“ … of social identity and mental health in Black gay men Alice Cheng Psychology Department Background • In the course … ”
Abstract
As humans, we have an inherent tendency to join social groups and incorporate those groups into one's identity (social identification). A sense of belonging to a group promotes positive self-views and better physical and mental health. However, as members of a racial minority group, Black gay men face the possibility of a threatened social identity due to their sexual orientation. This study explored racial and sexual identity in older Black gay men to understand their impact on mental health and wellbeing. Participants took part in the Social Justice Sexuality (SJS) survey of LGBTQ+ people of color over a 12-month period in the United States. They responded to measures of racial and sexual identity, mental and physical health, connectedness to community, and additional social and demographic characteristics. Data revealed that strong identification with both racial and sexual identities is positively correlated with mental health in older Black gay men. However, a stronger sense of racial identification over sexual identification is negatively correlated with mental health, and vice versa. These findings highlight the need to consider social context when attempting to understand mental health outcomes among Black gay men.
“ … Ramkissoon, Alice Cheng and Stephanie Resnick for their assistance with … ”
Abstract
Roxanol is a common hospice pain medication that can be prescribed under different regimens with varying doses and schedules. In home care settings, caregivers are not required to record when medication is administered to patients; therefore, little is known about home hospice-prescribed Roxanol regimens and whether specific prescribing practices are associated with actual administration of medication during patients' final days of life. A retrospective review of patient care records of 227 deceased hospice patients who received routine home care between 2007 and 2020 was conducted. The overall amount of Roxanol administered to patients was examined by determining the doses prescribed as well as actual doses administered seven days prior to death and on the day of death. In addition, the extent to which Roxanol was administered based on prescribed regimen (i.e. scheduled, PRN, or combined scheduled plus PRN) and whether prescriptions were written with flexibility (i.e. varied doses, varied times, or varied doses and times) was also examined at both time points. Roxanol was prescribed to a large percentage (60.4%) of patients a week prior to death with even more (86.80%) on the day of death. The dose prescribed and the overall percentage of medication administered increased significantly during the last week of life; however, the overall quantity of Roxanol administered to patients remained relatively low seven days before death (23.40%) and on the day of death (30.68%). The most prevalent regimen prescribed shifted during the last week of life from PRN only (54.79%) to combined PRN/scheduled (57.14%) on the day of death. Nearly half of all prescriptions written contained some variability seven days before death (49.32%) and on the day of death (48.57%), and there was a greater likelihood that prescriptions were written with flexible dosing as opposed to varied time intervals. Administration rates were highest when prescriptions were more structured and did not vary by time or dose. The low overall Roxanol administration rates observed in this study suggest that certain regimens may not result in desired medication usage and that caregivers may need more clarity and guidance regarding when, how often, and how much Roxanol to administer.