Adolescents' Tsunami Exposure and Mental Health Consequences: Protective Role of Cultural Coping Strategies.

There is a knowledge gap regarding the link between disaster exposure and adolescent mental health problems in developing countries. This study examines the case of Sri Lanka to investigate (a) the immediate and long-term mental health impact of the 2004 tsunami disaster on adolescents and (b) the potential moderating effects of unique cultural and family practices that prevail in Sri Lanka. This study used a random sample of 160 adolescents (ages 12-19) and their mothers who were exposed to the tsunami disaster while living in a southern Sri Lankan village and provided prospective data immediately after the disaster (2005) and three years later (2008). A cross-culturally validated instrument assessed adolescent-mother dyads' tsunami exposure, stressful loss, family cultural rituals and familism, and adolescent mental health. Structural equation modeling analysis showed that exposure and perceptions of tsunami-induced stressful experiences were associated with early and later mental health problems in adolescents. In addition, this study found that unique cultural practices and familism moderated the link between adolescent tsunami exposure, stressful experiences, and levels of PTSD and depressive symptoms. The findings of this study could be utilized to develop prevention and intervention programs that are contextually and culturally valid and empirically supported, which would be more effective for trauma-exposed adolescents in developing countries.

Trajectories of adolescent stressful life events and young adults' socioeconomic and relational outcomes: Weight and depressive symptoms as mediators.

Little is known about how biological and psychological consequences of adolescent stressful life events (SLEs) are jointly associated with socioeconomic and relational outcomes in adulthood. To address this gap, the present study involved testing a model based on the life course perspective that posits adolescent SLE trajectories produce parallel trajectories of depressive symptoms and weight status, which are jointly associated with socioeconomic status and intimate relationship quality in adulthood. Prospective data over 13 years from a nationally representative sample of 11,677 US adolescents was utilized. The results demonstrated that trajectories of BMI and depressive symptoms, which showed contemporaneous and longitudinal comorbidities over the early life course, were influenced by adolescent SLEs. Both BMI and depressive symptoms trajectories are additively and jointly associated with socioeconomic status and intimate relationship quality in adulthood. Additionally, adolescent SLE trajectories are directly associated with these adult outcomes. These observed associations persisted even after controlling for early family socioeconomic adversity and race/ethnicity. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Amygdalar Activation as a Neurobiological Marker of Differential Sensitivity in the Effects of Family Rearing Experiences on Socioemotional Adjustment in Youths.

BACKGROUND: Substantial heterogeneity exists in how rearing environments influence youths' socioemotional outcomes. This heterogeneity, as suggested by the biological sensitivity to context theory and the differential susceptibility theory, is associated with emotional reactivity patterns and underlying neural functions. The present study investigated amygdalar reactivity to emotional stimuli as a neural signature that amplified the influence of rearing environments on youths' socioemotional outcomes. METHODS: To increase replicability and generalizability, this investigation included two independent studies that methodologically complemented each other. Study 1 employed a large, national, longitudinal dataset (the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study; N = 11,875). Study 2 used a community sample of youths (N = 123) with multimethod and multireporter assessments. RESULTS: In study 1, high left amygdalar reactivity to positive stimuli significantly amplified the impact of parental warmth on youths' prosocial behaviors. In study 2, left and right amygdalar reactivity to positive stimuli significantly intensified the associations between family functioning and youths' internalizing problems. These findings were consistent with the biological sensitivity to context theory/differential susceptibility theory hypothesis because significant socioemotional differences were observed at both negative and positive extremes of rearing environments. Additionally, study 2 partially supported the diathesis-stress hypothesis by showing significant differences in youths' vulnerability to negative family environments. Specifically, left amygdalar response to negative stimuli exacerbated the associations between unbalanced family functioning and heightened internalizing/externalizing symptoms. Left amygdalar reactivity to positive stimuli intensified the link between unbalanced family functioning and elevated externalizing problems. CONCLUSIONS: Among youths and adolescents, amygdalar emotional reactivity may serve as a biomarker of differential sensitivity to rearing environments.

"Sibling relationships in older adulthood: Links with loneliness and well-being": Correction.

