Examining the trajectory of meaning violation and its bidirectional relationship with perceived posttraumatic growth

Despite extensive theoretical discussions on the dynamic process of meaning violation (MV) and restoration, empirical research on this topic remained lacking. This study aimed to explore the trajectory of MV and the bi-directionality between MV and perceived posttraumatic growth (PPTG). This study employed a 3-wave longitudinal design spanning over 3 months, and a sample of participants from China who experienced any distressing event within the past 3 months was considered eligible. Participants (N = 215; aged 18-38 years old) were instructed to assess MV and PPTG regarding a chosen event. A latent growth model was used to examine changes in MV over time and a random intercept cross-lagged panel model was used to analyze bidirectional associations between MV and PPTG. Results revealed that, at the within-person level, MV at T1 negatively predicted PPTG at T2, while PPTG at T2 negatively predicted MV at T3. These results indicate that the sense of MV may have impeded PPTG in the initial stages, whereas PPTG might serve as a predictor for diminished MV at later stages. At the between-person level, a positive relationship between these two constructs was observed, suggesting that individuals who experienced higher levels of MV, in general, also tended to report greater PPTG. These findings reflect the complex and dynamic nature of meaning reconstruction processes and provide empirical evidence for the meaning-making model.

A serial cascade effect of cybervictimization and hostile rumination on the within-person change of moral disengagement

OBJECTIVE

There is a lack of clarity regarding the developmental mechanisms underlying moral disengagement (a typical moral personality) at the within-person level. To address this issue, we explore the serial cascade effect of cybervictimization and hostile rumination.

METHOD

The longitudinal relationships between cybervictimization, hostile rumination, and moral disengagement were explored among 1146 undergraduates, assessed four times (T1-T4) across 2 years.

RESULTS

The random intercept cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM) analysis revealed that the random intercepts of all variables were positively associated with each other. At the within-person level, cybervictimization at T2 indirectly predicted subsequent changes in moral disengagement at T4 through changes in hostile rumination at T3 (the indirect effect was 0.02); furthermore, moral disengagement at T3 predicted changes in hostile rumination at T4 (β = 0.091).

CONCLUSIONS

The within-person dynamics of moral disengagement should be partly due to the serial effect of cybervictimization and hostile rumination, whereas hostile rumination and moral disengagement may form a developmental cascade to some degree. These findings and the proposed serial cascade model of moral disengagement could expand our understanding of the developmental mechanism of moral personality. Additionally, caution must be exercised as this study exhibits seemingly small effect sizes and inconsistent results.

Reciprocal association between social support and psychological distress in chronic physical health conditions: A random intercept cross-lagged panel model

The onset of a chronic physical health condition (CHC) can highly impact individuals' well-being and mental health. Social support has been shown to help people rebound after the onset of a CHC. Nonetheless, little is known about the longitudinal pattern of social support and its reciprocal association with mental health in CHC. This study aimed to illustrate the longitudinal pattern of perceived social support and to examine the reciprocal association between perceived social support and psychological distress across 6 years. Two random intercept cross-lagged panel models were conducted, one for emotional and one for practical support, using yearly assessments of 582 Swiss Household Panel's participants reporting a CHC. A reciprocal association was found, with psychological distress 1 year after the onset being linked to less emotional support in the following year and vice versa, more emotional support being linked to less psychological distress the following year. A unidirectional association was found for practical support, with more psychological distress 1 year before the CHC onset being linked to more practical support at the onset year. This study underlines the importance of involving the social environment of individuals living with a CHC, especially around the first year after the onset.

The vicious cycle of family dysfunction and problematic gaming and the mediating role of self-concept clarity among early adolescents: A within-person analysis using random intercept cross-lagged panel modeling

Backgrounds and aims

Family dysfunction is a significant risk factor for adolescent problematic gaming, yet few studies have investigated the bidirectional relations between changes in family dysfunction and adolescent problematic gaming and potential mediating mechanisms. This study thus examined the bidirectional relations between family dysfunction and adolescent problematic gaming and the mediating role of self-concept clarity within this relation.

Methods

Participants included 4,731 Chinese early adolescents (44.9% girls; M age = 10.91 years, SD = 0.72) who were surveyed at four time points 6 months apart.

