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Dr. Shervin Assari
University of Michigan

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0 Depression
0 Disparities
0 Epidemiology
0 Health Policy
0 Inequality

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Race
Depression
Mental Health
Disparities
inequalities
Epidemiology
Suicide
Health Policy
Inequality

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Short Biography

Shervin Assari is an associate professor who studies race, racism, and social determinants of health.

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Project

Project Goal: To understand why health of middle class Black, Hispanic, and Gay people is worse than expected.

Starting Date:07 January 2017

Current Stage: About 100 papers published.

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Journal article
Published: 15 July 2021 in Women
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Educational attainment is among the most substantial protective factors against cigarette smoking, including during pregnancy. Although Minorities’ Diminished Returns (MDRs) of educational attainment, defined as weaker protective effect of education for racial and ethnic minority groups compared to Non-Hispanic Whites, has been demonstrated in previous studies; such MDRs are not tested for cigarette smoking during pregnancy. To better understand the relevance of MDRs to tobacco use during pregnancy, this study had three aims: firstly, to investigate the association between educational attainment and cigarette smoking in pregnant women; secondly, to compare racial and ethnic groups for the association between educational attainment and cigarette smoking; and thirdly, to explore the mediating effect of poverty status on such MDRs, among American adults during pregnancy. This cross-sectional study explored a nationally representative sample of pregnant American women (n = 338), which was taken from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH; 2013). Current smoking was the outcome. Educational attainment was the independent variable. Region and age were the covariates. Poverty status was the mediator. Race and ethnicity were the effect modifiers. Overall, a higher level of educational attainment (OR = 0.54, p< 0.05) was associated with lower odds of current smoking among pregnant women. Race (OR = 2.04, p< 0.05) and ethnicity (OR = 2.12, p< 0.05) both showed significant interactions with educational attainment on smoking, suggesting that the protective effect of educational attainment against smoking during pregnancy is smaller for Blacks and Hispanics than Non-Hispanic Whites. Poverty status fully mediated the above interactions. In the United States, highly educated pregnant Black and Hispanic women remain at higher risk of smoking cigarettes, possibly because they are more likely to live in poverty, compared to their White counterparts. The results suggest the role that labor market discrimination has in explaining lower returns of educational attainment in terms of less cigarette smoking by racial and ethnic minority pregnant women.

ACS Style

Shervin Assari; Shanika Boyce. Social Determinants of Cigarette Smoking among American Women during Pregnancy. Women 2021, 1, 128 -136.

AMA Style

Shervin Assari, Shanika Boyce. Social Determinants of Cigarette Smoking among American Women during Pregnancy. Women. 2021; 1 (3):128-136.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Shervin Assari; Shanika Boyce. 2021. "Social Determinants of Cigarette Smoking among American Women during Pregnancy." Women 1, no. 3: 128-136.

Journal article
Published: 06 July 2021 in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
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Chronic low back pain is one of the most common, poorly understood, and potentially disabling chronic pain conditions from which older adults suffer. The existing low back pain research has relied almost exclusively on White/Caucasian participant samples. This study examines the correlates of chronic low back pain among a sample of underserved urban African American and Latino older adults. Controlling for age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, living arrangement, and number of major chronic conditions, associations between low back pain and the following outcome variables are examined: (1) healthcare utilization, (2) health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) and self-rated quality of health; and (3) physical and mental health outcomes. Methods: We recruited nine hundred and five (905) African American and Latino older adults from the South Los Angeles community using convenience and snowball sampling. In addition to standard items that measure demographic variables, our survey included validated instruments to document HR-QoL health status, the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire-2, Geriatric Depression Scale, sleep disorder, and healthcare access. Data analysis includes bivariate and 17 independent multivariate models. Results: Almost 55% and 48% of the Latino and African American older adults who participated in our study reported chronic low back pain. Our data revealed that having low back pain was associated with three categories of outcomes including: (1) a higher level of healthcare utilization measured by (i) physician visits, (ii) emergency department visits, (iii) number of Rx used, (iv) a higher level of medication complexity, (v) a lower level of adherence to medication regimens, and (vi) a lower level of satisfaction with medical care; (2) a lower level of HR-QoL and self-assessment of health measured by (i) physical health QoL, (ii) mental health QoL, and (iii) a lower level of self-rated health; and (3) worse physical and mental health outcomes measured by (i) a higher number of depressive symptoms, (ii) a higher level of pain, (iii) falls, (iv) sleep disorders, (v) and being overweight/obese. Discussion: Low back pain remains a public health concern and significantly impacts the quality of life, health care utilization, and health outcomes of underserved minority older adults. Multi-faceted and culturally sensitive interventional studies are needed to ensure the timely diagnosis and treatment of low back pain among underserved minority older adults. Many barriers and challenges that affect underserved African American and Latino older adults with low back pain simply cannot be addressed in over-crowded EDs. Our study contributes to and raises the awareness of healthcare providers and health policymakers on the necessity for prevention, early diagnosis, proper medical management, and rehabilitation policies to minimize the burdens associated with chronic low back pain among underserved older African American and Latino patients in an under-resourced community such as South Los Angeles.

ACS Style

Mohsen Bazargan; Margarita Loeza; Tavonia Ekwegh; Edward Adinkrah; Lucy Kibe; Sharon Cobb; Shervin Assari; Shahrzad Bazargan-Hejazi. Multi-Dimensional Impact of Chronic Low Back Pain among Underserved African American and Latino Older Adults. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2021, 18, 7246 .

