Latinx adolescents' daily family assistance and emotional well-being before and amid the COVID-19 pandemic: A pilot measurement burst study.

This study examined Latinx adolescents' daily family assistance (assistance day, assistance time, language brokering) in relation to their daily affect and investigated whether the associations changed following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Two waves of 14-day daily diary data collected from 13 18-year-old Latinx adolescents (ndays = 284; 77% Mexican American, 77% female) before and amid the pandemic were analyzed using multilevel modeling. Three main findings emerged: (1) assisting the family on a given day was associated with higher levels of same-day positive affect both before and during COVID-19, and with lower levels of negative affect during COVID-19; (2) longer than usual family assistance time was associated with higher levels of same-day positive affect and lower levels of negative affect only during COVID-19; (3) language brokering on a given day was associated with higher levels of same-day positive affect both before and during COVID-19. These findings suggest a positive link between daily family assistance and Latinx youth's daily emotional well-being, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sociocultural Antecedents and Mechanisms of COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake among Mexican-Origin Youth.

Mexican-origin youth, as a large and growing population among U.S. youth, have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19. Understanding what, when, and how sociocultural factors may influence their COVID-19 vaccine uptake could inform current and future pandemic-response interventions promoting vaccination behaviors among Mexican-origin youth. The current study takes a developmental approach to reveal the long-term and short-term sociocultural antecedents of 198 Mexican-origin adolescents' COVID-19 vaccination uptake behaviors and explores the underlying mechanism of these associations based on the Knowledge-Attitude-Behavior model. The current study adopted Wave 1 (2012-2015) and Wave 4 (2021-2022) self-reported data from a larger study. Analyses were conducted to examine four mediation models for four sociocultural antecedents-daily discrimination, ethnic discrimination, foreigner stress, and family economic stress-separately. Consistent indirect effects of higher levels of concurrent sociocultural risk factors on a lower probability of COVID-19 vaccine uptake were observed to occur through less knowledge about the COVID-19 vaccines and less positive attitudes toward the COVID-19 vaccines at Wave 4. Significant direct effects, but in opposite directions, were found for the associations between Wave 1 ethnic discrimination/Wave 4 daily discrimination and the probability of COVID-19 vaccine uptake. The findings highlight the importance of considering prior and concurrent sociocultural antecedents and the Knowledge-Attitude-Behavior pathway leading to COVID-19 vaccination uptake among Mexican-origin youth and suggest that the impact of discrimination on COVID-19 vaccination uptake may depend on the type (e.g., daily or ethnic) and the context (e.g., during the COVID-19 pandemic or not) of discrimination experienced.

Understanding adjustment profiles among Mexican-origin adolescents over time: A focus on cultural risk and resilience factors.

This study used a three-wave longitudinal dataset to: identify adjustment profiles of U.S. Mexican-origin adolescents based on their physical, academic, and psychosocial health adjustment; track adjustment profile changes throughout adolescence; and examine the associations between cultural stressors, family obligation, and adjustment profile membership over time. Participants were 604 Mexican-origin adolescents (54% female, Mage = 12.41, SD = 0.97) in Texas (Wave 1: 2012-2015; Wave 2: 2013-2016; Wave 3: 2017-2020). Three concurrent profiles (Well-adjusted, Moderate, and Poorly-adjusted) emerged at each wave, whereas three transition profiles (Improved, Stable well-adjusted, and Overall poorly-adjusted) were identified across three waves. The results suggest that cultural stressors pose risks for Mexican-origin adolescents' adjustment, and family obligation values play a protective role in these associations.

Evaluating site-of-care-related racial disparities in kidney graft failure using a novel federated learning framework.

