Social Isolation, Religious Affiliation, and Mental Health in Adult Minnesotans

Problem or purpose: Social isolation involves an individuals’ social network (i.e., quantity, quality, and structure) and their appraisal of relationships (Wang et al., 2017). Social Isolation has been associated with an increase in mortality (Pantell et al., 2013) and a vulnerability for various mental-health issues (e.g., depression, anxiety, PTSD, etc.; Achterbergh et al., 2020; Ma et al., 2020), and decrease in cardiovascular health (Knox & Uvnas-Moberg, 1998). Although the psychological and physiological effects of social isolation have been known for some time, there is less known about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and its effects on social isolation. Due to isolation and physical distancing recommendations during the pandemic, we are expecting there to be an increase in social isolation during the pandemic compared to previously collected data from a similar pre-pandemic survey. Religious affiliation often involves greater social involvement, while simultaneously being associated with an increase in a sense of belonging (Rote, Hill, & Ellison, 2013), and a decrease in negative emotions (Rosemarin, Pargament, & Mahoney, 2009). An additional goal of this study was to examine the association between religion affiliation and social isolation during COVID-19.Procedure: We measured social isolation with two items from the Lubben Social Network Scale (LSNS-6) and one measure of relationship satisfaction. Telephone surveys were used to collect data from a sample of adult Minnesotans generated through random digit dialing. Preliminary data includes surveys from 216 participants (51% women, 74% white, age mean = 53.01 years, SD = 18.23).Results: Preliminary analyses suggest that the prevalence of social isolation has increased since our last survey that measured that topic. In 2021, 17% of our sample was at risk for social isolation (i.e., had 2 or fewer people they could call on for help), compared to 6% of our sample in 2018. There was a marginally significant relationship between social isolation and mental health in 2021, chi-square = 3.64, p = .06, such that more participants at risk for social isolation reported having a diagnosable mental health condition than those who were not at risk for isolation. Preliminary analyses did not find an association between social isolation and religious affiliation, chi-square = .06, p = .80.Conclusions and implications: Results suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the risk for social isolation, and that social isolation continues to be associated with poorer mental health, highlighting the importance of maintaining meaningful social contact through difficult times

Measuring Trust and Discrimination in the Healthcare System, The Case of Minnesota

Using data from our 2023 Fall Survey of Minnesota Residents, we examine the relationship between partisanship, education, and age on trust in the healthcare system. We also examine the relationship between demographic factors and the likelihood of experiencing discrimination in health care services

The Times They Are A-Changin’: A Longitudinal Review of Public Opinion Methodology, 2011-2023

Rapid changes in survey practices and respondent behavior poses significant challenges to public opinion research methodology. We review these challenges, and their implications, here

Stress and Burnout During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Problem or purpose: Studies across different countries suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused stress and burnout (e.g., Queen & Harding, 2020; Taylor et al., 2020; Y. Wang et al., 2020; Xiong et al., 2020). Previous research has also found that women may be more likely to experience negative effects from the pandemic than men (e.g., Taylor et al., 2020; X. Wang et al., 2020 Y. Wang et al., 2020), and that the stress of the pandemic may differ by employment status (e.g., Joshi & Sharma, 2020; Kaur et al., 2020). As a result, we are predicting (1) participants to report stress and burnout, (2) women to report higher stress and burnout than men, (3) and that participants who are currently employed will report higher stress and burnout than those who are not employed/retired.Procedure: We measured stress with a single item that asked about stress during the past month and burnout with a single item that asked if participants are experiencing more burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic than usual. Telephone surveys were conducted in October 2021 via random digit dialing. Preliminary data includes surveys from 216 adult Minnesotans (51% women, 74% white, age mean = 53.01 years, SD = 18.23).Results: Preliminary results showed that 22% of participants reported feeling a lot or completely stressed during the past month, and 22% of participants reported that they felt a little or a lot more burnout than usual during the pandemic. We found gender differences in stress (chi-square = 10.84, p = .004) and burnout (chi-square = 5.72, p = .02), such that women reported significantly more stress and burnout than men. Finally, results suggested that participants who were employed part- or full-time did not report more stress than those who were not employed or retired (chi-square = 2.52, p = .28), but employed participants did report more burnout (chi-square = 12.45, p \u3c .001).Conclusions and implications: These findings highlight that many people are experiencing stress and burnout during the pandemic, and that these feelings are more likely for women. Burnout, but not stress, was more common for people who are employed, suggesting that the pandemic may be having prolonged effects on workers

Healthcare Access, Satisfaction, and Health‑Related Quality of Life Among Children and Adults with Rare Diseases