AMA Style

Mohsen Bazargan, Margarita Loeza, Tavonia Ekwegh, Edward Adinkrah, Lucy Kibe, Sharon Cobb, Shervin Assari, Shahrzad Bazargan-Hejazi. Multi-Dimensional Impact of Chronic Low Back Pain among Underserved African American and Latino Older Adults. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021; 18 (14):7246.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mohsen Bazargan; Margarita Loeza; Tavonia Ekwegh; Edward Adinkrah; Lucy Kibe; Sharon Cobb; Shervin Assari; Shahrzad Bazargan-Hejazi. 2021. "Multi-Dimensional Impact of Chronic Low Back Pain among Underserved African American and Latino Older Adults." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18, no. 14: 7246.

Journal article
Published: 01 June 2021 in Urban Science
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Background:Aim: To examine racial/ethnic variations in the effect of parents’ subjective neighborhood safety on children’s cognitive performance. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 10,027 children from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. The exposure variable was parents’ subjective neighborhood safety. The outcomes were three domains of children’s cognitive performance: general cognitive performance, executive functioning, and learning/memory. We used mixed-effects regression models for data analysis. Results: Overall, parents’ subjective neighborhood safety was positively associated with children’s executive functioning, but not general cognitive performance or learning/memory. Higher parents’ subjective neighborhood safety had a more positive influence on the executive functioning of non-Hispanic White than Asian American children. Higher parents’ subjective neighborhood safety was associated with higher general cognitive performance and learning/memory for non-White children relative to non-Hispanic White children. Conclusion: The race/ethnicity of children moderates the association between neighborhood safety and cognitive performance. This becomes more complicated, as the patterns seem to differ across ethnicity and cognitive domains. It is unknown whether the observed racial/ethnic variations in the effect of neighborhood safety on cognitive performance are neighborhood characteristics such as residential segregation. Addressing neighborhood inequalities is needed if we wish to reduce racial/ethnic inequities in the cognitive development of children.

ACS Style

Shervin Assari; Shanika Boyce; Ritesh Mistry; Alvin Thomas; Harvey Nicholson; Ryon Cobb; Adolfo Cuevas; Daniel Lee; Mohsen Bazargan; Cleopatra Caldwell; Tommy Curry; Marc Zimmerman. Parents’ Perceived Neighborhood Safety and Children’s Cognitive Performance: Complexities by Race, Ethnicity, and Cognitive Domain. Urban Science 2021, 5, 46 .

AMA Style

Shervin Assari, Shanika Boyce, Ritesh Mistry, Alvin Thomas, Harvey Nicholson, Ryon Cobb, Adolfo Cuevas, Daniel Lee, Mohsen Bazargan, Cleopatra Caldwell, Tommy Curry, Marc Zimmerman. Parents’ Perceived Neighborhood Safety and Children’s Cognitive Performance: Complexities by Race, Ethnicity, and Cognitive Domain. Urban Science. 2021; 5 (2):46.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Shervin Assari; Shanika Boyce; Ritesh Mistry; Alvin Thomas; Harvey Nicholson; Ryon Cobb; Adolfo Cuevas; Daniel Lee; Mohsen Bazargan; Cleopatra Caldwell; Tommy Curry; Marc Zimmerman. 2021. "Parents’ Perceived Neighborhood Safety and Children’s Cognitive Performance: Complexities by Race, Ethnicity, and Cognitive Domain." Urban Science 5, no. 2: 46.

Journal article
Published: 23 May 2021 in Children
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Intersectional research on childhood suicidality requires studies with a reliable and valid measure of suicidality, as well as a large sample size that shows some variability of suicidality across sex by race intersectional groups. Objectives: We aimed to investigate the feasibility of intersectionality research on childhood suicidality in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. We specifically explored the reliability and validity of the measure, sample size, and variability of suicidality across sex by race intersectional groups. Methods: We used cross-sectional data (wave 1) from the ABCD study, which sampled 9013 non-Hispanic white (NHW) or non-Hispanic black (NHB) children between the ages of 9 and 10 between years 2016 and 2018. Four intersectional groups were built based on race and sex: NHW males (n = 3554), NHW females (n = 3158), NHB males (n = 1164), and NHB females (n = 1137). Outcome measure was the count of suicidality symptoms, reflecting all positive history and symptoms of suicidal ideas, plans, and attempts. To validate our measure, we tested the correlation between our suicidality measure and depression and Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) sub-scores. Cronbach alpha was calculated for reliability across each intersectional group. We also compared groups for suicidality. Results: We observed some suicidality history in observed 3.2% (n = 101) of NHW females, 4.9% (n = 175) of NHW males, 5.4% (n = 61) of NHB females, and 5.8% (n = 68) of NHB males. Our measure’s reliability was acceptable in all race by sex groups (Cronbach alpha higher than 0.70+ in all intersectional groups). Our measure was valid in all intersectional groups, documented by a positive correlation with depression and CBCL sub-scores. We could successfully model suicidality across sex by race groups, using multivariable models. Conclusion: Given the high sample size, reliability, and validity of the suicidality measure, variability of suicidality, it is feasible to investigate correlates of suicidality across race by sex intersections in the ABCD study. We also found evidence of higher suicidality in NHB than NHW children in the ABCD study. The ABCD rich data in domains of social context, self-report, schools, parenting, psychopathology, personality, and brain imaging provides a unique opportunity to study intersectional differences in neural circuits associated with youth suicidality.

ACS Style

Shervin Assari; Shanika Boyce; Mohsen Bazargan. Feasibility of Race by Sex Intersectionality Research on Suicidality in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. Children 2021, 8, 437 .

AMA Style

Shervin Assari, Shanika Boyce, Mohsen Bazargan. Feasibility of Race by Sex Intersectionality Research on Suicidality in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. Children. 2021; 8 (6):437.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Shervin Assari; Shanika Boyce; Mohsen Bazargan. 2021. "Feasibility of Race by Sex Intersectionality Research on Suicidality in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study." Children 8, no. 6: 437.

