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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

How Does Educational Attainment Influence The Perceived Need For Future Assistance With Activities Of Daily Living?, Julia M. Finan Apr 2024

How Does Educational Attainment Influence The Perceived Need For Future Assistance With Activities Of Daily Living?, Julia M. Finan

Population Health Research Brief Series

Adults often underestimate whether they will need assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs) as they age. This brief summarizes the results of a recent study that used data from the 2011-2014 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) to examine educational differences in perceived need for future ADL assistance among 54,946 adults aged 40 to 65 years in the United States. Even though adults with less education are more likely to require long-term ADL care services and supports, results show that they are less likely than their more highly educated peers to perceive the need for future ADL assistance.


Older Adults Are At Greater Risk Of Opioid Use Disorder In Communities With High Social Vulnerability, Tse-Chuan Yang, Seulki Kim, Stephen A. Matthews, Carla Shoff Mar 2024

Older Adults Are At Greater Risk Of Opioid Use Disorder In Communities With High Social Vulnerability, Tse-Chuan Yang, Seulki Kim, Stephen A. Matthews, Carla Shoff

Population Health Research Brief Series

The prevalence of opioid use disorder (OUD) among older adults has increased and imposes a heavy burden on the health care system in the United States. This brief summarizes findings from a study that used data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to examine how county characteristics contributed to the prevalence of OUD among Medicare beneficiaries age 65+ in U.S. counties in 2021. They found that the prevalence of OUD among these adults is higher in counties with more place-level social vulnerability (e.g., socioeconomic disadvantage, high housing cost burden).


Infant Mortality Rates Vary Substantially Across Regions Of The United States, Marissa Merrifield Feb 2024

Infant Mortality Rates Vary Substantially Across Regions Of The United States, Marissa Merrifield

Population Health Research Brief Series

Infant mortality rates are higher in the United States than in its high-income peer countries. Additionally, infant mortality rates vary within the U.S., with much higher rates in some geographic regions compared to others. This data slice uses data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to compare infant mortality rates by geographic region in the U.S. between 2017-2021. The results show that the infant mortality rate was the highest in the South and lowest in the Northeast and West.


Black Women Have The Highest Maternal Mortality Rate In The United States, Tori-Ann Haywood Feb 2024

Black Women Have The Highest Maternal Mortality Rate In The United States, Tori-Ann Haywood

Population Health Research Brief Series

The U.S. maternal mortality rate is consistently higher than its high-income peer countries. Since 2018 maternal mortality rates in the U.S. have steadily increased for all ethnoracial groups. This data slice uses data from the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics to describe U.S. maternity mortality rates for women ages 15-45 across different ethnoracial groups between 2018-2022. Results show that, except for non-Hispanic (NH) Asian women, ethnoracial minority women have higher maternal death rates than NH White women.


Are We Accurately Counting The Disabled Population In The United States?, Nastassia Vaitsiakhovich, Scott D. Landes, Bonnielin K. Swenor Feb 2024

Are We Accurately Counting The Disabled Population In The United States?, Nastassia Vaitsiakhovich, Scott D. Landes, Bonnielin K. Swenor

Population Health Research Brief Series

Over 1 in 4 Americans are disabled (26.8%), yet health disparities for this subpopulation remain under-addressed. Tackling health disparities for people with disabilities requires effective public health and disability policies that cannot be developed without standardized and accurate disability data. The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) annually collects data on health outcomes for the non-institutionalized U.S. population, including those with disabilities. The questions to measure disability in the NHIS have changed over time, raising concerns about how these changes affect the accuracy of the count of people with disabilities in the U.S. This brief summarizes findings from a recent study …


Pain Limits Family Caregivers’ Daily Activities, Shelbie G. Turner, Karl A. Pillemer, Jamie Robinson, M. Cary Reid Jan 2024

Pain Limits Family Caregivers’ Daily Activities, Shelbie G. Turner, Karl A. Pillemer, Jamie Robinson, M. Cary Reid

Population Health Research Brief Series

Family caregivers are the main providers of home care to older adults, especially as the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia rises. Caregiving can take a toll on caregivers’ physical and mental health, which impacts both their own well-being and their care recipients’ health outcomes. This brief summarizes findings from a study that used data from the 2017 National Study on Caregiving (NSOC) to estimate the prevalence of arthritis and activity-limiting pain among 1,930 family caregivers to older adults. Over half of all caregivers reported bothersome pain in the previous month, 24% of whom had pain that limited their …


