1
|
Defoe IN, van Gelder JL, Ribeaud D, Eisner M. Short-term mindsets show co-development with adolescent delinquency, but not with adolescent cannabis use. JOURNAL OF RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE 2024. [PMID: 38859737 DOI: 10.1111/jora.12973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2022] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 06/12/2024]
Abstract
Guided by General Theory of Crime and Psychosocial Maturity Hypothesis, we investigated co-development between short-term mindsets (impulsivity and future orientation) and risk behaviors (cannabis use and delinquency). Parallel process latent growth modeling on three-wave data from ethnically diverse Swiss adolescents (N = 1365; Mage 13.67 years, 48.6% female), showed baseline-level associations between short-term mindsets and risk behaviors, and between the two risk behaviors. Additionally, correlated change (co-development) existed between short-term mindsets-particularly impulsivity-and delinquency, but not between short-term mindsets and cannabis use. These results support the above-mentioned theories and emphasize the importance of investigating the correlates of change in delinquency and cannabis use separately, as divergent findings might emerge. These divergent findings could partially stem from Switzerland's liberal views on cannabis use.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ivy N Defoe
- University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Jean-Louis van Gelder
- Max Planck Institute for Foreign and International Criminal Law, Freiburg, Germany
- Institute of Education and Child Studies, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | | | - Manuel Eisner
- University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
McCoy DC, Dormal M, Cuartas J, Carreira Dos Santos A, Fink G, Brentani A. The acute effects of community violence on young children's regulatory, behavioral, and developmental outcomes in a low-income urban sample in Brazil. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2024; 65:620-630. [PMID: 37011945 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Existing research on the impacts of adversity on young children's psychological well-being has largely focused on household-level risk factors using observational methods in high-income countries. This study leverages natural variation in the timing and location of community homicides to estimate their acute effects on the regulatory, behavioral, and developmental outcomes of Brazilian 3-year-olds. METHODS We compared the outcomes of children who were assessed soon after a recent neighborhood homicide to those of children from the same residential neighborhoods who had not recently experienced community violence. Our sample included 3,241 3-year-olds (Mage = 41.05 months; 53% female; 45% caregiver education less than middle school; 26% receiving a public assistance program) from seven neighborhoods in São Paulo, Brazil. Child outcome measures included parent reports of effortful control and behavior problems as well as direct assessments of children's developmental (cognitive, language, and motor) skills. Community homicides were measured using police records. RESULTS Recent exposure to community homicides was associated with lower effortful control, higher behavior problems, and lower overall developmental performance for children (d = .05-.20 standard deviations; p = ns - <.001). Effects were consistent across subgroups based on sociodemographic characteristics and environmental supports, but generally largest when community violence exposure was geographically proximal (within 600 m of home) and recent (within 2 weeks prior to assessment). CONCLUSIONS Results highlight the pervasive effects that community violence can have on young children as well as the need to expand support to mitigate these effects and prevent inequities early in life.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dana C McCoy
- Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Marta Dormal
- Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Jorge Cuartas
- Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Centro de Estudios sobre Seguridad y Drogas (CESED), Universidad de los Andes, Bogota, Colombia
| | | | - Günther Fink
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland
- University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | | |
Collapse
|
3
|
Ciranka S, Hertwig R. Environmental statistics and experience shape risk-taking across adolescence. Trends Cogn Sci 2023; 27:1123-1134. [PMID: 37739921 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2023.08.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2023] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/24/2023]
Abstract
Adolescents are often portrayed as reckless risk-takers because of their immature brains. Recent research has cast doubt on this portrayal, identifying the environment as a moderator of risk-taking. However, the key features of environments that drive risk-taking behaviors are often underspecified. We call for greater attention to the environment by drawing on research showing that its statistical structure impacts future risk-taking as people learn from outcomes they experience after taking a risk. This opinion shows that adolescents are unlikely to experience harm from many risks because environmental statistics are skewed and favor safe experiences. Environmental statistics and experience suggest entry points for policy interventions by carefully timing risk warnings and leveraging peers' potential to shape the statistics of rewarding experiences.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Simon Ciranka
