COVID-19 and changes in young adults' weight concerns.

The COVID-19 pandemic introduced fundamental challenges to nearly all aspects of college students' lives, yet changes in key domains of their health, including weight concerns, remain untested. The current study utilized a longitudinal project comprised of 355 young-adult college students (Mage=19.5, 66.8% female, 33.2% male) oversampled for recent substance use behavior. Participants completed multiple assessments (mode = 5) from September 2017 to September 2021. Piecewise growth-curve models tested whether COVID-19 onset was associated with changes in the trajectories of young adults' weight concerns. Analyses also examined participants' sex as a moderator of these trajectories. On average, participants reported a significant increase in weight concern levels around the start of COVID-19, although weight concern slopes were not significantly different before and after COVID-19. Additionally, moderation analyses showed that females (but not males) had a significant increase in weight concern levels after COVID-19 onset.

Other Momentary Substance Behaviors as Predictors of College Students' Prescription Drug Misuse in Daily Life: An Exploratory Study.

Background: Limited prior research to examine co-occurrence of prescription drug misuse with other substances among young adults has documented outcomes that are more problematic for those with higher rates of co-ingesting alcohol. There is a need to understand how college students in this period of heightened risk use other salient substances in moments of their prescription misuse in daily life. Method: Young-adult college students who engaged in recent prescription misuse (N = 297) completed ecological momentary assessment (EMA) over a 28-day period, resulting in 23,578 reports. Multilevel modeling examined within-person associations between other momentary substance use (including alcohol, nicotine, energy drinks, and marijuana) and prescription misuse in daily life. Analyses accounted for between-person characteristics, having a current focal prescription, and effects of reporting over time. Participant sex was also explored as a moderator. Results: In adjusted multilevel models, college students' momentary nicotine use and energy drink use each were associated with their greater likelihood of prescription misuse in daily life. In contrast, momentary marijuana use was linked with lower likelihood of misuse. Moderation results indicated that males (but not females) were less likely to engage in prescription misuse in moments of their alcohol use. Conclusions: Drawing from data obtained using EMA, findings provide novel insights about the real-world associations between prescription drug misuse and other salient substance behaviors during a developmental period that is important for establishing later substance use and health.

Parent couple conflict and emotional and behavioral problems in youth with autism: Longitudinal investigation of bidirectional effects.

Families of youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are vulnerable to maladaptive psychosocial experiences, including elevated youth emotional and behavioral problems (EBPs) and poor parent couple relationship outcomes. Yet, the extent to which these family psychosocial experiences are intertwined has been given little research attention. The present study longitudinally investigated the bidirectional associations between parent couple conflict (PCC) and youth EBPs in 188 families of children and adolescents with ASD (initially aged 5 to 12 years) across four time points (T1, T2, T3, T4), each spaced 12 months apart. Mother- and father-report of youth EBPs and PCC were entered into a cross-lagged panel model. After adjusting for youth age and intellectual disability status and parent education and couple relationship length, the results indicated that father-report of PCC predicted increased youth EBPs 12 months later (T1→T2 and T2→T3). In addition, father-report of youth EBPs predicted increased PCC 12 months later (T3→T4). Mother-report did not demonstrate cross-lagged effects. The findings suggest that fathers' perceptions of PCC and youth emotional and behavioral functioning are transactionally related, highlighting the need for family-wide interventions.

Comparing Reported Prescription Drug Misuse between Ecological Momentary Assessment versus Timeline Follow-Back among College Students.

Background: Accurate assessment of prescription drug misuse (PDM) is critical among young-adult college students, a particularly high-risk group for this substance behavior. No studies have compared assessments of college students' reports of PDM obtained from their reporting in daily life (via ecological momentary assessment; EMA) to their retrospective accounts of PDM over the same period (via timeline follow-back interview; TLFB), an approach that is commonly used in substance use research. Purpose/Objectives: To determine day-level agreement and person-level agreement in college student reports of PDM in EMA versus TLFB methods. Methods: Participants were 297 college freshmen and sophomores (69% female) recruited based on misuse behavior in the past three months. PDM behaviors were captured in daily life using EMA for 28 days and TLFB administered during an in-person lab visit. Agreement was assessed at the person level (any PDM during the 28 days) and day level (PDM on a given day) using Cohen's kappa and percent agreement. Results: PDM was reported more frequently using TLFB compared to EMA. Person-level agreement between the two methods was good (k = 0.62, 95% CI: 0.53, 0.70), whereas day-level agreement was fair (k = 0.23, 95% CI: 0.19, 0.28). Agreement in stimulant misuse reported across methods was more consistent compared to reports of other medication classes. Conclusions: Findings offer implications for the assessment of college student PDM data in substance use research.

