Age and Gender Effects on Coping in Children and Adolescents

Coping strategies of school-going adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic in the climate vulnerable Manafwa watershed, Uganda

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted daily life, economies, and health, prompting strict government measures, including nationwide lockdowns and school closures in Uganda, resulting in significant academic setbacks for adolescents. The coping strategies employed by school-going adolescents in Uganda amidst the COVID-19 pandemic remain inadequately understood. This study aimed to assess the coping strategies adopted by school-going adolescents (early, middle and late adolescents) in the Manafwa watershed, recognized as one of Uganda's most vulnerable regions, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

A cross sectional study design was conducted from I5th May, 2023 to 30th June, 2023 on 762 school going adolescents from government-aided secondary schools within the Manafwa watershed area. The adolescent version of the KidCope tool was used to evaluate adolescents' coping strategies. Factor analysis identified correlations among adolescents' coping strategies. Independent Samples t-Test and One-Way Variance of Analysis (ANOVA) was used for comparing the mean score differences of the coping strategies among the gender and adolescents' stages respectively.

RESULTS

Majority (n = 141, 36.2%) of the participants employed adaptive coping followed by negative-emotion coping (n = 127, 32.6%) and avoidant coping (n = 122, 31.3%). Females employed statistically higher resignation as a coping strategy compared to males, (mean of 1.2 vs. 1.0, respectively; P = 0.026). A higher proportion (n = 88, 69.3%) of middle age adolescents employed negative-emotion regulation (P-value = 0.040). However, those in early adolescence significantly utilized distraction as a coping strategy more than those in middle adolescence (mean difference = 0.36, p = 0.013).

CONCLUSION

During the pandemic, majority of school-going adolescents employed adaptive coping mechanisms, including positive emotional regulation and social support. However, compared to males, females employed resignation more frequently. Moreover, middle-aged adolescents had a greater propensity for negative emotion copying. Findings from this study contribute valuable information for the development of targeted interventions and support mechanisms for adolescents facing unprecedented challenges.

Factors associated with positive mental health in Japanese young adults with a history of chronic diseases during childhood: A qualitative study

PURPOSE

Factors associated with positive mental health in children with chronic diseases remain unclear. Supporting the development of positive mental health in children with chronic diseases can enhance their mental health throughout childhood and adulthood. This study aimed to identify the factors associated with positive mental health among Japanese young adults with a history of chronic pediatric diseases.

DESIGN AND METHODS

Participants aged 18-25 years, with a history of chronic pediatric diseases, were recruited from a population of students at a university. Semi-structured interviews were conducted. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis. After the initial coding of each transcript, the researchers discussed and identified a set of main themes, categories, and subcategories.

RESULTS

Ten participants aged 19-22 years were interviewed. Their chronic diseases were diverse and included childhood cancers and allergic diseases. Seven themes (proactive coping, positive coping, negative coping, eudaimonia, hedonia, independence, and awareness) emerged from 21 categories and 70 subcategories identified. A thematic map was applied to two domains (protective factors and well-being factors) and to three inter-related constructs (individual, family, and community/society).

CONCLUSIONS

The findings indicated that within the well-being factors, meaning in life was prominent, and within the protective factors, stress coping was found to facilitate positive mental health among individuals with a history of chronic pediatric diseases.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

In children with chronic diseases, support for finding appropriate coping strategies that enhance their optimism and symbiotic relationships in the community/society are important, including valuing little things in their lives, such as play and learning.

Lifestyle habits, health indicators and sociodemographic factors associated with health-related quality of life and self-esteem in adolescents

BACKGROUND

Mental health is defined as a state of emotional, psychological, and social well-being, and has been shown to be positively associated with self-esteem and quality of life. It is important to note that mental health is dynamic and influenced by a wide range of social, biological, and behavioral factors. Therefore, the aim this study was to describe the health-related quality of life and self-esteem in adolescents, examining their relationship with various health indicators, lifestyle habits, and sociodemographic variables.

METHOD

A cross-sectional study was conducted with a representative sample of 761 students (14.51 ± 1.63 years). Health-related quality of life, self-esteem, satisfaction with body image, adherence to the Mediterranean diet, physical activity practice, hours of nightly sleep, maximum oxygen consumption, body mass index, academic performance, and various sociodemographic factors of all participants were analyzed.

RESULTS

Regression analysis showed that body satisfaction and academic performance were associated of both health-related quality of life and self-esteem. Additionally, physical activity, age, and favourable settings for physical activity engagement were also found to be related to health-related quality of life, whilst adherence to the Mediterranean diet, hours of nightly sleep, maximum oxygen consumption and socioeconomic status were associated with self-esteem.

CONCLUSIONS

Given the associations found between health-related quality of life and self-esteem with lifestyle habits and sociodemographic indicators, there is an urgent need to develop interdisciplinary and cross-cutting promotion strategies to improve the mental health of adolescents.

Somatic and Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms in Children and Adolescents in France

Importance

Somatic symptoms are a major concern among the pediatric population because of frequency and burden. The association between adverse childhood experiences and somatic symptoms in adults is well established but less is known concerning somatic symptoms in young people.

Objective

To explore the frequency and intensity of somatic symptoms in children and adolescents exposed to traumatic events.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This cross-sectional study was conducted from January 1 to December 31, 2021, at the Nice Pediatric Psychotrauma Referral Center in Nice, France. Participants included pediatric outpatients, aged 7 to 17 years, who were referred to the center. Statistical analysis was performed in January 2022.

Exposure

All participants experienced at least 1 traumatic event during life.

Main Outcome and Measure

Somatic and posttraumatic stress symptoms were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-13 (PHQ-13) and Child PTSD Checklist (CPC). Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and non-PTSD groups were defined based on CPC symptoms severity score. In the hypothesized association between somatic symptoms and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), PTSD and non-PTSD groups were compared, correlations between PTSS and severity of CPC were analyzed, and a regression model was performed.

Results

There were 363 participants included (mean [SD] age, 13.58 [0.25] years; 174 [47.9%] female, 189 [52.1%] male). Compared with the non-PTSD group, the PTSD group presented with a higher mean (SD) number of somatic symptoms (7.0 [2.5] vs 4.0 [2.5] symptoms; t360 = 11.7; P < .001), and higher mean (SD) intensity (10.4 [4.6] vs 4.8 [3.7] points; t360 = 12.6; P < .001). Most of the explored somatic symptoms positively correlated with the intensity of PTSS and their functional alterations (eg, PTSS intensity correlated with stomach pain symptoms [r = .30; P < .001]; and with headaches symptoms [r = .44; P < .001]). In the regression model, the combination of migraines, palpitation, nausea, tiredness, and sleep disorders explained 6.5% of the variance in the PTSD group. (F1,341 = 22.651; P < .001).

Conclusions and Relevance

In this cross-sectional study, somatic symptoms were positively correlated with PTSS both in frequency and intensity among youths. These results suggest that the systematic screening for somatic symptoms in youths with traumatic exposure should be a routine evaluation procedure.

Exploring attachment security in a sample of Lebanese adolescents: The validation of the Arabic IPPA-R

Despite growing evidence supporting the importance of the quality of attachment during adolescence, no studies have been conducted to date in the Arab world due to an absence of valid and reliable tools to measure this construct in Arabic. The Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment-Revised (IPPA-R) was devised as a self-report questionnaire in English to assess the quality of adolescent attachment to mother, father, and peers, each scale consisting of 25 items. The current study sets out to determine the psychometric properties of the Arabic IPPA-R and to explore attachment styles in Lebanon in a sample of 765 Lebanese adolescents. Results suggested a modified three-factor structure to reach satisfactory reliability of the Arabic IPPA-R, resulting in a modified questionnaire consisting of 19 items for each of mother (α = .82) and father (α = .85), and 21 items for peers (α = .89). Strict measurement invariance across gender was achieved for the IPPA-R parental forms, while only scalar invariance was achieved for the IPPA-R peers form. Overall, there were significant differences in attachment scores to mother and father, with adolescents scoring higher on attachment to mother, with both scores being significantly lower than attachment to peers. Gender differences were found on the peer scale with girls scoring significantly higher than boys. Results are interpreted from a cultural lens, emphasizing the importance of accounting for cultural, religious, and socio-economic factors in understanding adolescent attachment. This study is the first conducted in the Arab region and provides a road map to understanding gender-roles, parental expectations and adolescent perceived parenting, and their impact on adolescent attachment scores.