- Center for Adaptive Rationality, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lentzeallee 94, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Ralph Hertwig
- Center for Adaptive Rationality, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lentzeallee 94, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Defoe IN, Treffers S, Stams GJ. Research Review: Siblings matter. A multi-level meta-analysis on the association between cannabis use among adolescent siblings. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2023; 64:1532-1544. [PMID: 37402604 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Parents' and peers' cannabis use are well-documented predictors of youth cannabis use, however, relatively little is known about the influence of siblings' cannabis use. Hence, this meta-analysis investigated the association between sibling-youth cannabis use (disorder) and explored moderation by sibling type (monozygotic- vs. dizygotic- vs. non-twins), age, age spacing, birth order, gender, and gender constellations (same- vs. mix- gender pairs). When comparison data of parents' and peers' cannabis use (disorder) were also available in the included studies, separate meta-analyses on associations between parent-youth and peer-youth cannabis use (disorder) were additionally conducted. METHODS Studies were selected if they included 11- to 24-year-old participants, and investigated associations between cannabis use (disorder) among those youth and their siblings. These studies were retrieved via a search in seven databases (e.g., PsychINFO). A multi-level meta-analysis using a random effects model was performed on the studies, and heterogeneity analyses and moderator analyses were also conducted. PRISMA guidelines were followed. RESULTS We retrieved 20 studies (most of which originated from Western cultures) with 127 effect sizes for the main sibling-youth meta-analysis and found a large overall effect-size (r = .423), implying that youth had higher cannabis use rates when their sibling used cannabis, and this association was stronger for monozygotic twins and for same-gender sibling pairs. Finally, a medium effect size existed for the associations between parent-youth cannabis use (r = .300) and a large effect size for peer-youth cannabis use (r = .451). CONCLUSIONS Youth are more likely to use cannabis when their siblings use cannabis. This sibling-youth cannabis use association existed for all sibling constellations, was larger than the association between parent-youth cannabis use, and was similar in magnitude compared to the association between peer-youth cannabis use-suggesting both genetic and environmental influences (e.g., social-learning) between siblings. Hence, it is important not to neglect sibling influences when treating youth cannabis use (disorder).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ivy N Defoe
- University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
5
|
Defoe IN, Dubas JS, van Aken MAG. A cross-national study on adolescent substance use: Intentions, peer substance use, and parent-adolescent communication. JOURNAL OF RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE 2023; 33:641-655. [PMID: 36717971 DOI: 10.1111/jora.12832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Revised: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/24/2022] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
This longitudinal two-wave cross-national study investigated whether intentions, friends' substance use, and parent-adolescent substance-use specific communication predict adolescent alcohol and cannabis use 1 year later, while estimating reversed links. The temporal order between these two substances was also examined. We used multi-group cross-lagged panel modeling on data from 2 ethnically and socioeconomically diverse samples: Sint Maarten (N = 350; Mage = 14.19) and the Netherlands (N = 602; Mage = 13.50). Results showed that in the Netherlands, cannabis use predicts more subsequent problems (alcohol use, intention to use cannabis, and affiliation with cannabis-using friends). But for Sint Maarten, alcohol use predicts more subsequent problems (cannabis use, intention to use alcohol, and affiliation with alcohol-using friends). These opposing results demonstrate that caution is warranted when generalizing results across countries.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ivy N Defoe
- University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
6
|
