Caught in a vicious cycle? Explaining bidirectional spillover between parent-child relationships and peer victimization

Parent-child relationship, parenting behaviors, and adolescents' depressive symptoms after an earthquake: unraveling within-adolescent associations from between-adolescent differences

This study assessed temporal associations between parent-child relationship, parenting behaviors (i.e., warmth, rejection, and overprotection), and adolescents' depressive symptoms after trauma, using random-intercept cross-lagged panel models to distinguish between- and within-adolescent differences. We surveyed Chinese adolescents 12 (Aug 2018; T1), 21 (May 2019; T2), 27 (Nov 2019; T3) months after the Jiuzhaigou earthquake that occurred in August 2017. Of the 585 adolescents who participated in at least two waves of the study, mean age at T1 was 15.50 years old (SD = 1.58 years) and 57.8% were girls. Controlling adolescents' gender, age, ethnicity, trauma exposure at T1, and parents' marital status, between-adolescent results showed that parent-child relationship and parenting behaviors, parent-child relationship and depressive symptoms were correlated across models of parental warmth, rejection, and overprotection, whereas depressive symptoms were only correlated with parental rejection and overprotection. Within-adolescent results indicated that parent-child relationship and adolescents' depressive symptoms had bidirectional associations via the mediation of parental warmth from T1 to T3. Over the longer term following the earthquake, we found that parental rejection was bidirectionally associated with adolescents' depressive symptoms, whereas parental overprotection was unidirectionally influenced by adolescents' depressive symptoms from T2 to T3. In addition, more depressive symptoms in adolescents were associated with worsening parent-child relationship from T2 to T3. In conclusion, shortly after trauma, interventions should focus on improving parent-child relationship and relieving adolescents' depressive symptoms. Over the longer term after trauma, relieving adolescents' depressive symptoms should be prioritized to avoid its eroding effects on parent-child relationship and parenting behaviors, and to break the "vicious cycle".

Back to Normal? Harnessing Long Short-term Memory Network to Examine the Associations Between Adolescent Social Interactions and Depressive Symptoms During Different Stages of COVID-19

Adolescence is a developmental period in which social interactions are critical for mental health. While the onset of COVID-19 significantly disrupted adolescents' social environments and mental health, it remains unclear how adolescents have adapted to later stages of the pandemic. We harnessed a machine learning architecture of Long Short-Term Memory recurrent networks (LSTM) with gradient-based feature importance, to model the association among daily social interactions and depressive symptoms during three stages of the pandemic. A year before COVID-19, 148 adolescents reported social interactions and depressive symptoms, every day for 21 days. One hundred sixteen of these youths completed a 28-day diary after schools closed due to COVID-19. Seventy-nine of these youths and additional 116 new participants completed a 28-day diary approximately a year into the pandemic. Our results show that LSTM successfully predicted depressive symptoms from at least a week of social interactions for all three waves (r2 > .70). Our study shows the utility of using an analytic approach that can identify temporal and nonlinear pathways through which social interactions may confer risk for depression. Our unique analysis of the importance of input features enabled us to interpret the association between social interactions and depressive symptoms. Collectively, we observed a return to pre-pandemic patterns a year into the pandemic, with reduced gender and age differences during the pandemic closures. This pattern suggests that the system of social influences in adolescence was affected by COVID-19, and that this effect was attenuated in more chronic stages of the pandemic.

Peer Stress Spills Over to Family Stress in the Context of Emotion Regulation Difficulties: A Daily Diary Study with Chinese Adolescents

Conflict in peer and family relationships becomes more common in the adolescent period when compared to previous developmental periods. These typical developmental challenges can be exacerbated in the context of poor emotion regulation skills. Using daily diary data, the current study examined the stress spillover effects of peer and family stress on one another, as well as the moderating role of emotion regulation challenges (i.e., emotional inhibition, dysregulation). A sample of 310 Chinese adolescents (Mage = 13.02 years, SD = 0.76 years, 50.7% boys) completed an initial measure of emotion regulation difficulties, then reported on peer and family stress for 10 consecutive weekdays. Results indicated that there was an overall same-day peer stress spillover effect in which adolescents' peer stress on a given day was negatively associated with later conflictual interactions with their parents. Further, the relation between peer stress and same- and next-day family stress was exacerbated in the context of high levels of emotional inhibition. Family stress did not significantly relate to next-day peer stress, nor was this association moderated by difficulties with emotion regulation. These results highlight the temporal sequence of daily peer-to-family stress spillover. Though emotional inhibition may be culturally adaptive for maintaining interpersonal harmony, it can be maladaptive in managing stress for Chinese adolescents.

