News by Subject Social & Behavior

Myocarditis-or inflammation around the heart--has been reported in some patients with COVID-19. After searching the medical literature, researchers have now summarized the results of 41 studies describing myocarditis in 42 patients with COVID-19.

What does it take for people to commit to take action to promote social equality? And how might this differ for people from advantaged and disadvantaged groups?

People who have contact with other social groups are more likely to be committed to social justice. However, an international study led by the University of Zurich has shown that for this to be the case, power relations and discrimination must be actively addressed and group-specific needs must be met. It is important that disadvantaged group members, such as racial minorities and LGBTIQ+ individuals, are given a voice, and that those who belong to advantaged groups do not feel labeled as biased.

The researchers found that dissatisfaction with marriage is a predictor of CVAs and premature death as much as physical indexes, including smoking and a sedentary lifestyle. According to the findings, the risk is higher among relatively young men, aged 50 and under.

Lesbian, gay and bisexual people who encounter homophobic attitudes experience increases in heart rate, blood pressure and stress hormones, potentially putting them at risk for multiple health problems, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.

Research from Pilar Gonalons-Pons of the University of Pennsylvania shows that, in cultures that value men as breadwinners, their unemployment can affect the long-term success of a romantic relationship. "Cultural ideas create support for those who conform to these norms," she says. "The flip side is, they create pressure that can negatively affect people who do not."

Medical education aspires to mitigate bias in future professionals by providing a robust curriculum that includes perspectives and practices for caring for sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTQI) persons. To provide medical schools with a more systematic, uniform approach to teaching these topics in their curriculum, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) in 2014 published 30 SGM competencies and topics that curricula should address. However, implementation of these ideals remains challenging.

A study published in Career Development Quarterly has looked at whether beliefs and attitudes influence career aspirations of college students with different genders and sexual orientations.

Over half of transgender or gender minority (GM) adolescents engage in substance use, seemingly as a coping strategy in response to GM stressors, according to a new study published this week in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Sabra L. Katz-Wise of Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, US, and colleagues.