Psychogenic non-epileptic (functional) seizures in adults with intellectual disability and epilepsy: A matched case-control study.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the characteristics of psychogenic non-epileptic (functional) seizures (PNES) in adults with epilepsy and intellectual disability (ID) and to establish differences and risk factors regarding psychosocial functioning between individuals with and without PNES. METHODS: Adults with ID and epilepsy living in epilepsy care facilities in The Netherlands were screened for PNES by a neurologist. A control group consisting of people with epilepsy and ID, without PNES, was matched according to age, sex, and level of ID. Objective data were retrieved retrospectively from clinical notes of the resident. Standardized questionnaires and tests, adjusted for people with ID, were obtained from participants and their nursing staff. Differences were analyzed using paired t tests, Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, or McNemar's tests, appropriate for matched case-control studies. Conditional logistic regression identified PNES risk factors. RESULTS: Five hundred forty individuals were screened, of which 42 had PNES (point prevalence 7.8%). In total, 35 cases and 35 controls gave consent. Proxy reports indicated that PNES impacted daily life in 79% by adjusting the individual's schedule, and caused minor injuries in one-third. Those with PNES were mainly female (69%); had a mild (46%) or moderate (37%) level of ID; showed more symptoms of depression (p = .024), anxiety (p = .030), self-injurious behavior (p = .015); and experienced more negative life events (p < .001). Clinically relevant predictors of PNES were the number of negative life events (odds ratio [OR] 1.71, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.12-2.53) and self-injurious behaviors (OR 5.27, 95% CI .97-28.81). SIGNIFICANCE: Previously, PNES in individuals with ID and epilepsy were described mainly as a reinforced behavioral pattern, due to limited associations with psychiatric disorders. Our results demonstrate that this population does show individual psychosocial vulnerabilities when measured with instruments adjusted for this population, as indicated by proxy reports from daily caregivers. Viewing PNES as an involuntary response, especially for stress-prone individuals with ID, could reduce stigma and improve treatment.

The interaction between polygenic risk and environmental influences: A direct test of the 3P model of insomnia in adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Stress is a universal phenomenon and one of the most common precipitants of insomnia. However, not everyone develops insomnia after experiencing a stressful life event. This study aims to test aspects of Spielman's '3P model of insomnia' (during adolescence) by exploring the extent to which: (a) insomnia symptoms are predicted by polygenic scores (PGS); (b) life events predict insomnia symptoms; (c) the interaction between PGS and life events contribute to the prediction of insomnia symptoms; (d) gene-environment interaction effects remain after controlling for sex. METHODS: The sample comprised 4,629 twins aged 16 from the Twin Early Development Study who reported on their insomnia symptoms and life events. PGS for insomnia were calculated. In order to test the main hypothesis of this study (a significant interaction between PGS and negative life events), we fitted a series of mixed effect regressions. RESULTS: The best fit was provided by the model including sex, PGS for insomnia, negative life events, and their interactions (AIC = 26,158.7). Our results show that the association between insomnia symptoms and negative life events is stronger for those with a higher genetic risk for insomnia. CONCLUSIONS: This work sheds light on the complex relationship between genetic and environmental factors implicated for insomnia. This study has tested for the first time the interaction between genetic predisposition (PGS) for insomnia and environmental stressors (negative life events) in adolescents. This work represents a direct test of components of Spielman's 3P model for insomnia which is supported by our results.

