Development and Validation of the Perceived Interpersonal Relevancy Scales: A New Measure of Perceived Threat, Opportunity, and Invisibility Appraisals for Use Across the Adult Life-Course.

OBJECTIVES: Interpersonal relevancy appraisals are a dynamic and understudied aspect of human social cognition. Despite their importance, there are no existing measures. This study developed and validated a new measure of self-perceived interpersonal threat, opportunity, and invisibility appraisals among a life-course sample of adults. We also explored the relationships between relevance appraisals, social connectedness, loneliness, age, and sex-assigned-at-birth. METHOD: Items were developed based on a theoretical model of multi-domain interpersonal relevance appraisals and refined following feedback from five experts in social psychology. Cross-sectional data were obtained online from a sample of 1,079 adults (age 18-90 years), recruited from the general population of Australia. Data were split into two pseudo-random samples used for 1) scale development and evaluation, and 2) assessment of internal consistency, construct validity, convergent validity with social connectedness and loneliness, and exploratory analysis with age and sex. RESULTS: Results support the factor structure and internal consistency of 17- and 9-item versions of the Perceived Interpersonal Relevancy Scales (PIRS) and measurement invariance across younger and older age groups. Higher self-perceived threat and invisibility appraisals were associated with decreased social network size, increased loneliness, younger age, and male sex. Higher self-perceived opportunity appraisals were associated with increased social network size and decreased loneliness. DISCUSSION: Results support this new measure of perceived interpersonal relevance appraisals, which shows relationships between the way we believe others perceive us, loneliness, and social isolation. The PIRS likely has wide utility for studies that seek to understand the intersections between human social cognition, well-being, and health across the lifespan.

Death of a Parent, Racial Inequities, and Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Early toMid-adulthood.

Black Americans experience the death of a parent much earlier in the life course than White Americans on average. However, studies have not considered whether the cardiovascular health consequences of early parental death vary by race. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, we explore associations between early parental death and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in early to mid-adulthood (N = 4,193). We find that the death of a parent during childhood or adolescence (ages 0-17) or the transition to adulthood (ages 18-27) is associated with increased CVD risk for Black Americans, whereas parental death following the transition to adulthood (ages 28+) undermines cardiovascular health for both Black Americans and White Americans. These findings illustrate how a stress and life course perspective can help inform strategies aimed at addressing both the unequal burden of bereavement and high cardiovascular risk faced by Black Americans.

Health Insurance and Self-Rated Health from Adolescence to Early Midlife in the U.S.

INTRODUCTION: Although health insurance is a critical tool for wellbeing across the life course, few studies have explored the long-term health implications of shifts in insurance coverage. This study examined whether changes in insurance types from adolescence to early midlife were associated with early midlife self-rated health. METHODS: This study used data from Wave I (1994-1995; average age 15.7 years), Wave IV (2008-2009; average age 28.7 years), and Wave V (2016-2018; average age 37.6 years) of Add Health, including 6,765 respondents from 1994-2018. Logistic regression was used to examine the association between health insurance status from adolescence to early midlife and early midlife self-rated health. The analyses were conducted from March - August 2024. RESULTS: Relative to having private insurance in adolescence and early midlife, the following health insurance statuses in adolescence and early midlife were significantly associated with poorer early midlife self-rated health: public in adolescence and early midlife (AOR=3.34; 95% CI=1.89, 5.91); uninsured in adolescence to public at early midlife (AOR=3.29; 95% CI=1.85, 5.85); private in adolescence to public at early midlife (AOR=3.36; 95% CI=2.46, 4.58), and private in adolescence to uninsured at early midlife (AOR=1.68; 95% CI=1.10, 2.55). CONCLUSIONS: Health insurance statuses from adolescence to early midlife, specifically having or switching into public insurance, may be associated with poorer health in early midlife among individuals who were adolescents in the early 1990s. More research is needed to explore how insurance reform such as the Children's Health Insurance Program may have mitigated this association in future cohorts.

Echoes of conflict and displacement in maternal health: Life-course violence, timing, and maternal stress after childbirth at the northern Thailand-Myanmar border.

