Cardiovascular problems affect nearly half of all American adults and are the leading cause of death. Mental health problems like anger/hostility, anxiety, and depression are associated with hypertension and hypotension, but the mechanisms underlying these associations remain unclear. Based on the perseverative cognition hypothesis and Selye's stress model, trait repetitive negative thinking (RNT) may represent one such mechanism. We conducted a two-wave study with a 2-week time lag. The sample included104 participants who were largely White (77.9%), non-Hispanic (92.3%), heterosexual (68.3%), women (73.1%), and assigned female at birth (79.8%) with at least some post-secondary education (53.8%). After controlling for self-reported aggression, anxiety symptoms, and depressive symptoms, we examined the associations between self-reported trait anger rumination, brooding, reflection, stress-reactive rumination, and worry measured at wave 1 and resting systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) measured at wave 2. Our regression analyses revealed that trait brooding was negatively associated with SBP and DBP. Trait anger rumination and worry were negatively associated with DBP only. Trait reflection, stress-reactive rumination, and the mental health problems (aggression, anxiety, and depressive symptoms) were not associated with blood pressure. Our findings are consistent with predictions derived from the third (exhaustion) phase of Selye's stress response model. Additional research is needed, particularly multi-year prospective studies and clinical trials demonstrating that psychological interventions targeting RNTs (particularly brooding) and mental health also affect cardiovascular outcomes. These findings provide preliminary evidence to support the integration of psychological interventions targeting RNTs in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular health problems.

Objective: The primary objective of the study was to examine associations between financial stress and self-rated health (mental and physical), with presence of and search for meaning in life as moderator variables. The secondary objective was to examine the association between presence of meaning and self-rated health, with search for meaning as a moderator. Participants and methods: The sample included 166 emerging adults (ages 18-32, mean age 22.55) recruited from a university setting (n = 87) and online platform (n = 79). To examine the proposed moderating effects, two hierarchical multiple regression models were conducted using secondary data. Results: For the primary objective, presence of meaning did not moderate the association between financial stress and self-rated health (mental or physical). Search for meaning strengthened the negative association between financial stress and physical health, exacerbating the negative health impacts associated with financial stress. However, search for meaning did not moderate the association between financial stress and mental health. For the secondary objective, search for meaning moderated the association between presence of meaning and physical health such that a negative presence-physical health association emerged at high levels of search, and a positive presence-physical health association emerged at low levels of search. Conclusion: Presence of meaning was not a protective factor in the association between financial stress and self-rated health, perhaps because average presence of meaning was lower than average search for meaning in this sample. Search for meaning was a risk factor for adverse physical health when financial stress was high or presence of meaning was low. Future research should examine in which contexts (e.g., different stressors, cultures) meaning in life dimensions emerge as risk versus protective factors.

Perseverative thinking and catastrophizing have well established associations with fear and distress. However, less is known about the impact of interpersonal dynamics, such as co-rumination, on these intrapersonal cognitive processes and subsequent stress. The present study addresses this knowledge gap. A sample of 433 adults from across the United States was recruited online and completed measures of co-rumination, perseverative thinking, catastrophizing, and demographic characteristics early in the COVID-19 pandemic, and the COVID Stress Scales (CSS) at six month follow up. Co-rumination, perseverative thinking, catastrophizing, and CSS scores were correlated in the expected direction. Regression analyses revealed all three independently predicted CSS worry about the dangerousness of COVID-19 subscale. Co-rumination was the strongest predictor of CSS worry about the socioeconomic impact and CSS compulsive checking scales. Perseverative thinking and catastrophizing predicted CSS traumatic stress symptoms subscale. Finally, perseverative thinking was the strongest predictor of CSS xenophobia subscale. Structural equation modelling indicated that co-rumination had a significant indirect effect on CSS scores through perseverative thinking and catastrophizing. Interpersonal dynamics, such as co-rumination, are relevant for understanding stress and are promising targets for intervention research to prevent or attenuate fears and distress, in addition to traditional intrapersonal cognitive processes such as perseverative thinking and catastrophizing.

