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Exploring Childhood Trauma, Race-Related Stress, Racial Socialization, and Symptoms in Black Emerging Adulthood
Full text linkObjective: Systemic oppression contributes to disproportionate rates of childhood trauma and race-related stress among Black emerging adults, heightening harmful psychological outcomes (Hope et al., 2022; Williams et al., 2010). This study explored how race-related stress infuences the relationship between childhood trauma and internalizing symptoms in Black emerging adults. It also investigated whether racial socialization messages moderated these efects in a three-way interaction. Methods: Black emerging adults (ages 18 – 25) were recruited through academic channels and social media platforms to complete a demographic questionnaire, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire – Short Form (CTQ), the Index of Race-Related Stress – Brief Version (IRRS-B), the Racial Socialization Questionnaire-teen (RSQ-t), and the Brief Symptom Inventory–18 (BSI-18). Hayes’ PROCESS Model 3 was utilized to test moderated moderation analysis. Results: Analyses comprised 341 Black emerging adults (75.4% women, 31% 18-year-olds). Race-related stress did not moderate the relationship between childhood trauma and internalizing symptoms, B = -0.004, SE = 0.0025, 95% CI [-0.0054, 0.0046]. The overall moderated moderation model was not signifcant, B = 0.00002, SE = 0.0002, 95% CI [-0.0002, 0.0007]. However, higher endorsed childhood trauma and racial socialization messages, in the absence of race-related stress, were associated with increased internalized symptomology, B = 0.0105, SE = .0045, 95% CI = [0.0017, 0.0194]. Conclusions: These fndings highlight the unique ways childhood trauma, race-related stress, and racial socialization messages impact Black emerging adults’ psychological functioning. A higher frequency of endorsed racial socialization messages may amplify distress associated with childhood trauma. Future research should investigate racial socialization competency and coping self-efcacy to better understand racial socialization’s role as a potential protective factor for Black emerging adults facing psychological distress from trauma and stress
“From Chaos to Calm”: Schizophrenic Listening and Hong Kong’s New Infrastructural Acoustic
No full textInfrastructure enables modes of politics to come into being and gives rise to an apparatus of governmentality. Through sensing and “listening in” (LaBelle 2019) to the city, the urban “acoustic habitus” (Feld 1982) emerges out of the city’s governmentality; it comprises ways of listening that define a biopolitical “sonic citizenship” (Western 2021). Governance in Hong Kong’s new “lawscape” (LaBelle 2021) reorients one’s acoustic being in urban spaces, resounding an aural monopoly, which I call the infrastructural acoustic. In the new environment, the “semi-authoritarian” system (Tai 2020) has muted the cacophony of raging roars and unintelligible protests, infusing the city’s atmosphere with an affective entanglement of tear gas and bodies during upheavals in the passé “semi-democratic” (Tai 2020) spaces. Together with Hong Konger self-reflexive poetry, this short film juxtaposes photos, footage, interviews, and field recordings of Hong Kong’s urban spaces during and after years of pro-democracy protests in the old and new Hong Kong to reveal an invisibilized “sphere of appearance” in the “inhabitable ground” (Butler 2016). Insisting on the significance of sound and listening in making sense of the affective spheres that circulate in a transforming environment, this combined work crafts an intermedial space where the audience can sense these forces and attunements through a mode of schizophrenic listening and discern the dynamics between sounds, collective memories, and infrastructural matters to reimagine the possibilities of the counter-infrastructural acoustics where sounds of freedom attempt to retrench state violence.
