The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research Ethics, 2018
Qualitative research methods pose unique ethical challenges for investigators, whether they condu... more Qualitative research methods pose unique ethical challenges for investigators, whether they conduct fieldwork among high-income business professionals or among more ‘vulnerable’ populations such as minors, refugees, or people with mental illness. This chapter focuses on the ethical complexities that arise during anthropological research. In particular, we take a critical look at the ethical complexities that anthropologists face as both qualitative observers and as participants in organizational set- tings. We discuss the challenges of adhering to ethical obligations while conducting participant observation among potentially vulnerable populations, using a fieldwork example of one of the authors’ experiences conducting research in a Puerto Rican diabetes clinic. Part and parcel of the research process is the delicacy of obtaining approval from an Institutional Review Board (IRB) to conduct research with vulnerable populations, which involves finding common ground in defining what it means to be a ‘vulnerable population’. Beyond the basic challenges of collecting data while remaining sensitive to the needs of the people we work with, we also face the complexities of satisfy- ing IRB requirements in ever-changing ethnographic environments and maintaining confidentiality in clinical settings.
Syndemics, or the deleterious interaction of diseases and structural factors, is an essential and... more Syndemics, or the deleterious interaction of diseases and structural factors, is an essential and increasingly utilized theory with which to address health inequities and how they interact with disease. However, less research has been conducted on syndemogenesis, a process by which a specific disease or structural factor is more likely to exacerbate syndemic interactions. With the increasing incidence and prevalence of depressive symptomology in Westernized nations, and with depression coexisting syndemically with other illnesses, I use depression as a case study to highlight syndemogenic processes in action. Doing so will hopefully aid preventive efforts in these areas.
Puerto Rico's politically liminal status as a US territory has dire consequences for Puerto R... more Puerto Rico's politically liminal status as a US territory has dire consequences for Puerto Rico's economy: the island does not receive the same funding as states for health insurance. In addition, Puerto Rico's unraveling health care system, coupled with the island's high poverty rate and the medical brain drain, interact. I weave my research on depression into this article as an example of the ways in which political and economic factors aggravate disease.
Religion plays an important role in the lives of people in the United States. We examined the pre... more Religion plays an important role in the lives of people in the United States. We examined the prevalence of religiosity among Hispanic/Latinos in four regions of the United States and looked at its correlation to depression and anxiety symptoms. The population-based Hispanic Community Health Study/ Study of Latinos enrolled a cohort of Hispanic/Latino adults (N = 16,415) ages 18-74 in four US cities from June 2008 to June 2011. Participants with complete data on religiosity (i.e., religious affiliation, frequency of attending religious activities and importance of religion), depression (assessed with the CESD-10), and trait anxiety (assessed with the STAI-10) were included in the present study. Distribution of religiosity is described by sociodemographic characteristics. Associations between religiosity with depression and anxiety were examined with logistic regression models controlling for sex, age group, education, Hispanic/Latino background, clinical center, and nativity. The ma...
feedback, and allowing me to appropriate syndemics. Thank you to my family for your feedback and ... more feedback, and allowing me to appropriate syndemics. Thank you to my family for your feedback and revisions, for offering emotional support, and for not allowing me to quit. Thank you to Bayla Ostrach and Rich Colon for offering revisions on my thesis, and for listening to me when I needed to talk. And thank you to my friends for your emotional support and for not giving up on me.
The purpose of this study was to determine the association between depression and coronary endoth... more The purpose of this study was to determine the association between depression and coronary endothelial function and cardiac risk factors in men and women without obstructive coronary artery disease. Patients with no significant coronary artery disease who underwent invasive coronary endothelial function assessment with acetylcholine were studied. Men and women were divided into 2 groups: those with depression and those without. Endothelial function and risk factor profiles were compared between the 2 groups. Seven hundred fifty-nine patients were studied, 603 (79%) without depression and 156 (21%) with depression. Patients with depression were more likely to be women (71% vs 60%, p ؍ 0.02), have greater body mass indexes (29.9 ؎ 6.7 vs 28.2 ؎ 5.9 kg/m 2 , p ؍ 0.002), and be diabetic (12% vs 6%, p ؍ 0.02). Depressed patients also had higher levels of C-reactive protein (0.35 vs 0.30 mg/dl, p ؍ 0.02). There was no difference in the change in coronary blood flow or diameter in response to acetylcholine between the 2 groups in men and women. In conclusion, the results of this study demonstrate that depression is not associated with coronary endothelial dysfunction in men and women without significant coronary artery disease. It is, however, associated with a cluster of cardiac risk factors that are linked to the progression of atherosclerotic disease.