Armed conflict, displacement, and related violence is escalating globally, concentrated among civilians and migrants in border areas, and poses grave harms to women and children. The current study investigates how women's life-course experiences of conflict and displacement are linked to maternal stress and health outcomes after childbirth at the Thailand-Myanmar border, specifically stress, mental health, and cardiometabolic outcomes. Analyses are based on a cross-sectional population-based maternal and child health survey of 701 mothers, collected in 2017-18 in northern Thailand along the Myanmar border, including in camps, worksites, and residential homes. Results suggest that how conflict violence shapes contemporary stress and health depends on the outcome, level and timing of conflict violence exposure, and subsequent contextual threats and deprivation in displacement contexts. Past conflict violence was associated with symptoms of perceived stress (PS) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) but not depression. It was also associated with hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity (hair cortisol concentration) and adiposity (waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio). Additionally, past conflict violence that began in childhood was particularly salient for PS, GAD, and adiposity; and level and timing of violence were salient jointly for HPA activity. Post-displacement factors also independently predicted higher blood pressure and played a potentially partial mediating role in the association between conflict exposure and both PS and GAD symptoms.

'Their opinion counts as far as you let it'- understanding queer migration in Minas Gerais, Brazil.

The literature regarding the life course and queer migration has shown that many gay men and lesbians seek large cities to live their lives away from the prying eyes of their families and build their sexual identity. In the global south, little is known about the effects that sexuality can have on the migratory trajectories of individuals. In that sense, what happens to the lives of those that have never left their hometowns and have had to find ways to experience their sexuality in these places. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to discuss queer migration, the impact on the lives of the individuals that left their hometowns, others that at one point came back and those that never left in the first place. Based on 21 life course interviews with self-identified LGB individuals in small/medium towns in Brazil, this paper shows how aspects such as closeness to family, educational trajectory, financial stability affects the migration trajectories of LGB individuals that live in small/medium cities. The results show that families are an important influence in the decision-making to migrate, to stay or to return to your hometown.

The COVID generation: A commentary on how the pandemic altered adolescents' life course.

The pandemic lockdowns interrupted critical developmental experiences especially for adolescents and emerging adults engaged in the challenge of constructing identities. This commentary focuses on four review articles that document both negative and positive consequences of the pandemic on family, peer, school, and community interactions. I argue that worldwide experiences of these interruptions led to a shared generational experience of disconnection and isolation, that, paradoxically, creates a shared generational identity. The COVID-19 generation shares a view of the world as unsafe, unpredictable, and unfair; yet, at the same time, they are perhaps more oriented toward social justice. Generational identities formed at pivotal developmental moments continue to reverberate across the life course. How these formative experiences of the pandemic will continue to influence the life course of the COVID-19 generation remains to be seen.

Sex and age characteristics of thunderstorm asthma emergency department visits.

Severe asthma has been shown to occur in the combined presence of high pollen and thunderstorm conditions, also known as 'thunderstorm asthma.' First studied as severe epidemic events, recent longitudinal work studied less dramatic but more frequent occurrences. We explore thunderstorm asthma-related emergency department visits in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area and evaluated risk differences by sex and age. We define a thunderstorm asthma exposure event as the daily occurrence of 2 or more lightning strikes during high pollen periods, and use daily counts of asthma-related emergency department visits to estimate relative and absolute risk of severe asthma during thunderstorm asthma events for the full population and for sex and age subgroups. The overall population had a 1.06 (95 % CI: 1.02, 1.09) times higher risk of asthma-related ED visits during thunderstorm asthma events compared to days without thunderstorm asthma events. Children under 18 show no higher risk (RR 1.02; 95 % CI: 0.97 1.08), but adults 18-44 years (RR 1.08; 95 % CI: 1.02, 1.13) and 45 and up (RR 1.08; 95 % CI 1.02, 1.15) show higher relative risk. Absolute risk measures show similar patterns to the age and sex results, but age-sex subgroups show more variation in absolute vs relative risk. Our results support an association between ED visits and thunderstorm asthma and provide evidence of varying risks by sex across the life course. These differences in risk have implications for clinical treatment of this allergic type of asthma and for future research into this poorly recognized environmental exposure. Plain Language Summary: Recent research has highlighted the existence of Thunderstorm asthma events, a phenomenon in which pollen grains rupture in the conditions that occur with a thunderstorm, releasing subpollen particles that are capable of triggering severe asthma in susceptible populations. Where severe asthma is a disease that usually impacts children, we find in this study that asthma ED visits associated with thunderstorm asthma events more frequently impact adults, particularly males 18-44 and females 45 and up.

