Diversity, equity, and inclusivity in observational ambulatory assessment: Recommendations from two decades of Electronically Activated Recorder (EAR) research.

Ambient audio sampling methods such as the Electronically Activated Recorder (EAR) have become increasingly prominent in clinical and social sciences research. These methods record snippets of naturalistically assessed audio from participants' daily lives, enabling novel observational research about the daily social interactions, identities, environments, behaviors, and speech of populations of interest. In practice, these scientific opportunities are equaled by methodological challenges: researchers' own cultural backgrounds and identities can easily and unknowingly permeate the collection, coding, analysis, and interpretation of social data from daily life. Ambient audio sampling poses unique and significant challenges to cultural humility, diversity, equity, and inclusivity (DEI) in scientific research that require systematized attention. Motivated by this observation, an international consortium of 21 researchers who have used ambient audio sampling methodologies created a workgroup with the aim of improving upon existing published guidelines. We pooled formally and informally documented challenges pertaining to DEI in ambient audio sampling from our collective experience on 40+ studies (most of which used the EAR app) in clinical and healthy populations ranging from children to older adults. This article presents our resultant recommendations and argues for the incorporation of community-engaged research methods in observational ambulatory assessment designs looking forward. We provide concrete recommendations across each stage typical of an ambient audio sampling study (recruiting and enrolling participants, developing coding systems, training coders, handling multi-linguistic participants, data analysis and interpretation, and dissemination of results) as well as guiding questions that can be used to adapt these recommendations to project-specific constraints and needs.

The Perks of Pet Ownership? The Effects of Pet Ownership on Well-Being During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Pet ownership has often been lauded as a protective factor for well-being, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. We expanded this question to consider how pet (i.e., species, number) and owner (i.e., pet relationship quality, personality, attachment orientations) characteristics affected the association between pet ownership and well-being in a pre-registered mixed method analysis of 767 people assessed three times in May 2020. In our qualitative analyses, pet owners listed both benefits and costs of pet ownership during the COVID-19 pandemic. In our quantitative analyses, we found that pet ownership was not reliably associated with well-being. Furthermore, this association largely did not depend on the number of pets owned, the species of pet(s) owned, the quality of the human-pet relationship, or the owner's psychological characteristics. Our findings are consistent with a large body of research showing null associations of pet ownership on well-being (quantitatively) but positive reports of pet ownership (qualitatively).

Extraversion, social interactions, and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic: Did extraverts really suffer more than introverts?

A large body of research suggests that extraversion is positively related to well-being. However, it is unclear whether this association can be explained by social participation (i.e., more extraverted individuals engage in social interactions more frequently) or social reactivity (i.e., more extraverted individuals profit more from social interactions) processes. Here, we examined the role of social interactions for the extraversion-well-being relationship during the COVID-19 pandemic, an unprecedented time of reduced social contact. We analyzed data from an international, longitudinal study (Study 1: 10,523 assessments provided by 4,622 participants) and two experience sampling studies (Study 2: 29,536 assessments provided by 293 participants; Study 3: 61,492 assessments provided by 1,381 participants). Preregistered multilevel structural equation models revealed that extraversion was robustly related to well-being, even when social restrictions were in place. Across data sets, we found some support for the social participation hypothesis (i.e., the relationship between extraversion and well-being is mediated by social interactions), but the social reactivity hypothesis (i.e., extraversion moderates the relationship between social interactions and well-being) was not consistently supported. Strikingly, however, exploratory analyses showed that the social reactivity hypothesis was supported for specific facets of extraversion (i.e., sociability) and well-being (i.e., activated positive affect). Moreover, changes in social interaction patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g., decreases in face-to-face interactions and interactions with friends) were unrelated to extraversion, and more extraverted individuals did not suffer more from these changes. Taken together, these findings underline the robustness of the effect of extraversion on well-being during a societal crisis. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Relationship quality and physical health: Responsiveness as an active ingredient predicting health across the lifespan.

A growing body of research has established responsiveness as a robust predictor of physical health. Here, we evaluate the extent to which this work establishes partner responsiveness as an active ingredient- a specific component within the broader construct of relationship quality that accounts for a demonstrated association between relationship quality and health. We review work demonstrating that responsiveness predicts a wide range of physical health outcomes, above and beyond other facets of relationship quality, and that it moderates the effects of other protective processes and risk factors. Finally, we discuss how new methodological and interdisciplinary approaches can provide generalizable, causal, and mechanistic evidence to further validate responsiveness as an active ingredient linking relationships and health.

