Factor structure of the Outness Inventory in a sample of Black and White lesbian and bisexual young adult women.

Introduction: The Outness Inventory (OI; Mohr & Fassinger, 2000) is the most commonly used measure for assessing an individual's level of outness, or openness about sexual identity. However, data on the validity of the OI factor structure across diverse populations is limited. The present study aimed to test the factor structure of the OI in a population-based sample of Black and White young adult women. Method: Participants included 319 lesbian and bisexual women drawn from the Pittsburgh Girls Study (PGS), a large longitudinal study of 5- to 8-year-old girls (53% Black) oversampled from low-income neighborhoods and followed through adulthood. Participants completed the 11-item OI at ages 20-23 years. Confirmatory factor analyses evaluated measurement invariance of the OI across race and suggested significant differences in factor structure between Black and White sexual minority women. Exploratory factor analyses were conducted separately by race. Results: An EFA revealed three factors for the Black subsample: Family, Straight Friends, and Work/Strangers. Three factors also emerged for the White subsample, representing Familiar Acquaintances, Less Familiar Acquaintances, and Work. Conclusion: Additional research is needed to investigate potential culturally-based differences in domains of disclosure, which may help to better understand how specific contexts of outness relate to mental health.

Microbiome function and neurodevelopment in Black infants: vitamin B12 emerges as a key factor.

The early life gut microbiome affects the developing brain, and therefore may serve as a target to support neurodevelopment of children living in stressful and under-resourced environments, such as Black youth living on the South Side of Chicago, for whom we observe racial disparities in health. Microbiome compositions/functions key to multiple neurodevelopmental facets have not been studied in Black children, a vulnerable population due to racial disparities in health; thus, a subsample of Black infants living in urban, low-income neighborhoods whose mothers participated in a prenatal nutrition study were recruited for testing associations between composition and function of the gut microbiome (16S rRNA gene sequencing, shotgun metagenomics, and targeted metabolomics of fecal samples) and neurodevelopment (developmental testing, maternal report of temperament, and observed stress regulation). Two microbiome community types, defined by high Lachnospiraceae or Enterobacteriaceae abundance, were discovered in this cohort from 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis; the Enterobacteriaceae-dominant community type was significantly negatively associated with cognition and language scores, specifically in male children. Vitamin B12 biosynthesis emerged as a key microbiome function from shotgun metagenomics sequencing analysis, showing positive associations with all measured developmental skills (i.e., cognition, language, motor, surgency, effortful control, and observed stress regulation). Blautia spp. also were identified as substantial contributors of important microbiome functions, including vitamin B12 biosynthesis and related vitamin B12-dependent microbiome functions, anti-inflammatory microbial surface antigens, competitive mechanisms against pathobionts, and production of antioxidants. The results are promising with respect to the potential for exploring therapeutic candidates, such as vitamin B12 nutritional or Blautia spp. probiotic supplementation, to support the neurodevelopment of infants at risk for experiencing racial disparities in health.

Resilience to stress during pregnancy: Biopsychosocial mechanisms and implications for offspring emotional and behavioral outcomes in toddlerhood.

