Bystander Acknowledgment Mitigates the Psychological and Physiological Pain of Racial Discrimination for Black Young Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Racism increases pain sensitization and contributes to racialized pain inequities; however research has not tested interventions targeting racism to reduce pain. In this study we examined whether White bystanders can act to mitigate racism's pain sensitizing effects. To simulate racial exclusion in the laboratory, Black young adults (age 18-30; N = 92) were randomly assigned to be included or excluded by White players in a ball-tossing game (Cyberball). For half of excluded participants, White bystanders acknowledged and apologized for the racial exclusion. Participants completed a cold pressor task to assess pain threshold, tolerance, and unpleasantness; and completed a survey assessing psychological needs (i.e., belongingness, self-esteem, meaningful existence, and self-control). Participants who experienced racial exclusion reported significantly more threatened psychological needs and increased laboratory pain sensitization (i.e., lower pain threshold and tolerance) than those who were included. However, when a White bystander acknowledged the racism, excluded participants reported higher levels of self-control, self-esteem, and decreased pain sensitization (pain threshold and tolerance) relative to excluded participants whose experience was not acknowledged. Our findings support that racism increased Black people's pain sensitivity and provide initial evidence for White bystander acknowledgment as a health intervention. PERSPECTIVE: Continual exposure to racism likely contributes to inequities in pain sensitization. We demonstrate that acute exposure to mild racism increases acute pain sensitization. Results suggest that a bystander acknowledging witnessed racism can buffer the acute sensitizing effects of racism on pain, pointing to the potential of interpersonal interventions targeting racism.

Santé sexuelle et discriminations croisées chez les hommes afro-latino-caribéens ayant des rapports sexuels avec des hommes à Bruxelles.

INTRODUCTION: The starting point of our article is the observation that the target group of Afro-Latin-Caribbean men, who have sex with men, is not reached by sexual health promotion programs for MSM, nor by those aimed at Afro-Latino-Caribbean audiences. Indeed, it seems to be in a blind spot of prevention programs designed by key audiences. PURPOSE OF RESEARCH: The objective of our article is to understand the vulnerabilities of this group, the impacts of its invisibility and the intersectoral discrimination (homophobia, racism, …) of which itis victim on the management of his sexual health, in order to highlight ways to improve prevention programs towards this group. RESULTS: Our study highlighted some vulnerabilities inherent in being Afro-Latino-Caribbean MSM and the impact of the intersectional discrimination on the management of their sexual health. We have also demonstrated the invisibility suffered by these audiences and their request to be recognized in their specificities, particularly through the creation of secure places that would be entirely dedicated to them. CONCLUSIONS: This project allowed us to highlight the importance, for minority audiences, of being visibilized and to have their specificities recognized in sexual health promotion programs. This is even more important when they are victims of multiple discrimination. It also showed the importance of implementing actions that promote the empowerment of vulnerable audiences.

Heightened vigilance and perceived discrimination in dental trainees' readiness for clinical practice.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to examine associations between heightened vigilance and perceived discrimination on readiness for clinical practice and to examine the mediating effects of social support and resilience. METHODS: A survey was distributed to dental trainees (dental and dental hygiene students) enrolled at a US dental school located in the mid-Atlantic region. The survey assessed readiness for clinical practice and included measures of perceived discrimination, heightened vigilance, and the following wellness measures: perceived stress, resilience, anxiety, social support, and coping. Adjusted for gender, and race/ethnicity, we regressed heightened vigilance and perceived discrimination independently on students' readiness for clinical practice. To assess mediation, we computed the direct effects of heightened vigilance and perceived discrimination and potential indirect effects mediated through social support and resilience. RESULTS: A total of 250 students who completed the survey had complete data on all variables. Five percent identified as Black or African Americans, 34% as Asians, and 8% as Hispanic/Latino. Sixty-two percent were female and 91% were dental students. The overall mean (SD) heightened vigilance and perceived discrimination scores were 18.9 (4.9) and 10.5 (7.6), respectively. Only the mean score for heightened vigilance differed significantly by race/ethnicity (p = 0.02). Higher heightened vigilance (odds ratio [OR] = 0.75 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.25, 2.23), and perceived discrimination (OR = 0.52, 95% CI: 0.33, 0.88) scores were independently associated with lower adjusted odds of reporting high confidence in readiness for clinical practice even after adjusting for the mediating effects of social support and resilience, although the association for heightened vigilance was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Heightened vigilance and perceived discrimination appear to negatively impact dental trainees' career readiness. Intentional efforts to prioritize an anti-racism approach within dental education programs and patient care across the nation are warranted.

