Self-Reported Ancestry and Craniofacial SNPs

Genotype-phenotype studies increasingly link single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) to the dimensions of the face for presumed homogeneous populations. To appreciate the significance of these findings, it is essential to investigate how these results differ between the genetic and phenotypic profiles of individuals. In prior work, we investigated the connection between SNPs previously identified as informative of soft tissue expression and measurements of the craniofacial skeleton. Using matched genetic and skeletal information on 17 individuals who self-identified as White with presumed common continental ancestry (European), we obtained significant Spearman correlations for 11 SNPs. In the present study, we looked at self-identified ancestry to understand the intersectional background of the individual’s phenotype and genotype. We integrated our samples within a diverse dataset of 2,242 modern Americans and applied an unsupervised model-based clustering routine to 13 craniometrics. We generated a mean estimate of 69.65% (±SD = 18%) European ancestry for the White sample under an unsupervised cluster model. We estimated higher quantities of European ancestry, 88.5%–93%, for our subset of 17 individuals. These elevated estimates were of interest with respect to the distribution of population-informative SNPs; we found, for example, that one of our sampled self-identified White individuals displayed SNPs commonly associated with Latin American populations. These results underscore the complex interrelationship between environment and genetics, and the need for continued research into connections between population affinity, social identity, and morphogenetic expression.

Study rationale and baseline data for pilot trial of dronabinol adjunctive treatment of agitation in Alzheimer’s dementia (THC-AD)

Agitation is a common complication of Alzheimer’s dementia (Agit-AD) associated with substantial morbidity, high healthcare service utilization, and adverse emotional and physical impact on care partners. There are currently no FDA-approved pharmacological treatments for Agit-AD. We present the study design and baseline data for an ongoing multisite, three-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial of dronabinol (synthetic tetrahydrocannabinol [THC]), titrated to a dose of 10 mg daily, in 80 participants to examine the safety and efficacy of dronabinol as an adjunctive treatment for Agit-AD. Preliminary findings for 44 participants enrolled thus far show a predominately female, white sample with advanced cognitive impairment (Mini Mental Status Examination mean 7.8) and agitation (Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Clinician Agitation subscale mean 14.1). Adjustments to study design in light of the COVID-19 pandemic are described. Findings from this study will provide guidance for the clinical utility of dronabinol for Agit-AD. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02792257.

Urban upbringing and psychiatric disorders in the United States: A racial comparison

Background: Studies that link urbanicity to mental health are mixed depending on outcome and context. More research is needed to examine whether the urban upbringing effect holds true across racial populations in a large and diverse country like the United States. Methods: We analyzed two large datasets that were administered contemporaneously with similar methods: The National Comorbidity Survey-Replication (NCS-R, Whites) and the National Survey of American Life (NSAL, Blacks). We ran multivariable logistic regression models to examine the associations between area of upbringing (urban/large city, other, rural) and six psychiatric disorders, controlling for sex, age, years of education and income-to-poverty ratio (and ethnicity in the NSAL). We performed these analyses in both the NCS-R and the NSAL separately. Results: The majority (58.97%) of the White sample grew up in the ‘other’ category (i.e. small town, small city, or suburb of a large city), whereas a much larger percentage (39.89%) of the Black sample grew up in a large city. In the White sample, urban upbringing was not associated with any of the psychiatric disorders at a conventional level of statistical significance. In the Black sample, urban upbringing was associated with greater odds of having mood disorder, alcohol use disorder and drug use disorder, but was not significantly associated with anxiety disorders, PTSD, or eating disorders. Conclusions: Urban upbringing was not associated with psychiatric disorders among Whites, but was associated with greater odds of mood disorders, alcohol us disorder and drug use disorder among Blacks. Future research can elucidate how differences in urban upbringing between Whites and Blacks are linked to differences in risk for psychiatric disorders.