Results

Random intercept cross-lagged panel modeling found (a) family dysfunction directly predicts increased problematic gaming, (b) adolescent problematic gaming directly predicts increased experience of family dysfunction, (c) family dysfunction indirectly predicts problematic gaming via self-concept clarity, and (d) adolescent problematic gaming indirectly predicts family dysfunction via self-concept clarity.

Discussion and conclusions

The present study suggests that adolescents may be trapped in a vicious cycle between family dysfunction and problematic gaming either directly or indirectly through impairing their self-concept clarity. Findings indicate fostering youth self-concept clarity is essential to break the vicious circle between dysfunctional experiences in the family and problematic gaming among adolescents.

Personality, intelligence, and academic achievement: Charting their developmental interplay

OBJECTIVE

Although intelligence and personality traits have long been recognized as key predictors of students' academic achievement, little is known about their longitudinal and reciprocal associations. Here, we charted the developmental interplay of intelligence, personality (Big Five) and academic achievement in 3880 German secondary school students, who were assessed four times between the ages 11 and 14 years (i.e., in grades 5, 6, 7, and 8).

METHOD

We fitted random intercept cross-lagged panel models (RI-CLPs) to investigate reciprocal within-person associations between (a) academic achievement and intelligence, (b) academic achievement and personality, as well as (c) intelligence and personality.

RESULTS

The results revealed negative within-person associations between Conscientiousness and Extraversion assessed at the first wave of measurement and intelligence assessed at the second wave. None of the reciprocal personality-achievement associations attained statistical significance. Academic achievement and intelligence showed reciprocal within-person relations, with the strongest coefficients found for achievement longitudinally predicting intelligence.

CONCLUSIONS

Our work contributes to developmental theorizing on interrelations between personality, intelligence, and academic achievement, as well as to within-person conceptualizations in personality research.

Corrigendum: Longitudinal relations between parenting stress and child internalizing and externalizing behaviors: testing within-person changes, bidirectionality and mediating mechanisms

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.942363.].

Longitudinal associations between emotional well-being and subjective health from middle adulthood to the beginning of late adulthood

OBJECTIVE

Emotional well-being may predict future health and vice versa. We examined the reciprocal associations between emotional well-being and subjective health from age 36 to 61.

METHODS AND MEASURES

The data were drawn from the Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Personality and Social Development and included information from 36-, 42-, 50- and 61-year-olds (N = 336). The emotional well-being indicators included life satisfaction and negative and positive mood. The subjective health indicators were self-rated health and psychosomatic symptoms. The analyses were conducted with random intercept cross-lagged panel models.

RESULTS

Within-person cross-lagged associations were found between emotional well-being and subjective health. Fewer psychosomatic symptoms at ages 36 and 50 predicted higher life satisfaction at ages 42 and 61, respectively. A lower negative mood at age 42 and a higher positive mood at age 50 predicted fewer psychosomatic symptoms at 50 and 61, respectively. Conversely, a higher negative mood at ages 36 and 50 predicted better self-rated health at ages 42 and 61, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The relationship between emotional well-being and subjective health appears to be reciprocal. Both emotional well-being and subjective health predicted each other even 6-11 years later. However, associations may depend on the variables and age periods investigated.

Social skills and symptoms of anxiety disorders from preschool to adolescence: a prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

Prior research, mostly cross-sectional or prospective studies with short follow-up periods, has indicated that childhood anxiety is associated with difficulties with social interaction. However, the etiological role of social skills in the development of anxiety in childhood remains unknown. Moreover, it is not known whether childhood anxiety impedes the development of age-appropriate social skills.

METHODS

The relation between anxiety and social skills was, therefore, examined in two birth cohorts of children who were assessed biennially from the ages of 4 to 14 years (n = 1,043). Semistructured psychiatric diagnostic interviews of children (from age 8) and parents were used to measure symptoms of separation, generalized, and social anxiety disorders as well as specific phobias. Social skills were measured through the parent-reported Social Skills Rating System. A random intercept cross-lagged panel model was used to analyze the data, adjusting for observed time-variant covariates (emotion regulation, secure attachment, bullying victimization, and global self-esteem) and all unobserved time-invariant confounding effects.

RESULTS

Reduced social skills predicted increased symptoms of anxiety at ages 8, 10, and 12 (β = -.26, β = -.17, and β = -.15, respectively), whereas an increased number of anxiety symptoms did not forecast changes in social skills.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings suggest that reduced social skills may be involved in the development of anxiety symptoms in middle childhood and should, therefore, be considered in efforts to prevent and treat childhood anxiety.