Exposure to high levels of stress during pregnancy is a known risk factor for a wide range of offspring outcomes, but little is known about the biopsychosocial factors underlying resilience and recovery from stress during pregnancy. The current study investigated associations between emotional and instrumental support during pregnancy and resilience to stress during pregnancy, including perceived resilience (belief in ability to "bounce back" from adversity) and physiological resilience (ability to physiologically recover quickly after an acute stressor). We further tested whether support and resilience during pregnancy predicted offspring internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Participants included 130 pregnant women (ages 26-28 years; 58% Black, 27% White, 15% Multiracial; 28% receiving public assistance) from a population-based longitudinal study. During pregnancy, participants reported on emotional and instrumental support, current life stressors, and perceived resilience to stress. In addition, heart rate variability was recorded continuously before, during, and after a controlled stress test to measure physiological recovery from stressors. When offspring were 2-3 years of age, mothers reported on children's internalizing and externalizing problems. Results from moderated mediation analyses indicated that emotional, but not instrumental, support was associated with perceived resilience during pregnancy, which predicted lower internalizing and externalizing problems in offspring. Emotional support also predicted greater physiological recovery during pregnancy, but only for individuals reporting multiple life stressors. Findings suggest that emotional support may influence psychological and physiological responses to stress during pregnancy, with implications for offspring emotional and behavioral health. Clinical implications of these results and directions for future research are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Reducing suicidal ideation in African American adolescents: A randomized controlled clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: Suicide rates among African American adolescents have increased exponentially in recent years. The socioecological stressors that can increase suicide risk for African American adolescents, in conjunction with unique suicide risk manifestations within this group, require culturally sensitive preventive interventions. This study examines the efficacy of the Adapted-Coping With Stress course (A-CWS), a culturally tailored preventive intervention, to reduce suicidal ideation in African American adolescents, utilizing a randomized controlled design. METHOD: Participants included 410 ninth-grade students in a large Midwestern city; most students identified as Black/African American. Participants were randomly assigned to either the A-CWS intervention or standard care control condition. All participants were assessed at baseline, immediately postintervention, and 6 and 12 months postintervention. RESULTS: Treatment effects were examined using latent growth models comparing suicidal ideation trajectories in control and intervention conditions. Analyses were conducted using both intention-to-treat and treatment-as-received samples (i.e., intervention condition participants who attended at least 80% of sessions). In both intention-to-treat and treatment-as-received analyses, there was a significant treatment effect: Individuals in the A-CWS intervention condition with higher baseline ideation evidenced a superior reduction in suicidal ideation over the course of the study, relative to their counterparts in the standard care control condition. CONCLUSION: Findings indicate that the A-CWS preventive intervention is efficacious in reducing suicidal ideation among African American adolescents with higher levels of baseline suicidal ideation and that effects sustain over time, with the strongest effect evidenced 12 months postintervention. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

The ADHD Phenotype in Black and White Girls From Childhood to Adolescence: Results From the Community-Based Pittsburgh Girls Study.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of the present study is to describe the ADHD phenotype from childhood to adolescence in Black and White girls in a community sample. METHOD: Primary caregivers enrolled in the population-based, longitudinal Pittsburgh Girls Study reported on girls' ADHD symptoms and impairment from ages 7 to 17; diagnostic subtypes were estimated based on meeting symptom criteria. RESULTS: The prevalence of any subtype of ADHD ranged from 6.4 to 9.2% and from 2.3 to 6.4% for Black and White girls respectively; the inattentive subtype was most endorsed. A relatively equal number of new diagnoses at each age was observed. Persistence of ADHD diagnoses was typically 1 to 2 years. CONCLUSIONS: ADHD in the community is relatively common, with the inattentive subtype as the most common phenotype for Black and White girls. Research on developmentally sensitive periods for symptom exacerbation or new onset of ADHD in girls is needed.

Hooked on a thought: Associations between rumination and neural responses to social rejection in adolescent girls.

Rumination is a significant risk factor for psychopathology in adolescent girls and is associated with heightened and prolonged physiological arousal following social rejection. However, no study has examined how rumination relates to neural responses to social rejection in adolescent girls; thus, the current study aimed to address this gap. Adolescent girls (N = 116; ages 16.95-19.09) self-reported on their rumination tendency and completed a social evaluation fMRI task where they received fictitious feedback (acceptance, rejection) from peers they liked or disliked. Rejection-related neural activity and subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (sgACC) connectivity were regressed on rumination, controlling for rejection sensitivity and depressive symptoms. Rumination was associated with distinctive neural responses following rejection from liked peers including increased neural activity in the precuneus, inferior parietal gyrus, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and supplementary motor area (SMA) and reduced sgACC connectivity with multiple regions including medial prefrontal cortex, precuneus and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex. Greater precuneus and SMA activity mediated the effect of rumination on slower response time to report emotional state after receiving rejection from liked peers. These findings provide clues for distinctive cognitive processes (e.g., mentalizing, conflict processing, memory encoding) following the receipt of rejection in girls with high levels of rumination.

Opportunities for Examining Child Health Impacts of Early-Life Nutrition in the ECHO Program: Maternal and Child Dietary Intake Data from Pregnancy to Adolescence.

