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To investigate whether use of cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression interact with childhood trauma burden to predict alcohol problems in a sample of American Indian adults. Four hundred and twenty-nine American Indian adults (Mean age = 37.62, 59.5 % male) completed an online survey to measure childhood trauma exposure, perceived impact of childhood trauma, trait use of expressive suppression, and alcohol problems in adulthood. Trait use of cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression interacted with childhood trauma burden to predict alcohol problems in adulthood. American Indian adults who reported high levels of childhood trauma burden who also reported frequent use of both cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression had significantly more alcohol problems compared to individuals who reported similarly high levels of childhood trauma burden who reported low use of these emotion regulation strategies. These findings provide initial evidence that emotion regulation interventions which focus on different emotion regulation strategies could be an effective way to offset the risk for alcohol problems associated with childhood trauma. • Trauma and emotion regulation predict alcohol problems in American Indian adults. • Trauma and high use of suppression and reappraisal predict greater alcohol problems. • Emotion regulation moderates the relationship between trauma and alcohol problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

American Indians and Alaska Natives suffer from disproportionately high rates of chronic mental and physical health conditions. These health inequities are linked to colonization and its downstream consequences. Most of the American Indian and Alaska Native health inequities research uses a deficit framework, failing to acknowledge the resilience of American Indian and Alaska Native people despite challenging historical and current contexts. This scoping review is based on a conceptual model which acknowledges the context of colonization and its consequences (psychological and health risk factors). However, rather than focusing on health risk, we focus on protective factors across three identified domains (social, psychological, and cultural/spiritual), and summarize documented relationships between these resilience factors and health outcomes. Based on the scoping review of the literature, we note gaps in extant knowledge and recommend future directions. The findings summarized here can be used to inform and shape future interventions which aim to optimize health and well-being in American Indian and Alaska Native peoples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The experience of childhood trauma is known to predict health-relevant outcomes across the lifespan. Previous reviews summarize existing knowledge of the implications of childhood trauma for health in young adults and adults more generally. The current theoretical review aims to integrate the existing literature on the relationship between childhood trauma and health-relevant outcomes specifically in college students, consolidating findings across specific health domains. Further, the following theoretical review highlights the need for more research in this area and discusses how college campuses may use the knowledge in this area of work to develop targeted interventions aimed at improving the health of college students who experienced trauma in childhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Historical loss in American Indians (AIs) is believed to contribute to high incidence of mental health disorders, yet less is known about the associations between historical loss and physical health.Purpose: To investigate whether frequency of thought about historical loss predicts risk factors for chronic physical health conditions in an AI community.Methods: Using Community Based Participatory research (CBPR) and Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA), we measured frequency of thoughts about historical loss in 100 AI adults residing on the Blackfeet reservation. Participants completed a 1-week monitoring period, during which ambulatory blood pressure and daily levels of psychological stress were measured. At the end of the week, we collected a dried blood spot sample for measurement of C-reactive protein (CRP).Results: In hierarchical linear regression models controlling for demographics and relevant covariates, greater frequency of thoughts about historical loss predicted higher average daily psychological stress (B = .55, t = 6.47, p < .001, ΔR2 = .30) and higher levels of CRP (B = .33, t = 3.93, p < .001, ΔR2 = .10). Using linear mixed modeling with relevant covariates, we found that greater thoughts about historical loss were associated with higher systolic ambulatory blood pressure (B = .32, 95% CI = .22-.42, t = 6.48, p < .001, ΔR2 = .25; Fig. 1c) and greater diastolic ambulatory blood pressure (B = .19, 95% CI = .11-.27, t = 4.73, p < .001, ΔR2 = .19).Conclusions: The data suggest that frequency of thought about historical loss may contribute to increased subclinical risk for cardiovascular disease in the Blackfeet community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Health mindsets can be viewed on a continuum of malleability from fixed (health cannot be altered) to growth (health can be affected by behavior). We propose that mindsets may influence the health perceptions of healthy adolescents as well as the health behaviors of adolescents with a chronic illness. Methods: In Study 1, we surveyed healthy adolescents about their health mindsets and their judgments of illness in response to vignettes of fictional others. In Study 2, we measured the health mindsets and health behaviors of adolescents with type 1 diabetes Results: In Study 1, healthy adolescents with a fixed health mindset were more likely to rate fictional others as being less healthy, less likely to recover, and more vulnerable to additional diseases. In Study 2, a growth mindset was associated with a greater frequency of glucose monitoring among younger, but not older, adolescents with type 1 diabetes. Further, growth mindset was associated with lower HbA1c levels for younger adolescents. Conclusions: Health mindsets may shape views of the implications of illness or injury for overall health and, in adolescents with a chronic condition, may interact with age to influence health behaviors and outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

