Depressive symptoms and serum lipid fractions in middle-aged men: physiologic and health behavior links.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate alternative hypothetical models that could clarify the relationship between depressive symptoms and serum cholesterol fractions, i.e., high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL). It was hypothesized that the impact of the depressive symptoms on cholesterol fractions is mediated through health behavior and body mass index, and at the same time there would be a direct link from depression to cholesterol. METHODS: The study sample consisted of 893 middle-age men who participated in a trial aimed at preventing the metabolic syndrome, Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Serum cholesterol was measured by the enzymatic method. Participants completed self-report questionnaires assessing health behavior and depressive symptoms. RESULTS: Depressive symptoms consistently correlated statistically significantly with adverse lifestyle factors and, as hypothesized, positively with HDL. Path analyses supported the parallel existence of two main pathways: from depression through adverse health behavior to unfavorable cholesterol fraction balance, and a direct physiological link indicative of beneficial effect of depression on cholesterol levels. CONCLUSIONS: It is concluded that, among a sample of men, depressive symptoms are linked to cholesterol fractions through two different pathways. An adverse relationship of depression with serum lipids HDL-LDL balance is partly mediated through harmful health behaviors. At the same time, the results indicate a direct, physiological link between depressive symptoms and cholesterol that has a beneficial influence on the HDL-LDL balance.

Continuity of father-rated temperament from infancy to middle childhood.

Continuity of father-rated temperament in Finnish children (n=115) aged from 6 months (the IBQ) to 5.5 years (the CBQ) was explored within the theoretical framework developed by Rothbart. Father-rated activity level, smiling and laughter and distress to limitations showed significant differential homotypic and heterotypic continuity, while soothability, duration of orienting and fear showed significant differential heterotypic continuity. On the level of latent superconstructs, father-rated positive and negative infant affectivity accounted for 5.1, 22.7 and 10.0% of the variance in childhood extraversion, effortful control and negative affectivity, respectively. Inter-parental comparisons (n=109 family units) revealed that father-rated continuity was similar to mother-rated continuity. These findings give empirical credence to Rothbart's theory and to father-rated temperamental continuity from infancy onwards.

Anger is associated with subclinical atherosclerosis in low SES but not in higher SES men and women. The Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study.

We investigated the associations of anger and cynicism with carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) and whether these associations were moderated by childhood or adulthood socioeconomic status (SES). The participants were 647 men and 893 women derived from the population-based Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study. Childhood SES was measured in 1980 when the participants were aged 3-18. In 2001, adulthood SES, anger, cynicism, and IMT were measured. There were no associations between anger or cynicism and IMT in the entire population, but anger was associated with thicker IMT in participants who had experienced low SES in childhood. This association persisted after adjustment for a host of cardiovascular risk factors. It is concluded that the ill health-effects of psychological factors such as anger may be more pronounced in individuals who have been exposed to adverse socioeconomic circumstances early in life.

Sense of coherence and distress in cancer patients and their partners.

Strong sense of coherence (SOC) is assumed to promote and protect health in stressful situations, such as a serious illness. There is, however, surprisingly little research-based discussion on the SOC-distress association in cancer patients and especially in their partners. The aim of this study was to clarify these issues. The associations between SOC, depression, and anxiety were studied in 123 cancer couples. Data were collected with self-report questionnaires at the time of diagnosis, 8 and 14 months later. The predictors of follow-up distress and possible mediators of the cross-lagged longitudinal data were analysed with SEM. No gender differences in the patients' study variables were found, but the female partners displayed more distress symptoms than their male counterparts. The results supported the SOC theory. Strong SOC alleviated the development of distress. In addition, patient SOC tended to strengthen during the follow-up. No direct crossover between baseline SOC and follow-up distress was found. However, all patient and partner variables at the 14-month follow-up were related to each other, but not at baseline. This could indicate a gradual crossover process of the shared experience. Special attention in clinical practice should be given to the psychological well-being of cancer patients' partners, especially female partners.

Continuity of temperament from infancy to middle childhood.

Continuity of temperament from 6 months (the IBQ) to 5.5 years (the CBQ) was explored in Finnish children (n=231) within the theoretical framework deviced by Rothbart. Activity level, smiling and laughter, distress to limitations and fear showed significant differential homotypic and heterotypic continuity, while soothability and duration of orienting showed significant differential heterotypic continuity. On the level of latent superconstructs, infant positive and negative affectivity accounted for 4.6, 22.3, and 6.0% of the variance in childhood extraversion, effortful control and negative affectivity, respectively. Infant and childhood temperament clustered into profile types named "resilient", "undercontrolled", and "overcontrolled" mirroring ipsative continuity. These findings give empirical credence to Rothbart's theory by replicating and extending previous findings in significant ways.

Parental socioeconomic position and parental life satisfaction as predictors of job strain in adulthood: 18-year follow-up of the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to prospectively examine whether parental socioeconomic position (SEP) and parental life satisfaction predict job strain in adulthood. METHODS: The cohort comprised 755 participants from the ongoing Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study. The parents reported their SEP and life satisfaction when the participants were aged 6-21 years. Eighteen years later at ages 24-39 years, the participants responded to a survey on job strain and its components, job control and job demands. RESULTS: According to structural equation modeling, lower parental SEP and higher parental life dissatisfaction independently predicted increased adulthood job strain. Lower parental SEP also predicted lower educational attainment, which in turn was linked with higher job strain and lower job control. We found no gender differences in these predictive relationships. CONCLUSION: Parental SEP and parental life satisfaction are associated with job strain in adulthood, and the effect is partly mediated by education. These prospective data suggest that preemployment factors should be taken into account as potential confounders in future research on job strain-health associations.

Job strain and early atherosclerosis: the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns study.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine whether job strain and social support are associated with early atherosclerosis measured by carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) in young adults. METHODS: The subjects were 478 men and 542 women (mean age 32.3) who were participating in the ongoing prospective Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns study. Job strain was defined as a joint effect of job demands and job control. Early atherosclerosis was determined with IMT ultrasound. The associations between job strain, social support, and IMT were evaluated using multiple linear regressions. RESULTS: In men, job strain was associated with increased IMT after adjustment for age. This association was not attenuated by additional adjustment for established risk factors of coronary heart disease. In women, job strain was not associated with IMT. No 3-way interaction of job demand, job control, and social support on IMT was found. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that job strain may be related to atherosclerosis already in its early nonsymptomatic stages in men.

Parenting, achievement strategies and satisfaction in ice hockey.

The aim of this study is to understand adolescent players' satisfaction as a function of parenting styles, players' achievement strategies, and their norm breaking behavior. Finnish 14- and 16-year-old ice-hockey players (n=1018) completed a questionnaire measuring their achievement strategies (SAQ; Nurmi, Salmela--Aro & Haavisto, 1995 b), as well as scales of norm breaking and satisfaction, prepared for the present study. The parents (n=979) filled in scales measuring their parenting styles (CRPR; Pulkkinen, 1996) and attitudes towards norm breaking. Results revealed that players from authoritative families who showed a high level of mastery-orientation expressed high satisfaction in playing ice hockey. Results also showed negative associations between authoritative parenting and both task irrelevant and norm breaking behavior. Parents with parental stress and those with authoritarian parenting styles showed positive attitudes to norm breaking behavior, and players from authoritarian and parental stress homes showed norm breaking behavior in ice hockey. There was no association between norm breaking behavior and player satisfaction. Our results contribute to the planning of a coaching system that serves more educational and developmental purposes, and that encourages the desire to play ice hockey as a hobby.