Background: Longitudinal measures of diet spanning pregnancy through adolescence are needed from a large, diverse sample to advance research on the effect of early-life nutrition on child health. The Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program, which includes 69 cohorts, >33,000 pregnancies, and >31,000 children in its first 7-y cycle, provides such data, now publicly available. Objectives: This study aimed to describe dietary intake data available in the ECHO Program as of 31 August, 2022 (end of year 6 of Cycle 1) from pregnancy through adolescence, including estimated sample sizes, and to highlight the potential for future analyses of nutrition and child health. Methods: We identified and categorized ECHO Program dietary intake data, by assessment method, participant (pregnant person or child), and life stage of data collection. We calculated the number of maternal-child dyads with dietary data and the number of participants with repeated measures. We identified diet-related variables derived from raw dietary intake data and nutrient biomarkers measured from biospecimens. Results: Overall, 66 cohorts (26,941 pregnancies, 27,103 children, including 22,712 dyads) across 34 US states/territories provided dietary intake data. Dietary intake assessments included 24-h recalls (1548 pregnancies and 1457 children), food frequency questionnaires (4902 and 4117), dietary screeners (8816 and 23,626), and dietary supplement use questionnaires (24,798 and 26,513). Repeated measures were available for ∼70%, ∼30%, and ∼15% of participants with 24-h recalls, food frequency questionnaires, and dietary screeners, respectively. The available diet-related variables describe nutrient and food intake, diet patterns, and breastfeeding practices. Overall, 17% of participants with dietary intake data had measured nutrient biomarkers. Conclusions: ECHO cohorts have collected longitudinal dietary intake data spanning pregnancy through adolescence from a geographically, socioeconomically, and ethnically diverse US sample. As data collection continues in Cycle 2, these data present an opportunity to advance the field of nutrition and child health.

Not Quite Meeting the Mark: College Experiences for Patients With Celiac Disease.

Strict adherence to a gluten-free diet (GFD), the current treatment for celiac disease (CD), is socially challenging for adolescents, especially in the college setting. We conducted a survey of factors contributing to GFD adherence during college among patients meeting the ESPGHAN criteria for CD. One-hundred-one young adults (18 years and older) were contacted; 59 completed the survey, of which 47 were enrolled or had attended college. The survey was developed by the study team. Most patients were able to maintain strict adherence to the GFD, whereas at college and reported that GF food was available and consistent with expectations. Nearly all participants reported a lack of resources for students with CD. Strong family support helped, and school stress and lack of peer support impeded diet adherence. Although colleges may meet the basic needs of celiac students, the availability and quality of gluten-free options, and improved campus resources are needed.

Is BMI a Useful Indicator of Prenatal Health Among Black American Women?

OBJECTIVE: BMI is commonly used to measure risk to prenatal health but may not be sensitive to adiposity-associated health problems for Black women. The aim of the present study was to test associations between indices of prenatal health and BMI in Black women. METHODS: Data were from 652 women enrolled in two studies. Height and weight were used to calculate BMI. Depression and perceived stress were measured via maternal report, systemic inflammation via C-reactive protein (CRP), and nutrition by the ratio of omega-3 docosahexaenoic acid to omega-6 arachidonic acid fatty acids. RESULTS: Neither perceived stress, depression, nor fatty acids were associated with prenatal BMI. CRP levels were positively associated with BMI (beta = 6.56, t = 13.30, p < .001). The prevalence of high-risk levels of CRP (> 3 mg/L) was below 10% for all weight classes except for BMI ≥ 40. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that BMI may not be a sensitive index of adiposity related risk to prenatal health for Black women.

Menstrual Cycle Irregularity in Adolescence Is Associated With Cardiometabolic Health in Early Adulthood.

Background Menstrual cycle irregularities are associated with cardiovascular and cardiometabolic disease. We tested associations between age at menarche and cycle irregularity in adolescence and cardiometabolic health in early adulthood in a subsample from the Pittsburgh Girls Study. Methods and Results Data from annual interviews were used to assess age at menarche and cycle irregularity (ie, greater or less than every 27-29 days) at age 15 years. At ages 22 to 25 years, cardiometabolic health was measured in a subsample of the Pittsburgh Girls Study (n=352; 68.2% Black), including blood pressure, waist circumference, and fasting serum insulin, glucose, and lipids. T tests were used for continuous data and odds ratios for dichotomous data to compare differences in cardiometabolic health as a function of onset and regularity of menses. Early menarche (ie, before age 11 years; n=52) was associated with waist circumference (P=0.043). Participants reporting irregular cycles (n=50) in adolescence had significantly higher levels of insulin, glucose, and triglycerides, and higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure (P values range from 0.035 to 0.005) and were more likely to have clinical indicators of cardiometabolic predisease in early adulthood compared with women who reported regular cycles (odds ratios ranged from 1.89 to 2.56). Conclusions Increasing rates and earlier onset of cardiovascular and metabolic disease among women, especially among Black women, highlights the need for identifying early and reliable risk indices. Menstrual cycle irregularity may serve this purpose and help elucidate the role of women's reproductive health in protecting and conferring risk for later cardiovascular and cardiometabolic diseases.

