Wendy C Birmingham
Biographic Data
| ID | 2461367 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Wendy C Birmingham |
| GIVEN NAMES | Wendy C |
| FAMILY NAME | Birmingham |
| SIGNATURE | BIRMINGHAM W C |
| AFFILIATIONS | Brigham Young University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-8908-206X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 15 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 71 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 15 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2008 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2024 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
While You Are Sleeping
Marital relationships offer health benefits, including a lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, quality of the relationship matters; ambivalent behaviors may increase CVD risk by affecting blunted nocturnal blood pressure (BP) dipping. This study tracked daytime and nocturnal SBP and DBP in 180 normotensive individuals (90 couples; participant mean age 25.04; 91.58% white) over a 24 h period using ambulatory blood pressure monitors …
The Relationship of Ambivalence towards Lecturers with University Students’ Psychological Distress and Mental Health
Social interactions that are simultaneously characterized by positive and negative aspects—i.e., ambivalent relationships—have been found to be related to distress and poor mental health. As the university setting is also characterized by several social interactions, this study aimed to investigate for the first time to what extent objective and subjective ambivalence towards lecturers or instructors are linked to university students’ distress le…
Covid-19 lockdown
Objective: In light of COVID-19, leaders issued stay-at-home orders, including closure of higher-education schools. Most students left campus, likely impacting their employment and social network. Leaders are making decisions about opening universities and modality of instruction. Understanding students’ psychological, physiological, academic, and financial responses to the shut-down and reopening of campuses can help leaders make informed decisi…
Social Support
Social support has long been associated with cardiovascular disease risk assessed with blood pressure (BP). BP exhibits a circadian rhythm in which BP should dip between 10 and 15% overnight. Blunted nocturnal dipping (non-dipping) is a predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality independent of clinical BP and is a better predictor of cardiovascular disease risk than either daytime or nighttime BP. However, it is often examined in hyperte…
Spousal influence
Eating disorder literature often overlooks those exhibiting eating and body image concerns without an eating disorder diagnosis. Supportive spouses may ameliorate negative body image and eating behavior, but spouses who exhibit both supportive and non-supportive behaviors concurrently (ambivalent) may send mixed messages. Eating disorder behaviors and spousal interactions were assessed in 61 women who demonstrated eating disordered behavior and b…
Self-Rated Health and Age-Related Differences in Ambulatory Blood Pressure
OBJECTIVE: Despite the well-established association between self-rated health (SRH) and health, little is known about the potential psychobiological mechanisms responsible for such links and if these associations differ by age. The main goals of this study were to investigate the links between SRH and ambulatory blood pressure (ABP), if age moderated the risk, and the health behavior/affective mechanisms responsible for such links. METHODS: A tot…
Complex assessment of relationship quality within dyads
Higher quality relationships have been linked to improved outcomes; however, the measurement of relationship quality often ignores its complexity and the possibility of co‐occurring positivity and negativity across different contexts. The goal of this study is to test the added benefit of including multiple dimensions, contexts, and perspectives of relationship quality from both individuals in predicting marital functioning. The Social Relationsh…
Does family communication matter? Exploring knowledge of breast cancer genetics in cancer families
Difference of Opinion
Objective: Marriage is consistently associated with better health outcomes. Spouses' attempts to influence partners' lifestyle and general health behaviors may contribute to this effect, although partners may not be aware of this influence. Spousal worry of a cancer diagnosis for an at-risk partner may factor into attempts to influence. An examination of spousal worry and influence on lifestyle choices, general health behaviors, and cancer screen…
Health Effects of Late-Career Unemployment
Objective: Job loss has a demonstrated negative impact on physical and mental health. Involuntary retirement has also been linked to poorer physical and mental health outcomes. This study examined whether late-career unemployment is related to involuntary retirement and health declines postretirement. Method: Analysis was conducted using the 2000-2012 U.S. Health and Retirement Study (HRS) survey data with unemployment months regressed with demog…
Late-career unemployment has mixed effects in retirement
Paid work forms a pattern of occupational engagement that shifts during both unemployment and retirement. Similar to unemployment, the occupational disruption associated with involuntary retirement has been linked to poorer physical and mental health outcomes. To better understand the health impact of work transitions during the pre- and post-retirement years, 24 retired individuals with late-career unemployment were interviewed at the Huntsman W…
