Gender differences in emotion expression in children: a meta-analytic review

The Role of Parenting Stress as a Mediator in the Relationship Between Postpartum Depressive Symptoms and Early Childhood Internalizing Behaviour

Parenting stress occurs when demands of the parenting role are perceived as overwhelming and has been proposed as a mechanism through which postpartum mood disturbances may impact child psychopathology. In a prospective longitudinal birth cohort of 111 birthing parent-child dyads, this study examined whether the relationship between birthing parents' mood symptoms in infancy (3 months postpartum) and their child's internalizing behaviour in early childhood (3 and 6 years old) is mediated by parenting stress at 6 months postpartum. The relationship between higher postpartum mood symptoms at 3 months and increased internalizing behaviour at 3 years of age was mediated by increased reports of parenting stress at 6 months (b = .12, 95% CI = .02, .25). This association was not evident at 6 years. Parenting stress in early infancy may provide a treatment target to reduce the impact of perinatal depression on early child behavior.

Using behavioural network mapping to investigate dyadic play in girls with congenital adrenal hyperplasia

Examining mechanisms underlying sex differences in children's play styles, we studied girls with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) who provide a test of the relative effects of prenatal androgens versus rearing, and of behavioural similarity versus gender identity and cognitions. In this exploratory study, 40 focal children (girls and boys with and without CAH), aged 3-8 years, played for 14 min with a same-sex peer in a task designed to elicit rough-and-tumble play. Time-indexed ratings of positive affect and vigour of activity were evaluated via network mapping for sex-related differences in both levels and play dynamics (temporal relations among behaviours). Results suggest influences of both gender identity-aligned social cognitions and prenatal androgens: there was greater dyadic synchrony between positive affect for girls (regardless of CAH status) than boys, but girls with CAH displayed positive affect levels and directed vigorous peer play dynamics similar to boys.

Examining the Methods Adolescents Use in Nonsuicidal Self-Injury: A Multi-Wave Latent Profile Analysis

INTRODUCTION

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) among adolescents is a health concern. Little is known about the patterns of methods adolescents use, in terms of how many and how often different methods are used.

METHODS

We used three annual waves of data from 630 Swedish adolescents (T1: age 12-18 years; 56% girls), who reported NSSI use at least once. Latent profile analysis was used to examine profile differences, with supplementary analyses focused on differences and change predicted by gender, internalizing, emotion dysregulation, interpersonal stressors, and severity of NSSI.

RESULTS

Three profiles consistently emerged over time: one very low in NSSI, another with higher frequencies of cutting/scraping skin, and one reporting multiple methods of NSSI, ranging from moderate (T1) to high (T3) frequency. Profile subgroups differed: low subgroups consisted of the fewest girls and reported the lowest levels of intra- and interpersonal issues. Additionally, subgroups differed in severity of NSSI, suggesting damage to the skin may not be the only reason medical attention is needed. Significant change in subgroup membership was also observed.

CONCLUSIONS

Although most adolescents engaged in NSSI at very low rates, many used multiple forms, differing in both frequency and versatility. Few differences were found between subgroups characterized by higher frequencies, suggesting that it might be possible to identify adolescents most in need of treatment by attending to the methods most frequently used. Results also suggested that measuring the severity of each method may yield more accurate information than a priori groupings.

Relationship Between Smartphone Use and Traumatic Tooth Fractures in Korean Adolescents

BACKGROUND

With the increasing rate of smartphone use among adolescents, smartphone addiction has become a social issue, causing reduced attention. This may make adolescents more susceptible to traumatic dental injuries (TDIs).

AIM

To assess the association between smartphone use and TDIs among Korean adolescents.

DESIGN

This study used open-source data from the 2023 Korea Youth Risk Behavior Survey. This study included responses from 52 875 Korean adolescents. Information on demographics, weekly smartphone use, weekly exercise days, and tooth fracture experiences in the past year was collected and analyzed.

RESULTS

The mean smartphone use per week was 2146.91 ± 1276.60 min in all participants, and the frequency of tooth fractures was 9.3% in extremely low users, 10.1% in low users, 11.1% in excessive users, and 13.6% in extremely excessive users. Logistic regression analysis revealed that higher smartphone usage time correlated with a greater risk of tooth fracture by increasing odd ratios for low, excessive, and extremely excessive users compared to excessively low users.

CONCLUSIONS

Within the limitations of this study, increased smartphone use was associated with higher rates of tooth fracture in Korean adolescents. This finding suggests the potential role of smartphone use in contributing to TDIs.

Exploring the mechanisms linking perceived school climate to negative emotions in adolescents: The mediating roles of social avoidance and distress, and psychological resilience, with physical exercise level as a moderator

This study investigates the relationships between perceived school climate (PSC) and negative emotions (NEE) in adolescents, incorporating the mediating roles of social avoidance and distress (SAD) and psychological resilience (PSR) and examining the moderating influence of physical exercise level (PEL). Data were collected from 1,507 students in grades 5-9 across China using stratified random sampling. Demographic analysis revealed significant differences across gender, grade, and family location in PSC, SAD, PSR, NEE, and PEL. Structural equation modeling confirmed that PSC directly reduces NEE and exerts additional indirect effects through SAD and PSR, with a sequential chain mediation pathway accounting for the majority of the total effect. Multi-group analysis demonstrated structural invariance across genders. Moderation analysis indicated that PEL amplifies the protective effects of PSC on NEE, with higher levels of physical exercise strengthening this association. These findings provide comprehensive insights into the interplay of environmental, psychological, and behavioral factors, offering valuable implications for targeted educational and policy interventions.

Development and Validation of Schadenfreude in Bullying and Cyberbullying Scale (SBCS)

BACKGROUND

Schadenfreude is a moral emotion consisting of enjoyment when seeing other people suffer, and whose activation has been related to transgressive behaviour in adulthood. Despite this, the study of this emotion in aggression phenomena among schoolchildren has received little scientific attention, possibly due to a lack of instruments. We aimed to design and provide evidence of the validity and reliability of a scale for measuring schadenfreude in situations of online and offline bullying.

METHODS

The sample consisted of 3,183 primary and secondary school pupils (48.4% girls; M age = 12.76; SD = 1.52).

RESULTS

The data confirmed that the two-dimensional model was the best fit (χ 2 S-B = 81.800; CFI = .984; SRMR = .036; RMSEA = .049). Scale scores were shown to be invariant with regard to gender and age, and evidence was provided of predictive validity, with a clear relationship found between schadenfreude, bullying and cyberbullying.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings confirm the validity of the instrument scores, which may be useful for measuring this emotion in educational contexts and guiding psycho-educational interventions aimed at improving moral emotion regulation and preventing bullying and cyberbullying.

"You should smile more": Population-level sex differences in smiling also exist in autistic people

Societal expectations for social-emotional behavior differ across sexes; however, diagnostic definitions of autism do not account for this when delineating "typical" versus "atypical." This study examines sex differences in autism in one behavior associated with strong gender biases: smiling. Computer vision was used to quantify smiling in 60 autistic (20 female) and 67 neurotypical (25 female) youth during conversations. Effects of sex and diagnosis were examined on degree of smiling, smile prototypicality, changes in smiling, and impact of smiling on interaction quality. Sex differences in smiling persisted across diagnosis groups: females smiled more than males, and their smiles were more prototypical. Autistic youth smiled less, and less prototypically, than neurotypical youth, with no sex by diagnosis interactions. In autism, the association between smile activity and interaction quality approached statistical significance, seemingly driven by autistic males but not females. Findings are consistent with population trends for females to smile more during social exchanges and "display rules" requiring more positive expressivity from females. Autism has historically been defined based on differences between autistic and neurotypical males. Failure to acknowledge sex-based differences in social-emotional behavior may leave some females appearing to have fewer autistic traits, increasing their risk of being under-identified and misunderstood.

The Impact of Environment Design Bias on Working Memory

Extended Reality (XR) is a powerful tool for training, education, and gaming. Research suggests that gender differences exist in XR environments including women having a lower sense of subjective presence and being more susceptible to motion sickness. However, the underrepresentation of women both as participants and researchers could lead to potential design biases, impacting the accuracy and inclusivity of XR systems. This work investigates subtle design differences in virtual environments on women's performance on a cognitive test. Non-male participants (n = 40) completed the Stroop Interference Task in two virtual classroom environments: a neutral and a stereotypically STEM environment. The environments were altered by four wall posters depicting positive gender-neutral and nature posters to science-fiction and positive male figures, such as Albert Einstein. Results support that when participants were in the stereotypical environment they were more distracted and responded more slowly and less accurately than when they were in the neutral environment. Additionally, positive female self-avatars buffered participants from the negative impacts of the stereotypical environment. These results highlight the need for more inclusive research practices. Minor adjustments can significantly improve or harm women's engagement and performance in XR settings. We emphasize the importance of bias awareness in study design, and recommend that researchers consider how their experiments could impact participants of all demographics, in order to enhance inclusivity and non-biased results.

