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Background People bring the social contexts of their lives into the medical encounter. As a social determinant of health, police brutality influences physical and mental health. However, negative experiences with institutions such as law enforcement might decrease trust in other institutions, including medical institutions. Mistrust might limit engagement with the healthcare system and affect population health. This study investigates the relationship between police brutality and medical mistrust and assesses whether it varies by race. Basic Procedures Data were obtained from a 2018 cross-sectional survey of adults living in urban areas in the USA ( N  = 4389). Medical mistrust was regressed on police brutality (experiences and appraisal of negative encounters with the police), controlling for socio-demographics, health status, and healthcare access. Means of mistrust were predicted by racial group after including interactions between police brutality and race. Main Findings Respondents who had negative encounters with the police, even if they perceived these encounters to be necessary, had higher levels of medical mistrust compared to those with no negative police encounters. Police brutality increased mistrust for all racial groups. Principal Conclusions Conditions outside the medical system such as experiencing police brutality impact relationships with the medical system. Given that clinicians are in a unique position of having access to firsthand information about the struggles and injustices that shape their patients’ health, advocating for systemic change on behalf of their patients might build trust.

Medical distrust is a potent barrier to participation in HIV care and medication use among African American/Black and Latino (AABL) persons living with HIV (PLWH). However, little is known about sociodemographic and risk factors associated with distrust. We recruited adult AABL PLWH from low socio-economic status backgrounds with insufficient engagement in HIV care (N = 512). Participants completed structured assessments on three types of distrust (of health care providers, health care systems, and counter-narratives), HIV history, and mental health. We used a type of machine learning called random forest to explore predictors of trust. On average, participants were 47 years old (SD = 11 years), diagnosed with HIV 18 years prior (SD = 9 years), and mainly male (64%) and African American/Black (69%). Depression and age were the most important predictors of trust. Among those with elevated depressive symptoms, younger participants had less trust than older, while among those without depression, trust was greater across all ages. The present study adds nuance to the literature on medical distrust among AABL PLWH and identifies junctures where interventions to build trust are needed most.

Young, Black, gay bisexual or other MSM are significantly less likely to use PrEP than their White counterparts. These disparities may be due, in part, to medical mistrust and mistreatment within the healthcare system. This study aimed to uncover how young Black MSM’s perceptions of, and experiences with, health care contribute to low engagement in the healthcare system and low PrEP utilization. In late 2017 and early 2018, we conducted six focus groups with 44 Black MSM ages 16–25 in Milwaukee. Focus group topics included participants’ knowledge and perceptions of PrEP, perceptions and stereotypes about PrEP users, and general healthcare utilization patterns and behaviors. Focus group transcripts were transcribed verbatim and coded using MAXQDA qualitative analysis software. We used a team-based approach to thematic content analysis to understand how racism and homonegativity affected healthcare access and experiences. Results from this study help to characterize what contributes to mistrust of the healthcare system and healthcare providers to negatively affect PrEP use among young Black MSM. Focus group discussions revealed how previous and anticipated negative interactions with physicians and skepticism about the healthcare system have alienated young Black MSM from the health care system and created significant barriers to PrEP. Efforts to increase PrEP uptake and must address negative and discriminatory interactions with providers and the healthcare system.

Compared to White Americans, African-Americans are less likely to use primary care (PC) as their usual source of care. This is generally attributed to race differences in socioeconomic status and in access to primary care services. Little is known about the relationship between race differences in medical mistrust and the usual source of care disparity. Using data from the Exploring Health Disparities in Integrated Communities (EHDIC) study, we examined the role of medical mistrust in choosing usual source of care in 1408 black and white adults who were exposed to the same healthcare facilities and low-income racially integrated community. Multinomial logistic regression models were estimated to examine the relationship between race, medical mistrust, and usual source of care. After adjusting for demographic and health-related factors, African-Americans were more likely than whites to use the emergency department (ED) (relative risk ratio [RRR] = 1.43 (95 % confidence interval (CI) [1.06–1.94])) and hospital outpatient department (RRR1.50 (95 %CI [1.10–2.05])) versus primary care as a usual source of care. When medical mistrust was added to the model, the gap between African-Americans’ and whites’ risk of using the ED versus primary care as a usual source of care closed (RRR = 1.29; 95 % CI [0.91–1.83]). However, race differences in the use of the hospital outpatient department remained even after accounting for medical mistrust (RRR = 1.67; 95 % CI [1.16–2.40]). Accounting for medical mistrust eliminated the ED-as-usual-source of care disparity. This study highlights the importance of medical mistrust as an intervention point for decreasing ED use as a usual source of care by low-income, urban African-Americans.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an effective biomedical HIV prevention method. PrEP uptake has been persistently low among US women, particularly Black women, who account for 61% of new HIV diagnoses among women. Further understanding of barriers to Black women accessing PrEP is needed. This 2017 cross-sectional survey study explored race-based differences in PrEP interest and intention among women and the indirect association between race and comfort discussing PrEP with a healthcare provider through medical mistrust. The sample consisted of 501 adult women (241 Black; 260 White) who were HIV-negative, PrEP-inexperienced, and heterosexually active. Black women reported greater PrEP interest and intention than White women. However, Black women expressed higher levels of medical mistrust, which, in turn, was associated with lower comfort discussing PrEP with a provider. Medical mistrust may operate as a unique barrier to PrEP access among Black women who are interested in and could benefit from PrEP.

