Dysmorphology examinations have established that fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are associated with characteristic physical features from infancy through adolescence. As individuals mature into young adulthood and beyond, the aging process may attenuate characteristic features over time. The purpose of this study was to evaluate FASD-related dysmorphology at midlife. Subjects (N = 192) were recruited from two longitudinal cohorts and from the general community (Mage = 39.5 years, SDage = 8.1 years). A majority (n = 132, 68.8%) had an FASD or well-documented prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE). Standard dysmorphology examinations of 23 physical features were conducted, blind to FASD/PAE status. Participants were stratified into experimental groups according to actual or inferred degree of dysmorphology at the time of their initial examination in childhood or adolescence: high dysmorphology or low dysmorphology. Age-matched controls with no diagnosed or suspected FASD formed the third experimental group. Hierarchical multiple and logistic regression analyses were conducted, regressing the 23 physical characteristics on age, race/ethnicity, and sex (Block 1), experimental group (Block 2), and the two-way interactions between experimental group and the demographic variables (Block 3). Numerous main effects were found for the demographic variables. Controlling for these, main effects for experimental group were found for orbitofrontal circumference, palpebral fissure lengths, philtrum score, vermilion border score, hypoplastic midface, and camptodactyly. Demographics moderated effects of experimental group for philtrum length, philtrum score, and vermilion border score, cardinal features of FASD. Findings indicate that PAE-related dysmorphological features persist into adulthood and further into midlife and may remain useful in diagnosis of FASD beyond young adulthood. However, as demographic factors appear to impact some of the cardinal features of FASD, age-, gender-, and race-related norms and reference image sets for the sentinel features of FASD in adults of different ages may be helpful in diagnosing individuals in adulthood and beyond.

Functional network organization for early identification of bipolar disorder in late adolescents and young adults with depressive episodes.

High-fat diet exposure from prenatal life to early adulthood induces sex-specific neuropsychiatric vulnerability in mice.

Nudging Toward Sustainable and Healthy Diets: A Randomized Trial of Young Adults.

Relationships between cannabis use and mental disorders: assessing the coherence of evidence from studies with different methodologies.

Personality traits are associated with human cortical structural development during the transition from late adolescence to young adulthood: A longitudinal structural MRI study

Association of Parenting Stress in Early Childhood with Emotional Health and Resilience of Young Adults with Congenital Heart Disease.

Behavioral deficits, organ weight changes, and altered gut microbiota in single-housed middle-aged mice.

This study explored meal preferences in young adults and moderation by dietary behaviours and cardiometabolic health. Between April and November 2022, Australian young adults (18-30 years) were invited to complete an online discrete choice experiment (DCE) to understand meal preferences and to provide an 8-item cardiometabolic profile analysis. Participants were presented with 12 choice sets reflecting a typical weekday meal and were asked to choose between four meal options, each with five meal attributes (preparation time, cost, taste, familiarity, nutrition content). Conditional logit models were used to determine meal preferences and associations with diet quality, hunger, appetite disinhibition and cardiometabolic health. A total of 229 adults (49% female, mean age 23.9 [SD 3.9] years) completed the DCE and provided cardiometabolic data. Higher nutrition content was the most important influence on meal choice (β=2.26, 95% CI: 1.97, 2.56), followed by better taste (β=2.05; 95% CI: 1.80, 2.29), higher quality (β=0.96; 95% CI: 0.79, 1.13), lower cost (β=-0.85; 95% CI: 1.07, -0.64), and lower preparation time (β=-0.75; 95% CI: 0.91, -0.59). Higher nutrition content was more important with higher diet quality and less important with increasing appetite disinhibition, VLDL-cholesterol, insulin, hsCRP and triglycerides levels; higher meal quality was more important with higher diet quality and less important with increasing appetite disinhibition; better taste was less important with increasing total and LDL cholesterol; lower cost was more important with increasing VLDL-cholesterol, insulin and triglycerides; and lower preparation time was more important with increasing VLDL-cholesterol and triglycerides. Meal preferences in young adulthood vary according to dietary behaviours and cardiometabolic profile. Targeted interventions and policies that address the underlying reasons for unhealthy behaviours in young adults and differ by cardiometabolic risk groups are needed.

