Danielle S. Roubinov

Cognitive reappraisal and secondary control coping: associations with working memory, positive and negative affect, and symptoms of anxiety/depression.

Abstract The current study examined the relations of measures of cognitive reappraisal and secondary control coping with working memory abilities, positive and negative affect, and symptoms of anxiety and depression in young adults (N=124). Results indicate significant relations between working memory abilities and reports of secondary control coping and between reports of secondary control coping and cognitive reappraisal. Associations were also found between measures of secondary control coping and cognitive reappraisal and positive and negative affect and symptoms of depression and anxiety. Further, the findings suggest that reports of cognitive reappraisal may be more strongly predictive of positive affect whereas secondary control coping may be more strongly predictive of negative affect and symptoms of depression and anxiety. Overall, the results suggest that current measures of secondary control coping and cognitive reappraisal capture related but distinct constructs and suggest that the assessment of working memory may be more strongly related to secondary control coping in predicting individual differences in distress.

Prevalence, Severity and Risk Factors for Depressive Symptoms and Insomnia in College Undergraduates

Although the college years represent a high-risk period for depressive symptoms and insomnia, little research has explored their prevalence, comorbidities and risk factors within this developmental period. Two studies were conducted; the first evaluated the prevalence and comorbidity of depressive symptoms and insomnia in 1338 students (ages 18-23 years) from a large Southwestern University. Mild depressive symptoms were endorsed by 19% of students and 14.5% reported moderate to severe symptoms. Forty-seven percent of students reported mild insomnia and 22.5% endorsed moderate to severe insomnia severity. A second study investigated perceived stress as a potential mediator of the relation between self-reported childhood adversity and concurrent depressive symptoms and insomnia. Undergraduates (N = 447) from a Southwestern and Southeastern University reported prior childhood adversity, current perceived stress, insomnia and depressive symptoms. Self-reported childhood adversity predicted higher levels of depressive symptoms and insomnia severity, partially mediated by perceived stress. Results support the high prevalence of depressive symptoms and insomnia among undergraduates. The risk for depressive and insomnia symptoms may be increased among students who experienced greater levels of childhood adversity.

Mental health outcomes in emerging adults exposed to childhood maltreatment: the moderating role of stress reactivity.

Childhood maltreatment is an established risk factor for varying configurations of psychological problems in emerging adulthood. The current study tested associations between childhood maltreatment, cortisol reactivity, and current mental health symptoms in emerging adulthood. Eighty-eight participants (aged 18–22) completed measures of childhood maltreatment and current internalizing and externalizing symptoms and participated in a 10-min conflict role-play task. Salivary cortisol was sampled throughout the task, and a residualized change score between baseline and peak time points was computed to capture reactivity. Results from robust regression analyses indicated that cortisol reactivity moderated the association between childhood maltreatment and mental health symptoms as hypothesized. Childhood maltreatment was related to greater internalizing problems among participants with higher cortisol reactivity, whereas maltreatment was associated with greater externalizing problems among participants who exhibited lower cortisol reactivity. Results suggest that patterns of cortisol reactivity in emerging adulthood may help elucidate mental health outcomes associated with childhood maltreatment.

Childhood family environment, social competence, and health across the lifespan:

Childhood family adversity increases the risk of a wide range of psychological and physical health problems later in life, prompting research into developmental pathways linking childhood experiences to adult health. The current paper discusses a social-biological pathway by which childhood family relationships influence the development of the social and emotional skills necessary for adaptive behavioral and biological responses to stress. Failures in the development of social and emotional competence during childhood may lead to dysregulated responses to stress and difficulties in social relationships across the lifespan. Over time, the cumulative impact of dysregulated stress responses and low social support may increase the risk of mental and physical health problems later in life.

Prenatal expectations in Mexican American women: development of a culturally sensitive measure

Prenatal expectations describe various domains a woman envisions in preparation for her role as a new mother and influence how women transition into the maternal role. Although the maternal role is strongly influenced by the prevailing familial and sociocultural context, research characterizing prenatal expectations in ethnic minority and low-income women is lacking. As part of the largest growing minority group in the USA, Latina mothers represent an important group to study. Two hundred and ten low-income Mexican American women were administered the Prenatal Experiences Scale for Mexican Americans (PESMA) that was adapted to capture specific cultural aspects of prenatal expectations. Measures of current support, prenatal depressive symptoms, and other sociodemographic characteristics were also completed to assess validity. Exploratory factor analysis identified three underlying factors of prenatal expectations: paternal support, family support, and maternal role fulfillment. Associations among these subscales and demographic and cultural variables were conducted to characterize women who reported higher and lower levels of expectations. The PESMA demonstrated good concurrent validity when compared to measures of social support, prenatal depressive symptoms, and other sociodemographic constructs. A culturally sensitive measure of prenatal expectations is an important step towards a better understanding of how Mexican American women transition to the maternal role and identify culturally specific targets for interventions to promote maternal health.

