The role of stress response in the association between autonomy and adjustment in adolescents

Counteracting mental fatigue for athletes: a systematic review of the interventions

The deleterious effects of mental fatigue (MF) on athletes have been carefully studied in various sports, such as soccer, badminton, and swimming. Even though many researchers have sought ways to ameliorate the negative impact of MF, there is still a lack of studies that review the interventions used to counteract MF among athletes. This review aims to report the current evidence exploring the effects of interventions on MF and sport-specific performance, including sport-specific motor performance and perceptual-cognitive skills. Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and SPORTDicus (EBSCOhost) were combed through to find relevant publications. Additionally, the references and Google Scholar were searched for any grey literature. For the current review, we included only randomized controlled trials that involved athletes, a primary task to induce MF, interventions to counter MF with comparable protocols, and the outcomes of sport-specific motor performance and perceptual-cognitive skill. The selection criteria resulted in the inclusion of 10 articles. The manipulations of autonomous self-control exertion, person-fit, nature exposure, mindfulness, and transactional direct current stimulation showed that positive interventions counteract MF and improve sport-specific performance in different domains, including strength, speed, skill, stamina, and perceptual-cognitive skills. The selected interventions could significantly counteract MF and improve subsequent sport-specific performance. Moreover, self-regulation and attention resources showed the importance of the potential mechanisms behind the relevant interventions.

Circle of culture in supporting the identity process of adolescents: an action research

OBJECTIVE

To report and discuss the experience of the Circle of Culture in a school space, with attention to the social identity of adolescents.

METHOD

Action research, conducted under the assumptions of the Circle of Culture, from August to December 2019. Participants were 16 adolescents, enrolled in Elementary School, in a state public school, in the rural district of a city of São Paulo. Data collection took place through photographic records, participant observation and field diary.

RESULTS

The relations of friendship were the central agenda of the Circles of Culture when dialogues about their structuring and influence on the identity construction were developed.

CONCLUSION

Circles of Culture mediated by health professionals in the school setting have the power to problematize the reality of each adolescent's life and, simultaneously, dialogue about the common, an aspect that empowers identity projects.

Biological sensitivity to context as a dyadic construct: An investigation of child-parent RSA synchrony among low-SES youth

Parenting behaviors are significantly linked to youths' behavioral adjustment, an association that is moderated by youths' and parents' self-regulation. The biological sensitivity to context theory suggests that respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) indexes youths' varying susceptibility to rearing contexts. However, self-regulation in the family context is increasingly viewed as a process of "coregulation" that is biologically embedded and involves dynamic Parent×Child interactions. No research thus far has examined physiological synchrony as a dyadic biological context that may moderate associations between parenting behaviors and preadolescent adjustment. Using a two-wave sample of 101 low-socioeconomic status (SES) families (children and caretakers; mean age 10.28 years), we employed multilevel modeling to examine dyadic coregulation during a conflict task, indicated by RSA synchrony, as a moderator of the linkages between observed parenting behaviors and preadolescents' internalizing and externalizing problems. Results showed that high dyadic RSA synchrony resulted in a multiplicative association between parenting and youth adjustment. High dyadic synchrony intensified the relations between parenting behaviors and youth behavior problems, such that in the context of high dyadic synchrony, positive and negative parenting behaviors were associated with decreased and increased behavioral problems, respectively. Parent-child dyadic RSA synchrony is discussed as a potential biomarker of biological sensitivity in youth.

Stress and Health Outcomes in Midwestern Latinx Youth: The Moderating Role of Ethnic Pride

BACKGROUND

Stress has been linked to numerous health outcomes, including internalizing and externalizing behaviors, self-esteem, and physical health. Culture has also been linked to stress and health. This study examined the links between stress and health, and the potential moderating role of Latinx ethnic pride (LEP).

METHODS

The sample consisted of 119 Latinx youth from the Midwestern U.S. Mothers and youth completed surveys. Variables included the Multicultural Events Scale for Adolescents (MESA), parent and home stressors/risks (PHSR), LEP, depressive symptoms, aggression, frustration, and self-esteem. Research assistants measured child heights and weights and calculated BMI percentiles.

RESULTS

LEP was negatively related to MESA, depressive symptoms, aggression, and frustration, and positively related to self-esteem. MESA and PHSR were associated with depressive symptoms, aggression, frustration, and self-esteem, but not with BMI percentile. In adjusted regression analyses, LEP moderated the effects MESA had on frustration and self-esteem, marginally moderated the link between MESA and depressive symptoms, and was not related to aggression or BMI percentile. LEP did not moderate the relationship between PHSR with any health outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

Stressors were generally related to child mental health. LEP may play an important role in protecting against some of the effects of stressful events on mental health outcomes.

Childhood violence exposure and externalizing behaviors: A systematic review of the role of physiological biomarkers

Childhood exposure to violence has been consistently linked to externalizing behaviors like delinquency and aggression. Growing evidence indicates that physiological biomarkers from the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems (PNS and SNS) and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis may moderate or mediate the relation between childhood violence exposure and externalizing behaviors. We conducted a systematic review to synthesize recent findings on physiological biomarkers as mediators and/or moderators of this association across the life course, using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Our search yielded 3878 articles, of which 44 met inclusion criteria (describing a total of 46 independent studies). We found consistent evidence for blunted HPA-axis reactivity as a mediator of the relation between childhood violence exposure and subsequent externalizing behaviors, and for non-reciprocal PNS/SNS activation as moderators exacerbating this relation. However, the results of the majority of included studies that demonstrated significant moderating effects of physiological biomarkers varied by participant sex, type of childhood violence exposure, and type of stimuli used to induce physiological reactivity. The observed mixed findings are consistent with some theories that emphasize that both high and low stress reactivity can be adaptive depending on one's early environment. These findings highlight the need for systematic explorations of heterogeneity, theory-driven research questions, and longitudinal studies that span multiple developmental periods and multiple biological systems. Clinical implications include the need to assess physiological biomarkers in treatment and intervention studies and the potential to target interventions based on both autonomic functioning and environmental contexts.

