Decoding the Dynamics of Cultural Change: A Cultural Evolution Approach to the Psychology of Acculturation.

PUBLIC ABSTRACT: Acculturation describes the cultural and psychological changes resulting from intercultural contact. Here, we use concepts from "cultural evolution" to better understand the processes of acculturation. Cultural evolution researchers view cultural change as an evolutionary process, allowing them to borrow tools and methods from biology. Cultural evolutionary mechanisms such as conformity (copying the numerical majority), anti-conformity (copying the numerical minority), prestige bias (copying famous individuals), payoff bias (copying successful people), and vertical cultural transmission (copying your parents) can cause people to adopt elements from other cultures and/or conserve their cultural heritage. We explore how these transmission mechanisms might create distinct acculturation strategies, shaping cultural change and diversity over the long-term. This theoretical integration can pave the way for a more sophisticated understanding of the pervasive cultural shifts occurring in many ethnically diverse societies, notably by identifying conditions that empower minority-group members, often marginalized, to significantly influence the majority group and society.

A validation study for measuring Asian- and Hispanic-serving sociocultural institutions in neighborhoods using business listing data and potential implications for health.

Ethnic enclaves influence the health of Asian American and Hispanic or Latinx/a/o populations, likely via neighborhood social, economic, and built environments. To facilitate studies aiming to disentangle these specific neighborhood mechanisms, we describe the creation and validation of two novel measures-Asian-serving and Hispanic-serving sociocultural institutions (SCIs)-to estimate the social, cultural, and economic character of ethnic enclaves in California. Business listing data were used to identify SCIs or businesses that promote cultural and social identity, including arts, civic, historical, religious, social service, and membership organizations. Keyword searches of business names were used to identify potential Asian- or Hispanic-serving SCIs. An online audit of 1,627 businesses within 12 cities confirmed the validity of using keyword searches to assess whether census tracts were high or low in Asian- or Hispanic-serving SCIs (sensitivity: 63%-100%, specificity: 86%-95%; positive predictive value: 63%-89%). In exploratory regression analyses, high presence of SCIs (compared to low presence) may be associated with neighborhood-level health indicators, including greater percentages of residents who had an annual checkup in majority Asian census tracts and lower percentages of residents who were current smokers in majority Asian and Hispanic census tracts. This approach advances methodology in measurement of neighborhood sociocultural environments.

Everyday Violence: Immigration Enforcement, COVID-19, and Depression among Undocumented Young Adults in California.

Background: The immigration enforcement system has significant effects on the health of immigrants, their families, and society. Exposure to the immigration enforcement system is linked to adverse mental health outcomes, which may have been exacerbated by sustained immigration enforcement activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Objectives: This study was conducted to investigate the association between exposure to immigration enforcement and the mental health of undocumented young adults in California during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Data are from the COVID-19 BRAVE (Building Community Raising All Immigrant Voices for Health Equity) Study, a community-engaged cross-sectional survey of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on undocumented immigrants in California. A total of 366 undocumented immigrants between 18 and 39 years of age completed the online survey, which was conducted between September 2020 and February 2021. Multivariable logistic regression models were fit to examine the association between immigration enforcement exposure and depression. Results: Almost all participants (91.4%) disclosed exposure to the immigration enforcement system, with most reporting an average of 3.52 (SD=2.06) experiences. Multivariate analyses revealed that an increase in the immigration enforcement exposure score was significantly associated with higher odds of depression (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]=1.24; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.10, 1.40), and women were 92% more likely to report depression than were men (aOR=1.92; 95% CI: 1.12, 3.31). Those who reported deportation fears were significantly more likely to be depressed (aOR=1.24; 95% CI: 1.10, 1.40). Conclusions: Researchers should consider the mental health implications of a punitive immigration enforcement system, and policymakers should examine the impacts of immigration policies on local communities.

Empowerment strategies of the Mentor Mother peer support program among mothers who have migrated to Sweden: a photovoice study.