Effects of an Intervention on Black Family Incomes on Self-Rated Health and Obesity in Black and White Adolescents and Young Adults.

Structural racism contributes to health disparities between U.S. non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic white populations by differentially distributing resources used to maintain health. Policies that equitably redistribute resources may mitigate racialized health disparities. Using National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health data and time-to-event parametric g-formula methods, we investigate a hypothetical intervention to reduce Black-white family income inequities on racialized differences in self-rated health (N=11,312) and obesity (N=10,547). We first intervene to increase individual Black family incomes by $11,000, creating Black-white equity in median incomes in 1995. Then, we measure social multiplier effects by additionally increasing county-level Black median household incomes by $11,000. By Wave 4, individual, direct effects models comparing Black intervention to Black control groups show no risk differences in self-rated health (RD=-0.009; 95% CI: -0.026, 0.008) or obesity (RD=0.003; 95% CI: -0.017, 0.023). Social multiplier effects models suggestively reduce Black-white inequalities in obesity by increasing obesity in white intervention versus white control groups (RD=0.050=; 95% CI: -0.011, 0.110), but exacerbate Black-white disparities in self-rated health by reducing self-rated health in Black intervention versus white control groups (RD=0.184; 95% CI: 0.018, 0.351). In this cohort, income transfers may not reduce racialized disparities in obesity and self-rated health.

The Life Course Perspective on Older Adults' Health Trajectories: Risk and Protective Factors.

According to the life course perspective (LCP), optimal human development and healthy aging are key goals that must start preconceptionally and continue later in life. However, older adult health and family health across generations have received very little attention in maternal and child health (MCH). Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is an important strategy for putting the LCP into action by engaging those communities most affected by health disparities. We conducted six CBPR focus groups using the LCP as the theoretical framework to capture community members' perspectives of risk and protective factors for older adult health. Perceived protective factors for older adults included socialization, support systems, and practicing wellness. Perceived risk factors included caretaking responsibilities, isolation, medical issues, and lack of support. The identified risk and protective factors for older adult health must be considered when developing public health interventions that promote health equity in aging and MCH.

Association between factors in life course and physiological disorders among the middle-aged and older population in Zhoushan city of Zhejiang province. / æµ™æ±ŸçœèˆŸå±±å¸‚ä¸­è€å¹´äººç¾¤ç”Ÿå‘½åŽ†ç¨‹å› ç´ ä¸Žç”Ÿç†å¤±è°ƒçš„å ³è”ç ”ç©¶.

