Adolescent development: challenges and opportunities for research, programs, and policies

Changes in P300 amplitude to negative emotional stimuli correlate with treatment responsiveness to sertraline in adolescents with depression

OBJECTIVE

Adolescents with depression is characterized by high rates of recurrence and functional impairment, with a significant association with suicide risk. Antidepressants are commonly prescribed to treat depression, yet few reproducible neurobiological markers for depression and antidepressant treatment response have been identified. Therefore, discovering a stable and reliable neurobiological marker holds significant value for both the clinical diagnosis and treatment of depression in adolescents.

METHODS

One hundred and seven patients with major depressive disorder (MDD group, 30 males, 77 females, mean age: 14.80 years), and 25 healthy subjects (HC group, 13 males, 12 females, mean age: 15.72 years) were recruited to perform a two-choice oddball task related to negative emotional cues. All participants completed a self-administered questionnaire to gather demographic information. A trained psychiatrist administered the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD-17) to assess depression severity. Of the 107 adolescents with depression, 61 received antidepressant medication for 8 weeks, and 61 of these patients were followed up. Multichannel EEG was recorded continuously from 64 scalp electrodes using the Curry 8 system. EEG signal preprocessing and analysis was performed offline using the EEGLAB toolbox in MATLAB. The ERP component characteristics associated with emotional processing were extracted from the difference waves and statistically analyzed.

RESULTS

Adolescents with depression exhibited significantly larger P300 amplitudes than healthy controls in response to both neutral and negative emotional cues. Following sertraline treatment, both depression scores and P300 amplitudes decreased significantly in adolescents with depression. Moreover, a strong positive correlation was observed between changes in depression scores and changes in P300 amplitude in response to negative emotional cues before and after treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

Changes in neural reactivity to negative emotional stimuli among adolescents with depression can be selectively modulated by sertraline and are significantly associated with improvements in depressive symptoms.

SIGNIFICANCE

Changes in P300 amplitude to negative emotional stimuli significantly correlate with treatment responsiveness to sertraline in adolescents with depression.

A cross-sectional investigation into the role of intersectionality as a moderator of the relation between youth adversity and adolescent depression/anxiety symptoms in the community

BACKGROUND

Adolescents exposed to adversity show higher levels of depression and anxiety, with the strongest links seen in socially/societally disadvantaged individuals (e.g., females, low socioeconomic status [SES]), as well as neurodivergent individuals. The intersection of these characteristics may be important for the differential distribution of adversity and mental health problems, though limited findings pertain to the extent to which intersectional effects moderate this association.

METHODS

Combined depression/anxiety symptoms were measured using the emotional problems subscale of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire in 13-14-year-olds in Cornwall, United Kingdom in 2017-2019. In a cross-sectional design (N = 11,707), multiple group structural equation modeling was used to estimate the effects of youth adversity on depression/anxiety symptoms across eight intersectionality profiles (based on gender [female/male], SES [lower/higher], and traits of hyperactivity/inattention [high/low]). Moderation effects of these characteristics and their intersections were estimated.

RESULTS

Youth adversity was associated with higher levels of depression/anxiety (compared to an absence of youth adversity), across intersectional profiles. This effect was moderated by gender (stronger in males; β = 0.22 [0.11, 0.36]), and SES (stronger in higher SES; β = 0.26 [0.14,0.40]); with indications of moderation attributable to the intersection between gender and hyperactivity/inattention (β = 0.21 [-0.02,0.44]).

CONCLUSIONS

Youth adversity is associated with heightened depression/anxiety across intersectional profiles in 13-14-year-olds. The stronger effects observed for males, and for higher SES, may be interpreted in terms of structural privilege. Preliminary findings suggest that vulnerability and resilience to the effects of youth adversity may partially depend on specific intersectional effects. Importantly, the current results invite further investigation in this emerging line of inquiry.

A Dynamical Systems Investigation of the Co-regulation between Perceived Daily Parental Warmth and Adolescent Attention-deficit/hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms

Longitudinal research demonstrates that child ADHD symptoms and behaviors exhibit reciprocal associations with parenting behaviors over time. However, minimal research has investigated these associations and their dynamic links at the daily level. Intensive longitudinal data can disentangle stable between-person differences from within-person fluctuations and reveal nuanced short-term family dynamics on a micro timescale. Using 30-day daily diary data from a community sample of 86 adolescents (Mage = 14.5, 55% female, 56% White, 22% Asian) and latent differential equation modeling, this study examined the links between perceived daily parental warmth and ADHD symptoms as coupled dynamical systems. The results show that the magnitude of fluctuations in perceived daily parental warmth generally remains stable, while elevated ADHD symptoms return to their normal level over time. Perceived parental warmth is sensitive to change in ADHD symptoms such that adolescents feel that their parents will fine-tune their warmth with gradual changes when adolescents demonstrate heightened symptoms. There are substantial between-family differences in these regulating system dynamics. Among families with more baseline parental non-harsh discipline, both perceived parental warmth and ADHD symptoms tend to be more stable and fluctuate less often. Intensive longitudinal data and dynamical systems approaches offer a new lens to uncover short-term family dynamics and adolescent adjustment at a refined micro level. Future research should explore antecedents and consequences of between-family differences in these short-term family dynamics on multiple timescales.

Social acceptance from peers and youth mentoring: Implications for addressing loneliness and social isolation

Youth mentoring may be able to support lonely and socially isolated youth. This study examined the association between participating in youth mentoring programs and mentee perception of social acceptance from peers. Regression models considered the association between mentoring and peer social acceptance in terms of demographics, program features, and baseline peer relationship quality for 693 youth from 27 mentoring programs. The construct validity of a social acceptance scale was explored. The scale suggested two factors of peer social acceptance. No significant changes in peer social acceptance were observed before and after participating in mentoring programs. Trends in social acceptance indicated that positive/negative feelings in the mentor-mentee relationship were associated with positive/negative indicators of peer social acceptance. Mentoring programs may be able to help prevent loneliness and social isolation through positive aspects of the mentor-mentee relationships, but additional intervention activities are likely necessary to support lonely and socially isolated youth.

Trajectories of Substance Use and Well-being in Early and Middle Adolescence Shaped by Social Connectedness

Increasing substance use and decreasing well-being are typical in adolescence, yet how social contexts shape disparate development during this time is less well-understood. A latent growth class analysis was conducted that identified groups of early (N = 706; Age_m  = 12.20) and middle (N = 666; Age_m  = 14.38) adolescents distinguished by rates of substance use and well-being over three years. In both cohorts, the largest group reported low substance use and high well-being, with a smaller group exhibiting maladaptive trajectories for both substance use and well-being. Two additional groups were identified during middle adolescence characterized by either low well-being or high substance use. Family connectedness was a protective factor, while high peer connectedness was a risk factor for substance-use groups and low peer connectedness for languishing.

