The Association between Coparenting Behavior and Internalizing/Externalizing Problems of Children and Adolescents: A Meta-Analysis

This study aimed to determine the association between coparenting behavior and children's externalizing and internalizing problems and possible factors that may moderate their associations. A meta-analysis of 93 studies involving 41,207 participants found that coparenting behavior was slightly and significantly related to externalizing problems, r = -0.17, 95% CI [-0.194, -0.15], and internalizing problems, r = -0.16, 95% CI [-0.18, -0.14]. In addition, coparenting integrity, cooperation, conflict, competitiveness, and triangulation were significantly related to externalizing and internalizing problems. Moderation analyses revealed the following findings: (a) data reporter moderated the association between coparenting and internalizing problems, with children-report coparenting showing a significantly stronger relation with internalizing symptom than father-report coparenting; (b) developmental stage was found to moderate the association between coparenting behavior and externalizing problems, with stronger association found in childhood than in toddlerhood; (c) female percentage, individualism-collectivism culture, research methods, and publication year were not found to moderate the association between coparenting behavior and externalizing or internalizing problems. These findings help summarize the previous studies and provide an empirical basis for the relation between coparenting and child externalizing/internalizing problems, and benefits targeted interventions towards coparenting behaviors.

Adolescents’ Post-Divorce Sense of Belonging

Abstract. A considerable number of children face the divorce or separation of their parents globally every year. As parental divorce is often accompanied by changes in the home and social environment of adolescents, they may experience a diminished sense of belonging to one or multiple social contexts, such as the family, school, peer group, or neighborhood, which can, in turn, influence their post-divorce adjustment. To gain insight into the mechanisms and conditions that affect adolescents’ sense of belonging following parental divorce, we have reviewed empirical research from multiple disciplines from a bio-ecological perspective. This review has shown that adolescents’ sense of belonging can be an important protective factor after parental divorce, and is affected by processes at the micro-, meso-, exo-, and macrolevel. However, extensive knowledge on the determinants and mechanisms that affect adolescents’ belonging in the context of divorce remains lacking. Recommendations for future research are given, as a more thorough understanding of the factors that promote the belonging of adolescents in divorced families can be an important next step in promoting a higher quality of life for adolescents after parental divorce.

The Impact of Interparental Conflicts on Online Game Addiction Symptomatology: The Mediating Roles of the Parent-Adolescent Relationship and Loneliness in Adolescents

Many studies have documented the close association that exists between interparental conflicts and the symptomatology of online game addiction. However, the underlying mechanism that drives this association has not been fully investigated. This cross-sectional study explores the effect of interparental conflicts on online game addiction symptomatology in adolescents, focusing on the mediating effects of the parent-adolescent relationship and of adolescent loneliness. A total of 553 middle school students completed a questionnaire that included: a perception of interparental conflict scale, a level of closeness to parents scale, a short UCLA Loneliness scale, and an online game addiction symptomatology scale. Results showed that interparental conflicts, parent-adolescent relations, and adolescent loneliness are all significantly related to online game addiction symptomatology in adolescents. Structural equation modeling results indicate that the effects of interparental conflicts on adolescent online game addiction symptomatology are partially mediated by the parent-adolescent relationship and by adolescent loneliness.

The Association between Interparental Conflict and Youth Anxiety: A Three-level Meta-analysis

Anxiety in youth has been found to be a risk factor for the development of psychological problems and psychiatric symptoms in adulthood. Interparental conflict is considered an important factor in the emergence of symptoms of youth anxiety because conflicts between parents negatively affect parent-child and sibling relationships. Whereas some meta-analyses have investigated the association between interparental conflict and youth anxiety, the exact roles of certain moderators in this association are still not fully clear. Based on the PRISMA method, the present study used a three-level meta-analysis to obtain reliable estimates of effect sizes and examined a range of moderators (sample, publication, study design and outcome, and assessment characteristics). After a systematic search for articles published before September 2020, the present study identified 38 studies, with 12,380 young people and 222 effect sizes. The analysis revealed a significant positive association between interparental conflict and youth anxiety. Moreover, the present study found a significant moderating effect of interparental conflict variable. More specifically, youth anxiety was more strongly associated with parents' use of overt conflict style than with their use of cooperative conflict style. Study design was also found to be a significant moderator of the association between interparental conflict and youth anxiety. This association was smaller in longitudinal than in cross-sectional studies. Finally, the present results demonstrated that informant of interparental conflict was a significant moderator. A stronger correlation between these two variables was found when interparental conflict was reported by children than by parents. The results support the growing consensus that interparental conflict should be addressed when treating youth anxiety.

The Relationship of Physical Activity From Physical Education with Perceived Peer Acceptance Across Childhood and Adolescence

BACKGROUND

Although physical activity can play a positive role in psychosocial development, few studies have longitudinally examined the relationship between physical activity from physical education (PA from PE) and perceived peer acceptance (PPA).

METHODS

Data from the Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey were used with 1908 elementary students from the first (age 10 years) to the 4-year panel (age 13 years), and 1954 middle-school students from the first (age 14 years) to the 4-year panel (age 17 years). We analyzed the data using latent curve modeling.

RESULTS

In childhood, an increase in the amount of PA from PE over time positively corresponds with positive linear tendency of PPA over time. In adolescence, a decrease in the amount of PA from PE over time negatively corresponds with positive linear tendency toward PPA over time. Thus, PPA changes are positively associated with PA from PE across both childhood and adolescence.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data suggest that the amount of PA obtained in PE is salient to perceived peer acceptance of both children and adolescents. Other variables (eg, friendship, self-presentational processes) that might affect this relationship should be explored.

Longitudinal Transmission of Conflict Management Styles Across Inter-Parental and Adolescent Relationships

This study longitudinally investigated transmission of conflict management styles across inter-parental, adolescent-parent, adolescent-friend, and adolescent-partner relationships. During four waves, 799 middle-to-late adolescents (M_age-t1  = 15.80; 54% boys) and their parents completed the Conflict Resolution Style Inventory. Cross-lagged path analyses indicated transmission of adolescent conflict management styles in relationships with parents to relationships with friends and romantic partners: Positive problem solving and conflict engagement utilized by adolescents in conflicts with parents were significantly, positively related to, respectively, adolescent positive problem solving and conflict engagement in relationships with friends 1 year later and relationships with partners 2 years later. Thus, the study showed that the way adolescents manage conflicts with parents predicts how they handle conflicts later in relationships outside the family.

The importance of friendship for youth with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

It is well-established that youth with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are often peer-rejected and rated by parents, teachers, and observers to have poor social skills, when compared to typically developing peers. Significantly less research, however, has been devoted to the experiences youth with ADHD have in their close friendships. The aim of this article is to draw attention to friendship as a distinct construct from peer rejection and social skills and to summarize what is known about youth with ADHD in their friendships. The potential for stable, high-quality friendships to buffer the negative outcomes typically conferred by peer rejection in this population is discussed. This article concludes with recommendations for interventions that specifically target improving the close friendships of youth with ADHD as a treatment strategy.