Notes on Contributor
Winnie Lai is an (ethno)musicologist, multimodal artist and returning singer-songwriter working as an Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in Music (2024–2026) at Dartmouth College. She earned a Ph.D. in Music Studies (Ethnomusicology) from the University of Pennsylvania in 2024. Her work crosses disciplinary and methodological boundaries by integrating ethnographic materials with historical archives and employing critical theoretical tools with cutting-edge intermedial methods. At Dartmouth, she is developing her first monograph, Unsounding Hong Kong: From Protests to Silence, to study the sonic and affective currents circulating through local and transnational protests. A Hong Kong–born and raised, classically trained mezzo-soprano (who usually sings pop), she is developing new multimodal research: Theorizing R&B Ad-libs: Intercultural Soul Aesthetics, Racialized Listening, and Singing Virtuosity in Sinophone Pop and Cantopop
Rethinking Emotional Engagement in Human Rights Education through Affective Justice :
No full textThis conceptual paper suggests the notion of ‘affective justice’ as a means to critically address the problem of sentimentalism within Human Rights Education (HRE). Originating in sociolegal studies affective justice focuses on how legal frameworks for human rights generate embodied, affective experiences that allow learners to engage deeply with notions of justice. By examining how these affective dimensions shape learners’ understanding of human rights, the paper argues that affective justice offers a valuable framework for countering critiques that emotional engagement with human suffering risks devolving into ‘cheap sentimentality.’ The analysis suggests that affective justice not only enriches HRE theory but also fosters meaningful, reflective practices among learners. The paper concludes by outlining future research directions to further explore how affective justice might be applied in educational contexts to deepen critical engagement with human rights and promote ethically grounded responses to global injustice
Evaluating a Decade of Mangrove Restorations in Mumbai: Success or Failure?
No full text From 2012-2022, more than US $5 million was invested in the restoration of Mumbai’s mangrove forests. The present study is the first published evaluation of these restorations. Mangrove restoration is critical for coastal communities, rehabilitating forests that guard against floods and absorb eight times the CO2 of any other ecosystem. Mumbai has 150 km of shoreline and 65 km2 of mangroves. Heavy pollution, industrialization, and major infrastructure development have led to the clearance of thousands of mangrove trees over the last two decades. A sample of 25 mangrove restoration sites were assessed through a remote sensing, time-series analysis. Sentinel-2 and Landsat-8 data were collated in Google Earth Engine and mangrove extent was determined through a random forest, machine learning model. Restoration failed at 13 of the 25 sites (52%) which saw no mangrove growth from their restoration start year until 2022. Across the 25 sites, there was an increase of 30.44 hectares (ha) of mangrove coverage, from 67.19 ha of cover prior to restoration, to 97.63 ha by 2022. Despite strong conservation laws and compensatory afforestation mechanisms, Mumbai’s mangroves remain vulnerable to urbanization and land-use land-cover changes. Policy recommendations, including public transparency around mangrove restoration locations, long-term forest monitoring, and improved enforcement of the existing coastal regulation zone, are outlined at the local, national, and international levels to improve mangrove restoration outcomes in Mumbai.
How crisis management led to enduring collaboration in clinical education: a case report
No full textRationale: Historical challenges in clinical education were intensified by the global health pandemic. This paper describes how clinical educators in Florida collaborated during the crisis to strategize to meet immediate clinical education needs of clinical sites and academic programs while creating a roadmap for sustainable future success.
Clinical education scenario: A task force of clinical educators was formed to assess the current state of clinical education and manage the evolving crisis. Two unique needs assessments were developed and disseminated to both academic and clinical educators. A descriptive research design was used. Quantitative findings were reported through descriptive statistics.
Outcomes: Obtaining objective data was crucial for decision-making and implementing solutions during this crisis. Data analysis informed a series of coordinated, phased, action items that were implemented. Not only opportunities for immediate support were identified, but also longstanding challenges within clinical education were confirmed. The study results led to informed crisis management, reduced competition, and enduring collaboration.