Study of Functional Impairment in Students of Elementary and Secondary Public Schools in Iran

OBJECTIVE

The current study aimed to investigate the frequency of impairment in different functional domains of life and the relationship between sex and age and functional impairment in school-based samples of Iranian children and adolescents.

METHOD

A sample of 270 children (ages 6-11) enrolled in two public elementary schools and a sample of 386 adolescents (ages 12-17) enrolled in four public secondary schools were selected by multistage sampling. The Persian version of the parent report form and self-report form of the Weiss Functional Impairment Rating Scale (WFIRS-P and WFIRS-S) were used for evaluating functional impairment in children and adolescents, respectively. Two-way analyses of variance (two-way ANOVAs) were conducted to explore the main effects and the interaction effect of sex and age on functional impairment.

RESULTS

11.9% of children and 29.5% of adolescents showed impairment in at least two functional domains of life. The most frequent impaired domain was life skills (22.6% of children and 30.3% of adolescents). While no significant sex and age effect was found during childhood, male adolescents showed more impairment in externalizing domains and female adolescents showed more internalizing difficulties. In addition, older adolescents showed more functional impairment relative to younger adolescents.

CONCLUSIONS

Detailed knowledge of the relationship between sex and age and functional impairment could be a starting point to target the major psychosocial elements of these challenges.

The role of psychological factors and institutional channels in predicting the attainment of postsecondary goals

Developmental systems theory and life span development describe the role of individual-context interactions in individual development but have not directly addressed how individuals pursue achievement goals in institutional contexts. We developed a theory informed by these perspectives that explains how institutional contexts affect emerging adults' success in transitioning to and progressing through college. We theorize that institutional contexts increase individuals' probability of attaining specific goals when they provide stronger channels that offer more versus fewer structural supports for these goals. Moreover, we theorize, these institutional channels influence which individual differences, including belonging certainty, growth mindset of intelligence, and grit, will be useful in goal pursuit, above and beyond individuals' academic preparation and demographic factors. We examined postsecondary goal pursuit over a 6-year period among 1,850 students who attended one of four district high schools in Pennsylvania or Massachusetts. On average, they began the study at 17.91 years of age; 48% were male, 43% belonged to a historically marginalized ethnicity, and 56% had free or reduced lunch status. We found that channel strength and psychological factors interacted in ways predicted by our theory. Higher belonging certainty and growth mindset in Grade 12, which encourage a focus on process and progress, predicted better outcomes in weaker postsecondary channels, especially college enrollment and on-track progress. Higher grit, which encourages a commitment to goal attainment, predicted better outcomes in stronger postsecondary channels, especially on-time graduation. The study locates the importance of psychological factors in predicting goal attainment in different-strength institutional channels during emerging adulthood. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Disruption of Neural Activity and Functional Connectivity in Adolescents With Major Depressive Disorder Who Engage in Non-suicidal Self-Injury: A Resting-State fMRI Study

Background: Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), which commonly occurs during adolescence, often co-occurs with major depressive disorder (MDD). However, the underlying neurobiological mechanisms in adolescents with MDD who engage in NSSI remain unclear. The current study examined the aberrant local neural activity in certain areas of the visual regions and the default mode network (DMN) and the resting-state functional connectivity (rs-FC) in changed brain regions in adolescents with MDD who engage in NSSI and adolescents with MDD only. Methods: A total of 67 adolescents with MDD were divided into two groups based on their NSSI behavior: the NSSI group (n = 31) and an age-, gender-, and education-matched MDD group (n = 36). The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) was used to assess the severity of MDD. Amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) analysis was used to detect alterations in local neural activity. Brain regions with aberrant neural activity were considered regions of interest (ROI). ALFF-based rs-FC analysis was used to further explore the underlying changes in connectivity between ROI and other areas in the NSSI group. Correlation analyses were performed to examine the relationship between neural changes and clinical characteristics. Results: There was no significant difference in HAMD scores between the two groups. ALFF analysis revealed that, compared to adolescents with MDD only, adolescents with MDD who engaged in NSSI displayed significantly enhanced neural activity in the right fusiform gyrus (FFG. R) and the right median cingulate and paracingulate gyri (DCG. R). Significantly reduced rs-FC of the FFG. R-bilateral medial orbital of the superior frontal gyrus (ORBsupmed. L/R)/bilateral medial superior frontal gyrus (SFGmed. L/R), FFG. R-bilateral posterior cingulate gyrus (PCG. L/R), DCG. R-left pallidum (PAL. L), DCG. R-right superior temporal gyrus (STG. R), and DCG. R-right postcentral gyrus (PoCG. R)/right inferior parietal lobule (IPL. R) was found in adolescents with MDD who were engaged in NSSI. Additionally, no significant correlations were observed between ALFF or rs-FC values and the HAMD scores between the two groups. Limitations: Owing to the cross-sectional design, the alterations in ALFF and rs-FC values in the FFG. R and DCG. R could not demonstrate that it was a state or feature in adolescents with MDD who engaged in NSSI. Additionally, the sample size was relatively small. Conclusions: This study highlights changes in regional brain activity and remote connectivity in the FFG. R and DCG. R in adolescents with MDD who engage in NSSI. This could provide a new perspective for further studies on the neurobiological mechanism of NSSI behavior in adolescents with MDD.

Gender, Physical Self-Perception and Overall Physical Fitness in Secondary School Students: A Multiple Mediation Model

