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Novel opportunities to examine how life experiences connect to health and mortality through biological aging have increased due to the affordability of genomic analysis. Although epidemiological studies suggest associations between stress and accelerated biological aging, most if not all measures in the past have been global, data cross-sectional, and from primarily white samples. As part of a completed measurement study, a diverse sample (n=140, 25-65 years, Mage=47, 65% Female) provided detailed stress measures, including EMA and lifetime stress assessments, and consented to future analysis of their blood samples. We successfully used decade-old blood samples to estimate methylation-based epigenetic clocks and examined them within the context of various stress measures as a preliminary phase of a future longitudinal study. Additional whole genome sequencing will also allow for future work that incorporate continuous measures of genomic ancestry when examining lifetime discrimination-related stress, rather than simply testing for demographic group differences.

The Weathering Hypothesis states BIPOC face more stressors, by which over a lifetime they are subjected to the negative consequences of stress (e.g., poorer emotional health). Using ecological momentary assessments, we examined whether subtle discrimination moderated the within-person stressor slope on positive and negative affect. We predicted emotional wellbeing would be worse at stressor moments, and those with greater discrimination experience would be more impacted by stressors. Participants were 334 diverse adults (25-65 years, Mage = 47, 63% Female) from Bronx, New York. Positive affect decreased and negative affect increased significantly at stressor moments (p

Perceived discrimination has been found to negatively impact emotional health (e.g., depression, psychological distress). Few studies, however, have examined this association across adulthood. Strength and Vulnerability Integration Theory (SAVI) proposes that there may be age-benefits in emotion regulation, however these may be reduced when faced with stressors. We examined whether two forms of stress related to discrimination (i.e., subtle and major) moderated expected age-benefits in emotional outcomes. We predicted that individuals who experienced more discrimination would display worse emotional outcomes, and that this effect would be stronger with older age. Participants were 334 diverse adults (25-65 years, Mage = 47, 63% Female) from Bronx, New York. They reported major and subtle discrimination experiences, depressive symptoms, positive affect (PA), and negative affect (NA). Subtle discrimination was associated with greater NA and depressive symptoms and lower PA (ps

BACKGROUND Ethnic minority cancer survivors remain an understudied and underrepresented population in cancer research, in part, due to the challenge of low participant recruitment rates. Therefore, identifying effective recruitment strategies is imperative for reducing cancer health disparities among this population. With the widespread use of social media, health researchers have turned to Facebook as a potential source of recruitment. OBJECTIVE We aimed to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of purchasing ads on Facebook to recruit Chinese, Korean, and Latinx cancer survivors residing in the United States. We assessed their experience with participating in a Web-based survey and their interest for future research. METHODS We showed 5 purchased ads in English, simplified Chinese, traditional Chinese, Korean, and Spanish on Facebook. Participants who clicked on the Facebook ad were directed to the study website and asked to submit their emails to receive the link to the 30-minute Web-based survey. Inclusion criteria included being of Asian or Latinx heritage, age ≥18 years, having a cancer diagnosis, and being within 5 years of cancer treatment. Participants who completed the survey were sent a US $10 Walmart eGiftcard. RESULTS The Facebook ads were shown for 48 consecutive days for a total spending of US $1200.46 (US $25/day budget). Overall, 11 East Asian and 15 Latinx cancer survivors completed the study, resulting in an average cost per participant of US $46.17. The East Asian and Latinx cancer survivors did not significantly differ in age, years lived in the United States, education level, generation status, and time since diagnosis. However, Latinx cancer survivors were marginally more likely to have limited English proficiency and lower annual income than East Asian cancer survivors. Both Latinx and East Asian cancer survivors reported that they enjoyed participating in this study and indicated an interest in participating in future psychosocial research studies. CONCLUSIONS The use of Facebook ads successfully resulted in the recruitment of East Asian and Latinx cancer survivors with different cancer diagnoses who reside in various geographic regions of the United States. We found that East Asian and Latinx cancer survivors recruited through Facebook were interested in participating in future psychosocial research, thereby providing support for the feasibility and effectiveness of using Facebook as a source of recruitment for ethnic minority cancer survivors.