Coping, emotion regulation, and psychopathology in childhood and adolescence: A meta-analysis and narrative review

Unique relations of avoidant, emotion, and problem focused coping and suicidality in a sample of sexual and gender minorities

Individuals who identify as a sexual or gender minority experience health related disparities in suicidal ideation, behavior, and attempts. Although past research has demonstrated that specific stressors may be unique to sexual or gender minorities contributing to suicidal ideation (e.g., minority stress), little work has been dedicated to understanding the role specific coping styles play in their associations with suicidal ideation among individuals who identify as a sexual or gender minority. The present study sought to address this gap in research and evaluate the unique associations of avoidant, emotional, and problem focused coping on suicidal ideation after accounting for theoretically relevant covariates. Participants included 372 individuals who identified as either a sexual or gender minority (Mage = 20.76, 83.3 % identified as female, 47.8 % White or Caucasian, 16.1 % Southeast Asian, 7.8 % Black or African American, 7.8 % multi-racial, 7 % other, 4.6 % East Asian, 2.7 % American Indian/ Alaska Native, 0.5 % Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander). Results indicated that avoidant and emotional coping were associated with severity in suicidal ideation and suicidal cognitions, but avoidant coping was the only coping style that statistically significantly predicted greater likelihood of non-zero suicidal ideation/ cognition endorsement. Moreover, problem focused coping was the only style associated with less severe suicidal ideation and cognition. Overall, the present findings are the first to demonstrate unique associations of coping styles with suicidal ideation in the context of individuals who identify as a sexual or gender minority.

Developmental trajectories of externalizing and internalizing linked to harsh parenting: The role of ethnicity and socioeconomic status

Past studies that examined externalizing and internalizing symptoms in separate samples have found different trajectories associated with harsh parenting. The present study uses a complex set of longitudinal modeling to investigate the developmental trajectories of internalizing and externalizing symptoms associated with harsh parenting. We also explore the moderation of socioeconomic status and ethnicity by testing differences between income and racial groups. Using bivariate and multigroup latent change score modeling, we analyzed 12,909 participants from the Millennium Cohort Study. Results of the bivariate latent change score model showed that harsh parenting had a bidirectional association with externalizing symptoms but only a unidirectional association with internalizing symptoms. A further analysis using multi-group modeling showed that the association between harsh parenting and externalizing and internalizing symptoms differed across ethnic backgrounds but much less on socioeconomic status. Specifically, initial levels of harsh parenting predicted an increase in externalizing symptoms among White participants but not in non-White participants, and these ethnic differences cut across socioeconomic status classifications in a test of the interaction of ethnicity and socioeconomic status. Taken together, our findings suggest that the prevailing cultural norms surrounding harsh parenting may affect the degree to which it negatively impacts children's mental health.

Do dimensions of childhood adversity differ in their direct associations with youth psychopathology? A meta-analysis

Growing evidence supports the unique pathways by which threat and deprivation, two core dimensions of adversity, confer risk for youth psychopathology. However, the extent to which these dimensions differ in their direct associations with youth psychopathology remains unclear. The primary aim of this preregistered meta-analysis was to synthesize the associations between threat, deprivation, internalizing, externalizing, and trauma-specific psychopathology. Because threat is proposed to be directly linked with socioemotional development, we hypothesized that the magnitude of associations between threat and psychopathology would be larger than those with deprivation. We conducted a search for peer-reviewed articles in English using PubMed and PsycINFO databases through August 2022. Studies that assessed both threat and deprivation and used previously validated measures of youth psychopathology were included. One hundred and twenty-seven articles were included in the synthesis (N = 163,767). Results of our three-level meta-analyses indicated that adversity dimension significantly moderated the associations between adversity and psychopathology, such that the magnitude of effects for threat (r's = .21-26) were consistently larger than those for deprivation (r's = .16-.19). These differences were more pronounced when accounting for the threat-deprivation correlation. Additional significant moderators included emotional abuse and youth self-report of adversity. Findings are consistent with the Dimensional Model of Adversity and Psychopathology, with clinical, research, and policy implications.

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.

Children's Narratives of Sad Events: Attachment Security and Psychopathological Symptoms

BACKGROUND

This study aims to explore how children's experiences of sadness are related to their coping strategies, attachment, and psychopathology.

METHOD

A sample of 517 children described a sad event and related coping strategies. Events included bullying/quarrelling, frustration, accidents/illness, experienced/anticipated separation, and loss. Coping strategies included constructive coping, disengagement, and absence-of-coping.

RESULTS

Constructive coping was associated with secure attachment. Secure children used constructive and disengagement strategies for frustration, constructive coping particularly for bullying situations, and absence-of-coping for loss. Children reporting absence-of-coping during episodes of frustration exhibited more externalizing symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

The results highlight relationships between circumstancialdimensions and specific emotional experiences, and the importance of context-specific coping strategies in promoting emotional well-being.

Longitudinal Impact of the ACT-Based Positive Psychology Intervention to Improve Happiness, Mental Health, and Well-Being

This study aims to examine the effectiveness of ACT-based positive psychology intervention on young people's mental health and well-being. Existing literature offers limited insights into the impacts of ACT-based PPIs, particularly concerning young people. The study explores the potential of this intervention to enhance positive psychological outcomes such as subjective well-being, self-compassion, and optimism, while reducing negative psychological outcomes like pessimism, anxiety, depressive symptoms, and somatic symptoms, and improving resilience. Conducted at a state university, the study involved 42 participants between the ages of 19 and 23 who were assigned to experimental (n = 20) and control (n = 22) group. The experimental group participated in an 8-week ACT-based PPI program. Employing a longitudinal experimental design, the study included a pre-test, post-test, and a follow-up test approximately two years later. Results indicated that the experimental group experienced significant improvements in positive psychological outcomes and reductions in negative outcomes, with the effects sustained during the follow-up period. Notably, long-term enhancements in resilience and self-compassion were observed. Overall, this study provides important evidence of the effectiveness of ACT-based PPI in promoting young people's long-term outcomes, with implications for developing intervention programs to support their mental health and well-being.

The impact of childhood trauma on meaning in life among middle school students: the chain-mediating roles of social support and core self-evaluations

BACKGROUND

The negative impact of childhood trauma on adolescence' meaning in life has become a widely concerned topic. The junior high school students are still at a critical stage of developing their meaning in life. This study aims to explore the impact of childhood trauma on meaning in life among junior high school students, as well as the mediating role of social support and core self-evaluations.

METHODS

Cross-sectional data were collected from 23 schools in South China. 2,273 junior high school students completed self-reported questionnaires on demographic variables, childhood trauma, meaning in life, social support, and core self-evaluations. Statistical analysis was conducted via SPSS 27.0 and SPSS PROCESS.

RESULTS

Childhood trauma negatively impacted junior high school students' meaning in life significantly. Both social support ( Indirect effect = -0.073, 95% CI, -0.112 ~ -0.034) and core self-evaluations ( Indirect effect = -0.044, 95% CI, -0.061 ~ -0.028) were significant partial mediators in the childhood trauma and meaning in life. A chain mediating role of social support and core self-evaluations in the relationship between childhood trauma and meaning in life was also supported (Indirect effect = -0.048, 95% CI, -0.066 ~ -0.031). Hierarchical regression results showed that social support and core self-evaluations both positively predict meaning in life. When social support and core self-evaluations were added separately, the impact of childhood trauma weakened. When social support (β = 0.113, t = 4.108, p < 0.001) and core self-evaluations (β = 0.165, t = 6.250, p < 0.001) were both present, childhood trauma has the least impact on meaning in life.

CONCLUSIONS

Strengthening the power of social support networks and fostering positive core self-evaluations may be important strategies for mitigating the negative effects of childhood trauma and enhancing meaning in life for junior high school students.

The experience and influence of youth in China in coping with stressful life events during the post-COVID-19 pandemic era: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound effect on the mental well-being of individuals, particularly among the youth. The experience of stressful life events has been linked to increased poor mental health. While the immediate effects have been documented, there is evidence to suggest that the pandemic's impact on mental health could persist in the long run. Additionally, the pandemic has influenced coping strategies and forms of social support.

METHODS

A phenomenological descriptive study was conducted to elucidate the changes in strategies adopted by youth to cope with stressful life events during the COVID-19 era. Thirty-three Chinese youths aged 15 to 24 years who have experienced regular COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control were invited to complete a semi-structured interview. Colaizzi's method was used to analyze the data. Triangulation was adopted to ensure the validity.