Can Conspiracy Beliefs Be Beneficial? Longitudinal Linkages Between Conspiracy Beliefs, Anxiety, Uncertainty Aversion, and Existential Threat

Research suggests that conspiracy beliefs are adopted because they promise to reduce anxiety, uncertainty, and threat. However, little research has investigated whether conspiracy beliefs actually fulfill these promises. We conducted two longitudinal studies (N_{Study 1} = 405, N_{Study 2} = 1,012) to examine how conspiracy beliefs result from, and in turn influence, anxiety, uncertainty aversion, and existential threat. Random intercept cross-lagged panel analyses indicate that people who were, on average, more anxious, uncertainty averse, and existentially threatened held stronger conspiracy beliefs. Increases in conspiracy beliefs were either unrelated to changes in anxiety, uncertainty aversion, and existential threat (Study 2), or even predicted increases in these variables (Study 1). In both studies, increases in conspiracy beliefs predicted subsequent increases in conspiracy beliefs, suggesting a self-reinforcing circle. We conclude that conspiracy beliefs likely do not have beneficial consequences, but may even reinforce the negative experience of anxiety, uncertainty aversion, and existential threat.

Prospective associations between grandiose narcissism and perfectionism: A longitudinal study in adolescence

The current study investigates the longitudinal association between grandiose narcissism and multidimensional perfectionism over 2 years in adolescence. We adopted the Narcissistic Admiration and Rivalry Concept, which differentiates between two aspects of grandiose narcissism. We also considered multiple dimensions of perfectionism, including Socially Prescribed Perfectionism (SPP) and two forms of Self-Oriented Perfectionism (SOP), namely the tendencies to set high standards of performance (SOP-Striving) and to engage in overly critical self-evaluations (SOP-Critical). The study was conducted in a sample of Italian high school students (n = 331). Concurrent correlations indicated that Admiration was positively related to SOP-Striving and, to a lesser extent, to SOP-Critical and SPP. Rivalry was also positively related to the three perfectionistic dimensions, although correlations were smaller in size than those found for Admiration. Prospective associations between narcissism and perfectionism were analysed using a Random-Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Model. Results showed that the predominant direction of effects was from narcissism to perfectionism, particularly from Admiration to SOP-Striving and SPP. Findings were discussed in terms of their implications for the understanding of the narcissism-perfectionism link.

Longitudinal relations between parenting stress and child internalizing and externalizing behaviors: Testing within-person changes, bidirectionality and mediating mechanisms

Introduction

Parenthood can be experienced as a pleasant but challenging period for parents, possibly accompanied by parenting stress. Early parenthood in particular is a vulnerable period as many parents experience biological and psychosocial changes related to new parenthood. Previous studies have shown that parenting stress is related to child behavior problems, but few studies have investigated the transactional relations across time between parenting stress and child internalizing and externalizing outcomes separately, examining within-person changes. The first aim of this study was to examine the transactional within-person associations of parenting stress and child internalizing and externalizing behavior problems across childhood from age 9 months to 9 years. As a second aim, we examined parenting as a possible underlying mechanism of the transactional associations by testing whether parental warmth and hostility mediate within-person associations of parenting stress and child behavior across time.

Method

Data were analyzed from the Growing Up in Ireland longitudinal child cohort study including 7,208 caregiver-child dyads at wave 1 (child's age 9 months), who were followed at child's age three (wave 2), five (wave 3), and 9 years (wave 5). Primary caregiver's and child's age and gender, household income, occupational status, educational status, partner status, and cultural background were covariates assessed at all waves. Data were analyzed using a random intercept cross-lagged panel model (CLPM) in R-lavaan.

Results

Bidirectional relations between parenting stress and child behavior were found for both internalizing and externalizing behavior from age 5 to 9, but not for earlier time points.

Discussion

Our results did not indicate mediating effects of parental warmth or parental hostility in the associations between parenting stress and child behavior problems. Therefore, we conclude that parenting stress and child internalizing as well as parenting stress and child externalizing behaviors have transactional associations from child's age 5 to 9 years. Future research examining transactional associations of parenting stress and child behaviors should investigate possible other mediations taking a within-person approach by utilizing the RI-CLPM.