Stress exposure in at-risk, depressed, and suicidal adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Stress exposure contributes to the onset, maintenance, and recurrence of major depressive disorder (MDD) in adolescents. However, the precise stress facets (e.g. chronicity, domain) most strongly linked to outcomes at different stages along the depression severity continuum remain unclear. Across two studies, chronic and episodic stressors were comprehensively assessed among: (a) healthy youth with (High-Risk [HR]) and without (Low-Risk [LR]) a maternal history of MDD and (b) adolescents with current MDD and suicide ideation and healthy controls (HC). METHOD: Study 1 included LR (n = 65) and HR (n = 22) 12- to 14-year-olds (49 females; 56.32%) with no lifetime history of mental disorders. Study 2 enrolled 87 mid-to-late adolescents (64 females; 73.56%), including 57 MDD youth from a short-term intensive treatment service and 30 HCs from the community. All depressed youth reported recent suicide ideation; some had no lifetime history suicide attempts (SI; n = 31) and others reported at least one past year attempt (SA; n = 26). The Life Events and Difficulties Schedule was used to capture stressor severity in both studies. RESULTS: We used multiple linear regression models that adjusted for demographic and clinical covariates. Being in the HR versus LR group was associated with more severe chronic (ß = .22, CI95 = 0.01-0.42, p = .041), independent (ß = .34, CI95 = 0.12-0.56, p = .003), and interpersonal (ß = .23, CI95 = 0.004-0.45, p = .047) stress severity. By contrast, the MDD group reported significantly more severe chronic (ß = .62, CI95 = 0.45-0.79, p < .001) and dependent (ß = .41, CI95 = 0.21-0.61, p < .001) stress than the HC group, but not independent (p = .083) stress. Stress severity did not differ between recent attempters versus youth who reported suicide ideation alone (SA vs. SI contrast). However, the SA group reported a higher rate of targeted rejection events (RR = 3.53, CI95 = 1.17-10.70, p = .026). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings clarify the stressor features that may most strongly contribute to adolescent depression and its clinical correlates at two important points along depression's clinical course.

Family dysfunction, stressful life events, and mental health problems across development in the offspring of parents with an affective disorder.

BACKGROUND: Offspring of parents with affective disorders (OAD) are at risk of developing a wide range of mental disorders. Deficits in the rearing environment and high levels of stress are well-known risk factors for negative outcomes in OAD. Building on prior research, we aim to examine the longitudinal relationships between family dysfunction, stressful life events, and mental health in OAD and control offspring of parents with no affective disorder. In the present study, we hypothesized that high levels of family dysfunction would be associated with more internalizing and externalizing problems across time in OAD than in controls, and that family dysfunction would mediate the relationship between stressful life events in adolescence and poor mental health in adulthood, particularly in OAD. METHODS: As part of the TRacking Adolescents' Lives Survey (TRAILS), 2230 participants (51% female, Mage = 11.1 years, SD = 0.6, at baseline) and their parents completed measures across six time points, spanning 15 years. Mental health, family dysfunction, and stressful life events were assessed with the Youth and Adult Self-Report, Family Assessment Device, and an in-house measure, respectively. RESULTS: Multi-group structured equation modeling revealed that family dysfunction was linked to internalizing and externalizing problems in OAD, but not controls, across time. Risk status did not moderate family dysfunction's mediation of the relationship between stressful life events and negative outcomes in adulthood. CONCLUSIONS: OAD show high sensitivity to dysfunction in the rearing environment across childhood and adolescence, which supports the use of family based interventions to prevent the development of mental disorders in high-risk youth.

Psychological impact of life events in systemic lupus erythematosus patients - Differences between flares and remission.

BACKGROUND: Stress has been linked to worsening symptoms and increased disease activity in patients with Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Life-events are individual stress points, and there is conflicting evidence regarding their role in SLE activity and disease perception. METHODS: Adult SLE patients were recruited for the study. Clinical and laboratory features of SLE were recorded, and previous diagnosis of anxiety or depression were retrieved from patients' electronic charts. Flares were defined by the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity (SLEDAI) flare Index, and flares during the previous year were documented. During a routine visit, they completed validated Portuguese translations of the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Life Experience Survey (LES) for the previous year. RESULTS: A total of 47 female SLE patients were recruited. Ten patients (21.3%) had experienced recent flares. Patients with recent flares reported fewer life events, with lower positive, negative, and total weightings sums compared to those without recent flares. Although 42.2% of patients perceived pathological levels of stress in the previous month, 48.9% had anxiety symptoms, and 34% were at high risk for an anxiety disorder, these psychometric measures did not differ significantly between the recent flare and no-flare groups. CONCLUSIONS: There is a high prevalence of pathological levels of stress among SLE patients. SLE patients with recent flares report less psychological impact from life events, both positive and negative, independent of other psychological or pharmacological factors.

