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Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic has constrained opportunities in social, educational and professional domains, leading to developmental challenges for adolescents initiating their transition to adulthood. Meta‐analysis indicated that there was a small increase in psychological distress during the first year of the COVID‐19 pandemic. However, significant heterogeneity in the psychological response to the COVID‐19 pandemic was noted. Developmental antecedents as well as social processes may account for such heterogeneity. The goal of this study was to characterize trajectories of psychological distress in late adolescence during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Methods: 5014 late adolescents born between 2000 and 2002 from the UK Millennium Cohort Study completed online self‐reported assessments at three occasions during the first year of the COVID‐19 pandemic (May 2020, September/October 2020 and February/March 2021). These surveys assessed psychological distress, loneliness, social support, family conflict, as well as other pandemic stressors. Information on developmental antecedents were obtained when cohort members were 17 years of age. Results: Four distinct trajectories class were identified. Normative class (52.13%) experienced low and decreasing levels of psychological distress, while moderately increasing class (31.84%) experienced a small, but significant increase in distress over time and increasing class (8.75%) exhibited a larger increase in distress after the first wave of the pandemic. Inverted U‐shaped class (7.29%) experienced elevated psychological distress during the first wave of the pandemic, followed by a decrease in distress in subsequent waves of the pandemic. Larger longitudinal increases in loneliness were noted among individuals in the elevated distress trajectory, compared to other trajectories. Pre‐pandemic psychopathology was associated with elevated distress early in the pandemic. Conclusions: The largest trajectory showed low and declining psychological distress, highlighting the resilience of the majority of late adolescents. However, a subgroup of adolescents experienced large increases in psychological distress, identifying a group of individuals more vulnerable to pandemic‐related stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dietary self-monitoring is a behaviour change technique used to help elicit and sustain dietary changes over time. Current dietary self-monitoring tools focus primarily on itemizing foods and counting calories, which can be complex, time-intensive, and dependent on health literacy. Further, there are no dietary self-monitoring tools that conform to the plate-based approach of the 2019 Canada Food Guide (CFG), wherein the recommended proportions of three food groups are visually represented on a plate without specifying daily servings or portion sizes. This paper explored the perceptions of end-users (i.e., general public) and Registered Dietitians of iCANPlateTM—a dietary self-monitoring mobile application resembling the CFG. Qualitative data were collected through virtual focus groups. Focus group questions were based on the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation-Behaviour (COM-B) theoretical framework to explore perceptions of using the CFG and currently available dietary self-monitoring tools. The prototype iCANPlateTM (version 0.1) was presented to gain feedback on perceived barriers and facilitators of its use. Focus group discussions were audio recorded and verbatim transcribed. Trained researchers used thematic analysis to code and analyze the transcripts independently. Seven focus groups were conducted with Registered Dietitians (n = 44) and nine focus groups with members from the general public (n = 52). During the focus groups, participants mainly discussed the capabilities and opportunities required to use the current iteration of iCANPlateTM. Participants liked the simplicity of the application and its capacity to foster self-awareness of dietary behaviours rather than weight control or calorie counting. However, concerns were raised regarding iCANPlateTM's potential to improve adherence to dietary self-monitoring due to specific characteristics (i.e., insufficient classifications, difficulty in conceptualizing proportions, and lack of inclusivity). Overall, participants liked the simplicity of iCANPlateTM and its ability to promote self-awareness of dietary intakes, primarily through visual representation of foods on a plate as opposed to reliance on numerical values or serving sizes, were benefits of using the app. Findings from this study will be used to further develop the app with the goal of increasing adherence to plate-based dietary approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) has been conceptualized as a biomarker of a neurophysiological system supporting social behaviors. Capitalization, the interpersonal process of sharing positive experiences with close others, has been associated with improved intrapersonal and interpersonal functioning. The present study examined whether RSA moderated the within-person associations of daily capitalization with positive affect and relationship quality. Participants (N = 149) completed an electrocardiogram recording during a resting baseline and a worry induction period, as well as a 14-day daily diary assessment of capitalization, positive affect, and relationship quality. Results indicated that RSA reactivity moderated the within-person effects of daily capitalization on positive affect and relationship quality. On days when they did not capitalize, individuals with higher RSA reactivity experienced lower positive affect and poorer relationship quality than their counterparts with lower RSA reactivity. In contrast, no significant differences were observed between participants with lower and higher RSA reactivity on days when they capitalized. These results provide further evidence that RSA reactivity shapes sensitivity to social context, including one's responses to the lack of usual capitalization interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attachment style may influence the acculturation process by shaping the types of social relationships that individuals form and maintain. Social relationship quantity and quality have been linked to chronic low-grade systemic inflammation, an immune process associated with risk for age-related diseases. The goal of this study was to investigate whether attachment style moderates the change in systemic inflammation during the early phases of the acculturation process, a period associated with rapid changes in social functioning. In this 5-month longitudinal study, 58 new international students completed the Adult Attachment Scale and provided blood samples for C-reactive protein (CRP) analysis shortly after arrival in the host country as well as 2 and 5 months later. Results indicated that individuals with higher attachment anxiety experienced larger increases in CRP over time. During a period of rapid changes in social functioning, attachment anxiety promotes immune changes that may increase health risk over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asthma is a common chronic and burdensome disease which typically begins in childhood. The aim of this study was to assess perinatal and obstetric factors which may increase the risk of developing asthma in the offspring. Data from five consecutive waves (n=7,073 children, from birth to 15 years old) from a nationally-representative birth cohort of people born in the United Kingdom between 2000 and 2002, the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS), were used. The Kaplan–Meier survival curve was used to graphically display the risk of developing asthma from early childhood to adolescence. The Z-based Wald test was used to prove significant covariate loading. Cox regression analyzing the influence of covariates on asthma development risk showed a significant likelihood ratio test, χ2(18)=899.30, p<0.01. A parent with asthma (OR=2.02, p<0.01), a younger maternal age at delivery (OR=0.98, p<0.05), and the use of assisted reproductive technology (OR=1.43, p<0.05) were associated with an increased risk of developing asthma in the offspring. Perinatal factors (a younger maternal age, assisted reproductive technology) and a parental factor (a parent with asthma) increased the risk for developing asthma in the offspring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACE) has been associated with elevated circulating inflammatory markers in adulthood. Despite the robust effect of ACE on later health outcomes, not all individuals exposed to ACE suffer from poor health.Purpose: The goal of this study was to evaluate whether current resilience resources may attenuate the impact of ACE on inflammatory markers among individuals with elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) levels.Methods: Participants (N = 174) completed one-time self-report questionnaires assessing ACE exposure within the first 18 years of life and current resilience resources, and provided blood samples for interleukin-6 (IL-6) and CRP.Results: Individuals who were exposed to multiple ACE had greater IL-6 than participants with lesser ACE exposure. However, current resilience resources significantly moderated this effect. Among individuals who reported multiple ACE, higher resilience resources were associated with lower IL-6 levels.Conclusion: These data suggest that resilience resources might attenuate the association between ACE and later health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study examined daily fluctuations in the unmet interpersonal needs of thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness in response to daily negative social interactions, as well as the moderating role of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) across adolescents at lower and higher risk for suicidal ideation. Methods: Fifty five adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD, i.e., higher‐risk group) and without MDD (i.e., lower‐risk group) completed measures of resting RSA, and daily measures of negative social interactions, perceived burdensomeness, and loneliness, as a proxy