Social stress, obesity, and depression among women: clarifying the role of physical activity

Do yoga and meditation moderate the relationship between negative life events and depressive symptoms? Analysis of a national cross-sectional survey of Australian women

Objectives

This study aims to examine the role of yoga/meditation in the relationship between negative life events, stress and depression.

Methods

The Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH) surveyed 7,186 women aged 36-43 years (mean age 39.2 years; 57.2% university degree) in 2015. Mediation and moderation analyses were conducted to examine whether yoga/meditation practice moderated those relationships.

Results

Yoga/meditation was practiced by 27.5% of participants, 33.2% reported negative life events in the past 12 months, and 24% had clinical depression. Perceived stress partially mediated the association between negative life events and depressive symptoms (B = 6.28; 95%CI 5.65; 6.92). Social support (B = -0.38; 95%CI -0.54; -0.23) and optimism (B = -0.25;95%CI -0.31; -0.18) moderated the association between stress and depressive symptoms. Yoga/meditation practice moderated the direct association between negative life events and depressive symptoms (B = -0.92; 95%CI -1.67; -0.18).

Conclusion

Yoga/meditation use was a significant moderator of the relationship between negative life events and depression. Yoga/mediation use did not act via reducing perceived stress, but instead was found to dampen the influence of negative life events on depression directly. More research on how yoga has an impact on depression is warranted.

Evaluation of depression and obesity indices based on applications of ANOVA, regression, structural equation modeling and Taguchi algorithm process

Introduction

Depression and obesity are the main threat among women which have been considered by many research scholars in psychology studies. In their analysis for measuring and estimating obesity and depression they were involving statistical functions.

Methods

Regression, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), and in the last two decades Structural Equation Modeling are the most familiar statistical methods among research scholars. Taguchi algorism process is one the statistical methods which mostly have been applying in engineering studies. In this study we are looking at two main objectives. The first one is to introduce Taguchi algorism process and apply it in a case study in psychology area. The second objective is challenging among four statistical techniques include ANOVA, regression, SEM, and Taguchi technique in a same data. To achieve those aims we involved depression and obesity indices with other familiar indicators contain socioeconomic, screen time, sleep time, and usage fitness and nutrition mobile applications.

Results and discussion

Outputs proved that Taguchi technique is able to analyze some correlations which are not achieved by applying ANOVA, regression, and SEM. Moreover, SEM has a special capability to estimate some hidden correlations which are not possible to evaluate them by using ANOVA, regression, and even Taguchi method. In the last, we found that some correlations are significant by SEM, however, in the same data with regression those correlation were not significant. This paper could be a warning for psychology research scholars to be more careful with involving statistical methods for measuring and estimating of their research variables.

Disrupting Monolithic Thinking about Black Women and Their Mental Health: Does Stress Exposure Explain Intersectional Ethnic, Nativity, and Socioeconomic Differences?

Guided by the intersectionality framework and social stress theory, this study provides a sociological analysis of Black women's psychological health. Using data from the National Survey of American Life (N=2972), we first examine U.S. Black women's psychological health through the intersections of their ethnicity, nativity, and socioeconomic status. Next, we assess the extent to which stress exposure (e.g., discrimination, financial strain, and negative interactions with family members) explains any discovered status differences in psychological health among Black women. Results reveal that foreign-born Afro-Caribbean women living in the United States experience a mental health advantage vis-á-vis their U.S.-born African American female counterparts. In addition, college-educated African American women experience fewer depressive symptoms but similar rates of lifetime PTSD relative to African American women without a college education. Last, though stress exposure was associated with poor mental health, it did not explain status differences in mental health. Overall, this study reveals that Black women, despite shared gendered and racialized oppression, are not a monolithic group, varying along other dimensions of stratification. The results suggest that other stress exposures and psychological resources should be explored in future work examining status differences in mental health among Black women.

The association of food insecurity and cardiometabolic risk factors was independent of body mass index in Iranian women

Background

Investigations on food insecurity have shown that food insecurity is inversely associated with health. We examined the association of food insecurity and cardiometabolic risk factors in women living in Shiraz, Iran.

