Community Sample Of Young Adults Research Articles

Genetic research participation in a young adult community sample

Opposed to large nationally sponsored health initiatives or biobanks, little is known about gathering genetic samples from young adults participating in academic community-based epidemiologic studies of mental health and substance use, especially samples with a large number of minority participants. This study describes our experience of establishing a genetic arm within a longitudinal study of a cohort of young adults (mean age 29, 75% African American, 58% female). In total, 75% of those interviewed in the most recent wave donated a DNA sample (31.6% blood and 68.4% saliva) and over 90% provided consent for storage and sharing. Current smokers were more likely to donate a sample than nonsmokers (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.59, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.14, 2.22). The odds of obtaining a saliva sample were increased for those who were former cannabis smokers and who drank more regularly, but decreased among participants with less education and a history with drug use. Fewer minorities (aOR = 0.37, 95% CI = 0.18, 0.75; p = 0.006) and cannabis users (aOR = 0.46, 95% CI = 0.27, 0.77) consented to sharing their sample with other investigators. Findings also illustrate there are many study parameters that are important in planning biologic collection efforts. Building strong rapport and trust with subjects, minimizing the burden involved by the respondent to obtain a biological sample, offering a choice to provide blood or saliva, and offering an incentive will increase the likelihood of obtaining a sample and, importantly, increase the opportunity to store and share the sample for the future.

Time-clustered Deaths and Substance Use Disorder among Young Adults

This study assesses whether experiencing multiple deaths of loved ones clustered in time increases risk for substance use problems. Using survey data from a community sample of young adults in Miami, Florida (N = 1747), time-clustered deaths were categorized based on the age of the respondent at the time of each death, with less time between deaths representing greater time-clustering. Results indicate that young adults experiencing multiple deaths that are highly time clustered are at increased risk for substance use disorder and alcohol use. This study provides an alternative way of thinking about how young people may be affected by major life events. It suggests that the increased risk for substance use disorder associated with multiple deaths may be more likely to materialize when the deaths are highly clustered in time.

Perfectionism and Interpersonal Orientations in Depression: An Analysis of Validation Seeking and Rejection Sensitivity in a Community Sample of Young Adults

The current study was conducted to uniquely investigate the associations among trait perfectionism, perfectionistic self-presentation, validation seeking, rejection sensitivity, and depression in a community sample. The authors’ primary purpose was to focus on interpersonal orientations as sources of vulnerability that could potentially account for when perfectionism is dysfunctional. A sample of 183 young adults from a community sample completed the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale, the Perfectionistic Self-Presentation Scale, and measures of growth seeking, validation seeking, rejection sensitivity, and depressive symptoms. Analyses confirmed that validation seeking was associated positively with all of the perfectionism measures with particularly strong associations between validation seeking and perfectionistic self-presentation. As expected, socially prescribed perfectionism and perfectionistic self-presentation had positive associations with rejection sensitivity. Further analyses established that the associations between interpersonal perfectionism and depressive symptoms were mediated by validation seeking, and socially prescribed perfectionism interacted with high rejection sensitivity to predict higher depressive symptoms. Overall, findings indicate that perfectionists are ego-involved individuals who strive for perfection as a means of proving themselves, and they are hypersensitive to interpersonal cues indicating failure and lack of acceptance from others.

Predictors of first lifetime onset of major depressive disorder in young adulthood.

The first onset of major depressive disorder (MDD) most frequently occurs in young adulthood. However, few studies have examined predictors of first lifetime MDD during this high-risk period. The present study examined a broad range of demographic, clinical, and psychosocial variables as prospective predictors of first onset of MDD in a large community sample of young adults (N = 502) from the Oregon Adolescent Depression Project. Between ages 19-31, 35.3% of the sample had a first lifetime MDD episode. Female gender, familial loading of mood disorders, history of childhood sexual abuse, prior history of anxiety disorder, poor self-reported physical health, and subthreshold depressive symptoms significantly predicted MDD onset. In a multivariate model, female gender, familial loading of mood disorders, and subthreshold depression each contributed unique variance in predicting first lifetime MDD. This model had a moderate-to-large effect in predicting MDD onset. Gender did not moderate the other predictors, and the magnitude of the effects did not diminish over the course of the follow-up. These findings indicate that a number of risk factors significantly predict first lifetime MDD in young adulthood, and that simple multivariate risk models may be useful for identifying individuals at high risk for MDD.