for thwarted belongingness, for 10 consecutive days. Within‐person analyses examined the association between daily negative social interactions and unmet interpersonal needs, and the moderating roles of RSA and higher‐risk group status. Between‐person analyses also examined the association between RSA and unmet interpersonal needs across groups. Results: At the within‐person level, participants reported more unmet interpersonal needs on days when they reported more negative social interactions. At the between‐person level, higher RSA was associated with decreased loneliness in both groups, and decreased burdensomeness among the higher‐risk group. Conclusions: Negative social interactions are associated with daily unmet interpersonal needs. Higher RSA may serve as a protective factor mitigating risk for unmet interpersonal needs, particularly burdensomeness, among adolescents at higher risk for suicidal ideation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Caregiving stress increases risk for poor health. The overproduction of inflammatory markers is a core process contributing to this effect. In this study the authors investigated whether formal and informal social support act as protective factors against stress-induced immune dysregulation. Fifty-six parents of children with an autism spectrum disorder completed questionnaires on formal support services, informal social support, self-rated health, and daily somatic symptoms, and they provided a blood sample for analysis of C-reactive protein ( CRP), a biomarker of inflammation. The results indicated that greater informal social support was associated with lower CRP and that a higher number of formal support services received by the family was related to better self-rated health, fewer daily somatic symptoms, and lower CRP. Moreover, the impact of support services on the parents' CRP levels increased with child age. These findings highlight the role of formal and informal support in protecting the health of individuals facing caregiving stress across the life course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate whether high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV) during waking restfulness and during worry predicts increases in sleep disturbances in response to a stressful life event. Methods A longitudinal study following up 22 individuals from well-defined periods of lower and higher stress was conducted. HF-HRV during waking restfulness and in response to a worry induction was measured during a low-stress period. Sleep disturbances were assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) during low-stress and high-stress periods. Results During both the low- and high-stress periods, lower HF-HRV during worry was associated with greater PSQI scores. Importantly, lower HF-HRV during the worry induction prospectively predicted greater increases in the PSQI score from the low-stress to the high-stress periods. Conclusion HF-HRV during worry might represent an index of vulnerability to stress-induced sleep disturbances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Poor social integration increases risk for poor health. The psychobiological pathways underlying this effect are not well-understood. Purpose: This study utilized a migration stress model to prospectively investigate the impact of social integration on change in high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV), a marker of autonomic functioning. Methods: Sixty new international students were recruited shortly after their arrival in the host country and assessed 2 and 5 months later. At each assessment period, participants provided information on social integration and loneliness and had their resting HF-HRV evaluated. Results: There was an overall decrease in HF-HRV over time. The magnitude of the within-person and between-person effects of social integration on HRV increased over time, such that greater social integration was associated with higher HF-HRV at later follow-ups. Conclusions: These results suggest that altered autonomic functioning might represent a key pathway linking social integration to health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior studies have reported associations between plasma oxytocin and vasopressin and markers of social functioning. However, because most human studies have used cross-sectional designs, it is unclear whether plasma oxytocin and vasopressin influences social functioning or whether social functioning modulates the production and peripheral release of these peptides. In order to address this question, we followed individuals who experienced major changes in social functioning subsequent to the migration to a new country. In this study, 59 new international students were recruited shortly after arrival in the host country and reassessed 2 and 5 months later. At each assessment participants provided information on their current social functioning and blood samples for oxytocin and vasopressin analysis. Results indicated that changes in social functioning were not related to changes in plasma oxytocin. Instead, baseline oxytocin predicted changes in social relationship satisfaction, social support, and loneliness over time. In contrast, plasma vasopressin changed as a function of social integration. Baseline vasopressin was not related to changes in social functioning over time. These results emphasize the different roles of plasma oxytocin and vasopressin in responses to changes in social functioning in humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) has been conceptualized as an index of emotion regulation abilities. Although resting RSA has been associated with both concurrent and prospective affective responses to stress, the impact of RSA reactivity on emotional responses to stress is inconsistent across studies. The type of emotional stimuli used to elicit these phasic RSA responses may influence the adaptive value of RSA reactivity. We propose that RSA reactivity to a personally relevant worry-based stressor might forecast future affective responses to stress. To evaluate whether resting RSA and RSA reactivity to worry inductions predict stress-related increases in psychological distress, an academic stress model was used to prospectively examine changes in psychological distress from the well-defined low- and high-stress periods. During the low-stress period, 76 participants completed self-report mood measures and had their RSA assessed during a resting baseline, free worry period and worry catastrophizing interview. Participants completed another mood assessment during the high-stress period. Results indicated that baseline psychological distress predicted larger decreases in RSA during the worry inductions. Lower resting RSA and greater RSA suppression to the worry inductions at baseline prospectively predicted larger increases in psychological distress from the low- to high-stress period, even after accounting for the impact of baseline distress on RSA. These results provide further evidence that RSA may represent a unique index of emotion regulation abilities in times of stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although many individuals migrate to a new country with their romantic partner, most acculturation research has focused on individual factors related to migration-related psychological adjustment without considering couple influences. The current research investigates traditional predictors of psychological adaptation – mainstream and heritage acculturation, motivation to migrate, and perceived discrimination – from the perspective of both migrants and their partners. Participants were 151 French migrant couples (n = 302) living in Canada. We conducted mixed-effects regression analyses (HLM) predicting psychological adaptation within an actor-partner interdependence modelling framework. In line with past results, actors' motivation to migrate and mainstream acculturation were positively associated with psychological adaptation, whereas perceived discrimination was negatively associated with it. Contrary to our hypotheses, the actor's heritage acculturation was negatively associated with psychological adaptation. Above and beyond these individual-level predictors, our results revealed a positive effect of partner's motivation to migrate and a negative effect of partner's perceived discrimination. Finally, acculturation gaps were significantly associated with psychological adaptation. Mainstream acculturation gaps seem to be detrimental to migrants' psychological adaptation, whereas heritage acculturation gaps were associated with greater psychological adaptation. These findings underscore the necessity to better understand how romantic relationship dynamics following migration play out in individual-level migration outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We‐talk, the use of first‐person plural pronouns over the use of singular pronouns when describing relationship events, is regarded as a linguistic indicator of marital relationship functioning. A meta‐analysis revealed that we‐talk is positively associated with relationship satisfaction. However, this literature is based mostly on cross‐sectional studies. This study tested the hypothesis that we‐talk would be associated with greater marital satisfaction over time. The sample comprised 77 couples enrolled in a longitudinal study of parents of preschool‐aged children. We‐talk was assessed at baseline during a marital discussion task about parenting challenges. Couples completed a measure of marital satisfaction at baseline, 6‐ and 12‐month follow‐ups. An actor–partner interdependence model examined the effects of spouses' we‐talk on their own marital satisfaction (actor effects), and their partners' marital satisfaction (partner effects). Results indicated a positive partner effect of we‐talk at baseline, but not over time. Moreover, there was an actor effect of we‐talk on changes in marital satisfaction over time, whereby low actor we‐talk was associated with a reduction in marital satisfaction, but high actor we‐talk was not associated with such a decrease. These findings suggest that greater cognitive interdependence, as indicated by we‐talk, may protect from declines in marital satisfaction over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work