Psychological Well-being across the Perinatal Period: Life Satisfaction and Flourishing in a Longitudinal Study of Black and White American Women.

Psychological well-being (life satisfaction and flourishing) during the perinatal period has implications for both maternal and child health. However, few studies have investigated the extent to which psychological well-being changes from preconception to postpartum periods, particularly among diverse samples of women. Using prospectively collected data from an ongoing longitudinal study, we investigated changes in two dimensions of psychological well-being from preconception to postpartum among 173 Black and White American women. Results showed that changes in life satisfaction (i.e., global quality of life) and flourishing (e.g., self-acceptance, sense of purpose) over the perinatal period were moderated by race. For life satisfaction, White women reported an increase from preconception to pregnancy with increased life satisfaction levels remaining stable from pregnancy to postpartum. However, Black women reported no changes in life satisfaction across these timepoints. In contrast, both Black and White women reported an increase in flourishing levels across the perinatal period, although the timing of these changes differed. Findings highlight a need for greater clinical and empirical attention to the way in which psychological well-being changes during the perinatal period to optimize health and inform strengths-based intervention targets.

Preconception interpersonal personality features predict postpartum maternal parenting behaviors.

Individual differences in personality traits affect the quality of social relationships. The parent-child relationship is among the most impactful social relationships in an individual's life, and positive parenting behaviors are known to support positive child development. The present study aimed to identify personality predictors-measured prior to conception at age 16-on later positive parenting behaviors. Young women (n = 207; 83.5% Black or multiracial; 86.9% receiving public assistance) who were followed since childhood as part of a prospective longitudinal study were observed interacting with their infants 4 months postpartum. We tested prospective associations between personality factors relevant to the quality and maintenance of social relationships-empathy, callousness, and rejection sensitivity-and coded dimensions of parenting behavior: maternal warmth, responsiveness, and mental state talk. We additionally examined potential moderating effects of infant affect on the relations between personality and parenting behavior. Results indicated that preconception empathy predicted later maternal warmth and responsivity, whereas preconception callousness was inversely associated with maternal warmth. The association between rejection sensitivity and maternal mental state talk was moderated by infant affect, consistent with a "goodness-of-fit" framework. The present study is the first to our knowledge to report associations between preconception personality and later parenting behaviors. The findings suggest that a woman's personality traits in adolescence, potentially years before she becomes a mother, can predict her behavior during interactions with her infant. Clinically, findings suggest the potential for interventions in adolescence to influence later parenting behavior and ultimately impact children's developmental outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Longitudinal patterns and predictors of suicidal ideation in African American adolescents.

Suicide rates among African American adolescents have increased dramatically. Suicidal ideation is associated with both suicide attempts and completions, thus understanding ideation patterns and predictors in African American adolescents is critical to informing prevention efforts. This study recruited 160 African American ninth grade students. Participants were those students randomized to the control condition of a randomized controlled preventive intervention. Of the 160 participants, 99 completed all assessment points and were included in latent transition analyses. We assessed participants four times: baseline then again at 6-, 12-, and 18-month postbaseline. Constructs of interest for this study included suicidal ideation, depression, hopelessness, and community violence exposure. A 2-class model (i.e., low ideation [LI] and high ideation [HI]) characterized ideation at each time point. A total of 86%-90% of participants were in the LI class in any given time point and 27.3% of participants were in the HI class at least once. Participants in the LI class tended to stay in that class, whereas those in the HI class often transitioned to the LI group. Depression and hopelessness, but not exposure to community violence, predicted HI class membership. Findings suggest that (a) most African American adolescents may experience suicide ideation at some point in time, (b) a concerning proportion of African American adolescents may experience high ideation, (c) high ideation is often time-limited, and (d) depression and hopelessness predict high ideation.

The Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO)-Wide Cohort.

The Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO)-Wide Cohort Study (EWC), a collaborative research design comprising 69 cohorts in 31 consortia, was funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 2016 to improve children's health in the United States. The EWC harmonizes extant data and collects new data using a standardized protocol, the ECHO-Wide Cohort Data Collection Protocol (EWCP). EWCP visits occur at least once per life stage, but the frequency and timing of the visits vary across cohorts. As of March 4, 2022, the EWC cohorts contributed data from 60,553 children and consented 29,622 children for new EWCP data and biospecimen collection. The median (interquartile range) age of EWCP-enrolled children was 7.5 years (3.7-11.1). Surveys, interviews, standardized examinations, laboratory analyses, and medical record abstraction are used to obtain information in 5 main outcome areas: pre-, peri-, and postnatal outcomes; neurodevelopment; obesity; airways; and positive health. Exposures include factors at the level of place (e.g., air pollution, neighborhood socioeconomic status), family (e.g., parental mental health), and individuals (e.g., diet, genomics).

