A Systematic Review of Associations Between Adverse Peer Experiences and Emotion Regulation in Adolescence

When Push Comes to Shove: Unravelling the Developmental and Longitudinal Dynamic Relationship between Bullying and Empathy in Chinese School Children

While bullying has significant long-term impacts on mental health, the developmental relationship between empathy and bullying behaviors remains unclear. Specifically, it is uncertain whether bullying perpetration and victimization predict changes in empathy over time or if empathy influences these behaviors. This study addresses this gap by examining the longitudinal dynamic relationship between empathy, bullying perpetration, and victimization. The sample comprised 3337 Chinese school children (Mage = 11.23 years, SD = 1.60; 47.7% female), followed over six waves across three years. Random intercept cross-lagged panel models (RI-CLPMs) were employed to separate between-person and within-person effects. Results indicated that at the between-person level, empathy, bullying perpetration, and victimization followed decreasing trajectories, with initial empathy negatively associated with both bullying perpetration and victimization. At the within-person level, fluctuations in bullying perpetration and victimization predicted subsequent declines in empathy, while empathy did not significantly predict later changes in bullying perpetration and victimization behaviors. These findings suggest that bullying experiences, whether as a perpetrator or victim, can impair empathy development and that empathy alone may not be sufficient to reduce bullying. This challenges current intervention models focused on empathy enhancement and calls for more nuanced approaches that address the complex dynamics between empathy and bullying.

Bullying victimization among adolescents during the early phase of war in Ukraine - A comparative cross-sectional study in 2016-2017

BACKGROUND

War profoundly impacts adolescent development and may increase the likelihood of aggressive responses when such behavior is perceived as acceptable and accessible. War may, hence, exacerbate a form of interpersonal violence already prevalent among children and adolescents.

METHODS

We conducted a comparative cross-sectional study 2 years after the Russian invasion of Eastern Ukraine in 2014 by comparing the prevalence of bullying victimization among adolescents aged 11-17 years (N = 2766) in two administrative regions with different levels of wartime traumatic stressor exposure.

RESULTS

Female adolescents in the war-affected region were bullied more often compared to those in the non-affected region [65.3% vs. 56.3%, adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR) = 1.5, 95% CI 1.2-1.9]. For both boys and girls, symptoms of psychopathology were associated with bullying victimization often [girls: depression (aOR = 2.9, 95% CI 2.4-3.4); boys: depression (aOR = 3.3, 95% CI 2.6-4.1) and PTSD (aOR = 1.7, 95% CI 1.4-2.02)]. In the war-affected region, a dose-response relationship between bullying victimization often and war-event exposure was observed in both sexes [girls: 1-3 war-events (aOR = 1.4, 95% CI 0.7-2.6), 4-6 (aOR = 2.4, 95% CI 1.3-4.5) and ≥7 (aOR = 5.5, 95% CI 2.7-11.1); boys: 1-3 (aOR = 1.4, 95% CI 0.7-2.8), 4-6 (aOR = 3.2, 95% CI 1.7-6.3), and ≥7 (aOR = 6.8, 95% CI 3.1-14.8)].

CONCLUSIONS

War exposure was associated with bullying victimization, with girls being bullied more often than boys. Bullying victimization was linked to cumulative traumatic stressor exposure in the war-affected region for both sexes.

Linking Daily Victimization to Daily Affect Among Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Sleep Quality and Disturbance

Bullying victimization is prevalent among adolescents and often linked to emotional problems. Prior studies have been focused on the concurrent or longitudinal associations between bullying victimization and emotional problems, but the daily associations and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Implementing daily diary method, the study aimed to examine the links between daily victimization and positive and negative affect as well as the mediating role of sleep quality and disturbance. A total of 265 Chinese adolescents (Mage = 11.65, SD = 0.74; 32.80% females) participated in this study and completed 7-day daily diaries on bullying victimization (traditional and cyber victimization), sleep quality and disturbance, and affect. As hypothesized, at the between-person level, sleep disturbance mediated the relationships between both traditional and cyber victimization and subsequent negative affect. At the within-person level, sleep quality mediated the pathway between traditional victimization and next-day negative affect; furthermore, sleep disturbance mediated the pathway between traditional victimization and positive affect the following day. These findings highlight the mediating roles of sleep quality and sleep disturbance in the relationships between stressful victimizing experiences and emotional problems and also provide novel insights into these associations.

Bullying victimization and self-harm in adolescents: The roles of emotion regulation and bullying peer norms

BACKGROUND

While prior research has suggested that experiencing bullying victimization increases the risk of self-harm, the exact role of intrapersonal emotion regulation and bullying peer norms in contributing to this association are not fully understood.

OBJECTIVE

This study examined the mediating effects of cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression and the moderating effects of bullying descriptive and popularity norms on the association between bullying victimization and self-harm.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

A total of 3545 Chinese adolescents (52.4 % boys; Mage = 12.36 years; 90.9 % Han nationality) from 76 classes participated in the current study.

METHODS

Data were collected in two waves, spaced six months apart. Participants completed self-report questionnaires regarding bullying victimization, bullying perpetration, emotion regulation and self-harm. Peer nomination items were used to assess bullying perpetration and popularity.

RESULTS

The study found that bullying victimization was linked to an increase in self-harm six month later, both directly and indirectly, by enhancing the use of expressive suppression. The effects of expressive suppression as a mediator were notably stronger in environments with low bullying descriptive norms or high bullying popularity norms.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings provide insights into the mechanisms by which bullying peer norms adversely affect emotion regulation and escalate self-harming behaviors among victimized adolescents. Effective bullying prevention and intervention strategies should focus not only on reducing bullying behaviors, but also on addressing maladaptive emotion regulation strategies such as expressive suppression. Additionally, fostering a classroom environment characterized by non-aggressive and prosocial norms is crucial for mitigating the negative outcomes associated with bullying.