Peer Victimization and Callous-Unemotional Traits: The Impact of Parents and Teachers

Research on the link between peer victimization and callous-unemotional (CU) traits has primarily relied on cross-sectional designs and yielded equivocal findings. In light of the poor outcomes related to peer victimization and CU traits, it is important to determine whether this link is reciprocal in nature and to identify factors that may influence its strength. Accordingly, the current study investigated the bidirectional association between peer victimization and CU traits over a 6-month period, accounting for the moderating effects of parents (i.e., support and hostility) and teachers (i.e., support and conflict). Participants included 284 third- through fifth-grade students (ages 7-12; 51.8% boys; 51.1% Hispanic) and their homeroom teachers. Children provided ratings of peer victimization, parental hostility, and parent and teacher support. Teachers provided ratings of CU traits and student-teacher conflict. A series of cross-lagged panel models were estimated. Results revealed that, at higher levels of parental hostility, peer victimization predicted increases in CU traits over time; in contrast, peer victimization predicted decreases in CU traits at lower levels of parental hostility. Surprisingly, at higher levels of teacher conflict, peer victimization predicted decreases in CU traits over time. CU traits did not interact with parent or teacher variables to predict subsequent peer victimization. Moreover, parental hostility was positively associated with subsequent peer victimization, whereas teacher support predicted decreases in victimization over time. These findings build on previous research examining environmental influences on the expression of CU traits by highlighting peer victimization and parental hostility as potential risk factors.

The Longitudinal Associations Between Parental Autonomy Support, Autonomy and Peer Resistance

Adolescents' autonomy is considered to be shaped within family and peer contexts. However, the specific dynamics of the within-person associations between parental autonomy support, adolescents' general autonomy, and peer resistance over time remain unclear. To address this, random-intercept cross-lagged panel models were employed in a sample of 290 Dutch youth in early adolescence (Mage = 11.58, SD = 0.44 at T1; 49.3% boys) and 220 Dutch youth in middle to late adolescence (Mage = 17.79, SD = 1.47 at T1; 25.0% boys), who were followed over two years across four time points. Results showed that changes in adolescents' general autonomy were concurrently associated with changes in their parental autonomy support and peer resistance at the within-person level. However, these associations were not observed longitudinally over a six-month period. These findings suggest that increases in supportive parenting and peer resistance co-occur with increases in adolescents' autonomy within individuals.

Longitudinal relations among family dysfunction, depressive symptoms, and cyberbullying involvement in Chinese early adolescents: Disentangling between- and within-person associations

Family dysfunction plays an important role in cyberbullying and cybervictimization. However, little research has investigated the longitudinal relations and the mediating mechanisms between them during adolescence. This study examined the longitudinal relations between family dysfunction and cyberbullying and cybervictimization, along with whether depressive symptoms function as mediators between them at the within-person level. A total of 3,743 Chinese adolescents (46.2% females; Mage = 9.92 years; SD = 0.51) participated a five-wave longitudinal study with a 6-month time interval. The results of random intercept cross-lagged panel model found that: (1) family dysfunction directly predicted depressive symptoms and vice versa at the within-person level; (2) depressive symptoms directly predicted cyberbullying and cybervictimization at the within-person level, but not vice versa; (3) family dysfunction indirectly predicted cyberbullying and cybervictimization via depressive symptoms at the within-person level; (4) at the between-person level, there were significant associations among family dysfunction, depressive symptoms, cyberbullying and cybervictimization. The results are discussed on the basis of the mechanisms that lead to cyberbullying and cybervictimization.

Parental corporal punishment and adolescent drinking: the protective role of personal growth initiative and gender difference

Introduction

Parenting and peer victimization (PV) are crucial for adolescent drinking. To further explore the cause of adolescent drinking, the present study investigated the role of PV and personal growth initiative (PGI) in the relationship between parental corporal punishment (PCP) and adolescent drinking.

Methods

Present study build moderated mediation models to test the hypothesis, and detailed analysis of gender differences was conducted on the models. The data were collected in a cross-sectional questionnaire study with n = 1,007 adolescents (mean age = 13.16 years, 51.84% girls, n = 522).

Results

Model analysis showed that: (1) PV totally mediated the relationship between PCP and adolescent girls' drinking behavior; (2) The positive association between PV and drinking was only significant for girls with low PGI.

Discussion

These findings underscore the importance of the protective effect of a personality trait characterized by spontaneous self-promotion on adolescent girls' drinking.

A cross-lagged twin study of emotional symptoms, social isolation and peer victimisation from early adolescence to emerging adulthood

BACKGROUND

Emotional symptoms, such as anxiety and depressive symptoms, are common during adolescence, often persist over time, and can precede the emergence of severe anxiety and depressive disorders. Studies suggest that a vicious cycle of reciprocal influences between emotional symptoms and interpersonal difficulties may explain why some adolescents suffer from persisting emotional symptoms. However, the role of different types of interpersonal difficulties, such as social isolation and peer victimisation, in these reciprocal associations is still unclear. In addition, the lack of longitudinal twin studies conducted on emotional symptoms during adolescence means that the genetic and environmental contributions to these relationships during adolescence remain unknown.

METHODS

Participants (N = 15,869) from the Twins Early Development Study completed self-reports of emotional symptoms, social isolation and peer victimisation at 12, 16 and 21 years old. A phenotypic cross-lagged model examined reciprocal associations between variables over time, and a genetic extension of this model examined the aetiology of the relationships between variables at each timepoint.

