Health Psychology最新文献

Objective: Social performance-the ability to successfully engage in social interactions-impacts outcomes in end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), including depressive symptoms and low self-efficacy, that are disproportionately experienced by Black Americans. However, the associations between social performance and health behaviors in ESKD are unknown. Social-emotional expertise (SEE) is a construct of individual differences in social performance that may be relevant to ESKD outcomes. Study goals are to establish the relation between SEE and health behaviors in Black American patients with ESKD by (a) examining the association of SEE with depressive symptoms, self-efficacy, and trust-in-physician and (b) the prediction of medication nonadherence and serum phosphorus by SEE.

Method: Ninety-nine Black Americans receiving in-center hemodialysis completed surveys at baseline and two follow-up visits over 12 months. Bayesian regression captured relations among self-efficacy, depressive symptoms, medication nonadherence, serum phosphorus, and SEE scale scores.

Results: SEE was positively associated with self-efficacy and negatively associated with depressive symptoms at baseline. Additionally, baseline SEE significantly predicted 12-month medication nonadherence (R² = .16, 95% credible interval = [.06, .26]) when accounting for self-efficacy and depressive symptoms. SEE at baseline did not predict 12-month serum phosphorus; however, a model with baseline SEE in combination with baseline depressive symptoms did predict 12-month serum phosphorus (R² = .10, 95% credible interval = [.02, .21]).

Conclusions: Higher perceived social performance-as measured by the SEE scale-predicted self-efficacy, depressive symptoms, and medication nonadherence, but not serum phosphorus control, in a cohort of Black Americans with ESKD. Socially focused interventions may have a positive impact on health behaviors among Black patients with ESKD. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: Health information avoidance can prevent or delay the detection and diagnosis of a disease. One resource that could mitigate health information avoidance in individuals of African descent is engagement with ethnic identity. However, historical medical mistrust in these communities could make ethnic identity exacerbate information avoidance. The present study examines the association between ethnic identity and health information avoidance and the potential moderating effect of spontaneous self-affirmation (which has been shown to be protective against information avoidance) in an African descent cohort participating in an exome sequencing study (ClinSeq).

Method: Participants were 407 individuals who self-identified as African, African American, or Afro-Caribbean (M_age = 57.52 years old, SD_age = 6.22; 75.2% female). Prior to receiving their sequencing results, participants reported their engagement with their ethnic identity, tendency to self-affirm, and tendency to avoid health information in a baseline assessment. We used the Hayes PROCESS macro to test a moderation model with age, sex, education, and income as covariates.

Results: The model revealed a positive association between ethnic identity and health information avoidance only when self-affirmation was low, producing a significant interaction (b = -.25, SE = .11, p = .03, 95% confidence interval = [-.47, -.02]). No other associations were significant.

Conclusions: Self-affirmation may be protective against health information avoidance among individuals of African descent who engage highly with their ethnic identity. Future research should consider ethnic identity and self-affirmation as factors in health information avoidance. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is a significant public health concern, particularly among young men who have sex with men (YMSM). Preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is highly effective in preventing HIV infection. However, PrEP does not protect against other sexually transmitted infections. Previous studies have shown unintended consequences following PrEP initiation, including increased sexual risk behaviors. Problematic alcohol use, to which YMSM are particularly vulnerable, may also play a role in increasing sexual risk. The present study examines the prospective relationship between PrEP initiation and alcohol-related sexual behaviors among YMSM.

Method: One hundred thirty-nine YMSM (M_age = 21.22) were enrolled in a longitudinal study examining PrEP initiation and alcohol-related sexual risk over 18 months. Participants completed a baseline assessment and follow-up assessments every 6 months. Data collection took place between 2016 and 2020.

Results: PrEP initiation was modeled at Time 1, Time 2, Time 3, and Time 4. Alcohol-related sexual risk behaviors were measured at Time 1 and Time 4. The trajectory of PrEP initiation was used to predict latent change in alcohol-related sexual behaviors. Consistent with our hypothesis, a combined latent change score and latent trajectory model revealed a positive association between PrEP initiation and alcohol-related sexual behaviors between baseline and 18-month follow-up.

