The Chinese Imaging Genetics (CHIMGEN) study establishes the largest Chinese neuroimaging genetics cohort and aims to identify genetic and environmental factors and their interactions that are associated with neuroimaging and behavioral phenotypes. This study prospectively collected genomic, neuroimaging, environmental, and behavioral data from more than 7000 healthy Chinese Han participants aged 18-30 years. As a pioneer of large-sample neuroimaging genetics cohorts of non-Caucasian populations, this cohort can provide new insights into ethnic differences in genetic-neuroimaging associations by being compared with Caucasian cohorts. In addition to micro-environmental measurements, this study also collects hundreds of quantitative macro-environmental measurements from remote sensing and national survey databases based on the locations of each participant from birth to present, which will facilitate discoveries of new environmental factors associated with neuroimaging phenotypes. With lifespan environmental measurements, this study can also provide insights on the macro-environmental exposures that affect the human brain as well as their timing and mechanisms of action.

In the current study, we tested a moderated mediation model in which cultural orientation moderated the mediation model of adult attachment-perceived social support-depressive symptoms, using 2 comparable cross-cultural samples of college students recruited from China and the U.S. (n = 363 for each group). Results indicated that perceived social support mediated the effect of attachment anxiety on depressive symptoms as well as the link between attachment avoidance and depression in both samples. Moderated mediation analyses using PROCESS revealed that interdependent self-construal significantly buffered the indirect effect of attachment avoidance (via perceived social support) on depressive symptoms. The findings indicated significant differences in the mediation models between the U.S. and China groups and interdependent self-construal accounted for the between-country differences. Limitations, implications of the findings, and future research directions are discussed from the perspectives of cross-cultural variation of adult attachment functioning. (PsycINFO Database Record

This study compared American and Chinese caregiving grandparents regarding variables reflecting challenges and resources in dealing with the demands of raising a grandchild. A total of 238 grandparent caregivers in the United States and 106 Chinese grandparent caregivers were sampled and completed research questionnaires for this study. Analyses indicated that after controlling for grandparents’ gender, age, health, length of caregiving, and number of grandchildren, main effects for culture were significant for parental efficacy, authoritative parenting style, grandchild negative interpersonal dynamics, role satisfaction, well-being, and attachment to the grandchild. Correlational findings provided further understanding of cross-cultural similarities and differences in grandparent caregiving. Findings are discussed in the context of the globality of grandparent caregiving and the salience of family dynamic and values among Chinese grandparent caregivers. These findings also underscore the lack of supportive services for Chinese grandparents in light of their personal adaptive qualities and the demands of raising a grandchild.

Extended Data Fig.7. Susceptibility analysis of individual satellite measures with brain (a-d) and behaviors (e-h) using distributed lag models in CHIMGEN.