Background: Physical self-perception is often related with better physical fitness perception in adolescents. Moreover, it is an important social cognitive perspective to provide suitable mental health in this population. However, this relationship is unequal between boys and girls. The physical fitness is a marker of health in young population. The aims of the present study were the following: (1) to compare physical self-perception and self-reported overall physical fitness (OPF) between boys and girls (gender) and body mass index (BMI) status, and (2) to determine the mediating role of all physical self-perception subscales (except physical condition) and BMI status in the link between gender and OPF in adolescent students. Methods: This cross-sectional study consisted of 85 adolescent students of secondary school between 12 and 17 years of age; 41 were boys (M_age = 14.6, SD = 1.7) and 44 were girls (M_age = 14.4, SD = 1.6). Adolescent participants completed all clinical characteristics by body composition measures (age, body weight, body height, and BMI). Physical self-perception was assessed by the physical self-perception profile (PSPP) whereas the international fitness scale (IFIS) was used to predict the self-reported OPF of adolescents in the present study. Results: Gender (boys and girls) differed significantly in all PSPP subscales and OPF, whereas the BMI status (underweight = 19 students, normal weight = 53 students, overweight/obese = 13 students) showed significant differences in all clinical characteristics, physical condition (PSPP), and OPF. A multiple mediation analysis was performed using bias corrected bootstrap. This multiple mediation analysis revealed that all PSPP subscales were significant mediators between gender and OPF: attractive body (p = 0.013), sport competence (p = 0.009), physical strength (p = 0.002), and self-confidence (p = 0.002). The total direct effect of gender on OPF was significant (p = 0.002). Moreover, the multiple mediation estimated a completely standardized indirect of X on Y for attractive body (effect = 0.109), sport competence (effect = 0.066), physical strength (effect = 0.130), and self-confidence (effect = 0.193). Conclusions: These findings contribute to understanding the link between gender and OPF in adolescent students and the mediation of physical self-perception and OPF in this relationship. In addition, strategies focused to improve self-confidence and physical self-perception are necessary in female adolescent students, because boys showed better physical self-perception in all PSPP subscales. Girls are a risk group because they report low physical self-confidence with their respective insecurity feelings and psychological disorders. Thus, personal physical self-perception must be considered as an important social cognitive perspective to provide suitable mental health in children and adolescents.

Adolescents' Daily Experience of Fathers' Emotional Support and Self-Evaluation in Korea

Recently, fathers' role in children's development has been recognized internationally. In Asian countries, similar conversations have emerged but there has been a lack of empirical studies that considered the unique cultural contexts. As a response, based on Bronfenbrenner's process-person-context-time model, the present study examined the daily dynamics and individual differences in the experience of fathers' emotional support and self-evaluation in social roles among 283 Korean adolescents in 5th and 8th grade. Through Hierarchical Linear Modeling, within-person associations between adolescents' experience of fathers' emotional support and self-evaluation in social roles on the same day and the next day were found, with individual differences by grade level and family affluence. Theoretical and practical implications within the relevant cultural context are discussed.

A Longitudinal Study of Sport Participation and Perceived Social Competence in Youth

PURPOSE

Participation in sport presents a unique setting for positive youth psychosocial development. Evidence supporting the relationship between sport and perceived social competence, however, is lacking longitudinal evidence; therefore, it is unknown how the relationship changes through late childhood to early adolescence. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the association between sport participation and self-perceived social competence over 4 years of early adolescence.

METHODS

The data for this study are from the longitudinal cohort Physical Health and Activity Study. A total of 2,278 children in grade 4 were followed for 4 years until age 13-14 years. Self-perceived social competence (SPSC) was measured using Harter's Self-Perception Profile for Children. Sport participation was measured using the Participation Questionnaire. Mixed effects models were used to evaluate the effect of sport as a continuous and categorical variable on SPSC.

RESULTS

There was a significant association of sport at baseline (b = .06, 95% CI: .04-.08) and a significant association of sport over time (b = .01, 95% CI: 4 × 10^-3 to .017) on SPSC for both males and females. When examining sport participation categorically, compared with no sport participation, participation in any category of sport (in-school, out-of-school, or both) is positively associated with SPSC.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study demonstrated that higher participation in sport is associated with small gains in perceptions of social competence during late childhood to early adolescence, suggesting that sport may be a small yet important contributor to young adolescents' perceptions of their social capabilities.

Evidence of Diverse Identities in a Large National Sample of Sexual and Gender Minority Adolescents

Adolescence is a time of identity exploration, and preliminary evidence indicates the ways adolescents are describing their sexual and gender identities (SOGI) are changing. A nuanced understanding of SOGI is necessary for valid assessment in developmental research. Current measures do not capture the diversity of emerging identities among young people. Our study analyzed a national sample of 17,112 sexual and gender minority adolescents (13-17 years) to better understand how identity labels are reported across sexual, gender, and ethnoracial minorities. Adolescents reported 26 distinct SOGI categories; 24% of adolescents utilized nontraditional SOGI labels, such as pansexual and nonbinary. These identifications varied significantly as a function of ethnoracial identity. Results have implications for how scholars conceptualize and measure SOGI among adolescents.

Association between Emotion Dysregulation and Distinct Groups of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury in Taiwanese Female Adolescents

Background: Previous studies revealed that female adolescents are more likely than males to engage in non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) to regulate negative emotions; however, the dimensions of emotion regulation that are associated with NSSI behavior in adolescents require further examination. The present study aimed to identify Taiwanese female adolescent clusters with NSSI engagement frequency and to evaluate the association of specific forms of emotion dysregulation with NSSI. Methods: The participants were 438 female adolescents (mean age = 15.23 years, SD = 1.24, range between 13 and 18) recruited from 11 high schools. Self-report questionnaires assessing NSSI, difficulties in emotion regulation, and positive and negative affect were administered, and 37% of respondents reported a history of NSSI. Results: The analysis of NSSI frequency yielded three groups: severe, moderate, and non-NSSI. High negative affect, low positive affect, and difficulties in all aspects of emotion regulation differentiated female adolescents in the severe NSSI group from their counterparts in the non-NSSI group. The moderate and severe NSSI groups were further distinguished by age of onset, negative affect, emotion regulation strategies, and impulse control. Adolescents classified in the severe group reported earlier onset of NSSI, higher negative affect, less emotion regulation strategies, and more difficulty with impulse control. Conclusions: The results indicate that assessments of NSSI and emotion regulation should be incorporated in youth mental health screening. The clinical implications of NSSI behavior intervention require further discussion.

Genetic and Environmental Influences on Adolescent Emotional Inertia in Daily Life

Emotional inertia represents the extent to which individuals' emotions tend to carry over from one time point to the next. High emotional inertia indicates low emotion regulation ability and has been associated with psychological maladjustment and mood disorders. However, the extent of genetic influence on emotional inertia, particularly in adolescents, is largely unknown. The current study examined genetic and environmental influences on individual differences in emotional inertia. This study followed a sample of 447 17-year-old same-sex UK twins (41% males) with an innovative intensive longitudinal daily diary design that captured their intra-individual emotion fluctuations over one month. Adolescents reported their positive and negative emotions once a day consecutively for up to 40 days. Time series analyses were used to construct emotional inertia and classical twin analyses were used to disentangle its genetic and environmental influences. The results showed that inertia for positive emotion was only modestly heritable and inertia for negative emotion showed no heritability at all. Both measures showed predominantly non-shared environmental influences. These findings highlight the importance of unique environmental influences in shaping individual differences in how well adolescents regulate their emotions and how easily they move from one emotional state to another in daily life. The importance of identifying specific environmental influences on emotional inertia is discussed, and suggestions of what those influences might be are offered.