Journal article
Published: 18 May 2021 in Children
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Aim: This study tested sex differences in the association between hippocampal volume and working memory of a national sample of 9–10-year-old children in the US. As the hippocampus is functionally lateralized (especially in task-related activities), we explored the results for the right and the left hippocampus. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study using the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study data. This analysis included baseline ABCD data (n = 10,093) of children between ages 9 and 10 years. The predictor variable was right and left hippocampal volume measured by structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI). The primary outcome, list sorting working memory, was measured using the NIH toolbox measure. Sex was the moderator. Age, race, ethnicity, household income, parental education, and family structure were the covariates. Results: In the overall sample, larger right (b = 0.0013; p< 0.001) and left (b = 0.0013; p< 0.001) hippocampal volumes were associated with higher children’s working memory. Sex had statistically significant interactions with the right (b = −0.0018; p = 0.001) and left (b = −0.0012; p = 0.022) hippocampal volumes on children’s working memory. These interactions indicated stronger positive associations between right and left hippocampal volume and working memory for females compared to males. Conclusion: While right and left hippocampal volumes are determinants of children’s list sorting working memory, these effects seem to be more salient for female than male children. Research is needed on the role of socialization, sex hormones, and brain functional connectivity as potential mechanisms that may explain the observed sex differences in the role of hippocampal volume as a correlate of working memory.

ACS Style

Shervin Assari; Shanika Boyce; Tanja Jovanovic. Association between Hippocampal Volume and Working Memory in 10,000+ 9–10-Year-Old Children: Sex Differences. Children 2021, 8, 411 .

AMA Style

Shervin Assari, Shanika Boyce, Tanja Jovanovic. Association between Hippocampal Volume and Working Memory in 10,000+ 9–10-Year-Old Children: Sex Differences. Children. 2021; 8 (5):411.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Shervin Assari; Shanika Boyce; Tanja Jovanovic. 2021. "Association between Hippocampal Volume and Working Memory in 10,000+ 9–10-Year-Old Children: Sex Differences." Children 8, no. 5: 411.

Journal article
Published: 18 May 2021 in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
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Family conflict is known to operate as a major risk factor for children’s suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs). However, it is unknown whether this effect is similar or different in Black and White children. Objectives: We compared Black and White children for the association between family conflict and STBs in a national sample of 9–10-year-old American children. Methods: This cross-sectional study used data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. This study included 9918 White or Black children between the ages of 9 and 10 living in married households. The predictor variable was family conflict. Race was the moderator. The outcome variable was STBs, treated as a count variable, reflecting positive STB items that were endorsed. Covariates included ethnicity, sex, age, immigration status, family structure, parental education, and parental employment, and household income. Poisson regression was used for data analysis. Results: Of all participants, 7751 were Whites, and 2167 were Blacks. In the pooled sample and in the absence of interaction terms, high family conflict was associated with higher STBs. A statistically significant association was found between Black race and family conflict, suggesting that the association between family conflict and STBs is stronger in Black than White children. Conclusion: The association between family conflict and STBs is stronger in Black than White children. Black children with family conflict may be at a higher risk of STBs than White children with the same family conflict level. These findings align with the literature on the more significant salience of social relations as determinants of mental health of Black than White people. Reducing family conflict should be regarded a significant element of suicide prevention for Black children in the US.

ACS Style

Shervin Assari; Shanika Boyce; Mohsen Bazargan; Cleopatra Caldwell. Race, Family Conflict and Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors among 9–10-Year-Old American Children. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2021, 18, 5399 .

AMA Style

Shervin Assari, Shanika Boyce, Mohsen Bazargan, Cleopatra Caldwell. Race, Family Conflict and Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors among 9–10-Year-Old American Children. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021; 18 (10):5399.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Shervin Assari; Shanika Boyce; Mohsen Bazargan; Cleopatra Caldwell. 2021. "Race, Family Conflict and Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors among 9–10-Year-Old American Children." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18, no. 10: 5399.

Journal article
Published: 18 May 2021 in Children
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Background: Recent studies have shown that parental educational attainment is associated with a larger superior temporal cortical surface area associated with higher reading ability in children. Simultaneously, the marginalization-related diminished returns (MDRs) framework suggests that, due to structural racism and social stratification, returns of parental education are smaller for black and other racial/ethnic minority children compared to their white counterparts. Purpose: This study used a large national sample of 9–10-year-old American children to investigate associations between parental educational attainment, the right and left superior temporal cortical surface area, and reading ability across diverse racial/ethnic groups. Methods: This was a cross-sectional analysis that included 10,817 9–10-year-old children from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. Parental educational attainment was treated as a five-level categorical variable. Children’s right and left superior temporal cortical surface area and reading ability were continuous variables. Race/ethnicity was the moderator. To adjust for the nested nature of the ABCD data, mixed-effects regression models were used to test the associations between parental education, superior temporal cortical surface area, and reading ability overall and by race/ethnicity. Results: Overall, high parental educational attainment was associated with greater superior temporal cortical surface area and reading ability in children. In the pooled sample, we found statistically significant interactions between race/ethnicity and parental educational attainment on children’s right and left superior temporal cortical surface area, suggesting that high parental educational attainment has a smaller boosting effect on children’s superior temporal cortical surface area for black than white children. We also found a significant interaction between race and the left superior temporal surface area on reading ability, indicating weaker associations for Alaskan Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AIAN/NHPI) than white children. We also found interactions between race and parental educational attainment on reading ability, indicating more potent effects for black children than white children. Conclusion: While parental educational attainment may improve children’s superior temporal cortical surface area, promoting reading ability, this effect may be unequal across racial/ethnic groups. To minimize the racial/ethnic gap in children’s brain development and school achievement, we need to address societal barriers that diminish parental educational attainment’s marginal returns for middle-class minority families. Social and public policies need to go beyond equal access and address structural and societal barriers that hinder middle-class families of color and their children. Future research should test how racism, social stratification, segregation, and discrimination, which shape the daily lives of non-white individuals, take a toll on children’s brains and academic development.