OBJECTIVES: Racial disparities in kidney transplant access and posttransplant outcomes exist between non-Hispanic Black (NHB) and non-Hispanic White (NHW) patients in the United States, with the site of care being a key contributor. Using multi-site data to examine the effect of site of care on racial disparities, the key challenge is the dilemma in sharing patient-level data due to regulations for protecting patients' privacy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We developed a federated learning framework, named dGEM-disparity (decentralized algorithm for Generalized linear mixed Effect Model for disparity quantification). Consisting of 2 modules, dGEM-disparity first provides accurately estimated common effects and calibrated hospital-specific effects by requiring only aggregated data from each center and then adopts a counterfactual modeling approach to assess whether the graft failure rates differ if NHB patients had been admitted at transplant centers in the same distribution as NHW patients were admitted. RESULTS: Utilizing United States Renal Data System data from 39 043 adult patients across 73 transplant centers over 10 years, we found that if NHB patients had followed the distribution of NHW patients in admissions, there would be 38 fewer deaths or graft failures per 10 000 NHB patients (95% CI, 35-40) within 1 year of receiving a kidney transplant on average. DISCUSSION: The proposed framework facilitates efficient collaborations in clinical research networks. Additionally, the framework, by using counterfactual modeling to calculate the event rate, allows us to investigate contributions to racial disparities that may occur at the level of site of care. CONCLUSIONS: Our framework is broadly applicable to other decentralized datasets and disparities research related to differential access to care. Ultimately, our proposed framework will advance equity in human health by identifying and addressing hospital-level racial disparities.

Survival Analysis and Socio-Cognitive Factors in the Timing of COVID-19 Vaccination Among Mexican-Origin Youth.

OBJECTIVE: The COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affected ethnic minority populations and exacerbated preexisting health disparities. The current study aims to promote vaccine uptake among Mexican-origin youth from immigrant families by examining their time to COVID-19 vaccine uptake and assessing the influence of demographic, cognitive, and social factors on the incidence of COVID-19 vaccination. METHODS: The study conducted Survival Analysis using a Cox proportional hazards model based on a sample of 202 Mexican-origin youth (61.39% female; Mage = 20.41) with data collected from August 2021 to January 2023 in central Texas. RESULTS: The results show a critical time period for vaccine uptake (i.e., in the first six months after the vaccines were publicly available), evidenced by a surge decrease in COVID-19 unvaccination probability. In addition, more positive attitudes toward the COVID-19 vaccine (Hazard ratio/HR = 1.89, 95% Confidence Interval/CI = [1.64, 2.18]), greater motivation (HR = 2.29, 95% CI = [1.85, 2.85]), higher education levels (HR = 1.52, 95% CI = [1.24, 1.86]), and fewer general barriers to COVID-19 vaccine knowledge (HR = 0.75, 95% CI = [0.60, 0.94]) were associated with greater incidences of receiving COVID-19 vaccines at any given time point during the pandemic. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that COVID-19 vaccine uptake among Mexican-origin youth occurred primarily within the initial months of vaccines being publicly distributed. To encourage vaccination among Mexican-origin youth, sustained COVID-19 vaccine promotion efforts are needed by targeting their motivation and positive attitudes and reducing barriers to vaccine information, particularly for youth with lower education levels.

Engineered extracellular vesicles carrying let-7a-5p for alleviating inflammation in acute lung injury.

BACKGROUND: Acute lung injury (ALI) is a life-threatening respiratory condition characterized by severe inflammation and lung tissue damage, frequently causing rapid respiratory failure and long-term complications. The microRNA let-7a-5p is involved in the progression of lung injury, inflammation, and fibrosis by regulating immune cell activation and cytokine production. This study aims to use an innovative cellular electroporation platform to generate extracellular vesicles (EVs) carring let-7a-5p (EV-let-7a-5p) derived from transfected Wharton's jelly-mesenchymal stem cells (WJ-MSCs) as a potential gene therapy for ALI. METHODS: A cellular nanoporation (CNP) method was used to induce the production and release of EV-let-7a-5p from WJ-MSCs transfected with the relevant plasmid DNA. EV-let-7a-5p in the conditioned medium were isolated using a tangential flow filtration (TFF) system. EV characterization followed the minimal consensus guidelines outlined by the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles. We conducted a thorough set of therapeutic assessments, including the antifibrotic effects using a transforming growth factor beta (TGF-ß)-induced cell model, the modulation effects on macrophage polarization, and the influence of EV-let-7a-5p in a rat model of hyperoxia-induced ALI. RESULTS: The CNP platform significantly increased EV secretion from transfected WJ-MSCs, and the encapsulated let-7a-5p in engineered EVs was markedly higher than that in untreated WJ-MSCs. These EV-let-7a-5p did not influence cell proliferation and effectively mitigated the TGF-ß-induced fibrotic phenotype by downregulating SMAD2/3 phosphorylation in LL29 cells. Furthermore, EV-let-7a-5p regulated M2-like macrophage activation in an inflammatory microenvironment and significantly induced interleukin (IL)-10 secretion, demonstrating their modulatory effect on inflammation. Administering EVs from untreated WJ-MSCs slightly improved lung function and increased let-7a-5p expression in plasma in the hyperoxia-induced ALI rat model. In comparison, EV-let-7a-5p significantly reduced macrophage infiltration and collagen deposition while increasing IL-10 expression, causing a substantial improvement in lung function. CONCLUSION: This study reveals that the use of the CNP platform to stimulate and transfect WJ-MSCs could generate an abundance of let-7a-5p-enriched EVs, which underscores the therapeutic potential in countering inflammatory responses, fibrotic activation, and hyperoxia-induced lung injury. These results provide potential avenues for developing innovative therapeutic approaches for more effective interventions in ALI.