Health psychology and translational genomic research
The past decade has witnessed rapid advances in human genome sequencing technology and in the understanding of the role of genetic and epigenetic alterations in cancer development. These advances have raised hopes that such knowledge could lead to improvements in behavioral risk reduction interventions, tailored screening recommendations, and treatment matching that together could accelerate the war on cancer. Despite this optimism, translation o…
Relationship quality and oxytocin
Prior studies report that couples with higher relationship quality show higher oxytocin (OT) levels, yet other studies report those with higher distress have increased OT. This study investigated these competing predictions in the context of a support enhancement intervention among 34 young married couples ( N = 68). Preintervention marital quality (Dyadic Adjustment Scale) was examined for associations with plasma and salivary OT levels 4 weeks …
Psychological pathways linking social support to health outcomes
Is There Something Unique about Marriage? The Relative Impact of Marital Status, Relationship Quality, and Network Social Support on Ambulatory Blood Pressure and Mental Health
BACKGROUND: Having close social relationships and being married specifically have been reliably associated with health benefits including lower morbidity and mortality. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of marital status, relationship quality, and network support on measures of psychological and cardiovascular health. METHOD: We examined ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) among 204 married and 99 single males and female…
Psychological pathways linking social support to health outcomes
Relationship quality and oxytocin
Prior studies report that couples with higher relationship quality show higher oxytocin (OT) levels, yet other studies report those with higher distress have increased OT. This study investigated these competing predictions in the context of a support enhancement intervention among 34 young married couples ( N = 68). Preintervention marital quality (Dyadic Adjustment Scale) was examined for associations with plasma and salivary OT levels 4 weeks …
Late-career unemployment has mixed effects in retirement
Paid work forms a pattern of occupational engagement that shifts during both unemployment and retirement. Similar to unemployment, the occupational disruption associated with involuntary retirement has been linked to poorer physical and mental health outcomes. To better understand the health impact of work transitions during the pre- and post-retirement years, 24 retired individuals with late-career unemployment were interviewed at the Huntsman W…
Spousal influence
Eating disorder literature often overlooks those exhibiting eating and body image concerns without an eating disorder diagnosis. Supportive spouses may ameliorate negative body image and eating behavior, but spouses who exhibit both supportive and non-supportive behaviors concurrently (ambivalent) may send mixed messages. Eating disorder behaviors and spousal interactions were assessed in 61 women who demonstrated eating disordered behavior and b…
Health psychology and translational genomic research
The past decade has witnessed rapid advances in human genome sequencing technology and in the understanding of the role of genetic and epigenetic alterations in cancer development. These advances have raised hopes that such knowledge could lead to improvements in behavioral risk reduction interventions, tailored screening recommendations, and treatment matching that together could accelerate the war on cancer. Despite this optimism, translation o…
Health Effects of Late-Career Unemployment
Objective: Job loss has a demonstrated negative impact on physical and mental health. Involuntary retirement has also been linked to poorer physical and mental health outcomes. This study examined whether late-career unemployment is related to involuntary retirement and health declines postretirement. Method: Analysis was conducted using the 2000-2012 U.S. Health and Retirement Study (HRS) survey data with unemployment months regressed with demog…
Is There Something Unique about Marriage? The Relative Impact of Marital Status, Relationship Quality, and Network Social Support on Ambulatory Blood Pressure and Mental Health
BACKGROUND: Having close social relationships and being married specifically have been reliably associated with health benefits including lower morbidity and mortality. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of marital status, relationship quality, and network support on measures of psychological and cardiovascular health. METHOD: We examined ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) among 204 married and 99 single males and female…
Psychological pathways linking social support to health outcomes
Health psychology and translational genomic research
The past decade has witnessed rapid advances in human genome sequencing technology and in the understanding of the role of genetic and epigenetic alterations in cancer development. These advances have raised hopes that such knowledge could lead to improvements in behavioral risk reduction interventions, tailored screening recommendations, and treatment matching that together could accelerate the war on cancer. Despite this optimism, translation o…
Relationship quality and oxytocin