The Line of Emotion Dysregulation and Need Frustration from Parents to Adolescents: The Role of Parental Psychological Control

Accumulating evidence, as outlined by Self-Determination Theory (SDT), highlights the crucial role of emotion dysregulation and basic psychological needs in shaping various psychological outcomes. Parental psychological control may play a key role in understanding how these processes develop within the family context. This study aims to examine the intergenerational transmission of basic psychological needs and emotion dysregulation from parents to adolescents, focusing on the indirect association of parental psychological control within this relationship. 210 Italian families living in the same household, consisting of biological parents and one adolescent (55% female) aged between 13 and 18 years old (M = 15.71, SD = 1.76) participated in the study. The results showed that both mothers' and fathers' higher emotion dysregulation were related to their own higher levels of psychological control, while higher maternal need frustration was related to higher perceptions of parental psychological control in adolescents. In turn, higher perceptions of parental psychological control in adolescents were related to adolescents' higher need frustration and emotion dysregulation. Furthermore, higher maternal emotion dysregulation was linked to higher adolescent emotion dysregulation, and higher paternal need frustration was linked to higher adolescent need frustration. These findings are explored in the context of SDT and highlight the significance of both emotion regulation ability and needs in shaping adolescent adjustment.

Dissociation As a Mechanism of Risk for Interpersonal Victimization Among Adolescent Girls

Childhood interpersonal violence exposure (IVE) is associated with repeated victimization in adolescence and adulthood. Research suggests dissociation, a psychological phenomenon characterized by alterations and disruptions to consciousness, memory, and perceptions of the environment, and out-of-body experiences, increases the risk of revictimization. Self-report data from a longitudinal study of 92 violence-exposed adolescent girls from a large, urban area were analyzed to assess whether dissociation predicts polyvictimization or exposure to multiple types of interpersonal violence across adolescence. Participants' mental and interpersonal health was assessed at four in-person laboratory visits scheduled across 3.5 years (i.e., T1-T4). IVE included direct or indirect victimization experienced at home, school, the neighborhood, or town, such as child maltreatment, domestic violence, peer victimization, dating aggression, and community violence. Polyvictimization was operationalized as a composite score of the different types of IVE endorsed by the participant or caregiver. A random-intercept cross-lagged panel model was used to test the bidirectional relationships between dissociation and polyvictimization longitudinally. Cross-lagged regressions were analyzed to determine whether dissociation and polyvictimization predicted subsequent dissociation symptoms and polyvictimization. Concurrent and previous dissociation significantly accounted for polyvictimization at T2, T3, and T4. Polyvictimization did not significantly predict future dissociation symptoms. The results from this study provide support for dissociation's unique contribution to polyvictimization among violence-exposed girls, making it an important target for clinical assessment and treatment.

Adolescent Peer Relationship Difficulties, Prosociality, and Parental Emotion Socialization: Moderating Roles of Adolescent Gender

The present study examined longitudinal, transactional associations between youth social adjustment (prosociality, peer relationship difficulties) and parental emotion socialization in early adolescence. Adolescent gender was considered as a potential moderator. Eighty-seven adolescent-parent dyads (50 girls, 37 boys) participated in 8th grade, with follow-up waves in 9th and 10th grade. Adolescents reported their experiences of peer victimization and their parents' emotion socialization responses, and parents reported youth prosocial behavior and peer relation problems. Hierarchical linear modeling results indicated transactional associations between parent supportive/unsupportive responses and adolescent peer relations and prosociality over time, some of which were moderated by adolescent gender. Increases in parental supportive emotion socialization corresponded to decreased experiences of peer victimization over time for girls, but not boys. When peer victimization increased over time, girls reported less parental supportive responses and all adolescents reported receiving more unsupportive responses from parents. For all adolescents, parents' increased supportive responses also corresponded to decreased peer problems and increased prosocial behavior. As prosocial behavior increased, so did parental supportive responses. Increases in parents' unsupportive responses related to decreased prosocial behavior, and increases in adolescent prosocial behavior related to decreases in parents' unsupportive responses. Results suggest that there is mutual influence between parent emotion socialization and adolescent social adjustment. Adolescent girls appear to uniquely benefit from parents' supportive emotional socialization in relation to their experiences of peer victimization. Potential mechanisms and implications are discussed.

Black Girls' Emotional Regulation: Investigating the Roles of Parent and Peer Relationships and Neighborhood Safety

The current study investigates the role of parent and peer relationships and neighborhood safety on Black adolescent girls' emotional regulation (ER). Guided by an intersectional ecodevelopmental framework, the data derived from 188 youth punishment system-involved girls ages 12 to 17 in a short-term detention facility. Data from the 2014 Imara study-a randomized control trial of a sexual reproductive health intervention-was analyzed using multivariate path analysis. Imara comprises a local convenience sample of Black girls in a southern US short-term detention facility. Path analysis results noted the impact of social domain variables: parents, peers, and neighborhood safety on ER, revealing primarily negative direct and indirect effects. However, of note were nuanced findings, which showed that having negative peers was indirectly and positively associated with girls' ER. It was also noted that there was a negative relationship between negative peers and neighborhood safety. This study has implications for intervention programs that should be tailored and culturally responsive. Detention, legal system, and other professionals should consider the unique circumstances and coping mechanisms of Black girls and designing interventions that reflect their lived experiences and unique social environments.

