Summer 2021
New Articles from Annals of Behavioral Medicine and Translational Behavioral Medicine
SBM's two journals, Annals of Behavioral Medicine and Translational Behavioral Medicine: Practice, Policy, Research (TBM), continuously publish online articles, many of which become available before issues are printed. Three recently published Annals and TBM articles are listed below.
SBM members who have paid their 2021 membership dues are able to access the full text of all Annals and TBM online articles via the SBM website by following the steps below.
- Go to the Members Only section of the SBM website.
- Log in with your username and password.
- Click on the Journals link.
- Click on the title of the journal which you would like to electronically access.
To check if you are a current SBM member, or if you are having trouble accessing the journals online, please contact the SBM national office at info@sbm.org or (414) 918-3156.
Annals of Behavioral Medicine
Adherence to Social Distancing Guidelines Throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Roles of Pseudoscientific Beliefs, Trust, Political Party Affiliation, and Risk Perceptions
Background
Adherence to COVID-19 social distancing guidelines varies across individuals.
Purpose
This study examined the relations of pseudoscientific and just world beliefs, generalized and institutional trust, and political party affiliation to adherence to COVID-19 social distancing guidelines over three months, as well as the explanatory role of COVID-19 risk perceptions in these relations.
Methods
A U.S. nationwide sample of 430 adults (49.8% women; mean age = 40.72) completed a prospective online study, including an initial assessment (between March 27 and April 5, 2020), a 1 month follow-up (between April 27 and May 21, 2020), and a 3 month follow-up (between June 26 and July 15, 2020). We hypothesized that greater pseudoscientific and just world beliefs, lower governmental, institutional, and dispositional trust, and Republican Party affiliation would be associated with lower initial adherence to social distancing and greater reductions in social distancing over time and that COVID-19 risk perceptions would account for significant variance in these relations.
Results
Results revealed unique associations of lower governmental trust, greater COVID-19 pseudoscientific beliefs, and greater trust in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to lower initial adherence to social distancing. Whereas greater COVID-19 risk perceptions and CDC trust were associated with less steep declines in social distancing over time, both Republican (vs. Democratic) Party affiliation and greater COVID-19 pseudoscientific beliefs were associated with steeper declines in social distancing over time (relations accounted for by lower COVID-19 risk perceptions).
Conclusions
Results highlight the utility of public health interventions aimed at improving scientific literacy and emphasizing bipartisan support for social distancing guidelines.
The Cycle of Daily Stress and Sleep: Sleep Measurement Matters
Danica C Slavish, PhD, Justin Asbee, MA, Kirti Veeramachaneni, Brett A Messman, BA, Bella Scott, BA, Nancy L Sin, PhD, Daniel J Taylor, PhD, Jessica R Dietch, PhD
Background
Disturbed sleep can be a cause and a consequence of elevated stress. Yet intensive longitudinal studies have revealed that sleep assessed via diaries and actigraphy is inconsistently associated with daily stress.
Purpose
We expanded this research by examining daily associations between sleep and stress using a threefold approach to assess sleep: sleep diaries, actigraphy, and ambulatory single-channel electroencephalography (EEG).
Methods
Participants were 80 adults (mean age = 32.65 years, 63% female) who completed 7 days of stressor and sleep assessments. Multilevel models were used to examine bidirectional associations between occurrence and severity of daily stress with diary-, actigraphy-, and EEG-determined sleep parameters (e.g., total sleep time [TST], sleep efficiency, and sleep onset latency, and wake after sleep onset [WASO]).
Results
Participants reported at least one stressor 37% of days. Days with a stressor were associated with a 14.4-min reduction in actigraphy-determined TST (β = −0.24, p = 0.030), but not with other actigraphy, diary, or EEG sleep measures. Nights with greater sleep diary-determined WASO were associated with greater next-day stressor severity (β = 0.01, p = 0.026); no other diary, actigraphy, or EEG sleep measures were associated with next-day stressor occurrence or severity.
Conclusions
Daily stress and sleep disturbances occurred in a bidirectional fashion, though specific results varied by sleep measurement technique and sleep parameter. Together, our results highlight that the type of sleep measurement matters for examining associations with daily stress. We urge future researchers to treat sleep diaries, actigraphy, and EEG as complementary—not redundant—sleep measurement approaches.
Physical Activity Buffers the Adverse Impacts of Racial Discrimination on Allostatic Load Among Indigenous Adults
Jennifer L Copeland, PhD, Cheryl L Currie, PhD, Kathrina Chief Moon-Riley, MSc
Background
Racial discrimination has been associated with biological dysfunction among ethnic minorities. The extent to which regular physical activity (PA) may buffer this association is unknown.