Repetitive negative thinking (RNT) describes different, but related, maladaptive thought processes focused on stress or the emotional responses to stress. When activated by stress, RNT maintains and intensifies the emotional response leading to mental health problems. We examined whether four types of RNT (anger rumination, brooding, reflection, worry) are sub-constructs of one RNT or if they are related but distinct types of RNT. We also assessed their concurrent and longitudinal relationships with COVID-related changes in employment and three outcomes: aggression, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms. Participants in our corss-sectional online study were 1,627 individuals (18–87 years, 80.1

The literature underscores gaps between mental health services and Black and Brown communities in relation to accessibility and cultural responsivity. Therapists for Protester Wellness (T4PW) was created to bridge these gaps during the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement and the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. This conceptual article highlights connections among tenets of the Radical Healing framework, liberation psychology, and the mission and content of T4PW to demonstrate a culturally responsive way to support Black and Brown communities during social unrest through therapeutic and collectivistic support.

Objective: To test an integrated social cognition model predicting two forms of social distancing behavior (maintaining distance and avoiding going out in public) during COVID-19.Design: Participants from the U.S. (Sample 1, n = 433) and Canada (Sample 2, n = 239) completed online measures, reflecting the theory of planned behavior (attitudes, norms, perceived control, intention), COVID-19-specific risk, anticipated regret, fear of catching COVID-19, and perceived capacity related to using technology to connect with others. Self-reported behavior was collected from the U.S. sample at 6-month follow-up.Results: Intention to maintain distance and avoid going out predicted behavior within the U.S. sample. For both samples, intention was predicted by attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control. Perceived severity of COVID-19, anticipated inaction regret, and fear of catching COVID-19 predicted intention to maintain distance and avoid going out across both samples. Finally, within the U.S. sample, significant indirect effects were present for perceived behavioral control predicting future maintaining distance and avoiding going out via intention to engage in these behaviors.Conclusion: The integrated social cognition model predicts social distancing intentions and long-term social distancing behaviors. Hazard-specific risk and affect were relevant determinants added to the models. Potential avenues for intervention research are described.Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/08870446.2021.2023746 .

Latent class analysis was used to explore intersections of material circumstances and health care access among 308 adults, and associations between classes with health outcomes. Good fit was found for a four-class model: Resource Stable (Class 1, 62.43%), Unbalanced Meals with Health Care (Class 2, 16.91%), Resource Insecurity with Delayed Health Care (Class 3, 14.75%), and Resource Stability without Access to Health Care (Class 4, 5.91%). Class 1 reported greater well-being and self-rated health than Class 2 and 3. Class 1 reported lower BMI than Class 2. Findings document intersections among economic marginalization indicators with varying health outcomes among classes.

Perinatal health and health behaviors play a crucial role in maternal and neonatal health. Data examining psychosocial factors which predict self-reported health and health behaviors as well as objective indicators downstream of health behaviors among pregnant women are lacking. In this longitudinal study design with 131 pregnant women, perceived social support was examined as a predictor of self-rated health and average levels of sleep quality, health-promoting and health-impairing behaviors, and red blood cell (RBC) polyunsaturated fatty acids across early, mid, and late pregnancy. Participants provided a blood sample and fatty acid methyl esters were analyzed by gas chromatography. Measures included the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and Prenatal Health Behavior Scale. Regression models demonstrated that, after adjustment for income, race/ethnicity, age, relationship status, pre-pregnancy body mass index, greater social support was associated with better self-rated health (p = 0.001), greater sleep quality (p = 0.001), fewer health-impairing behaviors (p = 0.02), and higher RBC omega-3 fatty acids (p = 0.003). Associations among social support with health-promoting behaviors, RBC omega-6 fatty acids, or gestational weight gain were not significant. Findings underscore the benefits of perceived social support in the context of pregnancy. Examination of pathways that link social support with these outcomes will be meaningful in determining the ways in which perinatal psychosocial interventions may promote health.