The Anthropology of Mental Health Interest Group affirms that the state of mental health in Acade... more The Anthropology of Mental Health Interest Group affirms that the state of mental health in Academic Anthropology needs serious attention and transformation. We respond to structural inequities in academia that exacerbate mental distress among graduate students and other anthropologists who experience oppression, by putting forward a policy statement with recommendations to create more equitable learning and working environments. [mental health, policy, system transformation, structural inequities, workplace]
The Anthropology of Mental Health Interest Group affirms that the state of mental health in Acade... more The Anthropology of Mental Health Interest Group affirms that the state of mental health in Academic Anthropology needs serious attention and transformation. We respond to structural inequities in academia that exacerbate mental distress among graduate students and other anthropologists who experience oppression, by putting forward a policy statement with recommendations to create more equitable learning and working environments. [mental health, policy, system transformation, structural inequities, workplace]
SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research Ethics, 2018
Qualitative research methods pose unique ethical challenges for investigators, whether they condu... more Qualitative research methods pose unique ethical challenges for investigators, whether they conduct fieldwork among high-income business professionals or among more ‘vulnerable’ populations such as minors, refugees, or people with mental illness. This chapter focuses on the ethical complexities that arise during anthropological research. In particular, we take a critical look at the ethical complexities that anthropologists face as both qualitative observers and as participants in organizational set- tings. We discuss the challenges of adhering to ethical obligations while conducting participant observation among potentially vulnerable populations, using a fieldwork example of one of the authors’ experiences conducting research in a Puerto Rican diabetes clinic. Part and parcel of the research process is the delicacy of obtaining approval from an Institutional Review Board (IRB) to conduct research with vulnerable populations, which involves finding common ground in defining what it...
The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research Ethics, 2018
Qualitative research methods pose unique ethical challenges for investigators, whether they condu... more Qualitative research methods pose unique ethical challenges for investigators, whether they conduct fieldwork among high-income business professionals or among more ‘vulnerable’ populations such as minors, refugees, or people with mental illness. This chapter focuses on the ethical complexities that arise during anthropological research. In particular, we take a critical look at the ethical complexities that anthropologists face as both qualitative observers and as participants in organizational set- tings. We discuss the challenges of adhering to ethical obligations while conducting participant observation among potentially vulnerable populations, using a fieldwork example of one of the authors’ experiences conducting research in a Puerto Rican diabetes clinic. Part and parcel of the research process is the delicacy of obtaining approval from an Institutional Review Board (IRB) to conduct research with vulnerable populations, which involves finding common ground in defining what it means to be a ‘vulnerable population’. Beyond the basic challenges of collecting data while remaining sensitive to the needs of the people we work with, we also face the complexities of satisfy- ing IRB requirements in ever-changing ethnographic environments and maintaining confidentiality in clinical settings.
Syndemics, or the deleterious interaction of diseases and structural factors, is an essential and... more Syndemics, or the deleterious interaction of diseases and structural factors, is an essential and increasingly utilized theory with which to address health inequities and how they interact with disease. However, less research has been conducted on syndemogenesis, a process by which a specific disease or structural factor is more likely to exacerbate syndemic interactions. With the increasing incidence and prevalence of depressive symptomology in Westernized nations, and with depression coexisting syndemically with other illnesses, I use depression as a case study to highlight syndemogenic processes in action. Doing so will hopefully aid preventive efforts in these areas.
Puerto Rico's politically liminal status as a US territory has dire consequences for Puerto R... more Puerto Rico's politically liminal status as a US territory has dire consequences for Puerto Rico's economy: the island does not receive the same funding as states for health insurance. In addition, Puerto Rico's unraveling health care system, coupled with the island's high poverty rate and the medical brain drain, interact. I weave my research on depression into this article as an example of the ways in which political and economic factors aggravate disease.