Participation in organised sport to improve and prevent adverse developmental trajectories of at-risk youth: A systematic review

Background

Healthy after-school activities such as participation in organised sport have been shown to serve as important resources for reducing school failure and other problem/high-risk behaviour. It remains to be established to what extent organised sport participation has positive impacts on young people in unstable life circumstances.

Objectives

What are the effects of organised sport on risk behaviour, personal, emotional and social skills of young people, who either have experienced or are at-risk of experiencing an adverse outcome?

Search Methods

The database searches were carried out in March 2023 and other sources were searched in May 2023. We searched to identify both published and unpublished literature.

Selection Criteria

The intervention was participation in leisure time organised sport. Young people between 6 and 18 years of age, who either have experienced or are at-risk of experiencing an adverse outcome were eligible. Primary outcomes were problem/high-risk behaviour and a secondary outcomes social and emotional outcomes. Studies that used a control group were eligible for. Studies that utilised qualitative approaches were not.

Data Collection and Analysis

The number of potentially relevant studies was 43,716. Thirteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Only seven studies could be used in the data synthesis. Five studies were judged to have a critical risk of bias and were excluded from the meta-analysis. One study did not report data that enabled the calculation of effect sizes and standard errors. Meta-analyses were conducted on each conceptual outcome separately. All analyses were inverse variance weighted using random effects statistical models.

Main Results

Two studies were from Canada, one from Australia, and the remaining from the USA. The timespan of the interventions was 23 years, from 1995 to 2018. The median number of participants analysed was 316, and the median number of controls was 452. A number of primary outcomes were reported but each in a single study only. Concerning secondary outcomes, two studies reported the effect on overall psychosocial adjustment at post-intervention. The standardised mean difference was 0.70 (95% CI 0.28-1.11). There was a small amount of heterogeneity. Three studies reported on depressive symptoms at 0-3 years follow-up. The standardised mean difference was 0.02 (95% CI -0.01 to 0.06). There was no heterogeneity between the three studies. In addition, a number of other secondary outcomes were reported each in a single study only.

Authors' Conclusions

There were too few studies included in the meta-analyses in order for us to draw any conclusion. The dominance of Northern America clearly limiting the generalisability of the findings. The majority of the studies were not considered to be of overall high quality and the process of excluding studies with critical risk of bias from the meta-analysis applied in this review left us with only 7 of a total of 13 possible studies to synthesise. Further, because too few studies reported results on the same type of outcome, at most three studies could be combined in a particular meta-analysis and no meta-analysis could be performed on any of the primary outcomes.

Maneuvering through Life with Positivity: Estimating the Effects of Foster Youth's Appraisal on Coping Styles

Youth in foster care tend to experience a disproportional number of adverse life experiences and demonstrate high rates of emotional and behavioral difficulties. According to the transactional model of stress and coping, how youth appraise their experiences influences the type of coping strategies they use in response to adversity, and these relations are key components to understanding later adjustment. However, few studies have examined potential effects of appraisal on coping for youth in foster care. Furthermore, it is not well understood if or how such interaction may vary across age. To address this gap, this study examined potential age moderation of contemporaneous primary, threat-based appraisal effects on coping in a large sample of 490 youth in foster care (48% female, ages 8 to 18) using a series of statistical models which were capable of detecting very general forms of effect moderation. Results indicated that primary appraisal positively predicted direct and prosocial coping, and negatively predicted asocial coping. The linear effects of appraisal on coping did not vary based on age of the youth. The findings suggest that primary appraisals of life events for youth in foster care does have a unique influence on certain coping styles, suggesting perhaps new directions for research on youth exposed to multiple adversities. To promote wider use of the non-parametric time-varying effect model in R, the analysis syntax is also included in the appendix.

PROTOCOL: The FRIENDS preventive programme for reducing anxiety symptoms in children and adolescents: A systematic review

This is the protocol for a Campbell systematic review. The objectives are as follows. The main objective of this review is to answer the following research question: What are the effects of the FRIENDS preventive programme on anxiety symptoms in children and adolescents? Further, the review will attempt to answer if the effects differ between participant age groups, participant socio-economic status, type of prevention (universal, selective or indicated), type of provider (lay or mental health provider), country of implementation (Australia or other countries) and implementation issues in relation to the booster sessions and parent sessions (implemented, partly implemented or not at all).

Thinking twice: examining gender differences in repetitive negative thinking across the adult lifespan

Background

A wealth of literature shows that women report greater levels of repetitive negative thinking, particularly rumination, than men in adolescence and adulthood. However, little research has examined how these gender differences develop or change across the entire adult lifespan.

Methods

The present study addresses these oversights using a nationwide longitudinal probability sample of adults over 12 annual assessment points (N = 64,901; Mage = 42.50, range 18-81; 62.9% women) and a single-item measure of global repetitive negative thinking. Critically, we use multigroup cohort-sequential latent growth modeling to determine whether changes in this construct over time are due to (a) normative aging, (b) generational differences associated with the historical period one was born and raised in, or (c) a combination of these processes.

Results

Our results reveal that rumination peaks in young adulthood for both women and men but declines steadily thereafter, reaching its lowest levels at the end of the adult lifespan. That said, some gender and cohort differences emerged, with young women-particularly young cohorts-reporting higher levels of rumination than their male counterparts and older birth cohorts.

Discussion

Our study suggests that gender differences in rumination may be most prevalent among young birth cohorts, though future research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms underlying these processes.

Contextualizing Resilience in Young People: The Use of Child and Youth Resilience Measure Revised and Interviews in a Mixed Method Approach

PURPOSE

This paper seeks to understand the role of an innovative Employability Programme on developing the resilience of young people Not in Education Training or Employment (NEET).

METHOD

Through a mixed-method approach, this paper explores the individual, contextual, and social aspects that impact on individual resilience. Combining the Child and Youth Resilience Measure-Revised (CYRM-R) with qualitative interviews allows for the investigation of how context, relationships, and support shape young people's resilience offering a holistic approach.

RESULTS

The quantitative results reveal a significant association between higher levels of resilience and factors such as school attendance and living in areas with lower crime rates. Lower resilience is observed among individuals experiencing higher levels of deprivation. Qualitative findings shed light on the multifaceted nature of resilience, highlighting its connection to community and society (sub-themes: education and employment, external pressure, support and access to services) as well as individual and psychological aspects (sub-themes: managing stressful situations and bouncing back).

DISCUSSION

These findings emphasize that resilience is not a static or one-dimensional process dependent on a single factor, it is a dynamic and ongoing process influenced by multiple factors. The interactions between young people and families, friends, education providers, and other service providers play a crucial role in promoting resilience.

CONCLUSION

Overall, this research aids our understanding of how connections between all these levels can boost or limit individual resilience. It can help practitioners and policymakers understand how tailored activities, accounting for multiple aspects, are able to improve individual resilience.

The effect of parenting behaviours on adolescents' rumination: a systematic review of longitudinal studies

Rumination is an emotional regulation mechanism strongly associated with the development and maintenance of internalising psychopathology in adolescence and adulthood. Parenting behaviours (PBs) play a pivotal role in the development of rumination in children and adolescents. Nonetheless, the specific PBs that can either protect against or increase the risk of rumination development remain poorly understood. This systematic review aimed to explore the (1) temporal associations between PBs and adolescents' rumination and (2) potential moderators influencing these associations. We conducted a comprehensive search across Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, Academic Search Complete and Eric databases, adhering to PRISMA reporting guidelines. Out of 1,868 abstracts screened, 182 articles underwent full-text examination, with nine meeting the inclusion criteria for the systematic review. Overall, the studies indicated that PBs characterised by criticism, rejection and control were positively associated with the development of rumination in adolescents, whilst PBs marked by authoritative practises exhibited a negative association with rumination. Gender, temperament, environmental sensitivity and pubertal timing emerged as significant moderators in the effects of PBs on rumination. However, conclusions were limited due to the studies' methodological heterogeneity. Future studies on PBs and rumination should address various dimensions of PBs and different moderators to identify factors that can modify the development of rumination across adolescence. Findings may inform family-based prevention programmes to promote emotion regulation in adolescents as a protective factor against internalising psychopathology across adulthood.

