Economic Adversity Research Articles

Impact of negative emotions on financial behavior: An assessment through general strain theory

Research background: The research has two objectives and employs a serial mediation approach. First, using the general strain theory, it examines the mediating role of negative feelings and impact of economic adversity on people's risk tolerance and prudent financial behavior. The second is determining the various categories' variations according to age. Purpose of the article: The study's main objective is to evaluate financial behaviour of people with lower and medium incomes after the second wave of COVID-19 in India, and to contribute to the body of knowledge on general strain theory. Methods: The study examined the proposed framework and tested the serial mediation model based on the general strain theory used as a survey method for data collection, targeting lower and middle-income individuals in India's most populated state. The study applied PLS-SEM to test the framed hypotheses. Furthermore, the Kruskal Wallis test was applied to identify the difference in the various groups classified based on age. Findings & value added: The results reveal that economic hardship significantly influences improved financial behavior. Risk aversion attitude, loneliness, and depression mediate the relationship between economic hardship and financial behavior. Moreover, the study found quite a few significant differences between the different age groups. The present study will add to the existing literature on financial behavior under the scope of general strain theory and probably be among the few that test general strain theory with financial variables impact on lower and middle-income group individuals from a developing nation in post-COVID-19 period.

Nonmarket strategy in emerging markets: The link between SMEs’ corporate political activity, corporate social responsibility, and firm competitiveness

Motivated by inconsistent findings in prior research on nonmarket strategy (NMS), we draw on insights from the resource-based view (RBV) and institutional literature to examine the relationship between corporate political activity (CPA) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) on firm competitiveness. Data from two African and two Asian countries (N = 499) largely support the hypotheses and extend our understanding of the contingencies that affect the relationship between CPA as well as CSR and firm competitiveness. We specifically highlight the moderating role of economic adversity, marketing capability, and foreign ownership. Additionally, we show that CPA and CSR have strong combined effects that allow small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to leverage their resource complementarity to navigate the challenges in emerging markets, which in turn enhances their competitiveness.

Childhood Abuse, Intimate Partner Violence in Young Adulthood, and Welfare Receipt by Midlife.

To investigate prospective associations between type of child abuse (physical, sexual, both), timing (childhood, young adulthood, both), and welfare receipt into middle-age. Database linkage study using the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Kindergarten Children cohort born in 1980 and government administrative databases (N = 3020). We assessed parental tax returns, family and personal background characteristics (1982-1987). At age 22 years, participants answered retrospective questionnaires on experienced childhood abuse (physical, sexual abuse < age 18 years) and intimate partner violence (IPV) (ages 18-22). Main outcome was years on social assistance, on the basis of participant tax returns (ages 23-37 years). Analysis included weights for population representativeness. Of 1690 participants (54.4% females) with available data, 22.4% reported childhood abuse only, 14.5% IPV only, and 18.5% both. Prevalence of childhood physical, sexual, and both was 20.4%, 12.2%, and 8.3%, respectively. Adjusting for socioeconomic background and individual characteristics, we found that childhood physical abuse alone and physical or sexual abuse combined were associated with a two-fold risk of welfare receipt, as compared to never-abused (adjusted incidence risk ratio 2.43, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.65-3.58; and adjusted incidence risk ratio 2.04, 95% CI, 1.29-3.23, respectively). Repeated abuse (childhood abuse combined with adult IPV) had a three-fold risk (adjusted incidence ratio 3.59, 95% CI, 2.39-5.37). Abuse across several developmental periods (childhood and young adulthood) is associated with increased risks of long-term welfare receipt, independently of socioeconomic background. Results indicate a dose-response association. Early prevention and targeted identification are crucial to preventing economic adversity that may potentially lead to intergenerational poverty.