Reports an error in "Sibling relationships in older adulthood: Links with loneliness and well-being" by Clare M. Stocker, Megan Gilligan, Eric T. Klopack, Katherine J. Conger, Richard P. Lanthier, Tricia K. Neppl, Catherine Walker O'Neal and K. A. S. Wickrama (Journal of Family Psychology, 2020[Mar], Vol 34[2], 175-185). In the original article, the df value is incorrect in the following sentence in the first paragraph of the Predictors of Individual Differences in Older Adults' Sibling Relationships section of the Results: "The global F-statistic for warmth was significant (F = 16.55, df = 3, 632, p < .001)." The correct value is "df = 3, 601." (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2019-46911-001). Researchers have documented associations between family relationships and a variety of well-being outcomes. Yet, sibling relationships, the longest lasting relationships in most people's lives, have received very little research attention beyond young adulthood. The goals of the current study were to: provide descriptive information about sibling relationships in later adulthood, investigate predictors of individual differences in sibling relationship quality, and examine associations among sibling relationship quality, loneliness, and well-being in later adulthood. The sample included 608 older adults (329 men, 279 women) who were 64.6 years old (SD = 4.58) on average. Participants provided self-report data about their relationships and well-being. Results showed that older adults reported high levels of sibling warmth and low levels of sibling conflict and parental favoritism. Sister-sister pairs had warmer sibling relationships than other gender-compositions. Sibling conflict and parental favoritism were positively associated with symptoms of depression, anxiety, hostility, and loneliness. Sibling warmth was negatively associated with loneliness. Loneliness partially mediated the associations between sibling relationship quality and well-being. Results from this study highlight the importance of sibling relationships in older adults' health and well-being. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Sibling relationships in older adulthood: Links with loneliness and well-being.

Researchers have documented associations between family relationships and a variety of well-being outcomes. Yet, sibling relationships, the longest lasting relationships in most people's lives, have received very little research attention beyond young adulthood. The goals of the current study were to: provide descriptive information about sibling relationships in later adulthood, investigate predictors of individual differences in sibling relationship quality, and examine associations among sibling relationship quality, loneliness, and well-being in later adulthood. The sample included 608 older adults (329 men, 279 women) who were 64.6 years old (SD = 4.58) on average. Participants provided self-report data about their relationships and well-being. Results showed that older adults reported high levels of sibling warmth and low levels of sibling conflict and parental favoritism. Sister-sister pairs had warmer sibling relationships than other gender-compositions. Sibling conflict and parental favoritism were positively associated with symptoms of depression, anxiety, hostility, and loneliness. Sibling warmth was negatively associated with loneliness. Loneliness partially mediated the associations between sibling relationship quality and well-being. Results from this study highlight the importance of sibling relationships in older adults' health and well-being. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

The influence of mastery on mother's health in middle years: Moderating role of stressful life context.

Using data from 416 middle-aged mothers gathered over the course of a decade, this study examined the influence of mastery trajectories (the initial level and change), on change in physical health. Mastery is defined as one's ability to control and influence his/her life and environment to reach a desired outcome or goal. Both the initial level and change in mastery from 1991 to 1994 were associated with decreased physical health problems over the middle years (1991-2001). Contextual moderation of this association by stressful life contexts including negative life events and work-family conflict was investigated. Moderation analysis showed that under conditions of low contextual life stressors, the level and increase in mastery significantly contributed to decreases in physical health problems in middle-aged mothers. Alternatively, conditions of high contextual life stressors inhibited the ability of mastery to influence physical health of mothers, suggesting that the positive health impact of mastery on physical health is mitigated by stressful life experiences. Implications for the need to maintain important personal resources, such as mastery, during times of stress are discussed.

Impulsivity as a mechanism linking child abuse and neglect with substance use in adolescence and adulthood.

Emerging developmental perspectives suggest that adverse rearing environments promote neurocognitive adaptations that heighten impulsivity and increase vulnerability to risky behavior. Although studies document links between harsh rearing environments and impulsive behavior on substance use, the developmental hypothesis that impulsivity acts as mechanism linking adverse rearing environments to downstream substance use remains to be investigated. The present study investigated the role of impulsivity in linking child abuse and neglect with adult substance use using data from (a) a longitudinal sample of youth (Study 1, N = 9,421) and (b) a cross-sectional sample of adults (Study 2, N = 1,011). In Study 1, the links between child abuse and neglect and young adult smoking and marijuana use were mediated by increases in adolescent impulsivity. In Study 2, indirect links between child abuse and neglect and substance use were evidenced via delayed reward discounting and impulsivity traits. Among impulsivity subcomponents, robust indirect effects connecting childhood experiences to cigarette use emerged for negative urgency. Negative urgency, positive urgency, and sensation seeking mediated the effect of child abuse and neglect on cannabis and alcohol use. Results suggest that child abuse and neglect increases risk for substance use in part, due to effects on impulsivity. Individuals with adverse childhood experiences may benefit from substance use preventive intervention programs that target impulsive behaviors.

Stressful Work Trajectories and Depressive Symptoms in Middle-Aged Couples: Moderating Effect of Marital Warmth.