Heterogeneous Trajectories of Parental Psychological Aggression from Middle Childhood to Early Adolescence in China: Associations with Child- and Family-Level Predictors and Children's Developmental Outcomes

Previous research has shown that parental psychological aggression may change with children's age, and individual differences existed in the developmental trajectories of parental psychological aggression within different families. However, most studies on the heterogeneous psychological aggression trajectories have focused solely on mothers or combined mothers' and fathers' data, with few studies separately exploring the unique trajectories of fathers and mothers and their predictors and outcomes within Chinese societies. Therefore, this study investigated the heterogeneous trajectories of paternal and maternal psychological aggression from middle childhood to early adolescence and their associations with child- and family-level predictors and outcomes in China. A total of 1137 Chinese families with children in grades 1-3 (Mage = 7.17; SDage = 0.95 at Time 1; 52.35% boys, 47.65% girls) participated in assessments at five time points, using 1-year internals in between. Latent class growth models were used to estimate the heterogeneous trajectories of paternal and maternal psychological aggression from ages 7 to 11 years. Logistic regression analyses were used to understand the child- and family-level predictors of these trajectories, and analysis of covariance was used to examine the outcomes of these trajectories. The findings revealed that three trajectories of paternal psychological aggression were identified: low-persistent (88.95%), high-decreasing (7.93%), and high-increasing-decreasing (3.12%) trajectories. Four trajectories of maternal psychological aggression were identified: low-persistent (86.17%), high-decreasing (5.94%), high-increasing-decreasing (4.08%), and low-increasing (3.81%) trajectories. Lower marital satisfaction, more psychological aggression experiences during childhood, and being a parent of a boy were risk factors for both paternal and maternal trajectories, while higher negative affectivity in children was a risk factor of maternal but not paternal trajectories. In addition, the high-increasing-decreasing trajectory for both fathers and mothers as well as the low-increasing trajectory for mothers predicted children's more internalizing and externalizing problems. These findings highlight the importance of considering heterogeneity in understanding the developmental patterns of parental psychological aggression, their predictors, and cumulative effects on child development.

A Systematic Review and New Analyses of the Gender-Equality Paradox

Some studies show that living conditions, such as economy, gender equality, and education, are associated with the magnitude of psychological sex differences. We systematically and quantitatively reviewed 54 articles and conducted new analyses on 27 meta-analyses and large-scale studies to investigate the association between living conditions and psychological sex differences. We found that sex differences in personality, verbal abilities, episodic memory, and negative emotions are more pronounced in countries with higher living conditions. In contrast, sex differences in sexual behavior, partner preferences, and math are smaller in countries with higher living conditions. We also observed that economic indicators of living conditions, such as gross domestic product, are most sensitive in predicting the magnitude of sex differences. Taken together, results indicate that more sex differences are larger, rather than smaller, in countries with higher living conditions. It should therefore be expected that the magnitude of most psychological sex differences will remain unchanged or become more pronounced with improvements in living conditions, such as economy, gender equality, and education.

Maternal alcohol dependence symptoms, maternal insensitivity to children's distress, and young children's blunted emotional reactivity

Maternal insensitivity to children's emotional distress (e.g., expressions of sadness or fearfulness) is one mechanism through which maternal alcohol dependence may increase children's risk for psychopathology. Although emotion dysregulation is consistently associated with psychopathology, it remains unclear how or why alcohol dependence's effects on caregiving responses to children's distress may impact children's emotion regulation over time, particularly in ways that may engender risks for psychopathology. This study examined longitudinal associations between lifetime maternal alcohol dependence symptoms, mothers' insensitivity to children's emotional distress cues, and children's emotional reactivity among 201 mother-child dyads (Mchild age = 2.14 years; 56% Black; 11% Latino). Structural equation modeling analyses revealed a significant mediational pathway such that maternal alcohol dependence predicted increases in mothers' insensitivity to children's emotional distress across a one-year period (β = .16, p = .013), which subsequently predicted decreases in children's emotional reactivity one year later (β = -.29, p = .009). Results suggest that mothers with alcohol dependence symptoms may struggle to sensitively respond to children's emotional distress, which may prompt children to suppress or hide their emotions as an adaptive, protective strategy. The potential developmental benefits and consequences of early, protective expressive suppression strategies are discussed via developmental psychopathology frameworks.

Developmental trajectories of adolescent internalizing symptoms and parental responses to distress

Parents' responses to their children's negative emotions are a central aspect of emotion socialization that have well-established associations with the development of psychopathology. Yet research is lacking on potential bidirectional associations between parental responses and youth symptoms that may unfold over time. Further, additional research is needed on sociocultural factors that may be related to the trajectories of these constructs. In this study, we examined associations between trajectories of parental responses to negative emotions and adolescent internalizing symptoms and the potential role of youth sex and racial identity. Adolescents and caregivers (N = 256) completed six assessments that spanned adolescent ages 13-18 years. Multivariate growth models revealed that adolescents with higher internalizing symptoms at baseline experienced increasingly non-supportive parental responses over time (punitive and distress responses). By contrast, parental responses did not predict initial levels of or changes in internalizing symptoms. Parents of Black youth reported higher minimization and emotion-focused responses and lower distress responses compared to parents of White youth. We found minimal evidence for sex differences in parental responses. Internalizing symptoms in early adolescence had enduring effects on parental responses to distress, suggesting that adolescents may play an active role in shaping their emotion socialization developmental context.

Does the timing matter? The association between childhood adversity and internalizing and externalizing problems from childhood to adolescence and its sex differences

BACKGROUND

Childhood adversity (CA) is a well-known risk factor for mental distress, and its impacts may vary depending on its timing. However, relevant empirical studies are rare and ambiguous. Similarly, prior studies have given little attention to possible moderating effects by sex, particularly in the context of developmental stages.

OBJECTIVE

This study sought to identify when the impacts of CA on children's mental health become pronounced and the extent to which these relations and sensitive timing vary by gender.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

Data were from the Young Women and Child Development Study (n = 360), covering ages 4.3 to 17.6.

METHODS

Time-varying effect models, including moderation by child gender, were evaluated.

RESULTS

The effect of CA on mental health surged during middle childhood (b = 0.93 at age 10 and 1.94 at age 9 for internalizing and externalizing problems, respectively) and peaked at age 15 (b = 2.35 and 3.53 for internalizing and externalizing problems, respectively). Gender interaction findings suggest that gender moderation effects were limited to between ages 10.3 (b = 0.88) and 14.3 (b = 1.11) for internalizing problems and between ages 5.3 (b = 1.06) and 7.0 (b = 1.31) for externalizing problems. For girls, the influence began escalating at an earlier age.

CONCLUSIONS

Middle childhood and early adolescence should be considered key intervention points to prevent CA from worsening children's mental health. Intervention timing should be tailored by gender to effectively disrupt the impacts of childhood adversity on mental health.

Development of Father- and Mother-Child Intimacy and Their Association with Internalizing and Externalizing Problems among Early and Middle Chinese Adolescents

Parenting styles and the developmental environment of adolescents in China have undergone significant changes. However, the development of parent-adolescent intimacy among contemporary Chinese adolescents and its impact on internalizing and externalizing problems remain unclear. To address this research gap, this study explored the development of father-child and mother-child intimacy during early and middle adolescence and examined their effects on internalizing and externalizing problems. Further, it investigates the potential gender differences in these developmental processes. In total, 1,370 early adolescents (M age T1 = 12.31, SD age T1 = 0.49; 51.17% girls) and 1381 middle adolescents (M age T1 = 15.19, SD age T1 = 0.50; 50.16% girls) participated in this one-year, three-wave longitudinal survey. The results showed that father-child and mother-child intimacy decreased over one year in early adolescents, while in middle adolescents, father-child intimacy increased, and mother-child intimacy decreased. Furthermore, the development of parent-child intimacy in both early and middle adolescents negatively predicted internalizing and externalizing problems one year later. Regarding sex differences, early adolescent girls had lower initial levels of father-child intimacy but higher initial levels of mother-child intimacy compared to boys. In middle adolescents, girls also showed higher initial levels of mother-child intimacy than boys. Additionally, the decline in father-child intimacy had a stronger impact on anxiety and aggression in early adolescent girls and a more significant effect on depression in middle adolescent girls. These findings offer new insights into how parent-child intimacy changes in Chinese adolescents and its impact on internalizing and externalizing problems, providing valuable guidance for targeted interventions.

