Papers by Shelly Brown-Jeffy
Counseling and Values, 2015
Within the Black Church, there remains much that is unknown about pastoral motivations, beliefs, ... more Within the Black Church, there remains much that is unknown about pastoral motivations, beliefs, and attitudes about mental health. The purpose of this study was to investigate pastors' responses to parishioners dealing with mental health issues, including perspectives on counseling services and coping strategies. According to this study's findings, African American pastors often are the first line of support for parishioners' mental health and recognizing adaptive and maladaptive forms of coping.
International Journal of Population Research, 2015
Few studies have examined disparities in adverse birth outcomes and compared contributing socioec... more Few studies have examined disparities in adverse birth outcomes and compared contributing socioeconomic factors specifically between African-American and White teen mothers. This study examined intersections between neighborhood socioeconomic status (as defined by census-tract median household income), maternal age, and racial disparities in preterm birth (PTB) outcomes between African-American and White teen mothers in North Carolina. Using a linked dataset with state birth record data and socioeconomic information from the 2010 US Census, disparities in preterm birth outcomes for 16,472 teen mothers were examined through bivariate and multilevel analyses. African-American teens had significantly greater odds of PTB outcomes than White teens (OR = 1.38, 95% CI 1.21, 1.56). Racial disparities in PTB rates significantly varied by neighborhood income; PTB rates were 2.1 times higher for African-American teens in higher income neighborhoods compared to White teens in similar neighborho...
Encyclopedia of African American Education
Journal of Historical Sociology, 2013
ABSTRACT
Journal of African American Studies, 2008
The gap in achievement between minority and non-minority students has become a national priority.... more The gap in achievement between minority and non-minority students has become a national priority. To investigate the relationship between school racial composition and the race-based gaps in mathematic achievement, High School Effectiveness Study data on 3,392 students in 177 schools were analyzed. Multilevel analyses revealed that when at least half of the students in a school are Black or Hispanic, all student achievement is lower (for White as well as for ethnic minority students). Asian students' achievement remains lowered until the percentage of Black and Hispanic students is less than 15%. However, schools that are 30-49% Black and/or Hispanic have more egalitarian achievement between White and Hispanic students. Although there is no one-size-fits-all model, this research does confirm that being in a school with a high a concentration of Black and Hispanic students lessens all students' chances of academic achievement, even for students who otherwise should excel.
Education and Urban Society, 2009
In Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1, a highly contentious a... more In Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1, a highly contentious and divided Supreme Court invalidated race-conscious admissions plans in two urban school systems, Seattle and Louisville. As such, Parents Involved was the latest chapter in the Court's almost 40-year history of reaching mixed results in such far-reaching areas involving race-conscious remedies as admissions to higher education, employment in the general workforce and in education, minority set aside programs, and voting rights. In light of the impact that Supreme Court cases on race-conscious remedies have in education, particularly in urban settings, this article first reviews the opinions of the Supreme Court's justices in Parents Involved because of its potentially far-reaching effect. The second part of the article reflects on the meaning of Parents Involved.
Critical Public Health, 2011
In population health research, it is important to consider socioecological perspectives that incl... more In population health research, it is important to consider socioecological perspectives that include cultural attitudes and beliefs which permeate all levels (intrapersonal, interpersonal, institutional/community, and structural/policy). Given the specificity of target populations centered on identity -ethnic and others -it is appropriate and warranted to centralize cultural studies theories into health determinant investigations. Cultural studies, which focus explicitly on identity exploration and impacts, have much to contribute to health research. In accordance with the transdisciplinary nature of population health and bearing in mind the significant role of ethnic identity in health outcomes, it is beneficial to utilize critical race theory (CRT) as a theoretical framework and analysis tool for population health research. This article will: (1) briefly overview a recent mental health study employing CRT, and a commentary that emphasizes how CRT can contribute to the sociology of mental health; and (2) propose ways CRT can be used in psychosocial health research.
The United States is a diverse country with constantly changing demograph-ics. In 1980, the U.S. ... more The United States is a diverse country with constantly changing demograph-ics. In 1980, the U.S. was 83.1 percent White, 11.7 percent Black and 6.4 percent Hispanic. Over a quarter of a century later, the U.S. Census documents that 75.0 percent of the population of the United States is White, 12.4 percent is Black or
The significant fact that disasters do not affect cities, communities and regions in a uniform an... more The significant fact that disasters do not affect cities, communities and regions in a uniform and standardized manner, but vary widely in their effects, invites a careful inquiry into the volatile, seemingly capricious, but always historical intersection between acts of nature, social ...
Teacher Education Quarterly, 2012
The United States is a diverse country with constantly changing demographics. The noticeable shif... more The United States is a diverse country with constantly changing demographics. The noticeable shift in demographics is even more phenomenal among the school-aged population. The increase of ethnic-minority student presence is largely credited to the national growth of the Hispanic population, which exceeded the growth of all other ethnic minority group students in public schools. Scholars have pondered over strategies to assist teachers in teaching about diversity (multiculturalism, racism, etc.) as well as interacting with the diversity found within their classrooms in order to ameliorate the effects of cultural discontinuity. One area that has developed in multicultural education literature is culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP). CRP maintains that teachers need to be non-judgmental and inclusive of the cultural backgrounds of their students in order to be effective facilitators of learning in the classroom. The plethora of literature on CRP, however, has not been presented as a tes...
Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities, Jan 7, 2017
Despite decreases in infants born premature and at low birth weight in the United States (U.S.), ... more Despite decreases in infants born premature and at low birth weight in the United States (U.S.), racial disparities between Black and White women continue. In response, the purpose of this analysis was to examine associations between both traditional and novel indicators of county-level structural racism and birth outcomes among Black and White women. We merged individual-level data from the California Birth Statistical Master Files 2009-2013 with county-level data from the United States (U.S.) Census American Community Survey. We used hierarchical linear modeling to examine Black-White differences among 531,170 primiparous women across 33 California counties. Traditional (e.g., dissimilarity index) and novel indicators (e.g., Black to White ratio in elected office) were associated with earlier gestational age and lower birth weight among Black and White women. A traditional indicator was more strongly associated with earlier gestational age for Black women than for White women. Thi...
Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology, 2015
Study objective-To test associations and interactions between racial identification, neighborhood... more Study objective-To test associations and interactions between racial identification, neighborhood risk, and low birth weight disparities between infants born to African-American and White adolescent mothers.
Journal of American College Health
Hookups-casual sexual encounters between individuals without the expectation of an ensuing dating... more Hookups-casual sexual encounters between individuals without the expectation of an ensuing dating or romantic relationship. 1-are a continued topic of interest among college and sexual health researchers. 1-4 With estimates that 60%-80% of US college students report at least one hookup during their tenure, the potential sexual health consequences posed by hookups involving penetrative sex must be considered. 1,2,5-8 The number of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) specifically attributable to hookups is unknown; yet young adults ages 15-24 account for 64.3% and 49.7% of all reported chlamydia and gonorrhea cases and in the US, respectively. 9 Although not all hookups include penetrative behaviors, hookup events which include vaginal and anal sex may elevate the risk of STIs due to college students' inconsistent condom
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Papers by Shelly Brown-Jeffy