OBJECTIVE:This study examined the relationship between healthcare-seeking behavior and health locus of control orientations among individuals with sickle cell disease, specifically investigating whether mental health service utilization predicts internal versus external control beliefs while accounting for demographic factors. METHODS:Thirty-two African American adults with sickle cell disease were recruited from a Southeastern Comprehensive Sickle Cell center. Participants completed the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control scale (MHLC), which assesses internal control beliefs and external orientations including control by doctors, other people, powerful others, and chance factors. Hierarchical linear regression analyses examined mental health service utilization as a predictor of different locus of control dimensions while controlling age and gender. RESULTS:Mental health service utilization emerged as a significant predictor of internal health locus of control, accounting for 39.2% of the variance (R² = 0.392, F(3,28) = 6.015, p = 0.003). Individuals who engaged with mental health services demonstrated significantly stronger beliefs that their health outcomes were primarily determined by their own actions and behaviors (β = 0.568, p = 0.002). Mental health service utilization did not significantly predict any external locus of control dimensions, including control by doctors, other people, powerful others, or chance factors. Demographic variables (age and gender) did not emerge as significant moderators in the final models. CONCLUSIONS:The specific association between mental health service engagement and enhanced internal control beliefs suggests that psychological interventions may serve dual functions in chronic disease care: addressing mental health symptoms while simultaneously reinforcing adaptive health cognitions that promote broader healthcare engagement. These findings support integrating mental health services into comprehensive sickle cell care programs and suggest that interventions targeting locus of control beliefs may effectively promote proactive healthcare behaviors among individuals managing chronic conditions.

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic disorder characterized by distorted red blood cells that possess a decreased ability to carry oxygen and carbon dioxide throughout the body, primarily impacting individuals of African, Mediterranean, and South American backgrounds. The present study sought to examine the relationship between disordered eating patterns and depressive symptomatology by comparing self-identified gender differences in patients with SCD. Disordered eating was measured using the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI-I), which encompasses four subscales including body dissatisfaction (BD), ineffectiveness (IE), interpersonal distress (ID), and interoceptive awareness (IA). Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory-I (BDI-I) and the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CES-D). In a sample of 37 Black adults with SCD (30 female and 7 male), the results showed that women exhibited higher body dissatisfaction and depressive symptoms in comparison to men (p < .05). Women with SCD simultaneously experiencing high incidences of body dissatisfaction and depressive symptoms could impact their prognosis, psychological functioning, and overall health. Further research is needed to examine this issue and its implications.

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a collection of genetic lesions that manifest in the diminished effectiveness of hemoglobin. We collected and reviewed the recent and extant literature on SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) and SCD. We posit an answer to the question associated with any adaptive responses to COVID-19 in individuals with SCD. We collected papers from MEDLINE and all available published papers on COVID-19 and SCD. Unlike a formal meta-analysis, given the early phase of this review in the pandemic, we did not seek unpublished papers. We found an emerging literature where case studies dominated, and traditional large N epidemiological studies were absent. Patients with SCD share many comorbid illnesses with an increased risk of mortality associated with contracting COVID-19. There is sufficient empirical justification to accelerate research on the impact of a viral pathogen like COVID-19 on individuals with SCD. *************************************************************** List of all authors: Michaela Boggan,1,2,3 Christopher L. Edwards,1,2,3 Jordan Meek,1,2,3 Mary Wood,4 W. Jeff Bryson,5 John J. Sollers,1,2,3 Debra O. Parker,1,2,3 Camela S. Barker,2,5 Jessica Miller,2,6 Brianna Downey,2,5 Asha Lockett,2,5 Jazmin Rosales,1,2,3 Courtney Munroe, Jr.,2 Noa Wax,2,5 Sharena Scott,1,2,3 Bridget Pittman,1,2,3 Merell Turner,1,2,3 Hillary T. Dietahin,1,2,3 Eric Smith,1,2,3 Alexandria McDougald,1,2,3 Samantha Beavers,1,2,3 Lakaiya Meadows,1,2,3 Maya Walker,1,2,3 Andrea Richardson,1,2,3 John J. Sollers, IV,2,8 Grace D. Donahue,2,8 Goldie Byrd,7 Malik Muhammad,1,2 Alvin Kidd,9 Walter Charles,1,2 Jonathan Livingston,1,2,3 Shiv Sudhakar10 1North Carolina Central University; 2NCCU Psychoneuroendocrine and Rare Diseases Laboratory; 3NCCU Debra O. Parker Research Incubator; 4Duke University Medical Center; 5Fielding Graduate University; 6Bridges Point Sickle Cell Foundation; 7Wake Forest Medical Center; 8Thomas Moore University; 9Livingston College; 10California Northstate University, United States

