Person: Chen, Ying
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Chen
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Ying
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Chen, Ying
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Publication Positive parenting improves multiple aspects of health and well-being in young adulthood(Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2019-05-06) Chen, Ying; Haines, Jess; Charlton, Brittany; VanderWeele, TylerAspects of positive parenting have previously been linked to better offspring health and well-being1,2, though often, individual outcomes have been examined separately. Examining multiple outcomes simultaneously, over multiple aspects of parenting, may provide a more holistic picture of the parenting–health dynamics3,4. Methodological limitations such as reverse causation—good childhood outcomes that make parenting easier—also remain a concern in many previous observational studies5. Here we examined the associations between multiple aspects of parenting (including parent–child relationship satisfaction concerning love, parental authoritativeness and family dinner frequency) and various subsequent offspring psychosocial, mental, behavioural and physical health and well-being outcomes. We analysed longitudinal data from the Growing Up Today Study 1 (N = 8,476, mean baseline age = 12.78 years) and Growing Up Today Study 2 (N = 5,453, mean baseline age = 17.75 years). Both parenting and health outcomes were based on offspring self-reports. The results suggest that greater relationship satisfaction was associated with greater emotional well-being, lower risk of mental illness, eating disorders, overweight or obesity and marijuana use. To a lesser extent, greater parental authoritativeness and regular family dinner were also associated with greater offspring emotional well-being, fewer depressive symptoms, lower risk of overeating and certain sexual behaviours. This study strengthens the evidence for a public health focus on improving parenting to promote population health and well-being.Publication Unequally Distributed Psychological Assets: Are There Social Disparities in Optimism, Life Satisfaction, and Positive Affect?(Public Library of Science, 2015) Boehm, Julia K.; Chen, Ying; Williams, David; Ryff, Carol; Kubzansky, LauraSocioeconomic status is associated with health disparities, but underlying psychosocial mechanisms have not been fully identified. Dispositional optimism may be a psychosocial process linking socioeconomic status with health. We hypothesized that lower optimism would be associated with greater social disadvantage and poorer social mobility. We also investigated whether life satisfaction and positive affect showed similar patterns. Participants from the Midlife in the United States study self-reported their optimism, satisfaction, positive affect, and socioeconomic status (gender, race/ethnicity, education, occupational class and prestige, income). Social disparities in optimism were evident. Optimistic individuals tended to be white and highly educated, had an educated parent, belonged to higher occupational classes with more prestige, and had higher incomes. Findings were generally similar for satisfaction, but not positive affect. Greater optimism and satisfaction were also associated with educational achievement across generations. Optimism and life satisfaction are consistently linked with socioeconomic advantage and may be one conduit by which social disparities influence health.Publication Health Assets in the Family and Maintaining Optimal Weight Across the Lifespan(2016-04-25) Chen, Ying; Kubzansky, Laura; Berkman, Lisa; Kawachi, IchiroFamily health research has been dominated by the deficit-based perspective, which focused on studying the detrimental effects of risky family environment. In comparison, the possible health benefits of positive family relationships remain less understood. To help address the knowledge gap, the present study took an asset-based perspective to investigate the association between parenting styles and offspring body weight, and the association between marital quality and adult body weight based on data from the Midlife in the United States Study. It also used data from the Nurses’ Health Study II and the Growing Up Today Study to examine the association between maternal marital history and offspring body weight. Study 1 found a protective effect of the authoritative parenting style on offspring weight gain in mid-life, compared to the authoritarian and the uninvolved style. The association was partly mediated by the elevated rate of depression in offspring of the authoritarian and uninvolved styles. There was also evidence that it was likely the interactive effects between parental warmth and parental control that matters for offspring body weight. Study 2 revealed that maternal marital stability was protective for offspring body weight. Moreover, the analyses on multiple facets of maternal marital history suggested that higher frequency of maternal marital transitions, longer duration of mother being unmarried, and occurrence of the first maternal marital transition in offspring’s adolescence or young adulthood were each associated with higher risk of offspring being overweight or obese. Contrary to our expectation that nurturing marital relationships may provide an exception to the general pattern that positive family relationships are protective for body weight, Study 3 showed that higher marital quality was associated with lower risk of incident obesity and less subsequent weight gain in mid-life. It also found an effect of marital support independent from marital strain. In conclusion, this study added to the evidence that nurturing family relationships may be a health asset. It also highlighted the importance of taking a lifecourse perspective. This line of research may help identify and mobilize positive attributes within the family for promoting healthy states, and open new avenues for obesity prevention and control.