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Xu Y, Rahman Q. The Chain Mediation Effect of Victimization and Neuroticism on the Association Between Sexual Orientation and Depressive Symptoms: A Prospective Birth Cohort Study. ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2024:10.1007/s10508-024-02979-2. [PMID: 39179929 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-024-02979-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2024] [Revised: 07/11/2024] [Accepted: 08/05/2024] [Indexed: 08/26/2024]
Abstract
This study tested whether sexual orientation differences in depressive symptoms were partially explained by the chain mediation effect of neuroticism and victimization. Using the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children from the UK (N = 4647, 36.52% men, 88% White), self-reported neuroticism, sexual orientation, and depressive symptoms were measured at age 13.5, 21, and 22 years, respectively. Childhood abuse between birth and age 11 years and the individuals' experiences of being bullied at age 17.5 years were measured as the components of victimization. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. Non-heterosexual individuals reported higher depressive symptoms than heterosexual individuals, with a total effect (standardized path coefficient) of 0.590 and 0.768 for men and women, respectively. This association was partially explained by childhood abuse (indirect effect = 0.043 and 0.046 for men and women, respectively) and neuroticism directly (indirect effect = 0.036 and 0.056 for men and women, respectively). Sexual orientation differences in depressive symptoms were also partially explained by a path through increased risk of experiencing childhood abuse leading to higher levels of neuroticism (indirect effect = 0.004 and 0.009 for men and women, respectively) and by a path through higher levels of neuroticism leading to increased risk of being bullied (indirect effect = 0.004 and 0.002 for men and women, respectively). The findings suggest that while some of the association between sexual orientation and depression might be explained by neuroticism and experiences of victimization measured prospectively, these factors do not account for most of this relationship.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yin Xu
- Department of Sociology & Psychology, School of Public Administration, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610065, China.
| | - Qazi Rahman
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, Psychology & Neuroscience, London, UK
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van de Weijer SGA, van Deuren S, Boutwell BB. Same-Sex Relationships and Criminal Behavior: A Total Population Study in The Netherlands. ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2024; 53:2923-2938. [PMID: 38907079 PMCID: PMC11335784 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-024-02902-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2021] [Revised: 05/14/2024] [Accepted: 05/16/2024] [Indexed: 06/23/2024]
Abstract
Sexual minority groups experience elevated risk across a range of adverse outcomes. Previous studies from the USA showed that these risks include contact with the criminal justice system for sexual minority females but not for males. This study examined whether this relationship between sexual minority status and criminal behavior was also found in a more secular country like the Netherlands with more progressive attitudes toward sexual minorities. Furthermore, the study aimed to examine whether this relationship applied to various types of crime and could be explained by unmeasured familial factors. Longitudinal data from the Dutch national population, including 75,362 individuals in a same-sex relationship and 3,464,906 individuals in opposite-sex relationships, were used to compare the risk of crime among males and females in same-sex and opposite-sex unions. Discordant sibling models were included to increase control over possible sources of confounding from shared familial factors. Analyses were repeated for six types of crime, including property offenses, violence, vandalism, and public order offenses, traffic offenses, drugs offenses, and other offenses. The results showed that the direction of the associations between same-sex relationships and offending differed for men and women. In general, men in same-sex relationships were less likely to be a suspect of crime compared to those in opposite-sex relationships [odds ratio (OR) = 0.685; p < .001]. Women in same-sex relationships exhibited higher risk than those in opposite-sex unions (OR = 1.560; p < .001). Similar patterns emerged for most crime types and the discordant sibling models yielded conclusions that were substantively similar to those among the total population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steve G A van de Weijer
- Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement, PO Box 71304, 1008 BH, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Sjoukje van Deuren
- Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement, PO Box 71304, 1008 BH, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
- Department of Criminology, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Brian B Boutwell
- School of Applied Sciences, The University of Mississippi, Mississippi, MS, USA
- John D. Bower School of Population Health, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Mississippi, MS, USA
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Xu Y, Ma Y, Rahman Q. Childhood Gender Nonconformity and Parental Maltreatment as Mediators of Sexual Orientation Disparities in Childhood Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties. ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2024; 53:1777-1791. [PMID: 38418716 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-024-02825-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
The mechanisms underlying sexual orientation differences in psychopathology originating in childhood remain understudied since sexual orientation does not directly manifest in childhood. This study tested whether childhood gender nonconformity and parental maltreatment before age 6 years 9 months partly explained sexual orientation disparities in the developmental trajectories of emotional and behavioral difficulties from age 6 years 9 months to 11 years 8 months. The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children was used (2182 boys and 2422 girls, Mage = 15.5, 90% White). After controlling for early life factors, non-heterosexual boys and girls displayed significantly greater emotional and behavioral difficulties than their heterosexual counterparts at all three ages. There was a sex difference in the mediating effects. For girls, sexual orientation disparities in childhood emotional and behavioral difficulties were partially explained by childhood gender nonconformity. For boys, sexual orientation disparities in childhood emotional and behavioral difficulties were partially explained by a path through greater childhood gender nonconformity, leading to increased risk of being the targets of parental maltreatment. Childhood gender nonconformity, parental maltreatment, and other early life factors only partially explain sexual orientation disparities in childhood emotional and behavioral difficulties. The mediating effects of childhood gender nonconformity and parental maltreatment on the association between sexual orientation and childhood emotional and behavioral difficulties differ between the sexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yin Xu
- Department of Sociology & Psychology, School of Public Administration, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, Sichuan, China.