Building off insight provided by authors in this special section and in the broader literature, this closing article describes future directions in health in psychotherapy. We use the community wellness model (CWM; Prilleltensky, 2005) sites of personal, relational, and collective to highlight psychotherapy constructs that offer future directions for more fully embracing a community and social justice perspective in health in psychotherapy. Within each level, we describe implications for researchers and clinicians: the personal level focuses on individual psychotherapy, including theoretical orientation, interventions, and feedback-informed treatment; the relational level covers clinician-client dynamics and group psychotherapy; the collective level addresses the scope and innovation of our interventions as well as advocacy efforts. Our hope is that these psychotherapy constructs and processes offer researchers and clinicians future directions for more fully integrating health into psychotherapy in a way that embeds a social justice perspective. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Abstract. A rise in mental health concerns in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic has been observed. Examining patterns in how people experienced health, economic, and social concerns in the context of the pandemic and documenting relationships between these groups with mental health outcomes will fill a gap in the literature. Describing these associations is also in line with the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Developmental Goals of promoting health and reducing inequalities. In the current study, we conducted a latent class analysis with items assessing health, economic, and social concerns in a sample of 1,394 people. Associations between groups with depressive and anxiety symptoms were also examined. A six-class model showed good fit, and groups were named: high overall concern (32.98%), health concerns without health care (14.78%), health and economic concerns (17.46%), economic concerns (4.57%), health concerns with health care (19.77%), and low overall concern (10.43%). Group membership was associated with mental health, with four groups reporting anxiety symptoms above a clinical cutoff. The intersection of concerns observed in these groups may serve as a barrier to mental health treatment during or following the pandemic. Consistent with the UN Sustainable Developmental Goals, ensuring equitable access to mental health care in the United States following the pandemic must include addressing the unique intersections of social determinants of health that people face.

Purpose We examined the effect of informal cancer caregiver stress and negative attribution style (NAS) on depressive symptoms and salivary cortisol. Method The sample came from a hospital bone marrow unit and caregiver support organizations and included 60 informal cancer caregivers (51.7% partners) of individuals with cancer (provided care for a median of 27.5 h per week for 12 months) and 46 non-caregiver participants. In this cross-sectional study, participants completed questionnaires assessing NAS and depressive symptoms and provided saliva samples to measure cortisol. Results Linear regressions demonstrated that cancer caregiver stress ( p = 0.001) and the cancer caregiver stress by NAS interaction ( p = 0.017), but not NAS alone ( p = 0.152), predicted depressive symptoms. Caregivers independent of their NAS and non-caregivers high in NAS reported high depression while non-caregivers low in NAS reported low depression. Neither cancer caregiver stress ( p = 0.920) nor NAS alone ( p = 0.114), but their interaction, predicted cortisol ( p = 0.036). Higher NAS was associated with a higher cortisol in both groups while non-caregivers had higher cortisol than caregivers. Conclusions If the findings can be replicated, consideration of NAS in existing interventions to support informal cancer caregivers in managing chronic stress appears warranted.

Positive personal resources have been shown to buffer the relationship between low subjective social status and poor mental health outcomes. However, limited data exist in relation to the role of mindfulness. The current study investigated how mindfulness moderates the relationship between subjective social status with life satisfaction and subjective well-being. Three hundred and twenty-two adults completed measures assessing subjective social status, as measured by the society and community ladders, mindfulness, life satisfaction, and well-being. Using PROCESS, a macro for SPSS and SAS, mindfulness was found to significantly moderate the relationship between society ladder and life satisfaction (△ R2 = .02, 95% confidence interval (CI) [−0.93, −0.15], p = .007) as well as the community ladder and life satisfaction (△ R2 = .01, 95% CI [−.92, −0.11], p = .013). No significant moderating effect was found between the society ladder and subjective well-being (95% CI [−0.59, 1.73], p = .335) or the community ladder and subjective well-being (95% CI [−0.82, 1.54], p = .551). These findings underscore the value of investigating how positive personal resources, such as mindfulness, impact the subjective social status-well-being relationship. Additional research examining the subjective social status–health relationship through a strengths-based lens will be fruitful in identifying resources that promote positive outcomes in the face of economic marginalization.

