Author: A

Non-monosexual and sexual minority women (SMW) report higher rates of mental health issues over heterosexual women.  Non-monosexual women are women who either have partners of various genders/sex or women who have never had a partner of the same sex, but it was more broadly defined in this study– being based on reported sexual attraction, sexual behavior, etc.  This study used mixed-methods to distinguish common characteristics of non-monosexual women and SMWs and if they exhibit mental health patterns identical to anxiety and depression.

The participants of this study consisted of English-speaking women over the age of 18, transitioning into parenthood and identified as heterosexual or considered a sexual minority.  The participants were given an online survey during the third trimester of their pregnancy.  The survey used eight standardized instruments to test for identifiable characteristics of SMWs and non-SMWs and mental health patterns.  One of the standardized instruments was the Klein Sexual Orientation Grid, which assessed the prominence of the five domains of sexual orientation (attraction, behaviour, fantasy, emotional preference and social preference), in which the participants had to rate on a scale of one to seven scale for “other sex only” to “same sex only”.  Other standardized instruments tested for “openness” or “concealment” of the participant’s sexual identity to others, centrality to a sexual identity, and connectedness to the LGBTQ community.  The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale was used for the women to self-report how they felt immediately before or after giving birth and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory measured for levels of anxiety and emotional consistency.

The data was studied using bivariate analysis.  Variables that were associated with one or more mental health outcomes were used in latent class analysis for non-monosexual participants.  Qualitatively, the researchers conducted interviews to identify relevant words and themes used by the different groups of women and to observe their behaviors.  Common themes identified in the interviews were either relevant to the minority stress framework or themes relevant to women’s sexual identity development across the lifespan that may be particular to or uniquely experienced by non-monosexual women. Current and past five years partner gender, lack of LGBTQ community connection, and low centrality of sexual minority identity were associated with anxiety symptoms. Latent class analysis revealed significantly higher levels of anxiety symptoms among non- monosexual women partnered with men relative to those partnered with women.

Citation: Ross, L. E., Manley, M. H., Goldberg, A. E., Januwalla, A., Williams, K., & Flanders, C. E. (2017). Characterizing non-monosexual women at risk for poor mental health outcomes: a mixed methods study. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 108(3), e296+. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&sw=w&u=cuny_ccny&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA505130591&asid=f31a0cf078fa912ebeefa3bc80cd5c05

The two articles I discovered centered around the controversial debate surrounding abortion.  The issues surrounding this debate are shrouded by two radically different views: pro-life and pro-choice.  Those who are pro-life are opposed to abortion and those who are pro-choice are in favor of a woman’s right to have an abortion.  Some of the reasons why this a topic for debate have to do with the definition of when human-life begins, the definition of murder, and the moral grounds of having an abortion.  The articles “Misconceptions About Abortion”, which was released/published by the Pro-Choice Action Network (a pro-choice organization in Canada), and “The Ultimate Guide to Why Abortion is Wrong, and How to Argue in Favor of Life”, which was published by Life Site News, a ” non-profit Internet service dedicated to issues of culture, life, and family” that “emphasizes the social worth of traditional Judeo-Christian principles”, has wide use of biased-language that highlights the extremely different views/sides between each side.

In the article “Misconceptions About Abortion”, it is quite obvious from the title and the source of the article that this was biased towards the pro-choice view/prospective.  “Misconceptions About Abortion” is structured in such a way that it first states the argument for a pro-life view and the counter argument for the pro-choice view.  For example, the argument “Abortion is the murder of a person” is presented and then followed by “Personhood at conception is a religious belief, not a provable biological fact.”  This of course, is vastly different from the other article “The Ultimate Guide to Why Abortion is Wrong…”  This article was similarly structured and has one part of the article/series titled “The fetus may be human, but it isn’t a person” which was counter-argued with his opinions and views.  The article was published by a self-proclaimed “pro-choice apologist” named Randy Alcorn.  He compares the argument for fetuses not being human to the Jews not being considered humans in the Holocaust and African-slaves with the trans-Atlantic slave trade.  It is obvious from the opinions provided by Alcorn in this article that this was written for the pro-life argument.   Both articles presented their ideas on the legality and morality of abortion in ways that were extreme and obviously in favor of their respective views.

Citations:

Misconceptions About Abortion. (n.d.). Retrieved September 12, 2017, from http://www.prochoiceactionnetwork-                                                    canada.org/abortioninfo/misconce.shtml

The ultimate guide to why abortion is wrong, and how to argue in favor of life. (n.d.). Retrieved September 12, 2017, from                                      https://www.lifesitenews.com/resources/abortion/pro-life-101-the-ultimate-guide-to-why-abortion-is-wrong-and-how-                      to-fight-for-life

Petrol, E., Gloor, G., Vanner, S., Weese, S., Carter, D., Daigenault, M., . . . Allen-Varcoe, E. (2013). Stool substitute transplant therapy for the eradication of Clostridium difficile infection: ‘RePOOPulating’ the gut. Micro biome. doi:10.3410/f.717977847.793470906

In this study, stool was obtained from a healthy, 41-year old woman and infused into the intestines of 2 patients who have a history of recurrent CDI.  The stool was cultured and purified.  Researchers isolated 33 strains of species sensitive to microbials (agents that slow/stop the growth of microorganisms) and infused for the final stool substitution.  Prior to depositing this mixture into the intestines, the patients were kept off of antibiotics for 2 days.  During the procedure, the mixture was deposited into the patients’ colons.  Afterwards, the patients were released an hour after the procedure and instructed to have a fiber-rich diet and take probiotics.  Testing for these samples included gDNA (genomic DNA) extraction and V6 rRNA amplification. gDNA was extracted by using a method called bead beating, in which a grinder was used “crack open” cells and then the samples were purified.  Polymerase chain reaction was used to amplify V6 rRNA, which is a section of the ribosomal RNA that demonstrates great biodiversity for bacteria, microorganisms, etc.  The samples were the sequenced to gain a fundamental understanding of the gene/genome for C. difficile.

The results were that the 2 patients went reverted to a regular bowel pattern 2 to 3 days after treatment.  6 months after the treatment, the patients remained symptom-free of CDI.  This study could have been improved on or furthered by following up with the patients after the 6 month mark, because the long-term effects of biotherapy/stool transplantation cannot be determined based off the results after 6 months.

Miller-Lewis, L. R., Sawyer, A. C., Searle, A. K., Mittinty, M. N., Sawyer, M. G., & Lynch, J. W. (2014). Student-teacher relationship trajectories and mental health problems in young children. BMC Psychology, 2(1). doi:10.1186/s40359-014-0027-2

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the quality of student-teacher relationships in preschool children on childhood mental health issues.  It was concluded that a stable, higher quality student-teacher relationship facilitated an easier transitioning period for the children between preschool into formal schooling and led to fewer mental health problems and/or associated emotional symptoms.