American Indians are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease in adulthood, and levels of physical activity and body mass index associate with cardiovascular disease risk. Recent research indicates that one's mindset may play a role in determining health behaviors and outcomes. In a sample of 105 American Indian college students, greater growth health mindset associated with lower body mass index. Bootstrapping analyses revealed a significant indirect effect of health mindset on body mass index through levels of physical activity. These findings suggest that interventions aiming to promote growth health mindsets may be successful in reducing risk for cardiovascular disease in American Indian college students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined changes in psychological outcomes related to the COVID-19 pandemic (ie psychological stress, perceived control, and perceived ability to cope) and changes in sleep health in the American Indian Blackfeet community over 4 months (August 24, 2020-November 30, 2020). American Indian adults residing on the Blackfeet reservation (n = 167) completed measures of perceived control over contracting COVID-19, perceived ability to cope with pandemic stressors, psychological stress linked to the pandemic, and a measure of sleep health each month. Linear-effects mixed models were used to examine changes in our outcomes. Community members who reported more control over contracting the virus had better sleep health relative to those who reported less control (B = 0.72, SE = 0.29, p = 0.015). Further, during months when individuals felt they had more control over contracting the virus compared to their average perceived control levels, they had better sleep health relative to their own average (B = 1.06, SE = 0.13, p < 0.001). Average sleep health was the lowest in October, 2020, the month during which COVID-19 incidence was at its highest on the reservation. Declines in sleep health linked to low levels of control over contracting COVID-19 may exacerbate high incidence of chronic mental and physical health conditions in tribal communities. Interventions which highlight strategies known to reduce risk of contracting the virus, may increase perceived control and sleep health, and thus may improve downstream health outcomes for this at-risk population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Novel-coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-2019) outbreak was declared a national emergency on March 13, 2020. To reduce the spread of the virus, Americans were asked to physically distance and to increase disinfecting behaviors such as hand washing. Previous research indicates that one's mindset about health, or the degree to which they view health as fixed or modifiable, influences health behaviors. Current data indicates that American Indians (AIs) are at greater risk for COVID-19. As such, it is important to understand whether mindsets about health may affect behaviors which could prevent spread of the virus in AIs. In this exploratory investigation, a convenience sample of two hundred AI adults completed a questionnaire one month prior to the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic as a national emergency. They provided demographic information and completed a measure of health mindsets. The second wave of data was collected approximately one month later, where we collected a measure of physical distancing behavior and a measure of disinfecting behaviors. In AI adults, health mindset predicted frequency of physical distancing behaviors and disinfecting behaviors, with individuals who viewed health as less fixed engaging in more physical distancing and disinfecting behaviors, while individuals who viewed health as more fixed reported less physical distancing and less disinfecting behaviors. In AIs, growth health mindsets predicted physical distancing and disinfecting behaviors, both of which are important in reducing the spread of COVID-19. Interventions which are designed to promote growth mindsets of health may promote health-protective behaviors in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate associations between risk in family environments and health-relevant outcomes in college and the role of loneliness. Participants: College students at a state university (N = 360). Methods: We utilized linear regression to examine relationships between risk in family environments and loneliness, perceived stress, affect, and self-rated health. We tested for indirect effects of risk in family environments on outcomes through loneliness Results: Analyses showed that risk in family environments associated with loneliness (β = 0.12 t[358] = 2.22, p =.03, R2 change =.02), perceived social stress (β = 0.20, t[357] = 3.88, p < 0.001, R2 change =.04), negative and positive affect (β = 2.44, t[357] = 3.95, p <.001, R2 change =.04), and (β = –0.18 t[357]= –3.44, p =.001, R2 change =.03 respectively), and self-rated health (β = 0.19, t[359] = 4.57, p <.001, R2 change =.10). Significant indirect effects were observed for risk in early family on all outcomes through loneliness. Conclusion: These findings provide initial evidence that risk in childhood family environments may negatively affect health by increasing loneliness in college students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous research documents an association between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and immune system inflammation. High chronic inflammation is believed to be one biological pathway through which childhood adversity may affect health into adulthood. The Blackfeet tribal community has high rates of childhood trauma and community members are disproportionately affected by inflammatory diseases.Purpose: To investigate whether belonging to the tribal community may moderate the relationship between childhood trauma and immune system inflammation in the Blackfeet tribal community.Methods: In a sample of 90 adults residing on the Blackfeet reservation, we measured ACEs belonging to the tribal community and two markers of immune system inflammation, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP).Results: We found that independent of age, gender, annual income, body mass index, and depressive symptoms, belonging to the tribal community and ACEs interacted to predict levels of both IL-6 and CRP (B= -.37, t[81] = -3.82, p < .001, R2 change = .07 and B = -.29, t[81] = -2.75, p = .01, R2 change = .08, respectively). The association between ACEs and markers of immune system inflammation was statistically significant for community members who reported low levels of belonging to the community.Conclusions: The findings of this study have important implications for intervention research seeking to reduce risk for inflammatory diseases for at-risk populations. Fostering stronger connections to the larger tribal community may positively affect risk for inflammatory diseases. Future work should examine the behavioral and psychosocial pathways through which stronger connections to community may confer health benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

American Indian (AI) communities have high levels of stress and trauma and are disproportionately affected by numerous preventable diseases. Here, we describe an academic–community partnership based on a collaboration between Blackfeet Community College students and faculty in Psychology and Immunology at Montana State University (MSU). The collaboration, which has spanned over 5 years, was sparked by community interest in the relationship between stress and disease on the Blackfeet reservation. Specifically, community members wanted to understand how the experience of psychological stress and trauma may affect disease risk in their community and identify factors that promote resilience. In doing so, they hoped to identify pathways through which health could be improved for individual community members. Here, we discuss all stages of the collaborative process, including development of measures and methods and themes of research projects, challenges for community members and non‐indigenous collaborators, future directions for research, and the lessons learned. Finally, we note the ways in which this partnership and experience has advanced the science of community engagement in tribal communities, with the hope that our experiences will positively affect future collaborations between indigenous community members and non‐indigenous scientists. Highlights: We describe the development of a biomedical program of research in a Tribal Community.We found that experiences varied across generations within the tribal community.Shifting the focus to resilience stimulated more community interest in the program of research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diminished cardiac reactions to acute psychological stress are associated with adverse behavioral and health-relevant outcomes. It has been proposed that diminished cardiac reactivity may be a marker for deficits in motivational functioning both at the biological and behavioral levels. Social participation reflects the frequency with which individuals participate in social events and has motivational components. As such, it is a distinct construct from other constructs such as social integration, which measures the number of social roles an individual has. Additionally, lower levels of social participation and diminished reactivity have been associated with similar adverse health outcomes. Therefore, it is possible that diminished cardiac reactivity is associated with lower levels of social participation. We aimed to examine whether diminished cardiovascular reactivity in response to an acute lab stressor was associated with reported social participation. The analyses were conducted using publicly available data from the Pittsburgh Cold Study 3 (PCS3). The PCS3 was a prospective viral-challenge study, which included participants completing an in-lab social evaluative stressor (N = 202, Age = M = 29.71, SD = 10.66) and measuring cardiovascular responses at baseline and in response to the stressor. Separate regression analyses for each cardiovascular variable (SBP, DBP, MAP, and HR) demonstrated that lower cardiovascular reactivity was associated with less social participation. These associations were still evident following adjustment for respective baseline cardiovascular levels, age, sex, race, depressive symptomology, body mass index, socioeconomic status, smoking status, and levels of social integration (R2 changes: ≥ 0.017; ps ≤ 0.02) The findings provide initial evidence that blunted cardiac reactivity may be a precursor to low levels of social participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stress‐related sleep disturbances are common, and poor sleep quality can negatively affect health. Previous work indicates that early‐life adversity is associated with compromised sleep quality later in life, but it is unknown whether it predicts greater declines in sleep quality during stressful life transitions. We propose and test a conceptual model whereby individuals who reported experiencing greater levels of child maltreatment would experience greater psychological distress during a stressful life transition, which in turn would contribute to greater declines in sleep quality, relative to their quality of sleep before the stressful transition. Controlling for potential confounding variables (e.g., age, gender), structural equation modelling demonstrated that psychological distress experienced during a stressful transition (i.e., beginning life at university) mediated the relationship between childhood emotional neglect and changes in sleep quality. The hypothesized model demonstrated a good overall fit to the data, χ 2 (15) = 17.69, p = .279, CFI = .99, TLI = .97, SRMR = .04, RMSEA = .04 (90% CI <0.001–0.09). Emotional neglect (β = .22) was positively associated with psychological distress which in turn was positively associated with poor sleep quality (β = .31) during a stressful transition. Future research should aim to understand the specific stressors in the university environment that are most challenging to individuals who faced early‐life emotional maltreatment. These findings will help inform interventions to facilitate adaptation to a new environment and improve sleep quality for these university students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is proposed that environmental exposures in