Socioeconomic deprivation may elevate the risk of depression. This study examines how the effect of area-level deprivation during adolescence on antidepressant prescribing varies by urbanicity in young adulthood in Northern Ireland. A cohort of 120,907 individuals aged 10-14 years in 2010 was tracked through to 2021 using linked administrative data. Antidepressant prescriptions were recorded annually; area-level deprivation was assessed in 2010 using the Northern Ireland Multiple Deprivation Measure (NIMDM). A random-intercept logistic regression model, with calendar year treated as a random effect, was used to analyse the relationship between area-level deprivation in 2010 and antidepressant prescribing from 2010 to 2021, adjusting for age, sex and urbanicity (urban/rural). The effect of area-level deprivation was allowed to vary by urbanicity. Analyses were repeated for different types of antidepressants. 30,243 (25.0%) young people received antidepressants at least once over the study period. The likelihood of receiving antidepressants in the first year of the study (2010) was highest for young people residing in the most deprived urban areas (51, 0.23%) and lowest for those living in the least deprived rural areas (< 10, < 0.45%). After adjusting for confounders, the conditional probability of receiving antidepressants in 2021 for those living in the most deprived urban areas in 2010 was an estimated 20.3% (95%CI 20.0%, 20.7%), compared to 15.9% (95%CI 14.9%, 16.9%) who lived in the most deprived rural areas in 2010 and 14.8% (95%CI 14.1%, 15.5%) who lived in the least deprived rural areas in 2010. Similar trends were observed for different types of antidepressants. Urban environments may expose young individuals to additional risks, with early disadvantage leading to lasting mental ill-health effects. In contrast, rural areas may have fewer prescriptions due to limited access to healthcare and challenges in capturing localized rural deprivation using area-level measures. This study underscores the importance of targeted mental health interventions for deprived urban adolescents. Further research is needed to better understand the relationship between deprivation and youth mental health in rural areas.

Repeated or persistent suicidal ideation (SI) and suicide attempts (SA) are among the most robust risk factors for later suicide mortality, yet few studies have identified factors that consistently predict their recurrence over time. Using data from the U.S. National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, which followed a nationally representative cohort of U.S. adolescents over 14 years, we examined whether adolescent self-esteem predicts SI and SA across adolescence and young adulthood. A total of 6,504 adolescents were assessed at Wave 1 (1994-1995), with follow-up interviews conducted at one, seven, and fourteen years. Self-esteem and demographic characteristics were measured at baseline, whereas SI, SA, and established risk factors for suicidality (i.e., depressive symptoms, substance use, violent victimization, childhood maltreatment, and recent exposure to suicide attempts) were assessed at each wave. Time-lagged logistic regression models showed that adolescent self-esteem predicted SI at all follow-ups, even after adjusting for demographic factors, concurrent risk factors, and prior suicidality. In contrast, SA was more consistently predicted by concurrent risk factors. We discuss the implications of these findings for suicide prevention and intervention.

Obesity that develops at different life stages may have distinct metabolic consequences, and the mechanisms distinguishing juvenile from adult-onset obesity remain incompletely defined. Thus, we examined how the timing of exposure to a high-fat diet (HFD) affects expansion, lipid metabolism, and insulin signaling in epididymal visceral adipose tissue (eVAT). Male C57BL/6J mice were fed either a control diet or a 60% HFD, initiated immediately after weaning during the juvenile period (3 weeks of age) or at young adulthood (9 weeks of age), and continued until 17 weeks of age. HFD increased both total VAT and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) mass regardless of exposure timing. However, when introduced during adulthood, it led to a higher total VAT to SAT ratio, greater total VAT mass, more severe hyperglycemia, and more pronounced eVAT adipocyte hypertrophy and reduction in PPARγ protein levels. Only adult mice exposed to HFD exhibited impaired eVAT insulin signaling, characterized by increased inhibitory IRS1 phosphorylation, reduced Akt phosphorylation, and lower GLUT4 protein levels. This was associated with increased fatty acid influx, indicated by higher lipoprotein lipase and Cd36 expression, reduced SREBP-1c protein levels, and a shift toward a pro-lipolytic profile with increased Hsl expression. These findings indicate that adult exposure to HFD leads to more adverse effects on eVAT expansion, lipid metabolism, and insulin signaling than juvenile exposure, further supporting the concept that the developmental stage at which caloric overload is initiated shapes adipose tissue plasticity and influences the severity of obesity-related metabolic disturbances.

