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Anne-Laure HS, Maxime M, Denise BM, Nathalie B, Cindy S. Determining adolescent health information needs: A survey in Geneva, 2022. Prev Med Rep 2024; 41:102682. [PMID: 38524270 PMCID: PMC10959694 DOI: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2024.102682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2023] [Revised: 03/09/2024] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 03/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Purpose When adolescents feel that their opinions are valued and respected, they are more likely to seek and use health services. Our aim was to identify what health information adolescents in Geneva, Switzerland, want and how much they are willing to participate in health promotion, linking it to international recommendations. Method Data were collected from 970 adolescents (aged 12-15 years), between September and November 2022, using a classroom-based survey. Results Adolescents expressed their preferences: the study showed that the topics of sleep, self-perception, biology, mental health, and physical activity received the highest interest. Girls were more interested than boys in the issues of sleep, mental health, violence, and social life. Adolescents' increasing interest in sexuality issues as they get older is inversely proportional to their interest in other issues such as pandemics, medical research, and the environment, which they are more interested in during early adolescence. Everyone over two felt it was important to promote health in their social environment. And more than a third of teens are open to participating in such activities. Discussion Adolescents are open to various health subjects, except for pandemics. Age dependent interest highlights the importance of tailoring intervention programs. Adolescents consider health promotion important and are willing to participate, as recommended by the World Health Organization. By involving them as experts in their adolescence, we have taken an essential step. We strongly recommend continuing involving and trusting adolescents in shaping future interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Morsa Maxime
- Psychology Department, Adaptation, Resilience & Changement Unit of Research, University of Liège, Belgium
- Sorbonne North Paris University (LEPS) – Bobigny Campus, Paris, France
| | - Baratti-Mayer Denise
- Service de Santé de l'Enfance et de la Jeunesse (SSEJ), Département de Instruction Publique, de la formation et de la jeunesse (DIP), Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Bonvin Nathalie
- Service de Santé de l'Enfance et de la Jeunesse (SSEJ), Département de Instruction Publique, de la formation et de la jeunesse (DIP), Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Soroken Cindy
- Division of General Pediatrics, Department of Maternity, Adolescent and Child Health, Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), Geneva, Switzerland
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Boring BL, Walsh KT, Ng BW, Schlegel RJ, Mathur VA. Experiencing Pain Invalidation is Associated with Under-Reporting of Pain: A Social Psychological Perspective on Acute Pain Communication. THE JOURNAL OF PAIN 2024; 25:104428. [PMID: 37984509 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2023.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2023] [Revised: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
Pain invalidation involves the dismissal or lack of understanding of another's pain, undermining their subjective experience. Frequent exposure to invalidation negatively impacts mental and physical health as well as pain-related behaviors, potentially leading people to conceal their pain from others in the future and/or withdraw from potential sources of support. It is therefore possible that experiencing pain invalidation may also impact pain-reporting behavior in clinical settings. Across 2 separate samples of emerging adults, we examined whether exposure to invalidation of one's pain was associated with cognizant modulation of one's subjective acute pain ratings within routine medical and dental settings. Drawing upon social psychological theories of impression management and self-presentation, we hypothesized that exposure to pain invalidation would be associated with the under-rating of one's pain. In Study 1, previous experiences of invalidation were associated with under-rating of one's pain when visiting the doctor and the dentist. Study 2 found that invalidation from family and medical professionals-but not from friends-was associated with under-rating pain in both settings. Findings provide further evidence for the harmful effects of pain invalidation, particularly for emerging adults, as the dismissal of one's subjective experience may sow self-doubt while reinforcing cultural stigmas against pain, leading to alterations in pain communication that ultimately creates barriers to efficacious clinical treatment and care and increase pain-related suffering. PERSPECTIVE: Pain invalidation imparts harm to those who already suffer from pain, be it mentally, physically, and/or behaviorally. We show that people who have encountered invalidation are more likely to under-rate their pain when seeking care, impeding assessment and treatment, and further highlighting the importance of clinical validation of pain experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon L Boring
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
| | - Kaitlyn T Walsh
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
| | - Brandon W Ng
- Department of Psychology, University of Richmond, Richmond, Virginia
| | - Rebecca J Schlegel
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
| | - Vani A Mathur
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas; Texas A&M Institute for Neuroscience, College Station, Texas
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3
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Field NH, Choukas-Bradley S, Giletta M, Telzer EH, Cohen GL, Prinstein MJ. Why adolescents conform to high-status peers: Associations among conformity, identity alignment, and self-esteem. Child Dev 2024; 95:879-894. [PMID: 37966044 PMCID: PMC11023764 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.14038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Revised: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023]
Abstract
This study examined whether conformity to high- but not low-status e-confederates was associated with increases in identification with popular peers and subsequent increases in self-esteem. A sample of 250 adolescents (55.1% male; Mage = 12.70 years; 40.3% White, 28.2% Black, 23.4% Hispanic/Latino, and 7.7% multiracial/other) participated in a well-established experimental chat room paradigm where they were exposed to norms communicated by high- and low-status e-confederates. Results revealed that for boys in the high-status condition only, but not girls, the positive relation between conformity and self-esteem was mediated by greater response alignment with popular peers. These findings bolster prior research by suggesting that conformity to popular peers may be partly motivated by drives for self-esteem and alignment with a valued reference group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan H. Field
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 235 E. Cameron Avenue, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
| | - Sophia Choukas-Bradley
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Sennott Square, 3rd Floor 210 South Bouquet Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15260
| | - Matteo Giletta
- Department of Developmental, Personality and Social Psychology, Ghent University, Henri Dunantlaan 2, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Eva H. Telzer
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 235 E. Cameron Avenue, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
| | - Geoffrey L. Cohen
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Building 420, 450 Jane Stanford Way, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Mitchell J. Prinstein
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 235 E. Cameron Avenue, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
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O'Connor AM, Hagenauer MH, Forrester LCT, Maras PM, Arakawa K, Hebda-Bauer EK, Khalil H, Richardson ER, Rob FI, Sannah Y, Watson SJ, Akil H. Adolescent environmental enrichment induces social resilience and alters neural gene expression in a selectively bred rodent model with anxious phenotype. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.10.03.560702. [PMID: 38645129 PMCID: PMC11030238 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.03.560702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/23/2024]
Abstract
Stress is a major influence on mental health status; the ways that individuals respond to or copes with stressors determine whether they are negatively affected in the future. Stress responses are established by an interplay between genetics, environment, and life experiences. Psychosocial stress is particularly impactful during adolescence, a critical period for the development of mood disorders. In this study we compared two established, selectively-bred Sprague Dawley rat lines, the "internalizing" bred Low Responder (bLR) line versus the "externalizing" bred High Responder (bHR) line, to investigate how genetic temperament and adolescent environment impact future responses to social interactions and psychosocial stress, and how these determinants of stress response interact. Male bLR and bHR rats were exposed to social and environmental enrichment in adolescence prior to experiencing social defeat and were then assessed for social interaction and anxiety-like behavior. Adolescent enrichment caused rats to display more social interaction, as well as nominally less social avoidance, less submission during defeat, and resilience to the effects of social stress on corticosterone, in a manner that seemed more notable in bLRs. For bHRs, enrichment also caused greater aggression during a neutral social encounter and nominally during defeat, and decreased anxiety-like behavior. To explore the neurobiology underlying the development of social resilience in the anxious phenotype bLRs, RNA-seq was conducted on the hippocampus and nucleus accumbens, two brain regions that mediate stress regulation and social behavior. Gene sets previously associated with stress, social behavior, aggression and exploratory activity were enriched with differential expression in both regions, with a particularly large effect on gene sets that regulate social behaviors. Our findings provide further evidence that adolescent enrichment can serve as an inoculating experience against future stressors. The ability to induce social resilience in a usually anxious line of animals by manipulating their environment has translational implications, as it underscores the feasibility of intervention strategies targeted at genetically vulnerable adolescent populations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Huda Akil
- Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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5
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Hofer MK, Robillard CL, Legg NK, Turner BJ. Influence of perceived peer behavior on engagement in self-damaging behaviors during the transition to university. JOURNAL OF RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE 2024. [PMID: 38533800 DOI: 10.1111/jora.12933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024]
Abstract
As students transition to university, they experience significant social changes that can affect their behaviors, including self-damaging behaviors like disordered eating, problematic alcohol/drug use, suicidal thoughts, and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). Building on prior work, we examined the associations between (1) perceptions of peers' engagement in self-damaging behaviors predicting one's own subsequent engagement in such behaviors (i.e., socialization) and (2) one's own engagement in self-damaging behaviors predicting perceptions of peers' subsequent engagement in such behaviors (i.e., selection). We also examined whether these associations were moderated by the source of influence (close peer/acquaintance) and degree of social disconnection experienced by the student. First-year university students (N = 704) were asked to complete seven monthly surveys. Multilevel models indicated that when students perceived their close peers had engaged in NSSI or suicidal thinking, they had seven times greater odds of future engagement in the same behavior, implying that socialization increases the risk of these behaviors among university students. Perception of acquaintances' NSSI also predicted greater odds of a student's own NSSI the following month. Social disconnection increased the likelihood of matching own behaviors to perceptions of acquaintances' alcohol abuse, highlighting the importance of fostering connections/mentors to reduce self-damaging behaviors on college campuses. Furthermore, when students engaged in alcohol abuse, they had almost four times greater odds of reporting that their acquaintances abused alcohol the following month, emphasizing the importance of the wider social network in alcohol use behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlise K Hofer
- Department of Psychology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Christina L Robillard
- Department of Psychology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Nicole K Legg
- Department of Psychology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Brianna J Turner
- Department of Psychology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
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6
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Pavarini G, Reardon T, Mawdsley G, Singh I. Online peer-led intervention to improve adolescent wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic: a randomised controlled trial. Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health 2024; 18:36. [PMID: 38500188 PMCID: PMC10949785 DOI: 10.1186/s13034-024-00723-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdown measures have posed a major risk to young people's wellbeing, which might be ameliorated by peer-led programmes. Using a randomised controlled trial (ISRCTN registry, number ISRCTN77941736 https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN77941736 ), we tested the short-term efficacy of an online peer-led intervention designed to equip young people with skills to support their mental health and wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS Through schools and social media ads, we recruited one hundred young people (aged 16-18) in the UK, focusing on areas with the highest incidence of COVID cases. In December 2020, participants were randomly allocated (1:1) to immediate 5 day Coping during COVID course (n = 49) or a wait-list (n = 51) through a survey software automated randomisation tool. Our primary outcome was self-reported mental wellbeing, and secondary outcomes included self-reported social connectedness, coping skills, sense of purpose, self-esteem, and self-compassion. We also collected qualitative reports of participants' perceived impact of the course and intentions to use what they have learnt from the course in their life moving forward. Assessments were completed at baseline, 1 week post randomisation (primary endpoint), and 2-weeks post-randomisation. RESULTS Young people allocated to the peer-led intervention reported significantly greater wellbeing, social connectedness, coping skills, sense of purpose, self-esteem, and self-compassion 1 week and 2 weeks post-randomisation (medium-large effect sizes). Specific benefits to mental health, sense of purpose and connectedness were also emphasised in qualitative reports. CONCLUSIONS An online, peer-led intervention targeting youth wellbeing during the context of the COVID-19 pandemic brought benefits across a range of outcomes, suggesting that structured programmes that incorporate peer-to-peer support can be a valuable approach to promote young people's wellbeing and foster psychological resources during a health crisis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Pavarini
- Ethox Centre, Oxford Population Health, University of Oxford, Old Road Campus, Oxford, OX37LF, UK.
