New IPR Research: January 2025
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This month’s new research from our faculty experts investigates the link between emotional regulation in childhood and adult inflammation and the connection between Donald Trump's social media rhetoric and violence during the January 6 insurrection. It also explores global strategies for supporting children and caregivers together and the lack of trust in the safety of drinking water globally.
Health Inequalities
The Link Between Emotional Regulation in Childhood and Adult Inflammation
How does emotional regulation in childhood impact health later in life? In a study in Psychoneuroendocrinology, IPR health psychologists Edith Chen and Greg Miller and their colleagues explore whether temperament in early adolescence—specifically, showing strong emotion or lack of attention—predict inflammation later in life. The study focused on a population underrepresented in health research, following 307 Black children from rural Georgia over 18 years. When the children were between 11 and 13 years old, their temperaments were assessed in teacher evaluations. Researchers revisited these participants between ages 25 and 29, using blood tests to measure markers of inflammation that are associated with chronic diseases like diabetes and stroke. The results indicated that higher emotional intensity during childhood and early adolescence was associated with increased inflammation by age 29 and worsening levels from ages 25 to 29. Low attention levels at 11 to 13 were also linked to higher inflammation at age 29. These findings suggest that these early temperamental traits could lead to stress responses that elevate inflammation in adulthood. Additionally, the researchers found that self-regulation of emotions played a role, as lower levels of attention control were linked to poorer self-regulation and higher inflammation. Overall, this study highlights the importance of understanding how early behaviors—and interventions—can affect health later on, especially in disadvantaged communities.
Policy Discourse and Decision Making
The Link Between Donald Trump’s Social Media Rhetoric and Violence During the January 6 Insurrection
Political violence has risen in the United States, and some research suggests that the online behavior of leaders can play a role in turning peaceful protests into violent events. In a study published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface, Northwestern researcher Qinghua Li along with network scientist and sociologist, Brian Uzzi and Kellogg sociologist Brayden King, both IPR associates, analyze the links between leadership, social media, and levels of violence during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. The researchers examined thousands of time-stamped video footage at the protests, tweets from former President Donald Trump, tweets using the #StopTheSteal hashtag, and transcripts of Trump’s and others’ speeches at the “Save America” rally. They used sentiment analysis tools to assess the emotional tone of tweets and measured crowd reactions like cheering. They then applied Granger regression methods to quantify how social media rhetoric and rally dynamics influenced the severity and length of outbreaks of violence during the riot. They found that Trump’s rally speech and tweets, along with #StopTheSteal tweets, predicted spikes of violence and weapon use. Their results show a strong correlation between inflammatory rhetoric from a leader on social media and escalating violent behavior on the ground by his followers, demonstrating that social media has the power not only to spread misinformation and promote polarization, but also to trigger violent actions in the real world.
Education and Human Development
Global Strategies for Supporting Children and Caregivers Together
There are major gaps in services and support for children and their caregivers around the globe; these gaps widened considerably during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Child Development Perspectives, IPR research professor Terese Sommer and her colleagues review social programs that take a “two-generation approach,” designed to improve the development of young children and the livelihoods of those children’s caregivers at the same time. To understand what helps such programs succeed, the researchers systematically synthesized findings from detailed studies of two-generation program models in Brazil, Vietnam, the United States, Colombia, and Madagascar. Broadly, the five program models fell into three categories: high-quality child care for low-income families, early childhood development services paired with parental nonformal education, and cash transfers paired with parenting guidance. All five models succeeded in engaging two generations simultaneously and improving children’s development; several did so at scale. The programs were most effective when they added services beyond child development and caregivers’ livelihoods, such as nutrition and health supports; attended to the quality and intensity of services for both generations; and tailored services to the interests and needs of the target population. The researchers stress that to make a difference, two-generation programs must be bolstered by relevant policies that improve the lives of families at both the household and societal level.
Poverty, Race, and Inequality
Around the Globe, People Lack Trust in the Safety of Their Drinking Water
Water availability and access are widespread global problems. In the absence of reliable information about water safety, people make decisions about the quality of their water based on their lived experiences with it. In Nature Communications, IPR anthropologist Sera Young and her colleagues, including Northwestern professor Julius Lucks, study beliefs about the safety of drinking water including how countries vary and who is most likely to believe their water is unsafe. They analyzed nationally representative survey data from 148,585 individuals in 141 countries collected by the World Risk Poll in 2019. More than half of the population surveyed, 52.3%, expect to be seriously harmed by their water within the next two years, with the highest rate of harm expected in Zambia and the lowest in Singapore. Women, residents of cities, college-educated adults, and people struggling to make ends meet were more likely to anticipate being harmed by their drinking water. People in countries where there had been recent deaths or harm from water and countries with high perceived levels of government corruption were also more likely to think they would be harmed by their drinking water. Concerns about water safety can lead to behaviors, such as avoiding tap water and buying bottled water and sugary beverages, that have negative environmental, financial, and health impacts. To improve public trust in drinking water, the researchers argue that governments should better communicate water quality data and design tailored water safety interventions that consider differences in people’s experiences with and beliefs about water.
Photo credit: Pixabay
Published: January 22, 2025.
