Cultural Values Influence the Developmental Trajectory of Resistance to Social Influence Over the Course of Adolescence.

The opinions of peers are among the most potent factors influencing human decision-making. Research conducted in Western societies suggests that individuals become more resistant to peer influence from late adolescence to adulthood. It is unknown whether this developmental trajectory is universal across cultures. Through two cross-national studies, we present consistent self-report and behavioral evidence for culturally distinct developmental trajectories of resistance to peer influence (RPI). Our findings from the US samples replicated prior findings that reported increasing RPI. Yet, data from the Chinese participants were better fitted using a nonlinear model, displaying a U-shaped trajectory with lowest RPI levels at around 20 years old. In contrast to the long-held belief that increasing RPI from adolescence to early adulthood is a universal developmental trait, we propose that this developmental trajectory may depend on cultural context.

Measurement invariance of the Intuitive Eating Scale-2 across country, ethnicity, sex, and sexual orientation: A cross-cultural study between Brazil and the U.S.

Intuitive eating is defined as being connected to internal hunger, satiety, and appetitive cues and flexibly using these cues to determine when, what, and how much to eat. The Intuitive Eating Scale-2 (IES-2) is a widely used measure of facets of intuitive eating. However, the scale has shown unstable factor structure in several validation studies and there is a lack of studies investigating the measurement invariance of the IES-2 beyond sex. We aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the IES-2, testing several factor structures among Brazilian and U.S. samples of men and women; to test measurement invariance across country of origin, ethnicity, sex, and sexual orientation; and to evaluate its internal consistency. Three models of the latent structure of the IES-2 were tested using confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) in a total of 1072 young adults (452 Brazilians and 620 Americans), aged 18-35 years. Results demonstrated that only a 3-factor solution with 11 items of the IES-2 showed adequate fit to the data for both countries. This model demonstrated scalar invariance across sex and sexual orientation, but only configural invariance was found across country of origin and ethnicity. Good internal consistencies were found for both the Brazilian and American samples. The present study provides support for a 3-factor solution with 11 items of the IES-2, to Brazilian and American samples. The study also offers evidence of internal consistency, and invariance between sex (i.e., male and female) and sexual orientation (i.e., heterosexual participants and sexual minority participants).

The relationship between gendered racism and binge eating symptoms among young adult U.S. Black women: Identity shifting as a mediator.

Although research has illustrated that racial disparities in access to treatment for binge-eating disorder (BED) among Black women exist, little is known about the psychosocial related experiences of binge eating behaviors among Black women. Binge eating disorder is characterized by the recurrent consumption of large amounts of food within a brief period, accompanied by a loss of sense of control over the eating and distress over the eating behaviors. Past research has shown that race and gender related stressors are positively associated with emotional eating among Black young adult women and that they may engage in problem-solving coping strategies like identity shifting (conscious and unconscious alterations of thoughts, behaviors, perspective, and appearances) to manage these stressors. Considering the literature, the present study was developed to examine the mediating role of identity shifting in the relationship between gendered racism and binge eating symptoms among young adult Black women. To test this assertion, we administered an online survey to 239 Black women (Mage = 27.32). The results indicated that gender racism significantly predicted both identity shifting and binge eating and identity shifting significantly predicted binge eating. Additionally, identity shifting accounted for 34.5 % of the associations between gendered racism and binge eating symptoms. These findings highlight the importance of exploring experiences of discrimination and coping strategies when considering ways to reduce mental health concerns, such as binge eating symptoms, among young adult Black women.

Mechanisms mediating ethnoracial discrimination and suspiciousness in Asian, Black, and Hispanic United States college students.

