Nonlinear Associations between Medical Expenditure, Perceived Medical Attitude, and Sociodemographics, and Older Adults’ Self-Rated Health in China: Applying the Extreme Gradient Boosting Model

Background: although China’s total health expenditure has been dramatically increased so that the country can cope with its aging population, inequalities among individuals in terms of their medical expenditures (relative to their income level) have exacerbated health problems among older adults. This study aims to examine the nonlinear associations between each of medical expenditure, perceived medical attitude, and sociodemographics, and older adults’ self-rated health (SRH); it does so by using data from the 2018 China Family Panel Studies survey. Method: we used the extreme gradient boosting model to explore the nonlinear association between various factors and older adults’ SRH outcomes. We then conducted partial dependence plots to examine the threshold effects of each factor on older adults’ SRH. Results: older adults’ medical expenditure exceeded their overall income. Body mass index (BMI) and personal health expenditure play an essential role in predicting older adults’ SRH outcomes. We found older adult age, physical exercise status, and residential location to be robust predictors of SRH outcomes in older adults. Partial dependence plots of the results visualized the nonlinear association between variables and the threshold effects of factors on older adults’ SRH outcomes. Conclusions: findings from this study underscore the importance of medical expenditure, perceived medical attitudes, and BMI as important predictors of health benefits in older adults. The potential threshold effects of medical expenditure on older adults’ SRH outcomes provide a better understanding of the formation of appropriate medical policy interventions by balancing the government and personal medical expenditure to promote health benefits among older adults.

Nonlinear Associations of the Built Environment with Cycling Frequency among Older Adults in Zhongshan, China

The health and welfare of older adults have raised increasing attention due to global aging. Cycling is a physical activity and mode of transportation to enhance the mobility and quality of life among older adults. Nevertheless, the planning strategies to promote cycling among older adults are underutilized. Therefore, this paper describes the nonlinear associations of the built environment with cycling frequency among older adults. The data were collected from the Zhongshan Household Travel Survey (ZHTS) in 2012. The modeling approach was the eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) model. The findings demonstrated that nonlinear relationships exist among all the selected built environment attributes. Within specific intervals, the population density, the land-use mixture, the distance from home to the nearest bus stop, and the distance from home to CBD are positively correlated to the cycling among older adults. Additionally, an inverse “U”-shaped relationship appears in the percentage of green space land use among all land uses. Moreover, the intersection density is inversely related to the cycling frequency among older adults. These findings provide nuanced and appropriate guidance for establishing age-friendly neighborhoods.

Examining Linear and Nonlinear Associations Between Negative Emotional Reactivity to Daily Events and Depression Among Adolescents

Existing research supports competing hypotheses about the link between negative emotional (NE) reactivity to daily events (e.g., hassles and uplifts) and depression. Some have suggested that depression is associated with blunted reactivity, and others have suggested that depression is associated with heightened reactivity. In this study, we tested linear and nonlinear associations, cross-sectionally and longitudinally, between NE reactivity and depression among a sample of 232 adolescents. Participants completed lab-based assessments of depression then rated their experience of emotions, daily hassles, and uplifts three times per day for 7 days. Interviews were readministered 1.5 years later. Results show a significant U-shaped relationship between NE reactivity to hassles and depression symptoms cross-sectionally, which suggests that depression is more severe at the extremes of NE reactivity. NE reactivity to daily uplifts showed significant linear associations, but not quadratic associations, with depression such that heightened reactivity to uplifts was associated with more severe depression symptoms concurrently and predicted worsening of depression longitudinally.

Análisis de la Actitud Emprendedora de los Estudiantes Varones del Tecnológico Nacional de México Campus Tepeaca

El espíritu juvenil de los estudiantes de convertirse en emprendedores es notorio a simple vista. Sin embargo, el objetivo general de esta investigación fue analizar la actitud emprendedora de los estudiantes varones del Tecnológico Nacional de México campus Tepeaca. Se encuestó a ciento setenta y dos estudiantes varones. El cuestionario fue diseñado y validado por expertos en el área. La validación se llevó a cabo por un método nuevo; éste consiste en aplicar un análisis factorial de Pearson para las correlaciones lineales y chi cuadrado para las asociaciones no lineales. Se le aplican cinco postulados para depurar y validar cada ítem. Los ítems se toman como factores o variables independientes para contrastar las hipótesis de trabajo. El muestreo fue aleatorio. La matriz de resultados obtenida después de aplicar la correlación de Pearson arrojó tres correlaciones por encima de 0.7. Con estas correlaciones se validaron seis hipótesis lineales. Solo se seleccionaron ocho hipótesis no lineales validadas por chi cuadrado debido al espacio limitado de un artículo científico. En general, se diseñaron 400 hipótesis de trabajo en el orden de 20 ítems tomados en orden de dos a dos. Se concluye que los estudiantes encuestados poseen amplio conocimiento del emprendimiento. Éstos están preparados para la innovación, creación y éxito en las empresas tanto de su propiedad como las empresas donde presten sus servicios. The youthful spirit of students to become entrepreneurs is apparent to the naked eye. However, the general objective of this research was to analyze the entrepreneurial attitude of male students from the Tecnológico Nacional de México campus, Tepeaca. One hundred and seventy-two male students were surveyed. The questionnaire was designed and validated by experts in the area. The validation was carried out by a new method; This consists of applying a Pearson factorial analysis for linear correlations and chi-square for nonlinear associations. Five postulates are applied to debug and validate each item. The items are taken as factors or independent variables to contrast the working hypotheses. The sampling was random. The results matrix obtained after applying Pearson's correlation yielded three correlations above 0.7. With these correlations, six linear hypotheses were validated. Only eight chi-squarevalidated nonlinear hypotheses were selected due to the limited space of a scientific article. In general, 400 working hypotheses were designed in the order of 20 items taken in two to two. It is concluded that the surveyed students have extensive knowledge of entrepreneurship. They are prepared for innovation, creation, and success in the companies they own and the companies where they provide their services.