Emerging mental disorders in a community sample of young adults in Italy: help-seeking in a Generalist Community Mental Health setting

Delays in the admission to care of young adults with emerging mental disorders represent one of the current major concern in psychiatry. This delay, often experienced in clinical practice, has several determinants. One of these is "unexpressed help-seeking" that is influenced by cultural and historical backgrounds and by the characteristics of the disorder itself, but most of all by the way community mental health services are developed. The aims are to identify: level of stress and mental unease and main determinants of unexpressed help-seeking within a community sample of young adults in a national contest of generalist community mental health model. the sample is made up of 3,446 university students. An explorative questionnaire together with SVS (Stress related Valuation Scale) for the assessment of subjective stress and GHQ-12 for the evaluation of mental health status were given. A descriptive analysis was carried out followed by correlations between unexpressed help-seeking variable and other variables. A logistic regression was carried out on the subsample with GHQ-12 ≥4 utilizing "non help-seeking" as a dependent variable. 46.8% of the sample had a GHQ-12 ≥4 score. The amount of unexpressed help-seeking is equal to 63.6% and ends up being significantly correlated to: male sex, nonresident student, high SVS score, absence of Youth Mental Health Services, distrust manifested in relation to existing Services. A modification of the Community Mental Health Services in the sense of setting up more appropriate contexts for young users, could lead to a reduction of unexpressed help-seeking.

Child physical and sexual abuse in a community sample of young adults: Results from the Ontario Child Health Study

ObjectivesExposure to child maltreatment is associated with physical, emotional, and social impairment, yet in Canada there is a paucity of community-based information about the extent of this problem and its determinants. We examined the prevalence of child physical and sexual abuse and the associations of child abuse with early contextual, family, and individual factors using a community-based sample in Ontario. MethodsThe Ontario Child Health Study is a province-wide health survey of children aged 4 through 16 years. Conducted in 1983, a second wave was undertaken in 1987 and a third in 2000–2001. The third wave (N=1,928) included questions about exposure to physical and sexual abuse in childhood. ResultsMales reported significantly more child physical abuse (33.7%), but not severe physical abuse (21.5%), than females (28.2% and 18.3%, respectively). Females reported significantly more child sexual abuse (22.1%) than males (8.3%). Growing up in an urban area, young maternal age at the time of the first child's birth, and living in poverty, predicted child physical abuse (and the severe category), and sexual abuse. Childhood psychiatric disorder was associated with child physical abuse (and the severe category), while parental adversity was associated with child sexual abuse and severe physical abuse. Siblings of those who experienced either physical abuse or sexual abuse in childhood were at increased risk for the same abuse exposure; the risk was highest for physical abuse. ConclusionsThese findings highlight important similarities and differences in risk factors for physical and sexual abuse in childhood. Such information is useful in considering approaches to prevention and early detection of child maltreatment. Clinicians who identify physical abuse or sexual abuse in children should be alert to the need to assess whether siblings have experienced similar exposures. This has important implications for assessment of other children in the home at the time of identification with the overall goal of reducing further occurrence of abuse.

