Moderating Effects of Relational Interdependence on the Association Between Peer Victimization and Depressive Symptoms

Early adolescent development in the face of violence: A systematic review running

BACKGROUND

Exposure to violence has severe and lasting effects on development. Despite the body of research examining childhood exposures to violence and victimization, developmental outcomes during early adolescence are poorly understood.

OBJECTIVE

To synthesize existing research on the effects of violence exposure on early adolescent development (youth 9-14 years old) and highlight areas for future research.

METHOD

We conducted a systematic search of PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science, Scopus, and EMBASE for articles published between 2012 and 2023. Included articles focused on violence exposure related to experiencing or observing community violence, witnessing domestic violence and/or being the victim of chronic physical abuse.

RESULTS

Twenty-eight articles spanning four developmental domains were included: behavioral, biological, neurological, and social development. Behaviorally, violence exposure posed significant effects on both internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Biologically, violence exposure was strongly associated with advanced epigenetic age, accelerated puberty, and insomnia. Neurologically, violence exposure had significant associations with both structural and functional differences in the developing brain. Socially, violence exposure was related to poor school engagement, peer aggression, and low social support.

CONCLUSION

This systematic review highlights varying effects of violence exposure on early adolescent development. The gaps presented should be addressed and implemented into clinical practice via evidence-based policies and procedures to ensure successful transition to adulthood.

Forms of Peer Victimization and School Adjustment Among Japanese Adolescents: A Multilevel Analysis

The psychosocial correlates and consequences of peer victimization are well documented. However, there is limited knowledge about whether different forms of peer victimization (relational and physical) are predictive of school-based social and motivational factors among adolescents from non-Western cultures. The present study examined the relationship between individual and school-level forms of peer victimization and school adjustment among Japanese adolescents, and the mediating role that these factors may play. The Japanese sample (N = 6109 from 185 schools, Mage = 15.78, SD = 0.29, 51% girls and 49% boys) was drawn from a large international dataset, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018. Results showed that school-level relational victimization was associated with individual-level relational victimization, and school-level physical victimization was associated with individual-level physical victimization, after controlling for age, gender, and socioeconomic status. Individual-level relational victimization was also uniquely associated with indices of school adjustment (negative affect, positive affect, and fear of failure) over and above physical victimization. While controlling for relational victimization, individual-level physical victimization was associated with indices of school adjustment (positive affect and meaning in life). In further findings, school-level relational and physical victimization were indirectly, but not directly, related to some of students' school adjustment through individual-level relational and physical victimization. These parallel and differential associations suggest the importance of considering the role of relational and physical victimization in school adjustment among Japanese adolescents.

Peculiarities of personality adaption to psychological traumas in neurotic disorders

BACKGROUND AND AIM

It is known that anticipatory processes play a leading role in the regulation of behavior. These processes act as a leading mechanism of the link in the mental regulation of behavior and activity. Violation of processes anticipates to a mismatch in the work of the adaption system, and, as a result, to maladaptive behavior. However, many issues related to the detection of anticipation disorders in various manifestations of diseases have been insufficiently studied. The features of individual prognosis depending on diseases are studied here.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

As part of the work, 29 people were examined, of which 25 (86.2%) were women and 4 (13.8%) were men with a diagnosis of "adaptive reaction disorder" from the ICD-10 section "Neurotic and stress-related disorders" (F43.2) at the age of 20-65 years. Clinical-psychopathological and experimental-psychological research methods were applied (V.D. Mendelevich's test of anticipation, L.A. Regush's "Ability to predict" test, Lazarus' coping test, clinical questionnaire for the identification and evaluation of neurotic states). Statistical analysis was carried out using the program "IBM SPSS Statistics 25." The Shapiro-Wilk criterion, Pearson's chi-squared test, Fisher's exact criterion, Student's t-criterion, Mann-Whitney U criterion, Kruskal-Wallis H criterion, Pearson correlation, Spearman's correlation, and diagrams (columnar and span) were used.

RESULTS

The presence of solvency in general anticipation reduced the severity of coping strategies «distancing» (P = 0.048, r = -0.371) and «escape - avoiding» (P = 0.048, r = -0.370), also personal-situational anticipatory consistency reduced severity of «escape - avoiding» (P = 0.017, r = -0.438).

CONCLUSION

The anticipatory abilities and coping strategies in disorder of adaptive reactions were correlated. Patients with developed anticipation abilities are less likely to use no constructive coping strategies.

Relational victimization and depressive symptoms: The interactive role of physiological reactivity and narrative processing

Although previous studies have documented that relational victimization serves as a risk factor for depressive symptoms across developmental periods, heterogeneity in effects highlights the possibility that some individuals may be especially vulnerable. This study examined two factors that may influence the link between relational victimization and depressive symptoms: physiological reactivity and narrative processing during the recounting of a past victimization experience. In a sample of 200 college students, we examined narrative processing (i.e., use of disengagement coping strategies, positive resolution, and primary control coping strategies) and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) reactivity, assessed during a standard laboratory interview, as moderators of the link between self-reported relational victimization and depressive symptoms. Although relational victimization was associated with increased rates of depressive symptoms, a combination of RSA activation and high disengagement coping appeared protective for individuals high in relational victimization. Similarly, a combination of RSA activation and high levels of positive resolution appeared protective against depressive symptoms among individuals high in relational victimization. The findings shed critical light on the interaction of physiological and cognitive processes in coping with relational victimization.