Fear of fat may reflect concern regarding rejection one may experience at a higher weight. Peers play a major role in socialization and support during adolescence and young adulthood. While studies have highlighted peers as an important source of influence underlying disordered eating, it is unclear whether one's own fear of fat or peers' fear of fat is associated with concerns about weight, shape, eating, and eating behaviors. The present study used data from 94 female friend pairs (mean age = 20.18, SD = 1.77). Actor-partner interdependence models were conducted to explore the extent to which one's own fear of fat predicted their own dietary restraint, weight concerns, shape concerns, eating concerns, and thin-ideal internalization (actor effects), as well as the extent to which the individual's friend's fear of fat predicted the individual's dietary restraint, weight concerns, shape concerns, eating concerns, and thin-ideal internalization (partner effects). The Antifat Attitudes Questionnaire was used to assess fear of fat. The Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire was used to assess dietary restraint and weight/shape/eating concerns. The Sociocultural Attitudes Toward Appearance Questionnaire-4 was used to assess thin-ideal internalization. BMI was included as a covariate. Findings demonstrated robust actor effects, whereas partner effects were small and/or non-significant. Results highlight that one's own attitudes about weight are stronger predictors of their dietary restraint, weight/shape/eating concerns, and thin-ideal internalization. These results might further suggest that an individual's perception of their peers may be a stronger predictor of their disordered eating than their peers' objective attitudes.

The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center (9/11) exposed both disaster responders and community members to a complex mixture of environmental contaminants, resulting in long-term health consequences. While clinical and research efforts have characterized health effects among adult survivors (community members) and responders, less is known about individuals who were exposed in utero, during childhood, adolescence, or young adulthood. Recognizing this gap, Congress amended the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. § 300mm-51(c)) to establish a Research Cohort for Emerging Health Impacts on Youth to promote research on those individuals who were 21 years of age or younger at the time of exposure. This Commentary reviews the historical development of post-9/11 monitoring, treatment, and research programs, and discusses the unique challenges of conducting research in such a youth cohort 25 years after the event. A central coordinating center supported by community-based field sites offers a promising approach to promoting research among this cohort and addressing critical gaps in understanding the lifelong impacts of 9/11 exposures.

The skin microbiome plays an important role in aging, yet most aging biomarkers predominantly focus on gut bacteria, overlooking the skin microbial communities, especially its fungal component. To comprehensively profile the skin bacterial and fungal microbiome across age, sex, and anatomical sites (sun-exposed forehead vs. non-sun-exposed back) and develop an integrated microbial model for age prediction. A total of 160 skin swabs from 80 healthy individuals stratified into four age groups (centered at 10, 30, 50, 70 years) were conducted by DNA sequencing for microbial analysis. An age-predictive model was built using a random forest classifier trained on bacterial and fungal composition data. We found clear age- and sex-specific differences in the skin microbiome. Fungal diversity was significantly higher in females, while bacterial diversity decreased markedly around age 30 in both sexes. Malassezia dominated fungal communities; its abundance peaked at 30 years, declining with age, especially on female foreheads. Age-dependent shifts occurred in dominant Malassezia species (e.g., M. globosa in children, M. arunalokei in the elderly). Bacterial communities shifted from diverse childhood profiles (e.g., Pseudomonas, Streptococcus) to Cutibacterium dominance in young adulthood, which declined in older individuals. Correlation analysis revealed stronger age-microbe associations in males. Finally, we developed a predictive model using four key microbial markers-Lactarius (fungus), Chryseobacterium, Gordonia, and Psychrobacter-that showed good performance in age-group classification (AUC = 0.97). Collectively, these findings reveal distinct age- and sex-related patterns in the skin microbiome, highlight the importance of including fungi in microbiome studies, and demonstrate the potential of microbial profiles as candidate age-associated signatures.

This study explored relational experiences among young adults with cancer and their self-chosen caregivers (friends and partners) across the cancer trajectory. A national, multicentre qualitative study was conducted in oncology and haematology settings at all five Danish University Hospitals. Individual semi-structured interviews were undertaken with young adults with cancer (diagnosed when aged 18-39years) and their self-chosen friends or partners as caregivers. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis and reported in accordance with COREQ. Nine young adults with cancer (aged 23-36years) and 13 informal caregivers (aged 22-34years) participated (partners n = 7, friends n = 6). Three themes were identified: (1) Holding on to Normality in a Youth Life on Pause, young adult with cancer and caregiver dyads created "breathing spaces" through everyday routines while navigating disruptions in body, mood, and participation in youth contexts; (2) Navigating Help, Needs, and Boundaries, young adults with cancer and their caregiver balanced requesting and offering support, preferred concrete help, and engaged in mutual protection, with professional support rarely accessed; and (3) Shifting Roles in the Relationship, relationships evolved toward "love and logistics", and support was organised in changing circles of closeness, with friends often occupying an "in-between" position. Cancer in young adulthood emerges as a relational phenomenon. Acknowledging partners and friends as caregivers, and fostering communication, boundary setting, and role negotiation, may reinforce dyadic coping processes and support the continuity of everyday life.