Language brokering profiles of Mexican-origin adolescents in immigrant communities: Social-cultural contributors and developmental outcomes.

This study examines social-cultural contributors and developmental outcomes of language brokers. From 2012 to 2020, three waves of data were collected from 604 Mexican-origin adolescent language brokers (Mage = 12.92, SD = 0.92, 54% girls). The study (1) identified four distinct subgroups of language brokers (efficacious, conservative, nonchalant, and burdened) who translated for mothers and fathers, after incorporating objective bilingual proficiency along with multiple dimensions of language brokering; (2) showed that early adolescents' Mexican, rather than U.S., cultural values and orientation were related to later language brokering profiles; and (3) showed that the efficacious group was the most resilient while burdened was the most vulnerable to developmental problems. Preservation of Mexican culture may facilitate language brokering experiences related to more positive developmental outcomes.

Real-World Effectiveness of BNT162b2 Against Infection and Severe Diseases in Children and Adolescents.

BACKGROUND: The efficacy of the BNT162b2 vaccine in pediatrics was assessed by randomized trials before the Omicron variant's emergence. The long-term durability of vaccine protection in this population during the Omicron period remains limited. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of BNT162b2 in preventing infection and severe diseases with various strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in previously uninfected children and adolescents. DESIGN: Comparative effectiveness research accounting for underreported vaccination in 3 study cohorts: adolescents (12 to 20 years) during the Delta phase and children (5 to 11 years) and adolescents (12 to 20 years) during the Omicron phase. SETTING: A national collaboration of pediatric health systems (PEDSnet). PARTICIPANTS: 77 392 adolescents (45 007 vaccinated) during the Delta phase and 111 539 children (50 398 vaccinated) and 56 080 adolescents (21 180 vaccinated) during the Omicron phase. INTERVENTION: First dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine versus no receipt of COVID-19 vaccine. MEASUREMENTS: Outcomes of interest include documented infection, COVID-19 illness severity, admission to an intensive care unit (ICU), and cardiac complications. The effectiveness was reported as (1-relative risk)*100, with confounders balanced via propensity score stratification. RESULTS: During the Delta period, the estimated effectiveness of the BNT162b2 vaccine was 98.4% (95% CI, 98.1% to 98.7%) against documented infection among adolescents, with no statistically significant waning after receipt of the first dose. An analysis of cardiac complications did not suggest a statistically significant difference between vaccinated and unvaccinated groups. During the Omicron period, the effectiveness against documented infection among children was estimated to be 74.3% (CI, 72.2% to 76.2%). Higher levels of effectiveness were seen against moderate or severe COVID-19 (75.5% [CI, 69.0% to 81.0%]) and ICU admission with COVID-19 (84.9% [CI, 64.8% to 93.5%]). Among adolescents, the effectiveness against documented Omicron infection was 85.5% (CI, 83.8% to 87.1%), with 84.8% (CI, 77.3% to 89.9%) against moderate or severe COVID-19, and 91.5% (CI, 69.5% to 97.6%) against ICU admission with COVID-19. The effectiveness of the BNT162b2 vaccine against the Omicron variant declined 4 months after the first dose and then stabilized. The analysis showed a lower risk for cardiac complications in the vaccinated group during the Omicron variant period. LIMITATION: Observational study design and potentially undocumented infection. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that BNT162b2 was effective for various COVID-19-related outcomes in children and adolescents during the Delta and Omicron periods, and there is some evidence of waning effectiveness over time. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE: National Institutes of Health.

