Longitudinal Associations Between Depression and Religiosity/Spirituality Among Individuals with Asthma in the United States.

There is limited literature examining the longitudinal stability of depressive symptoms for individuals with asthma, or how religiosity/spirituality relates to depressive symptoms across time. The present study aimed to identify the stability of and the longitudinal associations between depressive symptoms and R/S across multiple developmental periods for adolesents with asthma (N = 998) within the United States. Depressive symptoms (ßrange 0.33 - 0.60) and R/S (ßrange 0.26 - 0.73) were stable across time, with some variability. A cross-lagged association demonstrated that use of R/S in young adulthood (Wave 3) was associated with decreased depressive symptoms in adulthood (ß = -0.17, p < .001, CI - 0.25 - - 0.09, SE = 0.04). Use of R/S in adolescence (Wave 2) was predictive of increased depression in adulthood (ß = 0.13, p < .001, CI 0.05 - 0.20, SE = 0.04). Results demonstrated differential relations between R/S and depressive symptoms across development, and highlight the potential importance of integrating conversations focused on R/S within healthcare settings, especially as R/S during young adulthood may buffer against or reduce depressive symptoms in adulthood.

Depressive Symptoms, Cannabis Use, and Transition Readiness among College Students with and without Chronic Medical Conditions.

Background: College students experience increased responsibility for healthcare transition. They are at increased risk for depressive symptoms and cannabis use (CU), potentially modifiable predictors of successful healthcare transition. This study investigated how depressive symptoms and CU related to transition readiness, and if CU moderated the association between depressive symptoms and transition readiness for college students. Methods: College students (N = 1,826, Mage=19.31, SD = 1.22) completed online measures of depressive symptoms, healthcare transition readiness, and past-year CU. Regression identified 1) the main effects of depressive symptoms and CU on transition readiness and 2) examined if CU moderated the relationship between depressive symptoms and transition readiness with chronic medical conditions (CMC) status as a covariate. Results: Higher depressive symptoms were correlated with past-year CU (r=.17, p<.001) and lower transition readiness (r=-0.16, p<.001). In the regression model, higher depressive symptoms were related to lower transition readiness (ß=-0.02, p<.001); CU was not related to transition readiness (ß=-0.10, p=.12). CU moderated the relationship between depressive symptoms and transition readiness (B=.01, p=.001). The negative relationship between depressive symptoms and transition readiness was stronger for those with no past-year CU (B=-0.02, p<.001) relative to those with a past-year CU (ß=-0.01, p<.001). Finally, having a CMC was related to CU and higher depressive symptoms and transition readiness. Conclusions: Findings highlighted that depressive symptoms may hinder transition readiness, supporting the need for screening and interventions among college students. The finding that the negative association between depressive symptoms and transition readiness was more pronounced among those with past-year CU was counterintuitive. Hypotheses and future directions are provided.

COVID-19 Mental Health Impacts Among Parents of Color and Parents of Children with Asthma.

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated whether select social determinants of health and worries about COVID-19 resource losses mediated the relations between four parent groups: [1) non-Hispanic White (NHW) parents of children with asthma; 2) Black, Indigenous, or other Persons of Color (BIPOC) parents of healthy children; 3) BIPOC parents of children with asthma; and 4) NHW parents of healthy children (referent)] and parent anxiety and depression symptoms during COVID-19. METHODS: Parents (N = 321) completed online questionnaires about discrimination, anxiety, depression, and COVID-19 impacts on employment/income and access to food and health care. Mediation analyses were conducting using nonparametric bootstrapping procedures. RESULTS: BIPOC parents of children with and without asthma experienced greater anxiety and depression symptoms through greater discrimination compared to NHW parents of healthy children. BIPOC parents of children with asthma experienced greater anxiety symptoms, and both BIPOC groups experienced greater depression symptoms, through greater COVID-19 income losses. NHW parents of children with asthma and both BIPOC groups experienced greater anxiety and depression symptoms through greater worries about COVID-19 resource losses. CONCLUSIONS: The suffering of BIPOC parents, especially BIPOC parents of children with asthma, necessitates multi-level COVID-19 responses to address key drivers of health inequities.

Smoking across adolescence and adulthood with cardiovascular risk among American Indian peoples.

OBJECTIVE: American Indian peoples (AIs) have high smoking rates and cardiovascular risk factor burden. The present study aimed to (a) investigate latent smoking classes across adolescence and adulthood, (b) investigate adolescent predictors of smoking classes, and (c) assess how smoking class is related to adult cardiovascular risk in a sample of AIs. METHOD: A sample of AIs (N = 338) from the National Adolescent to Adult Health Study self-reported on smoking across four assessment waves (W1: 7th-12th grade; W2: 8th-12th grade; W3: ages 18-26; W4: ages 24-32). The socioecological framework for addressing tobacco-related disparities was used to identify potential adolescent (W1) risk and resource factors. C-reactive protein, blood pressure, and lipids were collected at W4. Growth mixture modeling and regressions were used. RESULTS: Six smoking classes were identified: light smoking (36%), nonsmoking (23%), escalating, adult daily smoking (13%), chronic heavy smoking (12%), escalating, young adult daily smoking (9%), and reducing smoking (7%). Risk factors for being in the chronic heavy smoking class included peer smoking and older age at W1. Compared with the chronic heavy smoking class, AIs in the reducing smoking class lived in in more impoverished neighborhoods during adolescence. Relative to several classes with less smoking, being in the chronic heavy smoking class was associated with higher C-reactive protein and less favorable lipid levels. W1 social support was a resource factor for adult diastolic blood pressure and some lipids. CONCLUSIONS: Socioecologically informed tobacco interventions have the potential to reduce smoking and cardiovascular risk among AIs, and bolstering social support may be important. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Profiles of Nicotine and Cannabis Exposure among Young Adults with Asthma.