Stress can be detected during emotion-evoking smartphone use: a pilot study using machine learning

Introduction

The detrimental consequences of stress highlight the need for precise stress detection, as this offers a window for timely intervention. However, both objective and subjective measurements suffer from validity limitations. Contactless sensing technologies using machine learning methods present a potential alternative and could be used to estimate stress from externally visible physiological changes, such as emotional facial expressions. Although previous studies were able to classify stress from emotional expressions with accuracies of up to 88.32%, most works employed a classification approach and relied on data from contexts where stress was induced. Therefore, the primary aim of the present study was to clarify whether stress can be detected from facial expressions of six basic emotions (anxiety, anger, disgust, sadness, joy, love) and relaxation using a prediction approach.

Method

To attain this goal, we analyzed video recordings of facial emotional expressions collected from n = 69 participants in a secondary analysis of a dataset from an interventional study. We aimed to explore associations with stress (assessed by the PSS-10 and a one-item stress measure).

Results

Comparing two regression machine learning models [Random Forest (RF) and XGBoost], we found that facial emotional expressions were promising indicators of stress scores, with model fit being best when data from all six emotional facial expressions was used to train the model (one-item stress measure: MSE (XGB) = 2.31, MAE (XGB) = 1.32, MSE (RF) = 3.86, MAE (RF) = 1.69; PSS-10: MSE (XGB) = 25.65, MAE (XGB) = 4.16, MSE (RF) = 26.32, MAE (RF) = 4.14). XGBoost showed to be more reliable for prediction, with lower error for both training and test data.

Discussion

The findings provide further evidence that non-invasive video recordings can complement standard objective and subjective markers of stress.

Is parental anxiety related to child anxiety? Insights from a four-wave longitudinal study in a Chinese context

Objective

There has been a growing concern regarding the development of parental anxiety and child anxiety. However, the dynamic bidirectional relationship between parental anxiety and child anxiety remains unclear, particularly across different genders and developmental stages. This study investigated the bidirectional relationships between parental anxiety and child anxiety, and further explored the relationships across gender and age.

Methods

Data were collected across four waves from 2019 to 2022 in Sichuan Province, China, including 6,117 students (49.00% girls; 61.10% adolescents; M = 10.32 years, SD = 2.14). Parental anxiety was evaluated by the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), and child anxiety was assessed using the Screen for Child Anxiety-Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED). A random intercept cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM) was constructed to distinguish between within- and between-person levels of parental anxiety and child anxiety.

Results

Results found that parental anxiety significantly predicted child anxiety across all time points, which supports the "parent effects" model. Meanwhile, child anxiety also influenced parental anxiety from Time 3 to Time 4, partially supporting the "reciprocal effects" model. Moreover, the impact of parental anxiety on girls' anxiety was significantly stronger than on boys, and parental anxiety had a more substantial influence on children than on adolescents.

Conclusion

These findings underscore the distinct roles of gender and developmental stages in the transmission of parental anxiety to children. The present findings provide theoretical and practical evidence for the development of parental anxiety and child anxiety in the Chinese context.

When left-behind children become parents in rural china: does their emotional expressiveness influence children's social-emotional competence?

Family emotional expression is considered one of the key contributors to children's development and functions as a precondition that is linked with educational equality in the preschool living environment for young children, especially those who live in rural areas. This study explored the family emotional expression of parents who were once left-behind children and its influence on their children's social-emotional competence (SEC) in less developed areas of western China. A total of 522 families and their children (Mage = 31.86 months, SDage = 5.66; 280 boys, 242 girls) from three rural counties in western China participated in this study. The parents completed the family emotional expression questionnaire, parent impulsivity questionnaire, parent acceptance-rejection questionnaire, and parenting stress scale. Their children took part in the Bayley-III assessment of social-emotional ability. The results indicated that (1) positive family emotional expression enhances children's social-emotional competence (SEC), whereas negative family emotional expression, parental acceptance and rejection, dysfunctional impulsivity, and parenting stress hinder children's SEC. (2) Family emotional expression, parenting stress, and children's SEC exhibit significant group differences between left-behind and non-left-behind parents, suggesting the unique challenges faced by children in left-behind families. (3) Parenting stress negatively predicts the development of children's SEC in both groups, highlighting the detrimental impact of stress on emotional development. (4) In non-left-behind families, positive family emotional expression predicts improvements in children's SEC, whereas negative emotional expression, parental impulsivity, and rejection negatively affect SEC development.

Childhood exposure to intimate partner violence against women and its association with violence against children in refugee settlements in Uganda

BACKGROUND

The association between witnessing intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) and experiencing violence against children (VAC) has received limited attention in humanitarian settings. We examined the prevalence of witnessing IPVAW in childhood and its association with experiencing caregiver-perpetrated physical and emotional VAC and sexual VAC by any perpetrator in Uganda refugee settlements.

METHODS

Data were from the first-ever Ugandan Humanitarian Violence against Children and Youth Survey (HVACS), conducted from March to April 2022, involving 1,338 females and 927 males aged 13-24 years. Indicators of VAC included ever experiencing sexual (by any perpetrator), physical, or emotional (by a caregiver) violence among 13-17-year-olds and experiencing such violence prior to age 18 among 18-24-year-olds. The analysis entailed cross-tabulation with a chi-square (χ²) test and a multivariate logistic regression model.

RESULTS

The prevalence of witnessing IPVAW in childhood was significantly higher among males (31.2%) compared to females (16.5%). Witnessing IPVAW in childhood was associated with increased odds of experiencing physical VAC by a caregiver for both females (AOR = 2.53; 95% CI = 1.41-4.52) and males (AOR = 3.37; 95% CI = 1.72-6.59). It also significantly increased the odds of experiencing sexual VAC for females (AOR = 3.62; 95% CI = 1.65-7.92) and males (AOR = 5.52; 95% CI = 3.42-8.91). Additionally, witnessing IPVAW increased the odds of experiencing emotional VAC by a caregiver for both females (AOR = 2.61; 95% CI = 1.36-5.03) and males (AOR = 2.78; 95% CI = 1.53-5.07), compared to their peers who did not witness IPVAW.

CONCLUSION

Witnessing IPVAW in childhood is common in refugee settlements in Uganda and is strongly associated with experiencing VAC perpetrated by a caregiver. Violence prevention and response programs should pay attention to IPVAW as a risk factor for VAC, emphasizing integrated approaches that target both forms of violence within households.

Emotion regulation and mental health across cultures: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Emotion regulation (ER) plays a central role in mental health, but the effect differs across cultures. Here, expanding from extant literature's focus on Western-Eastern dichotomy or individualism-collectivism, this meta-analysis synthesized evidence on the associations between the two most-studied ER strategies (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression) and two mental health outcomes (psychopathology and positive functioning) and investigated the moderating roles of several cultural dimensions: Hofstede's national cultures dimensions, education, industrialization, richness and democracy (EIRDness), and sample demographics. A comprehensive literature search was conducted using electronic databases (CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO and MEDLINE) to identify eligible studies reporting relationships between ER and mental health outcomes (PROSPERO: CRD42021258190, 249 articles, n = 150,474, 861 effect sizes, 37 countries/regions). For Hofstede's national cultures and EIRDness, multimodel inference revealed that greater reappraisal propensity was more adaptive in more short-term-oriented, uncertainty-tolerant and competition-driven cultures, whereas greater suppression propensity was more maladaptive in more indulgent and competition-driven cultures. For demographics, greater reappraisal propensity was more adaptive for samples with more female (B = -0.19, 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.29 to -0.09) and more racial minority participants (B = -0.32, 95% CI -0.51 to -0.13), whereas greater suppression propensity was more maladaptive in younger samples (B = -0.004, 95% CI -0.005 to -0.002). These findings elucidate how cultures are associated with the function of ER and suggests ways in which future studies can integrate cultural characteristics when examining ER and psychological adjustment.

Good child, bad child: the development of and relations between children's socioemotional competencies and moral self-concept from kindergarten to the end of Grade 1

Socioemotional competencies (SEC) such as prosocial behaviour and emotion regulation are important for successful social interactions and develop early in life. A high moral self-concept (MSC), that is, children's view of themselves as moral actors, can support the development and application of SEC. The transition from kindergarten to school represents a critical period requiring well-adjusted SEC and MSC, yet research on this phase remains limited. This longitudinal study assessed data of 500 German children (Mage_t1 = 60.97 months) and their teachers to examine the relation and stability of SEC and MSC over two years. After imputing data via multivariate imputation by chained equations due to missing ratings in teacher surveys, cross-lagged relations indicate that a stronger MSC in the last year of kindergarten can lead to greater SEC, which in turn can predict later MSC at the end of Grade 1. Both constructs showed stability over time, with significant correlations between SEC and MSC emerging only in primary school. Gender and socioeconomic differences for SEC and MSC were also observed. These findings enhance our understanding of the interplay between SEC and MSC and their development during the school transition.

