Parental Education and Children’s Sleep Problems: Minorities’ Diminished Returns

Background and aims: While increased parental education reduces children’s sleep problems, less is known about racial variation in such protection. According to Minorities’ Diminished Returns (MDRs) theory, economic resources such as parental education show weaker health effects for minority groups such as Blacks and Latinos than non-Latino Whites, which is due to racism and social stratification. In this study, we investigated the association between parental education and children’s sleep problems, as a proxy of sleep problems, by race. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 11718 American children aged 9-10. All participants were recruited to the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. The independent variable was parental education, a five-level nominal variable. The dependent variable – sleep problems, was a continuous variable. Race/ethnicity was the effect modifier. Age, sex, and marital status were the covariates. Mixed-effects regression models were used for data analysis. Results: Parental education was associated with children’s sleep problems. However, there was a weaker inverse association seen in non-Latino Black and Latino families compared to non-Latino White families. This was documented by a significant statistical interaction between race and ethnicity and parental education on children’s sleep problems. Conclusion: Diminished protective effect of parental education on children’s sleep problems for non-Latino Black and Latino families compared to non-Latino White families is similar to the MDRs in other domains. Worse than expected sleep may contribute to higher-than-expected health risks of middle-class Black and Latino children.

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American Children’s Screen Time: Diminished Returns of Household Income in Black Families

Information ◽

10.3390/info11110538 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (11) ◽

pp. 538 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Shervin Assari

Keyword(s):

Household Income ◽

Screen Time ◽

Skin Color ◽

Parental Education ◽

Family Income ◽

Black Families ◽

Continuous Variable ◽

Inverse Association ◽

White Families ◽

American Children

While increased household income is associated with overall decreased screen time for children, less is known about the effect of racial variation on this association. According to Minorities’ Diminished Returns (MDRs) theory, family income and other economic resources show weaker association with children’s developmental, behavioral, and health outcomes for racialized groups such as black families, due to the effect of racism and social stratification. In this study, we investigated the association, by race, between family income and children’s screen time, as a proxy of screen time. This longitudinal study followed 15,022 American children aged 9–11 over a 1-year period. The data came from the baseline of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. The independent variable was family income, and it was categorized as a three-level nominal variable. The dependent variable, screen time, was a continuous variable. Ethnicity, gender, parental education, and marital status were the covariates. The results showed that family income was inversely associated with children’s screen time. However, there was a weaker inverse association seen in black families when compared with white families. This was documented by a significant statistical interaction between race and family income on children’s screen time. Diminished association between family income and children’s screen time for black families, compared with white families, is similar to MDRs and reflects a health risk to high-income black children. In a society where race and skin color determine opportunities and treatment by society, children from middle class black families remain at risk across multiple domains. We should not assume that income similarly promotes the health of all racial and ethnic groups. Addressing health and behavioral inequalities requires interventions that go beyond equalizing socioeconomic resources for black families. Marginalization, racism, and poverty interfere with the normal family income-related development of American children.

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Mental Rotation in American Children: Diminished Returns of Parental Education in Black Families

Pediatric Reports ◽

10.3390/pediatric12030028 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 130-141

Author(s):

Shervin Assari

Keyword(s):

Mental Rotation ◽

Social Stratification ◽

Parental Education ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Efficiency Score ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

White Children ◽

Family Socioeconomic Status ◽

White Families ◽

American Children

Background: While parental education and family socioeconomic status (SES) are associated with an increase in children’s cognitive functioning, and less is known about racial variation in these effects. Minorities’ Diminished Returns (MDRs) suggest that, under racism and social stratification, family SES and particularly parental education show weaker effects on children’s tangible outcomes for marginalized, racialized, and minoritized families, particularly Blacks, compared to Whites. Aim: We conducted this study to compare the effect of parental education on children’s mental rotation abilities, as an important aspect of cognitive function, by race. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 11,135 9–10-year-old American children. Data came from baseline of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. The independent variable was parental education. The dependent variable, mental rotation, was measured by the Little Man Task. Ethnicity, gender, age, marital status, and household income were the covariates. Results: Parental education was positively associated with mental rotation. However, parental education showed a weaker association with mental rotation in Black than in White families. This was documented by a significant interaction between race and parental education on children’s efficiency score. Conclusion: Parental education shows a weaker correlation with mental rotation of Black rather than White children, which is probably because of racism, social stratification, and discrimination. This finding is in line with the MDRs phenomenon and suggests that marginalization and racism may interfere with the influences of parental assets and resources and Black American children’s development.