Evaluating the Link between Visual Attention Bias and Emotion Dysregulation of Young Children

The ability to regulate emotions is vital to successful social interactions. This study explores whether visual attention bias is associated with emotion dysregulation (ED) in early childhood. Parental reports of child ED (Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) and Temper Tantrum Scale) were examined in relation to child visual attention bias whilst viewing emotional faces. Results indicated that the level of eye gaze fixation towards emotional images and faces was associated with ED when social function (measured with the Social Responsiveness Scale), gender, age, and attention problems (measured from the CBCL subscale), were adjusted. The modifying effect on visual attention bias was evaluated using interaction analysis in the generalized linear model. The level of visual attention bias, indicated by the proportion of eye gaze fixation time on areas of interest (AOIs) in images displaying unpleasant emotions (such as anger), was inversely associated with the level of externalising problem behaviours (p = .014). Additionally, the association of eye gaze fixation time for AOIs displaying negative emotional cues with the level of externalising problem behaviours varied by age (p = .04), with younger children (aged < 70 months) demonstrating a stronger association than older children (aged ≥ 70 months). Findings suggest that young children with greater ED symptoms look less at unpleasant emotional cues. However, this relationship is attenuated as children become older. Further research to identify objective biomarkers that incorporate eye-tracking tasks may support prediction of ED-related mental health issues in the early years.

Symptom network differences in school adjustment and anxiety-depression-stress in adolescents: a gender-based perspective

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the characteristics of adolescents' school adjustment and their associations with anxiety, depression, and stress, respectively, as well as their differences by gender.

METHODS

A convenience sampling method was used to measure 3,922 secondary school students from 10 secondary schools in five locations in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region using the Anxiety-Depression-Stress Scale and the School Adjustment Scale, and latent profile analysis was used to identify the subjects' school adjustment categories, and network analysis was subsequently used to explore the relationship between different school adjustment categories and anxiety, depression, and stress, respectively, as well as their gender characteristics.

RESULTS

In the symptom network of adolescents at risk for school maladjustment, "school emotions and attitudes" was the core symptom (Expected Impact Index: 0.86); in the co-morbidity network of school adjustment and anxiety, depression, and stress in adolescents at risk for school maladjustment, the core symptom was "uneasiness" (Expected Impact Index: 0.86); and "stress" (Expected Impact Index: 0.86) was the core symptom. "(EI: 1.12), "difficulty relaxing" (EI: 1.14) in males, and "depression" (EI: 1.06) in females, all with significant gender differences. Significant gender differences were found.

CONCLUSION

Adolescents' school adjustment was strongly associated with symptoms of anxiety, depression and stress, with significant gender differences in the structure of the network of co-morbid symptoms.

Psychophysiological Factors Moderate Amygdala-Prefrontal Connectivity Linked to Perceived Peer Victimization and Depressive Symptoms in Preadolescent Migrant Children

Background: As a sense of an intense stressor, perceived peer victimization can cause adverse effects on mental health, like depressive symptoms. Yet, little is known about the neurobiological mechanisms underlying how perceived peer victimization causes and maintains depressive symptoms in preadolescence. Methods: Here we investigate the effects of peer victimization on amygdala subregional functional connectivity in 101 preadolescent migrant children, and their relations to depressive symptoms and potential protective factors of self-esteem and daily cortisol. Further control analyses were conducted to verify whether there are any specific effects in migrant children compared to 54 age-matched preadolescent children from nonmigrant background. Results: Children with higher perceived peer victimization exhibited greater intrinsic functional connectivity of the amygdala with the middle frontal gyrus extending into the superior frontal gyrus. Perceived peer victimization could account for an indirect association between amygdala hyperconnectivity and depressive symptoms. Moderated mediation analyses revealed that basolateral amygdala connectivity with the superior frontal gyrus acted as a neural marker linking peer victimization and greater risk for depressive symptoms only in preadolescent children with low self-esteem or low daily cortisol. Conclusions: These findings suggest that considering neurobiological vulnerability and psychophysiological factors may gain a nuanced understanding of the adverse effects of perceived peer victimization on depressive symptoms, a risk for internalizing pathology. This study could inform personalized intervention strategies to prevent or ameliorate depressive symptoms in this disadvantaged population.

Comparative Analysis of Psychological Well-Being and Emotional Education in Graduate Students

Background

The growing importance of emotional intelligence in academic and professional contexts has generated a need to explore its linkage with psychological well-being. Furthermore, understanding how various demographic and academic factors can influence students' emotional perception and management is crucial for optimizing educational and intervention strategies. In this context, the primary purpose of this study was to analyze the existing relationship between emotional education and psychological well-being in graduate students.

Methods

The objective was to conduct a comparative analysis of perceived emotional intelligence (PEI) in different study programs offered at a specific university. The methodology, framed within a positivist paradigm, was based on a quantitative approach and examines the responses of 1,522 university students using the Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS-24).

Results

This tool, which is divided into three dimensions (emotional attention, emotional clarity, and emotional repair), was analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and ANOVA tests to determine demographic and academic influences on the scores. The findings indicate deficiencies in the areas of Emotional Attention and Emotional Repair, contrasting with a marked prevalence in Emotional Clarity. Variables such as sex, age, and field of study demonstrated an influence on the dimensions of PEI. Notably, significant differences in emotional perception were found between sex and academic fields.

Conclusions

Specifically, training directed towards empathy proved to be a prominent factor in the perception of emotional competencies. This study highlights the influence of demographic and academic variables on emotional competencies, underscoring the need to adapt strategies in education and therapy.

Cyber dating abuse perpetration and victimization among Chinese college students with a history of peer phubbing: psychological resilience moderates the indirect effect of rejection sensitivity

BACKGROUND

As emerging adults are increasingly reliant on instant messaging applications for communication with romantic partners, cyber dating abuse perpetration (CDAP) and victimization (CDAV) have proliferated. This has aroused the high attention of researchers. This study aimed to explore the mechanism of the influence of peer phubbing on CDAP and CDAV in Chinese context.

