Syndemic theory, methods, and data

Mendenhall, Emily; Newfield, Timothy P.; Tsai, Alexander C.

doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114656

Cited by 37 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…Syndemics theory has been proposed as a helpful framework for understanding PTSD+AUD associations and identifying additional avenues for intervention in some global settings (de Jong et al, 2015). Syndemics theory proposes that intersecting epidemics, such as violence, HIV and substance use, interact synergistically to compound the burden of disease (Singer et al, 2017;Mendenhall, Newfield and Tsai, 2022). This theory considers the role of harmful social conditions in understanding disease concentration and interaction.…”

Section: Theoretical Models Of Ptsd+audmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder and alcohol use disorder in low- and middle-income countries: A narrative review

Kaysen

Stolk-Cooke

Kaminer

et al. 2022

Camb. prisms Glob. ment. health

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Much of the research on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD) has been conducted in high income countries. However, PTSD and AUD commonly co-occur (PTSD+AUD), are both associated with high global burden of disease, and disproportionately impact those in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). This narrative review attempts to synthesize the research on prevalence, impact, etiological models, and treatment of PTSD+AUD drawing from research conducted in high income countries and discussing the research that has been conducted to date in LMICs. The review also discusses overall limitations in the field, including a lack of research on PTSD+AUD outside of high-income countries (HICs), issues with measurement of key constructs, and limitations in sampling strategies across comorbidity studies. Future directions are discussed, including a need for rigorous research studies conducted in LMICs that focus on both etiological mechanisms and on treatment approaches.

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Section: Theoretical Models Of Ptsd+audmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder and alcohol use disorder in low- and middle-income countries: A narrative review

Kaysen

Stolk-Cooke

Kaminer

et al. 2022

Camb. prisms Glob. ment. health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…What seems to be the most important contribution of the syndemics perspective to public health practice, i.e., applying a systemic perspective to understand health and disease (Hossain et al, 2022;Mendenhall et al, 2022;Newfield, 2022), has come into question in the last years. Recent critiques to syndemics' research have alerted of the danger of generating diffuse predictions based on the assumption of mutually reinforcing factors for which interactions cannot be clearly described (Tsai, 2018), as well as the persistent practice of applying biomedical lenses to describe specific contexts in terms of risks (Weaver & Kaiser, 2022), while ignoring other layers of complexity also emerging from said contexts (Slagboom et al, 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

(Re)conceptualizing vulnerability in health under the syndemics perspective: protocol for a scoping review

et al. 2022

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The concept of vulnerability has been widely used in global health research to assess susceptibility to diseases and disasters in individuals and groups. This perspective has proven to be useful for policy making by bringing attention to the unequal distribution of risks and impacts in specific populations and contexts. However, it is often insufficient to explain interactions between environmental, zoonotic, and social realms involved in the experience of health and disease. Theoretical developments proposed under the syndemics approach have intended to explore this gap by studying the underlying political, economic, and social dynamics affecting the occurrence of overlapping health issues. During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the term syndemics has been used to refer to underlying conditions and social factors impacting disease outcomes. This scoping review aims to explore the contributions of the syndemics perspective to the (re)conceptualization of vulnerability during the COVID-19 pandemic. We intend to do so by identifying social and environmental arrangements so far described in original research, opinion pieces or reviews published since December 2019. Variations in the explanations provided about the role played by socio-environmental dynamics in the observed interactions in populations, settings, and interacting conditions will be subsequently examined. Finally, we will track the contributions and limitations of the syndemics perspective to the study of vulnerability in health in light of the evidence produced around COVID-19.

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“…Syndemic concept refers to a framework that allows the analysis of clusters of diseases that affect a population in contexts of geographic, social and economic inequalities [1][2][3]. From this perspective, the aim is to understand how the co-existence of certain diseases of very diverse etiology can be influenced by specific environmental conditions, resulting in worse health outcomes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…From this perspective, the aim is to understand how the co-existence of certain diseases of very diverse etiology can be influenced by specific environmental conditions, resulting in worse health outcomes. Therefore, the syndemic perspective contributes to understand diseases-and their interactions-in the light of structural determinants, including public policies, violence, educational backwardness, poverty, among others [1][2][3][4]. It is based on the idea that social and health phenomena do not occur in isolation, but rather that there is a reciprocal influence that leads to the exacerbation of the problems arising in these two aspects [1,2,[4][5][6][7][8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Type 2 diabetes and depressive symptoms in the adult population in Mexico: a syndemic approach based on National Health and Nutrition Survey

2022

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Background The syndemic approach allows the analysis of clusters of diseases that affect a population in contexts of geographic, social and economic inequalities at the same moment and time. This study aims to analyze, from a syndemic perspective, the relationship between type 2 diabetes (T2D) and depressive symptoms in Mexican adults and its association with individual, contextual and structural factors. Methods Observational, cross-sectional study based on secondary data from Mexico’s National Health and Nutrition Survey 2018–19. The sample of this study consisted of 16 835 adults, which represented a total of 78 463 734 persons aged ≥ 20 years. Bivariate descriptive analyses were performed and logistic regression models were estimated to analyze the association between T2D and depressive symptoms with various co-variables. In addition, interactions between T2D and depressive symptoms with obesity, educational level, and socioeconomic status were tested. Results In the study population, 12.2% of adults aged 20 years and older self-reported having T2D, 14.7% had depressive symptoms and 2.8% had both diseases. There was a statistically significant relationship between T2D and depressive symptoms. The prevalence of T2D and depressive symptoms was higher compared to people who did not have these two conditions. Obesity increased the probability of having T2D, while violence was statistically associated with people having depressive symptoms. A low level of education increased the odds ratio of having T2D and depressive symptoms. Conclusion The availability of analytical frameworks such as the syndemic perspective could help to identify areas of opportunity for decision making and actions for population groups that–because of their individual, contextual and structural disadvantages–are at greater risk of experiencing poorer health outcomes due to the presence of T2D and depressive symptoms.

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Syndemic theory, methods, and data

Cited by 37 publications

References 57 publications

Comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder and alcohol use disorder in low- and middle-income countries: A narrative review

Comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder and alcohol use disorder in low- and middle-income countries: A narrative review

(Re)conceptualizing vulnerability in health under the syndemics perspective: protocol for a scoping review

Type 2 diabetes and depressive symptoms in the adult population in Mexico: a syndemic approach based on National Health and Nutrition Survey

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