Distress and restraint as superordinate dimensions of self-reported adjustment: a typological perspective

Major Depressive Disorder as a Driver of Dual Systems Model Development During Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood Among Justice-Involved Youth: Is Salience Age-Graded?

The dual systems model is a psychological framework centered on differential development of sensation-seeking and impulse control during adolescence and emerging adulthood with implications for understanding antisocial behavior. However, there is a dearth of research which has examined mental illness as a driver of differential development of these constructs. This study examined major depressive disorder as a risk factor for elevated sensation-seeking and diminished impulse control and tested to determine whether the salience differed by age. The Pathways to Desistance data were analyzed. Mixed effects models examined the direct effect of major depressive disorder on dual systems outcomes and test for moderation by age. Findings indicated that major depressive disorder at baseline was associated with increased sensation-seeking and diminished impulse control. Relationships did not differ in salience based on age. Results suggest that treatment effective for addressing depression may have relevance for mitigating the impact of the disorder on cognition.

Emotional Intelligence and Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review

Emotional Intelligence (EI), defined as the ability to perceive, identify, understand, and regulate emotional states is related to health outcomes. In this line, some studies examined this personal resource in the cancer area and, specifically, in breast cancer. Also, the different models and measures have led to a categorisation considering the various construct-method pairings of EI. Despite the increased number of studies about EI in the breast cancer context, there are no systematic reviews that summarise the results obtained in the different investigations. Objectives: Hence, the present review aims: to identify and describe the measures that have been used for assessing EI within this field, and to summarise the main results regarding EI in terms of its predictors and outcomes, considering the instruments used to assess it. Methods: The PRISMA guidelines were followed. Database search was conducted in WOS, Scopus, Pubmed, and PSYCArticles. Results: A total of 156 articles were found and 21 met the eligibility criteria. On one hand, one of the most used instruments was the TMMS-24 framed within the self-report ability EI, followed by those framed within the self-report mixed EI. None of the studies measured EI by the performance-based ability EI perspective. On the other hand, EI was related to other variables such as psychological well-being, quality of life, resilience, workability, anxiety, and depression. The majority of the studies were cross-sectional, and some of them included an intervention. Conclusions: This review provides a comprehensive overview of the existing studies concerning EI in the context of breast cancer, highlighting some of its characteristics regarding design, participants, used measures, and related variables. Also, the obtained results can improve the clinical practice and the understanding of the EI as an influencing factor in the health and quality of life of breast cancer populations.

Understanding the Impact of Deviant Peer Association on Dual Systems Model Development: Testing the Moderating Role of ADHD

ABSTRACT

Recent research has indicated that deviant peers may play a role in cognitive development. This is particularly the case for the dual systems model, a key framework for understanding engagement in antisocial behavior during adolescence and emerging adulthood. However, limited research has examined how preexisting mental health concerns may moderate these relationships. This study used the Pathways to Desistance data to examine attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as a moderator of the relationships between deviant peer association and dual systems model constructs. Generalized estimating equations were used to test these relationships. Results indicated that deviant peer association and the presence of ADHD both predicted increased sensation-seeking and lower impulse control. ADHD significantly moderated the relationship between deviant peer association and impulse control, indicating a weaker impact of deviant peer association on impulse control among participants with ADHD. No significant interaction was observed for the relationship between deviant peer association and sensation-seeking.

In search of the origins of crime continuity: Aggressive versus nonaggressive delinquency as a key factor in the psychological inertia process

The purpose of this study was to test whether the psychological inertia process believed to give rise to crime continuity is limited to aggressive delinquency or evolves from both aggressive and nonaggressive delinquency. Self-report data provided by 845 early adolescent youth (406 boys, 439 girls) were analyzed in an effort to test the hypothesis that aggressive rather than nonaggressive delinquency precipitates a rise in delinquency through the intervening influence of cognitive impulsivity but not moral neutralization. The hypothesis stated that of the four models evaluated in this study (aggressive delinquency → moral neutralization → offense variety; aggressive delinquency → cognitive impulsivity → offense variety; nonaggressive delinquency → moral neutralization → offense variety; nonaggressive delinquency → cognitive impulsivity → offense variety), only the aggressive delinquency → cognitive impulsivity → offense variety model would achieve significance. Consistent with this hypothesis, only the aggressive delinquency → cognitive impulsivity → offense variety pathway was, in fact, significant. The current findings suggest that the psychological inertia process may be driven by a pattern of aggressive delinquency followed by cognitive impulsivity and that neither nonaggressive delinquency nor moral neutralization contribute to the process. Theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.

The Importance of Narcissism and Impulsivity for Bullying and Cyberbullying Perpetration

Bullying and cyberbullying remain serious public health concerns threatening the well-being of adolescents. The current study tested the links between narcissism and impulsivity and measures of both bullying and cyberbullying perpetration. Data were collected from 575 Turkish adolescents (54.4% female, M age = 15.86, SD = 1.15). Hierarchical logistic regressions tested the main study hypotheses. Findings showed that narcissism and impulsivity were each independently and additively positively associated with both bullying and cyberbullying perpetration. Findings from a competing, ex post facto alternative model provided evidence that impulsivity was a mediator in the narcissism-bullying perpetration (partial) and the narcissism-cyberbullying perpetration links (full). Findings highlight the importance of considering both narcissism and impulsivity in evaluating the factors contributing to both forms of bullying behaviors, which has important prevention and intervention effort implications.

Adolescent Contact, Lasting Impact? Lessons Learned From Two Longitudinal Studies Spanning 20 Years of Developmental Science Research With Justice-System-Involved Youths

In this article, we summarize key findings from 20 years of research conducted at the intersection of developmental psychology and juvenile justice in the United States. We predominantly examine data from two large-scale, multisite longitudinal studies involving justice-system-involved adolescents-the Pathways to Desistance study and the Crossroads study. Topics of discussion include predictors of offending and desistance from crime; youth outcomes and psychosocial needs; and emerging research, programs, and policy initiatives. First, individual-level (e.g., age, psychosocial maturity) and contextual-level (e.g., antisocial peers, exposure to violence) risk factors associated with offending are explored. Second, we discuss short-term and long-term outcomes of justice-system contact for youths engaging in moderate offenses. We highlight main findings from the Crossroads study indicating that youths who are sanctioned by the justice system at their first arrest have worse outcomes than youths who are diverted from formal processing. Additionally, we discuss the high prevalence of youths' exposure to violence and mental health disorders as well as the differential treatment of youths of color in the justice system. Third, we extend the conversation to justice-system-involved young adults and discuss emerging, innovative legal solutions, including young adult courts. Last, we discuss real-world implications of these findings.