Childhood adversity and leisure time physical and sports activity in older adults: A cross-sectional analysis from the International Mobility in Aging Study

Aim: The purpose is to examine the relationship between childhood adversity and leisure time physical activity (LTPA) among community-dwelling older adults from high and middle-income sites. Methods: Cross-sectional analysis of 2012 data from older adult ages 64-75 years old from King-ston, Canada; St. Hyacinthe, Canada; Tirana, Albania; Manizales, Colombia; and Natal, Brazil. Principal exposure variables were childhood social and economic adversity. Covariates included participant age, sex, income, and educational attainment. Outcome variables were LTPA and lei-sure time sports activity (LTSA). Results: High-income sites had higher LTPA prevalence than middle-income sites. Females were less likely to engage in LTPA compared to males in Tirana (OR:0.53, 95%CI:0.30-0.94), but were more likely to engage in LTPA in Manizales (OR:2.54, 95%CI:1.54-4.18). Low education was less likely than high education to engage in LTPA in Kingston (OR:0.38, 95%CI:0.19-0.73) and Natal (OR: 0.52, 95%CI:0.28-0.97). Low income was less likely than high income to engage in LTPA in St. Hyacinthe (OR: 0.42, 95%CI:0.20-0.89) and Manizales (OR:0.33, 95%CI:0.16-0.55). In Tirana, low income was more likely than high income to engage in LTPA (OR:5.27, 95%CI:2.06-13.51). Conclusions: Childhood economic and social adversity were not significantly associated with LTPA. Sex, income, and education were associated with older adult PA engagement, however the direction of the association varied by site location. This suggests that the paradigms surrounding PA behavior may vary from city to city. Understanding the site-specific risk factors to PA engage-ment may better inform clinical recommendations and public health approaches to increase PA engagement among older adults across the globe.

Adolescent functional network connectivity prospectively predicts adult anxiety symptoms related to perceived COVID-19 economic adversity.

Stressful events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, are major contributors to anxiety and depression, but only a subset of individuals develop psychopathology. In a population-based sample (N=174) with a high representation of marginalized individuals, this study examined adolescent functional network connectivity as a marker of susceptibility to anxiety and depression in the context of adverse experiences. Data-driven network-based subgroups were identified using an unsupervised community detection algorithm within functional neural connectivity. Neuroimaging data collected during emotion processing (age 15) were extracted from a priori regions of interest linked to anxiety and depression. Symptoms were self-reported at ages 15, 17, and 21 (during COVID-19). During COVID-19, participants reported on pandemic-related economic adversity. Differences across subgroup networks were first examined, then subgroup membership and subgroup-adversity interaction were tested to predict change in symptoms over time. Two subgroups were identified: Subgroup A, characterized by relatively greater neural network variation (i.e., heterogeneity) and density with more connections involving the amygdala, subgenual cingulate, and ventral striatum; and the more homogenous Subgroup B, with more connections involving the insula and dorsal anterior cingulate. Accounting for initial symptoms, subgroup A individuals had greater increases in symptoms across time (β =.138, p=.042), and this result remained after adjusting for additional covariates (β =.194, p=.023). Furthermore, there was a subgroup-adversity interaction: compared with Subgroup B, Subgroup A reported greater anxiety during the pandemic in response to reported economic adversity (β =.307, p=.006), and this remained after accounting for initial symptoms and many covariates (β =.237, p=.021). A subgrouping algorithm identified young adults who were susceptible to adversity using their personalized functional network profiles derived from a priori brain regions. These results highlight potential prospective neural signatures involving heterogeneous emotion networks that predict individuals at the greatest risk for anxiety when experiencing adverse events.