Increases in Psychological Stress Are Associated With Higher Fasting Glucose in US Chinese Immigrants.

BACKGROUND: The majority of Chinese Americans is foreign-born, and it is well-documented that immigration to the United States (US) leads to increased risk for chronic diseases including type 2 diabetes. Increased disease risk has been attributed to changes in lifestyle behaviors following immigration, but few studies have considered the psychosocial impact of immigration upon biomarkers of disease risk. PURPOSE: To examine associations of psychological stress and social isolation with markers of type 2 diabetes risk over time among US Chinese immigrants. METHODS: In this longitudinal study of 614 Chinese immigrants, participants completed assessments of perceived stress, acculturative stress, negative life events, and social isolation annually at three time points. Fasting blood samples were obtained at each time point to measure blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin, and insulin resistance. Mean duration between baseline and follow-up assessments was approximately 2 years. RESULTS: Increases in migration-related stress, perceived stress and social isolation were associated with significant increases in fasting glucose at follow-up independent of age, body mass index, length of US residence, and other potential covariates. Moreover, increases in glucose varied depending on perceived stress levels at baseline, such that those with higher baseline stress had a steeper increase in glucose over time. CONCLUSIONS: Psychological stress and social isolation are associated with increases in fasting glucose in a sample of US Chinese immigrants. Findings suggest that the unique experiences of immigration may be involved in the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, a condition that is prevalent among US Chinese despite relatively low rates of obesity.

Many Chinese Americans are born outside the United States (US), and moving to the US can increase their risk of chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes. This increased risk is often linked to lifestyle changes after immigration, but not much research has looked at how stress and social isolation may affect disease risk. We conducted a longitudinal study that followed 614 Chinese immigrants over a 2-year period to see if stress and social isolation were linked to diabetes risk. Participants filled out surveys about their levels of stress, social isolation, and any negative life events that had occurred, and had their blood tested for markers that are associated with diabetes risk. The study showed that higher stress and social isolation were linked to higher fasting glucose (blood sugar) levels, regardless of other factors like age or how long they had lived in the US. People who started with higher stress levels also had a bigger increase in fasting blood sugar levels over time. In summary, among Chinese immigrants in the US, stress and social isolation leads to increases in fasting blood sugar levels over time, which can be indicative of type 2 diabetes.

Towards the correlates of stressful life events as precipitants of obsessive-compulsive disorder: a systematic review and metanalysis.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a prevalent condition with multifactorial etiology involving genetic and environmental factors. The present study aims to summarize the correlates of stressful life events (SLEs) in OCD by reviewing studies comparing OCD associated or not with SLEs before its onset. To do so, a systematic review was performed by searching PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and PsycINFO databases for studies published between the database's inception and November 27, 2023. Studies including individuals whose OCD was precipitated or not by SLEs (SLEs OCD and NSLEs OCD, respectively) were assessed. Effect sizes or odds ratios were then calculated to identify the strength of association between SLEs and clinical characteristics, such as gender, age of onset, family history of OCD, severity of OCD symptoms, depressive symptoms, and mood comorbidities among patients with OCD. Out of the 4083 records initially identified, 5 studies met the inclusion criteria and 3 were comparable through a meta-analysis. Notably, the analyses were limited by the small number of studies available in the literature. The meta-analysis demonstrated SLEs OCD to be associated with female gender, later OCD onset, and increased comorbidity rates with mood disorders. Despite the cross-sectional nature of the reviewed studies, women may be more vulnerable to develop a later onset of OCD following SLEs, which may also lead to mood disorders. Caution is needed to avoid prematurely classifying this presentation as a distinct subtype of OCD.