BACKGROUND: Despite the robust relationship between ethnoracial discrimination and positive psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) like subclinical suspiciousness in adulthood, the underlying mechanisms remain underexamined. Investigating the mechanisms previously implicated in trauma and positive PLEs - including negative-self schemas, negative-other schemas, perceived stress, dissociative experiences, and external locus of control - may inform whether ethnoracial discrimination has similar or distinct effects from other social stressors. METHOD: We examined the indirect effects of experiences of discrimination (EOD) to suspicious PLEs and total positive PLEs through negative-self schemas, negative-other schemas, perceived stress, dissociative experiences, and external locus of control in Asian (nAsian = 268), Black (nBlack = 301), and Hispanic (nHispanic = 129) United States college students. RESULTS: Among Asian participants, results indicated a significant indirect effect of EOD to suspicious PLEs and EOD to positive PLEs via perceived stress, and EOD to positive PLEs via negative-self schemas. Among Hispanic participants, results indicated a significant indirect effect of EOD to suspicious PLEs and EOD to positive PLEs via dissociative experiences. No mechanisms appeared significant in Black participants nor were any significant direct effects observed across models, despite them reporting significantly greater experiences of ethnoracial discrimination. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest some shared but potentially distinct mechanisms contribute to increased suspicious PLEs and positive PLEs in Asian, Black, and Hispanic college students, with results differing by group, compared to the mechanisms underlying trauma and positive PLEs, with implications for the treatment of PLEs in college students exposed to ethnoracial discrimination.

Anxiety sensitivity in relation to smoking dependence motives among Latinx persons who smoke.

Hispanic/Latinx (hereafter Latinx) persons are an established tobacco disparities population in the United States (US). Past work has suggested that individual differences in anxiety sensitivity, or the fear of arousal-based sensations, is one important cognitive construct for smoking maintenance and relapse among Latinx persons who smoke. However, previous research has not examined if anxiety sensitivity is associated with motivational facets of smoking dependence among this tobacco disparities population. In the current study, anxiety sensitivity was explored in terms of smoking motives for primary, secondary, and overall cigarette dependence. Participants included 336 English-speaking Latinx adults in the US who smoked cigarettes daily (Mage = 35.53, SD = 8.65, 37.3% Female). Results indicated that anxiety sensitivity was statistically significantly and positively related to higher primary and secondary dependence motives and marginally statistically significant to cigarette dependence; findings were evident after adjusting for numerous theoretically relevant variables (e.g., depression). Overall, the current study is the first to document linkages between anxiety sensitivity and numerous motivational bases of tobacco dependence among Latinx persons who smoke from the US.

Cultural values, parenting, and child adjustment in the United States.

We examined whether cultural values, conformity and parenting behaviours were related to child adjustment in middle childhood in the United States. White, Black and Latino mothers (n = 273), fathers (n = 182) and their children (n = 272) reported on parental individualism and collectivism, conformity values, parental warmth, monitoring, family obligation expectations, and child internalising and externalising behaviours. Mean differences, bivariate correlations and multiple regression analyses were performed on variables of interest. Collectivism in mothers and fathers was associated with family obligation expectations and parental warmth. Fathers with higher conformity values had higher expectations of children's family obligations. Child internalising and externalising behaviours were greater when Latino families subscribed to individualistic values. These results are discussed in the context of cultural values, protective and promotive factors of behaviour, and race/ethnicity in the United States.

The person-environment fit of immigrants to the United States: A registered report.

There are notable parallels between processes leading to person-environment fit (PE-fit) and processes of selection and acculturation among U.S. immigrants. Thus, a natural question is: Do immigrants benefit from fitting their new environments? PE-fit appears to have uniformly positive effects in the education, career, and personality literatures, but it is unclear whether this would be the case for immigrants. The present study evaluated the PE-fit of U.S. immigrants (N = 39,195) to their new host communities (9,925 Zip Code Tabulation Areas [ZCTAs]). PE-fit varied across immigrants. On average, immigrant PE-fit was lower (b = 0.23 and b = 0.35) than the PE-fit of U.S. natives (b = 0.47; N = 122,339 from 2,374 ZCTAs). Immigrants more closely matched their community's profile when they were older, more educated, from Western countries, or from countries with French or German as the official language. PE-fit was positively associated with immigrant traits of Honesty, Introspection, Creativity, and Industry. Immigrants experienced better PE-fit when they resided in communities with more educated residents, with residents born abroad-particularly in the same world region-or with residents with a similar ethnic background. Finally, immigrant PE-fit was associated with well-being and self-reported health. We discuss the implications for the study of U.S. immigrants and the field of acculturation and propose future directions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Racial-Ethnic Gaps in Pandemic-Related Economic Hardship: Age Differences Among Older Adults.