Subtypes of psychotic-like experiences in a community sample of young adults: socio-demographic correlates and substance use

This study aimed to investigate if particular psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) subtypes were more likely to be associated with a series of socio-demographic variables, with alcohol abuse and with cannabis or illicit drug use. The idea is to further characterize different PLEs subtypes in order to discloud their individual nature. A cross-sectional design was conducted on a sample of 997 university students aged between 19 and 26 years, which belonged to 4 faculties of 2 different universities. Alcohol abuse and cannabis or illicit drug use were assessed using a self-report questionnaire; PLEs were assessed using the Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences. Cases were randomized in order to obtain equipotent groups; then, an analysis of the probable dependence relations between PLEs subtypes and other variables was conducted using analysis of variance models. Persecutory ideas (PI) and bizarre experiences were more frequent within females and non-resident students, moreover PI were more frequent within younger subjects (<20 years). Magical thinking was significantly associated to a more frequent cannabis use in the last year (>1/month). These results confirm usefulness and validity of a "subtype approach" to PLEs. In fact PLEs subtypes may have, not only a different clinical presentation, but even different epidemiological and psychopathological ones.

The combined effects of parental divorce and parental history of depression on cannabis use in young adults in France

BackgroundThe joint effects of multiple social risk factors on substance use, such as parental divorce and parental history of depression, have rarely been studied in young adult offspring. MethodsWe examined the combined effects of parental divorce and parental history of depression on current cannabis use among a community sample of young adults in France. Parental divorce was ascertained as divorce or separation before 2009. Parental history of depression based on parental reports of depression (1989–2009) and offspring reports of parental lifetime history of depression. Current cannabis use was defined as use at least once in the preceding 12months. Data were analyzed using multiple logistic regression models controlling for young adult and parental socio-demographic variables. ResultsApproximately one fourth of youth (23%) reported consuming cannabis at least once in the past year. At the same time, 15% had parents who were divorced and 30% parents with a history of depression. The association between parental divorce and cannabis use in young adults was not statistically significant (adjusted OR: 1.50; 95% CI: 0.97–2.31). History of parental depression conferred a marginally statistically significant 42% higher odds of young adult cannabis use (adjusted OR: 1.42; 95% CI: 1.00–2.01). Young adults who experienced both parental history of divorce and depression were more than two times as likely to be current cannabis users compared to those who experienced neither of these (adjusted OR: 2.38; 95% CI: 1.26–4.48). ConclusionOur findings highlight the critical importance of considering familial context in understanding cannabis use in young adults.

Self-Weighing Behaviors in Young Adults: Tipping the Scale Toward Unhealthy Eating Behaviors?

This study examined associations between frequency of self-weighing and healthy weight-control behaviors (WCBs), unhealthy WCBs, muscle-enhancing behaviors (e.g., steroid use, protein powders), and psychological well-being (i.e., self-esteem, depression, body satisfaction) in a community sample of young adults. Data were drawn from Project EAT-III (Eating and Activity in Teens and Young Adults), the third wave of a population-based study. Participants included young adults (n = 2,287, mean age = 25.3 years) from the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area. Self-weighing a few times per week or more frequently was reported by 18% of young adult women and 12% of young adult men. Linear regression models, adjusted for body mass index and demographic characteristics, indicated that in both women and men, more frequent self-weighing was associated with a higher prevalence of dieting, both healthy and unhealthy WCBs, and muscle-enhancing behaviors. Additionally, young women who reported more frequent self-weighing were more likely to report binge eating. More frequent self-weighing was also associated with more depressive symptoms and lower self-esteem in women and lower body satisfaction in young men. More frequent self-weighing is associated with healthy and unhealthy weight-control practices, muscle-enhancing behaviors, and poorer psychological well-being in young adults. Young adults engaging in self-weighing behaviors should be screened for these health indicators and counseled as appropriate. Before recommending self-weighing as a weight-monitoring tool, health care providers should ensure that young adults are not at risk for an unhealthy preoccupation with body weight or shape.