Association of Stressful Life Events With Oral Health Among Japanese Workers.

BACKGROUND: Psychological stress can cause various mental and physical health problems. The previous results on stress and oral health are inconsistent, possibly because of the narrow stress measurements. We aimed to examine the association between a broader range of stressful life events and oral health among workers. METHODS: This cross-sectional study analyzed anonymous individual data from a national survey in Japan. Data on stressful life events, oral health problems which are one or more of tooth pain, gum swelling/bleeding, and difficulty chewing, and covariates were obtained using a self-reported questionnaire. Covariates used included gender, age group, and disease under treatment. Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the association between stressful life events and oral health problems. We then estimated the causal treatment effects of stress using the augmented inverse-probability weighting (AIPW) method. RESULTS: Among the 274,881 subjects, 152,850 men (55.6%) and 122,031 women (44.4%) with a mean age of 47.0 (standard deviation, 14.4) years, 4.0% reported oral health problems, with a prevalence of 2.1% among those without any stress. The prevalence increased with stress score, reaching 15.4% for those with the maximum stress score. The adjusted odds ratio of this group compared to those without any stress was 9.2 (95% confidence interval [CI], 8.2-10.3). The estimated prevalence of oral health problems by the AIPW analysis was 2.2% (95% CI, 2.1-2.3%) for those without any stress and 14.4% (95% CI, 12.1-16.7%) for those with the maximum stress scores. CONCLUSION: There was a clear dose-response association between stressful life events and oral health problems.

Do preinjury life events moderate the outcomes of mild traumatic brain injuries in children? An A-CAP Study.

OBJECTIVE: To examine preinjury life events as moderators of postconcussive symptoms (PCS) and quality of life (QoL) in children with pediatric mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) versus orthopedic injury (OI). METHODS: Participants were 633 children with mTBI and 334 with OI, ages 8-16.99, recruited from 5 pediatric emergency departments and followed for 6 months postinjury as part of a prospective cohort study. Preinjury life events were measured retrospectively using the Child and Adolescent Survey of Experiences, PCS using the Health and Behavior Inventory (HBI) and Post-Concussion Symptom Interview (PCS-I), and QoL using the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL). Analyses involved longitudinal regression using restricted cubic splines, with group, positive and negative life events, and time as primary predictors. Covariates included age, sex, race, socioeconomic status, preinjury history (i.e., headache, migraine, previous concussion), and parent-rated retrospective PCS-I, HBI, and PedsQL scores. RESULTS: PCS and QoL were worse after mTBI than OI, but group differences declined with time (all p < .001). Group differences in PCS were larger at higher levels of positive life events, which predicted lower PCS (p= .03 to p < .001) and higher QoL (p = .048) after OI but not after mTBI. Negative life events predicted worse PCS and QoL in both groups (p = .002 to p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Preinjury positive life events moderate outcomes after pediatric injury, with a protective effect seen in OI but not in mTBI. Negative life events are consistently associated with worse outcomes regardless of injury type.

Stressful Life Events Among Women Suffering Homelessness and Prostitution in Spain.

