Jenny Zhen-Duan

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are potentially traumatic childhood stressors associated with elevated risk for problematic alcohol use and alcohol use disorder (AUD). Mexican-origin adults exhibit high rates of heavy drinking, underscoring the importance of identifying early risk and protective factors. This study examined prospective associations between family- and community-level ACEs and alcohol outcomes among Mexican-origin adolescents and evaluated familism and family cohesion as potential protective factors. Data came from a three-wave longitudinal community study of 344 Mexican-origin youth assessed between April 2021 and October 2024. Linear and logistic regression models examined prospective associations between Wave 1 ACEs and alcohol outcomes (problematic drinking and probable AUD) at Waves 2 and 3. Familism and family cohesion were tested as main effects and moderators. Family-level ACEs at Wave 1 were associated with higher problematic drinking and increased odds of probable AUD at Wave 3. Community-level ACEs were not significantly associated with alcohol outcomes. Higher family cohesion at Wave 1 was associated with lower alcohol use and reduced odds of probable AUD at Wave 2, and higher familism was associated with lower odds of probable AUD at Wave 3. However, the interaction effects between ACEs and protective factors were nonsignificant. Results underscore adolescence as a critical period for trauma-informed prevention and interventions, when the behavioral consequences of maltreatment and family dysfunction may already be emerging, but trajectories of alcohol-related harm are not yet established.

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are robust risk factors for alcohol and drug use problems, with documented effects in Latino populations across both family- and community-level adversities. Yet research on ACEs has been limited by three methodological constraints: a lack of inclusion of racial/ethnic diverse participants, including Latinos; a large focus on family-level ACEs (e.g., maltreatment, household dysfunction) that typically overlooks community-level ACEs (e.g., community violence, discrimination); and a reliance on cumulative risk scores that obscure the impact of specific adversity patterns. To address these gaps, this study sought to identify latent patterns of family- and community-level ACEs and their distinct associations with alcohol and drug misuse among Latino/Hispanic university students in the United States. Latent class analysis (LCA) of data from N = 2,865 participants identified four distinct ACE classes: Low Adversity, Household Dysfunction, Polyvictimization, and High Adversity. While U.S.-born status and female identity were associated with the High Adversity and Household Dysfunction classes, sexual minority identity was the only demographic characteristic associated with increased risk of membership across all three ACE classes: Household Dysfunction (RRR = 1.37), Polyvictimization (RRR = 2.81), and High Adversity (RRR = 5.29). Regression models revealed unique associations. Those in the High Adversity ( OR = 1.80) and Polyvictimization ( OR = 1.78) classes had higher odds of hazardous drinking. Household Dysfunction was most strongly linked to low-risk drug use (RRR = 2.33), while Polyvictimization conferred the highest risk for problematic drug use (RRR = 6.46). These findings suggest that a person-centered analysis of expanded ACEs is critical for revealing specific risk pathways and developing targeted clinical screening and public health interventions.

Careless responding is a concern in online surveys and poses a threat to data quality in intensive longitudinal research, which often relies on repeated online surveys. Despite its potential impact, little research has examined careless responding in adolescent daily diary research. This study investigated the prevalence, trends, and baseline correlates of careless responding using two daily attention check (ACQ) questions and response time data in a 21-day daily diary study of 311 youths aged 12 to 16. Average compliance (75.1%) and careless responding rates (3.4% to 18.1%) were comparable to those reported in recent meta-analyses with adult samples, supporting the feasibility of collecting 21-day daily diaries from adolescents. Response time screening using the common 2-second-per-item rule was less sensitive than ACQs in detecting careless responding in adolescent daily diaries. Participants failed the second ACQ more frequently than the first, highlighting both the value of multiple ACQs per assessment and the potential benefit of shorter surveys. Younger adolescents and those with higher state anger, more neighborhood problems, lower anger control, and poorer emotion regulation were more likely to fail ACQs. Sensitivity analyses using various subsamples after removing careless responding cases suggested that longitudinal analysis results may be inflated when careless responding is not addressed. Our findings underscore the importance of incorporating attention check and response time measures and conducting sensitivity analyses to examine the robustness of statistical conclusions in intensive longitudinal research with youth.

The present three-wave longitudinal study tested two transdiagnostic mediators – anger and racism-related vigilance – of the link between racism and internalizing and externalizing problems. At Wave 1, the sample included 344 Mexican-origin adolescents ( M _age = 13.5 years; 51.7% male, 45.9% female; 2.3% non-binary) residing in the Midwestern United States. Data across the three waves were collected from April 2021 through October 2024. The study examined how both direct and vicarious racism were related to internalizing and externalizing problems over time. Results from latent growth curve mediation analyses indicated that outward anger expression was a significant mediator; both direct and vicarious racism at Wave 1 were significantly associated with higher levels of anger at Wave 2, which in turn, were associated with higher levels of internalizing and externalizing problems at Wave 3. Racism-related vigilance was a significant mediator of the association between vicarious racism and internalizing problems only, according to results from post hoc sensitivity analyses. Implications for future theory, research, and clinical practice are discussed to help mitigate the effects of racism in new migration contexts for this vulnerable population.