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Relationship between parents’ health literacy and children’s sleep problems in Japan

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/s12889-021-10864-z ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Sae Ono ◽

Hiroto Ogi ◽

Masato Ogawa ◽

Daisuke Nakamura ◽

Teruhiko Nakamura ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Literacy ◽

Multiple Regression ◽

Missing Values ◽

Sleep Problems ◽

Japanese Version ◽

Sleep Habits ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Nursery Schools ◽

Cross Sectional Design ◽

Children’S Sleep

Abstract Background Sleep problems in preschool children can stunt their health and growth. However, the factors that cause sleep problems in children are not well understood. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between parents’ health literacy (HL) and children’s sleep problems. The study was conducted at two kindergartens, two nursery schools, and a center for early childhood education in Chitose-city, Hokkaido, Japan. Method This study used a multicenter cross-sectional design. The sample comprised 354 preschoolers (aged 3–6 years) and their parents. In families with two or more children attending the same facility, only the oldest child was asked to participate in the study. Exclusion criteria included participants whose completed questionnaires had missing values. Children’s sleep problems were assessed using the Japanese version of the Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ-J). Parents’ HL was assessed using the 14-item Health Literacy Scale (HLS-14). The parents were classified into two groups (high HL group and low HL group). Multiple regression modelling was used to determine the association between HLS-14 and CSHQ-J scores. Results Of the 354 parents, 255 (72%) were in the high HL group and 99 (28%) in the low HL group. The mean CSHQ-J score was significantly lower in the high HL group than in the low HL group (45.3 ± 6.0 points vs. 46.8 ± 5.9 points, p = 0.043). In multiple regression analyses, parents’ HL was independently associated with their CSHQ-J score after adjusting for all confounding factors (adjusted R2 = 0.22, β = − 0.11; p = 0.043). Conclusions Parents’ HL appears to affect their children’s sleep problems. This finding suggests that parents’ HL may be a target for intervention to improve children’s sleep problems.

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Adherence to Southern European Atlantic Diet and physical fitness on the atherogenic index of plasma in adolescents

Cadernos de Saúde Pública ◽

10.1590/0102-311x00200418 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 35 (12) ◽

Author(s):

César Agostinis-Sobrinho ◽

Arieli Fernandes Dias ◽

Caroline Brand ◽

Sigute Norkiene ◽

Sandra Abreu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Parental Education ◽

Atherogenic Index ◽

Inverse Association ◽

Pubertal Stage ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Atherogenic Index Of Plasma ◽

School Based ◽

Run Test ◽

Optimal Adherence ◽

Shuttle Run

Abstract: We sought (i) to evaluate the associations of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), muscular fitness (MF) and Southern European Atlantic Diet (SEADiet) with atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) and (ii) to investigate de combined association of MF, CRF and SEADiet on AIP in adolescents. A cross-sectional school-based study was conducted on 493 adolescents (285 girls and 208 boys) aged 15-18 years, from the Portuguese Azorean Archipelago. CRF was measured by shuttle run test and MF by curl up and push up tests. Adherence to SEADiet was assessed with a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). The AIP was estimated as log (TG/HDL-C). Measures of pubertal stage and socioeconomic status were assessed. Linear regression showed a significant inverse association between MF (standardized β = -0.165; p < 0.001), CRF (standardized β = -0.081; p < 0.030) and SEADiet (standardized β = -0.081; p < 0.045) with AIP, after adjustments for age, sex, pubertal stage and parental education. Furthermore, participants classified with an optimal as well as those with low adherence to a SEADiet but with LowMF/LowCRF had on average the highest AIP (F(7.482) = 3.270; p = 0.002). Moreover, optimal SEADiet with HighMF/HighCRF group showed the lowest AIP when compared with those with low adherence to a SEADiet with HighMF/HighCRF group (p = 0.03). AIP is inversely associated with MF, CRF and SEADiet. The low MF combined with a low CRF levels seems to overcome the potential healthy effect of having an optimal adherence to the SEADiet on AIP. However, an optimal adherence to SEADiet seems to improve the AIP in those adolescents with high fitness levels.