Effects of Materialism on Adolescents' Prosocial and Aggressive Behaviors: The Mediating Role of Empathy

Materialism plays a critical role in adolescent behavioral development, yet whether it affects prosocial and aggressive behaviors and the internal mechanism remains unknown. Therefore, this longitudinal research examined the relationships between adolescent materialism and prosocial and aggressive behaviors, and tested the mediating effect of empathy. In 2015, we recruited 543 adolescents from four junior high schools in Beijing, China (284 girls, 259 boys; M = 11.27 years, SD = 0.51). The participants completed the measures of materialism and demographic information at the initial time point, completed the measure of empathy about one year later, and completed the measures of prosocial and aggressive behaviors after about another year. The hypotheses were tested using a structural model using maximum likelihood estimation. The mediating effects were estimated by taking 1000 bias-corrected bootstraps. The results revealed that materialism was associated with aggressive behavior directly and positively, but had no significant correlation with prosocial behavior. Materialism had an indirect and negative correlation with prosocial behavior via empathy, while no indirect effect of materialism on aggressive behavior was found. The findings add to our knowledge of the dehumanizing nature of materialism by revealing its effect on adolescent behavioral development, as well as the underlying mechanism.

Public Preferences for Introducing a COVID-19 Certificate: A Discrete Choice Experiment in the Netherlands

OBJECTIVE

Here we investigate public preferences for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) certificates in the Netherlands, and whether these preferences differ between subgroups in the population.

METHODS

A survey including a discrete choice experiment was administered to 1500 members of the adult population of the Netherlands. Each participant was asked to choose between hypothetical COVID-19 certificates that differed in seven attributes: the starting date, and whether the certificate allowed gathering with multiple people, shopping without appointment, visiting bars and restaurants, visiting cinemas and theatres, attending events, and practising indoor sports. Latent class models (LCMs) were used to determine the attribute relative importance and predicted acceptance rate of hypothetical certificates.

RESULTS

Three classes of preference patterns were identified in the LCM. One class a priori opposed a certificate (only two attributes influencing preferences), another class was relatively neutral and included all attributes in their decision making, and the final class was positive towards a certificate. Respondents aged > 65 years and those who plan to get vaccinated were more likely to belong to the latter two classes. Being allowed to shop without appointment and to visit bars and restaurants was most important to all respondents, increasing predicted acceptance rate by 12 percentage points.

CONCLUSIONS

Preferences for introduction of a COVID-19 certificate are mixed. A certificate that allows for shopping without appointment and visiting bars and restaurants is likely to increase acceptance. The support of younger citizens and those who plan to get vaccinated seems most sensitive to the specific freedoms granted by a COVID-19 certificate.

Applying ecological systems theory to juvenile legal system interventions outcomes research: a measurement framework

Intervention research and development for youth in the juvenile legal system (JLS) has often focused on recidivism as the primary outcome of interest. Although recidivism is an important outcome, it is ultimately a downstream marker of success and is affected by changes in other domains of youths' lives (e.g., family and peer relations, neighborhood safety, local and state-level policies). Thus, the present manuscript proposes the application of ecological systems theory to selecting outcomes to assess intervention effects in JLS intervention research to better capture proximal and distal influences on youth behavior. To that end, we first provide an overview of the strengths and limitations of using recidivism as an outcome measure. Next, the current application of social ecology theory to existing research on both risk and protective factors of JLS involvement is discussed, as well as existing work on assessing social-ecological domains within intervention studies. Then, a measurement framework is introduced for selecting pertinent domains of youths' social ecologies to assess as intervention outcomes, moderators, and mediators. To facilitate this, we provide examples of concrete constructs and measures that researchers may select. We conclude with potential new avenues of research to which our proposed framework could lead, as well as potential limitations of implementing our framework.

Parentification Vulnerability, Reactivity, Resilience, and Thriving: A Mixed Methods Systematic Literature Review

Parentification occurs when youth are forced to assume developmentally inappropriate parent- or adult-like roles and responsibilities. This review thoroughly examines current empirical research on parentification, its outcomes, and related mechanisms to outline patterns of findings and significant literature gaps. This review is timely in the large context of the COVID-19 pandemic, when pandemic-induced responsibilities and demands on youth, and the shifting family role may exacerbate parentification and its consequences. We used the 2020 updated Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework to identify 95 studies (13 qualitative, 81 quantitative, 1 mixed methods) meeting eligibility criteria. Representation from six continents highlights parentification as a global phenomenon. Using thematic analysis, we identified five themes from qualitative studies and five from quantitative studies. These were further integrated into four common themes: (1) some parentified youth experienced positive outcomes (e.g., positive coping), albeit constructs varied; (2) to mitigate additional trauma, youth employed various protective strategies; (3) common negative outcomes experienced by youth included internalizing behaviors, externalizing problems, and compromised physical health; and (4) youths' characteristics (e.g., rejection sensitivity, attachment style), perceived benefits, and supports influenced parentification outcomes. Future methodological and substantive directions are discussed.

Examination of the Weinberger Adjustment Inventory-Short Form Among Portuguese Young Adults: Psychometrics and Measurement Invariance

The Weinberger Adjustment Inventory-Short Form (WAI-SF) is a multidimensional measure of behavioral adjustment frequently used with forensic, clinical, and community populations. However, no previous studies have examined the WAI-SF from a more modern psychometric perspective including second-order models, measurement invariance and a better estimation of reliability. The current sample is composed of female and male young adults (N = 610, M = 21.33 years, SD = 3.09, range = 18-37) from a university context in Portugal. Results indicated that both the four-factor intercorrelated and the four-factor second order models of the WAI-SF Distress and Restraint scales showed good fits. The WAI-SF Distress and Restraint scales were negatively and significantly correlated, and the intercorrelations between the subscales of each scale ranged from moderate to high. The WAI-SF scales and subscales mostly showed adequate to good reliability in terms of McDonald's Omega and the more traditional Cronbach's Alpha. Strong cross-gender measurement invariance was demonstrated, with females scoring significantly higher than males on the Anxiety subscale of the Distress scale, and on the Suppression of Aggression, Impulse Control, Consideration of Others, Responsibility subscales, and Restraint scale. The WAI-SF scales and subscales showed distinctive correlates with other measures (e.g., low self-control, psychopathy) and variables (e.g., delinquency seriousness, substance use). Considering our findings, the use of the WAI-SF is recommended among the Portuguese young adult population and its use in criminological research is encouraged.

Disrupting the Trauma- To - Prison Pipeline For Justice-Involved Young Women Victimized By Violence

Background

Rates of aggressive offending among Justice-Involved Young Women (JIYW) have increased over the past few decades. Yet, there is little discourse, research, or intervention to address it among young women.

Aims/hypotheses

This study hypothesized that a higher capacity for self-restraint measured on the Weinberger Adjustment Inventory (WAI) scale among 14-18-year-old JIYW would moderate the relationship between the exposure to violence and serious aggressive offending.

Methods

The pathways to desistance project, a multi-site, longitudinal study, included a sample of JIYW aged 14-18 years old (n = 184). The baseline data were analyzed using linear multiple regression.