Religion plays an important role in the lives of people in the United States. We examined the pre... more Religion plays an important role in the lives of people in the United States. We examined the prevalence of religiosity among Hispanic/Latinos in four regions of the United States and looked at its correlation to depression and anxiety symptoms. The population-based Hispanic Community Health Study/ Study of Latinos enrolled a cohort of Hispanic/Latino adults (N = 16,415) ages 18-74 in four US cities from June 2008 to June 2011. Participants with complete data on religiosity (i.e., religious affiliation, frequency of attending religious activities and importance of religion), depression (assessed with the CESD-10), and trait anxiety (assessed with the STAI-10) were included in the present study. Distribution of religiosity is described by sociodemographic characteristics. Associations between religiosity with depression and anxiety were examined with logistic regression models controlling for sex, age group, education, Hispanic/Latino background, clinical center, and nativity. The ma...
feedback, and allowing me to appropriate syndemics. Thank you to my family for your feedback and ... more feedback, and allowing me to appropriate syndemics. Thank you to my family for your feedback and revisions, for offering emotional support, and for not allowing me to quit. Thank you to Bayla Ostrach and Rich Colon for offering revisions on my thesis, and for listening to me when I needed to talk. And thank you to my friends for your emotional support and for not giving up on me.
The purpose of this study was to determine the association between depression and coronary endoth... more The purpose of this study was to determine the association between depression and coronary endothelial function and cardiac risk factors in men and women without obstructive coronary artery disease. Patients with no significant coronary artery disease who underwent invasive coronary endothelial function assessment with acetylcholine were studied. Men and women were divided into 2 groups: those with depression and those without. Endothelial function and risk factor profiles were compared between the 2 groups. Seven hundred fifty-nine patients were studied, 603 (79%) without depression and 156 (21%) with depression. Patients with depression were more likely to be women (71% vs 60%, p ؍ 0.02), have greater body mass indexes (29.9 ؎ 6.7 vs 28.2 ؎ 5.9 kg/m 2 , p ؍ 0.002), and be diabetic (12% vs 6%, p ؍ 0.02). Depressed patients also had higher levels of C-reactive protein (0.35 vs 0.30 mg/dl, p ؍ 0.02). There was no difference in the change in coronary blood flow or diameter in response to acetylcholine between the 2 groups in men and women. In conclusion, the results of this study demonstrate that depression is not associated with coronary endothelial dysfunction in men and women without significant coronary artery disease. It is, however, associated with a cluster of cardiac risk factors that are linked to the progression of atherosclerotic disease.
The Anthropology of Mental Health Interest Group affirms that the state of mental health in Acade... more The Anthropology of Mental Health Interest Group affirms that the state of mental health in Academic Anthropology needs serious attention and transformation. We respond to structural inequities in academia that exacerbate mental distress among graduate students and other anthropologists who experience oppression, by putting forward a policy statement with recommendations to create more equitable learning and working environments. [mental health, policy, system transformation, structural inequities, workplace]
The Anthropology of Mental Health Interest Group affirms that the state of mental health in Acade... more The Anthropology of Mental Health Interest Group affirms that the state of mental health in Academic Anthropology needs serious attention and transformation. We respond to structural inequities in academia that exacerbate mental distress among graduate students and other anthropologists who experience oppression, by putting forward a policy statement with recommendations to create more equitable learning and working environments. [mental health, policy, system transformation, structural inequities, workplace]
SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research Ethics, 2018
Qualitative research methods pose unique ethical challenges for investigators, whether they condu... more Qualitative research methods pose unique ethical challenges for investigators, whether they conduct fieldwork among high-income business professionals or among more ‘vulnerable’ populations such as minors, refugees, or people with mental illness. This chapter focuses on the ethical complexities that arise during anthropological research. In particular, we take a critical look at the ethical complexities that anthropologists face as both qualitative observers and as participants in organizational set- tings. We discuss the challenges of adhering to ethical obligations while conducting participant observation among potentially vulnerable populations, using a fieldwork example of one of the authors’ experiences conducting research in a Puerto Rican diabetes clinic. Part and parcel of the research process is the delicacy of obtaining approval from an Institutional Review Board (IRB) to conduct research with vulnerable populations, which involves finding common ground in defining what it...
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structural inequities, workplace]
structural inequities, workplace]