Rethinking Civic Engagement

Civic engagement is a key indicator of adulthood. Young adults respond to the social and political issues of the day in a variety of ways. After the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in 2020, young people demonstrated against racial injustice in more than 10,000 peaceful protests around the country. That fall saw record numbers of youth turn out for the presidential election; half of eligible voters ages 18–29 participated, compared with 39 percent in 2016. Climate change likewise catalyzed young people, as nearly 30 percent of Generation Z and Millennials made donations, contacted public officials, volunteered, or protested, surpassing Generation X and Baby Boomers. Young people are commonly assumed to be disengaged, disillusioned, and uninterested in civic life. These trends challenge that proposition.Civic engage­ment is an import­ant part of our demo­cratic soci­ety, and it is a mean­ing­ful part of young people's healthy devel­op­ment and trans­ition into adult­hood. This report explores the concept of civic engage­ment and the distinct­ive, and some­times unac­coun­ted for, ways that young people parti­cip­ate in their communit­ies to improve social condi­tions, voice their needs and concerns, and uphold demo­cracy

Let’s Talk: A Study of the Impact of Gendered Racial Socialization on African American Adolescent Girls’ Mental Health

Internalized racial oppression in African American girls is understudied within research. As people of color are victimized by racism, they may internalize it, developing ideas, beliefs, actions and behaviors that support or collude with racism (Bivens, 1995). This internalized racism has its own systemic reality and its own negative consequences in the lives and communities of people of color. Understanding the way negative racial messages influence the mental health of African American adolescent girls allows for the development of intervention and prevention methods to reduce symptomology of depression, anxiety, and stress. In order for African American girls and young women to develop a healthy sense of self, families must prepare them to cope with the realities of experiencing intersecting oppression (i.e., racism and sexism; Edmondson Bell & Nkomo 1998; Lewis et al. 2013). This may occur through an African American-specific process of gendered racial socialization (Brown et al. 2016). While some research has examined the relationship between racial discrimination and race related stress outcomes (Buford, 2009) or internalized racial oppression on ethnic identity and self-efficacy (La Mar, 2018), there are no current studies that have looked at the impact of internalized gendered racial oppression (IGRO) on negative affect of African American adolescent girls or possible ways to moderate this impact. This study identifies a relationship between IGRO and depression, anxiety and stress symptoms while isolating messages of gendered racial pride and empowerment (GRPE) that reduce these symptoms in Black adolescent girls. To test the hypothesis, GRPE socialization moderates the relationship between IGRO socialization and indicators of psychological wellbeing (i.e., depressive, anxiety, and stress symptoms) this study analyzed the responses of 287 Black adolescent girls (MAge = 15.40) who completed questionnaires assessing the study variables of interest as part of a larger parent-teen dyadic study. A series of hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted. Models of the main effects of IGRO and GRPE on depression (R 2 = .04), anxiety (R 2 = .04), and stress (R 2 = .04) were significant (all ps \u3c .001), suggesting these variables accounted for significant variance in the mental health symptoms. For depression, increases in both IGRO (b=.83, p \u3c .001) and GRPE (b=.20, p \u3c .05) were associated with increases in reported depression symptoms. However, examination of the interaction (b=-.16, p \u3c .01) via simple slopes suggested that the Black girls reported higher levels of GRPE, the negative impact of IGRO on depressive symptoms was attenuated. Indeed, at the highest levels of GRPE, the effect of IGRO on depressive symptoms was reduced to non-significance. Similar patterns emerged for teen anxiety and stress, with increased IGRO associated with increasing symptom endorsement and increasing GRPE attenuating this effect. These findings suggest that it is particularly important for African-American youth to receive messages conveying pride and empowerment on being a black girl to aid in reducing the mental health symptoms associated with IGRO. By identifying key messages of gendered racial socialization, this study has the potential to educate parents and teachers on the impact of their messages on children’s mental health. Implications and future directions regarding gendered racial socialization of Black teenaged girls are discussed.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/gradposters/1053/thumbnail.jp

Jaw Tremor Resulting in Broken Teeth: On the Essential Tremor Spectrum

Background: Jaw tremors in essential tremor (ET) rarely represent anything other than a cosmetic concern. Phenomenology Shown: A case of an ET patient whose jaw tremor was severe enough to result in cracked teeth. Educational Value: It behooves treating clinicians to be aware of the full spectrum of this movement disorder

The Role of Sociopolitical Attitudes and Civic Education in the Civic Engagement of Black Youth

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/108311/1/jora12117.pd

Jaw Tremor Resulting in Broken Teeth: On the Essential Tremor Spectrum

Background: Jaw tremors in essential tremor (ET) rarely represent anything other than a cosmetic concern. Phenomenology Shown: A case of an ET patient whose jaw tremor was severe enough to result in cracked teeth. Educational Value: It behooves treating clinicians to be aware of the full spectrum of this movement disorder

Towards an Understanding of Civic Engagement and Civic Commitment among Black Early Adolescents.