Discussion and implications: Without collaboration, the pandemic’s impact on clinical education could have been more severe. Implementing data-driven crisis management strategies mitigated challenges posed by the pandemic and improved processes, enhancing the future state of clinical education in Florida
Ibn Khaldūn’s Muqaddima and the Maps of al-Idrīsī
No full textIt has long been noted that in compiling a geographical preface to his famous Muqaddima, Ibn Khaldūn relied on the maps contained in the twelfth-century geographer al-Idrīsī’s Nuzhat al-mushtāq fī ikhtirāq al-āfāq. Yet Ibn Khaldūn’s reading of nearly seventy regional maps of al-Idrīsī has not to date been the subject of a detailed examination. This article seeks, first, to establish patterns in Ibn Khaldūn’s map reading as recorded in the Muqaddima, noting the focus and direction of his reading as well as its omissions. In addition to his descriptions of the maps, it considers Ibn Khaldūn’s use of the text of the Nuzhat al-mushtāq and occasional examples of his updating and addition of information. Second, this analysis leads to a discussion of the significance—or lack thereof—of al-Idrīsī’s maps for the larger project of the Muqaddima: what role, in the end, did geography play within Ibn Khaldūn’s theory of history
The Relationship Between Student Attitude Toward Mathematics and Student Mathematics Achievement
No full textUsing the United States data from the 2019 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, which included a total of 9924 randomly selected students in grade eight from 325 randomly selected schools, the present study examined the relationship between the students’ attitudes toward mathematics and the mathematics achievement of the students. Due to the hierarchical structure of the educational data, multilevel statistical modeling was used to analyze the data. While including sex and parent education level as student-level control variables and school location and school socioeconomic status as school-level control variables, the students’ attitudes toward mathematics demonstrated significant positive effects on the students’ mathematics achievement. Furthermore, this relationship was shown to vary significantly across schools; however, school disciplinary climate was not found to be a significant contributor to this variation
The Duty to Make Contracts Understandable: Michael A. Blasie
Full text linkSo what if consumers can’t understand contracts? They don’t read contracts. They can’t negotiate contracts. All their contracts have the same unfair terms. And nowadays businesses use algorithms, artificial intelligence, and social scientists to craft individualized contracts that hack consumer’s minds. Choice is an illusion. Consumer understanding is a pipedream.
Even so, contracts should still be understandable.
The opportunity to understand a contract is essential to contract formation’s integrity. While much contract literature focuses on how nonnegotiable contracts cause consumers to make bad deals, this Article challenges the concession that a deal has been made. Contract formation requires consumers have an opportunity to read the contract, which in turn requires consumers have an opportunity to understand what they read. Even if consumers do not exercise this opportunity, and even if exercising that opportunity only reveals how unfair the contract is, this opportunity must exist. The Article proposes that the Uniform Law Commission pass a statute requiring consumer contracts to be understandable to the average intended consumer. Such a law benefits sellers and consumers alike, removes the biggest and oldest impediment to contract innovation (lawyers), incentivizes using machines and science to improve contracts, and might just save transactional lawyers from having their jobs poached by technology
Social Media Suicide Watch: Privacy vs. Beneficence
Full text linkPhoto ID 136328652 © Tobias Knoepfli| Dreamstime.com
Abstract
Two tragedies illustrate the need to both monitor suicidal ideation more effectively and protect individuals from harmful influences. In the UK, a 14-year-old girl named Molly Russel died by suicide after consuming self-harming content online, while her own distressing signals on social media went unnoticed. In contrast, Conrad Roy III died by suicide after encouragement from his girlfriend via texts and calls, demonstrating the devastating consequences of alerting the wrong person to a mental health crisis. These cases highlight the moral ambiguity of tracking public expressions of suicidal ideation ─ when is it appropriate to monitor this data, and with whom should it be shared? The public was compelled to weigh in on this issue in 2014 when Samaritans implemented an app that scanned Twitter users’ posts for signs of suicidal ideation and alerted fellow users. There was an immediate backlash due to concerns over privacy and the potential for stalkers and bullies to misuse this data and encourage suicide or self-harm, like Roy’s girlfriend did. However, for some individuals, like Molly Russel, social media posts may be a cry for help, which could be met with thoughtfully crafted interventions. This paper proposes a new model for monitoring suicidal ideation online ─ one that promotes autonomy, respects confidentiality, and provides evidence-based support. This model includes direct user alerts, safety planning, and opt-in data-sharing with mental health professionals.
Introduction
Molly Russel is a household name in the UK. After dying by suicide at age 14, an inquiry into her death revealed that Molly was suffering from depression and the negative effects of harmful online content. She was repeatedly exposed to posts that displayed hopelessness and misery. Her own Twitter account revealed signals of her worsening mental health crisis.[1] While better content censoring could have helped, an algorithm capable of detecting her worsening mental state and alerting trusted individuals could have also served as a crucial safety net. Notifying mental health professionals and law enforcement of potential suicide risk is considered a protective factor.