RESULTS

First, emotional symptoms were reciprocally and independently associated with both social isolation and peer victimisation over time, indicating that different forms of interpersonal difficulties uniquely contributed to emotional symptoms during adolescence and vice versa. Second, early peer victimisation predicted later emotional symptoms via social isolation in mid-adolescence, indicating that social isolation may constitute an intermediate pathway through which peer victimisation predicts longer-term emotional symptoms. Finally, individual differences in emotional symptoms were mostly accounted for by non-shared environmental factors at each timepoint, and both gene-environment and individual-specific environmental mechanisms were involved in the relationships between emotional symptoms and interpersonal difficulties.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study highlights the necessity to intervene early in adolescence to prevent the escalation of emotional symptoms over time and to consider social isolation and peer victimisation as important risk factors for the long-term persistence of emotional symptoms.

Association between negative parent-related family interactions and child social anxiety: A cross-cultural systematic review and meta-analysis

This meta-analysis systematically evaluates the strength and direction of the association between negative parent-related family interactions and child social anxiety, and identifies several influencing moderators. Two investigators independently searched international (PsycINFO, PubMed, and Web of Science) and Chinese (CNKI, WanFang, and VIP) databases from their inception dates until March 5, 2023, for suitable articles. Of the 5771 identified records, 85 studies were selected based on inclusion of at least one of the following three dimensions of negative family interactions: insecure attachment (n = 27), parent-related family conflicts (n = 19), or negative parenting styles (n = 46). Meta-analyses showed that all three dimensions were significantly associated with child social anxiety (insecure attachment: r = 0.271, p < 0.0001; parent-related family conflicts: r = 0.226, p < 0.0001; negative parenting styles: r = 0.186, p < 0.0001). For all three dimensions, this association was stronger in children from East Asian culture than in those from European or American culture. In addition, age group, information source, and publication year also significantly moderated this association. Our findings will help guide further research and provide recommendations for the development of effective interventions for reducing social anxiety.

Bidirectional spillover between maladaptive parenting and peer victimization and the mediating roles of internalizing and externalizing problems: A within-person analysis among Chinese early adolescents

Parenting practices and relationships with peers are crucial aspects of youth socialization. Although theoretically expected reciprocal associations between changes in maladaptive parenting and adolescent peer victimization exist, there is a lack of studies that examine this link and address the mediating mechanisms at the within-person level. This longitudinal study examined reciprocal relations between peer victimization and two types of maladaptive parenting including harsh punishment and psychological control, and the potential mediating roles of internalizing and externalizing problems within these relations, by disentangling between- and within-person effects. A total of 4,731 Chinese early adolescents (44.9% girls; M age = 10.91 years, SD = 0.72) participated in a four-wave longitudinal study with 6-month intervals. The results of random intercept cross-lagged panel modeling showed: (a) harsh punishment did not directly predict peer victimization, and vice versa; (b) psychological control directly predicted peer victimization, and vice versa; (c) psychological control indirectly predicted peer victimization via internalizing problems, and peer victimization also indirectly predicted psychological control via internalizing problems. These findings provide evidence of a bidirectional spillover effect between psychological control and peer victimization at the within-person level, suggesting Chinese early adolescents may become caught in a vicious cycle directly or indirectly via their internalizing problems.

Heterogenous associations between Gender-Sexuality Alliances and LGBTQ adolescents' maladjustment across individual victimization level

Gender-Sexuality Alliances (GSAs), which are student-initiated school clubs for LGBTQ youth and allies, can reduce victimization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) youth. This preregistered study identified heterogeneous correlates of GSAs, based on data from an anonymous survey of LGBTQ adolescents aged 13-17 years living in the United States (N = 10,588). In line with the healthy context paradox (Pan et al. [Child Development, 92, 2021, and 1836]), the presence of a GSA exacerbated associations between LGBTQ-based victimization and depressive symptoms, lower self-esteem, and lower academic grades-particularly in transgender youth. Inclusive settings, such as GSAs, might prevent increasing disparities by including tailored strategies to monitor and support more vulnerable, victimized LGBTQ youth.

Longitudinal associations of parental psychological control and friend support with autonomy during early adolescence

Although theories suggest transactional associations between adolescents' autonomy and relationships with parents and friends, few studies have examined these within-person effects. This longitudinal study examined the within-person co-development of adolescents' autonomy and relationships with parents and friends. Adolescents (N = 244 Mage  = 11.54, SD = 0.43 at T1; 50% boys) participated in a four-wave study across 2 years in the Netherlands. In random-intercept cross-lagged panel models, within-person results showed that higher levels of autonomy predicted less parental psychological control but not vice versa. However, no lagged-effects between friend support and autonomy were found. This study suggests that adolescents' autonomy steers changes in parental psychological control.

The relationship between parent-child relationship and peer victimization: a multiple mediation model through peer relationship and depression

Introduction

Peer victimization is a highly prevalent worldwide issue with cross-cultural characteristics. Parent-child relationship and peer victimization is known to be interrelated, but how they influence each other remains unclear. This study explored the mechanisms of peer victimization related to parent-child relationship.