OBJECTIVES: Racial-ethnic disparities in experiences of economic hardship during the pandemic are well documented in the population overall and among older adults. Existing research shows that this economic hardship was much less common at older than younger ages. Little is known about the intersection of racial-ethnic and age disparities in pandemic-related hardship in later life. This research report investigated racial-ethnic gaps in economic hardship by age group among older adults. METHODS: Data were from the 2018 and 2020 U.S. Health and Retirement Study (HRS) including the 2020 coronavirus disease 2019 module. We estimated Heckman-corrected linear probability models to examine differences in experiences of pandemic-related economic hardship in the 2020 HRS by race-ethnicity (non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, U.S.-born Hispanic, foreign-born Hispanic) across age groups (55-64, 65-74, 75+). In the multivariable analysis, we controlled for sociodemographic characteristics, participation in social programs, pre-existing health conditions and behaviors, and economic resources from the 2018 HRS. RESULTS: Experiences of economic hardship declined with age within each racial-ethnic group. Racial-ethnic gaps in hardship remained at older ages without any controls. However, when all controls were added, racial-ethnic gaps in economic hardship were eliminated for those ages 75+. Individual characteristics prior to the pandemic explained racial-ethnic differences in hardship for the oldest adults (75+) but did not explain gaps for those ages 55-74. DISCUSSION: Results point to structural factors generating new racial-ethnic gaps in pandemic-related economic hardship among those approaching retirement (ages 55-74) that did not affect the oldest adults (ages 75+).

Associations of Household and Neighborhood Contexts and Hair Cortisol Among Mexican-Origin Adolescents From Low-Income Immigrant Families.

Although neighborhood contexts serve as upstream determinants of health, it remains unclear how these contexts "get under the skin" of Mexican-origin youth, who are disproportionately concentrated in highly disadvantaged yet co-ethnic neighborhoods. The current study examines the associations between household and neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES), neighborhood racial-ethnic and immigrant composition, and hair cortisol concentration (HCC)-a physiological index of chronic stress response-among Mexican-origin adolescents from low-income immigrant families in the United States. A total of 297 (54.20% female; mage = 17.61, SD = 0.93) Mexican-origin adolescents had their hair cortisol collected, and their residential addresses were geocoded and merged with the American Community Survey. Neighborhoods with higher Hispanic-origin and foreign-born residents were associated with higher neighborhood disadvantage, whereas neighborhoods with higher non-Hispanic White and domestic-born residents were associated with higher neighborhood affluence. Mexican-origin adolescents living in neighborhoods with a higher proportion of Hispanic-origin residents showed lower levels of HCC, consistent with the role of the ethnic enclave. In contrast, adolescents living in more affluent neighborhoods showed higher levels of HCC, possibly reflecting a physiological toll. No association was found between household SES and HCC. Our findings underscore the importance of taking sociocultural contexts and person-environment fit into consideration when understanding how neighborhoods influence adolescents' stress physiology.

Resiliency and Barriers to Successful Aging Among Middle-Aged Mexican Immigrants Residing in a Rural Agricultural Community.