In early 2025, the Trump administration issued several executive orders that impacted academia. Using convenience sampling recruitment, 837 academics completed a survey and provided open-text responses assessing the impact of the executive orders. Our results indicate that many are considering pursuing private funding (58%), leaving academia (43%), and self-censoring (44%), in response to these executive orders. Most respondents (87%) are very worried about the state of academia and have very low confidence in the government (92%). While reactions to the executive orders were almost uniformly negative, DEI scholars and minoritized academics reported being more affected. Academics play a critical role in maintaining the U.S. as a world leader in health and innovation. The new executive orders will likely negatively impact the future of academia and science in the U.S.

Introduction: Parental adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), or adversities parents experience when they are children, significantly impact their children's biobehavioral outcomes. Maternal ACEs are associated with epigenetic age acceleration (EAA; faster biological aging) in infants (Sosnowski et al., 2024) and young children (Nwanaji-Enwerem et al., 2021). While the effects of paternal ACEs and EAA have not been directly examined, emerging studies indicate that paternal ACEs correlate with DNA methylation in their infants, and these methylated CpG (genetic) were associated with externalizing outcomes three years later (Merrill et al., 2021). Family factors (e.g., positive parenting practices) can buffer the association between maternal ACEs and EAA (Sullivan et al., 2023). However, it is unclear if family factors buffer the effects of both maternal and paternal ACEs and EAA; and whether the associations between parental ACEs and EAA are observed later in development, like adolescence. Hypotheses: To examine whether parental ACEs and youth’s EAA are moderated by family factors (i.e., family cohesion, parent-child relationship quality). We hypothesized that both fathers’ and mothers’ family-level (e.g., maltreatment, family dysfunction) and community-level (e.g., discrimination, community violence) ACEs would be associated with EAA, but that family factors would mitigate this effect. Sample: Participants were from the ENLACEs study. Participating families had to be of Mexican descent, and youth had to be between the ages of 12 and 15 at baseline. Our study included family triads recruited from northern Indiana: youth (n = 120), mothers (n = 120), and fathers (n = 120). Study Methods: Participants were recruited with the help of community-based partners. Bilingual and bicultural assistants administered surveys to parents in English or Spanish, while youth surveys were self-administered on tablets. Surveys assessing parental ACEs were collected during Wave 1, youth-reported questionnaires of parent-child relationships and family cohesion were collected in Wave 2, and salivary DNA for epigenetic analysis was collected in Wave 2. Epigenetic age acceleration was estimated from two clocks: the Pediatric Buccal Epigenetic (PedBE) and Horvarth. We employed path analysis and maximum likelihood estimations with robust standard errors in R. Results Consistent with our hypothesis, the association between fathers' family-level ACEs and youth EAA was moderated by parent-child relationship in both clocks: PedBE (beta=-0.03; p=0.086) and Horvath (beta=-0.173; p=0.004). Similarly, the association between mothers’ community-level ACEs and EAA was moderated by family cohesion: PedBE (beta=-0.009; p=0.041) and Horvath (beta=-0.045; p=0.001). In contrast to hypothesized directions, family cohesion moderated the association between fathers and mothers’ family-level ACEs and EAA: PedBE (beta=0.021; p=0.008) and Horvath (beta=0.018; p=0.036), respectively. Conclusion Consistent with previous mother-child dyadic studies, fathers’ ACEs can similarly impact their children’s EAA, and these observations can also be noted during adolescence. While seemingly counterintuitive, this finding points to family cohesion as an element by which family factors can strongly affect their children's biology, whether positively or negatively. Future research will be necessary to elucidate the nuanced impact of family factors on the potential intergenerational biological consequences of parental ACEs, but these findings lay a foundation for future family-based interventions.

Investigate associations between religion and spirituality (R&S) and DNA methylation of four HPA-axis genes (i.e. 14 CpG sites) among 992 adults from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos cohorts. We assessed 1) the association between R&S measures and mean percent methylation overall and stratified by nativity status (US-born or immigrant) and 2) if interactions between R&S and methylation differed by nativity status. Among individuals with the FKBP5 CC genotype, increased spirituality scores were associated with significantly lower methylation levels among immigrants, compared to US-born participants. Organizational religiosity (e.g. service attendance) was associated with increased FKBP5 (CC genotype) methylation among immigrants. R&S may influence HPA-axis functioning differently based on nativity status; a finding that could offer insight into mechanisms leading to health disparities.