Results

After controlling for two variables, race and neighborhood conditions, the overall model was significant (F = 8.31 (df = 7,176), p = .001). The predictor variables (exposure to violence and self-restraint) explained 25% of the outcome variable (level of aggressive offending). The moderation result was significant such that higher self-restraint weakens the relationship between exposure to violence and aggressive offending (B = - 0.01, t (176) = -2.39, p = .018).

Conclusions/implications

This study highlights the need to disrupt the trauma- to- prison pipeline by enhancing positive social skills in a trauma-responsive manner, which could mitigate the effect of exposure to violence among JIYW.

Emotional distress among adolescents living with perinatal HIV in India: examining predictors and their mediating and moderating effects

BACKGROUND

Development of emotional distress (ED) among adolescents living with perinatally acquired HIV (ALPHIV) affects their adherence behaviour and social and psychological functioning. Data on stressors among ALPHIV demonstrates the gap on the predictors of ED experienced by 'perinatally infected ALHIV' in the Indian socio-cultural milieu. This study aimed to identify the predictors of ED and examine their mediating and moderating role in the development of ED among Indian ALPHIV.

METHODS

Utilizing the sequential exploratory mixed-methods design, 43 qualitative interviews were conducted with ALPHIV, parents/guardians, and health care providers, followed by the cross-sectional survey among 100 ALPHIV (10-19 years). The distress subscale of the Weinberger Adjustment Inventory was used to measure ED. Qualitative data, analyzed using grounded theory were utilized to develop a survey tool. Bivariate and regression analyses were conducted to identify predictors of ED. Mediation and moderation models were tested to examine underlying mechanisms associated with ED. The study was approved by the institutional ethics committee.

RESULTS

Strong parental control, compulsive asexuality, perceived negatively different from peers, and anger toward parents were the major themes emerging from the qualitative component which eventually led to survey tool domains viz., HIV awareness, parental control, hypervigilance, adolescent-parent relationship, adolescent-parent communication, body image and perceived negatively different from peers (PNDP). Quantitative analysis indicated high ED among ALPHIV and ED was significantly associated with PNDP, anger, body image, and hypervigilance. The relationship between PNDP and ED was significantly mediated by anger, and moderated by body image and hypervigilance.

CONCLUSIONS

The study stresses the need for early mental health interventions for Indian ALPHIV before an ALPHIV develops ED. Focused counseling on anger assessment, body image issues, and self-perception is critical for leading a 'normal' life by ALPHIV. Besides, skill building of primary caregivers is recommended to draw a line between protection and overprotection.

Antisocial personality disorder as a predictor of polydrug use: a longitudinal study of the dual mediating roles of deviant peer association and self-control among juvenile offenders

BACKGROUND

Antisocial personality disorder (APD) has been linked to increased risk for polydrug use (PU). However, there is a dearth of research focusing on the mechanisms underlying this risk.

AIMS

To examine the relationship between APD and PU; to test for the mediating effects of deviant peer association (DVA) and self-control in this relationship; to determine if the magnitudes of observed mediation effects are equivalent.

METHODS

The Pathways to Desistance data were analyzed. Generalized structural equation modeling tested for direct and mediating relationships. Mediation effect equivalence was tested using a Clogg Z test.

RESULTS

Antisocial personality disorder was associated with increased drug use heterogeneity (coefficient = 0.479; CI = 0.107-0.851). This was significantly mediated by self-control and DVA. The magnitude of the mediation was significantly stronger for the self-control path (self-control coefficient = 0.233; CI = 0.044-0.422; DVA coefficient = 0.134; CI = 0.028-0.241).

CONCLUSION

While both self-control and DVA were found to be important for explaining PU in APD, it may be beneficial to focus on self-control to address this problem.

Longitudinal associations between adolescent out-of-school time and adult substance use

INTRODUCTION

Based on Bronfenbrenner's bioecological theory and Bornstein's specificity principle, the purpose of this study was to examine adolescents' time in out-of-school settings as a precursor of three types of problematic substance use in adulthood (i.e., binge drinking, regular marijuana use, and use of illicit drugs).

METHOD

Adolescents (N = 978) reported the time they spent in four common out-of-school settings at ages 15 and 18: unsupervised time with peers, organized sports, other organized activities, and paid employment. At age 26, participants reported binge drinking, marijuana use, and illicit drug use.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

Adolescents' time in out-of-school settings during high school predicted age 26 substance use over and above family and adolescent factors, including adolescents' substance use during high school. Adolescents' unsupervised time with peers increased the odds and frequency of binge drinking and regular marijuana use at age 26. Time in high school organized sports increased the odds of binge drinking at age 26, but not marijuana or illicit drug use. Time spent in other organized activities, such as community service and the arts, lowered the odds of illicit drug use whereas paid employment in high school was not related to age 26 substance use. Aligned with Bornstein's specificity principle, time spent in specific out-of-school settings during adolescence were differentially related to substance use problems in early adulthood, with some activities serving as a risk factor and other activities serving as a protective factor for young adults.

Borderline Personality Disorder as a Predictor of Drug Use Variety: Cognitive Vs. Affective Mechanisms

Borderline personality disorder has been identified as a risk factor for polydrug use. Despite this, there remains a lack of understanding of which characteristics of the disorder provide the mechanisms for this relationship. This study examined a set of constructs as mechanisms explaining the borderline personality disorder-polydrug use relationship that are divided into affective and cognitive categories. The Pathways to Desistance data were used in analyses. Generalized structural equation modeling was used to examine the direct relationship between borderline personality disorder and test for attenuation of this direct effect. A bootstrap resampling process was used to estimate standard errors utilized to specify specific and total indirect effects of mechanism variables and their significance level. Results indicated that greater symptom severity of borderline personality disorder predicted increased drug use variety. This relationship was attenuated by 70% when hypothesized mechanisms were included and became nonsignificant. It appeared that this attenuation was mainly due to sensation-seeking. Findings indicate that interventions for individuals suffering from borderline personality disorder with polydrug use issues may find utility in structuring programming around mitigating sensation-seeking.

The Role of Negative Parental Influences and Criminal Thinking in Juvenile Offending Behaviors

Previous research has established that juveniles who experience negative parental influence are more likely to engage in problem and offending behavior. Less attention has been given to the possibility that criminal thinking styles might partially explain this relationship. This study examined the negative parental influences and criminal thinking styles of 1,354 juvenile offenders to establish that both negative parental influences and criminal thinking are significantly associated with juvenile problem and offending behavior. Further, the analysis showed that juvenile criminal thinking (proactive, reactive, and general) might mediate the relationship between negative parental influences and problem behavior. Implications for such findings are discussed.

Links Between Parenting and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems: Cross-Cultural Evidence from Ten Countries

The present study tested the links between perceived maternal and paternal parenting and internalizing and externalizing problems across ten cultures (China, Czech Republic, Hungary, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, and the United States). Self-report data were collected from N = 12,757 adolescents (M_age = 17.13 years, 48.4% female). Multigroup confirmatory factor analyses and structural equation models tested whether: (1) the six parenting processes (closeness, support, monitoring, communication, peer approval, and conflict; Adolescent Family Process, Short Form (AFP-SF, 18 items) varied across cultures, and (2) the links between parenting processes and measures of internalizing and externalizing problems varied across cultures. Study findings indicated measurement invariance (configural and metric) of both maternal and paternal parenting processes and that the parenting-internalizing/externalizing problems links did not vary across cultures. Findings underscore the ubiquitous importance of parenting processes for internalizing and externalizing problems across diverse Asian, European, Eurasian, and North American cultures.

Associations of Childhood Maltreatment and Attachment Styles with Romantic Breakup Grief Severity: The Role of Emotional Suppression

Childhood maltreatment (CM) and insecure attachment styles may partly explain grief severity following romantic breakup. Empirical studies examining the factors that could possibly explain this association, however, remain sparse. The present study tested whether the relations among CM, attachment styles, and romantic breakup grief severity could be explained by emotional suppression in Iranian college students. In a cross-sectional study, 239 Iranian college students (ages 18-45; M = 24.11, SD = 15.29; 50.6% women) with a recent romantic breakup experience were recruited from University of Tabriz. Participants completed a diagnostic interview and self-report battery, including the Persian version of the Child Abuse Self-Reported Scale, Revised Adult Attachment Scale, Romantic Breakup Grief Inventory, and Weinberger Adjustment Inventory. Structural equation modeling was used to empirically explore the relations among variables. Results indicated that those who reported higher levels of CM also reported higher levels of romantic breakup grief. Attachment closeness showed a significant negative and direct effect on romantic breakup grief severity. However, attachment anxiety was positively associated with greater levels of romantic breakup grief. Bootstrapping results showed that CM might affect romantic breakup grief severity via emotional suppression. Furthermore, attachment closeness and attachment anxiety exerted indirect effects on romantic breakup grief severity through emotional suppression. Clinical and empirical implications are discussed.

Family structure and delinquency: Antisocial cognition as a mediating mechanism

INTRODUCTION

This study investigates the direct and indirect effects of family structure on future delinquency using cognitive insensitivity and cognitive impulsivity as mediators.

METHODS

Employing a sample of 845 middle school students (406 boys, 439 girls), this study examined the effects of family structure on future delinquency and antisocial cognition as students progressed through the middle school years-that is, sixth through eighth grade.

RESULTS

Family structure, assessed as a three-level variable (two-parent home vs. stepparent/grandparent home vs. single-parent home) or as a two-level variable (two-parent/stepparent home vs. other), predicted delinquency 2 years later. Adding antisocial cognition-cognitive insensitivity and cognitive impulsivity-to the model produced significant indirect effects in which both cognitive insensitivity and cognitive impulsivity mediated the family structure-delinquency relationship.

CONCLUSIONS

Based on these results, it would appear that antisocial cognition plays a salient role in the association known to exist between family structure and later delinquency. The research and practical implications of these results include a call for greater use of a mediation methodology when studying the family structure-delinquency relationship and finding ways to assist families in creating control and moral values in their children.

A Network Approach to Compliance: A Complexity Science Understanding of How Rules Shape Behavior

To understand how compliance develops both in everyday and corporate environments, it is crucial to understand how different mechanisms work together to shape individuals' (non)compliant behavior. Existing compliance studies typically focus on a subset of theories (i.e., rational choice theories, social theories, legitimacy theories, capacity theories, and opportunity theories) to understand how key variables from one or several of these theories shape individual compliance. The present study provides a first integrated understanding of compliance, rooted in complexity science, in which key elements from these theories are considered simultaneously, and their relations to compliance and each other are explored using network analysis. This approach is developed by analyzing online survey data (N = 562) about compliance with COVID-19 mitigation measures. Traditional regression analysis shows that elements from nearly all major compliance theories (except for social theories) are associated with compliance. The network analysis revealed groupings and interconnections of variables that did not track the existing compliance theories and point to a complexity overlooked in existing compliance research. These findings demonstrate a fundamentally different perspective on compliance, which moves away from traditional narrow, non-network approaches. Instead, they showcase a complexity science understanding of compliance, in which compliance is understood as a network of interacting variables derived from different theories that interact with compliance. This points to a new research agenda that is oriented on mapping compliance networks, and testing and modelling how regulatory and management interventions interact with each other and compliance within such networks.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10551-022-05128-8.

Adolescents' adherence to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND

The outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the United States resulted in safety guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) intended to curb the spread of the virus. Adolescents are potentially at risk for disregarding these guidelines due to their reduced psychosocial maturity compared with adults. The current study examined the relationship between adolescents' psychosocial maturity, perceived importance of the CDC guidelines and adherence to the CDC guidelines within some of the highest risk groups for contracting COVID-19 in a county particularly impacted by the pandemic (i.e., Hispanic and low-SES youth in El Paso, Texas).

METHODS

Participants completed a phone interview with a research assistant regarding their thoughts and behaviours in the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Adolescents (N = 68) were 15.38 years old on average (SD = 1.05, range = 13, 17), predominantly male (60.3%) and nearly exclusively Hispanic/Latino (94.1%).

RESULTS

Results indicated that although more psychosocially mature adolescents reported greater adherence to the CDC guidelines than less psychosocially mature adolescents, the association between psychosocial maturity and adherence was fully mediated by how important adolescents felt it was to follow the guidelines. Specifically, greater perceived importance was associated with greater adherence to the guidelines.

CONCLUSIONS

The current study found that more psychosocially mature adolescents adhere to CDC's safety guidelines better than less psychosocially mature adolescents because they are more likely to view the guidelines as important. Information that attempts to increase adolescent adherence to the guidelines should therefore emphasize not only that following the guidelines is important, but why following the guidelines is so important. Less psychosocially mature adolescents may benefit most from interventions efforts and targeted messages regarding the importance of following the CDC's guidelines, as more psychosocially mature adolescents already recognize this importance.

Immigrants, Crime, and the American Dream: Testing a Segmented Assimilation Theory of Crime

The immigrant-crime relationship is often misunderstood and highly complex. To date, criminological research has largely ignored theory testing of this relationship. This paper examines the extant literature on intergenerational offending amongst immigrant youth and subsequently tests whether the segmented assimilation theory- a theory borrowed from the interdisciplinary social sciences- adequately explains immigrant offending. The study uses data (N = 1,267) from the Pathways to Desistance Study (PTD) to examine intergenerational differences in changes to offending between immigrant youth and the native-born. The analyses largely reveal that the theory, based on its original assumptions, fails to adequately explain youth offending, and that the models provide more support for the straight-line theory of assimilation in regards to delinquency. Limitations and recommendations are discussed and proffered, respectively.

Empathy, Self-control, Callous-Unemotionality, and Delinquency: Unique and Shared Developmental Antecedents

The current investigation tested childhood developmental antecedents of adolescent empathy, self-control, callous-unemotionality, and delinquency, namely difficult temperament, positive socialization experiences, and intelligence; it also tested potential mediation effects of temperament via socialization. Data were collected as part of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Early Child Care and Youth Development Study, which followed N = 1364 children from birth through 15 years (51% female, 80% European American). Early positive socialization (maternal sensitivity, secure attachment, and quality home environment) and temperament variables were assessed from 1 to 36 months, intelligence at age 9, and self-control, empathy, callous-unemotionality, and delinquency at age 15. Based on structural equation modeling hypothesis tests, early positive socialization positively predicted self-control and empathy, and negatively predicted callous-unemotionality and delinquency. Intelligence uniquely and positively predicted empathy. Difficult infant temperament indirectly predicted each of the four traits through early positive socialization. Important research and practical implications are discussed.

Parenting, Peers and Psychosocial Adjustment: Are the Same-or Different-Children Affected by Each?

The prospective research presented herein extends work on parent and peer effects on adolescent psychosocial adjustment by looking beyond average effects. Instead, it considers variation in susceptibility to each source of influence in order to assess the extent to which those individuals most and least susceptible to parent effects are similarly-or differentially-susceptible to peer effects. Data from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (n = 1364, 48.3% female, age range: 10-15 yrs., race/ethnicity: 80.4% white, 12.9% black and 6.7% other) was analyzed to assess the degree to which each child was susceptible to parent and peer effects. Toward this end, an influence statistic, DFBETAS, was used. A significant and moderate positive association between the two susceptibility effects indicated that children most or least susceptible to the effects of quality of parenting proved to be similarly affected by their peers, although this was not the case for a substantial minority of youth. The fact that at least some children vary dramatically in the effects to which they are most susceptible is discussed with respect to potential targets of intervention, namely, parents or peers.

A Within-Individual Examination of the Predictors of Gun Carrying During Adolescence and Young Adulthood Among Young Men

Although prior studies have identified several risk factors for gun carrying, no prior longitudinal studies have examined a comprehensive set of explanatory factors together in within-individual change models or examined whether the predictors of gun carrying change across adolescence and early young adulthood. The present study fills these gaps by examining the predictive utility of several risk factors for gun carrying, and by examining whether any of the associations vary by age. The sample included 1216 young men who were arrested for the first time during adolescence (approximately 15 years old) and interviewed regularly for 5 years (until approximately 20 years old) after the first arrest. The outcome was youth-self-reported gun carrying and the risk factors included several variables consistent with various explanations for gun carrying (psychosocial maturity deficits; antisocial behavioral style; socialization; victimization). Research questions were addressed with fixed effects dynamic panel models (within-individual change models). Results showed that the most robust predictors of gun carrying were increased exposure to guns and gun-related violence and increased engagement in other antisocial and illegal behavior. The results emphasize the specific etiology of gun carrying and the potential social contagion effect of gun-related events. Overall, the study points to the need for prevention and intervention programs to specifically target the reduction of the real and perceived prevalence of gun-related events in young men's lives.

Social distancing in America: Understanding long-term adherence to COVID-19 mitigation recommendations

A crucial question in the governance of infectious disease outbreaks is how to ensure that people continue to adhere to mitigation measures for the longer duration. The present paper examines this question by means of a set of cross-sectional studies conducted in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic, in May, June, and July of 2020. Using stratified samples that mimic the demographic characteristics of the U.S. population, it seeks to understand to what extent Americans continued to adhere to social distancing measures in the period after the first lockdown ended. Moreover, it seeks to uncover which variables sustained (or undermined) adherence across this period. For this purpose, we examined a broad range of factors, relating to people's (1) knowledge and understanding of the mitigation measures, (2) perceptions of their costs and benefits, (3) perceptions of legitimacy and procedural justice, (4) personal factors, (5) social environment, and (6) practical circumstances. Our findings reveal that adherence was chiefly shaped by three major factors: respondents adhered more when they (a) had greater practical capacity to adhere, (b) morally agreed more with the measures, and (c) perceived the virus as a more severe health threat. Adherence was shaped to a lesser extent by impulsivity, knowledge of social distancing measures, opportunities for violating, personal costs, and descriptive social norms. The results also reveal, however, that adherence declined across this period, which was partly explained by changes in people's moral alignment, threat perceptions, knowledge, and perceived social norms. These findings show that adherence originates from a broad range of factors that develop dynamically across time. Practically these insights help to improve pandemic governance, as well as contributing theoretically to the study of compliance and the way that rules come to shape behavior.

The dual mediating roles of impulsivity and emotion regulation of the borderline personality disorder-violence relationship: A structural equation modeling approach

Although the past research has indicated that features of borderline personality disorder (BPD) increase the risk for violence, much less research has examined the mediators of this relationship. This study examined the mediating roles that impulsivity and emotion dysregulation may play in explaining the relationship between BPD and violence. The Pathways to Desistance data were used in analyses. Generalized structural equation modeling was used to estimate the direct effect of BPD features on violent offending risk and to examine the mediating roles of emotion dysregulation and impulsivity. Results indicated that the direct effect of BPD symptoms on violence was mediated to non-significance by key constructs, and the magnitude of the effect was reduced by around 40%. The total indirect effect was significant, and the mediation was attributed mainly to impulsivity. This indicates the importance of structuring treatment programming for BPD patients around impulsivity for reducing violence. Programming focused on improving impulsivity among individuals suffering from BPD may aid in reducing violent offending among this population, particularly those prior histories of involvement with the criminal justice system.

Crossroads in juvenile justice: The impact of initial processing decision on youth 5 years after first arrest

The current study advances past research by studying the impact of juvenile justice decision making with a geographically and ethnically diverse sample (N = 1,216) of adolescent boys (ages 13-17 years) for the 5 years following their first arrest. Importantly, all youth in the study were arrested for an eligible offense of moderate severity (e.g., assault, theft) to evaluate whether the initial decision to formally (i.e., sentenced before a judge) or informally (i.e., diverted to community service) process the youth led to differences in outcomes. The current study also advanced past research by using a statistical approach that controlled for a host of potential preexisting vulnerabilities that could influence both the processing decision and the youth's outcomes. Our findings indicated that youth who were formally processed during adolescence were more likely to be re-arrested, more likely to be incarcerated, engaged in more violence, reported a greater affiliation with delinquent peers, reported lower school enrollment, were less likely to graduate high school within 5 years, reported less ability to suppress aggression, and had lower perceptions of opportunities than informally processed youth. Importantly, these findings were not moderated by the age of the youth at his first arrest or his race and ethnicity. These results have important implications for juvenile justice policy by indicating that formally processing youth not only is costly, but it can reduce public safety and reduce the adolescent's later potential contributions to society.

Risk and Protective Factors for Gun Violence in Male Juvenile Offenders

OBJECTIVE

To examine several risk and protective factors as predictors of future gun violence among male juvenile offenders.

METHOD

Data came from a longitudinal cohort of 1,170 male juvenile offenders (42.1% Black; 34.0% Latino; 19.2% White) ages 14-19 who were adjudicated for a serious offense. Interviews were conducted with participants every 6 months for 3 years and then annually for 4 years. The outcome was self-reported gun violence assessed at each follow-up. The time-lagged predictors included several self-reported risk factors (i.e., gun carrying, non-gun violence, drug dealing, heavy drinking, poor impulse control, rewards for crime, peer gun carrying, peer non-gun delinquency, gang membership) and protective factors (i.e., concern for others, expectations, and aspirations for work/family, religious beliefs, adult social supports). The data were analyzed using generalized estimating equation models.

RESULTS

There were 266 participants who reported engaging in gun violence at one or more assessments. Gun carrying was a significant predictor of future gun violence; however, nearly half (49%) of the juveniles who reported gun carrying across the repeated assessments did not report engaging in gun violence. Besides gun carrying, several risk (i.e., drug dealing, heavy drinking, rewards for crime, gang membership, peer gun carrying) and protective (i.e., concern for others, aspirations for work/family, religious beliefs, adult social supports) factors significantly predicted gun violence, after controlling for their co-occurrence (Risk factor odds ratios = 1.18-1.50; Protective factor odds ratios =.44-.87; ps<.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Interventions designed to prevent gun violence among juvenile offenders should reduce targeted risk factors, while strengthening protective factors that may offset these risks.

Family Processes, Parenting Practices, and Psychosocial Maturity of Chinese Youths: A Latent Variable Interaction and Mediation Analysis

Development of psychosocial maturity has profound implications for youths’ well-being and positive development in the long run. Nevertheless, little research has investigated the way family socialization contributes to youths’ psychosocial maturity. Both the concepts of family socialization and psychosocial maturity are multifaceted and latent, which may lead to biased results if studied by manifest variables. Also, no existing research has discovered how different family socialization components interact latently to contribute to youths’ psychosocial maturity. The current study, based on a sample of 533 Chinese parent-youth dyads, examined the effects of family socialization by positive family processes and authoritative parenting, and their latent interaction in an integrated moderation and mediation modeling framework on Chinese youths’ psychosocial maturity. Results showed that both positive family processes and authoritative parenting, and their latent interaction significantly predicted the higher psychosocial maturity of Chinese youths. Authoritative parenting acted as a mediator for the relationship between positive family processes and Chinese youths’ psychosocial maturity. Furthermore, the mediating effect of authoritative parenting was conditioned by different contexts of positive family processes, the strongest and least strong effects found in high and low positive family processes, respectively, and moderate effect observed in medium positive family processes. Findings of the current study contribute to our understanding of the complicated family mechanism in relation to youth development, especially in this digital era.

Personality traits and male vulnerability to commercial sexual exploitation victimisation

BACKGROUND

There has been little research into whether personality traits increase vulnerability to serious forms of recurring victimisation, such as commercial sexual exploitation of young people.

AIMS

To investigate whether impulsivity, emotional dysregulation or high psychopathy scale scores indicative of personality traits increase vulnerability to commercial sexual exploitation.

METHODS

Data were used from the longitudinal Pathways to Desistance Study 1170 justice-involved men who were aged 14-19 at baseline data collection. Ninety-eight (8%) reported having been commercially sexually exploited during adolescence or young adulthood. We investigated whether personality traits measured at baseline were related to such victimisation.

RESULTS

Results of binomial logistic regression among the young men in this sample indicated that Factor 1 scores on the Psychopathy Checklist-Youth Version (PCL-YV), reflecting affective and interpersonal features, are associated with having been commercially sexually exploited, while impulsivity, emotional dysregulation and Factor 2 PCL-YV, reflecting antisocial activities, were not. Having been a victim of other violence and being a member of a cultural or ethnic minority group were also independently related to being exploited.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Our findings show that individual differences in personality, such as fearless temperament and boredom susceptibility, could differentially disadvantage young people, and put them at greater risk of commercial sexual exploitation. This knowledge could be beneficial to prevention efforts supporting male adolescents at risk for victimisation by commercial sexual exploitation, and to shed new light on the theoretical understanding of vulnerability to it.

Do callous-unemotional traits moderate the effects of the juvenile justice system on later offending behavior?

BACKGROUND

Research suggests that callous-unemotional (CU) traits, a recent addition to psychiatric classification of serious conduct problems, may moderate the influence of a number of contextual factors (e.g., parenting, deviant peer influence) on an adolescent's adjustment. The current study sought to replicate past research showing that formal processing through the juvenile justice system increases recidivism and tested the novel hypothesis that CU traits would moderate the relationship between processing decision and future antisocial behavior.

METHODS

A diverse sample of first-time male offenders (N = 1,216; M age = 15.12, SD = 1.29) in three regions of the United States was assessed within 6 weeks of their first arrest and then at 6-month intervals for 36 months.

RESULTS

Compared to those who were informally processed (i.e., diverted), adolescents formally processed through the court were at a higher risk of self-reported offending and rearrests as measured by official records, after controlling for preexisting risk factors. However, baseline CU traits moderated this association such that those with high CU traits reported offending at high rates across the subsequent three years regardless of how the juvenile justice system processed their case.

CONCLUSIONS

CU traits are important to psychiatric classification for designating a subgroup of antisocial youth who may respond differently to contextual influences, including being less susceptible to the negative effects of juvenile justice system involvement. The public health significance of this moderation is significant by suggesting that previous estimates of the harmful impact of formal processing by the juvenile justice system may underestimate its impact, given that the majority of arrested adolescents have normative levels of CU traits.

Social distancing in America: Understanding long-term adherence to COVID-19 mitigation recommendations

A crucial question in the governance of infectious disease outbreaks is how to ensure that people continue to adhere to mitigation measures for the longer duration. The present paper examines this question by means of a set of cross-sectional studies conducted in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic, in May, June, and July of 2020. Using stratified samples that mimic the demographic characteristics of the U.S. population, it seeks to understand to what extent Americans continued to adhere to social distancing measures in the period after the first lockdown ended. Moreover, it seeks to uncover which variables sustained (or undermined) adherence across this period. For this purpose, we examined a broad range of factors, relating to people's (1) knowledge and understanding of the mitigation measures, (2) perceptions of their costs and benefits, (3) perceptions of legitimacy and procedural justice, (4) personal factors, (5) social environment, and (6) practical circumstances. Our findings reveal that adherence was chiefly shaped by three major factors: respondents adhered more when they (a) had greater practical capacity to adhere, (b) morally agreed more with the measures, and (c) perceived the virus as a more severe health threat. Adherence was shaped to a lesser extent by impulsivity, knowledge of social distancing measures, opportunities for violating, personal costs, and descriptive social norms. The results also reveal, however, that adherence declined across this period, which was partly explained by changes in people's moral alignment, threat perceptions, knowledge, and perceived social norms. These findings show that adherence originates from a broad range of factors that develop dynamically across time. Practically these insights help to improve pandemic governance, as well as contributing theoretically to the study of compliance and the way that rules come to shape behavior.