The Mental Health Burden of Racial Discrimination in Young Adults in Rhode Island.

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the association between racial discrimination and depressive symptoms among Rhode Island young adults. METHODS: The 2022 Rhode Island Young Adult Survey recruited 1,022 young adults aged 18-25 years who lived in Rhode Island for at least part of the year. Multivariable logistic regression for depressive symptoms controlled for sexual and gender identity, race/ethnicity, social status, age, employment, and student status. RESULTS: 23.6% of young adults reported experiencing racial discrimination in childhood and/or adulthood. Odds of depressive symptoms increased for experiences of childhood racial discrimination (+70%; 95%CI: 14%, 155%) and any racial discrimination (+56%; 95%CI: 6%, 130%), but not for racial discrimination in adulthood (+38%; 95%CI: -8%, 108%). CONCLUSIONS: Experiences of racial discrimination increase odds of depressive symptoms among young adults. Prevention measures such as universal screening for childhood adversity, incorporating antiracism education into all institutional settings, and continued nondiscrimination policy and enforcement should be employed.

How We Got Here: The Legacy of Anti-Black Discrimination in Radiology.

Current disparities in the access to diagnostic imaging for Black patients and the underrepresentation of Black physicians in radiology, relative to their representation in the general U.S. population, reflect contemporary consequences of historical anti-Black discrimination. These disparities have existed within the field of radiology and professional medical organizations since their inception. Explicit and implicit racism against Black patients and physicians was institutional policy in the early 20th century when radiology was being developed as a clinical medical field. Early radiology organizations also embraced this structural discrimination, creating strong barriers to professional Black radiologist involvement. Nevertheless, there were numerous pioneering Black radiologists who advanced scholarship, patient care, and diversity within medicine and radiology during the early 20th century. This work remains important in the present day, as race-based health care disparities persist and continue to decrease the quality of radiology-delivered patient care. There are also structural barriers within radiology affecting workforce diversity that negatively impact marginalized groups. Multiple opportunities exist today for antiracism work to improve quality of care and to apply standards of social justice and health equity to the field of radiology. An initial step is to expand education on the disparities in access to imaging and health care among Black patients. Institutional interventions include implementing community-based outreach and applying antibias methodology in artificial intelligence algorithms, while systemic interventions include identifying national race-based quality measures and ensuring imaging guidelines properly address the unique cancer risks in the Black patient population. These approaches reflect some of the strategies that may mutually serve to address health care disparities in radiology. © RSNA, 2023 See the invited commentary by Scott in this issue. Quiz questions for this article are available in the supplemental material.

COVID-19-related direct and vicarious racial discrimination: Associations with psychological distress among U.S. college students.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has been accompanied by a myriad of racist incidents targeting minorities in the U.S. Young adults are susceptible to direct and vicarious (indirect) pandemic-related racial discrimination. We sought to examine associations between both types of discrimination experiences and psychological distress among college students across different racial groups. METHODS: We analyzed self-reported data from 64,041 undergraduate students from the Spring 2021 American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment. Logistic regression examined odds of severe distress based on self-reported exposure to direct and vicarious racial discrimination. RESULTS: Even after controlling for sociodemographic characteristics and prior mental health diagnoses, there was a significant association between direct discrimination and distress among Asian (AOR: 1.3, p < 0.001), Hispanic (AOR: 1.6, p < 0.001), and Multiracial (AOR: 1.4, p < 0.001) students. Vicarious discrimination was significantly associated with distress among White (AOR: 1.4, p < 0.001), Asian (AOR: 1.4, p < 0.001), Hispanic (AOR: 1.5, p < 0.001), and Multiracial (AOR: 1.3, p < 0.001) students. Further analysis considering distress as a continuous measure revealed a significant association between vicarious discrimination and distress for Black participants (ß = 0.9, p < 0.001). LIMITATIONS: Self-reported variables are susceptible to recall bias. Minority racial group analyses may be underpowered. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings reveal an overall link between both direct and vicarious racial discrimination and distress across several racial groups. Further studies should examine effective mental health interventions and anti-racism initiatives to support students who have experienced direct or vicarious discrimination due to COVID-19.