Conclusion: These results are consistent with research identifying a potentially high-risk period following PrEP initiation among a vulnerable group (YMSM), with implications for risk assessment and interventions targeting alcohol-related sexual behaviors among YMSM. Findings may aid in reducing adverse sexual outcomes among YMSM who initiate PrEP and ultimately contribute to the minimization of sexual health disparities among YMSM. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: Standard behavioral weight loss (SBT) is a first-line intervention for obesity, but its efficacy with Black adults is limited. Some preliminary work suggests that acceptance-based behavioral therapy (ABT), which integrates mindful decision making, experiential acceptance, and reflection on values, may be a better fit for the needs of Black adults. In this fully powered secondary data analysis, we compared the efficacy of SBT and ABT for Black adults.

Method: Black and non-Hispanic White adults (N = 737) with overweight or obesity (body mass index = 27-50 kg/m²) were enrolled in one of the five randomized controlled trials investigating the effectiveness of ABT versus SBT. Analyses assessed the impact of race, treatment condition, and their interaction on percent weight loss at posttreatment and first follow-up assessment while controlling for clinical trial.

Results: The interaction effects between race and treatment condition on weight loss were trending toward significance (p < .05) at posttreatment, F(1, 729) = 2.74, p = .089, but not at follow-up, F(1, 729) = .003, p = .957. Pairwise comparisons revealed that the disparity in posttreatment weight loss between Black and White participants in the SBT condition (M = 3.5%, p = .001) was attenuated in the ABT condition (M = 1.5%, p = .05).

Conclusions: ABT has promise for supporting Black adults in weight loss attempts, although weight regain after treatment remains persistent for Black and White adults alike. Future research is warranted to continue developing this treatment approach as a tool to reduce health disparities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: Ambivalence in relationships is related to health-relevant biological outcomes. However, the antecedent processes that contribute to this association are unknown. The primary aim of this study was to test the prediction of the social ambivalence and disease model, which highlights the potential role of childhood trauma as an antecedent factor linking spousal ambivalence to inflammation.

Method: A sample of 107 heterosexual couples who had been married for at least 10 years was recruited. Participants completed the social relationship index to assess spousal ambivalence and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Blood was drawn to determine levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and interleukin-6 as measures of inflammation.

Results: Consistent with the social ambivalence and disease model, there was a significant indirect effect in which childhood trauma was related to greater spousal ambivalence which in turn was associated with higher hs-CRP levels. No evidence for the statistical mediational model was found for interleukin-6.

Conclusions: These results highlight the potential role of childhood trauma as an antecedent factor linking spousal ambivalence to hs-CRP. It also highlights potential pathways that might be targeted for interventions pending further work. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Background: Proinflammatory cytokine production may be related to poor emotional adjustment in dementia spousal caregivers. People who display attachment insecurity may be at increased risk for adverse caregiving experiences and poor psychosocial outcomes.

Objective: This study aimed to understand whether proinflammatory cytokine production was associated with anticipatory grief, caregiver burden, and depressive symptoms and whether those relationships were stronger for caregivers higher on attachment anxiety or avoidance.

Method: A sample of 103 dementia spousal caregivers provided self-report data on demographics, health information, and psychosocial outcomes. We also determined lipopolysaccharide-induced whole-blood interleukin-6, interleukin-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α, and interleukin-10 production and combined these cytokines into a composite score.

Results: Higher cytokine production was associated with increased anticipatory grief and depressive symptoms. Proinflammatory cytokine production was only associated with anticipatory grief, caregiver burden, and depressive symptoms for those high on attachment anxiety or avoidance.

Discussion: Targeting individuals who display a proinflammatory phenotype and report attachment insecurity may be a key first step in preventing poor caregiving adjustment in dementia spousal caregivers. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: Higher life satisfaction is associated with reduced risk of age-related morbidities and premature mortality. However, the degree to which life satisfaction moderates the physical and mental health-related outcomes of daily stressors remains understudied. In this study, we evaluated whether higher life satisfaction moderated the association between the experience of daily stressors and reports of positive affect, negative affect, and physical symptoms.

Method: We used data from a substudy of the Midlife in the United States Study (n = 2,022; conducted 2004-2009). Participants reported their life satisfaction and daily diary entries on stress, positive/negative affect, and physical symptoms. We used multilevel modeling to assess whether life satisfaction moderated stress-related variations in affect and physical symptoms when participants reported a particularly high number of stressors.

Results: Higher life satisfaction was associated with lower negative affect and fewer physical symptoms among participants who reported more frequent stressors (i.e., between-subjects). We did not observe associations with positive affect. Life satisfaction also moderated the impact of stressors within individuals, such that people reported higher negative affect and physical symptoms on days with more stressors but this association was reduced among those higher in life satisfaction.