Timing of Violence Exposure and Girls' Temperament Stability From Childhood to Adolescence.

Individual differences in temperament (e.g., negative emotionality) are robust early predictors of emotional and behavioral health. Although temperament is often conceptualized as relatively stable across the lifespan, evidence suggests that it may change over time as a function of social context. Extant studies have been limited by cross-sectional or short-term longitudinal designs that have precluded tests of stability as well as factors that may influence stability across developmental periods. In addition, few studies have tested the impact of social contexts that are common for children living in urban and under-resourced environments, such as exposure to community violence. In the present study we hypothesized that levels of negative emotionality, activity, and shyness would decrease across development from childhood to mid-adolescence as a function of early exposure to violence in the Pittsburgh Girls Study, a community study of girls enriched for families living in low-resourced neighborhoods. Temperament was assessed by parent- and teacher-report on the Emotionality Activity Sociability Shyness Temperament Survey in childhood (5-8-years-old), early-adolescence (11-years-old), and mid-adolescence (15-years-old). Violence exposure (e.g., victim of or witness to violent crime, exposure to domestic violence) was assessed annually via child and parent report. Results showed that on average, combined caregiver and teacher reports of negative emotionality and activity level exhibited small but significant reductions from childhood to adolescence, whereas shyness remained stable. Violence exposure in early adolescence predicted increases in negative emotionality and shyness by mid-adolescence. Violence exposure was not associated with stability of activity level. Our findings suggest that exposure to violence, particularly in early adolescence, amplifies individual differences in shyness and negative emotionality, underlying an important pathway of risk for developmental psychopathology.

Impact of sedentary behavior and emotional support on prenatal psychological distress and birth outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abstract. BACKGROUND: Studies have reported mixed findings regarding the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on pregnant women and birth outcomes. This study used a quasi-experimental design to account for potential confounding by sociodemographic characteristics. METHODS: Data were drawn from 16 prenatal cohorts participating in the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program. Women exposed to the pandemic (delivered between 12 March 2020 and 30 May 2021) (n = 501) were propensity-score matched on maternal age, race and ethnicity, and child assigned sex at birth with 501 women who delivered before 11 March 2020. Participants reported on perceived stress, depressive symptoms, sedentary behavior, and emotional support during pregnancy. Infant gestational age (GA) at birth and birthweight were gathered from medical record abstraction or maternal report. RESULTS: After adjusting for propensity matching and covariates (maternal education, public assistance, employment status, prepregnancy body mass index), results showed a small effect of pandemic exposure on shorter GA at birth, but no effect on birthweight adjusted for GA. Women who were pregnant during the pandemic reported higher levels of prenatal stress and depressive symptoms, but neither mediated the association between pandemic exposure and GA. Sedentary behavior and emotional support were each associated with prenatal stress and depressive symptoms in opposite directions, but no moderation effects were revealed. CONCLUSIONS: There was no strong evidence for an association between pandemic exposure and adverse birth outcomes. Furthermore, results highlight the importance of reducing maternal sedentary behavior and encouraging emotional support for optimizing maternal health regardless of pandemic conditions.

Depression screening may not capture significant sources of prenatal stress for Black women.

Exposure to stress during pregnancy, including depression, has a significant impact on maternal health. Black women experience varied stressors that impact pregnancy outcomes. Although the move to engage in universal screening of women for depression is a positive step toward improving women's health, it has been deployed without a comprehensive examination of its utility for capturing exposure to other stressors with known associations with perinatal and neonatal health problems for Black women such as discrimination stress. In the present study, we examine the overlap between several sources of stress and a positive screen on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) in Black pregnant women. Data were gathered from a study examining the effects of stress on prenatal health (N = 168). Discrimination stress, structural and systemic racism stress, perceived stress, and partner abuse were measured using standardized questionnaires during pregnancy. Using a score of ≥ 13 to indicate probable depression the sensitivity of the EPDS to identify women who experienced high levels of discrimination stress (41.7%), structural and systemic racism (39.5%), perceived stress (63.4%), and partner abuse (45.2%) was suboptimal. Lowering the threshold for a positive screen on the EPDS to a score of 10 improved sensitivity but did not solve the problem of under-identification of women whose health is at risk. The focus on depression screening for pregnant women should be re-considered. A screening toolkit that more rigorously and broadly assesses risk and need for support and intervention is needed to improve perinatal health outcomes for Black women.