Methods

A total of 58,756 fourth grade students aged 10-12 years (10.83 ± 0.83, 54.4% males) from China completed four questionnaires. A multiple mediator model was tested, in which the two variables influenced each other through the mediating factors of peer relationship and depression.

Results

Peer victimization was indirectly negatively impacted by parent-child relationship through two chain mediating factors of peer relationship and depression: (1) the mediational path through peer relationship with an effect size of 44.66%; (2) the mediational path through depression with an effect size of 21.64%; and (3) the mediational path through peer relationship and depression with an effect size of 18.08%. The total mediational effect size was 84.11%.

Conclusion

The effect size through peer relationship is the strongest among the three mediation paths, suggesting that peer relationship is the key determinant in breaking the link between parent-child relationship and victimization. Poor parent-child and peer relationships may be risk factors eliciting peer victimization. Compared to internalizing behaviors (e.g., depression), low-quality interpersonal relationships maybe the root cause of the formation and maintenance of victimization. Thus, intervention programs against bullying should pay more attention on children's contextual factors, especially their relationships with their families and peers, among children at an early age.

Associations Between Peer Victimization and Problematic Internet Use Among Adolescents: Humor Makes a Difference

With the increasing development of science and technology, the Internet has become an essential part of people's daily lives providing great convenience. However, the Internet also leads to problematic Internet use (PIU) among adolescents, which has attracted increasing attention from the academic community. Peer victimization is a pervasive stressor among adolescents and has been proven to lead to a series of mental health challenges. Although the association between peer victimization and PIU has been well documented, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. This study aimed to understand how and when peer victimization increases the risk of PIU among adolescents. Building on Agnew's general strain theory, this study hypothesized that depression mediates the relationship between peer victimization and PIU and humor moderates the mediating model. To examine these hypotheses, 469 middle school students were recruited to complete a series of questionnaires on peer victimization, depression, humor, and PIU. The results showed that depression partially mediated the relationship between peer victimization and PIU. A moderated mediation analysis indicated that humor moderated the indirect pathway, consistent with the reverse stress-buffering model, the relationship between peer victimization and depression was stronger for adolescents with high humor. However, the relationship between depression and PIU was weaker in adolescents with high humor, which is in line with the stress-buffering model. These findings could be of significance in understanding the underlying mechanism of PIU associated with peer victimization and provide a new perspective for preventing PIU among adolescents, especially those experiencing peer victimization. The limitations and considerations for future research are discussed.

Positive and Negative Leadership in Late Childhood: Similarities in Individual but Differences in Interpersonal Characteristics

Previous research has shown that leadership is associated not only with positive but also with negative characteristics and behaviors; knowledge of the similarities and differences between positive and negative leaders remains insufficient. This study aimed to examine (1) the existence of different subtypes of leaders and (2) to what extent these leaders differed on individual and interpersonal characteristics. The sample contained 9213 students in grades 3-6 (Dutch grades 5-8), from 392 classrooms in 98 schools (50.3% girls, M_age = 10.13 ± 1.23 years). Latent profile analysis identified three leader profiles and four non-leader profiles based on peer nominations received for leadership, popularity, and positive (defending) and negative (bullying) behavior: (1) positive leaders, (2) negative leaders, (3) non-popular leaders, (4) popular children, (5) bullies, (6) extreme bullies, and (7) modal children. Multinomial logistic regression showed similarities and differences between positive and negative leaders, as well as between each of these and the other five profiles. Positive leaders were more accepted and less rejected and had more friendships than negative leaders, but the differences in individual characteristics (self-esteem, self-control, and social goals) were less clear. This study demonstrated that 10-15% of the children were perceived as leaders, and that positive leadership became more prevalent in the higher grades. Nevertheless, negative leadership occurred also in the higher grades. Interventions aimed at turning negative leaders into positive leaders may work, because positive and negative leaders do not differ greatly in individual characteristics. Such interventions may improve the relationships of negative leaders with their classmates, which may be good for their likeability (but not at the expense of their popularity) as well as for the social atmosphere in the class as a whole.

Peer Relationship Profiles among Early Adolescents from Low-Income Families: The Unique and Combined Effects of Attachment to Mothers and Conscientiousness

Using research data gathered from multiple sources, the current study explored positive aspects of peer relationship profiles (indexed by peer-nominated acceptance and self-reported friendships) in a person-centered approach among early adolescents from low-income families. Moreover, this study investigated the unique and combined associations of adolescents' attachment to mothers and parent-rated conscientiousness with emerging peer relationship profiles. A total of 295 early adolescents (42.7% girls; M_age = 10.94, SD = 0.80) were involved in this study. Latent profile analysis identified three empirically derived peer relationship profiles: "isolated" (14.6%), "socially competent" (16.3%), and "average" (69.1%). Moderation analyses further showed that adolescents with secure attachment to mothers tend to have group memberships in socially competent and average profiles than the isolated profile. Such an association pattern was more heightened for those with higher conscientiousness (versus lower conscientiousness).