OBJECTIVES: The Latino population is one of the largest, most diverse, and fastest-growing demographic groups in the United States. Although Latinos enjoy longer life spans and reduced mortality risk relative to non-Hispanic Whites, they have higher rates of chronic health conditions such as diabetes and dementia and live more of their older years with poor health and disability. Such inequities point to the need for this research focused on examining resiliency strategies and barriers to successful aging among various U.S. Latino subgroups. METHODS: This qualitative study used thematic content analysis to examine resiliency strategies and barriers to successful aging among Mexican immigrant women (n = 40) residing in an underserved agricultural community and entering mid-life (mean = 49 years old). RESULTS: With regards to barriers to successful aging, 3 themes emerged: (1) stressful lifestyle in the United States compared to the participants' home countries; (2) stress from expectations at home; and (3) stress due to work and the various components around work. The following 4 resiliency strategies emerged: (1) family as a motivation for moving forward in life and focusing on the success of children; (2) having a positive mindset; (3) praying to God for strength to overcome obstacles; and (4) self-care. DISCUSSION: Despite experiencing barriers to successful aging, participants practice various resiliency strategies to age successfully. Because many of the barriers identified are related to poverty-related stressors, systemic solutions addressing the social determinants of health are needed.

Skin tone ideologies, body shame, and sexual risk in Latinx young adults: The role of self-esteem.

Latinx young adults in the U.S. experience significant disparities related to body image and sexual health. These challenges partly stem from the intersections of racism, ethnocentrism, and colorism perpetuated through Eurocentric beauty standards and norms surrounding sexuality. Despite the salience of skin tone within the Latinx community, the impact of skin tone ideologies on body shame and sexual risk remains unexplored. Addressing this gap, the present study examined the influence of skin tone ideologies (i.e., colorist attraction and skin tone self-concept) on sexual risk and body shame among a sample of 539 Latinx young adults. The study also explored the potential moderating effect of self-esteem on colorist attraction and skin tone self-concept on body shame and sexual risk. Results revealed that both colorist attraction and skin-tone self-concept were positively associated with body shame. Colorist attraction was positively associated with sexual risk, whereas skin tone self-concept was not associated. Furthermore, self-esteem moderated the positive significant association between skin tone self-concept and body shame, such that the association was only significant among Latinx young adults who reported mean and high levels of self-esteem; self-esteem did not moderate any of the other study's associations. These findings inform the development of tailored mental and sexual health interventions to reduce health disparities among Latinx young adults, considering the influence of skin tone socialization.

Associations of Nativity and the Role of the Hispanic Paradox on the Cognitive Health of Older Latinos Living in the United States.

Background: US-based Latinos have lower education and income combined with higher health risks than non-Latino whites, but often 'paradoxically' evidence better health-related outcomes. Less work has investigated this paradox for cognitive-related outcomes despite nativity diversity. Objective: We evaluated cognitive aging within older Latinos of diverse nativity currently living in the US and participating in Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center studies. Methods: Participants without baseline dementia, who completed annual neuropsychological assessments (in English or Spanish) were grouped by US-born (n = 117), Mexico-born (n = 173), and born in other Latin American regions (LAr-born = 128). Separate regression models examined associations between nativity and levels of (N = 418) or change in (n = 371; maximum follow-up ∼16 years) global and domain-specific cognition. Results: Demographically-adjusted linear regression models indicated that foreign-born nativity was associated with lower levels of global cognition and select cognitive domains compared to US-born Latinos. No associations of nativity with cognitive decline emerged from demographically-adjusted mixed-effects models; however, Mexico-born nativity appeared associated with slower declines in working memory compared to other nativity groups (p-values ≥ 0.051). Mexico-born Latinos had relatively higher vascular burden and lower education levels than other nativity groups; however, this did not alter results. Conclusions: Nativity differences in baseline cognition may be due, in part, to accumulated stressors related to immigration and acculturation experienced by foreign-born Latinos which may hasten meeting criteria for dementia later in life. In contrast, Mexico-born participants' slower working memory declines, taken in the context of other participant characteristics including vascular burden, suggests the Hispanic Paradox may relate to factors with the potential to affect cognition.

Ethno-racial disparities in psychosis-like experiences among students in higher education: Findings from the Healthy Minds Study 2020-2021.

