The effects of positive and negative parenting practices on adolescent mental health outcomes in a multicultural sample of rural youth

Children of trauma survivors: Influences of parental posttraumatic stress and child-perceived parenting

BACKGROUND

Research has established a negative association between parental posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), including subthreshold symptoms, and child physical and behavioral health outcomes. Such intergenerational transmission of risk has multiple possible mechanisms, including lack of positive parenting, increased negative parenting, shared environmental and contextual risks, and potential biological components such as shared genetics or even transmission of epigenetic risk.

METHOD

This study examined 93 parent-child dyads (n = 171 participants total) from a mixed Urban-Suburban US metropolitan area to investigate the relations between parental PTSS and child-perceived parenting and child PTSS. We sought to examine interactions between parental PTSS and parenting on child PTSS.

RESULTS

We found an association between parent and child PTSS, consistent with prior literature showing increased risk for children of trauma survivors. Interestingly, we found effects of positive parenting on diminished child PTSS symptoms only in parents without PTSS, whereas the effect of positive parenting on buffering child symptoms was absent in parents with PTSS.

LIMITATIONS

The present findings are tempered by the use of self-report data to assess parent and child PTSS, which is not as reliable as clinician assessment of symptoms. Further, the use of survey data limits what is known about the extent of trauma exposure in parents and children, and different measures were used to assess PTSS in parents and kids, which limits comparability of these reported symptoms.

DISCUSSION

Limitations notwithstanding, findings suggest joint attention paid to parenting practices and to a parent's recovery, even from subthreshold symptoms of PTSS, as two different but important ways to support trauma survivor parents in their efforts to most optimally parent and protect their children from intergenerational risk.

Behavior problems, social relationships, and adolescents' future orientation. Links from middle to late adolescence

INTRODUCTION

As adolescents leave high school, plans for the future are of great importance. Future orientation reflects positive thoughts regarding further education, employment, and family life. While future orientation has been found to affect behavior problems, the influence of behavior problems on future orientation is mainly unknown. Positive parent-child and peer relations may boost positive outlooks, but the interplay of behavior problems and social relations for future orientation remains to be studied.

METHODS

Participants were 485 adolescents, 54% girls, living in Mid-Sweden. At age 15, parents and adolescents rated ADHD- and internalizing symptoms, parents rated ODD-symptoms, and adolescents rated their relationship with parents and peers. At age 18, adolescents rated future orientation regarding education, employment, and family, and reported on delinquent acts.

RESULTS

Low levels of inattention symptoms and of delinquency were important for all higher future orientation aspects. In contrast, higher levels of hyperactive-impulsive symptoms were associated with more positive outlooks on work and family life. Relationships with parents and peers were stronger predictors of future outlooks, compared with behavior problems. There were few interaction effects of behavioral symptoms and social relationship quality.

CONCLUSIONS

Behavior problems in middle adolescence may negatively affect future outlooks. However, positive social relations, especially relations with peers, seem more important for optimistic views than behavior problems and thus may have a compensatory effect. The clinical implications should be to address the young person's social world, in the case of misgivings about the future, also in the presence of problematic behaviors.

Family Environment Modulates Linkage of Transdiagnostic Psychiatric Phenotypes and Dissociable Brain Features in the Developing Brain

BACKGROUND

Family environment has long been known for shaping brain function and psychiatric phenotypes, especially during childhood and adolescence. Accumulating neuroimaging evidence suggests that across different psychiatric disorders, common phenotypes may share common neural bases, indicating latent brain-behavior relationships beyond diagnostic categories. However, the influence of family environment on the brain-behavior relationship from a transdiagnostic perspective remains unknown.

METHODS

We included a community-based sample of 699 participants (ages 5-22 years) and applied partial least squares regression analysis to determine latent brain-behavior relationships from whole-brain functional connectivity and comprehensive phenotypic measures. Comparisons were made between diagnostic and nondiagnostic groups to help interpret the latent brain-behavior relationships. A moderation model was introduced to examine the potential moderating role of family factors in the estimated brain-behavior associations.

RESULTS

Four significant latent brain-behavior pairs were identified that reflected the relationship of dissociable brain network and general behavioral problems, cognitive and language skills, externalizing problems, and social dysfunction, respectively. The group comparisons exhibited interpretable variations across different diagnostic groups. A warm family environment was found to moderate the brain-behavior relationship of core symptoms in internalizing disorders. However, in neurodevelopmental disorders, family factors were not found to moderate the brain-behavior relationship of core symptoms, but they were found to affect the brain-behavior relationship in other domains.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings leveraged a transdiagnostic analysis to investigate the moderating effects of family factors on brain-behavior associations, emphasizing the different roles that family factors play during this developmental period across distinct diagnostic groups.

Parenting Measures and Their Psychometrics in LGBTQIA+ Families: A Systematic Review

Parenting significantly influences youth development, yet there's a dearth of research on measuring parenting among LGBTQIA+ caregivers, or caregivers of LGBTQIA+ children (hereafter LGBTQIA+ families). In this systematic review we identified and evaluated the psychometrics of parenting scales validated for this population. The inclusion criteria encompassed studies with LGBTQIA+ families in major databases and secondary sources, psychometric assessment, and English language. Eight studies validating ten scales measuring parenting practices, parental attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions were identified. Generally, studies reported promising psychometrics, showing evidence of construct validity in all and reliability in seven. However, the review also unveiled crucial gaps: a paucity of scales validated among LGBTQIA+ fathers, and predominantly featured non-Hispanic White participants. Findings underscore the necessity for more inclusive samples that reflect the diversity of LGBTQIA+ families. The validation of parenting scales is crucial for understanding parenting in LGBTQIA+ families and developing parenting interventions to promote their well-being.

Social Interaction Profiles Among Youth with Intellectual Disabilities: Associations with Indicators of Psychosocial Adjustment

This study investigates the nature of the social interaction profiles observed among youth with intellectual disabilities (ID), defined while considering their relationships with their parents, peers, and teachers, as well as the implication of these profiles for self-esteem, aggressive behaviors, and prosocial behaviors. A sample of 393 youth with mild (48.2%) to moderate (51.8%) levels of ID, aged between 11 and 22 (M = 15.70), was recruited in Canada (n = 141) and Australia (n = 253). Our results revealed four profiles, corresponding to Socially Isolated (23.24%), Socially Integrated (39.83%), Socially Rejected (28.37%) and Socially Connected (8.57%) youth with ID. The socially integrated and connected profiles both presented higher self-esteem, more prosocial behaviors, and less aggressive behaviors than the socially isolated and rejected profiles.