Yet, this same technology could have unintended and devastating consequences by alerting a wrongdoer. In 2014, Conrad Roy III died by suicide after his girlfriend encouraged him to end his life via text messages. While this was not a social media case, after he filled his truck with toxic fumes, she urged him to get back inside and listened as he died, making no attempt to intervene.[2]2 This case highlights the danger of alerting the wrong person to suicidal ideation. When such sensitive information falls into the wrong hands, it can be weaponized.
These two opposing stories emphasize the double-edged nature of using technology to detect and respond to mental health crises. So, who do we save—Molly or Conrad? Which scenario is more likely? The public weighed in on this dilemma in 2014, when the charity Samaritans launched a Twitter app that allowed users to receive alerts if someone they followed posted messages suggesting suicidal thoughts.[3] There was almost immediate backlash. Critics flagged concerns about privacy, surveillance, and the potential for harm. Yet, the question remains: While some posts are publicly visible, others are deliberately restricted to followers only. Flagging the former may raise ethical questions, but alerting others to the second more clearly violates the app’s own terms of use. Could an app truly prevent suicide and promote well-being? And if so, does that outcome justify infringing on individuals’ expectations about privacy or the nonconsensual analysis of their posts?
Ethical Analysis
The strongest argument in favor of apps like Samaritan’s Radar is their potential to predict individuals at risk for suicide and self-harm accurately. Psychiatrists and most primary care physicians are trained to assess suicide risk based on factors such as previous suicide attempts, chronic pain, legal problems, and financial difficulties.[4] However, these traditional methods are often too broad to be consistently effective in clinical settings.[5] Apps like Samaritan’s Radar could refine risk prediction by providing real-time data, potentially improving intervention efforts. AI can be used to retrospectively analyze posts from individuals who died by suicide to identify patterns imperceptible to the human eye. These algorithms could then be applied to current users to more accurately identify at-risks populations.
However, even if an app offers the possibility of more accurately identifying suicide risk, it may be that therapists and clinicians are better trained to assess the sincerity of flagged posts than an app. For example, a post stating, "I have so much homework, I’m gonna kill myself," may warrant attention but more likely reflects a state of frustration rather than real suicidal intent.
Furthermore, apps may struggle to recognize the nuanced stages of suicide risk, such as contemplation, suicidal intent, the development of a plan, intent to act, and suicidal behaviors. These distinctions are critical in determining the appropriate level of intervention, something that human judgment may handle more effectively than algorithmic detection.
Additionally, existing systems designed to prevent suicide already infringe on individual rights. For example, under HIPAA, therapists and psychiatrists are permitted to contact emergency services, for example by calling 911, when there is a threat to safety.[6] Psychiatric hospitalization can help prevent suicidal behavior by providing immediate safety and stabilization. It also offers an opportunity to initiate treatment, including medication and counseling. Suicide safety planning and follow-up contact initiated during these hospitalizations has also been shown to improve suicidal ideation and psychological stress in the months following discharge.[7] Alerting trusted individuals or emergency services is one of the most effective ways to intervene and save lives. For many families who have lost a relative to suicide, the opportunity to protect a life far outweighs the concerns about the temporary intrusion of privacy.
Regarding the issue of consent, patients who disclose suicidal ideation to a healthcare professional typically do so with the understanding that providers have a mandatory reporting policy. They are required to share this stipulation with patients at the outset. In the context of a psychiatric or mental healthcare appointment, patients share their inner thoughts knowing their exact audience. However, the Samaritan’s Radar app did not notify users that an algorithm was analyzing their content for signs of distress. Even more concerning, email alerts were sent to anyone who signed up to follow a given user, without that user’s consent. Some may argue that the posts on Twitter are public and can be viewed by anyone. However, this does not equate to consent for an app to actively warn or alert others about a user’s mental health status. Doing so risks breaching privacy and may misrepresent the user’s state.
Furthermore, alerting users whom the individual did not designate as trusted without consent risks further harm. Their relationship to the at-risk user would be unclear, and their response could inadvertently worsen the situation. They may lack the appropriate words to offer support. In worse cases, they could unintentionally shame, stigmatize, or even bully the individual. When Conrad Roy shared his suicidal ideation with his girlfriend, she weaponized that vulnerability. Similarly, individuals on Samaritan’s Radar may deliberately follow trends of emotional distress to hurt, rather than help individuals.