Profiles of identity and discrimination and the psychological, health, and academic outcomes of Korean ethnic minority youth in China.

Korean Chinese is one of the 55 officially recognized ethnic minorities in China. The protective effects of strong bicultural (ethnic and national) identities and the detrimental effects of ethnic discrimination on adjustment outcomes are well documented for ethnic minority youth in W.E.I.R.D. societies. Yet, ethnic minority youth in non-W.E.I.R.D. societies, such as Korean Chinese, may experience a unique form of discrimination-national discrimination. It is not known how multiple social identities and experiences of dual discrimination may intersect to predict youth adjustment. Thus, this study explored profiles of ethnic and national identities and ethnic and national discrimination among Korean Chinese youth and examined their psychological, health, and academic adjustment. The analytic sample included 267 Korean Chinese youth aged from 12 to 18 (M = 15.21, SD = 1.65) residing in Northeast China. Three latent profiles were identified. The dominant profile of Korean Chinese youth was characterized by high bicultural identity and low ethnic and national discrimination (BILD; n = 171). The second profile was characterized by high bicultural identity and high national discrimination (BIND, n = 50). The third profile was characterized by moderate ethnic and national identities and moderate ethnic and national discrimination (MIMD, n = 46). Regression analyses found that the BILD profile showed fewer depressive symptoms compared to the BIND profile and showed better perceived physical health compared to the MIMD profile. The findings highlight strong bicultural identities as a cultural asset and discrimination-particularly national discrimination-as a contextual risk to Korean Chinese adolescents' well-being.

Real-world Effectiveness of BNT162b2 Against Infection and Severe Diseases in Children and Adolescents.

Background: The efficacy of the BNT162b2 vaccine in pediatrics was assessed by randomized trials before the Omicron variant's emergence. The long-term durability of vaccine protection in this population during the Omicron period remains limited. Objective: To assess the effectiveness of BNT162b2 in preventing infection and severe diseases with various strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in previously uninfected children and adolescents. Design: Comparative effectiveness research accounting for underreported vaccination in three study cohorts: adolescents (12 to 20 years) during the Delta phase, children (5 to 11 years) and adolescents (12 to 20 years) during the Omicron phase. Setting: A national collaboration of pediatric health systems (PEDSnet). Participants: 77,392 adolescents (45,007 vaccinated) in the Delta phase, 111,539 children (50,398 vaccinated) and 56,080 adolescents (21,180 vaccinated) in the Omicron period. Exposures: First dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine vs. no receipt of COVID-19 vaccine. Measurements: Outcomes of interest include documented infection, COVID-19 illness severity, admission to an intensive care unit (ICU), and cardiac complications. The effectiveness was reported as (1-relative risk)*100% with confounders balanced via propensity score stratification. Results: During the Delta period, the estimated effectiveness of BNT162b2 vaccine was 98.4% (95% CI, 98.1 to 98.7) against documented infection among adolescents, with no significant waning after receipt of the first dose. An analysis of cardiac complications did not find an increased risk after vaccination. During the Omicron period, the effectiveness against documented infection among children was estimated to be 74.3% (95% CI, 72.2 to 76.2). Higher levels of effectiveness were observed against moderate or severe COVID-19 (75.5%, 95% CI, 69.0 to 81.0) and ICU admission with COVID-19 (84.9%, 95% CI, 64.8 to 93.5). Among adolescents, the effectiveness against documented Omicron infection was 85.5% (95% CI, 83.8 to 87.1), with 84.8% (95% CI, 77.3 to 89.9) against moderate or severe COVID-19, and 91.5% (95% CI, 69.5 to 97.6)) against ICU admission with COVID-19. The effectiveness of the BNT162b2 vaccine against the Omicron variant declined after 4 months following the first dose and then stabilized. The analysis revealed a lower risk of cardiac complications in the vaccinated group during the Omicron variant period. Limitations: Observational study design and potentially undocumented infection. Conclusions: Our study suggests that BNT162b2 was effective for various COVID-19-related outcomes in children and adolescents during the Delta and Omicron periods, and there is some evidence of waning effectiveness over time. Primary Funding Source: National Institutes of Health.