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Parental Education and Nucleus Accumbens Response to Reward Anticipation: Minorities’ Diminished Returns

Advances in Social Science and Culture ◽

10.22158/assc.v2n4p132 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2 (4) ◽

pp. p132

Author(s):

Shervin Assari

Keyword(s):

Nucleus Accumbens ◽

High Risk ◽

Risk Behaviors ◽

Parental Education ◽

High Risk Behaviors ◽

White Families ◽

Reward Anticipation ◽

American Children ◽

The Right ◽

Family Ses

Background. Considerable research has documented the effects of race and Socioeconomic Status (SES) on reward-seeking behaviors; however, less is known about the multiplicative effects of race and family SES on brain response to reward anticipation. Minorities’ Diminished Returns (MDRs) suggest that family SES would show weaker effects on brain development of children in non-White families than in White families. Objective. To test race by SES variation in Nucleus Accumbens (NAcc) response to reward anticipation (NAcc-RA) among American children. Methods. For this cross-sectional analysis, data came from the Adolescents Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study which included 6,419,9-10 year old children. The independent variable was parental education. The moderator was race. The primary outcome was the right NAcc-RA. Age, sex, ethnicity, household income, and family structure were the covariates. We used mixed-effect regression models that adjusted for the nested nature of the ABCD data. Results. While high parental education was associated with a higher amount of right NAcc-RA, this effect was stronger for White than non-White children. This finding was evident in the observed interactions between race and parental education on the right NAcc-RA. Discussion. For American children, NAcc-RA is not shaped by race or family SES, but by their intersection. As a result of the interaction between race and SES (diminished return of SES for non-Whites), middle-class racial minority children may remain susceptible to high-risk behaviors. Disparities in high-risk behaviors in children should not be reduced to economic disparities. Structural inequalities may reduce the return of SES resources for non-White families.

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Subjective Socioeconomic Status and Children’s Amygdala Volume: Minorities’ Diminish Returns

NeuroSci ◽

10.3390/neurosci1020006 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 1 (2) ◽

pp. 59-74 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Shervin Assari ◽

Shanika Boyce ◽

Mohsen Bazargan

Keyword(s):

Socioeconomic Status ◽

Low Socioeconomic Status ◽

Parental Education ◽

Total Sample ◽

Latino Children ◽

Amygdala Volume ◽

American Children ◽

Subjective Ses ◽

Family Ses ◽

Black And Latino

Considerable research has suggested that low socioeconomic status (SES) negatively influences brain structure, including but not limited to decreased amygdala volume. Considering race and ethnicity as sociological rather than biological constructs, this study was built on minorities’ diminished returns (MDRs) to test if the effects of family SES on the total amygdala volume is weaker for black and Latino children than white and non-Latino children. We borrowed data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, a national multi-center brain imaging investigation of childhood brain development in the US. The total sample was 9380 9–10-year-old children. The independent variables were subjective family SES and parental education. The primary outcome was total amygdala volume. High subjective SES and parental education were independently associated with larger total amygdala size. The association between high subjective SES and larger total amygdala volume was less pronounced for black and Latino children than white and non-Latino children. For American children, family SES has unequal effects on amygdala size and function, a pattern that is consistent with MDRs. This result suggests that SES loses some of its expected effects for racial and ethnic minority families.

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Age-Related Decline in Children’s Reward Sensitivity: Blacks’ Diminished Returns

Research in Health Science ◽

10.22158/rhs.v5n3p112 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (3) ◽

pp. p112 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Shervin Assari

Keyword(s):

Racial Differences ◽

Parental Education ◽

Black Children ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Reward Sensitivity ◽

Behavioral Approach ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

White Children ◽

Age Related ◽

American Children

Background: It is important to study the correlates of reward sensitivity since it predicts high-risk behaviors. While ageing reduces children’s reward sensitivity and its associated risk taking, there is more to find out about racial differences in regard to the effect of age on reward sensitivity. Minorities’ Diminished Returns (MDRs) suggest that resources and assets show weaker effects on Black children than White children. Aim: We compared White children to Black children as for the effects of age on reward sensitivity. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 10533 American children who participated in the baseline of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. The independent variable was age, while the dependent variable was reward sensitivity as captured by the behavioral approach/behavioral avoidance system (BAS-BIS). Gender, parental education, marital status, parental education, and household income were the covariates. Results: Higher age was associated with less reward sensitivity. A significant interaction was found between race and age when it comes to children’s reward sensitivity. It suggested that age is associated with a smaller gain in terms of reduced reward sensitivity in Black children than White children. Conclusion: Age is more likely to reduce reward sensitivity in White children than Black children. This finding is in line with MDRs, and may be due to social racism, segregation, stratification, and discrimination.