There is a paucity of data on nicotine and cannabis use among young adults (YAs) with asthma. This study aimed to do the following among YAs with asthma: (1) describe YAs' active and passive exposure to nicotine and cannabis; (2) identify latent classes of active use of nicotine and cannabis; and (3) explore predictors of class membership (i.e., demographics, parental and friend use of nicotine and cannabis, and hours of environmental exposure to tobacco smoke, e-cigarette vapor, and marijuana smoke). YAs with asthma (N = 178) self-reported on nicotine and cannabis exposure and the included covariates. Latent class analysis was used to identify latent classes of lifetime nicotine and cannabis use. High rates of nicotine and cannabis use among YAs with asthma were found: 37% reporting a lifetime history of using both nicotine and cannabis. Regarding past year use, 25% had smoked cigarettes, 40% had used e-cigarettes, and 35% had used cannabis. Five classes of lifetime use were identified. The largest class was a non-user class (53%); the other four classes indicate concerning patterns of nicotine and cannabis use. The most consistent predictor of being in a class characterized by more nicotine and cannabis exposure (versus being in the non-user class) was past week exposure to cannabis smoke. This is the first study to identify classes of lifetime nicotine and cannabis use, and examine predictors of class membership, among YAs with asthma. There is a critical need to address environmental and active tobacco and marijuana exposure among YAs with asthma.

COVID-19 Impacts on Families of Color and Families of Children With Asthma.

OBJECTIVE: This cross-sectional study quantified differences in (a) social determinants of health (SDOH) and perceived changes in SDOH during the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and (b) COVID-19 psychosocial impacts across four groups: (a) non-Hispanic White (NHW) parents of children with asthma, (b) Black, Indigenous, or other People of Color (BIPOC) parents of healthy children, (c) BIPOC parents of children with asthma, and (d) NHW parents of healthy children (referent). The NIMHD Framework was used to identify SDOHs that may change for families during COVID-19. METHODS: Parents were recruited via Prolific (N = 321) and completed questions about COVID-19 family impacts on employment, income, access to food and healthcare, and psychosocial functioning, including discrimination. It was hypothesized that NHW families of children with asthma and BIPOC families would endorse greater negative outcomes relative to NHW parents of healthy children. RESULTS: BIPOC families experienced greater food insecurity and discrimination relative to NHW parents of healthy children. When compared with the NHW healthy group, COVID-19 resulted in greater parent-reported resource losses for both BIPOC groups and greater reductions in healthcare access for both asthma groups. Children with asthma and BIPOC children had greater distress surrounding COVID-19. BIPOC and NHW parents of children with asthma reported greater worries about resource losses due to COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS: The pandemic is widening inequities for BIPOC families, especially for families of children with asthma. These results highlight the need for interventions that address the needs of underserved communities, providing the infrastructure, policies, and supports needed to reduce health inequities during and after COVID-19.

Longitudinal smoking patterns and adult cardiometabolic risk among African Americans.

OBJECTIVE: To better understand mechanisms influencing health in African Americans (AAs), the aims of this study were (a) to identify longitudinal cigarette smoking classes among AAs across adolescence and into young adulthood; (b) to identify risk factors for smoking and how cardiometabolic health in adulthood differs by smoking class; and (c) to investigate whether smoking mediates the relation between adolescent risk factors and adult cardiometabolic health. METHOD: This study used 4 waves of nationally representative data, restricted to an AA subsample (N = 2,009). Participants self-reported on multilevel risk factors in adolescence and smoking across adolescence and young adulthood; cardiometabolic risk was assessed in adulthood. Growth mixture modeling and structural equation modeling were conducted. RESULTS: Five classes emerged: nonsmoker; early onset, heavier smoking; later onset; early onset, light smoking; and maturing out or declining smoking. Predictors of class membership included living with individuals who smoke, having friends who smoke, and limited access to medical care. The early onset, light smoking class had the greatest cardiometabolic risk. Smoking class mediated the relation between living with people who smoke in adolescence and adult cardiometabolic risk. CONCLUSIONS: Nuanced smoking patterns among AAs were identified, and 23% fell into classes characterized by an early onset and persistent smoking trajectory. The early onset, light smoking class had the greatest cardiometabolic risk in adulthood. The results suggest unique protective factors may be present for youth who remain nonsmokers even when their family smokes. Results have implications for health promotion and tobacco prevention efforts among AA families. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).