focuses on migrants' 'other‐cultures' intergroup contact – contact with individuals belonging to neither their heritage ingroup nor the mainstream outgroup. We test the overarching hypothesis that other‐cultures contact is positively associated with mainstream acculturation, especially when contact in the mainstream group is scarce. Study 1 results show that frequent other‐cultures contact is positively associated with mainstream identification among Maghrebi migrants to Quebec. This effect is stronger for participants with infrequent, versus frequent, mainstream contact. In Study 2, conducted among Russian migrants to Canada, having more other‐cultures friends is positively related to mainstream acculturation only for participants with few mainstream friends. Further, the entry of other‐cultures friends into migrants' network takes place later than heritage friends but earlier than mainstream friends. The current work expands the traditional mainstream–heritage acculturation framework by moving away from binary conceptualizations of intergroup relations and considering other‐cultures contact in superdiverse contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This cross-sectional study examines associations between cardiac vagal control and mainstream acculturation by systematically investigating the independent contributions of resting, reactivity, and recovery Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia (RSA)--physiological factors contributing to adaptive functioning, including social engagement capacity. This study also examines the moderating role of RSA reactivity in associations between perceived ethnic discrimination and mainstream acculturation. Method: The sample comprised 111 migrants from Maghreb (Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia) to Montreal, QC, Canada. On average, participants (60 women) were 31 years old and had immigrated 7 years prior to the study. The study design was cross-sectional. We collected both psychophysiological (electrocardiogram) and selfreport questionnaire data. Results: All three facets of cardiac vagal control are independently associated with mainstream acculturation: Higher mainstream acculturation was associated with higher resting RSA (β = .24), lower RSA reactivity (β = -.27), and higher recovery RSA (β = .26), controlling for several theoretically relevant covariates. Furthermore, lower RSA reactivity to a discrimination-recall task dampened the relation between perceived discrimination and mainstream acculturation (interaction β = -.20). Conclusions: This study replicates and extends prior work linking RSA and mainstream acculturation using a sample of racialized and marginalized migrants. It provides evidence that RSA is related to migrants' adoption of the mainstream culture and may modulate how they handle perceived ethnic discrimination. Thus, this study also provides evidence that RSA is tied to how individuals successfully navigate novel social environments, including novel cultural contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emerging adulthood is a new stage of development that follows identity explorations during adolescence and precedes adulthood. During this phase, varied perceptions of body image may affect the mental health status of these individuals. This research examined the association between body appreciation (BA) as a measure of body image and mental health outcomes - particularly, depression, anxiety, and stress. A cross-sectional survey was used to ascertain data from 3,127 18-29-yr-old Filipinos (67% female; mean age = 21) residing in the Philippines using an online self-administered questionnaire. BA Scale-2 (BAS-2) measured BA, whereas DASS-21 assessed levels of depression, anxiety, and stress. Associations between BA, and mental health outcomes were estimated using Poisson regression models with a log-link function and a robust variance estimator. A higher BAS-2 score (2nd-4th Quartiles) is associated with a reduced risk of severe/extreme levels of depression, anxiety, and stress than a low BAS-2 score (1st Quartile). Moreover, the association between BA and stress may be stronger among female participants (p-value interaction = 0.01) and late emerging adults (p-value interaction = 0.47). However, effect modification by age and sex was insignificant for the association between BA and anxiety and depression (p-values for interaction > 0.15). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To provide a comprehensive assessment of sleep state misperception in insomnia disorder (INS) and good sleepers (GS) by comparing recordings performed for one night in-lab (PSG and night review) and during several nights at-home (actigraphy and sleep diaries). Fifty-seven INS and 29 GS wore an actigraphy device and filled a sleep diary for two weeks at-home. They subsequently completed a PSG recording and filled a night review in-lab. Sleep perception index (subjective/objective × 100) of sleep onset latency (SOL), sleep duration (TST) and wake duration (TST) were computed and compared between methods and groups. GS displayed a tendency to overestimate TST and WASO but correctly perceived SOL. The degree of misperception was similar across methods within the GS group. In contrast, INS underestimated their TST and overestimated their SOL both in-lab and at-home, yet the severity of misperception of SOL was larger at-home than in-lab. Finally, INS overestimated WASO only in-lab while correctly perceiving it at-home. While only the degree of TST misperception was stable across methods in INS, misperception of SOL and WASO were dependent on the method used. We found that GS and INS exhibit opposite patterns and severity of sleep misperception. While the degree of misperception in GS was similar across methods, only sleep duration misperception was reliably detected by both in-lab and at-home methods in INS. Our results highlight that, when assessing sleep misperception in insomnia disorder, the environment and method of data collection should be carefully considered. • Good sleepers and participants with insomnia exhibit opposite patterns and severity of sleep misperception. • Only sleep duration misperception was reliably detected by both in-lab and at-home methods in insomnia and good sleepers. • In insomnia disorder, sleep latency and wake duration misperception are different depending on the methods used. • Methodology and environment depending on the population should be considered when assessing sleep misperception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Older adults often experience an increase in low-grade chronic inflammation. Purpose in life could act as a protective factor as it is associated with beneficial health outcomes. Purpose in life may exert part of its adaptive function by promoting persistence in goal pursuit. During older adulthood, however, when many individuals experience an increase in intractable stressors and declining resources, the adaptive function of purpose could become reduced. Purpose: We examined whether the association between inter- and intra-individual differences in purpose in life and chronic inflammation differed across older adulthood. Method: We assessed four waves of data among 129 older adults (63–91 years old) across 6 years. Results: Hierarchical linear modeling demonstrated that within-person increases in purpose in life predicted reduced levels of chronic inflammation in early old age (25th percentile or 73 years, coefficient = −.016, p <.01), but not in advanced old age (75th percentile or 81 years, coefficient =.002, p =. 67). Between-person differences in purpose were not related to chronic inflammation. Conclusions: These results suggest that greater within-person increases in purpose may protect health processes particularly in early old age but become less effective in advanced old age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Scarce are the studies focusing on initiation of new mental health service use (MHSU) and distinguishing individuals who have sought services but have been unsuccessful in accessing these. Aims: Assessing the factors associated with initiating new MHSU as compared to no MHSU due to self-reported no need, no MHSU due to health system and personal barriers and MHSU using resources already in place. Methods: The sample included participants (n = 16,435) in the five established regional cohorts of the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow's Health (CanPath) who responded to the CanPath COVID-19 health surveys (May–December 2020 and January–June 2021). Multinomial regression analyses were carried out to study MHSU since the pandemic (March 2020) as a function of predisposing, enabling and need factors. Analyses were carried out in the overall sample and restricted to those with moderate and severe symptoms (MSS) of depression and/or anxiety (n = 2,237). Results: In individuals with MSS of depression and/or anxiety, 14.4% reported initiating new MHSU, 22.0% had no MHSU due to barriers and personal reasons and 36.7% had no MHSU due to self-reported no need. Age, living alone, lower income, a decrease in income during the pandemic and health professional status were associated with MHSU. Younger adults were more likely to initiate MHSU during the pandemic than older adults who reported not being comfortable to seek mental health care or self-reported no need. Individuals living alone and with lower income were more likely to report not being able to find an appointment for mental health care. Conclusions: Awareness campaigns focusing on older adults that explain the importance of seeking treatment is needed, as well as sensitising health professionals as to the importance of informing and aiding individuals at risk of social isolation and lower socio-economic status as to available mental health resources and facilitating access to care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stress exposure increases risk for depressive symptoms. However, there are substantial individual differences in affective responses to stress. High-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV), a marker of vagally-mediated parasympathetic activity, has been conceptualized as a psychophysiological index of emotion regulation that