ACS Style

Shervin Assari; Shanika Boyce; Mohsen Bazargan; Alvin Thomas; Ryon Cobb; Darrell Hudson; Tommy Curry; Harvey Nicholson; Adolfo Cuevas; Ritesh Mistry; Tabbye Chavous; Cleopatra Caldwell; Marc Zimmerman. Parental Educational Attainment, the Superior Temporal Cortical Surface Area, and Reading Ability among American Children: A Test of Marginalization-Related Diminished Returns. Children 2021, 8, 412 .

AMA Style

Shervin Assari, Shanika Boyce, Mohsen Bazargan, Alvin Thomas, Ryon Cobb, Darrell Hudson, Tommy Curry, Harvey Nicholson, Adolfo Cuevas, Ritesh Mistry, Tabbye Chavous, Cleopatra Caldwell, Marc Zimmerman. Parental Educational Attainment, the Superior Temporal Cortical Surface Area, and Reading Ability among American Children: A Test of Marginalization-Related Diminished Returns. Children. 2021; 8 (5):412.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Shervin Assari; Shanika Boyce; Mohsen Bazargan; Alvin Thomas; Ryon Cobb; Darrell Hudson; Tommy Curry; Harvey Nicholson; Adolfo Cuevas; Ritesh Mistry; Tabbye Chavous; Cleopatra Caldwell; Marc Zimmerman. 2021. "Parental Educational Attainment, the Superior Temporal Cortical Surface Area, and Reading Ability among American Children: A Test of Marginalization-Related Diminished Returns." Children 8, no. 5: 412.

Journal article
Published: 31 March 2021 in Adolescents
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Introduction: Cerebellum cortex fractional anisotropy is a proxy of the integrity of the cerebellum cortex. However, less is known about how it is shaped by race and socioeconomic status (SES) indicators such as parental education and household income. Purpose: In a national sample of American pre-adolescents, this study had two aims: to test the effects of two SES indicators, namely parental education and household income, on cerebellum cortex fractional anisotropy, and to explore racial differences in these effects. Methods: Using data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, we analyzed the diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging (dMRI) data of 9565, 9–10-year-old pre-adolescents. The main outcomes were cerebellum cortex fractional anisotropy separately calculated for right and left hemispheres using dMRI. The independent variables were parental education and household income; both treated as categorical variables. Age, sex, ethnicity, and family marital status were the covariates. Race was the moderator. To analyze the data, we used mixed-effects regression models without and with interaction terms. We controlled for propensity score and MRI device. Results: High parental education and household income were associated with lower right and left cerebellum cortex fractional anisotropy. In the pooled sample, we found significant interactions between race and parental education and household income, suggesting that the effects of parental education and household income on the right and left cerebellum cortex fractional anisotropy are all significantly larger for White than for Black pre-adolescents. Conclusions: The effects of SES indicators, namely parental education and household income, on pre-adolescents’ cerebellum cortex microstructure and integrity are weaker in Black than in White families. This finding is in line with the Marginalization-related Diminished Returns (MDRs), defined as weaker effects of SES indicators for Blacks and other racial and minority groups than for Whites.

ACS Style

Shervin Assari; Shanika Boyce. Race, Socioeconomic Status, and Cerebellum Cortex Fractional Anisotropy in Pre-Adolescents. Adolescents 2021, 1, 70 -94.

AMA Style

Shervin Assari, Shanika Boyce. Race, Socioeconomic Status, and Cerebellum Cortex Fractional Anisotropy in Pre-Adolescents. Adolescents. 2021; 1 (2):70-94.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Shervin Assari; Shanika Boyce. 2021. "Race, Socioeconomic Status, and Cerebellum Cortex Fractional Anisotropy in Pre-Adolescents." Adolescents 1, no. 2: 70-94.

Journal article
Published: 22 March 2021 in Brain Sciences
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Introduction. The Orbitofrontal Cortex (OFC) is a cortical structure that has implications in cognition, memory, reward anticipation, outcome evaluation, decision making, and learning. As such, OFC activity correlates with these cognitive brain abilities. Despite research suggesting race and socioeconomic status (SES) indicators such as parental education may be associated with OFC activity, limited knowledge exists on multiplicative effects of race and parental education on OFC activity and associated cognitive ability. Purpose. Using functional brain imaging data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, we tested the multiplicative effects of race and parental education on left lateral OFC activity during an N-Back task. In our study, we used a sociological rather than biological theory that conceptualizes race and SES as proxies of access to the opportunity structure and exposure to social adversities rather than innate and non-modifiable brain differences. We explored racial variation in the effect of parental educational attainment, a primary indicator of SES, on left lateral OFC activity during an N-Back task between Black and White 9–10 years old adolescents. Methods. The ABCD study is a national, landmark, multi-center brain imaging investigation of American adolescents. The total sample was 4290 9–10 years old Black or White adolescents. The independent variables were SES indicators, namely family income, parental education, and neighborhood income. The primary outcome was the average beta weight for N-Back (2 back versus 0 back contrast) in ASEG ROI left OFC activity, measured by functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) during an N-Back task. Ethnicity, age, sex, subjective SES, and family structure were the study covariates. For data analysis, we used linear regression models. Results. In White but not Black adolescents, parental education was associated with higher left lateral OFC activity during the N-Back task. In the pooled sample, we found a significant interaction between race and parental education on the outcome, suggesting that high parental education is associated with a larger increase in left OFC activity of White than Black adolescents. Conclusions. For American adolescents, race and SES jointly influence left lateral OFC activity correlated with cognition, memory, decision making, and learning. Given the central role of left lateral OFC activity in learning and memory, our finding calls for additional research on contextual factors that reduce the gain of SES for Black adolescents. Cognitive inequalities are not merely due to the additive effects of race and SES but also its multiplicative effects.