early life influence immune programming. Specifically, socioeconomic disadvantage is thought to program an immune phenotype that is prone to inflammation and associated with increased risk for inflammatory disease later in life. Existing literature shows an inverse association of early childhood socioeconomic status (SES) with adult levels of systemic inflammation. Here, we extend that literature to examine whether early childhood SES also relates to the magnitude of inflammatory response to acute psychological stress in adulthood. Healthy volunteers (N = 110; 40–58 years; 59% female; 90% white) performed a laboratory stress protocol, with blood samples drawn at the end of a 30-min baseline, a 5-min speech task, and a 30-min recovery to assess interleukin (IL)-6 stress responses. An early childhood SES index was derived from reports of parental home and vehicle ownership, and number of bedrooms per child in the home across ages 1–2, 3–4, and 5–6. Regressions adjusted for current age, sex, race, and BMI showed that lower SES at age 1–2 was associated with larger IL-6 stress responses in adulthood (ΔR 2  = 0.05, β = −0.24, p  = .03). This association was independent of adult SES and task-evoked affective responses. No association was found between SES at ages 3–4 or 5–6 and IL-6 responses. These results provide initial evidence for a link between disadvantage in the first 2 years of life and heightened inflammatory response to stress in adulthood; this link may contribute to the increased disease risk that accompanies being raised in disadvantaged socioeconomic circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Systemic inflammation is thought to be a biological mediator between social relationship quality and premature mortality. Empirical work has yielded mixed support for an association of social relationship variables with systemic inflammation, perhaps due to methodological limitations. To date, research in this literature has focused on global perceptions of social relationships, with limited attention to the covariance of characteristics of daily social interactions with inflammation. Here, we examine whether daily interactions, as assessed by ecological momentary assessment (EMA), associate with peripheral markers of inflammation among midlife and older adults. Methods Global social support and integration were measured using the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL) and the Social Network Index (SNI), respectively, in older adults from the Pittsburgh Healthy Heart Project (PHHP), and in middle-aged adults from the Adult Health and Behavior Project–II (AHAB-II). Using time-sampled EMA, we assessed the proportion of the day spent in positive and negative social interactions. Systemic markers of inflammation were interleukin (IL)-6 and C-reactive protein (CRP). Results Global measures of support and integration did not associate with inflammation in either sample. In older adults, relative frequency of total positive interactions, those with close others (i.e. spouse, friends, family), and those with coworkers predicted lower concentrations of IL-6 in fully adjusted models, accounting for age, sex, race, education, BMI, smoking and alcohol. In middle-aged adults, relative frequency of positive interactions with close others was also inversely associated with IL-6 level and relative frequency of negative marital interactions was unexpectedly inversely associated with CRP level. Conclusions Characteristics of daily social interactions among midlife and older adults associate with markers of systemic inflammation that are known to predict risk for cardiovascular disease. Ambulatory measures may better capture health-relevant social processes in daily life than retrospective, global self-report measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low socioeconomic status (SES) during childhood confers risk for adverse health in adulthood. Accumulating evidence suggests that this may be due, in part, to the association between lower childhood SES and higher levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Drawing from literature showing that low childhood SES predicts exaggerated physiological reactivity to stressors and that lower SES is associated with a more communal, socially attuned orientation, we hypothesized that inflammatory reactivity would be more greatly affected by cues of social support among individuals whose childhood SES was low than among those whose childhood SES was high. In two studies, we found that individuals with lower subjective childhood SES exhibited greater reductions in pro-inflammatory cytokine reactivity to a stressor in the presence of a supportive figure (relative to conditions with an unsupportive or neutral figure). These effects were independent of current SES. This work helps illuminate SES-based differences in inflammatory reactivity to stressors, particularly among individuals whose childhood SES was low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to social-evaluative threat induced in the laboratory, lower (compared to higher) subjective social class of a participant predicts greater increases in the inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6). In spite of the interpersonal nature of social-evaluation, little work has explored whether characteristics of the evaluator shape physiological responses in this context. In the current study, in a sample of 190 college students (male = 66), we explored whether one's subjective social class interacts with the perceived social class of an evaluator to predict changes in Oral Mucosal Transudate (OMT) IL-6 in response to the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). Participants were randomly assigned to be the speaker or the evaluator. Extending past work, we found that while speakers low in subjective social class consistently respond with strong increases in IL-6 regardless of their perception of their evaluator's social class, speakers high in subjective social class responded with greater increases in IL-6 when their evaluator was perceived as high social class compared to when they were perceived as low social class. This finding highlights the importance of perceptions of the evaluator in informing inflammatory responses to a social-evaluative task. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research independently manipulated two potential attenuators of stereotype threat – reappraisal of anxiety and test framing – to explore their independent and combined effects. Female participants took a difficult math exam that was described as gender-biased or gender-fair and were told that anxious arousal could positively impact performance or were given no information regarding arousal. Levels of the cytokine Interleukin-6 (IL-6), an immune marker of inflammation, were measured in oral mucosal transudate (OMT) both before and after the exam. Our findings indicate that directing reappraisal of physiological arousal attenuated increases in IL-6 across test framing conditions, and was especially effective under stereotype threat (i.e., gender-biased test condition). Reappraisal also mapped onto better test performance in the threat condition. Together, these findings provide insight into the unique and interactive effects of two situational interventions meant to reduce stereotype threat, indexed here by both physiological and performance-based correlates of threat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Subjective social status (captured by the MacArthur Scale of Subjective Social Status) is in many cases a stronger predictor of health outcomes than objective socioeconomic status (SES). Purpose: The study aims to test whether implicit beliefs about social class moderate the relationship between subjective social status and inflammation. Methods: We measured implicit social class bias, subjective social status, SES, and baseline levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), a marker of inflammation, in 209 healthy adults. Results: Implicit social class bias significantly moderated the relationship between subjective social status and levels of IL-6, with a stronger implicit association between the concepts 'lower class' and 'bad' predicting greater levels of IL-6. Conclusions: Implicit social class bias moderates the relationship between subjective social status and health outcomes via regulation of levels of the inflammatory cytokine IL-6. High implicit social class bias, particularly when one perceives oneself as having low social standing, may increase vulnerability to inflammatory processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Inflammatory cytokine levels predict a wide range of human diseases including depression, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, autoimmune disease, general morbidity, and mortality. Stress and social experiences throughout the lifecourse have been associated with inflammatory processes. We conducted studies in humans and laboratory rats to examine the effect of early life experience and adult social position in predicting IL-6 levels. Human participants reported family homeownership during their childhood and current subjective social status. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) was measured from oral mucosal transudate. Rats were housed in groups of three, matched for quality of maternal care received. Social status was assessed via competition for resources, and plasma IL-6 was assessed in adulthood. In both humans and rats, we identified an interaction effect; early social experience moderated the effect of adult social status on IL-6 levels. Rats that experienced low levels of maternal care and people with low childhood socioeconomic status represented both the highest and lowest levels of IL-6 in adulthood, depending on their social status as young adults. The predicted interaction held for non-Hispanic people, but did not occur among Hispanic individuals. Adversity early in life may not have a monotonically negative effect on adult health, but may alter biological sensitivity to later social experiences. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: American Indians (AIs) live with historical trauma, or the cumulative emotional and psychological wounding that is passed from one generation to the next in response to the loss of lives and culture. Psychological consequences of historical trauma may contribute to health disparities.Purpose: Here, we investigate whether historical trauma predicts changes in psychological stress associated with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in AI adults. Based on the stress-sensitization theory, we hypothesize that greater historical trauma will predict greater increases in levels of psychological stress from before the onset of the pandemic to after.Method: Our analytic sample consisted of 205 AI adults. We measured historical trauma and levels of psychological stress before and after the onset of the pandemic.Results: Using hierarchical regression models controlling for age, biological sex, income, symptoms of depression and anxiety, psychological stress at Time 1, COVID-19 specific stress, and childhood trauma, we found that greater historical trauma preceding the pandemic predicted greater increases in psychological stress (β = 0.38, t = 5.17 p < .01, ΔR2 = 0.12), and levels of social support interacted with historical trauma to predict changes in psychological stress (β = -0.19, t = -3.34, p = .001, ΔR2 = 0.04). The relationship between historical trauma and changes in stress was significant for individuals with low levels of social support.Conclusions: Historical trauma may contribute to AI mental health disparities, through heightened psychological stress responses to life stressors and social support appears to moderate this relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We measured cardiovascular and cortisol reactivity to acute psychological stress. • We compared responses between American Indian and Non-Hispanic White college students. • American Indian college students exhibited comparably blunted cortisol, blood pressure and heart rate responses. • These effects were not accounted for by differences in task performance or task engagement. American Indian adults are at an increased risk for cardiovascular disease compared with non-Hispanic white adults. Scant research exists examining the underlying physiological and psychological mechanisms associated with these risks. This study aimed to examine possible psychological and physiological stress-related mechanisms related to cardiovascular disease risk in healthy American Indian and non-Hispanic white adults. Forty American Indian (60% female, Mean age = 19.93, SD = 2.08 years) and 45 non-Hispanic white (70% female, Mean age = 20.18, SD = 2.22 years) participants attended an in-person laboratory session. Salivary cortisol and cardiovascular activity were measured before (baseline), during, and after exposure to a 10-minute mental arithmetic task. Compared to non-Hispanic white participants, American Indian had diminished salivary cortisol (p <.001), blood pressure (p 's <.001), and heart rate (p =.041) responses to acute psychological stress. These effects could not be accounted for by differences in task performance or self-reported engagement. Previous research has shown that exaggerated responses to stress are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. However, diminished responses to stress are associated with early childhood stress and future adverse behaviors (e.g., addiction, obesity). Diminished reactivity may influence behaviors that can impact future development of cardiovascular disease in American Indian populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Feeling alive and invigorated, or vitality, is examined within the framework of a stress paradigm. The current study investigated whether endocrine and cardiovascular responses to acute psychological stress predict declines in vitality. Methods: A sample of 90 undergraduate students completed an in-lab stressor. We measured anxiety, state vitality, cortisol levels, heart rate, and blood pressure before the task, and measured changes in state vitality, cortisol, heart rate, and blood pressure in response to the stressor. We investigated whether pre-task anxiety predicted changes in state vitality, and whether such changes were explained by physiological responses. Results: Results indicate that cognitive and somatic anxiety preceding a stressor predict changes in vitality, which is mediated by the magnitude of diastolic (95% CI [0.017, 0.517]; [0.006, 0.454]) and systolic (95% CI [0.038, 0.705]) blood pressure responses to the task. Cortisol reactivity was associated with somatic anxiety (F(6, 83) = 3.34, p <.01, β = 0.401) but was not related to changes in vitality. Conclusions: Together, these results contribute to the understanding of how physiological reactivity to a stressor can deplete vitality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study addressed the efficacy of a 20-minute Chakra Connection to treat self-assessed stress in a group of university students. A randomized, control design was used to identify group mean differences for intervention and control groups. A convenience sample of university students was randomly assigned to an intervention (Healing Touch Chakra Connection) or control (Healing Touch Video) group. Self-assessed stress, blood pressure, cortisol, and IL6 were collected before and after the healing touch intervention or control video. The bio-field intervention led to significant decreases in self-reported levels of stress, and stress related biological markers (blood pressure, cortisol, and IL6). Decreases in blood pressure were (statistically) greater for the treatment than for the control but not for the other markers (cortisol and IL6). The higher the level of stress before the intervention, as measured by one of the stress measures, the greater the decrease in stress regardless of treatment group. This study lends support to Principle 5 of the Complex Systems Science and supports bio-field interventions for the treatment of anxiety in university students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Poor emotion regulation is associated with post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). However, limited prospective research prevents any directional conclusions. No known studies have assessed emotion regulation with PTSS in American Indians, a high-risk population for poor mental health outcomes. The present prospective study explored whether emotion regulation strategies (cognitive reappraisal, expressive suppression) predicted later PTSS related to the COVID-19 global pandemic in a solely American Indian sample. Methods: American Indian participants (N = 210; Mean (SD) age = 54.85(13.08) years, 58.7% female) completed the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) during Phase 1 (a few weeks before pandemic declaration) and the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic during Phase 2 (7–8 weeks after pandemic declaration). Bivariate correlations and hierarchical linear regression analyses were utilized. Results: ERQ reappraisal was negatively associated with IES-R total scores, such that higher reappraisal predicted lower PTSS. In contrast, ERQ suppression was positively associated with IES-R total scores, such that higher suppression predicted higher PTSS. Conclusions: Greater suppression and lower reappraisal predicts PTSS in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in an entirely American Indian sample, providing critical information for future interventions in a population at high-risk for mental health disparities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Investigate whether psychosocial risk in the childhood family environment moderates the relationship between childhood socioeconomic status (SES) and sleep, and the relationship between childhood SES and ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) in college students, two factors that are linked to future risk for cardiovascular disease. Participants: 124 American college students. Methods: Childhood SES and psychosocial risk in childhood family environments were measured by self-report instruments. Sleep was measured with self-report and actigraphy (over 5 days) and ABP over a 2-day period. Results: Linear regressions adjusting for age, sex, current SES, and current depressive symptoms indicated that SES and psychosocial risk in family environments during childhood interact to inform sleep quality, actigraphy derived wake after sleep onset (WASO), actigraphy derived Sleep Efficiency (SE) and ABP. Conclusions: Psychosocial risk in the childhood family environment may offset previously documented relationships between childhood SES and health-relevant outcomes in college students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although previous research has established a relationship between childhood trauma and later-life