RESULTS

Four key themes were generated, including (1) negative changes in mental health, (2) positive changes in mental health, (3) changes in the adoption of coping strategies, and (4) the utilization of internet-based coping strategies.

CONCLUSIONS

The results could guide the development of interventions to help the youth cope with stressful life events and further promote mental health among this population.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

This study has prospectively been registered on the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ID: ChiCTR2200060894) on 14/06/2022.

Psychophysiological stress response, emotion dysregulation and sleep parameters as predictors of psychopathology in adolescents and young adults

BACKGROUND

Increased emotional reactivity to stress, emotional dysregulation and sleep disturbances are interdependent trans-diagnostic processes that are present in internalising disorders such as depression and anxiety disorders. This study investigated which objective and subjective parameters of stress reactivity, sleep and emotional processing would predict symptoms of anxiety and depression in adolescents and young adults.

METHODS

Participants were adolescents and young adults between the ages of 14 to 21 (N = 106, 25[24 %] male, M age = 17.93). Heart rate, heart rate variability, and subjective stress levels were measured before, during and after a stress induction using the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). Questionnaires on internalising symptoms, emotion dysregulation, and sleep quality were used. For seven consecutive nights, objective sleep parameters were measured with a wearable device.

RESULTS

Heart rate and heart rate variability after (but not during) the stress induction and emotion dysregulation predicted depressive and anxiety symptoms. Lower subjective sleep quality (but not the objective sleep parameters) was associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms. Emotion dysregulation mediated the relationship between sleep quality and depressive symptoms.

LIMITATIONS

A cross-sectional design, no measurement of daily activity or naps, and only self-report measures of depressive and anxiety symptoms as well as emotion dysregulation.

CONCLUSION

The findings of elevated cardiovascular activation after - but not during - the stress induction and emotion dysregulation underlines problems in regulating and recovering from stress as predictors of youth internalising psychopathology. Differences between subjective and objective measures of sleep and stress reactivity suggests a role of cognitive biases in these domains.

Emotion dysregulation mediates the effect of borderline personality disorder on child psychopathology

BACKGROUND

Children of mothers with borderline personality disorder (BPD) face an increased risk of developing mental health issues. To prevent the intergenerational transmission of psychopathology, a thorough understanding of specific pathways is essential. BPD is characterized by symptoms such as difficulties in emotion regulation, impulsivity, and attachment insecurity, all of which have a detrimental impact on child development. Here, we explore the role of these three core characteristics as potential mediators for the impact of maternal BPD on child psychopathology.

METHODS

The study included 87 mothers (34 with and 53 without BPD) and their biological children aged 5-12 years. We employed two multiple parallel mediation models to identify the mediating role of the core characteristics for the effect of BPD on externalizing and internalizing child behavior. Our analyses were controlled for maternal early-life maltreatment.

RESULTS

Both models demonstrated significant effects of BPD on child psychopathology. We found a significant indirect effect of BPD on externalizing child behavior through emotion dysregulation, but not through impulsivity or attachment insecurity. None of the three characteristics proved to be significant mediators in the effect of BPD on internalizing child behavior.

CONCLUSION

Examining the distinct contributions of three common core characteristics of BPD, difficulties in emotion regulation appear to be the relevant pathway through which maternal BPD affects externalizing psychopathology in children. Specifically, children of mothers with BPD who exhibit externalizing psychopathology could benefit from additional parenting interventions focusing on improving maternal emotion regulation.

Childhood maltreatment influences coping in youths with major depression and bipolar depression through resilience and impulsivity

Empirical research on the link between childhood maltreatment and coping styles in youths with depression remains scarce. This study explores the relationship between childhood maltreatment and coping styles in youths with major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar depression (BD). We recruited 277 youths with depression and 98 healthy controls (HC) using convenience sampling. Participants completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ-SF), the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), the adapted Chinese version of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 (BIS-11), and the Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire (SCSQ). Differences between groups were assessed using ANOVA and Chi-square tests. The mediating roles of resilience and impulsivity between childhood maltreatment and coping style were analyzed with the PROCESS macro for SPSS. Among youths with depression, resilience and impulsivity were found to mediate the relationship between childhood maltreatment and coping style, with resilience accounting for 37.75% and impulsivity 17.72% of the total effect. Additionally, childhood maltreatment indirectly influenced coping style through resilience, which subsequently affected impulsivity, explaining 7.95% of the total effect. No direct effect of childhood maltreatment on coping style was observed in the BD group, and impulsivity did not mediate this relationship in the HC group. The study highlights that childhood maltreatment is directly related to coping styles in youths with depression and indirectly affects them through resilience and impulsivity. These findings suggest that improving resilience and managing impulsivity could enhance positive coping styles in this population.

Neurobehavioural Correlates of Breath Meditation in Novice Adolescents: Insights from Anapanasati-based Paradigm

Background

Breath-awareness practices contribute to stress management and psychological well-being among adolescents. However, their neurobehavioural effects remain underexplored, specifically in the Indian developmental context.

Purpose

This study examined how breath-based Ānāpānasati meditation affects brain electrical activity and the subjective self-reported experiences in adolescent novice meditators posteriori a cognitive workload-inducing task.

Methods

Anapanasati meditation was adapted into a three-stage breath-awareness intervention framework and was administered to 45 novice adolescent meditators. Brain activity was investigated through electroencephalography (EEG), and neural oscillations were measured over the three stages, namely resting state (RS), breath counting (BC) and breath focus (BF). Further, adolescents' breath awareness self-reports were evaluated employing the Amsterdam Resting-State Questionnaire (ARSQ) following the BF stage and the breath count feedback (BCF) after the BC stage. Both the inventories displayed satisfactory psychometric properties, thus facilitating a neurobehavioural analysis in a cross-sectional within-subjects setting.

Results

Alpha oscillation was significantly increased throughout the intervention, indicating relaxation. Beta power in both the occipital and midline default mode network (DMN) regions during the count and focus stages exhibited significant positive associations with breath count, suggesting enhanced visual and cognitive processing. Blissfulness felt during counting breaths was also associated with enhanced state mindfulness, sharing a notable negative association with the theory of mind (TOM). State mindfulness further correlated with increased frontal alpha activity, while the theory of mind negatively predicted frontal alpha power. Lastly, exploratory analysis revealed gender differences, with females demonstrating greater frontal beta activity and state mindfulness.

Conclusion

Breath-awareness meditation can thus be effective for promoting relaxation and blissfulness in adolescents, with possible gender-based variations influencing its impact. Moreover, the positive association of prefrontal alpha with self-reported state mindfulness and its negative association with TOM underscored an inverse interplay between inward-focused mindfulness and outward-directed social cognitive states in adolescents.

Multimodal Assessment of Adolescent Coping with Family Conflict Incorporating Video-Mediated Recall Methodology

The strategies adolescents use to cope with stress are key determinants of psychological adjustment. Research has most often utilized questionnaire methods to assess coping, which can be limited by recall bias and broad time frames. This study used a novel application of video-mediated recall methodology to assess adolescent coping during discussion of a family conflict. We examined associations between coping, observed emotions and behavior, and internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Caregiver-adolescent dyads (N = 89; ages 10 to 15) completed questionnaires on adolescent coping, family conflict, and symptoms of psychopathology. Caregiver-adolescent dyads were videorecorded during a 10-min conflict task. Adolescents then participated in a video-mediated recall procedure to self-report their use of coping strategies while reviewing segments of the conflict task. In addition, video recordings were coded for adolescent emotions and behaviors. Bivariate correlations revealed modest correspondence between questionnaire and recalled reports of in-the-moment adolescent coping strategies. In-the-moment coping was associated with observed and reported emotional and behavioral problems across strategies. In multivariate analyses, questionnaire reports of coping were significantly associated with questionnaire reports of internalizing and externalizing psychopathology, while in-the-moment coping responses were uniquely associated with observed emotions and behaviors. Differences in questionnaire and laboratory measures of coping underscore the need for comprehensive assessment to capture the complexity of coping in adolescence and their unique influence on emotions and behaviors and suggest that questionnaire measures may be sufficient to understand associations with global reports of symptoms. The conceptual, methodological, and clinical implications of the present study are discussed.

