Childhood Adversity and Telomere Length.

Exposure to adversity during childhood and adolescence is associated with numerous health conditions in adulthood; telomere shortening may be a mechanism through which adversity contributes to poor outcomes. We studied three areas of adversity (parent relational instability, child household instability, and financial instability) occurring during three epochs across childhood and adolescence and their associations with telomere length during adolescence. Data were obtained from the first wave of a longitudinal cohort study of youth aged 11-17 and their primary caregiver.

Associations between adolescent perceived loneliness and hair cortisol concentration.

Introduction: Adolescents experience high levels of loneliness, which is linked to poor health in adulthood. Loneliness may contribute to poor health through chronic dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. In this analysis, we examined the associations between survey- and ecological momentary assessment (EMA)-based measures of loneliness and hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) in a sample of 1102 adolescents and assessed sex differences in this relationship.

Relationship Between Family and Friend Support and Psychological Distress in Adolescents.

Objective: This study examines the associations between family and friend support and depressive and anxiety symptoms among adolescents, considering potential sex differences.

Methods: Secondary data from a longitudinal cohort study of 1,348 adolescents ages 11-17 were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression, controlling for relevant factors. Interaction terms between sex and support were created to examine moderation by sex.

A secondary analysis examining the influence of emotional support on the mental health of caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder.

Purpose: The study purpose was to examine the effect of emotional support on the overall mental health and stress for caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Methods: A cross-sectional retrospective study using secondary data from the 2016-2019 National Survey of Children's Health was conducted using single variable and multivariable linear regression analyses.

Results: More informal emotional support sources were associated with better overall mental health (β = 0.

Dyadic Hair Cortisol Self-Collection Procedure.

Background: At-home self-collection of specimens has become more commonplace because of measures taken in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Self-collection of hair cortisol is important because chronic stress is present in many populations, such as older adults living with Alzheimer's disease and their family caregivers. For the evaluation of chronic stress, scalp hair can be used as a predictive biomarker because it examines the cumulative, retrospective stress from previous months.

Hair Collection for Cortisol Among Youth Experiencing Homelessness.

Background: Investigations of chronic physiological stress measured by hair cortisol are rapidly expanding among community samples of adolescents and adults. However, research examining physiological stress among youth experiencing homelessness is nascent despite the youth's increased risk for adverse exposures and subsequent impaired mental health.

Objective: This article aimed to examine the feasibility of collecting hair for measuring cortisol among diverse youth experiencing homelessness and gain an understanding of variation in participation.

Epigenetic Implications of Neighborhood Disorder and Psychological Distress among Pregnant Black Women.

In the United States, Black women experience preterm birth (PTB; <37 weeks gestation) at more than 1.5 times the rate of non-Hispanic White women. Social determinants of health including the neighborhood environment have been recognized as contributing to the risk of PTB.

Associations of depression and anxiety and adolescent telomere length.

Background: Telomere length (TL), a biomarker of cellular aging, is influenced by adverse life experiences. Although depression and anxiety are associated with shorter TL in adults, the relationship in younger ages has received little attention. We examined relationships between depression and anxiety diagnoses and symptomatology and TL in adolescence, an important developmental window for early intervention.

Everyday perceptions of safety and racial disparities in hair cortisol concentration.

Objective: Black-White disparities in physiological stress during adolescence are increasingly evident but remain incompletely understood. We examine the role of real-time perceptions of safety in the context of everyday routines to gain insight into the sources of observed adolescent racial differences in chronic stress as measured by hair cortisol concentration (HCC).

Method: We combined social survey, ecological momentary assessment (EMA), and hair cortisol data on 690 Black and White youth ages 11-17 from wave 1 of the Adolescent Health and Development in Context (AHDC) study to investigate racial differences in physiological stress.

Methodological Strategies for Prospective Harmonization of Studies: Application to 10 Distinct Outcomes Studies of Preventive Interventions Targeting Opioid Misuse.

The Helping to End Addiction Long-Term (HEAL) Prevention Cooperative (HPC) is rapidly developing 10 distinct evidence-based interventions for implementation in a variety of settings to prevent opioid misuse and opioid use disorder. One HPC objective is to compare intervention impacts on opioid misuse initiation, escalation, severity, and disorder and identify whether any HPC interventions are more effective than others for types of individuals. It provides a rare opportunity to prospectively harmonize measures across distinct outcomes studies.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms, Smoking Initiation, and Social Integration among Adolescents.

