About

Christina Kamis is an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Illinois. Her research primarily focuses on early life predictors of health, with a particular emphasis on mental health across the life course. She investigates how various social and environmental factors, including features of neighborhoods, counties, and states, influence population health and contribute to health disparities more broadly. Kamis's work integrates perspectives from life course and aging studies, medical sociology, and demography to understand the complex pathways linking childhood experiences to adult health outcomes. She earned her Ph.D. from Duke University and has contributed extensively to the field through peer-reviewed articles that explore topics such as childhood adversity, adolescent peer networks, and depressive symptom trajectories. Her research sheds light on the social determinants of mental health and the long-term effects of early life social integration and maltreatment on adult well-being.

Research topics

• Psychiatry
• Clinical psychology
• Medicine
• Developmental psychology
• Sociology
• Psychology
• Economic growth
• Economics
• Demography
• Social psychology
• Geography

Selected publications

• Reexamining the Health Implications of Objective and Subjective Neighborhood Measures: New Insights from REWARD

  Innovation in Aging · 2025-12-01

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Neighborhood is recognized as the key determinant of individual well-being and population health. Despite evidence on neighborhood and health, how neighborhoods should be measured remains contested. The scholarship has continuously debated over objective versus subjective measures of neighborhoods and their relative importance on health. Further, the process by which neighborhoods “get under the skin” to affect health remains to be examined. The current study draws upon longitudinal residential history and novel epigenetic biomarkers of aging from the Researching Epigenetics, Weathering, Aging, & Disadvantage Study (REWARD) to provide new insights into this ongoing debate. We aim to investigate (a) the relationship between objective neighborhood disadvantages and subjective perceptions of living in the neighborhoods and accelerated biological aging, (b) the relative importance of objective and subjective neighborhood measures, and (c) the extent to which subjective perception moderates the association between objective neighborhood disadvantages and accelerated biological aging. Preliminary results demonstrate that both objective neighborhood disadvantages and subjective perceptions are associated with accelerated biological measures, with objective neighborhood disadvantages showing stronger impacts. Further, the relationship between objective neighborhood disadvantages and accelerated biological aging cannot be moderated by subjective perceptions. Results from this study not only contribute to the ongoing debate of neighborhood measures but also shed light on the underlying pathway by which neighborhoods “get under the skin” to affect aging and health.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Cumulative neighborhood disadvantage and racial and geographic disparities in epigenetic aging

  SSM - Population Health · 2025-06-10 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  Living in a socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhood is associated with worse health. However, the biological pathways underpinning this association remain unclear. Using 1,388 adults from Researching Epigenetics, Weathering and Residential Disadvantage (REWARD), an ancillary study to the Survey of the Health of Wisconsin (SHOW), we examined the contribution of cumulative neighborhood disadvantage across the life course to racial and geographic disparities in epigenetic markers of biological aging. Results showed that urban Black adults experienced faster epigenetic aging than urban, suburban, and rural White adults across three epigenetic aging clocks. Approximately 37% (GrimAge), 70% (DunedinPACE), and 100% (PhenoAge) of the White-urban Black disparities in epigenetic age acceleration were explained by differential exposure to cumulative neighborhood disadvantage over the life course. Interactions testing differential susceptibility to neighborhood disadvantage by race were not significant. In summary, differential exposure to cumulative neighborhood disadvantage over the life course, rather than differential biological response to these exposures, shapes racial and geographic disparities in epigenetic aging. • Cumulative neighborhood disadvantage was assessed based on up to five decades of residential histories. • Cumulative neighborhood disadvantage was positively and significantly associated with epigenetic age acceleration. • Cumulative neighborhood disadvantage explained substantial racial and geographic disparities in epigenetic aging. • Racial and geographic groups did not have differential epigenetic vulnerability to cumulative neighborhood disadvantage.