The aim of the study was to analyze the differences in suffering stressful life events (SLE) among women experiencing homelessness who had or had not been in prostitution. Data were collected from a sample of 135 women experiencing homelessness in Madrid. A total of 81% of the women interviewed had never been in prostitution, while 19% had been in prostitution at some point in their lives. Participants were recruited from shelters, drop-in centers, and public spaces. The information was collected using a structured interview. The results showed that women experiencing homelessness who had been in prostitution suffered a greater number of SLE, both in childhood and adolescence and throughout life. The interviewed who had been in prostitution were between two and nine times more likely to have experienced during their childhood and adolescence violence in their family, as well as to have run away from home, experienced abuse, attempted suicide, and used drugs excessively. Furthermore, during their lifetime, the interviewed who had been in prostitution were between two and four times more likely to suffer from serious physical and mental health issues, excessive alcohol consumption, intimate partner violence, physical violence from others, suicide attempts, police reporting, and unwanted pregnancies. Additionally, they were four to six times more likely to have been sexually assaulted or convicted/imprisoned for a crime, seven times more likely to have been arrested, and a striking 32 times more likely to have used drugs excessively.

The association among negative life events, alexithymia, and depressive symptoms in a psychosomatic outpatient sample.

BACKGROUND: Depression is a life-threatening mental health problem. Various factors have been demonstrated to be associated with depressive symptoms, including negative life events (NLEs) and alexithymia. A retrospective study was conducted to investigate the relationship among negative life events, alexithymia, and depression symptoms in a psychosomatic outpatient sample in China. METHODS: A total of 2747 outpatients (aged 18 - 65) were included in this investigation. The Life Events Scale (LES), Toronto alexithymia scale (TAS-26), and 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) were used to assess NLEs, alexithymia, and depressive symptoms, respectively. A stepwise regression analysis model was established to investigate the relationship among alexithymia, NLEs, and depressive symptoms. RESULTS: Overall, 67.0% of the patient sample had a PHQ-9 score of 10 or higher. The stepwise regression analysis model showed a well-fitted model, in which NLEs and alexithymia explain a total of 34.2% of the variance of depressive symptoms in these participants. NLEs (ß = 0.256, p < 0.001) and dimensions of alexithymia (difficult describing feelings (ß = 0.192, p < 0.001) and identifying feelings (ß = 0.308, p < 0.001)) were positively correlated with symptoms of depression. CONCLUSIONS: Previous studies have confirmed the correlation between NLEs and depression, alexithymia and depression, respectively. In our study, we used a stepwise regression model to explain the relationship among those variables simultaneously, and found that NLEs and alexithymia could function as predictors of depressive symptoms. Based on this discovery, alexithymia-focused treatment strategies could be alternative in depressive patients with alexithymia, but this remains to be verified in the future.

The relationship between postpartum negative life events and postpartum depression: a moderated mediation model of neuroticism and psychological flexibility.

BACKGROUND: Postpartum depression (PPD) is a major public health problem worldwide. Previous studies have shown that postpartum negative life events and neuroticism are both important risk factors for PPD. However, few studies have considered the role of protective factors in the influence of postpartum negative life events and neuroticism on PPD. Based on the diathesis-stress model and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), a moderated mediating model was established to examine the mediating role of neuroticism between postpartum negative life events and PPD, as well as the moderating role of psychological flexibility in this mediating effect. METHODS: A sample of 776 parturients from three different Grade A hospitals in China were assessed using the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale, the Postpartum Negative Life Events Scale, the Neuroticism Subscale of the Big Five Personality Scale, and the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire- II. RESULTS: PPD, postpartum negative life events, neuroticism, and experiential avoidance were significantly positively correlated with one another. Neuroticism partially mediated the relationship between postpartum negative life events and PPD. In this mediation model, the direct path and the second half of the mediation path were moderated by psychological flexibility. Specifically, the links between postpartum negative life events and PPD, as well as between neuroticism and PPD, were stronger when psychological flexibility was low, but weaker when psychological flexibility was high. CONCLUSIONS: The results show that psychological flexibility plays an important role in buffering the negative effects of postpartum negative life events and neuroticism on PPD. These findings provide implications for the prevention and intervention of PPD using an ACT approach.

Association between negative life events through mental health and non-suicidal self-injury with young adults: evidence for sex moderate correlation.