The Within-Person Effect of Psychological Distress on Social Self-Efficacy: A Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Model

This study investigated the temporal relationship between social self-efficacy and psychological distress during 3 years in middle to late adolescence. The sample comprised 1508 participants (60.7% female; baseline mean age = 16.33, SD = .62; 52.9% high perceived family wealth; 70.6% born in Norway). We used a random intercept cross-lagged panel model to investigate the concurrent and subsequent associations between the two constructs. The results indicated (1) small to moderate and negative associations between the trait-like components and within-person fluctuations of social self-efficacy and psychological distress, (2) positive and significant carry-over stability effects on both constructs across time, and (3) that psychological distress predicted subsequent social self-efficacy more consistently across four time points, than social self-efficacy predicted later psychological distress.

Prospective associations between loneliness and disordered eating from early adolescence to adulthood

OBJECTIVE

Despite findings from numerous cross-sectional studies suggesting a substantial association between loneliness and different types of disordered eating, much remains unknown about the impact of confounding, the order of cause and effect, and gender differences in the relationship. Thus, this study followed a large, population-based, mixed-gender sample through adolescence and young adulthood, applying a random intercept cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM) approach to examine the bidirectional prospective associations between loneliness and disordered eating while ruling out the effect of unmeasured time-invariant confounders.

METHOD

A Norwegian sample of N = 2933 adolescents (54.2% female) was examined across four time points (T1, M_age  = 15.44, grades 7-12; T2, M_age  = 16.93; T3, M_age  = 21.84; and T4, M_age  = 28.33) from 1992 to 2005 using RI-CLPMs for overall disordered eating and specific forms for disordered eating (dieting and bulimic symptoms). Multigroup structural equation models were used to assess gender differences.

RESULTS

For male participants, high levels of loneliness at T1 predicted more overall disordered eating and more dieting at T2. Meanwhile, among female participants, disordered eating and bulimic symptoms at T2 predicted more loneliness at T3, whereas loneliness at T3 predicted more disordered eating and bulimic symptoms at T4, and vice versa.

DISCUSSION

The findings suggest a pattern of bidirectional associations between loneliness and disordered eating that varies by time points, gender, and type of eating problem. Preventive interventions and treatment should consider social factors involved in the onset and maintenance of eating problems in male adolescents and young adult women.

PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE

This study contributes to the existing knowledge by examining for the first time the dynamic nature of the association between loneliness and disordered eating while accounting for all time-invariant confounding. Our findings reveal a pattern of bidirectional associations between loneliness and disordered eating that appears to vary by developmental period, gender, and type of eating problem. Our findings suggest that social factors have to be taken into account when designing prevention strategies aimed at disordered eating.

African Americans' relationship quality and depressive symptoms: A longitudinal investigation of the Marital Discord Model

The present study was designed to examine the complex bidirectional associations between relationship quality and depressive symptoms among African American couples. Informed by the Marital Discord Model, particular attention was devoted to understanding the unique associations of positive and negative dimensions of relationship functioning with depressive symptoms over time, the time frames over which these effects occur, and the model's applicability for African American couples. One hundred seventy-four African American couples (N = 348 individuals) provided information on depressive symptoms, relationship satisfaction, ineffective arguing, and partner support four times over a 25-month period. Hypotheses were tested using Random-Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Models to separate between- and within-person effects. Results indicated that between-person associations with depressive symptoms were significant for relationship satisfaction (negative association) and ineffective arguing (positive association), but not partner support. Within-person concurrent effects were also significant with depressive symptoms and each of the relationship processes under investigation. Within-person 8-month lagged effects were only significant for partner support and depressive symptoms (negative association); these effects were significant in both directions, but stronger from support to depressive symptoms than from depressive symptoms to support. Study findings provide increased conceptual and analytic precision for understanding the association between couples' relationship quality and African Americans' mental health, including malleable relationship factors that can be targeted in family-focused interventions to promote individual and couple well-being. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Lonely in Different Relationships: Bidirectional Effects between Parent- and Peer-Related Loneliness in Adolescence

Although it is assumed that loneliness in one relationship might put one at risk of experiencing loneliness in another relationship, this association has rarely been examined as such. In this longitudinal study, we examined the associations between peer- and parent-related loneliness in a sample of 3391 adolescents across three waves (M_{age Wave 1} = 14.53; 59.3% female). Using random intercept cross-lagged panel models, parent- and peer-related loneliness were found to be stable over time and were concurrently related to each other. Moreover, the state of peer-related loneliness predicted the state of parent-related loneliness one year later. Thereby, the current study provides limited evidence of a carry-over effect between relation-specific types of loneliness.

