Adult Black Males Research Articles

Central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia in males

Central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia (CCCA) is a scarring alopecia seen primarily in women of African descent but rarely reported in men. The etiology of CCCA is unknown, but genetic variants, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and bacterial infections may play a role. We aimed to characterize the demographics, medical histories, and clinical findings of male patients with CCCA with the hypothesis that features may differ from women. This was a case series of adult male patients with biopsy-confirmed CCCA seen at an academic dermatology department between 2012 and 2022. In total, 17 males had a scalp biopsy and clinical findings consistent with CCCA. The average age was 43years, and 88.2% of cases identified as Black race. Scalp pruritus was the most common symptom, and few patients endorsed high-risk hair care practices. None of the cases had diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus, but 17.6% had history of latent tuberculosis, and 47.1% had a positive family history of alopecia. We observed 8 patients with atypical CCCA, and 29.4% had an overlapping scalp diagnosis. This study is limited by the single center, retrospective design and small sample size. It is important to consider CCCA in the differential diagnosis of alopecia in adult Black males.

Mortality inequalities of Black adults in Canada.

Mortality rates in Canada have been shown to vary by population group (e.g., Indigenous peoples, immigrants) and social economic status (e.g., income levels). Mortality patterns for some groups, including Black individuals, are not as well known. The objective of this study was to assess cause-specific mortality for Black adults living in Canada. Mortality inequalities between Black and White cohort members were estimated by sex using Cox proportional hazard models, based on data from the 2001, 2006 and 2011 Canadian Census Health and Environment Cohorts (CanCHECs). The CanCHEC cycles were combined and followed for mortality between Census Day and December 31, 2016 or 2019, resulting in a follow-up period of 15.6, 13.6 or 8.6 years, depending on the CanCHEC cycle. Ischemic heart disease mortality was the leading cause of death among adult Black males (12.9%) and females (9.8%), as it is for adult White males (16.4%) and females (12.4%). Despite reduced risk of all-cause mortality among Black males and females, compared with White cohort members, there was notable increased risk for some cause-specific mortality. For instance, in the age-adjusted model, among the 25 causes of death examined, Black males had an increased risk of dying from four causes (HIV/AIDS, prostate cancer, diabetes mellitus and cerebrovascular disease), compared with White males. Similarly, Black females were at an increased risk for 6 causes of death (HIV/AIDS, stomach cancer, corpus uteri cancer, lymphomas and multiple myeloma, diabetes mellitus, and endocrine disorders) out of the 27 causes of death examined. These relative increased risks persisted for most causes of death after adjustment for differences in important social determinants of health. Results showed substantial variability in the risk of dying by cause of death between Black and White cohort members. An important step in reducing health inequities is the routine identification and surveillance of different health outcomes by population groups. This study helps fill that information gap.

The Contribution of Neighborhood Characteristics to Psychological Symptom Severity in a Cohort of Injured Black Men.

Traumatic injury is not evenly distributed by race and class in the USA. Black men are marginalized in the society, often reside in disadvantaged neighborhoods, and are at higher risk for injury mortality and ongoing physical and psychological problems following injury. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depressive symptom severity are among several problematic and disabling conditions faced by injury survivors. While much research has examined individual factors that lead to increased post-injury psychological symptom severity, the contribution of the social and physical environment has been relatively understudied. To examine the contribution of neighborhood characteristics to PTSD and depressive symptom severity in Black men following traumatic injury. Prospective cohort study. Participant data were linked via GIS to neighborhood characteristics (constructs established by factor analysis) to spatially model factors associated with increased post-injury psychological symptom severity using a GEE regression analysis, adjusting for injury mechanism and severity, age, and insurance. Four hundred fifty-one adult Black males hospitalized for traumatic injury. The 4 constructs were neighborhood disconnectedness, concentrated disadvantage/deprivation, crime/violence/vacancy, and race/ethnicity. High depressive and PTSD symptom severity was reported by 36.8% and 30.4% of participants, respectively. Higher PTSD symptom severity was associated with crime/violence/vacancy, and higher depressive symptom severity was associated with neighborhood disconnectedness. PTSD and depressive symptom severity were associated with intentional injury mechanisms and Medicaid/no insurance. Higher injury severity was associated with depressive symptoms. Neighborhood characteristics are associated with psychological symptom severity after injury.