Do You Feel Important? A Comparison of White and Asian Americans’ Perception of Their Social Rank

Asians are often viewed as the “model minority” group for assumptions about their high income and education level. Does this necessarily translate to higher self-esteem, social desirability, and self-perceived social rank for Asians? Building upon literature examining confidence, beauty, masculinity and the “model minority” stereotype, I use the General Social Survey (2016—2018) to study the relationships between attractiveness and perceived social rank for 124 Asian Americans and 3,038 White Americans. The attractiveness data was collected by the GSS rating respondents on their physical attractiveness. Social rank helps examine a general sense of perceived ranking in society that may not be explicitly expressed by socio-economic class. I propose that a high attractiveness rating positively affects the level of self-perceived ranking for Whites but not for Asians. I also control for sex, age, family income and education. The results of the regression support my hypothesis showing a statistically significant relationship between attractiveness and social rank for the White sample but not the Asian sample. However, the strongest predictor of self-perceived social rank was the level of family income. Therefore, the more money someone makes, the higher they self-reported their social rank for both Asians and Whites. Due to the limited sample size of Asians, further research including a larger group of Asian participants should be conducted to study the relationship between attractiveness and social rank.

Diversity and Neighbourhood Satisfaction

This article investigates the impact of ethnic diversity on individuals’ satisfaction with their neighbourhoods. It uses panel data and a variety of empirical methods to control for potential endogeneity of diversity and of location choices. We find that a higher white share raises overall satisfaction with the neighbourhood in our (overwhelming white) sample, but has no significant impact on generalised trust or other commonly used measures of social capital. We suggest that part of the impact of diversity on overall neighbourhood satisfaction may be through an effect on fear of crime, though we find no effect on actual crime.

Eating Competent Parents of 4th Grade Youth from a Predominantly Non-Hispanic White Sample Demonstrate More Healthful Eating Behaviors than Non-Eating Competent Parents

The purpose of this study was to determine if the associations between eating competence (EC) and eating behaviors that were found in a USA sample of predominantly Hispanic parents of 4th grade youth could be replicated in a USA sample of predominantly non-Hispanic white parents of 4th graders. Baseline responses from parents (n = 424; 94% white) of youth participating in a year-long educational intervention were collected using an online survey. Validated measures included the Satter Eating Competence Inventory (ecSI 2.0TM), in-home fruit/vegetable (FV) availability, healthful eating behavior modeling, and FV self-efficacy/outcome expectancies (SE/OE). Data were analyzed with general linear modeling and cluster analyses. The findings replicated those from the primarily Hispanic sample. Of the 408 completing all ecSI 2.0TM items, 86% were female, 65% had a 4-year degree or higher, and 53% were EC (ecSI 2.0TM score ≥ 32). Compared with non-EC parents, EC modeled more healthful eating, higher FV SE/OE, and more in-home FV availability. Behaviors clustered into those striving toward more healthful practices (strivers; n = 151) and those achieving them (thrivers; n = 255). Striver ecSI 2.0TM scores were lower than those of thrivers (29.6 ± 7.8 vs. 33.7 ± 7.6; p < 0.001). More EC parents demonstrated eating behaviors associated with childhood obesity prevention than non-EC parents, encouraging education that fosters parent EC, especially in tandem with youth nutrition education.

AN EXAMINATION OF SENSE OF CLASSROOM COMMUNITY AND LEARNING AMONG AFRICAN AMERICAN AND CAUCASIAN GRADUATE STUDENTS

Higher education administrators and faculty members seek ways in which to advance student learning in online courses, and student affairs professionals seek ways to promote a sense of belonging and connectedness of students to their schools. The present study examined how a set of three classroom community variables were related to a set of two student learning variables in a predominantly White sample of 108 online African American and Caucasian graduate students. Using canonical correlation, the two subscales of the Classroom Community Scale and the mean number of messages posted each week to the online course’s group discussion boards were found to be related significantly to perceived learning and total points earned in the course along a single dimension. Moreover, African American students scored significantly lower across all five variables than their Caucasian peers, suggesting that the achievement gap that exists in many traditional educational programs also exists in graduate ALN programs and that this gap extends to sense of community.