Why Is Food Insecurity High Among U.S. Grandparents Who Are Caring For Grandchildren?, Madonna Harrington Meyer, Anna Delapaz Jan 2024

Why Is Food Insecurity High Among U.S. Grandparents Who Are Caring For Grandchildren?, Madonna Harrington Meyer, Anna Delapaz

Population Health Research Brief Series

One in four grandparent-headed families report food insecurity, compared to one in seven among all families with children. Generally, the more care grandparents provide for their grandchildren, the more likely they are to be food insecure. This brief summarizes finding from interviews conducted in 2021 with U.S. adults ages 60 and older who are caring for their grandchildren. The authors summarize the factors contributing to food insecurity among grandparents and call for better policies to assist food-insecure grandparents providing care for their grandchildren as they grapple with inadequate funds, burdensome food assistance programs, inadequate transportation, shortages of fresh foods, and …


Aca Medicaid Expansions Did Not Significantly Improve Maternal Morbidity, Pinka Chatterji, Hanna Glenn, Sara Markowitz, Jennifer Karas Montez Aug 2023

Aca Medicaid Expansions Did Not Significantly Improve Maternal Morbidity, Pinka Chatterji, Hanna Glenn, Sara Markowitz, Jennifer Karas Montez

Population Health Research Brief Series

Rising rates of severe maternal morbidity in the U.S. highlight the unmet need for continuous and comprehensive health care for women before, during, and after pregnancy. This data slice summarizes findings from a study that tested whether ACA Medicaid expansions helped reduce severe maternal morbidity, including transfusion, ruptured uterus, unplanned hysterectomy, eclampsia, and the need for intensive care. Results show little evidence that the ACA expansions improved maternal morbidity, other than reducing the need for blood transfusions.


The Opioid Epidemic Has Disrupted Children’S Living Arrangements, Mónica L. Caudillo, Andres Villarreal, Philip N. Cohen Mar 2023

The Opioid Epidemic Has Disrupted Children’S Living Arrangements, Mónica L. Caudillo, Andres Villarreal, Philip N. Cohen

Population Health Research Brief Series

The contemporary drug overdose crisis has had profound impacts on children and families in the United States. This brief summarizes how children’s living arrangements have changed during the opioid epidemic. The authors find that opioid overdose deaths are associated with decreasing shares of children living with two married parents and increases in shares of children living with unmarried but cohabiting parents, single fathers, and adults other than their parents. These changes have been most pronounced among White children.


U.S. Counties With Higher Drug Overdose Rates Have Lower School Test Scores, Rajeev Darolia, Sam Owens, John Tyler Mar 2023

U.S. Counties With Higher Drug Overdose Rates Have Lower School Test Scores, Rajeev Darolia, Sam Owens, John Tyler

Population Health Research Brief Series

The impacts of the contemporary U.S. drug overdose crisis on child and family wellbeing have been profound. This brief describes the link between county-level opioid overdose rates and children’s test scores, finding that counties with higher overdose rates have lower average 3rd and 8th-grade test scores than counties with lower overdose rates. The relationship between higher overdose rates and lower test scores is particularly strong in rural counties. The places with the highest overdose rates and lowest test scores tend to be economically-disadvantaged, suggesting that economic investments may be needed to address the issue.


How Did Covid-19 School Closures Affect Adolescents With Adhd?, Nandini Jhawar, Ashley Schiros, Andrew S. London, Kevin Antshel Jan 2023

How Did Covid-19 School Closures Affect Adolescents With Adhd?, Nandini Jhawar, Ashley Schiros, Andrew S. London, Kevin Antshel

Population Health Research Brief Series

COVID-19 school closures drastically affected school-aged youth and their parents, with greater challenges among youth with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). This brief summarizes results from a recent study examining the risks, protective factors, and family processes that shaped well-being among adolescents during COVID-19-related school closures. Findings show that adolescents with ADHD were more likely to experience negative consequences from school closures, including difficulty adjusting to online learning, reduced socialization, and increased mental distress. However, youth and families also experienced some benefits, including increased family reconnection and reduced school-related anxiety.


