Category: Sociology

2024-25, Health, mental health, Psychology, Sociology, Technology

Online Gaming: Is it a beneficial social space for everyone?

Author: Asher Agarwal, Class of 2027 Figure 1. A person playing Fortnite on a Nintendo Switch. Online gaming, an activity played with others via the internet, is popular across all ages, abilities, and genders. Recently, research has been delving into the positive effects of gaming, such as the correlation of online gaming with social well-being. Researchers from NTNU Social Research, the University of Agder, and … Continue reading Online Gaming: Is it a beneficial social space for everyone?

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
2024-25, mental health, Psychology, relationships, Sociology

Parasocial Relationships: One-Sided, Yet Significant

Author: Amal Bilal, Class of 2028 Figure 1. Woman wearing headphones while scrolling through YouTube Parasocial relationships (PSRs) are one-sided relationships that one develops with media personae, such as celebrities, fictional characters, or social media influencers, who are incapable of returning sentiment. Recent studies suggest that one-sided relationships may serve as valuable social resources, fulfilling many of the same needs as two-sided relationships with close … Continue reading Parasocial Relationships: One-Sided, Yet Significant

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
discovery, General, Sociology

Do violent video games desensitize us to real-world violence?

By Asher Agarwal, Class of 2027 Recently, many media sources have been spreading concern that violent video games desensitize players to violence and damage their sense of empathy. Researchers at the University of Vienna and Karolinska Institute in Sweden attempted to test this hypothesis by utilizing fMRI technology. fMRI is a machine that allows one to indirectly measure the activity of the brain as it … Continue reading Do violent video games desensitize us to real-world violence?

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
2022-23, Brain, General Neuroscience, Neuroscience, Sociology, Year

Racial Disparities in Childhood Adversity Exposure Influence Neuroanatomical Development

Vignesh Subramanian ’24 Childhood adversity is a broad term encompassing a range of experiences and circumstances that negatively impact a child’s well-being and development. Such circumstances include trauma and exposure to violence, all forms of abuse, neglect, exploitation, and family economic hardship, with profound and stratified implications for lifelong health. Lasting effects often include the development of toxic stress responses, accumulating hormones that over-activate certain … Continue reading Racial Disparities in Childhood Adversity Exposure Influence Neuroanatomical Development

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
2022-23, COVID-19, Health and Medicine, Sociology, Year

Pandemic year brought on exacerbation of race, gender, and geographical disparities of drug overdoses

By: Jessica George, Class of 2024 The opioid epidemic has been a major public health crisis in the United States for several decades; fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, has emerged as a significant contributor to the increase in drug overdose deaths in recent years. Given the prevalence and gravity of this problem, it is imperative to investigate any discrepancies that may exist between populations so as … Continue reading Pandemic year brought on exacerbation of race, gender, and geographical disparities of drug overdoses

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
2022-23, General Psychology, Sociology, Year

Effect of acculturative stress and internalization on body image of deaf women 

By Shahzadi Adeena, Class of 2025 Figure 1 : Two women talking to each other in sign language Body image dissatisfaction and disordered eating behaviors are causes for concern, as they are associated with psychological disturbances. Although research on body image concern has primarily focused on white women, the extent of such concerns varies among cultural groups. Factors such as cultural identity confusion, acculturation status (the … Continue reading Effect of acculturative stress and internalization on body image of deaf women 

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
2022-23, Health and Medicine, Medicine and Physiology, mental health, Sociology, Year

Black Patients More Likely Than White Patients to Suffer Negative Outcomes After Spine Surgery

By: Jessica George, Class of 2024 Figure 1: Disparities in healthcare outcomes may be due to systemic biases in healthcare delivery Racial disparities in healthcare outcomes have been well-documented in numerous studies, including those focused on surgical procedures. Despite advances in surgical techniques and technologies, disparities in surgical outcomes persist, with some racial and ethnic groups experiencing worse outcomes than others. Understanding the factors that … Continue reading Black Patients More Likely Than White Patients to Suffer Negative Outcomes After Spine Surgery

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
2022-23, Health, Health and Medicine, Sociology

Friends and Food: The Influence of Perceived Social Isolation on Malnutrition

Peter Gillespie ’25 The risks of malnutrition are extensive,  especially within the elderly population. Social factors such as poverty, race, illiteracy, and poor access to healthcare have been shown to increase risk of malnutrition among older adults. However, a recent publication from Dr. Mark J. Sedler, founder of the Stony Brook University Office of Global Medical Education, and his colleagues proposes an additional social determinant … Continue reading Friends and Food: The Influence of Perceived Social Isolation on Malnutrition

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
Sociology

Women in Medical Academia are Less Likely than Men to Publish in Top Journals

Zhifei Zeng ’23 Figure 1: Stony Brook University research team investigates gender differences in first authorship in top medical journals Even with all the calls for gender equality today, it still happens that women may have to work harder to achieve the same success or reputation as men. Studies show that women are less likely to attain the rank of Associate or Full Professor, and … Continue reading Women in Medical Academia are Less Likely than Men to Publish in Top Journals

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
General Psychology, Sociology

College Mentorship May Be the Key to Helping the STEM Worker Shortage

Panayiota Siskos ’23 A shortage of STEM workers in the US exists due to unmet demand for increasing numbers of STEM graduates. Such shortage is even more apparent in typically underrepresented groups, despite diversity in STEM companies typically having greater company earnings, productivity, and inclusive work culture. A major factor of this is difficulty in retaining students in STEM majors, who have higher attrition rates, … Continue reading College Mentorship May Be the Key to Helping the STEM Worker Shortage

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
Sociology

Ageing: The Role of Ageism

Thumyat Noe ’23 Although the global average life expectancy has increased, there is little evidence to support that quality of life for older people has improved. Older adults are believed to be experiencing better health worldwide due to improvements in medical, psychological, and social resources, but the role of ageism in determining healthy aging is often disregarded. Ageism is a form of prejudice in which … Continue reading Ageing: The Role of Ageism

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment
Health, Sociology

Silent Voices of the Hungry

Gwenyth Mercep ’22 About one in five US households with children experience food insecurity [1]. Food-insecure families may employ protective strategies to deflect collective hardships on children and national data suggests that in general, adults believe they are very successful in doing so [1]. Only 1% of these parents reported their children to experience a reduction in nutritional quality or quantity [1]. Contrarily, data shows … Continue reading Silent Voices of the Hungry

Unknown's avatarYoung Investigators ReviewLeave a comment