Pathways to substance use: Examining conduct problems and parenting behaviors from preschool to adolescence

While many studies have identified risk and protective factors of substance use (SU), few have assessed the reciprocal associations of child conduct problems (CP) and parenting practices and behaviors in the prediction of SU across development. A greater understanding of how these factors relate over time is needed to improve the timing of targeted prevention efforts. This study examined how child CP, parenting behaviors, and parents' own antisocial behavior relate from preschool to adolescence and eventuate in SU. Participants included 706 youth (70.6% male; 89.7% white) enrolled in the Michigan Longitudinal Study. Data from waves 1 (ages 3-5), 2 (ages 6-8), 3 (ages 9-11), 4 (ages 12-14), and 5 (ages 15-17) were included. A random intercept cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM) examined reciprocal associations between parenting practices, parents' antisocial behavior, and child CP over time (waves 1-4) and how these factors contribute to adolescent alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use (wave 5). At the within-person level, negative parenting and parents' own antisocial behavior had a strong influence in late childhood/early adolescence. Only child CP emerged as a significant predictor of SU. Results highlight the importance of early intervention and the potential influence of parenting and child factors throughout development in the prevention of SU.

Do Municipal Contexts Matter for Adolescent Mental Health? A Within-Municipality Analysis of Nationwide Norwegian Survey Data Across Six Years

Despite growing concerns about substantial socio-economic differences between districts in many developed nations, limited attention has been paid to how adolescent mental health may be shaped by district characteristics. A few studies have shown that adolescent mental health is related to contextual factors such as district socio-economic status, neighborhood disorder, and quality of infrastructure. However, prior estimates may be an artifact of unmeasured differences between districts. To address these concerns, we used data from the nationwide Norwegian Ungdata surveys (N = 278,764), conducted across the years 2014 to 2019. We applied three-level hierarchical linear models to examine within-municipality associations between municipal factors and adolescent mental health in the domains of internalizing problems (i.e., depressive symptoms), externalizing problems (i.e., behavioral problems), and well-being (i.e., self-esteem), thereby accounting for all time-invariant municipality-level confounders. Our results showed that municipal-level safety, infrastructure, and youth culture are associated with adolescent mental health problems. Further, cross-level interaction models indicated gender-specific associations, with stronger associations of municipality infrastructure and community belongingness with increased self-esteem and reduced delinquent behaviors among girls than boys. Our findings highlight that municipality-level interventions may be a feasible strategy for adolescent mental health, even in a society characterized by low inequality and high redistribution.

The Relationship Between Perceived Parenting Style and Social Anxiety: A Meta-analysis of Mainland Chinese Students

Previous research on the relationship between parenting style and social anxiety in Chinese youth has been inconsistent, which has made it difficult to consider whether improving parenting may serve as a preventative intervention for social anxiety. The current study aimed to clarify these inconsistencies by examining the strength of the association between positive/negative parenting style and social anxiety among Chinese students and the role of certain moderators in those associations. A meta-analysis was conducted on 53 studies with a total sample of 26,024 Chinese mainland students. Separate analyses were conducted for positive parenting style and social anxiety (N = 24,081), and negative parenting style and social anxiety (N = 24,933). Findings suggest a small negative association exists between positive parenting style and social anxiety, and a small positive association exists between negative parenting style and child social anxiety. Analyses suggested type of social anxiety measures, developmental stage, and gender all moderated the relationships between parenting style and social anxiety. Results clarify the direction of the relationship between parenting and social anxiety amongst Chinese youth and point to particular implications and future directions for policy, practice, and research.

Longitudinal Associations Between Relationship Quality and Depression Among Youth with Intellectual Disabilities: A Latent Change Perspective

This study investigates associations between initial levels and change in the quality of the relationships youth with intellectual disabilities (ID) share with their parents and teachers, and changes in their levels of depression over time. A sample of 395 youth with mild (48.3%) and moderate (51.7%) ID, aged between 11 and 22 (M = 15.69), were recruited in Canada (n = 142) and Australia (n = 253). Youth completed self-report measures of relationship quality and depression twice over a one-year period. Initial levels of warmth (β = - .109) and conflict (β = - .302) predicted decreases in depression. Increases in warmth predicted decreases in depression (β = - .179), while increases in conflict predicted increases in depression (β = .268). Discrepancies between youth relationships with their parents and teachers predicted decreases in depression (βwarmth = - .732; βconflict = - .608).

Negative parenting style and depression in adolescents: A moderated mediation of self-esteem and perceived social support

BACKGROUND

Negative parenting style as a risk factors of depression has been defined in the previous researches. However, the underlying mechanism between negative parenting style and depression was still unclear. This study aimed to investigate the mediating role of self-esteem and the moderating role of perceived social support in the association between negative parenting style and depression among adolescents.

METHODS

A total of 14,724 Chinese adolescents were asked to complete the questionnaires including Parenting Style scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Self-esteem scale, and Patient Health Questionnaire 9-item scale. Mediation and moderation analyses were carried out in SPSS 25.0 macro PROCESS.

RESULTS

Self-esteem mediated the relationship between negative parenting styles and adolescent depression (β = 0.113, SE = 0.004, p < 0.001). Perceived social support moderated the direct effect of negative parenting style on depression (β = -0.076, SE = 0.009, p < 0.001). Moreover, perceived social support moderated the indirect effect of negative parenting style on self-esteem (β = -0.023, SE = 0.007, p < 0.001) and the indirect effect of self-esteem on depression (β = 0.070, SE = 0.009, p < 0.001) in the moderated mediation model.

LIMITATIONS

Cross-sectional research design was used in the study. All measures were based on participant self-report.

CONCLUSION

This study reveals the underlying mechanism with regard to the influence of negative parenting style on depression through self-esteem and perceived social support. Findings provide a theoretical basis and practical implications for prevention and intervention programs to protect adolescents' mental health.

Aggressive parenting: social, medical and legal aspects

OBJECTIVE

Aim: To examine the impacts of aggressive parenting on physical, mental and emotional development; outcomes for society; possible ways of prevention of children' rights or health violation and responsibility of parents to optimize well-being of children.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Materials and Methods: The analysis of scientific data has been conducted on the basis of PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science databases in order to collect the existed results of researches about social and medical aspects of impact of aggressive parenting. The formal-legal method was used to interpret the provisions of legislation regarding the protection of personal non-property rights and responsibilities of parents and children.