BACKGROUND: Ethno-racial variations of psychosis-like experiences exist in the general population; however, it is unknown whether this variation exists among emerging adults in higher education, and whether there are differences across ethnic groups within racial categories. METHODS: Using the Health Minds Study data from 2020 to 2021, we used multivariable logistic regression models to examine race/ethnicity and psychosis-like experiences, adjusting for socio-demographic characteristics (age, gender, international student status). We then adjusted for food insecurity, parental education, and social belonging. RESULTS: Black, Hispanic/Latinx, multiracial, and American Indian/Alaska Native students had greater odds of 12-month psychosis-like experiences when compared with White students. These associations attenuated and were no longer statistically significant for Black and Hispanic/Latinx students after adjusting for food insecurity and parental education. Multiracial and American Indian/Alaska Native students still had greater odds of psychosis-like experiences after further adjusting for sense of belonging. When looking at ethnic subgroups, Filipinx and multi-ethnic Asian students had significantly greater odds than East Asian students, and multi-ethnic Black students had greater odds than African Americans. CONCLUSION: Odds of psychosis-like experiences vary across and within ethno-racial categories among emerging adults in higher education. Future research may explore psychosis as a disparity impacting Native American/Alaska Native and multiracial/multi-ethnic populations.

Patient perspectives for improving treatment initiation for new episodes of depression in historically minoritized racial and ethnic groups.

OBJECTIVE: Depression is one of the costliest and most prevalent health conditions in the U.S. with 21 million adults having experienced at least one major depressive episode. Despite the availability of evidence-based treatments for depression, a large proportion of people with new diagnoses fail to initiate formal mental health treatment. Although individuals across all racial and ethnic groups fail to initiate treatment for depression, historically minoritized racial/ethnic groups are at even greater risk. METHOD: Thirty-four participants representing historically underserved racial and ethnic populations from two large health care systems in the U.S. participated in qualitative interviews or focus group to identify factors that impede and facilitate depression treatment initiation in primary care settings. RESULTS: Participants identified individual and systemic barriers and facilitators of treatment initiation for depression and suggested several ideas for increasing treatment engagement (i.e., increased communication and education from providers, community events, information on social media). CONCLUSION: Novel interventions are needed to improve treatment initiation following initial diagnosis of depression in primary care settings. Findings from this study offer suggestions for improving treatment initiation in traditionally underserved communities.

Childhood Racism and Cardiometabolic Risk in Latina Mothers Across the First Postpartum Year.

OBJECTIVE: Immigrant Latinas, particularly of Mexican descent, initially achieve healthy perinatal outcomes. Although this advantage wears off across generations in the United States (US), the early life psychosocial mechanisms that may initiate a cascade of biological vulnerabilities remain elusive. The current investigation aimed to understand the extent to which childhood experiences of racism may contribute to elevated levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), an early indicator of cardiometabolic risk, during the first postpartum year. METHODS: Latinas from the Community and Child Health Network ( N = 457) retrospectively reported experiences of childhood racism and childhood country of residence via structured questionnaires. Interviewers collected CRP bloodspots and height and weight measurements for body mass index at 6 months and 1 year postpartum. RESULTS: Latinas who grew up in the US experienced a steeper increase of CRP levels across the first postpartum year ( ß = 0.131, p = .009) and had higher CRP levels 1 year postpartum than Latinas who grew up in Latin America. Based on Bayesian path analyses, Latinas who grew up in the US reported higher levels of childhood racism than Latinas who immigrated after childhood ( ß = 0.27; 95% credible interval = 0.16-0.37). In turn, childhood racism mediated the relationship between country of childhood residence and elevated CRP at 6 months and 1 year postpartum, even after adjusting for sociodemographic and behavioral covariates. After adjusting for body mass index, mediational relationships became nonsignificant. CONCLUSIONS: This study is an important first step toward understanding how childhood racism may contribute to postmigratory health patterns among Latinas, particularly cardiometabolic risk 1 year after childbirth.

Facing discomfort: Avoided negative affect shapes the acknowledgment of systemic racism.