Agency of depressed adolescents: embodiment and social representations

Purpose: Major depression is becoming more common among adolescents. Most research into major depression disorder focuses on intrapersonal and interpersonal processes, but the importance of sociocultural factors is less investigated. This study explores the role of social representations in the construction of adolescents diagnosed with major depression. The researched was informed by the concept of human agency and Social Relational Theory.

Method: Interviews were conducted with fifteen hospitalized adolescents diagnosed with a major depression disorder using a semi-structured interview schedule. The research question was: What are the social representations about being a normal person that influence depressed adolescents and their lived experiences of having major depression? Transcripts were subjected to Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis.

Results: Five superordinate themes emerged out of the data: (a) Depression means personal failure; (b) Feeling bad is not allowed and is not normal: in fact, depression doesn’t really exist; (c) You are obliged to have an intimate relationship, otherwise you are not normal; (d) It is important to have future projects for personal and social well-being; (e) Being socially well integrated is normality.

Conclusions: Clinical and therapeutic implications are discussed.

Temporal Transitions in Patterns of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Depression Among Adolescents Following the Wenchuan Earthquake

Posttramatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression are persistent disorders with heterogeneous comorbidity. Cross-sectional design limitations have prevented previous studies from examining symptom pattern transitions, which limits the understanding on the change of mental health over time since trauma. This study examined transition patterns of PTSD and depression comorbidity and assessed the role of personality. PTSD, depression, and personality scales were used to assess 619 adolescents 1 year after the Wenchuan earthquake and then to longitudinally assess 332 adolescents 2 years post-earthquake. Data were analyzed using latent transition analysis and logistic regression. Four PTSD and depression comorbidity patterns were identified at both times: moderate comorbidity, high comorbidity, no symptoms, and depression. Patterns of PTSD and depression changed in 23.4% of adolescents: 4.4% and 7.1% transitioned from no symptoms to depression and from depression to moderate comorbidity, respectively; 7.5% transitioned from moderate comorbidity to depression. Extraversion and conscientiousness were more likely and openness was less likely to be associated with moderate comorbidity symptoms transitioned to depression symptoms. These findings indicated that patterns of PTSD and depression in adolescents are heterogeneous and show temporal change.

Problematic social networking site usage and substance use by young adolescents

Background

Substance use and abuse by young adolescents has become a serious issue for public health services, and several socio-environmental factors can influence how vulnerable a young adolescent may be to their appeal. The present study was devised to examine whether substance use in early adolescence is associated with problematic social networking site usage (PSNSU).

Methods

In the academic year 2013–2014, secondary schools in Padua (north-eastern Italy) were involved in a survey called “Pinocchio”. A sample of 1325 pupils attending years 6 to 8 (i.e. aged from 11 to 13 years) completed self-administered questionnaires, in which PSNSU was measured by applying the DSM-IV criteria of dependence to identify any social network addiction disorder and its fallout on daily life. Multivariate analysis (ordered logistic regression) was performed to assess an adjusted association between young adolescents’ substance use and PSNSU.

Results

The percentage of pupils classified as problematic social networking site users rose with age (from 14.6% in year 6 to 24.3% in year 7, and 37.2% in year 8), and it was higher in girls (27.1%) than in boys (23.6%). In a fully-adjusted model, PSNSU conferred a higher likelihood of being substance users (OR 2.93 95% CI 1.77–4.85).

Conclusion

This study identified an association between PSNSU and the likelihood of substance use (smoking, alcohol and energy drink consumption), providing further evidence of the need to pay more attention to PSNSU in early adolescence.

Adolescent girls in context: Not all patterns may be created equal

Much research exists on the importance of risk factors within individual contexts of parenting, neighborhood, school, and peers for adolescent development. However little exists on whether risks in certain contexts may be more or less likely for risk accumulation across contexts – referred to as the Weighted Risk Phenomenon (WRP). One way to study WRP is to study adolescent patterns of co-existing risk characteristics across domains and over time. The present study focuses on studying information about parenting, neighborhood, school, and peers in order to understand how risk can have different patterns over time. Participants were all girls recruited from junior high schools in rural and metropolitan areas of Sweden. The results illustrate that there are stable structural and individual pathways across four contexts of adolescent girls which may represent risk over time. Structurally, patterns which emerged at grade 7 reappeared again a year later and again a year after that in grade 9. In general, the same individuals seem to re-emerge in the same or similar patterns over time. Those who showed risk accumulation patterns tended to report prior risk factors in the parenting context. Such trends are supported in the literature and give support to the postulation that parenting is one of the strongest risk factors for adolescents. The findings indicate possible underpinnings of WRP.

Observed Normativity and Deviance in Friendship Dyads' Conversations About Sex and the Relations With Youths' Perceived Sexual Peer Norms

The current study examined the relations between observed normativity and deviance during adolescents' and young adults' conversations about sex with their friends and their individual perceptions of sexual peer norms. Participants were 16-21-year-old same-sex friendship dyads (31 male and 30 female dyads) who performed a peer interaction task that consisted of five discussion assignments focusing on party planning, sexual double standards, condom use, homosexuality, and consensual sex. Videotaped discussions were coded to capture the amounts of normative talk (e.g., consistent with notions of healthy sexuality) and deviant talk (e.g., consistent with notions of risky sexuality), and the verbal or nonverbal reinforcement thereof. Participants also completed individual questionnaires to assess their perceived sexual descriptive norms, injunctive norms, pressure, and risk norms among their peers. Actor-partner interdependence model (APIM) results revealed that youths' perceived descriptive, injunctive, and risk norms, but not their experienced peer pressure, were related to both their own (actor effects) and their friends' (partner effects) normativity and deviance. Overall, more deviance was related to perceiving friends to be more sexually active, more approving of having sex, and engaging in more risky sex, whereas more normativity was related to these perceptions in the opposite direction. Gender differences in the APIMs indicated that interactive normativity and deviance was related to perceived descriptive, injunctive, and risk norms for boys, but only to perceived injunctive norms for girls. These findings demonstrate the importance of assessing the dyadic nature of youths' sexual communication with friends, their relation to individual sexual peer norm perceptions, and gender differences therein.

Concussions and Risk Within Cultural Contexts of Play

Concussions are a type of traumatic injury caused by a jolting of the brain that disrupts normal brain function, and multiple concussions can lead to serious long-term health consequences. In this article, we examine the relationship between college students' understanding of concussions and their willingness to continue playing despite the possibility of sustaining multiple head injuries. We use a mixed-methods approach that includes participant observation, cultural domain analysis, and structured interviews. Our research finds that students hold a robust cognitive understanding of concussion yet discursively frame concussions as skeletomuscular injuries. More importantly, students affirm the importance of playing sports for themselves and others, so their decisions to risk multiple concussions must be understood within cultural and biocultural contexts of meaningful social play. We suggest that peoples' decision to risk multiple head injuries should be understood as a desire for meaningful social play rather than an uninformed health risk.