Interweaving Threads: Untangling the Moderating Relationship of Parent-Child Conflict and Closeness in the Association Between Interparental Conflict and Emotion Regulation

The capacity to regulate emotions is central to children's physical, emotional, and mental well-being as they develop. The influence of adverse childhood experiences on diminished emotion regulation (ER) has been linked to internalizing and externalizing problem behaviours in both children and adolescents. This cross-sectional study, including 479 Canadian emerging adults aged 17-19 years, examined how exposure to different levels of interparental conflict (IPC) during childhood was associated with ER (i.e., expressive suppression and cognitive reappraisal) during emerging adulthood, and how parent-child closeness and parent-child conflict moderated this link. Findings revealed that at higher levels of parent-child closeness, IPC was associated with increased expressive suppression, while there were no significant differences in expressive suppression at lower levels of parent-child closeness. Similarly, IPC was more strongly associated with reduced cognitive reappraisal in the context of high parent-child conflict compared to low conflict. Findings from this work will inform interventional therapeutic and counselling practices to support the well-being of children and families.

Nursing Trauma and Coping: An Integrative Review

Nurses are exposed to traumatic situations in a plethora of settings. Continuous exposure to stressors and the inability to cope with trauma may result in the development of psychological disorders. An integrative review was conducted to analyze the state of the science concerning the impact of trauma in the nursing profession on nurses coping mechanisms. Inclusion criteria necessitated studies used qualitative or quantitative design, published in English language peer reviewed journals. A total of 25 studies met the inclusion criteria after full text review. The body of research is limited in experimental designs due to the nature of the issue. Thirteen qualitative studies, five mixed methods, and seven quantitative studies are included in the review. Social support was overwhelmingly identified as a coping mechanism for nurses. Spirituality and exercise were also noted as coping mechanisms for those in the nursing profession. More research is needed to explore potential negative coping mechanisms such as alcohol and drug use. Science could be advanced through the development of interventions aimed at increasing coping skills for nurses who may experience trauma while providing care.

Resilience, Stress, and Mental Health Among University Students: A Test of the Resilience Portfolio Model

In recent years, post-secondary students' mental health has become an important public health concern. However, studies examining protective factors of mental health among students and during challenging times are limited. Guided by the strength-based Resilience Portfolio Model and following a group of undergraduates (N = 1004) throughout the 2020/2021 academic year, this study examined multiple domains of resilience internal assets and external resources and simultaneously tested multiple protective mechanisms for student mental health using structural equation modelling. Results provided support for insulating effects: both internal assets such as emotion regulation and external recourses such as social network supportiveness and cultural fit in university (i.e., perceived congruity between students' personal and cultural selves and their university environment) were associated with reducing academic stress which in turn promoted student mental health at the end of the academic year. There was also support for additive effects: greater cultural fit in university was also directly related to better end-of-year student mental health. As cultural fit in university was associated both directly and indirectly with student mental health, creating an inclusive university community may help reduce student academic stress, lower student psychological distress and improve student subjective well-being.

Does Context Matter? Daily Diary Study Exploring the Effects of Stressor Intensity and Perceived Controllability on the Relationship Between Emotion Regulation and Affect in Adolescents

Theoretical accounts emphasize the importance of context sensitivity in emotion regulation, yet research often neglects this. This study explored how adolescents' use of three emotion regulation strategies-cognitive reappraisal, distraction, and rumination-interacted with stressor intensity and perceived controllability to influence daily emotions. A total of 249 adolescents participated in a daily diary study (Mage = 12.73, SDage = 0.78; 63.1% males). Adolescents reported their daily use of emotion regulation strategies, emotional states, and contextual factors. In high-intensity stress situations, reappraisal and distraction each showed associations with reductions in negative affect, whereas rumination was related to increases in negative affect. In low-intensity stress contexts, reappraisal was associated with decreases in positive affect, and no significant effects emerged for distraction or rumination. For perceived controllability, no impact on negative affect was found; however, positive affect increased in uncontrollable situations when levels of reappraisal and rumination were low. Overall, the findings underscore the importance of stressor intensity and perceived controllability, suggesting that distraction's effectiveness is less context-dependent than reappraisal and rumination. The current study hypotheses and data analytic plan were preregistered on The Open Science Framework at https://osf.io/dfhqx/ .

Mindfulness, coping, and disruptions as predictors of college student distress at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic

Methods: Students completed an online survey about pandemic-related disruptions, depressive symptoms, mindfulness, coping, and demographics.

Results: Students whose families had more financial difficulties reported more disruptions. Depression and avoidant coping were positively correlated with distress, while mindfulness was inversely correlated with distress and depression. Disruptions, family financial status, depressive symptoms, mindfulness, and avoidant coping significantly predicted distress, controlling for university site and student sex, age, race, and ethnicity in multiple regression analyses. Avoidant coping significantly moderated (amplified) the effect of disruptions on distress. Conclusions: College student well-being can be supported through Campus programming that includes mindfulness practices and alternatives to avoidant strategies for coping with stress.

Maternal emotion socialization trajectories in an early-childhood, predominantly White sample

Several developmental theories identify caregiver emotion socialization (ES) as predicting multiple child psychological outcomes, including anxiety. The present study delineated developmental trajectories of mothers' ES practices, specifically the initial levels and growth across time of their supportive and nonsupportive responses to their young children's emotions. To contextualize the developmental role of these processes, we examined multiple predictors (i.e., maternal emotion dysregulation, child negative emotionality, demographic covariates) and one outcome (i.e., child anxiety) of ES trajectories, as well as how trajectories varied by emotion type-sadness, anger, or worry. We investigated these questions in a community sample of 173 predominantly White, non-Hispanic mother-child dyads who participated at four time points when children were aged 2-5 years, with assessments 1 year apart. Mothers reported on study variables. Results varied by ES type. Mothers' supportive global and emotion-specific ES were highly stable across time and did not relate to predictors, outcomes, or demographic covariates. Mothers endorsed gradual decreases in nonsupportive ES across time, with some variations across emotion type. Nonsupportive responses to worry and sadness each comprised two classes varying by intercept and slope. Nonsupportive worry responses linearly decreased, whereas nonsupportive sadness responses linearly increased. Across global and emotion-specific models, maternal emotion dysregulation, child negative emotionality, and demographic covariates showed unique relations with nonsupportive ES intercept and slope. Trajectories were mostly unrelated to later child anxiety, with the exception of class-specific differences for nonsupportive worry responses. Implications and future directions are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Adaptive changes in infant emotion regulation persist three months following birthing parent receipt of cognitive behavioral therapy for postpartum depression

BACKGROUND

Infants exposed to postpartum depression (PPD) exhibit more emotion regulatory (ER) difficulties than infants who are not. While treatments for PPD that include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) may adaptively alter infant ER immediately following treatment, it is unclear if these improvements persist.

METHODS

This study examined if adaptive changes in infant ER persisted three months after their birthing parent completed 9-weeks of CBT for PPD. We used data from n = 35 case infants (of birthing parents diagnosed with a postpartum major depressive disorder), and n = 33 healthy control infants (born to non-depressed birthing parents and matched to case infants on age, sex and family SES). A multimethod assessment of infant ER included resting-state frontal EEG asymmetry (FA), high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV), and birthing parent- and partner-reported temperamental positive affect (PA). Infant ER was examined at three study visits (V1 occurred before CBT/at baseline for control infants, V2 took place immediately after CBT (9-weeks later), and V3 was three months after V2).

RESULTS

Three months after birthing parent CBT (V3), infants continued to exhibit greater left FA relative to pre-treatment [∆meanV1 to V3 = 0.19, [SE = 0.082], p = 0.02]-the pre-to-post treatment shift from right to left FA remained statistically significant at V3). HF-HRV at V3 also increased relative to pre-treatment [∆mV1 to V3 = 0.81, [0.19], p < 0.001], as did PA reported by birthing parents [∆mV1 to V3 = 0.64, [0.16], p < 0.001] and their partners [∆mV1 to V3 = 0.54, [0.18], p = 0.004]. No ER measures differed between case and control infants at the three-month visit.

CONCLUSIONS

Treating PPD may set infants on a persistent adaptive ER trajectory.

The mediating effect of parental monitoring in the association between parent-child relationship harmony and smartphone addiction: findings from a nationwide youth survey in China

BACKGROUND

The increasing prevalence of smartphone addiction among youth has raised concerns. Previous research has indicated that poor parent-child relationship can lead to youth smartphone addiction. However, parent-child relationship harmony involves multiple parties and is difficult to intervene in due to family authority and other factors. Focusing on the pathways between parent-child relationships harmony and smartphone addiction is crucial for preventing smartphone addiction. This study was conducted to examine the role of parental monitoring as a mediator and the role of self-control as a moderator in the association between the parent-child relationship harmony and smartphone addiction among Chinese youth.