may moderate individuals' responses to stress. Using a daily diary design, we tested whether individual differences in resting HF-HRV moderated the association between daily child-related stress and negative affect among a sample of 84 heterosexual couples with preschool-aged children. After controlling for participants' age, gender, socioeconomic status, employment status, and ethnicity, hierarchical linear modeling revealed that resting HF-HRV moderated both the between-person and within-person associations between self-reported child-related stress and daily negative affect. Between-person analyses indicated that the strength of the positive association between mean daily child stress and negative affect across the daily diary period increased with decreasing resting HF-HRV. Similarly, within-person analyses indicated that on days when participants reported more child-related stress than usual, the magnitude of the increase in negative affect on that day was inversely related to resting HF-HRV. Taken together, these findings suggest that lower resting HF-HRV may index vulnerability to stress-related disturbances in negative affect. This increased negative affective response to daily stress may be one pathway through which individuals with lower resting HF-HRV are at increased risk for depressive symptoms over time. • Low heart rate variability (HRV) is related to affective reactivity to daily stress. • HRV moderates the between -person associations between stress and negative affect. • HRV moderates the within -person associations between stress and negative affect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This meta-analysis examined the association between dimensional and categorical conceptualizations of attachment styles and suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs). Methods: Random-effects meta-analysis was conducted to examine the associations between categorical secure attachment, categorical insecure attachment, and insecure attachment dimensions and STBs. Methodological moderators were also explored. This protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42020152604). Results: Systematic search for articles published by December 2020 returned 58 eligible studies and 159 cross-sectional effects. Secure attachment was inversely associated with suicidal thoughts and not associated with suicide attempts. All categorical insecure attachment styles were positively associated with suicidal thoughts. Only fearful and preoccupied attachment were associated with risk for suicide attempts. Dimensional attachment anxiety was more strongly associated with suicidal thoughts and attempts than dimensional attachment avoidance. Discussion: Overall, attachment styles characterized by high attachment anxiety were associated with greatest vulnerability to STBs. Longitudinal studies are needed to better understand the association between attachment insecurity and STBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The discrete emotion theory of affective aging postulates that anger, but not sadness, becomes increasingly maladaptive during older adulthood in predicting health-relevant physiological processes and chronic disease (Kunzmann & Wrosch, 2018). However, it is largely unknown whether different negative emotions have distinct functional consequences in the development of older adults' physical disease. To start examining this possibility, we investigated whether older adults' daily experiences of anger and sadness were differentially associated with two biomarkers of chronic low-grade inflammation (interleukin-6 [IL-6] and C-reactive protein [CRP]) and the number of chronic illnesses (e.g., heart disease, cancer, etc.). In addition, we examined whether such divergent associations would become paramount in advanced, as compared with early, old age. A community-dwelling study of 226 older adults (age 59 to 93; M = 74.99, SD = 7.70) assessed participants' anger and sadness over 1 week, inflammatory processes, number of chronic illnesses, and relevant covariates. Regression analysis showed that anger predicted higher levels of IL-6 and chronic illness in advanced, but not in early, old age. The age effect of anger on chronic illness was mediated by increased IL-6 levels. Sadness exerted a reversed, but nonsignificant, association with IL-6 and chronic illness, independent of age. No emotion or age effects were obtained for CRP. The study's findings inform theories of health, emotion, and life span development by pointing to the age-related importance of discrete negative emotions in predicting a major physiological pathway to physical health across older adulthood. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many older adults experience chronic age-related stressors (e.g., life regrets or health problems) that are difficult to control and can disturb cortisol regulation. Self-compassion may buffer adverse effects of these stressful experiences on diurnal cortisol secretion in older adulthood. To examine whether self-compassion could benefit older adults’ cortisol secretion in the context of chronic and largely uncontrollable age-related stressors, 233 community-dwelling older adults reported their levels of self-compassion, age-related stressors (regret intensity, physical health problems, and functional disability), and relevant covariates. Diurnal cortisol was measured over 3 days and the average area-under-the-curve and slope were calculated. Higher levels of self-compassion were associated with lower daily cortisol levels among older adults who reported higher levels of regret intensity, physical health problems, or functional disability (βs < − .53, ps < .01), but not among their counterparts who reported lower levels of these age-related stressors (βs < .24, ps > .28). These results suggest that self-compassion may represent an important personal resource that could protect older adults from stress-related biological disturbances resulting from chronic and uncontrollable stressors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because the diagnostic criteria of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) are not tied to specific worry domains (worry is 'generalized'), research on the content of worry in GAD is lacking. To our knowledge, no study has addressed vulnerability for specific worry topics in GAD. The goal of the current study, a secondary analysis of data from a clinical trial, is to explore the relationship between pain catastrophizing and worry about health in a sample of 60 adults with primary GAD. All data for this study were collected at pretest, prior to randomization to experimental condition in the larger trial. The hypotheses were that (1) pain catastrophizing would be positively related to the severity of GAD, (2) the relationship between pain catastrophizing and the severity of GAD would not be explained by intolerance of uncertainty and psychological rigidity, and (3) pain catastrophizing would be greater in participants reporting worry about health compared to those not reporting worry about health. All hypotheses were confirmed, suggesting that pain catastrophizing may be a threat‐specific vulnerability for health‐related worry in GAD. The implications of the current findings include a better understanding of the ideographic content of worry, which could help focus treatment interventions for individuals with GAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study examined changes in relationship satisfaction during the COVID‐19 pandemic and the moderating roles of financial strain, perceived threat of COVID‐19, and dyadic coping. Background: The systemic‐transactional model of dyadic coping posits that relationship satisfaction varies as a function of the stressors partners face and their engagement in dyadic coping. Method: About 188 partnered adults completed questionnaires at three time points during the initial confinement period of the COVID‐19 pandemic and at a 20‐month follow‐up. Results: Relationship satisfaction increased during the first confinement period and returned to its baseline level at the 20‐month follow‐up. Greater financial strain and perceived threat of COVID‐19 were associated with poorer relationship satisfaction over time. Dyadic coping buffered the negative impact of financial strain on relationship satisfaction during the initial confinement period, but not 20 months later. Conclusions: Most individuals were resilient to the effect of pandemic stressors on relationship satisfaction. The buffering effect of dyadic coping was observed during the initial confinement period when access to support resources outside the family unit was curtailed. Implications: Intervention efforts to promote dyadic coping and financial well‐being for couples may be especially helpful in the context of strict confinement measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both common pain and anxiety problems are widespread, debilitating and often begin in childhood-adolescence. Twin studies indicate that this co-occurrence is likely due to shared elements of risk, rather than reciprocal causation. A joint genome-wide investigation and pathway/network-based analysis of adolescent anxiety and pain problems can identify genetic pathways that subserve shared etiopathogenetic mechanisms. Pathway-based analyses were performed in the independent samples of: The Quebec Newborn Twin Study (QNTS; 246 twin pairs and 321 parents), the Longitudinal Study of Child Development in Quebec (QLSCD; n = 754), and in the combined QNTS and QLSCD sample. Multiple suggestive associations (p<1×10−5), and several enriched pathways were found after FDR correction for both phenotypes in the QNTS; many nominally-significant enriched pathways overlapped between pain problems and anxiety symptoms (uncorrected p<0.05) and yielded results consistent with previous studies of pain or anxiety. The QLSCD and the combined QNTS and QLSCD sample yielded similar findings. We replicated an association between the pathway involved in the regulation of myotube differentiation (GO:0010830) and both pain and anxiety problems in the QLSDC and the combined QNTS and QLSCD sample. Although limited by sample size and thus power, these data provide an initial support to conjoint molecular investigations of adolescent pain and anxiety problems. Understanding the etiology underlying pain and anxiety co‐occurrence in this age range is relevant to address the nature of comorbidity and its developmental pathways, and shape intervention. The replication across samples implies that these effects are reliable and possess external validity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Using Andersen's model of health care seeking behavior, we examined the predisposing, enabling, and need factors associated with mental health service use (MHSU) during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic across Canada. Methods: The sample included n = 45,542 participants in the 5 established regional cohorts of the Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow's Health (CanPath) and who responded to the CanPath COVID-19 health survey (May-December 2020), with complete data on MHSU. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were carried out to study MHSU as a function of predisposing, enabling, and need factors. Analyses were stratified by regional cohort. Results: Among the need factors, individuals reporting moderate/severe symptoms of depression and anxiety and poorer self-rated mental health were more likely to report MHSU. Among the enabling factors, receipt of informational/financial/practical support was associated with increased MHSU. While income was not consistently associated with MHSU, reported decrease in income was marginally associated with reduced MHSU. Among the predisposing factors, identifying as female or other gender minority was associated with increased MHSU, as was the presence of past-year cannabis use. In contrast, older age and alcohol consumption were associated with reduced MHSU. Conclusion: Need factors were consistently associated with MHSU. Although income inequities in MHSU were not observed, changes such as reduced income during the pandemic may lead to barriers in accessing mental health services. Future research should focus on better identifying contextual enabling factors and policies that overcome financial barriers to MHSU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Periods of prolonged lockdown increase the risk of physical inactivity, which can contribute to physical decline among older adults. Online technology could be an innovative solution to promote physical activity (PA) habits in this context. The goal of this study was to examine and compare the acceptability, feasibility, and potential benefits of 2 modalities of web-based PA interventions in older adults during the coronavirus disease 2019 lockdown. Methods Eighty-three nonphysically active community-dwelling older adults (aged 60 and older) were randomized to a 12-week web-based PA intervention delivered either in a live group (LG; n = 38) or a recorded group (RG; n = 45). Acceptability, feasibility as well as functional capacities, physical performance, quality of life, and PA level were assessed pre and postintervention. Results There were fewer dropouts in the LG than RG (LG: 16% vs RG: 46%). However, adherence rate (LG: 89%; RG: 81%), level of satisfaction (LG: 77% vs RG: 64%), and enjoyment (LG: 68% vs RG: 62%) were similar across groups, even if the participants found the intervention slightly difficult (LG: 58% vs RG: 63%). Both groups significantly improved on functional capacities, physical performance, and quality of life. Only the LG showed significant improvements in perceived health and PA level. The LG showed greater improvements in physical performance and quality of life than the RG. Conclusion Web-based PA interventions are feasible, acceptable, and beneficial for improving functional capacities and physical performance during periods of lockdown. However, the interactive web and live modalities appear to be more effective for promoting some of these outcomes than recorded and individual modalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Peer victimisation has been associated with depressive symptoms during adolescence, however not all peer victimised adolescents will exhibit such symptoms. This study tested whether having a genetic predisposition to developing depression increased the risk of experiencing depressive symptoms in peer victimised youth. To date, no study has explored such gene–environment interaction using a polygenic risk score for depression (PRS‐depression) in the context of peer victimisation and depressive symptoms in adolescence. Methods: The sample included 748 participants born in 1997/98 from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development with genotype data and prospectively collected information on peer victimisation (12–13 years) obtained from both self‐ and teacher‐reports, as well as self‐reported depressive symptoms (15–17 years). The PRS‐depression was based on the genome‐wide association meta‐analysis of broad depression by Howard et al. (2019). Results: Self‐ and teacher‐reported peer victimisation in early adolescence were both associated with depressive symptoms in adolescence (β = 0.34, p <.001; β = 0.14, p =.001 respectively), and this association remained significant when accounting for PRS‐depression (β = 0.33, p <.001; β = 0.13, p =.002 respectively). PRS‐depression was independently associated with depressive symptoms, but there was no significant PRS‐depression by peer victimisation interaction (self‐reported and teacher‐reported). PRS‐depression was correlated with self‐reported, but not teacher‐reported, peer victimisation. Conclusions: Our findings suggested that a partial measure of an individual's genetic predisposition to depression, as measured by PRS‐depression, and being exposed to peer victimisation (self‐ and teacher‐reported) were independently associated with depressive symptoms in adolescence. Furthermore, PRS‐depression did not exacerbate the risk of depressive symptoms among adolescents who had been peer victimised. Lastly, we found evidence of a gene–environment correlation between PRS‐depression and self‐reported peer victimisation. Future studies are needed to replicate this finding and to further understand the role of genetic predispositions in experiencing depressive symptoms following peer victimisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brooding rumination is an intrapersonal emotion regulation strategy associated with negative interpersonal consequences. Resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), a psychophysiological marker of self-regulatory capacity, may buffer the association between maladaptive emotion regulation and negative interpersonal behaviors. The current work examines the moderating effect of RSA on the association between brooding rumination and different negative interpersonal consequences. Across three convenience samples, individuals with lower RSA showed a stronger association between brooding rumination and more negative interpersonal behaviors as well as less perception of received instrumental social support (Study 1; n = 154), higher levels of interviewer-rated interpersonal stress (Study 2; n = 42) and a stronger indirect association between brooding rumination and depressive symptoms via daily interpersonal stress (Study 3; n = 222). These findings highlight the negative interpersonal consequences of brooding rumination, particularly among individuals with lower RSA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective This study examined the associations between intra-individual variability in, and inter-individual levels of, diurnal cortisol secretion with a marker of low-grade inflammation (i.e., C-Reactive Protein; CRP). Reasoning that greater day-to-day cortisol variability could reflect a dysregulation of the HPA axis, we hypothesized that it would predict higher levels of CRP, above and beyond inter-individual differences in cortisol levels. Methods A 10-year longitudinal study of 130 older adults examined diurnal cortisol secretion on three different days across each of the 6 waves of data collection and levels of CRP during the last 3 waves. Indicators of mean cortisol levels, short-term cortisol variability, and long-term cortisol variability were analyzed. Results Hierarchical linear modeling showed significant main effects, linking baseline mean cortisol levels, T-ratio = 2.25, p = 0.03, and long-term cortisol variability, T-ratio = 2.63, p = 0.01, with higher CRP values six to ten years after study entry. In addition, a two-way interaction demonstrated that short-term variability in cortisol were associated with higher levels of CRP among individuals who secreted relatively high, T-ratio = 2.68, p = 0.01, but not low, T-ratio = −1.09, p = 0.28, baseline levels of cortisol. Finally, a three-way interaction, T-ratio = 2.24, p = 0.03, suggested that the effect of long-term cortisol variability on CRP became stronger over time among participants who secreted high average levels of cortisol, whereas it became weaker among their counterparts who secreted low average levels of cortisol. Conclusion Variability in cortisol secretion across days forecasts low-grade inflammation, and this association is paramount among older adults who secrete high levels of diurnal cortisol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Patients with symptoms but without an identified disease are a challenge to primary care providers. A 22-item measure is introduced and evaluated to offer medical care providers with an instrument to assess and discuss possible deficiencies in resilience resources that may contribute to symptoms without identifiable pathology. This instrument highlights psychosocial and lifestyle resources that serve as buffers to life's stressors rather than focusing on stress and its related symptoms. Methods: The measure included items from five resilience domains-relational engagement, emotional sensibility, meaningful action, awareness of self and others, and physical health behaviors (REMAP). Its structure and function were evaluated using two different samples. Results: Results suggest that scores from the REMAP have reasonable psychometric properties. Higher REMAP scores were predictive of fewer health symptoms in a sample representative of the US population. In a second sample, REMAP was positively associated with perceived resilience, ego strength and