Persistence of Emotional Distress in Unaccompanied Migrant Children and Adolescents Primarily From the Northern Triangle of Central America

Importance

In the US, unaccompanied migrant children and adolescents (hereinafter referred to as children) are predominantly from Central America's Northern Triangle. While unaccompanied migrant children are at high risk for psychiatric sequelae due to complex traumatic exposures, longitudinal investigations of psychiatric distress after resettlement are lacking.

Objective

To identify factors associated with emotional distress and longitudinal changes in emotional distress among unaccompanied migrant children in the US.

Design, Setting, and Participants

For this retrospective cohort study, the 15-item Refugee Health Screener (RHS-15) was administered between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2019, to unaccompanied migrant children as part of their medical care to detect emotional distress. Follow-up RHS-15 results were included if they were completed before February 29, 2020. Median follow-up interval was 203 days (IQR, 113-375 days). The study was conducted in a federally qualified health center that provides medical, mental health, and legal services. Unaccompanied migrant children who completed the initial RHS-15 were eligible for analysis. Data were analyzed from April 18, 2022, to April 23, 2023.

Exposures

Traumatic events before migration, during migration, during detention, and after resettlement in the US.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Emotional distress, including symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depressive symptoms, as indicated by the RHS-15 (ie, score ≥12 on items 1-14 or ≥5 on item 15).

Results

In total, 176 unaccompanied migrant children completed an initial RHS-15. They were primarily from Central America's Northern Triangle (153 [86.9%]), were mostly male (126 [71.6%]), and had a mean (SD) age of 16.9 (2.1) years. Of the 176 unaccompanied migrant children, 101 (57.4%) had screen results above the positive cutoff. Girls were more likely to have positive screen results than boys (odds ratio, 2.48 [95% CI, 1.15-5.34]; P = .02). Follow-up scores were available for 68 unaccompanied migrant children (38.6%). On the follow-up RHS-15, most scored above the positive cutoff (44 [64.7%]). Three-quarters of unaccompanied migrant children who scored above the positive cutoff initially continued to have positive scores at follow-up (30 of 40), and half of those with negative screen scores initially had positive scores at follow-up (14 of 28). Female vs male unaccompanied migrant children (unstandardized β = 5.14 [95% CI, 0.23-10.06]; P = .04) and initial total score (unstandardized β = 0.41 [95% CI, 0.18-0.64]; P = .001) were independently associated with increased follow-up RHS-15 total score.

Conclusions and Relevance

The findings suggest that unaccompanied migrant children are at high risk for emotional distress, including symptoms of depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress. The persistence of emotional distress suggests that unaccompanied migrant children would benefit from ongoing psychosocial and material support after resettlement.

PROTOCOL: Participation in organised sport to improve and prevent adverse developmental trajectories of at-risk youth: A systematic review

This is the protocol for a Campbell systematic review. The main objective of this review is to answer the research question: What are the effects of organised sport on risk behaviour, personal, emotional and social skills of young people, who either have experienced or is at-risk of experiencing an adverse outcome? Further, the review will attempt to answer if the effects differ between participants characteristics such as gender, age and risk indicator or between types of sport (e.g., team/individual, contact/non-contact, intensity and duration).

Associations between chronic stress and hair cortisol in children: A systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES

This review systematically examined the associations between chronic stress and hair cortisol concentration (HCC) in children, and the potential modification effects of type, measurement period and scales of chronic stress, child age and sex, hair length and HCC measurement method, characteristics of study site, and congruence between time periods measured for chronic stress and HCC.

METHODS

Pubmed, Wed of Science, and APA PsycINFO were systematically searched for articles examining the association between chronic stress and HCC.

RESULTS

Thirteen studies from five countries with 1,455 participants were included in the systematic review and nine studies were included in the meta-analysis. Meta-analysis revealed that chronic stress was associated with HCC (pooled-r = 0.09, 95 % CI: 0.03, 0.16). Stratified analyses revealed that type, measurement time and scales of chronic stress, hair length and measurement method of HCC, and the congruence between time periods measured for chronic stress and HCC modified such correlations. The positive correlations between chronic stress and HCC were significant for studies measuring chronic stress as stressful life events, assessing chronic stress within the past six months, extracting HCC from 1 cm, 3 cm, or 6 cm of hair, measuring HCC by LC-MS/MS, or having congruence between time periods measured for chronic stress and HCC. The potential modifying effects of sex and country developmental status could not be concluded due to the limited number of studies included.

CONCLUSIONS

Chronic stress was positively correlated with HCC, varying by characteristics and measurements of chronic stress and HCC. HCC could be a biomarker for chronic stress among children.

Reciprocal relationship between interpersonal communication and depressive symptoms and the mediating role of resilience across two years: Three-wave cross-lagged panel model

BACKGROUND

Depression among children has been a growing public health concern. It is generally recognized that individuals with depression are likely to have interpersonal malfunctioning. However, there remains a limited scientific understanding of the reciprocal relationship between interpersonal communication and depressive symptoms among rural Chinese children in a longitudinal approach.

METHODS

Therefore, guided by the interpersonal model of depression and the developmental cascade model, the present study conducted a cross-lagged panel analysis study to explore the bidirectional relationship between interpersonal communication and depressive symptoms across three waves among 2188 elementary school students in rural areas of one county of Gansu Province, China. We also examined the mediating effect of resilience and sex differences of the models.

RESULTS

Our results showed that depressive symptoms negatively predicted interpersonal communication from T1 to T2 and T2 to T3. Interpersonal communication negatively predicted depressive symptoms from T1 to T2, but not T2 to T3. Furthermore, resilience showed significant partial mediating effects in the reciprocal relationship between interpersonal communication and depressive symptoms. In terms of sex differences, the significant relationship between depressive symptoms at T1 and interpersonal communication at T2 was found to be significant among male students and marginally significant among female students. The full mediating effect of resilience at T1 was found only among male students, whereas resilience at T2 functioned as a full mediator between depressive symptoms at T2 and interpersonal communication at T3 only among female students.

LIMITATIONS

First, the present sample consisted of only third and fourth grade (i.e., in T1) students from one county in rural China. Second, the present study examined depressive symptoms instead of depression as a clinical diagnosis. Third, the third wave of the data was collected during COVID-19. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic could unexpectedly pose on child mental health.

CONCLUSIONS

The finding underlined the importance of providing comprehensive depression prevention and intervention from fostering children's inner resilience and promoting their ability to navigate interpersonal resources.

When Insecure Self-Worth Drains Students' Energy: Academic Contingent Self-Esteem and Parents' and Teachers' Perceived Conditional Regard as Predictors of School Burnout

Whereas both the family and school environment have been suggested to affect school burnout risks, the role of conditionally regarding parenting or teaching, in which affection is granted conditional on student achievement, in the development of school burnout has not yet been examined. This longitudinal study investigated students' academic contingent self-esteem and parental and teacher conditional regard as antecedents of school burnout. The study sample consisted of Flemish early adolescents (n = 3409; M_age = 12.4 years (SD = 0.49) at the first measurement occasion; 50.3% males), which were surveyed twice (start of Grade 7 and Grade 8). Using Latent Change Modeling, academic contingent self-esteem was found to predict school burnout. Parental and teacher conditional regard both contributed to school burnout, partly through academic contingent self-esteem. Whereas negative conditional regard had the strongest implications for school burnout, positive conditional regard contributed most strongly to contingent self-esteem. Associations were systematically found both at the between-student level (i.e., high levels of antecedents were related to high levels of school burnout) and at the within-student level (i.e., increases in antecedents over time were related to concomitant increases in school burnout). These findings emphasize that communicating conditional approval to adolescents may increase school burnout risks, thus jeopardizing their healthy academic development.

