill-Housed Persons/statistics & numerical data , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Needs Assessment , Nursing Methodology Research , Prisoners/psychology , Prisoners/statistics & numerical data , Qualitative Research , Surveys and Questionnaires , Unemployment/psychology , Unemployment/statistics & numerical dataABSTRACT
Approximately 1.3 to 1.8 million people are incarcerated in the United States at any given time. When providing emergency or elective surgical intervention, perioperative nurses may encounter incarcerated individuals, including many who require treatment for traumatic injury. Nurses, therefore, need to educate themselves about this patient population and understand the specific clinical and educational needs of this group. This article explores key concepts involved in caring for incarcerated individuals, including their characteristics and assumptions others make about them. The article concludes with a discussion of educational and policy implications.