Hallucination-Like Experiences in the Nonclinical Population

Unusual subjective experiences are relatively common in the general population and have been associated with an increased level of vulnerability to psychosis. The current study aimed to a) determine the distribution of hallucination-like experiences (HLEs) in a community sample of young adults, b) investigate their dimensional subtypes, and c) test the association of HLEs with indicators of poor mental health. Four hundred thirty-seven participants (men, 41%) completed a battery of questionnaires including the 16-item Launay-Slade Hallucination Scale (LSHS), the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and the 21-item Peters et al. Delusions Inventory (PDI). The LSHS correlated significantly with GHQ-12 and PDI. Individuals with higher levels of psychological distress were found to report higher frequencies of the HLEs compared with those in the reference range. Exploratory factor analysis of LSHS produced a four-factor solution: a) "auditory and visual HLEs," b) "multisensory HLEs," c) "intrusive thoughts," and d) "vivid daydreams." The current results provide further support for the multidimensional nature of hallucination proneness in the general population and indicate that some HLEs (particularly those related to intrusiveness of thought) are associated with a lower level of perceived well-being.

The relationship between childhood conduct disorder and adult antisocial behavior is partially mediated by early-onset alcohol abuse.

Early-onset alcohol abuse (EOAA) was previously found to both mediate and moderate the effect of childhood conduct disorder (CD) on adult antisocial behavior (ASB) in an American community sample of young adults (Howard, R., Finn, P. R., Gallagher, J., & Jose, P. (2011). Adolescent-onset alcohol abuse exacerbates the influence of childhood conduct disorder on late adolescent and early adult antisocial behavior. Journal of Forensic Psychiatry and Psychology. Advance online publication. doi:10.1080/14789949.2011.641996). This study tested whether this result would generalize to a British forensic sample comprising 100 male forensic patients with confirmed personality disorder. Results confirmed that those in whom EOAA co-occurred with CD showed the highest level of personality pathology, particularly Cluster B traits and antisocial/borderline comorbidity. Those with co-occurring CD with EOAA, compared with those showing only CD, showed more violence in their criminal history and greater recreational drug use. Regression analysis showed that both EOAA and CD predicted adult ASB when covariates were controlled. Further analysis showed that EOAA significantly mediated but did not moderate the effect of CD on ASB. The failure to demonstrate an exacerbating effect of EOAA on the relationship between CD and ASB likely reflects the high prevalence of CD in this forensic sample. Some implications of these findings are discussed.

Childhood Exposure to Parental Threatening Behaviors and Anxiety Symptoms in a Community Sample of Young Adults: The Mediating Role of Cognitive Biases

Childhood exposure to parental threatening behaviors has been associated with a number of negative outcomes, including anxiety symptoms. However, research is lacking regarding the mechanisms that may explain these associations. One such mechanism may be cognitive biases, or more specifically, the degree to which individuals interpret neutral or ambiguous events as threatening (i.e., interpretive biases) and make negative judgments about their ability to cope with internal and external events (i.e., judgment biases). The purpose of this study was to examine the direct links between childhood exposure to parental threatening behaviors and anxiety symptoms in young adulthood, as well as the mediating role of cognitive biases in this association. Multiple mediator analyses in both normal (n = 643; mean age = 18.77 years, SD = 1.06; age range = 18–24; 69% women) and anxious groups (n = 152; mean age = 18.64 years, SD = 0.97; age range = 18–23; 80% women) revealed that childhood exposure to parental threatening behaviors significantly predicted current anxiety disorder symptoms. In both groups, this association was fully mediated by participants’ judgment biases. The mediated effect was significant after controlling for negative affectivity. Overall, the findings of this study suggest that childhood exposure to parental threatening behaviors may set the stage for the development of judgment biases, which, in turn, may increase the risk for anxiety symptoms. These findings highlight the potential utility of targeting judgment biases in interventions for anxiety-related problems.