Investigating the Multidimensionality and Psychometric Properties of the Children's Anger Rumination Scale (CARS): A Bifactor Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling Framework

Anger Rumination (AR) represents a maladaptive cognitive process that contributes negatively to psychosocial functioning. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the psychometric properties (e.g., factorial structure, measurement invariance, and reliability) of the Children's Anger Rumination Scale (CARS). Factorial structure was tested by contrasting alternative model representations of the instrument (one- and four-factor independent cluster models-confirmatory factor analysis [ICM-CFA], exploratory structural equation modelling [ESEM], bifactor-CFA and bifactor-ESEM) in a convenience sample of 552 Greek students (M_age = 11.50 years; 53.6% girls). The hypothesized bifactor-ESEM solution, composed by a general anger rumination factor and four specific factors (Angry Afterthoughts, Thoughts of Revenge, Angry Memories, and Understanding of Causes) provided the best fit to the data and revealed the unitary dimensionality of the CARS. Measurement invariance across gender and age in level of the latent means indicated no significant differences in relation to AR tendency. The CARS showed internal consistency, one-month test-retest reliability as well as desirable patterns of convergent and discriminant validity. The predictive power of the instrument was also supported as participants' AR propensity was found to explain both depressive symptoms and bullying behaviors. Overall, our findings indicate that the CARS is a developmentally appropriate and psychometrically sound instrument that conceptualizes AR as an unidimensional construct among children and preadolescents.

Sex differences in the severity and natural recovery of child PTSD symptoms: a longitudinal analysis of children exposed to acute trauma

BACKGROUND

Higher levels of PTSD symptoms are present among trauma-exposed females v. males in adulthood; however, much less is known about the emergence of this sex difference during development.

METHODS

In a multi-study sample of 7-18-year-olds (n = 3397), we examined the effect of sex and age on the severity of PTSD symptoms after a single incident trauma at 1 month (T1), and on symptom change after a natural recovery period of 3 (T2) and 6 months (T3). PTSD scores were harmonised across measurement types, and linear regressions were used to determine sex and age effects, adjusting for study level variance and trauma type.

RESULTS

A sex × age interaction was observed at T1 (p < 0.001) demonstrating that older age was associated with greater PTSD symptom severity in females (β = 0.008, p = 0.047), but less severe symptoms in males (β = -0.011, p = 0.014). The same pattern was observed at T2 and T3, with sex differences beginning to emerge by age 12 years. PTSD symptoms decreased naturally by ~25% at T2 with little further improvement by T3. Further, females showed a greater reduction in symptoms at T3 than males, although the same effect was not observed at T2.

CONCLUSIONS

Sex differences in PTSD symptoms become apparent during adolescence, due to opposing changes in susceptibility occurring in females and males with age. Understanding the factors contributing to these findings is likely to provide wider insight into sex-specific psychological vulnerability to trauma-related psychopathology.

The Role of Emotional Skills (Competence) and Coping Strategies in Adolescent Depression

Depression is a state of low mood that can lead to several negative outcomes on thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and even physical state. With that in mind, it is important to detect individuals at risk of developing depressive symptoms early and identify protective factors. During the COVID-19 pandemic, adolescents emerged as one of the most vulnerable groups, with deteriorated anxiety and depression due to imposed social isolation, reduced social activities, and concerns over household status, health, and peer support. Distance learning through public service broadcasts and online tools lasted for several months, posing the need for adjustment. This study aimed to assess emotional competence and coping styles as predictors of depression in a sample of adolescents. The study was conducted in-person on a sample of 142 high school students. A high percentage of participants reported above-average levels of depression (21.1% severely depressed). On average, girls reported higher levels of depression than boys (t = 3.86, p < 0.01). Gender differences were also found in emotion-focused coping and avoidance, with girls scoring higher on both (p < 0.05). However, there were no gender differences in problem-focused coping or emotional competence. Hierarchical regression analysis concluded that perceiving and understanding emotions, expressing and naming emotions, regulating emotions, and avoidance were significant predictors of depression. This regression model explained 53% of depression variance, with the regulation of emotions being the most powerful predictor (p < 0.01). No mediating effect of coping styles on the relationship between emotional competence and depression was found in this study.

COVID-19 Stressors and Aggression among Chinese College Students: The Mediation Role of Coping Strategies

Although college students experienced excessive stressors (COVID-19 disease and negative COVID-19 news) during the COVID-19 pandemic, few studies have been aimed at coping strategies used by college students to deal with stress caused by the pandemic. Coping strategies are efforts to deal with anxiety in the face of a perceived threat or stress. Aggression is harmful social interaction with the intention of inflicting damage or harm upon another individual. In the present study, we aimed to examine the direct effect of stressors resulting from the pandemic on college students' aggression, as well as the indirect effect via their coping strategies. Through a cross-sectional survey of 601 Chinese college students (M-age = 20.28), we tested the proposed framework. We first found that information stressors of COVID-19 ranked highest among the four stressors of the pandemic. Results also indicated that college students' stressors of COVID-19 were directly and positively associated with their aggressive behavior. For the indirect effect, college students would adopt both adaptive coping strategies (self-help strategy) and maladaptive coping strategies (avoidance strategy and self-punishment strategy) with the stressors of COVID-19. Furthermore, adaptive coping strategy (approach strategy) was negatively related to their aggression, whereas maladaptive coping strategy (avoidance strategy and self-punishment strategy) was positively related to their aggressive behavior. The present research extends the general strain theory in the COVID-19 context. Practical implications are also discussed.

Adverse Childhood Experiences, Resilience, and Emotional Problems in Young Chinese Children

Resilience plays an important role in the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and children's health. Young children are often neglected in ACEs research and suffer from the negative consequences of ACEs. However, few studies have focused on the relationship between ACEs and emotional problems in young Chinese children and the moderating and mediating effect of resilience on this relationship. This study included young children at the beginning of their kindergarten year (n = 874, 42.80 ± 4.09 months) from Wuhu City, China, to examine the mediation and moderation effects of resilience on early-life ACEs and emotional problems. Our results show a positive direct effect of ACEs on emotional problems. Furthermore, a positive indirect effect of ACEs and emotional problems on resilience was found. A moderating effect of resilience was not observed in this study. Our findings (a) highlight the significance of paying more attention to early ACEs and revealing a better understanding of the effect of resilience on ACEs at an early age and (b) indicate that age-specific interventions should be provided to enhance young children's resilience when exposed to adversity.

Explaining the Female Preponderance in Adolescent Depression-A Four-Wave Cohort Study

In the transition from childhood into adolescence, a female preponderance in depression emerges. Despite substantial empirical research to test theoretical propositions as to why this happens, our understanding is still limited. One explanation claims that girls become exposed to more stress (stress exposure model) whereas another proposes that girls become more vulnerable to the impact of stress (stress reactivity model) than boys when entering adolescence. Stressful life events (SLEs) and bullying victimization are established risk factors for adolescent depression. However, whether these factors contribute to the gender difference in depression is undetermined and thus investigated herein. Children (49.9% boys; n = 748) and parents from two birth cohorts in Trondheim, Norway, were followed biennially from ages 8 to 14 with clinical interviews about symptoms of depressive disorders and self-reports on SLEs. Teachers reported on bullying victimization. Prospective associations were investigated using an autoregressive latent trajectory model with structured residuals, examining within-person longitudinal associations while accounting for all time-invariant confounding effects. The number of depressive symptoms increased from ages 12 to 14 among girls. In the period before (ages 10 to 12), girls and boys were equally exposed to SLEs and bullying victimization. Increased stress (both SLEs and bullying victimization) at age 12 predicted increased depression at age 14 more strongly among girls than boys. Hence, increased impact-but not exposure-of SLEs and bullying victimization in girls may partly explain the emerging female preponderance in depression, in line with a stress reactivity model.