Learning to BREATHE: A Pilot Study of a Mindfulness-Based Intervention to Support Marginalized Youth

Mindfulness-based curricular interventions can support adolescents who are at risk of school failure as they negotiate the transition from high school into young adulthood. Researchers hypothesized that a 6-week mindfulness-based intervention would lower participants’ perceived stress while increasing their reported levels of self-esteem. Participants (N = 23) ranged in age from 17 to 20 years while the majority were male students of color. Pre- and postintervention survey mean responses revealed statistically significant differences on the Single-Item Self-Esteem Scale and 3 items on the Perceived Stress Scale (with small to moderate effect sizes). Postintervention focus group (n = 8) data indicated that the most valued daily practice was the body scan technique. Open coding of the focus group data also revealed several key themes in the form of overarching codes as participants discussed intervention benefits. These included (a) self-regulation, (b) attention-awareness, and (c) positive thinking.

'Ballroom itself can either make you or break you' - Black GBT Youths' psychosocial development in the House Ball Community

Social context plays a significant role in adolescent identity development, particularly for youth lacking traditional systems of support. Using ecological and symbolic interactionism perspectives, this study qualitatively explored the psychosocial identity development of Black gay, bisexual, or transgendered youth participating in the House Ball Community (HBC). The HBC is a diverse network of family-like structures called 'houses', as well as a glamorous social outlet via pageant-like 'balls' in which participants compete. A series of focus groups were conducted with youth and leaders from the HBC (n = 37; age range = 17-24). Via cross-case and comparative analyses, specific motivating factors related to entry into and continued involvement in the community were identified. Factors related to entry into the community included lack of safe spaces, opportunities for acceptance, means of subsistence, and allure of the scene. Factors related to continued involvement included resilience and coping skills development, sexual identity acceptance and pride, prevalence of risky behaviour, and risk of exploitation. Discussion of these factors provides insight on how self-constructed, supplementary social contexts may provide both unique supports and risks to members, allowing for more focused and well-informed interventions and policies to enhance healthy development in such communities while mitigating risk.

The Role of Perceived Stress and Self-Efficacy in Young People's Life Satisfaction: A Longitudinal Study

Life satisfaction is an important indicator of successful development. However, adolescents' life satisfaction tends to be relatively unsteady, and environmental influences play a critical role in shaping life satisfaction among adolescents in the transition to young adulthood. Given the paramount importance that education plays in adolescents' lives, adolescents' life satisfaction may vary as a function of school-related stress experience. At the same time, coping resources may help reduce adverse effects of stress on life satisfaction. With this in mind, we examined whether, and to what extent, perceived stress in education and general self-efficacy (a resource that facilitates coping) affect the life satisfaction of adolescents in transition to young adulthood. We distinguished between baseline levels of stress and self-efficacy and within-person change in stress and self-efficacy to determine whether life satisfaction is sensitive to fluctuations in stress and self-efficacy when person-specific levels of stress and self-efficacy are taken into account. Estimating growth curve models on data from a panel study on the life trajectories of compulsory-school leavers (n = 5126, 55.3 % female), we found that baseline levels of stress and self-efficacy, as well as within-person change in stress and self-efficacy, affected adolescents' life satisfaction. Moreover, our results showed that baseline self-efficacy mitigated the negative effect of baseline stress on life satisfaction. These findings improve our understanding of two major psychological determinants of adolescents' life satisfaction and extend our knowledge of life satisfaction trajectories during the transition to young adulthood.

The Development of a Big Five Adolescent Personality Inventory

Using data from 3,752 middle and high school students, a series of eight studies developed and validated a measure of the Big Five personality traits tailored to adolescents, the Adolescent Personal Style Inventory (APSI). Study 1 tested the internal consistency reliability of the first version of the APSI. Study 2 validated the APSI against teacher ratings of Big Five traits. Study 3 confirmed the five-factor structure of the APSI. Study 4 developed evidence for the criterion-related validity of the APSI in two high schools using GPA, absences, and behavior problems. Study 5 demonstrated convergence of traits measured in the APSI and the NEO-FFI. Study 6 investigated the construct validity of the APSI in relation to the 16 PF, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, and Otis-Lennon intelligence test. Study 7 examined known-group validation with two groups-an at-risk group of high school students and a high school leadership group. Study 8 provided descriptive statistics, coefficient alphas ranging from .80 to .85, and intercorrelation coefficients for subscales in the revised version of the APSI. Together the eight studies demonstrate the psychometric adequacy of the new Adolescent Personal Style Inventory.

Depressive Symptoms and Decision Making among African American Youth

Childhood and adolescent depression has emerged as a public health concern because of its impairment of functioning, particularly in the domains of decision making and self-efficacy. The present investigation examines the association between depressive symptoms and decision coping patterns among a nonreferred, nonclinical community sample of 276 low-income African American adolescents. The students ranged in age from 12 to 17 years. The Children's Depression Inventory was used to assess participants'depressive symptomatology. The Flinders Adolescent Decision Making Questionnaire was used for assessing participants' decision coping patterns. The instrument was group administered in classroom settings by the research staff. Findings indicated a significant association between depressive symptomatology and the use of maladaptive decision coping patterns. Perhaps increasing competence in decision making may have beneficial effects on overall mood and depressive symptoms among children and adolescents.

Understanding Developmental Systems in Adolescence

Contemporary theories of adolescence stress developmental systems models that integrate both individual and contextual levels of analysis in a relational manner—ones that place substantive emphasis on understanding the diversity of adolescent development. This scholarship suggests that adolescence should be investigated with multivariate-longitudinal designs and change-sensitive measures and data analytic strategies—ones that capitalize on and seek triangulation across both quantitative and qualitative methods, for example as may be illustrated by current advances in categorical data analysis. Such research will inform in useful ways policies and programs aimed at promoting positive development among diverse youth; but it will require innovations in training if new cohorts of developmental scholars are to be proficient in both the basics and applied scientific dimensions of studying adolescence.