Perceived discrimination enhances the association between distress and impact related to the murder of George Floyd and unhealthy alcohol use in a survey sample of U.S. Veterans who report drinking.

Introduction: On May 25, 2020, George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer leading to increased social justice and antiracism movements (SJARM) across the United States. Vicarious exposure to racism and perceived discrimination are salient sources of distress which may lead to increased alcohol use as means of coping. The primary aim of the current study was to examine how perceived discrimination and the subjective impact and personal distress related to the SJARM following the George Floyd murder interact and relate to unhealthy alcohol use among U.S. Veterans. Methods: 286 Veterans were assessed for unhealthy alcohol use (AUDIT-10), perceived discrimination (EDS), and subjective impact and personal distress related to the SJARM. Two moderation analyses were performed to examine whether subjective impact and personal distress moderated relations between perceived discrimination and alcohol use. In-depth follow-up analyses were conducted to examine differences and relationships among variables. Results: In two different moderation models, perceived discrimination moderated the association between both subjective impact (p <.001) and personal distress (p <.001) felt by the SJARM and unhealthy alcohol use. In planned exploratory analyses, Veterans who reported perceived discrimination reported higher levels of unhealthy alcohol use (M = 14.71, SD = 9.39) than those who did not t(2 8 4) = 5.61, p <.001. In post-hoc analyses, racial/ethnic minorities were significantly more likely to report perceived racial discrimination (p <.001) while non-Hispanic Whites were more likely to report perceived discrimination based on education or income level (p <.01). Conclusions: In the context of a socially unjust event amidst a global pandemic, perceived discrimination contributes to unhealthy alcohol use and subjective impact and personal distress associated with the SJARM following the murder of George Floyd. Results highlight the importance of addressing discrimination experiences in Veterans who seek alcohol treatment, particularly as rates of unhealthy alcohol use are on the rise.

Discrimination Experienced by Immigrants, Racialized Individuals, and Indigenous Peoples in Small- and Mid-Sized Communities in Southwestern Ontario.

We investigate discrimination experiences of (1) immigrants and racialized individuals, (2) Indigenous peoples, and (3) comparison White non-immigrants in nine regions of Southwestern Ontario containing small- and mid-sized communities. For each region, representative samples of the three groups were recruited to complete online surveys. In most regions, over 80 percent of Indigenous peoples reported experiencing discrimination in the past 3 years, and in more than half of the regions, over 60 percent of immigrants and racialized individuals did so. Indigenous peoples, immigrants and racialized individuals were most likely to experience discrimination in employment settings and in a variety of public settings, and were most likely to attribute this discrimination to racial and ethnocultural factors, and for Indigenous peoples also their Indigenous identity. Immigrants and racialized individuals who had experienced discrimination generally reported a lower sense of belonging and welcome in their communities. This association was weaker for Indigenous peoples. The findings provide new insight into discrimination experienced by Indigenous peoples, immigrants and racialized individuals in small and mid-sized Canadian communities, and are critical to creating and implementing effective anti-racism and anti-discrimination strategies.

The Healthcare Discrimination Experience Scale: Assessing a Variable Crucial for Explaining Racial/Ethnic Inequities in Patient Activation and Health.