METHODS

566 Chinese college students (average age of 19.31 years, 47.7% females) were investigated with the generic scale of being phubbed, rejection sensitivity questionnaire, Chinese version of resilience scale and cyber dating abuse questionnaire. The data were analyzed by using a moderated mediation model with SPSS and the PROCESS.

RESULTS

The results revealed that: (1) peer phubbing had a significant positive predictive effect on CDAP (β = .32, p < .001) and CDAV (β = .43, p < .001) respectively. (2) Rejection sensitivity played a partial mediating role both between peer phubbing and CDAP (indirect effect = .12, 95% CI = [.05, .18], accounting for 37.5%) and CDAV (indirect effect = .09, 95% CI = [.05, .14], accounting for 20.9%. (3) The first half (β = - .27, p < .001) of the indirect effect of peer phubbing on CDAP and CDAV are weakened by psychological resilience, and the direct paths were also weakened by psychological resilience(β = - .13, p < .001;β = - .16, p < .001).

CONCLUSION

These findings highlight the importance of discerning the mechanisms moderating the mediated paths linking peer phubbing to CDAP and CDAV. The results also underline the importance of implementing measures and interventions to use the protective role of psychological resilience on college students' CDAP and CDAV.

Growing Up Together in Society (GUTS): A team science effort to predict societal trajectories in adolescence and young adulthood

Our society faces a great diversity of opportunities for youth. The 10-year Growing Up Together in Society (GUTS) program has the long-term goal to understand which combination of measures best predict societal trajectories, such as school success, mental health, well-being, and developing a sense of belonging in society. Our leading hypothesis is that self-regulation is key to how adolescents successfully navigate the demands of contemporary society. We aim to test these questions using socio-economic, questionnaire (including experience sampling methods), behavioral, brain (fMRI, sMRI, EEG), hormonal, and genetic measures in four large cohorts including adolescents and young adults. Two cohorts are designed as test and replication cohorts to test the developmental trajectory of self-regulation, including adolescents of different socioeconomic status thereby bridging individual, family, and societal perspectives. The third cohort consists of an entire social network to examine how neural and self-regulatory development influences and is influenced by whom adolescents and young adults choose to interact with. The fourth cohort includes youth with early signs of antisocial and delinquent behavior to understand patterns of societal development in individuals at the extreme ends of self-regulation and societal participation, and examines pathways into and out of delinquency. We will complement the newly collected cohorts with data from existing large-scale population-based and case-control cohorts. The study is embedded in a transdisciplinary approach that engages stakeholders throughout the design stage, with a strong focus on citizen science and youth participation in study design, data collection, and interpretation of results, to ensure optimal translation to youth in society.

The Association Between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), Bullying Victimization, and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among Early Adolescents: Examining Cumulative and Interactive Associations

Both adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and bullying victimization are linked with mental health problems in adolescents. However, little is known about the overlap between the two factors and how this impacts adolescent mental health problems (i.e., internalizing and externalizing problems). The current study analyzed data from 8,085 participants (47.7% female; 44.1% racial/ethnic minority) in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, baseline (2016-2018, ages 9-10 years) to Year 2. Regression analyses were used to estimate associations between ACEs, bullying victimization and mental health problems, respectively, adjusting for sex, race/ethnicity, country of birth, household income, parental education, and study site. The findings showed that both ACEs and bullying victimization were independently associated with higher internalizing and higher externalizing problems. However, no significant interaction was found between ACEs and bullying victimization. Overall, the results align with the cumulative risk model of adversity, linking cumulative ACEs and bullying victimization to internalizing and externalizing problems in early adolescents.

The Longitudinal Interplay between Adverse Peer Experiences and Self-Regulation Facets: A Prospective Analysis during Middle Childhood

Positive peer experiences and self-regulation (SR) skills are crucial for children's healthy development, but little is known about how they interact during middle childhood. Therefore, we examined the prospective links between adverse peer experiences (APEs) and SR, drawing from the dataset of the PIER study. Across three measurement points, 1654 children aged 6-11 (T1), 7-11 (T2), and 9-13 years (T3) were included. We assessed the SR facets updating, flexibility, inhibition, emotional reactivity, inhibitory control, and planning using computerized tasks, parent- and teacher-reports. The latent variable of APEs consisted of measures of peer victimization and peer rejection assessed via self-, parent-, and teacher-report. Separate cross-lagged panel models were calculated, investigating the interplay of each SR facet and APEs. Results indicated that experiencing more APEs at T1 predicted higher emotional reactivity, and lower inhibition, inhibitory control, updating, and flexibility at T2. More APEs at T2 predicted higher emotional reactivity and lower planning at T3. Lower inhibition, updating, and flexibility at T2 predicted more APEs at T3. Accordingly, we found a negative bidirectional relationship between inhibition, updating, and flexibility with APEs. Our findings highlight that during middle childhood more APEs predict lower SR, which in turn predicts more experiences of peer victimization and rejection.

Effect of Personality Traits and Emotion Regulation Strategies on Risky Behaviors in Adolescents

The current study investigated the effects of personality traits and emotion regulation strategies on high-risk behaviors among adolescents (N = 1,572). This study used a cross-sectional and correlational research design. Multiple linear regression was used for analysis. A 1-unit increase in extraversion and neuroticism led to a 0.391- and 0.365-unit increase in high-risk behaviors, respectively. However, a 1-unit increase in agreeableness and conscientiousness led to a 0.307- and 0.365-unit decrease in high-risk behaviors, respectively (p < 0.05). A 1-unit increase in external and internal dysfunctional emotion regulation strategies led to a 1.34- and 0.548-unit increase in high-risk behaviors, respectively. However, a 1-unit increase in internal functional emotion regulation strategies led to a 0.641-unit decrease in high-risk behaviors (p < 0.05). Regression analysis showed that age, school type, sex, grade level, father's educational level, father's child-rearing style, and school performance were associated with more high-risk behaviors (p < 0.05). There were correlations between some personality traits, emotion regulation strategies, sociodemographic characteristics, and high-risk behaviors. Early intervention programs targeting dysfunctional personality traits and emotion regulation skills in adolescence may prevent the development of risky behaviors in adulthood. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 62(2), 23-36.].

