Although the number of HIV infected peaked in the late 1980’s, HIV remains a major concern within the African American community (CDC, 2008). African Americans are disproportionately affected, comprising 14% of the U.S. population but representing 44% of new HIV infections in 2009 (CDC, 2011). It is vital to identify barriers to positive health behaviors like consistent condom use and HIV testing. This study focus on factors impacting attitudes towards HIV testing, including mistrust of the healthcare system, measured by support for HIV conspiracy theories (Thomas & Quinn, 1991). It also examined the prevalence of HIV conspiracy beliefs among African American college students, along with their perceptions of racism. The first goal of this study was to determine if perceived racism and HIV conspiracy theories are predictors of HIV testing attitudes. The second goal was to examine if perceived racism moderates the relationship between conspiracy beliefs and HIV testing attitudes. The findings indicated that higher levels of HIV conspiracy beliefs were associated with more negative attitudes towards HIV testing. The association between perceived racism and testing attitudes was marginally significant, while the interaction between perceived racism and testing was not significant. Implications for research and HIV interventions are discussed.

Youth in the United States are experiencing a steep increase in mental health issues. Concurrently, unique political, economic and social dynamics in the U.S. make the circumstances of nonwhite children's mental health partially contingent on experiences of racism. In this study, I examine the relationship between racial minority children's mental health and perceived racism, while also examining the moderating effects of gender on this relationship. I first review prior research which suggest that racism is a salient determinant of several health outcomes among racial minorities and racial minority children, including depression and anxiety. I then review research on both gender and racial socialization and posit possible implications of these differentials on mental health. Considering both the racialized and gendered factors contributing to youth's mental health outcomes, this study fills a gap in previous research by exploring the differences by gender and race in the effect of perceived racism on children's mental health. I use data from the National Survey of Children's Health from 2016 to 2019. Using average marginal effects, calculated from a series of logistic regression models predicting depression, anxiety, behavioral and emotional problems, I find support for previous research which suggests that perceived racism predicts poor mental health among non-white children. I elaborate further by adding the intersection of gender, splitting and comparing the sample across race and gender subgroups. I find considerable variety in the effects of perceived racism across race and gender, such that Latina and Asian girls who experience racism are at heightened risk for being diagnosed with mental health conditions.

Bacterial Vaginosis is an inbalance of vaginal flora which has been associated with increased risk of numerous gynecological and obstetric morbidities including increased risk of acquisition of HIV from an infected partner and increased risk of preterm delivery. Black race has been consistently identified as a risk factor for BV. Black women also suffer from significant disparities in most of the morbidities also associated with BV when compared to women of other ethnicities and races. Traditional predictors of BV such as douching practices and sexual behaviors do not fully account for the racial disparities in BV prevalence. Researchers have begun to explore the potential relationship between stress and BV. Also, perceived racism has been identified as a potential stressor contributing to the health outcomes of Black women. The purpose of this study was to test a predictive model of bacterial vaginosis among Black women. The Allostatic Load Model was the theoretical framework. Participants (N=94) completed a self administered questionnaire and interview including measures of perceived stress, preceived racism, behavioral responses to stress and specific behavioral responses to racism along with traditional predictors of BV. Measurement scales included the Cohen Perceived Stress Scale, the John Henryism Scale of Active Coping, the Everyday Perceived Racial Discrimination Index, the Experiences of Discrimination Scale and the Vines Telephone Administered Perceived Racism Scale (TPRS) which included a behavioral responses to racism subscale. Bacterial vaginosis was diagnosed utilizing a self-collected vaginal swab which was analyzed utilizing the BVBlue point of care testing kit. Twenty percent (N=19) of participants screened positive for bacterial vaginosis. Douching and sexual activity in the last three months and education were significantly associated with bacterial vaginosis. Age, income, hormonal contraceptive use and condom use were not associated with BV. Neither perceived stress nor perceived racism were associated with bacterial vaginosis. After logistic regression analysis, only education continued to be a significant predictor of BV. The lack of an association between BV and the main study variables may have been related to young age of the sample or the low rates of high perceived stress and high perceived racism. Perceived stress was positively associated with perceived racism and behavioral responses to stress. This association is likely a reflection of the stressful nature of perceived racism. Further research is needed to better understand how the stressful nature of racism and behavioral responses to stressors may influence health outcomes and if interventions can be utilized to promote adaptive behavioral responses.