ACS Style

Shervin Assari; Shanika Boyce; Mohammed Saqib; Mohsen Bazargan; Cleopatra Caldwell. Parental Education and Left Lateral Orbitofrontal Cortical Activity during N-Back Task: An fMRI Study of American Adolescents. Brain Sciences 2021, 11, 401 .

AMA Style

Shervin Assari, Shanika Boyce, Mohammed Saqib, Mohsen Bazargan, Cleopatra Caldwell. Parental Education and Left Lateral Orbitofrontal Cortical Activity during N-Back Task: An fMRI Study of American Adolescents. Brain Sciences. 2021; 11 (3):401.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Shervin Assari; Shanika Boyce; Mohammed Saqib; Mohsen Bazargan; Cleopatra Caldwell. 2021. "Parental Education and Left Lateral Orbitofrontal Cortical Activity during N-Back Task: An fMRI Study of American Adolescents." Brain Sciences 11, no. 3: 401.

Journal article
Published: 08 March 2021 in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
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To compare African American (AA) and non-Hispanic White men living in same residential areas for the associations between educational attainment and household income with perceived discrimination (PD). The National Survey of American Life (NSAL), a nationally representative study, included 1643 men who were either African American (n = 1271) or non-Hispanic White (n = 372). We compared the associations between the two race groups using linear regression. In the total sample, high household income was significantly associated with lower levels of PD. There were interactions between race and household income, suggesting that the association between household income and PD significantly differs for African American and non-Hispanic White men. For non-Hispanic White men, household income was inversely associated with PD. For African American men, however, household income was not related to PD. While higher income offers greater protection for non-Hispanic White men against PD, African American men perceive higher levels of discrimination compared to White males, regardless of income levels. Understanding the role this similar but unequal experience plays in the physical and mental health of African American men is worth exploring. Additionally, developing an enhanced understanding of the drivers for high-income African American men’s cognitive appraisal of discrimination may be useful in anticipating and addressing the health impacts of that discrimination. Equally important to discerning how social determinants work in high-income African American men’s physical and mental health may be investigating the impact of the mental health and wellbeing of deferment based on perceived discrimination of dreams and aspirations associated with achieving high levels of education and income attainment of Black men.

ACS Style

Shervin Assari; Susan Cochran; Vickie Mays. Money Protects White but Not African American Men against Discrimination: Comparison of African American and White Men in the Same Geographic Areas. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2021, 18, 2706 .

AMA Style

Shervin Assari, Susan Cochran, Vickie Mays. Money Protects White but Not African American Men against Discrimination: Comparison of African American and White Men in the Same Geographic Areas. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021; 18 (5):2706.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Shervin Assari; Susan Cochran; Vickie Mays. 2021. "Money Protects White but Not African American Men against Discrimination: Comparison of African American and White Men in the Same Geographic Areas." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18, no. 5: 2706.

Journal article
Published: 04 March 2021 in Neurology International
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Introduction: Although the putamen has a significant role in reward-seeking and motivated behaviors, including eating and food-seeking, minorities’ diminished returns (MDRs) suggest that individual-level risk and protective factors have weaker effects for Non-Hispanic Black than Non-Hispanic White individuals. However, limited research is available on the relevance of MDRs in terms of the role of putamen functional connectivity on body mass index (BMI). Purpose: Building on the MDRs framework and conceptualizing race and socioeconomic status (SES) indicators as social constructs, we explored racial and SES differences in the associations between putamen functional connectivity to the salience network and children’s BMI. Methods: For this cross-sectional study, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data of 6473 9–10-year-old Non-Hispanic Black and Non-Hispanic White children from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. The primary independent variable was putamen functional connectivity to the salience network, measured by fMRI. The primary outcome was the children’s BMI. Age, sex, neighborhood income, and family structure were the covariates. Race, family structure, parental education, and household income were potential moderators. For data analysis, we used mixed-effect models in the overall sample and by race. Results: Higher right putamen functional connectivity to the salience network was associated with higher BMI in Non-Hispanic White children. The same association was missing for Non-Hispanic Black children. While there was no overall association in the pooled sample, a significant interaction was found, suggesting that the association between right putamen functional connectivity to the salience network and children’s BMI was modified by race. Compared to Non-Hispanic White children, Non-Hispanic Black children showed a weaker association between right putamen functional connectivity to the salience network and BMI. While parental education and household income did not moderate our association of interest, marital status altered the associations between putamen functional connectivity to the salience network and children’s BMI. These patterns were observed for right but not left putamen. Other/Mixed Race children also showed a pattern similar to Non-Hispanic Black children. Conclusions: The association between right putamen functional connectivity to the salience network and children’s BMI may depend on race and marital status but not parental education and household income. While right putamen functional connectivity to the salience network is associated with Non-Hispanic White children’s BMI, Non-Hispanic Black children’ BMI remains high regardless of their putamen functional connectivity to the salience network. This finding is in line with MDRs, which attributes diminished effects of individual-risk and protective factors for Non-Hispanic Black children to racism, stratification, and segregation.

ACS Style

Shervin Assari; Shanika Boyce. Resting-State Functional Connectivity between Putamen and Salience Network and Childhood Body Mass Index. Neurology International 2021, 13, 85 -101.

