Understanding the association between maltreatment history and adolescent risk behavior by examining popularity motivations and peer group control

The relative effects of parental alcohol use disorder and maltreatment on offspring alcohol use: Unique pathways of risk

Childhood adversity represents a robust risk factor for the development of harmful substance use. Although a range of empirical studies have examined the consequences of multiple forms of adversity (i.e., childhood maltreatment, parental alcohol use disorder [AUD]), there is a dearth of information on the relative effects of each form of adversity when considered simultaneously. The current study utilizes structural equation modeling to investigate three unique and amplifying pathways from parental AUD and maltreatment exposure to offspring alcohol use as emerging adults: (1) childhood externalizing symptomatology, (2) internalizing symptomatology, and (3) affiliation with substance-using peers and siblings. Participants (N = 422) were drawn from a longitudinal follow-up study of emerging adults who participated in a research summer camp program as children. Wave 1 of the study included 674 school-aged children with and without maltreatment histories. Results indicated that chronic maltreatment, over and above the effect of parent AUD, was uniquely associated with greater childhood conduct problems and depressive symptomatology. Mother alcohol dependence was uniquely associated with greater affiliation with substance-using peers and siblings, which in turn predicted greater alcohol use as emerging adults. Results support peer and sibling affiliation as a key mechanism in the intergenerational transmission of substance use between mothers and offspring.

Do dimensions of childhood adversity differ in their direct associations with youth psychopathology? A meta-analysis

Growing evidence supports the unique pathways by which threat and deprivation, two core dimensions of adversity, confer risk for youth psychopathology. However, the extent to which these dimensions differ in their direct associations with youth psychopathology remains unclear. The primary aim of this preregistered meta-analysis was to synthesize the associations between threat, deprivation, internalizing, externalizing, and trauma-specific psychopathology. Because threat is proposed to be directly linked with socioemotional development, we hypothesized that the magnitude of associations between threat and psychopathology would be larger than those with deprivation. We conducted a search for peer-reviewed articles in English using PubMed and PsycINFO databases through August 2022. Studies that assessed both threat and deprivation and used previously validated measures of youth psychopathology were included. One hundred and twenty-seven articles were included in the synthesis (N = 163,767). Results of our three-level meta-analyses indicated that adversity dimension significantly moderated the associations between adversity and psychopathology, such that the magnitude of effects for threat (r's = .21-26) were consistently larger than those for deprivation (r's = .16-.19). These differences were more pronounced when accounting for the threat-deprivation correlation. Additional significant moderators included emotional abuse and youth self-report of adversity. Findings are consistent with the Dimensional Model of Adversity and Psychopathology, with clinical, research, and policy implications.

Pathways from Polyvictimization to Offline and Online Sexual Harassment Victimization Among South Korean Adolescents

This study aimed to investigate the association between polyvictimization and offline and online sexual harassment and whether the association might be mediated by internalizing problems, low school satisfaction, and dropping out of school. The analytic sample was derived from the Children and Youth Rights Survey in South Korea. It consisted of 6353 adolescents' responses to the sexual harassment question and a set of other questions in the middle and high school questionnaires. The findings showed a direct association between polyvictimization and offline and online sexual harassment. Adolescents who were polyvictimized were more likely to be victims of both forms of sexual harassment. Furthermore, polyvictimization was positively related to dropping out of school, which was positively associated with offline sexual harassment. The findings from the study have significant implications for future research and practice.

What Does Adolescent Substance Use Look Like During the COVID-19 Pandemic? Examining Changes in Frequency, Social Contexts, and Pandemic-Related Predictors

PURPOSE

The overarching goal of this study was to provide key information on how adolescents' substance use has changed since the corona virus disease (COVID)-19 pandemic, in addition to key contexts and correlates of substance use during social distancing.

METHODS

Canadian adolescents (n = 1,054, Mage = 16.68, standard deviation = .78) completed an online survey, in which they reported on their frequency of alcohol use, binge drinking, cannabis use, and vaping in the 3 weeks before and directly after social distancing practices had taken effect.

RESULTS

For most substances, the percentage of users decreased; however, the frequency of both alcohol and cannabis use increased. Although the greatest percentage of adolescents was engaging in solitary substance use (49.3%), many were still using substances with peers via technology (31.6%) and, shockingly, even face to face (23.6%). Concerns for how social distancing would affect peer reputation was a significant predictor of face-to-face substance use with friends among adolescents with low self-reported popularity, and a significant predictor of solitary substance use among average and high popularity teens. Finally, adjustment predictors, including depression and fear of the infectivity of COVID-19, predicted using solitary substance use during the pandemic.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results provide preliminary evidence that adolescent substance use, including that which occurs face to face with peers, thereby putting adolescents at risk for contracting COVID-19, may be of particular concern during the pandemic. Further, solitary adolescent substance use during the pandemic, which is associated with poorer mental health and coping, may also be a notable concern worthy of further investigation.

