Department of Sociology

: 1-s2.0-S2352827318300272-main

: Binge Drinking in Young Adulthood; There has been growing attention to the influence of youths' sexual experiences on alcohol use and other health-risk behaviors. Yet, because of the cross-sectional nature of many studies, as well as the likelihood of alcohol use and sexual behaviors to co-occur, the question of whether initiation of sexual activity tends to precede engagement in other behaviors, like binge drinking, remains largely unanswered. Using data from 4726 respondents who participated in Waves I through IV of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), we examined the association between age at first intercourse and frequent binge drinking during one's mid-twenties and early thirties. We further explored whether this relationship was mediated or moderated by the rate at which individuals accumulated sex partners during the transition to adulthood. Findings showed for women and men, later ages at first intercourse were associated with lower odds of frequent binge drinking in young adulthood. While rate of sex partner accumulation partially mediated this association, it did not moderate it. Furthermore, rate of partner accumulation was positively associated with binge drinking, particularly among women, with a quicker accumulation of sex partners associated with a higher likelihood of engaging in frequent binge drinking. Our findings underscore the importance of considering multiple dimensions of a single behavior and their relation to subsequent health-related behaviors., Keywords: Add Health, Binge drinking, Sexual partners, Vaginal intercourse, Young adults, Grant Number: P01 HD031921, T32 HD007081, Publication Note: This NIH-funded author manuscript originally appeared in PubMed Central at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4828321.

: Continuation of Intimate Partner Violence from Adolescence to Young Adulthood.; Little attention has been paid to whether violence in adolescent romantic relationships is associated with relationship violence later in young adulthood. This study examined the continuation of intimate partner violence (IPV) from adolescence to young adulthood. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, results from negative binomial models and propensity score models showed that being victimized by relationship partners in adolescence was significantly associated with both perpetration and victimization in romantic relationships in young adulthood. Women reported higher levels of perpetration and lower levels of victimization than men did. Those who were living together (married or cohabiting) reported higher levels of victimization and perpetration than those who were dating. Further, such associations existed beyond the effects of parent-child violence and general aggression tendencies, suggesting the continuation of relationship-specific violence. Finally, these patterns persisted after controlling for participants' age, race and ethnicity, parental education, and family structure., Keywords: Adolescence, Intimate partner violence, Young adulthood, Grant Number: P01 HD031921, R03 HD064836, Publication Note: This NIH-funded author manuscript originally appeared in PubMed Central at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3653598.

: Correlates of smoking among youth; Family engagement has been shown to play a crucial role in youth cigarette use prevention and uptake. We examine cross-sectional and longitudinal data to determine whether changes in parental monitoring factors influence changes in smoking susceptibility. Two cross-sectional surveys of Florida youth (12-17 years) were conducted in 2009, with a follow-up survey in 2010. Multivariable analyses examined demographics, parent characteristics, family engagement, and parental monitoring on youth susceptibility to smoke. Cross-sectional data show eating together 6+ times/week and doing something for fun 5+ times/week were related to an increased likelihood of Very Low and decreased likelihood of High susceptibility, respectively. Parental monitoring factors and parents tell on a friend who smokes was significantly related to having Very Low susceptibility in both surveys. Mother's education, parent smokes, family engagement factors, and parental monitoring were significant in both survey rounds. Longitudinal analyses showed change in eating together did not significantly affect the odds of change in smoking susceptibility; however, change in the frequency of doing things for fun with a parent showed decreased odds of susceptibility (OR = .63 [.49-.82]), opposite of the hypothesized direction. Lastly, as youth aged, they were more likely to experience a greater odds of decreased susceptibility (OR14-15y = 1.47 [1.08-1.99] and OR≥16y = 1.40 [1.05-1.84], respectively) and less likely to experience an increased odds of susceptibility (OR14-15y = .65 [.49-.86] and OR≥16y = .72 [.56-.93], respectively). We found mixed results for family engagement and parental monitoring on changes in youth smoking susceptibility. Cross-sectional data showed general associations in the expected direction; however, longitudinal analyses showed family engagement variables had significance, but in the opposite hypothesized direction., Keywords: Family engagement and tobacco use, Parental monitoring and tobacco use, Smoking initiation, Youth susceptibility to smoke, Publication Note: This NIH-funded author manuscript originally appeared in PubMed Central at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4806458.

