Advancing Education
(Asynchronous)
Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Methodologies for College Student Surveys on Health and Wellness
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session B. Ethan M. Coston, Ris Rodina
The development of sound, reliable, valid, and meaningful questions that assess sexual orientation and gender identity have been the topic of discussion among many organizations, institutes, and governmental agencies. For the college-aged population, good questions on college surveys are not only necessary for accurately measuring the size of the LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and otherwise not-heterosexual, not-cisgender) population, but are also an important first step in informing college-wide policies, initiatives, and human services related to student health and wellness. Using data from a large, ongoing longitudinal study of the behavioral and emotional health of college students at a public university in the mid-Atlantic states, this paper examines the impact of expanding the sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) questions to be more accurate, inclusive, and diverse. With a specific focus on the concept of flourishing (Keyes, 2008), this project highlights how LGB students significantly differ from TQIA+ students in their overall wellbeing and have very specific needs from college services that are not traditionally covered by “lesbian, gay and bisexual” programming and initiatives. Based on these findings, we discuss best practices for SOGI data collection of college students, as well as suggestions for more innovative and comprehensive services for sexual and gender expansive students.
Taking Action to Support International Students' Health and Wellbeing in an Australian Educational Setting View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Susan Marilyn Fletcher
This research project is a collaboration between the student counsellor and the post-graduate coordinator at The Hotel School-Southern Cross University campus in Melbourne (Australia). In our many discussions about international student academic progress, we began to reframe our understanding of their academic experience as a concerning mental health and wellbeing issue. The literature pertaining to international students demonstrates that mental health is connected with many aspects of their lives, especially regarding their learning environment. Acculturation theory is used to better understand international students’ adaptation to their new learning environment. Action research is used as a methodological approach to explore students’ transition and the impacts on their mental health and wellbeing. The aim of this study is to understand the barriers to adaptation, and to engage with international student to recommend strategies to be implemented at The Hotel School-Southern Cross University campus in Melbourne. It is at the early stage of adaption that the new student is most at risk of losing confidence, giving up, and perhaps deciding to withdraw. Findings from this research study will provide important information about the level of acculturative stress experienced by newly enrolled international students. It is also a time of opportunity for the educational establishment they are entering to be innovative in designing support structures, thought developing and implementing strategies and actions to facilitate students’ adaptation to the Australian tertiary education system. By monitoring the actions implemented, the expected outcome would be the development of a best practice portfolio of activities.
Medical Inequity and Health Disparities as Thanatopolitics: The Socio-medical Impact of Intergenerational Racialization View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Imanni Sheppard, PhD
Thanatopolitics are social, political, and economic systems of power that facilitate and perpetuate a politics of death. They work in contrast to processes that produce and reinforce life. As COVID-19 continues to ravage the African American community in the United States, it becomes pertinent to not only evaluate the medical practices that have perpetuated medical inequity and health disparities within the African American community, but also the historical epistemologies that have normalized and legitimized thanatopolitics. In tracing these subjectivities, the culture of medicine and the structure of medical education will be able to take a more targeted approach to deconstructing race-based thanatopolitics that perpetuate medical inequity and health disparities. With this in mind, this study is an examination of the intergenerational, socio-medical effects of racialized epistemologies within the history and praxis of Western Medicine.