Healthcare discrimination experience is expected to be a consequential variable that explains racial/ethnic inequities in patient activation and health; however, existing scales assessing healthcare discrimination experience are limited by insufficient psychometric development and overly narrow construct definitions. A new Healthcare Discrimination Experience Scale was developed, validated, compared to an existing scale, and used to estimate effects in explaining racial/ethnic health inequities. Across two studies, 975 patients with hypertension or diabetes (43% Black, 10% other Persons of Color, 47% White, 53% having household incomes < 40 thousand dollars) were recruited through marketing research panels to complete online questionnaires. Compared to an existing measure, the new scale better detected differences between People of Color and White people. It produced good results in confirmatory factor analysis and item response theory analysis, and it mediated the effects of racial/ethnic identity on eight variables regarding patient-practitioner relationships, treatment adherence, general health, blood pressure, and life stress. The new scale is valid for assessing a broadly defined healthcare discrimination experience construct in diverse patients with chronic medical conditions, and it is more sensitive to group differences than the best existing alternative scale. Compared to research using unvalidated scales, the results of this study demonstrate that healthcare discrimination experience plays a larger role in explaining racial/ethnic inequities in patient activation and health.

Racial microaggressions and major discriminatory events explain ethnoracial differences in psychotic experiences.

Few empirical studies have examined whether exposure to major racial discrimination explains ethnoracial disparities in psychosis outcomes and none to our knowledge have done so in the U.S. or have examined the role of other forms of racism such as racial microaggressions. The present study examined ethnoracial differences in self-reported psychotic experiences (PE) among 955 college students in an urban environment in the Northeastern U.S., and the degree to which major experiences of racial discrimination and racial microaggressions explains ethnoracial differences in PE. Mean scores on self-report inventories of PE and distressing PE (i.e., Prodromal Questionnaire (PQ)), major experiences of racial discrimination (EOD), and racial and ethnic microaggressions (REMS) were compared across 4 ethnoracial groups (White, Black, Asian, and Latina/o). Results from parallel mediation linear regression models adjusted for immigrant status, age, gender, and family poverty using the Hayes PROCESS application indicated ethnoracial differences in PE were explained independently by both forms of racism. Specifically, Black young people reported higher mean levels of PE, and distressing PE than both White and Latina/o people and the difference in PE between Black and White and Black and Latino/a young people was significantly explained by both greater exposure to racial microaggressions and major racial discriminatory experiences among Black people. This study re-emphasizes the explanatory role of racism, in its multiple forms, for psychosis risk among Black young populations in the US. Anti-racism interventions at both structural and interpersonal levels are necessary components of public health efforts to improve mental health in Black populations.

Perceived racial/ethnic discrimination among young adult college students: Prevalence rates and associations with mental health.

Objective/Participants: In a large, diverse sample of college students (N = 2,230), this online study investigated racial/ethnic differences on type of discriminatory event experienced and perceived stress, and whether discrimination-related stress was associated with mental health symptoms. Methods: Prevalence of lifetime/past year discriminatory events was assessed and frequency of discrimination-related stress was compared across racial/ethnic groups. Correlations between discrimination-related stress and mental health symptoms were also examined. Results: All racial/ethnic groups reported experiencing all types of discriminatory events, though prevalence was lowest for White students. Racial/ethnic minority (i.e., Asian, Black, Latinx) students reported greater discrimination-related perceived stress compared to White, non-Hispanics. Across all racial/ethnic groups, discrimination-related stress was positively associated with negative mental health outcomes (e.g., anxiety/depressive symptoms). Conclusions: These results highlight the need to continue efforts to reduce discriminatory experiences of racial/ethnic minority students and to incorporate antiracism interventions in universities to mitigate the pervasive negative experiences of minority students.

Primary health care as a platform for addressing racial discrimination to "leave no one behind" and reduce health inequities.

The health inequities faced by populations experiencing racial discrimination, including indigenous peoples and people of African descent, Roma, and other ethnic minorities, are an issue of global concern. Health systems have an important role to play in tackling these health inequities. Health systems based on comprehensive Primary Health Care (PHC) are best placed to tackle health inequities because PHC encompasses a whole-of-society approach to health. PHC includes actions to address the wider social determinants of health, multisectoral policy and action, intercultural and integrated healthcare services, community empowerment, and a focus on addressing health inequities. PHC can also serve as a platform for introducing specific actions to tackle racial discrimination and can act to drive wider societal change for tackling racial and ethnic health inequities.

