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

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

Evaluation of the Association of Nine Helicobacter pylori Virulence Factors with Strains Involved in Low-Grade Gastric Mucosa-Associated Lymphoid Tissue Lymphoma

Helicobacter pylori has been associated with the development of two malignant diseases: gastric adenocarcinoma and gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma. Although the cag pathogenicity island, especially the cagA gene, has been linked with adenocarcinoma, few data concerning H. pylori pathogenic factors involved in low-grade gastric MALT lymphoma are available. The goal of this study was to analyze the prevalence of and correlation between genes coding for seven H. pylori virulence factors (cagA, cagE, vacA, iceA, babA, hopQ, and oipA) and two novel adhesins (sabA and hopZ) by comparing a collection of 43 H. pylori strains isolated from patients with low-grade gastric MALT lymphoma to 39 strains isolated from age-matched patients with gastritis only. Our results show that taken individually, none of the nine genes tested can be considered associated with MALT strains and allow us to conclude that MALT pathogenesis is not linked with more proinflammatory H. pylori strains. We demonstrated that in patients infected with strains harboring the iceA1 allele, sabA functional status, and hopZ “off” status, the odds of developing a MALT lymphoma were 10 times higher. However, the low prevalence of such strains (10 of 43 MALT strains) renders this triple association a low-sensitivity marker for MALT strains. Our data confirmed that H. pylori virulence factors are correlated with one another. If the involvement of H. pylori in MALT lymphoma is well established, the pathomechanism by which gastric lymphoma occurs remains to be identified

: Rebamipide and colonic barrier

International audienceOur aim was to study the effect of a mucosal protective agent, rebamipide, on the colonic barrier and the immune response in colitis-prone interleukin-10 deficient (IL-10-/-) C57BL/6 mice infected with Helicobacter hepaticus. After sacrifice, in all mice, control, or previously infected with H. hepaticus, or previously infected and treated with rebamipide enema, a histological examination of colonic samples was performed, intestinal permeability was studied in Ussing chamber, and mesenteric lymph node proliferation and cytokine secretion were measured. Mice treated with rebamipide, presented a reinforcement of the distal colonic epithelial barrier, an increase of mesenteric lymph node cells proliferation and of IFNΓ and IL-12 secretion. These results indicate that in IL-10-/- mice with mild colitis, rectally administered rebamipide reinforces the distal colonic barrier and has a slight Th1 immuno-stimulatory effect on mesenteric lymph node cells. These properties could be helpful in the management of some inflammatory bowel diseases

Implementation of shared decision-making and patient-centered care in France: Towards a wider uptake in 2022

International audienceWe present the evolution of patient-centered care (PCC) and shared decision-making (SDM) in France since 2017, highlighting advantages and drawbacks of their implementation at the macro level. We then focus on several key policy and legislative milestones that are aimed to develop PCC and SDM. These milestones underline the importance of patient movements to support and fund the development of research and practice in the field. We shall conclude by presenting the growing research agenda and selected key topics. These key topics notably include the increase in both patient and healthcare professional trainings on PCC and SDM provided by healthcare users' and patients' representatives. PCC and SDM continue to be central preoccupations at the macro level, supported by public health policies and patients/healthcare users' actions. This overview, however, suggests that although implementation initiatives have increased since 2017, implementation remains scarce in routine clinical practice. Funding, not only for research projects, but for the implementation of PCC and SDM in real-life settings (e-decision aids, clinical guidelines integrating PCC/SDM, human resources dedicated to PCC/SDM, etc.) are needed to promote sustained adoption. More systematic training for both healthcare professionals and patients is also warranted for a true acculturation to occur

Le rituel des cérémonies

Dire que les formes de communication sont extrêmement diverses, c’est énoncer une évidence, voire émettre une banalité ou une platitude. Elles utilisent différents vecteurs. L’écrit ou la parole y apparaissent comme des éléments fondamentaux et l’image également joue un rôle précoce. Mais la communication non verbale, surtout dans les sociétés qui ne maîtrisent que partiellement l’écrit et qui sont peu alphabétisées, a une très grande importance et prend des chemins très divers : association du geste, volontaire ou non, à la parole ; usage des codes : couleurs, musique, bruits, gestes, signaux à distance ; usage des symboles dont il est intéressant de suivre à la fois l’origine et le devenir et comment ils ont pu être réappropriés par des sociétés différentes de celles qui les ont mises en circulation