OBJECTIVES: The present study investigated the decade-long actor and partner infleunces between husbands' and wives' trajectories of stressful work conditions (SWCs) and their depressive symptoms while also considering the moderation of these influences by spousal warmth. METHODS: Participants were 330 middle-aged dual-earner couples from the Iowa Midlife Transitions Project. Husbands and wives reported on own SWCs and reported on parenter's warmth in the years of 1991, 1992, and 1994. Depressive symptoms for husbands and wives were measured by the SCL-90-R in 1994 and 2001. Structural equation models, growth curves, and longitudinal data were used to perform our analyses. RESULTS: For husbands and wives, trajectories of SWCs over early middle years (1991-1994) contributed to depressive symptoms in 1994. Notably, for husbands and wives, the severity (level) of SWCs in 1991 had a persistent influence on depressive symptoms a decade later (2001). For husbands, under conditions of wives' low warmth, SWCs exerted a relatively strong influence on their depressive symptoms. However, under conditions of high warmth from wives, most of these influences were greatly diminished. DISCUSSION: Results from the current study indicate that contextual life experiences can have a persistent health influences over the life course.

Family hostility and depressive symptoms in middle-aged couples: Moderating effect of marital integration.

This study examined (a) the associations between family hostility (husband-wife marital hostility and child hostility) and middle-aged husbands' and wives' depressive symptoms over an 11-year time period and (b) the moderating influence of couples' marital integration on these associations as measured by their joint activity. Higher order family-level latent constructs captured chronic husband-wife (marital) hostility using husbands' and wives' reports of chronic hostile interactions from 1990 to 1992, while a higher order latent construct of chronic child hostility toward parents was measured using parental reports of children's hostile behaviors from 1990 to 1992. Structural equation modeling with data from 370 families depicted the longitudinal impact of family hostility on depressive symptoms of both husbands and wives in 2001 after accounting for earlier levels of depressive symptoms in 1991. Separate models were fit for couples with high and low levels of marital integration. For couples who experienced low levels of marital integration, chronic marital hostility and child hostility were related to depressive symptoms in husbands and wives. However, for those with high marital integration, these influences were largely diminished. (PsycINFO Database Record

Maternal social status, early health capital, and young adults' economic attainment: Early life course investigation.

Using survey data collected from 12,278 adolescents and their mothers over 13 years in a nationally representative National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, this study examined how maternal social status influenced young adults' economic attainment over the early life course. We found that weight at birth and height at adolescence as early health capital mediated the influence of maternal social status on young adults' economic attainment. Also, adolescents' educational attainment and psychological vulnerabilities mediated the relation between early health capital and young adults' economic attainment. These findings highlight the importance of early intervention to prevent the persistent influence of adverse maternal social status on youths' developmental outcomes.

PTSD symptoms among tsunami exposed mothers in Sri Lanka: the role of disaster exposure, culturally specific coping strategies, and recovery efforts.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Women in Sri Lanka have been uniquely exposed to a complex and protracted set of stressors stemming from a civil war conflict spanning over 25 years and the tsunami which struck Southeast Asia in 2004. This study investigates coping strategies and their association with trauma-related symptoms of tsunami-exposed mothers in Sri Lanka at two time points. DESIGN: Data for this study come from surveys administered in two waves of data collection to investigate both mothers' and adolescent children's post-tsunami mental health in early 2005, three months after the tsunami struck, and again in 2008, three years later. METHODS: Latent-variable structural equation modeling was used to test the study hypotheses among 160 tsunami-affected mothers in the Polhena village, Matara district, Sri Lanka. RESULTS: Among the various coping strategies examined, the use of cultural rituals as well as inner psychological strength was associated with lower levels of posttraumatic stress symptoms. In contrast, passive religious beliefs were associated with greater posttraumatic stress levels. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study reveal the differential associations of various coping strategies including rituals used by mothers exposed to the tsunami in Sri Lanka and their posttraumatic stress symptom levels.

Dietary Influence on Calcitropic Hormones and Adiposity in Caucasian and African American Postmenopausal Women Assessed by Structural Equation Modeling (SEM).