Explaining Heterogeneity of Daily Conflict Spillover in the Family: The Role of Dyadic Marital Conflict Patterns.

In this multi-informant, longitudinal, daily diary study, we investigated whether long-term dyadic patterns of marital conflict resolution explain the heterogeneity in short-term day-to-day cross-lagged associations between marital conflict intensity and mother-adolescent conflict intensity. The sample consisted of 419 adolescents (44.6% girls, Mage = 13.02, SD = 0.44, at T1; Mage = 17.02, SD = 0.44, at T5), their mothers (N = 419, Mage = 44.48, SD = 4.17, at T1), and their fathers (N = 419, Mage = 46.76, SD = 4.99, at T1). Mothers and fathers reported on their marital conflict resolution strategies annually across 5 years. Mother-father daily conflict intensity (mother-reported) and mother-adolescent daily conflict intensity (mother- and adolescent-reported) were assessed for 75 days across 5 years. We hypothesized that long-term marital conflict resolution patterns would moderate the short-term daily dynamics of conflict between the marital and the mother-adolescent dyads. Latent Class Growth Analysis revealed four types of families based on long-term dyadic marital conflict resolution, including families where mostly constructive or mostly destructive conflict resolution was used. Dynamic Structural Equation Modeling was used to investigate the daily levels and short-term daily dynamics of conflict, revealing that for most families there were no day-to-day lagged associations between marital conflict and mother-adolescent conflict. Results showed that long-term conflict resolution patterns did not moderate the short-term dynamics of daily conflict. However, differences among long-term marital conflict resolution patterns were found in the levels of daily conflict, such that in families with long-term destructive conflict resolution patterns, daily conflict intensity was higher.

En este estudio de informantes múltiples, longitudinal y de registro diario, investigamos si los patrones diádicos de resolución de conflictos conyugales a largo plazo explican la heterogeneidad en las asociaciones diarias de retardo cruzado a corto plazo entre la intensidad del conflicto conyugal y la intensidad del conflicto entre las madres y los adolescentes. La muestra estuvo integrada por 419 adolescentes (el 44.6 % niñas, edad promedio = 13.02, desviación típica = 0.44, en la T1; edad promedio = 17.02, desviación típica= 0.44, en la T5), sus madres (número = 419, edad promedio = 44.48, desviación típica = 4.17, en la T1), y sus padres (número = 419, edad promedio= 46.76, desviación típica = 4.99, en la T1). Las madres y los padres informaron sus estrategias de resolución de conflictos conyugales anualmente durante cinco años. Se evaluaron la intensidad del conflicto diario entre la madre y el padre (informado por la madre) y la intensidad del conflicto diario entre la madre y el adolescente (informado por la madre y el adolescente) durante 75 días a lo largo de cinco años. Planteamos la hipótesis de que los patrones de resolución de conflicto conyugal a largo plazo moderarían la dinámica diaria de conflicto a corto plazo entre la díada conyugal y la díada madre-adolescente. El análisis de crecimiento de clases latentes reveló cuatro tipos de familias sobre la base de la resolución de conflictos conyugales diádicos a largo plazo, incluidas las familias donde se usó la resolución de conflictos principalmente constructiva o principalmente destructiva. Se utilizó el modelo de ecuaciones estructurales dinámicas para investigar los niveles diarios y la dinámica diaria de conflicto a corto plazo, el cual reveló que para la mayoría de las familias no hubo asociaciones diarias retardadas entre el conflicto conyugal y el conflicto entre madres y adolescentes. Los resultados indicaron que los patrones de resolución de conflictos a largo plazo no moderaron la dinámica a corto plazo del conflicto diario. Sin embargo, se encontraron diferencias entre los patrones de resolución de conflictos conyugales a largo plazo en los niveles de conflicto diario, de modo que, en las familias con patrones de resolución de conflictos destructivos a largo plazo, la intensidad del conflicto diario fue mayor.

Marital satisfaction, parenting styles, and child outcomes in families of autistic children.