Social Support As an Explanatory Mechanism of the Relationship Between Social Class and Mental Health in University Students: A Structural Mediation Model

In addition to the challenges associated with economic adversity, college students of low socioeconomic status or self-identified social class are at higher risk of experiencing social isolation and mental health difficulties which can impede their academic success. Identifying modifiable protective factors can inform the development of interventions to improve the mental health of at-risk students. The present study examined social support as a potential explanatory mechanism. University students (N = 211) completed an assessment battery including various measures of social class, social support, and mental health. Three factors were identified, and structural equation modeling was employed to examine Supportive Social Environment (i.e., higher levels of general social support and social capital from peers and teachers) as a mediator of the relationship between Social Class Alienation (i.e., lower subjective social status and greater anticipated class-based rejection) and Mental Health Difficulties (i.e., greater levels of psychological symptoms and lower perceived ability to cope with emotions). The indirect effect was significant, and a comparison between a mediated model and an unmediated model indicated that Supportive Social Environment fully mediated the observed positive relationship between Social Class Alienation and Mental Health Difficulties. Results suggest that lower perceived social support (including from peers and teachers) contributes to the psychological struggles experienced by college students who self-identify as being of lower socioeconomic status. These findings have significant implications for programs developed to support students experiencing economic adversity by highlighting the importance of going beyond practical supports to better engage students socially.

Allostatic load and the influence of economic adversity and neighborhood disadvantage on cognitive function in a multiethnic cohort

AbstractBackgroundPrevious research has demonstrated a link between objective socio‐economic indicators and cognitive test performance. Although some studies include subjective indicators, such as perceived neighborhood environment, little is known about which specific factors are most strongly associated with cognitive performance and whether these measures are useful beyond traditional SES proxies. Further, in addition to being disproportionately at risk of experiencing neighborhood disadvantage and lower SES, racial/ethnic minorities are more likely to be diagnosed with dementia and receive less timely care compared with White individuals. This study aims to investigate how perceived neighborhood environment and neighborhood disadvantage are related to cognitive performance within a large diverse sample.MethodA probability‐based sample of participants (N = 3858; Female = 59%; Black = 51%; Hispanic = 14%) from the Dallas Heart Study Phase 2 (DHS‐2; Mean: Age = 50, Education = 13) were administered the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), in addition to measures of perceptions of neighborhood physical environment and violence, and perceived SES. Multiple regression was used to determine associations of these variables with MoCA scores relative to traditional SES measures (i.e., income, education), controlling for demographic and relevant health factors. Post‐hoc analyses stratified by racial/ethnic group were conducted to determine whether indicators differentially influenced test scores.ResultAfter controlling for socio‐demographic and health factors, reporting lower quality neighborhood resources and difficulty paying for “very basics like food and heating” and “medical care” were associated with lower MoCA scores in the overall sample. Post‐hoc analyses revealed significant relationships between MoCA scores and quality of neighborhood resources, “food and heating,” and “medical care” only in Black participants, while “violence” was significantly associated with lower MoCA scores in Hispanics. There were no significant relationships found in Whites. Overall, subjective measures of SES and neighborhood environment contributed modest variance in the overall model, specifically for Black and Hispanic participants (R 2 = 3% to 5%).ConclusionExperiencing neighborhood and economic adversity was associated with lower scores on a cognitive screening measure and accounted for more variance than income or education in Black individuals and income in Hispanic individuals, while no relationship was seen in White participants. Future research is needed to determine whether these allostatic stressors influence cognitive impairment or dementia later in life.

In prosperity and adversity? The value of high-performance work practices for SMEs under conditions of environmental hostility and social embeddedness

PurposeTaking a resource-based view, the authors analyse the effect of high-performance work practices (HPWPs) on the performance of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) under conditions of environmental hostility, and consider how this relationship is influenced by managers' embeddedness in social networks. The authors argue that high perceived levels of environmental hostility strengthen the strategic value of HPWPs in SMEs, whereas high levels of manager embeddedness in social networks weaken this contingent relationship.Design/methodology/approachThese hypotheses were tested in a sample of 249 SMEs, from two Spanish industries related to food production, using linear regression with two- and three-way interaction effects.FindingsThe study results show that the implementation of HPWPs benefits SMEs' performance in hostile environments. However, the dark side of managers' social capital could undermine any such benefit, especially if there is a high degree of network closure. In hostile contexts, such closure appears to limit managers' willingness to depart from the common practice of reducing investment in human resources.Practical implicationsContrary to predominant beliefs that managers facing economic adversity should reduce costs by cutting investment in personnel development, this study indicates that supporting HPWPs enhances a firm's objective financial performance.Originality/valueThis study advances our understanding of the specific conditions under which HPWPs sustain SME performance. It also introduces the dark side of managers' social capital into considerations of this relationship. The study findings provide new insights that are counterintuitive to business practice.

