Assari Shervin, Sheikhattari Payam
Department of Internal Medicine, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
Department of Urban Public Health, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
Open J Neurosci. 2024;2(1):1-13. doi: 10.31586/ojn.2024.1052. Epub 2024 Aug 27.
Socioeconomic status (SES) is traditionally viewed as a protective factor against impulsivity and subsequent tobacco use in youth. The prevailing model suggests that higher SES is associated with lower impulsivity, which in turn reduces the likelihood of future tobacco use. However, this pathway may not hold uniformly across racial groups due to differences in impulsivity and the phenomenon of Minorities' Diminished Returns (MDRs), where the protective effects of SES, such as educational attainment, tend to be weaker or even reversed for Black youth compared to their White counterparts.
This study aims to examine the racial heterogeneity in the pathway from childhood SES to impulsivity and subsequent tobacco use initiation during adolescence, focusing on differences between Black and White youth.
Data were drawn from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, which includes a diverse sample of youth aged 9 to 16 years. The analysis examined the relationship between baseline family SES (age 9), impulsivity (age 9), and subsequent tobacco use (ages 9 to 16). Impulsivity was measured using the Urgency, Premeditation (lack of), Perseverance (lack of), Sensation Seeking, and Positive Urgency Impulsive Behavior Scale (UPPS-P). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed, with analyses stratified by race to explore potential differences in these associations.
Overall, 6,161 non-Latino White and 1,775 non-Latino Black adolescents entered our analysis. In the full sample, higher family SES was linked to lower childhood impulsivity and, consequently, less tobacco uses in adolescence. However, racial differences emerged upon stratification. Among White youth, higher SES was associated with lower impulsivity, leading to reduced tobacco use, consistent with the expected model. In contrast, among Black youth, higher SES was not associated with lower impulsivity, thereby disrupting the protective effect of SES on tobacco use through this pathway. These findings suggest that racial heterogeneity exists in the SES-impulsivity-tobacco use pathway, aligning with the MDRs framework, which highlights how structural factors may weaken the protective effects of high SES among Black youth.
These findings underscore the importance of considering racial heterogeneity in the relationships between SES, impulsivity, and tobacco use. The observed disparities suggest a need for targeted interventions that address the unique challenges faced by Black youth, who may not experience the same protective benefits of high SES as their White peers. These results carry significant implications for public health strategies aimed at reducing tobacco use in racially diverse populations.
社会经济地位（SES）传统上被视为预防青少年冲动性及后续吸烟行为的保护因素。普遍的模型表明，较高的社会经济地位与较低的冲动性相关，进而降低未来吸烟的可能性。然而，由于冲动性的差异以及少数群体回报递减（MDRs）现象，这种路径在不同种族群体中可能并不一致。在少数群体回报递减现象中，与白人青年相比，社会经济地位的保护作用，如教育程度，对黑人青年来说往往较弱，甚至相反。
本研究旨在探讨从儿童期社会经济地位到青少年期冲动性及随后开始吸烟行为这一路径中的种族异质性，重点关注黑人和白人青年之间的差异。
数据取自青少年大脑认知发展（ABCD）研究，该研究包括了9至16岁的不同青年样本。分析考察了基线家庭社会经济地位（9岁时）、冲动性（9岁时）和随后的吸烟行为（9至16岁）之间的关系。冲动性使用冲动性、缺乏预谋、缺乏毅力、寻求刺激和积极冲动行为量表（UPPS - P）进行测量。采用结构方程模型（SEM），并按种族分层进行分析，以探索这些关联中的潜在差异。
总体而言，6161名非拉丁裔白人青少年和1775名非拉丁裔黑人青少年进入了我们的分析。在全样本中，较高的家庭社会经济地位与较低的儿童期冲动性相关，因此青少年期吸烟较少。然而，分层后出现了种族差异。在白人青年中，较高的社会经济地位与较低的冲动性相关，从而导致吸烟减少，这与预期模型一致。相比之下，在黑人青年中，较高的社会经济地位与较低的冲动性无关，从而破坏了社会经济地位通过这一路径对吸烟行为的保护作用。这些发现表明，社会经济地位 - 冲动性 - 吸烟行为路径中存在种族异质性，与少数群体回报递减框架一致，该框架强调了结构因素如何削弱黑人青年中高社会经济地位的保护作用。
这些发现强调了在社会经济地位、冲动性和吸烟行为之间的关系中考虑种族异质性的重要性。观察到的差异表明需要有针对性的干预措施，以应对黑人青年面临的独特挑战，他们可能无法像白人同龄人那样从高社会经济地位中获得相同的保护益处。这些结果对旨在减少不同种族人群吸烟行为的公共卫生策略具有重要意义。