CONCLUSION

Conclusions: Aggressive parenting affects children of all ages and is associated with chronic stress and long-term negative impacts on physical development, cognitive and behavioral dysfunction, socioemotional difficulties, social and psychological dysfunction in adulthood. Aggressive parenting triggers a child' aggressive behavior which is considered as a predictor of adult's criminality. From a legal standpoint, aggressive parenting is a form of violation of the responsibility of parents to educate a child, which is an element of family legal relations regulated by the norms of the family law institution known as ≪Personal non-property rights and responsibilities of parents and children". The definition of aggressive parenting has been defined with its legal features and characteristics. Effective prevention methods should be directed to predict possible further parental violence, intervention programs to reduce outcomes of aggressive parenting and to improve the ways of responsibility in procedural and material aspects of law.

Maternal engagement, relational closeness, and adolescent internalizing symptoms: The association of engaged mothering with adolescent depression and anxiety

Prevalence rates of anxiety and depression have increased among adolescents in recent years. The etiology of these internalizing symptoms is complex, but mothers can play a role in the mental health of their adolescent children. Using data from Year 15 of the fragile families and child well-being study, we analyzed associations between adolescent-reported maternal engagement, mother-adolescent relationship closeness, and adolescent depression and anxiety in a sample of 3146 mother-adolescent dyads. Using structural equation modeling, the four areas of engagement, closeness, anxiety, and depression were all modeled as latent variables to test the associations between these constructs. Higher levels of maternal engagement were significantly associated with higher levels of closeness between mother and adolescent, and higher levels of closeness were significantly associated with adolescents' lower levels of both depression and anxiety. Bootstrapped indirect effects were identified. Implications and future directions are discussed.

Why Are Child and Youth Welfare Support Services Initiated? A First-Time Analysis of Administrative Data on Child and Youth Welfare Services in Austria

Even if numerous children and young people are looked after by child and youth welfare, there are only a few scientific studies on the reasons for this support. The aim of this retrospective descriptive study was to examine the reasons why child and youth welfare was initiated. Therefore, administrative data, collected by the Lower Austrian Child and Youth Welfare Service, from the year 2021 will be presented. On the one hand, the frequencies of the different justifications provided by the social workers and, on the other hand, whether these are primarily based on problems of the parents/caregivers or the children are reported. In 2021, a total of 7760 clarifications of child welfare endangerments were initiated. The descriptive statistical analyses showed that the most frequent concerns were parental overload (49%), behavioral issues (10%), and difficult economic conditions (9%). Although a classification according to the caregiver or child level cannot always be clearly distinguished, there is a trend that in many cases (84% to 99% depending on the type of support) the problems lie at the caregiver level. Further studies are necessary so that the care of such vulnerable groups of people will be better supported by scientific findings.

Negative Parenting Mediates the Longitudinal Association between Parental Internalizing Symptoms and Child Oppositional Symptoms

Research has pointed to both cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between parental internalizing symptoms and child externalizing symptoms. This study analyzed whether the association is mediated by negative parenting behavior in view of previous reports that both parental internalizing symptoms and child externalizing symptoms are related to parenting behaviors. Longitudinal data for the current analyses were derived from a randomized controlled trial on the efficacy of a web-assisted self-help intervention for parents of children with elevated levels of externalizing symptoms. Two different mediation models were analyzed, one using attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms as the dependent variable and the other using oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) symptoms. Both models included parental internalizing symptoms as the independent variable, negative parenting behavior as a mediator, and study condition as a confounder. The longitudinal analyses support the mediating role of negative parenting behavior in the association between early parental internalizing symptoms and later child ODD symptoms.

Resilience Mediates the Relationship Between Parental Attachment and Posttraumatic Growth in Adolescents: A Longitudinal Study

OBJECTIVE

Previous studies have shown that parental attachment was associated with higher levels of posttraumatic growth (PTG) in individuals who have experienced traumatic events. The aim of the current longitudinal study is to investigate resilience as one pathway through which parental attachment is related to PTG among Chinese adolescents following the Yancheng tornado.

METHODS

A total of 351 adolescent survivors participated in this longitudinal study. Participants completed the revised version of Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA-R) at 12 months (T1), and the revised Chinese version of the Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI-R) and the Connor and Davidson's Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) at 18 months (T2) after the tornado, respectively.

RESULTS

It indicated that parental attachment at T1 has direct and positive effect on PTG at T2, and resilience at T2 fully mediated the relationship between parental attachment at T1 and PTG at T2.

CONCLUSION

The findings revealed that parental attachment and resilience are two key resources that promote adolescent's PTG, and parental attachment acts through resilience to promote PTG in adolescents.

Hong Kong Adolescents' Participation in Political Activities: Correlates of Violent Political Participation

The present study aimed to examine Hong Kong junior secondary school students' participation in different types of political activities, to identify profiles of adolescents based on their political participation, and to examine potential protective and risk factors associated with adolescents' violent political participation during the social unrest in Hong Kong from a positive youth development perspective. A total of 2,016 students (age = 13.92 ± 1.10 years) recruited from 24 secondary schools in Hong Kong participated in an online survey six months after the social unrest subsided. The findings provide a comprehensive descriptive profile of Hong Kong adolescents' political participation. Four clusters of adolescents with homogeneous patterns of political participation were identified: (1) "Politically Inactive" (42.6%); (2) "Legal Participant" (27.5%); (3) "Radical/Violent Activist" (13.0%); and (4) "Peaceful Activist" (17.0%). Logistic regression analysis showed that being female, born in Hong Kong, having a weak local identity and a strong national identity, a high level of bonding, prosocial involvement and prosocial norms, a low level of parental psychological control and family conflict, and a good parent-child relationship were associated with a low risk of adolescents' violent political participation. The findings point to the needs to further promote social cohesion in Hong Kong society, to help adolescents avoid the potentially essentialized dichotomy in their identity construction, and to develop programs targeting the identified risk and protective factors to prevent adolescents from engaging in political violence and to promote their civic participation.

The Mediation of Care and Overprotection between Parent-Adolescent Conflicts and Adolescents' Psychological Difficulties during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Which Role for Fathers?

BACKGROUND

There is evidence of a significant raise in youths' emotional and behavioral difficulties during the pandemic. Only a few studies have addressed parent-adolescent conflict, and none investigated the possible mediating effect of parenting in the association between conflicts with parents and adolescents' symptoms. This study aimed at investigating youths' psychological symptoms during the pandemic, focusing on the predicting effect of parent-adolescent conflict. The mediating role of care and overprotection was also explored, considering whether adolescent gender moderated this mediation.

METHODS

195 adolescents aged 14-18 years participated in an online longitudinal study. Perceived conflict with parents and parenting dimensions (Parental Bonding Instrument; PBI) were assessed at baseline (2021). Self-reported psychological difficulties (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire; SDQ) were collected at baseline and after one year (2022).