Purpose
To examine the association between past-year racial discrimination and allostatic load (AL) stratified by PA within a sample of Indigenous adults.
Methods
Data were collected from Indigenous adults attending university in a city in western Canada between 2015 and 2017. The Experiences of Discrimination Scale was used to assess discrimination and the Godin–Shephard Leisure-Time Physical Activity Questionnaire assessed PA. A composite of seven biomarkers assessing neuroendocrine, cardiovascular, metabolic, and immune system function measured AL. Linear regression models examined associations adjusted for confounders (N = 150).
Results
In the insufficiently active group, every 1 point increase in racial discrimination (up to a maximum of 9) resulted in approximately one third of a point increase in AL score. In the sufficiently active group, the association between racial discrimination and AL score was not statistically significant.
Conclusions
A growing body of research suggests racial discrimination is associated with multisystem biological dysregulation and health risks. Increased action to address racism in society is a priority. As that work unfolds, there is a need to identify effective tools that racialized groups can use to buffer the effects of racism on their health. The present findings suggest that engagement in regular PA may attenuate the pernicious effects of discrimination on biological dysfunction.
Translational Behavioral Medicine
Physical distancing ≠ physical inactivity
Stefanie M Meyer, Matthew J Landry, Jeanette Gustat, Stephenie C Lemon, Collin A Webster
During this time of global health crisis, physical distancing, along with mask wearing, has emerged as the sine qua non social practice to protect ourselves and others from COVID-19. But as physical distancing ensues and all eyes remain fixed on the novel coronavirus, another, albeit careworn, pandemic rages on. Physical inactivity, the world’s fourth leading cause of death, may indeed be exacerbated by physical distancing measures, such as sheltering at home and closing or limiting access to recreation and exercise facilities. The purpose of this paper is to urge public health and medical professionals not to forget the importance of physical activity to whole-person health, recognize the importance of physical activity as a potential COVID-19 mitigation strategy and to serve as advocates for promoting active lifestyles. It is imperative that the national call for physical distancing not be interpreted as a call for physical inactivity.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health and daily life of adults with behavioral health disorder
Jessica A Jonikas, Judith A Cook, Margaret Swarbrick, Patricia Nemec, Pamela J Steigman, Katherine A Boss, George H Brice, Jr
People with behavioral health disorders may be particularly vulnerable to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, yet little is known about how they are faring. A mixed-methods, anonymous needs assessment was conducted to understand changes in the lives of adults with mental health and substance use disorders since the pandemic onset. A cross-sectional, online survey was completed by 272 adults in April and May 2020, recruited from statewide networks of community programs in New Jersey and New York. Measures included the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2 to screen for depressive and anxiety disorders. Also assessed was the pandemic’s impact on sleep and dietary patterns, exposure to COVID-19 infection, and access to health care and medications. Finally, respondents were asked to describe in their own words any changes in their lives since the pandemic began. Over one-third (35.1%) screened positive for generalized anxiety disorder and over one-quarter (29.6%) screened positive for major depressive disorder. The majority reported pandemic-related changes in eating and sleeping patterns and exposure to COVID-19 infection. Multivariable logistic regression analysis found that many changes attributed to the pandemic were positively and significantly associated with screening positive for anxiety and depressive disorders. Qualitative analysis confirmed these findings and identified participants’ resilience stemming from social support, emotion management, and self-care. These results can inform the design of services that assist this population to bolster self-management skills and reestablish daily habits to improve their lives during and following the pandemic.
Still striding toward social justice? Redirecting physical activity research in a post-COVID-19 world
Rebecca E Lee, Rodney P Joseph, Loneke T Blackman Carr, Shaila Marie Strayhorn, Jamie M Faro, Hannah Lane, Courtney Monroe, Dorothy Pekmezi, Jacob Szeszulski
The COVID-19 crisis and parallel Black Lives Matter movement have amplified longstanding systemic injustices among people of color (POC). POC have been differentially affected by COVID-19, reflecting the disproportionate burden of ongoing chronic health challenges associated with socioeconomic inequalities and unhealthy behaviors, including a lack of physical activity. Clear and well-established benefits link daily physical activity to health and well-being—physical, mental, and existential. Despite these benefits, POC face additional barriers to participation. Thus, increasing physical activity among POC requires additional considerations so that POC can receive the same opportunities to safely participate in physical activity as Americans who are White. Framed within the Ecologic Model of Physical Activity, this commentary briefly describes health disparities in COVID-19, physical activity, and chronic disease experienced by POC; outlines underlying putative mechanisms that connect these disparities; and offers potential solutions to reduce these disparities. As behavioral medicine leaders, we advocate that solutions must redirect the focus of behavioral research toward community-informed and systems solutions.