METHODS

The nationwide survey included 9,270 youth in the Chinese mainland. The data collected included individual characteristics, smartphone addiction status, parent‒child relationship harmony, parental monitoring and self-control were collected. Sample weights were applied to ensure that the composition of our sample was consistent with the official statistics for each provincial-level administrative division on gender and school type. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the mediating effect of parental monitoring and the moderating effect of self-control in the association between the parent-child relationship harmony and smartphone addiction.

RESULTS

Among the 10,000 weighted participants, 5,166 (51.7%) were male, and 3,608 (36.0%) were aged 16 to 18 years. Parental monitoring mediated 48.14% (95% CI: 40.24 to 56.03) of the association between the parent‒child relationship harmony and smartphone addiction. The partial mediating effect of parental monitoring was differed across gender and age groups, and there was no significant heterogeneity. Moreover, self-control negatively moderated the indirect effects of parental monitoring on smartphone addiction (β = -0.12, 95% CI: -0.57 to -0.38), and the mediating effect of parental monitoring decreased as self-control increased.

CONCLUSION

Our study explored the association between parent-child relationship harmony and youth smartphone addiction, which appeared to be partially mediated by efficient parental monitoring. Self-control played a moderating role in the indirect pathway of the mediating effect.

Multicomponent approach reveals differences in affective responses among children and adolescents

Investigating age-related shifts in affective responses to emotionally salient stimuli is key to comprehending emotional development during childhood and adolescence. Most of the research regarding emotional experiences has focused on adults, while the understanding of the development of emotional experiences across childhood remains elusive. To address this gap, we explored whether physiological and behavioural responses as well as self-reported emotions elicited in children and adolescents by naturalistic stimuli differ from those in adults. We developed a set of emotional videos to elicit different emotions - fear, joy, anger, sadness, amusement, and tenderness - and measured emotional intensity ratings, electrocardiography, and eye movements from 8-15-year-old children and adults during the viewing of the videos. We identified age-related changes in all measured responses. Emotional intensity and behavioural responses varied across emotion categories. Furthermore, specific emotions showed different maturation patterns. The study highlights the importance of a multicomponent approach to accurately discern and understand emotional states.

Prevalence and correlates of nonsuicidal self-injury among youths in Singapore: findings from the National Youth Mental Health Study

BACKGROUND

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a common phenomenon; a recent meta-analysis of studies conducted among non-clinical adolescents reported a global lifetime prevalence rate of 22.0%. NSSI results in significant impairment and is associated with negative outcomes later in young adulthood. There is, however, a dearth of research on the occurrence of NSSI in Singapore's youth population. Past studies examining NSSI behaviours among youths in Singapore were conducted using clinical samples, which tend to report a higher prevalence compared to community samples. The present study aims to establish the prevalence of NSSI and examine its associated sociodemographic and psychosocial correlates in the general youth population.

METHODS

This study included 2600 youths aged 15-35 years who participated in the National Youth Mental Health Study, a nationwide cross-sectional survey of the mental health status of youths in Singapore. The Deliberate Self-Harm Inventory and Depression Anxiety Stress Scales Short Form were used to assess NSSI behaviours and mental health symptoms. Data on coping strategies, perceived social support and resilience were also collected.

RESULTS

The lifetime prevalence of NSSI among youths in Singapore was 25.0%, and the 12-month prevalence was found to be 6.8%. The median age of onset for lifetime NSSI was 14 years. Significantly higher odds of lifetime NSSI were observed among youths aged 15-29 years, females, and youths with lower educational attainment. Youths with severe and extremely severe symptoms of depression and anxiety and those with greater use of avoidance coping strategy were associated with higher odds of lifetime NSSI. Higher resilience scores were associated with lower odds of lifetime NSSI.

CONCLUSION

1 in 4 youths in Singapore had engaged in self-injurious behaviour at least once in their lifetime. Screening and early intervention programs could be targeted at the more vulnerable youth groups such as those in early- and mid- adolescence. Potential areas for future research and interventions could include resilience building and educating youths on adaptive coping strategies. The limitations of the cross-sectional study design and the use of self-reported data should be considered when interpreting the study findings.

Emotion Regulation in Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Related Interventions: A Scoping Review

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

Maladaptive emotion regulation (ER) and emotion dysregulation (ED) have long been associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) as etiological and maintaining factors. Despite building interest in the field along with ancillary research into "rage OCD" (likely an example of ED), targeting the relationship between OCD and ER/ED has been understudied in pediatric OCD populations. The aim of this review was to elucidate the current state of the literature regarding ER/ED, its relationship to pediatric OCD, and related interventions.

METHODS

A scoping review examined how ER/ED are related to OCD, particularly in pediatric populations, and the efficacy of interventions to affect ER/ED for youth, with a focus on youth diagnosed with OCD.

RESULTS

A total of 182 publications were reviewed. While not always consistent, a majority of studies found a significant relationship between measures of ER or ED and OCD broadly, as well as with specific OCD symptom dimensions. A number of previously existing interventions, adaptations of those interventions, and newly presented interventions were found to affect ER/ED in youth; however, few studies have effectively targeted ER/ED for pediatric OCD, specifically. As such, the mechanism of change is not well understood.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings from this review suggest that the increasing focus on ER/ED in pediatric OCD is warranted and in need of continued research. ER/ED can be effectively changed by interventions in youth, but the role ER/ED-change plays in pediatric OCD symptom improvement remains unclear. Implications for future study are examined.

Assessing emotion regulation difficulties in adolescents: validation and clinical utility of the difficulties in emotion regulation scale, 16-item

BACKGROUND

Emotion regulation difficulties have been identified as an underlying mechanism in the development and maintenance of psychopathology. The need to improve our understanding of emotion regulation difficulties to accurately assess and treat adolescents in child and adolescent psychiatric settings is essential.

METHOD

In the first part of the study, the psychometric qualities of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, 16-item version (DERS-16) were examined in a clinical child and adolescent psychiatric (CAP) sample. In the second part, the DERS-16 was used to examine emotion regulation difficulties in the CAP sample (N = 281, 15-19-year-olds, 77.6% female) and in a community sample of adolescents (N = 3,169, 16-19-year-olds, 55.6% female). Subgroups were further explored in the CAP sample by two-step cluster analysis with log-likelihood distance measures.

RESULTS

DERS-16 showed satisfactory psychometric qualities in the CAP sample. DERS-16 successfully distinguished adolescents in the clinical sample from adolescents in the community sample. Results showed significantly higher levels of self-reported emotion regulation difficulties in the CAP sample and in females. The two-step cluster analysis resulted in three clusters, named Minor, Moderate and Severe emotion regulation difficulties. Adolescents with the highest levels of emotion regulation difficulties had significantly more risk behaviors such as nonsuicidal self-injury and drug use, depression and anxiety, exposure to abuse, and higher levels of comorbidity.

CONCLUSIONS

DERS-16 successfully distinguished clinical from community adolescents. The results illustrate the importance of identifying adolescents with high levels of emotion regulation difficulties in child and adolescent psychiatry due to higher levels of comorbidity and risk behaviors.

Relationship Between Schizotypal Traits, Emotion Regulation, and Negative Affect in Children: A Network Analysis

BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS

Evidence suggests that emotion regulation is related to schizotypal traits and negative affect in adults. Few studies examined the interplay among these constructs in school-aged children. We examined the complex relationship between schizotypal traits, emotion regulation, and negative affect in children aged 9-12 years.

STUDY DESIGN

One-thousand-and-nineteen children completed the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire-children (SPQ-C), the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21), and the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire for Children and Adolescence (ERQ-CA). Using subscales of these measures as nodes, we estimated a partial correlation network. We estimated a Directed Acyclic Graph to explore the putative directional relationship between schizotypal traits, emotion regulation, and negative affect. Node and bridge centrality indices were estimated.

RESULTS

We found positive correlations between schizotypal dimensions and negative affect (depressed mood, anxiety, and stress) in the network. Emotion suppression was positively correlated with interpersonal and disorganized schizotypal dimensions, and negative affect. Emotion reappraisal was positively correlated with the cognitive-perceptual dimension and negatively correlated with interpersonal schizotypal traits, depressed mood, and stress. Stress showed higher strength than all nodes except depressed mood, and stress showed the highest expected influence (EI). The Bayesian network revealed that schizotypal traits appeared to be driven by stress. Network comparisons preliminarily showed higher EI for emotion reappraisal in girls' than boys' networks, and significant impacts of age and schizotypy levels on network patterns.

CONCLUSION

Children with higher levels of schizotypal traits may have more negative affect and suppression. Stress appears to drive schizotypal traits.