RESULTS

A significantly severer symptomatology was found in adolescents having a conflictual relationship with one or both parents. Major conflicts with parents correlated with lower care and greater overprotection in mothers and fathers. However, parental overprotection and maternal care were not mediators of the relationship between conflict and youths' difficulties. The only exception was represented by paternal care that fully mediated this relationship in both adolescent males and females.

CONCLUSIONS

Although further investigations are needed to overcome limitations due to the small sample, findings extend our insight into the impact of parent-adolescent conflict, highlighting the role of fathers' care and the need to maximize their involvement in clinical interventions.

Parental rejection in early adolescence predicts a persistent ADHD symptom trajectory across adolescence

Despite a general decrease of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms during adolescence, these may persist in some individuals but not in others. Prior cross-sectional studies have shown that parenting style and their interaction with candidate genes are associated with ADHD symptoms. However, there is a lack of longitudinal research examining the independent and interactive effects of parenting and plasticity genes in predicting the course of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms across adolescence. Here, we investigated how children perceived their parents' parenting style (i.e., rejection, overprotection, and emotional warmth) at the age of 11, and their interaction with DRD4, MAOA, and 5-HTTLPR genotypes on parent-reported ADHD symptoms at three time points (mean ages 11.1, 13.4, and 16.2 years) in 1730 adolescents from the TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS). Growth Mixture Modeling in Mplus identified four ADHD symptom trajectories: low, moderate stable, high decreasing, and high persistent. Perceived parental rejection predicted class membership in the high persistent trajectory compared to the other classes (p < 0.001, odds ratios between 2.14 and 3.74). Gene-environment interactions were not significantly related to class membership. Our results indicate a role of perceived parental rejection in the persistence of ADHD symptoms. Perceived parental rejection should, therefore, be taken into consideration during prevention and treatment of ADHD in young adolescents.

Mindfulness mediates the relationship between positive parenting and aggression, depression, and suicidal ideation: A longitudinal study in middle school students

Previous research has indicated that parenting factors affect the risk of maladaptive psychological outcomes (e.g., aggression, depression, or suicidal ideation), and that positive parenting is a prospective risk factor for maladaptive psychological outcomes. However, the mechanisms underlying the relationships between positive parenting, mindfulness, and maladaptive psychological outcomes remain unknown, as do the processes that mediate the effect of positive parenting on maladaptive psychological outcomes in adolescents. The objective of the present study was to investigate the longitudinal relationship between positive parenting, mindfulness, and maladaptive psychological outcomes in middle school students, as well as the mediating effect of mindfulness in the relationships between positive parenting and depression, aggression, and suicidal ideation. In this study, 386 middle school children (aged 12–16) were tested three times over a period of 6 months. Positive parenting was assessed at Time 1, mindfulness at Time 2, and depression, aggression, and suicidal ideation at Time 3. Using structural equation modeling, positive parenting was revealed to be longitudinally associated with mindfulness and negatively associated with maladaptive psychological outcomes. More crucially, mindfulness mediated the relationship between positive parenting and maladaptive psychological outcomes. This research provides important insights into how to effectively decrease adolescent maladaptive psychological outcomes and highlights the importance of teaching mindfulness to youths.

An Analogue Study Investigating Differential Parenting of Gender Conforming and Nonconforming Boys

Gender nonconforming children are at heightened risk for negative parenting interactions. This study investigated possible explanations for differences in parenting behaviors with gender conforming and nonconforming boys. A sample of 201 adults (43% women/57% men; 81% White, 10% Black/African American, 6% Multiracial, 3% Asian, and 1% American Indian or Alaska Native; and 7% Hispanic/Latinx) ranging in age from 20 to 74 years (M = 35.44, SD = 9.76) were presented two vignettes describing a gender conforming and nonconforming boy. Following each vignette, participants provided endorsements of parenting behaviors and reported their concern for that child's future. In addition, participants completed measures assessing their attitudes toward homosexuality and need for closure. Contrary to expectations, there were no significant differences in endorsements of physical discipline or positive parenting for the two boys. Participants did, however, report higher concern for the gender nonconforming boy's future. Individual differences in homonegativity were associated with greater endorsements of physical discipline toward the gender nonconforming boy, after accounting for endorsements of physical discipline toward the gender conforming boy. Further, higher concern for the gender nonconforming boy's future was associated with greater endorsements of physical discipline and lower endorsements of positive parenting, after accounting for endorsements of each behavior for the gender conforming boy as well as concern for their future. Intervention efforts to support the parent-child relationship for gender nonconforming boys may benefit from identifying and responding to both negative attitudes toward homosexuality and addressing motivations to change behavior resulting from concern for their child's future.

Links Between Parenting and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems: Cross-Cultural Evidence from Ten Countries

The present study tested the links between perceived maternal and paternal parenting and internalizing and externalizing problems across ten cultures (China, Czech Republic, Hungary, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, and the United States). Self-report data were collected from N = 12,757 adolescents (M_age = 17.13 years, 48.4% female). Multigroup confirmatory factor analyses and structural equation models tested whether: (1) the six parenting processes (closeness, support, monitoring, communication, peer approval, and conflict; Adolescent Family Process, Short Form (AFP-SF, 18 items) varied across cultures, and (2) the links between parenting processes and measures of internalizing and externalizing problems varied across cultures. Study findings indicated measurement invariance (configural and metric) of both maternal and paternal parenting processes and that the parenting-internalizing/externalizing problems links did not vary across cultures. Findings underscore the ubiquitous importance of parenting processes for internalizing and externalizing problems across diverse Asian, European, Eurasian, and North American cultures.

Discrepant Parent-Adolescent Reports of Parenting Practices: Associations with Adolescent Internalizing and Externalizing Symptoms

Discrepancies in multi-informant reports of parenting practices represent a meaningful clinical construct that can be harnessed to predict adolescent mental health outcomes and shed light on the nature of parent-adolescent relationships. To date, however, no research has sought to examine discrepancies in perceptions of parenting practices among adolescents with histories of substance use disorders, a population for whom supportive parenting is a critical protective factor during the recovery process. This study examined parent-adolescent informant discrepancies of parenting practices and their associations with externalizing and internalizing symptomology among a sample of adolescents with substance use disorder histories. Data were analyzed from 294 adolescents (M adolescent age = 16 years; 45% female, 72% white) and their parents (87% female, 83% white) from a larger longitudinal study. Parenting practices of interest were positive parenting, inconsistent discipline, and poor monitoring. Polynomial regression analyses were used to test the discrepancy hypotheses. The results generally suggested null associations between single informant reports and internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Discrepancies were noted, however, in multi-informant reports of positive parenting, such that higher levels of adolescent-reported positive parenting were associated with higher levels of internalizing symptoms at high (but not low) levels of parent-reported positive parenting. Similarly, discrepancies were noted in multi-informant reports of poor monitoring, such that lower levels of adolescent-poor monitoring were associated with higher externalizing symptoms at low levels of parent-reported poor monitoring. The findings are discussed in terms of research and clinical implications of collecting and utilizing multi-informant data among clinical samples of adolescents with unique risk profiles.