| | - Yidan Ma
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Education Science, Leshan Normal University, Leshan, China
- Key Laboratory of Personality and Cognition, Leshan Normal University, Leshan, China
| | - Qazi Rahman
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
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Singh M, Verhulst B, Vinh P, Zhou YD, Castro-de-Araujo LFS, Hottenga JJ, Pool R, de Geus EJC, Vink JM, Boomsma DI, Maes HHM, Dolan CV, Neale MC. Using Instrumental Variables to Measure Causation over Time in Cross-Lagged Panel Models. MULTIVARIATE BEHAVIORAL RESEARCH 2024; 59:342-370. [PMID: 38358370 PMCID: PMC11014768 DOI: 10.1080/00273171.2023.2283634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
Cross-lagged panel models (CLPMs) are commonly used to estimate causal influences between two variables with repeated assessments. The lagged effects in a CLPM depend on the time interval between assessments, eventually becoming undetectable at longer intervals. To address this limitation, we incorporate instrumental variables (IVs) into the CLPM with two study waves and two variables. Doing so enables estimation of both the lagged (i.e., "distal") effects and the bidirectional cross-sectional (i.e., "proximal") effects at each wave. The distal effects reflect Granger-causal influences across time, which decay with increasing time intervals. The proximal effects capture causal influences that accrue over time and can help infer causality when the distal effects become undetectable at longer intervals. Significant proximal effects, with a negligible distal effect, would imply that the time interval is too long to estimate a lagged effect at that time interval using the standard CLPM. Through simulations and an empirical application, we demonstrate the impact of time intervals on causal inference in the CLPM and present modeling strategies to detect causal influences regardless of the time interval in a study. Furthermore, to motivate empirical applications of the proposed model, we highlight the utility and limitations of using genetic variables as IVs in large-scale panel studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madhurbain Singh
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
| | - Brad Verhulst
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Texas A&M University
| | - Philip Vinh
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University
| | - Yi Daniel Zhou
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University
- Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Commonwealth University
| | | | - Jouke-Jan Hottenga
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute
| | - René Pool
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute
| | - Eco J C de Geus
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute
| | | | - Dorret I Boomsma
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute
| | - Hermine H M Maes
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University
| | - Conor V Dolan
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute
| | - Michael C Neale
- Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
- Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Commonwealth University
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Oginni OA, Ayorinde A, Ayodele KD, Opara OJ, Mapayi B, Mosaku K. The Challenges and Opportunities for Mental Health Twin Research in Nigeria. Behav Genet 2024; 54:42-50. [PMID: 37733122 PMCID: PMC10822790 DOI: 10.1007/s10519-023-10153-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023]
Abstract
The recent interest in increasing diversity in genetic research can be useful in uncovering novel insights into the genetic architecture of mental health disorders - globally and in previously unexplored settings such as low- and middle-income settings like Nigeria. Genetic research into mental health is potentially promising in Nigeria and we reflect on the challenges and opportunities for twin research which may be particularly suited to Nigeria. The higher rates of twinning in Africa and Nigeria specifically, make the twin design an affordable and readily maintainable approach for genetic research in the country. Despite potential challenges with recruitment, data collection, data analysis and dissemination; the success of current efforts suggest that the twin design can tapped even further for greater impact in the country. We highlight some ways in which the scope of twin research can be increased and suggest some ways in which existing challenges can be overcome including recent Patient Participant Involve and Engagement activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olakunle Ayokunmi Oginni
- Department of Mental Health, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.
- Department of Mental Health, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile- Ife, Nigeria.
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry, King's College London, London, UK.
| | - Ayoyinka Ayorinde
- Department of Mental Health, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile- Ife, Nigeria
| | - Kehinde Dorcas Ayodele
- Department of Mental Health, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile- Ife, Nigeria
| | | | - Boladale Mapayi
- Department of Mental Health, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria
- Department of Mental Health, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile- Ife, Nigeria
| | - Kolawole Mosaku
- Department of Mental Health, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria
- Department of Mental Health, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile- Ife, Nigeria
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