Individual Differences in the Vitamin Model of Well-being

Prominent among frameworks of well-being is the Vitamin Model, which emphasizes nonlinear associations with environmental features. The Vitamin Model has previously been described through average patterns for people in general, but we need also to explore inter-individual variations. For presentation, those differences can either be viewed generically, based on divergence in age, personality and so on, or through short-term episodes of emotion regulation, such as through situation-specific attentional focus and reappraisal. Both long-term and short-term variations are considered here.

Parasympathetic Activity, Emotion Socialization and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems in Children: Longitudinal Associations Between and Within Families

Biopsychosocial models of children’s socioemotional development highlight the joint influences of physiological regulation and parenting practices. Both high and low levels of children’s baseline respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) have been associated with children’s maladjustment, indicative of nonlinear associations. Negative or unsupportive parental responses to children’s emotions are consistently linked with internalizing (IP) and externalizing problems (EP), although few studies have examined how associations vary within families. This study examined within- and between-person associations of children’s quadratic baseline RSA, negative maternal emotion socialization, and children’s problems over six years. RSA was measured in 133 3.5-year-old children (72 female) in predominantly middle- to upper-middle socioeconomic status, Caucasian families. Mothers reported on their emotion socialization practices and their children’s adjustment concurrently and 1, 5, and 7 years later. Multilevel structural equation models revealed quadratic associations between baseline RSA and both IP and EP at the between-person level, suggesting that children with moderate RSA had fewer adjustment problems, on average, than children with lower or higher RSA. Across time and between families, children displayed more problems if their mothers reported more negative responses to their children’s emotions. Within families, IP were elevated on years when mothers reported higher than usual negative responses, and children with either high or low baseline RSA had more problems on years when mothers reported greater than usual negative responses to their children’s emotions. Altogether, these findings suggest that high and low baseline RSA may increase the risk for maladjustment, particularly in the time-varying context of aversive emotion socialization practices.

Gender Matters: Nonlinear Relationships Between Heart Rate Variability and Depression and Positive Affect

Vagally mediated heart rate variability (vmHRV), a measure of the parasympathetic nervous system’s control over the heart, is often negatively related to maladaptive emotional outcomes. Recent work suggests that quadratic relationships involving these factors may be present; however, research has not investigated gender differences in these nonlinear functions. To address this gap, the current study tested for quadratic relationships between resting vmHRV and depression and positive affect while investigating gender differences in these relationships. Significant quadratic effects were found between resting vmHRV and reports of both depression symptoms and positive affect in women but not men. Specifically, the lowest levels of depression and the highest levels of positive affect were found at moderate vmHRV in women. These results suggest that examinations of vmHRV’s nonlinear associations require the consideration of gender. Our findings are interpreted based on proposed differential neuropsychological mechanisms of vmHRV in men versus women.

176 Linear and Nonlinear Associations Between Sleep and Academic Achievement in Middle Childhood: The Role of Early Life SES

Introduction Elementary-aged children in low socioeconomic environments are more likely to experience poor sleep, which can negatively impact academic performance. However, it is unknown whether early-life socioeconomic status (SES) influences associations between sleep and academic achievement later in childhood. Using a demographically diverse sample of children followed longitudinally from 1 to 8 years, we tested linear and nonlinear associations between actigraphy-based sleep duration, midpoint time, sleep duration variability, and parent-reported sleep problems with academic achievement. In addition, we examined whether these associations varied by early SES. Methods The sample comprised 707 twins (52% female; Mage=8.44 years; 28.7% Hispanic/Latinx; 29.7% at or below the poverty line). SES was ascertained at 1 and 8 years, and children wore actigraph watches to assess sleep for 7 nights (Mnights=6.79) and completed the Applied Math, Picture Vocabulary, and Passage Comprehension subtests of the Woodcock-Johnson IV Tests of Achievement. Primary caregivers also reported on their children’s sleep and academic performance (Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire and Health and Behavior Questionnaire, respectively). Results Sleep was not linearly related to academic achievement, but there was a significant quadratic association between sleep midpoint with Picture Vocabulary (b=0.28, p<.01) and Passage Comprehension (b=0.17, p<.05). More parent-reported sleep problems were negatively related to Applied Problems performance for lower (b=-1.16, p<.001) and positively associated for higher early SES (b = 1.00, p < .01). More parent-reported sleep problems predicted lower Passage Comprehension for lower (b = -0.59, p < .05), but not higher early SES. Longer sleep duration predicted higher parent-reported academic achievement for lower early SES (b=0.14, p<.01) and lower achievement for higher early SES (b=-0.23, p<.001). Conclusion Our findings illustrate the complex, sometimes nonlinear associations between children’s sleep and academic performance. Many associations varied by early-life SES, suggesting that early childhood environments have long-lasting implications for child functioning, over and above the effect of concurrent SES. Increasing the quantity and quality of children’s sleep could improve academic outcomes, particularly for children who have experienced socioeconomic disadvantage. Support (if any) This research was supported by grants from NICHD (R01HD079520 and R01HD086085) and ASU T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics.