Deviant Peers and Adolescent Risky Behaviors: The Protective Effect of Nonverbal Display of Parental Warmth

Positive and negative risk-taking behaviors in adolescents: Distinct characteristics, interrelationships, and influencing factors

Adolescence is a crucial period marked by significant developmental changes, during which risk-taking behaviors can be both a normative part of development and a potential source of concern. However, prior research has focused predominantly on the adverse aspects of risk-taking (i.e., negative risk-taking), overlooked the positive counterpart (i.e., positive risk-taking), and lacked a detailed examination of both. This study aims to elucidate the distinct characteristics and interrelationships of positive and negative risk-taking behaviors among adolescents and to identify the key factors that influence these behaviors. Through a comprehensive synthesis of theoretical and empirical literature, we explore the multifaceted nature of risk-taking, highlighting its complex influencing factors, including individual traits, family dynamics, peer influence, school environment, and broader community contexts. By identifying the shared and unique factors contributing to positive and negative risk-taking behaviors, we can enable adolescents to navigate this complex stage of life and design targeted interventions. Future research directions include the application of person-centered approaches, the implementation of longitudinal tracking and the interactive effects of influencing factors, among other aspects.

Patterns of health-risk behaviors among Chinese adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic: a latent class analysis

BACKGROUND

Adolescent health-risk behaviors are prevalent and tend to co-occur. This study aimed to identify patterns of health-risk behaviors among Chinese adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic and explore the effects of individual and social factors on health-risk patterns.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study investigated 1607 adolescents from four high schools in 2021 through stratified cluster random sampling. Latent class analysis was conducted to identify patterns of health-risk behaviors and logistic regression was used to examine the risk and protective factors of latent class membership.

RESULTS

Four latent classes were identified: "Low risk" (81.6%), "Problematic Internet use" (7.8%), "Alcohol use" (8.5%), and "High risk" (2.1%). Relative to the "Low risk", adolescents with higher levels of sensation seeking, deviant peer affiliation, and childhood abuse were more likely to be assigned to the "Problematic Internet use" class, while those with high degrees of parental monitoring and school connectedness were less likely to be in the "Problematic Internet use" class. Those with higher levels of sensation seeking and deviant peer affiliation, lower scores of parental monitoring and school connectedness were more likely to be assigned to the "Alcohol use" class, compared to the "Low risk". Students in the "High risk" class were more likely to report higher levels of sensation seeking, deviant peer affiliation, and childhood abuse, but lower degrees of parental monitoring and school connectedness than the "Low risk" class.

CONCLUSIONS

This study identified patterns of multiple risk behaviors among Chinese high school students during the COVID-19 pandemic and found that multi-level individual and social factors affected latent classes of adolescent health-risk behaviors. These findings provide clues for designing effective interventions to reduce health-risk behaviors among adolescents.

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.

Building Blocks of Parent-Child Sex Communication: Body Talk During Infancy and Early Childhood

The current study investigated how foundational conversations about the body and sexuality begin, how they develop longitudinally, and whether parental body talk varies as a function of characteristics of both the parent and child. Participants included 442 mothers (M age = 32.50, SD = 5.61, 93% heterosexual, 85% White) and 337 available father-figures (M age = 33.99, SD = 5.68, 98% heterosexual, 80% White), who were the parents of infants (age at Time 1 = 28.13 months, SD = 6.85, 52% male). Factor analyses suggested that parents engaged in positive, avoidant, and scolding body talk with their young children, and growth curve analyses suggested that frequency of positive body talk increased from when the child was age two to when they were age four for both mother- and father-figures. Results also suggested that the most consistent predictors of body talk included parents' perceptions of whether their child was too young to discuss sexuality, and the child's own questions and behaviors about their bodies and sexuality. The discussion focuses on the frequency of parental body talk and the active role of the child in the early socialization of healthy sexuality.

How Did We Get So Bored? A Bioecological Model of the Development of Boredom

Boredom is a negative emotion that most people experience on occasion. However, boredom is also present on a trait level. People high in trait boredom experience boredom more frequently or have difficulty tolerating it. Individuals high in trait boredom are more likely to experience depression or anxiety or engage in risk behaviors. Little is known about the development of trait boredom. We propose a bioecological model of the development of trait boredom in which it originates from early individual differences in temperament and executive control. Trait boredom is shaped over time through interactions between the child and their developmental context, such as parents, teachers, and neighborhoods. Boredom can also spur creativity. Capitalizing on the creative side of boredom may help promote low levels of trait boredom and healthy coping. We provide a roadmap to study the development of trait boredom to advance our understanding of how it emerges and develops.

