Barriers To Independence: A Study of Housing and Personal Assistance Issues for People with Disabilities Residing in Nursing Homes

Access Living and CURL began a collaborative partnership to document the conditions influencing the placement of disabled people in a nursing home, and to identify the barriers that prevent nursing home residents from living independently

The Importance of Multi-level Theoretical Integration in Biopsychosocial Research

There is a growing interest in the unification of health research in a biopsychosocial framework. However, increasing specialization and advancement in instrumentation makes it more difficult to bridge understanding across areas. It would be very useful to ground biopsychosocial research in the most powerful explanatory framework in the life sciences, evolution by natural and sexual selection. This would require and explanation of the functional significance of the phenomena related to the area of study, in addition to descriptions of the mechanism. The application of an integrative evolutionary framework will be illustrated with the example of sex differences in human mortality rates, which are related to endocrine, psychological, and socio-environmental factors. The integrative evolutionary model will be contrasted with a theoretical model that acknowledges physiological and social influences, but artificially separates them

High Ringxiety: Attachment Anxiety Predicts Experiences of Phantom Cell Phone Ringing

Mobile cell phone users have reported experiencing ringing and/or vibrations associated with incoming calls and messages, only to find that no call or message had actually registered. We believe this phenomenon can be understood as a human signal detection issue, with potentially important influences from psychological attributes. We hypothesized that individuals higher in attachment anxiety would report more frequent phantom cell phone experiences, whereas individuals higher in attachment avoidance would report less frequent experiences. If these experiences are primarily psychologically related to attributes of interpersonal relationships, associations with attachment style should be stronger than for general sensation seeking. We also predicted that certain contexts would interact with attachment style to increase or decrease the likelihood of experiencing phantom cell phone calls and messages. Attachment anxiety directly predicted the frequency of phantom ringing and notification experiences, whereas attachment avoidance and sensation seeking did not directly predict frequency. Attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance interacted with contextual factors (expectations for a call or message and concerned about an issue that one may be contacted about) in the expected directions for predicting phantom cell phone experiences.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/140350/1/cyber.2015.0406.pd

An Evolutionary Framework for Understanding Sex Differences in Croatian Mortality Rates

Being male is the strongest demographic predictor of early mortality in Croatia. For every woman who dies between the ages of 15 and 34, three men die. Between the ages of 15 and 54, men are four times as likely as women to die from behavioral causes of death, such as accidents, homicides, and suicides. A causal explanation for sex differences in mortality must be based on an understanding of how sex differences were shaped by natural selection, and how those differences interact with environmental factors to create observed patterns and variations. In brief, males have been selected for riskier behavioral and physiological strategies than women, because of the greater variance and skew in male reproductive success. This paper examines the sex difference in Croatian mortality in three parts. First, we quantify the Croatian Male to Female Mortality Ratio (M:F MR) for 9 major causes of death across age group to provide a richer understanding of the sex difference in mortality from a life history framework. Second, we compare the Croatian M:F MR from behavioral, internal, and all causes with that of the available world population to demonstrate how Croatian mortality can be understood as part of a universal pattern that is influenced by unique environmental context. Third, we investigate how the War of Independence in 1991-1995 affected mortality patterns though its impact on behavioral strategies and the physical embodiment of distress

Drunchies Hangover: Heavy Episodic Drinking and Dietary Choices while Drinking and on the Following Day

Background and Purpose: Alcohol intoxication affects college students' eating patterns. Yet, little is known about dietary habits on the day after heavy alcohol consumption. The purpose of this study was to examine college students’ dietary choices during alcohol consumption and on the following day by gender and level of alcohol consumption (including none). Methods: Ethnically diverse undergraduates (N = 286; 52% male, 48% female, M age = 19, SD age = 1) at a public university in the Midwest completed an anonymous on-line survey. The survey included Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System nutrition items, items on consumption of "empty calorie foods," and open-ended response items on dietary choices that were coded by a nutritionist. Results: Participants reported differences in the likelihoods of consuming non-nutrient dense foods after drinking alcohol both before sleeping and the next day compared to at other times when they were not consuming alcohol. Conclusion: College students are more likely to eat after drinking alcohol and tend to consume less healthy foods. These dietary practices necessitate the need for customized interventions focusing on the dietary influences of alcohol consumption