What Happened and Why: Responding to Racism, Discrimination, and Microaggressions in the Clinical Learning Environment.

Introduction: Within clinical learning environments, medical students are uniquely faced with power differentials that make acts of racism, discrimination, and microaggressions (RDM) challenging to address. Experiences of microaggressions and mistreatment are correlated with higher rates of positive depression screening and lower satisfaction with medical training. We developed a curriculum for medical students beginning clerkship rotations to promote the recognition of and response to RDM. Methods: Guided by generalized and targeted needs assessments, we created a case-based curriculum to practice communication responses to address RDM. The communication framework, a 6Ds approach, was developed through adaptation and expansion of established and previously learned communication upstander frameworks. Cases were collected through volunteer submission and revised to maintain anonymity. Faculty and senior medical students cofacilitated the small-group sessions. During the sessions, students reviewed the communication framework, explored their natural response strategies, and practiced all response strategies. Results: Of 196 workshop participants, 152 (78%) completed the evaluation surveys. Pre- and postsession survey cohort comparison demonstrated a significant increase in students' awareness of instances of RDM (from 34% to 46%), knowledge of communication strategies to mitigate RDM (presession M = 3.4, postsession M = 4.6, p < .01), and confidence to address RDM (presession M = 3.0, postsession M = 4.4, p < .01). Discussion: Students gained valuable communication skills from interactive sessions addressing RDM using empathy, reflection, and relatability. The workshop empowered students to feel prepared to enter professional teams and effectively mitigate harmful discourse.

[Reducing stigma-discrimination. Help seeking-empowerment. Emotional education-mental health literacy]. / Disminuir la estigmatización-discriminación. Búsqueda de la ayuda-empoderamiento. Educación emocional-alfabetización en salud mental.

Introduction: The existing literature is reviewed to determine the current state of knowledge about eating disorders (ED), prevention programs in relation to stigma-discrimination, help search, empowerment, emotional education, mental health literacy, and recommending future directions. Preventive interventions, necessary during adolescence and young adulthood, must be designed with the focus on reducing discrimination based on weight and the stigmatization of ED. With some gender specificities, with attention to stress and social isolation, social consensus, EDs in men; with work to reduce compliance with some norms of the male gender, as one of the targets in the development of prevention programs. And reduce teasing by peers and family, experiences of stigmatization with the family and at work, which predict greater internalization of prejudice due to weight (IPP). And carry out mental health literacy activities such as the Media Smart program, promote help seeking, empowerment as in the REBel program and improve emotional education, the management of negative emotions with activities for the improvement of emotions, in addition to the Body Project (cognitive dissonance).

Introducción: Se revisa la bibliografía existente para determinar el estado actual del conocimiento acerca de los programas de prevención de TCA en relación con la estigmatización-discriminación, la búsqueda de ayuda, el empoderamiento, la educación emocional, la alfabetización en salud mental y recomendar futuras direcciones. Hay que diseñar intervenciones preventivas, necesarias durante la adolescencia y la edad adulta joven, con el foco en reducir la discriminación basada en el peso y la estigmatización de los TCA. Con algunas especificidades por género, con atención al estrés y el aislamiento social, el consenso social, los TCA en varones; con trabajo en disminuir la conformidad con algunas normas del género masculino, como una de las dianas en el desarrollo de los programas de prevención. Y disminuir las burlas por compañeros y familia, las experiencias de estigmatización con la familia y en el trabajo, que predicen mayor internalización de prejuicio por el peso (IPP). Y realizar actividades de alfabetización de salud mental como el programa Media Smart, fomentar la búsqueda de ayuda y el empoderamiento como en el programa REBel, y mejorar la educación emocional y el manejo de las emociones negativas con actividades para la mejora de las emociones, adicionales al Body Project (disonancia cognitiva).

Structural Discrimination in Pandemic Policy: Essential Protections for Essential Workers.