BACKGROUND: Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) has exhibited an increasing trend in recent years and is now globally recognized as a major public health problem among adolescents and young adults. Negative life events (NLEs) are positively associated with NSSI. We sought to explore (1) whether sex plays a role in the risk of NLEs leading to NSSI and (2) the role played by mental health (MH). METHODS: We adopted a multi-stage cluster sampling method to select college students across four grades from May to June 2022. Generalized linear models were used to evaluate the relationships between NLEs, sex, MH and NSSI, presented as incidence-rate ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). We examined the complex relationship between these variables using the PROCESS method for moderation analysis. RESULTS: Following the exclusion of data that did not meet the study requirements, data from 3,578 students (mean age: 20.53 [± 1.65] years) were included. Poisson regression results indicate that high-level NLEs (RR = 0.110, 95%CI: 0.047-0.173) are associated with increased NSSI. Furthermore, interaction effects were observed among sex, NLEs and NSSI. MH and sex moderated the relationship between NLEs and NSSI. CONCLUSION: Identifying risk factors for NSSI is also important when exploring the interaction between NLEs and MH given the potential for NSSI to significantly increase the risk of later psychopathological symptoms and substance abuse problems. In addition, the significance of sex differences in risk factors for NSSI should be determined. This study evaluated how the impact of NLEs on NSSI can be reduced among adolescents from multiple perspectives.

Borderline personality traits mediate the relationship between negative life events and nonsuicidal self-injury in a clinical sample with youth depression.

BACKGROUND: Borderline personality traits play a significant role in nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), particularly in depressed youths. NSSI is also highly correlated with negative life events. This research aimed to explore the connections between negative life events, borderline personality traits, and NSSI. METHODS: The study included 338 depressed youth aged 13 to 25 years. Self-reported measures and clinical interviews were utilized to evaluate the depressive symptoms, borderline personality traits, negative life events, and NSSI behaviours of these participants. Identifying variables linked to NSSI was the aim of our analysis, and we also conducted a mediation analysis to look into the influence of borderline traits on the connection between negative life events and NSSI. RESULTS: Of the 338 depressed youth, approximately 59.47% (201/338) displayed NSSI, which was associated with greater clinical severity. Borderline traits had an independent influence on NSSI and it partially explained the connection between negative life events and NSSI, even when accounting for depression symptoms. Depressed youth who were more vulnerable to NSSI behaviours often experienced negative life events such as interpersonal relationships, academic pressure, being punished, and loss. CONCLUSIONS: Our research suggests that depressed youth who experience more negative life events are more likely to experience NSSI, and negative life events indirectly influence nonsuicidal self-injury through borderline personality traits. Implementing interventions focused on mitigating borderline symptoms could be a promising therapeutic approach for addressing NSSI in young people.

Interaction between HTR2A rs3125 and negative life events in suicide attempts among patients with major depressive disorder: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Both genetic and environmental factors play crucial roles in the development of major depressive disorder (MDD) and suicide attempts (SA). However, the interaction between both items remains unknown. This study aims to explore the interactions between the genetic variants of the serotonin 2 A receptor (HTR2A) and the nitric oxide synthase 1 (NOS1) and environmental factors in patients who experience MDD and SA. METHODS: A total of 334 patients with MDD and a history of SA (MDD-SA) were recruited alongside 518 patients with MDD with no history of SA (MDD-NSA), and 716 healthy controls (HC). The demographic data and clinical characteristics were collected. Sequenom mass spectrometry was used to detect eight tag-single nucleotide polymorphisms (tagSNPs) in HTR2A (rs1328683, rs17068986, and rs3125) and NOS1 (rs1123425, rs2682826, rs3741476, rs527590, and rs7959232). Generalized multifactor dimensionality reduction (GMDR) was used to analyze the gene-environment interactions. RESULTS: Four tagSNPs (rs17068986, rs3125, rs527590, and rs7959232) exhibited significant differences between the three groups. However, these differences were not significant between the MDD-SA and MDD-NSA groups after Bonferroni correction. A logistic regression analysis revealed that negative life events (OR = 1.495, 95%CI: 1.071-2.087, P = 0.018), self-guilt (OR = 2.263, 95%CI: 1.515-3.379, P < 0.001), and negative cognition (OR = 2.252, 95%CI: 1.264-4.013, P = 0.006) were all independently associated with SA in patients with MDD. Furthermore, GMDR analysis indicated a significant interaction between HTR2A rs3125 and negative life events. Negative life events in conjunction with the HTR2A rs3125 CG + GG genotype were associated with a higher SA risk in patients with MDD when compared to the absence of negative life events in conjunction with the CC genotype (OR = 2.547, 95% CI: 1.264-5.131, P = 0.009). CONCLUSION: Several risk factors and a potential interaction between HTR2A rs3125 and negative life events were identified in patients with SA and MDD. The observed interaction likely modulates the risk of MDD and SA, shedding light on the pathogenesis of SA in patients with MDD.