anxiety and depression symptoms in American Indian samples, less is known about protective factors that may reduce the strength of this relationship. The purpose of the present study was to investigate in a sample of American Indian adults, whether age moderates the relationship between self-compassion and poor mental health associated with childhood trauma. Seven hundred and twenty-nine self-identifying American Indian adults (age 18–95) residing in the United States completed an online survey. All participants were self-identifying American Indian adults recruited via Qualtrics, which utilized targeted recruiting through managed research panels. Participants self-reported age, gender, income, and completed measures of self-compassion, childhood trauma, and symptoms of anxiety and depression. Lower self-compassion predicted higher levels of both anxiety symptoms (β = −2.69, R 2 change = 0.24, t (718) = −15.92, p <.001) and depression symptoms (β = −2.23, R 2 change = 0.26, t (718) = −16.30, p <.001). In line with our hypothesis, there was a significant three-way interaction between age, childhood trauma exposure and self-compassion in predicting later-life symptoms of anxiety (β = −0.68, t (712) = −3.57, p <.001, R 2 change = 0.01) and depression (β = −0.54, t (712) = −3.32, p =.001, R 2 change = 0.01). The findings indicate that for older American Indian adults, self-compassion may be a particularly promising protective factor for symptoms of depression for those who have experienced high levels of childhood trauma, and for symptoms of anxiety regardless of childhood trauma exposure. • Historical trauma contributes to high incidence of childhood trauma in American Indians. • American Indians have high incidence of mental health conditions. • Self-Compassion could be an important protective factor which may be moderated by age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic insufficient sleep is a common occurrence around the world and results in numerous physiological detriments and consequences, including cardiovascular complications. The purpose of the present study was to assess the relationship between habitual total sleep time (TST) measured objectively via at-home actigraphy and heart rate (HR) reactivity to nocturnal cortical arousals. We hypothesized that short habitual TST would be associated with exaggerated cardiac reactivity to nocturnal cortical arousals. Participants included 35 healthy individuals [20 men, 15 women, age: 24 ± 1 yr, body mass index (BMI): 27 ± 1 kg/m2], and were split using a median analysis into short-sleeping (SS; n = 17) and normal-sleeping (NS; n = 18) adults based on a minimum of 7 days of at-home actigraphy testing. All participants underwent a full overnight laboratory polysomnography (PSG) testing session, including continuous HR (electrocardiogram, ECG) sampling. HR reactivities to all spontaneous cortical arousals were assessed for 30 cardiac cycles following the onset of the arousal in all participants. Baseline HR was not significantly different between groups (P > 0.05). Spontaneous nocturnal arousal elicited an augmented HR response in the SS group, specifically during the recovery period [F(5.261,163.08) = 3.058, P = 0.01, ηp 2 = 0.09]. There were no significant differences in HR reactivity between sexes [F(3.818,118.368) = 1.191, P = 0.318]. These findings offer evidence of nocturnal cardiovascular dysregulation in habitual short sleepers, independent from any diagnosed sleep disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Positive affect is associated with more adaptive responses to psychological stress. However, few studies have examined the association between gratitude, a specific type of positive affect, with physiological responses to acute psychological stress. The current study aimed to replicate and extend on previous work examining the associations between state and trait gratitude and cardiovascular stress reactivity in 324 (59.9% female, 67.0% Caucasian, 17.9% Hispanic) healthy participants. State gratitude was measured at the beginning of the laboratory session using the Gratitude Adjective Checklist-Three Items. Trait gratitude was measured using the Gratitude Questionnaire-Six Items. Blood pressure and heart rate reactions to an acute mental arithmetic task were measured. In regression models that adjusted for baseline cardiovascular activity, body mass index, sex, depressive symptomology, performance on the acute mental arithmetic task, and state positive affect, state gratitude was associated with lower systolic blood pressure reactivity. There were no associations between trait gratitude and any of the cardiovascular variables. Results support previous work demonstrating that state, but not trait, gratitude is related to cardiovascular stress reactivity. Higher levels of state gratitude immediately preceding a stressful encounter may be protective. • Mechanisms underlying the gratitude-cardiovascular health relationship are unknown. • State but not trait gratitude was associated with cardiovascular stress reactivity. • Higher gratitude relates to lower systolic blood pressure and heart rate reactivity. • Feeling grateful may be protective against adverse stress-related health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maternal biological systems impact infant temperament as early as the prenatal period, though the mechanisms of this association are unknown. Using a prospective, longitudinal design, we found that maternal (N = 89) amplitudes of the late positive potential (LPP) in response to negative stimuli during the second, but not the third, trimester of pregnancy predicted observed and physiological indices of temperamental reactivity in infants at age 4 months. Maternal LPP was positively associated with observed infant fear and negatively associated with frontal EEG asymmetry and cortisol reactivity in infants at age 4 months. Results identify a putative mechanism, early in pregnancy, for the intergenerational transmission of emotional reactivity from mother to infant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inflammatory reactivity to acute laboratory stress is thought to reflect individual differences in responsivity to environmental stressors and may confer future health risk. To characterize this response, we conducted a meta-analysis of 34 studies