Teacher-student relationships and academic adaptation in college freshmen: Disentangling the between-person and within-person effects

INTRODUCTION

Adolescents face increased academic demands and lower structure as they move from high school to college. Good relationships with teachers are considered a crucial factor linked with adaptive academic behavior. However, few longitudinal studies have investigated the association between teacher-student relationships and academic adaptation over time in the higher education context, especially focusing on freshmen and separating the between-person and within-person effects. This study aimed to fill the said gaps based on the developmental-contextual perspective of psychosocial adjustment.

METHODS

Participants were 1578 Chinese freshmen who just transitioned from high school to college (M_age  = 18.72 years, SD = 0.92). Data were collected at the 2nd (T1), 4th (T2), and 8th (T3) months upon college entry. Both cross-lagged panel model (CLPM) and random intercept, CLPM (RI-CLPM) were used to examine the focal association.

RESULTS

Findings of CLPM revealed bidirectional associations between teacher-student relationships and academic adaptation over time. Findings from RI-CLPM suggested that at the between-person level, teacher-student relationships were significantly related to academic adaptation, echoing the results of CLPM. At the within-person level, however, the findings revealed a unidirectional effect, such that the within-person changes in teacher-student relationships at T2 predicted corresponding changes in academic adaptation at T3. Findings of CLPM and RI-CLPM were robust after controlling for T1 covariates.

CONCLUSION

The association between teacher-student relationships and academic adaptation is due mainly to the stable, trait-like difference between individuals and due partly to state-like variations within individuals. Enhancing teacher-student relationships appears a promising avenue to facilitate academic adaptation among college freshmen.

Disaggregating the Between-Person and Within-Person Associations Between Peer Acceptance and Academic Achievement in Early Elementary School

We examined the between-person and within-person associations between peer acceptance and academic achievement in early elementary school years. Drawing on a sample of 784 academically at-risk students, the random intercept cross-lagged panel model was implemented to disaggregate the between- and within-person associations between peer acceptance and academic achievement from Grades 1 to 3. Academic achievement was measured using standardized achievement tests and teacher reports. Peer acceptance was measured using sociometric ratings. Positive associations between peer acceptance and academic achievement were found at the between-person level. At the within-person level, peer acceptance was not associated with standardized achievement test scores, and it was negatively predicted by teacher-reported academic achievement. These findings reveal the heterogeneous associations between peer relation and academic achievement at different levels of analyses and highlight the importance of disaggregating the between- and within-person associations for a better understanding of the nature of this developmental relation.

The Longitudinal Interplay Between Social Network and Psychopathology in Multi-Problem Young Adult Men; Separating Within-and Between-Person Effects

Young adulthood is characterized by many life changes. Especially for young men with problems across different life domains (i.e., multi-problem), these changes may entail obstacles. Incidences of psychopathology increase during young adulthood and at the same time important shifts in social networks - such as changing relations with peers and parents, isolation, or deviant peer affiliation - take place. The present study examined the longitudinal interplay between psychopathology and social network characteristics over the course of 1 year in multi-problem young adults, at both between-person and within-person level. A sample of 696 multi-problem young adult men (age 18-27) participated in this three wave study. We used traditional cross-lagged panel models (CLPM) to examine how social network characteristics and psychopathology are related at the between-person level, and random intercept cross-lagged panel models (RI-CLPM) to examine within-person links. Between-person associations between internalizing problems and social networks were bidirectional, and externalizing problems were related to problematic social network characteristics, but not vice versa. At the within-person level, no such cross-lagged paths were found. Overall, results indicated that in multi-problem young adults, social network characteristics and psychopathology are related. However, looking at within-person processes this relation is not reciprocal.

Within- and between-family transactions of maternal depression and child engagement in the first 2 years of life: Role of prenatal maternal risk and tobacco use

BACKGROUND

This study examined transactional associations among maternal depression, maternal sensitivity, and child engagement in the context of a low-income, diverse sample with maternal cigarette smoking during pregnancy (MSDP) as a moderator of these transactions.

METHODS

A random-intercept cross-lagged panel model was used to investigate within- and between-family variability from infancy to toddlerhood. The sample included 247 mother-child dyads (47% girls; 51% African-American; 178 MSDP, 69 non-MSDP). Assessments were conducted once during each trimester of pregnancy and at 2, 9, 16, and 24 months of child ages.