OBJECTIVES: To analyze the associations between factors in life course and physiological disorders in the middle-aged and elderly population of Zhoushan city of Zhejiang province, and the mediating roles of lifestyle and mental health. METHODS: A total of 1553 island residents aged ≥45 years were enrolled from the Zhejiang Metabolic Syndrome Cohort Zhoushan Liuheng Sub-cohort. The demographic information, life-course information, lifestyle, and mental health information of participants were documented, and blood samples of were collected. The status of aging was evaluated by physiological disorders calculation model developed by authors previously. The Shapley value decomposition method was used to assess the cumulative and relative contribution of multiple factors in life course to the aging. Principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis were used to classify subgroups. General linear regression model was used to assess the associations between the life-course subgroups and physiological disorders. Five key factors associated with aging were finally identified. Logistic regression model, general linear regression model, and mediation analysis model were used to assess the complex associations between life-course subgroups, key factors, unhealthy lifestyle, mental health, and aging. RESULTS: Shapley value decomposition method indicated that eight types of life-course factors explained 6.63% (SE=0.0008) of the individual physiological disorders variance, with the greatest relative contribution (2.78%) from adversity experiences in adulthood. The study participants were clustered into 4 subgroups, and subgroups experiencing more adversity in adulthood and having low educational attainment or experiencing more trauma and having poorer relationships in childhood had significantly higher levels of physiological disorders. Life-course subgroups and key factors (childhood trauma and health, adversity experience in adulthood, and lower education) were positively associated with unhealthy lifestyles (ß=0.12-0.41, P<0.05). In addition, life-course subgroups and key factors (adversity experience in adulthood) were positively associated with psychological problems (OR=2.14-4.68, P<0.05). Unhealthy lifestyle scores showed a marginal significant association with physiological disorders (ß=0.03, P=0.055). However, no significant association was found between psychological problems and physiological disorders (ß=0.03, P=0.748). The results of the mediation analysis model suggested that unhealthy lifestyles partially mediated the associations between life-course subgroups, adversity experience in adulthood and physiological disorders. CONCLUSIONS: Multiple life-course factors contribute about 6% of the variance in physiological disorders in the middle aged and elderly population of the study area; subgroups with adverse life course experiences have higher levels of aging; and the association may be partially mediated by unhealthy lifestyles.

Geographic disparities in Alzheimer's disease and related dementia mortality in the US: Comparing impacts of place of birth and place of residence.

Objective: This study investigates geographic variations in ADRD mortality in the US. By considering both state of residence and state of birth, we aim to discern the relative importance of these geospatial factors. Methods: We conducted a secondary data analysis of the National Longitudinal Mortality Study (NLMS), that has 3.5 million records from 1973 to 2011 and over 0.5 million deaths. We focused on individuals born in or before 1930, tracked in NLMS cohorts from 1979 to 2000. Employing multi-level logistic regression, with individuals nested within states of residence and/or states of birth, we assessed the role of geographical factors in ADRD mortality variation. Results: We found that both state of birth and state of residence account for a modest portion of ADRD mortality variation. Specifically, state of residence explains 1.19% of the total variation in ADRD mortality, whereas state of birth explains only 0.6%. When combined, both state of residence and state of birth account for only 1.05% of the variation, suggesting state of residence could matter more in ADRD mortality outcomes. Conclusion: Findings of this study suggest that state of residence explains more variation in ADRD mortality than state of birth. These results indicate that factors in later life may present more impactful intervention points for curbing ADRD mortality. While early-life environmental exposures remain relevant, their role as primary determinants of ADRD in later life appears to be less pronounced in this study.

Promoting Wellness as a Primordial Prevention Strategy for Achieving Sustainable Public Health in the Post-Covid 19 Era.

The global scenario of a contracted economy over 4% and distraught healthcare systems due to the 2019 pandemic behooves us to redesign our strategies to move towards holistic approaches that allow health and wellbeing to be uniquely viewed within their contexts, promising sustainability. World-over, communities are more aware of the connectedness with nature and the role of positive behaviors. Disproportionate investments go into secondary and tertiary cure in healthcare systems and there is a minimal uptake of primary prevention. Investments in primordial prevention (PP) that can help achieve sustainable health are inadequate. PP is defined as an approach that prevents the risk factors for disease conditions from manifesting through maintenance of good health by embracing healthy environment, diet, and lifestyle behaviors, to function optimally. We propose integration of wellness as a primordial prevention strategy for sustainable public health using the 3 Ps: People, Places, and Policies/Programs. Wellness is holistic and multi-dimensional and is a primordial prevention concept as it focuses on people thriving based on a positive approach to health. The authors point out that the stumbling block in public health is due to unsustainable behavior as a result of misplaced priorities.

A novel application of lemmatize and thematic analysis to understand protective measures perspectives of patients with chronic respiratory disease during the first outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study.

