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The minority population of African American women (AAW) have been found to be most at risk when it comes to certain negative health outcomes (Hales, Carroll, Fryar, & Ogden, 2017). The purpose of this literature review is to discuss the negative effects of perceived discrimination on stress levels for obese

The minority population of African American women (AAW) have been found to be most at risk when it comes to certain negative health outcomes (Hales, Carroll, Fryar, & Ogden, 2017). The purpose of this literature review is to discuss the negative effects of perceived discrimination on stress levels for obese AAW. Analysis of several studies have found that perceived discrimination increases the stress levels of AAW and can lead to an increase in physical health problems such as poor eating behaviors, which can lead to weight gain and chronic health issues such as hypertension, Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, cardiovascular disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, fatty liver disease, and pregnancy complications (Cooper, Thayer, & Waldstein, 2013; Hales, Carroll, Fryar, & Ogden, 2017; Hayman, McIntyre, & Abbey, 2015; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, 2015). Through research, increased stress due to perceived discrimination was also found to have negative impacts on mental health such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, rumination, negative racial regard, and psychological distress (Carter, Walker, Cutrona, Simons, & Beach, 2016; Hill, & Hoggard, 2018; Knox-Kazimierczuk, Geller, Sellers, Baszile, & Smith-Shockley, 2018; Pascoe, & Richman, 2009). Article analysis found that many AAW use negative coping mechanisms such as rumination, negative racial regard, poor eating behaviors, and repressing feels of race-related events to combat stress when dealing with race-based events (Carter, Walker, Cutrona, Simons, & Beach, 2016; Hayman, McIntyre, & Abbey, 2015; Hill, & Hoggard, 2018). Positive coping mechanisms discussed to reduce stress and chronic disease included prayer and active coping to counteract the effects of rumination (Cooper, Thayer, & Waldstein, 2013; Hill, & Hoggard, 2018).
ContributorsJacobs, Abigail (Author) / Sullivan-Detheridge, Julie (Thesis director) / Uriri-Glover, Johannah (Committee member) / Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-12
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Forensic pathology is a critical science that bridges medicine and law. A forensic pathologist conducts autopsies to determine the cause and manner of an individual’s death, which is helpful in solving forensic cases and criminal cases and discovering hereditary diseases. They are also responsible for contacting family members or next

Forensic pathology is a critical science that bridges medicine and law. A forensic pathologist conducts autopsies to determine the cause and manner of an individual’s death, which is helpful in solving forensic cases and criminal cases and discovering hereditary diseases. They are also responsible for contacting family members or next of kin of the deceased and for presenting their findings or conclusions in court. Although forensic pathology is a vital field in science and law, there is a national deficiency of active forensic pathologists. This may be due to the lack of awareness given to the health and wellness of the workforce, which is at risk in a high stress-inducing work environment. Forensic pathologists are consistently subjected to stress due to overwhelming caseloads and a lack of adequate staffing. While there have been studies conducted in the United States to examine occupational stress and potential coping mechanisms, these reports focus on forensic scientists and not forensic pathologists specifically who may be more likely to develop stress due to their direct work with death. In order to identify what work-related factors cause forensic pathologists the most stress and how have they chosen to cope with their stress, I conducted a survey collecting both qualitative and quantitative data. After completing the study, I identified workload, inadequate staff, dissatisfaction with administration, court processes, and lack of time to complete duties as the most recurring themes of stress, which are supported by the quantitative analysis as well. The coping mechanisms most often mentioned by the participants include exercise, time with family and friends, communicating their stress, complete separation from work, and media use. After identifying these stressor and coping strategies, the participants of the study listed potential practices or programs that could be instated in order to mitigate workplace stress. From this study, suggestions can be made to medical examiner offices that are seeking to improve employee wellness and potentially adopt stress reduction programs in the workplace.

ContributorsMorgan, Danielle (Author) / Bolhofner, Katelyn (Thesis director) / Ruth, Alissa (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Contributor) / College of Integrative Sciences and Arts (Contributor)
Created2022-05