Moral Disengagement in Adolescent Offenders: Its Relationship with Antisocial Behavior and Its Presence in Offenders of the Law and School Norms

This study focuses on understanding the relationship between moral disengagement mechanisms in adolescents who engage in law-breaking activities and those who violate school norms. To do so, we administered the Mechanisms of Moral Disengagement Scale (MMDS), which evaluates moral justification, euphemistic labeling, advantageous comparison, deflection of responsibility, diffusion of responsibility, distortion of consequences, dehumanization, and attribution of blame, to 366 adolescents (60.1% males (n = 220) and 39.9% females (n = 146)). Our results confirmed the hypothesis that law-breaking adolescents presented a higher degree of moral disengagement than those adolescents who violate school norms. Additionally, we found that adolescents who violated school norms displayed significantly higher levels of dehumanization than the controls, and law-breaking adolescents obtained the highest score in this domain. Our findings allow us to suggest that the presence of the dehumanization mechanism in adolescents who violate school norms could be used as an early indicator of the emergence of antisocial behaviors, since this was the only component of moral disengagement that significantly differentiated this group from the controls in the study.

Emotion dysregulation, bullying, and suicide behaviors in adolescents

Background

Among adolescents, rates for suicide attempts and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) remain high. Adolescents also often experience bullying, which has been found to associate with increased risk of suicide attempts and NSSI. Emotion regulation difficulties are associated with both bullying victimization and self-harm behaviors in adolescents.

Aims

The current study examined the relationship between emotion dysregulation and suicide attempts and NSSI with bullying as a moderating factor.

Method

High school students (n = 804) completed self-report measures on emotion regulation difficulties, suicide attempts, nonsuicidal self-injury, and past-year bullying experiences.

Results

Moderation analyses found that the relationships between multiple emotion dysregulation dimensions and suicide attempts were significant regardless of bullying experience, but the relationship was stronger when bullying was present. For NSSI, bullying only moderated the relationships between nonacceptance of emotions, limited emotion regulation strategies and NSSI, with stronger associations when bullying was present.

Limitations

Different types of bullying were not assessed, all measures were self-report, and the community sample had relatively low clinical severity.

Conclusion

Results indicate that poor emotion regulation and bullying victimization associate with greater frequencies of suicidal and nonsuicidal behaviors. These findings point to the need for self-harm prevention programs to address both bullying and emotion regulation skills.

The Effectiveness of an Intervention Programme for Reducing Peer Rejection in Early Childhood Education

In the early years of schooling, peer groups are key to fostering students' overall learning and development. Yet it has been found that around 10% of children suffer from peer rejection in the classroom, with this problem entailing negative consequences both in the short and long term. The problem proves difficult for adults to detect, which usually leads to a delay in measures being taken to intervene and prevent it. This study applies an experimental design with pre-test and post-test measurements in two groups-experimental and control-in order to address the problem of rejection in the early years of schooling. It explores aspects such as sociometric type, degree of victimisation, social and antisocial behaviour, as well as problematic situations among 637 students at six schools. We then implement an intervention programme for socioemotional competence throughout a school year in an effort to improve students' social skills and relationships, focusing specifically on preventing and reducing the rejection experienced by some of these children. The programme comprises 35 teaching activities and strategies that promote the development of competences for student inclusion (curbing aggression, encouraging teamwork, fostering self-esteem, etc.) and that seek to involve all students, teachers, and relatives by offering an array of complementary resources that enrich the initiatives applied (a programme calendar, assessment notebook, questionnaires, related website, material resources). After the intervention programme, it was found that the experimental group had reduced the percentage of students who suffered rejection from 9.9% to 7.3%, although the same was not true of the control group, which went from 9.5% of rejected students to 10.2%. The reduction in the percentage of rejected students in the experimental group after the application of the programme is an encouraging result that invites us to continue working on more comprehensive interventions to prevent and reduce this phenomenon.

Association between childhood trauma and affective lability among adolescents: A moderated mediation model

BACKGROUND

Affective lability is an important feature of psychopathology. However, there is limited relevant research involving adolescents. To fill this research gap, the present study assessed the relationship between childhood trauma and affective lability among adolescents using a moderated mediation model.

METHODS

A total of 3738 students were recruited from four high schools in Shenzhen, China, between September and December 2019. The participants completed self-reported questionnaires measuring childhood trauma, affective lability, body image dissatisfaction, and the experience of being bullied. Linear regression and moderated mediation analyses were used in this study.

RESULTS

Linear regression analysis showed that emotional abuse and body image dissatisfaction positively predicted affective lability in boys and girls (all p < 0.001). Body image dissatisfaction mediated the relationship between emotional abuse and affective lability. In the moderated mediation model, being bullied moderated the direct path from emotional abuse to affective lability (p = 0.0236, p = 0.0188), and gender did not have a significant moderating effect on any direct or indirect path (all p > 0.05).

LIMITATIONS

A causal relationship could not be ascertained due to the cross-sectional design, and the results cannot be generalized to other populations.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings support that childhood trauma has an impact on affective lability in adolescents. Specifically, body image dissatisfaction and being bullied affect the relationship between emotional abuse and affective lability.