Daily agreeableness and acculturation processes in ethnic/racial minority freshmen: The role of inter-ethnic contact and perceived discrimination.

OBJECTIVES: Having higher levels of mainstream cultural orientation (MCO), an important component of acculturation attitudes and behaviors, is beneficial for ethnic/racial minority students during the transitions into university. Scant research has investigated MCO at a micro daily timescale. This study examined how personality (agreeableness) functions in conjunction with interpersonal processes (inter-ethnic contact and perceived discrimination) to influence MCO as daily within-person processes. METHODS: Multi-level structural equation modeling were used to analyze month-long daily diary data from 209 ethnic/racial minority freshmen (69% female). RESULTS: There was a positive indirect association between agreeableness and MCO through inter-ethnic contact at both within- and between-person levels. At the within-person level, on days with lower (vs. higher) levels of ethnic/racial discrimination, higher levels of agreeableness were associated with higher levels of MCO. CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight the contributions of intensive longitudinal data in elucidating ethnic/racial minority students' personality and acculturation processes in daily life involving protective and risk factors on micro timescales.

Parental Academic Socialization and Youth Adjustments: A Comparison of Korean Youth in South Korea, China, and the United States.

Although parental academic socialization may be a product of culture, ethnic/racial minority status may play a significant role, above and beyond the impact of culture, in shaping parental academic socialization and its implications for youth adjustments. This study examined Korean youth living in South Korea (N = 524, Mage = 14.98, SD = 1.45, 50.1% female), China (N = 267, Mage = 15.24, SD = 1.66, 58.9% female), and the U.S. (N = 408, Mage = 14.76, SD = 1.91, 47.3% female) who share the same heritage culture but have different social positions (majority or minority). Korean youth as an ethnic/racial minority in the U.S. or China reported higher parental academic socialization than those in South Korea, supporting a significant role of social positions in how parents practice academic socialization. This study also found that the distinct practices of academic socialization function differently in youth adjustment. Parental commitment to education, parental involvement, and autonomy support were positively associated with youth's school engagement, but achievement-oriented psychological control was associated with more depressive symptoms and antisocial behaviors. These associations did not differ across the three samples. Some nuanced differences also emerged. Parental commitment to education was associated with higher grades in Korean Chinese (but not Korean American) youth, and achievement-oriented psychological control was associated with lower school engagement among Korean Chinese (but not South Korean) youth and higher grades among South Korean (but not Korean American) youth. These findings highlight the role of academic socialization as an adaptive strategy for ethnic/racial minorities to succeed in host societies and the generally universal role of parental academic socialization in youth adjustments.

Perceived Parenting Discrepancy Profiles, Feelings about Language Brokering, and Internalizing Symptoms among Mexican-origin Adolescents in Immigrant Families.

While different patterns of perceived parenting discrepancy among mother-adolescent dyads have been shown to be associated with adolescent internalizing symptoms, little is known about the pathway underlying such associations, particularly among immigrant families. The current study considered one culturally salient form of mother-adolescent communication, language brokering (i.e., adolescents translating and interpreting between host and heritage languages for mothers), in order to investigate its mediating role based on two waves of longitudinal data on Mexican-origin immigrant families. Wave 1 included 604 adolescents (54% female; Mage = 12.92, SD = 0.92) and 595 mothers (Mage = 38.89, SD = 5.74); Wave 2 was collected one year later with data from 483 adolescents. Perceived parenting discrepancy patterns at Wave 1 were captured by three profiles based on the levels of both mothers' and adolescents' perceived positive parenting (i.e., Mother High, Adolescent High, and Both High). Compared to the other two profiles, adolescents who reported much lower positive parenting than mothers at Wave 1 (i.e., Mother High) experienced more negative feelings about brokering at Wave 2, relating to more anxiety. Being in the Mother High (vs. Both High) group was also directly related to more depressive symptoms one year later. This study highlights the importance of considering culturally salient forms of communication, such as language brokering, when designing family-level interventions to reduce adolescents' internalizing symptoms by building agreement on high positive parenting among mother-adolescent dyads from immigrant families.