Abstract 12916: Improving Cardiovascular Health in Black Men Through a 24-week Community-Based Lifestyle Change Intervention: The Black Impact Program

Introduction: Higher cardiovascular health scores, using American Heart Association’s (AHA) Life’s Simple 7 (LS7), have been associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer and mortality among all racial/ethnic groups. Nationally, Black men have the lowest levels of LS7. Thus, a study was conducted to evaluate the impact of a community-based lifestyle change program on LS7 among Black men. Hypothesis: A community-based lifestyle change program will increase levels of LS7 among Black men. Methods: Black adult males (n=74) from a large Midwestern city participated in Black Impact, a 24-week community-based lifestyle change program adapted from the Diabetes Prevention Program and AHA’s Check, Change, Control Blood Pressure Self-Management Program which incorporates AHA’s LS7 framework. The change in a LS7 score (range 0-14) from baseline to 12 and 24 weeks was evaluated using a linear mixed effects model adjusted for age, education and income. Results: The mean age of participants was 52 ±10 years. The men were sociodemographically diverse with annual income ranging from <$20,000 (7%) to ≥$75,000 (25%). Twenty-five percent were college graduates, 73% had private insurance and 84% were employed. In fully adjusted models, LS7 score at baseline was 7.12 and increased 0.67 (95%CI: 0.14, 1.20, p=0.013) and 0.93 (95%CI: 0.40, 1.46, p=<0.001) points at 12 and 24 weeks, respectively, compared to baseline. Sensitivity analysis evaluating 5 components (excluding diet and physical activity) and 6 components (excluding diet) also showed significant increases at 12 and 24 weeks (all p<0.01). Conclusions: The Black Impact lifestyle change single-arm pilot program showed that a community-based lifestyle intervention has the potential to improve LS7 in Black men. Further randomized studies are urgently needed to improve cardiovascular health and advance cardiovascular health equity in Black men.

Association between opioid overdose death rates and educational attainment – United States, 2010–2019

Educational attainment may be an indicator of disparities in the ongoing opioid-overdose crisis. To understand the association between educational attainment and fatal opioid overdose, death records in the mortality files published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from 2010 to 2019 were analyzed. Proportionate mortality due to opioid overdose, PMOD, was used, as age-adjusted death rates suffer dual data-source errors caused by differences in educational data reported in death records and in population surveys. From 2013 to 2019, PMOD increased by 120% for the “less-than-high-school-diploma” (<HS) education group, whereas the increase was 60% and 30% for groups with bachelor's and graduate-level educations, respectively. Educational gradient was observed for both males and females, with PMOD for males higher than females. From 2013 to 2019, males and females with <HS education experienced 142% and 85% increases in PMOD, respectively, compared with the 94% and 26% increases for males and females, respectively, with BS education. The PMOD increase was primarily driven by synthetic opioids (ICD-10 code T40.4). From 2013 to 2019, for males with <HS education, PMOD related to T40.4 opioids increased by 19-fold, whereas the increase was more than 100-fold for adult Black males with <HS education. These results suggest that the impact of lower educational attainment may be getting worse and furthering inequities in health. Responses to the opioid-overdose epidemic should consider the large educational gradient. Extra attention to the most vulnerable groups is necessary.

Understandings of mental health and support for Black male adolescents living in the UK

Black males within Western society, who navigate recurrent racism and discrimination, have frequently been constructed as “high risk” for mental health difficulties. Research, particularly in the USA, has identified the barriers that Black males face in relation to seeking help, with research outlining the underutilisation of mental health services and overrepresentation of acute mental health diagnoses such as psychosis. Research within the UK has explored barriers to help-seeking amongst males in general, or adult Black males who are within the mental health or prison systems, yet to date little is known about the ways in which Black male adolescent youth outside of formal services understand mental health. Therefore, this paper offers a contribution to knowledge by examining the way in which young Black males in the UK make sense of mental health and associated systems of support. Data from ten interviews with males aged 16–18 from a South London school was collected and analysed using thematic analysis (TA). The young Black males’ understandings of mental health were embedded with notions of masculinity, being in control and strong, and they understood mental health as something that is experienced by other people. Formal support for mental health difficulties was constructed as an unfamiliar and unapproachable system, that is often unkind and discriminatory towards Black males. Speaking to family and friends about mental health difficulties felt more accessible for these young males, however their construct of mental health and constructs within the community provided further silencing on using this support. This study suggests important implications for understanding the experiences of mental health and seeking support amongst Black male adolescents in the UK.

