“Longitudinal socioemotional pathways between retrospective early life maternal relationship quality and episodic memory in older adulthood”: Correction to Sharifian et al. (2019).

Abstract Background and Objectives The veteran population is aging. Combat exposure is associated with negative health and psychological outcomes in some, but not all veterans; others even appear to experience gains. One mechanism driving these varied responses might be early life relationships. This study investigated the extent to which the quality of early maternal relationships influences the association between combat exposures and life satisfaction (LS) among older male veterans. Research Design and Methods Data were drawn from a pooled sample of male veterans in the Health and Retirement Study who completed the 2013 Veteran Mail Survey (N = 1,160). We used ordinary least squares regression to examine the association between combat exposures (with and without exposure to death) and LS, and the moderating effect of maternal relationship quality on this association. Results We found a significant positive association between maternal relationship quality and LS, and a significant association of combat that was dependent on maternal relationship quality. Specifically, combat-exposed veterans with poor maternal relationship quality reported lower LS, whereas combat-exposed veterans with high relationship quality reported higher LS—relative to their noncombat-exposed counterparts. The effects of exposure to death of hazardous toxins did not mediate or moderate this relationship. Discussion and Implications Findings indicate that maternal relationships had a lasting influence on whether combat contributed to a positive, negative, or neutral long-term effect on wellbeing. Findings support previous studies that suggest early life factors may play an important role in the fostering of resilient health outcomes over the life course. Implications for preventative strategies in soldiers are discussed.

Download Full-text

Early Origins of Body Mass in Later Life: Examining Childhood Risks and Adult Pathways

Journal of Health and Social Behavior ◽

10.1177/00221465211005419 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 002214652110054

Author(s):

Sarah A. Mustillo ◽

Miao Li ◽

Patricia Morton ◽

Kenneth F. Ferraro

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Body Mass ◽

Health Risks ◽

Early Life ◽

Life Experiences ◽

Later Life ◽

Childhood Experiences ◽

Older Adulthood ◽

Early Life Exposure ◽

Nationally Representative

Prior research reveals that negative early-life experiences play a major role in the development of obesity in later life, but few studies identify mechanisms that alter the lifetime risk of obesity. This study examines the influence of negative childhood experiences on body mass index (BMI) and obesity (BMI ≥30) during older adulthood and the psychosocial and behavioral pathways involved. Using a nationally representative sample, we examine the influence of cumulative misfortune as well as five separate domains of misfortune on BMI and obesity. Results show that four of the five domains are associated with BMI and obesity either directly, indirectly, or both. The influence of cumulative misfortune on the outcomes is mediated by three adult factors: socioeconomic status, depressive symptoms, and physical activity. The mediators identified here provide targets for intervention among older adults to help offset the health risks of excess BMI attributable of early-life exposure to misfortune.

Download Full-text

Risk Factors for Sexual Assault of Heterosexual and Sexual Minority College Women

Journal of Interpersonal Violence ◽

10.1177/0886260520976224 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 088626052097622

Author(s):

Lora K. McGraw ◽

Kimberly A. Tyler ◽

Leslie Gordon Simons

Keyword(s):

Sexual Assault ◽

Relationship Quality ◽

College Women ◽

Sexual Behaviors ◽

Sexual Minority ◽

Risky Sexual Behaviors ◽

Minority Women ◽

Hooking Up ◽

Sexual Minority Women ◽

Maternal Relationship

Though college women report high rates of sexual assault, less is known about how protective and risk factors are uniquely associated with assault among heterosexual and sexual minority women. As such, the current study examined protective factors (i.e., maternal relationship quality and religiosity) and risk factors (i.e., child sexual abuse, parent substance misuse, and risky behaviors) for coercive sexual assault and total sexual assault and whether they vary by sexual orientation among college women. Data were gathered in the 2013–2014 academic year at two large public universities in the United States, one in the Midwest and one in the Southeast. Data for the current study included 755 college women, 72 (9.5%) of whom identified as sexual minority. Bivariate results showed that heterosexual women reported greater maternal relationship quality and greater religiosity compared to sexual minority women, while sexual minority women reported more risky sexual behaviors and having experienced more coercive sexual assault than heterosexual women. Multivariate results revealed that child sexual abuse, parent drinking problems, maternal relationship quality, heavy drinking, hooking up, and risky sexual behaviors were significantly associated with total sexual assault. Significant correlates of coercive sexual assault included child sexual abuse, maternal relationship quality, hooking up, and risky sexual behaviors. The relationship between maternal relationship quality and total sexual assault varied by sexual orientation as did the relationship between hooking up and coercive sexual assault. These findings have implications for targeted interventions to improve prevention of sexual assault among heterosexual and sexual minority college women.