Objective: To describe the perspectives of a group of COPD patients during the first outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and narrate the emotions and polarity (acceptance-rejection) regarding living with COPD during the pandemic. Design/methods: We used a novel application of lemmatization and thematic analysis of participants' narratives. A study was carried out with eight patients with moderate-severe-very severe COPD during the first outbreak of COVID-19 using purposive sampling. In-depth interviews and field notes from the researchers were used to collect data. A statistical content analysis (lemmatization) of the patients' narratives was performed. Additionally, inductive thematic analysis was used to identify emerging themes. This study was conducted following the guidelines of Consolidated Criteria/Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research. The study was conducted in accordance with the principles articulated in the WMA Declaration of Helsinki. Participants provided verbal informed consent prior to their inclusion as previously described. Results: The average age of our sample was 65 years, and 75% of the patients suffered from moderate COPD, 12.5% from severe COPD, and 12.5% from very severe COPD according to GOLD criteria. The lemmatized and sentiment analysis showed a predominance of positive emotions, and the polarity of the interviews indicated a very slight positive trend towards acceptance of the experience lived during the pandemic. Additionally, three main themes were identified: (1) Confinement and restriction measures, (2) COVID-19 and protective measures, and (3) Clinical care during the first outbreak of the pandemic. Conclusion: Patients experienced confinement with a feeling of security and protection. They strictly respect social distancing. They used masks, but these caused them to feel short of breath and fatigue, especially FFP2 masks. Half of the patients rejected the possibility of being vaccinated. Finally, they were very satisfied with the clinical care they received in the COPD unit of their hospital. Our results show that COPD patients have not experienced a negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Developmental Collision Hypothesis: An Empirical Test With Three Generations of Sexual Minority Youth.

Sexual minority youth experience disproportionate rates of mental health symptomatology relative to their heterosexual peers. Less is known about why these disparities have persisted despite growing public awareness of sexual diversity. The developmental collision hypothesis states that increased cultural visibility of sexual diversity has accelerated the developmental timing of sexual minority identity formation processes such that they collide with early adolescence, a uniquely sensitive period for experiencing identity-based stigma and associated mental health vulnerability. To test this hypothesis, levels and relations between ages of sexual minority identity development milestones, frequency of LGBT-related victimization, and depressive symptoms were examined across three age-matched but cohort-distinct samples of sexual minority adolescents. Data come from three secondary datasets of sexual minority youth who were adolescents in the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s, respectively: the Challenges and Coping Study, the Victimization and Mental Health among High Risk Youths Study, and the Risk and Protective Factors for Suicide among Sexual Minority Youth Study (n = 1312; Mage = 17.34, SD = 1.30; 52% female). Adolescents from more recent cohorts reported earlier mean ages of several milestones but similar frequencies of LGBT-related victimization relative to those from less recent cohorts. Path analysis models showed that earlier milestones were associated indirectly with more depressive symptoms through LGBT-related victimization. Notably, earlier ages of self-identification and disclosure of a sexual minority identity were also directly related to less depressive symptoms. Few generational differences in relations between constructs emerged. Findings garner initial support for the developmental collision hypothesis and suggest that LGBT-related victimization, rather than earlier milestones themselves, increases mental health vulnerability.