The brief COPE-A inventory in Russian for adolescents: Validation and evaluation of psychometric properties

In this paper, the results of a psychometric analysis of a Brief Russian-language version of the COPE-A inventory for adolescents are presented. The inventory was designed for identifying coping strategies used in stressful situations and is comprised of 31 items. The study involved 3530 adolescents aged 13 to 17 years old. Using exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis, it was shown that the data correspond to the expected six-factor configuration, but the distribution of items by factors differs from the theoretical structure. To improve the factor structure, two questions were excluded; the final version included 29 items. The resulting inventory's scales turned out to be highly reliable (Cronbach's alpha values range from 0.72 to 0.89). Additionally, the construct validity of the method was assessed. In conclusion, the adapted version of the Brief COPE-A is suitable for use in the adolescent population.

Online support seeking, co-rumination, and mental health in adolescent girls

Introduction

Adolescents frequently use informal support seeking to cope with stress and worries. Past research in face-to-face contexts has shown that the relationship between informal support seeking and mental health is influenced by the specific strategy used and the mode through which support is sought. To date, little research has considered the relationship between support seeking online and adolescent mental health.

Methods

In this study, structural equation modeling (SEM) examined the mediating role of co-rumination in the relationships between seeking support from friends or online and two measures of mental health: depression and anxiety. Participants were 186 adolescent girls, drawn from four independent girls' schools in Sydney, Australia. Four brief vignettes described common social stressors and participants rated their likelihood of seeking support from close friends and from informal online sources. Co-rumination was measured using a short form of the Co-rumination Questionnaire and depression and anxiety were measured with the youth version of the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-Youth (DASS-Y).

Results

Different patterns of findings were found for support seeking from close friends and support seeking online. First, support seeking from friends was related to lower levels of depression and anxiety while seeking support online was related to higher levels depression and anxiety. Second, co-rumination suppressed the relationship between seeking support from friends and depression, but not online support seeking and depression or anxiety.

Discussion

These findings suggest that co-rumination reduces the benefits of seeking support from friends but is unrelated to online support seeking. The findings also confirm the problematic nature of online support seeking for adolescent girls' mental health, particularly in response to social stressors.

Psychometric Assessment of an Online Self-Test Measuring Risky Eating Behavior, Depression, Social Anxiety, and Self-Injury in Mexican Adolescents

The objective of this study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of OTESSED, an online test for the self-detection and prevention of risk factors for eating disorders and related problems, such as depression, social anxiety, and self-injury, in samples of male and female adolescents. Participants formed a non-probability sample of N = 577 high school students. The mean ages of boys and girls were the same (Mage = 15.61; SD = 0.73). Among the main results, scales of depression, self-injury, social anxiety, and risky eating behavior (REB) with construct validity (CFA) were obtained. The first two showed the same structure (two factors per sex), with an appropriate reliability omega value (0.92), and a similar percentage of explained variance (≥50). The REB scale presented two factors for boys and three for girls, with an appropriate omega value (0.88) and explained variance percentage (0.56). The instrument validation process was completed, meeting the discriminant validity criterion for each scale of the OTESSED.

Validation of a new emotion regulation self-report questionnaire for children

OBJECTIVE

To examine and validate the self-report Questionnaire on the Regulation of Unpleasant Moods in Children (FRUST), which is a modified and shortened version of the Questionnaire for the Assessment of Emotion Regulation in Children and Adolescents (FEEL-KJ).

METHODS

The data comprised child and parent ratings of a community-screened sample with differing levels of affective dysregulation (AD) (N = 391, age: M = 10.64, SD = 1.33, 56% male). We conducted latent factor analyses to establish a factor structure. Subsequently, we assessed measurement invariance (MI) regarding age, gender, and AD level and evaluated the internal consistencies of the scales. Finally, we examined the convergent and divergent validity of the instrument by calculating differential correlations between the emotion regulation strategy (ERS) scales and self- and parent-report measures of psychopathology.

RESULTS

A four-factor model, with one factor representing Dysfunctional Strategies and the three factors Distraction, Problem-Solving and Social Support representing functional strategies provided the best fit to our data and was straightforward to interpret. We found strong MI for age and gender and weak MI for AD level. Differential correlations with child and parent ratings of measures of psychopathology supported the construct validity of the factors.

CONCLUSIONS

We established a reliable and valid self-report measure for the assessment of ERS in children. Due to the reduced number of items and the inclusion of highly specific regulatory behaviors, the FRUST might be a valuable contribution to the assessment of ER strategies for diagnostic, therapeutic, and research purposes.

Outreach programs to improve life circumstances and prevent further adverse developmental trajectories of at-risk youth in OECD countries: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

At-risk youth may be defined as a diverse group of young people in unstable life circumstances, who are currently experiencing or are at risk of developing one or more serious problems. At-risk youth are often very unlikely to seek out help for themselves within the established venues, as their adverse developmental trajectories have installed a lack of trust in authorities such as child protection agencies and social workers. To help this population, a number of outreach programmes have been established seeking to help the young people on an ad hoc basis, meaning that the interventions are designed to fit the individual needs of each young person rather than as a one-size-fits-all treatment model. The intervention in this review is targeted outreach work which may be (but does not have to be) multicomponent programmes in which outreach may be combined with other services.

OBJECTIVES

The main objective of this review was to answer the following research questions: What are the effects of outreach programmes on problem/high-risk behaviour of young people between 8 and 25 years of age living in OECD countries? Are they less likely to experience an adverse outcome such as school failure or drop-out, runaway and homelessness, substance and/or alcohol abuse, unemployment, long-term poverty, delinquency and more serious criminal behaviour?

SEARCH METHODS

We identified relevant studies through electronic searches of bibliographic databases, governmental and grey literature repositories, hand search in specific targeted journals, citation tracking, and Internet search engines. The database searches were carried out in September 2020 and other resources were searched in October and November 2021. We searched to identify both published and unpublished literature, and reference lists of included studies and relevant reviews were searched.

SELECTION CRITERIA

The intervention was targeted outreach work which may have been combined with other services. Young people between 8 and 25 years of age living in OECD countries, who either have experienced or is at-risk of experiencing an adverse outcome were eligible. Our primary focus was on measures of problem/high-risk behaviour and a secondary focus was on social and emotional outcomes. All study designs that used a well-defined control group were eligible for inclusion. Studies that utilised qualitative approaches were not included.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

The total number of potentially relevant studies constituted 17,659 hits. A total of 16 studies (17 different interventions) met the inclusion criteria. Only five studies could be used in the data synthesis. Eight studies could not be used in the data synthesis as they were judged to have critical risk of bias and, in accordance with the protocol, were excluded from the meta-analysis on the basis that they would be more likely to mislead than inform. Two studies (three interventions) did not provide enough information enabling us to calculate an effect size and standard error, and one study did not provide enough information to assess risk of bias. Meta-analysis of all outcomes were conducted on each conceptual outcome separately. All analyses were inverse variance weighted using random effects statistical models incorporating both the sampling variance and between study variance components into the study level weights. Random effects weighted mean effect sizes were calculated using 95% confidence intervals. Too few studies were included to carry out any sensitivity analyses.

MAIN RESULTS

Four of the five studies used for meta analysis were from the USA and one was from Canada. The timespan in which included studies were carried out was 32 years, from 1985 to 2017; on average the intervention year was 2005. The average number of participants in the analysed interventions was 116, ranging from 30 to 346 and the average number of controls was 81, ranging from 32 to 321. At most, the results from two studies could be pooled in a single meta-analysis. It was only possible to pool the outcomes drug (other than marijuana) use, marijuana use and alcohol use each at two different time points (one and 3 months follow up). At 1 month follow up the weighted averages varied between zero and 0.05 and at 3 months follow up between -0.17 and 0.07. None of them were statistically significant. In addition, a number of other outcomes were reported in a single study only.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

Overall, there were too few studies included in any of the meta-analyses in order for us to draw any conclusion concerning the effectiveness of outreach. The vast majority of studies were undertaken in the USA. The dominance of the USA as the main country in which outreach interventions meeting our inclusion criteria have been evaluated using rigorous methods and within our specific parameters clearly limits the generalisability of the findings. None of the studies, however, was considered to be of overall high quality in our risk of bias assessment and the process of excluding studies with critical risk of bias from the meta-analysis applied in this review left us with only five of a total of 16 possible studies to synthesise. Further, because too few studies reported results on the same type of outcome at most two studies could be combined in a particular meta-analysis. Given the limited number of rigorous studies available from countries other than the USA, it would be natural to consider conducting a series of randomised controlled trials evaluating the effectiveness of outreach for at-risk youth in countries outside the USA. The trial(s) should be designed, conducted and reported according to methodological criteria for rigour in respect of internal and external validity to achieve robust results and preferably reporting a larger number of outcomes.