Perspectives in AE— Adult Black males and andragogy: Is there a goodness of fit

In this paper, andragogy, as presented by Malcolm Knowles, is critiqued as it represents European ideologies and ways of learning that fail to recognize the multifaceted experiences of adult Black males. With increased numbers of Black males entering post-secondary education spaces, new schools of thought need to be considered that are more culturally relevant. A theory for adult Black males proves beneficial for adult learning researchers and practitioners as noted experiences include racial profiling, isolation, and racism. This paper critically examines deficit perspectives of supporting adult Black males while whiteness and systemic oppression are targeted as barriers to their success. The paper concludes with implications for practitioners who work with or conduct research on this population.

General Well-Being in Adult Black Males With Chronic Illness.

As individuals age, they witness a decline in physical health and functional capacities. The presence of one or more chronic illnesses challenges their quality of life and general well-being, thus, impacting their abilities to function physically, psychologically, and socially. We investigated reports of general well-being in older Black males with chronic illness(es) in a study of N = 145 participants, aged 35 to 63, and identified as Black/African American male. Participants responded to items assessing general well-being; ethnic identity; self-esteem; active coping; the presence of chronic illness(es); and additional demographic, social and ecological characteristics. Analyses of responses indicated that marital status (β = –.17, p < .05), ethnic identity (β = –.34, p = .00), self-esteem (β = .22, p = .03) are significant determinants of general well-being in Black males with chronic illness(es). Data further showed active coping (β = –.41 p = .09) to be negatively correlated with well-being. We discuss the implications of results for the understanding of health outcomes among this marginalized population.

Social play among black and gold howler monkey (Alouatta caraya) immatures during intergroup encounters.

We studied intergroup social play (IGSP) among immatures in wild black and gold howler monkeys (Alouatta caraya) in northeastern Argentina. IGSP events are one form of affiliative interaction that can occur during intergroup encounters. The main goal of this study was to analyze IGSP in A. caraya immatures and assess how intrinsic (e.g., age and sex) and extrinsic (e.g., seasonality) factors can influence the development of this type of social behavior. We followed 12 groups between 2008 and 2015 and recorded 182 encounters and 61 events of IGSP. Considering the composition of play partners, most IGSP events occurred among juveniles of both sexes (33%), followed by juveniles that were only-male (31%), and finally between mixed-sex juveniles and infants (20%) interactions. Additionally, most IGSP events occurred mainly in summer (56%), followed by spring (29%), with fewer events occurring in autumn (15%) and no IGSP events recorded in winter. Our results suggest that IGSP constitutes a beneficial activity in wild A. caraya that promotes behavioral flexibility, where immatures acquire social skills, such as tolerance, by interacting with unknown individuals. Moreover, the higher participation of young males in IGSP is consistent with the fact that adult black and gold howler males tend to be more actively involved in group encounters than females, supporting the hypothesis that social play provides benefits in the development of motor and social skills. Finally, seasonality in the frequencies of IGSP might be related to availability of foods with high and easily mobilized energy content in summer and spring.

Black Otherfathering in the Educational Experiences of Black Males in a Single-Sex Urban High School

Background/ContextA good deal of research has been written about the problems and challenges facing Black male youth in their educational endeavors, ranging from academic performances, aspirations, and outcomes to student–teacher relationships, social experiences, and identity development. Statements calling for more Black male teachers abound in current educational discourse, and a number of studies have focused on their experiences in teaching, their pedagogical practices, and their role within the school setting. However, little attention has been given to how Black male students experience their learning and relationships with Black male teachers—the very people who are supposed to benefit from this adult presence. The present study investigates Black male students’ experiences with Black male teachers at a single-sex urban secondary school.PurposeThe purpose of this study was to understand Black male students’ experiences in an all-male learning environment, with a particular emphasis on the role of Black male adults in their schooling experiences.ParticipantsThis study focused on the schooling experiences of 20 college-age Black males who all attended the same single-sex public high school.Research DesignQualitative research methods were used in this study. In particular, data from in-depth interviews explored students’ narratives about how they experienced and made meaning from the all-male schooling environment.FindingsFindings suggest that the students conceptualized adult Black males at their school as otherfathers based on their pedagogical practices, care and concern, and support. First, students expressed their need or desire for male teachers in their secondary schooling experiences. Students identified Black male adults as significant contributors to their development. Second, learning from Black male teachers was valued highly by students because these experiences provided them with insider perspectives and key insights on being Black and male. Students were exposed to opportunities to learn about how race and gender could matter in their lives. Finally, engaging with Black male adults in their schooling experiences provided students with unique opportunities to learn more about themselves. Students’ learning enhanced their critical consciousness and connected to their racial and gender identities as well. Students attributed much of their success and personal development to how Black male teachers engaged in otherfathering—expressed as holistic care, support, parenting, modeling, and life coaching.RecommendationsImplications and recommendations for educational researchers and practitioners to better understand how Black males matter in the lives and schooling experiences of Black male youth are discussed.