Stress levels have increased among adolescents, yet tools for identifying those at high risk remain limited. This study aimed to develop and internally validate a prognostic model estimating the probability of high perceived stress in young adulthood using data collected at age 15. Data were from the West Jutland Cohort Study including 2,108 Danish adolescents with complete information on the 4-item Perceived Stress Scale at ages 15 and 18. High stress at age 18 was defined as a total score of 9 or higher. Twenty-three candidate predictors were examined using Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regression across 100 imputed datasets. Predictors selected in ≥ 80% of imputations were entered into a pooled logistic regression model. Model performance was evaluated using 10-fold cross-validation under multiple imputation. Discrimination was assessed with the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC), and calibration with calibration-in-the-large (CITL) and slope. Three predictors at age 15 were retained: perceived stress, depressive symptoms, and self-esteem. The model showed good calibration (CITL = 0.003; slope = 1.008; expected-to-observed ratio = 0.998) and acceptable discrimination with an AUC = 0.72 (0.68;0.76). The Brier score was 0.081, indicating satisfactory overall predictive accuracy. The model showed high negative predictive values but modest positive predictive values. A simple model based on self-reported psychosocial measures in mid-adolescence predicted later high stress with good calibration and moderate discrimination. External validation is needed to assess generalisability and inform potential use as a low-burden decision-support tool in school health settings.

This study aims, through an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), to examine whether individuals in young adulthood experience the so-called “fear of missing life” and, if so, their lived experiences of this feeling. The participants consisted of 16 young adults aged 28–40, selected through purposive sampling. Face-to-face interviews were conducted in sessions lasting 40–60 minutes, starting with an interview form and continuing with semi-structured questions developed through expert input and pilot testing. During analysis, audio recordings were transcribed. Following transcription, a systematic roadmap was applied, including reading, re-reading, note-taking, developing themes, identifying connections among themes, moving to the next case, and searching for cross-case patterns. Findings revealed that 10 of the 16 participants experienced the fear of missing life. This feeling, influenced by definitions of adulthood, perceptions of maturity, self-conceptions, and perspectives on life, emerged as a result of evaluating life goals. Participants described it as “a feeling that constantly pursues them, gnawing from the inside.” Arising during the critical stage of young adulthood through social comparisons, this fear progresses as regret about the past, heightened expectations for the future, or dissatisfaction with the present, and negatively influences life satisfaction, psychological well-being, and social relationships. This study aims to contribute not only theoretically but also to psychological practice. It provides a clearer understanding of the psychology of young adults and sheds light on their inner worlds in the context of current global developments. While the findings make a significant contribution to the psychology literature, they may also offer a new perspective for mental health practices.

Long-term molecular embedding of early life adversity: leukocyte DNA methylation and gene expression associations from childhood to young adulthood

ABSTRACT Young adulthood is a critical period for the development of metabolic disorders. Time-restricted feeding (TRF) has been proposed as an intermittent fasting strategy to mitigate these effects. However, its impact when feeding occurs out of sync with the biological clock remains uncertain. This study aimed to investigate the effects of mistimed time-restricted feeding during the light phase on metabolic and circadian outcomes in young female Wistar rats maintained on a pre-existing Western-diet background. Post-weaning rats (n = 24) were divided into a control group (standard chow diet) (C) and an western group (Western-style diet) (W) ad libitum for 8 weeks. The western group was further split into two subgroups: western ad libitum (WA) and western time-restricted (WR, 12-hour feeding window – light phase). Body weight, fat deposition, food intake, locomotor activity, glycemic and lipid profiles, hepatic lipid content, and circadian parameters were evaluated. At the end of the experimental period, Western-style diet exposure was associated with increased visceral adiposity and metabolic disturbances, consistent with a diet-induced obese phenotype. TRF during the light phase reduced visceral adiposity but paradoxically increased plasma glucose levels and relative liver weight, altered feeding patterns, disrupted glycemic rhythms, and reduced robustness of locomotor activity rhythms. Overall, these findings suggest that mistimed TRF may promote circadian misalignment and metabolic alterations under Western-diet conditions, highlighting a dissociation between metabolic and circadian responses.