Genetic control of the dynamic transcriptional response to immune stimuli and glucocorticoids at single-cell resolution.

Synthetic glucocorticoids, such as dexamethasone, have been used as a treatment for many immune conditions, such as asthma and, more recently, severe COVID-19. Single-cell data can capture more fine-grained details on transcriptional variability and dynamics to gain a better understanding of the molecular underpinnings of inter-individual variation in drug response. Here, we used single-cell RNA-seq to study the dynamics of the transcriptional response to glucocorticoids in activated peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 96 African American children. We used novel statistical approaches to calculate a mean-independent measure of gene expression variability and a measure of transcriptional response pseudotime. Using these approaches, we showed that glucocorticoids reverse the effects of immune stimulation on both gene expression mean and variability. Our novel measure of gene expression response dynamics, based on the diagonal linear discriminant analysis, separated individual cells by response status on the basis of their transcriptional profiles and allowed us to identify different dynamic patterns of gene expression along the response pseudotime. We identified genetic variants regulating gene expression mean and variability, including treatment-specific effects, and showed widespread genetic regulation of the transcriptional dynamics of the gene expression response.

Examining Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Coping and Stress Within an Environmental Riskscape.

Existing research on racial/ethnic differences in stress and coping is limited by small samples, single-item measures, and lack of inclusion of Mexican Americans. We address these gaps by analyzing data from the Texas City Stress and Health Study, a cross-sectional sample of Black (N = 257), White (N = 304), US-born (N = 689), and foreign-born (N = 749) Mexican Americans residing in proximity to a petrochemical complex. We compared active and avoidant coping by race/ethnicity and explored multivariable associations between coping and perceived stress. Black and foreign-born Mexican American respondents had the highest stressor exposure yet displayed different patterns of coping and perceived stress patterns. Active coping may be particularly effective for African Americans but may not offset extreme stress disparities. For Mexican Americans, the lack of association between coping and stress underscores the need for more work focused on the culturally diverse coping experiences.

Analysis of transcriptional changes in the immune system associated with pubertal development in a longitudinal cohort of children with asthma.

Puberty is an important developmental period marked by hormonal, metabolic and immune changes. Puberty also marks a shift in sex differences in susceptibility to asthma. Yet, little is known about the gene expression changes in immune cells that occur during pubertal development. Here we assess pubertal development and leukocyte gene expression in a longitudinal cohort of 251 children with asthma. We identify substantial gene expression changes associated with age and pubertal development. Gene expression changes between pre- and post-menarcheal females suggest a shift from predominantly innate to adaptive immunity. We show that genetic effects on gene expression change dynamically during pubertal development. Gene expression changes during puberty are correlated with gene expression changes associated with asthma and may explain sex differences in prevalence. Our results show that molecular data used to study the genetics of early onset diseases should consider pubertal development as an important factor that modifies the transcriptome.

Naturalistically observed interpersonal problems and diabetes management in older adolescents and young adults with type 1 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the links between naturalistically observed and self-reported interpersonal problems, diabetes management, and glucose levels in older adolescents and young adults with type 1 diabetes. DESIGN: Sixty-eight older adolescents and young adults (aged 17-20 years) participated in a cross-sectional study that consisted of three home visits and a daily diary segment. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Participants wore the Electronically Activated Recorder (EAR) for four days to capture interpersonal problems and wore a continuous glucose monitor for blood glucose levels. Researchers also collected HbA1c values, conducted an interview to assess diabetes management, and collected participant-reported severity of interpersonal problems. RESULTS: High EAR-observed interpersonal problems were associated with poor diabetes management. Multiple regression analyses revealed that high EAR-observed interpersonal problems continued to explain variance in poor diabetes management after including self-reported interpersonal problems and covariates. CONCLUSION: These findings corroborate literature suggesting that negative interactions are associated with type 1 diabetes management. This study is the first to use the EAR to capture naturalistically observed interactions in this population and identify its utility beyond self-reports. These findings highlight the importance of considering naturalistically observed interactions when developing interventions to promote better diabetes management in older adolescents and young adults.

A descriptive literature review of early research on COVID-19 and close relationships.