The Psychological Distress among Youth in Conflict Zone A Case Study of Kashmir Valley, India

Mental, physical and social health are vital strands of life that are closely interwoven and deeply interdependent. Depression is more likely following particular classes of experience – those involving conflict, disruption, losses and experiences of humiliation or entrapment. The World Health Organization has ranked depression as the fourth among the list of the most urgent health problems worldwide and has predicted it to become number two in terms of disease burden by 2020 overriding diabetes, cancer, arthritis etc. The magnitude, suffering and burden in terms of disability and costs for individuals, families and societies are staggering. Mental disorders are universal, affecting people of all countries and societies, individuals at all ages, women and men, the rich and the poor, from urban and rural environments. Mental functioning is fundamentally interconnected with physical and social functioning and health outcomes. Mental health is influenced by displacement through conflict and war, by stresses on families, and by economic adversity.

Adverse childhood experiences and risk of diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

The association between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and diabetes is unclear. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to quantify the association between the number and types of ACEs and diabetes during adulthood based on available observational studies. A comprehensive literature search of studies exploring the association between ACEs and diabetes was conducted in PubMed, Medline, and Embase databases until 15 April 2022. A random-effects model was used to pool odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the number and types of ACEs with diabetes. Regarding the association between the number of ACEs and diabetes, we used funnel plots to examine publication bias, subgroup analysis to explore sources of heterogeneity, and sensitivity analysis to explore the robustness of the pooled results. A total of 49 studies were included. Individuals with higher continuous ACEs (per each additional ACE: OR = 1.06, 95% CI = 1.02-1.10), any ACE (OR = 1.22, 95% CI = 1.16-1.28), or ≥4 ACEs (OR = 1.44, 95% CI = 1.27-1.63) were at an increased risk of diabetes in adulthood when compared with individuals without ACEs. Across specific ACE types, childhood economic adversity (OR = 1.11, 95% CI = 1.04-1.19), physical abuse (OR = 1.14, 95% CI = 1.07-1.21), sexual abuse (OR = 1.25, 95% CI = 1.12-1.39), verbal abuse (OR = 1.11, 95% CI = 1.03-1.20), and incarceration (OR = 1.22, 95% CI = 1.03-1.45) were associated with diabetes. However, neglect, emotional abuse, domestic violence, parental divorce or separation, parental death, and living with a family member with substance abuse or mental disorders were not significantly associated with diabetes. Individuals with ACEs may have a cumulative risk for diabetes in adulthood. It is critical to prevent ACEs and build resilience in individuals affected by ACEs.

A National Profile of Families and Caregivers of Children With Disabilities and/or Medical Complexity.