| | - Tessa Reardon
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Ilina Singh
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Wellcome Centre for Ethics and Humanities, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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Meehan ZM, Hubbard JA, Moore CC, Mlawer F. Susceptibility to peer influence in adolescents: Associations between psychophysiology and behavior. Dev Psychopathol 2024; 36:69-81. [PMID: 36148857 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579422000967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
The current study investigated in-the-moment links between adolescents' autonomic nervous system activity and susceptibility to three types of peer influence (indirect, direct, continuing) on two types of behavior (antisocial, prosocial). The sample included 144 racially ethnically diverse adolescents (46% male, 53% female, 1% other; M age = 16.02 years). We assessed susceptibility to peer influence behaviorally using the Public Goods Game (PGG) while measuring adolescents' mean heart rate (MHR) and pre-ejection period (PEP). Three key findings emerged from bivariate dual latent change score modeling: (1) adolescents whose MHR increased more as they transitioned from playing the PGG alone (pre-influence) to playing while simply observed by peers (indirect influence) displayed more prosocial behavior; (2) adolescents whose PEP activity increased more (greater PEP activity = shorter PEP latency) as they transitioned from indirect influence to being encouraged by peers to engage in antisocial behavior (direct influence) engaged in more antisocial behavior; and (3) adolescents whose PEP activity decreased less as they transitioned from direct influence on prosocial behavior to playing the PGG alone again (continuing influence) displayed more continuing prosocial behavior (marginal effect). The discussion focuses on the role of psychophysiology in understanding adolescents' susceptibility to peer influence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary M Meehan
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Delaware, 105 The Green, 108 Wolf Hall, Newark, DE19716, USA
| | - Julie A Hubbard
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Delaware, 105 The Green, 108 Wolf Hall, Newark, DE19716, USA
| | - Christina C Moore
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Delaware, 105 The Green, 108 Wolf Hall, Newark, DE19716, USA
| | - Fanny Mlawer
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware, Delaware, 105 The Green, 108 Wolf Hall, Newark, DE19716, USA
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8
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Dobler VB, Nestler J, Konzelmann M, Kennerley H. Mapping evidence-based interventions to the care of unaccompanied minor refugees using a group formulation approach. Behav Cogn Psychother 2024; 52:14-32. [PMID: 37974439 DOI: 10.1017/s1352465823000437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND How we adapt treatment algorithms to complex, clinically untested, difficult-to-engage patient groups without losing evidence base in everyday practice is a clinical challenge. Here we describe process and reasoning for fast, pragmatic, context-relevant and service-based adaptations of a group intervention for unaccompanied minor asylum seekers (UASC) arriving in Europe. We employed a distillation-matching model and deployment-focused process in a mixed-method, top-down (theory-driven) and bottom-up (participant-informed) approach. Prevalence of mental disorders amongst UASC is extremely high. They also represent a marginalised and hard-to-engage group with limited evidence for effective treatments. METHOD Content and process adaptations followed four steps: (1) descriptive local group characterisation and theoretical formulation of problems; (2) initial adaptation of evidenced treatment, based on problem-to-component grid; (3) iterative adaptation using triangulated feedback; and (4) small-scale pilot evaluation. RESULTS Based on evidence and participant feedback, adaptations included minimising verbal demands, facilitating in-session inductive learning, fostering social connectedness via games, enhancing problem-solving skills, accounting for multi-traumatisation, uncertainty and deportation. Quantitative evaluation suggested improved feasibility, with increased attendance, low drop-out and symptom improvement on depression and trauma scores. CONCLUSIONS By describing the principles under-pinning development of a group intervention for severely traumatised UASC, we contribute to the literature supporting dynamic adaptations of psychological interventions, without losing reference to evidence base. Complex and difficult-to-reach clinical groups are often those in most need of care, yet least researched and most affected by inequality of care. Pragmatic adaptations of proven programs are often necessary to increase feasibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- V B Dobler
- Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Fulbourn, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychotherapy, University of Ulm, D-89075Ulm, Germany
| | - Judith Nestler
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychotherapy, University of Ulm, D-89075Ulm, Germany
| | | | - Helen Kennerley
- Oxford Cognitive Therapy Centre, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, UK
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Arriola KJ, Merken TM, Bigger L, Haardörfer R, Hermstad A, Owolabi S, Daniel J, Kegler M. Understanding the relationship between social capital, health, and well-being in a southern rural population. J Rural Health 2024; 40:162-172. [PMID: 37438857 DOI: 10.1111/jrh.12782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Revised: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 07/02/2023] [Indexed: 07/14/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Social capital is thought to contribute to health and well-being, but its application to a rural context is poorly understood. This study seeks to examine how different forms of social capital relate to health and well-being among rural residents and the extent to which race and degree of rurality moderates these relationships. METHODS Data from a population-based survey of 6 counties in rural Georgia (n = 1,385) are used. We examined 3 forms of social capital (diversity of interaction, civic engagement, and voting behavior) in relation to 3 health and well-being measures (overall life satisfaction, general health status, and 30-day physical health). FINDINGS Interacting with more diverse social networks was associated with higher overall life satisfaction for White but not Black participants (P ≤ .001). For those living in more rural communities, interacting with a more diverse social network was more strongly associated with greater general health as compared to those who lived "in town" (P ≤ .01). Greater civic engagement and voting behavior were associated with greater general health for White but not Black participants (Ps < .05). Likewise, voting in all 3 elections was associated with greater overall life satisfaction and fewer days of poor physical health for White but not Black participants (Ps ≤ .05). CONCLUSION Social capital may be associated with positive health and well-being among those living in rural areas, but it may vary by race and degree of community rurality, suggesting the need to further understand how social capital operates in a rural context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberly Jacob Arriola
- Department of Behavioral, Social and Health Education Sciences, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Tatenda Mangurenje Merken
- Department of Behavioral, Social and Health Education Sciences, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Lauren Bigger
- Department of Behavioral, Social and Health Education Sciences, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Regine Haardörfer
- Department of Behavioral, Social and Health Education Sciences, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - April Hermstad
- Department of Behavioral, Social and Health Education Sciences, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Shade Owolabi
- Department of Behavioral, Social and Health Education Sciences, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Jerry Daniel
- Master of Social Work Program, Albany State University, Albany, Georgia, USA
| | - Michelle Kegler
- Department of Behavioral, Social and Health Education Sciences, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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Levy-Friedman B, Kogut T. Children's self-evaluation of their prosociality when comparing themselves with a specific versus abstract other. Child Dev 2024; 95:24-33. [PMID: 37434380 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2022] [Revised: 05/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/13/2023]
Abstract
This study examines the development of children's self-assessment of their prosociality in normative social comparisons with an average peer, who was either a concrete individual, or an abstract one, at a school of average socioeconomic level in south Israel (N = 148, Age 6-12 years, 51% females; June 2021). Results show that older children exhibited the better-than-average (BTA) effect by perceiving themselves as more generous than their average peer. Conversely, younger children exhibited a worse-than-average effect, in that they assumed that their peers would act more generously than themselves (η p 2 = .23 ). Only the older children (aged 8 years onward) were significantly affected by the concreteness of the target of comparison by exhibiting the BTA effect only when the average peer was abstract (not concrete).
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Jun I, Feng Z, Avanasi R, Brain RA, Prosperi M, Bian J. Evaluating the perceptions of pesticide use, safety, and regulation and identifying common pesticide-related topics on Twitter. INTEGRATED ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT 2023; 19:1581-1599. [PMID: 37070476 DOI: 10.1002/ieam.4777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Revised: 03/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Synthetic pesticides are important agricultural tools that increase crop yield and help feed the world's growing population. These products are also highly regulated to balance benefits and potential environmental and human risks. Public perception of pesticide use, safety, and regulation is an important topic necessitating discussion across a variety of stakeholders from lay consumers to regulatory agencies since attitudes toward this subject could differ markedly. Individuals and organizations can perceive the same message(s) about pesticides differently due to prior differences in technical knowledge, perceptions, attitudes, and individual or group circumstances. Social media platforms, like Twitter, include both individuals and organizations and function as a townhall where each group promotes their topics of interest, shares their perspectives, and engages in both well-informed and misinformed discussions. We analyzed public Twitter posts about pesticides by user group, time, and location to understand their communication behaviors, including their sentiments and discussion topics, using machine learning-based text analysis methods. We extracted tweets related to pesticides between 2013 and 2021 based on relevant keywords developed through a "snowball" sampling process. Each tweet was grouped into individual versus organizational groups, then further categorized into media, government, industry, academia, and three types of nongovernmental organizations. We compared topic distributions within and between those groups using topic modeling and then applied sentiment analysis to understand the public's attitudes toward pesticide safety and regulation. Individual accounts expressed concerns about health and environmental risks, while industry and government accounts focused on agricultural usage and regulations. Public perceptions are heavily skewed toward negative sentiments, although this varies geographically. Our findings can help managers and decision-makers understand public sentiments, priorities, and perceptions and provide insights into public discourse on pesticides. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2023;19:1581-1599. © 2023 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).