From early care and education to adult problem behaviors: A prevention pathway through after-school organized activities

Motivated by Edward Zigler's proposition that programs serving children (birth through 12 years) can have long-term effects on well-being and development, we used data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (N = 1,258) to test two pathways by which early care and education (ECE) are linked to after-school organized activities in middle childhood and to problem behaviors in late adolescence and adulthood. In support of an activities pathway, we found children with more ECE hours and more epochs in center-based ECE settings from 1 to 54 months had more epochs in after-school organized activities from kindergarten to 5th grade, which then predicted less impulsivity and less police contact at age 26. In support of a child pathway, we found that more ECE hours and more epochs in center-based ECE settings were linked to externalizing problems in early childhood, which then predicted higher problem behaviors in middle childhood, late adolescence, and adulthood. Together, these pathways underscored the potential of direct and indirect links of ECE and after-school organized activities in relation to later development.

Pathway linking dispositional mindfulness to fatigue in oncology female nurses: Exploring the mediating role of emotional suppression

PURPOSE

Fatigue is a physical and emotional state associated with certain aspects of nursing practice. The current study aimed to investigate the indirect effect of dispositional mindfulness on fatigue via emotional suppression in oncology female nurses.

METHODS

In a cross-sectional study, 137 female oncology nurses were recruited from several hospitals to complete baseline questionnaires. Emotional suppression, dispositional mindfulness and fatigue were assessed with the Weinberger Adjustment Inventory (WAI), Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) and the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI) respectively. A Mediation model was tested using structural equation modelling.

FINDINGS

Dispositional mindfulness was negatively associated with emotional suppression (β = -0.69, p = 0.000). In addition, emotional suppression was positively associated with fatigue (β = 0.32, p = 0.014). The mediation path was significant with emotional suppression fully mediating the relationship between dispositional mindfulness and fatigue (b = -0.20 [CI: -0.01, -0.25].

DISCUSSION

These results support the proposed model, and the assumption that emotional suppression may help facilitate the onset of fatigue or maintain it in female oncology nurses. The findings have implications for the use of brief mindfulness interventions aimed at the effective regulation of emotion in oncology nurses to aid in well-being and optimal nursing practice.

Developmental Pathways to BPD-Related Features in Adolescence: Infancy to Age 15

The self-damaging behaviors central to borderline personality disorder (BPD) become prominent in adolescence. Current developmental theories cite both early family processes and childhood dysregulation as contributors to BPD, but longitudinal data from infancy are rare. Using the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development database (SECCYD; N = 1,364), we examined path models to evaluate parent and child contributors from infancy/preschool, middle childhood, and adolescence to adolescent BPD-related features. In addition, person-centered latent class analyses (LCA) investigated whether adolescent BPD-related features were more strongly predicted by particular patterns of maladaptive parenting. Path modeling identified unique influences of maternal insensitivity and maternal depression on BPD-related features, first, through social-emotional dysregulation in middle childhood, and second, through continuity from infancy in maternal insensitivity and depression. LCA results indicated that early withdrawn parenting was particularly predictive of BPD-related features in adolescence. Results suggest multiple points of intervention to alter pathways toward adolescent borderline psychopathology.

Callous-Unemotional Traits and Risk of Gun Carrying and Use During Crime

OBJECTIVE

With the addition of the "with limited prosocial emotions" specifier within the diagnosis of conduct disorder (DSM-5) and of conduct-dissocial disorder (ICD-11) to designate those with elevated callous-unemotional traits, the authors examined the role that callous-unemotional traits play in the risk for gun carrying and gun use during a crime in a sample at high risk for gun violence.

METHODS

Male juvenile offenders (N=1,215) from three regions of the United States were assessed after their first arrest and then reassessed every 6 months for 36 months and again at 48 months. Callous-unemotional traits and peer gun carrying and ownership were measured via self-report after the first arrest (i.e., baseline). Gun carrying and use of a gun during a crime were self-reported at all follow-up points.

RESULTS

Callous-unemotional traits at baseline increased the frequency of gun carrying and the likelihood of using a gun during a crime across the subsequent 4 years after accounting for other risk factors. Furthermore, callous-unemotional traits moderated the relationship between peer gun carrying and ownership and participant gun carrying, such that only participants low on callous-unemotional traits demonstrated increased gun carrying as a function of their peers' gun carrying and ownership.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrates the importance of considering callous-unemotional traits in gun violence research both because callous-unemotional traits increase gun carrying and use in adolescents and because the traits may moderate other key risk factors. Notably, the influence of peer gun carrying and ownership may have been underestimated in past research for the majority of adolescents by not considering the moderating influence of callous-unemotional traits.

Psychosocial Adjustment in Ugandan Children: Coping With Human Immunodeficiency Virus Exposure, Lifetime Adversity, and Importance of Social Support

Cumulative lifetime adversity and social support were investigated as determinants of psychosocial adjustment (esteem, distress, hopefulness, positive outlook/future aspirations, and sense of purpose) over 12 months in 6-10-years-old HIV-infected, HIV-exposed uninfected and HIV-unexposed uninfected children from Uganda. Each determinant and psychosocial adjustment indicator was self-reported using standardized questionnaires administered at baseline, 6, and 12 months. Linear mixed effects models were used to relate time-varying lifetime adversity and social support to psychosocial adjustment over 12 months. Regardless of HIV status, higher adversity predicted lower esteem (coefficient b = -2.98, 95% confidence interval (CI): [-4.62, -1.35]) and increased distress (b =3.96, 95% CI: [1.29, 6.62]) but was not associated with hopefulness, positive outlook or sense of purpose. Low social support predicted higher distress (b =9.05, 95% CI: [7.36, 10.73]), lower positive outlook (b = -10.56, 95% CI: [-2.34, -8.79]) and low sense of purpose (b = -9.90, 95% CI: [-11.44, -8.36]) over 12 months. Pragmatic interventions that enhance coping with adversity and provide emotional/instrumental support should be tested for effectiveness in promoting resilient psychosocial adjustment trajectory in vulnerable children.