Social Support Coping for African American Adolescents: Effect of a Culturally Grounded Randomized Controlled Trial Intervention.

The effect of the Adapted-Coping with Stress (A-CWS) intervention on social support coping was examined, using a randomized controlled trial design. The participants were 410 ninth-grade students (ages 14 to 16 years and mostly African American) living in low-resourced neighborhoods. Participants were randomly assigned 1:1 to either the A-CWS intervention or a standard care control condition. All participants were assessed at their schools before implementation of the intervention, at intervention completion, and again at 6- and 12-month post-intervention. Engagement in social support coping was examined in both intention-to-treat and treatment-as-received samples (i.e., intervention participants who attended at least 12 A-CWS treatment sessions and participants in the standard care control condition), using latent growth models. In intention-to-treat analyses, no significant treatment effects were identified. In treatment-as-received analyses, results revealed a significant association between social support coping and treatment condition; levels of social support coping decreased over time in the control condition, but they remained relatively stable in the treatment condition. The results indicate adequate intervention adherence and efficacy of the A-CWS to sustain social support coping within a sample of youth at high risk for stress exposure and associated disorders.Clinical Trial Registration: clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT0395445.

Maternal socialization of emotion and the development of emotion regulation in early adolescent girls.

Regulation of negative emotions is a core competency of child development. Parental emotion socialization profoundly influences later capacity to regulate negative affect in childhood and adolescence. The present study examined the effects of maternal emotion socialization on the development of emotion regulation in the context of a longitudinal study of 210 mother-daughter dyads. Dyads completed a conflict resolution task when the child was age 11 years during which maternal warmth and hostility were coded. At ages 11 to 13 years, mothers completed self-report measures of supportive and nonsupportive responses to child negative emotion, and children completed self-reports of inhibition and adaptive regulation of sadness and anger. We used latent growth curve modeling to estimate changes in inhibition and adaptive regulation of sadness and anger over time; observed maternal warmth and hostility were included as time-invariant covariates and maternal self-report of supportive and nonsupportive responses were included as time-varying covariates. Observed maternal warmth was positively associated with girls' adaptive regulation of anger and sadness at age 11 years. Maternal self-reported supportive responses to girls' negative affect were positively associated with girls' adaptive regulation of anger, and nonsupportive responses were negatively associated with adaptive regulation of anger and sadness. These findings support the role of maternal emotion socialization and indicate specific effects of maternal warmth and supportive responses in the development of girls' capacity to modulate negative emotions during early adolescence. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Adolescent Mothers' Psychological Wellbeing during Pregnancy and Infant Emotional Health.

OBJECTIVE: Although many studies have identified risk factors for adolescent pregnancy, much less is known about factors that support pregnant adolescents' psychological wellbeing and offspring outcomes. This study drew on strength-based frameworks to investigate family and neighborhood factors linked to social connectedness that predict psychological wellbeing during adolescent pregnancy and offspring outcomes. METHOD: Participants included 135 adolescent mothers (ages 14-21; 90% Black American) assessed annually since childhood as part of a longitudinal study. During preadolescence (ages 11-13), data on contextual stressors and neighborhood support were gathered from participants' caregivers; participants also rated their perceived trust/attachment with caregivers before and during pregnancy. To assess changes in psychological wellbeing, adolescents reported positive and depressed mood before and during pregnancy. A path analysis model tested the prospective associations between family and neighborhood factors, psychological wellbeing during pregnancy, and offspring outcomes (birth outcomes; observed infant positive/negative emotions at age 3-months). RESULTS: Positive mood decreased from pre-pregnancy to pregnancy, whereas depressed mood remained stable. Adjusting for pre-pregnancy mood, perceived caregiver trust/attachment during pregnancy was associated with prenatal positive mood. Prenatal positive mood, in turn, reduced risk of preterm birth and indirectly predicted positive infant emotions via birth outcomes. Neighborhood support in preadolescence predicted lower prenatal depressed mood, but depressed mood did not predict infant outcomes beyond positive mood. Contextual life stress was not associated with prenatal mood after adjusting for family and neighborhood support. CONCLUSIONS: Findings highlight changes in positive-valence emotions during adolescent pregnancy that may have unique associations with birth outcomes and offspring emotions.