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Affiliation(s)
- Inyoung Jun
- Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health and Health Professions and College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Zheng Feng
- Department of Health Outcomes and Biomedical Informatics, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | | | - Richard A Brain
- Syngenta Crop Protection, LLC, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
| | - Mattia Prosperi
- Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health and Health Professions and College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Jiang Bian
- Department of Health Outcomes and Biomedical Informatics, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
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Berry CN, Walker K, Baker N, Trevor-Wright C. "I See a lot of Crazy Things and I Don't Know What to Believe": Lessons Learned about Health Literacy and Strategies for Communicating with Vaccine-Hesitant College Students. Healthcare (Basel) 2023; 11:2212. [PMID: 37570452 PMCID: PMC10418919 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare11152212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Revised: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the American College Health Association (ACHA) has partnered with CommunicateHealth (CH) to develop COVID-19 mitigation resources for colleges and universities. In 2021, the CH team conducted a series of applied research activities to gain a nuanced understanding of factors that shape perceptions of risk and drive vaccine hesitancy among campus audiences-especially college students who are emerging adults (approximately ages 18 to 22). Based on our findings, CH and ACHA identified key traits of vaccine-hesitant college students and implications for future vaccine communication campaigns. First, vaccine-hesitant students are more likely to ask "why" and "how" questions such as "Why do I need to get vaccinated?" and "How was the vaccine developed and tested?". Secondly, these students want to have open, authentic dialogue rather than simply accepting health recommendations from a trusted source. Finally, the CH team noted that vaccine-hesitant students were not highly motivated by their own personal risk of getting sick from COVID-19; concern about spreading COVID-19 to others was a much stronger motivating factor. Leveraging these insights, CH and ACHA developed strategies to apply health literacy principles to reach vaccine-hesitant college students with the right information at the right time-and to leverage relevant motivators and overcome barriers to vaccination. By implementing these strategies, CH and ACHA developed clear and empowering educational materials about COVID-19 vaccination tailored to the unique information needs of vaccine-hesitant students.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Nikole Baker
- CommunicateHealth, Rockville, MD 20850, USA; (K.W.); (N.B.)
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Merrilees CE, Taylor LK, Klotz M, Goeke-Morey MC, Shirlow P, Cummings EM. Timing is everything: Developmental changes in the associations between intergroup contact and bias. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BEHAVIORAL DEVELOPMENT 2023; 47:243-252. [PMID: 37799770 PMCID: PMC10552862 DOI: 10.1177/01650254221146409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/07/2023]
Abstract
Identifying developmental patterns in intergroup contact and its relation with bias is crucial for improving prevention strategies around intergroup relations. This study applied time-varying effects modeling (TVEM) to examine age-based changes in relations between contact and bias in a divided community that included 667 youth (M age = 15.74, SD = 1.97) from Belfast, Northern Ireland, a conflict-affected setting. The results suggest no change in the relation between contact frequency and bias; however, the relation between contact quality and bias increases from ages 10-14 and then levels off. Differences between Catholics, the historic minority group, and Protestants, the historic majority group, also emerged. The article concludes with implications for future research and interventions for youth growing up amid conflict.
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14
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Matson PA, Stankov I, Krutkova M, Flessa S, Fichtenberg CM, Ellen JM. Investigating the Relative Influence of Romantic Sex Partners and Close Friends on Adolescent Alcohol and Marijuana Use. PREVENTION SCIENCE : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR PREVENTION RESEARCH 2023; 24:676-687. [PMID: 37115474 DOI: 10.1007/s11121-023-01536-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/07/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023]
Abstract
A large body of research has identified peer exposure as a key factor driving adolescent substance use. However, findings on the role of sex partners are less robust and mixed. This study aims to fill this gap by examining the independent contribution of close friends' and sex partners' alcohol and marijuana use on adolescents' use of these substances. A secondary data analysis of social network data collected in 2000-2002 from a household sample of African American youth (14-19 years old) in the Bayview and Hunter's Point neighborhoods of San Francisco was conducted. Index participants and their nominated close friends and romantic sex partners (N = 104 triads) self-reported recent alcohol and marijuana use (defined as any use in the past 3 months). Generalized estimated equations were used to estimate the independent association between adolescent's recent substance use and their friend's and sex partner's use. Adolescents with a marijuana-using romantic sex partner had a nearly six-fold higher odds of using marijuana compared to adolescents with a non-using partner, controlling for close friend's marijuana use and other confounders [OR:5.69, 95%CI: 1.94, 16.7]; no association with close friend's marijuana use was found. A similar pattern was observed for alcohol use. Adolescents with an alcohol-using romantic sex partner had increased odds of using alcohol compared to adolescents with a non-using partner, controlling for close friend's alcohol use and other confounders [OR:2.40, 95%CI: 1.02, 5.63]; no association with close friend's alcohol use was found. Romantic sex partners may play a unique and significant role in adolescent substance use. Peer-focused interventions may be more effective if they consider romantic sex partners. Future research should consider the role of romantic sex partners in changing social context related to substance use from adolescence to young adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pamela A Matson
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Rm 2025, 200 N. Wolfe St., David M. Rubenstein Child Health Building, Baltimore, 21287, MD, USA.
| | - Ivana Stankov
- Dornsife School of Public Health, Urban Health Collaborative, Drexel University, 3600 Market St, 7th Floor, PA, 19104, Philadelphia, USA
- UniSA Allied Health and Human Performance, University of South Australia, SAHMRI, North Tce, Adelaide, SA, 5000, Australia
| | - Mariya Krutkova
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Rm 2025, 200 N. Wolfe St., David M. Rubenstein Child Health Building, Baltimore, 21287, MD, USA
| | - Sarah Flessa
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Rm 2025, 200 N. Wolfe St., David M. Rubenstein Child Health Building, Baltimore, 21287, MD, USA
| | - Caroline M Fichtenberg
- Social Interventions Research and Evaluation Network, University of California, San Francisco, 3333 California Street, Suite 465, San Francisco, CA, 94118, USA
| | - Jonathan M Ellen
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Rm 2025, 200 N. Wolfe St., David M. Rubenstein Child Health Building, Baltimore, 21287, MD, USA
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15
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Denova-Gutiérrez E, González-Rocha A, Méndez-Sánchez L, Araiza-Nava B, Balderas N, López G, Tolentino-Mayo L, Jauregui A, Hernández L, Unikel C, Bonvecchio A, Shamah T, Barquera S, Rivera JA. Overview of Systematic Reviews of Health Interventions for the Prevention and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Children. Nutrients 2023; 15:nu15030773. [PMID: 36771481 PMCID: PMC9921486 DOI: 10.3390/nu15030773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Revised: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
(1) Background: The importance of studying the health interventions used to prevent and treat overweight and obesity in school-aged children is imperative. This overview aimed to summarize systematic reviews that assess the effects of school-based, family, and mixed health interventions for preventing and treating overweight and obesity in school-aged children. (2) Methods: The Cochrane Collaboration methodology and PRISMA statement were followed. A search was conducted using terms adapted to 12 databases. Systematic reviews reporting interventions in children from six to 12 years old with an outcome related to preventing or treating obesity and overweight were included. Studies with pharmacological or surgical interventions and adolescents were excluded. (3) Results: A total of 15,226 registers were identified from databases and citation searching. Of those, ten systematic reviews published between 2013 and 2022 were included. After the overlap, 331 interventions for children between 6 and 12 years old were identified, and 61.6% involved physical activity and nutrition/diet intervention. Multicomponent intervention, combining physical activity with nutrition and behavioral change, school-based plus community-based interventions may be more effective in reducing overweight and obesity in children. (4) Conclusions: Plenty of interventions for childhood overweight and obesity aimed at prevention and treatment were identified, but there is a gap in the methodological quality preventing the establishment of a certain recommendation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edgar Denova-Gutiérrez
- Nutrition and Health Research Center, National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca 62100, Mexico
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +52-5554322986
| | - Alejandra González-Rocha
- Nutrition and Health Research Center, National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca 62100, Mexico
| | - Lucía Méndez-Sánchez
- Clinical Epidemiology Research Unit & Cochrane Mexico UNAM Center, Hospital Infantil de Mexico Federico Gomez, Mexico City 06720, Mexico
| | - Berenice Araiza-Nava
- Clinical Epidemiology Research Unit & Cochrane Mexico UNAM Center, Hospital Infantil de Mexico Federico Gomez, Mexico City 06720, Mexico
| | - Nydia Balderas
- Nutrition and Health Research Center, National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca 62100, Mexico
| | - Giovanna López
- Nutrition and Health Research Center, National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca 62100, Mexico
| | - Lizbeth Tolentino-Mayo
- Nutrition and Health Research Center, National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca 62100, Mexico
| | - Alejandra Jauregui
- Nutrition and Health Research Center, National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca 62100, Mexico
| | - Lucia Hernández
- Nutrition and Health Research Center, National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca 62100, Mexico
| | - Claudia Unikel
- Departamento de Ciencias Sociales en Salud, Dirección de Investigaciones Epidemiológica y Psicosociales, Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz, Mexico City 14370, Mexico
| | - Anabelle Bonvecchio
- Nutrition and Health Research Center, National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca 62100, Mexico
| | - Teresa Shamah
- Center for Research in Evaluation and Surveys, National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca 62100, Mexico
| | - Simón Barquera
- Nutrition and Health Research Center, National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca 62100, Mexico
| | - Juan A. Rivera
- Nutrition and Health Research Center, National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca 62100, Mexico
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16
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Leung JT, Piera Pi‐Sunyer B, Ahmed SP, Foulkes L, Griffin C, Sakhardande A, Bennett M, Dunning DL, Griffiths K, Parker J, Kuyken W, Williams JMG, Dalgleish T, Blakemore S. Susceptibility to prosocial and antisocial influence in adolescence following mindfulness training. INFANT AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT 2023; 32:e2386. [PMID: 37035539 PMCID: PMC10078582 DOI: 10.1002/icd.2386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Revised: 10/01/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/07/2022]
Abstract
Mindfulness training programmes have shown to encourage prosocial behaviours and reduce antisocial tendencies in adolescents. However, less is known about whether training affects susceptibility to prosocial and antisocial influence. The current study investigated the effect of mindfulness training (compared with an active control) on self-reported prosocial and antisocial tendencies and susceptibility to prosocial and antisocial influence. 465 adolescents aged 11-16 years were randomly allocated to one of two training programmes. Pre- and post-training, participants completed a social influence task. Self-reported likelihood of engaging in prosocial and antisocial behaviours did not change post-training, and regardless of training group, participants showed a higher propensity for prosocial influence than for antisocial influence. Finally, participants were less influenced by antisocial ratings following both training programmes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jovita T. Leung