Coping in adolescents: A mediator between stress and disordered eating

BACKGROUND

Adolescence is a developmental period that can place individuals at heightened risk of engaging in disordered eating patterns. Stress and coping have been included as etiological factors of eating pathology, yet the mechanism of this relationship in adolescent males and females remains understudied.

AIMS

This study investigated the role of coping as a mediator in the stress-disordered eating relationship in a sample of adolescents.

DEMOGRAPHICS/SETTINGS

Participants included 2262 grade 7-12 students from a larger cross-sectional study entitled, Research on Eating and Adolescent Lifestyles (REAL).

METHODOLOGY/ANALYSES

Participants completed measures of perceived stress, life stressors, coping style, and disordered eating. Multiple mediator models of coping were analyzed to examine the extent to which coping mediated the stress-disordered eating relationship, for males and females separately.

FINDINGS

Emotion-oriented coping was a significant partial mediator in the relationship between stress (perceived stress, life stressors) and disordered eating in male and female adolescents. Findings suggest adolescents experiencing high stress tend to engage in emotion-oriented coping, which may lead to greater levels of disordered eating.

IMPLICATIONS

Interventions targeting effective coping strategies for dealing with different stress types may prevent youth from disordered eating, thus reducing their risk of eating disorders during a vulnerable period in development.

Coping with Public and Private Face-to-Face and Cyber Victimization among Adolescents in Six Countries: Roles of Severity and Country

This study investigated the role of medium (face-to-face, cyber) and publicity (public, private) in adolescents' perceptions of severity and coping strategies (i.e., avoidant, ignoring, helplessness, social support seeking, retaliation) for victimization, while accounting for gender and cultural values. There were 3432 adolescents (ages 11-15, 49% girls) in this study; they were from China, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, India, Japan, and the United States. Adolescents completed questionnaires on individualism and collectivism, and ratings of coping strategies and severity for public face-to-face victimization, private face-to-face victimization, public cyber victimization, and private cyber victimization. Findings revealed similarities in adolescents' coping strategies based on perceptions of severity, publicity, and medium for some coping strategies (i.e., social support seeking, retaliation) but differential associations for other coping strategies (i.e., avoidance, helplessness, ignoring). The results of this study are important for prevention and intervention efforts because they underscore the importance of teaching effective coping strategies to adolescents, and to consider how perceptions of severity, publicity, and medium might influence the implementation of these coping strategies.

Pathways from Maternal Harsh Discipline Through Rumination to Anxiety and Depression Symptoms: Gender and Normativeness of Harsh Discipline as Moderators

This study examined gender-specific longitudinal pathways from harsh parenting through rumination to anxiety and depression symptoms among early adolescents from three countries and six subgroups. Participants were 567 mothers, 428 fathers, and 566 children (T1: Mage = 10.89; 50% girls) from Medellín, Colombia (n = 100); Naples, Italy (n = 95); Rome, Italy (n = 99); Durham, North Carolina, United States (Black n = 92, Latinx n = 80, and White n = 100). Parent reported maternal and paternal harsh parenting were measured at T1. Adolescent reported rumination was measured at T2 (Mage = 12.58) and anxiety and depression symptoms were measured at T1 and T3 (Mage = 13.71). Rumination mediated the pathway from maternal harsh discipline to girls' anxiety and depression symptoms, controlling for baseline anxiety and depression symptoms. The more harsh discipline mothers used, the more their daughters ruminated, which in turn was associated with increased anxiety and depression symptoms. Exploratory moderated mediation analyses indicated that the strength of the mediational pathway from maternal harsh discipline through girls' rumination to anxiety and depression symptoms decreased as the normativeness of harsh parenting increased. Mediational pathways for boys and for paternal harsh discipline were not significant. Our findings expand knowledge on specific contexts in which rumination is a mechanism for understanding pathways to anxiety and depression symptoms.

Within-person patterns of psychobiological stress response correspondence: links to preadolescent internalizing problems and coping behaviors

Though correspondence across the affective experience and physiologic arousal levels of the stress response is thought to support efficacious coping and buffer against internalizing problems, little evidence has demonstrated such correspondence. Using a community sample of preadolescents (N=151, Mage=10.33 years, Minage=8.92, Maxage=12.00, 51.7% male), this person-centered study examined internalizing problem and coping-linked variability in psychobiological stress response correspondence. Preadolescents were exposed to the Trier Social Stress Test and self-reported negative affect (NA) and salivary cortisol (SC) levels were assessed. Multitrajectory modeling revealed four subgroups. Relative to In-Touch (i.e., Moderate NA-Moderate SC; n=65), Unmindful (i.e., Moderate NA-Low SC; n=49) were more likely to present with parent-reported but not self-reported internalizing problems; Vigilant (i.e., High NA-Low SC; n=13) were more likely to present with self- and parent-reported internalizing problems, less likely to use engagement coping, and more likely to use wishful thinking (e.g., "I wish problems would just go away."); Denial (i.e., Low NA-High SC; n=24) self-reported similarly low internalizing problems, but were also more likely to report reliance on denial (e.g., "I pretend problems don't exist."). Findings illustrate meaningful heterogeneity in preadolescent psychobiological correspondence with implications for multimodal assessment and outcome monitoring in coping-based preventative interventions.

Neural indices of performance monitoring are associated with daily emotional functioning in youth with anxiety disorders: An ERP and EMA study

Excessive monitoring of one's performance is a characteristic of anxiety disorders that has been linked to alterations in implicit emotion regulation (ER), including elevations in neural measures of performance monitoring (i.e., error- and correct-related negativity; ERN and CRN). Elevations in ERN and CRN amplitudes have been reported consistently in anxiety disorders, suggesting that an overactive performance monitoring system is linked to ER difficulties in anxiety. Yet, the relevance of these lab-based neural measures for day-to-day emotional functioning remains poorly understood. This study examined the degree to which ERN and CRN amplitudes are associated with measures of daily ER difficulties in youth with anxiety disorders. Youth (N = 100, Mage = 11.14, SDage = 1.46) completed a computerized flanker task assessing the ERN and CRN. They then completed a 5-day ecological momentary assessment (EMA) protocol assessing their daily ER (i.e., intensity of momentary and peak negative affect, intensity of worry, reliance on maladaptive ER strategies). Results showed that more negative mean CRN amplitudes were associated with higher levels of negative emotional reactivity and more intense worries. There were no significant associations between ERN amplitude and EMA measures. Furthermore, elevations in CRN were linked to more frequent use of maladaptive ER strategies (i.e., rumination, physiological reactivity, avoidance). Together, results indicate that among youth with anxiety, individual differences in CRN, but not ERN, amplitudes are related to daily ER difficulties. Findings highlight the clinical utility of a lab-based neural measure of ER, suggesting that the CRN, rather than the ERN, reflects individual ER differences in the context of daily life among youth with pediatric anxiety disorders. As such, the CRN might serve as an important dimensional index of a treatment target that can be tracked with a validated, multi-method measure.