Feeling socially connected to others is linked to better emotion regulation in adolescent girls' daily lives: An ecological momentary assessment study

Developing effective emotion regulation ability to manage negative emotion (NE) is critical during adolescence. Social baseline theory posits social connectedness may impact adolescents' everyday emotion regulation. This study examined the relation between social connectedness and NE after a negative social interaction (emotion regulation) and whether contextual factors moderate the association. Adolescent girls (N = 114; Mage = 12.26, SD = 0.8) from a midsized Midwestern U.S. city (67.5% White, 19.3% Black/African American, 9.6% biracial, 1.8% Asian, 1.8% Native American/other race; 8.8% Latinx) completed a 16-day ecological momentary assessment (EMA) protocol, reporting current NE, current social context and social connectedness, peak NE, and receipt of co-regulatory support. Multilevel models were used to examine direct associations of social connectedness on emotion regulation, defined as current NE regressed on peak NE, and moderation of the social connectedness-emotion regulation association by social context, co-regulatory support, and adolescent shyness. Greater within- and between-person social connectedness was associated with better emotion regulation (greater reductions in NE). However, the within-person association depended on girls' social context: Compared to being with solely peers and/or non-family, being with family was associated with a weaker association between social connectedness and emotion regulation. Similarly, receiving in-the-moment co-regulatory support was associated with a weakened link between within-person social connectedness and emotion regulation, which appeared to be driven by reports of co-rumination. Results indicate that social connectedness is associated with better emotion regulation among girls, particularly in interactions with peers and non-family compared to family, highlighting the value of social connection with peers and non-family members. However, co-rumination disrupts the benefits of social connectedness, suggesting social connectedness is not beneficial during maladaptive co-regulatory processes.

Factors affecting psychological resilience, self-efficacy and job satisfaction of nurse academics: A cross-sectional study

AIM

The study aimed to determine the factors affecting psychological resilience, self-efficacy and job satisfaction in nurse academics.

BACKGROUND

Nurse academics follow an emotionally and mentally intense career path, along which they are required to balance many different roles and responsibilities, including teaching, research and guidance. However, in some cases, this equilibrium is disrupted and may cause functional disruptions; in achieving this balance, resilience, self-efficacy and job satisfaction play important roles.

METHODS

The data of this cross-sectional study were collected between January and April 2023, and 446 nurse academics were included in the study. The Descriptive Characteristics Information Form, Brief Psychological Resilience Scale (BPRS), General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES) and Job Satisfaction Scale (JSS) were used to collect the research data.We adhered to the STROBE checklist for reporting.

RESULTS

A significant positive relationship was found between general self-efficacy levels and psychological resilience and job satisfaction levels. There is a significant positive relationship between job satisfaction levels and age, total years of service, psychological resilience and general self-efficacy levels. In addition, it has been noted that family relationships, friend relationships and academic title factors were effective on the nurse academics' psychological resilience, self-efficacy and job satisfaction levels.

CONCLUSION

Managers can play an important role in increasing the psychological resilience, self-efficacy and job satisfaction levels of nurse academics by developing strategies for these effective factors.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING AND NURSING POLICY

Governments need to ensure that nurse academics have an appropriate career framework that enables them to balance the competing demands on their time and that they have adequate mentoring and support in the early stages of their careers to enable them to adapt to working life as a nurse academic.

Interpersonal emotion regulation and depressive symptoms in parent-adolescent dyads: A daily-diary investigation

Deficient parental extrinsic interpersonal emotion regulation (IER, how people regulate others' emotions) is a known risk factor for adolescent depression. Although IER and depression development are transactional, dyadic processes, previous work has almost exclusively focused on how parental IER is associated with adolescent depression. The association between parental IER and adolescent depression, and the associations between adolescent IER and adolescent and parental depression have received little attention. Moreover, most studies have focused on the regulation of negative but not positive affect. We address these gaps by examining associations between parent and adolescent IER and depressive symptoms using the actor-partner interdependence model framework. For 28 days, 112 parent-adolescent dyads (12-18-year-old adolescents) completed a dyadic daily diary, reporting their own depressive symptoms and IER strategies employed in response to dyad members' positive and negative affect. Our results, based on 5,442 data points, show that the use of positive- and negative-affect-worsening IER is associated with more depression in the regulator (be it parent or adolescent). Surprisingly, parents' use of more negative-affect-improving IER was associated with higher levels of their own and adolescents' depression. Finally, adolescents' use of positive-affect-improving IER was associated with their own decreased depression. Overall, parents (vs. adolescents) used more negative- and positive-affect-improving extrinsic IER, whereas adolescents used more positive-affect-worsening extrinsic IER. Our results highlight the importance of using dyadic designs in studying depression and IER, as well as the need to consider who is regulating, the valence of the affect regulated, and the type of strategy used. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Risk and Protective Factors for the Evolution of Subthreshold Depression During Early Adolescence

PURPOSE

Subthreshold depression refers to a condition involving clinically significant depressive symptoms that fall short of meeting the diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder (MDD). Identifying risk and protective factors associated with the progression of subthreshold depression in early life is essential for timely prevention. However, there is limited research on this topic among early adolescents.

METHODS

This study analyzed data from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development study to investigate the factors influencing the progression of subthreshold depression in individuals aged 9-13 years. Among 1,020 participants identified with subthreshold depression using the Child Behavior Checklist, 3 clinical outcomes were examined: developing MDD, persistent subthreshold depression, and remission from subthreshold depression. Using 31 diathesis-stress-related variables covering demographics, mental and physical health, and environmental factors, logistic regression was employed.

RESULTS

Compared to baseline healthy controls, adolescents with subthreshold depression had a 5.7-fold odds ratio for converting to MDD. Behavioral inhibition and traumatic experiences were identified as key risk factors in the transition from subthreshold depression to MDD. Individuals with subthreshold depression who exhibited traits of lack of perseverance, recent social deprivation, and school disengagement were likely to remain in subthreshold depression. Those who experienced remission from subthreshold depression had no family psychiatric history and experienced a good school environment.

DISCUSSION

Our study highlights the possible associations among maintaining regular sleep, using behavioral activation and resilience-based therapies, and fostering school belonging with enhanced prognosis for adolescents. Further research is needed to explore whether these interventions can reduce the risk of developing MDD.

Emotion regulation styles and the tendency to learn from academic failures

BACKGROUND

Research on learners' reactions to failure finds negative emotions may present an obstacle for learning; a painful experience of failure may result in disengagement and avoidance. However, research on styles of emotion regulation and learning from failure is scarce. Self-determination theory's (SDT) conception of adaptive and maladaptive emotion regulation differentiates among three styles of regulation: integrative emotion regulation (IER), suppressive emotion regulation (SER) and amotivated emotion regulation.

AIMS

Two studies were conducted, one cross-sectional and one longitudinal, to test the associations between IER and learning from failure among adolescents.

SAMPLE

Study 1 comprised 184 adolescents (mean age = 16.55; SD = 1.2). Study 2 comprised 565 adolescents (8-12 graders). The main analysis was based on 192 adolescents' perceptions of failing math grades.

METHOD

Study 1 surveyed adolescents on their emotion regulation styles, adaptive and maladaptive coping practices when dealing with failure and tendency to learn from failure. Study 2 was longitudinal and focused on failure in math. We approached participants twice, before and after the math test.

CONCLUSIONS

In both studies, IER was related to adaptive coping practices and the tendency to learn from failure. In Study 2, adaptive coping practices mediated relations between IER and learning from failure in math and learning from failure mediated relations between IER and future engagement. These findings suggest that styles of emotion regulation play an important role in learning from failure.

Emotional and psychosocial functioning in youngsters with a congenital heart disease (CHD) in comparison to healthy controls

OBJECTIVE

Due to their medical vulnerability, youngsters with congenital heart disease (CHD) may experience more overwhelming emotions than healthy peers. This multi-informant-based study aims to examine differences between these youngsters and their peers in psychosocial functioning, attachment and emotion regulation.

STUDY DESIGN

217 youngsters (8-18 years) with CHD (53.9 % boys, 46.1 % girls) were compared to 232 healthy controls (52.6 % boys, 47.4 % girls) matched for gender, age and education. Participants and parents completed online self-report questionnaires assessing psychosocial functioning (SDQ), attachment (ECR-RC), and maladaptive Emotion Regulation Strategies (ERS; FEEL-KJ).

RESULTS

Based on child's self-reports MANOVA's showed no significant differences between the groups in psychosocial functioning. However, based on parent reports, differences were found between the groups in psychosocial functioning for the total scales and overarching subscales. No differences were found between the groups for insecure attachment to either parent. However, youngsters with CHD and their fathers reported more use of self-devaluation compared to controls (p = .03). Other maladaptive ERS (giving up, withdrawal, rumination, aggressive actions) showed no differences.

