Age Moderates the Association of Community Connectedness and Psychological Distress among LGBTQ+ Youth and Adults.

High levels of psychological distress present a major public health issue among LGBTQ+ youth and adults; however, research has repeatedly identified community connectedness as an important protective factor for mental health in LGBTQ+ populations. The aim of the present study was to examine whether age moderates the association of community connectedness on psychological distress in a community sample of LGBTQ+ people. In the present exploratory study, we analyzed secondary cross-sectional data from a sample of LGBTQ+ youth and adults (n = 292) in a semi-rural community in the Western United States. Participants completed a measure of community connectedness, the K6, and the PHQ-4. The results of two moderation models showed that the negative association of community connectedness on psychological distress was strongest among youth, weaker among young adults, and nonsignificant among older middle-aged adults and older adults. These results provide further evidence for the potential buffering role of community connectedness on psychological distress for LGBTQ+ youth and young adults.

Children's sleep, impulsivity, and anger: shared genetic etiology and implications for developmental psychopathology.

BACKGROUND: Prior research has established links between poor sleep and problems in emotion regulation. Impulsivity and anger/frustration are core features of child psychopathology. Further, sleep problems are commonly associated with psychopathology. This study examined shared and unique genetic and environmental influences on sleep, impulsivity, and anger/frustration in the middle childhood period with potential ramifications for psychopathology. METHODS: Families (29.9% monozygotic, 38.6% same-sex dizygotic, 31.5% opposite-sex dizygotic) from a longitudinal twin study participated (N = 613 twins). Twins (Mage  = 8.37, SD = 0.66; 49% female; 58% non-Latinx European American, 30% Latinx) wore actigraph watches for seven days to assess sleep. Primary caregivers (95.3% mothers) completed standardized questionnaires to assess twins' temperament (impulsivity, anger/frustration). RESULTS: Univariate ACE twin structural equation models indicated strong genetic influences (76%) on impulsivity, whereas the largest proportion of variance in anger/frustration was attributed to the shared environment (56%). Bivariate model fitting indicated that sleep-impulsivity and sleep-anger/frustration associations in children are genetic; thus, a mutual underlying genetic factor likely contributes to the commonality in these associations. CONCLUSIONS: Given evidence that sleep problems, impulsivity, and anger/frustration are mechanisms associated with psychopathology, our findings suggest a genetic commonality and the need to focus on shared and unique risk factors when understanding etiology. Early intervention and prevention efforts should target both sleep problems and high levels of impulsivity and anger/frustration in children, which may have implications for later psychopathology.

Neurofibromatosis Type 1 Implicates Ras Pathways in the Genetic Architecture of Neurodevelopmental Disorders.

The genetic architecture of neurodevelopmental disorders is largely polygenic, non-specific, and pleiotropic. This complex genetic architecture makes the search for specific etiological mechanisms that contribute to neurodevelopmental risk more challenging. Monogenic disorders provide an opportunity to focus in on how well-articulated signaling pathways contribute to risk for neurodevelopmental outcomes. This paper will focus on neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), a rare monogenic disorder that is associated with varied neurodevelopmental outcomes. Specifically, this paper will provide a brief overview of NF1 and its phenotypic associations with autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and specific learning disorders, describe how variation within the NF1 gene increases risk for neurodevelopmental disorders via altered Ras signaling, and provide future directions for NF1 research to help elucidate the genetic architecture of neurodevelopmental disorders in the general population.