Peak Agricultural Pesticide Spray Seasons Are Associated with worse Negative Affect and Behavioral Dysregulation in Adolescents and Young Adults: A 2-Year Ecological Momentary Assessment Study in ESPINA
- 1UCSD
Abstract
IntroductionPesticide exposure has been associated with poorer mental health, yet little is known about whether seasonal fluctuations in agricultural pesticide use are associated with cyclical changes in mood. We evaluated associations between 10 peak and off-peak pesticide spray seasons and ecological momentary assessment (EMA)-derived mood in a floricultural region in Ecuador.
Methods496 adolescent and young adult participants completed repeated EMAs over 2.5 years, including one single-assessment administration and nine 10-day bursts (Nassessments=14,332). Mood outcomes included negative affect (sadness, anxiety, stress, anger; overall mean [SD]=2.79 [1.32]), positive affect (happiness, motivation; mean=4.21 [1.60]), behavioral dysregulation (aggression and impulsivity; mean=1.86 [1.29]), and fatigue and concentration (tiredness and difficulty concentrating; mean=3.25 [1.34]). Generalized linear mixed models estimated pooled, between-person and within-person associations between peak pesticide spray seasons and mood, adjusting for demographic and longitudinal factors. Effect modification by sex, floricultural occupation, and cohabitation with a floricultural worker was assessed.
ResultsPeak spray seasons were associated with higher negative affect ({beta}=0.11 [0.06, 0.16]) and behavioral dysregulation ({beta}=0.10 [0.05, 0.15]), fatigue and difficulty concentrating ({beta}=0.06 [0.001, 0.12]), but not positive affect ({beta}=0.01 [-0.05, 0.07]), Associations were driven by within-person changes. Sex modified associations with anger, which were stronger in males than females. Floricultural occupation modified associations, with greater behavioral dysregulation and lower positive affect among floricultural workers than non-workers.
DiscussionPeak pesticide spray seasons were associated with worsening negative affect, behavioral dysregulation, and fatigue and concentration. EMA may provide a sensitive approach for detecting short-term neurobehavioral changes associated with seasonal pesticide exposure.
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BibTeX
@misc{chronister2026peak,
title = {{Peak Agricultural Pesticide Spray Seasons Are Associated with worse Negative Affect and Behavioral Dysregulation in Adolescents and Young Adults: A 2-Year Ecological Momentary Assessment Study in ESPINA}},
author = {B. N. C. Chronister and E. M. Parrish and D. Lopez-Paredes and J. Suarez-Torres and A. Quynh and D. Martinez and A. Bradman and R. C. Moore and J. R. Suarez-Lopez},
howpublished = {medRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.64898/2026.10.14.26365000},
url = {https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.14.26365000v1},
note = {CC BY-ND},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Peak Agricultural Pesticide Spray Seasons Are Associated with worse Negative Affect and Behavioral Dysregulation in Adolescents and Young Adults: A 2-Year Ecological Momentary Assessment Study in ESPINA
AU - B. N. C. Chronister
AU - E. M. Parrish
AU - D. Lopez-Paredes
AU - J. Suarez-Torres
AU - A. Quynh
AU - D. Martinez
AU - A. Bradman
AU - R. C. Moore
AU - J. R. Suarez-Lopez
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/14
PB - medRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.10.14.26365000
UR - https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.14.26365000v1
AB - IntroductionPesticide exposure has been associated with poorer mental health, yet little is known about whether seasonal fluctuations in agricultural pesticide use are associated with cyclical changes in mood. We evaluated associations between 10 peak and off-peak pesticide spray seasons and ecological momentary assessment (EMA)-derived mood in a floricultural region in Ecuador. Methods496 adolescent and young adult participants completed repeated EMAs over 2.5 years, including one single-assessment administration and nine 10-day bursts (Nassessments=14,332). Mood outcomes included negative affect (sadness, anxiety, stress, anger; overall mean [SD]=2.79 [1.32]), positive affect (happiness, motivation; mean=4.21 [1.60]), behavioral dysregulation (aggression and impulsivity; mean=1.86 [1.29]), and fatigue and concentration (tiredness and difficulty concentrating; mean=3.25 [1.34]). Generalized linear mixed models estimated pooled, between-person and within-person associations between peak pesticide spray seasons and mood, adjusting for demographic and longitudinal factors. Effect modification by sex, floricultural occupation, and cohabitation with a floricultural worker was assessed. ResultsPeak spray seasons were associated with higher negative affect ({beta}=0.11 [0.06, 0.16]) and behavioral dysregulation ({beta}=0.10 [0.05, 0.15]), fatigue and difficulty concentrating ({beta}=0.06 [0.001, 0.12]), but not positive affect ({beta}=0.01 [-0.05, 0.07]), Associations were driven by within-person changes. Sex modified associations with anger, which were stronger in males than females. Floricultural occupation modified associations, with greater behavioral dysregulation and lower positive affect among floricultural workers than non-workers. DiscussionPeak pesticide spray seasons were associated with worsening negative affect, behavioral dysregulation, and fatigue and concentration. EMA may provide a sensitive approach for detecting short-term neurobehavioral changes associated with seasonal pesticide exposure.
ER -