RESULTS

Between-family associations revealed that children exposed to higher levels of sensitive parenting across time had higher behavioral engagement from infancy to toddlerhood. At the within-family level, increased sensitive parenting at 9 months was predictive of increased child engagement at 16 months which in turn predicted increases in sensitive parenting at 24 months. Increased maternal depression was concurrently associated with lower maternal sensitivity at 2 months and lower child engagement at 16 months. Contrary to hypotheses, changes in maternal depression were not associated to changes in parenting or child engagement. These associations did not vary between prenatally smoking and nonsmoking mothers. However, there was significantly higher stability in maternal depression across time among nonsmoking mothers compared to those in the MSDP group. Additionally, increased maternal depression was related to lower-than-expected child engagement at 9 months only for the nonsmoking group.

CONCLUSIONS

Results highlight transactional processes at the within-family level and the importance of timing for parent and child effects on transactional processes.

Longitudinal Coupling of Depression in Parent-Adolescent Dyads: Within- and Between-Dyad Effects Over Time

The present work evaluated reciprocal, within-dyad associations between parent-adolescent depressive symptoms across two independent samples (N=327 and N=435 dyads, respectively; approximately 85% biological mothers) assessed every three months for two (Study 1) to three (Study 2) years. Results of random intercept cross-lagged panel models converged to support positive contemporaneous patterns of co-fluctuation in parent and adolescent depression, such that within-person deviations in parental depression were associated with same direction within-person deviations in adolescent depression at the same timepoint. In contrast, within-person fluctuations in parent depression did not predict prospective within-person fluctuations in adolescent depression, or vice versa, across the follow-up period. Results held across boys and girls, as well as dyads with and without a parental history of depressive disorder. Overall, findings advance knowledge by demonstrating that, after accounting for between-person/dyad variance, parent and adolescent depression demonstrate contemporaneous co-fluctuations, but do not demonstrate within-dyad reciprocity over time.

The social withdrawal and social anxiety feedback loop and the role of peer victimization and acceptance in the pathways

Social withdrawal and social anxiety are believed to have a bidirectional influence on one another, but it is unknown if their relationship is bidirectional, especially within person, and if peer experiences influence this relationship. We investigated temporal sequencing and the strength of effects between social withdrawal and social anxiety, and the roles of peer victimization and acceptance in the pathways. Participants were 2,772 adolescents from the population-based and clinically referred cohorts of the Tracking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey. Self- and parent-reported withdrawal, and self-reported social anxiety, peer victimization, and perceived peer acceptance were assessed at 11, 13, and 16 years. Random-intercept cross-lagged panel models were used to investigate within-person associations between these variables. There was no feedback loop between withdrawal and social anxiety. Social withdrawal did not predict social anxiety at any age. Social anxiety at 11 years predicted increased self-reported withdrawal at 13 years. Negative peer experiences predicted increased self- and parent-reported withdrawal at 13 years and increased parent-reported withdrawal at 16 years. In turn, self-reported withdrawal at 13 years predicted negative peer experiences at 16 years. In conclusion, adolescents became more withdrawn when they became more socially anxious or experienced greater peer problems, and increasing withdrawal predicted greater victimization and lower acceptance.

Bullying and Substance Use in Early Adolescence: Investigating the Longitudinal and Reciprocal Effects Over 3 Years Using the Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Model

Bullying and substance use among adolescents have been increasingly studied in the field of developmental psychology, but research to date has primarily investigated the cross-sectional relationship and, to a lesser extent, the long-term impact of bullying on substance use. Grounded in the General Theory of Crime, this study focused on the longitudinal reciprocal relationships between bullying and substance use (i.e., smoking and alcohol consumption) during early to mid-adolescence, which is a critical developmental phase. We aimed to investigate the hypothesis of a reinforcing downward spiral at the within-person level. Moreover, we intended to examine gender differences in the expected longitudinal relationships. Our analyses are based on self-report data for bullying and substance use collected from 1,495 adolescents (746 males; M age at T 1 = 12.42, SD = 0.58) at three waves between 2017 and 2019. We applied the random intercept cross-lagged panel model to separate within-person from between-person effects. At the between-person level, the mutual association between bullying and substance use, previously demonstrated in cross-sectional studies, was confirmed. At the within-person level, results provide evidence of a significant age-dependent change in bullying and substance use from 13 to 14 years old, where the significant increase in bullying could be attributed to females but not to males. We also found a gender-independent significant positive effect of bullying at 12 years old on substance use at 13 years, but not vice versa. Thus, the hypothesis of a reinforcing downward spiral, shown by significant positive reciprocal effects, did not find support. According to the General Theory of Crime, our findings underline that bullying can be considered a context-related factor inasmuch as it pushes adolescents to smoke and drink, which are both expressions of low levels of self-control, which need to be considered in intervention programs to effectively prevent unhealthy and risky behaviors in adolescence.