  PublisherDOI

• Gendered Social Chains of Risk: Pathways of Childhood Maltreatment, Adolescent Peer Networks, and Depressive Symptoms

  Journal of Health and Social Behavior · 2025-04-28 · 2 citations

  articleSenior author

  Childhood maltreatment is a serious stressor affecting mental health directly and indirectly through relationships, creating social chains of risk. Adolescent peers are one key relationship in the early life course, but whether peer networks mediate associations between maltreatment and mental health or if such pathways differ by gender remains unclear. We conduct path analysis on survey data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (N = 9,118) to examine gendered chains of risk linking childhood maltreatment, adolescent peer networks, and depressive symptoms. Results show that emotional abuse and physical neglect are associated with depressive symptoms through lower popularity (avoidance) and lower cohesion (fragmentation) for girls. For boys, sexual abuse and physical neglect are associated with depressive symptoms through lower sociality (withdrawal). Results indicate gendered social chains of risk through peer networks, contributing to our understanding of gender, childhood maltreatment, adolescent social networks, and early life course mental health.

  PublisherDOI

• How does life course exposure to contextual disadvantage accelerate biological aging? The role of psychological symptoms

  The Journals of Gerontology Series B · 2025-10-18 · 2 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding

  OBJECTIVES: Recent research has found that life course exposure to contextual socioeconomic disadvantage may accelerate biological aging, providing key insight into an upstream driver of health disparities. However, questions about the intervening mechanisms remain. We examine the role of psychological symptoms in the direct and indirect relationships between cumulative neighborhood disadvantage and accelerated biological aging. METHODS: We leverage the Researching Epigenetic, Weathering, Aging, & Neighborhood Disadvantage (REWARD) Study, a subsample of the Survey of the Health of Wisconsin (SHOW) (2008-2019) that includes an assessment of cumulative neighborhood disadvantage based on long-term residential histories and three blood-based epigenetic clocks (i.e., GrimAge, PhenoAge, and DunedinPACE). We use path analysis to assess the direct and indirect relationship of cumulative neighborhood disadvantage and accelerated biological aging through psychological symptoms measured as overall distress and disaggregated as depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms. RESULTS: Cumulative neighborhood disadvantage is associated with epigenetic age acceleration directly and indirectly via overall psychological distress, with 10-13% of the neighborhood disadvantage effects mediated by increased distress across the aging clocks. Anxiety appears as a significant mediating factor for some clocks (most notably GrimAge and DunedinPACE). DISCUSSION: Contextual disadvantage is an important social determinant of health that operates throughout the life course and may lead to disparities in healthy aging through psychological symptoms.

  PublisherDOI

• Midlife

  The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Health, Illness, Behavior, and Society · 2025-10-31

  other1st authorCorresponding

  Abstract Midlife, defined as the period between early and late life, has been understudied in life course and social science literature. Midlife marks transitions into important role statuses, such as spouse and parent, as well as expectations of employment and economic independence. Midlife is also the stage in which many health conditions emerge, and health disparities become evident. Future work should focus on the importance of midlife and how experiences of midlife may be different across time and space.

  PublisherDOI

• Midlife

  The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Health, Illness, Behavior, and Society · 2025-10-31

  other1st authorCorresponding

  Abstract Midlife, defined as the period between early and late life, has been understudied in life course and social science literature. Midlife marks transitions into important role statuses, such as spouse and parent, as well as expectations of employment and economic independence. Midlife is also the stage in which many health conditions emerge, and health disparities become evident. Future work should focus on the importance of midlife and how experiences of midlife may be different across time and space.

  PublisherDOI

• Childhood maltreatment associated with adolescent peer networks: Withdrawal, avoidance, and fragmentation