Mediators between Positive and Negative Parenting and Child Depressive and Anxious Symptoms: Findings from a Diverse, At-Risk Sample

Background: Although children’s depressive and anxious symptoms have been broadly construed as internalizing problems, the current study sought to identify factors that may differentially contribute to these two mental health problems in a high-risk sample. Prior research has not adequately tested both depressive versus anxious symptoms simultaneously, nor has it adequately considered the role of negative versus positive parenting simultaneously, thereby neglecting the potential overlap in both sets of constructs. Overlooking such potential statistical overlap obfuscates how factors may differentially contribute to either depressive versus anxious symptoms. Existing research has also focused on lower-risk community samples. Method: The present study investigated whether children’s negative self-concept or maladaptive attributional style mediated the link between both negative and positive parenting in a racially diverse, at-risk sample of 65 primary school-age children recruited from mental health agencies. Results: When tested together, more negative parenting, but not less positive parenting, retained direct effects on both depressive and anxious symptoms. Both negative self-concept and maladaptive attributional style fully mediated the association between less positive parenting and children’s depressive symptoms, whereas positive self-concept, but not attributional style, mediated between less positive parenting and anxious symptoms. Conclusions: The current findings underscore potential differential intervention targets for these two internalizing problems and highlight the need for future research to consider both depressive and anxious symptoms, and related predictors, simultaneously to control for their shared variance.

Parenting practices and oral health behaviors of children in rural Egypt: gender differences in a household survey

Background

Parenting practices influence children’s health and development. The current study aimed at assessing gender differences in children’s perception of the parenting practices of both parents, and in the association between children’s oral health behaviors and parenting practices.

Methods

A cross-sectional household survey of 6–12 year old children was conducted in a rural area in Northwestern Egypt in 2019. Clinical examination assessed caries and gingivitis. The Alabama Parenting Questionnaire assessed parenting practices in five domains (positive parenting, involvement, inconsistent disciplining, poor monitoring and corporal punishment) and the World Health Organization questionnaire assessed oral health behaviors including sugar consumption and daily toothbrushing. Sugar consumption was the dependent variable in linear regression and daily toothbrushing was the dependent variable in logistic regression. Parenting practices were the explanatory variables adjusting for confounders. Effect modification by child gender was assessed.

Results

The response rate was 94.1% (n = 433), mean age = 9.9 years, 44.1% boys, 17.8% with daily toothbrushing and mean sugar consumption score = 3.4/8. Girls perceived more mothers’ positive parenting than boys (mean = 14.15 and 13.46) and boys perceived more poor monitoring and corporal punishment. Boys and girls differed in the association between sugar consumption and fathers’ inconsistent disciplining, poor monitoring (P = 0.004 and 0.02) and mothers’ corporal punishment (P = 0.02), and also daily toothbrushing and mothers’ involvement, positive parenting (P = 0.05 and 0.02), fathers’ positive parenting (P = 0.02), mothers’ inconsistent discipling and poor monitoring (P = 0.01 and 0.04).

Conclusions

There were differences between boys and girls in perceiving mothers’ and fathers’ parenting practices and in the association between these parenting practices and toothbrushing and sugar consumption.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12903-022-02054-z.

Gaze and speech behavior in parent–child interactions: The role of conflict and cooperation

A primary mode of human social behavior is face-to-face interaction. In this study, we investigated the characteristics of gaze and its relation to speech behavior during video-mediated face-to-face interactions between parents and their preadolescent children. 81 parent–child dyads engaged in conversations about cooperative and conflictive family topics. We used a dual-eye tracking setup that is capable of concurrently recording eye movements, frontal video, and audio from two conversational partners. Our results show that children spoke more in the cooperation-scenario whereas parents spoke more in the conflict-scenario. Parents gazed slightly more at the eyes of their children in the conflict-scenario compared to the cooperation-scenario. Both parents and children looked more at the other's mouth region while listening compared to while speaking. Results are discussed in terms of the role that parents and children take during cooperative and conflictive interactions and how gaze behavior may support and coordinate such interactions.

The role of parenting, self-compassion and friendships in depressive symptoms among young people in the UK and China

Self-compassion, being kind to oneself in difficult times, is a way of relating to oneself that promotes better mental health, but little is known about how self-compassion affects interpersonal relationships. The current study examined the association between self-compassion and adolescent depressive symptoms from an interpersonal perspective in different cultural contexts. Adolescents (N = 422/570, Mean age = 14.44/13.41, UK/China) completed questionnaires about their perceptions of their parents' behaviour towards them, self-compassion, friendships and depressive symptoms. Structural equation modelling revealed that positive parenting was positively associated with higher self-compassion, positive friendship quality, and with fewer depressive symptoms in both samples. Additionally, we confirmed a negative association between self-compassion and depressive symptoms. The pathway from positive parenting to lower depressive symptoms via higher self-compassion was also corroborated in both cultures. Contrary to our hypothesis, positive quality of friendship was associated with higher depressive symptoms in both countries. Conflicts were associated with more depressive symptoms in the Chinese sample only. There was evidence of a negative association between self-compassion and conflicts in the Chinese sample only. Finally, the direct association between self-compassion and depressive symptoms was greater in the UK sample, whereas in the Chinese sample, interpersonal factors were more strongly associated with self-compassion and depressive symptoms. Our findings suggest that self-compassion may be a useful therapeutic target to improve social functioning and mental health among adolescents and that it may be necessary to account for cross-cultural differences in interpersonal factors when designing psychological interventions.