INTRODUCTION: A peer support intervention using 'Mentor Mothers' was implemented for mothers who had migrated to Sweden, living in socially disadvantaged communities. The Mentor Mothers had a high degree of freedom to develop strategies for facilitating empowerment of their clients according to perceived needs. This study aimed to investigate which empowerment facilitation strategies that Mentor Mothers perceived to be relevant, feasible and effective. METHODS: Photovoice was used to generate qualitative data. Participants took photographs of their work which were then discussed during a focus group discussion and six individual semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Four overarching strategies to facilitate empowerment were identified, corresponding to distinctive perceived needs in the target group: (1) Informative support responded to a need for making sense of the external context, by helping mothers navigate society, the process of parenthood and cultural parenting norms. (2) Practical support addressed a need for managing challenges in daily life, by facilitating contacts with welfare services and authorities and to enhance parenting practices. (3) Psychosocial support addressed a need for improved mental wellbeing, by instilling feelings of safety and security in daily life, relationships and in contacts with public institutions. (4) Motivational support responded to a need for finding fulfilling purpose, by promoting social interaction, encouraging civic engagement and sharing the challenges and successes of others to inspire hope. CONCLUSIONS: These results highlight various aspects of peer support for empowerment facilitation that future interventions targeting immigrant parents can use in their intervention design.

Do Varroa destructor (Acari: Varroidae) mite flows between Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae) colonies bias colony infestation evaluation for resistance selection?

Since the global invasion of the ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor (Anderson and Trueman), selection of mite-resistant honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) colonies appears challenging and has to date not broadly reduced colony mortality. The low published estimated heritability values for mite infestation levels could explain the limited genetic progresses obtained so far. We hypothesize that intercolonial horizontal mite transmission could differentially affect the single colonies located in a given apiary and therefore invisibly bias colony infestation phenotypes. This bias may be lower in regions with lower colony density, providing suitable conditions to set up evaluation apiaries. To verify these hypotheses, we monitored mite infestation and reinvasion in experimental colonies, as well as infestation in neighboring colonies belonging to beekeepers in three areas with variable colony densities in the canton of Bern, Switzerland during three consecutive beekeeping seasons. Mite immigration fluctuated between apiaries and years and significantly contributed to colony infestation level. Depending on apiary and year, 17-48% of the mites present in the experimental colonies at the time of the summer oxalic acid final treatment potentially derived from mite immigration that had occurred since mid-spring. Mite immigration was not linked to local colony density or the infestation levels of beekeepers' colonies located within 2 km. Our results do not prove that apiaries for colony evaluation should necessarily be established in areas with low colony density. However, they highlight the high impact of beekeeping management practices on mite colony infestation levels.

A call for increased transparency and accountability of health care outcomes in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers.

Concerns over health care in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities have grown over the past decade, including reports of medical mismanagement, inadequate mental health care, and inappropriate use of solitary confinement. Despite being a federally funded agency, reporting and accountability of health outcomes in ICE facilities is limited. This manuscript outlines current standards for health in ICE detention, how compliance is evaluated, why this process fails, and how current processes can be improved to achieve transparency and accountability. Ultimately, health metrics must be: 1) frequent; 2) timely; 3) granular; 4) collected by an independent body; and 5) publicly reported. Financial compensation for health service providers must be contingent on meeting these required metrics, with contract termination for persistent violations. Transparent and accountable monitoring systems, as are required in other federally funded healthcare facilities, are essential to accurately measure health outcomes and harms of individuals held in detention.

Are ethnic inequalities in adult oral health-related quality of life modified by immigration status?

