Sunday, July 19, 2020

Whites with darker skin will be motivated to protect the boundaries of Whiteness due to the loss of status they would face if not White; they are more likely to hold conservative political views on racialized issues

Shades of Privilege: The Relationship Between Skin Color and Political Attitudes Among White Americans. Nicole Yadon & Mara C. Ostfeld . Political Behavior (2020). Jul 18 2020. https://rd.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11109-020-09635-0

Abstract: Shifting racial dynamics in the U.S. have heightened the salience of White racial identity, and a sense that Whites’ social status and resources are no longer secure. At the same time, the growing size of non-White populations has also renewed attention to skin color-based stratification and the potential blurring of racial boundaries. We theorize that Whites with darker skin will be motivated to protect the boundaries of Whiteness due to the loss of status they would face from blurring racial boundaries. Consistent with growing evidence of skin color’s importance for Whites, we demonstrate that darker-skinned Whites—measured via a light-reflectance spectrophotometer—identify more strongly with their White racial identity and are more likely to hold conservative political views on racialized issues than lighter-skinned Whites. Together, these findings offer new insights into the evolving meaning of race and color in American politics.


No direct association between contraceptives use and the risk of female sexual dysfunction was found; nevertheless, declining sexual desire was significantly associated with contraceptives use

Huang M, Li G, Liu J, et al. Is There an Association Between Contraception and Sexual Dysfunction in Women? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Based on Female Sexual Function Index. J Sex Med 2020;XX:XXX–XXX.

Abstract
Background: A growing body of research investigates the sexual functioning status in women with contraceptives use; however, the evidence is still inconclusive.

Aim: To examine whether contraceptives use is associated with a higher risk of female sexual dysfunction (FSD).

Methods: The electronic databases MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library databases, and PsychINFO were systematically screened for eligible studies before December 2019. We only included those studies assessing women's sexual functioning by the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). This study was registered on the PROSPERO (ID: CRD42020167723, http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO).

Outcomes: The strength of the association between contraceptives use and risk of FSD was presented by calculating the standard mean dierences (SMDs) and the relative risk (RR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI). The pooled results were calculated using a random-effects model.

Results: A total of 12 studies (7 cross-sectional studies, 3 cohorts, and 1 case-control study) involving 9,427 participants were included. The mean age in the contraceptive users ranged from 22.5 ± 2.4 years to 38.2 ± 4.6 years, while the mean age in the nonusers was 22.5 ± 2.4 years to 36.0 ± 1.0 years. Pooled results showed that no significant difference in the total FSFI scores was observed between contraceptives use and noncontraception (SMD = −1.03, 95% CI: −2.08 to 0.01, P = .053; heterogeneity: I2 = 98.2%, P < .001). In line with this finding, the pooled RR also yielded no association between contraception use and the risk of FSD (RR = 1.29, 95% CI: 0.72–2.28, P = .392; heterogeneity: I2 = 76.0%, P = .0015). However, the subscale sexual desire showed a significant reduction in women who received contraceptives than those did not use contraception (SMD = −1.17, 95% CI: −2.09 to −0.24, P = .014; heterogeneity: I2 = 97.7%, P < .001), while no significant differences were found in sexual arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain domain.

Clinical Implications: Though evidence from this meta-analysis did not support an association between contraceptives use and the risk of FSD, the sexual desire could be significantly impaired by contraceptives use.

Strengths & Limitations: This is the first meta-analysis quantifying the relationship between contraceptives use and the risks of FSD. However, substantial heterogeneities were presented across the included studies.

Conclusion: No direct association between contraceptives use and the risk of FSD was found. Nevertheless, declining sexual desire was significantly associated with contraceptives use. Additional double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trials are still warranted.

Key Words: ContraceptionFemale Sexual DysfunctionMeta-analysisFemale Sexual Function Index