Provide an up-to-date description of the well-being of families and caregivers of children with disability and medical complexity at the national level. We performed a secondary analysis of the 2016-2019 National Survey of Children's Health and divided the sample based on a child's disability and medical complexity status: children with no special health care needs (non-CSHCN), children with special health care needs (CSHCN), CSHCN with significant disabilities (CSHCN-SD), and children with medical complexity (CMC). Outcomes included survey items assessing 1) caregiver emotional well-being, 2) family functioning, and 3) economic adversity. We conducted multivariable logistic regression analyses to examine associations between child disability and medical complexity status with study outcomes. Among 131,774 survey responses, CSHCN-SD (weighted n=4.2 million) and CMC (n =1.1 million) disproportionately reported adverse outcomes for every measure of well-being. Notably, caregivers of CSHCN-SD and CMC were more likely to report frequently feeling bothered (aOR 5.0 and 6.3, respectively) and angry (aOR 3.0 and 3.1) with their child than non-CSHCN caregivers. Families of CSHCN-SD and CMC had 40% lower odds of endorsing all aspects of family resilience and more likely to report three or more adverse childhood experiences (aOR 3.3 and 3.7) than non-CSHCN families. CSHCN-SD and CMC families were also more likely to experience difficulty covering basics (aOR, 2.6 and 3.3) and report caregivers changing jobs due to their child's care (aOR, 3.1 and 5.0). Development and testing of interventions specifically targeting the well-being of CSHCN-SD and CMC families and caregivers is needed.

LIVED EXPERIENCES OF PATIENTS WITH HEMODIALYSIS IN CHITWAN

Background: Chronic Kidney Disease is a serious, long-term illness that is increasing rapidly worldwide. Hemodialysis is the treatment option for the patients with this disease, which affects their daily life in both positive and negative perspective. This study was undertaken to explore the lived experiences of patients with hemodialysis in Chitwan. Methods: Qualitative descriptive phenomenological study was used and a total twelve patients receiving hemodialysis from 11th August 2019 to 9th September 2019 were selected purposively for the study. Data were collected using in-depth interview guidelines and analyzed using Colaizzi’s seven steps of analysis. Results: Five themes and eighteen subthemes were extracted from the study. They were i) perception about chronic kidney disease (irremediable condition, lethal illness and strenuous ailment with living in confinement) ii) pathway to illness identification (symptoms experience, diagnostic journey and treatment options iii) meaning of living with hemodialysis (renewed hope of survival, uncertainty of life, restricted lifestyle and substandard quality of living) iv) impact of hemodialysis on daily life (soothing effect on body, physical discomfort due to side-effects, mental anguish, social detachment, breach in relationship and economic adversity) and v) journey towards adaptation (acceptance of illness and inability of coping). Conclusions: Patients perceive hemodialysis as a hope for survival and tool for relieving their physical tribulations. But they also experience various physical, psychological, social and financial troubles in their daily life. Hence, it is mandatory for health care providers to understand their experiences to provide them need based holistic care. Nepal government also needs to formulate health policy addressing the need of hemodialysis patients.

Indigenous People’s Engagement in Sand Mining and Its Impact on their Economy, Health and Environment: The Case of Batak in Palawan, Philippines

Aims: To identify the impact of sand quarrying activities on the health, economy and environment of the Batak community whose people are dwindling in population. Further, the study aims to determine how the people demonstrate resilience in this face of economic adversity.&#x0D; Study Design: Using a qualitative research design and an interview as data collection method.&#x0D; Place and Duration of Study: Batak community in Sitio Mangapin in Barangay Langogan, Northern Puerto Princesa, January to June of 2019. &#x0D; Methodology: We invited 20 adult Batak who were engaged in small scale quarrying at the time of the study. The purpose of the study was explained to them and they were invited to participate in interviews. Only nine males and eight females signed the informed consent. Seventeen members of the community became the respondents in the study. The informants’ age ranges from 25 to 52 years old, all are married and have children and all were participants in small scale quarrying being done in the community. Casual interviews, focus group discussions and observations were used to collect data from the informants. Interviews were done individually and were recorded with permission of the informants.&#x0D; Results: Data showed that families participated in the quarrying because of poverty but the engagement in hard labor impacts the health especially of the male workers in which 25 percent (of those interviewed) have acquired tuberculosis and persistent cough. About 50 percent of the women have acquired persistent back pain and loss weight. Observations yielded data on violations of the environment since the sand were taken not directly from the river but from the riverbank. Activities were found to be done on a large scale with trucks hauling from the river. While the Batak who were engaged in small scale mining, they were away the riverbanks in the process, creating large holes on the side which could potentially result in flash floods during rainy days.&#x0D; Conclusion: the Batak are aware that the small economic benefits they acquire from participation in the quarrying do not outweigh the potential environment and health risks the community is exposed to in their engagement to this kind of work. Despite the awareness of the hazards posed by sand mining on their health and environment, the need to survive hunger and illness during the lean months and lack of government support had prompted the people to engage in small scale quarrying which could potentially worsen the damage being created by large scale sand mining already taking place in the river. Participation in small scale mining has become an adaptation strategy employed by the Batak workers to cope with economic difficulties.