Gestational Diabetes Mellitus and Subsequent Risks of Diabetes and Cardiovascular Diseases: the Life Course Perspective and Implications of Racial Disparities.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is one of the most common pregnancy complications worldwide and the prevalence is continuously rising globally. Importantly, GDM is not an isolated complication of pregnancy. Growing evidence suggests that individuals with GDM, compared to those without GDM, have an increased risk of subsequent type 2 diabetes (T2D) and cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Substantial racial and ethnic disparities exist in the risk of GDM. However, the role of race and ethnicity in the progression from GDM to T2D and CVD remains unclear. The purpose of the current review is to summarize recent research about GDM and its life-course impacts on cardiometabolic health, including 1) the peak time of developing T2D and CVD risks after GDM, 2) the racial and ethnic disparities in the risk cardiometabolic diseases after GDM, 3) the biological plausibility and underlying mechanisms, and 4) recommendations for screening and prevention of cardiometabolic diseases among individuals with GDM, collectively to provide an updated review to guide future research. RECENT FINDINGS: Growing evidence has indicated that individuals with GDM had greater risks of T2D (7.4 to 9.6 times), hypertension (78% higher), and CDV events (74% higher) after GDM than their non-GDM counterparts. More recently, a few studies also suggested that GDM could slightly increase the risk of mortality. Available evidence suggests that key CVD risk factors such as blood pressure, plasma glucose, and lipids levels are all elevated as early as < 1 year postpartum in individuals with GDM. The risk of T2D and hypertension is likely to reach a peak between 3-6 years after the index pregnancy with GDM compared to normal glycemia pregnancy. Cumulative evidence also suggests that the risk of cardiometabolic diseases including T2D, hypertension, and CVD events after GDM varies by race and ethnicity. However, whether the risk is higher in certain racial and ethnic groups and whether the pattern may vary by the postpartum cardiometabolic outcome of interest remain unclear. The underlying mechanisms linking GDM and subsequent T2D and CVD are complex, often involving multiple pathways and their interactions, with the specific mechanisms varying by individuals of different racial and ethnic backgrounds. Diabetes and CVD risk screening among individuals with GDM should be initiated early during postpartum and continue, if possible, frequently. Unfortunately, adherence to postpartum glucose testing with either obstetrician or primary care providers remained poor among individuals with GDM. A life-course perspective may provide critical information to address clinical and public health gaps in postpartum screening and interventions for preventing T2D and CVD risks in individuals with GDM. Future research investigating the racial- and ethnic-specific risk of progression from GDM to cardiometabolic diseases and the role of multi-domain factors including lifestyle, biological, and socio-contextual factors are warranted to inform tailored and culture-appropriate interventions for high-risk subpopulations. Further, examining the barriers to postpartum glucose testing among individuals with GDM is crucial for the effective prevention of cardiometabolic diseases and for enhancing life-long health.

Adolescent depressive symptoms and memory performance in young adulthood: Testing critical period, accumulation, and pathway models using a sibling comparison design.

RATIONALE: Despite the existing literature connecting depressive symptoms with cognitive function in adulthood, there is limited knowledge about the longitudinal association between depressive symptoms in adolescence and memory function in adulthood, as well as the mechanisms underlying this relationship. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to determine whether depressive symptoms in adolescence are associated with memory function in young adulthood. To explore the underlying mechanisms of this association, it employs a life course approach, testing the critical period, accumulation, and pathway models. METHODS: Utilizing data from the sibling sample of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), this study employed sibling fixed effects models to control for unobserved heterogeneity at the family level. To test various life course models, the analysis incorporated adult depressive symptoms, as well as an array of behavioral, psychosocial, and educational mechanism variables. RESULTS: Sibling fixed effects estimates indicated a longitudinal association between depressive symptoms in adolescence and memory function in young adulthood (b = -0.084, p < 0.01). Depressive symptoms in adulthood neither explained nor intensified this association. Mediation analysis revealed that educational attainment modestly accounted for about 11% of the relationship between adolescent depressive symptoms and adult memory function. Combined, these findings lend support to the life course approach, with a specific focus on the critical period model. CONCLUSIONS: This study's findings suggest that depressive symptoms in adolescence are an independent risk factor for memory function in adulthood. The empirical support for the critical period model underscores the importance of implementing early intervention programs and targeted strategies to support adolescents experiencing depressive symptoms.

A longitudinal study of learning difficulties in adolescence and biomarkers of cardiometabolic risk in adulthood: A gendered pathways approach.