Male Scarcity is Associated with Higher Prevalence of Premature Gestation and Low Birth Weight Births Across the United States

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/96668/1/ajhb22369.pd

Evaluación psicométrica de la historia de vida predice la conducta de salud

Life History Theory is a powerful framework that can help promote understanding of variation in health-related behavioral patterns and why they vary consistent with environmental conditions. An organism\u27s life history reflects tradeoffs made in the allocation of effort towards specific aspects of survival and reproduction across the lifespan. This study examines the relationship between psychological indicators of life history strategy and health related behaviors in a demographically representative sample in the Midwestern USA. Slower life histories predicted higher levels of health promoting behaviors and lower levels of health adverse behaviors, even when controlling for relevant socio-demographic factors. The analyses provide a strong test of the hypothesized relationship between life history and health behavior indicators, as life history variation co-varies with these socio-demographic factors. Traditional public health efforts may be reaching their limits of effectiveness in encouraging health-promoting behaviors. Integrating an evolutionary framework may revitalize behavioral health promotion efforts.La teoría de historia de vida es un marco poderoso que puede ayudar en la promoción del entendimiento de la variación en los patrones conductuales de salud y por qué varían según las condiciones ambientales. La historia de vida de un organismo refleja los compromisos hechos en la distribución del esfuerzo hacia aspectos específicos de sobrevivencia y reproducción durante toda la vida. Este estudio examina la relación entre los indicadores psicológicos de la estrategia de la historia de vida y las conductas de salud en la muestra demográficamente representativa del Medio Oeste de EE.UU. Historias de vida más lentas predicen niveles más altos de conductas que promueven la salud y niveles más bajos de conductas que perjudican la salud, incluso cuando se controlan los factores sociodemográficos relevantes. El análisis proporciona una prueba fuerte de la relación hipotética entre la historia de vida e indicadores de conducta de salud, según como la variación de la historia de vida covaría con estos factores sociodemográficos. Los esfuerzos de la salud pública tradicional puede que lleguen a sus límites de efectividad en la estimulación de conductas que promueven la salud. Integrar un marco evolutivo podría revitalizar los esfuerzos de promoción de salud conductual

Neighborhood Social Conditions Mediate the Association Between Physical Deterioration and Mental Health

This study investigates how neighborhood deterioration is associated with stress and depressive symptoms and the mediating effects of perceived neighborhood social conditions. Data come from a community survey of 801 respondents geocoded and linked to a systematic on‐site assessment of the physical characteristics of nearly all residential and commercial structures around respondents' homes. Structural equation models controlling for demographic effects indicate that the association between neighborhood deterioration and well‐being appear to be mediated through social contact, social capital, and perceptions of crime, but not through neighborhood satisfaction. Specifically, residential deterioration was mediated by social contact, then, social capital and fear of crime. Commercial deterioration, on the other hand, was mediated only through fear of crime. Additionally, data indicate that the functional definition of a “neighborhood” depends on the characteristics measured. These findings suggest that upstream interventions designed to improve neighborhood conditions as well as proximal interventions focused on social relationships, may promote well‐being.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/117109/1/ajcp9139.pd

Perceived Water Quality and Reported Health among Adults during the Flint, MI Water Crisis

Background and Purpose: In April 2014, the municipal water source for Flint, Michigan was changed from Lake Huron to the Flint River. Although residents reported concerns about the quality of tap water and resulting health problems, officials insisted that the water was safe. This study examined relationships between self-reported tap water quality during the water crisis and health conditions among Flint residents. Methods: Participants from each residential Census Tract in the City of Flint were recruited via address lists, online social media, and community-based events. The survey included mental and physical health items from the CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and an item on tap water quarter quality experiences. Analyses were weighted to be demographically representative. Results: Participants (N = 277) rated their tap water quality (taste, smell, appearance) as Poor (57%), Fair (20%), Good (13%), Very Good (6%), and Excellent (3%). Controlling for age, gender, years of education, whether respondents were African American or Hispanic/Latino/a, and population demographics, lower perceived tap water quality was associated with worse mental and physical health across all indicators. Conclusion: This study demonstrates associations of tap water quality experiences with reported poor physical and mental health among adults in Flint during the Flint Water Crisis