Adversity, Engagement, and Later Achievement: The Role of Emotion Regulation and Parent-Child Relationship Quality

Background

Students who have experienced adversity tend to demonstrate poorer academic outcomes than their non-maltreated peers. Academic engagement, a multidimensional, motivational construct, associated with a myriad of positive academic outcomes is an important academically-related mechanism that can be leveraged to improve the outcomes of this population.

Objective

The present study aimed to better understanding of how engagement develops in the context of adversity by exploring the effects emotion regulation skills and parent-child relationships have on engagement development.

Participants and setting

Analyses were conducted on 795 participants in the NSCAW dataset.

Methods

Path analysis was used to estimate mediation and moderated mediation models.

Results

Emotion regulation skills significantly mediated the effect experiencing trauma symptoms had on engagement. Parent-child relationship quality moderated the mediation effect emotion regulation skills had on the relationship between experiencing trauma symptoms and engagement.

Conclusions

Emotion regulation skills and parent-child relationship quality are potential intervention targets to improve engagement for students who have experienced adversity.

Does Being Ignored on WhatsApp Hurt? A Pilot Study on the Effect of a Newly Developed Ostracism Task for Adolescents

(1) Background: Many studies have used a well-known social exclusion task, namely Cyberball, to assess the psychophysiological reactions to ostracism in laboratory settings. However, this task has been recently criticized for its lack of realism. Instant messaging communication platforms are currently central communication channels where adolescents conduct their social life. These should be considered when recreating the emotional experiences that fuel the development of negative emotions. To overcome this limitation, a new ostracism task, namely SOLO (Simulated On-Line Ostracism), recreating hostile interactions (i.e., exclusion and rejection) over WhatsApp was developed. The aim of this manuscript is to compare adolescents' self-reported negative and positive affect, as well as physiological reactivity (i.e., heat rate, HR; heart rate variability, HRV) exhibited during SOLO to Cyberball. (2) Method: A total of 35 participants (Mage = 15.16; SD = 1.48; 24 females) took part in the study. The first group (n = 23; transdiagnostic group), recruited at an inpatient and outpatient unit of a clinic for children and adolescent psychiatry, psychotherapy, and psychosomatic therapy in Baden-Württemberg (Germany), reported clinical diagnoses linked with emotional dysregulation (e.g., self-injury and depression). The second group (n = 12; control group), recruited in the district of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, had no pre-existing clinical diagnoses. (3) Results: The transdiagnostic group showed higher HR (b = 4.62, p < 0.05) and lower HRV (b = 10.20, p < 0.01) in SOLO than in Cyberball. They also reported increased negative affect (interaction b = -0.5, p < 0.01) after SOLO but not after Cyberball. In the control group, no differences in either HR (p = 0.34) or HRV (p = 0.08) between tasks were found. In addition, no difference in negative affect after either task (p = 0.83) was found. (4) Conclusion: SOLO could be an ecologically valid alternative to Cyberball when assessing reactions to ostracism in adolescents with emotional dysregulation.

Emotion regulation strategies and aggression in youngsters: The mediating role of negative affect

Aggression in youngsters is a highly prevalent problem worldwide. Given that this problem has negative consequences for society, aggressors, and victims, the present study aims to understand the processes underlying the acts of aggression in this population. Specifically, we analyze the role of two emotional regulation strategies (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression) and the positive and negative affect variables in aggressive behavior. For this purpose, 654 primary and high school students aged between 9 and 18 years (47.6% boys) were assessed on emotion regulation, positive and negative affect, and aggression through the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, and the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire, respectively. The results revealed that higher use of the cognitive reappraisal strategy was correlated with lower levels of aggression (for total, physical, and anger). In contrast, the opposite was observed with expressive suppression (for total aggression and hostility). More important for the purposes of this study was the finding that the negative affect variable mediated the relationship between expressive suppression and aggressive behavior. Specifically, those individuals who made greater use of the expressive suppression strategy had higher levels of negative affect, which, in turn, was associated with higher levels of aggression. Cognitive reappraisal appeared to be only directly related with a reduction in total aggression. Thus, higher levels of cognitive reappraisal were related to a reduction in aggressive behavior. However, when focusing on the four dimensions of aggression, the relationship between cognitive reappraisal and aggression appears to be mediated by negative affect and, in the case of anger, by positive affect. The limitations and implications of these findings are discussed.

Positive classroom climate buffers against increases in loneliness arising from shyness, rejection sensitivity and emotional reactivity

Loneliness is detrimental to well-being, particularly during the transition into and early years of adolescence when peer relations are ascendant. Shy and emotionally sensitive youth, who often spend considerable time alone, have known vulnerabilities to loneliness. Studies of young children suggest that a supportive classroom context may mitigate adjustment risks, reducing victimization and improving a sense of belonging. Herein we extend this work to older students, testing the hypothesis that a positive classroom climate protects temperamentally vulnerable children (i.e., those who are shy, emotionally reactive, or sensitive to rejection) from escalating levels of loneliness across the course of a school year. A community sample of 540 (277 boys, 263 girls) Lithuanian students in grades 5-7 (10-14 years old) completed identical surveys twice, 4-5 months apart. Self-reports assessed shyness, emotional reactivity, and rejection sensitivity, as well as perceived positive classroom climate and loneliness. Path analyses indicated that longitudinal associations from shyness, emotional reactivity, and rejection sensitivity to increased loneliness were mitigated by positive classroom climate. In each case, temperamental vulnerability anticipated greater loneliness for youth reporting low but not high positive classroom climate. The results held after accounting for several potential confounding variables. The findings have practical implications, suggesting that scholars and practitioners redouble efforts to improve classroom support, particularly for temperamentally vulnerable children who are at elevated risk for solitude, loneliness, and attendant mental health challenges.