OBJECTIVE: To explore ethnic inequalities in oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) and the role of nativity status on them. METHODS: Data from 1868 adults (16-65 years) of 9 ethnic groups participating in a community-based health survey in East London. Participants completed a supervised questionnaire including the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) to calculate prevalence, extent and severity of oral impacts. Associations between ethnicity and nativity status (individually and combined) with OHRQoL were assessed in regression models, crude and adjusted for socio-demographic factors and clinical oral health indicators. RESULTS: Black others showed higher prevalence (OR: 1.91; 95%CI 1.05-3.46), severity (IRR: 2.87, 95%CI 1.63-5.06) and extent of oral impacts (IRR: 1.86, 95%CI 1. 35-2.59). Oral impacts were more severe among Black Caribbeans (IRR: 2.85, 95%CI 1.31-6.18) and Bangladeshis (IRR: 3.08, 95%CI .07-8.91); whereas impacts were more extensive among Pakistanis (IRR: 1.54, 95%CI 1.05-2.25) and Bangladeshis (IRR: 1.87, 95%CI 1.16-3.00). Nativity status individually showed no association with OHRQoL, although when combined with ethnicity resulted in many minority groups showing worse OHRQoL than White British participants. CONCLUSION: Ethnicity and nativity status have a combined and important role in OHRQoL: ethnic minority groups showed worse OHRQoL even when controlling for clinical oral status.

Mexican-origin women's individual and collective strategies to access and share health-promoting resources in the context of exclusionary immigration and immigrant policies.

BACKGROUND: A growing literature has documented the social, economic, and health impacts of exclusionary immigration and immigrant policies in the early 21st century for Latiné communities in the US, pointing to immigration and immigrant policies as forms of structural racism that affect individual, family, and community health and well-being. Furthermore, the past decade has seen an increase in bi-partisan exclusionary immigration and immigrant policies. Immigration enforcement has been a major topic during the 2024 Presidential election cycle, portending an augmentation of exclusionary policies towards immigrants. Within this context, scholars have called for research that highlights the ways in which Latiné communities navigate exclusionary immigration and immigrant policies, and implications for health. This study examines ways in which Mexican-origin women in a midwestern northern border community navigate restrictive immigration and immigrant policies to access health-promoting resources and care for their well-being. METHODS: We conducted a grounded theory analysis drawing on interviews with 48 Mexican-origin women in Detroit, Michigan, who identified as being in the first, 1.5, or second immigrant generation. Interviews were conducted in English or Spanish, depending on participants' preferences, and were conducted at community-based organizations or other locations convenient to participants in 2013-2014. RESULTS: Women reported encountering an interconnected web of institutional processes that used racializing markers to infer legal status and eligibility to access health-promoting resources. Our findings highlight women's use of both individual and collective action to navigate exclusionary policies and processes, working to: (1) maintain access to health-promoting resources; (2) limit labeling and stigmatization; and (3) mitigate adverse impacts of immigrant policing on health and well-being. The strategies women engaged were shaped by both the immigration processes and structures they confronted, and the resources to which they had access to within their social network. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest a complex interplay of immigration-related policies and processes, social networks, and health-relevant resources. They highlight the importance of inclusive policies to promote health for immigrant communities. These findings illuminate women's agency in the context of structural violence facing immigrant women and are particularly salient in the face of anti-immigrant rhetoric and exclusionary immigration and immigrant policies.

Welcoming new neighbors: Minnesota's rapid response model to address the urgent health needs of Afghan newcomers, 2021-2022.

As a result of the United States withdrawal from Afghanistan in fall 2021, 1,260 Afghan evacuees arrived in Minnesota between October 2021 and February 2022. Several contextual factors including an overtaxed health system under duress from COVID-19 and uncertain benefit eligibility prompted a coordinated public health response to appropriately address the acute and pressing medical concerns of our new neighbors. This community case study describes the State of Minnesota's cross-sectoral response that created a welcoming environment, identified public health concerns, and addressed acute medical needs. Medical volunteers provided an initial health and safety check for Afghan families upon arrival. Volunteers also offered onsite culturally and linguistically appropriate mental health assessments, group therapy, women's clinics, vaccine clinics, medication refills, and ongoing walk-in primary care. Care coordinators facilitated primary care and specialty care referrals. The majority (96%) of eligible arrivals were screened as part of this response and the median time between arrival to Minnesota and initial health screening was 2 days. Half of all arrivals screened reported at least one health concern and 56% were referred to a specialty for further evaluation. Almost one in four adults (24%) reported mental health concerns. Existing partnerships across local sectors can be leveraged to provide comprehensive physical and mental health services to newcomers in an emergency response.