mindfulness attention and negatively related to perceived stress, depression, sleep disturbances, and loneliness, providing evidence of convergent and divergent validity. Furthermore, the REMAP scale was sensitive to change following a life style intervention. Conclusion: This suggests that REMAP can be a useful tool in practice settings for counseling patients with unexplained symptoms. With insight into the biopsychosocial aspect of their symptoms, patients may become more receptive to cognitive behavioral options to improve their resilience resources and lifestyle choices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study sought to identify psychosocial predictors of trajectories of adherence to physical distancing alongside changes in public health measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design: A three-time point longitudinal survey during the first two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Participants (N = 1003) completed self-report measures of adherence to physical distancing over an 8-month period at the start (T1) and end (T2) of the first wave of the pandemic, and the start of the second wave of the pandemic (T3). Participants also completed measures of their health beliefs related to the self and others, social norms, emotional distress, and sociodemographic characteristics. Results: Using group-based trajectory modeling, four trajectories of adherence to physical distancing emerged: a high-adherence trajectory, a slow-declining trajectory, a fluctuating trajectory, and a fast-declining trajectory. The most important psychosocial predictors of poorer adherence trajectories included perceptions of lower self-efficacy and higher barriers to adherence, as well as lower prosocial attitudes towards physical distancing. Conclusion: Public health messages targeting these factors may be most relevant to promote sustained adherence to physical distancing over time in the context of a pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While walking in nature has been shown to improve affect in adults from the community to a greater extent than walking in urban settings, it is unknown whether such benefits apply to individuals suffering from depression. Using a parallel group design, this randomized controlled trial examined the effects of a single walk in nature versus urban settings on negative and positive affect in adult psychiatric outpatients diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD). Participants recruited from a psychiatric outpatient clinic for adults with MDD were randomly assigned to a nature or urban walk condition. Thirty-seven adults (mean age = 49 years) completed a single 60-minute walk. Negative and positive affect were assessed using The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule or PANAS at 6 time points: before the walk, halfway during the walk, immediately post-walk, at home before bedtime, 24 h post-walk, and 48 h post-walk. Controlling for baseline levels of affect before the walk, individuals who walked in nature experienced overall lower levels of negative affect, F (1, 35.039) = 4.239, p =.047, compared to those who walked in urban settings. Positive affect did not differ across walk conditions. The generalizability of results are limited by the small sample size and the presence of more female than male participants. Walking in nature might be a useful strategy to improve negative affect in adults with MDD. Future research should investigate different ways to integrate the beneficial effects of nature exposure into existing treatment plans for psychiatric outpatients with MDD. • Walking in nature can improve affect of psychiatric outpatients with depression. • Negative affect improved for participants who walked in nature (vs. urban settings). • Walking in nature did not impact positive affect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sophisticated multicomponent treatments for adults with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) have been developed over the past three decades. Although these comprehensive treatments have produced encouraging results, they appear to be less efficacious than treatments for other anxiety disorders. The goal of this randomized controlled trial is to test a newly developed, highly focused treatment for adults with GAD: Behavioral Experiments for Intolerance of Uncertainty. Sixty (60) participants (51 women, 9 men), with a mean age of 34.60 years (range: 19 to 67 years), were randomized to either treatment (n = 30) or wait-list control (n = 30). Treatment consisted of 12 weekly 1-hour sessions in which participants learned to use behavioral experiments to test their catastrophic beliefs about uncertainty. Assessments were conducted at pre-, mid- and postcondition, and at 6- and 12-month follow-up. The primary outcome was the severity of GAD, and secondary outcomes were worry, depression, somatic anxiety, and intolerance of uncertainty. Using growth curve modeling, we found that (1) the treatment group was superior to the wait-list group in terms of change from pre- to posttest on all outcomes; (2) the combined sample (once wait-listed participants received treatment) evidenced large and significant decreases on all outcomes; and (3) treatment gains were either maintained or increased over the 12-month follow-up period of the study. The new treatment is a promising treatment option for adults with GAD considering that it may be as efficacious as more comprehensive evidence-based psychological treatments for GAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study Objectives: To assess the effects of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for insomnia (CBTi) on subjective and objective measures of sleep, sleep-state misperception and cognitive performance.Methods: We performed a randomized-controlled trial with a treatment group and a wait-list control group to assess changes in insomnia symptoms after CBTi (8 weekly group sessions/3 months) in 62 participants with chronic insomnia. To this end, we conducted a multimodal investigation of sleep and cognition including subjective measures of sleep difficulties (Insomnia Severity Index [ISI]; sleep diaries) and cognitive functioning (Sahlgrenska Academy Self-reported Cognitive Impairment Questionnaire), objective assessments of sleep (polysomnography recording), cognition (attention and working memory tasks), and sleep-state misperception measures, collected at baseline and at 3-months post-randomization. We also assessed ISI one year after CBTi. Our main analysis investigated changes in sleep and cognition after 3 months (treatment versus wait-list).Results: While insomnia severity decreased and self-reported sleep satisfaction improved after CBTi, we did not find any significant change in objective and subjective sleep measures (e.g., latency, duration). Degree of discrepancy between subjective and objective sleep (i.e., sleep misperception) in sleep latency and sleep duration decreased after CBTi suggesting a better perception of sleep after CBTi. In contrast, both objective and subjective cognitive functioning did not improve after CBTi.Conclusions: We showed that group-CBTi has a beneficial effect on variables pertaining to the subjective perception of sleep, which is a central feature of insomnia. However, we observed no effect of CBTi on measures of cognitive functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: While walking in nature has been shown to improve affect in adults from the community to a greater extent than walking in urban settings, it is unknown whether such benefits apply to individuals suffering from depression. Using a parallel group design, this randomized controlled trial examined the effects of a single walk in nature versus urban settings on negative and positive affect in adult psychiatric outpatients diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD).Method: Participants recruited from a psychiatric outpatient clinic for adults with MDD were randomly assigned to a nature or urban walk condition. Thirty-seven adults (mean age = 49 years) completed a single 60-minute walk. Negative and positive affect were assessed using The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule or PANAS at 6 time points: before the walk, halfway during the walk, immediately post-walk, at home before bedtime, 24 h post-walk, and 48 h post-walk.Results: Controlling for baseline levels of affect before the walk, individuals who walked in nature experienced overall lower levels of negative affect, F(1, 35.039) = 4.239, p = .047, compared to those who walked in urban settings. Positive affect did not differ across walk conditions.Limitations: The generalizability of results are limited by the small sample size and the presence of more female than male participants.Conclusions: Walking in nature might be a useful strategy to improve negative affect in adults with MDD. Future research should investigate different ways to integrate the beneficial effects of nature exposure into existing treatment plans for psychiatric outpatients with MDD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Reduced high frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV) is associated with elevated worry, though considerable between-person variability has been reported. This study examined whether intolerance of uncertainty, a cognitive vulnerability for worry, predicted decreases in HF-HRV during worry-inducing tasks and whether worry catastrophizing was associated with HF-HRV. Methods 76 undergraduate students completed the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS) and had their HF-HRV monitored during resting, worry, and a Catastrophizing Interview, a task that assesses feared worry consequences. The number of consequences generated and the perceived likelihood and severity of these consequences assessed different aspects of the worry catastrophizing process. Results Multilevel modeling indicated that IUS scores moderated the slope of change in HF-HRV ( β ( E ) = −.002(.001), p = 0.02), whereby higher IUS scores were associated with greater decreases in HF-HRV. Regression analyses indicated that of the Catastrophizing Interview variables, only greater severity estimates were associated with lower HF-HRV during the task ( β ( SE ) = −.07(.03), p = .02). Although IU was related to perceived severity estimates, severity estimates did not mediate the moderating impact of the IUS on changes in HF-HRV. Conclusions Individual differences in the extent to which people tolerate uncertainty and perceive the consequences to their worries as severe predict HF-HRV responses during worry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Recent evidence suggests that poor sleep is a potential pathway underlying the association between stressful experiences and the diurnal cortisol profile. However, existing findings are largely limited to adults. The present study examines whether poor sleep (duration, quality) mediates the relation between stressful experiences and the diurnal cortisol profile in children and adolescents. Children and adolescents ( N = 220, M age = 12.62) provided six saliva samples over two days to derive cortisol indices (bedtime, AUC AG , AUC TG , slope MAX ). Perceived stress, stressful life events, self-reported sleep duration, and sleep quality were measured. Using bootstrapping analyses, sleep quality mediated the relation between perceived stress and AUC TG ( R 2 = 0.10, F (7, 212) = 3.55 , p = .001; 95% BCI[0.09, 1.15]), as well as the relation between stressful life events and AUC TG ( R 2 = 0.11 , F (7, 212) = 3.69, p = .001; 95% BCI[0.40, 3.82]). These mediation models remained significant after adjusting for sleep duration, suggesting that poor sleep quality underlies the association between stressful experiences and the diurnal cortisol profile in children and adolescents. Longitudinal data combined with objectively-measured sleep is essential to further disentangle the complex association between sleep and stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Children who consistently withdraw from social situations face increased risk for later socioemotional difficulties. Twin studies indicate that genetic factors substantially account for the persistence of social withdrawal over time. However, the molecular genetic etiology of chronic courses of social wariness and preference for solitude, two dimensions of social withdrawal, remains undocumented. The objectives of the present study were (a) to identify high‐risk trajectories for social wariness and preference for solitude in childhood and (b) to examine whether falling on these high‐risk trajectories can be predicted by specific polygenic scores for mental health traits and disorders and by a general polygenic predisposition to these traits. Methods: Teachers evaluated 971 genotyped children at five occasions (age 6 to 12 years) from two prospective longitudinal studies, the Quebec Newborn Twin Study and the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development. Developmental trajectories for social wariness and preference for solitude were identified. We tested whether polygenic scores for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, depression, loneliness, and subjective well‐being, as well as a general mental health genetic risk score derived across these traits, were associated with the developmental trajectories. Results: Polygenic scores differentially predicted social wariness and preference for solitude. Only the loneliness polygenic score significantly predicted the high trajectory for social wariness. By contrast, the general mental health genetic risk score factor was associated with the trajectory depicting high‐chronic preference for solitude. Conclusions: Distinct associations were uncovered between the polygenic scores, social wariness, and preference for solitude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Concerns have been raised that the COVID-19 pandemic could increase risk for adverse mental health outcomes, especially in young adults, a vulnerable age group. We investigated changes in depression and anxiety symptoms (overall and severe) from before to during the pandemic, as well as whether these changes are linked to COVID-19-related stressors and pre-existing vulnerabilities in young adults followed in the context of a population-based cohort. Method: Participants (n = 1039) from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development reported on their depression (Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, short form) and anxiety (General Anxiety Disorder-7 Scale) symptoms and completed a COVID-19 questionnaire during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the summer of 2020 (age 22 years). Assessments at age 20 (2018) were used to estimate pre-pandemic depression and anxiety symptom severity. Results: While mean levels of depression and anxiety symptoms did not change from before to during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g., the mean of depressive symptoms was 9.30 in 2018 and 9.59 in 2020), we observed a slight increase in rates of severe depression (scores ≥ 21) from before (6.1%) to during (8.2%) the pandemic. Most COVID-19-related variables (e.g., loss of education/occupation, frequent news-seeking) – except living alone – and most pre-existing vulnerabilities (e.g., low SES, low social support) were not associated with changes in depression or anxiety symptoms. However, results varied as a function of pre-pandemic levels of depression and anxiety: depression and anxiety symptoms increased among adults with the lowest levels of symptoms before the pandemic, while they decreased among those with the highest levels of symptoms, possibly reflecting a regression to the mean. Conclusions: Depression and anxiety symptoms in young adults from Québec in Summer 2020 were mostly comparable to symptoms reported in 2018. Most COVID-19-related stressors and pre-existing vulnerabilities were not associated with changes in symptoms, except living alone and pre-existing symptoms of depression and anxiety. However, the increased rate of severe depression warrants further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Disrupted sleep quality is one of the proposed mechanisms through which chronic stress may lead to depression. However, there exist significant individual differences in sleep reactivity, which is the extent to which one experiences sleep disturbances in response to stress.Purpose: The aim of the current study was to investigate whether low high-frequency heart rate variability (HRV), as a psychophysiological marker of poor emotional and physiological arousal regulation, predicts stress-related sleep disturbances associated with greater risk of depression symptoms.Methods: Using a chronic caregiving stress model, 125 mothers of adolescents with developmental disorders and 97 mothers of typically developing adolescents had their resting HRV and HRV reactivity recorded and completed a measure of depressive symptoms, as well as a 7 day sleep diary to assess their sleep quality. A moderated mediation model tested whether sleep quality mediated the association between chronic stress exposure and depressive symptoms and whether HRV moderated this mediation.Results: After controlling for participant age, body mass index, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and employment status, poor sleep quality mediated the association between chronic stress and depressive symptoms. Resting HRV moderated this indirect effect such that individuals with lower HRV were more likely to report poorer sleep quality in the context of chronic stressor exposure, which, in turn, was related to greater depressive symptoms.Conclusions: Lower HRV, a potential biomarker of increased sleep reactivity to stress, is associated with greater vulnerability to stress-related sleep disturbances, which, in turn, increases the risk for elevated depressive symptoms in response to chronic stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Overall, there was a curvilinear change in loneliness during the COVID-19. • Stable-low, fluctuating-moderate and sustained-elevated trajectories were identified. • Both social and non-social factors were associated with elevated loneliness. • Identification of individuals at higher risk for chronic loneliness is needed. The COVID-19 pandemic provided a unique opportunity to examine the contributions of social interaction and other non-social factors to loneliness among older adults in the context of confinement measures constraining opportunities for in-person social interactions. This study aims to identify groups of individuals with heterogeneous trajectories of loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic and to explore the sociodemographic, health, psychological and social interaction-related factors associated with these trajectories. In this 12-month longitudinal study, 614 community‐dwelling individuals aged 60+ years completed telephone-based interviews on four occasions between May 2020 and May 2021. Loneliness was evaluated using the three-item version of the UCLA Loneliness Scale. Multilevel modelling assessed average changes in loneliness over time. Group‐based trajectory modelling was performed to identify distinct trajectories of loneliness over time. Multinomial logistic regressions were conducted to explore the predictors of these trajectories. On average, there was a curvilinear change in loneliness that tracked the stringency of the COVID-19-related confinement measures. In this convenience sample, three heterogeneous trajectories were identified: a stable-low (17.2%), a fluctuating-moderate (48.8%) and a sustained-elevated (34.0%) trajectory. Participants in the sustained-elevated loneliness trajectory were more likely to live alone and experience elevated psychological distress and greater COVID-19 perceived health threat compared to those in the stable-low trajectory. Participants in the fluctuating-moderate loneliness group were more likely to have multimorbidity, experience greater psychological distress, and have less frequent in-person interactions than the stable-low loneliness group. Assessing the combination of sociodemographic, health, psychological and social factors may help identify individuals at higher risk for chronic loneliness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Close relationships are an important social context in which emotional experiences, regulation, and coregulation unfold. This interpersonal emotion regulation