Adversity and child body mass index in Fragile Families over 15 years: Do type and timing matter?

BackgroundWeight status has been linked to adverse childhood experiences. Existing research, however, is limited to unidimensional assessments of cumulative risk and does not account for the complex nature of adversity experienced by children in high-risk settings. We fill existing gaps by assessing how four subtypes of adversity across two primary dimensions of threat and deprivation-based adversity are associated with changes in body mass index (BMI) across child ages 3 through 15 years. MethodU.S. mothers and fathers (n = 2412) in the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study were interviewed when children were born, and again at ages 1, 3, 5, 9, and 15 years. Independent variables include interpersonal (e.g., domestic violence), family (e.g., mental health), economic (e.g., housing insecurity), and community (e.g., witness/victim of violence) adversity from ages 1 through 9 years. Path analysis regressed changes in BMIz from ages 3 through 15 on past adversity exposures. ResultsIncreased interpersonal and community adversity subtypes from ages 3 to 5 were associated with decreased BMIz from ages 5–9 years. Increased economic adversity from age 3 to 5 was associated with increased BMIz from ages 5 to 9, adjusted for mother age, race, and education. ConclusionFindings highlight the differential influence of past adversity type and timing on child BMI. Interpersonal and community adversity were associated with decreased BMIz, and economic adversity with increased BMIz. Differences in directionality of associations suggest research should capture multiple dimensions of adversity in early childhood and possible positive and negative trends in effects on child weight as children grow from early to mid-childhood.

Corporate Political Activity, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Firm Competitiveness

In this study, we examine the relationship between corporate political activity (CPA) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) on firm competitiveness (FC). We find broad support for the relationship between CPA, CSR, and firm competitiveness. Furthermore, we highlight the moderating role of economic adversity, marketing capability, and foreign ownership on this relationship. Our findings also indicate that CPA and CSR have strong combined effects, which in turn enhances firm competitiveness.

Are Black Girls Exhibiting Puberty Earlier? Examining Implications of Race-Based Guidelines.

Are Black Girls Exhibiting Puberty Earlier? Examining Implications of Race-Based Guidelines.

How Women’s Community Shape Social Enterprise and it’s Impact?

This paper aims to present how the strength of the women's community is to solve the problems of economic and nutritional adversity through social enterprises established by the women's community. Moreover women are described as motivated not by reasons of money but rather by a desire to act as what can only be described as the mother of the community: women exist to help, to build, for others but never for themselves, and are rarely valued or rewarded for they job. The methods used in data collection are observation, interviews, and photo documentation. The analysis refers to the hermeneutic phenomenological approach by Van Manen (2001), which describes that researchers "mediate" between the meanings of different life experiences. The result of this analysis is the identification of the meaning of success for the women's community through social enterprises. The results of the study indicate that in establishing a women's social enterprise and staying focused on impact, it is necessary to include (1) Women's Leadership Style; (2) Identification with the Community; (3) Participation Process: Listening And Collaborative Atmosphere; (4) Networking. The contribution given from this research is in the fields of economics and business, especially in the strategy of establishing social enterprises for women in the third sector. The implication of this research is the selection of a social business establishment strategy and the focus of solving the problems to be solved.