Uptake of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among Black women living in the US is suboptimal. We sought to determine the association between HIV-related medical mistrust (or belief in HIV conspiracy theories) and willingness to use PrEP among Black women. We analyzed data from the 2016 National Survey on HIV in the Black Community (NSHBC), a nationally representative cross-sectional survey. Among NSHBC participants, 522 were women and 347 (69.0%) reported HIV risk factors. Only 14.1% were aware that PrEP exists; 30.8% reported willingness to use PrEP. HIV-related medical mistrust was reported by 60.4% of women. In multivariable analysis, controlling for income, education, marital status and health care engagement, belief in conspiracy theories was significantly associated with higher willingness to use PrEP. The HIV-Related Medical Mistrust Scale item: “there is a cure for HIV, but the government is withholding it from the poor” was independently associated with higher PrEP willingness. This finding speaks to the need for an improved understanding of the role of HIV-related medical mistrust among Black women to improve uptake of biomedical HIV prevention.

The state of Arizona has experienced one of the highest novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) positivity test rates in the United States with disproportionally higher case rates and deaths among African-American/Black (AA/B), American Indian/Alaska Native (Native), and Hispanic/Latinx (HLX) individuals. To reduce disparities and promote health equity, researchers from Arizona State University, Mayo Clinic in Arizona, Northern Arizona University, and the University of Arizona formed a partnership with community organizations to conduct state-wide community-engaged research and outreach. This report describes results from 34 virtually-held focus groups and supplemental survey responses conducted with 153 AA/B, HLX, and Native community members across Arizona to understand factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and confidence. Focus groups revealed common themes of vaccine hesitancy stemming from past experiences of research abuses (e.g., Tuskegee syphilis experiment) as well as group-specific factors. Across all focus groups, participants strongly recommended the use of brief, narrative vaccination testimonials from local officials, community members, and faith leaders to increase trust in science, vaccine confidence and to promote uptake.

Black women contract HIV at much higher rates than White or Hispanic women. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is an underutilized prevention tool among this population. We sought to determine participants’ interest in PrEP and facilitators and barriers to PrEP adoption. This longitudinal, qualitative study included 30 Black women (Mage = 32.2) interviewed 4 times over 6 months. Most participants had never heard of PrEP and a majority expressed initial interest. Barriers to PrEP initiation included low perceived HIV risk, medical mistrust, provider experiences and knowledge, negative reactions from family and friends, low perceived efficacy to adherence, and transportation. This study demonstrated actual, rather than hypothetical, PrEP interest and attitudes among Black women, and the barriers that arose over time during the study. PrEP awareness needs to be promoted among Black women and medical providers. Future research should address individual risk perception, medical mistrust, increasing social support, and decreasing transportation barriers.

Background Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine hesitancy is a growing concern in the United States, yet understudied among racial/ethnic minority parents. We conducted qualitative research to understand parental HPV vaccine hesitancy and inform community-specific, multilevel approaches to improve HPV vaccination among diverse populations in Los Angeles. Methods We recruited American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN), Hispanic/Latino/a (HL) and Chinese parents of unvaccinated children (9–17 years) from low-HPV vaccine uptake regions in Los Angeles for virtual focus groups (FGs). FGs were conducted in English (2), Mandarin (1), and Spanish (1) between June-August 2021. One English FG was with AI/AN-identifying parents. FGs prompted discussions about vaccine knowledge, sources of information/hesitancy, logistical barriers and interpersonal, healthcare and community interactions regarding HPV vaccination. Guided by the social-ecological model, we identified multilevel emergent themes related to HPV vaccination. Results Parents (n = 20) in all FGs reported exposure to HPV vaccine information from the internet and other sources, including in-language media (Mandarin) and health care providers (Spanish). All FGs expressed confusion around the vaccine and had encountered HPV vaccine misinformation. FGs experienced challenges navigating relationships with children, providers, and friends/family for HPV vaccine decision-making. At the community-level, historical events contributed to mistrust (e.g., forced community displacement [AI/AN]). At the societal-level, transportation, and work schedules (Spanish, AI/AN) were barriers to vaccination. Medical mistrust contributed to HPV vaccine hesitancy across the analysis levels. Conclusion Our findings highlight the importance of multilevel influences on parental HPV vaccine hesitancy and decision-making and the need for community-specific messaging to combat medical mistrust and other barriers to HPV vaccination among racial/ethnic minority communities.

Background Medical mistrust among Black patients has been used to explain the existence of well-documented racial inequities at the end of life that negatively impact this group. However, there are few studies that describe patient perspectives around the impact of racism and discriminatory experiences on mistrust within the context of serious illness. Objective To better characterize experiences of racism and discrimination among patients with serious illness and its association with medical mistrust. Participants Seventy-two Black participants with serious illness hospitalized at an academic county hospital. Approach This is a convergent mixed methods study using data from participant-completed surveys and existing semi-structured interviews eliciting participants’ perspectives around their experiences with medical racism, communication, and decision-making. Main Measures The experience of medical racism and its association with Group-Based Medical Mistrust (GBMM) scale scores, a validated measure of medical mistrust. Key Results Of the 72 Black participants, 35% participated in interviews. Participants were mostly men who had significant socioeconomic disadvantage, including low levels of wealth, income, and educational attainment. There were reported high levels of race-based mistrust in the overall GBMM scale score (mean [SD], 36.6 [9.9]), as well as high scores within the suspicion (14.2 [5.0]), group disparities in healthcare (9.9 [2.8]), and lack of support (9.1 [2.7]) subscales. Three qualitative themes aligned with the GBMM subscales. Participants expressed skepticism of healthcare workers (HCWs) and modern medicine, recounted personal experiences of discrimination in the medical setting, and were frustrated with poor communication from HCWs. Conclusions This study found high levels of mistrust among Black patients with serious illness. Suspicion of HCWs, disparities in healthcare by race, and a lack of support from HCWs were overarching themes that influenced medical mistrust. Critical, race-conscious approaches are needed to create strategies and frameworks to improve the trustworthiness of healthcare institutions and workers. Graphical abstract