Rebecca Roberts Andridge

Objective: Sexual minority populations are growing, experience elevated physical and mental health risks, and have unique stressor exposures. However, biopsychosocial research on sexual minority individuals at the population level remains limited. Addressing this gap, we launched the National Couples’ Health and Time Stress Biology Study (NCHAT-BIO), the first US-based study focused on stress biology within a large, diverse sample of married/cohabiting sexual minority and heterosexual adults. NCHAT-BIO capitalized on the unique opportunity of NCHAT, a population-representative US sample which intentionally oversampled sexual minority respondents. Methods: NCHAT-BIO was approved by The Ohio State University and Gallup Institutional Review Boards. A total of 950 participants completed at-home dried blood spot (DBS) collection with return by mail. After exclusions, 787 respondent samples were assayed: 44.5% sexual minority, 56.9% assigned female at birth, 55.3% who identified as women, 25% with non-White racial identity, and mean age=42.69 (SD=10.19). Samples were analyzed for interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP), and Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) antibodies. Final analytic samples were: IL-6 (n=452), CRP (n=663), EBV (n=647, including n=84 EBV negative). These biomarker data can be merged with rich NCHAT survey responses, time diaries with an embedded Experience Sampling Method (ESM) component, and contextual state- and county-level indicators. Dissemination: Wave 1 NCHAT-BIO data have been deposited at ICPSR for public release; the current report should be cited in future empirical manuscripts using these data. Wave 1 NCHAT survey data are also at ICPSR, and the two archives will be linked to facilitate integrated use. Future Directions: Whole blood data collection from Wave 3 NCHAT participants will begin in 2026. Planned assays, which will also become publicly available, include IL-6, CRP, and epigenetic aging (per DNA methylation).

Objectives: The current study examined the efficacy of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), compared with an active control lifestyle education program (LifeEd), in improving fluid and driving-related cognition in older adults. Dose–response associations between mindfulness practice and treatment gains were also examined. Method: One hundred fifty participants were randomized to one of two groups. Outcomes were assessed at pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 6- and 12-month follow-ups. Results: There were no significant group-by-time interaction effects or dose–response associations ( p > 0.05). Both groups improved on tasks of fluid and driving-related cognition at post-intervention and/or follow-up ( p < 0.05). Conclusions: Older adults in both groups showed improvements in cognition across the 12-month period, with no evidence of a differential advantage for MBSR. Structured, cognitively engaging interventions may support cognition in later life through multiple pathways, although practice effects cannot be ruled out in this study. Pre-registration: See ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03626532) and Open Science Framework pre-registration: https://osf.io/3jmru/overview?view_only=09f091be1d0d4c4da7a99c3fcb6e2b4a

Self-rated health (SRH), as measured by a single item, is a well-established and remarkably robust predictor of morbidity and mortality, yet few studies have examined its biological correlates across diverse sexual orientation identities. Using data from the population-representative National Couples' Health and Time study (NCHAT) and its biospecimen substudy (NCHAT-BIO), this study explored the relationship between lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, or other nonheterosexual identities (LGBQ+), SRH, and systemic inflammation. Among 3,477 partnered (married or cohabiting) cisgender adults, 42.6% identified as LGBQ+, and a subset of 652 (41.3% LGBQ+) provided dried blood spot samples analyzed for interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP). In the full NCHAT sample, LGBQ+ respondents reported significantly poorer SRH than their heterosexual peers (LGBQ+ vs. heterosexual: t = 3.3574, df = 3,466, p value < .001). In the NCHAT-BIO subsample, poorer SRH was significantly related to both higher IL-6 (β = -.23, SE = .042, p < .0001) and higher CRP (β = -.41, SE = .054, p < .0001), supporting the hypothesis that subjective health assessments may capture interoceptive awareness of inflammatory status. Importantly, the strength of the association between SRH and inflammation did not differ across groups based on sexual orientation and gender (Interaction p value for IL-6: .46, for CRP: .39). The associations between SRH and inflammatory markers were slightly attenuated after inclusion of key health and behavioral covariates, suggesting potential mediating factors warranting future investigation. These findings replicate prior research on SRH and inflammation and extend them to LGBQ+ plus adults, underscoring the importance of inclusive health measurement. Given SRH's robust predictive power for future morbidity and mortality, integrating assessments of sexual orientation and biological markers offers critical insight for understanding and addressing health disparities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Proxy pattern-mixture models (PPMMs) have previously been proposed as a model-based framework for assessing the potential for nonignorable nonresponse in sample surveys and nonignorable selection in nonprobability samples. One defining feature of the PPMM is the single sensitivity parameter, ϕ , that ranges from 0 to 1 and governs the degree of departure from ignorability. While this sensitivity parameter is attractive in its simplicity, it may also be of interest to describe departures from ignorability in terms of how the odds of response (or selection) depend on the outcome being measured. In this paper, we re-express the PPMM as a selection model in order to better understand the underlying assumptions of the PPMM and the implied effect of the outcome on nonresponse (or selection). The selection model that corresponds to the PPMM is a quadratic function of the survey outcome and proxy variable, and the magnitude of the effect depends on the value of the sensitivity parameter, ϕ (missingness/selection mechanism), the differences in the proxy means and standard deviations for the respondent and nonrespondent populations, and the strength of the proxy as measured by the correlation between the outcome and the proxy in the respondent/selected sample. Large values of ϕ (beyond 0 . 5 ) may result in unrealistic selection mechanisms, and the corresponding selection model can be used to establish more realistic bounds on ϕ . We illustrate the results using a home pricing dataset extracted from the China Family Panel Studies.