AMA Style

Shervin Assari, Shanika Boyce. Resting-State Functional Connectivity between Putamen and Salience Network and Childhood Body Mass Index. Neurology International. 2021; 13 (1):85-101.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Shervin Assari; Shanika Boyce. 2021. "Resting-State Functional Connectivity between Putamen and Salience Network and Childhood Body Mass Index." Neurology International 13, no. 1: 85-101.

Original research
Published: 01 January 2021 in Pediatric Health, Medicine and Therapeutics
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Background: Recent research on Marginalization-related Diminished Returns (MDRs) has documented weaker boosting effects of parental educational attainment on educational outcomes of Black than White students. Such MDRs of parental education seem to contribute to the Black-White achievement gap. Given that Blacks are more likely than Whites to attend urban schools, there is a need to study if these MDRs can be replicated at both urban and suburban schools. Aim: To test the contribution of diminished returns of parental educational attainment on the Black-White achievement gap in urban and suburban American high schools. Methods: A cross-sectional study that used baseline Education Longitudinal Study (ELS-2002) data, a nationally representative study of 10th grade adolescents in the United States. This study analyzed 8315 youths who were either non-Hispanic White (n = 6539, 78.6%) or non-Hispanic Black (n = 1776, 21.4%) who were attending either suburban (n = 5188, 62.4%) or urban (n = 3127, 37.6%) schools. The outcome was standard math and reading grades. The independent variable was parental educational attainment. Gender, parental marital status, and school characteristics (% free lunch and relationship quality with the teacher) were the confounders. Race/ethnicity was the effect of modifier. School urbanity was the strata. Linear regression was used for data analysis. Results: In urban and suburban schools, higher parental educational attainment was associated with higher math and reading test scores. In urban and suburban schools, Black students had considerably lower reading and math scores than White students. At urban but not suburban schools, significant interactions were found between race (Non-Hispanic Black) and parental education attainment (years of schooling) on reading and math scores, suggested that the protective effect of parental education on students’ reading and math scores (ie school achievement) is smaller for Non-Hispanic Black relative to Non-Hispanic White youth only in urban but not sub-urban schools. Conclusion: Diminished returns of parental education (MDRs) contribute to the racial achievement gap in urban but not suburban American high schools. This result is important given Black students are more likely to attend urban schools than White students. As MDRs are not universal and depend on context, future research should study contextual characteristics of urban schools that contribute to MDRs.

ACS Style

Shervin Assari; Abbas Mardani; Maryam Maleki; Shanika Boyce; Mohsen Bazargan. Black-White Achievement Gap: Role of Race, School Urbanity, and Parental Education. Pediatric Health, Medicine and Therapeutics 2021, ume 12, 1 -11.

AMA Style

Shervin Assari, Abbas Mardani, Maryam Maleki, Shanika Boyce, Mohsen Bazargan. Black-White Achievement Gap: Role of Race, School Urbanity, and Parental Education. Pediatric Health, Medicine and Therapeutics. 2021; ume 12 ():1-11.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Shervin Assari; Abbas Mardani; Maryam Maleki; Shanika Boyce; Mohsen Bazargan. 2021. "Black-White Achievement Gap: Role of Race, School Urbanity, and Parental Education." Pediatric Health, Medicine and Therapeutics ume 12, no. : 1-11.

Erratum
Published: 31 December 2020 in Children
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The authors have requested that the following changes be made to their paper

ACS Style

Shervin Assari; Shanika Boyce; Mohsen Bazargan. Erratum: Subjective Family Socioeconomic Status and Adolescents’ Attention: Blacks’ Diminished Returns. Children 2020, 7, 80. Children 2020, 8, 15 .

AMA Style

Shervin Assari, Shanika Boyce, Mohsen Bazargan. Erratum: Subjective Family Socioeconomic Status and Adolescents’ Attention: Blacks’ Diminished Returns. Children 2020, 7, 80. Children. 2020; 8 (1):15.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Shervin Assari; Shanika Boyce; Mohsen Bazargan. 2020. "Erratum: Subjective Family Socioeconomic Status and Adolescents’ Attention: Blacks’ Diminished Returns. Children 2020, 7, 80." Children 8, no. 1: 15.

Journal article
Published: 09 December 2020 in Brain Sciences
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Introduction: Although the effects of parental education and household income on children’s brain development are well established, less is known about possible variation in these effects across diverse racial and ethnic groups. According to the Minorities’ Diminished Returns (MDRs) phenomenon, due to structural racism, social stratification, and residential segregation, parental educational attainment and household income show weaker effects for non-White than White children. Purpose: Built on the MDRs framework and conceptualizing race as a social rather than a biological factor, this study explored racial and ethnic variation in the magnitude of the effects of parental education and household income on children’s whole-brain cortical surface area. Methods: For this cross-sectional study, we used baseline socioeconomic and structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) data of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. Our analytical sample was 10,262 American children between ages 9 and 10. The independent variables were parental education and household income. The primary outcome was the children’s whole-brain cortical surface area. Age, sex, and family marital status were covariates. Race and ethnicity were the moderators. We used mixed-effects regression models for data analysis as participants were nested within families and study sites. Results: High parental education and household income were associated with larger children’s whole-brain cortical surface area. The effects of high parental education and high household income on children’s whole-brain cortical surface area were modified by race. Compared to White children, Black children showed a diminished return of high parental education on the whole-brain cortical surface area when compared to White children. Asian American children showed weaker effects of household income on the whole-brain cortical surface area when compared to White children. We could not find differential associations between parental education and household income with the whole-brain cortical surface area, when compared to White children, for non-Hispanic and Hispanic children. Conclusions: The effects of parental educational attainment and household income on children’s whole-brain cortical surface area are weaker in non-White than White families. Although parental education and income contribute to children’s brain development, these effects are unequal across racial groups.