Patterns of Adverse Childhood Experiences and Mental Health: Evidence From College Students in Korea.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are concerning exposures that may have detrimental effects on mental health. Much of the prior evidence on ACEs comes from the U.S and western developed countries. In light of the limited knowledge of ACEs in other social contexts and the interconnection among adversities, this study aims to identify distinct patterns of co-occurring ACEs and examines the associations between those adversities and mental health in South Korea. We used data from a national sample of Korean college students recruited via non-probability quota sampling in 2019 (N = 1037). The dependent variables included three measures of mental health assessed by the Brief Symptom Inventory depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and somatization symptoms. The independent variable was the patterns of ACEs identified using 14 indicators of childhood adversity. We conducted a Latent Class Analysis with a distal outcome, using the Bolck, Croons, and Hagenaars method. The analysis found four patterns of ACEs: extreme adversity (8%), family violence (20.3%), economic adversity (10.4%), and low adversity (61.3%). The extreme adversity group exhibited multiple exposures, including interpersonal violence in home environments, economic hardship, and bullying victimization by peers. The results suggest that the extreme adversity and family violence groups showed significantly worse mental health symptoms than the economic adversity and low adversity groups. Also, the extreme adversity group reported significantly higher levels of depression symptoms and somatization symptoms than the family violence group. This study expands the current understanding of ACEs and their harmful effects on mental health in young adulthood specific to Korea while comparing them with other social contexts. Researchers and practitioners should recognize the co-occurrence of child adversities, rather than overestimating sole adversity, to develop effective strategies for promoting mental health.

US Black Maternal Health Advocacy Topics and Trends on Twitter: Temporal Infoveillance Study

BackgroundBlack women in the United States disproportionately suffer adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes compared to White women. Economic adversity and implicit bias during clinical encounters may lead to physiological responses that place Black women at higher risk for adverse birth outcomes. The novel coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) further exacerbated this risk, as safety protocols increased social isolation in clinical settings, thereby limiting opportunities to advocate for unbiased care. Twitter, 1 of the most popular social networking sites, has been used to study a variety of issues of public interest, including health care. This study considers whether posts on Twitter accurately reflect public discourse during the COVID-19 pandemic and are being used in infodemiology studies by public health experts.ObjectiveThis study aims to assess the feasibility of Twitter for identifying public discourse related to social determinants of health and advocacy that influence maternal health among Black women across the United States and to examine trends in sentiment between 2019 and 2020 in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsTweets were collected from March 1 to July 13, 2020, from 21 organizations and influencers and from 4 hashtags that focused on Black maternal health. Additionally, tweets from the same organizations and hashtags were collected from the year prior, from March 1 to July 13, 2019. Twint, a Python programming library, was used for data collection and analysis. We gathered the text of approximately 17,000 tweets, as well as all publicly available metadata. Topic modeling and k-means clustering were used to analyze the tweets.ResultsA variety of trends were observed when comparing the 2020 data set to the 2019 data set from the same period. The percentages listed for each topic are probabilities of that topic occurring in our corpus. In our topic models, tweets on reproductive justice, maternal mortality crises, and patient care increased by 67.46% in 2020 versus 2019. Topics on community, advocacy, and health equity increased by over 30% in 2020 versus 2019. In contrast, tweet topics that decreased in 2020 versus 2019 were as follows: tweets on Medicaid and medical coverage decreased by 27.73%, and discussions about creating space for Black women decreased by just under 30%.ConclusionsThe results indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic may have spurred an increased focus on advocating for improved reproductive health and maternal health outcomes among Black women in the United States. Further analyses are needed to capture a longer time frame that encompasses more of the pandemic, as well as more diverse voices to confirm the robustness of the findings. We also concluded that Twitter is an effective source for providing a snapshot of relevant topics to guide Black maternal health advocacy efforts.

Economic Adversity and Voter Turnout: Evidence from Turkish Parliamentary Elections

Economic Adversity and Voter Turnout: Evidence from Turkish Parliamentary Elections