Interpersonal attachment, early family environment, and trauma in hoarding: A systematic review

The formation of intense emotional attachments to objects, difficulty parting with possessions, and the extreme accumulation of clutter are key features of Hoarding Disorder (HD). Although substantial literature implicates processes such as dysfunctional beliefs and maladaptive emotional cycles in HD, little is known about the vulnerability factors that lead to their development and hoarding symptomatology. The current review sought to systematically collate and integrate findings from studies investigating the relationship between hoarding symptoms and three proposed vulnerability factors: i) interpersonal attachment, ii) early family environment, and iii) traumatic or adverse life events. A comprehensive search of the databases PsycInfo, PubMed, and Scopus identified a total of 39 studies for inclusion. The results presented a complex pattern that supported the presence of relationships between insecure attachment, cold and controlling family experiences, and exposure to adverse life events with increased hoarding severity. However, the specificity of these factors to HD over other clinical groups remains unclear and findings are limited by the heterogenous and small number of studies. We conclude by discussing the clinical implications and limitations of these findings and propose new directions for future research.

Social mobility, adolescents' psycho-social dispositions, and parenting

Psycho-social dispositions and parental influence are central in early status attainment models. We apply the Social Structure and Personality framework to investigate the contributions of adolescents' psycho-social dispositions to social mobility, and then the contributions of parents' socioeconomic status (SES) and parenting to adolescents' psycho-social dispositions. The Kaplan Longitudinal and Multigenerational Study includes data on two generations of respondents: the first-generation of respondents was observed from seventh grade in 1971 until midlife, and the second-generation, their children, was observed from adolescence to young adulthood. We find that upward social mobility is inhibited by poor psycho-social dispositions, particularly by negative self-feelings. SES, in turn, also affects psycho-social dispositions. Family income is more relevant (i.e., variance explained) than parental education for adolescents' locus of control, while parental education is more relevant for adolescents' negative self-feelings. Finally, our findings indicate that parenting can disrupt the cycle of social reproduction, with lower SES adolescents exhibiting lower levels of negative self-feelings if their parents are more attached or less authoritarian.

Gene-environment interaction: Oxytocin receptor (OXTR) polymorphisms and parenting style as potential predictors for depressive symptoms

Depression is a common mental health problem that is thought to develop through a combination of genetic, psychological, and environmental factors, including parental behaviours and parental mental health. The present study investigated the potential interaction between oxytocin receptor (OXTR) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs53576, rs237880, rs237887, rs237889, rs237898, rs1042778, rs2268490, rs2268491, rs4686302, rs6770632, rs13316193) and parenting style in adolescence in relation to depressive symptoms among young adults. The sample consisted of 1,098 Caucasian participants (63.6% females) and their parents. The present study included data from the Survey of Adolescent Life Cohort study collected in 2012 at wave I (m_age 14.4 years; DNA collection), 2015 at wave II (m_age 17.36 years; Estimation of parenting style, depressive symptoms, and parental depression) and 2018 at wave III (m_age 20.19 years; Depressive symptoms). Evidence for an interaction effect between OXTR SNP rs6770632 and negative parenting style on depressive symptoms among young adults was found with support for the diathesis-stress theory. The rs6770632 was associated with depressive symptoms at higher levels of negative parenting, with A:A allele carriers reporting higher levels of depressive symptoms than C:C and C:A allele carriers. The present study provides preliminary knowledge about the potential moderation effects of perceived negative parenting on the effect of OXTR SNPs on depressive symptoms among young adults, independent of sex, previous reports of depressive symptoms, and parental depression.

Toward a Comprehensive Assessment of Relationships with Teachers and Parents for Youth with Intellectual Disabilities

This study proposes a multi-informant (youth, teachers, and parents) measure of relationship quality with adults for youth with intellectual disabilities (ID). A sample of 395 youth with mild (49.15%) and moderate (50.85%) ID, aged 11-22 (M = 15.82) was recruited in Canada (French-speaking, N = 142), and Australia (English-speaking, N = 253). Results support the reliability, factor validity, discriminant validity (in relation to sex, ID level, country, and comorbidity), convergent validity (depression, anxiety, aggressiveness, and prosocial behaviors), and one-year longitudinal stability of the measure. Youth self-reports provide a complementary perspective on relationship quality with adults relative to teachers' or parents' reports, whereas teachers and parents seem unable to differentiate their own perspective from that of the target youth.

Analyzing Gender Differences in Factors Affecting Depression among Multicultural Adolescents in South Korea: A Cross-Sectional Study

Suicide is the topmost cause of death among adolescents in South Korea and is deeply related to depression. This study aimed to identify gender differences in the factors affecting depression among multicultural adolescents. This study is a secondary analysis using data from a national survey, the Multicultural Adolescents Panel Study (MAPS) conducted in 2017. The participants were 1160 multicultural adolescents ranging from 15 to 18 years, living in Korea, and whose fathers were Koreans and mothers were foreigners. The results showed that depression scores were higher for females (18.35) than males (16.38, t = 6.42, p < 0.001). In total, seven factors affected depression among male multicultural adolescents’ and the model explained 50.5% of the total variance (F = 77.99, p < 0.001), while four factors affected female multicultural adolescents’ depression, and the model explained 51.4% of the total variance (F = 100.02, p < 0.001). Significant gender differences were found in factors that influence depression among multicultural adolescents. Therefore, depression prevention programs for multicultural adolescents need to vary according to gender. Additionally, these programs should target families and teachers of multicultural adolescents as well.

Positive Youth Development in Croatia: School and Family Factors Associated With Mental Health of Croatian Adolescents

Introduction

A framework for understanding the interrelationship of individual and environmental factors that influence adolescent health and well-being, as well as opportunities for policy-level interventions, is known as Positive Youth Development (PYD). The current study represents one of the largest studies of Croatian adolescents to date, and aimed to examine associations between school and family factors linked to PYD, and mental health outcomes experienced by Croatian youth.

Methods

A multi-site survey study was conducted among adolescents (N = 9,655) residing in the five most populous cities in Croatia, with the aim of examining cross-sectional associations of family and school factors with adolescent mental health. The mean age of participants was 16.3 years (SD = 1.2), and 52.5% of participants were female. School and family factors included school attachment, school commitment, family communication, and family satisfaction. Depression, anxiety, and stress were assessed as outcomes. Multigroup structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine relations of interest among female and male adolescents.

Results

Among school factors, increased school attachment was found to be significantly associated with reduced depression, anxiety, and stress for female adolescents, and with decreased depression and stress for male adolescents. Increased school commitment was significantly associated with decreased depression and anxiety for female adolescents; conversely, an increase in school commitment was associated with an increase in anxiety and stress for male adolescents. Increases in family communication were significantly associated with reduced depression, anxiety, and stress only for male adolescents, while increased family satisfaction was significantly associated with reduced depression, anxiety, and stress for female adolescents and with decreased depression and stress for male adolescents.

Conclusion

Findings suggest that interventions for mental health promotion and prevention of internalizing problems should address both school and family contexts, and may be more effective when accounting for differing developmental experiences of female and male adolescents.