TUSKEGEE AND THE HEALTH OF BLACK MEN.

JEL Codes: I14, O15 For forty years, the Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male passively monitored hundreds of adult black males with syphilis despite the availability of effective treatment. The study's methods have become synonymous with exploitation and mistreatment by the medical profession. To identify the study's effects on the behavior and health of older black men, we use an interacted difference-in-difference-in-differences model, comparing older black men to other demographic groups, before and after the Tuskegee revelation, in varying proximity to the study's victims. We find that the disclosure of the study in 1972 is correlated with increases in medical mistrust and mortality and decreases in both outpatient and inpatient physician interactions for older black men. Our estimates imply life expectancy at age 45 for black men fell by up to 1.5 years in response to the disclosure, accounting for approximately 35% of the 1980 life expectancy gap between black and white men and 25% of the gap between black men and women.

Predictors of perceived vulnerability to cancer diagnoses among adult Black males.

As much as the significance of age, education, masculinity, illness attitude, and self-esteem to preventive health have been reported, much less is known on how these factors predict perceived vulnerability to cancer diagnosis. This study aimed to determine the association between identified demographic, health, and social factors and perceived vulnerability to cancer diagnosis among adult Black males. Data reveal that incidences of cancer among Black men are contingent upon a myriad of psychological, social, and behavioral factors that are not exclusive but rather coexisting determinants of health.

Examining the Salience of Marriage to Offending for Black and Hispanic Men

Despite a considerable body of research demonstrating the beneficial effects of marriage for criminal desistance, data limitations have resulted in much of this work being based on predominantly white, male samples. In light of the rapidly changing demographic landscape of the US—and particularly the tremendous growth in the Hispanic population—the question of whether the benefits of marriage are generalizable to racial and ethnic minorities is an important one. This research extends prior work on the relationship between marriage and offending by assessing whether the benefits of marriage for criminal offending extend to today’s racial and ethnic minority populations. Using a contemporary sample of 3,560 young adult Hispanic, black and white males followed annually for 13 years spanning the transition to adulthood, we find that while marriage is a potent predictor of desistance for all groups, the benefits of marriage vary substantially across both race and ethnicity.

Informal and Formal Help Seeking Among Older Black Male Foster Care Youth and Alumni.

Using the behavioral model for vulnerable populations as a framework, this study examined predisposing, enabling, and need factors related to seeking help from formal and informal sources among older Black male foster youth and alumni. Results of logistic regression analyses showed that emotional control, a predisposing variable, was related to help-seeking. Specifically, greater adherence to the norm of emotional control was related to lower likelihood of using informal or formal sources of help. These results support the literature on males, in general, and Black males, in particular, that posits that inhibitions to express emotions are a barrier to their help seeking. Implications for help seeking among vulnerable populations of adolescent and young adult Black males are discussed.

“We’re Going Through a Lot of Struggles That People Don’t Even Know About”

Young adult Black males face challenges related to addressing their mental health needs, yet there is much more to know about their help-seeking experiences. Twenty-seven Black males, recruited from four community-based organizations, participated in four focus groups to explore perceptions of help-seeking for mental health. Identified themes, which function at individual, social network, community, and health care system levels, may facilitate or hinder Black males' mental health help-seeking. Themes included (a) "taking care of it oneself" as opposed to seeking help from someone; (b) issues engaging sources of help, including the ability to trust providers or the relationship closeness with social network members; and (c) "tipping points" that activate help-seeking to avert crises. Study findings provide initial evidence about the importance of addressing mental health interventions for Black males on multiple levels beyond the individual including engaging men's social supports, community, and the health care system.

1. “He Ain't Got No Aids”: HIV Risk and Perceptions of Masculinity Among Adolescent and Young Adult Black Males Who Have Sex with Males

“HE AIN’T GOT NO AIDS”: HIV RISK AND PERCEPTIONS OF MASCULINITY AMONG ADOLESCENT AND YOUNG ADULT BLACK MALES WHO HAVE SEXWITH MALES Errol Fields, MD, PhD, MPH, Laura Bogart, PhD, Jonathan Ellen, MD, David Malebranche, D, MPH, Mark Schuster, MD, PhD, Katherine mith, PhD. Children’s Hospital Boston, ivisions of General Pediatrics and Adolescent/ oung Adult Medicine; Boston Medical Center, epartment of Pediatrics; Boston Combined esidency in Pediatrics Department of Medicine, Children’s Hospital Boston Emory University School of Medicine, Department of General Medicine Harvard Medical School, Division of General Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital Boston Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Department of Health, Behavior, and Society Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Arrival timing in subadult and adult Black Redstart males: competition-dependent behaviour?