: Department of Sociology - Sociology in Practice

: Department of Sociology Faculty Scholarship

: Do Religious Struggles Mediate The Association Between Day-to-day Discrimination And Depressive Symptoms?; Although numerous studies have shown that discrimination contributes to poorer mental health, the precise mechanisms underlying this association are not well understood. In this paper, we consider the possibility that the association between day-to-day discrimination (being disrespected, insulted, and harassed) and depressive symptoms is partially mediated by religious struggles (religious doubts and negative religious coping). To test our mediation model, we use data collected from the 2011 Miami-Dade Health Survey (n = 444) to estimate a series of multiple regression models assessing associations among day-to-day discrimination, religious struggles, and depressive symptoms. We find that day-to-day discrimination is positively associated with religious struggles and depressive symptoms, net of adjustments for general religious involvement, age, gender, race, ethnicity, immigrant status, interview language, education, employment, household income, financial strain, and marital status. We also observe that religious struggles are positively associated with depressive symptoms. Our mediation analyses confirm that day-to-day discrimination can contribute to depressive symptoms by stirring religious struggles. Our key finding is that religious struggles may serve as a maladaptive coping response to discrimination. Our analyses extend previous work by bridging research in the areas of discrimination, religious struggles, and mental health., Keywords: depression, discrimination, self-esteem, mental-health, psychological distress, older-adults, perceived discrimination, african-american women, dark side, nationwide sample, negative religious coping, racial-discrimination, religious doubts, religious struggles, spiritual struggles, Publication Note: The publisher's version of record is available at https://doi.org/10.3390/re18080134

: Ethnic Identity Attachment and Motivation for Weight Loss and Exercise Among Rural, Overweight, African-American Women.; Rural and minority women are disproportionately impacted by the obesity epidemic; however, little research has studied the intersection of these disparity groups. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of racial identity on motivation for weight loss and exercise among rural, African-American women with an obesity-linked chronic disease. A total of 154 African-American women were recruited from the patient population of a Federally Qualified Health Center in the rural South to complete a questionnaire battery including the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure and separate assessments of motivation for weight loss and exercise. Multivariate analyses, controlling for age, education status, insurance status, and body mass index revealed that attachment to ethnic identity was predictive of motivation for exercise but not for weight loss. Our findings suggest that attachment to ethnic identity may be an important factor in motivation for change among African-American women, particularly with respect to exercise, with direct implications for the development of culturally and geographically tailored weight loss interventions., Keywords: African-American, Exercise, Motivation, Rural, Women, Publication Note: This NIH-funded author manuscript originally appeared in PubMed Central at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5115611.

: Expanding The Happiness Paradox; Objective: This study investigated nativity disparities in life satisfaction among ethnoracial groups of older adults in the United States and the factors associated with such disparities. Method: Cross-sectional data from 7,348 respondents aged 60 and older from the 2012/2014 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) were used to estimate linear regression models. Results: Older immigrants experienced higher levels of life satisfaction than comparable native-born individuals. This "happiness advantage" was particularly salient for Hispanic immigrants, who reported the highest levels of life satisfaction of all groups included in the study. With increasing education, life satisfaction increased for White and "Other Race" groups, regardless of nativity. However, for both Black groups and native-born Hispanics, higher levels of education were associated with lower life satisfaction. Discussion: Findings suggest that the "happiness paradox" may not only be a matter of Hispanic ethnicity, but that it may also extend to immigrants from other ethnoracial backgrounds., Keywords: health, depression, loneliness, adults, mortality, Health and Retirement Study, quality-of-life, life satisfaction, discrimination, migration, ethnoracial, happiness paradox, immigrants, mexican-americans, migrants, Publication Note: The publisher's version of record is available at https://doi.org/10.1177/0898264317726608