Bidirectional Associations between Popularity, Popularity Goal, and Aggression, Alcohol Use and Prosocial Behaviors in Adolescence: A 3-Year Prospective Longitudinal Study

Adolescents' popularity and popularity goal have been shown to be related to their aggression and alcohol use. As intervention efforts increasingly aim to focus on prosocial alternatives for youth to gain status, it is essential to have a comprehensive understanding of how popularity and popularity goal are associated with aggression and substance use as well as prosocial behaviors over time. The current study examined the bidirectional associations of aggression (overt and relational aggression), alcohol use, and prosocial behavior with popularity and popularity goal in adolescence across 3 years using cross-lagged panel analyses. Participants were 839 Dutch adolescents (M_age = 13.36, SD = 0.98; 51.3% girls). The results indicated that popularity was consistently positively associated with popularity goal, but popularity goal did not significantly predict subsequent popularity. Popularity positively predicted elevated aggression and alcohol use, but lower levels of prosocial behavior. For the full sample, alcohol use and overt aggression in grade 7 both predicted subsequent popularity in grade 8. However, when considering gender differences, overt aggression no longer was a significant predictor of popularity. These results were discussed in terms of the dynamic interplay between popularity, popularity goal, and behaviors, and in terms of implications for prevention and intervention efforts.

Childhood maltreatment and alcohol use in young adulthood: the role of self-regulation processes

INTRODUCTION

Childhood maltreatment has been linked to later alcohol use and disorders. Few studies have examined the pathways linking child maltreatment to alcohol use during the transition to adulthood. Currently, minimal understanding of such developmental pathways limits the success of alcohol prevention and intervention efforts for this highly vulnerable population. The present study examined if individual differences in self-regulation processes are critical factors that mediate the association between childhood maltreatment and risk for alcohol use.

METHOD

Young adults (N = 335; mean age = 21.7), who were recruited from the community, completed self-report measures of childhood maltreatment, different facets of self-regulation processes, and alcohol use. Multiple structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses were performed to specify the roles of two related, but different, self-regulation processes (i.e., behavioral self-control and behavioral dysregulation) in linking child maltreatment to four different patterns of drinking behaviors, including drinking frequency, binge drinking, alcohol-related problems, and alcohol dependence. Common risk factors for alcohol use, such as psychological symptoms and peer alcohol use, were also entered into the models.

RESULTS

We found that behavioral dysregulation particularly plays a mediating role in the associations between childhood emotional abuse and problematic alcohol use during young adulthood.

CONCLUSION

The results of this research suggest that self-control processes would be potentially useful targets to prevent problematic alcohol use among young people who have had exposure to childhood maltreatment.

The Influence of Online-Only Friends on the Substance Use of Young Adults with a History of Childhood Maltreatment

BACKGROUND

Existing research shows that having offline friends that use substances increases risk for individual substance use in adolescence. However, there is little research examining the influence of online social networks on substance use in young adulthood.

OBJECTIVES

This study examined the number of online-only Facebook friends (i.e. those with no in-person contact) that were substance users in relation to the participants' alcohol and marijuana use in the past year.

METHODS

The sample (n = 114) were selected from participants enrolled in a longitudinal study on childhood maltreatment in an urban city within the United States. The mean age of the sample was 21.84 (SD = 1.43), 61% female. With participant permission, data were downloaded from Facebook to obtain the list of online friends. A self-report questionnaire recorded the substance use of each participant. Path analysis and logistic regression were used to examine (a) the number of online-only friends who drink as a predictor of participants' problem drinking, (b) the number of online-only friends who smoke marijuana as a predictor of participants' marijuana use, and (c) moderation by maltreatment status.

RESULTS

The results showed a significant effect of the number of online-only friends who smoke marijuana on the participant's marijuana use. However, after including offline friends this significant effect was no longer present, but offline friends predicted individual marijuana use. Conclusions/Importance: These findings demonstrate that substance use in online social networks may be associated with individual use in young adulthood, but that offline influence is stronger.

The influence of social relationships and school engagement on academic achievement in maltreated adolescents

Adolescents who have experienced maltreatment face many developmental and educational challenges compared with their non-maltreated peers. Research demonstrates the importance of social relationships in academic achievement among non-maltreated youth, and suggests the influence of parent and peer relationships for academic success in maltreated youth as well, including the potential benefit of school engagement. Data for the study comes from the first wave of the second National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW II), a nationally-representative sample of children involved in Child Protective Services in the United States. The study finds that maltreated adolescents' perceptions of relationship quality with both parents and peers significantly predict academic achievement. In addition, results demonstrate a mediating effect of school engagement between parent and peer variables and some academic achievement outcomes.

Effects of Exposure to Domestic Physical Violence on Children's Behavior: A Chinese Community-based Sample

Domestic physical violence (DPV) is common in China due to its long history of slavery and feudalism. This study aimed to examine the effects of exposure to DPV on children's behavior in a Chinese community. Ninety-three 12- to 16-year-old adolescents exposed to DPV were compared to 54 adolescents with no exposure to DPV. We found that DPV exposure was associated with adverse behaviors in children, especially among boys. Children witnessing DPV alone had similar behavioral scores as the abused children. We recommend that both abused and DPV witness-only adolescents in Chinese communities need treatment to mitigate the effects on maladjusted behaviors. The intervention programs for children who witness domestic violence are also important.