Longitudinal Assessment of the Relationships Between Geriatric Conditions and Loneliness

OBJECTIVES

In response to the lack of longitudinal evidence, this study aims to disentangle time sequence and directionality between the severity of geriatric conditions (GCs) and loneliness.

DESIGN

Longitudinal panel study.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

The working sample had 4680 participants of 2006, 2010, and 2014 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). All participants were at least 65 years old at baseline. Proxy responded cases and individuals who suffered from moderate to severe cognitive impairment were excluded from the analysis.

METHODS

Loneliness was measured with the 3-item UCLA loneliness scale. Five GCs were included: falls, incontinence, vision impairment, hearing impairment, and pain. Severity indicators were the number of times fallen in the past 2 years, number of days experiencing loss of bladder control in the past month, self-rated eyesight, self-rated hearing, and participants' perceived level of pain.

RESULTS

Random-intercept cross-lagged panel models were run to analyze the relationship between the severity of each individual GC and loneliness. All models were controlled for baseline demographics, social isolation, self-rated health, physical function, comorbidities, and hospitalization. The longitudinal association between loneliness and fall was bidirectional: a higher loneliness score predicted an increased number of falls and vice versa. Incontinence, vision impairment, hearing impairment, and pain were not significantly associated with loneliness longitudinally. The association between the random intercept of loneliness and some GCs (vision and pain) were significant, indicating the severity of these GCs were related to loneliness at the between-person level at baseline.

CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS

Findings of the longitudinal analysis suggest a reciprocal relationship between fall and loneliness. Fall prevention programs could be integrated with social service for addressing loneliness, and alleviating loneliness might be beneficial for preventing falls. Results of this study highlight the importance of integrating clinical management of falls with social services addressing loneliness in long term care.

Longitudinal association between alcohol use and physical activity in US college students: Evidence for directionality

Objective: To investigate directionality of the association between alcohol use and physical activity in a college student sample, longitudinally across three time points. Participants: A total of 396 undergraduate students from a large university in the United States (62% females) participated in this study. Methods: Self-report data of alcohol use and physical activity were collected at three timepoints with 3-month lags between waves. Random-intercept cross-lagged panel modeling was used to disentangle within- and between-person effects. Results: Despite no significant between-person effects, there were significant cross-lagged paths from alcohol use to vigorous physical activity at the within-person level. Specifically, when individuals consumed more alcohol than normal at earlier timepoints, they reported more subsequent vigorous physical activity at 3-month follow-ups. Conclusion: We provide evidence that alcohol use may positively predict later physical activity in college students over the course of a school year. These findings advance theoretical understanding of how these two health behaviors are linked using sophisticated methods.

The Longitudinal Association between Self-esteem and Depressive Symptoms in Adolescents: Separating between-person effects from within-person effects

Many longitudinal studies have investigated whether self-esteem predicts depressive symptoms (vulnerability model) or the other way around (scar model) in adolescents. The most common method of analysis has been the Cross-lagged Panel Model (CLPM). The CLPM does not separate between-person effects from within-person effects, making it unclear whether the results from previous studies actually reflect the within-person effects, or whether they reflect differences between people. We investigated the associations between self-esteem and depressive symptoms at the within-person level, using Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Models (RI-CLPM). To get an impression of the magnitude of possible differences between the RI-CLPM and CLPM, we compared the results of both models. We used data from three longitudinal adolescent samples (age range 7-18; Study 1: N=1,948; Study 2: N=1,455; Study 3: N=316). Intervals between the measurements were 1-1.5 years. Single-paper meta-analyses showed support for small within-person associations from self-esteem to depressive symptoms, but not the other way around, thus only providing some support for the vulnerability model. The cross-lagged associations in the aggregated RI-CLPM and CLPM showed similar effect sizes. Overall, our results show that over 1-1.5 year time intervals, low self-esteem may negatively influence depressive symptoms over time within adolescents, but only weakly so.