ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The United States continues to be plagued with pervasive health disparities. Leading health and professional organizations acknowledge structural racism as a contributing factor for the lack of a racially diverse nursing workforce particularly those serving in leadership roles which could help to mitigate health disparities among historically stigmatized populations. PURPOSE: Purpose Lack of funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and lack of meaningful partnerships, stymie efforts that can be made by nursing programs at HBCUs. DISCUSSION: Discussion This position paper examines collaborative actions that can address upstream factors that perpetuate healthcare disparities through deep engagement between the policymakers, professional associations, industry, and educational institutions. METHODS: Faculty representing HBCU's and predominately White institutions, professional organizations, and staff met via videoconference to refine the focus of the paper, determine topic areas for writing teams, and refine details which occurred during weekly meetings. CONCLUSION: To disengage from structural racism, three critical recommendations are amplified with associated examples.
Subject(s)
Health Equity , Racism , United States , Humans , Black or African American , Universities , Systemic Racism , Faculty , Racism/prevention & controlABSTRACT
Severity level and type of exposure to community violence were examined to determine their effect on emotional distress and problem behaviors among 234 low-income urban African American early adolescents. There were 4 violence exposure scales developed from a principal component analysis of the Richters and Martinez (1993) exposure to violence scale: moderate and severe witnessing and moderate and severe victimization. Regression analyses indicated that moderate victimization was the most consistent predictor of emotional distress and behavioral problems, whereas moderate witnessing did not relate to any of the dependent variables. Severe victimization predicted depression and delinquency, whereas severe witnessing predicted posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and delinquency. Witnessing and victimization scales based on severity of exposure better represented the experience than combining all data into a single exposure or simply witnessing and victimization scales.
Subject(s)
Adolescent Behavior/ethnology , Black or African American/statistics & numerical data , Crime Victims/statistics & numerical data , Juvenile Delinquency/ethnology , Urban Population/statistics & numerical data , Violence/ethnology , Adolescent , Adolescent Behavior/psychology , Black or African American/psychology , Crime Victims/psychology , Female , Humans , Juvenile Delinquency/psychology , Male , Poverty/statistics & numerical data , Regression Analysis , Residence Characteristics , United States/epidemiology , Violence/psychologyABSTRACT
This study assessed the unique effects of racial identity and self-esteem on 259 African American adolescents' depressive and anxiety symptoms as they transitioned from the 7th to 8th grades (ages 12-14). Racial identity and self-esteem were strongly correlated with each other for males but not for females. For both males and females, an increase in racial identity over the 1 year was associated with a decrease in the prevalence of depressive symptoms over the same period, even with self-esteem controlled. It was concluded that racial identity may be as important as self-esteem to the mental health of African American adolescents, and it explains variance in their mental health not associated with feelings of oneself as an individual.
Subject(s)
Anxiety/ethnology , Anxiety/psychology , Black or African American/psychology , Depression/ethnology , Depression/psychology , Self Concept , Social Identification , Adolescent , Chicago , Child , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Individuation , Male , Models, Psychological , Poverty , Sex FactorsABSTRACT
In this article, six faculty and students of color who participated in a panel discussion at a symposium during the National Multicultural Conference and Summit of 2003 talk about the barriers they encountered and continue to encounter in their graduate training and places of employment. They also discuss strategies they found to be effective, enhancing, and positive and suggest other possibilities. The contributors describe their relationships with dominant-group and minority peers and talk about how issues of social class, disability, and sexual orientation as well as color have been part of their experience.