Drinking motives link positive and negative life events to problematic alcohol use during the COVID-19 pandemic: a longitudinal study.

PURPOSE: Stressful life events are associated with problematic drinking, and alcohol misuse has been exacerbated during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. While coping motives may account for this association, positive life events (PLEs) and enhancement motives are understudied. To address these gaps, we examined the associations of history of alcohol use disorder (AUD), negative life events (NLEs), and PLEs with problematic alcohol use and tested coping and enhancement motives as mediators. METHODS: The sample included baseline and follow-up data from 241 participants enrolled in the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism COVID-19 Pandemic Impact on Alcohol Study. Endorsements of past year PLEs and NLEs and their associations with problematic alcohol use were examined. Among the 202 current drinkers, path analyses tested mediational pathways via coping and enhancement motives. RESULTS: The top two PLEs were change in work conditions (21.6%) and taking a vacation (20.3%). The top two NLEs were change in social activities (36.5%) and major change in recreation (26.6%). Individuals with a history of AUD and those who experienced more NLEs reported higher coping and enhancement motives, which were associated with higher problematic alcohol use. Individuals who experienced more PLEs reported lower coping motives, which was associated with lower problematic alcohol use. CONCLUSIONS: Besides coping motives, enhancement motives were also associated with pandemic problematic alcohol use. Alcohol interventions targeting reward- and relief-driven drinking patterns may be beneficial to individuals with a history of AUD and those who experienced more NLEs. More research is needed to study PLEs which may help inform the development of strength-based alcohol interventions.

At the Intersection of Adverse Life Course Pathways: The Effects on Health by Migration Status.

Adverse life events are major causes of declining health and well-being, but the effects vary across subpopulations. We analyze how the intersection of migration status and sex relates to two main adverse life events-job loss and divorce-thereby affecting individual health and well-being trajectories. Using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (1984-2017), we apply descriptive techniques and individual fixed-effects regressions to analyze how job loss and divorce influence the health of immigrants and nonimmigrants. Our results support the hypothesis that immigrants suffer more from adverse life events than nonimmigrants in both the short and the long run. Relative to nonimmigrants, immigrants have a health advantage at younger ages, which becomes a disadvantage at older ages, and this faster decline at older ages is particularly steep among immigrants who experience adverse life events. These results help explain the vanishing health advantage of immigrants by showing that they are exposed to a double disadvantage over the life course: immigrants are more likely than nonimmigrants to suffer from adverse life events, such as job loss, and these events typically have a larger impact on their health. Our findings are the first to provide evidence regarding the consequences of different adverse life events and how they relate to the intersection of migration status and sex. Moreover, our results highlight the importance of intersectional analyses in research on immigrant health.

The role of caregiver emotion regulation in youth mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: A longitudinal study.