The different arrival times of 1-year-old and older males is a widely recognised phenomenon in most migrating passerines. The converse pattern, i.e. the yearlings arriving at the breeding grounds at the same time as adults, has been reported only exceptionally. Two hypotheses have been formulated to explain the delayed arrival of yearling males: investment reduction, and energetic constraint hypotheses, respectively. However, which of these is the more appropriate to explain the phenomenon remains unclear. We studied arrival timing in two distinct urban populations of Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros), a small passerine exhibiting delayed plumage maturation, whereby dull-coloured yearlings are easily distinguishable from black adults. The birds inhabiting South Moravian villages did not show differential timing of arrivals between yearlings and older birds in the resource-rich environment. On the other hand, under suboptimal conditions in Prague the yearlings were delayed by three days on average compared to the adult males. We discuss the possibility that the young birds of this species sample the situation on a potential breeding site during the autumnal singing period and flexibly adapt their migrating behaviour according to the circumstances. In such a case the investment reduction hypothesis is the best explanation for different arrival timing of yearling and adult males in Black Redstart.

Revision of the Fully technique for estimating statures

The "anatomical" method of Fully (1956 Ann. Legale Med. 35:266-273) for reconstructing stature, involving the addition of skeletal elements from the calcaneus to the skull, has been increasingly used in anthropological and forensic contexts, but has undergone little systematic testing on samples other than the original sample used to develop the technique. The original description by Fully of the method also does not provide completely explicit directions for taking all of the necessary measurements. This study tested the accuracy and applicability of his method, and clarified measurement procedures. The study sample consisted of 119 adult black and white males and females of known cadaveric statures from the Terry Collection. Cadaveric statures were adjusted to living statures, following the recommendations of Trotter and Gleser (1952 Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 10:469-514). We obtained the best results using maximum vertebral body heights (anterior to the pedicles) and measurement of the articulated talus and calcaneus height in anatomical position. Statures derived using the original Fully technique are strongly correlated with living statures in our sample (r = 0.96), but underestimate living stature by an average of about 2.4 cm. Anatomical considerations also suggest that the correction factors applied by Fully to convert summed skeletal height to living stature are too small. New formulae are derived to calculate living stature from skeletal height. There is no effect of sex or ancestry on stature prediction. Resulting stature estimates are accurate to within 4.5 cm in 95% of the individuals in our sample, with no directional bias.

Joblessness, Family Disruption, and Violent Death in Chicago, 1970-90

Violent deaths, defined as homicides, suicides, and accidents, are leading causes of death among working-age populations. While large-scale population studies and community case studies have established common linkages between race, sex, age, joblessness, and all three forms of violent death, they have tended to be cross-sectional and to be focused on one cause of violent death to the exclusion of others. Utilizing 1970 and 1990 census data and vital records for 75 Chicago community areas, this article examines the relationships between joblessness, family disruption, and all three forms of violent death across the black and nonblack community-area populations of Chicago at two distinct time points corresponding to William Julius Wilson's theory of the evolution of urban underclass communities. The findings suggest that both homicide rates and accidental death rates are similarly predicted by high rates of joblessness and family disruption, and that these relationships have strengthened in both black and nonblack communities over time. Variations in racial segregation among black community-area populations appeared to have no consistent direct effects on black rates of violent death. We also found that, contrary to historical patterns, suicide rates for young adult black males and young adult nonblack males appear similarly responsive to a secular decline in the economic opportunity structure. Finally, through the use of multiple-decrement life-table analysis techniques across racial communities, we observed a growth trend in the racial disparities between life expectancies of black and nonblack populations that is linked to relative levels of joblessness.

An exploratory study of young adult black and Latino males and the factors facilitating their decisions to make positive behavioral changes

This paper focuses on one factor that facilitated decisions to make positive behavioral changes among twenty young adult Black and Latino males who had previously been involved in crimes such as illegal drug marketing, crimes of violence, and property crimes. The respondents were part of an exploratory study that collected data through extensive interviews. The interviews disclosed several personal and environmental factors that facilitated their decisions to change. The factor addressed in this paper is their concern and respect for children demonstrated through fatherhood and mentorship. Implications for social work, social service providers, and youth program staff are discussed.