Development of Logical Reasoning and the School Performance of African American Adolescents in Relation to Socioeconomic Status, Ethnic Identity, and Self-Esteem

This study explored the deductive reasoning and school performance of 330 African American adolescents and the relation of reasoning and school performance to socioeconomic status (SES), ethnic identity, and self-esteem. As expected, there was a systematic increase in selection task reasoning performance across adolescence, and high SES students outscored low SES students in reasoning performance and school grades. Ogbu’s cultural-ecological theory, which predicts an inverse relationship between cognitive performance and ethnic idfentity strength, was not supported because better reasoning performance was associated instead with stronger ethnic identity. Steele’s stereotype-threat theory, which predicts that there will be an association between global self-esteem and school grades in early adolescent African Americans that subsequently decreases across adolescence, was partially supported. Self-esteem and grades were strongly related in 6th graders, not significantly related in 10th and 12th graders, yet strongly related in college students.

Residential Schools

Government commissions have demonstrated that residential schools’ ability to educate aboriginal students was compromised by widespread problems including (a) inadequate curriculum, staffing, instruction time, and parental involvement; (b) racism; (c) prohibition against the use of aboriginal language; and (d) maltreatment. This article uses psychological research and theory to explain how such problems exposed aboriginal children and adolescents to increased risk of poor academic performance, reduced capacity to continue education after leaving the residential school, limited employment prospects, and reduced income as adults.

Comportamentos de risco em adolescentes que vivem em diferentes contextos: Família e institucionalização

<p>Este estudo investigou o engajamento em comportamentos de risco e fatores associados em adolescentes que vivem em diferentes contextos. Participaram 945 adolescentes de ambos os sexos com idades entre 11 e 19 anos. Adolescentes que vivem com suas famílias adotam menos comportamentos de risco e contam com um ambiente mais favorável ao desenvolvimento. Adolescentes acolhidos institucionalmente vivenciaram mais violência intrafamiliar, percebem mais negativamente a relação com a família, apresentam autoestima mais baixa e mais comportamento suicida, adolescentes que estavam cumprindo medida socioeducativa vivenciaram mais eventos estressores e apresentaram mais comportamento antissocial, uso de substâncias e comportamento sexual de risco. É necessário valorizar a convivência familiar e fortalecer instituições de atendimento.</p>

Development, implementation, and evaluation of a multi-addiction prevention program for primary school students in Hong Kong: the B.E.S.T. Teen Program

Based on the evaluation findings of the B.E.S.T. Teen Program which aimed at promoting behavioral, emotional, social, and thinking competencies in primary school students, it is argued in this paper that promotion of psychosocial competence to prevent addiction in primary school students is a promising strategy. A total of 382 Primary 5 (Grade 5) and 297 Primary 6 (Grade 6) students from five primary schools in Hong Kong participated in the program. Different evaluation strategies were adopted to evaluate the program. First, objective outcome evaluation adopting a non-equivalent group pretest–posttest experimental-control group design was conducted to examine change in the students. Second, to gauge students’ perceptions of the program, subjective outcome evaluation was conducted. The evaluation findings basically converged to tentatively suggest that young adolescents benefited from participating in the program. Implications on the development, implementation, and evaluation of addiction prevention programs for teenagers are discussed.

Trends in adolescent research for the new millennium

This article highlights several promising trends in research on adolescence and discusses the likely future course of several recent developments in adolescent research. Current trends include a focus on the transition to young adulthood, the increasing examination of the context and co-occurrence of adolescent problems, and emphasis on the resilience of adolescents in high-risk circumstances. There is a strong need for more research on the cognitive and neurocognitive gains and changes of adolescence and on positive psychosocial behaviours and outcomes for youth. We are just beginning to understand within-group differences in adolescent development, including the life experiences of minority youth, adolescents with disabilities, and homosexual adolescents. The impact of social context and social change on adolescents is also receiving more attention. Methodological approaches likely to be seen more in the future include the use of pattern-centred analyses to complement traditional variable-centred approaches and a greater appreciation for qualitative data analysis as a route to gaining insights into adolescent development. Finally, university-community partnerships are promoted as a way to solve the problems of youth and improve the probability of their healthy futures.

Self-esteem maintenance among incarcerated young males: Stabilisation through accommodative processes

The change in self-esteem and the stabilising role of accommodative coping resources among incarcerated young male offenders is investigated using a longitudinal approach with three occasions of measurements (begining of prison term, 2 months later, end of prison term). Data from 211 participants with a complete set of measurements were analysed, employing multilevel modelling. Results show that self-esteem increases during imprisonment. Moreover, this increase in self-esteem depends on the individual competence of accommodative coping: The increase in self-esteem is earlier and faster for high accommodative individuals. These findings are discussed with respect to the development of the self during imprisonment as well as to their implications for the future social behaviour and integration of former prisoners after release.

Does High Self-Esteem Cause Better Performance, Interpersonal Success, Happiness, or Healthier Lifestyles?

Self-esteem has become a household word. Teachers, parents, therapists, and others have focused efforts on boosting self-esteem, on the assumption that high self-esteem will cause many positive outcomes and benefits—an assumption that is critically evaluated in this review.

Appraisal of the effects of self-esteem is complicated by several factors. Because many people with high self-esteem exaggerate their successes and good traits, we emphasize objective measures of outcomes. High self-esteem is also a heterogeneous category, encompassing people who frankly accept their good qualities along with narcissistic, defensive, and conceited individuals.

The modest correlations between self-esteem and school performance do not indicate that high self-esteem leads to good performance. Instead, high self-esteem is partly the result of good school performance. Efforts to boost the self-esteem of pupils have not been shown to improve academic performance and may sometimes be counterproductive. Job performance in adults is sometimes related to self-esteem, although the correlations vary widely, and the direction of causality has not been established. Occupational success may boost self-esteem rather than the reverse. Alternatively, self-esteem may be helpful only in some job contexts. Laboratory studies have generally failed to find that self-esteem causes good task performance, with the important exception that high self-esteem facilitates persistence after failure.

People high in self-esteem claim to be more likable and attractive, to have better relationships, and to make better impressions on others than people with low self-esteem, but objective measures disconfirm most of these beliefs. Narcissists are charming at first but tend to alienate others eventually. Self-esteem has not been shown to predict the quality or duration of relationships.

High self-esteem makes people more willing to speak up in groups and to criticize the group's approach. Leadership does not stem directly from self-esteem, but self-esteem may have indirect effects. Relative to people with low self-esteem, those with high self-esteem show stronger in-group favoritism, which may increase prejudice and discrimination.

Neither high nor low self-esteem is a direct cause of violence. Narcissism leads to increased aggression in retaliation for wounded pride. Low self-esteem may contribute to externalizing behavior and delinquency, although some studies have found that there are no effects or that the effect of self-esteem vanishes when other variables are controlled. The highest and lowest rates of cheating and bullying are found in different subcategories of high self-esteem.