- Institute of Cognitive NeuroscienceUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | | | - Saz P. Ahmed
- Institute of Cognitive NeuroscienceUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | | | - Cait Griffin
- Institute of Cognitive NeuroscienceUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | - Ashok Sakhardande
- Institute of Cognitive NeuroscienceUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | - Marc Bennett
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences UnitUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
| | - Darren L. Dunning
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences UnitUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
| | - Kirsty Griffiths
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences UnitUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
| | - Jenna Parker
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences UnitUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
| | - Willem Kuyken
- Department of PsychiatryUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | | | - Tim Dalgleish
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences UnitUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
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17
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Armstrong-Carter E, Bibby E, Burroughs M, Flannery J, Nelson BW, Duell N, Prinstein MJ, Telzer EH. Adolescents Are More Likely to Help Others on Days They Take Risks and Crave Social Connections. JOURNAL OF RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE 2022; 32:1421-1432. [PMID: 34905266 PMCID: PMC9344786 DOI: 10.1111/jora.12705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Revised: 11/23/2021] [Accepted: 11/27/2021] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
This study examined how adolescents' risk-taking behaviors were related to their prosocial behaviors on a daily level and how this association differed depending on adolescents' daily and average levels of sensation seeking and social craving. Adolescents (N = 212; Mage = 15 years) completed daily diaries for 14 days. Adolescents were more likely to engage in prosocial behavior on days when they also took risks, but only when they also felt high levels of social craving. The daily link between risk-taking and prosocial behavior did not vary based on daily or individual differences in sensation seeking. Results suggest that when adolescents feel highly motivated to connect with others, their risk-taking and prosocial tendencies co-occur on a daily basis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Emily Bibby
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University
| | - Melissa Burroughs
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | - Jessica Flannery
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | - Benjamin W. Nelson
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | - Natasha Duell
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | - Mitch J. Prinstein
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | - Eva H. Telzer
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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18
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Mesurado B, Richaud MC, Vanney CE, Pastorelli C. Promoting positive emotions and instilling concern for the needs of others during the COVID-19 pandemic. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0272922. [PMID: 36206517 PMCID: PMC9545903 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0272922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2021] [Accepted: 07/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The purpose of this research is to study the efficacy of the home-based Hero program in promoting positive emotions and prosocial behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic. The sample included 237 12- to 15-year-old adolescents from Argentina. The level of positive emotions and prosocial behavior toward strangers, friends and family in the adolescent intervention group increased through the three evaluation periods. The Hero program was focused on recognizing one's own emotions and provided an opportunity to reflect on different positive aspects of life, thus allowing a change in perspective related to immediate negative events. Moreover, the program provided an opportunity to change adolescents' perspective from personal worries to concerns about others, including friends, family members, and even strangers in need.
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Affiliation(s)
- Belén Mesurado
- Instituto de Filosofía, Universidad Austral, Pilar, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- * E-mail:
| | - María Cristina Richaud
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Instituto de Ciencias de la Familia, Universidad Austral, Pilar, Argentina
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19
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Li W, Mao Y, Hu B. Will exposure to different consequences of prosocial behavior always lead to subsequent prosocial behavior among adolescents: An experimental study of short videos. Front Psychol 2022; 13:927952. [PMID: 36248583 PMCID: PMC9556875 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.927952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The relationship between exposure to prosocial media content and prosocial behavior has been extensively explored. However, previous studies mainly explore the effect of prosocial media content exposure by comparing an individual’s exposure to the different types of content (i.e., prosocial content or neutral content), and generally focus on traditional media and video games, with less attention given to the increasingly popular new media platforms. In this study, we explored new dimensions by considering individuals’ exposure to different consequences of the same prosocial behavior (i.e., reward, punishment, or no consequences) in the context of short videos. Drawing upon Social Cognitive Theory and the General Learning Model, this experimental study identified the effect of such exposure on subsequent prosocial behavior among adolescents. We found that compared to the no consequences group, exposure to the reward consequence did not significantly predict moral elevation and subsequent prosocial behavior. Meanwhile, exposure to the punishment consequence had a significantly negative effect on subsequent prosocial behavior via moral elevation. Furthermore, the results revealed that empathy moderated the relationship between moral elevation and prosocial behavior, and moral elevation only positively predicted prosocial behavior among those with low empathy. Theoretically, this study deepens our understanding of the impact of exposure to different consequences of prosocial behavior on adolescents’ subsequent prosocial behavior, and highlights the importance of moral elevation and empathy to understand the underlying mechanism. The study also provides some practical implications for parents and practitioners to nurture prosocial behavior among adolescents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wu Li
- School of Media and Communication, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
- *Correspondence: Wu Li,
| | - Yuanyi Mao
- Department of Media and Communication, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Bo Hu
- Department of Media and Communication, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
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20
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Li W, Zhou L, Ai P, Kim GR. Reading prosocial content in books and adolescents’ prosocial behavior: A moderated mediation model with evidence from China. Front Psychol 2022; 13:973481. [PMID: 36186355 PMCID: PMC9521314 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.973481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Drawing upon the General Learning Model, the present study developed a moderated mediation model to provide an in-depth understanding of whether and how adolescents’ reading prosocial content in books predicts their prosocial behavior. The target population in this study is Chinese adolescents, and we adopted a paper-based survey to collect data (N = 602). The age range of the sample was from 12 to 19 (M = 15.198, SD = 1.596). Among all participants, 49.3% were female, and 50.7% were male. PROCESS SPSS Macro was used to analyze the proposed moderated mediation model. The results showed that prosocial content reading was positively associated with adolescents’ prosocial behavior. The positive association included a direct relationship and an indirect relationship through the mediation of moral identity. Furthermore, this study revealed the moderation effect of age on the relationships among prosocial content reading, moral identity, and prosocial behavior. Specifically, as age increases, the effects of prosocial content reading on moral identity and prosocial behavior attenuate, and the mediation effect of moral identity also decreases. The study adds to the body of knowledge on the prosocial media effect by extending it to book reading.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wu Li
- School of Media and Communication, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Liuning Zhou
- Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Pengya Ai
- Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
- *Correspondence: Pengya Ai,
| | - Ga Ryeung Kim
- Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
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21
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Yamada J, Shou Q, Miyazaki A, Matsuda T, Takagishi H. Association between relational mobility, brain structure, and prosociality in adolescents. Int J Dev Neurosci 2022; 82:615-625. [PMID: 35840544 DOI: 10.1002/jdn.10214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2022] [Revised: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Trust plays a vital role in human society. Previous studies have suggested that trust comprises general trust and caution. General trust is a belief that others, in general, are trustworthy, and caution is a belief in the importance of vigilance in dealing with others. Adolescence is a critical period for establishing these psychological traits. It is a period of physical and mental development, and the social environment during this period influences adolescents' psychology, including their brain structures. In this study, we focus on relational mobility as a socio-environmental factor that influences the development of adolescents' psychology and the brain. Relational mobility refers to the degree of freedom to choose and replace social relationships and consists of two subfactors (the degree of freedom to choose and replace social relationships and the number of opportunities to meet new people). Accordingly, we analyzed each subfactor separately. Results showed that the degree of freedom to choose and replace social relationships was only negatively associated with caution and left posterior superior temporal gyrus (pSTG) volume in adolescents. Furthermore, the effect of the freedom to choose and replace social relationships on caution was significantly relevant to the left pSTG volume. In contrast, the degree of opportunities to meet new people was associated with neither general trust nor caution, whereas it was positively associated with the right supramarginal gyrus volume. This study suggests that the social environment during adolescence influences brain structures related to prosociality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junko Yamada
- Brain Science Institute, Tamagawa University, Machida, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Qiulu Shou
- Graduate School of Brain Sciences, Tamagawa University, Machida, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Atsushi Miyazaki
- Brain Science Institute, Tamagawa University, Machida, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tetsuya Matsuda
- Brain Science Institute, Tamagawa University, Machida, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Haruto Takagishi
- Brain Science Institute, Tamagawa University, Machida, Tokyo, Japan
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22
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Relationship between the COVID-19 Pandemic and the Well-Being of Adolescents and Their Parents in Switzerland. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19116789. [PMID: 35682373 PMCID: PMC9180000 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19116789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Revised: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
This study is based on two waves of data collected by the Swiss Household panel, the first one in 2019, before the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the second one in May–June 2020, just after the end of the partial lockdown that was decided by the Swiss government. We considered “couples” of adolescents (age 14–24, mean = 18.82, 51.96% female) and their parents living together (n = 431). Our main goal was to determine whether the evolution of the well-being among adolescents was similar to the evolution of the well-being among parents. Ten indicators of well-being were measured identically in both waves and for both adolescents and their parents. Results indicate that while almost all indicators of well-being decreased during partial lockdown for both adolescents and their parents, adolescents were more strongly impacted than their parents. Furthermore, the change observed in adolescents was virtually unaffected by the change observed in their parents, and vice versa. This research is a reminder that while different population groups may be affected differently by a sudden and extreme event, it is not only older people who will be most affected. Here, adolescents appear to have been more adversely affected than adults.