Psychotic experience subtypes, poor mental health status and help‐seeking behaviour in a community sample of young adults

Different subtypes of psychotic experiences (PEs) have been identified in clinical and non-clinical samples. Researchers have considered these PEs to either be variations of personality or expressions of vulnerability to psychotic disorder. This study aimed to determine which particular subtypes of PEs were more likely to be associated with poor mental health status and help-seeking behaviour in a non-clinical sample of young adults. The study was conducted on a community sample of 997 young adults. The prevalence of PEs and distress was measured using the community assessment of psychic experiences (CAPE), depressive and anxiety symptoms were measured using Beck depression inventory-II and Beck anxiety inventory, and general functioning was measured using the general health questionnaire-12. Factorial analysis of the CAPE positive dimension was conducted and correlations between factors and clinical variables were analysed. Four PE subtypes were identified: perceptual abnormalities, persecutory ideas (PI), bizarre experiences, and magical thinking. At least one high frequency PI was endorsed by 60.8% (n = 606) of the sample and proved to be significantly associated both with poor mental health status and help-seeking behaviour. PEs subtypes are differentially associated with various markers of poor mental health status. PI seem to have stronger psychopathological significance than other subtypes of PEs. Further longitudinal studies are required to extend these findings.

Help-Seeking Behaviors in a Community Sample of Young Adults with Substance Use Disorders

Despite the high prevalence of substance use disorders (SUDs) in the U.S., many with a SUD go untreated and/or report lengthy delays to help-seeking initiation. From a public health standpoint, because SUDs often emerge in early adulthood, information on help-seeking behaviors among young adults is important. Using data from young adults ages 18-23 years with a history of a SUD (n = 672) in Miami-Dade County, Florida, this study estimates the prevalence of lifetime help-seeking initiation and examines factors related to help seeking and delays to help-seeking initiation. The majority (68%) of young adults with a history of a SUD reported never having sought help, and those who reported help seeking experienced relatively lengthy delays (1-7 years) to help-seeking initiation. These findings underscore the need for both timely substance abuse treatment and for accelerated research on successful outreach strategies for young adults with SUDs.

The Challenges of Fitting an Item Response Theory Model to the Social Anhedonia Scale

This study explored the application of latent variable measurement models to the Social Anhedonia Scale (SAS; Eckblad, Chapman, Chapman, & Mishlove, 1982), a widely used and influential measure in schizophrenia-related research. Specifically, we applied unidimensional and bifactor item response theory (IRT) models to data from a community sample of young adults (n = 2,227). Ordinal factor analyses revealed that identifying a coherent latent structure in the 40-item SAS data was challenging due to (a) the presence of multiple small content clusters (e.g., doublets); (b) modest relations between those clusters, which, in turn, implies a general factor of only modest strength; (c) items that shared little variance with the majority of items; and (d) cross-loadings in bifactor solutions. Consequently, we conclude that SAS responses cannot be modeled accurately by either unidimensional or bifactor IRT models. Although the application of a bifactor model to a reduced 17-item set met with better success, significant psychometric and substantive problems remained. Results highlight the challenges of applying latent variable models to scales that were not originally designed to fit these models.

The History and Timing of Depression Onset as Predictors of Young Adult Self-Esteem

Depression often emerges early in the lifecourse and is consistently shown to be associated with poor self-esteem. The three main objectives of the current study are to (1) evaluate the association between a history major depression and self-esteem in young adulthood; (2) assess the relationship between timing of depression onset and young adult self-esteem; and (3) help rule out the alternative interpretation that the relationship between major depression and self-esteem is due to state dependence bias stemming from recent depressive symptoms and stressful life events. To address these objectives we use data from a two-wave panel study based on a community sample of young adults in Miami-Dade County, Florida (n = 1,197). Results indicated a history of major depression during sensitive periods of social development is associated with negative changes in self-esteem over a two-year period during the transition to young adulthood. Among those with a history of depression, earlier onset was more problematic than later onset for young adult self-esteem, although the difference disappeared once the level of self-esteem two years prior was controlled. The linkages between the history and timing of depression onset with self-esteem were observed net of recent depressive symptoms and stressful life events, and thus robust to an alternative interpretation of state dependence. The findings support the argument that major depression, especially if it develops earlier during child-adolescent development, has negative consequences for one's self-esteem.

