Briana Mezuk
Biographic Data
| ID | 113882 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Briana Mezuk |
| GIVEN NAMES | Briana |
| FAMILY NAME | Mezuk |
| SIGNATURE | MEZUK B |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Michigan |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-1798-2285 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 43 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 103 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 43 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2008 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
Exploring Social Determinants of Cognitive Functioning
Cognitive impairment disproportionately impacts Black Americans in later life. Black Americans are also disproportionately in contact with the criminal legal system (CLS; e.g., arrest, incarceration). Emerging research indicates that CLS involvement has negative implications for health over the lifespan, including later-life cognitive functioning. This study characterized CLS experiences and related social determinants of health among a nationall…
Gender differences in work expectations and psychological distress
Findings highlight the complex interplay between biological sex and social contexts in shaping expectations regarding work in later life
Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Mental Health Problems and Tobacco and Cannabis Use Among US Emerging Adults
Discrimination and Tobacco Use Outcomes Among US Adults
The American Psychosomatic Society Antiracism Task Force
The American Psychosomatic Society (APS) is an international professional society that aims to advance the scientific study of biological, behavioral, and social factors in health among educators, clinicians, and researchers. In pledging to be an antiracist organization in 2020, APS formed the Antiracism Task Force to identify different manifestations of systemic racism within the society and to make recommendations for building a more inclusive …
James S. Jackson and the program for research on Black Americans
James S. Jackson (1944-2020) is remembered as a groundbreaking social psychologist whose career contributions in scholarship, research, and service were fundamental to the field of psychology. This article briefly outlines his career-long work and contributions. A strong believer in interdisciplinary work, his research spanned other related social science disciplines (e.g., sociology, political science), as well as health and social welfare profe…
Perceived racial discrimination and polysubstance use among African American and Afro-Caribbean adults
This study examined the relationship between perceived racial discrimination (PRD) and patterns of substance use. Data come from the 2001–2003 National Survey of American Life (N = 3,589). PRD was derived from the Major Experiences of Discrimination Scale. Multinomial logistic regression estimated the relationship between PRD and patterns of substance use (i.e., never/former, single-substance, dual-substance, and polysubstance [3+ substances]) ba…
Psychosocial Stress and Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Stress Reactivity
OBJECTIVE: Although stress is posited to play a key role in health disparities, the extent to which commonly used self-report psychosocial stress measures are related to neurobiological stress processes, especially across diverse populations, is unresolved. This study examined how two measures of psychosocial stress, perceived stress and domain-specific stress, covary with the acute neurobiological stress response. METHODS: The Richmond Stress an…
Mechanisms of Cardiometabolic Health Outcomes and Disparities
Objectives: Chronic stressors are associated with cardiometabolic health conditions and disparities. Mechanisms linking stressors and health remain poorly understood. Methods: Two cohort studies (Cardiac Rehabilitation And The Experience [CREATE] and Tracking Risk Identification for Adult Diabetes [TRIAD]) with harmonized variables were used to examine relationships between six types of chronic stressors in adulthood and Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Ad…
Self-Regulatory Coping Behaviors and Stress Reactivity
Health-harming and health-promoting SRCB are inter-related. Specific behaviors, rather than groupings as health-harming versus -promoting, are related to HPA stress reactivity
A Data Science Approach to Estimating the Frequency of Driving Cessation Associated Suicide in the US
Driving cessation is a common transition experienced by aging adults that confers both a symbolic and literal loss of independence due to the central role of automobiles for mobility in the US. Prior research has shown that driving cessation has negative implications for mental health, social participation, and access to healthcare. Given these sequelae of driving cessation and prior work showing that late-life transitions related to independence…
Hispanic/Latino Ethnic Identity and Diabetes