OBJECTIVES: Little is known about the relationship between learning difficulties (LD) in adolescence and physical health in adulthood. This study investigates the gender-specific pathways through which LD is longitudinally associated with cardiometabolic risk in adulthood. STUDY DESIGN: We used data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (N = 11,342). To assess cardiometabolic risk, 11 biomarkers related to cardiovascular functioning, glucose metabolism, lipid metabolism, and inflammation were utilized. METHODS: We first estimated the association between LD in adolescence and cardiometabolic risk in adulthood. Then, we examined whether this association is mediated by educational attainment and body mass index (BMI). Finally, we employed a moderated mediation model to determine whether gender moderates these mediation patterns. RESULTS: LD in adolescence was positively associated with cardiometabolic risk in adulthood (b = 0.165, p < 0.001). LD also predicted lower educational attainment (b = -0.724, p < 0.001) and higher BMI (b = 0.589, p < 0.05). Educational attainment and BMI explained 18 and 25 percent of the positive association between LD and cardiometabolic risk, respectively. A moderated mediation model revealed that indirect effects of LD on cardiometabolic risk via educational attainment and BMI were more pronounced among women than men. CONCLUSION: LD in adolescence is a significant predictor of cardiometabolic risk in adulthood. Interventions focusing on the academic and health behaviors of girls with LD may be effective in improving their adult physical health.

Suicidal Ideation Among Older Adults in Prison: A Qualitative Study.

Suicide is a serious public health concern, and people who are incarcerated represent a particularly high-risk group. Although research on the suicidality of persons in prison has gained interest in recent decades, the issue of suicide among older adults in prison has been understudied. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to explore the ways in which older adults in prison understood their experiences of suicidal ideation. Interpretive phenomenological analysis was utilized to analyze interviews with 16 incarcerated older adults. The analysis of the findings revealed four themes: (1) Suicide intentions as a control strategy; (2) Suicide intentions as an act of resistance; (3) Suicide intentions as a means of self-redemption, and (4) Suicide intentions in the absence of other choices. Guided by the life course perspective, the findings suggest that suicidal ideation serves as a means of expressing distinct emotional states that may be unique to older adults in carceral environments.

Integrating machine learning and artificial intelligence in life-course epidemiology: pathways to innovative public health solutions.

The integration of machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) techniques in life-course epidemiology offers remarkable opportunities to advance our understanding of the complex interplay between biological, social, and environmental factors that shape health trajectories across the lifespan. This perspective summarizes the current applications, discusses future potential and challenges, and provides recommendations for harnessing ML and AI technologies to develop innovative public health solutions. ML and AI have been increasingly applied in epidemiological studies, demonstrating their ability to handle large, complex datasets, identify intricate patterns and associations, integrate multiple and multimodal data types, improve predictive accuracy, and enhance causal inference methods. In life-course epidemiology, these techniques can help identify sensitive periods and critical windows for intervention, model complex interactions between risk factors, predict individual and population-level disease risk trajectories, and strengthen causal inference in observational studies. By leveraging the five principles of life-course research proposed by Elder and Shanahan-lifespan development, agency, time and place, timing, and linked lives-we discuss a framework for applying ML and AI to uncover novel insights and inform targeted interventions. However, the successful integration of these technologies faces challenges related to data quality, model interpretability, bias, privacy, and equity. To fully realize the potential of ML and AI in life-course epidemiology, fostering interdisciplinary collaborations, developing standardized guidelines, advocating for their integration in public health decision-making, prioritizing fairness, and investing in training and capacity building are essential. By responsibly harnessing the power of ML and AI, we can take significant steps towards creating healthier and more equitable futures across the life course.

Differentiation and destandardization of family life courses: Theoretical and empirical links to sociopolitical regime types.

Building on research on cohort-specific trends in life-course differentiation and destandardization, our study seeks to explore how patterns of family-life-course diversity relate to characteristics of sociopolitical regimes. Applying sequence analysis, we analyse cohort-specific family life courses from nine European countries and Canada, classifying them into five sociopolitical regimes (Nordic, Anglo-Saxon, Mediterranean, Continental, Eastern). We use data from the Harmonized Histories and the German National Educational Panel Survey. Our results indicate that sociopolitical regimes differentiate patterns of life-course diversity quite well in the Nordic, Anglo-Saxon, and Eastern European countries but to a lesser degree in the Mediterranean and Continental countries. In methodological terms, our results suggest that distinguishing patterns of diversity between and within life courses helps to create a more nuanced empirical account of changing life-course patterns, particularly in a cross-national perspective.