Mapping Dysregulation: Prenatal Predictors and Developmental Trajectories of Multiple Regulatory Problems in Early Childhood

Regulatory problems, defined as excessive crying, sleeping and feeding problems, as well as pronounced sensory sensitivity, pose a significant source of worry and exhaustion for parents. In this study, we investigate the evolvement of multiple regulatory problems up to 3 years of age. We ask whether a range of maternal prenatal risk factors, including poor mental health, substance use, and sociodemographic risks, predict developmental trajectory in dysregulation from 18 months to 3 years. The sample comprises 748 children and their mothers taking part in the prospective longitudinal community-based study Little in Norway. Utilizing latent change score modelling, we found that prenatal risk factors predicted an increase in dysregulation from 18 months to 3 years (β = 0.208, p <.001). This association was moderated by child sex, being stronger for boys (β = 0.229, p <.05) than for girls (β = 0.151, p <.05). A more fine-grained analysis of subscales showed that sensory sensitivity, eating problems and negative emotionality contributed to these effects, whereas sleeping problems were unrelated (p >.05). Results suggest that the association between early risk exposure and child dysregulation may unfold gradually over time. Those born into families with a higher load of prenatal risks are more vulnerable to dysregulation problems extending, or even increasing, into the preschool years.

Trajectories of autism symptom severity for boys and girls across childhood

Girls, more than boys, experience a decrease in the severity of autism symptoms during childhood. It is unclear, however, which specific autistic behaviors change more for girls than for boys. Trajectories of autism symptoms were evaluated using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-calibrated severity scores (ADOS-CSS). Change in the specific behavioral characteristics of autism was assessed by studying individual ADOS items for 183 children (55 girls) from age 3-to-11 years. Girls decreased in total autism symptom severity (ADOS-CSS) and restricted/repetitive behavior severity (RRB-CSS) across childhood, while boys remained stable in both. Girls showed decreasing-severity trajectories for seven ADOS items and an increasing-trajectory for one item. Boys showed decreasing-severity trajectories for six items and increasing-severity trajectories for three items. Girls with higher ADOS-CSS at age 3 were more likely to decrease in total symptom severity than other girls. Girls in our study mostly improved or remained stable in autism symptom severity and its specific behaviors during childhood, especially behaviors related to being socially engaged and responsive. Boys' symptom change was variable over time and included both improvement and worsening, especially in social behaviors that are key to interaction. Girls with high early severity levels can potentially decrease substantially in severity during childhood.Lay AbstractThe severity of overall autism symptoms tend to decrease more in autistic girls than in autistic boys during childhood, but we do not know which specific behaviors drive this difference. We studied how specific behaviors characteristic of autism change for girls and boys across childhood. We found that girls mostly improve or remain stable in the severity level of their autism symptoms and its specific behaviors during childhood. They improved mostly in behaviors related to being socially engaged and responsive to others. Furthermore, we found that it is possible for girls with high early autism symptoms to show major improvement during childhood. Boys improved in some specific behaviors but worsened in others. Boys worsened in some behaviors that are key to engaging in social interactions.

Children's access to mental healthcare: Parental perceptions and resource constraints

A majority of children with mental health problems do not access mental healthcare. This study examines factors that facilitate access to mental healthcare services and prescription medication when children's mental health deteriorates, focusing on the mother's economic resources and her perceived assessment of her child's emotional problems. Using longitudinal survey data linked to national medical records, we find that the child's self-assessment of emotional problems, rather than the mother's assessment, most strongly predicts future self-harm and suicidal behaviours. However, the mother's assessment more strongly influences whether a child accesses mental healthcare as their emotional health declines. The mother's educational attainment and the child's age and gender, also influence mental healthcare access. We identify factors associated with greater congruence between the child's and mother's assessments of emotional problems, suggesting areas that programs could target to improve children's access to mental healthcare.

Associations between sugar-sweetened beverage consumption, weight-adjusted-waist index, with psychological symptoms: a cross-sectional survey of adolescents in mainland China

Background

The prevalence of psychological symptoms (emotional problems, behavioral problems, social adjustment difficulties) in adolescents continues to increase and has become a major concern in various countries. However, few studies have been conducted on the association between sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption, weight-adjusted waist index (WWI), and psychological symptoms in adolescents. The present study provides a reference for the prevention and intervention of psychological symptoms in Chinese adolescents.

Methods

A multistage stratified whole cluster random sampling method was used to assess psychological symptoms, SSB consumption, weight, waist circumference, and demographic information in 44,675 adolescents aged 12-17 years in mainland China in 2023. The associations between SSB consumption, WWI, and psychological symptoms among adolescents were analyzed using logistic regression model analysis and ordered logistic regression analysis with the generalized linear model.

Results

The prevalence of psychological symptoms among Chinese adolescents was 20.9%, with boys (21.4%) having a higher prevalence than girls (20.5%), and the difference was statistically significant (χ 2 value of 5.687, P < 0.05). The proportion of adolescents with SSB consumption >4 times/week was 14.5%, and the WWI value was 9.36 ± 1.13. Ordered logistic regression analysis showed that, using SSB consumption <1 times/week and WWI quartile of Q1 as the reference group, adolescents with SSB consumption >4 times/week and WWI quartile of Q4 had the highest risk of developing psychological symptoms (OR=2.01, 95% CI:1.76-2.30) (P <0.001). The same trend was observed in boys (OR=1.67, 95% CI: 1.39-2.00) and girls (OR=2.68, 95% CI: 2.17-3.31) (P <0.001).

Conclusions

The prevalence of adolescent psychological symptoms is high in mainland China and is associated with SSB consumption and WWI. Effectively reducing SSB consumption and WWI plays a positive role in the prevention and intervention of adolescent psychological symptoms.

Physical activity as a protective factor in the mood of children and adolescents: association with overweight and obesity

Introduction

Sedentary children and adolescents are more susceptible to developing diseases, obesity and psychological disorders, but little is known about the relationship between physical activity (PA), body mass index (BMI) and mood state in this population.

Methods

This is a cross-sectional study with the participation of 2,757 students, aged between 10 and 19 years. The Brunel Mood Scale-BRUMS was used to assess the dimensions of tension, depression, anger, vigor, fatigue and mental confusion, and the PA questionnaire for children and adolescents was used to assess the practice of PA.

Results

There was a significant difference between the eutrophic and overweight BMI groups for the mood states of depression (p = 0.004) and vigor (p = 0.047). On the other hand, the overweight (4.06 ± 4.3) and obese (3.85 ± 4.0) groups had the highest rates of depression. It was observed that a higher BMI was associated with depression, anger and fatigue in children and adolescents and that PA can explain 39% of vigor in this population (F = 103.062, p = 0.000; R 2 = 0.039). Active children and adolescents had twice as much vigor as inactive ones. There were differences between males and females, and between active and inactive individuals, in depression, anger, vigor, fatigue and confusion. There was a tendency for overweight and obese children and adolescents to have higher rates of depression when compared to underweight or normal-weight individuals.

Conclusion

The practice of physical activity (PA) was shown to have a positive effect on mood, with active children and adolescents reporting lower levels of depression, anger, fatigue, and confusion, and higher levels of vigor. These findings underscore the importance of PA as a protective factor against mood disturbances in this population, highlighting its potential role in improving emotional well-being.

The relationship between below average cognitive ability at age 5 years and the child's experience of school at age 9

Background

At age 5, while only embarking on their educational journey, substantial differences in children's cognitive ability will already exist. The aim of this study was to examine the causal association between below average cognitive ability at age 5 years and child-reported experience of school and self-concept, and teacher-reported class engagement and emotional-behavioural function at age 9 years.

Methods

This longitudinal cohort study used data from 7,392 children in the Growing Up in Ireland Infant Cohort, who had completed the Picture Similarities and Naming Vocabulary subtests of the British Abilities Scales at age 5. Principal components analysis was used to produce a composite general cognitive ability score for each child. Children with a general cognitive ability score more than 1 standard deviation (SD) below the mean at age 5 were categorised as 'Below Average Cognitive Ability' (BACA), and those scoring above this as 'Typical Cognitive Development' (TCD). The outcomes of interest, measured at age 9, were child-reported experience of school, child's self-concept, teacher-reported class engagement, and teacher-reported emotional behavioural function. Binary and multinomial logistic regression models were used to examine the association between BACA and these outcomes.