Painful reminders: Involvement of the autobiographical memory system in pediatric postsurgical pain and the transition to chronicity

Memory biases for previous pain experiences are known to be strong predictors of postsurgical pain outcomes in children. Until recently, much research on the subject in youth has assessed the sensory and affective components of recall using single-item self-report pain ratings. However, a newly emerging focus in the field has been on the episodic specificity of autobiographical pain memories. Still in its infancy, cross-sectional work has identified the presence of various memory biases in adults living with chronic pain, one of which concerns the lack of spatiotemporal specificity. Moreover, a recent prospective longitudinal study found that adults scheduled for major surgery who produced fewer specific pain memories before surgery were at greater risk of developing chronic postsurgical pain up to 12 months later. The present review draws on this research to highlight the timely need for a similar line of investigation into autobiographical pain memories in pediatric surgical populations. We (1) provide an overview of the literature on children's pain memories and underscore the need for further research pertaining to memory specificity and related neurobiological factors in chronic pain and an overview of the (2) important role of parent (and sibling) psychosocial characteristics in influencing children's pain development, (3) cognitive mechanisms underlying overgeneral memory, and (4) interplay between memory and other psychological factors in its contributions to chronic pain and (5) conclude with a discussion of the implications this research has for novel interventions that target memory biases to attenuate, and possibly eliminate, the risk that acute pain after pediatric surgery becomes chronic.

"We Understand You Hate Us": Latinx Immigrant-Origin Adolescents' Coping with Social Exclusion

Little research has focused on how adolescents are faring with the national context of exclusion. Growing evidence suggests that exclusionary efforts signal messages of who belongs (and who does not) in the United States. This study draws from a risk and resilience model to understand how Latinx immigrant-origin adolescents react and adapt to social exclusion. A total of 41 adolescents between the ages of 13 to 24 (M_age  = 18.85) completed a semistructured interview. Results revealed participants' use of avoidant and active coping strategies to deal with exclusion. There was a shift in coping responses across developmental stages. Future research and recommendations are provided to address systems that need to be dismantled to foster a sense of belonging for adolescents.

Meating Conflict: Toward a Model of Ambivalence-Motivated Reduction of Meat Consumption

An increasing number of people are concerned about eating meat, despite enjoying doing so. In the present research, we examined whether the desire to resolve this ambivalence about eating meat leads to a reduction in meat consumption. Our model of ambivalence-motivated meat reduction proposes that the pervasive nature of evaluative conflict motivates meat avoidance, and we highlight two potential mechanisms involved: the anticipation of ambivalence reduction through behavioral change, and information seeking for contents that facilitate meat reduction. Study 1 drew on a cross-sectional 6-day food diary with 7485 observations in a quota sample to investigate why meat-related ambivalence arises and to demonstrate the correlation of ambivalence with meat reduction. Two experiments investigated the causal direction of this association by showing that ambivalence-induced discomfort motivated participants to eat less meat when they introspected on their preexisting incongruent evaluations (Study 2 and 3), which was mediated by the aforementioned mechanisms involved (Study 3; preregistered). The studies utilized diverse samples from Germany, England, and the US (total N = 1192) and support the proposed model by indicating that behavioral change is an important coping strategy to resolve ambivalent discomfort in the context of meat consumption. Our model of ambivalence-motivated meat reduction contributes to theorizing on the consequences of ambivalence and the psychology of (not) eating meat.

Adolescent stress experience-expression-physiology correspondence: Links to depression, self-injurious thoughts and behaviors, and frontolimbic neural circuity

BACKGROUND

Dysregulated stress responsivity is implicated in adolescent risk for depression and self-injurious thoughts and behaviors (STBs). However, studies often examine levels of the stress response in isolation, precluding understanding of how coordinated disturbance across systems confers risk. The current study utilized a novel person-centered approach to identify stress correspondence profiles and linked them to depressive symptoms, STBs, and neural indices of self-regulatory capacity.

METHOD

Adolescents with and without a major depressive disorder diagnosis (N = 162, Mage = 16.54, SD = 1.96, 72.8% White, 66.5% female) completed the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), questionnaires, and clinical interviews. Stress experience (self-report), expression (observed), and physiology (salivary cortisol) were assessed during the experimental protocol. Adolescents also underwent a magnetic resonance imaging scan.

RESULTS

Multitrajectory modeling revealed four profiles. High Experience-High Expression-Low Physiology (i.e., lower stress correspondence) adolescents were more likely to report depressive symptoms, lifetime nonsuicidal self-injury, and suicidal ideation relative to all other subgroups reflecting higher stress correspondence: Low Experience-Low Expression-Low Physiology, Moderate Experience-Moderate Expression-Moderate Physiology, High Experience-High Expression-High Physiology. High Experience-High Expression-Low Physiology adolescents also exhibited less positive amygdala-ventromedial prefrontal cortex resting state functional connectivity relative to Moderate Experience-Moderate Expression-Moderate Physiology.

LIMITATIONS

Data were cross-sectional, precluding inference about our profiles as etiological risk factors or mechanisms of risk.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings illustrate meaningful heterogeneity in adolescent stress correspondence with implications for multimodal, multilevel assessment and outcome monitoring in depression prevention and intervention efforts.

Longitudinal effects of emotion awareness and regulation on mental health symptoms in adolescents with and without hearing loss

Emotion awareness (EA) and regulation (ER) are each known to associate with mental health symptoms, yet there is a paucity of longitudinal studies examining them jointly during adolescence. Furthermore, little is known about these skills and their relations in deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) adolescents, who are at risk for reduced emotion socialization and for more mental health symptoms. This longitudinal study examined the development and unique contributions of EA (emotion differentiation, emotion communication and bodily unawareness) and ER (approach, avoidance and worry/rumination) to internalizing and externalizing symptoms in adolescents with and without hearing loss. Using self- and parent's reports, we assessed 307 adolescents (age 9-15) three times over 18-month period. We found stability over time in development of EA and avoidance ER, increase in approach ER and decrease in worry/rumination. High levels and increases over time in two aspects of EA, emotion differentiation and communication, and in approach and avoidance ER were related to decreases in depressive symptoms. An increase in approach ER was also related to a decrease in anxiety symptoms. Yet, low levels or decreases in worry/rumination were related to decreased levels of depressive, anxiety and externalizing symptoms. Hearing loss did not moderate any of the variables or relations tested. Preliminary tests suggested heterogeneity within the DHH group according to educational placement, language abilities and parental education level. Overall, findings pointed at unique contributions of EA and ER to mental health development, suggesting that DHH adolescents, especially in mainstream schools, do not differ from their hearing peers in their emotion awareness and regulation.

Coping strategies among children and adolescents: validity and reliability of the Arabic version of the Kidcope scale

Coping strategies adopted by children and adolescents play a crucial role in their mental health. This study aimed to develop the Arabic version of the Kidcope, assess its psychometric properties, and examine age and gender differences in the use of coping strategies by children and adolescents. A total of 800 children and adolescents siblings of patients with type 1 Diabetes mellitus completed the Kidcope scale. The developed Arabic Kidcope was checked for its construct validity, reliability, reproducibility, and confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Age and gender differences in coping styles utilization were assessed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and student t tests. Kidcope chid version yielded a three factors model by exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Overall, the 15-items revealed good internal consistency, Cronbach's alpha (0.89), and an intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.82. EFA identified a two-factor solution for adolescents' Kidcope version. Overall, the 11-items showed acceptable internal consistency, Cronbach's alpha (0.74), and satisfactory (ICC) of 0.84. For both versions, the CFA supported the yielded factors models with good model fit indices. Developmental age changes were apparent for problem-solving, emotional regulation, and distraction coping strategies, and girls showed an enhanced use of adaptive strategies (problem-solving, social support). The Arabic Kidcope version is a reliable and valid tool to measure coping strategies used by children and adolescents.

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The Kidcope is applied in different languages aside from Arabic.

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The Arabic version of the Kidcope is reliable and valid.

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The three and two-factor structures of the Kidcope were confirmed.

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The study explores age and gender differences in coping strategies utilization.