Peer Victimization and Adolescent Non-Suicidal Self-Injury: The Mediating Role of Alienation and Moderating Role of Mindfulness

Peer victimization and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) are two major public health problems, with the former being associated with outward attack and the latter characterizing inward attack. Peer victimization has been shown to be associated with adolescents' NSSI. However, less is known about the mechanism underlying the association. Based on the experiential avoidance model of NSSI, this study tested whether the sense of alienation mediated the association between peer victimization and NSSI, and whether this process was weakened by mindfulness. A total of 1,574 Chinese adolescents (51.1% girls; ages 12-16 years) completed questionnaires concerning NSSI, peer victimization, alienation, and mindfulness. Regression-based analyses indicated that peer victimization predicted adolescents' NSSI through the indirect effect of alienation, and mindfulness weakened this indirect effect. These findings suggest that victimized adolescents may injure themselves as an emotion regulation strategy. The results highlight the importance to implement programs aimed to improve the school climate to reduce the risk of adolescent NSSI. Furthermore, we underscore the need to include emotion-regulation training (e.g., mindful practice) into bully intervention programs to prevent NSSI.

Longitudinal Relations Between Child Maltreatment in Families and Psychological Maltreatment by Teachers: The Mediating Roles of Internalizing and Externalizing Problems Among Chinese Children

Relationships in the family (e.g., child maltreatment in families) and school environments (e.g., psychological maltreatment by teachers) are influential in children's socialization, but how family and teacher-student domains mutually affect each other and which mediating mechanisms are involved in cross-domain spillover at the within-person level are not well understood. This study examined the bidirectional relations between child maltreatment in families and psychological maltreatment by teachers and whether internalizing and externalizing problems functioned as mediators between them after separating between-person effects from within-person effects. A total of 4270 Chinese children (54.9% boys; M_age = 9.92; SD = 0.51) participated in a five-wave longitudinal study with 6-month intervals. Results from random intercept cross-lagged panel modeling mainly found that: (1) Child maltreatment in families predicted psychological maltreatment by teachers, and vice versa; (2) child maltreatment in families influenced psychological maltreatment by teachers through externalizing problems; child maltreatment in families affected the likelihood of psychological maltreatment by teachers via the sequential effect from internalizing problems to externalizing problems at the within-person level; and (3) internalizing and externalizing problems mediated the longitudinal relations from psychological maltreatment by teachers to child maltreatment in families separately. Findings demonstrated bidirectional spillover effects in the domains of family and teacher-student relationships, suggesting that children may be trapped in a vicious cycle of negative relationships through internalizing and externalizing problems, either directly or indirectly. Thus, these two domains influence each other through children's internalizing and externalizing problems. Interventions aimed at addressing maltreatment should include family, school, and individual (i.e., internalizing and externalizing problems) components to prevent a downward spiral.

The future is present in the past: A meta-analysis on the longitudinal associations of parent-adolescent relationships with peer and romantic relationships

Positive peer and romantic relationships are crucial for adolescents' positive adjustment and relationships with parents lay the foundation for these relationships. This longitudinal meta-analysis examined how parent-adolescent relationships continue into later peer and romantic relationships. Included longitudinal studies (k = 54 involving peer relationships, k = 38 involving romantic relationships) contained demographically diverse samples from predominantly Western cultural contexts. Multilevel meta-regressions indicated that supportive and negative parent-adolescent relationships were associated with supportive and negative future peer and romantic relationships. Meta-analytic structural equation modeling (k = 54) indicated that supportive parent-adolescent relationships unidirectionally predicted supportive and negative peer relationships, while negative parent-adolescent relationships were bidirectionally associated with supportive and negative peer relationships. Maintaining mutually supportive relationships with parents may help adolescents to develop positive social relationships.

Mother-child cohesion, friendship quality, and depressive symptoms in children: Direct and indirect associations between developmental trajectories

BACKGROUND

Mother-child cohesion and friendship quality have been shown to be protective factors against the development of children's depressive symptoms. However, the possible direct and indirect pathways from these two important interpersonal relationships to children's depressive symptoms need to be further elucidated. Moreover, these associations have not been examined from a developmental perspective. Therefore, this study examined the direct and indirect relations among developmental trajectories of mother-child cohesion, friendship quality, and depressive symptoms in children.

METHODS

A total of 4078 Chinese children (45.2 % girls, M_age = 9.90 years, SD = 0.73) participated in assessments at five time points across 2.5 years, employing six-month intervals. Latent growth curve modeling was conducted to examine the direct and indirect relations among the developmental trajectories of mother-child cohesion, friendship quality, and depressive symptoms.

RESULTS

The developmental trajectories of both mother-child cohesion and friendship quality were negatively and directly associated with the developmental trajectory of children's depressive symptoms. The developmental trajectory of friendship quality was indirectly associated with the developmental trajectory of depressive symptoms through the mediating role of mother-child cohesion.