OBJECTIVES: To examine differences in hydroxycholecalciferol (25(OH)D) and parathyroid hormone (PTH) concentrations between Caucasian and African American (AA) postmenopausal women, as well as the effects of dietary calcium, protein and vitamin D intakes on 25(OH)D, PTH, and body adiposity using structural equation modeling (SEM). DESIGN: Population-based prospective cohort study. SETTING: Academic research using the baseline data from two longitudinal studies. Participants Included n=113 Caucasian and n=40 African American, postmenopausal women who completed the baseline data collection and met inclusion criteria (dietary calcium intake <900 mg/day and being generally healthy) between 2006 and 2010. MAIN OUTCOME: Dietary intake of calcium and vitamin D, assessed by dietary records, were examined in relation to calcitropic hormones concentrations and adiposity markers. Independent t-tests, confirmatory factor analysis, SEM and multi-group analyses were conducted to examine the aforementioned relationships as well as group differences among hormones, dietary intake, anthropometrics, age and other factors. RESULTS: Dietary calcium and protein intakes were significantly lower in AA women. Years since menopause were significantly higher in AA compared to Caucasian women. PTH and 25(OH)D levels were significantly lower in AA compared to Caucasian women. Dietary calcium and protein intakes did not influence body adiposity in either group of women. Dietary vitamin D had minimal indirect (via 25(OH)D levels) influence on adiposity. CONCLUSION: The study confirmed the positive relationship of 25(OH)D with adiposity markers and both AA and Caucasian women. The study provides a unique example of the use of SEM in nutrition research within a clinical context. This model should be further tested in other populations.

Romantic relationship transitions and changes in health among rural, White young adults.

A growing body of research examines how the presence and quality of romantic relationships, from dating to marriage, contribute to health. However, this work oftentimes fails to consider instability in the relationship supports and stressors thought to affect health. This is particularly important during the transition to adulthood when instability in romantic relationships is expected to be common. Barr, Culatta, and Simons (2013) put forth a new model that has shown promise for assessing the degree of this instability and its implications for young adult health. They tested their model, however, with an African American sample, and it remains unclear whether it is generalizable to other groups of young adults. The current study considers the generality of their model by applying it to a rural, White sample drawn from the Iowa Youth and Families Project, the only extant data set able to assess both their proposed measurement of relationship instability and its relation to multidimensional measures of health across the transition to adulthood. Findings lend support to their model, yet the degree of instability found among the rural, White young adults in the current study was less than that found in Barr et al.'s (2013) study. (PsycINFO Database Record

Romantic Relationship Experiences of Adolescents and Young Adults: The Role of Mothers' Relationship History.

With most current studies focusing on the snapshot of family structure and offspring relationship outcomes, this study examined how children's exposure to mothers' cumulative relationship history affected the likelihood of their own romantic involvement in adolescence and relationship frequency from adolescence to young adulthood. Using a large, nationally representative dataset, this study found that the number of mothers' relationship transitions was positively associated with both the likelihood of romantic involvement among adolescent children and relationship frequency their children had from adolescence to young adulthood. Further, the association between mothers' relationship transitions and young adults' relationship frequency was mediated by mother-adolescent relationship closeness and young adults' attitude towards marriage and relationships. Finally, an interaction between mother-adolescent relationship closeness and adolescent gender on young adults' relationship frequency was found.

Economic pressure and health and weight management behaviors in African American couples: A family stress perspective.

This study extends the family stress model by examining the influence of economic pressure on health and weight management behaviors mediated by depressive symptoms and spousal support among 506 African American married couples. The actor-partner interdependence model accounted for the interdependent nature of relationships. Findings support the family stress model; yet pathways differed slightly for husbands and wives. Economic pressure directly influenced depressive symptoms and spousal support. Spousal support was a buffer against poor health and weight management behaviors for husbands, while depressive symptoms exacerbated poor health and weight management behaviors for wives. These mechanisms have implications for practitioners who promote African American couples' well-being.

The intergenerational transmission of violence: examining the mediating roles of insecure attachment and destructive disagreement beliefs.

Intimate partner violence has been recognized as a major problem on college campuses and is a source of concern for researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and the general population. Most research has focused on the intergenerational transmission of violence and identifying the intrapersonal mechanisms that enable violence in the family of origin to carry over to adult intimate relationships. This study expands the current literature by examining insecure attachment styles and destructive disagreement beliefs as mediators in the relationship between exposure to hostility or aggression in the family of origin and later experiences of dating aggression. Research questions were addressed with a sample of 1,136 college undergraduates (59% women). In all models, results of structural equation modeling indicated that an insecure attachment style and destructive disagreement beliefs mediated the intergenerational transmission of violence among both men and women. These findings have important implications for future research as well as relationship education programs and preventative interventions.

Social consequences of early socioeconomic adversity and youth BMI trajectories: gender and race/ethnicity differences.