Self-esteem has a strong relation to happiness. Although the research has not clearly established causation, we are persuaded that high self-esteem does lead to greater happiness. Low self-esteem is more likely than high to lead to depression under some circumstances. Some studies support the buffer hypothesis, which is that high self-esteem mitigates the effects of stress, but other studies come to the opposite conclusion, indicating that the negative effects of low self-esteem are mainly felt in good times. Still others find that high self-esteem leads to happier outcomes regardless of stress or other circumstances.

High self-esteem does not prevent children from smoking, drinking, taking drugs, or engaging in early sex. If anything, high self-esteem fosters experimentation, which may increase early sexual activity or drinking, but in general effects of self-esteem are negligible. One important exception is that high self-esteem reduces the chances of bulimia in females.

Overall, the benefits of high self-esteem fall into two categories: enhanced initiative and pleasant feelings. We have not found evidence that boosting self-esteem (by therapeutic interventions or school programs) causes benefits. Our findings do not support continued widespread efforts to boost self-esteem in the hope that it will by itself foster improved outcomes. In view of the heterogeneity of high self-esteem, indiscriminate praise might just as easily promote narcissism, with its less desirable consequences. Instead, we recommend using praise to boost self-esteem as a reward for socially desirable behavior and self-improvement.

Impact of choice of coping strategies and family functioning on psychosocial function of young people with epilepsy

Both medical and psychological factors have an important impact upon the psychosocial functioning of young people with epilepsy. The purpose of this study was to identify factors that distinguish young people with epilepsy and high psychosocial functioning from those with lower levels. The participants were 114 young people (40 males, 74 females) with active epilepsy and a mean age of 17.92years (SD=3.90) who completed either a paper (60.5%) or a web-based survey (39.5%) comprising demographic, medical, and psychosocial measures. Psychosocial measures included family functioning, adolescent coping, anxiety, depression, and quality of life. A latent class analysis produced two psychosocial functioning groups based on participants' scores for anxiety, depression, and quality of life. Young people were more likely to be members of the group with poor psychosocial functioning if they had a seizure in the last month (Wald=5.63, p<.05), came from families with lower levels of communication and problem solving (Wald=5.28, p<.05), and made greater use of non-productive (emotion-focused) coping strategies such as wishful thinking, withdrawal, and worry (Wald=12.00, p<.01). The findings suggest that, in addition to standard medical treatment, clinicians may promote better outcomes by strengthening family functioning and encouraging less use of nonproductive coping strategies.

Variáveis pessoais e contextuais associadas a comportamentos de risco em adolescentes

RESUMO Objetivo Este estudo investigou o engajamento de adolescentes brasileiros em comportamentos de risco (uso de substâncias, comportamento sexual de risco, comportamento antissocial e comportamento suicida), buscando identificar os fatores de risco e proteção pessoais e contextuais mais associados com esses comportamentos. Métodos Participaram 1.332 adolescentes de 12 a 19 anos (M = 15,68; DP = 1,60), de ambos os sexos. Resultados O engajamento em comportamentos de risco variou em função da idade e do sexo, e o uso de substâncias foi o tipo de comportamento de risco mais prevalente entre os que foram investigados. Os fatores significativamente associados à adoção desses comportamentos foram violência intra- e extrafamiliar, ter amigos próximos ou familiares que usam drogas, eventos estressores e elevado nível de autoeficácia; enquanto os fatores que se mostraram protetores foram elevado nível de autoestima, expectativas positivas quanto ao futuro e percepção de positividade nas relações com família, escola, religião e comunidade. Conclusão O estudo permitiu identificar algumas características da manifestação de comportamentos de risco na adolescência, com destaque para a prevalência mais alta do uso de substâncias e a coocorrência de diferentes tipos de comportamentos de risco. Dentre os fatores de risco mais associados com o engajamento em comportamentos de risco, destacaram-se a presença de eventos estressores ao longo da vida e a proximidade com amigos que usam drogas. A partir disso, sugere-se investir na minimização de fatores de risco e na potencialização de fatores protetivos para a promoção do desenvolvimento saudável durante a adolescência.

New evidence of factor structure and measurement invariance of the SDQ across five European nations

The main purpose of the present study was to analyse the internal structure and to test the measurement invariance of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), self-reported version, in five European countries. The sample consisted of 3012 adolescents aged between 12 and 17 years (M = 14.20; SD = 0.83). The five-factor model (with correlated errors added), and the five-factor model (with correlated errors added) with the reverse-worded items allowed to cross-load on the Prosocial subscale, displayed adequate goodness of-fit indices. Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis showed that the five-factor model (with correlated errors added) had partial strong measurement invariance by countries. A total of 11 of the 25 items were non-invariant across samples. The level of internal consistency of the Total difficulties score was 0.84, ranging between 0.69 and 0.78 for the SDQ subscales. The findings indicate that the SDQ's subscales need to be modified in various ways for screening emotional and behavioural problems in the five European countries that were analysed.

Influence of adult role modeling on child/adolescent helmet use in recreational sledging: an observational study

BACKGROUND

During recreational sledging (tobogganing), the head represents the most frequent injured body region with approximately one-third of all sledging injuries among children and adolescents. Whether children are wearing a helmet or not might be influenced on parental encouragement and role modeling of helmet use. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of adult helmet use on child/adolescent helmet use in recreational sledging.

METHODS

More than 500 adults sitting together with another adult or child/adolescent on a two-seater sledge were interviewed during two winter seasons at the bottom of six sledging tracks on demographics, mean frequency of sledging per season, self-estimated skill level, risk-taking behavior, and the use of a helmet.

RESULTS

Total helmet use of all observed persons was 41.0 %. Helmet use among interviewed adults significantly increased with increasing age up to 45 years, frequency of sledging, and skill level, respectively. Helmet use of interviewed adults was 46.5 % if a child/adolescent was sitting on the same sledge and 29.8 % (odds ratios (OR): 2.1, 95 % confidence intervals (CI): 1.4-2.9, p < 0.001) when sledging together with another adult. Helmet use was 71.3 % among children/adolescents and 26.7 % among adults (OR: 6.8, 95 % CI: 4.6-10.1, p < 0.001) sitting on the same sledge as the interviewed person, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Adults were wearing more often a helmet during recreational sledging when sitting together with a child/adolescent on the sledge. However, helmet use during sledging is clearly below 50 %. Thus, more intense educational campaigns on helmet use are urgently needed for tobogganists.

How professional identity shapes youth healthcare

PURPOSE

The primary care sector is experiencing considerable change. How change and uncertainty are accommodated by the professional identity of medicine has not been examined. The purpose of this paper is to address the youth healthcare as an exemplar as this field is often a source of uncertainty for general practitioners (GPs).