Resilience mediates parenting style associated school bullying victimization in Chinese children and adolescents

BACKGROUND

Existing evidence has shown that negative parenting style elevates the risk of school bullying victimization in children and adolescents. Resilience may play as a mediating factor in this association. However, this hypothesis has not been investigated.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, a total of 4582 Chinese children and adolescents had been surveyed by self-administered questionnaire. The Chinese version of Egna Minnen av. Barndoms Uppfostra (s-EMBU-C), the Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire (OBVQ) and the Resilience Scale for Chinese Adolescents (RSCA) were used to collect relevant information. Univariate and multiple logistic regression models were used to estimate the crude and adjusted associations between parenting style, resilience, and bullying victimization. Path analysis was used to estimate the mediation via resilience in the association between parenting style and bullying victimization.

RESULTS

After adjustment for possible covariates, the results of multivariate binary logistic regression model suggested that among all dimensions of parenting style, mother's and father's rejection were significantly associated with school bullying victimization. Path analysis revealed a statistically significant mediation of resilience in the association between parental rejection and bullying victimization, and among the five dimensions of resilience, emotion regulation, family support and interpersonal assistance accounted for the highest proportions of mediation.

CONCLUSIONS

For children and adolescents who suffered from parental rejection, building up resilience, especially those measures aiming at improving emotion regulation ability and consolidating family and peer support, might be effective in reducing risk of school bullying victimization.

Examining how and why polygenic dopamine composite levels moderate adolescents' vulnerability to peer victimization

Extensive literature documents that dopaminergic genes play an important role in the link between adverse environments and adolescents' problem behavior. However, little is known about the potential mechanism underlying adolescents' vulnerability to peer victimization. The current study examined the effect of the interplay between a polygenic dopamine composite (i.e., COMT Val158Met and DRD2-141C Ins/Del polymorphisms) and peer victimization on adolescents' externalizing problems as well as the mediating role of emotion dysregulation in the interactive effects in a sample of 393 Chinese adolescents (Mean age = 14.71 years; 50.1% girls). A significant moderation of dopaminergic genetic composite was observed in girls but not in boys. In addition, emotion dysregulation partially explained the moderating effect of dopaminergic genes. Specifically, girls with genic composite indexing low dopamine activity reported a higher level of emotion dysregulation when faced with more peer victimization. More difficulties with emotion regulation, in turn, predicted more pronounced externalizing problems in girls. This study underscores polygenic underpinnings of adolescent vulnerability to negative peer experiences and suggests the importance of considering sex differences when investigating genic influence on the relationship between adverse environments and externalizing problems.

Exploring the longitudinal relationship between anger rumination and peer victimization when controlling for sadness rumination

Anger rumination is an unconstructive cognitive-emotion regulation strategy that bears negative adjustment outcomes in youth. Anger rumination is mostly examined as an outcome of prior peer victimization. Unidirectional links between maladaptive anger regulation and later peer difficulties have also been reported. Surprisingly, whether anger rumination and peer victimization are mutually related and reinforcing is poorly explored. The present study tested reciprocal associations between anger rumination and peer victimization in 367 5th graders (Mage = 10.53, SE = 0.16; 54.2% girls). To increase precision of findings sadness rumination was treated as a confounder. Self-reported data were obtained at two times, spaced 1 year. Cross-lagged analyses showed that peer victimization predicted increases in anger rumination but not vice versa, after controlling for sadness rumination. Victimized boys were found to be more at risk for endorsing anger rumination over time as compared to victimized girls. Directions for future research and implications for practice are discussed.

The Associations of Affection and Rejection During Adolescence with Interpersonal Functioning in Young Adulthood: A Macro- and Micro- Level Investigation Using the TRAILS TRANS-ID Study

Affection and rejection in close relationships during adolescence are thought to impact adult interpersonal functioning, but few studies focused on how the quality of adolescents' relationships with different people (e.g. parents, peers, and teachers) impacts the daily, micro-level social experiences as well as general, macro-level interpersonal functioning in young adulthood. The present study investigated the associations between: (i) parental, teacher and peer affection and rejection during adolescence and macro-level (over several months) interpersonal functioning as well as different patterns (i.e. mean, variability and inertia) of micro-level (daily social experiences) during young adulthood; (ii) macro-level interpersonal functioning and the patterns of micro-level social experiences during young adulthood. The sample consisted of N = 122 (43% female) youth. At 11.2 ± 0.4 and 16.0 ± 0.6 years old, self- and other-reported parental, peer and teacher affection and rejection were assessed. At 23.7 ± 0.6 years old, participants reported daily social experiences and interpersonal functioning across six months. The results suggested that: (i) higher teacher-reported peer rejection was associated with lower macro-level interpersonal functioning, higher means and higher variability in negative social experiences during adulthood; (ii) higher macro-level interpersonal functioning during young adulthood was associated with higher means and lower inertia in positive and lower variability in negative daily social experiences. These findings indicate that the affection and rejection during adolescence impact interpersonal functioning at macro- and micro-level during adulthood. The present study also shows distinct associations between macro-level interpersonal functioning and dynamics in daily social experiences.

The relationship between negative peer relationship and non-suicidal self-injury in Chinese adolescents: A moderated-mediation model

Objective

The objective of the study was to investigate the mediating effect of regulatory emotional self-efficacy (RESE) between negative peer relationship and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), as well as the moderating effect of gender difference.

Methods

A study of 578 Chinese adolescents (46.9% males, mean age = 16.32 years, SD =0.54) was conducted using the Child and Adolescent Peer Relationship Inventory, Regulatory Emotional Self-Efficacy Scale, and the Adolescent Self-Injury Questionnaire.

