Passage
The term "health disparities" describes a systematic incidence of poorer health outcomes for groups that have traditionally experienced social disadvantage (eg, racial and ethnic minorities, lower-income individuals, women) as compared to more advantaged groups (eg, whites, higher-income individuals, men). These health disparities are driven by unequal access to health care services and health insurance due to prejudice and discrimination on the part of health care providers and the overall system, and extensive research has focused on these issues.Recent research suggests that another factor might explain health disparities: stereotype threat on the part of the patient. Stereotype threat can be evoked by verbal or nonverbal cues from health care professionals, such as a physician's use of confusing medical jargon (the standardized language medical personnel use to communicate among themselves) or a nurse's body language while discussing the risks of obesity and alcohol use. Once triggered, stereotype threat may result in behaviors that compromise one's own health. For example, a patient may withhold information or feel compelled to describe health-related behaviors in a positive light. Similarly, if the interaction arouses anxiety, a patient may be less likely to remember the physician's instructions or might dismiss a physician's advice as biased.Stereotype threat can be reduced through training programs that improve employees' communication skills. Some hospitals in large urban areas have implemented the use of cultural liaisons, individuals who are able to bridge the gap between a minority patient's cultural beliefs and Western medicine. Cultural liaisons are often present during the nonsensitive portions of the doctor's appointment, and studies suggest they may help to reduce stereotype threat in patients.
Adapted from J. Aronson, D. Burgess, S. M. Phelan, and L. Juarez (C)2013 American Public Health Association
-Which of the following concepts is LEAST relevant to the processes described in the second paragraph?

Question

Passage
The term "health disparities" describes a systematic incidence of poorer health outcomes for groups that have traditionally experienced social disadvantage (eg, racial and ethnic minorities, lower-income individuals, women) as compared to more advantaged groups (eg, whites, higher-income individuals, men).  These health disparities are driven by unequal access to health care services and health insurance due to prejudice and discrimination on the part of health care providers and the overall system, and extensive research has focused on these issues.Recent research suggests that another factor might explain health disparities: stereotype threat on the part of the patient.  Stereotype threat can be evoked by verbal or nonverbal cues from health care professionals, such as a physician's use of confusing medical jargon (the standardized language medical personnel use to communicate among themselves) or a nurse's body language while discussing the risks of obesity and alcohol use.  Once triggered, stereotype threat may result in behaviors that compromise one's own health.  For example, a patient may withhold information or feel compelled to describe health-related behaviors in a positive light.  Similarly, if the interaction arouses anxiety, a patient may be less likely to remember the physician's instructions or might dismiss a physician's advice as biased.Stereotype threat can be reduced through training programs that improve employees' communication skills.  Some hospitals in large urban areas have implemented the use of cultural liaisons, individuals who are able to bridge the gap between a minority patient's cultural beliefs and Western medicine.  Cultural liaisons are often present during the nonsensitive portions of the doctor's appointment, and studies suggest they may help to reduce stereotype threat in patients.
Adapted from J. Aronson, D. Burgess, S. M. Phelan, and L. Juarez (C)2013 American Public Health Association
-Which of the following concepts is LEAST relevant to the processes described in the second paragraph?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

11ecba2d_0d38_bf59_a3bf_3da60bd79d69_MD0008_00 Stereotype threat refers to the anxiety experienced by an individual who feels judged based on a negative stereotype about a group to which he or she belongs. For stereotype threat to occur, the individual must be made aware of his or her membership in a group that is negatively stereotyped. This awareness arouses vigilance, which often results in anxiety that negatively impacts performance. Stereotype threat can result from an interaction between a patient and physician if, for example, the patient is made aware of belonging to a group that is stereotypically associated with alcoholism. The patient might underreport consumption of alcohol for fear of validating the stereotype about the group. Cultural relativism, in which there are no "right" or "wrong" cultural practices, is most inclusive of cultural differences. Stereotype threat is less likely to occur in a health care situation that is culturally relativistic. (Choice A) Self-concept refers to beliefs about oneself, including beliefs about race/ethnicity, gender, ability, talent, and so on. Awareness of one's membership in a group (part of one's self-concept) that is negatively stereotyped is key to triggering stereotype threat. (Choice C) Stereotype threat evokes feelings of anxiety, which are mediated by the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system. (Choice D) Self-fulfilling prophecy occurs when a belief about something (that may or may not be true) influences the behavior of the person who believes it, resulting in an outcome that may validate the belief as true. The anxiety produced by stereotype threat can cause poor performance (ie, self-fulfilling prophecy). Educational objective: Stereotype threat occurs when an individual is made aware of a negative stereotype regarding a group with which that individual identifies, and this awareness causes the individual's performance to suffer.

Passage The Term "Health Disparities" Describes a Systematic Incidence of Poorer