Background. Hispanics/Latinos in the United States experience both a health advantage and disadvantage in developing diabetes. Ethnic identity, a predictor of psychological well-being, has not been widely applied to physical health outcomes. The objective of this study is to apply what is known regarding ethnic identity and psychological health to physical health outcomes (diabetes) and to explore the moderating effect of education as a possible …
Places of living and places of dying
This commentary addresses the increasing public health problem of suicide in later life and presents the case for preventing suicide in residential long-term care settings. We do so by examining this issue from the perspective of three levels of stakeholders – societal, organisational and individual – considering the relevant context, barriers and implications of each. We begin by discussing contemporary societal perspectives of ageing; the poten…
Theory and empiricism
Perceived sleep quality, coping behavior, and associations with major depression among older adults
In older adults, we determined (1) the association of perceived sleep quality with stress-coping behaviors (drinking alcohol, smoking tobacco, medication/drug use, overeating, prayer, exercise, social support, and treatment from a health professional) and (2) whether coping behavior mediated the relationship of perceived sleep quality with depression. Data came from the US Health and Retirement Study 2008-2010 ( n = 1174). Using logistic regressi…
Mechanisms of Racial Health Disparities
Findings revealed complex relationships between coping and psychological and physiological stress responses and suggest the importance of differing approaches to reducing associated racial health disparities among men
Food Insecurity and Geriatric Hospitalization
Food insecurity (FI) has been associated with hospitalization, although the pathways underlying this relationship are poorly understood, in part due to the potential for a bidirectional relationship. This study aimed to determine associations of FI with concurrent and future hospitalization among older adults; mediation by depression and; whether hospitalization increased risk of FI. Participants came from the 2012 and 2014 waves of the Health an…
Mandatory minimum sentencing policies and cocaine use in the U.S., 1985–2013
BACKGROUND: As of May 2017, the United States federal government renewed its prioritization for the enforcement of mandatory minimum sentences for illicit drug offenses. While the effect of such policies on racial disparities in incarceration is well-documented, less is known about the extent to which these laws are associated with decreased drug use. This study aims to identify changes in cocaine use associated with mandatory minimum sentencing …
Isolation, Not Loneliness or Cynical Hostility, Predicts Cognitive Decline in Older Americans
Objective: To jointly examine isolation, loneliness, and cynical hostility as risk factors for cognitive decline in older adults. Method: Data came from the 2006 to 2012 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a longitudinal study of U.S. older adults (age ⩾ 65 years, n = 6,654). Measures included frequency of contact with social network (objective isolation), the Hughes Loneliness Scale (loneliness), a modified version of the Cook-Medley…
Stress, self-regulation, and context
Health-related behaviors, such as smoking, alcohol use, exercise, and diet, are major determinants of physical health and health disparities. However, a growing body of experimental research in humans and animals also suggests these behaviors can impact the ways our bodies respond to stress, such that they modulate (that is, serve as a means to self-regulate or cope with) the deleterious impact of stressful experiences on mental health. A handful…
Commentary
A substantial gap remains between what we know about type 2 diabetes prevention and our ability to apply that knowledge in socially disadvantaged populations at highest risk. This gap results, in part, from a lack of integration between epidemiologic science and social psychology theory, particularly regarding the intersections of stress, self-regulatory health behaviors, and the biological mechanisms underlying the development of diabetes. In th…
The Relationship between Trauma, Arrest, and Incarceration History among Black Americans
Prior research indicates an association between exposure to trauma (e.g., being victimized) and perpetration of crime, especially in the context of chronic victimization. This study examines the relationship between trauma exposure, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and history of arrest and incarceration among a representative sample of black Americans from the National Survey of American Life (N = 5,189). One-third had a history of arrest, …
Posttraumatic stress disorder and alcohol dependence
Etiology of PTSD and AD is heterogeneous, and order of onset may reflect differing risk pathways. (PsycINFO Database Record
Sex Disparities in Adverse Childhood Experiences and HIV/STIs
Differential Effects of Personal-Level vs Group-Level Racial Discrimination on Health among Black Americans
Perceived group-level racial discrimination may serve as one of several health protective factors even when individuals perceive personal-level racial discrimination. The present findings demonstrate the importance of examining both personal- and group-level experiences of racial discrimination as they independently relate to health outcomes for Black Americans
