{"title":"Puberty Onset and Positive Urgency Explain Diminished Returns of Family Income on Tobacco and Marijuana Use.","authors":"Shervin Assari, Babak Najand, Hossein Zare","doi":"10.31586/ojp.2025.1141","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.31586/ojp.2025.1141","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Puberty is a crucial developmental milestone that involves significant physiological, emotional, and behavioral changes. Early puberty onset, influenced by both biological and social factors, is associated with an increased risk of engaging in substance use, such as tobacco and marijuana. While high family income is generally linked to delayed puberty onset and lower behavioral risks, these benefits may not be equally protective for Black youth due to the phenomenon of Minorities' Diminished Returns (MDRs). MDRs suggest that higher family income does not offer the same protective effects for Black youth as it does for White youth, potentially leading to earlier puberty and increased substance use among high-income Black adolescents.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study aimed to investigate whether early puberty onset and associated positive urgency (impulsivity) mediate the relationship between family income and the initiation of tobacco and marijuana use over a six-year follow-up period among adolescents. Additionally, the study examined whether the effects of family income on early puberty onset differ by race, testing the hypothesis that high-income Black youth would experience earlier puberty onset compared to their high-income White peers.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Data were sourced from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. Participants were 9-10-year-old adolescents at baseline, followed over a period of six years. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to assess whether early puberty onset mediated the effects of family income on substance use behaviors. Interaction terms between race and family income were included to test whether the impact of family income varies by race.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Early puberty onset and associated positive urgency partially explained the relationship between family income and the initiation of tobacco and marijuana use. High-income Black youth showed earlier puberty onset compared to their White counterparts. Earlier puberty onset then predicted higher positive urgency. These factors, in turn, were linked to higher rates of tobacco and marijuana initiation.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study provides additional evidence that the benefits of high family income do not extend equally to Black adolescents, particularly regarding delaying puberty onset and its consequences for substance use.</p>","PeriodicalId":520005,"journal":{"name":"Open journal of psychology","volume":"5 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11780720/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143070642","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Household Income and Offspring Education Explain Blacks' Diminished Returns of Parental Education.","authors":"Shervin Assari, Hossein Zare","doi":"10.31586/ojp.2024.986","DOIUrl":"10.31586/ojp.2024.986","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>High parental education promotes various aspects of offspring well-being including reducing their risk of depression/anxiety, criminal justice involvement, and welfare reliance. However, according to minorities' diminished returns, these benefits are not equal across racial groups, with Black families experiencing diminished returns of parental education compared to White families. This study explores the role of household income and offspring educational attainment as potential serial pathways that operate as mechanisms underlying diminished returns of parental education on offspring outcomes in Black families. Gender differences in these effects were also explored.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Utilizing data from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS) over a 22-year follow-up period (seven waves), we examined the serial mediation by household income and offspring educational attainment in explaining the relationship between parental education and offspring outcomes namely depression, anxiety, criminal justice involvement, and welfare reliance [Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)]. We used structural equation modeling (SEM) with household income as the first mediator and young adult education as the second mediator. Multi-group models were used to explore gender differences in these paths.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The study confirmed the role of our proposed serial mediators for Blacks' weaker effects of parental education on offspring outcomes. We observed weaker effects of first affects household income, with this effect being for Black families compared to White families, which then impacted educational attainment of the offspring. The findings indicate that household income plays a crucial mediating role, but its effect is weaker in Black families. Additionally, the educational attainment of offspring from highly educated Black parents is less effective in improving outcomes compared to their White peers, further contributing to diminished returns. Some gender differences were observed for the effects of educational attainment on economic and health outcomes of young adults.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The study underscores the need to reconsider traditional assumptions about the comparability of family conditions and outcomes across racial groups with similar levels of parental education. The findings highlight the importance of targeted policies and interventions aimed at enhancing the economic stability and educational outcomes of Black families to address these disparities. Policies should focus on promoting the economic well-being of highly educated Black parents and improving the educational outcomes of their children.</p>","PeriodicalId":520005,"journal":{"name":"Open journal of psychology","volume":"4 1","pages":"18-29"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11292485/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141877268","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Tobacco Susceptibility Explains Diminished Returns of Family Income on Black Adolescents' Tobacco Initiation.","authors":"Shervin Assari, Payam Sheikhattari","doi":"10.31586/ojp.2024.1037","DOIUrl":"10.31586/ojp.2024.1037","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Minorities' Diminished Returns (MDRs) theory posits that socioeconomic resources have weaker protective effects on health and behavior for racial and ethnic minorities compared to Whites. This study examines whether tobacco susceptibility, defined as curiosity, intention, and openness to future tobacco use, mediates the diminished returns of family income on tobacco initiation among Black adolescents.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study were analyzed. Participants were followed from age 9 to 16. All participants were tobacco naive at baseline. Tobacco susceptibility was assessed through self-reported measures of curiosity, intention, and openness to future tobacco use. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine the relationship between family income, tobacco susceptibility, and tobacco initiation.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Overall, 10,653 Black or White youth entered our analysis. The analysis revealed that higher family income was less effective in preventing tobacco initiation among Black adolescents. Tobacco susceptibility significantly predicted tobacco initiation and partially mediated the relationship between family income and tobacco initiation.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Tobacco susceptibility explains some of the diminished returns of family income on tobacco initiation among Black adolescents. Interventions aimed at reducing tobacco susceptibility may enhance the protective effects of family income and help mitigate health disparities.</p>","PeriodicalId":520005,"journal":{"name":"Open journal of psychology","volume":"4 1","pages":"30-41"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11493409/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142485580","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}