This in-depth critical review investigates the impact of COVID-19 on personal relationships from the start of the pandemic in early 2020 to September 2021. Research examining six themes are identified and described in detail: the impact of COVID-19 on (1) family and intimate relationships; (2) LGBTQ+ relationships; (3) how COVID-19 is linked to technologically mediated communication and personal relationships; (4) potential shifts in sexual behaviors and desire; (5) potential shifts in relational conflict and intimate partner violence; and (6) constructive aspects of personal relationships, which is a broad theme that includes outcomes such as resilience, relational quality, coping, and social support. Findings for overarching patterns are offered to highlight implications for current research and identify future directions to consider when continuing to study personal relationships during the COVID-19 pandemic and similar future crises.

Relationship difficulties and "technoference" during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has touched many aspects of people's lives around the world, including their romantic relationships. While media outlets have reported that the pandemic is difficult for couples, empirical evidence is needed to test these claims and understand why this may be. In two highly powered studies (N = 3271) using repeated measure and longitudinal approaches, we found that people who experienced COVID-19 related challenges (i.e., lockdown, reduced face-to-face interactions, boredom, or worry) also reported greater self and partner phone use (Study 1) and time spent on social media (Study 2), and subsequently experienced more conflict and less satisfaction in their romantic relationship. The findings provide insight into the struggles people faced in their relationships during the pandemic and suggest that the increase in screen time - a rising phenomenon due to the migration of many parts of life online - may be a challenge for couples.

Sexual Desire in the Time of COVID-19: How COVID-Related Stressors Are Associated with Sexual Desire in Romantic Relationships.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting social distancing measures have caused widespread social and economic disruptions, resulting in spikes in unemployment and financial instability, along with drastic changes to people's ability to feel socially connected. Many of the changes resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic are risk factors for depressive symptoms, which are associated with lower levels of sexual desire. The current research (N = 4,993) examined whether responses to external stressors brought on by COVID-19 (i.e., financial concern, worry, loneliness, stress) were associated with sexual desire among a multi-national sample of people in relationships (Studies 1-2), and whether this association was, in part, due to reports of depressive symptoms (Study 2). In the period immediately following the onset of the pandemic, more financial concern (Study 1) and worry (Study 2) were associated with higher sexual desire, while other factors, like stress (Studies 1-2), were associated with lower desire. We also followed a subset of participants every two weeks during the initial stages of the pandemic and at times when people reported greater stress, loneliness, financial strain, or worry than their average, they reported greater depressive symptoms, which was, in turn, associated with lower sexual desire. Results suggest that the social isolation and stress resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic have mixed associations with sexual desire at the onset of the pandemic. But over time, when people report heightened COVID-related stressors, they tend to report lower sexual desire for their partner, in part because these stressors are associated with more depressive symptoms.

Effects of daily peer problems on sleep and the severity of pediatric asthma symptoms.

OBJECTIVE: Although psychosocial stressors in the home environment place children at risk for physical health problems, less is known about whether or how peer stressors contribute to health problems in youth. The current study investigated associations between daily peer problems and asthma symptoms among adolescents with asthma. The possible mediating role of nightly sleep disturbance and the moderating role of adolescent mental health were also examined. METHOD: Adolescents (N = 297) with asthma reported on peer problems, nighttime awakenings, sleep quality, and asthma symptoms over 4 days. Youth also self-administered daily peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) assessments, and parents reported on their children's anxious-depressive symptoms. RESULTS: Adolescents encountering more daily peer problems experienced more severe asthma symptoms, but not lower PEFR. Mediation analyses demonstrated that associations between daily peer problems and subjective asthma symptoms were partially explained by more nighttime awakenings and lower sleep quality, even after accounting for potentially confounding demographic factors and adolescents' daily experiences of familial stress. However, these indirect pathways did not vary depending on youth anxious-depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The findings provide novel evidence for everyday peer stress as a developmentally relevant health risk factor among adolescents with asthma. Insofar as daily peer problems were associated with elevated asthma symptoms via impaired sleep, psychosocial interventions focusing on the peer context may help mitigate maladaptive health behaviors and asthma morbidity. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Genetic control of the dynamic transcriptional response to immune stimuli and glucocorticoids at single cell resolution.