Incremental Validity of Mindfulness Skills in Relation to Emotional Dysregulation among a Young Adult Community Sample

The present investigation examined the incremental predictive validity of mindfulness skills, as measured by the Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills (KIMS), in relation to multiple facets of emotional dysregulation, as indexed by the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), above and beyond variance explained by negative affectivity, anxiety sensitivity, and distress tolerance. Participants were a nonclinical community sample of 193 young adults (106 women, 87 men; Mage = 23.91 years). The KIMS Accepting without Judgment subscale was incrementally negatively predictive of all facets of emotional dysregulation, as measured by the DERS. Furthermore, KIMS Acting with Awareness was incrementally negatively related to difficulties engaging in goal-directed behavior. Additionally, both observing and describing mindfulness skills were incrementally negatively related to lack of emotional awareness, and describing skills also were incrementally negatively related to lack of emotional clarity. Findings are discussed in relation to advancing scientific understanding of emotional dysregulation from a mindfulness skills-based framework.

Is the New Age phenomenon connected to delusion-like experiences? Analysis of survey data from Australia

Recent studies have shown that delusion-like experiences (DLEs) are common among general populations. This study investigates whether the prevalence of these experiences are linked to the embracing of New Age thought. Logistic regression analyses were performed using data derived from a large community sample of young adults (N = 3777). Belief in a spiritual or higher power other than God was found to be significantly associated with endorsement of 16 of 19 items from Peters et al. (1999b) Delusional Inventory following adjustment for a range of potential confounders, while belief in God was associated with endorsement of four items. A New Age conception of the divine appears to be strongly associated with a wide range of DLEs. Further research is needed to determine a causal link between New Age philosophy and DLEs (e.g. thought disturbance, suspiciousness, and delusions of grandeur).

Loneliness and cortisol: Momentary, day-to-day, and trait associations

In attempts to understand the social determinants of health, strong associations have been found between measures of loneliness, physiological stress processes, and physical and mental health outcomes. Feelings of loneliness are hypothesized to have implications for physiological stress processes, including activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. In a community sample of young adults, multilevel modeling was used to examine whether trait and state feelings of loneliness were related to changes in levels of the stress-sensitive hormone cortisol, and whether the associations between loneliness and cortisol were mediated or moderated by the presence of concurrent depression or high levels of chronic life stress. Results indicated that trait loneliness was associated with a flattening of the diurnal cortisol rhythm. In addition, both daily and momentary state variations in loneliness were related to cortisol. Prior day feelings of loneliness were associated with an increased cortisol awakening response the next morning and momentary experiences of loneliness during the day were associated with momentary increases in cortisol among youth who also had high chronic interpersonal stress. Results were significant after covarying current depression, both chronic and momentary reports of stress, and medical and lifestyle covariates. This study expanded on prior work by investigating and revealing three different time courses of association between loneliness and HPA axis activity in young adults: trait, daily and momentary.

Welfare and Citizenship: The Effects of Government Assistance on Young Adults' Civic Participation

Recent scholarship and public discourse highlight an apparent waning of civic engagement in the United States. Although the welfare state is generally thought to support democracy by reducing economic inequality, it may paradoxically contribute to political disempowerment of some groups. We examine the effects of state interventions on civic participation among young adults, hypothesizing that involvement with stigmatizing social programs, such as welfare, reduces political engagement, while receipt of nonstigmatizing government assistance does not dampen civic involvement. Using official voting records and survey data from the Youth Development Study (YDS), a longitudinal community sample of young adults, a series of regression models suggests that welfare recipients are less likely to vote than nonrecipients, whereas recipients of non-means-tested government assistance participate similarly to young adults who do not receive government help. These effects hold even when background factors, self-efficacy, and prior voting behavior are controlled. Welfare receipt is not associated, however, with suppressed participation in nonstate arenas such as volunteer work. Intensive interviews with YDS welfare recipients are used to illustrate and develop the analysis.