Mothers Of Disabled Children Faced Numerous Challenges During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Amy Lutz, Sujung (Crystal) Lee, Baurzhan Bokayev Dec 2022

Mothers Of Disabled Children Faced Numerous Challenges During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Amy Lutz, Sujung (Crystal) Lee, Baurzhan Bokayev

Population Health Research Brief Series

The COVID-19 pandemic changed life dramatically for most families, but particularly for families with a disabled child. Mothers of disabled children faced increased difficulties during the early months of COVID-19 compared to other families. Reduction in services, school closures, and managing paid work drastically impacted caregivers’ mental health. This brief summarizes results from a recent study on the challenges mothers of disabled children faced during the COVID-19 pandemic during the Spring of 2020 in Central New York.


How Has Grandparenthood Changed In Rural China?, Merril D. Silverstein Nov 2022

How Has Grandparenthood Changed In Rural China?, Merril D. Silverstein

Population Health Research Brief Series

China’s rapid modernization and development have led to changes across Chinese society, including within the family. China is experiencing declining birth rates, meaning that fewer older adults are becoming grandparents. At the same time, there has been growing demand for grandparents to serve as caregivers for their grandchildren. This data slice examines the changes in grandparenting in rural China and calls for policies that decrease caregiver burnout, stress, and associated poor health outcomes.


The Cost Of Being A Woman: How Race And Education Affect The Gender Pay Gap, Erin Bisesti, Marc A. Garcia Oct 2022

The Cost Of Being A Woman: How Race And Education Affect The Gender Pay Gap, Erin Bisesti, Marc A. Garcia

Population Health Research Brief Series

The gender pay gap in the United States workforce has remained relatively stable over the past few decades despite women having more access to advanced education and higher-pay jobs than in the past. Inequities in earnings have lifetime impacts on women's mental and physical health. This brief explores pay inequities in 2020 by race/ethnicity, gender, and educational attainment. The authors find that Black and White women would need at least one additional education degree to earn as much as less educated men, and Latinx women would need two additional degrees to earn as much as less educated Latinx men. The …


Sociocultural And Demographic Drivers Of Latino Population Health In New York State, Marc A. Garcia, Mara G. Sheftel, Adriana M. Reyes, Catherine Garcia Sep 2022

Sociocultural And Demographic Drivers Of Latino Population Health In New York State, Marc A. Garcia, Mara G. Sheftel, Adriana M. Reyes, Catherine Garcia

Population Health Research Brief Series

Latinos are the largest racial/ethnic minority group in the United States and are among the fastest-growing populations in New York State. However, there is variation across Latino sub-groups in educational attainment, income, and access to health insurance. This research brief explores the diversity within the Latino population living in New York State and describes inequities in key sociocultural and demographic drivers of Latino population health.


In Rural America, Older Adult Vaccination Rates Were Higher In Counties With More Aging And Disability Services, Yue Sun, Danielle Rhubart Aug 2022

In Rural America, Older Adult Vaccination Rates Were Higher In Counties With More Aging And Disability Services, Yue Sun, Danielle Rhubart

Population Health Research Brief Series

Aging and disability services (ADS) played an important role for older adults in the COVID-19 vaccination rollout, including sharing information, providing transportation, and serving as vaccination sites. Using data from the National Neighborhood Data Archive and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this data slice describes the relationship between county ADS availability and older adult (ages 65+) vaccination rates. It finds that rural counties with higher ADS density have higher older adult vaccination rates. Because of the high risk of COVID-19 mortality and hospitalization for older adults and the large shares of older adults in rural areas, rural county …


The Chances Of Dying Young Differ Dramatically Across U.S. States, Nader Mehri, Jennifer Karas Montez Jun 2022

The Chances Of Dying Young Differ Dramatically Across U.S. States, Nader Mehri, Jennifer Karas Montez

Population Health Research Brief Series

The chances of dying young differ dramatically across U.S. states. This data slice shows state-level differences in rates of death by ages 30, 50, and 65. Individuals living in Minnesota, California, New York, and Massachusetts have the lowest rates of death by age 65, whereas those living in Southern states, including West Virginia, Mississippi, Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma have the highest rates of premature death. If current conditions remain constant in these states, more than 1 in 5 people born in them will not survive to age 65.