Theory and research on the general population suggest that parents' marital relationship quality is associated with children's emotional and behavioral functioning directly, as well as indirectly, by affecting parenting attitudes and behaviors. However, little has been done to investigate the potential connection among parent marital satisfaction, parenting styles, and outcomes for autistic children. Using longitudinal data collected from 188 couples parenting an autistic child, this study tested the time-ordered indirect effect of parent marital satisfaction (assessed at Time 1) on the internalizing and externalizing symptoms (assessed at Time 3) of autistic children (originally aged 5-12 years) via parenting styles (assessed at Time 2) using actor-partner interdependence modeling extended to mediation. Results indicated that a lower level of marital satisfaction at Time 1 predicted impaired child outcomes at Time 3 via its impact on parenting style at Time 2. For both parents, lower marital satisfaction predicted more child externalizing symptoms via reports of more authoritarian parenting style. Lower marital satisfaction in mothers at Time 1 was also associated with higher levels of child internalizing symptoms at Time 3 via increased authoritarian parenting in mothers. No partner effects were found. A family-wide approach that includes support for the parent marital relationship, which may have downstream effects on parenting, is important for promoting optimal emotional and behavioral health in autistic children.

La teoría y las investigaciones sobre la población en general indican que la calidad de la relación conyugal de los padres está asociada con el funcionamiento conductual y emocional de los niños tanto directamente como indirectamente, ya que afecta las actitudes y las conductas de crianza. Sin embargo, se ha hecho poco para investigar la posible conexión entre la satisfacción conyugal de los padres, los estilos de crianza y las consecuencias en los niños autistas. Utilizando datos longitudinales recogidos de 188 parejas que criaban a un niño autista, este estudio evaluó el efecto indirecto según el orden del tiempo de la satisfacción conyugal de los padres (evaluada en el primer intervalo) en las síntomas de exteriorización y de interiorización (evaluados en el tercer intervalo) de los niños autistas (inicialmente de entre 5 y 12 años) mediante los estilos de crianza (evaluados en el segundo intervalo) utilizando un modelo de interdependencia actor-pareja extendido a la mediación. Los resultados indicaron que un nivel más bajo de satisfacción conyugal en el primer intervalo predijo consecuencias disfuncionales en los niños en el tercer intervalo mediante su efecto en el estilo de crianza en el segundo intervalo. Para ambos padres, una menor satisfacción conyugal predijo más síntomas de exteriorización de los niños mediante informes de un estilo de crianza más autoritario. Una menor satisfacción conyugal en las madres en el primer intervalo también estuvo asociada con niveles más altos de síntomas de interiorización en los niños en el tercer intervalo mediante una mayor crianza autoritaria en las madres. No se encontraron efectos de la pareja. Con el fin de promover una salud conductual y emocional óptima en los niños autistas, es importante implementar un método para toda la familia que incluya apoyo para la relación conyugal de los padres, la cual puede tener efectos posteriores en la crianza.

Empty Nest Status, Marital Closeness, and Perceived Health: Testing Couples' Direct and Moderated Associations with an Actor-Partner Interdependence Model.

Building on previous examinations of marital outcomes in the empty nest phase that have been based on surveys of individuals (primarily wives), the current study examined the direct effect of no longer living with children in the home (versus continuing to live with children) on husbands and wives' ratings of marital closeness as well as their perceived health. The study also tested whether couples' empty nest status moderated the associations between spouses' marital closeness and health. Analyses were based on 3,765 mixed-sex couples drawn from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study. Dyadic multilevel modeling and actor-partner interdependence models (APIM) were used to test hypotheses. Results indicated that, accounting for known covariates, being in the empty nest was directly linked with both husbands and wives reporting higher levels of marital closeness and with wives (only) reporting better health. Moderating findings were less consistent, with the single reliable moderation result indicating that wives' perceived health was improved at higher levels of their husbands' marital closeness only among couples who were still living with children in the home. Clinical implications and future research directions are discussed.

Couples' Perceptions of Each Other's Daily Affect: Empathic Accuracy, Assumed Similarity, and Indirect Accuracy.