Activated sludge microbial community assembly: the role of influent microbial community immigration.

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are host to diverse microbial communities and receive a constant influx of microbes from influent wastewater. However, the impact of immigrants on the structure and activities of the activated sludge (AS) microbial community remains unclear. To gain insight on this phenomenon known as perpetual community coalescence, the current study utilized controlled manipulative experiments that decoupled the influent wastewater composition from the microbial populations to reveal the fundamental mechanisms involved in immigration between sewers and AS-WWTP. The immigration dynamics of heterotrophs were analyzed by harvesting wastewater biomass solids from three different sewer systems and adding to synthetic wastewater. Immigrating influent populations were observed to contribute up to 14% of the sequencing reads in the AS. By modeling the net growth rate of taxa, it was revealed that immigrants primarily exhibited low or negative net growth rates. By developing a protocol to reproducibly grow AS-WWTP communities in the lab, we have laid down the foundational principles for the testing of operational factors creating community variations with low noise and appropriate replication. Understanding the processes that drive microbial community diversity and assembly is a key question in microbial ecology. In the future, this knowledge can be used to manipulate the structure of microbial communities and improve system performance in WWTPs.IMPORTANCEIn biological wastewater treatment processes, the microbial community composition is essential in the performance and stability of the system. This study developed a reproducible protocol to investigate the impact of influent immigration (or perpetual coalescence of the sewer and activated sludge communities) with appropriate reproducibility and controls, allowing intrinsic definitions of core and immigrant populations to be established. The method developed herein will allow sequential manipulative experiments to be performed to test specific hypothesis and optimize wastewater treatment processes to meet new treatment goals.

Species pool and soil properties in mangrove habitats influence the species-immigration process of diazotrophic communities across southern China.

Microbial immigration is an ecological process in natural environments; however, the ecological trade-off mechanisms that govern the balance between species extinction and migration are still lacking. In this study, we investigated the mechanisms underlying the migration of diazotrophic communities from soil to leaves across six natural mangrove habitats in southern China. The results showed that the diazotrophic alpha and beta diversity exhibited significant regional and locational variations. The diazotrophic species pool gradually increased from the leaves to nonrhizosphere soil at each site, exhibiting a vertical distribution pattern. Mantel test analyses suggested that climate factors, particularly mean annual temperature, significantly influenced the structure of the diazotrophic community. The diazotrophic community assembly was mainly governed by dispersal limitation in soil and root samples, whereas dispersal limitation and ecological drift were dominant in leaves. Partial least squares path modeling revealed that the species pool and soil properties, particularly the oxidation-reduction potential and pH, were closely linked to the species-immigration ratio of diazotrophic communities. Our study provides novel insights for understanding the ecological trait diversity patterns and spread pathways of functional microbial communities between below- and aboveground habitats in natural ecosystems.IMPORTANCEEnvironmental selection plays key roles in microbial transmission. In this study, we have provided a comprehensive framework to elucidate the driving patterns of the ecological trade-offs in diazotrophic communities across large-scale mangrove habitats. Our research revealed that Bradyrhizobium japonicum, Marinobacterium lutimaris, and Agrobacterium tumefaciens were more abundant in root-associated soil than in leaves by internal and external pathways. The nonrhizospheric and rhizospheric soil samples harbored the most core amplicon sequence variants, indicating that these dominant diazotrophs could adapt to broader ecological niches. Correlation analysis indicated that the diversities of the diazotrophic community were regulated by biotic and abiotic factors. Furthermore, this study found a lower species immigration ratio in the soil than in the leaves. Both species pool and soil properties regulate the species-immigration mechanisms of the diazotrophic community. These results suggest that substantial species immigration is a widespread ecological process, leading to alterations in local community diversity across diverse host environments.

