Indirect effect of financial strain on daily cortisol output through daily negative to positive affect index in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study

Daily affect is important to health and has been linked to cortisol. The combination of high negative affect and low positive affect may have a bigger impact on increasing HPA axis activity than either positive or negative affect alone. Financial strain may both dampen positive affect as well as increase negative affect, and thus provides an excellent context for understanding the associations between daily affect and cortisol. Using random effects mixed modeling with maximum likelihood estimation, we examined the relationship between self-reported financial strain and estimated mean daily cortisol level (latent cortisol variable), based on six salivary cortisol assessments throughout the day, and whether this relationship was mediated by greater daily negative to positive affect index measured concurrently in a sample of 776 Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study participants. The analysis revealed that while no total direct effect existed for financial strain on cortisol, there was a significant indirect effect of high negative affect to low positive affect, linking financial strain to elevated cortisol. In this sample, the effects of financial strain on cortisol through either positive affect or negative affect alone were not significant. A combined affect index may be a more sensitive and powerful measure than either negative or positive affect alone, tapping the burden of chronic financial strain, and its effects on biology

Indirect effect of financial strain on daily cortisol output through daily negative to positive affect index in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study

Daily affect is important to health and has been linked to cortisol. The combination of high negative affect and low positive affect may have a bigger impact on increasing HPA axis activity than either positive or negative affect alone. Financial strain may both dampen positive affect as well as increase negative affect, and thus provides an excellent context for understanding the associations between daily affect and cortisol. Using random effects mixed modeling with maximum likelihood estimation, we examined the relationship between self-reported financial strain and estimated mean daily cortisol level (latent cortisol variable), based on six salivary cortisol assessments throughout the day, and whether this relationship was mediated by greater daily negative to positive affect index measured concurrently in a sample of 776 Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study participants. The analysis revealed that while no total direct effect existed for financial strain on cortisol, there was a significant indirect effect of high negative affect to low positive affect, linking financial strain to elevated cortisol. In this sample, the effects of financial strain on cortisol through either positive affect or negative affect alone were not significant. A combined affect index may be a more sensitive and powerful measure than either negative or positive affect alone, tapping the burden of chronic financial strain, and its effects on biology

Becoming American: The intersections of cultural, ethnic, and gender ideals in predicting levels of perceived stress and mental and physical health among Asian immigrants.

Many marginalized groups, including immigrants, idealize their cultural/ethnic heritage. This project explored potential costs and benefits of idealized notions of identity by examining how cultural, ethnic and gender ideals relate to ethnic pride and pressure, perceived stress levels, and physical and mental health among first generation Asian immigrant men and women. The proposed theoretical model predicted that endorsement of cultural and gender ideals would lead to increased levels of stress, which would in turn contribute to poorer physical and mental health, but that these pathways would depend on participant gender. To test this model, new measures of the Model Minority Stereotype (MMS), Asian American Woman/Man Ideals (AAWI and AAMI), and Personal Impact of Ideals (Pressure and Pride) were developed; in addition, the John Henryism Active Coping Scale (JH) was tested for reliability and usefulness among Asian immigrants. The study used data from a community sample of 330 Chinese and Indian immigrants (170 men, 160 women) aged 18 and over (M = 34.6 years) living in the U.S. an average of 10.2 years. Results showed that, contrary to predictions, JH was directly related to less stress and better health among men, while JH did not relate to stress or health for women. Results for the MMS showed the opposite pattern: MM constructs (including MMS endorsement, pressure and AAWI) had negative effects on women's stress and health, while only pressure (and not MMS endorsement or AAMI) was related to increased stress or poor health for men. In addition, the relationship among female participants between MMS and pressure was fully mediated by endorsement of AAWI. For men, while pressure directly related to poor health outcomes, MMS endorsement, like JH, had only positive effects, leading to increased feelings of pride, higher collective self esteem, and lower levels of perceived stress. These findings underscore the need to understand the important gender-specific influences of marginalized social experiences on Asian immigrants' health. Overall, this study suggests that health psychology needs to integrate cultural and gender psychological approaches to understand the constituent role of culture, marginality, and self-ideals in shaping the health of immigrant men and women.Ph.D.Clinical psychologyEthnic studiesHealth and Environmental SciencesMental healthPhysiological psychologyPsychologyPublic healthSocial SciencesSocial psychologyUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/125376/2/3192652.pd

John Henryism, self-reported physical health indicators, and the mediating role of perceived stress among high socio-economic status Asian immigrants

This study examined the relationship between John Henryism (a strong behavioral predisposition to engage in high effort coping with difficult barriers to success) and self-reported physical health among high socio-economic (SES) status Asian immigrants to the USA. Cross-sectional data were collected from a community sample of 318 self-identified Chinese and Indian immigrants aged 18-73, averaging 10.2 yr lived in the US. In addition to the John Henryism Active Coping Scale, health status was measured using ordinal ratings of global self-rated health, somatic symptoms and physical health functioning. We also evaluated whether perceived stress would explain the relationship between John Henryism and health. Controlling for demographic factors, regression analyses showed that higher John Henryism significantly predicted better self-rated health and physical functioning, and fewer somatic symptoms. These relationships were significantly and fully mediated (for physical functioning and somatic symptoms) or partially mediated (for self-rated health) by lower perceived stress. Results suggest that John Henryism relates to better health among high SES Asian immigrants in part by reducing perceived stress. To better understand and improve health in all racial/ethnic groups, especially racial minorities and immigrants, more research is needed on John Henryism and perceived stress as important psychosocial mechanisms intervening between environmental exposures and health outcomes.Asian Americans Stress Coping Self-rated health Immigrants USA

Development of an Accelerometer-Linked Online Intervention System to Promote Physical Activity in Adolescents

<div><p>Most adolescents do not achieve the recommended levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), placing them at increased risk for a diverse array of chronic diseases in adulthood. There is a great need for scalable and effective interventions that can increase MVPA in adolescents. Here we report the results of a measurement validation study and a preliminary proof-of-concept experiment testing the impact of Zamzee, an accelerometer-linked online intervention system that combines proximal performance feedback and incentive motivation features to promote MVPA. In a calibration study that parametrically varied levels of physical activity in 31 12-14 year-old children, the Zamzee activity meter was shown to provide a valid measure of MVPA (sensitivity in detecting MVPA = 85.9%, specificity = 97.5%, and r = .94 correspondence with the benchmark RT3 accelerometer system; all p < .0001). In a subsequent randomized controlled multi-site experiment involving 182 middle school-aged children assessed for MVPA over 6 wks, intent-to-treat analyses found that those who received access to the Zamzee intervention had average MVPA levels 54% greater than those of a passive control group (p < 0.0001) and 68% greater than those of an active control group that received access to a commercially available active videogame (p < .0001). Zamzee’s effects on MVPA did not diminish significantly over the course of the 6-wk study period, and were statistically significant in both females and males, and in normal- vs. high-BMI subgroups. These results provide promising initial indications that combining the Zamzee activity meter with online proximal performance feedback and incentive motivation features can positively impact MVPA levels in adolescents.</p></div

Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) across experimental conditions.

<p>Average (±SE) daily MVPA rate (MVPA duration as a fraction of total time monitored) (A) and standardized MVPA duration (i.e., standardized to a 16 h waking day) (B) in passive control condition participants, active control participants who received a DDR active video game, and intervention group participants who received access to the Zamzee online feedback and rewards system.</p

Sample Characteristics.

<p>Sample Characteristics.</p