Being lonely or using substances with friends? A cross-sectional study of Hungarian adolescents' health risk behaviours

BACKGROUND

Studying adolescents' health risk behaviours is oddly significant in Central and Eastern European countries, where the prevalence of smoking and drinking among 14-18 year old students is significantly high. The goal of our study is to examine the role of social psychological and social behavioural variables in health risk behaviours among Hungarian adolescents.

METHODS

Our sample was comprised of three high schools of Debrecen (the second largest city of Hungary). In all, 501 students filled in the questionnaire from 22 classes (14-22 years old). Students aged above 18 years were excluded for the purpose of the study, giving a total sample size of 471 high school students. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression analyses were conducted.

RESULTS

According to our results (1) social behavioural factors (namely, smoking and alcohol use of the best friend and peer group) proved to be better predictors of adolescents' health risk behaviours as compared to the included social psychological attributes (2); among the latter ones, loneliness and shyness were negatively related with both smoking and drinking, while competitiveness was a predictor of drinking prevalence among boys.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings suggest that social behavioural factors, including smoking and drinking of friends, are oddly important predictors of Hungarian adolescents' health risk behaviours. According to our results, health policy should pay more attention to peer norms related to smoking and drinking during school health promotion. Developing health protective social norms may be an indispensable component of effective health promotion in high schools.

Using a sibling design to compare childhood adversities in female patients with BPD and their sisters

Abuse and neglect are well-established risk correlates of borderline personality disorder (BPD). The goal of this study was to examine whether BPD probands can be differentiated from their sisters with respect to a range of developmental adversity and maltreatment indicators, including retrospective self-reports of past experiences of childhood abuse and neglect, dysfunctional parent-child relationships and peer victimization and dysfunctional peer relationships. A total of 53 patients with BPD were compared to 53 sisters who were currently free of psychopathology on measures assessing childhood adversities. Both probands and sisters reported similar prevalence of intrafamilial abuse, although BPD patients reported more severe physical and emotional abuse. BPD patients reported higher prevalence of physical abuse by peers. These findings generally support the principle of multifinality, in which similar histories of adversities can be associated with a variety of outcomes, ranging from psychopathology to resilience.

The association between maltreatment in childhood and criminal convictions to age 24: a prospective study of a community sample of males from disadvantaged neighbourhoods

While many studies have observed a positive association between maltreatment in childhood and criminality in adolescence and adulthood, others have failed to detect such an association. Most studies, however, have not examined different types of maltreatment, nor taken account of other family and childhood factors that are predictive of criminality. Using data from a prospective, longitudinal investigation of a community sample of 1,037 males, we calculated hierarchical logistic regression models to estimate the associations of boys' self-reports of neglect, emotional abuse, and physical abuse at ages 10 and 12, with convictions for criminal offenses from age 12 to 24, after taking account of conduct problems, hurtful and uncaring behaviours (HUB), and parent's criminality. At ages 10 and 12, boys' reports of neglect, emotional abuse, and physical abuse, were not associated with criminal convictions for non-violent or for violent crimes from age 12 to 24. Among boys who did not engage in HUB towards others reports of emotional abuse were associated with subsequent criminality, while this association disappeared among the boys engaging in such behaviours. In this community sample of males, levels of each type of maltreatment were low and there were no direct associations with subsequent criminal convictions. The findings add to emerging evidence that the characteristics of the child and parents, as well as the type of maltreatment modify the association with future criminal offending.

Developmental pathways to adolescent cannabis abuse and dependence: child maltreatment, emerging personality, and internalizing versus externalizing psychopathology

Child maltreatment is strongly associated with adolescent psychopathology and substance abuse and dependence. However, developmental processes unfolding from childhood into adolescence that delineate this trajectory are not well understood. The current study used path analysis in a structural equation modeling framework to examine multiple mediator models, including ego control, ego resiliency, and internalizing and externalizing symptoms to investigate this developmental process. Participants were 415 children, assessed across 3 waves of data, (i.e., at ages 7 to 9, 10 to 12, and 13 to 15). The sample included maltreated (n = 259) and nonmaltreated (n = 156) children; groups were comparable in sociodemographic characteristics. Findings support an transactional-ecological model by revealing a developmental sequence in which severity of early childhood maltreatment potentiates less adaptive childhood personality functioning, followed by externalizing problems in preadolescence, and ultimately adolescent cannabis abuse and dependence symptoms. A developmental pathway from child maltreatment to adolescent cannabis abuse and dependence symptoms via personality and preadolescent internalizing problems was not supported. Understanding developmental pathways by which maltreatment experiences increase risk for substance abuse and dependence symptoms in youth has far-reaching implications for the treatment and prevention of substance use disorders.