Bringing Health Equity to HIV: Reaching Black and Latinx MSM about U=U using an Interactive and Culturally-tailored Website
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Georgianna Stoukides
In the U.S., systemic discrimination in healthcare has contributed to health inequities in HIV/AIDS care among marginalized populations. Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino men who have sex with men (BLMSM) face significant barriers accessing STI prevention programs and are consequently disproportionately affected by HIV. Treatment as Prevention (TasP), now known as Undetectable equals Untransmittable (U=U), is a bio-behavioral HIV prevention approach encouraging people with HIV to adhere to their HIV medications in order to reach an undetectable viral load and not transmit the virus to HIV-negative partners. Although TasP has been shown to prevent HIV transmission to uninfected individuals since 2011, awareness and knowledge regarding TasP use are still low among BLMSM. We created an interactive, culturally-tailored website that provides information about TasP and U=U. We conducted individual cognitive interviews with 10 HIV-negative and 10 HIV-positive BLMSM in New England to assess their understanding of the TasP/U=U information presented to them on the website. Each interview was audio-recorded, transcribed and analyzed thematically. Four major themes were identified: 1) awareness and knowledge of U=U and TasP were low among all participants before searching the website, 2) behavioral intentions toward TasP/U=U use differed based on HIV serostatus, 3) medical providers are not discussing TasP/ U=U with their MSM patients, and 4) participant awareness and knowledge increased after browsing the website. Public health interventions that include medical providers must focus on HIV prevention education regarding U=U and TasP among both HIV-negative and HIV-positive BLMSM to effectively minimize healthcare disparities and to foster health equity.
Emotional Intelligence Enhancement in Students through Emotional Skill Session during Family Medicine Posting: A Prospective Interventional Study View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Nan Nitra Than
Emotional Intelligence (EI) represents the ability to monitor one’s own and others’ feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them and to use this information to guide one’s thinking and actions. There are benefits of EI which have been documented in professional fields including the medical profession. EI and academic success are linked, and that both are vital for increasing academic performance. There is a lack of data on how final year medical students can integrate EI learning within the curriculum. With an intervention, EI improves academic performance and EI skills of clinical year medical students. Emotional intelligence has a positive attitude towards life that leads to better outcomes and greater rewards for themselves and others. Our general objective is to develop intervention in improving EI of medical undergraduates and produce compassionate first contact physicians/doctors. Specific objectives include: To access effectiveness of newly develop intervention,To identify the emotional skill session that assist to reduce unhealthy emotion, To access positive and negative effects and level of EI by using SSEIT Schutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence Test. Methodology uses quantitative research method to investigate the problem. Study design is based on a prospective comparative interventional study, a randomized control trial Study participants were fourth year medical students of all ages and either gender during family medicine posting. Group of students were randomly assigned according to the group posted in family medicine weekly at Manipal University College Malaysia (MUCM), Melaka. Sample size calculation found 84 students eligible for the study.(Gilar-Corbi et al. 2018)
Prevalence of and Coping Strategies for Inappropriate Patient Sexual Behavior (IPSB) in American Nursing Baccalaureate Education : Building Resilience, Health, and Wellness View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Amber Vermeesch, Halina Wyss
Nurses face higher levels of stress with adverse health outcomes compared to other health professions. Perceived stress is linked to reduced physical/psychological health, increased sickness/absence, increased staff turnover, and poor job performance. Nursing students must attain a unique skill set in their education for resilience while managing physical and mental stressors of challenging nursing curricula. Nurses are often exposed to inappropriate patient sexual behavior (IPSB). IPSB is defined as any “verbal or physical act of an explicit, or perceived sexual nature which is unacceptable within the social context in which it is carried out.” IPSB and how it relates to sexual harassment is not clear. Sexual harassment by patients is a significant problem and nurses consistently report sexual harassment by their patients more than any other healthcare sector. This study’s purpose is to investigate the prevalence of IPSB in undergraduate nursing clinicals, nursing students’ coping ability, and to offer tailored interventions to aid students cope with trying patient encounters. Participants were undergraduate nursing students enrolled in clinicals. Out of the 72.5% students experiencing IPSB, 96.5% identified as female. While all students reported overall discomfort in coping with IPSB, taking action during the time of harassment was identified as causing the most distress. IPSB does not fall within the parameters of established university support protocols, placing undergraduate nursing students in a vulnerable position that does not encourage a strong foundation of resilience, health and wellness. To address this crucial gap, a support system for undergraduate nursing students must be developed.