An inordinate number of low wage workers in essential industries are Black, Hispanic, or Latino, immigrants or refugees - groups beset by centuries of discrimination and burdened with disproportionate but preventable harms during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Attachment perspectives on race, prejudice, and anti-racism: Introduction to the Special Issue.

Central to attachment theory is the idea that behavior in close relationships can best be understood in context. Although decades of research have illuminated cross-cultural patterns of caregiving and attachment, there remains a critical need to increase research with African American families, examine the specific sociocultural context of systemic anti-Black racism, and integrate the rich theory and research of Black scholars. The goal of this special issue is to bring together attachment researchers and scholars studying Black youth and families to leverage and extend attachment-related work to advance anti-racist perspectives in developmental science. The papers in this special issue, highlighted in the introduction, illuminate pathways of risk and resilience in Black children, adolescents, and families and point to the protective power of relationships (and the limits of such protection) for mental and physical health. We highlight critical questions to guide ongoing dialogue and collaboration on this important topic.

Disminuir la estigmatización-discriminación. Búsqueda de la ayuda-empoderamiento. Educación emocional-alfabetización en salud mental / Reducing stigma-discrimination. Help seeking-empowerment. Emotional education-mental health literacy

Se revisa la bibliografía existente para determinar el estado actual del conocimiento acerca de los programas de prevención de TCA en relación con la estigmatización-discriminación, la búsqueda de ayuda, el empoderamiento, la educación emocional, la alfabetización en salud mental y recomendar futuras direcciones. Hay que diseñar intervenciones preventivas, necesarias durante la adolescencia y la edad adulta joven, con el foco en reducir la discriminación basada en el peso y la estigmatización de los TCA. Con algunas especificidades por género, con atención al estrés y el aislamiento social, el consenso social, los TCA en varones; con trabajo en disminuir la conformidad con algunas normas del género masculino, como una de las dianas en el desarrollo de los programas de prevención. Y disminuir las burlas por compañeros y familia, las experiencias de estigmatización con la familia y en el trabajo, que predicen mayor internalización de prejuicio por el peso (IPP). Y realizar actividades de alfabetización de salud mental como el programa Media Smart, fomentar la búsqueda de ayuda y el empoderamiento como en el programa REBel, y mejorar la educación emocional y el manejo de las emociones negativas con actividades para la mejora de las emociones, adicionales al Body Project (disonancia cognitiva) (AU)

The existing literature is reviewed to determine the current state of knowledge about eating disorders (ED), prevention programs in relation to stigma-discrimination, help search, empowerment, emotional education, mental health literacy, and recommending future directions. Preventive interventions, necessary during adolescence and young adulthood, must be designed with the focus on reducing discrimination based on weight and the stigmatization of ED. With some gender specificities, with attention to stress and social isolation, social consensus, EDs in men; with work to reduce compliance with some norms of the male gender, as one of the targets in the development of prevention programs. And reduce teasing by peers and family, experiences of stigmatization with the family and at work, which predict greater internalization of prejudice due to weight (IPP). And carry out mental health literacy activities such as the Media Smart program, promote help seeking, empowerment as in the REBel program and improve emotional education, the management of negative emotions with activities for the improvement of emotions, in addition to the Body Project (cognitive dissonance (AU)

A contribuição dos estudos críticos da branquitude para compreensão do preconceito racial na psicologia social / La contribución de los estudios críticos del blanqueo a la comprensión del prejuicio racial en la psicología social / The contribution of critical whiteness studies to the understanding of racial prejudice in social psychology

Este artigo tem como objetivo apresentar as principais abordagens em que a psicologia social clássica norte-americana teorizou sobre o preconceito racial, o racismo e o antirracismo e, a partir delas, trazer os estudos críticos da branquitude como possibilidades para superar os limi-tes identificados nessa corrente, que ora apresenta um indivíduo fora da estrutura, ora a estru-tura sem indivíduos. Para isto, neste artigo definimos três abordagens propostas pela psicologia social norte-americana: teste de associação implícita; teoria do contato intergrupal e racismo aversivo; e emoções específicas. A partir daí mostramos como os estudos críticos da branquitu-de se apresentam como uma síntese entre essas duas posições opostas, que oscilam entre o in-divíduo e a estrutura. Nesta perspectiva, a estrutura se manifesta na própria experiência sub-jetiva do indivíduo, que se torna capaz de identificá-la em seu próprio campo experiencial. (AU)