: Extradyadic sex and union dissolution among young adults in opposite-sex married and cohabiting unions.; This study investigates extradyadic sex (EDS) among contemporary opposite-sex married and cohabiting young adults and examines how EDS is associated with union dissolution. By analyzing data from 8301 opposite-sex spouses and cohabiters in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, we estimate the prevalence of self-reported EDS, reports of partners' EDS, and reports of mutual EDS (i.e., both partners' engagement in EDS). Roughly 1 in 4 respondents reported that either they, their partner or both engaged in EDS. Young men were more likely than women to self-report EDS, while young women were more likely to report partners' EDS. Relative to no EDS, partners' EDS was associated with union dissolution, but self-reported EDS and mutual EDS were not. A partner's EDS was also associated with union dissolution relative to self-reported EDS. Associations between a partner's EDS and dissolution were consistent among spouses and cohabiters and among men and women., Keywords: Cohabitation, Divorce, Extradyadic sex, Infidelity, Union dissolution, Grant Number: P01 HD031921, P2C HD041025, R24 HD041025, Publication Note: This NIH-funded author manuscript originally appeared in PubMed Central at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5300748.

: From "thank God For Helping This Person" To "libtards Really Jumped The Shark"; Drawing on a qualitative analysis of 5996 tweets and 480 mainstream news stories about the Florida State University (FSU) and the Ohio State University (OSU) shootings, we examine who emerges as opinion leaders during crises, the kinds of narratives they help construct about school shootings, and the relative civility of these narratives. We find that the opinion leaders who emerge after a crisis are assumed to have local knowledge about the incident and/or are able to quickly curate information about the incident. In addition, we find that the quality of information spread by opinion leaders is critical to narrative construction and civility. The largely fact-based narratives associated with the FSU incident were far more civil than the OSU narratives, which were based on disinformation and polemics. We conclude the article by calling on scholars to take a more nuanced approach to conceptualizing and studying opinion leaders., Keywords: consequences, polarization, media, democracy, civility, Civility, crisis, disinformation, incivility, misinformation, news, online, opinion leaders, school shootings, social media, tweets, twitter, Twitter, Publication Note: The publisher's version of record is available at https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444819875708

: Gendered Pathways; Do mathematics ability beliefs explain gender gaps in the physical science, engineering, mathematics, and computer science fields (PEMC) and other science fields? We leverage U.S. nationally representative longitudinal data to estimate gendered differences in girls' and boys' perceptions of mathematics ability with the most difficult or challenging material. Our analyses examine the potentially interacting effects of gender and these ability beliefs on students pathways to scientific careers. Specifically, we study how beliefs about ability with challenging mathematics influence girls' and boys' choices to pursue PEMC degrees, evaluating educational milestones over a 6-year period: advanced science course completion in secondary school and postsecondary major retention and selection. Our findings indicate even at the same levels of observed ability, girls' mathematics ability beliefs under challenge are markedly lower than those of boys. These beliefs matter over time, potentially tripling girls' chances of majoring in PEMC sciences, over and above biological science fields, all else being equal. Implications and potential interventions are discussed., Keywords: gender, perceptions, achievement, science, stem, womens, ability beliefs, aspirations, challenge, college major, college majors, math performance, mathematics ability, race/ethnicity, self-concept, sex segregation, STEM education, stereotype threat, Publication Note: The publisher's version of record is available at https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00386

: Grandparents' Education and Infant Health; Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing survey linked to respondents' medical records (N=2,870), this study examines the association between grandparents' education and birth outcomes and explores potential pathways underlying this relationship. Results show that having a grandfather with less than a high school education was associated with a 93 gram reduction in birthweight, a 59% increase in the odds of low birthweight, and a 136% increase in the odds of a neonatal health condition, compared to having a grandfather with a high school education or more. These associations were partially accounted for by mother's educational attainment and marital status, as well as by prenatal history of depression, hypertension, and prenatal health behaviors, depending on the specific outcome. The findings from this study call for heightened attention to the multigenerational influences of educational attainment for infant health., Keywords: Education, Grandparents, Health, Infants, Multigenerational, Grant Number: R01 HD036916, R01 HD039135, R01 HD040421, Publication Note: This NIH-funded author manuscript originally appeared in PubMed Central at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5471611.