CONCLUSIONS

Care interventions for children with CHD should address medical, emotional, and social needs, with a focus on multi-informant evaluations to support emotional well-being. Nurses are important partners in detecting psychosocial difficulties and providing family support. Patient- and family-centered care involves patients, parents and caregivers in the care plan, recognizing their key role, especially as youngsters often perceive their psychosocial health differently than their parents. Although differences were noted compared to the control group, the study's cross-sectional design limits conclusions on evolution with time.

Investigating the relationship between goal orientation, self-efficacy, positive emotionality, and affective engagement among Chinese students

This study delved into the complex interplay between self-efficacy, achievement goals, positive emotions, and affective engagement among university students in China. To achieve this, a stratified random sampling technique was employed, resulting in a sample of 391 students from four geographically distinct universities across China. The data collection relied on self-reported questionnaires that measured academic self-efficacy, goal orientation (specifically focusing on mastery versus performance goals), positive emotions, and various aspects of affective engagement, including enjoyment, satisfaction, and interest in learning. Structural equation modeling (SEM) served as the primary statistical tool to analyze the hypothesized relationships between these variables. The analysis revealed a network of positive associations, indicating that students with higher levels of self-efficacy and positive emotionality reported experiencing greater affective engagement in their academic pursuits. Furthermore, a stronger mastery goal orientation was associated with increased enjoyment, satisfaction, and interest in learning. Self-efficacy and positive emotionality also indirectly influenced affective engagement through goal orientation, suggesting that students with higher self-belief and positive emotions were more likely to adopt mastery goals, leading to more positive learning experiences. This study highlights the importance of self-efficacy, positive emotionality, and goal orientation in shaping students' affective engagement. By fostering these factors, educators can create more positive and engaging learning environments for university students.

Dampening of positive affect partially accounts for the association between women's history of child maltreatment and current depressive symptoms

BACKGROUND

Child maltreatment exerts lasting effects on emotion regulation, which in turn accounts for adult's risk for psychopathology such as depression. In this vulnerable population, deficits in emotion regulation of negative affect are well established and include reliance on emotional suppression and rumination strategies. In contrast, alterations in the regulation of positive affect associated with child maltreatment history are less understood. We examined the role of positive rumination and dampening of positive affect, two emotion regulation strategies that may be impaired by the experience of child maltreatment and are associated with depression risk. We hypothesized that alterations in positive rumination and dampening would explain the association between women's childmaltreatment history and heightened risk for current depressive symptoms. To determine if positive affect regulation accounts for unique variance between child maltreatment history and depression risk we controlled for brooding rumination.

METHODS

Undergraduate women (n = 122) completed surveys on child maltreatment, depressive symptoms, and their tendency to dampen or engage in positive rumination in response to positive affect, reflecting cross-sectional data. The PROCESS macro, model 4 was run in SPSS to examine the extent to which emotion regulation strategies accounted for the association between child maltreatment history and current depressive symptoms.

RESULTS

Child maltreatment history was associated with a higher tendency to dampen positive affect but was not linked with positive rumination. Dampening partially explained the link between child maltreatment and women's current depressive symptoms. Dampening and brooding rumination each accounted for unique variance in the association between child maltreatment and depressive symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

Results suggest that emotion suppression strategies among child maltreatment survivors may also extend to positive affect, with impairments in specific regulation strategies. Currently dysphoric women with a history of child maltreatment tend to dampen their positive moods and reactions to events as well as ruminate on their dysphoric moods, both tendencies accounted for unique variance in current depression risk. Longitudinal research is warranted to clarify the role of alterations in positive emotion regulations strategies in understanding how child maltreatment fosters risk for psychopathology such as depression.

Coping in youth living with chronic pain: A systematic review of qualitative evidence

Background

Chronic pain is progressively receiving attention as a universal public health priority. It is anticipated that there will be an increase in the prevalence of chronic pain in the coming years, particularly among youth. Chronic pain can be stressful and have a significant impact on young people and their family.

Aims

The aim of this systematic review was to synthesize the best available qualitative evidence on the coping experiences of youth living with chronic pain and to note whether there were any differences in their coping experiences.

Methods

A multi-database search was conducted including child development and adolescent studies. CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Embase, and Scopus were searched for eligible English-language articles from inception to December 2023. Out of 1625 article titles and abstracts screened for eligibility, 280 articles underwent full-text screening, with 20 ultimately meeting all inclusion criteria. We conducted a thematic analysis of data extracted from the 20 reviewed articles.

Results

We arrived at two synthesized findings. A Different Way of Being considers the experience of being a youth with chronic pain. Learning to Get By looks at the coping strategies youth use to manage their chronic pain and involved youth using self-directed strategies, as well as relying on external supports.

Conclusions

It is apparent from these synthesized findings that youths' lives have been significantly impacted by chronic pain. Findings from this study can be used to support the care and well-being of youth living with chronic pain.

Adolescents' Self and Bullying Victimisation: The Key Role of Gender

Background/Objectives: The primary factors influencing victimisation in bullying have recently become a topic of debate in the psychological literature. This research sought to explore the association between self-criticism (as captured in terms of inadequate self, hated self, and reassured self) and bullying victimisation, also addressing the moderating effects of gender. Methods: This study relies on a cross-sectional research design, enrolling a sample of 328 adolescents (Mage = 14.93; SDage = 0.81; 162 females, 49.4%). Participants completed a short questionnaire about their age, gender, and family's socio-economic status. They also answered questions from the Forms of Self-Criticising/Attacking and Self-Reassuring Scale and the Florence Bullying and Victimisation Scales. Results: Statistical analysis indicated gender moderated only the interplay between hated self and bullying victimisation. Conclusions: Through a multidimensional approach, these findings provided further insight into the primary factors of self to the phenomenon of bullying victimisation, also yielding further evidence about the key role of gender during a critical developmental stage, such as adolescence. Limitations, implications, and future research directions are discussed.

Deviation from the balanced time perspective and depression and anxiety symptoms: the mediating roles of cognitive-behavioral emotion regulation in a cross-cultural model

Background

Time perspective (TP) influences how individuals perceive and classify their past, present, and future, impacting their cognition, behavior, and psychological outcomes. Deviation from the balanced time perspective (DBTP) is associated with mental health problems (e.g., depression and anxiety). Emotion regulation (ER) encompasses cognitive and behavioral processes to regulate emotions, with maladaptive strategies like rumination and withdrawal linked to depression and anxiety. Despite extensive research on TP and ER, their joint impact, particularly in the context of depression and anxiety, and cultural differences remain underexplored.

Method

Participants (N = 513 Iranian, N = 470 Turkish) completed self-report questionnaires on time perspective, cognitive and behavioral ER, anxiety, and depression symptoms. A moderated mediation model was assessed, incorporating the exogenous variable of DBTP, with ER strategies as mediators, and endogenous variables of depressive and anxiety symptoms. The model accounted for cultural variations in the paths as a moderator.

Results

Significant associations were found between DBTP, ER strategies, depression, and anxiety symptoms. Mediation analyses revealed that both cognitive and behavioral ER strategies (except for adaptive behavioral ER strategies) significantly mediated the associations between DBTP and depression and anxiety. Additionally, multigroup analyses suggested that these mediating effects were consistent across Iranian and Turkish samples, with exceptions in adaptive cognitive ER strategies.

Conclusion

The study highlights the crucial role of TPs and ER strategies in predicting anxiety and depression symptoms, with notable cultural nuances. Specifically, maladaptive strategies exacerbate symptoms, while adaptive strategies mitigate them primarily in Iranian contexts. Cultural subtleties are discussed in detail.

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 link between adolescent girls' interpersonal emotion regulation with parents and peers and depressive symptoms: A real-time investigation

Adolescents often experience heightened socioemotional sensitivity warranting their use of regulatory strategies. Yet, little is known about how key socializing agents help regulate teens' negative emotions in daily life and implications for long-term adjustment. We examined adolescent girls' interpersonal emotion regulation (IER) with parents and peers in response to negative social interactions, defined as parent and peer involvement in the teen's enactment of emotion regulation strategies. We also tested associations between rates of daily parental and peer IER and depressive symptoms, concurrently and one year later. Adolescent girls (N = 112; Mage = 12.39) at temperamental risk for depressive disorders completed a 16-day ecological momentary assessment protocol measuring reactivity to negative social interactions, parental and peer IER, and current negative affect. Results indicated that adolescents used more adaptive strategies with peers and more maladaptive strategies with parents in daily life. Both parental and peer IER down-regulated negative affect, reflected by girls' decreased likelihood of experiencing continued negative affect. Higher proportions of parental adaptive IER predicted reduced depressive symptoms one year later. Findings suggest that both parents and peers effectively help adolescent girls down-regulate everyday negative emotions; however, parents may offer more enduring benefits for long-term adjustment.