What makes a "successful" psychopath? Longitudinal trajectories of offenders' antisocial behavior and impulse control as a function of psychopathy

Psychopathy is a considerable risk factor for violent behavior. However, many psychopathic individuals refrain from antisocial and criminal acts. The mechanisms underlying the formation of this "successful" phenotype are uncertain. We tested a compensatory model of "successful" psychopathy, which posits that relatively "successful" psychopathic individuals develop greater conscientious traits that serve to inhibit their heightened antisocial impulses. To test this model, we examined the 7-year longitudinal Research on Pathways to Desistance study of 1,354 adjudicated adolescents. Higher initial psychopathy was associated with steeper increases in general inhibitory control and the inhibition of aggression over time. This effect was magnified among "successful" offenders (i.e., those who reoffended less). These findings support our compensatory model, suggesting that psychopathic individuals who develop greater self-regulatory control over their antisocial impulses become relatively more "successful" than their less regulated counterparts. Moreover, our results speak of the importance of the five-factor model for understanding psychopathy and the crucial role of conscientiousness in the form that psychopathic individuals take. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Traumatic brain injury and adverse psychological effects: Examining a potential pathway to aggressive offending

Contemporary scholarship has demonstrated an association between traumatic brain injury (TBI) during adolescence and aggressive offending. Research, however, has yet to identify any mechanisms linking TBI to subsequent aggressive offending. Consequently, the current study hypothesized that adverse psychological effects is one such pathway. The current study used the Pathways to Desistance data set (n = 416) to examine the pathway of TBI to aggressive offending through adverse psychological effects. The findings of the structural equation model supported the hypothesized association. Specifically, increased exposure to TBI was indirectly associated with aggressive offending through adverse psychological effects. An additional supplemental analysis illustrated that a direct link between TBI and aggressive offending did not exist for the analytical sample. The findings suggested that the neurological disruptions commonly associated with TBI could result in direct increases in negative psychological outcomes and indirect increases in subsequent negative behavioral outcomes.

Longitudinal association between callous-unemotional traits and friendship quality among adjudicated adolescents

INTRODUCTION

Youth with callous-unemotional (CU) traits show severe and chronic forms of antisocial behavior, as well as deficits in socioaffiliative processes, such as empathy, guilt, and prosocial behavior. Adolescence represents a critical developmental window when these socioaffiliative processes can help to deepen the strength of supportive peer friendships. However, few studies have explored the relationship between CU traits and friendship quality during adolescence. In the current study, we used data from the Pathways to Desistance dataset to examine reciprocal and longitudinal associations between CU traits and friendship quality at three assessment points separated by 6 months each during adolescence.

METHODS

The sample included adolescents who had interacted with the justice system (age at baseline, M = 16.04, SD = 1.14; N = 1354; 13.6% female). CU traits were assessed using the callousness scale of the self-reported Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory and friendship quality using a scale adapted from the Quality of Relationships Inventory. Models accounted for co-occurring aggression, impulsive-irresponsible traits, grandiose-manipulative traits, age, gender, location, and race.

RESULTS

At every assessment point, CU traits were uniquely related to lower friendship quality. Moreover, we found evidence for reciprocal effects between the first two assessment points, such that CU traits were related to decreases in friendship quality over time, while lower friendship quality simultaneously predicted increases in CU traits across the same period.

CONCLUSIONS

Interventions for CU traits could benefit from including specific modules that target the social processes associated with adaptive and successful friendships, including empathic listening and other-orientated thinking.

Perceived Gun Access and Gun Carrying Among Male Adolescent Offenders

Gun violence takes a significant toll on adolescents in the United States, and there is a lack of longitudinal research on perceptual factors that drive gun carrying. Notably, there is no information on the relationship between perception of gun accessibility and gun carrying. Using data collected between 2000 and 2006 in the Pathways to Desistance Study, we examine the effects of perceived access to guns in a sample of adolescent offenders. A generalized estimating equations approach tested the effect of perceived gun access along with other known risk factors for gun carrying across time. Even after adjusting for these other risk factors, perceived gun access was significantly related to future carrying. Our findings support self-reported gun availability as a significant, population-based risk factor related to gun carrying in high-risk youth. Further research on how perceived access mediates the decision to carry guns would be valuable for formulating effective gun policy.

Reward-Related Brain Activity Prospectively Predicts Increases in Alcohol Use in Adolescents

OBJECTIVE

Altered activity within reward-related neural regions, including the ventral striatum (VS) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), is associated with concurrent problematic substance use. The aims of the present study were (a) to identify patterns of reward-related neural activity that prospectively predicted changes in alcohol use 2 years after magnetic resonance imaging in a sample of adolescents, and (b) to examine whether these patterns differed by sex. We also tested whether depression symptoms or impulsivity mediated associations between neural activity and future alcohol use.

METHOD

Participants were 262 adolescents (129 male and 133 female) of Mexican origin who completed the Monetary Incentive Delay task during a functional magnetic resonance imaging scan at age 16. Participants reported on their alcohol use at ages 16 and 18.

RESULTS

Results indicated that different patterns of reward-related neural activity predicted future increases in alcohol use for male and female adolescents. In boys, higher VS activity during reward anticipation and average ventral mPFC activity during reward feedback predicted increases in alcohol use from age 16 to 18 years; in girls, higher dorsal mPFC activity and blunted VS activity during reward anticipation predicted increases in alcohol use from age 16 to 18 years. Depression symptoms or impulsivity did not mediate these associations.

CONCLUSION

The results suggest that different pathways of risk may lead to problematic alcohol use for adolescent boys and girls. These sex differences in neural risk pathways have important implications for prevention and intervention approaches targeting Mexican-origin youth.

Self-reported traumatic brain injury during key developmental stages: examining its effect on co-occurring psychological symptoms in an adjudicated sample

Primary Objective: Prior research has demonstrated that traumatic brain injury (TBI) is associated with individual psychological symptoms. These findings, however, may not pertain to the influence of TBI during key developmental stages on the co-occurrence of negative psychological symptoms.Research Design: It was hypothesized that (H1) self-reported TBI is associated with adverse psychological effects, that (H2) self-reported TBI during adolescences is associated with both immediate and delayed adverse psychological effects, and finally, (H3) self-reported TBI during the early stages of adulthood is not associated with immediate psychological effects.Methods and Procedures: The current study employed a sample of adjudicated youth (N: 419 to 562) and structural equation modeling to estimate the association between self-reported TBI and subsequent adverse psychological effects.Results: Findings suggested that higher levels of self-reported TBI during adolescence were associated with higher levels of adverse psychological effects. These effects were both immediate and delayed. However, higher levels of self-reported TBI during adulthood were not associated with immediate adverse psychological effects.Conclusion: Overall, the findings suggest that deleterious outcomes related to self-reported TBI during key developmental stages include proximal and long-term adverse psychological effects.

Risky Sexual Behavior among Arrested Adolescent Males: The Role of Future Expectations and Impulse Control

The current study evaluates two predictors of adolescent sexual risk-taking, specifically whether impulse control or future expectations predict condom use and casual sex. We examine whether risky sex occurs among youth who tend to act without thinking about the future, or instead, youth who report low future expectations. We consider these relations longitudinally among a sample of sexually active justice-involved adolescent males (N = 752, M age = 15.58) a group at heightened risk for sexual risk-taking. We found that optimistic expectations for the future predict a higher likelihood of engaging in consistent condom use, whereas high impulse control is related to a lower likelihood of casual sex. Implications for intervention and research on positive sexual health are discussed.