This study examined couples' perceptions of each other's daily affect, using a daily diary methodology. Specifically, we tested the extent to which couples accurately inferred how their partner was feeling (empathic accuracy) and the extent to which spouses used their own feelings as a gauge for how their partner was feeling (assumed similarity). We also tested for indirect accuracy in couples' perceptions; that is, that assumed similarity in the context of actual similarity leads to empathic accuracy. Participants were 51 couples who completed daily diaries for seven consecutive nights. Results based on the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model indicated that couples showed both empathic accuracy and assumed similarity in their perception of their partner's positive affect; however, they used assumed similarity in rating their partner's hard negative (anger, hostility) and soft negative (sadness, fear) affect. Furthermore, tests of indirect accuracy found that wives were indirectly accurate in perceiving their husbands' positive affect and both husbands and wives were indirectly accurate in perceiving each other's hard negative affect because they were biased. Complementing laboratory studies, the present study highlights that examining couples' perceptions of each other's feelings in contexts of daily life, and differentiating positive and negative emotions, can further our understanding of the role of emotions for healthy relationship functioning.

Este estudio analizó las percepciones de las parejas del afecto diario mutuo utilizando una metodología de registro diario. Específicamente, evaluamos el grado en el que las parejas infirieron con precisión cómo se sentía su pareja (precisión empática) y el grado en el que los cónyuges usaron sus propios sentimientos como indicador de cómo se sentía su pareja (similitud asumida). También evaluamos la precisión indirecta de las percepciones de las parejas, es decir, que la similitud asumida en el contexto de la similitud real lleva a la precisión empática. Los participantes fueron 51 parejas que realizaron registros diarios durante siete noches consecutivas. Los resultados basados en el modelo de interdependencia actor-pareja indicaron que las parejas demostraron tanto precisión empática como similitud asumida en su percepción del afecto positivo de su pareja; sin embargo, usaron la similitud asumida para calificar el afecto negativo fuerte (ira, hostilidad) y el afecto negativo suave (tristeza, miedo) de su pareja. Además, en las evaluaciones de la precisión indirecta se descubrió que las esposas fueron indirectamente precisas para percibir el afecto positivo de sus esposos y que tanto los esposos como las esposas fueron indirectamente precisos para percibir el afecto negativo fuerte mutuo porque eran tendenciosos. Complementando los estudios de laboratorio, el presente estudio destaca que analizar las percepciones de las parejas de los sentimientos mutuos en los contextos de la vida diaria y diferenciar las emociones positivas y negativas puede mejorar nuestra comprensión del papel que desempeñan las emociones para el funcionamiento saludable de las relaciones.

Spillover of Marital Interactions and Parenting Stress in Families of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Few disorders appear to be more challenging for parents than autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Little is known about the extent to which parenting stress experienced by parents of children with ASD affects or is affected by marital quality. We examined daily spillover between level of parenting stress and marital interactions in a sample of 176 married couples (89.4% Caucasian, non-Hispanic) who have a child with ASD (5-12 years of age, 85% male) via a 14-day daily diary approach. On each day of the daily diary, parents individually reported on 8 positive and 8 negative marital interactions and their level of parenting stress. Dyadic multilevel modeling analyses using hierarchical linear modeling were conducted to examine same-day and lagged-effect associations between number of positive and negative marital interactions and level of parenting stress. Having a day with a higher number of negative marital interactions was associated with a higher level of parenting stress for both mothers and fathers of children with ASD. Having a day with fewer positive marital interactions was associated with having a more stressful parenting day for mothers of children with ASD. Same-day spillover was moderated by parent gender and the functioning of the child with ASD. Spillover flowed bidirectionally for mothers of children with ASD. Helping parents of children with ASD find ways to engage in positive marital interactions on stressful parenting days and avoid having negative affect, tension, and behaviors stemming from negative marital interactions spill into parenting experiences are important intervention targets.

Mothers' and Fathers' Prescription Drug Misuse in Family Contexts: Implications for the Adjustment of Parents of Children With and Without Autism.