Development and Validation of an Autonomy Questionnaire for Chinese Adolescents From the Perspective of Network Culture

This study developed a measure of autonomy for adolescents in contemporary China. First, data from 44 interviewees—40 secondary school students, 2 parents, and 2 secondary school teachers—were used to explore the connotation and theoretical structure of autonomy in adolescents in China. Next, a preliminary Adolescent Autonomy Questionnaire was created from the interview data and administered to 775 secondary school students. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were conducted to verify the factor structure. Finally, 614 secondary school students completed the Adolescent Autonomy Questionnaire, Personal Growth Initiative Scale-II, and Adolescence Ego Identity Crisis Scale to evaluate criterion validity. The final version of the Adolescent Autonomy Questionnaire included 16 items and four subscales: autonomous decision-making, autonomous regulation, autonomous protection, and autonomous problem-solving. The total variance of the cumulative interpretation questionnaire was 62.54%. The CFA results showed that the four-factor model fits the data well: χ²/df = 2.340, CFI = 0.949, RMSEA = 0.042, SRMR = 0.046. Evaluation of the psychometric properties of the Adolescent Autonomy Questionnaire provided support for the reliability and validity of the measure. Thus, it serves as an effective measurement tool for assessing the autonomy of adolescents in China.

Differential Susceptibility or Diathesis-Stress: Testing the Moderating Role of Temperament and Cortisol Levels between Fathers' Parenting and Children's Aggressive Behavior

Aggression is a multidimensional behavior that could be caused by different biopsychosocial variables. The aim of this study was to explore whether temperament, cortisol and sex moderate the relation between fathers’ parenting style and aggressive behavior in school-aged children, and whether this corresponds to differential susceptibility or diathesis-stress. Participants were 158 children (88 boys and 70 girls) aged 8 years. Aggressive behavior was measured using the Direct and Indirect Aggression Scale and fathers informed about their child’s temperament and their own parenting style through the Children’s Behavior Questionnaire and the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire (respectively). Children’s’ baseline saliva cortisol levels were analyzed through an enzyme immunoassay technique. The results revealed that high cortisol levels moderated the relation between fathers’ low levels of authoritative parenting and boys’ aggression. Moreover, high negative emotionality moderated the relation between permissive paternal parenting and girls’ aggressive behavior, with both these relations being consistent with the diathesis-stress theory.

Thematic content of video narratives in patients and survivors of adolescent cancer

OBJECTIVE

Modern day adolescents and young adults (AYAs) connect with their peers via a number of increasingly novel ways, many of which involve social media. These online relationships are often translated offline to increase one's social standing and quality of in-person relationships. However, when an AYA is diagnosed with a chronic medical condition, like cancer, in-person relationships with peers become difficult and the online component of socialization is all that is left. Video testimonials are a way that some AYAs have chosen to reach out to their peers; however, little is known about what AYAs are saying in these videos and how they are using them to connect with peers on a more intimate level.

METHODS

This study examined the content of video testimonials of n = 25 AYA cancer patients and survivors. Transcripts of videos were coded by a team of researchers to identify themes and overall tone.

RESULTS

Results suggested that films focused on struggles AYAs faced during their cancer journeys with a number of themes emerging; additionally, a hopeful tone was seen around the overall impact that cancer had on the patient's life.

CONCLUSIONS

It may be the case that video testimonials are an effective way to allow AYA patients with a cancer history to explore their thoughts about their illness experience and fill an important social gap not available to them as they undergo treatment.

Mindfulness and fertility quality of life in Chinese women with infertility: assessing the mediating roles of acceptance, autonomy and self-regulation

Objectives: To examine whether high dispositional mindfulness was associated with heightened specific aspects of fertility quality of life (FertiQoL) in infertile women, and whether acceptance, autonomy and self-regulation, mediated any association. Background: Quality of life is one of the most important issues to be addressed in infertility counselling. A large body of evidence reveals that populations with higher dispositional mindfulness fare better than their less mindful counterparts on psychological well-being. However, no research has examined the influence of mindfulness on infertile women's FertiQoL and potential mechanisms underlying these associations. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of infertile women attending to Southwest Hospital, China. Standardized measures of FertiQoL and proposed mediators (self-regulation, acceptance and autonomy) were administered at the conclusion of the patient's medical appointment from December 2015 to March 2016. Structural equation modelling was used to test the hypothesised mediation model. Results: Mindfulness was positively related to Core and Treatment FertiQoL. Higher mindfulness was related to higher autonomous and self-regulatory abilities, as well as lower experiential avoidance, which in turn resulted in better Treatment FertiQoL. Meanwhile, mindfulness exerted its indirect effect on Core FertiQoL through self-regulation. However, acceptance and autonomy could not mediate the link between mindfulness and Core FertiQoL. Conclusion: Mindfulness appears to be a protective individual characteristic of infertile women, and self-regulation, autonomy and acceptance may be implicated in the effects of mindfulness on specific aspects of FertiQoL. The findings can provide useful suggestions to design mindfulness-based interventions aiming at improving FertiQoL in infertile women, by adding or emphasising intentional self-regulation, autonomy and acceptance components.