Spirituality and Parenting among Women Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence

PURPOSE

While spirituality and parenting have been examined among caregivers experiencing adversity, less research has explored these factors among mother survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV). Given the potentially protective role of spirituality, understanding how parenting is associated with spirituality is important.

METHOD

The current study explored parenting practices, parent-child communication, and spirituality among 175 women caregivers who had experienced recent IPV. Hierarchical linear regression was used to examine associations between maternal age, education, HIV status, and illicit substance use (model 1); child age and gender (model 2); parent-child comfort communicating about sexual practices, IPV, HIV/AIDS, and substance use (model 3); and positive and negative parenting practices (model 4) with spirituality.

RESULTS

Findings suggested positive parenting practices, greater comfort talking about IPV, and greater discomfort talking about substance use were associated with higher spirituality.

CONCLUSIONS

Results highlight the value of parenting and communication strategies among women caregivers experiencing recent adversity.

Impact of Parents' Knowledge about the Development of Self-Esteem in Adolescents and Their Parenting Practice on the Self-Esteem and Suicidal Behavior of Urban High School Students in Nepal

Background: Suicide is the third leading cause of death in adolescents worldwide, self-esteem is a strong protective factor, and parents may be able to provide interventions. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine how parents can help enhance their adolescent’s self-esteem and prevent suicidal behavior among adolescents in Nepal. Methods: Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to adolescents aged 13–19 years and their parents at eight high schools in three provinces in Nepal (n = 575 pairs). The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics (bivariate and multivariate regression analyses). Results: The mean self-esteem score of adolescents according to the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale was 16.59, and the prevalence of suicidal behavior was 11.3%. Parent’s knowledge about the development of self-esteem in adolescents was significantly positively related to parenting practice (communication, support, positive reinforcement, etc.) (B = 1.0, 95% confidence interval, CI 0.89–1.11) and authoritative parenting style (B = 0.2, 95% CI 0.15–0.25). Parental authoritativeness was positively associated with the self-esteem of their adolescents (B = 0.1, 95% CI 0.01–0.18), while adolescents with authoritarian parents were prone to suicidal risk behavior (adjusted odds ratio, AOR = 1.1, 95% CI 1.0–1.19). Conclusion: Counseling to parents based on our findings would be helpful to enhance the self-esteem and prevent suicidal risk behavior in their adolescent children.

Direct and indirect effects of strength-based parenting on adolescents' school outcomes: Exploring the role of mental toughness

INTRODUCTION

Strength-based parenting defined as recognizing and cultivating strengths in children is potentially linked to important child and adolescent outcomes. In this study, direct and indirect effects (via mental toughness) of strength-based parenting on adolescents' school outcomes, particularly, school engagement and burnout were examined.

METHODS

The sample consisted of 350 high school students (ages 14-18 years; 49.7% female) using multistage cluster sampling from central school district of city of Aydın, Turkey. Participants completed a battery of questionnaires that assess strength-based parenting, mental toughness, school engagement, and burnout.

RESULTS

Results showed that strength-based parenting is significantly and directly related to higher levels of school engagement, but not to school burnout. Furthermore, indirect effects of strength-based parenting on both school engagement and burnout through the mechanism of mental toughness were statistically significant. A series of multigroup post hoc analyses suggested that the structural model was robust across gender and age.

CONCLUSIONS

The present findings suggest that strength-based parenting plays a crucial role on adolescents' school outcomes and these links are mediated by mental toughness. Implications and suggestions for future research are also discussed.

Multivariate associations of ideal affect with clinical symptoms

Prior research has indicated that ideal affect (i.e., the affective states that people value and would ideally like to experience) may be relevant to mental health outcomes. Studies to date, however, have not used comprehensive multivariate models that account for covariation among facets of ideal affect and incorporate multiple clinical outcomes. In the present studies, we used structural equation modeling to examine the multivariate effects of ideal affect on symptoms of depression, anxiety, and alcohol abuse in 2 moderately large samples of undergraduates (N = 293 and N = 146). Exploratory results of Study 1 indicated that valuation of high arousal positive affective states was significantly associated with lower depression symptoms but higher anxiety and alcohol abuse symptoms and that valuation of high arousal negative states was specifically associated with greater anxiety symptoms. These results were shown to be structurally invariant across samples and ethnicities in Study 2, which also found that ideal-actual affect discrepancies were significantly associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety. These findings support and extend the hypothesis that ideal affect is implicated in clinical outcomes by highlighting the importance of jointly considering multiple facets of ideal and actual affect as they relate to a range of clinical syndromes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Parental Physical Force and Alcohol Use in Emerging Adults: Mediation by Psychological Problems

Research has indicated that negative parenting practices, such as physical punishment, are associated with negative outcomes in children. These negative outcomes can present during childhood and during emerging adulthood. One negative consequence can be excessive alcohol use, a problematic outcome with its own myriad consequences. The goal of the current study was to examine the effects of parental physical force on emerging adult functioning, specifically alcohol and psychological problems. A sample of 488 young adults completed questionnaires on current perceptions related to alcohol-related problems, physical and psychological aggression by their parents experienced during the previous year, and current emotional and behavioral functioning. Results showed full mediation between paternal physical force and emerging adult alcohol problems by emerging adult psychological problems. Emerging adult psychological problems partially mediated the effect of maternal physical force on emerging adult alcohol problem. Gender did not moderate these effects. The results support existing literature suggesting that the use of parental physical force may lead to a chain reaction of problems, even during emerging adulthood. These results also reveal that emerging adults report currently receiving physical force from their parents, which brings to light a concerning lack of literature on the use of parental physical force on emerging adult children. These results advocate for positive parenting practives and efforts to teach them, even for emerging adult children. The results may also clinically suggest that paying attention to parental force in emerging adult clients could yield a better understanding of their current functioning, especially including excessive alcohol use.

Cross-cultural peculiarities of interrelations between overparenting and psychological well-being of present time senior

The article presents a review of studies on a specific style of parenting. This parenting style is called «helicopter parenting» in Western scientific literature and has got this name due to excessive parental care for an adolescent who begins his/ her independent life. The data on the interplay of this style with the psychological well-being and academic achievements of adolescents are summarized. It is shown that despite the general dysfunctionality of this style, it’s certain aspects can be positively associated with the adolescents’ well-being. A review of cross-cultural research shows that there are some universal models of parental behavior that provide an adolescent with a sense of secure attachment in any culture, as significant cultural -specific patterns. In cases when the dysfunctional (from Western culture point of view) characteristics of parenting are correlated with certain cultural norms, they do not have such a negative impact on the psychological well-being of an adolescent, as in Western culture.

