Maladaptive Eating-Depression Symptom Networks across Mexican American Children's Cultural Development

项目摘要： 研究表明，适应不良的饮食（例如，暴饮暴食，食物限制）和持续 抑郁症状经常同时出现，并可能随着时间的推移而相互加强。然而， 关于墨西哥裔美国人早期适应不良饮食和抑郁症状的病因 儿童以及文化调节者的变化如何影响跨诊断功能障碍的发展 机制等以前的研究表明，墨西哥裔美国儿童谁开发了更强的文化， 墨西哥的做法（即，文化适应）可能比那些发展出 更强的美国实践导向（即，文化适应）。这项研究旨在绘制早期功能障碍 墨西哥裔美国儿童适应不良饮食与抑郁症状之间的机制 发展，确定哪些特定症状对驱动功能障碍的机制最有影响， 探讨文化适应（保护）和文化适应（风险）如何影响整个童年的功能领域。 我的长期研究目标是探索西班牙裔美国人的精神和身体疾病轨迹 这将有助于提高人口的健康水平，以预测疾病的发作和病程，并提高主流干预措施的有效性。 与此目标相一致，目前的项目建议使用症状网络分析来检查 在240名低收入人群中， 墨西哥裔美国儿童在6岁、7.5岁和9岁时进行评估。在现有文献的基础上，我 假设适应不良的饮食行为和抑郁症状之间的联系将成为 更强的时间。我还假设，对功能失调机制影响最大的症状将 在时间上保持一致。最后，我假设，更多的墨西哥裔美国儿童将 与墨西哥裔美国儿童相比，他们之间的不正常联系更少。 这将是第一个研究适应不良饮食抑郁症状网络， 墨西哥裔美国儿童和第一个考虑文化发展作为一个潜在的保护 早期功能障碍的文化适应和风险因素。结果将告知重要的病因 问题，并确定最佳的症状，以治疗为目标，可以产生最大的治疗收益， 改善儿童适应不良饮食和抑郁症之间的联系。完成这项研究 项目和培训计划将为我的研究早期职业计划奠定基础，并提供明确的下一步 重要机制的步骤及其相应的环境背景进行探讨。心理上， 我的培训计划的文化和统计严谨性将使我做好准备，以实现我进行研究的目标， 预测西班牙裔人群的发病和病程。我坚信，通过训练， 有了这个奖学金，我将成为少数民族心理学和行为健康领域的一笔财富。

Project Abstract: Research demonstrates that maladaptive eating (e.g., overeating, food restriction) and persistent depressive symptoms often co-occur and may reinforce each other over time. However, little is known regarding the etiology of early maladaptive eating and depressive symptoms among Mexican American children and how variations in cultural moderators impact the development of transdiagnostic dysfunctional mechanisms. Previous research suggests that Mexican American children who develop a stronger cultural orientation to Mexican practices (i.e., enculturation) may have better outcomes than those who develop a stronger orientation to U.S. practices (i.e., acculturation). This study aims to map early dysfunctional mechanisms between maladaptive eating and depressive symptoms across Mexican American child development, identify which specific symptoms are most influential to mechanisms driving dysfunction, and explore how enculturation (protective) and acculturation (risk) influence functional domains across childhood. My long-term research goal is to explore mental and physical illness trajectories among Hispanic populations to predict onset and course of illness and increase the effectiveness of mainstream interventions. Consistent with this goal, the current project proposes to use symptom network analysis to examine the development of maladaptive eating behaviors and depressive symptoms across a sample of 240 low-income Mexican American children assessed at ages 6, 7.5, and 9 years old. Grounded in the existing literature, I hypothesize that the association between maladaptive eating behaviors and depressive symptoms will become stronger across time. I also hypothesize that the symptoms most influential to dysfunctional mechanisms will remain consistent across time. Finally, I hypothesize that more enculturated Mexican American children will have less dysfunctional connections than more acculturated Mexican American children. This will be the first study to examine maladaptive eating–depression symptom networks among Mexican American children and the first to consider cultural development as a potential protective (enculturation) and risk (acculturation) factor of early dysfunction. Results will inform important etiological questions and identify optimal symptoms to target in treatment that can yield the most treatment gains for improving connections between maladaptive eating and depression in children. Completion of this research project and training plan will set the foundation for my early career program of research and provide clear next steps for important mechanisms and their corresponding environmental context to explore. The psychological, cultural, and statistical rigor of my training plan will prepare me to meet my goal of conducting research to predict onset and course of illness among Hispanic populations. I strongly believe that with the training from this fellowship, I will be an asset to the field of minority psychology and behavioral health.