Social Integration and Social Support Among Older Adults Following Driving Cessation
Social integration is negatively affected by driving cessation even among elders who feel competent in using alternative forms of transportation, at least concerning networks of friends
Neighborhood walkability, deprivation and incidence of type 2 diabetes
Differential Effects of Personal-Level vs Group-Level Racial Discrimination on Health among Black Americans
Perceived group-level racial discrimination may serve as one of several health protective factors even when individuals perceive personal-level racial discrimination. The present findings demonstrate the importance of examining both personal- and group-level experiences of racial discrimination as they independently relate to health outcomes for Black Americans
Adverse childhood experiences and intimate partner aggression in the US
Gender and Racial Disparities in Driving Cessation Among Older Adults
Factors predictive of driving cessation vary by gender. Racial disparities in cessation are wider at older ages. Transportation policies and programs should account for social determinants and aim to address social disparities in driving mobility among older adults
Job Strain, Workplace Discrimination, and Hypertension Among Older Workers
Depression and Frailty in Late Life
Results indicate that the correlation of frailty and depression in late life is substantial. The association between the two constructs cannot be fully explained by symptom overlap, suggesting that psychological vulnerability may be an important component of frailty
Job Strain, Depressive Symptoms, and Drinking Behavior Among Older Adults
Job strain is associated with elevated depressive symptoms among older workers. In contrast to results from investigations of younger workers, job strain was unrelated to alcohol misuse. These findings can inform the development and implementation of workplace health promotion programs that reflect the mental health needs of the aging workforce
The Influence of Educational Attainment on Depression and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes
Objectives. We investigated the association between major depressive disorder and type 2 diabetes, whether that association is explained by health behaviors, and whether it is influenced by educational attainment. Methods. We used discrete-time Cox proportional hazards models to determine the risk of type 2 diabetes associated with depression in a 23-year population-based cohort study. Results. Major depressive disorder was associated with higher…
Theory and empiricism
Mechanisms of Cardiometabolic Health Outcomes and Disparities
Objectives: Chronic stressors are associated with cardiometabolic health conditions and disparities. Mechanisms linking stressors and health remain poorly understood. Methods: Two cohort studies (Cardiac Rehabilitation And The Experience [CREATE] and Tracking Risk Identification for Adult Diabetes [TRIAD]) with harmonized variables were used to examine relationships between six types of chronic stressors in adulthood and Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Ad…
Depression, neighborhood deprivation and risk of type 2 diabetes
Integrating Social Science and Behavioral Genetics
Objectives. We tested 3 hypotheses—social causation, social drift, and common cause—regarding the origin of socioeconomic disparities in major depression and determined whether the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and major depression varied by genetic liability for major depression. Methods. Data were from a sample of female twins in the baseline Virginia Adult Twin Study of Psychiatric and Substance Use Disorders interviewed betw…
Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Mental Health Problems and Tobacco and Cannabis Use Among US Emerging Adults
Discrimination and Tobacco Use Outcomes Among US Adults
Self-Regulatory Coping Behaviors and Stress Reactivity
Health-harming and health-promoting SRCB are inter-related. Specific behaviors, rather than groupings as health-harming versus -promoting, are related to HPA stress reactivity
Isolation, Not Loneliness or Cynical Hostility, Predicts Cognitive Decline in Older Americans
Objective: To jointly examine isolation, loneliness, and cynical hostility as risk factors for cognitive decline in older adults. Method: Data came from the 2006 to 2012 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a longitudinal study of U.S. older adults (age ⩾ 65 years, n = 6,654). Measures included frequency of contact with social network (objective isolation), the Hughes Loneliness Scale (loneliness), a modified version of the Cook-Medley…
Suicide Risk in Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities
Objectives. We investigated the epidemiology of suicide among adults aged 50 years and older in nursing homes and assisted living facilities and whether anticipating transitioning into long-term care (LTC) is a risk factor for suicide. Methods. Data come from the Virginia Violent Death Reporting System (2003–2011). We matched locations of suicides (n = 3453) against publicly available resource registries of nursing homes (n = 285) and assisted li…