Covid-19 Negatively Impacted Health And Social Relationships Among Working-Age Adults With Disabilities, Claire Pendergrast, Shannon M. Monnat May 2022

Covid-19 Negatively Impacted Health And Social Relationships Among Working-Age Adults With Disabilities, Claire Pendergrast, Shannon M. Monnat

Population Health Research Brief Series

Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) are related to personal care and mobility. COVID-19 disrupted access to care for many working-age adults with ADL difficulties, potentially creating negative health and social impacts. This research brief shows that working-age adults (18-64) with ADL difficulty faced worse health and social impacts than their peers without ADL difficulty during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The needs of people with disabilities must be prioritized in policy decisions to increase equity and reduce health disparities during the ongoing COVID-19 response and in future public health emergencies.


Nine Ways Grandparenting Is Changing With The Covid-19 Pandemic, Madonna Harrington Meyer May 2022

Nine Ways Grandparenting Is Changing With The Covid-19 Pandemic, Madonna Harrington Meyer

Population Health Research Brief Series

Grandparents play a vital role in providing care for their grandchildren in the United States. However, long-term sociodemographic changes, including lower fertility rates and changes in employment and technology, along with massive upheavals prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic are changing grandparenting in important ways. This research brief describes these long-term sociodemographic changes and uses in-depth interviews conducted before the pandemic to illustrate nine specific ways grandparenting is shifting in the U.S. It concludes by calling for more supportive social welfare programs to support working families and reduce the reliance on grandparents for meeting childcare and financial needs.


The Associations Between Closeness To Residential Mother And Father During Adolescence And Young Adult Depressive Symptoms And The Corresponding Moderation Of Biological Sex, Mckenna Quinn Farley May 2022

The Associations Between Closeness To Residential Mother And Father During Adolescence And Young Adult Depressive Symptoms And The Corresponding Moderation Of Biological Sex, Mckenna Quinn Farley

Theses - ALL

Past research has suggested that adolescent parent-child relationships may have an impact on adolescent and young adult mental health. However, there are gaps in the previous research regarding relationships between these areas. The goal of the present study is to examine the relationship between an individual's closeness to their residential mother and father in adolescence and their depressive symptoms in young adulthood. The study also looks at how the biological sex of the individual moderates this relationship, and further examines if parental closeness has any significant role in the relationship on young adult depression above the effect of adolescent depression. …


Coparenting Quality In Separated American Parents Of Children Ages 1½ To 5: Anxiety, Social Support, Self-Efficacy, And The Associations With Coparenting And Child Outcomes, Greg Kovacs May 2022

Coparenting Quality In Separated American Parents Of Children Ages 1½ To 5: Anxiety, Social Support, Self-Efficacy, And The Associations With Coparenting And Child Outcomes, Greg Kovacs

Dissertations - ALL

The purpose of this research was to examine the mechanisms determining coparenting processes in parents following divorce or separation and the implications for the emotional and behavioral outcomes for their young children. The complex associations between parental anxiety, parental self-efficacy, social support, coparent relationship quality, and child problem behaviors were examined. Participants were recruited using Amazon Mechanical Turk and completed a survey regarding their coparenting dynamics. The sample consisted of 322 residents of the United States who had a child between 18 months and 5 years of age and who were no longer living with the child's other parent. Results …


Most Home-Delivered Meal Recipients With Dementia Receive Support From Friends And Family, But More Social Activity Is Needed, Claire Pendergrast Mar 2022

Most Home-Delivered Meal Recipients With Dementia Receive Support From Friends And Family, But More Social Activity Is Needed, Claire Pendergrast

Population Health Research Brief Series

Home-delivered meal programs reduce hunger and food insecurity, promote socialization, and improve health and wellbeing for older adults. Regular social support from home-delivered meal drivers, alongside social support from friends and family, may be key to preventing isolation and improving health for older adults with dementia. This research brief shows that home-delivered meal recipients with dementia receive significant support from friends and family, but 83% would like more social activity. To better support older adults with dementia and family caregivers, aging services providers should expand virtual and dementia-friendly social engagement programming.


Women Report Worse Employment Impacts From Family Caregiving, Claire Pendergrast Nov 2021

Women Report Worse Employment Impacts From Family Caregiving, Claire Pendergrast

Population Health Research Brief Series

29.2 million people in the United States, most of them women, act as family caregivers while also holding down a paying job. U.S. social policy is notoriously unsupportive of family caregivers. As a result, families struggling to balance caregiving and paid employment face emotional, social, and financial stress, with especially severe negative impacts for women. This brief uses a nationally representative sample of family caregivers participating the National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP) to describe gender differences in how providing care to a family member impacts caregivers’ employment experiences. Findings suggest that women are more likely than men to provide …


Causes Of Early Age Drinking In Cambodia, Sopheakpanha Sok Aug 2021

Causes Of Early Age Drinking In Cambodia, Sopheakpanha Sok

English Language Institute

No abstract provided.