This observational, longitudinal study's purpose was to investigate whether social network integration has a moderating effect on smoking initiation among those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Data were drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, a nationally representative longitudinal dataset. Social network and smoking data were collected in schools, with a 6-year follow-up that included ADHD symptoms and reported smoking.

Relationships among caregiving, stress, and self-regulation in toddlers living in poverty.

Purpose: The Developmental Psychobiological Model of Experiential Canalization (DPMEC) proposes that conditions of poverty-related adversity influence child self-regulation through parental caregiving, stress hormones, and the child's genetics. However, empirical findings investigating these relationships with prolonged stress hormones are mixed. Further, the relationships among conditions of adversity with prolonged stress hormones have seldom been investigated in toddlers living in poverty.

DNA Methylation Patterns of Glucocorticoid Pathway Genes in Preterm Birth Among Black Women.

Preterm birth (PTB; <37 weeks gestation) rates have increased for 5 of the last 6 consecutive years in the United States. These rates are particularly alarming for U.S.

Evaluation of the core 5 social determinants of health screening tool.

Objective: This study evaluated the effects of a social determinants of health (SDH) screening tool and service referral on emergency department (ED) use among patients at a Federally Qualified Health Center primary care clinic.

Study Design: Quasi-experimental.

Sample: Three-hundred and eleven English-speaking patients 18 years and older.

Sociodemographics and chronic stress in mother-toddler dyads living in poverty.

Experiencing chronic stress early in life is associated with later health disparities, and poverty may be a significant stressor for both mothers and children. With a sample of primarily Black and White mothers (N = 75) and toddlers (N = 71) living in poverty in the United States, we examined the direct relations between sociodemographic conditions of poverty and chronic physiological stress. Mothers completed questionnaires on sociodemographics, including mother/toddler race, mother's education, father's education, poverty level, economic hardship, marital status, unemployment status, and toddler sex.

Methodologic Considerations for Epigenomic Investigation of Preterm Birth in African American Women.

Epigenetic modifications are chemical changes that can modify gene expression without changing the sequence of the gene. These modifications are potentially identifiable and reversible, making the epigenome an important area of research for discovering biomarkers to identify those who may be at risk and providing therapeutic interventions to prevent adverse health outcomes. African Americans bear a disproportionate risk of adverse health outcomes (e.

Racial and Economic Adversity Differences in Stress Markers and Immune Function Among Urban Adolescents.

Background: Exposure to racism and associated adversities, such as poverty, is hypothesized to contribute to racial inequities in health via stress and immune pathways. Furthermore, the effects of adversity may be more salient during sensitive developmental periods. Our study examined racial differences in stress and immune biomarkers during adolescence and the effects of exposure to economic adversity at distinct developmental time periods and cumulatively in accounting for potential racial differences.

Caregivers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Rural Areas: A Literature Review of Mental Health and Social Support.

Problem: Caregivers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) report high levels of stress, social isolation, and poor mental health. Social and emotional support may buffer negative effects of stress for caregivers of children with ASD, however, those living in rural areas may be disadvantaged due to social isolation and increased distance from resources. This scoping review examined the literature regarding the mental health and impact of support for rural caregivers of children with ASD.

Protective Factors to Promote Health and Flourishing in Black Youth Exposed to Parental Incarceration.

Background: Mass incarceration of Black fathers and mothers in the United States has had an undeniably negative effect on the health and well-being of their children, families, and communities. Nearly 1 in every 9 Black youth in the United States has had an incarcerated parent compared to 1 in every 17 White youth. To mitigate the consequences of such historical and structural racism, family and community protective factors that promote health and flourishing in Black youth need exploration.

Exposure to police-related deaths and physiological stress among urban black youth.

Background: Emerging evidence indicates that exposure to police-related deaths is associated with negative health and wellbeing outcomes among black people. Yet, no study to date has directly examined the biological consequences of exposure to police-related deaths for urban black youth.

Methods And Findings: We employ unique data from the 2014-16 Adolescent Health and Development in Context (AHDC) study - a representative sample of youth ages 11 to 17 residing in the Columbus, OH area.

Prediction of Cognitive Ability With Social Determinants in Children of Low Birth Weight.

Background: Despite strong prevention efforts and advances in neonatal care in recent decades, low birth weight remains a serious public health problem in the United States, and survivors remain at increased risk for lifelong problems including cognitive deficits. Current regional and local strategies for referral often rely on variable thresholds for birth weight and gestational age that may be poor analogues to cognitive risk. Improving early referral criteria offers many benefits, including improved cognitive outcomes for children and improved cost-effectiveness and resource utilization in resource-limited communities.