Methods

The cross-sectional study was performed on 190 females. Food insecurity was assessed by Household Food Insecurity Access Scale. Cardiometabolic risk factors including anthropometric characteristics, blood pressure, and serum glucose and lipids were measured. Metabolic syndrome score was calculated according to the criteria described for Iranian adults. The association of food insecurity and cardiometabolic risk factors was assessed by linear regression.

Results

The prevalence of food security, and mild, moderate, and severe food insecurity was 42.6%, 40.5%, 15.8%, and 1.1%, respectively. Cardiometabolic risk factors worsened with increasing severity of food insecurity. Among the risk factors, body mass index (BMI) had the strongest association with food insecurity. After controlling demographic factors and BMI, fasting blood glucose, triglycerides, total, LDL, and HDL cholesterols, and metabolic syndrome score still showed significant associations with food insecurity (P < 0.01) but systolic and diastolic blood pressure were no longer associated with food insecurity after adjustment for BMI.

Conclusion

Overall, although BMI was strongly associated with food insecurity, cardiometabolic risk factors including blood glucose, triglycerides, total, HDL, and LDL cholesterols, and metabolic syndrome score were associated with food insecurity independent of BMI, suggesting that other factors such as lifestyle and diet may have contributed to the exacerbated cardiometabolic risk in food insecure participants of this study. Future studies need to clarify underlying factors in the association of food insecurity and cardiometabolic risk factors.

Race, Ethnicity, and Age Differences in Social Relationships and Obesity: Findings From the National Survey of American Life

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to examine race, ethnicity, and age differences in the association between social relationships and body weight in a nationally representative sample of African American, Caribbean Black, and non-Hispanic White adults. Methods: Data were drawn from the 2001-2003 National Survey of American Life (N = 5684). Multiple linear regressions were conducted to examine the links between race, ethnicity, and age with social relationships and weight. Results: Although African American respondents had higher BMI than non-Hispanic White respondents, Caribbean Black respondents did not differ from White respondents in BMI. Emotional support from family members was both positively and negatively associated with weight depending on age, race, and ethnicity. Discussion: Social relationships are an important contributing factor to obesity and obesity-related risks in adults. Study findings demonstrate the intersection of race, ethnicity, and age and how these complex relationships influence the association between social relationships and body weight.

Stress Exposure and Physical Health among Older African American and Caribbean Black Women

Objectives: This study assessed whether multiple stress exposures and stress accumulation explained differences in physical health among Afro-Caribbean and African American women in older adulthood. Whether specific stressors uniquely influenced the health of African American and Afro-Caribbean women was also examined. Methods: Data were drawn from the National Survey of American Life (NSAL) (N=867; 50 years and older). Physical health was assessed by multiple chronic conditions, functional limitations, and self-rated health. Weighted binary logistic regression and ordered logistic regression analyses were conducted. Results: Compared to Afro-Caribbean women, African American women had worse physical health and greater stress exposure. Nonetheless, stress exposure did not explain ethnic differences in physical health. The association between specific measures of stress and physical health was dependent on the stressor and physical health measure. Discussion: Findings emphasize the importance of ethnic variation in health and stress exposure among older US Black women. Study implications are discussed.

Ethnicity and Self-reported Depression Among Hispanic Immigrants in the U.S

Viewed to be healthier than ethnic Hispanics born in the United States, Hispanic immigrants represent numerous subgroups with clearly heterogeneous geographic, cultural, structural, and social origins. This study asked how the factors length of U.S. residency, social status, lifestyle, and health care might explain self-reported depression within 5 large, discrete subgroups comprising immigrants from, in turn, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and other nations in Central and South America. The study also examined ethnicity's potential role moderating self-reported depression's associations. With pooled data from National Health Interview Surveys 1999-2015, it evaluated each ethnic group separately. Self-reported depression was associated generally with lengthening residence in the U.S., with being female, with poverty, with unemployment, with lack of education, and with lifestyle and health-care factors. These associations were not uniform across ethnic groups, however. Where self-reported depression is concerned, descriptive results suggest the proverbial health advantage may largely accrue specifically to Hispanic immigrants of Cuban and of Central/South American origin.