Sexual assaults continue to be a prevalent issue on college campuses. Research has shown that being sexually assaulted is associated with adverse outcomes in college students' grade point average (GPA). However, self-reported history of sexual violence perpetration and its associations with GPA has not been studied at the college level. A history of sexual violence as either perpetrator or victim has not been extensively explored, particularly in individuals at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Questionnaire data were collected on 2068 students attending an HBCU who self-identified as men and women on various demographic and academic outcomes. The experience of sexual violence (perpetrator or victim) in the past year, age, and self-identified gender were evaluated as predictors of GPA. Results indicated that women and older individuals had higher GPAs (p <0.001), and these factors accounted for about 1% of the variance in GPA. In comparison, the addition of being a perpetrator of sexual violence augmented the variance and accounted for 2.3% (p < 0.001). These effects are small but significant predictors and open a new line of research into the traits of those who commit sexual assault on college campuses.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was established to enforce voting rights guaranteed by the Fourteenth and Fifteenth amendments. Unfortunately, Blacks faced additional barriers when attempting to exercise their right to vote. Moreover, focusing on voting specifically among adults living with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), we assessed voter participation as a form of advocacy to evaluate if political involvement was related to psychological status. We found that 72% of adults with SCD in our sample routinely voted in government elections. We examined psychological symptoms using the Symptom Checklist -90 (SCL-90-R). Voters consistently presented with better psychological status than nonvoters. Voters reported significantly lower levels of interpersonal sensitivity, anxiety, specific phobia, and psychosis than nonvoters (p<.05). We interpret our findings as a non-characterological and non-volitional explanation for political participation among adults with SCD.

Objective To delineate the etiology, symptomatology, and treatment of sickle cell intrahepatic cholestasis (SCIC). Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the most frequently inherited hematologic disease, and SCIC is one rare and often fatal complication and comorbid disease. The literature contains only a small number of case reports involving SCIC and hence limited guidance can be obtained. Methods We reviewed the scientific literature to evaluate the science of SCIC to determine if there were consistencies in presentation, evaluation, treatment, and clinical outcomes. Results We reviewed 6 case reports and a limited number of clinical papers on SCIC. We reported consistencies in clinical presentation and treatment outcomes among cases as well as serological and hematological finding. Conclusions While there is some consistency in the symptom presentation of individuals with SCIC, reliable evaluation and clinical procedures were not demonstrated in what we reviewed. Further research is needed to delineate the attributes of this complicated disease that occurs within SCD.

Objective: To delineate the explore potential etiological contributions to subcutaneous panniculitis-like T-cell lymphoma (SPTCL) in adults with sickle cell disease. Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited hematologic disorder where standard treatment may enhance risk of the development of rare comorbidities like SPTCL. Methods: We reviewed the scientific literature and only found one case report detailing the development of SPTCL in an adult with SCD. Results: We reviewed 1 case reports and the general literature on hematolymphoid disorders. We discovered that there are several potential mechanisms to explain SPTCL in SCD but no conclusive evidence to support either. We reported radiographic, serological, immune, and hematological finding from the previous case. Conclusions: SPTCL is a complex disorder with a likely multifactoral etiology. The development of the disease in adults with SCD is rare but possible as evidenced by a published case report. We advocate for additional attention to the intersection of these two diseases for the purpose of better understanding their etiology and epidemiology. More research is needed.