Results

Compared to those with TCD, those with BACA had significantly higher odds of never liking school [Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 1.82, 95% CI 1.37-2.43, p < 0.001], of being picked on (AOR 1.27, 95% CI 1.09-1.48) and of picking on others (AOR 1.53, 95% CI 1.27-1.84). They had significantly higher odds of experiencing low self-concept (AOR 1.20, 95% CI 1.02-1.42) and emotional-behavioural difficulties (AOR 1.34, 95% CI 1.10-1.63, p = 0.003). Compared to those with TCD, children with BACA had significantly higher odds of hardly ever or never being interested, motivated and excited to learn (AOR 2.29, 95% CI 1.70-3.10).

Conclusion

Children with BACA at school-entry had significantly higher odds of reporting a negative school experience and low self-concept at age 9. They had significantly higher odds of having teacher-reported poor class engagement and problematic emotional-behavioural function at age 9. The findings of this study suggest BACA has a causal role in these adverse outcomes. Early childhood policy and intervention design should be cognisant of the important role of cognitive ability in school and childhood outcomes.

Anxiety in the family: A five-wave random-intercept cross-lagged panel analysis of dynamic reciprocal associations between father, mother, and child anxiety

This five-wave longitudinal study examined the between- and within-family dynamic associations between father, mother, and child anxiety and the moderating effects of child gender in Chinese culture. Five hundred and twenty-two father-mother dyads of children (59% boys; M age T1 = 8.34 years) completed measures of father, mother, and child anxiety at five time points, 6 months apart. Between-family associations suggested that children whose parents had more anxiety symptoms showed higher anxiety levels, and mothers or fathers whose partners had more anxiety symptoms showed higher anxiety levels. At the within-family level, after periods with higher child anxiety symptoms, mothers reported higher anxiety symptoms and vice versa. However, no reciprocal associations were found between father and child anxiety and between father and mother anxiety. Finally, the associations between father, mother, and child anxiety did not differ across boys and girls. Our findings highlight the importance of distinguishing among between-family and within-family associations and help to develop effective programs to prevent anxiety disorders in families.

Personal, Family, and Environmental Factors Associated with Somatic Complaints in School-Aged Child Victims of Sexual Abuse

Little is known about somatic complaints in school-aged child victims of sexual abuse and the associated risk factors. Given that somatic symptoms can lead to functional impairment and decreased health-related quality of life, identifying associated factors in the child's environment is essential. This study aimed to identify personal, family, and environmental factors associated with somatic complaints among child victims of sexual abuse. The sample included 654 children (68.8% girls; M = 8.96 years, SD = 1.88) seeking services after disclosure of child sexual abuse. Hierarchical linear regression models were used to investigate the associations between personal, family, and environmental factors, and somatic symptoms. Sex differences in the associations between risk factors and the level of somatic symptoms were systematically tested. Most children (58%) had at least one somatic symptom (M girls = 1.37, SD = 1.44 and M boys = 1.04, SD = 1.38). After controlling for sex and age, stress related to sexual abuse disclosure (β = 0.16, 95% CI [0.08, 0.23]), parental distress (β = 0.18, 95% CI [0.10, 0.26]), the number of stressful life events experienced (β = 0.12, 95% CI [0.05, 0.20]) and neighborhood social deprivation (β = 0.21, 95% CI [0.01, 0.42]) were independently associated with greater level of somatic complaints. Stress related to sexual abuse disclosure, parental distress, the number of stressful life events, and neighborhood social deprivation were associated with higher levels of somatic complaints in this population.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40653-024-00665-y.

Compassion Scale: factor structure and scale validation in Hong Kong adolescents

Introduction

This study aimed to validate the 16-item Compassion Scale (CS) for use with Hong Kong adolescents. 1,193 secondary school students in grades 7 to 11 (M = 13.80 years, 43.3% female) completed the questionnaire survey.

Methods

We used EFA and CFA to examine the factor structure of the CS and assessed its convergent and discriminant validity through CR, AVE, AIC, and BIC calculations. We also evaluated the concurrent validity by analysing partial correlations between the CS and its subscales with social connectedness and self-efficacy. In addition, we employed multigroup analysis to determine the model fit of the CS across demographic subgroups.

Results

Factor analyses showed a three-factor structure combining mindfulness and kindness into one factor that we named benevolence, together with common humanity and indifference. Satisfactory model fit was found in different subgroups across age, gender, grade, and school type. Findings suggested that girls, on average, showed a higher level of compassionate concern for others than boys, and younger adolescents were more compassionate than their older counterparts. The CS and its subscales were significantly and positively correlated with social connectedness and self-efficacy, supporting concurrent validity.

Discussion

The findings signify the unique sociocultural context in Hong Kong, which is deeply affected by Chinese traditions, Western individualism, and neoliberal ideals. Overall, the study provides robust support for the CS as a reliable and valid measure for cross-cultural research on compassion and yields evidence-based implications for compassion interventions.

Impact of COVID-19 on medical utilization for psychiatric conditions in Japan

BACKGROUND

During COVID-19, Japan experienced an increase in suicides, in contrast to many other countries. We sought to examine whether access to outpatient and inpatient care for psychiatric conditions was maintained in Japan during the pandemic.

METHODS

Difference-in-differences analysis with Poisson regression comparing psychiatric patient admissions during the pre-pandemic period (January 2015-December 2019) versus the pandemic period (January 2020-December 2020) was performed, using the data from 242 acute-care hospitals in Japan. The Japanese government's emergency declaration in April 2020 was considered an exogenous shock. Primary outcomes included the number of inpatient and outpatient admissions for schizophrenia, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, dementia, and alcohol-related disorders.

RESULTS

During the study period, 79,867 outpatient cases and 2600 hospitalizations were observed. The difference-in-differences analysis showed a decline in the number of outpatient and inpatient admissions except for anxiety disorders after April 2020: incidence-rate ratios (95% confidence intervals), 0·92 (0·83 - 1·02) and 0·71 (0·46 - 1·09) for outpatients and inpatients with schizophrenia, 0·92 (0·85 - 0·99) and 0·87 (0·50 - 1·49) for mood disorders, 1·02 (0·92 - 1·13) and 1·07 (0·69 - 1·65) for anxiety disorders, 0·88 (0·80 - 0·96) and 0·68 (0·38 - 1·22) for dementia, and 0·77 (0·54 - 1·11) and 0·63 (0·43 - 0·90) for alcohol-related disorders.

CONCLUSION

In Japan, psychiatric admissions decreased overall following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the exception of anxiety disorder cases. The decrease in psychiatric care utilization contrasted with rising suicide rates in the nation, underscoring the need for enhanced psychiatric access during crises.

Association between physical activity and mental health problems among children and adolescents: A moderated mediation model of emotion regulation and gender

BACKGROUND

Studies suggests a correlation between physical activity and mental health, particularly in children and adolescents. However, the specific mechanisms underlying this relationship is not fully understood. This study was designed to investigate the potential mediating role of emotion regulation and the moderating influence of gender through a moderated mediation model.

METHODS

A sample size of 4763 students (mean age = 11.12 ± 1.48 years, 52.8 % females) from seven schools in Shenzhen, China, was recruited during the period of October to November 2023. The participants were administered self-reported questionnaires assessing physical activity, mental health, and emotion regulation. The moderated mediation model was analyzed. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS 25.0.

RESULTS

The results indicate a negative correlation between physical activity and mental health problems (all p < 0.001). This association was partially mediated by both cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression (all p < 0.001). Additionally, gender significant moderated the path between physical activity and emotion regulation, specifically cognitive reappraisal (p < 0.001) and expressive suppression (p < 0.01).

LIMITATIONS

As a result of the cross-sectional design, no causal relationship could be established, and measurement bias should be noted.

CONCLUSION

Physical activity is found to have a positive effect on the mental health problem of children and adolescents with emotion regulation serve as a partial mediator in the relationship. Additionally, in the mediation model, gender influences the first half of the path.

Sociodemographic Differences Impact the Perceived Importance of Social Communication and Interaction Behaviors

The evaluation of social communication and interaction (SC/I) behaviors is foundational to the autism identification process. However, this type of evaluation is made difficult by the fact that SC/I is a construct in which perceptions and expectations are largely influenced by norms and attitudes of different sociodemographic groups. While there are many factors that influence differences in SC/I behaviors across sociodemographic groups, one factor that may be especially important is the perceived value of these behaviors. The purpose of this study is to investigate which sociodemographic factors influence the perceived importance of SC/I behaviors among caregivers of children and adolescents. Caregivers (n = 398) living in the United States completed the Social Communication and Interaction Perceptions Scale (SCIPS). Linear mixed-effect models were used to investigate the relationship between the perceived importance of SC/I behaviors and seven sociodemographic factors as well as determine if this relationship was moderated by SC/I behavior type (i.e., foundational vs. advanced behaviors). Several different sociodemographic factors (i.e., caregiver race/ethnicity, caregiver gender, household income, child disability status, child age, child gender) were associated with caregiver ratings of the perceived importance of SC/I behaviors. This relation was, in some instances (i.e., caregiver race/ethnicity, caregiver gender, child disability status), moderated by whether the SC/I behaviors were foundational or advanced. Our findings highlight the importance of considering the values of caregivers regarding perceived SC/I importance during the autism identification process.