Language brokering and immigrant-origin youth's well-being: A meta-analytic review.

Youth from immigrant families often translate or interpret materials for their parents who lack proficiency in the dominant language of the mainstream society. However, evidence remains mixed regarding whether such a language brokering role is promotive or disruptive for youth's well-being. This meta-analysis synthesized 65 studies (1,242 effect sizes, 17,791 individuals; grand Mage = 16.68, SDage = 4.78) to examine whether, how, and when brokering frequency and feelings were related to well-being. Language brokering frequency was inversely associated with youth's positive family relationships (r = -.10) and socioemotional outcomes (r = -.10) and positively related to youth's acculturation stress (r = .06). However, positive or negative language brokering feelings were stronger predictors of youth' well-being or maladjustment (|r| = .10-.29). The associations between language brokering frequency and youth's adjustment also varied across subgroups, with the effects of frequent language brokering being more detrimental for European immigrant-origin (vs. Latinx), female (vs. male), and foreign-born (vs. native-born) youth. These findings underscore the need for a nuanced understanding of the impacts of youth language brokering. Finally, practical and policy implications are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Delivery of Mesenchymal Stem Cell in Dialdehyde Methylcellulose-Succinyl-Chitosan Hydrogel Promotes Chondrogenesis in a Porcine Model.

Due to the limitation in the current treatment modalities, such as secondary surgery in ACI and fibrocartilage formation in microfracture surgery, various scaffolds or hydrogels have been developed for cartilage regeneration. In the present study, we used sodium periodate to oxidize methylcellulose and formed dialdehyde methylcellulose (DAC) after dialysis and freeze-drying process, DAC was further mixed with succinyl-chitosan (SUC) to form an DAC-SUC in situ forming hydrogel. The hydrogel is a stiffness, elastic-like and porous hydrogel according to the observation of SEM and rheological analysis. DAC-SUC13 hydrogel possess well cell-compatibility as well as biodegradability. Most bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-pMSCs) were alive in the hydrogel and possess chondrogenesis potential. According to the results of animal study, we found DAC-SUC13 hydrogel can function as a stem cell carrier to promote glycosaminoglycans and type II collagen synthesis in the osteochondral defects of porcine knee. These findings suggested that DAC-SUC13 hydrogel combined with stem cell is a potential treatment for cartilage defects repair in the future.

Infrapatellar fat pad-derived mesenchymal stromal cell product for treatment of knee osteoarthritis: a first-in-human study with evaluation of the potency marker.

BACKGROUND AIMS: Infrapatellar fat pad-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (IFP-MSCs) have not yet been used in a human clinical trial. In this open-label phase 1 study, patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) received a single intra-articular injection of autologous IFP-MSCs. Safety was assessed through physical examination of the knee joint, vital signs, laboratory tests and adverse events. Efficacy was evaluated with regard to pain and function using questionnaires, x-ray and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) expression in IFP-MSCs primed with interferon gamma was used as an in vitro potency measurement in investigating the correlations of clinical outcomes. METHODS: Twelve patients with symptomatic knee OA were recruited. IFP adipose tissue was harvested from each patient's knee through surgical excision for IFP-MSC manufacturing. Cryopreserved IFP-MSCs (5 × 107 cells) were injected into the knee joint immediately after thawing. RESULTS: No significant adverse events were observed. Patients who received IFP-MSCs exhibited clinically significant pain and functional improvement at 48-week follow-up. The MRI Osteoarthritis Knee Score average was also significantly reduced from 100.2 before injection to 85.0 at 48 weeks after injection. The IDO expression of the primed IFP-MSCs of the 12 patients was correlated with clinical outcomes after injection. CONCLUSIONS: A single intra-articular injection of IFP-MSCs appears to be a safe therapy for treating knee OA and may improve disease symptoms. IDO measurement of primed IFP-MSCs has potential as a potency marker of MSC products for immunomodulatory therapy.

Ethnic-Racial Socialization, Ethnic-Racial Identity, and Depressive Symptoms in Korean Adolescents in the United States and China.