Resilience and mental health: A longitudinal cohort study of Chinese adolescents before and during COVID-19

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 outbreak has resulted in mental health issues, mainly depression and anxiety, prompted by stressors such as the need to maintain social distance, adapting to quarantine, and lockdown policies. Resilience may be vital in protecting individuals from mental disorders. However, few studies have examined the longitudinal relationships between resilience and mental disorders (i.e., depression and anxiety) among adolescents before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to examine the association between resilience, depression, and anxiety among Chinese adolescents before and during COVID-19 using a longitudinal cross-lagged model.

METHODS

A total of 7,958 Chinese adolescents completed a baseline survey in the month before COVID-19 and were followed up after the COVID-19 lockdown. Structural equation modeling analyses were applied to evaluate the associations between resilience, depression, and anxiety after controlling for three covariates (i.e., gender, age, and COVID-19 effect).

RESULTS

A higher level of resilience before COVID-19 significantly predicted decreased severity of depression and anxiety after the lockdown. Moreover, the mean level of resilience and prevalence of mental disorders (i.e., depression and anxiety) among Chinese adolescents decreased after the lockdown. These findings suggest resilience is a vital protective factor against depression and anxiety among adolescents. Furthermore, younger participants and those less affected by the pandemic could be more resilient. No significant link was found between gender and resilience in the second wave.

CONCLUSIONS

Resilience is an essential protective factor for reducing mental disorders among Chinese adolescents exposed to COVID-19. Resilience-related interventions should be developed to efficiently promote mental health recovery among youth during pandemics.

Coping of Young Refugees in Germany

Abstract. Background: Coping is considered to have an important influence on well-being, especially in adolescent refugees dealing with a high amount of stress. In addition, gender differences in coping are a common topic for research and are often attributed to differences in socialization between boys and girls. Aims: The study aims at clarifying the gender differences in coping strategies used by non-Western adolescents. Additionally, associations with aspects of socialization, in particular Gender Role Attitudes (GRA), on gender differences are investigated. Method: Refugees from Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan ( N = 106, 55% male) aged 11–18 years completed questionnaires in schools or housing facilities. Associations between gender, GRA, coping strategies, and well-being were investigated using moderation and regression analyses. Results: Gender differences found in previous literature could, in part be replicated. Refugee girls reported more anger-related emotion regulation than boys did. However, GRA did not show any connections to coping strategies. Limitations: Most limitations result from low reliabilities and possible biases due to the use of self-reports. Conclusion: The more frequent use of anger-related emotion regulation as the only gender difference replicated in this study highlights the importance of research with refugee samples to prevent over-generalization of previous results from Western cultures.

Resilience in Children and Adolescents Survived Psychologically Traumatic Life Events: A Critical Review of Application of Resilience Assessment Tools for Clinical Referral and Intervention

Psychological traumatic life events (TLEs) and resilience, both are multidimensional, complex, and share salient features. Both are products of individual, familial, and environmental (socio-cultural-political contextual) variables, which is very crucial in children and adolescents. This systematic review used Boolean search strategies in electronic databases, namely, PubMED, PsycNET, JStor, and Google scholar. All researches not studying resilience per se but similar or related constructs such as life strengths, hardiness, protective/risk factors, social support, self-efficacy, social-emotional adjustment, and so on were excluded. A total of 12 resilience tools meant for children between 5 and 18 years were reviewed. The scale characteristics were analyzed in terms of targeted age-group of sample; purpose (i.e. screening and profiling for intervention); number of items; purpose/type of scale; year, country, and domain wise distribution; response format, standardization sample profile; psychometric properties; and availability of manual with norms of cutoff score. Although no scale was originally developed for children and adolescent population with history of TLEs particularly various forms of abuse and trauma, Child and Youth Resilience Measure and Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale had small samples of children from welfare homes. Neither did any scale tested the divergent validity against absence of any psychopathology or global functioning or poor quality of life Nor did Majority of scales provide a cutoff value for institutionalized children and adolescents with history of TLEs; therefore, using an existing scale for this purpose should be carefully examined. Trauma-focused multidimensionality in resilience needs to be explored more rigorously through mixed methods.

Time Organization Patterns of Adolescents: Agreement between Self- Report and Parent Report

AIMS

Occupational therapy services include measurement and promotion of time organization as important for adolescents' daily life management and well-being into adulthood. This study examined the internal consistency reliability of the Time Organization and Participation Scale (TOPS) among adolescents and their parents, associations between time organization and age, gender differences in time organization, and agreement levels between adolescents' and parents' perceptions of time-organization abilities.

METHODS

Seventy-five adolescents with typical development and their parents completed the TOPS self-report and parent versions.

RESULTS

Both TOPS versions showed high internal consistency (.80-.94). No significant correlations were found between age and time-organization patterns. Girls self-reported significantly more emotional response following disorganization in time. Parents' total scores explained 52.1% of the variance in their children's total scores.

CONCLUSIONS

Adolescence, a critical transitional period of preparing for independent adult life, involves a continual interaction between person, occupation, and environment while using skills to organize in time. The TOPS's self- and parent-reports are reliable and can raise awareness of time-organization deficiencies in daily activities and emotional consequences. The use of the TOPS to assess adolescents' time-organization abilities can inform intervention design to help adolescents develop an awareness of their time use and foster their daily performance.

Stress Impact of COVID-19 Sports Restrictions on Disabled Athletes

The stress impact of COVID-19 restrictions has put the adapted sports community at an unprecedented level of emergency. The self-report Event Scale—Revised (IES-R) questionnaire was administered to assess the level of psychological distress and emotive reactions such as intrusion (INT), avoidance (AV) and hyperarousal (HYP) following training and competitions suspension within a sample of Italian disabled athletes. A total of 146 self-selected volunteers were included in this study: 73 disabled athletes (aged 42.11 ± 13.70) and 73 athletes (aged 40.23 ± 13.73) who served as the control group. Only 8.22% of the disabled participants vs. 30.14% of athletes were affected by subjective distress. MANOVA showed significant differences in IES-R subjective distress for age, where the emerging adults had a higher level of stress than adults (p = 0.031), and for the type of sport, where the individual sports group showed higher scores than the team sports group (p = 0.049). Regarding the IES-R subscales, significant differences were found in INT and AV for age, where the emerging adults showed higher scores than adults (p = 0.018 and p = 0.046, respectively). Significant differences were found in HYP for type of sport, where the individual sports group showed higher scores than the team sports group (p = 0.014). The results confirmed a lower distress level of disabled athletes to adverse events than that expressed by athletes. Both sports engagement and the experience of living with impairment, overcoming structural barriers, could act as a buffer effect against stress due to COVID-19 restrictions.

The correlation between mobile phone addiction and coping style among Chinese adolescents: a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Mobile phone addiction has become a social problem that affects the healthy growth of adolescents, and it may be correlated with coping style. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between mobile phone addiction and coping style and the influencing factors for adolescents.

METHODS

A meta-analysis was conducted by searching China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), WANFANG DATA and Chongqing VIP Information Co., Ltd. (VIP), PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and PsycINFO. Stata 16.0 was used to analyse the overall effect and test the moderating effect.

RESULTS

Thirty-three studies were included, involving a total of 20,349 subjects. There was no significant correlation between adolescents' mobile phone addiction and positive coping style (r =  - 0.02, 95% CI =  - 0.06 to 0.02, P > 0.05), but there was a moderate positive correlation between adolescents' mobile phone addiction and negative coping style (r = 0.31, 95% CI = 0.26 to 0.36, P < 0.001). The moderating effect analysis showed that the effect of dissertations on mobile phone addiction and positive coping style among adolescents was significantly larger than that of journal articles. The Smartphone Addiction Scale for College Students (SAS-C) showed the largest effect on mobile phone addiction and positive coping style among adolescents. The time of publication significantly positively moderated the relationship between mobile phone addiction and negative coping style among adolescents. The Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire (SCSQ) showed the largest effect on adolescents' mobile phone addiction and negative coping style. However, the correlation between adolescents' mobile phone addiction and coping style was not affected by age or gender.

CONCLUSIONS

There was a close relationship between mobile phone addiction and coping style among adolescents. In the future, longitudinal research should be carried out to better investigate the dynamic changes in the relationship between mobile phone addiction and coping style.