Internal Validation of the Latvian Version of 16-Item Prodromal Questionnaire in A Help-Seeking Adolescent Population: Psychometric Analysis and Associated Factors

OBJECTIVES

The prodromal phase of a psychotic disorder is a period of altered functioning before the onset of the acute state; several interviews have been developed to determine whether individuals present with prodromal symptoms. The 16-item Prodromal Questionnaire (PQ-16) is a screening tool for evaluating those at risk of developing a psychotic disorder. The study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Latvian version of the PQ-16 in a sample of help-seeking adolescents referred for diagnostic assessment and look for possible associated socio-demographic and health-related factors.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study included patients admitted for evaluation between November 2022 and February 2023 in Riga's Children's Clinical University Hospital Child Psychiatry clinic. The data were collected during outpatient consultations by mental health professionals. We used the Latvian translation of PQ-16 and the socio-demographic and health-related factors questionnaire. Data were analysed with IBM SPSS 28; the scale's diagnostic accuracy and internal validity were examined.

RESULTS

The study involved 107 adolescents aged 12% to 17%, 80.5% female, with a mean age of 14.98 (CI 14.70-15.26). Socio-demographic data and health-related variables did not significantly differ between the sexes (p > 0.05). The Latvian PQ-16 demonstrated excellent internal reliability with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.890. All 16 items were found to be valid with p < 0.001. A significant number of participants (73.8%) scored above the current cut-off of ≥ 6 with a mean of 9.17 (95% CI 8.41-9.93). Certain socio-demographic factors, such as female gender (p < 0.001), fair school performance (p = 0.048) and recent changes in school performance (p < 0.001), demonstrated a significant association with higher scores. Additionally, there were found significant associations between positive screening and health-related factors such as obstetric complications (p = 0.044), smoking (p = 0.002), alcohol consumption (p = 0.021), history of bullying in school (p < 0.001) and emotional abuse at home (p = 0.011).

CONCLUSIONS

Latvian translation of PQ-16 showed high internal reliability and validity levels. Positive PQ-16 screening was associated with female gender, worsened school performance, obstetric complications, substance abuse and experienced emotional violence. The average score of 9.17 positive answers and 73.8% of participants screening positive for attenuated psychotic symptoms is significantly higher than in recent studies under similar conditions.

Adolescents' mental health is associated with food parenting practices among British Columbian families

BACKGROUND

Adolescence is a developmental period marked by significant changes related to the body and food parenting practices. However, few studies have explored child-level psychological correlates of these practices during adolescence. Our study examined whether adolescents' weight status, weight concerns, self-esteem, and anxiety were associated with food parenting practices, and whether these associations significantly differed by adolescents' gender among 297 families in British Columbia, Canada.

METHODS

Parents (47 years, 76% mothers) completed a food parenting practice item bank. Adolescents (14 years, 52% girls) self-reported their height and weight, weight concerns, self-esteem, and anxiety. Covariate-adjusted regression models evaluated the association of adolescents' weight and mental health with nine practices (main effects). Interactions were used to evaluate the moderating role of gender, and further decomposed in all models to examine simple effects within each gender group.

RESULTS

Main-effect models showed positive associations between: (1) weight concerns and child involvement, (2) weight concerns and accommodating practices, (3) self-esteem and healthy eating opportunities, and (4) self-esteem with meal routines, as well as negative associations between: (5) self-esteem and accommodating practices, (6) self-esteem and coercive control, and (7) anxiety and rules and limits. In these 7 models interactions with gender were not significant; however, in all cases (except in model 5) the decomposed effects showed only significant associations among girls. A significant gender interaction emerged in (8) the association between anxiety and coercive control, but the decomposed effects were not significant for either gender. Adolescents' weight status was not associated with food parenting practices in any model.

CONCLUSIONS

Food parenting practices are associated with mental health indicators among British Columbian families; however, future studies should examine multidirectional relationships between these practices, adolescents' mental health, and eating habits.

Understanding developmental progress in young children: Exploring demographic and dietary influences through a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Developmental surveillance is a crucial task aimed at monitoring and ensuring children's age-appropriate progression. However, demographics and dietary factors can significantly influence the developmental progress of young children.

METHODS

We employed a cross-sectional study design, enrolling children aged 2-5 years from early childhood education settings. Their age-appropriate development was assessed using the Ages and Stages Questionnaires.

RESULTS

Our study revealed that children demonstrated adequate development across all assessed domains. Notably, communication skills exhibited the highest mean score (Mean: 53.09, SD: 7.34) compared to other domains. Sex-based analysis revealed substantial disparities between young boys and girls, particularly in regard to fine motor and social-emotional skills, with differences exceeding 20 %. Additionally, fathers' education and socio-economic status were found to influence developmental outcomes. Fruit and vegetable consumption positively correlated with development, while dairy intake demonstrated a negative association.

CONCLUSION

This research underscores the significance of addressing developmental disparities related to sex and emphasises the necessity of investigating the role of the modern diet in child development, with specific attention to milk and dairy consumption.

A Pilot Study on the Freelisting Method Among Adolescents with Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain: Feasibility, Acceptability and Study Findings

Background/Objectives: To assess the feasibility and acceptability of freelisting for adolescents with chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMP) and use freelisting to identify how adolescents with CMP cope with pain. Methods: This was a mixed-methods cross-sectional single-center study of patients 12-18 years old, diagnosed with CMP. Twenty-seven subjects participated in an interview which included the freelisting exercise, probing questions, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale 10-item, and semi-structured interview. Feasibility was pre-defined as ≥85% completion. A list of 'standardized' freelisting terms was created, and we calculated Smith's salience index. Freelisting terms were grouped into individual, family, friends, school, and medical domains. Results: In this predominantly female population, resilience levels were low to moderate, and on average, participants had moderate pain intensity and functional disability. The freelisting exercise was feasible and acceptable among females, with low recruitment of males. Salient words to describe adolescents' pain included frustrating, upsetting, annoying, and painful. Participants identified family, friends, teachers, guidance counselors, and health professionals as key sources of support. Many participants reported difficulties communicating their pain. Helpful coping strategies included rest, distraction, relaxation, endurance, and extracurricular participation. Conclusions: Freelisting was well perceived among female adolescents with CMP. Supportive relationships with community members play an important role for this population. However, perceived stigma may deter female adolescents from talking about their pain. Purposive sampling of male participants and recruitment strategies ensuring diverse patient representation are necessary to ensure generalizability of future results when using the freelisting method for adolescents with CMP.

Alcohol use among Croatian adolescents: the alignment of 13-year-old and 15-year-old girls with boys, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

AIM

To determine age and gender patterns of alcohol use among Croatian pupils and assess whether alcohol use was associated with factors related to school, peers, family, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

Data were collected from the 2022 Health Behavior in School-aged Children cross-sectional study conducted in Croatia involving 5338 pupils. Pearson χ2 test and multivariate logistic regression were performed.

RESULTS

At the age of 11, boys were drinking alcohol more than girls (P<0.001), while 13- and 15-year-old girls aligned with boys. Lifetime alcohol use was positively associated with schoolwork pressure in 11-year-old girls (OR 3.28, CI 1.36-7.75) and boys (OR 1.87, CI 1.03-3.37). The COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected mental health in 13- (OR 2.21, 1.56-3.13) and 15-year-old girls (OR 1.50, CI 1.01-2.23), and life in 15-year-old boys (OR 1.83, 1.03-3.27). Recent alcohol use was positively associated with hospitalization of a close family member for COVID-19 in 11-year-old girls (OR 2.35, 1.05-5.28), low peer support in 13-year-old boys (OR 1.49, 1.01-2.20), difficult communication with father in 15-year-old girls (OR 1.49,1.05-2.12), negative COVID-19 impact on mental health in 13-year-old girls (OR 1.67,1.13-2.47), and negative COVID-19 impact on life in 15-year-old boys (OR 1.79, 1.08-2.98). Lifetime drunkenness was positively associated with negative COVID-19 impact on mental health in 13- (OR, 2.03,1.28-3.21) and 15-year-old girls (OR 2.12, 1.49-3.01), and with positive or neutral COVID-19 impact on life in 15-year-old girls (OR 0.65, 0.43-0.97).

CONCLUSION

Preventive activities should offer support systems to minimize the negative COVID-19 impact, with special attention to girls' needs.