Coping Among Individuals With Multiple Sclerosis: Evaluating a Goodness-of-Fit Model

OBJECTIVE Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic illness involving both controllable and uncontrollable stressors. The goodness-of-fit hypothesis posits that managing stressors effectively requires the use of different coping approaches in the face of controllable and uncontrollable stressors. To test the applicability of the goodness-of-fit model in a sample of adults with MS, we evaluated the ratio of 2 types of coping (an active problem-solving approach and an emotion-based meaning-focused approach) as a moderator of the relations between stress uncontrollability and mental health outcomes. METHODS Participants were veterans with MS (N = 90) receiving medical services through the Veterans Health Administration who completed telephone-based interviews. Regression analyses tested the interaction of stress uncontrollability and the problem- and meaning-focused coping ratio on anxious and depressive symptoms. Significant interactions were probed at 1 SD above the mean of coping (use of predominantly problem-focused coping) and 1 SD below the mean of coping (use of predominantly meaning-focused coping). RESULTS Findings largely supported the goodness-of-fit hypothesis. Anxiety and depressive symptoms were elevated when participants used more problem-focused strategies relative to meaning-focused strategies in the face of perceived uncontrollable stress. Conversely, symptoms of anxiety and depression were lower when uncontrollable stress was met with predominantly meaning-focused coping; however, the relations did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS The impact of uncontrollable stressors on mental health outcomes for individuals with MS may vary depending on the degree to which problem-focused versus meaning-focused coping strategies are employed, lending support to the goodness-of-fit model.

Postnatal depression in Mexican American fathers: Demographic, cultural, and familial predictors

BACKGROUND Although maternal postpartum depression (PPD) is a well-documented phenomenon that has been the focus of a large body of literature, much less is known about the prevalence and predictors of depressive symptoms among fathers following the birth of a child. Particularly scarce is research with Mexican American men, an understudied population at high risk given limited socioeconomic resources and elevated rates of maternal PPD. METHODS The current study used descriptive and path analyses to examine the prevalence and predictors of PPD in 92 Mexican American fathers (M age=31.3 years). RESULTS At both 15 and 21 postpartum week assessments, 9% of fathers met criteria for PPD. Path analyses suggested that unemployment status, fewer biological children, poor marital relationship quality, and lower orientation to Anglo culture predicted higher 15 week paternal PPD symptoms, which was associated with greater paternal depressive symptoms at 21 weeks. Predictive paths from symptoms of maternal to paternal PPD were not significant. LIMITATIONS Lack of generalizability to other ethnic groups, sampling of primarily resident fathers, and the absence of historical assessments of depression are limitations of the current study. CONCLUSIONS Findings support the importance of PPD screenings among Mexican American fathers and suggest certain demographic, familial, and cultural factors may render men particularly vulnerable for maladjustment during the early infancy period.

Family Conflict in Childhood and Adolescence and Depressive Symptoms in Emerging Adulthood: Mediation by Disengagement Coping

Exposure to family conflict in childhood increases risk for later life psychological maladjustment. The family environment shapes the development of coping strategies used to manage interpersonal stressors, representing a pathway through which adverse family experiences impact later emotional functioning. In 2 studies, we evaluated engagement and disengagement coping as mediators of the relation between family conflict in childhood and depressive symptoms in young adulthood. Study 1 included participants from continuously married families exposed to higher and lower quality childhood family environments and found that disengagement partially mediated the relation between family conflict and depressive symptoms. Study 2 examined these relations among emerging adults who experienced parental divorce. Results indicated that disengagement coping fully mediated the relation between family conflict and depression. Engagement did not emerge as a mediator in either study. Elevated family conflict across varying family structures might be associated with poor adjustment via disengaged responses to stress.

Childhood Interparental Conflict and HPA Axis Activity in Young Adulthood: Examining Nonlinear Relations

Relations between early adversity and the neuroendocrine stress response are most often tested in a linear framework. Findings from studies of nonlinear relations between early stress and reactivity in childhood are suggestive, but curvilinear associations between childhood family stress and stress reactivity at later developmental stages remain unexplored. The current study examined curvilinear relations between childhood interparental conflict (IPC) and cortisol reactivity in young adulthood. Participants (n = 91; Mean age = 18.7, SD = .97; 59% White, 25% Hispanic) reported on the frequency and intensity of childhood exposure to IPC and salivary cortisol was sampled before and after a challenging interpersonal role-play task. Significant curvilinear relations were found such that higher total cortisol and cortisol reactivity during the task was observed among youth reporting lower and higher frequency of IPC, suggesting that moderate IPC exposure may be associated with lower cortisol activity at a later developmental stage.

Hostile behavior links negative childhood family relationships to heart rate reactivity and recovery in young adulthood

Prior research has demonstrated that vulnerability to stress is influenced by early life experiences. This study evaluates the impact of negative childhood family relationships on cardiovascular stress reactivity in young adulthood. Participants (age 18-22) from families characterized by negative (n=39) or positive relationships (n=36) engaged in a role-play conflict task. Hostile/aggressive verbal behaviors during the task were observed, and blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) responses were measured before, during, and after the task. Participants from negative families engaged in more hostile/aggressive verbal behavior during the task and showed attenuated HR reactivity. Hostile/aggressive verbal behavior predicted attenuated HR reactivity and recovery. Path analyses linked negative family relationships to more hostile verbal behavior during the task, and attenuated HR reactivity and recovery. These results support the development of hostile/aggressive behavior in social situations as a pathway linking childhood adversity to stress vulnerability across the lifespan.