The effect of stress exposure on depressive symptoms and major depressive episode among US Afro-Caribbean women

PURPOSE

This study examines whether stress exposures experienced within and across various life domains (e.g., interpersonal, financial) are predictors of depression among Afro-Caribbean women, an understudied ethnic group within the US Black female population.

METHODS

A sample of Afro-Caribbean women (N = 878) was drawn from the National Survey of American Life (NSAL), the first nationally representative psychiatric epidemiology survey focused on the mental health of the US Afro-Caribbean and African American populations. Negative binomial regression analysis was conducted for depressive symptoms, and binary logistic regression results are presented for past-year and lifetime major depressive episode. Analyses examined the relative effect of five stress exposures on depression: major discrimination, everyday discrimination, past-month chronic stress, financial strain, and negative interactions with family.

RESULTS

Of the five stress exposures, chronic stress and financial strain were associated with increased risk for both recent (e.g., past week) and more distal (i.e., past-year and lifetime) experiences of depression. Though experiences with discrimination were associated with depression, its effects were attenuated when other stressors were taken into account.

CONCLUSIONS

Mental health prevention and intervention programs must address stress concerns that are chronic in nature and stressors that reflect financial instability for Afro-Caribbean women.

Racial Discrimination, Sedentary Time, and Physical Activity in African Americans: Quantitative Study Combining Ecological Momentary Assessment and Accelerometers

Background

A growing number of studies indicate that exposure to social stress, such as perceived racial discrimination, may contribute to poor health, health behaviors, and health disparities. Increased physical activity (PA) may buffer the impact of social stress resulting from racial discrimination. However, to date, data on the relationship between racial discrimination and PA have been mixed. Part of the reason is that the effect of perceived racial discrimination on PA has primarily been examined in cross-sectional studies that captured retrospective measures of perceived racial discrimination associated with individuals’ current PA outcomes. The association between real-time perceived racial discrimination and PA among African Americans remains unclear.

Objective

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship among demographic, anthropometric and clinical, and psychological factors with lifetime racial discrimination and examine the within- and between-person associations between daily real-time racial discrimination and PA outcomes (total energy expenditure, sedentary time, and moderate-to-vigorous PA patterns) measured by ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and accelerometers in healthy African Americans.

Methods

This pilot study used an intensive, observational, case-crossover design of African Americans (n=12) recruited from the community. After participants completed baseline surveys, they were asked to wear an accelerometer for 7 days to measure their PA levels. EMA was sent to participants 5 times per day for 7 days to assess daily real-time racial discrimination. Multilevel models were used to examine the within- and between-person associations of daily racial discrimination on PA.

Results

More EMA-reported daily racial discrimination was associated with younger age (r=0.75; P=.02). Daily EMA-reported microaggression was associated with depressive symptoms (r=0.66; P=.05), past race-related events (r=0.82; P=.004), and lifetime discrimination (r=0.78; P=.01). In the within-person analyses, the day-level association of racial discrimination and sedentary time was significant (β=.30, SE 0.14; P=.03), indicating that on occasions when participants reported more racial discrimination than usual, more sedentary time was observed. Between-person associations of racial discrimination (β=−.30, SE 0.28; P=.29) or microaggression (β=−.34, SE 0.36; P=.34) with total energy expenditure were suggestive but inconclusive.

Conclusions

Concurrent use of EMA and accelerometers is a feasible method to examine the relationship between racial discrimination and PA in real time. Examining daily processes at the within-person level has the potential to elucidate the mechanisms of which racial discrimination may have on health and health behaviors and to guide the development of personalized interventions for increasing PA in racial ethnic minorities. Future studies with a precision health approach, incorporating within- and between-person associations, are warranted to further elucidate the effects of racial discrimination and PA.