ACS Style

Shervin Assari. Parental Education, Household Income, and Cortical Surface Area among 9–10 Years Old Children: Minorities’ Diminished Returns. Brain Sciences 2020, 10, 956 .

AMA Style

Shervin Assari. Parental Education, Household Income, and Cortical Surface Area among 9–10 Years Old Children: Minorities’ Diminished Returns. Brain Sciences. 2020; 10 (12):956.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Shervin Assari. 2020. "Parental Education, Household Income, and Cortical Surface Area among 9–10 Years Old Children: Minorities’ Diminished Returns." Brain Sciences 10, no. 12: 956.

Journal article
Published: 07 December 2020 in Brain Sciences
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Background. Considerable research has linked social determinants of health (SDoHs) such as race, parental education, and household income to school performance, and these effects may be in part due to working memory. However, a growing literature shows that these effects may be complex: while the effects of parental education may be diminished for Blacks than Whites, household income may explain such effects. Purpose. Considering race as sociological rather than a biological construct (race as a proxy of racism) and built on Minorities’ Diminished Returns (MDRs), this study explored complexities of the effects of SDoHs on children’s working memory. Methods. We borrowed data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. The total sample was 10,418, 9- and 10-year-old children. The independent variables were race, parental education, and household income. The primary outcome was working memory measured by the NIH Toolbox Card Sorting Test. Age, sex, ethnicity, and parental marital status were the covariates. To analyze the data, we used mixed-effect regression models. Results. High parental education and household income were associated with higher and Black race was associated with lower working memory. The association between high parental education but not household income was less pronounced for Black than White children. This differential effect of parental education on working memory was explained by household income. Conclusions. For American children, parental education generates unequal working memory, depending on race. This means parental education loses some of its expected effects for Black families. It also suggests that while White children with highly educated parents have the highest working memory, Black children report lower working memory, regardless of their parental education. This inequality is mainly because of differential income in highly educated White and Black families. This finding has significant public policy and economic implications and suggests we need to do far more than equalizing education to eliminate racial inequalities in children’s cognitive outcomes. While there is a need for multilevel policies that reduce the effect of racism and social stratification for middle-class Black families, equalizing income may have more returns than equalizing education.

ACS Style

Golnoush Akhlaghipour; Shervin Assari. Parental Education, Household Income, Race, and Children’s Working Memory: Complexity of the Effects. Brain Sciences 2020, 10, 950 .

AMA Style

Golnoush Akhlaghipour, Shervin Assari. Parental Education, Household Income, Race, and Children’s Working Memory: Complexity of the Effects. Brain Sciences. 2020; 10 (12):950.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Golnoush Akhlaghipour; Shervin Assari. 2020. "Parental Education, Household Income, Race, and Children’s Working Memory: Complexity of the Effects." Brain Sciences 10, no. 12: 950.

Journal article
Published: 04 December 2020 in Journal of Education and Culture Studies
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Introduction. The thalamus is the hub of the brain and has a significant role in various brain activities. Purpose. This study explored racial differences in the association between parental education and thalamus volume among American children. Methods. Using data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD), we analyzed the structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging (sMRI) data of 11141 9-10 years old children. The main outcome was the thalamus volume. The independent variable was parental education. Age, sex, ethnicity, family marital status, and intracranial volume were the covariates. Race was the moderator. To analyze the data, we used mixed-effects regression models. Results. In race-stratified models, high parental education was associated with smaller thalamus volume in White but not Black children. In the pooled sample, significant interactions were found between race and parental education suggesting that the effect of parental education on left thalamus volume is significantly smaller for Blacks and mixed/other race children than White children. Conclusions. The effect of parental education on children’s thalamus volume seems to be weaker for Black and other/mixed-race children than their White counterparts. This finding is in support of Minorites’ Diminished Returns (MDRs) that suggest due to social stratification and racism, economic resources have weaker than expected effects in minority populations.

ACS Style

Shervin Assari; Tommy J. Curry. Parental Education Ain’t Enough: A Study of Race (Racism), Parental Education, and Children’s Thalamus Volume. Journal of Education and Culture Studies 2020, 5, 1 -21.

AMA Style

Shervin Assari, Tommy J. Curry. Parental Education Ain’t Enough: A Study of Race (Racism), Parental Education, and Children’s Thalamus Volume. Journal of Education and Culture Studies. 2020; 5 (1):1-21.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Shervin Assari; Tommy J. Curry. 2020. "Parental Education Ain’t Enough: A Study of Race (Racism), Parental Education, and Children’s Thalamus Volume." Journal of Education and Culture Studies 5, no. 1: 1-21.

Journal article
Published: 04 December 2020 in Journal of Economics and Public Finance
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Aim: We compared the effects of parental education and household income on children’s Body Mass Index (BMI) in Hispanic White (HW) and non-Hispanic White (NHW) families. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we borrowed data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study and analyzed data of 5100 children between the ages of 9 and 10. The independent variables were parental education and household income. The primary outcome was BMI value. Ethnicity was the moderating variable. Confounders were age, sex, and family structure. Three mixed-effects regression models were used for data analysis. Results: Overall, higher parental education and household income were associated with lower BMI levels in children. While an interaction was reported between ethnicity and parental education, no relation was noted between ethnicity and household income regarding BMI. The interaction indicated weaker protective effects of high parental education on BMI in HW children than NHW children. Household income showed similar protective effects on children’s BMI in HW and NHW families. Conclusion: Parental education but not household income loses some of its protective effects on childhood BMI among HW families compared to NHW families. Distal social determinants of health may be more vulnerable to the MDRs (minorities’ diminished returns) than proximal ones. As a result, closing the income gap may be a good strategy towards closing the childhood BMI gap between highly educated HW and NHW families. Policies that raise the minimum wage and those that help HW families save money (e.g., earned income tax policies) maybe more promising strategies to eliminate the ethnic gap in BMI than increasing the education level of ethnic minority families.