Background: Research in a variety of countries indicates that healthcare access and health-related quality of life are challenged among people with a variety of rare diseases (RDs). However, there has been little systematic research on the experiences of children and adults with RDs in the American healthcare system that identifies commonalities across RDs. This research aimed to: (1) Describe demographics, disease characteristics, diagnostic experiences, access to healthcare, knowledge about RDs, support from healthcare professionals, and patient satisfaction among people with RDs and their caregivers; (2) examine predictors of patient satisfaction among adults with RDs; (3) compare health-related quality of life and stigma to US population norms; 4) examine predictors of anxiety and depression among adults and children with RDs. Results: This large-scale survey included (n = 1128) adults with RD or parents or caregivers of children with RDs representing 344 different RDs. About one third of participants waited four or more years for a diagnosis and misdiagnosis was common. A subset of participants reported experiencing insurance-related delays or denials for tests, treatments, specialists, or services. Approximately half of participants felt their medical and social support was sufficient, yet less than a third had sufficient dental and psychological support. Patients were generally neither satisfied or dissatisfied with their healthcare providers. Major predictors of satisfaction were lower stigma, lower anxiety, shorter diagnostic odyssey, greater physical function, and less pain interference. Adults and children with RDs had significantly poorer health-related quality of life and stigma in all domains compared to US norms. Predictors of both anxiety and depression were greater stigma/poor peer relationships, fatigue, sleep disturbance, limited ability to participate in social roles, and unstable disease course. Conclusions: People in the U.S. with RDs have poor health-related quality of life and high stigma. These factors arerelated to patient satisfaction and healthcare access, including diagnostic delays and misdiagnosis. Advocacy work is needed in order to improve healthcare access and ultimately health-related quality of life for children and adults with RDs

Trust Across Scales: Investigating the Relationship among Trust and Confidence in Social Institutions, Childhood ACES, and Political Identity

Using data from our 2023 Fall Survey of Minnesota Residents, we examine the relationship between trust and confidence in social institutions and how adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) impact perceptions and behavior

Benefits of support conferences for parents of and people with Moebius syndrome

Hundreds of millions of people worldwide with rare diseases face unique challenges to quality of life (QoL), including stigma and limited support. To address these concerns, many rare disease organizations offer support conferences for people to meet others with their condition. This is the first research to examine the effects of a support conference for a rare disease, Moebius syndrome (MoS), a condition characterized by impaired facial and eye movement. Parents of and adults with MoS were predicted to receive different QoL benefits from support conferences. Individuals with MoS were predicted to receive psychosocial benefits including increased social comfort, emotional and companionship support, and reduced stigma, anxiety, and depression. Parents of people with MoS were predicted to gain rare disease self-efficacy, including increased informational and instrumental support, disability self-efficacy, or perceived competence in managing a disability, and knowledge about managing their child’s MoS. Forty-seven adults with MoS and 48 parents completed an Internet-based survey 4 weeks before attending or not attending a support conference for MoS and 6 weeks after the conference. Correlational and pre–post analyses supported that adults with MoS received social comfort benefits, reduced stigma and increased perceived knowledge from support conferences, but no pre–post changes in anxiety, depression, or social support were detected. After applying a more conservative Bonferroni correction, only perceived knowledge remained significant. For parents, correlations suggested that repeated conference attendance was associated with rare disease self-efficacy and perceived knowledge, but no pre–post changes were detected. Rare disease support conferences are promising QoL interventions

Sugar, Spice, & Everything Nice: Food Flavors, Attraction, and Romantic Interest

The current study is looking at the effects of sweet and spicy taste on women's ratings of men's physical attractiveness as well as their romantic interest levels

"Rare place where I feel normal": Perceptions of a social support conference among parents of and people with Moebius syndrome

Background Moebius syndrome is a rare congenital disorder resulting in impaired facial and eye movement. People with rare diseases like Moebius syndrome experience stigma and a lack of specialized information. Support conferences may provide important forms of social support for people with rare disorders. Aims To examine reasons for attending, benefits, and limitations of support conferences. Methods and procedures 50 adults with Moebius syndrome and 57 parents of people with Moebius syndrome completed open-ended items in an online study. Outcomes and results Mixed- methods content analysis revealed that companionship and informational support were most frequently mentioned as reasons for and benefits of attending. Finances were the most frequently mentioned reason for not attending. Parents were more likely than people with Moebius to describe instrumental support as a conference benefit. When describing conference limitations, parents were significantly more concerned by lack of information relevance, while people with Moebius noted more often that conference attributes were not relevant to their age. Conclusions and implications Being surrounded by others who share one’s condition offers a unique opportunity for destigmatizing companionship support, which normalizes, reduces isolation, and promotes solidarity. Ways to increase facilitators and decrease barriers to accessing support for rare disorders should be investigated