Additionally, such alerts might discourage people from posting altogether, robbing friends and relatives of the opportunity to naturally reach out in a way that feels organic rather than intrusive. In the best-case scenario, those who see a concerning post could offer resources or, if necessary, contact emergency services on their own initiative.
Rethinking Samaritan’s Radar: A Path Forward
To balance user privacy with the need to protect individuals struggling with mental health issues, apps should be able to analyze publicly posted messages for signs of suicidal ideation. However, rather than notifying others without the user’s consent, the app should first alert the individual directly, presenting the detected concerns. It should then offer options such as calling a suicide helpline, contacting emergency services, or reaching out to a trusted person of their choice (e.g., a parent, friend, or designated support). This approach provides support to users while reinforcing their agency by giving them choice in how to proceed.
Even more effective would be the inclusion of a suicide safety plan, a tool that has been shown to reduce suicidal behavior significantly.[8] If users have previously and voluntarily identified themselves as high risk, the app could provide this plan proactively. Otherwise, it could be offered in moments of acute crisis, delivering evidence-based support at the time it is most needed.
It may also be beneficial to have an opt-in feature that allows apps to share information with trusted health professionals or guardians. With user permission, the app could notify psychiatrists, not just of suicidal content, but of posts suggesting worsening mental stability, enabling earlier intervention before it’s too late. If the content raises serious concern, and the user has given prior consent, the psychiatrist may contact a parent or an appropriate authority to ensure the individual’s immediate safety.
Furthermore, app developers should collaborate with trained psychiatrists when designing these technologies, given their expertise in identifying and treating suicidal behavior. They may provide insight into crisis management strategies that may not be familiar to those outside of the mental health field. Before implementation, such apps should be examined through formal studies to assess their effectiveness and psychological impact. To justify their use, it is essential to prove that they reduce suicide attempts and cases.
While the Samaritan app was created with good intentions, it overlooked important ethical principles. It alerted the wrong people and bypassed users entirely, failing to respect their autonomy or offer them resources. However, one app should not ruin all future progress. Countless people express despair, hopelessness, and signs of self-harm and suicidal ideation online. With careful design, we don’t have to choose between saving Molly or protecting Conrad. We can help them both. It is time we revisit the issue of using technology as a tool for suicide prevention.
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[1] Crawford, A. (2023, November 29). Molly Russell: Tech firms still failing after teenager's death, says father. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-67556756
[2] Seelye, K. Q. (2017, June 16). Michelle Carter is found guilty in texting suicide case. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/16/us/suicide-texting-trial-michelle-carter-conrad-roy.html
[3] Orme, J. (2014, November 7). Samaritans pulls 'suicide watch' Radar app over privacy concerns. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/nov/07/samaritans-radar-app-suicide-watch-privacy-twitter-users
[4] Brown, G. K., & Green, K. L. (2014). A review of evidence-based follow-up care for suicide prevention: Where do we go from here? American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 47(3 Suppl 2), S209–S215. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2014.06.006; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024, April 25). Risk and protective factors for suicide. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/risk-factors/index.html
[5] Hawton, K., Lascelles, K., Pitman, A., Gilbert, S., & Silverman, M. (2022). Assessment of suicide risk in mental health practice: Shifting from prediction to therapeutic assessment, formulation, and risk management. The Lancet Psychiatry, 9(6), 518–528. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(22)00232-2; Lucey, J. V., & Matti, B. (2021). Suicide risk assessment: Time to think again? Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine, 40(3), 323–325. https://doi.org/10.1017/ipm.2021.76
[6] ((45 CFR §164.512(j)).
[7] Stanley, B., Brown, G. K., Brenner, L. A., Galfalvy, H. C., Currier, G. W., Knox, K. L., Chaudhury, S. R., Bush, A. L., & Green, K. L. (2018). Comparison of the Safety Planning Intervention with follow-up vs usual care of suicidal patients treated in the emergency department. JAMA Psychiatry, 75(9), 894–900. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2018.1776
[8] Orme, J. (2014, November 7). Samaritans pulls 'suicide watch' Radar app over privacy concerns. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/nov/07/samaritans-radar-app-suicide-watch-privacy-twitter-user