Prior studies report that couples with higher relationship quality show higher oxytocin (OT) levels, yet other studies report those with higher distress have increased OT. This study investigated these competing predictions in the context of a support enhancement intervention among 34 young married couples ( N = 68). Preintervention marital quality (Dyadic Adjustment Scale) was examined for associations with plasma and salivary OT levels 4 weeks …
Health Effects of Late-Career Unemployment
Objective: Job loss has a demonstrated negative impact on physical and mental health. Involuntary retirement has also been linked to poorer physical and mental health outcomes. This study examined whether late-career unemployment is related to involuntary retirement and health declines postretirement. Method: Analysis was conducted using the 2000-2012 U.S. Health and Retirement Study (HRS) survey data with unemployment months regressed with demog…
Late-career unemployment has mixed effects in retirement
Paid work forms a pattern of occupational engagement that shifts during both unemployment and retirement. Similar to unemployment, the occupational disruption associated with involuntary retirement has been linked to poorer physical and mental health outcomes. To better understand the health impact of work transitions during the pre- and post-retirement years, 24 retired individuals with late-career unemployment were interviewed at the Huntsman W…
Does family communication matter? Exploring knowledge of breast cancer genetics in cancer families
Difference of Opinion
Objective: Marriage is consistently associated with better health outcomes. Spouses' attempts to influence partners' lifestyle and general health behaviors may contribute to this effect, although partners may not be aware of this influence. Spousal worry of a cancer diagnosis for an at-risk partner may factor into attempts to influence. An examination of spousal worry and influence on lifestyle choices, general health behaviors, and cancer screen…
Self-Rated Health and Age-Related Differences in Ambulatory Blood Pressure
OBJECTIVE: Despite the well-established association between self-rated health (SRH) and health, little is known about the potential psychobiological mechanisms responsible for such links and if these associations differ by age. The main goals of this study were to investigate the links between SRH and ambulatory blood pressure (ABP), if age moderated the risk, and the health behavior/affective mechanisms responsible for such links. METHODS: A tot…
Complex assessment of relationship quality within dyads
Higher quality relationships have been linked to improved outcomes; however, the measurement of relationship quality often ignores its complexity and the possibility of co‐occurring positivity and negativity across different contexts. The goal of this study is to test the added benefit of including multiple dimensions, contexts, and perspectives of relationship quality from both individuals in predicting marital functioning. The Social Relationsh…
Spousal influence
Eating disorder literature often overlooks those exhibiting eating and body image concerns without an eating disorder diagnosis. Supportive spouses may ameliorate negative body image and eating behavior, but spouses who exhibit both supportive and non-supportive behaviors concurrently (ambivalent) may send mixed messages. Eating disorder behaviors and spousal interactions were assessed in 61 women who demonstrated eating disordered behavior and b…
Covid-19 lockdown
Objective: In light of COVID-19, leaders issued stay-at-home orders, including closure of higher-education schools. Most students left campus, likely impacting their employment and social network. Leaders are making decisions about opening universities and modality of instruction. Understanding students’ psychological, physiological, academic, and financial responses to the shut-down and reopening of campuses can help leaders make informed decisi…
Social Support
Social support has long been associated with cardiovascular disease risk assessed with blood pressure (BP). BP exhibits a circadian rhythm in which BP should dip between 10 and 15% overnight. Blunted nocturnal dipping (non-dipping) is a predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality independent of clinical BP and is a better predictor of cardiovascular disease risk than either daytime or nighttime BP. However, it is often examined in hyperte…
While You Are Sleeping
Marital relationships offer health benefits, including a lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, quality of the relationship matters; ambivalent behaviors may increase CVD risk by affecting blunted nocturnal blood pressure (BP) dipping. This study tracked daytime and nocturnal SBP and DBP in 180 normotensive individuals (90 couples; participant mean age 25.04; 91.58% white) over a 24 h period using ambulatory blood pressure monitors …
The Relationship of Ambivalence towards Lecturers with University Students’ Psychological Distress and Mental Health
Social interactions that are simultaneously characterized by positive and negative aspects—i.e., ambivalent relationships—have been found to be related to distress and poor mental health. As the university setting is also characterized by several social interactions, this study aimed to investigate for the first time to what extent objective and subjective ambivalence towards lecturers or instructors are linked to university students’ distress le…
Psychology (15 works) · Medicine (10 works) · Psychiatry (7 works) · Clinical Psychology (6 works) · Clinical Psychology (5 works) · Gerontology (5 works) · Health disparities and outcomes (5 works) · Internal Medicine (5 works) · Social Psychology (5 works) · Ambulatory blood pressure (4 works)