The United States and China are top two receiving countries of Korean immigrants in modern history. Minority families in ethnically-racially diverse societies, such as the US and China, use various ethnic-racial socialization practices (cultural socialization, promotion of mistrust, preparation for bias) to help their children navigate the world, yet research in non-U.S. contexts is scarce. To examine the specificity versus generalizability of ethnic-racial socialization and its implications, this study compared the prevalence of ethnic-racial socialization reported by Korean American (n = 408; Mage = 14.76, SD = 1.91; 48.30% female) and Korean Chinese (n = 267; Mage = 15.24, SD = 1.66; 58.90% female) youth. Moreover, this study examined how various ethnic-racial socialization practices relate to the youth's ethnic-racial identity, and subsequently, depressive symptoms. Although Korean American youth reported more frequent ethnic-racial socialization compared to their Korean Chinese counterparts, cultural socialization (but not preparation for bias nor promotion of mistrust) had a comparable negative indirect association with depressive symptoms via ethnic-racial identity across both groups. Thus, although the rates of parental ethnic-racial socialization are context-specific, parental cultural socialization may be similarly beneficial for Korean ethnic-racial minority youth's identity development, and in turn, psychological outcomes, whether in a Western individualistic society or an Eastern collectivistic society.

The Phenotypic, Psychological, and Social Interplays of Skin Color and Developmental Outcomes among Mexican-origin Adolescents: Dismantling Systems of Racism and Oppression during Adolescence: Dismantling Systems of Racism and Oppression during Adolescence.

Mexican-origin children from immigrant families are impacted by various systemic oppressions in life. The study seeks to examine how adolescents' developmental outcomes are associated with specific phenotypic, psychological, and social features of skin color, as manifested by skin tone, skin color satisfaction, and foreigner stress. By taking a holistic approach, we examine both positive and negative adjustment outcomes, including delinquency, resilience, and effortful control. Participants were 604 Mexican-origin adolescents aged between 11.08 and 15.29 (Mage = 12.91, SD = 0.92) with at least one immigrant parent. The findings highlight the harm of foreigner stress and the benefit of skin color satisfaction in Mexican-origin adolescents' development of delinquency, resilience, and effortful control, especially for those with a darker skin color.

Cultural stressors, internalizing symptoms, and parent-child alienation among Mexican-origin adolescents.

Objective: The current study investigated the relation of various cultural stressors, parent-child alienation, and Mexican-origin adolescents' internalizing symptoms at both between- and within-person levels across the course of adolescence. Background: Positive parent-child relationships can be a critical buffer against cultural stressors for Mexican-origin adolescents. However, it is unclear whether low levels of parent-child alienation (a) buffer the negative effects of different types of cultural stressors on internalizing symptoms and (b) function at the individual level more generally or during specific periods when adolescents experience high cultural stressors. Method: The current study used a three-wave longitudinal dataset of 604 Mexican-origin adolescents (Wave 1: Mage = 12.41, SD = 0.97, 54% female, 75% born in the United States) and conducted multilevel regression analysis. Results: At the between-person level, overall low parent-child alienation buffered the adverse effects of ethnic discrimination on anxiety and cultural misfit on depressive symptoms. There were no significant within-person-level interactions of parent-child alienation and cultural stressors on adolescent internalizing symptoms. Implication: The findings suggest that interventions should aim to reduce parent-child alienation throughout the course of adolescence to alleviate the impact of cultural stressors on internalizing symptoms among Mexican-origin adolescents.

Family Obligation, Parenting, and Adolescent Outcomes Among Mexican American Families.

The current study investigates how and under what conditions family obligation benefits Mexican American adolescents' adjustment. The study used two waves of data from 604 Mexican American adolescents (54.3% female, Mage.wave1 = 12.41 years, SD = 0.97) and their parents. Structural equation modeling revealed that both adolescents' and parents' sense of family obligation related to more supportive parenting (i.e., parental monitoring, warmth, and inductive reasoning), which linked to better adolescent adjustment (i.e., sense of life meaning, resilience, and grades). There were parent gender differences: Adolescents' family obligation was more strongly related to their reports of maternal (vs. paternal) parenting. The links also varied across informants for parenting: (a) individuals' sense of family obligation related only to their own perceptions of parenting and (b) there were more evident associations between adolescent-reported (vs. parent-reported) parenting and adolescent outcomes.