Although prescription drug misuse is an identified risk factor for individuals' outcomes, less is known about its occurrence in and implications for families. To address this limitation, we examined whether mothers' and fathers' prescription drug misuse is associated with the adjustment of parents, including those with a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and those without. Mothers and fathers from families with a child with ASD (n = 178) and comparison families without a child with ASD (n = 174) completed surveys of past-year prescription drug misuse and their personal and relationship adjustment. In total, 7.7% (N = 27) of mothers and 8.2% (N = 29) of fathers reported recent prescription drug misuse. There was significant interdependence between mothers' and fathers' recent prescription drug misuse in families with a child with ASD but not in comparison families. Actor-partner interdependence modeling was used to examine associations between parents' prescription drug misuse and their own and their partner's adjustment, controlling for medical use of prescription drugs and demographic covariates. Across family diagnosis statuses, mothers' prescription drug misuse predicted higher levels of their own alcohol problems, whereas fathers' prescription drug misuse related only to mothers' poorer sleep quality. Moreover, mothers' prescription drug misuse was associated with higher levels of their own depression symptoms in ASD-status (but not in comparison) families. Understanding parents' prescription drug misuse and its effects on family members is critical for informing future research and prevention and treatment strategies.

Predicting young adults' risk for engaging in prescription drug misuse in daily life from individual, partner, and relationship factors.

BACKGROUND: Mounting evidence based on retrospective and global assessments has established associations between prescription drug misuse and illicit drug use, alcohol abuse, mental health problems, risky sexual behaviors, and overdose deaths. However, there is a notable absence of identified risk and protective factors for an individual's likelihood of engaging in misuse in real-world environments. METHODS: Using an experience sampling approach, the authors collected repeated moments of young adults' (n = 95 participants drawn from 49 romantic couples) prescription drug misuse instances in daily life and tested multiple factors associated with the misuse. RESULTS: When examined in separate multilevel models, individual and relationship factors (but not partner factors) reliably predicted the likelihood of females' and males' prescription drug misuse in daily life. Specifically, females' elevated dysphoria symptoms, alcohol problems, and relationship closeness were linked with an increased likelihood of misuse, whereas cohabiting decreased the likelihood of their misuse. Males' higher levels of illicit drug use and relationship closeness were associated with increased likelihood of misuse, whereas their dysphoria symptoms were related to a lower likelihood of misuse. When examined in models that considered the predictors simultaneously, females' misuse was associated with individual, partner, and relationship factors, whereas males' misuse was not reliably associated with any of the factors. CONCLUSIONS: An experience sampling approach was effective for the near-real-time assessment of young adults' prescription drug misuse in daily environments, and the likelihood of misuse was associated with risk and protective factors from multiple levels of influence. Education and treatment efforts designed to reduce prescription drug misuse may need to be tailored to accommodate males' and females' distinct predictors of misuse.

COVID-19 pandemic effects on trajectories of college students' stress, coping, and sleep quality: A four-year longitudinal analysis.

College students' stress levels, coping strategies, and sleep quality are important indicators of functioning and further predict their health and well-being. The current study utilises data repeatedly collected over more than 4 years from students enroled at a large public research university in the Midwestern US. Our data collection period coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic's onset, facilitating systematic examination of whether and how college students' trajectories (i.e., level and slopes) of stress, coping, and sleep quality changed as the pandemic progressed. Across five waves, surveys assessed multiple outcome and predictor domains every 6 months. Analyses revealed differential courses of change for the outcomes. Stress levels were overall lower immediately after the onset but trended upwards as the pandemic continued. Reported coping reduced significantly after the onset and showed a steeper decline as the pandemic wore on. Sleep quality showed no significant pandemic changes over time, though sleep duration and timing showed initial onset effects. College students' stress, coping, and sleep changed in complex and nuanced ways after the pandemic's onset and findings from our longitudinal analyses expand upon those from previous limited repeated measure and cross-sectional studies. Altogether, findings demonstrate multifaceted changes that may have ongoing effects to affect well-being during key developmental stages.

College Students' prescription drug misuse over time and links with their mental health and well-being.

Prescription drug misuse (PDM) is a mounting public health concern in the U.S., particularly among college students. The field's reliance on cross-sectional designs and limited controls for other substance use has failed to capture the specific role of misuse for longer-term health. Therefore, the present study tested associations between trajectories of PDM problems and college students' mental health and subjective happiness over time. Participants were 300 students who completed a baseline assessment (T1) and follow-ups every 6 months for two years (T2-T5). Participants self-reported problems associated with PDM and mental health. Results from univariate latent growth models indicated that problems with PDM were initially on an increasing trajectory. Based on parallel process models, problems with PDM were concurrently associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms, disinhibition, callousness/aggression, and lower levels of subjective happiness at T1. Further, we found support for parallel trajectories between PDM problems and both depressive symptoms and general disinhibition. Participants whose PDM problems were on an increasing (worsening) trajectory at baseline showed an increase in depressive symptoms and general disinhibition over the next two years. Participants whose PDM problems accelerated over time (got worse at a faster and faster rate over time) also showed a significant increase in their depressive symptoms over time. Most findings, however, were no longer statistically significant in sensitivity analyses that controlled for alcohol and other drug problems. Findings highlight college as an important time for interventions to prevent substance use and its associated negative consequence on later young adult mental health.