: Happiness Is A Warm Gun? Gun Ownership And Happiness In The United States (1973-2018); Although there is no empirical evidence linking gun ownership with happiness, speculation is widespread. In this paper, we assess the association between gun ownership and happiness. We use 27 years of national cross-sectional data from the General Social Survey (19732018) and logistic regression to model self-rated happiness as a function of gun ownership (n = 37,960). In bivariate and partially adjusted models, we observed that the odds of being very happy were higher for respondents who reported having a gun in their home. This association persisted with adjustments for age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, employment status, household income, financial satisfaction, financial change, number of children, religious attendance, political affiliation, urban residence, region of interview, and survey year. In our fully adjusted model, gun ownership was unrelated to happiness. The original association between gun ownership and happiness was entirely confounded by marital status. In other words, gun owners only appeared happier because they are more likely to be married, which increases happiness. In the first study of gun ownership and happiness, we found that people who own guns and people who do not own guns tend to exhibit similar levels of happiness. This general pattern was consistent across nearly three decades of national surveys, a wide range of subgroups, and different measures of happiness. Our analyses are important because they contribute to our understanding of the epidemiology of happiness. They also indirectly challenge theoretical perspectives and cultural narratives about how guns contribute to feelings of safety, power, and pleasure., attitudes, victimization, Happiness, Marriage, Guns, Mental health, Well-being, The publisher's version of record is availible at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2020.100536

: John Henryism Active Coping as a Cultural Correlate of Substance Abuse Treatment Participation Among African American Women.; The rates of illicit drug use among African American women are increasing, yet African American women are least likely to participate in treatment for substance use disorders when compared to women of other racial groups. The current study examined family history of substance use, perceived family support, and John Henryism Active Coping (JHAC) as correlates to seeking treatment for substance abuse. The underlying theoretical frame of JHAC (James et al., 1983) suggests that despite limited resources and psychosocial stressors, African Americans believe that hard work and self-determination are necessary to cope with adversities. The current study is a secondary data analyses of 206 drug-using African American women (N=104 urban community women with no criminal justice involvement and N=102 women living in the community on supervised probation) from urban cities in a southern state. It was expected that African American women with a family history of substance abuse, higher levels of perceived family support, and more active coping skills would be more likely to have participated in substance abuse treatment. Step-wise logistic regression results reveal that women on probation, had children, and had a family history of substance abuse were significantly more likely to report participating in substance abuse treatment. Perceived family support and active coping were significant negative correlates of participating in treatment. Implication of results suggests coping with psychosocial stressors using a self-determined and persistent coping strategy may be problematic for drug-using women with limited resources., Keywords: African American, Coping, Culture, Treatment, Women, Grant Number: UL1 TR000117, P50 DA005312, K08 DA032296, T32DA035200, R01DA022967, K02DA035116, R01 DA022967, T32 DA035200, K08DA032296, K02 DA035116, P50DA005312, Publication Note: This NIH-funded author manuscript originally appeared in PubMed Central at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4793159.

: Mediation analysis of relationships between chronic inflammation and quality of life in older adults.; This article summarizes exploratory analyses of relationships between chronic inflammation, its physical consequences, and quality of life (QoL). It summarizes key findings from preliminary analyses, and contextualizes these results with extant sociomedical literature to recommend directions for future research. Cross-sectional data from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP) were used to explore these relationships. Inflammation was assessed via the biomarker C-reactive protein (CRP). We examined associations between CRP levels and two different domains of QoL: happiness with life in general and happiness with intimate relationships. We used ordinal logistic regression with companion OLS models and Sobel-Goodman tests to assess potential mediation, and also conducted a variety of sensitivity analyses. Findings suggest that mediation pathways for the overall association between chronic inflammation and QoL may differ markedly across particular outcome constructs. Specifically, it shows mediation potential for the clinical sequelae of chronic inflammation in frameworks using happiness as an outcome measure, but not in those using relationship satisfaction. Disability appears to mediate the effect of inflammation by 27 %; chronic pain appears to exert a similar mediation effect of 21 %. Pain and disability linked to chronic inflammation appear to play a small but significant mediating role in the overall reduction in QoL observed among older adults with biomarker evidence of chronic inflammation. We note that these patterns are best framed as dynamic elements of a complex causal fabric, rather than powerful determinants that override other factors contributing to QoL. Hypotheses for further exploration using longitudinal data from the NSHAP are thus offered, pending availability of Wave III data in future years., Keywords: Elaboration modeling, Inflammation, Logistic regression, NSHAP, Quality of life, Publication Note: This NIH-funded author manuscript originally appeared in PubMed Central at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4802844.

