NURS 342L Question 6:
NURS 342L
Question 6:
Recent statistics show that the number of African Americans aged 65 years and above is on the rise, with projections showing an expected twelve million African American senior citizens by the year 2060 (Tahirkheli, 2018). However, unlike their white counterparts, the African American elderly population is subject to racial discrimination, which significantly contributes to race-related stressors. These stressors include limited access to community resources and cumulative exposure to stressful experiences like racism and discrimination. These may lead to depression and anxiety, therefore contributing to the health disparity between the white and African American elderly population in the United States. This results in more of the African Americans experiencing health issues such as hypertension, stroke, and even dementia (Tahirkheli, 2018).
A significant setback that affected the rate of access to healthcare services among the elderly African Americans was lack of medical insurance coverage. However, with the signing of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010, more African Americans were able to access healthcare services. This means that more of the older African Americas have access to physical and mental services. Additionally, civil rights and laws provide a framework for ensuring equal access to public resources and limit discrimination (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2017). Civil rights laws cut across all sectors, including health, housing, and transport, some of the factors that contribute to the health disparity between the white and African American older population.
Question 7:
Even though the number of teenage pregnancies in the African American community has significantly reduced, it remains a concern among many parents. The fear of having a pregnant teenage daughter is warranted for several reasons. In recent days, adolescent pregnancies, even among the black communities, is being viewed as a social problem, with the media being on the receiving end for promoting sexuality among the teens (Mollborn & Jacobs, 2012). Teenage pregnancies are generally associated with poverty, either as a contributing factor or as a result of the pregnancy. A majority of the black teens who are raised in poverty end up being mothers at an early age. While getting pregnant at an early age can lead to poor living standards due to the increased financial demands that accompany raising a child, especially considering that these teens are most likely unemployed (Mollborn & Jacobs, 2012).
Research has found that girls who get pregnant at a tender age find it difficult to adapt back to school after delivery (Mollborn & Jacobs, 2012). A majority of these girls experience negative and hostile experiences in school coming from their peers. Such experiences contribute to feelings such as shame and resentment, some even experiencing post-partum stress resulting from such experiences. Finally, most teenage mothers feel like outcasts in the society owing to the black community norms and attitudes associated with adolescent childbearing.
References
Mollborn, S., & Jacobs, J. (2012). “We’ll figure a way”: teenage mothers’ experiences in shifting social and economic contexts. Qualitative Sociology, 35(1), 23-46.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2017). Communities in action: Pathways to health equity. National Academies Press.
Tahirkheli, N. N. (2018). Effects of Racism-Related Stress on Resistance Against Racism in Black Americans (Doctoral dissertation, University of Massachusetts Boston).