Download Full-text

Social Relationships in Early Life and Episodic Memory in Mid- and Late Life

The Journals of Gerontology Series B ◽

10.1093/geronb/gbaa179 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Zhenmei Zhang ◽

Hongwei Xu ◽

Lydia W Li ◽

Jinyu Liu ◽

Seung-won Emily Choi

Keyword(s):

Episodic Memory ◽

Social Relationships ◽

Social Engagement ◽

Early Life ◽

Memory Performance ◽

Late Life ◽

Parent Child Relationship ◽

Variable Approach ◽

Retrospective Reports ◽

Lagged Dependent Variable

Abstract Objectives This study examines the longitudinal relationships between retrospective reports of early-life social relationships (i.e., having good friends, parent–child relationship quality, and childhood neighborhood social cohesion) and episodic memory in China. Methods We analyzed 2 waves of data (2011 and 2015) from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. The analytical sample included 9,285 respondents aged 45 and older at baseline. A lagged dependent variable approach was used to estimate the associations between measures of early-life social relationships and episodic memory change at the study’s 4-year follow-up. Results Retrospective reports of better early-life social relationships are significantly associated with higher levels of episodic memory performance in 2015 among middle-aged and older Chinese, controlling for episodic memory in 2011, childhood socioeconomic status, adulthood sociodemographic variables, and the history of stroke. Educational attainment accounts for a significant portion of the associations between early-life social relationships and episodic memory. In contrast, mental health and social engagement in adulthood account for a small part of these associations. Discussion The findings suggest that positive early-life social relationships are beneficial for episodic memory in mid- and late life, and more research is needed to examine the underlying mechanisms.

Download Full-text

Relationship quality among cohabitors and marrieds in older adulthood

Social Science Research ◽

10.1016/j.ssresearch.2010.04.010 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 39 (5) ◽

pp. 777-786 ◽

Cited By ~ 39

Author(s):

Susan L. Brown ◽

Sayaka Kawamura

Keyword(s):

Relationship Quality ◽

Older Adulthood

Download Full-text

Childhood Maltreatment Disrupts Brain-Mediated Pathways Between Adolescent Maternal Relationship Quality and Positive Adult Outcomes

Child Maltreatment ◽

10.1177/1077559519847770 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 24 (4) ◽

pp. 424-434 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Lauren A. Demers ◽

Elizabeth D. Handley ◽

Ruskin H. Hunt ◽

Fred A. Rogosch ◽

Sheree L. Toth ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Frontal Cortex ◽

Relationship Quality ◽

Frontal Lobe ◽

Low Income ◽

Internalizing Symptoms ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Adaptive Functioning ◽

Equation Modeling ◽

Adult Outcomes ◽

Maternal Relationship

The quality of early caregiving may partially shape brain structure and circuits involved in regulating emotions, including the frontal cortex, affecting vulnerability to the development of psychopathology and maladaptation. Given the profound impact of child maltreatment (CM) on psychological and neural development, we tested whether CM alters the pathways linking mother–adolescent relationship, frontal cortex, and adult outcomes. We used structural equation modeling to investigate whether CM history affected the association between mother–child relationship quality during early adolescence, frontal lobe volume in adulthood, and adult internalizing and externalizing symptomatology and competence. Participants from a longitudinal high-risk, low-income sample included 48 adults with a history of CM and 40 adults without such history ( M = 30.0 years). Results showed that greater frontal lobe volume predicted higher levels of adult adaptive functioning and fewer adult internalizing symptoms but showed no relation to adult externalizing symptoms. Frontal lobe volume significantly mediated the effect of adolescent maternal relationship quality on both adult internalizing symptoms and adult adaptive functioning, but only for individuals with no maltreatment history. Given the observed relationship between frontal lobe volume and healthy adult functioning across the full sample, it will be important to identify protective factors in maltreated individuals that foster frontal lobe development.

Download Full-text

Maternal relationship quality and peer social acceptance as mediators between child maltreatment and adolescent depressive symptoms: Gender differences

Journal of Adolescence ◽

10.1016/j.adolescence.2017.12.004 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 63 ◽

pp. 19-28 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Michelle Alto ◽

Elizabeth Handley ◽

Fred Rogosch ◽

Dante Cicchetti ◽

Sheree Toth

Keyword(s):

Gender Differences ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Child Maltreatment ◽

Relationship Quality ◽

Social Acceptance ◽

Adolescent Depressive Symptoms ◽

Maternal Relationship

Download Full-text

Blood pressure and cognitive function across the eighth decade: a prospective study of the Lothian Birth Cohort of 1936

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2019-033990 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (7) ◽

pp. e033990

Author(s):

Drew Altschul ◽

John Starr ◽

Ian Deary

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Cognitive Function ◽

Cognitive Functions ◽

Early Life ◽

Antihypertensive Medication ◽

Lower Blood Pressure ◽

Older Adulthood ◽

Lower Blood ◽

Lothian Birth Cohort ◽

Eighth Decade

ObjectivesWe investigated the associations among blood pressure and cognitive functions across the eighth decade, while accounting for antihypertensive medication and lifetime stability in cognitive function.DesignProspective cohort study.SettingThis study used data from the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936 (LBC1936) study, which recruited participants living in the Lothian region of Scotland when aged 70 years, most of whom had completed an intelligence test at age 11 years.Participants1091 members of the LBC1936 with assessments of cognitive ability in childhood and older adulthood, and blood pressure measurements in older adulthood.Primary and secondary outcome measuresParticipants were followed up at ages 70, 73, 76 and 79, and latent growth curve models and linear mixed models were used to analyse both cognitive functions and blood pressure as primary outcomes.ResultsBlood pressure followed a quadratic trajectory in the eighth decade: on average blood pressure rose in the first waves and subsequently fell. Intercepts and trajectories were not associated between blood pressure and cognitive functions. Women with higher early-life cognitive function generally had lower blood pressure during the eighth decade. Being prescribed antihypertensive medication was associated with lower blood pressure, but not with better cognitive function.ConclusionsOur findings indicate that women with higher early-life cognitive function had lower later-life blood pressure. However, we did not find support for the hypothesis that rises in blood pressure and worse cognitive decline are associated with one another in the eighth decade.

Download Full-text