Defoe IN, Rap SE, Romer D. Adolescents' own views on their risk behaviors, and the potential effects of being labeled as risk-takers: A commentary and review. Front Psychol 2022; 13:945775. [PMID: 36467170 PMCID: PMC9714301 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.945775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 04/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Adolescents are stereotypically viewed as risk-takers ("stereotypical risk-takers") in science, mainstream media, fictional literature and in everyday life. However, increasing research suggests that adolescents do not always engage in "heightened" risk-taking, and adolescents' own perspectives (motives) on risk-taking are largely neglected in research. Hence, this paper is a commentary and review with two aims. First, taking a cross-national perspective, we discuss the definition of adolescence and risk behavior. We argue that much of the research on what drives adolescent risk behavior (e.g., substance use) focuses on the harms that this behavior promotes rather than on the need to explore and grow into adulthood. Thereafter we summarize the dominant approach to studying motives behind substance use, which has mostly considered young adults, and which has typically not focused on adolescents' own self-generated motives. The few empirical studies (including one of our qualitative studies) on adolescents' own motivations for engaging in risk behavior (i.e., cannabis use, alcohol use, and tobacco smoking) show that the most frequently mentioned motives by adolescents were being cool/tough, enjoyment, belonging, having fun and experimenting and coping. Interestingly, the "cool/tough identity" motive is virtually overlooked in research on adolescent risk-taking. The above-mentioned motives, however, generally support newer theories, such as the Developmental Neuro-Ecological Risk-taking Model (DNERM) and the Life-span Wisdom Model that suggest that adolescents' motivations to engage in risk-taking include experimentation, identity development, explorative behavior, and sensation seeking, all of which run counter to the stereotype of adolescents engaging in risk-taking due to "storm and stress." Hence, we also briefly consider additional recent attempts to study positive forms of risk taking. Second, extrapolating from sociological/criminological theories on labeling, we suggest that caution is warranted when (inaccurately) labeling adolescents as the "stereotypical risk-takers," because this can instigate a risk-taking identity in adolescents and/or motivate them to associate with risk-taking peers, which could in turn lead to maladaptive forms of risk-taking. Empirical research testing these hypotheses is needed. To conclude we argue that research on adolescent risk-taking could further benefit from considering adolescent's own motivations, which is also in line with the participatory approach advocated by international children's rights standards.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ivy N. Defoe
- Forensic Child and Youth Care Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Stephanie E. Rap
- Forensic Child and Youth Care Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Daniel Romer
- Annenberg Public Policy Center, The University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
|
8
|
Murray AL, Hafetz Mirman J, Carter L, Eisner M. Individual and developmental differences in delinquency: Can they be explained by adolescent risk-taking models? DEVELOPMENTAL REVIEW 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.dr.2021.100985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
|
9
|
Dekkers TJ, de Water E, Scheres A. Impulsive and risky decision-making in adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): The need for a developmental perspective. Curr Opin Psychol 2021; 44:330-336. [PMID: 34953445 DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2021.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Revised: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Impulsive and risky decision-making peaks in adolescence, and is consistently associated with the neurodevelopmental disorder Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), regardless of age. In this brief review, we demonstrate the similarity of theoretical models explaining impulsive and risky decision-making that originate in two relatively distinct literatures (i.e., on adolescence and on ADHD). We summarize research thus far and conclude that the presence of ADHD during adolescence further exacerbates the tendency that is already present in adolescents to make impulsive and risky decisions. We also conclude that much is still unknown about the developmental trajectories of individuals with ADHD with regard to impulsive and risky decision making, and we therefore provide several hypotheses that warrant further longitudinal research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tycho J Dekkers
- University of Amsterdam, Department of Psychology, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Levvel, Academic Center for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry en Specialized Youthcare, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Groningen, the Netherlands; Accare Child Study Center, Groningen, the Netherlands; Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Erik de Water
- Great Lakes Neurobehavioral Center, Edina, MN, United States
| | - Anouk Scheres
- Radboud University, Behavioural Science Institute, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Willoughby T, Heffer T, Good M, Magnacca C. Is adolescence a time of heightened risk taking? An overview of types of risk-taking behaviors across age groups. DEVELOPMENTAL REVIEW 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.dr.2021.100980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
|