Synthetic glucocorticoids, such as dexamethasone, have been used as treatment for many immune conditions, such as asthma and more recently severe COVID-19. Single cell data can capture more fine-grained details on transcriptional variability and dynamics to gain a better understanding of the molecular underpinnings of inter-individual variation in drug response. Here, we used single cell RNA-seq to study the dynamics of the transcriptional response to glucocorticoids in activated Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells from 96 African American children. We employed novel statistical approaches to calculate a mean-independent measure of gene expression variability and a measure of transcriptional response pseudotime. Using these approaches, we demonstrated that glucocorticoids reverse the effects of immune stimulation on both gene expression mean and variability. Our novel measure of gene expression response dynamics, based on the diagonal linear discriminant analysis, separated individual cells by response status on the basis of their transcriptional profiles and allowed us to identify different dynamic patterns of gene expression along the response pseudotime. We identified genetic variants regulating gene expression mean and variability, including treatment-specific effects, and demonstrated widespread genetic regulation of the transcriptional dynamics of the gene expression response.

Socioeconomic status and medication adherence among youth with asthma: the mediating role of frequency of children's daily routines.

OBJECTIVE: The current research aims to examine a potential explanation for SES disparities in youth medication adherence: the frequency of children's daily routines. DESIGN: In a cross-sectional sample of 194 youth with asthma (112 boys and 82 girls; average age = 12.8 years old) and their primary caregivers primarily from the Detroit metropolitan area, caregivers reported their SES and the frequency of their children's daily routines during the first laboratory visit. At a follow-up visit, caregivers and their children completed the Family Asthma Management System Scale (FAMSS), a well-validated, semi-structured interview that assess children's degree of adherence to prescribed medications. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Children's daily routines were measured with the Child Routines Inventory while children's medication adherence was measured with the FAMSS. RESULTS: Mediation analyses revealed that the association between subjective (but not objective) SES and medication adherence was partially mediated by the frequency of children's daily routines. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the frequency of children's daily routines is an important factor linking SES and medication adherence, a finding with important implications for improving health outcomes and reducing health disparities between low SES children and their high SES counterparts.

"Beyond the Rink": A Multilevel Analysis of Social Identity Behaviors Captured Using the Electronically Activated Recorder.

This study used ecological sampling methods to examine associations between youth athletes' experiences receiving and engaging in behaviors indicative of in-group ties, cognitive centrality, and in-group affect (i.e., social identity) during a 3-day competitive ice hockey tournament. Forty-five youth (Mage = 12.39 years; SDage = 1.14 years; 94% male) from nine teams wore an electronically activated recorder that captured brief (50-s) audio observations throughout the tournament. Participants also completed daily diary questionnaires for each day of competition. Multilevel structural equation modeling demonstrated that athletes were more likely to engage in behaviors indicative of in-group affect and cognitive centrality on days when they received as higher-than-average frequency of behaviors indicative of cognitive centrality from teammates, coaches, and parents. The findings suggest that when team members interact in ways that demonstrate they are thinking about their team, they influence fellow members to behave in ways that promote a sense of "us."

Parent-child conflict and physical health trajectories among youth with asthma.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of caregiver- and youth-reports of parent-child conflict on trajectories of asthma-related health outcomes over 2 years. METHODS: In a sample of 193 youth with asthma (42.7% female; M age = 12.78) and their primary caregivers, we used a multi-method and multi-informant approach to assess self-reported parent-child conflict from youth and caregivers at both the daily and global levels at baseline. Next, we annually assessed subjective (i.e., youth self-reported asthma symptoms) and clinical (i.e., peak flow) asthma health outcomes for 2 years. RESULTS: Latent growth curve models revealed an effect of baseline youth-reported global family conflict on peak flow trajectories such that youth who reported greater parent-child conflict at baseline experienced less of an increase in peak flow over time than youth who reported less parent-child conflict at baseline (standardized ß = -0.27, p = .003). CONCLUSIONS: Youth with asthma who perceive greater overall conflict with their caregivers experience less improvement in peak flow as they age. The research and clinical implications of these findings are discussed.

Psychosocial experiences modulate asthma-associated genes through gene-environment interactions.

Social interactions and the overall psychosocial environment have a demonstrated impact on health, particularly for people living in disadvantaged urban areas. Here, we investigated the effect of psychosocial experiences on gene expression in peripheral blood immune cells of children with asthma in Metro Detroit. Using RNA-sequencing and a new machine learning approach, we identified transcriptional signatures of 19 variables including psychosocial factors, blood cell composition, and asthma symptoms. Importantly, we found 169 genes associated with asthma or allergic disease that are regulated by psychosocial factors and 344 significant gene-environment interactions for gene expression levels. These results demonstrate that immune gene expression mediates the link between negative psychosocial experiences and asthma risk.