LIMITATIONS

This study did not investigate father-child cohesion and other important psychological mechanisms linking interpersonal relationships to depressive symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings documented the direct and indirect relations among mother-child cohesion, friendship quality, and depressive symptoms from a developmental perspective, which suggested that prevention and intervention efforts target improving mother-child cohesion and friendship quality to reduce children's depressive symptoms.

Understanding protective and risk factors affecting adolescents' well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic

This study investigated the factors affecting adolescents' well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic from the perspectives of their participation in digital activities, emotional regulation, self-regulated learning, and parental involvement. Using self-reported data from 932 pairs of adolescents and their parents, we performed multiple-group structural equation modeling, which revealed that self-efficacy in online learning during school suspension was a key factor influencing adolescents' perceived worries after schools resumed. During school suspension, boys' cognitive-emotional regulation played a protective role in their well-being, helping them to avoid cyberbullying incidents, while girls' participation in leisure-oriented digital activities compromised their self-efficacy in online learning and led to cyberbullying incidents. Furthermore, improvement in parent-child relationships during school suspension encouraged adolescents to use more positive emotional regulation strategies, enhanced their self-efficacy in online learning, and reduced their leisure-time digital activities. The findings indicate that the effective regulation of adolescents' online behaviors, emotions, and self-efficacy, especially when combined with an emotionally secure family relationship, can ensure adolescents' well-being.

One more step in the study of children's daily stress: The spillover effect as the transfer of tension in family and school environments

Introduction

The spillover effect is the psychological overflow due to daily stress in one context and the transfer of its consequences to another close environment. The aim is to explore the spillover effect in conflicts within the family, on the one hand, and school with peers on the other hand, as an inferred measure of daily stress according to the literature.

Method

The study consisted of a sample of 208 6-year-old students and their families. A methodology based on daily report records was used, by means of two ad hoc checklists with simultaneous measurements, for 2 consecutive weeks and 3 academic years, for both family and school contexts. A repeated measures design, together with a nonparametric statistical data analysis with Friedman's test and contrast measures, was used.

Results

Daily stress shows significant differences in the family setting throughout the week (χ ² = 32.44; p = 0.000) and at different times of the day (χ ² = 29.65; p = 0.000). In the school setting, differences were found across the different days of the week (χ ² = 36.96; p = 0.000). Spillover effect has been discovered between conflicts at home in the evening and conflicts at school. At the same time, conflicts at school are related to conflicts at home from Wednesday onward.

Discussion

The results suggest further research on daily stress through the interrelation of the different contexts, as well as the impact that moments of conflict may have on the psychological and emotional development of the child.

Intergenerational Transmission of Peer Aggression

It is plausible that peer aggression—like general forms of aggression—is transmitted from one generation to the next. As such, parental behavior in childhood and adolescence may be associated with offspring aggressive behavior against peers. This study used 1970 British Cohort Study data to test intergenerational transmission of peer aggression. The baseline sample consisted of 13,135 participants. At the first assessment that was used in this study, participants were on average 4.95 years old (SD = 0.79; 48.20% female). At the last assessment, participants were on average 33.88 years old (SD = 0.36; 52.1% female). Models were computed for early and middle childhood, and adolescence. Significant associations between parents’ and offspring peer aggression were found in most models – especially when correlating aggression in similar developmental periods for parents and children. Other transmission mechanisms such as genetic transmission may be relevant and should be taken into account in future studies.

Association of paternal rejection with externalizing problems of adolescents: A moderated mediation model

Despite evidence suggesting the role of the parent-child relationship in externalizing problems, few studies have examined the direct and indirect association of father rejection and externalizing problems. This research examines the mediation effect of peer victimization in the association of paternal rejection with externalizing problems in adolescents. Besides, it explores the moderating effect of impulsivity on this association. In total, 2,116 pupils completed anonymous questionnaires about paternal rejection, peer victimization, externalizing problems, and impulsivity. Sex, age, paternal and maternal education, and per capita income were set as covariates. The results revealed that peer victimization mediated the relationship between paternal rejection and externalizing problems in adolescents. Impulsivity played a moderating role not only in the relationship between paternal rejection and externalizing problems but also in the link between peer victimization and externalizing problems. Specifically, paternal rejection predicted greater externalizing problems only for adolescents with high-level impulsivity, and peer victimization was predictive of greater externalizing problems only for adolescents with high levels of impulsivity. The findings highlight that paternal rejection and peer victimization have a potential, long-lasting influence on the psychological well-being of adolescents, particularly for adolescents high in impulsivity.