Predicting hostility towards women: incel-related factors in a general sample of men

Hostility towards women is a type of prejudice that can have adverse effects on women and society, but research on predictors of men's hostility towards women is limited. The present study primarily introduced predictors associated with misogynist involuntary celibates (incels), and then investigated whether loneliness, rejection, attractiveness, number of romantic and sexual partners, right-wing authoritarianism, and gaming predicted hostility towards women among a more general sample of men. A total of 473 men (aged 18-35, single, heterosexual, UK residents) recruited via Prolific answered the hostile sexism subscale, the misogyny scale, the self-perceived sexual attractiveness scale, the right-wing authoritarianism scale, the game addiction scale for adolescents, the adult rejection-sensitivity scale, the UCLA loneliness scale, and self-developed questions regarding number of sexual and romantic partners, and time spent gaming. We found a strong positive relationship between right-wing authoritarianism and hostility towards women, as well as a strong convex curvilinear relationship between attractiveness and hostility towards women. The number of sexual partners showed a moderate concave relationship with hostility towards women. We did not find sufficient support for a relationship between gaming and hostility towards women, and there was no support that loneliness, rejection, or romantic partners predicted hostility towards women among a general sample of men. Our study supports right-wing authoritarianism and self-perceived attractiveness as potential strong predictors in understanding men's hostility towards women in the wider community. Pre-registration: https://osf.io/ms3a4.

COVID-19 Stress and Coping Among Black Youth: The Role of Socio-Emotional Community Mentor Support

This study examined associations between COVID-19 stress and the utilization of engaged and disengaged coping responses among diverse Black youth during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the role of mentor social-emotional support was tested as a moderator of these associations. Participants were 1232 youth ages 11 to 18 year old from the United States who identified as Black/African American. Analyses indicated that COVID-19 stress was positively associated with both engaged and disengaged coping. Results also showed a significant interaction between COVID-19 stress and mentor social-emotional support in the prediction of engaged coping, such that COVID-19 stress positively predicted engaged coping more pronouncedly at lower levels of mentor support than at higher levels of mentor support. Similarly, there was also a significant interaction between COVID-19 stress and mentor social-emotional support in predicting disengaged coping, such that at low levels of mentor support, COVID-19 stress was marginally associated with disengaged coping. At high levels of mentor support, COVID-19 stress was no longer significantly associated with disengaged coping. The current study highlights that the social-emotional support of mentors can attend to the psychosocial strengths of Black youth even in the face of concurrent, ongoing stressors.

Exploring reciprocal links between early adolescent coping and internalizing symptoms

INTRODUCTION

The rising prevalence of depression and anxiety among adolescents is a public health concern. Early adolescence is a key developmental period to reduce risks for internalizing symptoms through primary prevention programs, yet additional research is needed on modifiable factors, such as coping skills, to target to mitigate risk factors. Therefore, we investigated the reciprocal link between coping style and internalizing symptoms among a racially/ethnically diverse sample of early adolescents (n = 1273) from 12 middle schools over 1 year.

METHODS

We leveraged a longitudinal data set of a cluster, randomized trial of a preventive intervention from 12 middle schools in a large public-school district in the United States to test our hypotheses using multilevel modeling. The sample was 49% female and racially/ethnically diverse (39% Hispanic/Latinx, 23% Black/African American, 12% Asian or Pacific Islander, 11% other, 9% White, and 5% multiracial). Participants (ages 12-14) completed a baseline questionnaire in 7th grade (Spring 2018) and a 1-year follow-up questionnaire in 8th grade (Spring 2019).

RESULTS

Depressive and anxious symptoms affected levels of active and avoidant coping skill use over the 1-year period of the study, indicating that symptoms can be an impetus for maladaptive coping. We also identified bidirectional links between active coping and depression in addition to avoidant coping and anxiety.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings have implications for augmenting coping psychoeducation within prevention programs to reduce internalizing symptoms among early adolescents and for future longitudinal and qualitative research exploring how coping skills reduce risks for internalizing symptoms throughout adolescence and into early adulthood.

Family communication and courageous coping in Korean adolescents and young adults: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE

Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer are a vulnerable population during a critical developmental transition that can benefit from the adoption of courageous coping. Parental support is crucial in enhancing adjustment and coping skills. The linkage between parent-adolescent communication (PAC) and the use of courageous coping (UCC), however, remains unclear. This study examined the association between PAC and UCC and possible mediators of this relationship among Korean AYAs with cancer.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional, correlational study, self-report data were collected from 144 AYAs aged 11-26 years. A path analytic approach was employed using a hierarchical regression model to test for the direct relationship between PAC and UCC and the indirect effects of a proposed primary mediator (family cohesion) and two intermediary mediators (uncertainty of illness, hope) on PAC-UCC relationship.

RESULTS

The mean age of the sample was 17 years (SD = 3.8), with 42% currently receiving cancer treatment. Greater PAC was significantly associated with increased UCC (mother figure: p = .0024, father figure: p  = .0042). Increased family cohesion significantly mediated the PAC-UCC relationship, indicated by a diminished PAC-UCC relationship after controlling for family cohesion (mother: p = .2753; father: p = .8107). Mediated mediation models indicated that increased hope stemming from decreased uncertainty was the mechanism through which family cohesion impacted the PAC-UCC relationship.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings underscore that greater PAC can facilitate UCC among Korean AYAs with cancer and provide insights for therapeutic parent-child communication. Results further demonstrate the complex mediating role of fostering family cohesion, reducing uncertainty, and fostering hope can play in the PAC-UCC relationship.

Increasing Access to Mental Health Supports for 18- to 25-Year-Old Indigenous Youth With the JoyPop Mobile Mental Health App: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

Transitional-aged youth have a high burden of mental health difficulties in Canada, with Indigenous youth, in particular, experiencing additional circumstances that challenge their well-being. Mobile health (mHealth) approaches hold promise for supporting individuals in areas with less access to services such as Northern Ontario.

OBJECTIVE

The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the JoyPop app in increasing emotion regulation skills for Indigenous transitional-aged youth (aged 18-25 years) on a waitlist for mental health services when compared with usual practice (UP). The secondary objectives are to (1) evaluate the impact of the app on general mental health symptoms and treatment readiness and (2) evaluate whether using the app is associated with a reduction in the use (and therefore cost) of other services while one is waiting for mental health services.

METHODS

The study is a pragmatic, parallel-arm randomized controlled superiority trial design spanning a 4-week period. All participants will receive UP, which involves waitlist monitoring practices at the study site, which includes regular check-in phone calls to obtain any updates regarding functioning. Participants will be allocated to the intervention (JoyPop+UP) or control (UP) condition in a 1:1 ratio using stratified block randomization. Participants will complete self-report measures of emotion regulation (primary outcome), mental health, treatment readiness, and service use during 3 assessments (baseline, second [after 2 weeks], and third [after 4 weeks]). Descriptive statistics pertaining to baseline variables and app usage will be reported. Linear mixed modeling will be used to analyze change in outcomes over time as a function of condition assignment, while a cost-consequence analysis will be used to evaluate the association between app use and service use.

RESULTS

Recruitment began September 1, 2023, and is ongoing. In total, 2 participants have completed the study.

CONCLUSIONS

This study will assess whether the JoyPop app is effective for Indigenous transitional-aged youth on a waitlist for mental health services. Positive findings may support the integration of the app into mental health services as a waitlist management tool.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05991154; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05991154.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID)

DERR1-10.2196/64745.

Emotion Regulation, Peer Acceptance and Rejection, and Emotional-Behavioral Problems in School-Aged Children

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

Children showing emotional-behavioral problems experience lower psychosocial well-being concurrently and in later stages. Developmental research suggests that emotion regulation abilities and the quality of peer relationships play a central role in predicting several behavioral and emotional difficulties. The present study investigates the way emotion regulation skills and peer acceptance and rejection contribute to behavior problems in a sample of Italian schoolers, also verifying the role of gender.

METHODS

The participants were 220 children (97 boys) aged between 7 and 9 years attending four primary schools in northern Italy. The level of social acceptance and rejection of each child was measured using the sociometric technique of Peer Nomination. In addition, the Emotion Regulation Checklist filled in by the teachers, and the Child Behavior Checklist, completed by the parents, were used to assess children's emotion regulation abilities and the presence of behavior difficulties, respectively.