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH

Using heterogeneity sampling, 22 GPs participated in focus groups to explore perceptions of youth healthcare, factors that help and hinder it, and training needs. Analysis of the research material was guided by a theoretical model on professional identity.

FINDINGS

GPs described tensions that challenged their professional identity - the challenges of working with young people and their complex issues, the extent to which youth healthcare sits within the purview of general practice, and the scope of training required. These tensions appeared to destabilise professional identity. Some participants had customised their identity by enriching understandings of and approach to general practice. Participants also reported work customisation as a way of managing the complex demands of the general practice role. Deepened insight appeared to bolster perceived capacity to support a complex patient cohort. Research limitations/implications - Participants are not representative of the primary care sector - furthermore, the methodology limits the generalisability of the findings.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

To bolster youth health, mere clinician training is insufficient. Youth health requires explicit support from governments and training providers to be incorporated into the healthcare landscape.

ORIGINALITY/VALUE

This study extends current research on professional identity by examining youth healthcare within the changing context of primary care.

Modeling the Transition from Adverse to Healthy Sleep Behaviors among School Age Children

This research models and simulates, by way of a System Dynamics, approach sleep behavior in the presence of intervention strategies. The authors draw upon the established compartmental Susceptible, Infection, and Recovery (SIR) model used in epidemiology to characterize the potential for children and adolescents to both develop adverse sleep behaviors and to recover healthy sleep behaviors as they progress through educational levels. The development of healthy sleep during childhood and adolescence is important to the sustainment of healthy behaviors into early adulthood. Interventions designed to alter unhealthy sleep-related behaviors adopted at an early age may have a salubrious impact upon later chronic disease development. Our initial analyses adequately reproduce the drift experienced by children and adolescents who develop adverse sleep behaviors as they mature and transition through school levels. The ability to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions is important to public health officials. Investments in intervention programs shown to have positive health outcomes are attractive to policy makers. Although such programs may not be cost effective in the near-term, the programs may be cost saving in the long-term. The System Dynamics approach simulates behavior over time and allows policymakers insight into both the short- and longer-term cost and benefits.

Sexual discounting among high-risk youth ages 18-24: implications for sexual and substance use risk behaviors

Youth under 25 show substantial sexual and substance use risk behaviors. One factor associated with risk behaviors is delay discounting, the devaluation of delayed outcomes. This study determined if delay discounting for sexual outcomes is related to sexual risk and substance use among 18-24 year olds. Females (70) and males (56) completed the Sexual Discounting Task, which assessed their likelihood of having unprotected immediate sex versus waiting for sex with a condom, at various delays, with 4 hypothetical sexual partners selected from photographs: the person they most wanted to have sex with, least wanted to have sex with, judged most likely to have a sexually transmitted infection (STI), and judged least likely to have an STI. They also completed instruments assessing HIV knowledge, sexual behaviors, substance use, risk attitudes, inhibition, impulsivity, and sensation-seeking. Condom use likelihood generally decreased with increasing delay. Preference for immediate, unprotected sex was greater for partners whom participants most (vs. least) wanted to have sex with and judged least (vs. most) likely to have an STI. Preference for immediate, unprotected sex in the "most want to have sex with" and "least likely to have an STI" conditions was related to greater lifetime risky sexual partners, lifetime number of unique substances used, disregard of social approval/danger, disinhibition, and sensation/excitement-seeking. Males showed greater likelihood of unprotected sex than females when condom use was undelayed, but delay similarly affected condom use between sexes. Delay discounting should be considered in strategies to minimize youth risk behavior.

Developmental trajectories of acculturation: links with family functioning and mental health in recent-immigrant Hispanic adolescents

The present study was designed to examine acculturative changes, and their effects on mental health and family functioning, in recent-immigrant Hispanic adolescents. A sample of 302 Hispanic adolescents was assessed five times over a 2½-year period. Participants completed measures of Hispanic and U.S. practices, collectivist and individualist values, and ethnic and U.S. identity at each time point. Baseline and Time 5 levels of mental health and family functioning were also assessed. Latent class growth analyses produced two-class solutions for practices, values, and identifications. Adolescents who increased over time in practices and values reported the most adaptive mental health and family functioning. Adolescents who did not change in any acculturation domain reported the least favorable mental health and family functioning.

Why adolescents fight: a qualitative study of youth perspectives on fighting and its prevention

OBJECTIVE

To identify risk factors for fighting, factors that protect against fighting, and strategies to prevent fighting, among adolescents who fight and those uninvolved in fighting.

METHODS

Focus groups were conducted with middle and high school students, stratified by fighting (fighter/nonfighter) status, race/ethnicity, and gender. Groups were audiotaped, transcribed, and analyzed using margin coding and thematic content analysis. Themes were independently identified by 3 coders; disagreements were resolved by consensus.

RESULTS

The 65 participants in the 12 focus groups were 13 to 17 years old. Reasons for fighting include self-defense, to gain/maintain respect, or anger; having goals for the future is protective. Nonfighters state that their parents condone fighting only when physically attacked and that they teach adolescents strategies to avoid fighting. Fighters describe mixed messages from parents, and pro-fighting attitudes and modeling of aggressive behavior among some family members. Nonfighters avoid fighting by ignoring insults or walking away. Fighters feel unable to use nonviolent conflict-resolution methods effectively. Peers may instigate or encourage fights. Suggested prevention strategies include anger-management and conflict-resolution programs, relationships with caring adults, and physicians counseling youth about the consequences of fighting.

CONCLUSIONS

Nonfighters use various strategies to avoid fighting, whereas fighters are aware of few alternatives to fighting. Conflicting parental messages about fighting may enhance the likelihood of fighting. Physicians can counsel youth about the negative consequences of fighting. Interventions that teach anger management and conflict resolution, promote adolescent self-efficacy for using nonviolent strategies, and address parental attitudes about fighting may be effective in preventing fighting.

Screening mental health problems during adolescence: psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire

The main purpose of the present study was to test the psychometric properties of the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), self-reported version, in Spanish adolescents, introducing a five-point Likert response scale. The sample consisted of 1474 adolescents with a mean age of 15.92 years (SD = 1.18). The level of internal consistency of the SDQ Total score was .75, ranging from .56 to .71 for the subscales. Results from exploratory factor analysis revealed a three-factor structure as the most satisfactory. Confirmatory factor analyses showed that the five-factor model (with modifications) displayed better goodness of-fit indices than the other hypothetical dimensional models tested. Furthermore, strong measurement invariance by age and partial measurement invariance by gender was supported. The study of the psychometric properties confirms that the Spanish version of the SDQ, self-reported form, is a useful tool for the screening of emotional and behavioural problems in adolescents.