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23
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Zak PJ, Curry B, Owen T, Barraza JA. Oxytocin Release Increases With Age and Is Associated With Life Satisfaction and Prosocial Behaviors. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:846234. [PMID: 35530727 PMCID: PMC9069134 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.846234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2021] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Helping behaviors and life satisfaction generally increase after middle-age. Identifying the neural substrates of prosocial behaviors in older adults may offer additional insights into these changes over the lifespan. The present study examines the endogenous release of the neuromodulator oxytocin (OT) in participants aged 18-99 and its relationship to prosocial behaviors. OT has been shown to influence trust, altruism, charity, and generosity, yet the effect of age on OT release has not been well-established. Blood samples before and after a video stimulus were obtained from 103 participants in order to examine the impact of OT on prosocial behaviors. We found that OT release following a social prime increased with age (r = 0.49, p = 0.001) and that OT moderated the relationship between age and donations to charity. We tested for robustness by examining three additional prosocial behaviors, money and goods donated to charity during the past year and social-sector volunteering. OT moderated the impact of age on all three prosocial behaviors (ps < 0.05). The analysis also showed that participants' change in OT was positively associated with satisfaction with life (p = 0.04), empathic concern (p = 0.015), dispositional gratitude (p = 0.019), and religious commitment (p = 0.001). Our findings indicate that the neural chemistry that helps sustain social relationships and live a fulfilled life appear to strengthen with age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul J. Zak
- Center for Neuroeconomics Studies, Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, CA, United States
| | - Ben Curry
- TripActions, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Tyler Owen
- Center for Neuroeconomics Studies, Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, CA, United States
| | - Jorge A. Barraza
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
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24
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Rogers CR, Fry CM, Lee TH, Galvan M, Gates KM, Telzer EH. Neural connectivity underlying adolescent social learning in sibling dyads. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2022; 17:1007-1020. [PMID: 35348787 PMCID: PMC9629470 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsac025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2021] [Revised: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Social learning theory posits that adolescents learn to adopt social norms by observing the behaviors of others and internalizing the associated outcomes. However, the underlying neural processes by which social learning occurs is less well-understood, despite extensive neurobiological reorganization and a peak in social influence sensitivity during adolescence. Forty-four adolescents (Mage = 12.2 years) completed an fMRI scan while observing their older sibling within four years of age (Mage = 14.3 years) of age complete a risky decision-making task. Group iterative multiple model estimation (GIMME) was used to examine patterns of directional brain region connectivity supporting social learning. We identified group-level neural pathways underlying social observation including the anterior insula to the anterior cingulate cortex and mentalizing regions to social cognition regions. We also found neural states based on adolescent sensitivity to social learning via age, gender, modeling, differentiation, and behavior. Adolescents who were more likely to be influenced elicited neurological up-regulation whereas adolescents who were less likely to be socially influenced elicited neurological down-regulation during risk-taking. These findings highlight patterns of how adolescents process information while a salient influencer takes risks, as well as salient neural pathways that are dependent on similarity factors associated with social learning theory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christy R Rogers
- Correspondence should be addressed to Christy Rogers, Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, Texas Tech University, 1301 Akron Ave, Lubbock, TX 79415, USA. E-mail:
| | - Cassidy M Fry
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA 16801, USA
| | - Tae-Ho Lee
- Department of Psychology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, 24061-0131, USA
| | - Michael Galvan
- Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA
| | - Kathleen M Gates
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Eva H Telzer
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
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25
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Calvert SM, Dempsey RC, Povey R, Clark-Carter D. An in-school social norms approach intervention for reducing unhealthy snacking behaviours amongst 11-12-year-olds. Br J Health Psychol 2022; 27:891-914. [PMID: 35080782 DOI: 10.1111/bjhp.12581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Revised: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Adolescents tend to overestimate the extent of peers' unhealthy snacking consumption and such misperceptions have been associated with increased personal unhealthy snacking. This study aims to test whether a Social Norms Approach (SNA) intervention which challenges these misperceptions of peers' unhealthy snacking will have a positive effect on students' personal unhealthy snacking behaviours, related attitudes, and behavioural intentions. DESIGN A quasi-experimental study tested the effectiveness of an in-school SNA intervention (n = 163) compared to a control condition (n = 95) among 11-12-year-old students. METHOD Both conditions received healthy eating information, while students in the SNA intervention received additional normative feedback (outlining the discrepancies between perceived and actual unhealthy snacking of the majority based on baseline data) delivered through an interactive poster-making session. Students completed self-reported measures of personal unhealthy snacking, related-attitudes, behavioural intentions, and normative perceptions (descriptive and injunctive) at baseline, post-intervention, and at a 3-month follow-up. RESULTS Students who received SNA feedback were significantly less likely to overestimate peers' unhealthy snacking attitudes post-intervention (F(1,232) = 16.405, p < .001), and at 3-month follow-up consumed fewer unhealthy snacks (F(1,232) = 6.133, p = .014) and had less positive attitudes towards unhealthy snacking (F(1,198) = 8.779, p = .003). The changes in personal snacking attitudes at 3-month follow-up were mediated by changes in normative misperceptions about peers' unhealthy snacking attitudes post-intervention, which indicated that the reductions in normative misperceptions following SNA messages mediated the effect of the intervention. CONCLUSION The results indicate that in-school SNA interventions which challenge normative misperceptions constitute a promising strategy for reducing unhealthy snacking in young adolescents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sian M Calvert
- The Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research, Staffordshire University, Stoke-on-Trent, UK
| | - Robert C Dempsey
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Psychology and Social Care, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK
| | - Rachel Povey
- The Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research, Staffordshire University, Stoke-on-Trent, UK
| | - David Clark-Carter
- The Staffordshire Centre for Psychological Research, Staffordshire University, Stoke-on-Trent, UK
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26
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Pathways for engaging in prosocial behavior in adolescence. ADVANCES IN CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND BEHAVIOR 2022; 63:149-190. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.acdb.2022.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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27
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Bacque Dion C, Bélanger R, Leatherdale ST, Haddad S. Adolescents' adoption of COVID-19 preventive measures during the first months of the pandemic: what led to early adoption? Health Promot Chronic Dis Prev Can 2021; 41:423-430. [PMID: 34432395 DOI: 10.24095/hpcdp.41.12.03] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The objectives of this study were to explore the extent to which adolescents adopted COVID-19 preventive measures in the first few months of the pandemic and to understand their adoption by looking at interconnected adoption-related factors and determining the strength of these factors, particularly among subgroups not expected to be early adopters. METHODS Analyses focus on data collected during Spring 2020 from 29 eastern Quebec secondary schools that participated in the COMPASS study. Participants (n = 6052) self-reported their knowledge, perception of risk and preventive practices to do with the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were analyzed using structural equation models based on gender and anxiety level. RESULTS The majority of respondents reported adopting the recommended COVID-19 preventive measures. The results showed three paths leading to adolescents' adoption of these measures: pandemic knowledge; perception of risk related to COVID-19; and, in particular, discussions with relatives about preventive measures and what to do in case of infection. CONCLUSIONS While most of the adolescent participants in this study appeared to comply with COVID-19 preventive measures, factors such as discussions with relatives emerge as elements to foster in order to improve adolescents' adoption of preventive measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claude Bacque Dion
- Projet COMPASS-Québec, Centre de recherche VITAM, CIUSSCN et Université Laval C.P., Québec City, Quebec, Canada
| | - Richard Bélanger
- Projet COMPASS-Québec, Centre de recherche VITAM, CIUSSCN et Université Laval C.P., Québec City, Quebec, Canada.,Département de pédiatrie, Faculté de médecine, Université Laval, Québec City, Quebec, Canada
| | - Scott T Leatherdale
- School of Public Health and Health Systems, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
| | - Slim Haddad
- Projet COMPASS-Québec, Centre de recherche VITAM, CIUSSCN et Université Laval C.P., Québec City, Quebec, Canada.,Département de médecine sociale et préventive, Faculté de médecine, Université Laval, Québec City, Quebec, Canada
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28
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Icenogle G, Cauffman E. Adolescent decision making: A decade in review. JOURNAL OF RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE 2021; 31:1006-1022. [PMID: 34820945 DOI: 10.1111/jora.12608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2020] [Revised: 01/13/2021] [Accepted: 01/22/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Research in the past decade has highlighted the nuances of adolescent decision making. In this review article, we summarize several themes evident in the field of developmental science including the redefinition of adolescence and the ways in which adolescent decision-making capabilities converge with or diverge from those of adults. While the decision-making process is similar for adolescents and adults in contexts that encourage deliberation and reflection, adolescents and adults differ in contexts which preclude deliberation vis-à-vis high emotional arousal. We also discuss the reconceptualization of adolescent behavior, including risk taking, as adaptive. That is, characteristics of adolescence, including impulsivity, the importance of peers, and novelty seeking, are normative, evolutionarily advantageous, and essential for positive development. While these features manifest in negative, health-compromising ways (e.g., risky driving and criminal behavior), they also foster growth and exploration. We conclude with a discussion of potential avenues for future research.