Regulation Strategies, Contextual Problems, Addictive and Suicidal Behaviors: A Network Perspective with Adolescents

Adolescence is a period marked by challenges, including problems that appear in the adolescent's context. To manage these, adolescents use a series of emotional regulation skills that can be more or less adaptive. Less adaptive regulation is related to problem behaviors such as alcohol abuse, substance addiction, problematic internet use, and/or suicidal behavior. This study employs psychometric networks to analyze the association between these problem behaviors, the existence of contextual problems, and the use of cognitive emotional regulation strategies. We performed this analysis for the total sample: the male sample and the female sample. The total sample consists of 758 participants; 424 females (55.4%) and 341 males (44.6%) between the ages of 12 and 21 years (M age = 15.85; SD = 2311). The results show that less adaptive regulation strategies are the most central node, exhibiting a positive relationship with problem behaviors and contextual problems. In contrast, adaptive regulation strategies are a less influential node. Finally, problem behaviors are related to each other. Differences emerged between the male sample and the female sample. These findings contribute to improving our understanding of the phenomenon as well as to the construction of preventive interventions.

Gender-stereotypical attribution of fear and fearlessness in preschool children

Fear and fearlessness are two distinct emotional responses that can occur when a person faces a potentially dangerous situation. These responses seem to be linked to gender stereotypes (fearful female and fearless male). This study examines whether preschool children attribute fear and fearlessness stereotypically in relation to gender and whether their attributions vary as a function of age and gender. One hundred and twenty children (60 boys and 60 girls) aged 3, 4 and 5 years participated in this study. We examined children's gender-stereotypical performance through emotional scenarios and drawing tasks involving fear and fearlessness conditions. The results showed that children's performance was equally stereotypical in the two conditions. An age effect was found: children's gender stereotypical attributions increased with age. The results showed no differences in children's stereotypical performance in regards to their gender and task type (emotional scenarios and drawing tasks). The significance and implications of these findings are discussed in the context of gender-emotion stereotypes.

Does grit predict thriving or is it the other way around? A latent cross-lagged panel model on the triarchic model of grit and the 5Cs of positive youth development

Grit, defined as passion and perseverance to achieve long-term goals, has been associated with adolescents' optimal academic and psychological functioning. However, the role of grit in adolescents' positive youth development (PYD)-characterized by the 5Cs known as competence, confidence, connection, character, and caring-remains unknown. Using latent cross-lagged panel modeling, this study examined the longitudinal relations between the triarchic model of grit (TMG) dimensions (i.e., perseverance of effort, consistency of interest, and adaptability to situations), and the 5Cs of PYD while controlling for specific socio-demographic covariates (gender, age, SES, and school type). Data were obtained from 1620 Filipino adolescents (Mage = 17.15; SDage = 1.00) in November 2021 and May 2022. Results show that grit dimensions predicted subsequent PYD dimensions, but not vice versa. Specifically, while perseverance and adaptability were linked to higher levels of competence, confidence, and character, consistency was associated with lower levels of competence and confidence six months later. Results highlight the importance of grit's dimensions in facilitating PYD characteristics among adolescents, especially efficacy-related Cs (competence and confidence). Theoretical and practical implications in promoting adolescent thriving and well-being are discussed.

Up you get: Norwegian parents' reactions to children's negative emotions

INTRODUCTION

Developmental research suggests that children learn to regulate their emotions and behavior through a process of emotion socialization. The main body of literature is based on samples from the United States, and very little is known about the socialization of emotions in Nordic settings.

OBJECTIVES

The current study aimed to explore associations between mothers' and fathers' reactions to children's negative emotions and externalizing behavior problems in a Nordic cultural context, and to explore gender differences in these associations.

METHODS

Parent-report data on the Coping with Children's Negative Emotions Scale (CCNES) and the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory 6 (ECBI) was collected in a large sample of Norwegian preschool-aged children (mothers, n = 242; fathers, n = 183; N = 257; M = 54 months, SD = 4.54; 49% boys). Teacher-report data was collected using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) conduct scale (n = 117).

RESULTS

Both parents' supportive and non-supportive reactions were associated with child externalizing difficulties in expected directions as evidenced by path models, controlling for socioeconomic status and age. A pattern emerged in which non-supportive reactions to a greater extent predicted an increase in externalizing problems in girls, and supportive reactions predicted lower levels of externalizing problems in boys.

CONCLUSION

Our findings supported the basic assumptions of emotion socialization theory in a Nordic cultural context in which parental supportive and non-supportive responses are related to child externalizing difficulties. Nordic parents are important socialization agents for their children, but their behaviors had a differential effect on boys' and girls' externalizing behavior problems.

Emotional intersection: Delineating test anxiety, emotional disorders, and student well-being

Previous studies have shown how test anxiety is positively related to symptoms of emotion disorder and that highly test anxious persons can meet diagnostic thresholds for emotion disorder. However, many studies are somewhat dated and based on older conceptualizations of key constructs. In addition, well-being is rarely considered alongside test anxiety and emotion disorder. In the present study, we addressed this limitation by using contemporaneous conceptualizations of test anxiety and emotion disorder, alongside school-related well-being (SRWB), using two analytic methods that are rarely combined to establish how constructs are related. The sample comprised 1167 participants (nmale = 500, nfemale = 621, nnon-binary = 21, ndeclined to report = 25; Mage = 15.4 years, SD = 1.81) from secondary and upper secondary education. Data were analyzed using psychometric network analysis and receiver-operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. The psychometric network analysis showed that test anxiety, generalized anxiety, panic disorder, social anxiety, major depression, and SRWB formed distinct and largely coherent communities. Generalized anxiety was principally linked to the worry and tension components of test anxiety, panic disorder to the physiological indicator's component, social anxiety and SRWB to the worry and cognitive interference components, and major depression to the cognitive interference component. The ROC curve analysis indicated that test anxiety scores from the 63rd to 75th scale percentiles could predict clinical risk with relatively high accuracy (0.79-0.88) and acceptable levels of sensitivity (0.75-0.86) and specificity (0.70-0.77). Results suggest that test anxiety, emotion disorder, and SRWB are distinct, albeit related constructs. Although constrained by the cross-sectional design, our findings suggest that high test anxiety presents an elevated risk for the development of emotion disorder.

Adolescents' evaluations of peer and teacher unfair treatment in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics classes: Expected interventions

This study explores adolescents' evaluations of unfair teacher and peer behavior in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) classes. Participants included ninth and tenth grade students from five public schools in the Southeastern United States, (N = 577, 45.9% female, 49% male, 5% other/prefer not to say/unsure). Students were ethnically representative of their communities: 48% White/European American, 22.7% Black/African American, 14% Latino/a/e/x, and 15.3% multi-racial/other/prefer not to say. Measures assessed adolescents' responses to hypothetical scenarios of unfair treatment. The findings indicate that adolescents recognize both teacher and peer unfair behavior as wrong, with nuanced differences based on participants' gender and grade. Attribution analysis reveals varied expected reasons for unfair treatment. Responses to unfair behavior differ, with adolescents more likely to confront peers than teachers. Demographic factors, school climate, discrimination, belonging, and critical consciousness contribute to variations in judgments and responses. The study highlights the importance of addressing unfair treatment in STEM settings to foster inclusivity and support student persistence in STEM.

Development of Comorbid Alcohol Use and Depressive Symptoms During Late Adolescence: Examining the Roles of Emotion Regulation and Gender Differences

Depression and alcohol use are highly comorbid, and often emerge during adolescence. Depressive symptoms may precede alcohol use, via the self-medication pathway, or alcohol use may precede depressive symptoms, via the alcohol induced disruption pathway. Yet little is known about other risks for developing comorbidity via either path. The present study hypothesized that poor cognitive and physiological emotion regulation (ER) are risk factors implicated in the development of comorbid depression and alcohol use during late adolescence. Participants were 229 (113 girls) Mexican-origin youth who reported on depressive symptoms and alcohol use at ages 17 (Time 1) and 19 years (Time 2). At age 17, cognitive reappraisal (CR), an adaptive ER strategy, and baseline respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), a physiological index of ER capacity, were assessed. CR, RSA and gender were examined as predictors and moderators of the developing comorbidity of alcohol use and depression in cross-lagged panel models. Lower use of CR was concurrently associated with more depressive symptoms at age 17 and predicted greater depression at age 19. Age 17 alcohol use predicted age 19 depressive symptoms for boys. Lower RSA at age 17 also predicted more depressive symptoms at age 19 for boys. Neither CR nor RSA moderated the predicted relations between depression and alcohol use. Findings supported the alcohol induced disruption model of comorbidity for boys, and showed that poor cognitive and physiological ER increased risk for exacerbating depressive symptoms in late adolescence.