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Racial Variation in the Association between Childhood Depression and Frontal Pole Volume among American Children

Research in Health Science ◽

10.22158/rhs.v5n2p121 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. p121

Author(s):

Shervin Assari

Keyword(s):

Racial Differences ◽

Black Children ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Racial Groups ◽

Inverse Association ◽

Frontal Pole ◽

Access To Treatment ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

White American ◽

American Children

Background: Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is associated with an altered structure and function of the prefrontal cortex (PFC). There is more to find out about how this association differs among diverse racial groups. Aim: This study was performed to investigate racial differences in the association between MDD and frontal pole volume in 9/10-year-old children in the U.S. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study used the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. Then an analytical sample included 10185 American children between the ages of 9 and 10. The independent variable was current MDD, measured using K-SADS. The primary outcome was frontal pole volume, measured using the structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging (sMRI). Race was the moderator. Mixed-effects regression models were used for data analysis. Results: In the overall sample, MDD was associated with a smaller frontal pole volume among children. Race showed a statistically significant interaction with MDD on children’s frontal pole volume, indicating stronger effects on White children compared to Black children. Conclusion: The inverse association between MDD and frontal pole volume is steeper in Black than White American children. White American children with and without MDD show more similar frontal pole volume, while Black children with and without MDD differ more when it comes to the frontal pole volume. It is unknown whether or not the stronger association between frontal pole volume and MDD in Black children is due to a poor access to treatment or to a higher chronicity of MDD in Black communities.

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Race, Ethnicity, Family Socioeconomic Status, and Children’s Hippocampus Volume

Research in Health Science ◽

10.22158/rhs.v5n4p25 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (4) ◽

pp. p25

Author(s):

Shervin Assari

Keyword(s):

Socioeconomic Status ◽

Ethnic Group ◽

Parental Education ◽

Family Socioeconomic Status ◽

White Families ◽

Race Ethnicity ◽

American Children ◽

Using Data ◽

Hippocampus Volume ◽

Family Ses

Introduction: The hippocampus has a significant role in memory, learning, and cognition. Although hippocampal size is highly susceptible to family socioeconomic status (SES) and associated stress, very little is known on racial and ethnic group differences in the effects of SES indicators on hippocampus volume among American children. Purpose: This study explored the multiplicative effects of race, ethnicity, and family SES on hippocampus volume among American children. Methods: Using data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD), we analyzed the functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) data of 9390 9-10 years old children. The main outcome was hippocampus volume. The predictor was parental education. Subjective family SES was the independent variable. Age, sex, and marital status were the covariates. Racial and ethnic group membership were the moderators. To analyze the data, we used regression models. Results: High subjective family SES was associated with larger hippocampus volume. This effect was significantly larger for Whites than Black families. Conclusions: The effect of subjective family SES on children’s hippocampus volume is weaker in Black than White families.

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Relationship Between Parents’ Health Literacy and Children’s Sleep Problems: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study in Japan

10.21203/rs.3.rs-121155/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Sae Ono ◽

Hiroto Ogi ◽

Masato Ogawa ◽

Daisuke Nakamura ◽

Teruhiko Nakamura ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Literacy ◽

Sleep Disorders ◽

Sleep Disorder ◽

Multiple Regression ◽

Missing Values ◽

Sleep Problems ◽

Japanese Version ◽

Sleep Habits ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Children’S Sleep

Abstract Background: Sleep disorder in preschool children can stunt their health and growth. However, the factors that cause sleep disorders in children are not well understood. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between parents’ health literacy (HL) and children's sleep problems. The study was conducted at two kindergartens, two nursery schools, and a center for early childhood education in Chitose-city, Hokkaido, Japan.Method: This study used a multicenter cross-sectional design. The sample comprised 354 preschoolers (aged 3–6 years) and their parents. In families with two or more children attending the same facility, only the oldest child was asked to participate in the study. Exclusion criteria included participants whose completed questionnaires had missing values. Children’s sleep disorder was assessed using the Japanese version of the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ-J). Parents’ HL was assessed using the 14-item Health Literacy Scale (HLS-14). The parents were classified into two groups (high HL group and low HL group). Multiple regression modelling was used to determine the association between HLS-14 and CSHQ-J scores.Results: Of the 354 parents, 255 (72%) were in the high HL group and 99 (28%) in the low HL group. The mean CSHQ-J score was significantly lower in the high HL group than in the low HL group (45.3 ± 6.0 points vs. 46.8 ± 5.9 points, p = 0.043). In multiple regression analyses, CSHQ-J was independently associated with parents’ HL after adjusting for all confounding factors (R² = 0.41, β = -0.11; p = 0.0043).　 Conclusions: Parents’ HL appears to affect their children's sleep disorder. This finding suggests that parents’ HL may be a target for intervention to improve children’s sleep disorders.

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