International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)

RR2-10.1002/nur.22068

African American Ethnicity, Hypertension, Diabetes, and Arthritis Independently Predict Co-occurring Depression and Obesity among Community-dwelling Older Adult Alabamians

Although obesity and depression are quite common among older adults, surprisingly published literature has not examined factors associated with co-occurring depression and obesity among older adults. The knowledge that fills this gap would be advantageous for public health social workers and other health professionals who provide health care and public health services to older adults. The objectives of this study were to access the prevalence of and independent predictors of co-occurring depression and obesity among older adults in the state of Alabama. A retrospective analysis was conducted using a statewide survey of Alabamian community-dwelling older adults (n = 1,166). Binomial logistic regression was used to examine predictors of co-occurring depression and obesity. The prevalence of co-occurring depression and obesity among older adults was 16%. In the multivariate analysis, African American ethnicity (OR = 1.505, CI: 1.019-2.223), hypertension (OR = 1.593, CI: 1.050-2.416), diabetes (OR = 1.768, CI: 1.188-2.632), and arthritis (OR = 1.640, CI: 1.096-2.454) were positively associated with co-occurring depression and obesity). Older age (OR = 0.963, CI: 0.942-0.985) and higher levels of physical activity (OR = 1.640, CI: 1.096-2.454) were negatively associated with co-occurring depression and obesity. There is a need for the development and implementation of suitable interventions to prevent and manage co-occurring depression and obesity among older adults, particularly older adults with arthritis, hypertension, diabetes, or of African American ethnicity.

Associations between social determinants of health, perceived discrimination, and body mass index on symptoms of depression among young African American mothers

PURPOSE

The association between symptoms of depression and risks for cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains equivocal for African American (AA) mothers. We examined the association between social determinants of health (perceived discrimination), and cardiovascular risk (BMI) on symptoms of depression in a sample of young AA mothers.

METHODS

Secondary data from 219 adult AA mothers between the ages of 21 and 46 with an average BMI of 29.8 and yearly family income of $14,999 were analyzed using a latent growth model that evaluated four time points to assess changes in symptoms of depression.

RESULTS

Initial BMI was significantly associated with initial symptoms of depression (b = 0.12, p = .019). Perceived discrimination (unfair treatment) was associated with higher initial symptoms of depression (b = 1.14, p = .017).

CONCLUSION

The findings suggest that elevated BMI and perceived discrimination are associated with higher reported symptoms of depression among young, socioeconomically disadvantaged AA mothers. These results advance the scientific understanding of young AA mothers' risk for symptoms of depression and CVD by elucidating the impact of perceived discrimination and social experiences on mental health. Further studies of SDoH and CVD risk factors and perceived racism and depression are needed to shed light on the long-term mental health impact on AA mothers and their children.

Postpartum depression symptoms in survey-based research: a structural equation analysis

BACKGROUND

Since the last decade, postpartum depression (PPD) has been recognized as a significant public health problem, and several factors have been linked to PPD. Mothers at risk are rarely undetected and underdiagnosed. Our study aims to determine the factors leading to symptoms of depression using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis. In this research, we introduced a new framework for postpartum depression modeling for women.

METHODS

We structured the model of this research to take into consideration the Malaysian culture in particular. A total of 387 postpartum women have completed the questionnaire. The symptoms of postpartum depression were examined using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), and they act as a dependent variable in this research model.

RESULTS

Four hundred fifty mothers were invited to participate in this research. 86% of the total distributed questionnaire received feedback. The majority of 79.6% of respondents were having depression symptoms. The highest coefficients of factor loading analysis obtained in every latent variable indicator were income (β = 0.77), screen time (β = 0.83), chips (β = 0.85), and anxiety (β = 0.88). Lifestyle, unhealthy food, and BMI variables were directly affected by the dependent variable. Based on the output, respondents with a high level of depression symptoms tended to consume more unhealthy food and had a high level of body mass indexes (BMI). The highest significant impact on depression level among postpartum women was unhealthy food consumption. Based on our model, the findings indicated that 76% of the variances stemmed from a variety of factors: socio-demographics, lifestyle, healthy food, unhealthy food, and BMI. The strength of the exogenous and endogenous variables in this research framework is strong.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of postpartum women with depression symptoms in this study is considerably high. It is, therefore, imperative that postpartum women seek medical help to prevent postpartum depressive symptoms from worsening.