Civic engagement and civic commitment are important for individual and community well-being. In this dissertation, I explore critical analysis and political efficacy in relation to civic engagement and civic commitment among Black early adolescents. Scholars have suggested that these sociopolitical factors are highly indicative of sustained civic development, particularly for Black youth. As such, I investigated the relationships among critical analysis, political efficacy, and civic engagement among Black early adolescents. I tested whether critical analysis and political efficacy are directly related to civic engagement and civic commitment. I also examined whether the relationship between critical analysis and civic outcomes varies by level of political efficacy. Finally, I tested whether critical analysis is related to either civic engagement or civic commitment through political efficacy beliefs. Findings from a quantitative investigation of 118 Black early adolescents show that political efficacy is related to four domains of civic engagement and civic commitment: helping, community action, formal political action, and activism. Political efficacy moderates the relationship between youth social responsibility and activism, such that the relationship between youth social responsibility and activism is stronger for youth with higher political efficacy beliefs. There is also an indirect effect of youth social responsibility on the relationship between political efficacy and commitment to future activism. Further, through a qualitative investigation of 36 Black early adolescents, evidence suggests that Black youth are actively thinking about their sociopolitical environment in complex ways. Youth consider systemic and individual attributions for problems and solutions in their communities and schools. Moreover, these early adolescents consider their own role in constructing positive change (youth social responsibility) as well as barriers that prohibit youth engagement. Taken together, this research broadens our understanding of civic development through a snapshot of civic thought and civic engagement among Black early adolescents.PhDEducation & PsychologyUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/100012/1/elancm_1.pd

Political Activism and Mental Health Among Black and Latinx College Students

Objectives: The current study investigates the utility of political activism as a protective factor against experiences of racial/ethnic (R/E) discrimination that negatively affect stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms among Black and Latinx college freshmen at predominately White institutions. Method: Data come from the Minority College Cohort Study, a longitudinal investigation of Black and Latinx college students (N = 504; 44% Black). We conducted multiple regression analyses for each mental health indicator and tested for interaction effects. Results: For Black and Latinx students, the relationship between R/E microaggressions and end of freshman year stress varied by political activism. For Black students, the relationship between R/E microaggressions and end of the year anxiety varied by political activism. There was a significant interaction effect for depressive symptoms among Latinx students. Conclusions: Political activism serves as a protective factor to mitigate the negative effect of R/E discrimination on stress and depressive symptoms for Latinx students. For Black students, higher levels of political activism may exacerbate experiences of R/E microaggressions and relate to more stress and anxiety compared with Black students who are less politically involved. Findings point to the need for a deeper understanding of phenomenological variation in experiences of microaggressions among R/E minorities and how students leverage political activism as an adaptive coping strategy to mitigate race-related stress during college

Neuroimaging Studies of Essential Tremor: How Well Do These Studies Support/Refute the Neurodegenerative Hypothesis?

Background: Tissue‐based research has recently led to a new patho‐mechanistic model of essential tremor (ET)—the cerebellar degenerative model. We are not aware of a study that has reviewed the current neuroimaging evidence, focusing on whether the studies support or refute the neurodegenerative hypothesis of ET. This was our aim. Methods: References for this review were identified by searches of PubMed (1966 to February 2014). Results: Several neuroimaging methods have been used to study ET, most of them based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The methods most specific to address the question of neurodegeneration are MRI‐based volumetry, magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and diffusion‐weighted imaging. Studies using each of these methods provide support for the presence of cerebellar degeneration in ET, finding reduced cerebellar brain volumes, consistent decreases in cerebellar N‐acetylaspartate, and increased mean diffusivity. Other neuroimaging techniques, such as functional MRI and positron emission tomography (PET) are less specific, but still sensitive to potential neurodegeneration. These techniques are used for measuring a variety of brain functions and their impairment. Studies using these modalities also largely support cerebellar neuronal impairment. In particular, changes in 11C‐flumazenil binding in PET studies and changes in iron deposition in an MRI study provide evidence along these lines. The composite data point to neuronal impairment and likely neuronal degeneration in ET. Discussion: Recent years have seen a marked increase in the number of imaging studies of ET. As a whole, the combined data provide support for the presence of cerebellar neuronal degeneration in this disease

Genetic Interactions Between BOB1 And Multiple 26S Proteasome Subunits Suggest A Role For Proteostasis In Regulating Arabidopsis Development

Protein folding and degradation are both required for protein quality control, an essential cellular activity that underlies normal growth and development. We investigated how BOB1, an Arabidopsis thaliana small heat shock protein, maintains normal plant development. bob1 mutants exhibit organ polarity defects and have expanded domains of KNOX gene expression. Some of these phenotypes are ecotype specific suggesting that other genes function to modify them. Using a genetic approach we identified an interaction between BOB1 and FIL, a gene required for abaxial organ identity. We also performed an EMS enhancer screen using the bob1-3 allele to identify pathways that are sensitized by a loss of BOB1 function. This screen identified genetic, but not physical, interactions between BOB1 and the proteasome subunit RPT2a. Two other proteasome subunits, RPN1a and RPN8a, also interact genetically with BOB1. Both BOB1 and the BOB1-interacting proteasome subunits had previously been shown to interact genetically with the transcriptional enhancers AS1 and AS2, genes known to regulate both organ polarity and KNOX gene expression. Our results suggest a model in which BOB1 mediated protein folding and proteasome mediated protein degradation form a functional proteostasis module required for ensuring normal plant development

Reproducibility and effect of tissue composition on cerebellar GABA MRS in an elderly population.

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) provides a valuable tool to non-invasively detect brain gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) in vivo. GABAergic dysfunction has been observed in the aging cerebellum. Studying cerebellar GABA changes is of considerable interest in understanding certain age-related motor disorders. However, little is known about the reproducibility of GABA MRS in an aged population. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the feasibility and reproducibility of GABA MRS in the aged cerebellum at 3.0 Tesla and to examine the effect of differing tissue composition on GABA measurements. MRI and 1H MRS exams were performed on 10 healthy elderly volunteers (mean age 75.2 years ± 6.5 years) using a 3.0 Tesla Siemens Tim Trio scanner. Among them, 5 subjects were scanned twice to assess short-term reproducibility. The MEGA-PRESS J-editing sequence was used for GABA detection in two volumes of interest (VOIs) in left and right cerebellar dentate. MRS data processing and quantification were performed with LCModel 6.3-0L using two separate basis sets, generated from density matrix simulations using published values for chemical shifts an