: Natural Mentors, Social Class, And College Success; Natural mentors provide advice, moral support, and assistance to adolescents who aspire to obtain a postsecondary degree, but past studies of the benefits of having an informal adult mentor have yet to resolve several issues. Our analyses of a national sample of high school graduates test three hypotheses: (H1) natural mentoring increases the odds of college attendance and completion, (H2) guidance and career advice are more important for college success than encouragement or role modeling, and (H3) students from poor and working-class families benefit more from mentoring than students from middle- and upper-class families. Hypotheses 1 and 3 are clearly supported when examining the odds of attending college, while Hypothesis 2 was not supportedencouragement and role modeling boost attendance, not advice or practical help. None of the hypotheses is supported when predicting degree completion among those who matriculated. As natural mentors do not appreciably increase the odds of completing college, we conclude past studies have overstated the postsecondary educational benefits of natural mentors., Keywords: experiences, youth, school, outcomes, achievement, information, inequality, employment, stratification, higher-education, College attendance, Degree completion, Natural mentors, Social class, Publication Note: The publisher's version of record is available at https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12209

: Occupational Attainment And Depressive Symptoms In Young Adulthood; Past studies have shown that various aspects of occupational attainment (unemployment, job instability, low occupational status, and low earnings) are associated with poor mental health, but each of these studies focused on one or two aspects of occupational attainment. Consequently, it remains unclear whether their associations are independent of each other. Further, little is known about whether negative self-assessments of occupational attainment are linked to poor mental health. We sought to overcome these limitations of past research while focusing on depressive symptoms as a mental health outcome and young adulthood as a life stage context. The study analysed U.S. data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (n = 13,178) using ordinary least square models. The analysis showed that all aspects of occupational attainment were associated with depressive symptoms in the expected directions. Further, unemployment, job instability, and negative self-assessment of career progress showed stronger associations, and those associations were independent of other occupational attainment variables. Overall, the results suggested that understanding the association between occupational attainment and mental health requires close attention to the life stage context., Keywords: health, depression, stress, transition, gender, mental health, socioeconomic status, mechanisms, work, adolescents, employment, life-course, occupational attainment, unemployment, young adults, Publication Note: The publisher's version of record is available at https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.2902

: Rape Prone Culture Of Academic Contexts; Keywords: sexual violence, women, Publication Note: The publisher's version of record is available at https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243215612708

: Religious Involvement and Marijuana Use for Medical and Recreational Purposes.; In this article, we use data from the 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) to examine the association between religious involvement and marijuana use for medical and recreational purposes in U.S. adults ( = 41,517). We also consider whether the association between religious involvement and marijuana use varies according to personal health status. Our results show that adults who attend religious services more frequently and hold more salient religious beliefs tend to exhibit lower rates of medical and recreational marijuana use. We also find that these "protective effects" are less pronounced for adults in poor health. Although our findings confirm previous studies of recreational marijuana use, we are the first to examine the association between religious involvement and medical marijuana use. Our moderation analyses suggest that the morality and social control functions of religious involvement may be offset under the conditions of poor health., Keywords: United States, Medical marijuana, Poor health, Religion, Religious service attendance, Substance use, Publication Note: This NIH-funded author manuscript originally appeared in PubMed Central at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5989257.

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