Predicting How Well Adolescents Get Along with Peers and Teachers: A Machine Learning Approach

How well adolescents get along with others such as peers and teachers is an important aspect of adolescent development. Current research on adolescent relationship with peers and teachers is limited by classical methods that lack explicit test of predictive performance and cannot efficiently discover complex associations with potential non-linearity and higher-order interactions among a large set of predictors. Here, a transparently reported machine learning approach is utilized to overcome these limitations in concurrently predicting how well adolescents perceive themselves to get along with peers and teachers. The predictors were 99 items from four instruments examining internalizing and externalizing psychopathology, sensation-seeking, peer pressure, and parent-child conflict. The sample consisted of 3232 adolescents (M = 14.0 years, SD = 1.0 year, 49% female). Nonlinear machine learning classifiers predicted with high performance adolescent relationship with peers and teachers unlike classical methods. Using model explainability analyses at the item level, results identified influential predictors related to somatic complaints and attention problems that interacted in nonlinear ways with internalizing behaviors. In many cases, these intrapersonal predictors outcompeted in predictive power many interpersonal predictors. Overall, the results suggest the need to cast a much wider net of variables for understanding and predicting adolescent relationships, and highlight the power of a data-driven machine learning approach with implications on a predictive science of adolescence research.

Connections during crisis: Adolescents' social dynamics and mental health during COVID-19

Adolescence is a critical period for social development, which COVID-19 has dramatically altered. Quarantined youths had limited in-person interactions with peers. The present study used an intensive longitudinal design to investigate changes in interpersonal dynamics and mental health during COVID-19. Specifically, we investigated whether the associations between different social contexts-that is, "spillover"-changed during COVID-19 and whether changes in social interactions during COVID-19 was associated with changes in depressive symptoms. Approximately 1 year prior to the onset of COVID-19, 139 youths reported depressive symptoms and daily interactions with parents, siblings, and friends, every day for 21 days via online questionnaires. Shortly after schools closed due to COVID-19, 115 of these youths completed a similar 28-day diary. Analyses included 112 youths (62 girls; 73% Caucasian; Mage = 11.77, range = 8 to 15 in Wave 1) who completed at least 13 diary days in each data wave. Our results show that younger adolescents experienced significant decreases in negative and positive interactions with friends, whereas older adolescents showed significant decreases in negative interactions with friends and significant increases in positive interactions with siblings. As predicted, within-day spillover of positive interactions and person-level association of negative interactions increased within the family during COVID-19, whereas within-day spillover of positive interactions between family and friends decreased. We also found a dramatic increase in depressive symptoms. More negative interactions and fewer positive interactions with family members were associated with changes in depressive symptoms. Our study sheds light on how youths' social development may be impacted by COVID-19. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Perceived Parental Warmth, Peer Perpetration, and Peer Victimization: Unraveling Within-Child Associations from Between-Child Differences

Although perceived parental warmth and "peer victimization and peer perpetration" are believed to be unidirectionally related, researchers have not examined the possibility of bidirectional relations among them, especially with regard to within-child relations. We thus explored the dynamic longitudinal associations among children's perceived parental warmth (maternal warmth and paternal warmth), peer perpetration, and peer victimization at the within-child level. A total of 3720 Chinese children (M_age = 9.95 years at Time 1, 46.1% girls) were investigated on five occasions, every 6 months. Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Models (RI-CLPMs) were applied to estimate the within-child associations among these variables. The results were: (1) for peer perpetration, peer perpetration inversely predicted subsequent perceived parental warmth, while perceived maternal (but not paternal) warmth inversely predicted subsequent peer perpetration; (2) for peer victimization, perceived maternal and paternal warmth both inversely predicted a child's subsequent peer victimization, and perceived parental warmth and peer victimization bidirectionally predicted each other; and (3) peer perpetration and peer victimization bidirectionally predicted each other. These findings enhance understanding of how perceived parental warmth temporally interrelates with peer perpetration and peer victimization from a positive spillover theory perspective, as well as how peer perpetration temporally interrelates with peer victimization from a negative vicious cycle perspective.

Vicious cycle of emotional maltreatment and bullying perpetration/victimization among early adolescents: Depressive symptoms as a mediator

RATIONALE

Emotional maltreatment and bullying (including both bullying perpetration and bullying victimization) are two prevalent and highly related problems among children and adolescents worldwide. The adverse consequences of emotional maltreatment and bullying behoove researchers to identify their causal mechanisms.

OBJECTIVE

We examined the reciprocal relations between emotional maltreatment and bullying perpetration/victimization and whether depressive symptoms functioned as mediator of the relations, after separating within-person effects from between-person effects.

METHODS

A total of 4273 Chinese early adolescents (45.2% girls; M_age = 9.90 years, SD = 0.73) participated in a five-wave longitudinal study with 6-month intervals.

RESULTS

Results from random intercept cross-lagged panel modeling showed: (a) emotional maltreatment and bullying perpetration were bidirectionally related; (b) bullying victimization directly predicted emotional maltreatment, but not vice versa; (c) emotional maltreatment indirectly predicted bullying perpetration/victimization via depressive symptoms; and (d) bullying victimization indirectly predicted emotional maltreatment via depressive symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings provided evidence for bidirectional spillover effects in the family and peer domains, demonstrating that early adolescents may become trapped in a vicious cycle of negative relationships, directly or indirectly, via their depressive symptoms. To prevent a downward spiral, findings suggested that bullying interventions need to address family and peer relationships as well as individual psychological well-being simultaneously to be most effective.