ACS Style

Shervin Assari; Mohammad Reza Malek-Ahmadi; Cleopatra H. Caldwell. Parental Education or Household Income? Which Socioeconomic Status Indicator Can Better Reduce Body Mass Index Disparities among Latino Children? Journal of Economics and Public Finance 2020, 7, 19 -37.

AMA Style

Shervin Assari, Mohammad Reza Malek-Ahmadi, Cleopatra H. Caldwell. Parental Education or Household Income? Which Socioeconomic Status Indicator Can Better Reduce Body Mass Index Disparities among Latino Children? Journal of Economics and Public Finance. 2020; 7 (1):19-37.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Shervin Assari; Mohammad Reza Malek-Ahmadi; Cleopatra H. Caldwell. 2020. "Parental Education or Household Income? Which Socioeconomic Status Indicator Can Better Reduce Body Mass Index Disparities among Latino Children?" Journal of Economics and Public Finance 7, no. 1: 19-37.

Psychiatry
Published: 27 November 2020 in Frontiers in Psychiatry
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Objectives: Marginalization-related diminished returns (MDRs) refer to weaker health effects of educational attainment for socially marginalized groups compared to the socially privileged groups. Most of the existing literature on MDRs, however, has focused on marginalization due to race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. Thus, very limited information exists on MDRs of educational attainment among immigrant populations in the United States.Aims: Building on the MDRs framework and using a nationally representative sample of US adults, we compared immigrant and native-born adults for the effects of educational attainment on psychological distress, self-rated health (SRH), and chronic diseases (CDs).Methods: The 2015 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) has enrolled 33,672 individuals who were either immigrant (n = 6,225; 18.5%) or native born (n = 27,429; 81.5%). The independent variable (IV) was educational attainment, which was treated as a categorical variable. The dependent variables included psychological distress, SRH, and CDs, all of which were dichotomous variables. Age, gender, race, ethnicity, and region were confounders. Immigration (nativity status) was the moderator.Results: Higher educational attainment was associated with lower odds of psychological distress, poor SRH, and CDs. However, immigration showed a significant statistical interaction with college graduation on all outcomes, which were suggestive of smaller protective effects of college graduation on psychological distress, poor SRH, and CDs for immigrant than native-born adults.Conclusions: In the US, the associations between educational attainment and psychological distress, SRH, and CDs are all weaker for immigrant than native-born adults. To prevent health disparities, it is essential to decompose health inequalities that are due to low educational attainment from those that are due to diminished returns of educational attainment (i.e., MDRs). There is a need to help highly educated immigrant adults secure positive health outcomes, similar to their native-born counterparts. Such changes may require bold and innovative economic, public, and social policies that help immigrant adults to more effectively mobilize their educational attainment to secure tangible outcomes. Elimination of health disparities in the US requires efforts that go beyond equalizing access to education.

ACS Style

Shervin Assari; Sharon Cobb; Adolfo G. Cuevas; Mohsen Bazargan. Diminished Health Returns of Educational Attainment Among Immigrant Adults in the United States. Frontiers in Psychiatry 2020, 11, 1 .

AMA Style

Shervin Assari, Sharon Cobb, Adolfo G. Cuevas, Mohsen Bazargan. Diminished Health Returns of Educational Attainment Among Immigrant Adults in the United States. Frontiers in Psychiatry. 2020; 11 ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Shervin Assari; Sharon Cobb; Adolfo G. Cuevas; Mohsen Bazargan. 2020. "Diminished Health Returns of Educational Attainment Among Immigrant Adults in the United States." Frontiers in Psychiatry 11, no. : 1.

Journal article
Published: 21 November 2020 in International Journal of Travel Medicine and Global Health
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Introduction: Perceived discrimination is one of the reasons behind ethnic health disparities. However, less is known about racial and ethnic groups differ in social determinants of discrimination. This study was aimed to compare the association between household income and perceived discrimination among American children of different racial groups. Methods: The Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, a national longitudinal study, followed 4383 children 9-10 years old who were either European American, African American, Asian American, or mixed/other race for one year. We compared racial groups for the association between baseline household income and perceived discrimination at the end of one year follow up. We used ANOVA and linear regression for data analysis. The outcome was perceived discrimination. The predictor was household income. Covariates were age, gender, and parental marital status. The moderator was race. Results: In the total sample, high household income was associated with less perceived discrimination. There was an interaction between race and household income, suggesting a difference in the association between household income and perceived discrimination between African American and European American children. The inverse association between household income and perceived discrimination was weaker for African American than European American children. Conclusion: High-income African American children are not well protected against perceived discrimination. High exposure to perceived discrimination may explain the worse expected health and development of middle-class African American children. As discrimination is a major social determinant of health, the results have considerble implications for public health policy.

ACS Style

Shervin Assari; Ali Ayoubian; Cleopatra H. Caldwell. Comparison of European, African, Asian, and Other/ Mixed Race American Children for the Association Between Household Income and Perceived Discrimination. International Journal of Travel Medicine and Global Health 2020, 9, 31 -38.

AMA Style

Shervin Assari, Ali Ayoubian, Cleopatra H. Caldwell. Comparison of European, African, Asian, and Other/ Mixed Race American Children for the Association Between Household Income and Perceived Discrimination. International Journal of Travel Medicine and Global Health. 2020; 9 (1):31-38.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Shervin Assari; Ali Ayoubian; Cleopatra H. Caldwell. 2020. "Comparison of European, African, Asian, and Other/ Mixed Race American Children for the Association Between Household Income and Perceived Discrimination." International Journal of Travel Medicine and Global Health 9, no. 1: 31-38.