INTRODUCTION:Repetitive negative thinking (RNT) is a transdiagnostic feature that predicts increased mental health risks, inflammation, and reduced engagement in health promoting behaviors. Depression, anxiety, stress, inflammation, higher body mass index (BMI), and low engagement in health behaviors are associated with adverse outcomes during pregnancy as well as postpartum. However, there is limited literature on the associations between RNT and these contributing factors in the perinatal period, an at-risk time during which women may benefit from clinical interventions directed at RNT. METHODS:This study examined the contribution of RNT to inflammation [interleukin (IL)-6] and breastfeeding duration through mediating indicators of mental health and BMI. Behavioral and biological assessments occurred during late pregnancy as well as at 4-6 weeks, 4 months, 8 months, and 12 months postpartum. RESULTS:RNT was positively associated with depressive symptoms, anxiety, and perceived stress (ps ≤ .001) at each assessment timepoint, with the strongest associations observed at the pregnancy assessment and significant, but attenuated, associations during postpartum (ps < .01). In modeling of the association between RNT and IL-6, the indirect effect of BMI was significant at each timepoint (95%CIs 0.0013, 0.0052). Women with lower RNT exhibited longer breastfeeding duration (p = .02). These effects were not significantly mediated by mental health indicators. CONCLUSIONS:Clinically meaningful relationships, in which RNT predicts mental health, inflammation, and health behavior engagement during pregnancy and postpartum were observed. Clinical interventions to reduce RNT may have unique benefits this time. LIMITATIONS:Further research is warranted to determine if therapies to reduce RNT confer unique benefits for maternal and child health.

This introductory article to the special section on addressing health in psychotherapy offers the Community Wellness Model (CWM) as a useful framework for addressing illness in the context of therapy at the sites of personal, relational, and collective well-being. We provide information on the prevalence of health concerns in the general public and clients seeking psychotherapy, and how health psychology intervention research largely focuses on outcomes without attending to therapeutic processes. In this introductory article, we then highlight the nine articles that comprise the following two parts in the special section: (a) Identifying What is (Un)Known About Health in Psychotherapy and (b) Focus on Psychotherapy for Specific Health Conditions and Populations. This introductory article concludes with suggestions to psychotherapy practitioners and researchers on how to incorporate the CWM when integrating health into psychotherapy. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Health psychology research emphasizes biological and positivist methods, giving less attention to the multifaceted sociocultural and political forces at play in health processes and outcomes. In this article, we present a new sociostructural approach for working toward racial equity in health psychology research, consistent with public psychology goals. This new approach uses the multicultural orientation framework (MCO) to guide health psychologists to consider the sociocultural and political history of their work, systems of oppression and privilege embedded in health research, and a path toward using research to achieve social change, antiracism, and health equity. We identify MCO as a tool for health psychology researchers to engage in ongoing self-reflection, cultivate cultural humility, and act upon opportunities to examine cultural factors at each step of the research process. After describing the MCO's components of cultural humility, cultural opportunities, and cultural comfort, we introduce questions that researchers can use to guide self-reflexivity and the implementation of MCO into health psychology research focused on racial equity. Specifically, we present the issue of Black women's perinatal health to embody the importance of applying MCO to health disparities research. We then walk through how to apply MCO in health research study development, data collection, and data dissemination. As we outline how to apply MCO to promote antiracist health research, we aim to enact social change consistent with the public psychology goals of building and fostering strong community relationships that inform social policy. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