Multiple chronic diseases and psychological distress among adults in the United States: the intersectionality of chronic diseases, race/ethnicity, immigration, sex, and insurance coverage.

PURPOSE: Psychological distress significantly contributes to the burdens of morbidity and mortality in the United States (U.S.), but our understanding is limited with regards to the risk factors associated with psychological distress. We used nationally representative data to examine (1) the comorbidities of chronic diseases and their risks for psychological distress and (2) the ways in which chronic diseases combine with demographic factors such as sex, race/ethnicity, immigration status, and health insurance coverage to affect the patterning of psychological distress. METHODS: We analyzed the 2005-2018 National Health Survey Interview cross-sectional data on U.S. adults aged ≥ 18 years (n = 351,457). We fitted sequential multivariable logistic regression models. RESULTS: There was a dose-response relationship between the number of chronic diseases and psychological distress, with increased number of chronic diseases associated with increased psychological distress risk. Females (vs. males) and those without health insurance (vs. insured) were more likely to experience psychological distress. Immigrants (vs. non-immigrants) and racial/ethnic minorities (vs. White individuals) were less likely to experience psychological distress. There were significant interactions between chronic diseases and insurance coverage, immigration status, and race/ethnicity, but the three-way interactions were not statistically significant with psychological distress: chronic disease status vs. immigration status vs. health insurance coverage, and chronic disease vs. race/ethnicity vs. immigration status. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest a critical need to consider the complex ways in which chronic diseases and psychosocial factors combine to affect psychological distress and their implications for tailoring mental health screening, initiatives to reduce distress, and prevention strategies for effectively addressing health-related disparities in the general population.

Education and Career Advancement Opportunities in Polish and English Nursing-A Comparative Study of Intensive Care Unit Nurses.

The aim of this study was to comparatively investigate education, job, and professional development satisfaction among intensive care unit nurses in Poland and England. A total of 258 ICU nurses from both countries were interviewed (72 Polish nurses working in Poland and 186 of various national backgrounds in England, including 50 of Polish origin). We used an 11-item structured survey followed by an open-ended qualitative interview retrospectively coded for statistical analysis. Regardless of national origin, nurses in England report significantly higher education satisfaction, attributed to better theoretical knowledge gain but not to other dimensions (such as practical knowledge or personal satisfaction). They also express greater satisfaction with job conditions regarding professional development, a state-of-the-art work environment, teamwork, and finance. The UK system is also considered significantly superior in promotion opportunities and participation in post-graduation training. In conclusion, systemic factors play a crucial role in career satisfaction and advancement in nursing, with the British band system having a clear advantage over the Polish one.

Factors associated with primary healthcare provider access among trans and non-binary immigrants, refugees, and newcomers in Canada.

Objective: Trans and non-binary (TNB) immigrants, refugees, and newcomers (IRN) face intersecting challenges and barriers, including stigma and persecution in countries of origin, and others unique to the Canadian resettlement process. The present study aimed to investigate factors that are associated with having a primary healthcare provider among TNB IRN. Design: Trans PULSE Canada was a community-based, national study of health and wellbeing among 2,873 TNB people residing in Canada, aged 14 and older, who were recruited using a multi-mode convenience sampling approach.. The survey asked questions about identity, community, service access, health - and IRN were asked questions specific to immigration/settlement. Results: Of the 313 IRN participants who completed the full survey version (age M = 34.1, SE=0.75), 76.4 % had a primary healthcare provider. TNB IRN largely reported being Canadian citizens (59.8 %), gender non-binary or similar (46.9 %), currently living in Ontario (35.5 %), and having immigrated from the United States (32.1 %). Chi-square analyses revealed that having a primary healthcare provider was associated with age, gender identity, citizenship status, region of origin, current location in Canada, length of time since immigrating to Canada, status in gender affirming medical care, and having extended health insurance. With modified Poisson regression, we found that TNB IRN who were non-permanent residents, originating from European, African, and Oceania regions, or living in Quebec and the Prairie provinces were less likely to have a primary healthcare provider. Conclusion: Results may inform settlement organizations of the unique needs and barriers of TNB IRN. Schools and LGBTQ+ organizations may better serve this population - especially those originating from highlighted regions, who live in Quebec or the Prairie provinces, and/or are non-permanent residents - by offering programs that connect them to primary healthcare providers who are competent in cross-cultural trans health.