Socioeconomic status, financial stress, and glucocorticoid resistance among youth with asthma: Testing the moderation effects of maternal involvement and warmth.

OBJECTIVES: Children who grow up in more socioeconomically disadvantaged homes experience greater levels of inflammation and worse asthma symptoms than children from more advantaged families. However, recent evidence suggests that certain family-level factors can mitigate health disparities associated with socioeconomic status (SES). In a sample of youth with asthma, we investigated the potential buffering effects of maternal involvement and warmth on SES disparities in asthma-related immune responses, assessed via glucocorticoid resistance (GR) of immune cells. METHODS: One hundred and forty-three youth (10-16 years of age) with asthma completed measures of maternal involvement and warmth, and their primary caregivers reported their levels of education, income, and financial stress. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from youth's blood were isolated, cultured, and assayed to determine mitogen-stimulated (PMA/INO + Etho) and mitogen/hydrocortisone-stimulated (PMA/INO + Cort) levels of two Th-2 cytokines (i.e., interleukin-5, interleukin-13) and one Th-1 cytokine (i.e., interferon-γ). GR was calculated by subtracting log-transformed cytokine concentration in the PMA/INO + Etho samples from log-transformed cytokine concentration in the PMA/INO + Cort samples. RESULTS: Both maternal involvement and warmth moderated the indirect pathway from family SES to GR of Th-2 cytokines via financial stress. Specifically, we found that low family SES was associated with elevated GR of Th-2 cytokines via increased financial stress among youth reporting low levels of maternal involvement and warmth, but not among those reporting high levels of maternal involvement or warmth. CONCLUSIONS: These results highlight the protective role of maternal involvement and warmth in health-related biological processes modulated by family SES among youth with asthma.

Correction to Rodriguez-Stanley et al. (2020).

Reports an error in "Housework, health, and well-being in older adults: The role of socioeconomic status" by Jacqueline Rodriguez-Stanley, María Alonso-Ferres, Samuele Zilioli and Richard B. Slatcher (Journal of Family Psychology, 2020[Aug], Vol 34[5], 610-620). In the article (http://dx.doi.org/10 .1037/fam0000630), values are incorrectly reported in columns 1-3 of Table 1 and in the "Eudaimonic well-being," "Physical health," and "Sleep dysfunction" columns of Table 2. Although the significance of the associations and analyses remain unchanged, the corrected table columns are included in the erratum. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2020-09875-001.) For most adults, household chores are undesirable tasks yet need to be completed regularly. Previous research has identified absolute hours spent on household chores and one's perceived fairness of the housework distribution as predictors of romantic relationship quality and well-being outcomes. Drawing from the Equity Theory, we hypothesized that perceived fairness acts as an underlying psychological mechanism linking household chores hours to long-term effects of relationship quality, well-being, physical health, and sleep quality in a sample of 2,644 married and cohabiting adults from the Midlife Development in the U.S. study. Additionally, following the Reserve Capacity Model, socioeconomic status (SES) was tested as a moderator because of its association with exposure to stressors and psychological resources which contribute to perceived fairness. Moderated mediation results showed significant indirect effects of household chore hours through perceived fairness on prospective measures of well-being, marital quality, physical health, and sleep dysfunction among individuals of lower SES but not higher SES when controlling for age, sex, and paid work hours. These results highlight the importance of perceived fairness and the influence of SES in the links among household chores and long-term relationship processes, health, and well-being. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Optimal sampling strategies for characterizing behavior and affect from ambulatory audio recordings.

Advances in mobile and wearable technologies mean it is now feasible to record hours to days of participant behavior in its naturalistic context, a great boon for psychologists interested in family processes and development. While automated activity recognition algorithms exist for a limited set of behaviors, time-consuming human annotations are still required to robustly characterize the vast majority of behavioral and affective markers of interest. This report is the first to date which systematically tests the efficacy of different sampling strategies for characterizing behavior from audio recordings to provide practical guidelines for researchers. Using continuous audio recordings of the daily lives of 11 preschool-aged children, we compared sampling techniques to determine the most accurate and efficient approach. Results suggest that sampling both low and high frequency verbal and overt behaviors is best if samples are short in duration, systematically rather than randomly selected, and sampled to cover at least 12.5% of recordings. Implications for assessment of real-world behavior are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).