This study explored interpersonal trust, racial identity, perceived racism, and religious orientation as predictors of preference for a Black counselor and cultural mistrust. The unique variance of interpersonal trust and cultural mistrust in predicting preference for a Black counselor was also explored. The relationship between cultural mistrust and interpersonal trust was tested to determine whether or not they are independent constructs. This study also examined the relationship between racial identity and religious orientation. Gender differences in religious orientation, cultural mistrust and preference for a Black counselor were examined. Previous studies provide support that cultural mistrust contributes to negative help-seeking attitudes and underutilization of mental health services. Researchers have identified racial identity and perceived racism as correlates to and/or predictors of cultural mistrust and preference for a Black counselor (Whaley, 2001). This study involved participants recruited in part from the Educational Psychology (EDP) Subject Pool at The University of Texas at Austin (UT). Participants were also recruited from five student organizations at UT. Participants completed the survey using an online survey tool or a paper copy of the survey. One stratum was used for selection of participants: students who racially identify as African-American or Black. Results of the study revealed interpersonal trust as a significant predictor of preference for a Black counselor. However, exploratory analyses indicated that cultural mistrust served as the sole predictor of Black counselor preference when seeking a counselor for dealing with racial concerns. Interpersonal trust, immersion-emersion anti-white racial identity attitudes (IEAW) and extrinsic religious orientation were significant predictors of cultural mistrust. Results also indicated a positive relationship between Internalization Multiculturalist (IMCI) racial identity attitudes and intrinsic religious orientation. A negative correlation was found to exist between intrinsic religious orientation and IEAW. High cultural mistrust levels were also positively associated with high IEAW attitudes. Additionally, a small, yet statistically significant negative relationship was found to exist between cultural mistrust and interpersonal trust. Cultural mistrust did not account for a significant amount of variance above that of interpersonal trust in predicting preference for a Black counselor. Finally, no mean sex differences were found among levels of Black counselor preference, cultural mistrust, and intrinsic or extrinsic religious orientation. Exploratory analyses also revealed a positive relationship between cultural mistrust and seven out of ten scenarios for Black counselor preference. Individuals with a preference for a Black counselor reported higher levels of cultural mistrust related to issues concerning: excessive worry/anxiety, drinking too much alcohol/using drugs, relationship problems, feelings of harassment/feeling threatened, sexual issues, racial issues, and difficulty controlling anger. Results of the study bear implications for understanding cultural mistrust and interpersonal trust as it relates to counselor preference. Implications for counselors are also discussed regarding the intersection of racial and religious identities. Limitations and future directions for research are also discussed. / text

Numerous studies confirm the relationship between perceived racism and psychological distress. Scholars have incorporated group identification to understand this relationship among Black Americans; however, there is a dearth in the literature on other Black ethnic groups. The influx of African and Afro-Caribbean immigrants continues to change the demography of Black America. Despite being racially categorized as Black, these groups have different social and cultural experiences, which influence self-concept and psychological functioning. The proposed study seeks to examine moderation effects of racial identity and ethnic identity in relation to perceived racism and psychological distress in African and Afro-Caribbean Blacks. / text

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Studies have identified perceived racism as one type of social stress that is believed to contribute to hypertension, though no studies to date have examined the relationship between perceived racism and blood pressure among foreign-born Mexicans living in the United States (U.S.). In addition, studies have shown that acculturation may increase levels of perceived discrimination among foreign-born Mexicans living in the U.S. The primary purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between perceived racism and ambulatory blood pressure among a convenience sample of 332 foreign-born Mexicans living in Utah County, Utah controlling for age, gender, body mass index (BMI), and acculturation. This was done through the use of several multiple regression analyses using archival data collected at Brigham Young University. The Perceived Ethnic Discrimination Questionnaire—Community Version (Brief PEDQ—CV) was used to measure perceived racism. The Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans (ARSMA-II) was used to measure both language and general acculturation. Four blood pressure variables, including waking systolic blood pressure (WSBP), waking diastolic blood pressure (WDBP), sleeping systolic blood pressure (SSBP), and sleeping diastolic blood pressure (SDBP) were used as outcome variables in the regression analyses. A relationship between perceived racism and any of the ambulatory blood pressure variables used in this study was not found. In addition, English-language acculturation was not found to moderate the relationship between perceived racism and blood pressure in the sample of first generation Mexicans participating in this study. A moderating effect of general acculturation on the relationship between perceived racism and blood pressure was found when controlling for age, BMI, and gender, though this moderating effect disappeared when WDBP was included in the regression model. Implications of findings, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.