Iranian Immigrant Women's Experiences of Intimate Partner Violence: A Literature Review.

Immigrant and refugee women are vulnerable to experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) due to a range of factors associated with immigration. This study aims to consolidate existing research concerning IPV among Iranian immigrant women and examine its impact on their lives. A comprehensive literature search for articles of any design published in the English language in the past 15 years was performed using Medline, Embase, CINAHL, International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (ProQuest) and PsycINFO databases. The topic of IPV among Iranian immigrant women has been underexplored in research, and only 11 studies were identified that met the inclusion criteria for this topic. The findings from these studies indicate that Iranian immigrant women have experienced different forms of IPV, with psychological IPV being prominent and replacing physical violence. These experiences have had adverse effects on the women's physical and mental health. The women's experiences of IPV were influenced by various cultural, religious, and individual factors. They predominantly sought informal help rather than accessing formal resources to address their situations. There is a need for rigorous studies to thoroughly investigate IPV among Iranian immigrant and refugee women. Such research is essential for establishing effective strategies that are culturally sensitive to reduce IPV incidents within this population. Moreover, it is essential to enhance IPV awareness among these women and ensure their access to formal resources that are proficient in addressing IPV. This comprehensive approach not only tackles the immediate issue but also fosters a safer environment and promotes long-term wellbeing within this community.

Early school leaving in Spain: a longitudinal analysis by gender.

Spain is one of the eight EU-27 countries that failed to reduce early school leaving (ESL) below 10% in 2020, and now faces the challenge of achieving a rate below 9% by 2030. The determinants of this phenomenon are usually studied using cross-sectional data at the micro level and without differentiation by gender. In this study, we analyse it for the first time for Spain using panel data (between 2002 and 2020), taking into account the high regional inequalities at the macroeconomic level and the masculinisation of the phenomenon. The results show a positive relationship between ESL and socio-economic variables such as the adolescent fertility rate, immigration, unemployment or the weight of the industrial and construction sectors in the regional economy, with significant gender differences that invite us to discuss educational policies. Surprisingly, youth unemployment has only small but significant impact on female ESL.

Why are Turkish nurses migrating? A mixed-methods study.

AIM: This study aimed to identify the factors influencing nurses' migration patterns in Turkey. BACKGROUND: The flow of nurse migration from developing countries to developed countries is steadily increasing. As a result, countries that are sources of migration tend to develop domestic inequities with respect to the population's ability to access health services. In particular, fragile economic conditions and the pandemic triggered the migration of nurses from Turkey, a developing country. METHODS: This study employed a mixed-method explanatory sequential design and was conducted in Turkey between April and November 2022. The decision to migrate was the focus of both the quantitative aspect, involving 237 participants, and the qualitative aspect, with 20 participants. Quantitative data were gathered through a questionnaire, and qualitative data were obtained using open-ended questions during in-depth individual interviews. We followed the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology checklist in the quantitative phase and the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research checklist in the qualitative phase. Descriptive statistics and thematic analyses were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: In the quantitative stage of the study, nurses' reasons for deciding to migrate were identified as economic conditions, working conditions, society's outlook on the profession, political factors, and professional growth opportunities. In the qualitative stage, four major themes influencing nurse migration patterns emerged: devaluation and poor collegiality in nursing; inadequate management support; negative work environment; and health, social, and economic policies. CONCLUSION: The results of the study showed that the three factors most influential in the decision to migrate were economic issues, a negative work environment, and political climate. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND HEALTH POLICY: In developing countries, there is an urgent need for nurse administrators and health workforce decision-makers to create healthy working conditions and manage resources efficiently, focusing on improving nurses' economic situations while developing appropriate nationwide and international strategies.