Long-Term Effects of Acceptance and Rejection by Parents and Peers on Educational Attainment: A Study from Pre-Adolescence to Early Adulthood

Acceptance and rejection by parents and peers play an important role in pre-adolescents' educational outcomes. Prior research focused on either parents or peers, did not encompass effects into adulthood, or considered either acceptance or rejection. This study investigated the relation between parental and peer acceptance and rejection, and their interplay, in pre-adolescence and educational attainment in early adulthood. A sample of 2229 pre-adolescents (M_age T1 = 11.11, SD = 0.56; 50.7% girls) was followed to early adulthood (M_age T5 = 22.29, SD = 0.65). Ordinal logistic regression showed that pre-adolescents' perceived parental acceptance was positively related to educational attainment in early adulthood, whereas peer rejection was negatively related, even when WISC score and socioeconomic status were considered. No interaction effects were found, revealing no "dual-hit effect" of being rejected by parents and peers, no "dual-miss effect" of being accepted by parents and peers, and no effects of acceptance in one context (i.e., parents or peers) buffering the negative effect of rejection in the other context. The findings underscore unique and long-term links of parental acceptance and peer rejection with early adults' educational attainment, underlining the importance of not only peers but also parents in adolescence. These insights can be used in promoting long-term educational outcomes through relationships with parents and peers.

Internalizing symptoms, well-being, and correlates in adolescence: A multiverse exploration via cross-lagged panel network models

Internalizing symptoms are the most prevalent mental health problem in adolescents, with sharp increases seen, particularly for girls, and evidence that young people today report more problems than previous generations. It is therefore critical to measure and monitor these states on a large scale and consider correlates. We used novel panel network methodology to explore relationships between internalizing symptoms, well-being, and inter/intrapersonal indicators. A multiverse design was used with 32 conditions to consider the stability of results across arbitrary researcher decisions in a large community sample over three years (N = 15,843, aged 11-12 at Time 1). Networks were consistently similar for girls and boys. Stable trait-like effects within anxiety, attentional, and social indicators were found. Within-person networks were densely connected and suggested mental health and inter/intrapersonal correlates related to one another in similar complex ways. The multiverse design suggested the particular operationalization of items can substantially influence conclusions. Nevertheless, indicators such as thinking clearly, unhappiness, dealing with stress, and worry showed more consistent centrality, suggesting these indicators may play particularly important roles in the development of mental health in adolescence.

The Influence of Personality Traits on School Bullying: A Moderated Mediation Model

We recruited 1,631 middle and high school students to explore the relationship between personality traits and school bullying, and the moderated and mediating roles of self-concept and loneliness on this relationship. Results showed that (1) neuroticism had a significant positive predictive effect on being bullied, extroversion had a significant negative predictive effect on being bullied, and agreeableness had a significant negative predictive effect on bullying/being bullied; (2) loneliness played a mediating role between neuroticism and bullied behaviors, extroversion and bullying behaviors, and agreeableness and bullying/bullied behaviors; (3) self-concept played a moderating role on the mediation pathway of loneliness on neuroticism, extraversion, agreeableness and bullying behaviors. Therefore, to reduce the frequency of school bullying among adolescents, we should not only reduce their levels of loneliness but also improve their levels of self-concept.

Parenting Characteristics among Adults With Social Anxiety and their Influence on Social Anxiety Development in Children: A Brief Integrative Review

The purposes of this brief integrative review are to identify and critically evaluate recent work in the area of parenting processes that are disproportionately observed among parents with social anxiety disorder (SAD) that may ultimately increase risk among offspring, and to further link these processes to specific targets for intervention. Accordingly, we first evaluate the relevance of specific parenting styles as they pertain to increased risk of developing SAD among offspring. Second, we link these parenting processes to observations of certain unfavorable consequences among socially anxious youth, such as low perceived autonomy and poorer social skills. Finally, in light of these consequences we extend our conclusions into potentially modifiable targets among parents with SAD, focusing on the enhancement of autonomy and facilitating offspring's normative period of transition into independence during adolescence. Overall, we conclude that parenting behaviors commonly observed among adults with SAD, such as overcontrol and low parental warmth, likely have a direct impact on the development of social anxiety symptoms among their children. However, these parenting behaviors are plausibly modifiable and therefore repurposing existing interventions for use among parents with SAD in conjunction with interventions with their offspring is likely to provide direct clinical benefit.

How School Contexts Shape the Relations Among Adolescents' Beliefs, Peer Victimization, and Depressive Symptoms

The present research examined how school contexts shape the extent to which beliefs about the potential for change (implicit theories) interact with social adversity to predict depressive symptoms. A preregistered multilevel regression analysis using data from 6,237 ninth-grade adolescents in 25 U.S. high schools showed a three-way interaction: Implicit theories moderated the associations between victimization and depressive symptoms only in schools with high levels of school-level victimization, but not in schools with low victimization levels. In high-victimization schools, adolescents who believed that people cannot change (an entity theory of personality) were more depressed when they were victimized more frequently. Thus, the mental health correlates of adolescents' implicit theories depend on both personal experiences and the norms in the context.