Positive Youth Development and Participation in an Urban Debate League
Susannah Anderson, Briana Mezuk, Positive Youth Development and Participation in an Urban Debate League: Results from Chicago Public Schools, 1997-2007, The Journal of Negro Education, Vol. 84, No. 3, Out-of-School Time and African American Students: Understanding the Health, Environmental, and Social Determinants of Academic Success (Guest Editors: Nadine Finigan-Carr and Yolanda Abel) (Summer 2015), pp. 362-378
Depression and Type 2 Diabetes Over the Lifespan
OBJECTIVE—It has been argued that the relationship between depression and diabetes is bi-directional, but this hypothesis has not been explicitly tested. This systematic review examines the bi-directional prospective relationships between depression and type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—A search was conducted using Medline for publications from 1950 through 2007. Reviewers assessed the eligibility of each report by exposure/outcome mea…
Social Integration and Social Support Among Older Adults Following Driving Cessation
Social integration is negatively affected by driving cessation even among elders who feel competent in using alternative forms of transportation, at least concerning networks of friends
The Influence of Educational Attainment on Depression and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes
Objectives. We investigated the association between major depressive disorder and type 2 diabetes, whether that association is explained by health behaviors, and whether it is influenced by educational attainment. Methods. We used discrete-time Cox proportional hazards models to determine the risk of type 2 diabetes associated with depression in a 23-year population-based cohort study. Results. Major depressive disorder was associated with higher…
Co-occurring Conditions and Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients With Bipolar Disorder
Objective: To assess changes in health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and to determine whether co-occurring substance use and medical comorbidities were associated with worse HRQOL over a 1-year period in a naturalistic sample of patients with bipolar disorder. Method: Patients enrolled in the Continuous Improvement for Veterans in Care: Mood Disorders (CIVIC-MD), a large prospective study from July 2004 to July 2006, completed baseline and foll…
Reconsidering the Role of Social Disadvantage in Physical and Mental Health
Prevalence of depression is associated inversely with some indicators of socioeconomic position, and the stress of social disadvantage is hypothesized to mediate this relation. Relative to whites, blacks have a higher burden of most physical health conditions but, unexpectedly, a lower burden of depression. This study evaluated an etiologic model that integrates mental and physical health to account for this counterintuitive patterning. The Balti…
Job Strain, Depressive Symptoms, and Drinking Behavior Among Older Adults
Job strain is associated with elevated depressive symptoms among older workers. In contrast to results from investigations of younger workers, job strain was unrelated to alcohol misuse. These findings can inform the development and implementation of workplace health promotion programs that reflect the mental health needs of the aging workforce
Job Strain, Workplace Discrimination, and Hypertension Among Older Workers
Gender and Racial Disparities in Driving Cessation Among Older Adults
Factors predictive of driving cessation vary by gender. Racial disparities in cessation are wider at older ages. Transportation policies and programs should account for social determinants and aim to address social disparities in driving mobility among older adults
“White Box” Epidemiology and the Social Neuroscience of Health Behaviors
Crucial advances have been made in our knowledge of the social determinants of health and health behaviors. Existing research on health disparities, however, generally fails to address a known paradox in the literature: While blacks have higher risk of medical morbidity relative to non-Hispanic whites, blacks have lower rates of common stress-related forms of psychopathology such as major depression and anxiety disorders. In this article we propo…
Depression, neighborhood deprivation and risk of type 2 diabetes
Integrating Social Science and Behavioral Genetics
Objectives. We tested 3 hypotheses—social causation, social drift, and common cause—regarding the origin of socioeconomic disparities in major depression and determined whether the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and major depression varied by genetic liability for major depression. Methods. Data were from a sample of female twins in the baseline Virginia Adult Twin Study of Psychiatric and Substance Use Disorders interviewed betw…
Immigrant enclaves and risk of diabetes