RESULTS

The main results confirm that behavioral problems are both negatively associated with emotional regulation skills and positively with the social rejection level. However, the impact of peer rejection on the manifestation of problem behavior is fully mediated by children's ability to regulate their emotions. Interestingly, this pattern of interrelationships only applies to male participants.

CONCLUSIONS

The study helps to clarify the mechanism through which the degree of peer rejection influences emotional-behavioral difficulties and emphasizes the importance of considering gender-specific processes within interpersonal risk models of problem behavior.

Psychological stressors of imprisonment and coping of older incarcerated persons: a qualitative interview study

BACKGROUND

Imprisonment has a major impact on a person's psychological well-being. The proportion of older imprisoned persons is dramatically increasing worldwide, and they are likely to have greater physical and mental health needs compared to younger persons in prisons. However, there is currently a lack of research on the psychological stressors and the coping strategies of older imprisoned persons. This study therefore aims to explore the key psychological stressors experienced by older imprisoned persons and their coping strategies.

METHODS

Individual semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted between April 2017 and December 2018 with a purposive sample of 79 participants from 2 different groups in Switzerland: older imprisoned persons (n = 50) and mental health professionals (n = 29) with experience working in prisons. Transcripts were analysed using conventional content analysis.

RESULTS

This study has identified various ways in which the prison environment not only undermines older incarcerated persons´ psychological well-being, but also their ability to manage the stress they are experiencing. Two overarching psychological stressors identified were a lack of physical and emotional closeness in social relationships (with prison staff, with other incarcerated persons, and outside of prison), and the loss of autonomy in prison. Participants reported five main ways that older incarcerated persons coped with the psychological stressors in prison: 1) recognising a lack of control over situation, 2) withdrawing and isolating, 3) self-improvement, 4) staying connected to the outside world, and 5) self-expression.

CONCLUSIONS

To improve the psychological well-being of older incarcerated persons, there is a need for: specialised training of prison staff regarding hardships that elderly persons can face in prison relationships, encouragement and enablement of social contacts with the outside world, and increasing possibilities for autonomy, new challenges, and thus stimuli within a limited setting.

Cross-sectional study of cybervictimisation and non-suicidal self-injury among college students in China: a chain mediation effect of emotion dysregulation and social exclusion

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to elucidate the relationship between cybervictimisation and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) behaviours among college students in China, with a particular focus on the mediating roles of emotion dysregulation and social exclusion.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among a convenience sample of college students.

SETTING

The study was performed among college students from public universities in Hunan Province, China, between October 26 and November 26, 2023.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 1467 college students aged 19.52±1.16 years participated in the survey.

OUTCOME MEASURES

Data were collected through an online questionnaire that included a general information form, the Ottawa Self-Injury Inventory, the Brief Cyberbullying and Cybervictimisation Scale, the Social Exclusion Questionnaire for Chinese Undergraduates and the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale.

RESULTS

The study sample consisted of 1467 college students, with a mean age of 19.52±1.16 years. Pearson's correlation analysis revealed significant positive correlations between NSSI behaviours and cybervictimisation (r=0.58, p<0.01), social exclusion (r=0.64, p<0.01) and emotion dysregulation (r=0.69, p<0.01). Multivariate regression analysis identified significant predictors of NSSI behaviours, including gender (β=0.06, p<0.05), being a left-behind child (β=-0.20, p<0.05), being the only child (β=0.07, p<0.05), cybervictimisation (β=0.32, p<0.001), emotion dysregulation (β=0.41, p<0.001) and social exclusion (β=0.15, p<0.001). Mediation effect analysis revealed a chain mediation effect where cybervictimisation influenced NSSI behaviours through the mediating roles of emotion dysregulation and subsequent social exclusion (all p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

This study confirms previous research by highlighting the positive relationship between cybervictimisation and NSSI behaviours, and advances the field by identifying a chain mediation effect involving emotion dysregulation and social exclusion among this relationship. These findings highlight the critical need to incorporate strategies for managing both emotion dysregulation and social exclusion in the prevention and intervention of NSSI behaviours among adolescents exposed to cybervictimisation.

Emotion regulation strategy and its relationship with emotional dysregulation in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: behavioral and brain findings

Important associations between emotional dysregulation (ED) and ADHD have been identified in adults, with a key manifestation of this being differential use of emotion regulation strategies: reduced use of cognitive reappraisal (CR), but elevated expressive suppression (ES). These associations have been observed at both behavioral and neuroimaging levels. The present study aims to explore the use of CR and ES in children with ADHD, and their relationship to ED. 148 children with ADHD and 265 healthy controls (age 9-16 years) were recruited and evaluated and correlated their ED, CR, and ES. Resting-state fMRI functional connectivity, with 6 amygdala subregions as regions-of-interest, were analyzed in a subsample to identify potential neural correlates. Children with ADHD showed significant higher ED, and lower use of both CR and ES. A significant negative correlation was found between CR and ED. Mediation analysis indicated that CR has an indirect influence on the relationship between ADHD diagnosis and ED. In the neuroimaging analyses, the functional connectivity between the right superficial amygdala and left middle occipital gyrus showed a significant group-by-ES interaction, highlighting potential neural correlates for elevated ED in children with ADHD. Children with ADHD expressed elevated levels of ED, and used less CR and ES compared to healthy controls. The lower use of ES may relate to abnormal amygdala connectivity in children with ADHD. This finding suggested that brain immaturity in children may preclude effective deployment of ES in emotion regulation processes.

Unpacking the Mood States of Children and Youth in Saskatchewan, Canada, in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Insights from the "See Us, Hear Us 2.0" Study

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

The COVID-19 pandemic created a growing need for insights into the mental health of children and youth and their use of coping mechanisms during this period. We assessed mood symptoms and related factors among children and youth in Saskatchewan. We examined if coping abilities mediated the relationship between risk factors and mood states.

METHODS

"See Us, Hear Us 2.0", a cross-sectional study of 563 child-parent dyads, provided the data. The dependent variable, current mood state, was measured by the CoRonavIruS health Impact Survey (CRISIS) scale. Independent variables included sociodemographics, behaviors, household conditions, and coping ability. Multiple linear regression and mediation analyses were conducted, ensuring sample representativeness with sampling weights and addressing missing data through multiple imputations.

RESULTS

The participants reported mood symptoms ("moderate" to "extreme") ranging from 23% to 38% on the CRISIS scale. Factors such as older children, hybrid learning, disrupted activities, and increased screen time worsened moods. The ethnic minority groups (BIPOC) living in mid-sized cities/towns experienced more negative moods compared to Whites residing in cities. Coping ability mediated the relationship between extracurricular activities and mood states.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results underscore the importance of tailored interventions, recognizing the diverse needs of specific age groups, gender identities, and ethnicities and addressing the adverse effects of the pandemic-related disruptions on the mental health and well-being of school children in Saskatchewan. Our study also suggests prioritizing the diverse needs of children and youth during the planning and implementation of mental health services in the province.

Smoking as a Marker of Comorbid Vulnerability Among Persons with Probable Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Who Engage in Hazardous Drinking

Background: Persons with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) compared to those without evince high rates of hazardous drinking, or patterns of alcohol consumption that increase the risk for harmful consequences. One potential marker of vulnerability for PTSD-hazardous drinking comorbidity may be smoking behavior. Individuals with PTSD have a higher prevalence of smoking and smoke at higher rates. Smokers, compared to nonsmokers, are more apt to engage in hazardous alcohol use. Notably, there is a need to expand research on smoking in the context of PTSD and hazardous drinking to inform treatment of these morbidities. Objective: The present cross-sectional investigation sought to examine smoking status as a marker of risk among persons with probable PTSD who engage in hazardous drinking (N = 647; Mage = 38.90 years, SD = 10.71; 51.2% female). Results: Results indicated that trauma-exposed smokers, compared to non-smokers, evinced greater severity of PTSD symptoms, depression, emotion regulation difficulties, hazardous drinking, and substance use problems, with small effect sizes. No statistically significant group differences were found for anxiety symptom severity. Secondary analyses among only smokers supported an interrelation between cigarette dependence and each of the criterion variables that demonstrated statistically significant group differences. Specifically, cigarette dependence was statistically significantly and incrementally related to PTSD symptom severity, depression, emotion regulation difficulties, more severe hazardous drinking, and a greater degree of substance use problems. Conclusions: Overall, the current investigation found that smoking status among persons with probable PTSD who engaged in hazardous drinking was associated with numerous indicators of mental health and substance use vulnerability.