Are parenting practices associated with the same child outcomes in sub-Saharan African countries as in high-income countries? A review and synthesis

Introduction

There is increasing interest in the transferability of parenting interventions from high-income countries (HICs) to low-income countries (LICs) in order to improve child development and health outcomes. This is based on the premise that associations between parenting practices and child outcomes are similar in both settings. Many parenting interventions in HICs are evidence-based, but less evidence exists on associations of parenting practices with child outcomes in LICs, in particular, sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. This review synthesises evidence on the association of parenting practices with child outcomes in SSA in order to compare findings with those from HICs.

Methods

We searched electronic databases—Web of Science, ASSIA, Embase, IBSS and PsycINFO—to identify studies from SSA that reported quantitative associations between parenting practices and child health or psychosocial outcomes (eg, sexual and reproductive health (SRH), mental health, conduct disorders). Due to inconsistent conceptual framing of parenting across studies, we used a modified version of the international WHO classification of parenting dimensions to guide synthesis of the results.

Results

Forty-four studies met our inclusion criteria. They were conducted in 13 SSA countries and included cross-sectional and longitudinal studies, and were predominantly descriptive studies rather than intervention research. Synthesis of results showed that associations between patterns of parenting (‘positive’/‘harsh’) and child outcomes (including SRH, mental health and conduct disorders) in studies from SSA were broadly similar to those found in HICs.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that the impacts of parenting practices on child outcomes are similar across contrasting global regions and, therefore, parenting interventions from HICs might be successfully transferred to SSA, subject to appropriate adaptation. However, this review also highlights the paucity of evidence in this area and the urgent need for higher quality studies to confirm these findings to help develop effective parenting interventions in SSA.

Parent-Child Relationships and Resilience Among Chinese Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Self-Esteem

The present study primarily aimed to examine whether self-esteem serves as a mediator in the associations between parent–child relationships, including parental support and parent–child conflict, and resilience among adolescents. Three hundred and four Chinese adolescents were surveyed with questionnaires and structural equation modeling was adopted to test the mediational hypothesis. The results indicated that the associations between parent–child relationships and adolescent resilience were primarily mediated by self-esteem and that parental support was more robustly linked with adolescent resilience than parent–adolescent conflict. The current study also tested a competitive mediational model in which resilience was the mediator and self-esteem was the outcome variable, and observed that this model was also well-established but inferior to the hypothesized mediational model. These findings extend our insight into the mechanisms underlying the associations among parent–child relationships, self-esteem, and resilience among adolescents and suggest that adolescent resilience promotion programs should focus on improving parental support in a family context and developing individual self-esteem.

Change and Stability of Emotional Health of Rural Pennsylvania Youth During High School

PURPOSE

Few prior studies have examined change in emotional health of high school students in a rural context. Considering the multifaceted nature of emotional health, this research aims to identify the patterns and explore change and stability of the emotional health of rural Pennsylvania youth. It also investigates the influence of family, peers, school, and the community environment on rural adolescents' emotional health.

METHODS

Using panel data from the Rural Youth Education Project, we employed latent transition analysis to examine changes in patterns of rural students' self-reported emotional health from 9^th grade to 11^th grade (N = 1,294).

FINDINGS

Four distinct emotional health subgroups for rural adolescents were identified. Over half of the youth in the sample felt emotionally well, or positive, in both 9^th and 11^th grades. Roughly 60% of rural youth remained in the same emotional health category from 9^th to 11^th grade, but a substantial minority experienced change in emotional health. One-fifth reported lower emotional health status in 11^th grade, and one-fifth indicated more positive emotions in 11^th than in 9^th grade. We found strong evidence of family, school, community, and peer influences on the emotional health of rural youth in 9^th grade.

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest that while a large share of rural youth exhibit positive emotional health and remain positive across their high school years, a substantial share of rural youth experience changing emotional health. The study underscores the important role that family, peers, school, and the community environment play for rural youth's emotional health over time.

Safety, trust, and disclosure: A qualitative examination of violence against refugee adolescents in Kiziba Camp, Rwanda

Refugee adolescents face increased vulnerability to child protection risks including abuse, neglect, violence, and exploitation. The aim of this qualitative study was to examine the nature of violence against adolescents in Kiziba Camp, Rwanda, using an ecological framework to analyze the factors that influence protection risks and abuse disclosure across multiple system levels. In order to understand these issues more comprehensively, a transgenerational inquiry sought perceptions from both adolescents and their caregivers. In April 2016, as part of a larger, comprehensive study on adolescent protection, 19 focus group discussions were conducted with a total of 70 adolescents and 68 caregivers from the Democratic Republic of Congo. A qualitative content analysis identified three salient themes. First, structural protection risks exist for adolescents in Kiziba Camp, with economic insecurity and resource constraints resulting in specific risks such as overcrowded housing and adolescents traveling for firewood collection. Second, intergenerational conflict between caregivers and adolescents was perceived to negatively influence abuse disclosure. Lastly, protection mechanisms and reporting pathways were underutilized as caregivers and adolescents expressed concern over the shame, embarrassment, and social rejection that characterized formal disclosure in Kiziba, often rooted in restrictive and inequitable gender norms. These findings suggest that efforts at child protection should be multi-faceted and address structural aspects of risk; household levels of communication and trust; and societal norms that deter abuse reporting. The study also underscores the need for further research on risk and protective factors in camp settings to better tailor interventions aiming to reduce violence against children.

SLC6A3 Is Associated With Relational Aggression in Children

Abstract. Understanding the genetic influence on aggressive behavior in children is one way to understand pathways to the development of aggression in adults. While aggression is likely under some environmental influence, it is also likely under some genetic influence. Overt aggression associates with a variety of genes including dopaminergic and serotonergic genes. Dopaminergic and serotonergic genes are known to be associated with overt aggression. However, little is known regarding the genetic pathways associated with relational aggression. Detecting genetic associates of relational aggression is important to eventually understand pathways to socially aggressive behaviors in children. Therefore, we attempted to determine if relational aggression was also associated with dopaminergic and serotonergic genes. We invited the parents of 327 children to complete a modified version of the MacArthur Health and Behavior Questionnaire (HBQ-P), which has a subscale for relational aggression. We used logistic regression models that predicted relational aggression after controlling for covariates. One genetic predictor was added at a time until there was no model improvement. The covariates were overt aggression scores obtained from the HBQ-P and age. The final (best) model included as a significant predictor of relational aggression one single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) on SLC6A3 (rs2617605) and the covariates.