Objective: To delineate the etiology, symptomatology, and treatment of Polycythemia Vera in adults with Sickle Cell Disease. The current review contains a review of the 4 case reports that we found on the topic. To our knowledge, no other case reports exist. Methods: We reviewed the scientific literature to discover case reports that included the topic of PV. We noted consistencies in presentation, evaluation, treatment, and clinical outcomes. Results: We reviewed 4 case reports and a limited number of clinical papers on PV in SCD. We found and reported on consistencies in clinical presentation and the diversity of treatments. We reported hematological, bone marrow, and radiographic findings. Conclusions: There is great variability in the evaluation and treatment of cases of PV in SCD. We advocate for more research and deconstructing the complicated relationship between these two comorbid disorders.

Negative stress due to human handling has been reported for a number of domestic animals, including dogs. Many companion dogs display significant stress during routine care in the veterinary clinic, risking injury to staff and potentially compromising the quality of care that these dogs receive. On the other hand, positive interactions with humans can have a beneficial effect on dogs, particularly in stressful situations such as animal shelters. Research has shown that dogs can detect human emotions through visual, auditory, and chemical channels, and that dogs will exhibit emotional contagion, particularly with familiar humans. This study investigated relationships between emotional states of dogs and unfamiliar human handlers, using simultaneous measures of cardiac activity and behavior, during two sessions of three consecutive routine handling sets. Measures of cardiac activity included mean heart rate (HRmean), and two measures of heart rate variability (HRV): the root mean square of successive differences between normal heartbeats (RMSSD); and the high frequency absolute power component of HRV, log transformed (HFlog). We also assessed human handlers' emotional state during handling sessions following an intervention designed to reduce stress, compared with sessions conducted on a different day and following a control activity. Polar H10 cardiac sensors were used to simultaneously record cardiac activity for both canine and human participants, and behavioral data were collected via digital video. The strongest influence on the dogs' stress levels in our study was found to be increasing familiarity with the setting and the handler; HRmean and SI decreased, and HRV (as RMSSD) increased, significantly from the first to the third handling set. Canine HRV (as HFlog) was also highest in set 3, although the difference was not statistically significant. There were no strong patterns found in the human cardiac data across handling set, session, or by pre-handling activity. We did not find consistent support for emotional contagion between the dogs and their handlers in this study, perhaps due to the brief time that the dogs spent with the handlers. Recommendations for application to dog handling, and limitations of our methods, are described.

OBJECTIVE:We evaluated the effects of menstrual types inclusive of PMS on reports of chronic pain intensity and psychopathology in twenty-eight women (mean age 38.93 ± 13.51) with Sickle Cell disease (SCD).METHODS:Using the Menstrual Symptoms Questionnaire, we compared women with PMS to those with less distressing spasmodic cycle types.RESULTS:Thirty-four percent of the sample used oral contraception; there were no significant effects of birth control use on reports of pain. Women with PMS characterized the sensory (p = .04) and affective (p = .04) experiences of their SCD-related chronic pain, including their current pain intensity (p = .03), as significantly greater than women with primary spasmodic menstrual type. Further, there was a trend towards significance for women with PMS to report greater levels of overall pain intensity (p = .07) and average pain intensity over the past month (p = .08).CONCLUSIONS:The authors interpret these results to suggest that there may be a complex interaction of neurohormonal, biological, and psychological factors associated with PMS that influence manifestation and experience of chronic pain in patients with SCD.

This paper presents a brief historical look at education for young African American men from the post-Civil War era to the present. It explores reasons why education for this group has become a less favorable aspiration than when education became available to them. Changing role models are strong factors that negatively influence school participation and excellence. Suggestions for ways to instill resilience in young African American men to excel academically are offered, as well as areas for further study