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Tintori A, Ciancimino G, Palomba R, Clementi C, Cerbara L. The Impact of Socialisation on Children's Prosocial Behaviour. A Study on Primary School Students. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph182212017. [PMID: 34831771 PMCID: PMC8617972 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph182212017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2021] [Revised: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Background: Studying prosociality in children is a complex but relevant issue related to the qualitative development of human interactions. The main objective of the present study is to identify the psychosocial factors that most promote or inhibit the adoption of prosocial behaviours among children. Method: In Spring 2021, a survey was conducted amongst primary school children through a structured paper questionnaire. The data analysis has been carried out through bivariate and multivariate statistical techniques. Path analysis has been used. Results: The results highlight the role played by the parental education level, the perception of positive and negative emotions, the adherence to gender roles and the involvement in cyberbullying actions in predicting prosocial tendencies among children. On the other hand, adopting prosocial behaviours affects the screen-time as well as the devices’ interference in face-to-face interactions and the attitude towards school. Conclusions: The results are relevant and useful for the study of trends in prosocial behaviours among children. Family education level, individual status, peer interactions and social conditionings are variables that highly influence this multidimensional phenomenon. Further research is needed, including the definition of new measures and indicators concerning the context where children live and interact with others, with the aim of designing interventions aimed at facilitating relational well-being of children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Tintori
- Institute for Research on Population and Social Policies of the National Research Council of Italy (CNR-IRPPS), 00185 Rome, Italy; (G.C.); (R.P.); (L.C.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-338-3628178; Fax: +39-06-492724-296
| | - Giulia Ciancimino
- Institute for Research on Population and Social Policies of the National Research Council of Italy (CNR-IRPPS), 00185 Rome, Italy; (G.C.); (R.P.); (L.C.)
| | - Rossella Palomba
- Institute for Research on Population and Social Policies of the National Research Council of Italy (CNR-IRPPS), 00185 Rome, Italy; (G.C.); (R.P.); (L.C.)
| | | | - Loredana Cerbara
- Institute for Research on Population and Social Policies of the National Research Council of Italy (CNR-IRPPS), 00185 Rome, Italy; (G.C.); (R.P.); (L.C.)
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30
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Greitemeyer T. Prosocial modeling: person role models and the media. Curr Opin Psychol 2021; 44:135-139. [PMID: 34628366 DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2021.08.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2021] [Revised: 08/16/2021] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Much of human learning comes from learning from others. In this article, I review empirical work on the extent to which prosocial behavior is inspired by exposure to prosocial models. In fact, witnessing a prosocial model in person leads to an increase in the future prosocial behavior of the observer. Other research has shown that exposure to media (TV, music, video games) with depictions of prosocial behavior can also lead to an increase in prosocial behavior. Theoretical explanations and underlying mechanisms of the prosocial modeling effect are discussed. As prosocial behavior seems to be contagious, exposure to prosocial models is an effective way to encourage positive social encounters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Greitemeyer
- Institut für Psychologie, Universität Innsbruck, Innrain 52, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria.
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31
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The importance of belonging and the avoidance of social risk taking in adolescence. DEVELOPMENTAL REVIEW 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.dr.2021.100981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
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32
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Pozuelo JR, Kilford EJ. Adolescent health series: Adolescent neurocognitive development in Western and Sub-Saharan African contexts. Trop Med Int Health 2021; 26:1333-1344. [PMID: 34270856 DOI: 10.1111/tmi.13656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The transitional period of adolescence has long been associated with physical, social and behavioural change. During this time, adolescents start to develop their own self-identity, make important life decisions and acquire the necessary skills to successfully transition to adulthood. More recently, advances in brain imaging technology have enabled increased understanding of structural and functional changes in the human brain during this developmental period, and how they relate to social, emotional, motivational and cognitive development. The ability to integrate these developing cognitive processes in increasingly complex social contexts is a key aspect of mature decision-making, which has implications for adolescent health, educational, economic and social outcomes. Insights from the field of developmental cognitive neuroscience could increase our understanding of this influential stage of life and thus inform potential interventions to promote adolescent health, a critical goal for global health research. Many social changes occur during adolescence and the social environment shapes both brain and cognitive development and the decisions adolescents make. Thus, it is important to study adolescent neurocognitive development in socio-cultural context. Yet, despite evidence from Western studies that socio-cultural and economic factors impact on adolescent neurocognitive development, existing studies of adolescent neurocognitive development in sub-Saharan Africa are relatively scarce. We summarise research findings from Western and sub-Saharan African contexts and highlight areas where research is lacking. Longitudinal studies from more diverse global samples will be needed to build a comprehensive model of adolescent development, that characterises both commonalities in developmental trajectories, as well as the way these can meaningfully differ between both individuals and contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia R Pozuelo
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Centre for the Study of African Economies, Blavatnik School of Government and Economics Department, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Emma J Kilford
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK.,Department of Clinical, Educational & Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK
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33
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Preference uncertainty accounts for developmental effects on susceptibility to peer influence in adolescence. Nat Commun 2021; 12:3823. [PMID: 34158482 PMCID: PMC8219700 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23671-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2020] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Adolescents are prone to social influence from peers, with implications for development, both adaptive and maladaptive. Here, using a computer-based paradigm, we replicate a cross-sectional effect of more susceptibility to peer influence in a large dataset of adolescents 14 to 24 years old. Crucially, we extend this finding by adopting a longitudinal perspective, showing that a within-person susceptibility to social influence decreases over a 1.5 year follow-up time period. Exploiting this longitudinal design, we show that susceptibility to social influences at baseline predicts an improvement in peer relations over the follow-up period. Using a Bayesian computational model, we demonstrate that in younger adolescents a greater tendency to adopt others’ preferences arises out of a higher uncertainty about their own preferences in the paradigmatic case of delay discounting (a phenomenon called ‘preference uncertainty’). This preference uncertainty decreases over time and, in turn, leads to a reduced susceptibility of one’s own behaviour to an influence from others. Neuro-developmentally, we show that a measure of myelination within medial prefrontal cortex, estimated at baseline, predicts a developmental decrease in preference uncertainty at follow-up. Thus, using computational and neural evidence, we reveal adaptive mechanisms underpinning susceptibility to social influence during adolescence. People often change their preferences to conform with others. Using a longitudinal design, the authors show that such conformity decreases over the course of adolescence and that this reduction in conformity is accompanied by a decreasing degree of uncertainty about what to like.
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Bukchin-Peles S, Ronen T. The Role of Adolescents' Personal and Social Resources in Achieving Desired Emotional and Behavioral Outcomes during an Anxiety-Provoking Pandemic Outbreak. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:6280. [PMID: 34200652 PMCID: PMC8296054 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18126280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Revised: 06/05/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Considering adolescents' developmentally driven stressors and social needs, they may be particularly vulnerable to the anxiety associated with the public health and economic crises due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, they may have difficulty following the mandated contagion prevention directives. The current study focused on the role of adolescents' positive personal resources (self-control, hope) and environmental resources (peer support) in two desired outcomes during the COVID-19 outbreak: wellbeing (i.e., maintaining/increasing positivity ratio) and contagion prevention behaviors (i.e., increasing handwashing). Path analysis was conducted using online survey data collected from a representative sample of 651 Israeli adolescents (ages 13-17). Positive resources were found to be both positively intercorrelated and negatively correlated with pandemic-related anxiety and positively with increased handwashing. Self-control correlated positively with social support, which, in turn, correlated positively with the positivity ratio (i.e., more positive than negative affects) and pandemic-related anxiety. Self-control and pandemic-related anxiety both correlated positively with increased prevention behavior. This study highlights the vital role of positive resources in achieving desired psychological and behavioral outcomes for adolescents during the anxiety-provoking pandemic. Beyond its theoretical innovation, this study offers practical value by focusing on malleable variables that could be the focus of dedicated interventions.