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented youth and families with a broad spectrum of unique stressors. Given that adolescents are at increased risk for mental health and emotional difficulties, it is critical to explore family processes that confer resilience for youth in the face of stress. The current study investigated caregiver emotion regulation (ER) as a familial factor contributing to youth ER and risk for psychopathology following stressful life events. In a longitudinal sample of 224 youth (M age = 12.65 years) and their caregivers, we examined whether caregiver and youth engagement in ER strategies early in the pandemic mediated the associations of pandemic-related stress with youth internalizing and externalizing symptoms six months later. Leveraging serial mediation analysis, we demonstrated that caregiver and youth rumination, but not expressive suppression or cognitive reappraisal, mediated the prospective associations of pandemic-related stress with youth internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Greater exposure to pandemic-related stressors was associated with greater caregiver rumination, which, in turn, related to greater rumination in youth, and higher levels of youth internalizing and externalizing symptoms thereafter. Family interventions that target caregiver ER, specifically rumination, may buffer against the consequences of stress on youth engagement in maladaptive ER strategies and risk for psychopathology.

Genetic and Environmental Influences on Perceived Stress in South Korean Twins.

Researchers have proposed that culture significantly influences perceived stress (PS). To date, however, twin studies on PS have been conducted mostly in western, individualistic cultures, which demonstrate that PS due to controllable (personal) life events is more heritable than PS due to uncontrollable (network) life events. This study aimed to investigate genetic and environmental influences on PS in South Korean twins. South Korea practices a dominant collectivist culture. In total, 1372 twin individuals (mean age = 22.4 ± 2.5 years) completed an online survey on PS, which consisted of the scales, Friendship, Academic Stress, Future Career, Family Conflicts, and Family Financial Difficulties (FFD). Friendship, Academic Stress, and Future Career can be considered PS due to personal life events, and Family Conflict and FFD, PS due to network life events. The general sex-limitation model-fitting analysis revealed the absence of qualitative or quantitative sex differences in genetic and environmental influences. Specifically, additive genetic influences were predominant for Friendship (63%), Academic Stress (67%), and Future Career (57%) for both sexes, with the remaining variance attributable to nonshared environmental influences. In contrast, shared environmental influences were largest for Family Conflict (47% for both genders) and FFD (64% for males, 63% for females) with no significant genetic effects. Despite known cultural differences in the means and variances of PS, South Korean twins exhibited significant genetic effects in PS due to personal life events and large shared environmental effects in PS due to network life events, which is similar to western samples.

Adverse life events among bedouin and jewish women and the risk for postpartum depressive symptoms.

PURPOSE: Postpartum depression (PPD) affects 10-15% of postpartum women with increased risk among women with trauma history. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between adverse life events and postpartum depressive symptoms among Bedouin and Jewish women. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed in a tertiary hospital in the southern district of Israel on women with singleton deliveries between November 2021 and March 2022. Eligible women completed two questionnaires to determine exposure to childhood trauma (CT) and other potentially traumatic events (PTE), including the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), and Lifetime Events Checklist questionnaire (LEC). To measure risk for PPD we used the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). The associations between CT, PTE, and risk for PPD were analyzed and multivariable logistic regression models were constructed to control for potential confounders. RESULTS: A total of 201 women were included, 120 Bedouin (59.7%) and 81 Jewish (40.2%). In the entire study population, both CT and PTE were independently associated with risk for PPD (adjusted OR = 2.13, 95% CI 1.02-4.44, p = 0.043 and adjusted OR = 3.42, 95%, CI 1.46-8.00, p = 0.004, respectively). While among Bedouin women, PTE was independently associated with PPD risk (adjusted OR = 4.83, 95% CI 1.66-14.05, p = 0.004), no significant association was found among Jewish women. CONCLUSION: Both CT and PTE were associated with increased PPD risk in Bedouin and Jewish women. Only PTE, and not CT, was associated with PPD among Bedouin women. Understanding risk factors for PPD, and differences among minority groups, could promote prevention efforts for PPD.