Race and income moderate the association between depressive symptoms and obesity

Complex interrelationships between race, sex, obesity and depression have been well-documented. Because of differences in associations between socioeconomic status (SES) and health by race, determining the role of SES may help to further explicate these relationships. The aim of this study was to determine how race and income interact with obesity on depression. Combining data from the 2007-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, depressive symptoms was measured with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and obesity was assessed as body mass index ≥30 kg/m2. Three-way interactions between race, income and obesity on depressive symptoms were determined using ordered regression models. Significant interactions between race, middle income and obesity (OR = 0.66, 95% CI = 0.22-1.96) suggested that, among white women, obesity is positively associated with depressive symptoms across income levels, while obesity was not associated with depression for African American women at any income level. Obesity was only associated with depressive symptoms among middle-income white men (OR = 1.44, 95% CI = 1.02-2.03) and among high-income African American men (OR = 4.65, 95% CI = 1.48-14.59). The associations between obesity and depressive symptoms vary greatly by race and income. Findings from this study underscore the importance of addressing obesity and depression among higher income African American men.

Chronic stress increases susceptibility to food addiction by increasing the levels of DR2 and MOR in the nucleus accumbens

Background: Stress-related obesity might be related to the suppression of the hypothalamic-pituitary- adrenocortical axis and dysregulation of the metabolic system. Chronic stress also induces the dysregulation of the reward system and increases the risk of food addiction, according to recent clinical findings. However, few studies have tested the effect of chronic stress on food addiction in animal models. Purpose: The objective of this study was to identify whether chronic stress promotes food addiction or not and explore the possible mechanisms. Method: We applied adaily 2 hrsflashing LED irradiation stress to mice fed chow or palatable food to mimic the effect of chronic stress on feeding. After 1 month of chronic stress exposure, we tested their binge eating behaviors, cravings for palatable food, responses for palatable food, and compulsive eating behaviors to evaluate the effect of chronic stress on food addiction-like behaviors. We detected changes in the levels of various genes and proteins in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), ventral tegmental area (VTA) and lateral hypothalamus using qPCR and immunofluorescence staining, respectively. Results: Behaviors results indicated chronic stress obviously increased food addiction score (FAS) in the palatable food feeding mice. Moreover, the FAS had astrong relationship with the extent of the increase in body weight. Chronic stress increased the expression of corticotropin-releasing factor receptor 1(CRFR1) was increased in the NAc shell and core but decreased in the VTA of the mice fed with palatable food. Chronic stress also increased expression of both dopamine receptor 2 (DR2) and mu-opioid receptor (MOR) in the NAc. Conclusion: Chronic stress aggravates the FAS and contributed to the development of stress-related obesity. Chronic stress drives the dysregulation of the CRF signaling pathway in the reward system and increases the expression of DR2 and MOR in the nucleus accumbens.

Interaction Between Depression, Obesity, and Type 2 Diabetes: A Complex Picture

Depression plays an important role in the pathogenesis and treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, its relevance is frequently unrecognized by clinicians and researchers. The purpose of this review is to present a critical analysis of the evidence linking depression and metabolic disorders and to highlight the practical implications of this complex relationship. Evidence obtained from epidemiological, basic, clinical and controlled studies demonstrate that the association goes beyond a random phenomenon. Epidemiological studies have rendered controversial results due to the lack of control of the confounding variables and the bidirectional relationship that exists between the outcomes and the conditions that modulate the association (i.e. socioeconomic status). Animal and human studies have been useful to define the anatomic substrates and physiologic processes that participate in the association, but, the evidence is preliminary in many areas (i.e gene × environmental interactions). Controlled studies have shown the strong impact that treatment of depression has on body weight and the large effect that has the correction of excess body weight on the depression-related symptoms. Practical implications of the depression-obesity duet include the training of the health providers to assess and treat these conditions in a concomitant manner, the need for translational medicine projects and the application the systems biology approach to fill the existing gaps of knowledge.