Transactional links between children daily emotions and internalizing symptoms: a six-wave ecological momentary assessment study

Daily Interplay of Positive and Negative Events with Adolescents' Daily Well-Being: Multilevel Person-Centered and Variable-Centered Approaches

INTRODUCTION

This study examined associations between adolescents' daily negative and positive events and their coping efficacy, an understudied topic but pivotal to adolescent thriving.

METHODS

The sample included 153 parent-adolescent triads; adolescents' mean age, 15.71 years (SD = 1.53), 51% girls. Parents were in their midlife (Mage mother = 47.82, SD = 4.90; Mage father = 50.39, SD = 5.80). The study used a daily diary methodology to test within-person links to establish a temporal order of effects. Over seven consecutive days, adolescents reported on 14 daily negative and positive events. Adolescents, mothers, and fathers reported on adolescents' daily coping efficacy.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

Multilevel latent profile analysis (MLPA) identified 4 day-level event profiles: "low event day" (34% of days), reflecting low levels of both positive and negative events and low coping efficacy and positive and negative mood; "positive day" (44%), reflecting dominance of intense positive events and corresponding high coping efficacy and positive mood; "mixed day," reflecting a combination of intense positive and negative events with average coping efficacy and positive mood despite high negative mood and impaired coping. Multilevel path analysis showed adolescents reported increased coping efficacy a day after increased academic load, and parents reported increased adolescent coping efficacy a day after positive parent-adolescent interactions. Fathers reported decreased adolescent coping efficacy a day after peer disappointment. Findings suggest positive events predominate in adolescents' lives, and their coping efficacy is sensitive to dynamic changes in the valence of context.

Exploring emotions beyond the laboratory: A review of emotional and physiological ecological momentary assessment methods in children and youth

Recent advancements in methodologies such as ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and ambulatory physiology devices have enhanced our ability to measure emotions experienced in daily life. Despite the feasibility of EMA for assessing children's and youth's emotional self-reports, the feasibility of combining it with physiological measurements in a real-life context has yet to be established. Our scoping review evaluates the feasibility and usability of implementing emotional and physiological EMA in children and youth. Due to the complexities of physiological EMA data, this review also synthesized existing methodological and statistical practices of existing studies. Following the PRISMA-ScR guidelines, we searched and screened PsycINFO, PubMed, and Web of Science electronic databases for studies that assessed children's and youth's subjective emotions and cardiac or electrodermal physiological responses outside the laboratory. Our initial search resulted in 4174 studies, 13 of which were included in our review. Findings showed significant variability in the feasibility of physiological EMA, with physiology device wear-time averaging 58.77% of study periods and data loss due to quality issues ranging from 0.2% to 77% across signals. Compliance for emotional EMA was approximately 60% of study periods when combined with physiological EMA. The review points to a lack of standardized procedures in physiological EMA and suggests a need for guidelines in designing, processing, and analyzing such data collected in real-life contexts. We offer recommendations to enhance participant engagement and develop standard practices for employing physiological EMA with children and youth for emotion, developmental, and psychophysiology researchers.

Prosocial Behavior and Aggression in the Daily School Lives of Early Adolescents

Research has not adequately addressed a possible mutual co-regulatory influence of prosocial and aggressive behaviors in adolescents' daily lives. This study explored bidirectional within-person associations between prosocial and aggressive behaviors in the daily school lives of early adolescents. The sample included 242 sixth-graders [M_age = 11.96 (SD = 0.18), 50% girls] and their teachers. Adolescents reported on daily prosocial behavior and reactive and proactive aggression for ten consecutive days. Teachers and adolescents reported on adolescents' overall prosocial behaviors. Across-day prosocial behaviors increased after days when adolescents exhibited more reactive aggression but not among self-reported low-prosocial adolescents. Increased prosocial behaviors did not mitigate aggression the next day. The findings suggest prosocial behaviors are a plausible compensatory strategy after daily aggressive reactions.

Relationships between Child Development at School Entry and Adolescent Health-A Participatory Systematic Review

The relationship between child development and adolescent health, and how this may be modified by socio-economic conditions, is poorly understood. This limits cross-sector interventions to address adolescent health inequality. This review summarises evidence on the associations between child development at school starting age and subsequent health in adolescence and identifies factors affecting associations. We undertook a participatory systematic review, searching electronic databases (MEDLINE, PsycINFO, ASSIA and ERIC) for articles published between November 1990 and November 2020. Observational, intervention and review studies reporting a measure of child development and subsequent health outcomes, specifically weight and mental health, were included. Studies were individually and collectively assessed for quality using a comparative rating system of stronger, weaker, inconsistent or limited evidence. Associations between child development and adolescent health outcomes were assessed and reported by four domains of child development (socio-emotional, cognitive, language and communication, and physical development). A conceptual diagram, produced with stakeholders at the outset of the study, acted as a framework for narrative synthesis of factors that modify or mediate associations. Thirty-four studies were included. Analysis indicated stronger evidence of associations between measures of socio-emotional development and subsequent mental health and weight outcomes; in particular, positive associations between early externalising behaviours and later internalising and externalising, and negative associations between emotional wellbeing and later internalising and unhealthy weight. For all other domains of child development, although associations with subsequent health were positive, the evidence was either weaker, inconsistent or limited. There was limited evidence on factors that altered associations. Positive socio-emotional development at school starting age appears particularly important for subsequent mental health and weight in adolescence. More collaborative research across health and education is needed on other domains of development and on the mechanisms that link development and later health, and on how any relationship is modified by socio-economic context.