Objectives: Laughter has long been regarded as beneficial for health, but the mechanisms are not clearly understood. The current study aimed to compare the acute cardiovascular effects of spontaneous and simulated laughter. Design: A mixed factorial experiment was performed to examine changes in cardiovascular variables in response to experimental tasks across conditions. Interventions: A sample of 72 participants were randomised to one of three 6 min interventions. Participants in the simulated laughter condition were asked to generate fake laughter, the spontaneous laughter condition viewed a humorous video, and the control condition watched a non-humorous documentary. This was followed by a laboratory stress task. Main outcomes measures: Heart rate and heart rate variability (as indexed by rMSSD) were monitored continuously throughout the experiment using ECG. Results: The simulated laughter condition had a significantly higher heart rate (p < .001, eta(2)(p) = .26) and lower rMSSD (p < .001, eta p(2) = .13) during the laughter task compared to the other two conditions. Follow-up hierarchical regressions indicated that the difference in heart rate was due to the fact that the simulated condition produced more laughter. The difference in rMSSD, however, was unique to the simulated condition even when controlling for the amount of laughter. The simulated laughter condition had a significantly lower mean HR during the stress task but this was not significant after controlling amount of laughter produced. Conclusions: Laughter leads to increased heart rate and reduced heart rate variability, which is similar to the effects of exercise. This finding is more pronounced in simulated laughter.

Children and adolescents with long-term physical conditions are at increased risk of psychological problems, particularly anxiety and depression, and they have limited access to evidence-based treatment for these issues. Biofeedback interventions may be useful for treating symptoms of both psychological and physical conditions. A systematic review of studies of biofeedback interventions that addressed anxiety or depression in this population was undertaken via MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases. Primary outcomes included changes in anxiety and depression symptoms and ‘caseness’. Secondary outcomes included changes in symptoms of the associated physical condition and acceptability of the biofeedback intervention. Of 1876 identified citations, 9 studies (4 RCTs, 5 non-RCTs; of which all measured changes in anxiety and 3 of which measured changes in depression) were included in the final analysis and involved participants aged 8–25 years with a range of long-term physical conditions. Due to the heterogeneity of study design and reporting, risk of bias was judged as unclear for all studies and meta-analysis of findings was not undertaken. Within the identified sample, multiple modalities of biofeedback including heart rate variability (HRV), biofeedback assisted relaxation therapy and electroencephalography were found to be effective in reducing symptoms of anxiety. HRV was also found to be effective in reducing symptoms of depression in two studies. A range of modalities was effective in improving symptoms of long-term physical conditions. Two studies that assessed acceptability provided generally positive feedback. There is currently limited evidence to support the use of biofeedback interventions for addressing anxiety and depression in children and adolescents with long-term physical conditions. Although promising, further research using more stringent methodology and reporting is required before biofeedback interventions can be recommended for clinical use instead or in addition to existing evidence-based modalities of treatment.

Objective: Black Americans (BAs) are at an elevated risk for morbidity and mortality in comparison to White Americans (WAs). Racial stressors are a common occurrence in American culture and is theorized to contribute to these disparities. When race-focused, stereotype threat (ST) is considered to be a factor that is detrimental to health in BAs; however few studies have directly investigated the impact of a ST manipulation on physiological function. Furthermore, it is proposed that racial stressors such as ST may have prolonged effects when more likely to perseverate (e.g. rumination) over the stressor and thus, those with greater trait perseveration may be more affected by ST. We sought to explore the impact of ST and trait perseveration on changes in vagus nerve activity - an indication of adaptive psychological and physiological well-being - as indexed by vagally mediated heart rate variability (vmHRV). Design: Forty-three (24 females, mean age of 20, standard deviation of 3 years) apparently healthy BA individuals were randomly assigned to one of three experimental conditions in which they received either implicit (subtle), explicit (blatant), or no ST priming (control condition), prior to completing a cognitive task. Resting vmHRV was assessed both at baseline (pre-task) and recovery (post-task). Results: BAs in the explicit ST condition exhibited the greatest decrease in vmHRV in comparison to the control group from pre- to post-task. BAs with moderate to high levels of trait perseveration showed the greatest decrease in vmHRV from pre- to post-task in comparison to those with lower levels of trait perseveration and BAs in the control group. Conclusion: These data suggest that racial ST, especially when explicit and coupled with trait perseveration, can decrease vagal activity, as indexed by decreased vmHRV, which when experienced frequently can have significant consequences for health and longevity in BAs.