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35
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Nakonechna MM, Stepura E, Papucha M, Koshel V, Segal A, Fedorova A. Personal, semantic and communicational aspects of helping among adolescents. CURRENT ISSUES IN PERSONALITY PSYCHOLOGY 2021; 9:37-45. [PMID: 38013700 PMCID: PMC10663718 DOI: 10.5114/cipp.2021.104594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2020] [Revised: 11/26/2020] [Accepted: 02/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The main research question of the article is how the perception of help and the style of interpersonal relations are connected. In a broad sense, the question refers to the problem of constant and situational variables of prosocial activity. The main methodological framework is Vygotsky's cultural-historical psychology, in particular, the mechanism of interiorization and the interaction of interpsychological and intrapsychological processes. PARTICIPANTS AND PROCEDURE Over 215 participants (students attending school and university, living in Ukraine, aged from 12 to 22 years) took part in our experiment, but because not all of them completed all the necessary forms correctly, only 193 participants' answers were further analyzed. Our two research techniques were Leary's Interpersonal Behavior Circle Personal Inventory and the semantic differential (N = 193). RESULTS Each disposition from Leary's questionnaire had at least one significant correlation with the way Ukrainian adolescents perceive help. The semantic aspects of perceiving help were investigated with the help of ranking the qualities of the semantic differential for the words "help the other". CONCLUSIONS The identified correlations contribute to the psychological analysis of the detailed characteristics of perceiving help concerning personal dispositions. Personal, communicational and semantic aspects of help are interconnected and their further research can bring rich insights.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Eugene Stepura
- G. S. Kostiuk Institute of Psychology of the National Academy of Educational Sciences of Ukraine, Kiev, Ukraine
| | - Mykola Papucha
- Nizhyn Gogol State University, Nizhyn, Ukraine
- G. S. Kostiuk Institute of Psychology of the National Academy of Educational Sciences of Ukraine, Kiev, Ukraine
| | | | | | - Anna Fedorova
- Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, Moscow, Russia
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36
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Kwon SJ, Do KT, McCormick EM, Telzer EH. Neural Correlates of Conflicting Social Influence on Adolescent Risk Taking. JOURNAL OF RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE 2021; 31:139-152. [PMID: 33070432 PMCID: PMC9356537 DOI: 10.1111/jora.12587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Adolescence is often characterized by heightened risk-taking behaviors, which are shaped by social influence from parents and peers. However, little is understood about how adolescents make risky decisions under conflicting influence. The valuation system in the brain may elucidate how adolescents differentially integrate conflicting social information. Twenty-eight adolescents (Mage = 12.7 years) completed a social influence task during a functional magnetic resonance imaging scan. Behaviorally, adolescents took more risks only when their parent endorsed risky decisions but not when their peers endorsed risky decisions. At the neural level, adolescents showed enhanced vmPFC-striatum functional connectivity when they made risky decisions that followed their parents' risky decisions. Results suggest that parents' decisions may guide youths' risk-taking behavior under conflicting influence.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kathy T Do
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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37
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Ciranka S, van den Bos W. Social norms in adolescent risk engagement and recommendation. BRITISH JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY 2021; 39:481-498. [PMID: 33550598 DOI: 10.1111/bjdp.12369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2020] [Revised: 01/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Social influence is an important determinant of adolescent risk-taking, but little is known about how social norms contribute to adolescents' tendency to recommend and engage in risky behaviours. Using the Adolescent Risk-taking Questionnaire, we assessed subjects' (n = 198, age = 10-26) propensity to engage in and recommend risk-taking as well as their perception of risk norms. Adolescents recommended risk-taking more often compared to children and young adults. Perceived social norms were the most important factor predicting engagement in risky behaviours, and adolescents perceived risk-taking to be more normative than children or adults. Our findings highlight two mechanisms that contribute to adolescent risk-taking, active recommendation and perceived social norms. On this basis, we discuss potential means to attenuate excessive adolescent risk-taking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Ciranka
- Max Planck institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany.,Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Wouter van den Bos
- Max Planck institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany.,Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, Berlin, Germany.,University of Amsterdam, Netherlands
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38
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Andrews JL, Ahmed SP, Blakemore SJ. Navigating the Social Environment in Adolescence: The Role of Social Brain Development. Biol Psychiatry 2021; 89:109-118. [PMID: 33190844 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2020.09.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2020] [Revised: 09/04/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Successful navigation of the social environment is dependent on a number of social cognitive processes, including mentalizing and resistance to peer influence. These processes continue to develop during adolescence, a time of significant social change, and are underpinned by regions of the social brain that continue to mature structurally and functionally into adulthood. In this review, we describe how mentalizing, peer influence, and emotion regulation capacities develop to aid the navigation of the social environment during adolescence. Heightened susceptibility to peer influence and hypersensitivity to social rejection in adolescence increase the likelihood of both risky and prosocial behavior in the presence of peers. Developmental differences in mentalizing and emotion regulation, and the corticosubcortical circuits that underpin these processes, might put adolescents at risk for developing mental health problems. We suggest how interventions aimed at improving prosocial behavior and emotion regulation abilities hold promise in reducing the risk of poor mental health as adolescents navigate the changes in their social environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack L Andrews
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Saz P Ahmed
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah-Jayne Blakemore
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, United Kingdom; Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
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39
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Chierchia G, Piera Pi-Sunyer B, Blakemore SJ. Prosocial Influence and Opportunistic Conformity in Adolescents and Young Adults. Psychol Sci 2020; 31:1585-1601. [PMID: 33226891 PMCID: PMC7734552 DOI: 10.1177/0956797620957625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Adolescence is associated with heightened social influence, especially from peers. This can lead to detrimental decision-making in domains such as risky behavior but may also raise opportunities for prosocial behavior. We used an incentivized charitable-donations task to investigate how people revise decisions after learning about the donations of others and how this is affected by age (N = 220; age range = 11-35 years). Our results showed that the probability of social influence decreased with age within this age range. In addition, whereas previous research has suggested that adults are more likely to conform to the behavior of selfish others than to the behavior of prosocial others, here we observed no evidence of such an asymmetry in midadolescents. We discuss possible interpretations of these findings in relation to the social context of the task, the perceived value of money, and social decision-making across development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Chierchia
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London.,Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge
| | - Blanca Piera Pi-Sunyer
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London
| | - Sarah-Jayne Blakemore
- Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London.,Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge
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40
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Telzer EH, Jorgensen NA, Prinstein MJ, Lindquist KA. Neurobiological Sensitivity to Social Rewards and Punishments Moderates Link Between Peer Norms and Adolescent Risk Taking. Child Dev 2020; 92:731-745. [PMID: 33030267 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Although peer influence is a strong predictor of adolescents' risk-taking behaviors, not all adolescents are susceptible to their peer group. One hundred and thirty-six adolescents (Mage = 12.79 years) completed an fMRI scan, measures of perceived peer group norms, and engagement in risky behavior. Ventral striatum (VS) sensitivity when anticipating social rewards and avoiding social punishments significantly moderated the association between perceived peer norms and adolescents' own risk behaviors. Perceptions of more deviant peer norms were associated with increased risky behavior, but only for adolescents with high VS sensitivity; adolescents with low VS sensitivity were resilient to deviant peer norms, showing low risk taking regardless of peer context. Findings provide a novel contribution to the study of peer influence susceptibility.
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41
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Crone EA, Achterberg M, Dobbelaar S, Euser S, van den Bulk B, der Meulen MV, van Drunen L, Wierenga LM, Bakermans-Kranenburg MJ, van IJzendoorn MH. Neural and behavioral signatures of social evaluation and adaptation in childhood and adolescence: The Leiden consortium on individual development (L-CID). Dev Cogn Neurosci 2020; 45:100805. [PMID: 33040969 PMCID: PMC7390777 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2020.100805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2019] [Revised: 06/04/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The transition period between early childhood and late adolescence is characterized by pronounced changes in social competence, or the capacity for flexible social adaptation. Here, we propose that two processes, self-control and prosociality, are crucial for social adaptation following social evaluation. We present a neurobehavioral model showing commonalities in neural responses to experiences of social acceptance and rejection, and multiple pathways for responding to social context. The Leiden Consortium on Individual Development (L-CID) provides a comprehensive approach towards understanding the longitudinal developmental pathways of, and social enrichment effects on, social competence, taking into account potential differential effects of such enrichment. Using Neurosynth based brain maps we point towards the medial prefrontal cortex as an important region integrating social cognition, self-referential processing and self-control for learning to respond flexibly to changing social contexts. Based on their role in social evaluation processing, we suggest to examine medial prefrontal cortex connections with lateral prefrontal cortex and the ventral striatum as potential neural differential susceptibility markers, in addition to previously established markers of differential susceptibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eveline A Crone
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, The Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, The Netherlands; Department of Psychology, Education and Child Studies, Erasmus University, The Netherlands.
| | - Michelle Achterberg
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, The Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, The Netherlands; Department of Psychology, Education and Child Studies, Erasmus University, The Netherlands
| | - Simone Dobbelaar
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, The Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, The Netherlands; Department of Psychology, Education and Child Studies, Erasmus University, The Netherlands
| | - Saskia Euser
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, The Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, The Netherlands
| | - Bianca van den Bulk
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, The Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, The Netherlands
| | - Mara van der Meulen
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, The Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, The Netherlands
| | - Lina van Drunen
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, The Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, The Netherlands; Department of Psychology, Education and Child Studies, Erasmus University, The Netherlands
| | - Lara M Wierenga
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, The Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, The Netherlands
| | - Marian J Bakermans-Kranenburg
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, The Netherlands; Department of Clinical Child and Family Studies, VU Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Marinus H van IJzendoorn
- Department of Psychology, Education and Child Studies, Erasmus University, The Netherlands; School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
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Busching R, Krahé B. With a Little Help from Their Peers: The Impact of Classmates on Adolescents' Development of Prosocial Behavior. J Youth Adolesc 2020; 49:1849-1863. [PMID: 32529342 PMCID: PMC7423867 DOI: 10.1007/s10964-020-01260-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2020] [Accepted: 05/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Peer groups are critical socialization agents for the development of social behavior in adolescence, but studies examining peer-group effects on individuals' prosocial behavior are scarce. Using a two-wave, multilevel data set (N = 16,893, 8481 male; 8412 female; mean age at Time 1: 14.0 years) from 1308 classes in 252 secondary schools in Germany, main effects of the classroom level of prosocial behavior, cross-level interactions between the classroom and the individual levels of prosocial behavior at Time 1, and the moderating role of gender were examined. The results showed that adolescents in classrooms with high collective levels of prosocial behavior at Time 1 reported more prosocial behavior at Time 2, about two years later, reflecting a class-level main effect. A significant cross-level interaction indicated that a high classroom level of prosocial behavior particularly affected individuals with lower levels of prosocial behavior at Time 1. The influence of same-gender peers was larger compared with opposite-gender peers. The findings are discussed with respect to social learning mechanisms in the development of prosocial behavior and their implications for interventions to promote prosocial behavior.
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43
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Neural Underpinnings of Social Contextual Influences on Adolescent Risk-Taking. CURRENT ADDICTION REPORTS 2020; 7:413-420. [DOI: 10.1007/s40429-020-00328-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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44
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Ahmed S, Foulkes L, Leung JT, Griffin C, Sakhardande A, Bennett M, Dunning DL, Griffiths K, Parker J, Kuyken W, Williams JMG, Dalgleish T, Blakemore SJ. Susceptibility to prosocial and antisocial influence in adolescence. J Adolesc 2020; 84:56-68. [PMID: 32858504 PMCID: PMC7674583 DOI: 10.1016/j.adolescence.2020.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2019] [Revised: 07/17/2020] [Accepted: 07/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Introduction Adolescents are particularly susceptible to social influence and previous studies have shown that this susceptibility decreases with age. The current study used a cross-sectional experimental paradigm to investigate the effect of age and puberty on susceptibility to both prosocial and antisocial influence. Methods Participants (N = 520) aged 11–18 from London and Cambridge (United Kingdom) rated how likely they would be to engage in a prosocial (e.g. “help a classmate with their work”) or antisocial (e.g. “make fun of a classmate”) act. They were then shown the average rating (in fact fictitious) that other adolescents had given to the same question, and were then asked to rate the same behaviour again. Results Both prosocial and antisocial influence decreased linearly with age, with younger adolescents being more socially influenced when other adolescents’ ratings were more prosocial and less antisocial than their own initial rating. Both antisocial and prosocial influence significantly decreased across puberty for boys but not girls (independent of age). Conclusions These findings suggest that social influence declines with increasing maturity across adolescence. However, the exact relationship between social influence and maturity is dependent on the nature of the social influence and gender. Understanding when adolescents are most susceptible to different types of social influence, and how this might influence their social behaviour, has important implications for understanding adolescent social development.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Ahmed
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, WC1N 3AR, UK.
| | - L Foulkes
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, WC1N 3AR, UK
| | - J T Leung
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, WC1N 3AR, UK
| | - C Griffin
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, WC1N 3AR, UK
| | - A Sakhardande
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, WC1N 3AR, UK
| | - M Bennett
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge University, Cambridge, CB2 7EF, UK
| | - D L Dunning
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge University, Cambridge, CB2 7EF, UK
| | - K Griffiths
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge University, Cambridge, CB2 7EF, UK
| | - J Parker
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge University, Cambridge, CB2 7EF, UK
| | - W Kuyken
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7JX, UK
| | - J M G Williams
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7JX, UK
| | - T Dalgleish
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge University, Cambridge, CB2 7EF, UK
| | - S J Blakemore
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, WC1N 3AR, UK; Department of Psychology, Downing Street, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK
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45
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Do KT, McCormick EM, Telzer EH. Neural sensitivity to conflicting attitudes supports greater conformity toward positive over negative influence in early adolescence. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2020; 45:100837. [PMID: 32830094 PMCID: PMC7562935 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2020.100837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2020] [Revised: 07/29/2020] [Accepted: 08/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Early adolescents show overall low rates of conformity to conflicting attitudes. Adolescents conform more to peers’ attitudes towards constructive than unconstructive behaviors. Adolescents conform more when parents and peers endorsed positive than negative influence. vmPFC, dACC, and TPJ activity may underlie context-dependent conformity differences.
Adolescents often need to reconcile discrepancies between their own attitudes and those of their parents and peers, but the social contexts under which adolescents conform to the attitudes of others, or the neurocognitive processes underlying decisions to conform, remain unexplored. This fMRI study assessed the extent to which early adolescents (n = 39, ages 12–14) conform to their parents’ and peers’ conflicting attitudes toward different types of behavior (unconstructive and constructive) and in response to different types of influence (negative and positive). Overall, adolescents exhibited low rates of conformity, sticking with their pre-existing attitudes 65 % of the time. When they did conform, adolescents were more likely to conform to their peers’ attitudes towards constructive than unconstructive behaviors, exhibiting decreased activation in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, insula, and inferior frontal gyrus during peer conformity toward constructive over unconstructive behaviors. Adolescents were also more likely to conform when their parents and peers endorsed relatively more positive influence than negative influence, exhibiting increased activation in the temporoparietal junction when considering conforming to negative over positive influence. These results highlight early adolescents’ ability to stick with their own opinions when confronted with opposing attitudes and conform selectively based on the social context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathy T Do
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 235 E. Cameron Avenue, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3270, United States
| | - Ethan M McCormick
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 235 E. Cameron Avenue, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3270, United States
| | - Eva H Telzer
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 235 E. Cameron Avenue, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3270, United States.
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46
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Orben A, Tomova L, Blakemore SJ. The effects of social deprivation on adolescent development and mental health. THE LANCET. CHILD & ADOLESCENT HEALTH 2020. [PMID: 32540024 DOI: 10.31234/osf.io/7afmd] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Adolescence (the stage between 10 and 24 years) is a period of life characterised by heightened sensitivity to social stimuli and the increased need for peer interaction. The physical distancing measures mandated globally to contain the spread of COVID-19 are radically reducing adolescents' opportunities to engage in face-to-face social contact outside their household. In this interdisciplinary Viewpoint, we describe literature from a variety of domains that highlight how social deprivation in adolescence might have far-reaching consequences. Human studies have shown the importance of peer acceptance and peer influence in adolescence. Animal research has shown that social deprivation and isolation have unique effects on brain and behaviour in adolescence compared with other stages of life. However, the decrease in adolescent face-to-face contact might be less detrimental due to widespread access to digital forms of social interaction through technologies such as social media. The findings reviewed highlight how physical distancing might have a disproportionate effect on an age group for whom peer interaction is a vital aspect of development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy Orben
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit and Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Livia Tomova
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Sarah-Jayne Blakemore
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK.
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47
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Andrews JL, Foulkes L, Blakemore SJ. Peer Influence in Adolescence: Public-Health Implications for COVID-19. Trends Cogn Sci 2020; 24:585-587. [PMID: 32444200 PMCID: PMC7205648 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2020.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Accepted: 05/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in the widespread implementation of social distancing measures. Adhering to social distancing may be particularly challenging for adolescents, for whom interaction with peers is especially important. We argue that young people's capacity to encourage each other to observe social distancing rules should be harnessed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lucy Foulkes
- UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, London, UK
| | - Sarah-Jayne Blakemore
- UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, London, UK; Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
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48
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Orben A, Tomova L, Blakemore SJ. The effects of social deprivation on adolescent development and mental health. THE LANCET. CHILD & ADOLESCENT HEALTH 2020; 4:634-640. [PMID: 32540024 PMCID: PMC7292584 DOI: 10.1016/s2352-4642(20)30186-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 460] [Impact Index Per Article: 115.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Revised: 05/25/2020] [Accepted: 05/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Adolescence (the stage between 10 and 24 years) is a period of life characterised by heightened sensitivity to social stimuli and the increased need for peer interaction. The physical distancing measures mandated globally to contain the spread of COVID-19 are radically reducing adolescents' opportunities to engage in face-to-face social contact outside their household. In this interdisciplinary Viewpoint, we describe literature from a variety of domains that highlight how social deprivation in adolescence might have far-reaching consequences. Human studies have shown the importance of peer acceptance and peer influence in adolescence. Animal research has shown that social deprivation and isolation have unique effects on brain and behaviour in adolescence compared with other stages of life. However, the decrease in adolescent face-to-face contact might be less detrimental due to widespread access to digital forms of social interaction through technologies such as social media. The findings reviewed highlight how physical distancing might have a disproportionate effect on an age group for whom peer interaction is a vital aspect of development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy Orben
- Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit and Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Livia Tomova
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Sarah-Jayne Blakemore
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK.
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49
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van der Meulen M, Wierenga LM, Achterberg M, Drenth N, van IJzendoorn MH, Crone EA. Genetic and environmental influences on structure of the social brain in childhood. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2020; 44:100782. [PMID: 32716847 PMCID: PMC7374548 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2020.100782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2019] [Revised: 03/30/2020] [Accepted: 04/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Prosocial behavior and empathy are important aspects of developing social relations in childhood. Prior studies showed protracted structural development of social brain regions associated with prosocial behavior. However, it remains unknown how structure of the social brain is influenced by genetic or environmental factors, and whether overlapping heritability factors explain covariance in structure of the social brain and behavior. The current study examined this hypothesis in a twin sample (aged 7–9-year; N = 512). Bilateral measures of surface area and cortical thickness of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), temporo-parietal junction (TPJ), posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS), and precuneus were analyzed. Results showed genetic contributions to surface area and cortical thickness for all brain regions. We found additional shared environmental influences for TPJ, suggesting that this region might be relatively more sensitive to social experiences. Genetic factors also influenced parent-reported prosocial behavior (A = 45%) and empathy (A = 59%). We provided initial evidence that the precuneus shares genetically determined variance with empathy, suggesting a possible small genetic overlap (9%) in brain structure and empathy. These findings show that structure of the social brain and empathy are driven by a combination of genetic and environmental factors, with some factors overlapping for brain structure and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mara van der Meulen
- Leiden Consortium on Individual Development, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, the Netherlands.
| | - Lara M Wierenga
- Leiden Consortium on Individual Development, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, the Netherlands
| | - Michelle Achterberg
- Leiden Consortium on Individual Development, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, the Netherlands
| | - Nadieh Drenth
- Leiden Consortium on Individual Development, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands
| | - Marinus H van IJzendoorn
- Leiden Consortium on Individual Development, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Department of Psychology, Education and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands; School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, UK
| | - Eveline A Crone
- Leiden Consortium on Individual Development, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, the Netherlands
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50
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Toseeb U, St Clair MC. Trajectories of prosociality from early to middle childhood in children at risk of Developmental Language Disorder. JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION DISORDERS 2020; 85:105984. [PMID: 32171144 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcomdis.2020.105984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2019] [Revised: 01/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/01/2020] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Longitudinal research into the development of prosociality during childhood contributes to our understanding of individual differences in social and emotional outcomes. There is a dearth of literature on the development of prosociality in children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). Data from the UK based Millennium Cohort Study was used to investigate prosociality from age 5 to 11 years in 738 children at risk of Developmental Language Disorder (r-DLD) and 12,972 children in a general population (GP) comparison group. Multilevel mixed effects regression models were run to investigate the mean change in prosociality and latent class growth analysis was used to identify heterogeneous groups of children who shared similar patterns of development. Overall, children at risk of DLD were less prosocial at age 5 and, although they did become more prosocial by the age of 11, they did not reach the same levels of prosociality as those in the GP group. Subsequent sub group analysis revealed four distinct developmental trajectories: stable high (19 %), stable slightly low (36 %), decreasing to slightly low (5 %), and increasing to high (40 %). Children at risk of DLD were less likely than those in the GP group to be in the stable high class and more likely to be in the stable slightly low class. For children at risk of DLD, being prosocial was protective against concurrent social and emotional difficulties. But being prosocial in early childhood was not protective against later social and emotional difficulties nor did the absence of prosociality in early childhood make social and emotional difficulties in middle childhood inevitable. Rather, the presence of prosociality in middle childhood was the key protective factor, regardless of prosociality in early childhood. Prosociality is not a key area of concern for children at risk of DLD. Instead, it is an area of relative strength, which can be nurtured to mitigate social and emotional difficulties in children at risk of DLD, particularly in middle childhood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Umar Toseeb
- Department of Education, Derwent College, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, UK.
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