Background: In the United States, the prevalence of Alzheimer disease (AD) is projected to double over the next 30 years, with associated familial and societal costs estimated at US $1 trillion annually if current trends continue. Although pharmacological treatments of AD are showing promise, the adoption of healthy lifestyle behaviors, particularly during the preclinical phase of AD, may reduce dementia rates by up to 45%. Subjective cognitive decline (SCD), defined as persistent self-perceived declines in cognitive functioning compared with previously normal cognitive abilities, has been identified as a potential preclinical stage of AD. Objective: This randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of an internet-based, asynchronous mindfulness-based stress reduction program compared with an active control group (an internet-based lifestyle education program). Secondary objectives include examining preliminary effects of each intervention on SCD, plasma-based biomarkers of amyloid and tau pathology, and everyday mind-wandering. Methods: Sixty adults aged 50 years and older will be screened for SCD in the absence of objective cognitive impairment, based on the Uniform Data Set Neuropsychological Battery (version 3.0) from the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center. Eligible and consenting participants will complete behavioral and imaging-based tasks of sustained attention and mind-wandering, as well as blood draws at baseline and after the 8-week intervention. After baseline assessments, participants will be randomized to either an internet-based, asynchronous mindfulness-based stress reduction program or the internet-based lifestyle education program. Both programs have been adapted from our manualized in-person programs and refined through focus group interviews with the target population. Results: The study was funded in April 2024. Phase 1 focused on iterative development of the 2 programs based on focus group feedback. Recruitment for the randomized controlled trial (internet-based mind-body training trial) began in June 2025 and is ongoing. Recruitment is expected to conclude in September 2026, with data collection ending in December 2026. Conclusions: Behavioral, lifestyle-based interventions that emphasize experiential practices show promise as preventative strategies to prevent decline in cognitive and brain health. Yet, there remain significant barriers to engaging with in-person programs, including limited accessibility, time and schedule constraints, and travel logistics. The internet-based mind-body training trial will evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of 2 fully online, mind-body training programs for adults at risk for AD. Future Stage II and Stage III studies will be necessary to establish the efficacy of these programs for improving AD biomarkers and cognitive outcomes and their broader dissemination to adults noticing subtle changes in cognitive functioning.

Objective: To examine differences in social support, loneliness, and immune function by sexual orientation and to explore whether social support and loneliness mediate immune outcomes. Methods: Participants (394 heterosexual, 144 gay/lesbian, 144 plurisexual) completed the Perceived Social Support Questionnaire and the UCLA Loneliness short-form and provided dried blood spot samples to index i mmune markers (Epstein-Barr virus [EBV] titers, C-reactive protein [CRP], interleukin-6 [IL-6]) between September 2020 and November 2021. Results: Plurisexual (Cohen’s d=−0.80) and heterosexual (d=−0.64) males had lower friend support than gay males (ps < 0.0015), plurisexual (d=−0.42) and gay/lesbian (d=−0.40) adults reported lower family support than their heterosexual peers (ps < 0.001), and plurisexual people had higher CRP levels compared to gay/lesbian (d=0.37) and heterosexual people (d=0.22) (ps < 0.039). Loneliness and lower social support did not explain plurisexual adults’ higher inflammation, but BMI partially explained plurisexual adults’ higher IL-6 [indirect effect: 0.15 (0.04 – 0.26)] and CRP [indirect effect: 0.21 (0.04– 0.38)], compared to heterosexual adults. Conclusions: Partnered plurisexual individuals face disproportionate loneliness, lower social support, and greater inflammation—suggesting that partnered status alone does not ensure health equity. These findings underscore the need to better understand and address the unique social and biological vulnerabilities of plurisexual people. BMI may partially explain plurisexuals’ higher inflammation, but further longitudinal research is warranted.

Individuals engage in a variety of coping behaviors, both positive and negative. Coping affects mental and physical health, including immune function. Data from the National Couples’ Health and Time Study (NCHAT) found differences in coping patterns by sexual orientation, which may have implications for health disparities. The current analyses expand upon these findings to examine immune correlates of coping in a subset of 653 NCHAT participants in the Stress Biology sub-study (NCHAT-BIO). Assays for inflammatory markers [interleukin(IL)-6, C-reactive protein(CRP)] and cellular immune function (Epstein-Barr virus antibody levels) were conducted. Group differences were observed in positive coping, with gay/lesbian respondents reporting the highest levels, followed by plurisexual and heterosexual respondents. Differences in negative coping were also observed, with the highest levels among plurisexual respondents, followed by gay/lesbian and heterosexual respondents. Controlling for age, BMI, sex, and health conditions, negative coping was associated with higher CRP with no moderating effects by sexual orientation. These data provide novel evidence linking greater negative coping with inflammation, per higher CRP, with similar magnitude of association regardless of sexual orientation. Although no significant group differences in inflammatory markers were observed in relation to sexual orientation within this sample, greater negative coping among sexual minority adults could contribute to such effects at the population level. Improving coping via intervention has the potential to benefit not only psychological well-being, but also physiological functioning, particularly among individuals with greater negative coping patterns.