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Depressed individuals exhibit altered sensitivity to both positive and negative social contact, and may not reap the same psychological and emotional benefits to socializing as non‐depressed individuals. Although depressive symptoms and loneliness predict social withdrawal and decreased pleasure, little is currently understood about immediate affective arousal dynamics during real‐time socializing. Using a novel ambulatory protocol that tracked both objective features of affective arousal (electrodermal activity) and subjective valence (self‐reported) during college students' social interactions, we evaluated the moderating role of depression and loneliness symptoms on the associations between socializing with others (specifically, with a romantic partner, a close friend, or a group of friends) and the arousal and valence dimensions of affect. Among a racially and ethnically diverse sample of 118 college students (64% African American/Black/Continental African, 20% Latinx, 8% Asian, and 8% White) recruited from a large, predominantly White Midwestern university, those lower in depression and loneliness symptomatology evinced decreased average arousal (Β = −0.10, SE = 0.04, p <.01) when in relaxed and intimate socializing contexts (e.g., with a romantic partner and a close friend), consistent with the idea that these contexts facilitate important opportunities for psychological rest and recovery. Those lower in depression and loneliness symptoms also showed higher average arousal when socializing in the energizing context of being with a group of friends. Overall, the results suggest psychopathology is reflected in patterns of sympathetic arousal when socializing, with more depressed and lonely individuals generally feeling worse while receiving fewer psychophysiological rewards in multiple socializing contexts. Our findings add a new perspective on psychopathology as an individual difference factor which may impact how spending time with others influences health. Young people who contend with depression and loneliness might lose out on the psychophysiological benefits of intimate socializing experiences which facilitate rest and recovery, as well as the positively arousing and energizing experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study assessed the associations between children's experiences of discrimination based on race/ethnicity and sexual orientation/gender identity and their parents' anxiety, depressive symptoms, and self-rated health. Methods: Our sample included 3910 parents with at least one child between 12 and 17 years of age. Data were pooled from the 2021 and 2022 waves of the National Health Interview Survey. Path analysis with maximum likelihood (ML) estimation and bootstrapping were used to examine the indirect pathways from child-experienced discrimination to parental self-rated health through parental anxiety and depressive symptoms. Results: Child-experienced discrimination based on race/ethnicity was associated with worse parental self-rated health via pathways through higher parental anxiety (p = 0.003) and depressive symptoms (p < 0.001). Child-experienced discrimination based on sexual orientation/gender identity was also associated with worse parental self-rated health via pathways through higher parental anxiety (p = 0.002) and depressive symptoms (p = 0.001). Conclusions: The results show a strong association between children's experiences of discrimination and parental self-rated health through pathways of poor parental mental health. Findings demonstrate the need to reduce discrimination directed at children and to facilitate mental health support for parents of children experiencing discrimination to improve family well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study examined whether Black American fathers' perceptions of their adolescents' experiences of racial discrimination were related to fathers' depressive symptoms and if this association was moderated by fathers' racial identity beliefs and adolescent gender. Background: Racial discrimination is not only an individual‐level but also a family‐level stressor for Black families. Racial discrimination experienced by parents can spillover to influence their children; however, fewer studies have examined how adolescents' discrimination experiences relate to parents' psychological outcomes, especially among Black fathers. Method: Data were collected via online survey from 240 Black fathers (Mage = 45.93 years, SD = 8.72) of adolescents (Mage = 14.44 years, SD = 2.11) residing in the United States. Participants completed questions about their racial identity beliefs and depressive symptoms, as well as their adolescents' experiences with racial discrimination. Results: Regression analyses revealed that adolescent‐experienced racial discrimination was directly associated with fathers' depressive symptoms. Fathers whose race was more central to them (racial centrality) had higher depressive symptoms when their adolescents had high racial discrimination experiences. Also, fathers' beliefs about how Black people are viewed by society (public regard) moderated the relation between adolescent‐experienced racial discrimination and fathers' depressive symptoms differently based on adolescent gender. Adolescent gender also moderated the relation between fathers' personal feelings about being Black (private regard) and their depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Overall, fathers' beliefs about their race, as well as the gender of their adolescents, play a role in their psychological health when their adolescents experience discrimination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]