  Child Abuse & Neglect · 2024-11-05 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  BACKGROUND: Childhood maltreatment can affect subsequent social relationships, including different facets of peer relationships. Yet, how prior maltreatment shapes adolescents' connections within school peer networks is unclear, despite the rich literature showing the importance of this structural aspect of social integration in adolescence. OBJECTIVES: This study examines how childhood physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and physical neglect predict adolescent social network structure as withdrawal, avoidance, and fragmentation among peers. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) Waves I, III, and IV yield a sample of 9154 respondents with valid network data and survey of childhood maltreatment. METHODS: Models using linear regression examine childhood maltreatment predicting withdrawal, avoidance, and fragmentation in adolescent peer networks. Maltreatment is first measured as ever occurring, then separately by maltreatment type. RESULTS: Results indicate that experiencing any maltreatment leads to withdrawal (lower sociality, B = -0.214, p = 0.008), avoidance (lower popularity, B = -0.222, p = 0.007), and fragmentation (lower cohesion, B = -0.009, p < 0.001). However, different types of maltreatment are associated with different dimensions of peer networks, with only physical neglect impacting all three dimensions. CONCLUSIONS: Experiencing any maltreatment in childhood predicts lower integration in the adolescent peer network structure across three dimensions. However, distinct types of maltreatment relate differently to separate network dimensions, with sexual abuse predicting withdrawal, emotional and physical abuse predicting avoidance and fragmentation, and physical neglect predicting lower integration on all three dimensions.

  PublisherDOI

• The health implications of cumulative exposure to contextual (dis)advantage: methodological and substantive advances from a unique data linkage

  American Journal of Epidemiology · 2024-07-05 · 4 citations

  articleOpen access

  Deleterious neighborhood conditions are associated with poor health, yet the health impact of cumulative lifetime exposure to neighborhood disadvantage is understudied. Using up to 5 decades of residential histories for 4177 adult participants in the Survey of the Health of Wisconsin (SHOW) and spatiotemporally linked neighborhood conditions, we developed 4 operational approaches to characterizing cumulative neighborhood (dis)advantage over the life course. We estimated their associations with self-reported general health and compared them with estimates using neighborhood (dis)advantage at the time of study enrollment. When cumulative exposures were assessed with the most granular temporal scale (approach 4), neighborhood transportation constraints (odds ratio [OR] = 1.21; 95% CI, 1.08-1.36), residential turnover (OR = 1.20; 95% CI, 1.07-1.34), education deficit (OR = 1.17; 95% CI, 1.04-1.32), racial segregation (OR = 1.20; 95% CI, 1.04-1.38), and median household income (OR = 0.85; 95% CI, 0.75-0.97) were significantly associated with risk of fair or poor health. For composite neighborhood disadvantage, cumulative exposures had a stronger association (OR = 1.05; 95% CI, 1.02-1.08) than the cross-sectional exposure (OR = 1.03; 95% CI, 1.01-1.06). Single-point-in-time neighborhood measures underestimate the relationship between neighborhood and health, underscoring the importance of a life-course approach to cumulative exposure measurement.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Linking sequences of exposure to residential (dis)advantage, individual socioeconomic status, and health

  Health & Place · 2024-06-03 · 8 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Life course theories suggest that the relationship between residential (dis)advantage and health is best understood by examining the ordering and duration of cumulative exposures across the life course. This study employs sequence and cluster analysis on two decades of residential histories linked to the Survey of the Health of Wisconsin to define typologies of exposure to residential (dis)advantage and use these typologies to predict self-rated fair/poor health. Exposure to residential (dis)advantage is mostly stable across the adult life course and greater disadvantage predicts fair/poor health. Longitudinal exposures to residential (dis)advantage shape health independently of and in tandem with individual-level resources.

  PublisherDOI

• Xu et al respond to “Invited commentary: improving spatial exposure data for everyone—life-course social context and ascertaining residential history”

  American Journal of Epidemiology · 2024-09-13

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Kristen Malecki

  Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry

  7 shared

• Molly Copeland

  University of Notre Dame

  6 shared

• Amy Schultz

  University of Wisconsin–Madison

  5 shared

• Michal Engelman

  University of Wisconsin–Madison

  4 shared

• Megan Agnew

  University of Wisconsin Health

  4 shared

• Jessica S. West

  Duke University

  4 shared

• Sarah Salas

  University of Wisconsin–Madison

  3 shared

• Wei Xu

  Wuhan University

  3 shared

Education

• Ph.D. Sociology

  Duke University

  2022

• Masters in Sociology

  Duke University

  2019

• B.A. Sociology and Anthropology (Soc emphasis)

  Washington and Lee University

  2015