Language use in depressed and non-depressed mothers and their adolescent offspring

BACKGROUND

Approximately 10% of mothers experience depression each year, which increases risk for depression in offspring. Currently no research has analysed the linguistic features of depressed mothers and their adolescent offspring during dyadic interactions. We examined the extent to which linguistic features of mothers' and adolescents' speech during dyadic interactional tasks could discriminate depressed from non-depressed mothers.

METHODS

Computer-assisted linguistic analysis (Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count; LIWC) was applied to transcripts of low-income mother-adolescent dyads (N = 151) performing a lab-based problem-solving interaction task. One-way multivariate analyses were conducted to determine linguistic features hypothesized to be related to maternal depressive status that significantly differed in frequency between depressed and non-depressed mothers and higher and lower risk offspring. Logistic regression analyses were performed to classify between dyads belonging to the two groups.

RESULTS

The results showed that linguistic features in mothers' and their adolescent offsprings' speech during problem-solving interactions discriminated between maternal depression status. Many, but not all effects, were consistent with those identified in previous research using primarily written text, highlighting the validity and reliability of language behaviour associated with depressive symptomatology across lab-based and natural environmental contexts.

LIMITATIONS

Our analyses do not enable to ascertain how mothers' language behaviour may have influenced their offspring's communication patterns. We also cannot say how or whether these findings generalize to other contexts or populations.

CONCLUSION

The findings extend the existing literature on linguistic features of depression by indicating that mothers' depression is associated with linguistic behaviour during mother-adolescent interaction.

Network analysis of influential risk factors in adolescent suicide attempters

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to investigate the interrelationship of risk factors for suicidal behaviour and their influence on attempt severity in a sample of adolescents who have recently attempted suicide. For it a network analyse was performed.

METHOD

Data from a sample of adolescents from 12 to 17 years of age with documented suicide attempts were collected and analysed in the context of a larger study conducted in Spain called SURVIVE. Several factors were examined including age, sex, depression, trauma, impulsivity, and substance abuse. Graph analysis was performed to identify relationships and centrality measures among these factors.

RESULTS

A total of 267 participants were enrolled: 233 females and 34 males with a mean age of 15.00 years (SD = 1.52). The results indicate that age and sex do not have a notable relationship with attempt severity in adolescents. Emotional and behavioural difficulties, measured by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), have the greatest influence on other variables. Depression and childhood trauma show varying degrees of association with suicidal behaviour, as does motor impulsivity. Substance use does not appear to be strongly related to suicide attempt severity. The number of suicide attempts is strongly correlated with emotional and behavioural difficulties, depression, and childhood trauma. Lethality of suicide attempts and intensity of suicidal ideation do not show significant associations with the other variables.

CONCLUSION

This study identifies significant risk factors for adolescent suicide. Emotional and behavioural symptoms, depression, and childhood trauma are strongly linked to suicidal behaviour. However, age, sex, and substance abuse show minimal correlation. Assessing emotional difficulties and depressive symptoms using specific questionnaires could be crucial in evaluating suicidal behaviour in adolescents.

Effects of dog ownership on children's social-emotional development: findings from the PLAYCE cohort study

INTRODUCTION

Dog ownership is common in families with children and could play a role in children's social-emotional development. This study used longitudinal data on dog ownership and changing dog ownership to investigate their effects on young children's social-emotional development.

METHODS

Parents reported family dog ownership when their child was aged 2-5 years and at 5-7 years. Children (n = 591) were assigned to a dog ownership group by combining their current and prior dog ownership status. The parent-report Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) measured children's social-emotional development at 5-7 years. Analyses included linear, Poisson, and logistic regression and adjusted for socio-demographic factors.

RESULTS

Girls who acquired a dog had significantly higher peer problems scores than non-dog owner girls (exp(β) = 1.8; 95% CI 1.3, 2.6). Boys who acquired a dog had significantly lower peer problems scores than continuing non-dog owner boys (exp(β) = 0.5; 95% CI 0.3, 0.8). There were no other significant effects observed between dog ownership group and SDQ scores or the odds of having abnormal scores.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, changing or continuing dog ownership status had minimal impact on young children's social-emotional development. Future longitudinal research should examine the effects of dog ownership on child development by family characteristics and attachment to the dog.

IMPACT

Dog acquisition was associated with higher peer problems for girls and lower peer problems for boys, but not the odds of having abnormal peer problems scores. Dog acquisition, dog loss, and continuing dog ownership status were not associated with other measure of social-emotional development. This study used longitudinal data to examine effects of dog ownership on child development. Overall, changing or continuing dog ownership status had minimal impact on young children's social-emotional development. Since dog ownership is selected into, longitudinal research is needed to confirm if changes in children's social-emotional development occur following changes in dog ownership.

Depression, anxiety, and help-seeking among Slovenian postsecondary students during the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic has faced students with many challenges, contributing to their mental distress. This article explores the role of demographic characteristics, psychological status, year of study, and social support during the COVID-19 pandemic in explaining Slovenian university students' mental health problems and help-seeking behavior.

Methods

In February and March 2021, data were collected on 5,234 full-time Slovenian postsecondary students who were enrolled in public and concessionary independent higher education institutions. Participants completed a questionnaire, which included The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), General Anxiety Disorder questionnaire (GAD-7), Oslo Social Support Scale (OSSS-3), and items measuring psychological status, help-seeking behavior and demographics. Data were analyzed using multiple linear regression and hypothesis testing for differences.

Results

Factors, such as gender, age, psychological status and social support, contributed to experiencing anxiety and depression among Slovenian students during the COVID-19 pandemic, with year of study additionally contributing to experiencing depression. Similarly, gender, age, psychological status and social support contributed to help-seeking behavior. Higher levels of depression and anxiety were reported by female students, students with prior mental disorders, and students with lower social support levels. Female students and students with lower social support levels reported more frequent help-seeking behaviors.

Conclusion

The results provide insight into the mental state of the Slovenian student population in the context of imposed public health measures at the end of the second COVID-19 wave in Slovenia. The findings can help identify vulnerable groups within the student population to whom we must be particularly attentive in times of crisis.

Emotion-related Processes Between Parents and Adolescents: Evidence for Bidirectional Effects over Time

Parent emotion socialization has long been studied in relation to children's socioemotional adjustment. Little attention has been paid to how parents' socialization responses are shaped by youth characteristics over time, such as emotional lability. The present study explored the mutual influence between parent emotion socialization and adolescent emotional lability. Participants were 87 adolescents (M = 14.23  years old, SD = .50; 50 girls) and their parents, who completed questionnaires at three time points from 8th grade through 10th grade. Hierarchical linear modeling demonstrated mutual influences between parent emotion socialization and adolescent emotional lability, with relations moderated by adolescent gender. Increases in parents' reward of negative emotion predicted decreased emotional lability in girls. Parents' increased magnification of negative emotions corresponded to decreased emotional lability in boys. Boys' increases in emotional lability predicted decreased parental magnification of negative emotions over time. Increases in parents' magnification of negative emotions predicted increased emotional lability in girls. Girls' increases in emotional lability corresponded to increased parental magnification over time. There were no longitudinal effects of adolescent emotional lability on parents' reward, override, and punishment of negative emotions. Future directions and clinical applications are discussed.

Adverse childhood experiences and externalizing, internalizing, and prosocial behaviors in children and adolescents: A longitudinal study

BACKGROUND

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have a profound impact on individuals, shaping their long-term health and life opportunities. This study delves into the complex ties between ACEs and the socioemotional development of Australian children and youth by examining the relationships between adverse childhood experiences and externalizing, internalizing, and prosocial behaviors.

METHODS

This study utilized data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children and employed the generalized estimating equation method to investigate the relationships between adverse childhood experiences and externalizing, internalizing, and prosocial behaviors in Australian children and adolescents.

RESULTS

Adverse childhood experiences such as physical punishment, hostile parenting, parental conflicts, separation, financial strain, and parental mental health issues increased the risk of externalizing and internalizing behaviors while reducing prosocial behaviors. The risk increases with the number of ACEs, as evidenced by the incidence ratio (IR); for example, for externalizing behaviors, an ACEs score of one leads to IR = 1.69, while an ACEs score of 4 results in IR = 3.34. Similar trends were observed for internalizing and prosocial behaviors.

LIMITATIONS

The presence of imbalanced longitudinal data, arising from variations in the number of observations across different time points, challenges robust inferences. Furthermore, this study investigates the relationship between ACEs and behavioral problems, without establishing causality. Consequently, the results should be interpreted with caution.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings of this study highlight that adverse childhood experiences significantly influence behavioral outcomes in children and adolescents. These findings underscore the critical need for early detection and intervention to mitigate the consequences of traumatic childhood experiences.