Why can some Americans acknowledge the deeply rooted racism in the United States while others cannot? Past research suggests that the more people want to avoid feeling negative ("avoided negative affect; ANA"), the less likely they focus on and even perceive someone's suffering. Because acknowledging racism is one specific instance of noticing and acknowledging that people are suffering, the present research investigates whether ANA might also affect the degree to which people acknowledge racism. We predicted that the more people want to avoid feeling negative, the less they will acknowledge systemic racism and the more they will deny negative aspects of their country's history and current policies, that is, the more blindly patriotic they will be. In Study 1, 104 undergraduates reported their ANA and patriotism and rated how much racism they perceived in certain situations. As predicted, the more participants wanted to avoid feeling negative, the less they acknowledged systemic racism. These findings held even after controlling for political ideology, ethnicity, moral foundations, and how people actually feel. However, ANA did not predict blind patriotism. In Study 2, we randomly assigned 116 participants to either an increase ANA, decrease ANA, or control condition. As predicted, participants in the increase ANA condition acknowledged systemic racism less than those in the decrease ANA and control conditions. Wanting to avoid feeling negative might be one barrier to dismantling racial inequalities. Given the high degree of ANA in the United States, we discuss the implications of this work. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Screening parent-adolescent relationships, screen behaviors, tridimensional acculturation, and health among Black immigrant and refugee adolescents during dual pandemics.

This brief report assesses parent-adolescent relationships, screen behaviors, and tridimensional acculturation as risk and promotive or protective factors for health among Black U.S. immigrant or refugee adolescents during the dual COVID-19 and racism or Whiteness pandemics. Eighty-nine immigrant- or refugee-origin adolescents completed online surveys (72% Somali American, 28% Jamaican American; 45% female; 15% foreign-born; M = 14.11 years). Regression analyses revealed that parental autonomy support, parental restrictive media mediation, and adolescent heritage culture identification were promotive of better screen media use behaviors. Only adolescent media literacy self-efficacy was related to higher screen time. Importantly, screen self-regulation was a better predictor of general health than screen time. Results highlight many parenting strengths in Black immigrant or refugee families and underscore the resilience-promoting power of parent-adolescent relationships. Health implications are discussed to provide guidance for future prevention efforts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

We got this: Evaluating racial socialization competency among diverse ethnic-racial groups.

Historically, research on racial socialization (RS) has centered on frequency, beliefs, and content of parent-child communications, with varied applications and implications across racial and ethnic subgroups. The Racial Socialization Competency Scale (RaSCS; Anderson et al., 2020) was developed to assess three dimensions of a novel construct, RS competency (confidence, skills, stress), among Black caregivers. In this article, we investigated the psychometric properties of the RaSCS across diverse ethnic-racial groups. Participants were 778 caregivers (Mage = 44.4 years) of youth between the ages of 10 and 18 recruited from across the United States. The sample was intentionally racially and ethnically diverse, with 26.1% identifying as Black, 24.2% identifying as Latinx, 24.9% identifying as Asian American, and 24.8% identifying as White. Confirmatory factor analyses replicated the previously identified structure of the RaSCS subscales, and scores were reliable. Multigroup measurement invariance analyses supported full scalar invariance across the four racial/ethnic subgroups for the Confidence, Skills, and General RS Stress subscales and partial scalar invariance for the Call to Action RS Stress subscale. These findings suggest that the RaSCS is an appropriate tool for assessing RS competency across racial and ethnic groups and that RS competency as a universal construct is relevant across groups. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Traumatic brain injury, race, ethnicity and cognition in newly diagnosed persons with multiple sclerosis.

We sought to determine whether a history of traumatic brain injury (TBI) could explain the lower symbol digit modalities test (SDMT) scores observed among newly diagnosed multiple sclerosis (MS) and control participants identifying as Black or Hispanic versus white in the MS Sunshine Study (n = 1172). 330 (29.2 %) participants reported a history of ≥1 TBI. Accounting for TBI did not explain the significant independent associations between having MS, being Black or Hispanic and lower SDMT. The pervasive effects of systemic racism in the United States remain the best explanation for the lower SDMT scores observed in Black and Hispanic participants.