Examining enduring effects of COVID-19 on college students' internalizing and externalizing problems: A four-year longitudinal analysis.

BACKGROUND: College students' mental health has been a vital concern for researchers, policymakers, administrators, and educators since before the pandemic, and it is crucial to identify the extent to which the pandemic affected college students' mental health. METHODS: The current study utilized data repeatedly collected over more than four years (2017-2022) from N = 355 students enrolled at a large public research university in the Midwestern US. The data collection period coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic's onset, facilitating systematic examination of whether and how college students' trajectories (i.e., level and slopes) of depressive symptoms, social anxiety, general disinhibition, callous aggression, and problematic alcohol use changed as the pandemic progressed. Across seven waves, surveys assessed multiple outcome and predictor domains. Multilevel growth curve modeling was used to analyze all outcomes. RESULTS: Depression symptoms peaked mid-pandemic, whereas social anxiety first declined then continued rising. General disinhibition and callous aggression showed non-significant changes in trajectories. Problematic alcohol use decreased continuously with no significant pandemic-associated effects in the best-fitting model. LIMITATIONS: An important limitation is reliance on a sample from a single campus utilizing self-reported, non-clinical assessments. Another important limitation is the lack of location information from participants during the acute COVID-19 phase. CONCLUSIONS: Reported longitudinal analyses expand upon findings from previous limited repeated-measures and cross-sectional studies. In terms of clinical significance, some of the most harmful COVID-19 effects to mental health may be long-lasting and cumulative, making them difficult to detect in shorter-term or cross-sectional studies. Altogether, findings demonstrate complex changes in students' mental health that may have ongoing effects on well-being during key developmental stages.

Changes in marital conflict and youths' responses across childhood and adolescence: a test of sensitization.

Although the sensitization hypothesis is fundamental to process-oriented explanations of the effects of marital conflict on children, few longitudinal tests of the theory's propositions have been conducted. Hierarchical linear modeling was used in this prospective, longitudinal study (n = 297 families) to assess changes in the dimensions of responding to conflict (i.e., emotional, cognitive, and behavioral) for 3 consecutive years in youths between the ages of 8 and 19 years. Moreover, to test the notion of sensitization, analyses were conducted to examine whether change in marital conflict predicted change in children's responding across middle childhood and adolescence. Supporting the sensitization hypothesis, increases in exposure to hostile marital conflict were associated with increases in children's negative emotionality, threat, self-blame, and skepticism about resolution. With a few exceptions, the effects were largely consistent for boys and girls and for younger and older children.

Spouses' cortisol associations and moderators: testing physiological synchrony and connectedness in everyday life.

In this study, associations were examined between cortisol levels of wives and husbands in 47 heterosexual married couples. Both partners' salivary cortisol levels were measured at the same moments seven times a day on 2 typical weekdays. After accounting for the effects of the diurnal rhythm of cortisol and relevant control variables, dyadic hierarchical linear modeling indicated significant positive linkages between partners' cortisol levels, consistent with the hypothesized within-couple physiological synchrony. Variables reflecting more (spousal presence) or less connectedness (loneliness, being alone) were also collected at the time of each cortisol sample. Results indicated that husbands' cortisol levels were higher at moments they reported feeling lonelier and lower at moments they were in the presence of their spouse. Wives' cortisol levels were higher at moments they were alone. In addition, wife-husband cortisol synchrony was stronger for husbands who spent relatively more time with their spouse across the study period-even after accounting for time spent with others in general. These findings suggest that marital partners evidence positive within-couple cortisol associations, and that connectedness (particularly physical closeness) may underpin spouses' physiological synchrony.

Testing Similarity in Romantic Partners' COVID-19 Experiences at the Time of a Pain-Related Emergency Department Visit.