Residential ethnic composition is associated with DM but this relationship differs across ethnic group. Enclave residence is not associated with increased odds of DM for immigrants, regardless of their nation of origin, but it is associated with increased likelihood of DM for native Swedes
Neighborhood walkability, deprivation and incidence of type 2 diabetes
Association Between Major Depression and Type 2 Diabetes in Midlife
OBJECTIVE: Cohort studies suggest that the relationship between major depression (MD) and Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is bidirectional. However, this association may be confounded by shared genetic or environmental factors. The objective of this study was to use a twin design to investigate the association between MD and T2DM. METHODS: Data come from the Screening Across the Lifespan Twin Study, a sample of monozygotic and dizygotic twins 40 years or …
Depression and Frailty in Late Life
Results indicate that the correlation of frailty and depression in late life is substantial. The association between the two constructs cannot be fully explained by symptom overlap, suggesting that psychological vulnerability may be an important component of frailty
Suicide Risk in Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities
Objectives. We investigated the epidemiology of suicide among adults aged 50 years and older in nursing homes and assisted living facilities and whether anticipating transitioning into long-term care (LTC) is a risk factor for suicide. Methods. Data come from the Virginia Violent Death Reporting System (2003–2011). We matched locations of suicides (n = 3453) against publicly available resource registries of nursing homes (n = 285) and assisted li…
Adverse childhood experiences and intimate partner aggression in the US
Positive Youth Development and Participation in an Urban Debate League
Susannah Anderson, Briana Mezuk, Positive Youth Development and Participation in an Urban Debate League: Results from Chicago Public Schools, 1997-2007, The Journal of Negro Education, Vol. 84, No. 3, Out-of-School Time and African American Students: Understanding the Health, Environmental, and Social Determinants of Academic Success (Guest Editors: Nadine Finigan-Carr and Yolanda Abel) (Summer 2015), pp. 362-378
The Relationship between Trauma, Arrest, and Incarceration History among Black Americans
Prior research indicates an association between exposure to trauma (e.g., being victimized) and perpetration of crime, especially in the context of chronic victimization. This study examines the relationship between trauma exposure, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and history of arrest and incarceration among a representative sample of black Americans from the National Survey of American Life (N = 5,189). One-third had a history of arrest, …
Posttraumatic stress disorder and alcohol dependence
Etiology of PTSD and AD is heterogeneous, and order of onset may reflect differing risk pathways. (PsycINFO Database Record
Sex Disparities in Adverse Childhood Experiences and HIV/STIs
Differential Effects of Personal-Level vs Group-Level Racial Discrimination on Health among Black Americans
Perceived group-level racial discrimination may serve as one of several health protective factors even when individuals perceive personal-level racial discrimination. The present findings demonstrate the importance of examining both personal- and group-level experiences of racial discrimination as they independently relate to health outcomes for Black Americans
Stress, self-regulation, and context
Health-related behaviors, such as smoking, alcohol use, exercise, and diet, are major determinants of physical health and health disparities. However, a growing body of experimental research in humans and animals also suggests these behaviors can impact the ways our bodies respond to stress, such that they modulate (that is, serve as a means to self-regulate or cope with) the deleterious impact of stressful experiences on mental health. A handful…
Commentary
A substantial gap remains between what we know about type 2 diabetes prevention and our ability to apply that knowledge in socially disadvantaged populations at highest risk. This gap results, in part, from a lack of integration between epidemiologic science and social psychology theory, particularly regarding the intersections of stress, self-regulatory health behaviors, and the biological mechanisms underlying the development of diabetes. In th…
Mandatory minimum sentencing policies and cocaine use in the U.S., 1985–2013
BACKGROUND: As of May 2017, the United States federal government renewed its prioritization for the enforcement of mandatory minimum sentences for illicit drug offenses. While the effect of such policies on racial disparities in incarceration is well-documented, less is known about the extent to which these laws are associated with decreased drug use. This study aims to identify changes in cocaine use associated with mandatory minimum sentencing …
Medicine (36 works) · Psychology (28 works) · Psychiatry (24 works) · Gerontology (19 works) · Health disparities and outcomes (14 works) · Clinical Psychology (13 works) · Clinical Psychology (13 works) · Demography (13 works) · Internal Medicine (13 works) · Public health (13 works)