INTRODUCTION besity is one of the most pressing public health issues in the United States (U.S.) today as it increases the risk of morbidity and mortality through chronic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, and mental health conditions (1). Defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a body mass index greater than 30 kg·m, obesity is the second leading cause of preventable deaths (2). Projected estimates indicate that nearly one in two adults will have obesity and almost one in four adults will have severe obesity by 2030 (3). Further, existing disparities in obesity prevalence by race/ethnicity, socioeconomic position, and geographical region are expected to widen (3,4). Maintaining a healthy weight is determined by the balance of energy intake (food calories from dietary macronutrients) with total energy expenditure (TEE). TEE is composed of the energy cost of one’s basal metabolic rate, the thermic effect of digestion and assimilation of food, and total physical activity. When an individual overeats and/or is sedentary relative to TEE, a positive net energy balance is created, resulting in weight gain. Research

This study utilized a latent profile analysis approach to examine the relationship between mindfulness profiles and self-reported mental and physical health, as well as salivary cortisol levels in a sample of 85 undergraduate students. Consistent with theory, the Judgmentally Observing (high monitoring, low acceptance) reported poorer mental health and exhibited flatter diurnal cortisol slopes than the Unobservant Accepting (low monitoring, high acceptance) and Average Mindfulness profiles. No differences in self-reported physical health, cortisol response to awakening, or diurnal mean cortisol were observed among the profiles. Future directions are discussed.

Background The prevalence of oral HPV infection and HPV-related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) among Indigenous Australians is unknown. This paper outlines the engagement, consultation and recruitment strategies for a study involving investigation of HPV and OPSCC among Indigenous South Australians, based on the consolidated criteria for strengthening the reporting of health research involving Indigenous Peoples (CONSIDER) statement. Methods Initial consultations with all interested Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs) were done throughout 2014 and 2015. This resulted in a funding application submitted that reflected Indigenous community views and inputs in study design and methodology, and which included nine Indigenous investigators. Once funding was received, community consultation was again undertaken, with six ACCHOs providing structures, strategies and recommendations for how recruitment for participants taking part in the study should be undertaken. Staff were hired ( n = 6), with non-Indigenous staff ( n = 3) undertaking extensive cultural competency training. An Indigenous Reference Group was established to provide oversight and cultural guidance. Recruitment of Indigenous participants by trained field officers occurred between Feb 2018 and Dec 2018, with n = 1011 recruited. Qualitative records summarising research staff contact with ACCHOs and participants were documented. These records, together with field trip notes, key ACCHO stakeholder reflections and research staff comments, were reviewed to summarise the culturally sensitive strategies that appeared to work most successfully to facilitate ACCHO and participant buy-in. Results Findings were documented against the CONSIDER statement’s research reporting framework of governance: relationships, prioritization, methodologies, participation, capacity, analysis and findings, and dissemination. The apparent success of the community engagement processes were then conceptualised into five domains: (1) engaging with ACCHOs as equal partners very early in the research process; (2) having an Indigenous Reference Group; (3) ACCHOs actively promoting the study; (4) having a flexible agenda responsive to broader environment demands and; (5) including Indigenous capacity building. Conclusions Consultation and engagement with all sectors of the Indigenous community are essential in any research, especially a project involving HPV and OPSCC . Enabling local Indigenous staff to provide cultural guidance throughout the research process is helpful. Research that is culturally respectful and in partnership with Indigenous groups can be embraced when the research is collaborative and has clear translational benefits. The CONSIDER statement is a useful checklist against which to assess Indigenous health research processes. In future, the findings may be useful to yield important Aboriginal population estimates for both oral HPV infection and OPSCC. This may serve to convince funding bodies to provide health promotion personnel in the field of oral health, specifically OPSCC, in ACCHOs.