that measured circulating inflammatory markers and 15 studies that measured stimulated production of inflammatory markers before and after exposure to laboratory challenge. Results showed significant stress-related increases in circulating interleukin (IL)-1β (d = 0.66, p < 0.001), IL-6 (d = 0.35, p < 0.001), IL-10 (d = 0.69, p < 0.001), and tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-α (d = 0.28, p < 0.001), but not IL-1ra, IL-2, interferon-γ, or C-reactive protein. There were sufficient data to assess the time course of IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α reactivity. IL-6 increased from baseline to measures taken 40–50, 60–75, 90, and 120 min following stress, with the largest effect at 90 min post-stress (d = 0.70, p < 0.001). IL-1β increased from baseline to 20–30, 40–50, and 60–70 min following stress, with the largest effect between 40 and 50 min post-stress (d = 0.73, p = 0.02). For TNF-α, there was a significant increase from baseline to 31–50 min post stress (d = 0.44, p = 0.01), but not at later times. There was no difference in magnitude of IL-6 reactivity as a function of type of stress (social-evaluative versus other). For stimulated inflammatory markers, results showed stress-related increases in IL-1β when measured 20–120 min post-stress (d = 1.09, p < 0.001), and in IL-4 and interferon-γ when measured 0–10 min post stressor (d = −0.42, p < 0.001 and d = 0.47, p < 0.001). These results extend findings from a prior meta-analysis (Steptoe et al., 2007) to show reliable increases in circulating IL-6, IL-1β, IL-10 and TNF-α and stimulated IL-1β, IL-4 and interferon-γ in response to acute stress. It is possible that these responses contribute to associations between exposure to life challenges and vulnerability to inflammatory disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with cardiovascular disease. • Alterations in cardiovascular responses to stress may be an underlying mechanism. • How ACEs relate to cardiovascular responses to repeated stressors is unknown. • Higher ACEs is related to less stress-response habituation in women, but not in men. • ACEs may thus alter the body's ability to adaptively respond to stress in adulthood. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are robustly associated with later cardiovascular disease. Alterations in cardiovascular responses to stress may be an underlying mechanism. The present study examined whether ACEs predicted habituation of cardiovascular responses across two acute laboratory stress tasks, and whether this differed between men and women. During a single laboratory visit, 453 healthy young adults completed two identical stress-inducing protocols, each involving a 10-minute baseline and 4-minute acute psychological stress task. Heart rate (HR) and systolic/diastolic blood pressure (S/DBP) were recorded throughout. Participants also completed the Adverse Childhood Experiences scale. Cardiovascular responses habituated from the first to second stress task on average across the entire sample. However, women—but not men—with higher self-reported ACEs displayed less habituation of HR and DBP, but not SBP, across the stress tasks. Results suggest that ACEs may alter the body's ability to adaptively respond to stress exposures in adulthood, specifically in women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

R2387 --> Reduced habitual total sleep time (TST) is associated with an increased prevalence of hypertension, coronary heart disease, and other cardiovascular complications. Nocturnal arousal intensity, assessed by overnight polysomnography (PSG), and its subsequent impact on nocturnal heart rate (HR) reactivity have been implicated as a potential link between arousal strength and heightened cardiovascular strain. Despite evidence of a positive relationship between nocturnal arousal intensity and heart rate reactivity, little research has established if habitual sleep parameters are associated with these associations. The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between objectively measured TST and HR responsiveness to nocturnal arousal in stage 2 (N2) and stage 3 (N3) sleep. We hypothesized that short objective TST would be associated with an augmented HR reactivity to arousals in both N2 and N3 sleep. Habitual TST was measured in 17 adults (10 men, 7 women; 33±4 years; 26±1 kg/m2) using actigraphy monitoring over a duration of 7‐14 days (mean, 13±1 days). On a separate occasion, participants underwent a full night of PSG testing, in addition to continuous HR recording (electrocardiogram) throughout the sleep period. Arousals were scored by a certified PSG technician, and verified by a board‐certified sleep physician following American Academy of Sleep Medicine guidelines. Peak HR response to arousal was determined as the highest HR measured within 20 seconds following an arousal onset, while the peak change was identified as the post‐arousal peak HR minus the average HR taken from 10 cardiac cycles prior to the arousal. Bivariate correlations were utilized to compare associations between the two parameters. The number of arousals varied from 4 ‐ 47 (mean, 19±3 arousals) during N2 sleep, and 0 – 9 (mean, 4±1 arousals) during N3 sleep. There were no associations between habitual, actigraphy‐based TST and number of arousals in either sleep stage (P > 0.05). Similarly, there were no significant correlations between pre‐arousal HR and TST in either N2 or N3 sleep (P > 0.05). However, our results demonstrated a significant negative correlation between TST and both peak HR reactivity (R = ‐0.490, P < 0.05) and absolute change in peak HR (R = ‐0.487, P < 0.05) following arousals during N2 sleep. Similarly, peak HR (R = ‐0.542, P < 0.05) and change in peak HR (R = ‐0.577, P < 0.05) after arousals were significantly associated with habitual TST during N3 sleep. Our results indicate a relationship between poor sleep duration and heightened cardiovascular reactivity to nocturnal arousal during both N2 and N3 sleep. These findings suggest that short sleep duration and dysregulated HR reactivity may be underlying mechanisms propagating impaired cardiovascular functioning in chronically sleep restricted individuals. Further research is necessary to fully elucidate the direction of this relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]