The present study investigated the mediating effects of adolescent BMI trajectories on socioeconomic continuity over the early life course using a nationally representative sample of 11,075 respondents. This study considered both the initial severity as well as change over time in BMI as psycho-physiological mediators. Consistent with the life course pathway model and the cumulative advantage and disadvantage principle, the results suggested that early socioeconomic adversity is associated with youth BMI trajectories over time, which in turn, impair young adult socioeconomic attainment. The results also revealed important gender and racial/ethnic differences in the hypothesized associations. These findings elucidate how early adversity exerts an enduring long-term influence on social attainment in young adulthood. Further, the findings suggest that effective obesity intervention and prevention programs should focus not only on the severity of obesity but also on growth in BMI over the early years.

Early socioeconomic adversity and young adult physical illness: the role of body mass index and depressive symptoms.

PURPOSE: The present study investigated the psychophysiological inter- and intra-individual processes that mediate the linkage between childhood and/or adolescent socioeconomic adversities and adult health outcomes. Specifically, the proposed model examined the roles of youth depressive symptoms and body mass index (BMI) trajectories as mediators that explain the link between early adversity and young adults' general health and physical illnesses after controlling for gender, race or ethnicity, and earlier general health reports. METHODS: Using a nationally representative sample of 12,424 from National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), this study used growth curve modeling to consider both the severity (initial level) and the change over time (deterioration or elevation) as psychophysiological mediators, thereby acknowledging multiple facets of depressive symptoms and BMI trajectories as psychophysiological mediators of early adversity to adult health. RESULTS: Results provide evidence for (1) the influence of early childhood and early adolescent cumulative socioeconomic adversity on both the initial levels and changes over time of depressive symptoms and BMI and (2) the independent influences depressive symptoms and BMI trajectories on the general health and the physical illnesses of young adults. CONCLUSIONS: These findings contribute valuable knowledge to existing research by elucidating how early adversity exerts an enduring long-term influence on physical health problems in young adulthood; furthermore, this information suggests that effective intervention and prevention programs should incorporate multiple facets (severity and change over time) of multiple mechanisms (psychological and physiological).

Examining change in social support and fruit and vegetable consumption in African American adults.

OBJECTIVE: To examine (a) inter-individual variation in African Americans' fruit and vegetable social support, behavior, and consumption trajectories by estimating latent growth curves (LGCs) and (b) the associations between these trajectories over time. DESIGN: As part of a larger intervention study, data were collected from mid-life and older African Americans yearly for three years. The study incorporated a quasi-experimental design with random selection of participants, stratifying for age and gender. SETTING: Six churches in North Florida. PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred and thirty one (73% women; median age range of 57-63) older African Americans. MEASUREMENTS: A structured questionnaire elicited personal data as well as information on dietary social support, eating-related behaviors, and fruit and vegetable dietary intake. RESULTS: Age was positively associated with initial social support but negatively associated with the rate of change in social support. More important, the rate of change in dietary social support predicted eating-related behavior trajectories, which influenced the rate of change in fruit and vegetable consumption over time after controlling for the intervention. CONCLUSION: These findings illustrate the mediating role of eating-related behaviors and the inter-locking nature of social support, behavior and consumption trajectories. This research has implications for future research as well as community interventions and programs.

Linking family economic pressure and supportive parenting to adolescent health behaviors: two developmental pathways leading to health promoting and health risk behaviors.

Adolescent health behaviors, especially health risk behaviors, have previously been linked to distal (i.e., family economic pressure) and proximal (i.e., parental support) contributors. However, few studies have examined both types of contributors along with considering health promoting and health risk behaviors separately. The present study investigated the influences of family economic hardship, supportive parenting as conceptualized by self-determination theory, and individual psychosocial and behavioral characteristics (i.e., mastery and delinquency, respectively) on adolescents' health promoting and health risk behaviors. We used structural equation modeling to analyze longitudinal data from a sample of Caucasian adolescent children and their mothers and fathers (N = 407, 54 % female) to examine direct and indirect effects, as well as gender symmetry and asymmetry. Findings suggest that family economic pressure contributed to adolescent mastery and delinquency through supportive parenting. Further, supportive parenting indirectly affected adolescent health risk behaviors only through delinquency, whereas supportive parenting indirectly influenced health promoting behaviors only through mastery, suggesting different developmental pathways for adolescent health risk and health promoting behaviors. Testing for gender symmetry of the full model showed that maternal and paternal parenting contributed to females' health risk behaviors directly, while maternal and paternal parenting contributed to males' health risk behaviors through delinquency. Gender symmetry was largely unsupported. The study highlights key direct and indirect pathways to adolescent health risk and health promoting behaviors within a family stress model and self-determination theory framework, and also highlights important gender differences in these developmental pathways.