Results

Negative peer relationship was positively correlated with NSSI, and RESE was negatively correlated with negative peer relationship and NSSI. RESE mediated the association between negative peer relationship and NSSI. The first stage(predicting the effect of negative peer relationship on RESE) and the second stage (predicting the effect of RESE on NSSI) of the mediation effect of RESE were both moderated by gender. Specifically, compared with boys, the effect of negative peer relationship on RESE was stronger for girls, and the effect of RESE on NSSI was stronger for girls than boys.

Conclusion

Negative peer relationships may influence NSSI of adolescents through the mediating effect of RESE and the moderating role of gender.

Exploring Multivariate Profiles of Psychological Distress and Empathy in Early Adolescent Victims, Bullies, and Bystanders Involved in Cyberbullying Episodes

(1) Background: Adolescents may be involved in cyberbullying as victims, perpetrators, or to a lesser extent, victim-perpetrators simultaneously. The present research investigated differences between participants acting in different bullying roles-namely, bully, victim, or bully/victim-and bystander roles-namely, defending, passive bystander, and passive/defending; (2) Methods: We used multivariate analysis of covariance to determine how, in the same individuals, direct involvement in cyberbullying episodes compares to participating in them as by-standers in relation to both psychological distress and empathy; (3) Results: Both victims and bully/victims were found to be at increased risk for suicidal ideation, internalizing and externalizing symptoms, and emotional dysregulation compared with students who were neither victims nor perpetrators of cyberbullying episodes. Additionally, victims showed higher empathy scores when compared with bullies and bully/victims. All bystander roles showed increased emotional dysregulation compared with uninvolved students, but no differences emerged on other psychological distress measures. Finally, defending bystanders showed increased cognitive empathy. (4) Conclusions: During early adolescence, the direct experience of cyberbullying, as a bully or a victim (or both), show a stronger association with psychological distress than the mere participation in cyberbullying as a witness, regardless of the witness acting defensive toward the victim, or passive. However, both cyberbullying and bystanding roles provide a similar (small) explicative power over empathy variables.

Family cohesion, shame-proneness, expressive suppression, and adolescent mental health-A path model approach

Objective

The family remains one of the most important relationship systems into early adulthood and provides an important foundation for lifelong mental health. Dysfunctional family cohesion can promote adjustment problems in adolescents and might also affect adolescents' self-concept and strategies for coping with emotional distress. To test these relationships and the underlying mechanisms, we proposed a dual mediation model describing the associations between family cohesion and internalizing and externalizing problems, mediated by shame-proneness and expressive suppression.

Methods

A sample of 526 German-speaking adolescents aged 14 to 18 years from Austria, Germany, and Switzerland participated in an online self-report survey encompassing questionnaires on family cohesion, shame-proneness, expressive suppression, and psychological problems. We tested a path model to examine the indirect pathways of the associations between family cohesion and internalizing and externalizing problems via shame-proneness and expressive suppression, while controlling for age, gender, and guilt-proneness.

Results

We found a significant dual mediation of the associations between family cohesion and internalizing and externalizing problems by shame-proneness and expressive suppression. The indirect pathways were all significant, except for the indirect pathway from family cohesion to externalizing problems via shame-proneness.

Discussion

Our results provide a model for the mechanisms by which disrupted family cohesion can be related to psychological problems in adolescents. Expressive suppression emerged as crucial when considering the consequences of shame-proneness in adolescents, as it was only indirectly related to externalizing problems via expressive suppression.

Harsh Parenting and Children's Aggressive Behavior: A Moderated Mediation Model

Harsh parenting and its effect on children’s aggressive behavior has received attention from researchers, however few studies have considered the role of the emotional process. This study aims to examine the relationship between harsh parenting, children’s aggressive behavior, normative beliefs about aggression, and regulatory emotional self-efficacy, alongside their mechanism of interplay. A sample of 235 senior primary school students in Beijing were recruited as participants by using the Harsh Parenting Scale, the Normative Beliefs about Aggression Scale, the Buss–Warren Aggression Questionnaire, and the Regulatory Emotional Self-Efficacy Scale. Results indicated that: (1) Harsh parenting had a significant positive predictive effect on children’s aggressive behavior after controlling gender; (2) normative beliefs about the aggression of children mediated the relationship between harsh parenting and children’s aggressive behavior; and (3) regulatory emotional self-efficacy had moderating effects both the mediation model of normative beliefs about the aggression of children and in the direct predictive model of harsh parenting on children’s aggressive behavior. The results are not only helpful to understand the relationship between harsh parenting and children’s aggressive behavior from the perspective of an integrated model of emotion processes and cognition, but also provide a new practical way to prevent and intervene in children’s aggressive behavior in the future.

Effects of a Mindful Parenting Workshop for Parents of Adolescents and Young Adults Following Social Unrest in Hong Kong

Objectives

The social unrest that began in Hong Kong in 2019 became a threat to public mental health, such as for depression and post-traumatic stress disorders. A supportive family environment is the most effective protective factor for mental health problems for young people who are exposed to conflict and violence. This study investigated the outcomes of a brief mindful parenting workshop on parent mental health and family functioning.

Methods

Using a randomized controlled trial design, 54 parents of adolescents and young adults were randomized into intervention group and waitlist control group. Depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress symptoms, negative emotions, family functioning, and family conflicts were measured at baseline (pretest), following training, and at 3-month follow-up.

Results

We found a significant improvement in family functioning among parents in the intervention group when compared to those parents in the control group (F [1, 51] = 4.41, p = .04). When we further controlled the child-initiated physical conflict as covariate, a significant reduction of self-rated levels of depressive symptoms was found in the parents from the intervention group when compared to the parents in the control group (F [1, 49] = 5.14, p = .03).

Conclusions

We found preliminary evidence that a brief mindful parenting workshop can strengthen parent and family mental health at times of social unrest.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04427683).