The goal of this article is to present the main approaches through which classical North Amer-ican social psychology has theorized about racial prejudice, racism and antiracism, and on that basis present critical whiteness studies as possibilities to overcome the limits identified within these approaches, which presents us either with individuals outside the structure, or with a structure with no individuals. For that purpose, in this article we identify three main ap-proaches in North American social psychology: implicit association test; intergroup contact theory and aversive racism; and specific emotions. On that basis we show how critical white-ness studies may be presented as a synthesis between these two extremes, which oscillates between the individual and the structure. In this perspective, the structure is manifested in the individual’s subjective experience in the world, and thus identifiable in one’s own experi-ential field. (AU)

Assessment of stigma and prejudice in the organization of care networks for drug users.

OBJECTIVE: To assess stigma and prejudice in the organization of the Psychosocial Care Network for drug users. METHODS: this is a qualitative study, developed through Empowerment Assessment. The survey was conducted in a municipality in Rio Grande do Sul, with 42 network workers. For data collection, participant observation, semi-structured interviews and open forum were used. For data analysis, thematic analysis was used. RESULTS: the network's mission involved a proposal for care without prejudice and judgments for drug users. It was identified that the composition of the network with training in multidisciplinary residency and psychiatry facilitates achieving the mission, and among the difficulties, the challenges to overcome prejudice were analyzed. Strategies for continuing education, seminars, and user empowerment in the community are suggested. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS: stigma and prejudice need to be problematized in the networks for the organization of more inclusive and rehabilitating psychosocial care.

Promoting proactive bystander responses to racism and racial discrimination in primary schools: a mixed methods evaluation of the 'Speak Out Against Racism' program pilot.

BACKGROUND: Racism and racial discrimination are fundamental causes and determinants of health and health inequalities globally, with children and adolescents particularly vulnerable. Racial discrimination is a common stressor in the lives of many children and adolescents, with growing evidence of negative associations between racial discrimination and multiple domains of child and adolescent health. Addressing racism and racial discrimination must be core public health priorities, even more so among children and young people. Schools are key settings in the lives of children and adolescents and become increasingly more important to identity formation. School communities, teachers and peers greatly influence children and adolescents' beliefs about race and difference. Schools are therefore key sites for the delivery of population-based programs to reduce racism and promote proactive bystander behaviour and healthy resistance to racism among all children and adolescents as well as among the adults. METHODS: This study examines the feasibility and acceptability of the 'Speak Out Against Racism (SOAR)' program, a whole of school, multi-level, multi-strategy program that aimed to promote effective bystander responses to racism and racial discrimination in primary schools. A mixed-methods, quasi-experimental design was used. Students in Years 5 and 6 (10-12 years) across six schools completed surveys pre- and post- intervention (N = 645; 52% female; 6% Indigenous, 10% Middle Eastern, African, Latinx or Pacific Islander, 21% Asian, 52% Anglo/European). Focus groups with students and interviews with staff collected qualitative data about their experiences of the program and their views about the program's perceived need, implementation, impacts and suggested improvements. RESULTS: Quantitative data showed student prosocial skills and teacher inter-racial climate improved in intervention schools compared to comparison schools. Qualitative data highlighted teacher attitudinal and behaviour change regarding racism, and student reduced interpersonal racial discrimination, improved peer prosocial norms, commitment to anti-racism, knowledge of proactive bystander responses and confidence and self-efficacy to intervene to address racism. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides quantitative evidence of the potential of the SOAR program to improve the prosocial skills of students and their perceptions of the inter-racial school climate provided by their teachers. This program also provided qualitative evidence of the potential to promote teacher and student attitudinal and behavioural change. Further refinement and testing of the program in a large scale implementation trial is recommended.