BACKGROUND: Research has established associations between romantic partners' health-related behaviors, although links between partners' experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic at the time of an important medical event remain untested. METHODS: The sample was drawn from an existing study of patients who received a new opioid prescription at an emergency department visit for acute pain. We assessed COVID-19 experiences of 97 patients and their romantic partners from April 2021 through June 2022. RESULTS: Romantic partners reported similar ratings of COVID-19 impact and were likely to agree on their coping with the pandemic by engaging in more time on activities like puzzles or books, using marijuana, and drinking alcohol. Partners also demonstrated high concordance in their COVID-19 vaccination statuses. CONCLUSIONS: These findings extend a robust literature showing romantic partners' concordance in a host of health-relevant behaviors to their COVID-19 experiences.

College students' sense of belonging in times of disruption: Prospective changes from before to during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The current study examined whether college students' sense of belonging changed following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants were 252 (66.7% female) first- and second-year college students at a large public university in the United States. It was hypothesized that students would report a decrease in their sense of belonging from before to during the pandemic. It was also hypothesized that female students and racial-ethnic minority students, respectively, would report steeper declines in their sense of belonging compared to their male peers and to their White, non-Hispanic peers. Repeated-measures data were analyzed using a multilevel modeling framework to test for mean differences in students' levels of belonging from pre-COVID to during-COVID periods. No direct change in students' sense of belonging was detected. Moderation results indicated that sense of belonging decreased significantly over time for racial-ethnic minority students but not for White, non-Hispanic students. The findings encourage higher education researchers and practitioners to consider the unique experiences of racial-ethnic minority college students during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

College students' momentary stress and prescription drug misuse in daily life: Testing direct links and the moderating roles of global stress and coping.

Prior survey-based research has documented associations between greater levels of stress and increased prescription drug misuse behaviour. These studies uniformly rely on assessments of both the stress experiences and the substance behaviour after they occurred (commonly spanning 6-12 month retrospective timeframes). Less is known about the extent to which variations in momentary stress predict the actual occurrence of prescription misuse in daily life among college students with elevated risk for engaging in the behaviour. In this study, 297 participants (69% females; Mage  = 19.5 years, SDage  = 0.71) completed a 28-day ecological momentary assessment procedure that collected self-reported stress and other contextual experiences in moments preceding prescription drug misuse. Analyses tested the within-person association between momentary stress and prescription drug misuse and examined the extent to which the relation between stress and misuse was moderated by participants' assigned sex or global stress and coping levels. Results from hierarchical generalised linear modelling indicated a significant within-person association between momentary stress (i.e., higher than usual relative to one's own mean) and greater likelihood of prescription misuse in daily life, accounting for the number of stressors and timing covariates. No significant moderation by participant sex was found, and moderation effects by global stress and coping levels were not in the expected directions. Direct results highlight the role of momentary stress experiences on health-relevant substance behaviours and provide future directions for research and applied efforts.

Parent-couple satisfaction, parent depression, and child mental health in families with autistic children.

Introduction: Within two-parent households, the parent-couple subsystem (marital or romantic partner relationship) is posited to shape the mental health of both parents and children. Autistic children and their parents have an elevated-risk for mental health problems. The present study longitudinally examined the mediating role of the quality of the parent-couple relationship in time-ordered pathways between changes in the mental health problems of autistic children and in parent depression symptoms at a within-family level. Methodology: Using four time points of data collected on 188 families of autistic children (aged 5-12 years) across 3 years, the bidirectional associations between parent-couple relationship satisfaction, parent depressive symptoms, and child internalizing and externalizing mental health problems were investigated. Two multi-group (grouped by parent gender) complete longitudinal mediation models in structural equation modeling using Mplus software were conducted. Results: Parent-couple relationship satisfaction mediated: (1) the association between higher parent depressive symptoms and higher child internalizing mental health problems 12 months later for both mothers and fathers, and (2) the association between higher child externalizing mental health problems and higher father depression symptoms 12 months later. Father depression symptoms mediated a pathway from lower parent-couple satisfaction to higher child internalizing mental health problems 12 months later, and mother depression symptoms mediated the pathway from higher child externalizing mental health problems to lower parent-couple satisfaction 12 months later. Conclusion: Findings highlight the bidirectional and complex ways that parent and child mental health and the quality of the parent-couple relationship are entwined across time in families of autistic children. Family-wide interventions that address the needs of multiple family members and family systems are best suited to improve the mental health of parents and autistic children.