process is likely intertwined with the self-regulatory capacities and social skills of each individual dyad member. This study aimed to examine whether respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), a physiological marker related to self-regulation, moderates the impact of rumination, a maladaptive emotion regulation strategy, on couples' conflict. A dyadic, longitudinal design examined the association among RSA, rumination, and couples' conflict in a sample of 83 cohabiting romantic partners raising young children. At baseline, rumination and RSA from each romantic partner were assessed. Couples' conflict was reported at 3 time points over the following 12 months. Actor-partner interdependence modeling examined the mutual contributions of each couple member's rumination to couples' conflict, as well as the moderating impact of RSA. Results indicated that rumination from both members of the dyad were independently associated with couples' conflict across the 12-month period. Furthermore, RSA moderated the association between one's partner's rumination and couples' conflict, such that high actor RSA attenuated the positive association between partner's rumination and couples' conflict. The findings highlight the interdependent nature of emotion regulation within close relationships, and the impact of RSA on interpersonal emotion regulation processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Successful aging mediated the association between chronological age and telomere length. • Lower socioeconomic status was associated with larger age-related decreases in telomere length. • The cognitive functioning dimension of successful aging was uniquely related to telomere length. Abstract In a rapidly greying world, the notion that some individuals maintain successful aging trajectories, viz. high physical, cognitive, emotional, and social functioning in older age, is increasingly germane. Biomarkers of such successful aging are increasingly sought. Leukocyte telomere length (LTL), an emerging yardstick of cellular aging that is influenced by but distinct from chronological age, may also be associated to successful aging. Furthermore, given that socio-economic status (SES) influences successful aging trajectories, socioeconomic status may also moderate the association between chronological age and LTL. The goals of this study are to examine 1) whether successful aging is associated with LTL; 2) whether successful aging accounts for age-related LTL and 3) whether SES moderates the effect of age on LTL. Singaporean Chinese (n = 353) aged 65–80 completed a multidimensional assessment of successful aging and provided blood samples for LTL analysis. Results show that LTL negatively correlates with chronological age and positively correlates with successful aging. Successful aging mediates the association between chronological age and LTL. Moderated mediation analyses show that lower SES is associated with stronger negative associations of chronological age with successful aging and LTL. Moreover, the cognitive functioning dimension of successful aging is uniquely associated with LTL and its association with chronological age is moderated by SES. This study provides evidence that among older Singaporean Chinese with lower SES, declines in successful aging and in cognitive functioning are linked to age-related LTL shortening and hence to accelerated aging at the cellular level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Oxytocin (OT) plays a salient role in contributing to the high levels of human sociality that characterize our species. Across the lifespan this nonapeptide promotes prosocial behaviors and modulates stress responses. Curiously, the OXT - Neurophysin I gene has been little studied despite the fact this is the structural gene for the OT nonapeptide. In a large group of Han Chinese undergraduate students (n = 1593) we examined associations of two single nucleotide polymorphisms of the OXT - Neurophysin I gene with personality traits. Results indicated that the OXT - Neurophysin I rs2770378 was related to extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. AA homozygous individuals reported more prosocial personality traits, compared to participants carrying the G allele. These results indicate that variants of the OXT - Neurophysin - I gene resonate with phenotypes that foster positive social interactions, which may in turn facilitate the social regulation of stress responses. Highlights • A OXT - Neurophysin I single nucleotide polymorphism was related to personality traits. • rs2770378 was associated with extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. • AA homozygotes reported more prosocial personality traits than G allele carriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Daily life stress is associated with HPA-axis related gene methylation. • DNA methylation in HPA-axis genes is stable over time in healthy volunteers. • DNA methylation-brain associations are gene and tissue specific. • Measuring methylation in different tissues in the same persons can be recommended. Abstract Environmental factors can influence gene expression via epigenetic modifications such as DNA methylation. DNA methylation levels of regulatory regions in Hypothalamo-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis-related genes assessed from brain tissues as well as from surrogate, peripheral tissues have been associated with vulnerability to stress-related psychopathologies. Commonly used peripheral samples to assess DNA methylation in living humans are derived from blood, saliva or buccal cells. Although psychiatric epigenetic studies are increasingly relying on peripheral measures of DNA methylation, it is still unknown to what extent methylation patterns across peripheral tissues are associated with each other and with measures of brain processes and behavioural stress. In the present study, with a sample of 51 healthy adults, we assessed cross-tissue correlations of DNA methylation patterns in the glucocorticoid receptor (NR3C1) 1 F promoter and the FK506 Binding Protein 5 (FKBP5) gene intron 7 region using saliva and buccal cell samples, and assessed two-year stability in both tissues in a male subsample (N = 14). We also investigated associations between peripherally-derived DNA methylation and measures of neural function and perceived daily stress, and compared the extent of these associations across tissue samples. DNA methylation cross-tissue correlations were highly significant for FKBP5 , but not significant for NR3C1. DNA methylation in both genes remained stable for two years. Tissue- and gene-specific associations were found for brain resting state connectivity and neural responses to sadness, thereby suggesting that saliva- and buccal cell-derived DNA methylation levels of NR3C1 -1 F and FKBP5 gene regions might differently capture different measures of putatively related brain processes. It was also found that greater buccal cell- (but not saliva-) derived NR3C1 -1 F methylation was associated with lower perceived daily life demands. Results of the present study may inform the design of future epigenetic studies on FKBP5 -intron-7 and NR3C1 -1 F-promoter methylation in relation to neuro-imaging and behavioural measures, and provide insight for the development of peripheral DNA methylation correlates of stress sensitivity and resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Sleep is a basic biological process supporting emotion regulation. The emotion regulation function of sleep may be particularly important in the context of chronic stress. To better understand how chronic stress and sleep interact to predict mood, 66 parents of children with autism completed daily diaries assessing parenting stress, negative mood, and sleep quality for 6 consecutive days. Hierarchical linear modelling revealed that daily negative mood was predicted by between‐person differences in parenting stress and between‐person differences in sleep efficiency. Further, between‐person differences in sleep efficiency and within‐person differences in sleep satisfaction moderated the impact of stress on mood. These data suggest that sleep disturbances may exacerbate the association between stress and mood in the context of chronic parenting stress. Further, high parenting stress appears to heighten the impact of transient sleep disturbances on mood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: High-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV) reactivity was proposed as a vulnerability factor for stress-induced sleep disturbances. Its effect may be amplified among individuals with high trait worry or sleep reactivity.Purpose: This study evaluated whether HF-HRV reactivity to a worry induction, sleep reactivity, and trait worry predict increases in sleep disturbances in response to academic stress, a naturalistic stressor.Method: A longitudinal study following 102 undergraduate students during an academic semester with well-defined periods of lower and higher academic stress was conducted. HF-HRV reactivity to a worry induction, trait worry using the Penn State Worry Questionnaire, and sleep reactivity using the Ford Insomnia Stress Reactivity Test were measured during the low stress period. Sleep disturbances using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index were assessed twice during the lower stress period and three times during the higher stress period.Results: Greater reductions in HF-HRV in response to the worry induction predicted increases in sleep disturbances from the lower to the higher academic stress period. Trait worry moderated this association: individuals with both higher trait worry and greater HF-HRV reactivity to worry had larger increases in stress-related sleep disturbances over time, compared to participants with lower trait worry and HF-HRV reactivity. A similar, but marginally significant effect was found for sleep reactivity.Conclusion: This study supports the role of HF-HRV reactivity as a vulnerability factor for stress-induced sleep disturbances. The combination of high trait worry and high HF-HRV reactivity to worry might identify a subgroup of individuals most vulnerable to stress-related sleep disturbances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]