Father and mother harsh parenting and adult romantic relationships over time: Individual behavior during adolescence

The present study examined how father and mother harsh parenting as experienced in middle adolescence impacted individual behavior during late adolescence and subsequent harsh couple interaction with their romantic partner in adulthood using a prospective longitudinal design (n = 117 males, 239 females). Data were collected during home visits by a trained interviewer in which family members completed questionnaires and participated in videotaped structured interaction tasks that were coded by trained observers. We assessed the influence of harsh parenting in adolescence (ages 15 and 16, Time 1) on individual processes (e.g., academic difficulty, substance use, and low self-esteem; age 18, Time 2) and harsh couple interaction in adulthood (ages 29 and 31, Time 3; age 34, Time 4). Father harsh parenting was associated with low self-esteem for sons and daughters and substance use for sons. Mother harsh parenting was associated with academic difficulty for adolescents. Academic difficulty and low self-esteem for daughters were further associated with harsh couple interaction at Time 3, while substance use for adolescents was associated with harsh couple interaction at Time 3, which remained stable through established adulthood. We highlight the unique effects of father and mother harsh parenting on later romantic relationship quality through individual mechanisms in late adulthood, for daughters and sons, in the context of the family system. Understanding these nuances as adolescents approach adulthood have implications for programming and policy aimed at strengthening the parent-child relationship in adolescence to allow for the development of healthy romantic relationships later in life. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

A Multi-System Approach to Investigate Different Forms of Delinquency in Female Adolescents at Risk: Family, School, and Peers

The delinquency of female adolescents at risk has increased conspicuously, much to the concern of human service and public health practitioners. Nevertheless, prior findings of pertinent research have commonly been based on samples of male or gender-mixed participants, especially general youths in the community. These cannot adequately explicate the impacts of different contextual systems on at-risk female adolescents, who are, in fact, more vulnerable to developing delinquency. Based on cross-sectional data collected from a sample of 236 at-risk female adolescents with the help of a large social work organization, the present study investigated and compared the effects of family, school, and peer systems on different forms of delinquency among at-risk female adolescents. The results show that positive family functioning, constructive school experiences, and deviant peer influence were predictive of both self-destructive and other-destructive delinquency in at-risk adolescent girls, respectively, but the effects were significantly different depending on which contextual systems influenced what forms of delinquency. Furthermore, the relationships between positive family functioning and both forms of delinquency were significantly mediated by the effects of constructive school experiences and deviant peer influence, giving support to the distal role of family and the proximal functions of school and peers in adolescence. Implications for policy prevention and interventions to strengthen the contextual supports in different social systems to help female adolescents at risk are discussed.

Longitudinal association between interparental conflict and risk-taking behavior among Chinese adolescents: testing a moderated mediation model

BACKGROUND

The interparental conflict has been associated with an increased adolescents' engagement in risk-taking behaviors. However, few studies have examined the potential mediation of deviant peer affiliation and the potential moderation of school climate. Grounded in the ecological system theory, this study aimed to explore the mediating role of deviant peer affiliation and the moderating role of school climate between the association of interparental conflict and risk-taking behavior.

METHODS

This study conducted a longitudinal design (3 time points, 3 months apart) with the sample comprising 550 middle school students in southeastern China (52.91% males; mean age at Time 1 = 15.37). The performed measurements encompassed interparental conflict (T1), deviant peer affiliation (T2), school climate (T3), risk-taking behavior (T1/T2/T3), and demographic information.