The Effect Of Mindfulness On Adolescent Self-Compassion, Self-Regulation, And Stress: Exploring The Association Between Individual Factors And Markers Of Well-Being, Staceyann Reid Jul 2021

The Effect Of Mindfulness On Adolescent Self-Compassion, Self-Regulation, And Stress: Exploring The Association Between Individual Factors And Markers Of Well-Being, Staceyann Reid

Dissertations - ALL

The purpose of this study was to explore the impact participating in a mindfulness-based intervention would have on various markers of well-being, including self-compassion, long-term self-regulation, and involuntary stress response for urban adolescents. This study evaluated how the individual factors of gender, grade level, and baseline extraversion/surgency are associated with the effect of the intervention on well-being outcomes. Participants in the final analytic sample included 1,809 students in ninth (316), eleventh (1258), and twelfth (235) grade from two public high schools in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The intervention was delivered by instructors trained in the Inner Strength Teen Program and classes took …


Family Ties Protect Against Opioid Misuse Among U.S. Young Adults, Alexander Chapman, Ashton M. Verdery, Shannon M. Monnat Mar 2021

Family Ties Protect Against Opioid Misuse Among U.S. Young Adults, Alexander Chapman, Ashton M. Verdery, Shannon M. Monnat

Population Health Research Brief Series

Most people who misuse opioids begin their use during the prime family formation ages. This brief summarizes findings from a nationally representative study of U.S. adults ages 18-34 (2002-2018) examining the links between family structure (marital status and presence of children in the household) and opioid misuse. The study finds that married young adults have lower probabilities of prescription opioid misuse and heroin use, and that the presence of children in the household is associated with lower probabilities of prescription opioid and heroin use, especially among those who have never been married.


Introducing The Intellectual And Developmental Disability (Idd) Age-At-Death Data Tracker, Scott Landes, Nader Mehri, Janet Wilmoth Mar 2021

Introducing The Intellectual And Developmental Disability (Idd) Age-At-Death Data Tracker, Scott Landes, Nader Mehri, Janet Wilmoth

Population Health Research Brief Series

Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) die younger than those without such disabilities in the U.S. This data slice introduces a new data tracking tool that shows age-at-death trends for adults with intellectual disability, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and other rare developmental disabilities, as well as those without IDD. The website, which will be updated annually, allows users to compare age-at-death patterns for each IDD group by U.S. state, year, biological sex, and race-ethnicity.


New York State’S Counties Have Different Trends In Population Aging, Nader Mehri Mar 2021

New York State’S Counties Have Different Trends In Population Aging, Nader Mehri

Population Health Research Brief Series

The percentage of the population age 60+ is growing faster in NY than in the U.S. overall.


More Uncertainty Leads To Less Accuracy On Death Certificates For Adults With Intellectual Disability, Erin Bisesti, Scott D. Landes Mar 2021

More Uncertainty Leads To Less Accuracy On Death Certificates For Adults With Intellectual Disability, Erin Bisesti, Scott D. Landes

Population Health Research Brief Series

Causes of death are often inaccurately reported on death certificates for individuals with intellectual disability. This research brief examines whether uncertainty surrounding the death is associated with the inaccurate reporting of intellectual disability as the underlying cause of death. Results show that increased uncertainty surrounding deaths, especially in instances of choking related deaths, increases the probability that intellectual disability is inaccurately reported as the underlying cause of death.


Unmet Needs Are Associated With Increased Stress And Poor Physical And Mental Health In Early Adulthood, Colleen Heflin, Katie Green, Ying Huang, Asiya Validova Feb 2021

Unmet Needs Are Associated With Increased Stress And Poor Physical And Mental Health In Early Adulthood, Colleen Heflin, Katie Green, Ying Huang, Asiya Validova

Population Health Research Brief Series

Material hardship, such as not being able to pay bills, negatively affects both physical and mental health. This research brief examines how different types of material hardship (difficulty paying for food, bills, and health care) are associated with self-rated health, depression, sleep problems, and suicidal thoughts among U.S. young adults (ages 24-32).