Multidimensional Religiousness and Spirituality Are Associated With Lower Interleukin-6 and C-Reactive Protein at Midlife: Findings From the Midlife in the United States Study.

Background: Religiousness and spirituality (R/S) are associated with lower morbidity and mortality, yet the physiological mechanisms underlying these associations are under-studied. Chronic inflammation is a plausible biological mechanism linking R/S to downstream health given the sensitivity of the immune system to the social environment and the role of inflammation in many chronic diseases.

Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to examine associations between multiple R/S dimensions and two markers of chronic inflammation, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP).

The rapid shift to virtual mental health care: Examining psychotherapy disruption by rurality status.

Background: Given the low usage of virtual health care prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was unclear whether those living in rural locations would benefit from increased availability of virtual mental health care. The rapid transition to virtual services during the COVID-19 pandemic allowed for a unique opportunity to examine how the transition to virtual mental health care impacted psychotherapy disruption (i.e.

Alcohol and cannabis use among women with infertility: associations with psychiatric symptoms, attempts to conceive, and engagement in fertility treatment.

Little is known about substance use among women with infertility, yet substance use has implications for fertility and pregnancy. The purpose was to estimate the prevalence of substance use among women with infertility and examine whether substance use was associated with psychiatric symptoms, active attempts to conceive, and engagement in fertility treatments. Eligible patients were from a single healthcare system who received a female infertility diagnosis within the past 2 years.

Do Purpose in Life and Social Support Mediate the Association between Religiousness/Spirituality and Mortality? Evidence from the MIDUS National Sample.

We examined prospective associations between religiousness/spirituality (R/S; i.e., service attendance, R/S identity, R/S coping, spirituality) and all-cause mortality in the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) sample, including whether having a purpose in life and positive social support are indirect pathways through which R/S predicts mortality.

Meaning Salience and Meaning in Life Prospectively Predict Lower Distress During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic is a widespread source of stress with adverse mental health impacts. Meaning in life, both as a trait and as momentary awareness of what is personally meaningful (meaning salience), is associated with positive health outcomes and may buffer against the deleterious effects of stress.

Purpose: This project examines prospective associations between baseline meaning salience (daily, post-laboratory stressor) and meaning in life with perceived stress during COVID-19.

The Impact of Psychological Functioning on Cardiovascular Disease.

Purpose Of Review: We report on recent findings pertaining to the relationship of both negative and positive indicators of psychological functioning with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and briefly describe possible mechanistic pathways to account for these relationships.

Recent Findings: A body of observational literature suggests that (1) depression is predictive of CVD and is a consequence of CVD; (2) anxiety is related to CVD but the precise nature of this relationship remains unclear; and (3) negative affectivity and Type D personality are constructs that combine aspects of negative psychological functioning that have shown relationships with CVD and are worthy of future investigation. Positive psychological constructs of meaning/purpose and optimism predict better cardiovascular outcomes and other positive psychological constructs have received promising, but limited, attention in the literature.