Spring 2024 Research Roundup

In this issue of our quarterly Research Roundup, we provide an overview of some recent research showcasing the protective role of positive lifestyle factors for mental health, the benefits of continuing contribution, an effective intervention to support positive racial-ethnic identity exploration, synchronized brain activity between parents and youth, and the importance of timing in parental support.

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In This Roundup

• ​Lifestyle factors counteract the neurodevelopmental impact of genetic risk for accelerated brain aging in adolescence (March 2024)
• The contribution of community service during the transition to adulthood to health in adulthood (February 2024)
  
• Parental involvement affects parent-adolescents brain-to-brain synchrony when experiencing different emotions together: An EEG-based hyperscanning study (February 2024)
  
• Teachers’ implementation of the Identity Project is associated with increases in U.S. high school students’ ethnic-racial identity exploration (February 2024)
  
• Responsive parental support buffers the link between chronic stress and cardiometabolic risk among adolescents (February 2024)
  

Research

Lifestyle factors counteract the neurodevelopmental impact of genetic risk for accelerated brain aging in adolescence

A recent study led by Raluca Petrican and colleagues investigated the interplay between positive lifestyle factors (friendships, parental warmth, school engagement, physical exercise, and healthy nutrition) and genetic risk for major depressive disorder, Alzheimer’s disease, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.

Analyzing data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study (a long-term study of brain development and youth health), the researchers found that genetic risk for disorders such as anxiety and depression increased the risk for mental health problems, while positive lifestyle factors decreased the risk for mental health problems later in adolescence. Both genetic vulnerability and positive lifestyle factors were associated with altered development of brain regions involved in cognitive control, emotion regulation, and attention later in adolescence. Importantly, the changes in brain development linked to positive lifestyle factors reduced the risk for psychiatric disorders—especially among adolescents who had experienced high levels of adversity (Biological Psychiatry, March 2024).

Why this is important: This study highlights the protective role of positive experiences on brain and emotional development in adolescence. It suggests that programs that enhance positive lifestyle factors (such as by improving school connectedness) could help protect against stressors and promote mental health, even among young people who have a genetic risk for psychiatric disorders.

The contribution of community service during the transition to adulthood to health in adulthood

In this study, Laura Wray-Lake and colleagues examined changes in community service engagement from adolescence into adulthood (ages 18 to 30) and the impact on adult health outcomes. The researchers analyzed data from over 10,000 participants from a range of high school graduation years (from 1976 to 2000). They tracked changes in participants’ levels of community service from ages 18 to 30, then looked at behavioral, physical, and psychological health outcomes at ages 35 and 40. The results revealed significant associations between community service involvement and adult health outcomes such that adolescents who continued engaging in community service in the transition from adolescence to adulthood reported lower substance use, healthier behaviors, and higher psychological well-being later in life (Journal of Research on Adolescence, February 2024).

Why this is important: This study shows the importance to health and well-being of promoting and supporting civic engagement opportunities as young people transition into adulthood.

Parental involvement affects parent-adolescents brain-to-brain synchrony when experiencing different emotions together: An EEG-based hyperscanning study

In this study, Xinmei Deng and colleagues used a technique called electroencephalograph (EEG) hyperscanning to examine the brain functions underlying shared parent-adolescent experiences by simultaneously recording brain activity in 26 parent-adolescent pairs as they rated their feelings about several 10-second film clips.

They found that in pairs of parents and youth with high parental involvement (where parents show interest, caring, and warmth) there was greater synchronization in brain activity–that is, their brains were responding in similar ways at the same time–when they shared positive emotions. This kind of synchronization between parents and youth is believed to support adolescent social-emotional development, and is based on the strong emotional bonding and connection between the family members. In this context, it suggests that strong bonds with parents can enhance the way parents and adolescents connect emotionally—even on a brain level (Behavioral Brain Research, February 2024).

Why this is important: This study shows one way that parental involvement impacts the dynamics between parents and young people, highlighting the importance of fostering supportive, caring parent-adolescent relationships over the teenage years.

Teachers’ implementation of the Identity Project is associated with increases in U.S. high school students’ ethnic-racial identity exploration

The Identity Project is an eight-session, school-based intervention that provides high school students with strategies and tools to learn about, explore, and reflect on ethnic-racial identity (ERI). The program has been shown to increase in ethnic-racial identity exploration and resolution in ways that support higher self-esteem, lower depressive symptoms, and better grades, among other positive outcomes, when delivered by researchers. In this study, Adriana Umaña-Taylor and her team sought to evaluate the effectiveness of the Identity Project when delivered by teachers themselves. In a group of 180 high school students from diverse backgrounds, the teacher-led Identity Project intervention increased ERI exploration over the course of the program. Further, the positive effects remained when accounting for factors such as ethnic-racial socialization within the family, student and teacher ethnic-racial identity, gender, immigrant status, and ethno-racial background, suggesting that this intervention is effective across diverse adolescent populations (Journal of Youth and Adolescence, February 2024)

Why this is important: These findings demonstrate that teachers, who are uniquely positioned to impact students, can be trained to effectively implement the Identity Project to help youth develop a positive ethnic-racial identity, which is essential to healthy social and emotional development during the adolescent years.

Responsive parental support buffers the link between chronic stress and cardiometabolic risk among adolescents

Exposure to chronic stress from experiences including poverty, bullying, and family turmoil during adolescence can impact mental and physical health–particularly in cardiometabolic issues such type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke in adulthood. In a new study, Phoebe Lam and colleagues investigated a potential protective factor in the association between stress and health in adolescence: the nature and timing of parental support. Using data from 242 adolescents, the researchers found that youth who experienced higher levels of psychological stress over the past 6 months also showed higher levels of cardiometabolic risk (inflammation). Timely parental support—that is, an increase in support such as advice, comfort, and listening received on stressful days—acted as a buffer against the detrimental effects of stress on heart-related health. When adolescents received support from their parents on days when they experienced stress, the link between chronic stress and cardiovascular risk was weakened. Chronic stress was only linked with cardiovascular risk when youth did not receive support in response to days when they experienced stress. (Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, February 2024)

Why this is important: These findings highlight the importance of parental support provided at the time of stressful experiences to prevent the negative physical effects of stress during adolescence. This makes it clear that youth need support from their parents that is attuned to their experiences.