Correlates of affective empathy,perspective taking,and generativity among a sample of adults

Previous research suggests that empathy can be cultivated by social ideals and relationships with people. The current study examines family importance and religious importance as correlates of affective empathy, perspective taking, and generativity among a sample of adults aged 18 to 35 (N = 722). Given the ethnic and racial diversity represented by Millennials and Generation Z, the moderating role of racial group membership is explored as well. Results indicate that family importance is positively associated with affective empathy, perspective taking, and generativity for the overall sample, though the relationship is particularly strong for non-Hispanic whites. Religious importance is significantly related to affective empathy and generativity (not perspective taking), primarily among Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Color. Due to the increasing visibility of victimization towards socially vulnerable groups, it is important to understand how attitudes oriented towards helping and empathizing with others are fostered. Implications for further research are discussed.     

The reporting of race and ethnicity information in the dental public health literature

Objectives: To document how race and ethnicity are identified, categorized, and utilized in contemporary dental public health literature. Methods: Two researchers independently performed a literature review of all articles in Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology and the Journal of Public Health Dentistry over a 5‐year period (2004‐2009). Articles pertaining to the study of US‐based populations with any mention of race or ethnicity were included. The following data were abstracted from each article: a) how each article broadly described race and/or ethnicity; b) the terms used to specifically define the races and/or ethnicities captured; c) the location of any mention of the concept of race and/or ethnicity; d) the stated purpose for including race and/or ethnicity concepts; e) the stated analytic use of race and/or ethnicity concepts; and f) the stated method used to assess race and/or ethnicity concepts. Results: Overall, race and/or ethnicity concepts were most commonly referred to within the text of the results section. Fifty percent of articles did not state their purpose for including race and/or ethnicity concepts within their studies, while 34.3 percent omitted stating their analytic use of these concepts. When assessing these concepts, 41.4 percent relied upon subject self‐report. Conclusion: These data showed that there was inconsistent documentation of how race and ethnicity was measured. While race and ethnicity are important measures for public health studies and are frequently reported in dental public health research, there is no clear system for classifying these measures.     

Early and late survival in Hodgkin disease among whites and blacks living in the United States

Background. The independent effect of race on response to treatment and prognosis in Hodgkin disease is unclear. Methods. The study included 9482 patients with histologically confirmed Hodgkin disease reported by 1084 different hospitals and institutions in the United States. The independent effect of race on response to treatment and recurrence was estimated using the logistic model. Cox proportional hazard model was applied to determine the independent effect of race and other covariables on risk of death. Results. Complete remission occurred in more white patients (67.3%) than black patients (58.2%). Recurrences were reported more often in black patients than in white patients (40.3% and 30.9% respectively). Controlling for confounding variables, race has a significant independent effect on remission and recurrence (P < 0.05). In the first 5 years after diagnosis of Hodgkin disease, the patient age at diagnosis, clinical stage, and histologic type were significant predictors for the risk of death. At 5–10 years after a diagnosis of Hodgkin disease, age, clinical stage, and race of the patient were found to be significant risk factors (whites versus blacks: RR = 0.56; P < 0.05). Conclusions. Race is a significant predictor for remission, recurrence and survival in Hodgkin disease. Black patients have a more unfavorable prognosis than do white patients.     

Racial differences in characteristics and prognoses between Asian and white patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer receiving atezolizumab: An ancillary analysis of the POPLAR and OAK studies

This study aimed to compare the differences in characteristics and prognoses between Asian and white patients receiving immunotherapy for nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We studied 390 patients who received atezolizumab as part of the POPLAR or OAK trial, and analyzed the differences in baseline characteristics, outcomes and genetic mutations in blood samples between Asian and white patients. Overall survival (OS) was longer in Asian compared to white patients (median OS: 18.7 vs. 11.1 months; p = 0.005). Race was identified as an independent prognostic factor for OS (Asian vs. white: hazard ratio 0.647, 95% confidence interval 0.447–0.936, p = 0.021), together with performance status, histology, baseline sum of the longest tumor diameters (BLSLD) and number of metastatic sites. The two groups also differed in terms of characteristics including smoking history, BLSLD, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation frequency, programmed death-ligand 1 expression and blood-based tumor-mutation burden. Blood mutations of STK11, EGFR, KEAP1, POLE, GRM3, ATM and STAG2 were associated with treatment response, and TP53, KEAP1, APC, RB1, CREBBP, EPHA5 and STAG2 mutations were associated with OS. The blood-based mutation profiles differentiated between Asian and white patients, especially in relation to EGFR (23.8 vs. 8.5%), TP53 (30.2 vs. 46.9%) and STK11 (1.6 vs. 12.3%) mutations (all p < 0.05). The different clinicopathological features and mutation profiles in Asian and white patients may explain the superior outcome following atezolizumab treatment in Asian patients with NSCLC. The results of this study have important implications for further studies on racial disparities in relation to immunotherapy.     

Racialized Risk in Clinical Care: Clinician Vigilance and Patient Responsibility

Racial/ethnic identity is contingent and arbitrary, yet it is commonly used to evaluate disease risk and treatment response. Drawing on open-ended interviews with patients and clinicians in two US clinics, we explore how racialized risk is conceptualized and how it impacts patient care and experience. We found that racial/ethnic risk was a common but poorly defined construct for both patients and clinicians, who intermingled concepts of genetics, biology, behavior, and culture, while disregarding historical or structural context. We argue that racializing risk embodies social power in marked and unmarked bodies, reinforcing inequality along racial lines and undermining equitable health care.