Conclusion: The findings from this study advance our understanding of how life satisfaction might confer benefits for mental and physical health, primarily through moderating the effect of stress on poorer outcomes. We discuss the findings in the context of the mechanisms linking psychological well-being to physical health in the context of stress across the lifespan. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: To use a recently developed methodology, z-curve analysis, to estimate the likelihood of replication success for recently published studies in three leading health psychology journals with high impact factors that involved some form of a moderation analysis.

Method: Utilizing a z-curve analysis, we estimated the replicability, false positives, publication bias, and "file drawer ratio" of 124 independent tests of moderation with significant results published in recent issues of three leading journals in the field of health psychology. z-curve analyses were conducted for all the journals combined and each journal separately.

Results: The distribution of z scores derived from all 124 studies indicated that the estimation of the expected replication rate and false positive ratio were 46.0% and 8.3%, respectively. The estimated file drawer ratio was 1.6, indicating that for every statistically significant interaction reported, nearly two nonsignificant interactions go unreported. In comparing the three journals, Health Psychology had the best overall results (expected replication rate = 52.3%, Soric false discovery rate = 4.8%, file drawer ration = 0.9). Of the 124 studies examined, 23 conducted power analyses to determine sample size, seven preregistered hypotheses, and three conducted a replication analysis.

Conclusion: Results suggest a need for change regarding both the methodological practices used and the publication processes in place to improve the validity and efficacy of research regarding moderation effects in behavioral medicine-this includes preregistering hypotheses, using formalized methods to determine sample size, and utilizing attention checks. Journals can encourage or require these practices and foster acceptance of nonsignificant results to limit publication biases. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: Social norms predict flu vaccination uptake. Social norms are also a shared reality phenomenon that may have epistemic underpinnings, although this possibility has not yet been tested. We examined whether the relationship between perceived social circle vaccine coverage and own vaccination behavior depends on one's need for closure (NFC), or discomfort with uncertainty.

Method: We recruited a national sample of 300 participants to complete a pair of brief online surveys, the first of which was administered in September 2021 (Wave 1) and the second of which was administered in November 2021 (Wave 2). Participants estimated their social circle's vaccination behavior for the 2020-2021 flu season and reported their own vaccination behavior for the 2021-2022 flu season. Participants also completed a measure of dispositional NFC, along with other measures.

Results: Social circle vaccine coverage reported at Wave 1 predicted participants' vaccination behavior reported at Wave 2, and this relationship was moderated by the NFC. As hypothesized, participants with a high NFC were more likely to adhere to their social circles' vaccination norms, as compared to participants with a moderate or low NFC. Additional analyses were conducted to explore other relevant associations.

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that people's perception of their social circle's vaccination history interacts with their own desire for certainty in the process they use to make vaccination decisions. This raises the possibility that interventions should promote positive social norms and induce epistemic motivations in tandem to promote vaccine uptake. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Objective: Emotion dysregulation disrupts normal biological function by increasing inflammation, thus putting people at risk for long-term health issues. These risks are amplified through aging, and accelerated biological aging poses a significant threat to longevity. This pilot study examined several emotion regulation skills, as well as emotion dysregulation broadly, and their relationship with inflammation among physically healthy adults.

Method: Community members (N = 79, _Mage = 30.88, SD = 11.4) completed a laboratory visit where they had their blood drawn to test for inflammation (interleukin-6 [IL-6] and tumor necrosis factor-alpha). They also completed self-report questionnaires assessing mindfulness, emotion dysregulation, and rumination.

Results: All models adjusted for body mass index, medication use, gender, and race. Among middle-aged participants, greater mindfulness was related to lower IL-6 (b = -0.01, SE = 0.002, p = .03). Conversely, greater rumination corresponded to higher IL-6 (b = 0.03, SE = 0.02, p = .03). Emotion dysregulation was related to higher IL-6 (b = 0.004, SE = 0.002, p = .02). Across each of these models, the simple slopes for the younger participants were not significant (ps > .29), highlighting that relationships between emotion regulation and inflammation were only robust for middle-aged, but not young adult, participants. Age did not moderate the relationship between emotion regulation and tumor necrosis factor-alpha.

Conclusion: These data highlight how emotion regulation strategies, both adaptive and maladaptive, might influence inflammation. Given how inflammation increases with age, using these strategies may be protective against accelerated biological aging and promote greater overall wellness throughout adulthood. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).