RESULTS

The moderated mediation model revealed that after controlling for T1/T2 risk-taking behavior, T1 interparental conflict was longitudinally and positively correlated with T3 risk-taking behavior through T2 deviant peer affiliation. Furthermore, moderated mediation analysis demonstrated that a positive school climate ameliorated the adverse impact of deviant peer affiliation on risk-taking behavior, thereby mitigating the indirect effect of interparental conflict on risk-taking behavior among adolescents.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings propose a nuanced explanation of the processing mechanisms between interparental conflict and risk-taking behaviors among Chinese adolescents. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

Social Media Exposure and Left-behind Children’s Tobacco and Alcohol Use: The Roles of Deviant Peer Affiliation and Parent–Child Contact

The public has always been concerned about the problem behaviors of children and teenagers (such as cigarette and alcohol use), especially among disadvantaged groups (e.g., left-behind children in China); in the current information era, left-behind children’s use of social media also has increasingly expanded, which has diverse effects on their adaptation. Accordingly, the present study examined the association between exposure to relevant content on social media and left-behind children’s tobacco and alcohol use, as well as the underlying mechanisms—the mediating effect of deviant peer affiliation and the moderating effect of parent–child contact, the gender differences were also investigated. A sample of 515 Chinese left-behind children (M_age = 13.39 ± 2.52 years, 45.0% girls) was recruited to complete a set of questionnaires assessing the main variables. The results show that social media exposure was positively associated with tobacco and alcohol use and that deviant peer affiliation significantly mediated this relationship. Furthermore, parent–child interaction attenuated the link between social media exposure and cigarette and alcohol use among left-behind girls, but this moderating effect was not statistically significant among left-behind boys. The moderating role of parent–child contact in the association between deviant peer affiliation and tobacco and alcohol use was insignificant in both boys and girls. These findings may have significance in several ways—theoretically, they not only deepen our understanding of the risk factors and mechanism of tobacco and alcohol use among left-behind children in the current information era and the influences of social media use; practically, they provide direction for the health improvement of left-behind children of different genders.

Past Bullying Victimization Experiences and Current Sexual Risk Taking among Emerging Adults

A growing body of research suggests that a history of bullying victimization is a risk factor for sexual risk taking (e.g., unprotected sex, multiple sexual partners, using drugs or alcohol before or during sex). However, previous studies that have examined the association between bullying victimization and sexual risk taking used only single, or very few, items to measure sexual risk taking. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to use a more comprehensive, psychometrically validated self-report measure to better capture the construct of sexual risk taking as an outcome linked with a history of bullying victimization (N = 650; 336 women, 314 men; M_age = 20.07, SD = 1.70). Negative binomial regression analyses provided support for hypotheses. Emerging adults with a history of bullying victimization were more likely to engage in various sexual risk behaviors such as casual sex, risky sex acts, impulsive sexual behaviors, intent to have risky sexual behaviors, risky anal sex acts, and overall sexual risk taking compared to emerging adults without a history of bullying victimization. These results may have implications for informing interventions to help emerging adults better manage past bullying experiences.

Impact of stress and parenting on respiratory sinus arrythmia trajectories in early adolescence

The effects of stress and parenting on 1-year trajectories of physiological emotion regulation capacity among adolescents were examined. Consistent with the vulnerability-stress and allostatic load models, stress (chronic family and marital) was hypothesized to be associated with less favorable trajectories of basal respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) over 1 year. This relationship was further hypothesized to be moderated by parenting practices (warmth, neglect, and rejection) and adolescent sex. Participants included 150 adolescents (51.3% female), 11-15 years of age (M = 13.04, SD = 0.89). Basal RSA and stress were assessed four times across 1 year. Results indicated a significant decrease in RSA over the course of 1 year (β = -0.15, p = .010). Warm parenting style was associated with lower RSA in environments of low marital stress and was also related with higher RSA in environments of high marital stress (β = 0.86, p = .021). Rejecting parenting styles were associated with higher RSA in environments of low family stress and lower RSA in environments of high family stress (β = -0.60, p = .014). These findings may be explained by the Yerkes-Dodson law of optimal stress, suggesting that sufficient environmental challenge is needed to catalyze regulatory development.

The father's role in risk and resilience among Mexican-American adolescents

Research suggests fathers are important to adolescent well-being, yet there is limited information regarding how fathering is associated with adolescent risk and resilience in Mexican American families. This cross-sectional study utilized a structural equation model to examine whether parent-child alienation mediated the relations between parental displays of warmth and hostility and the outcomes of adolescent resilience and delinquency in Mexican American families (N = 272). Results indicated that adolescent-perceived alienation from parents was a significant predictor of both resilience and delinquency. Additionally, alienation mediated the relations between father warmth and resilience and father warmth and delinquency, as well as the relations between mother hostility and adolescent outcomes. Implications for theory and practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).