Parent-child separation and intergenerational transmission of substance use and disorder: Testing across three generations

There is evidence for intergenerational transmission of substance use and disorder. However, it is unclear whether separation from a parent with substance use disorder (SUD) moderates intergenerational transmission, and no studies have tested this question across three generations. In a three-generation study of families oversampled for familial SUD, we tested whether separation between father (G1; first generation) and child (G2; second generation) moderated the effect of G1 father SUDs on G2 child SUDs. We also tested whether separation between father (G2) and child (G3; third generation) moderated the effect of G2 SUDs on G3 drinking. Finally, we tested whether G1-G2 or G2-G3 separation moderated the mediated effect of G1 SUDs on G3 drinking through G2 SUDs. G1 father-G2 child separation moderated intergenerational transmission. In families with G1-G2 separation, there were no significant effects of father SUD on G2 SUD or G3 drinking. However, in nonseparated families, greater G1 father SUDs predicted heightened G2 SUDs and G3 grandchild drinking. In nonseparated families, G1 father SUDs significantly predicted G2 SUDs, which predicted G3 drinking. However, G2-G3 separation predicted heightened G3 drinking regardless of G2 and G1 SUDs. Parental separation may introduce risk for SUDs and drinking among youth with lower familial risk.

Profiles of psychosocial stressors and buffers among Latinx immigrant youth: Associations with suicidal ideation

This study aimed to examine the associations of latent profile group membership based on post-migration psychosocial stressors (proximal immigrant minority stress) and buffers (family, peer, and school support, and ethnic identity importance), and distal stressors (pre- to post-migration victimization and forced immigration-related family separation) with suicidal ideation among immigrant youth from the Northern Triangle (NT). Surveys were administered in a public high school-based Latinx immigrant youth support program between Spring 2019 and Spring 2022 (N = 172). A three latent profile model was previously identified, characterized by moderate stress/low buffer (weak resources), moderate stress/moderate buffer (average resources), and low stress/high buffer (strong resources) levels of psychosocial stressors and buffers. Associations of profile membership and the previously mentioned distal stressors with suicidal ideation were examined using multivariable logistic regression. Findings revealed that youth in the strong resources group experienced significant protection from suicidal ideation compared to youth in both the average and weak resources groups. Distal stressors were not significantly associated with suicidal ideation in multivariable analysis. Immigrant youth from the NT may require substantial buffering resources (i.e., ethnic identity importance, and school, family, and peer support) and minimization of proximal immigrant minority stress during post-migration to experience protection from suicidal ideation.

Peer facilitation of emotion regulation in adolescence

Emotion regulation is particularly important for adolescents as they undergo normative developmental changes in affective systems and experience heightened risk for psychopathology. Despite a high need for emotion regulation during adolescence, commonly studied emotion regulation strategies like cognitive reappraisal are less beneficial for adolescents than adults because they rely on neural regions that are still developing during this period (i.e., lateral prefrontal cortex). However, adolescence is also marked by increased valuation of peer relationships and sensitivity to social information and cues. In the present review, we synthesize research examining emotion regulation and peer influence across development to suggest that sensitivity to peers during adolescence could be leveraged to improve emotion regulation for this population. We first discuss developmental trends related to emotion regulation at the level of behavior and brain in adolescents, using cognitive reappraisal as an exemplar emotion regulation strategy. Next, we discuss social influences on adolescent brain development, describing caregiver influence and increasing susceptibility to peer influence, to describe how adolescent sensitivity to social inputs represents both a window of vulnerability and opportunity. Finally, we conclude by describing the promise of social (i.e., peer-based) interventions for enhancing emotion regulation in adolescence.

Coping Strategies and Psychological Maladjustment/Adjustment: A Meta-Analytic Approach with Children and Adolescents Exposed to Natural Disasters

Background

Following disasters, children and adolescents can use coping strategies to feel better. A growing body of studies investigated the relation between them and maladjustment/adjustment, i.e., negative symptomatology/positive indicators of development. Yet, these constructs are studied separately.

Objective

We conducted two meta-analyses to examine the mean correlation between disaster-related coping strategies and indicators of maladjustment/adjustment following natural disasters in children and adolescents, considering the role of some moderators.

Methods

We used PsycINFO, PubMed, Eric, and Scopus databases to identify articles on natural disasters (filters: participants ≤ 18 years at the disaster, peer-review, English language). Inclusion required investigating the relation between at least one coping strategy and at least one indicator of maladjustment (e.g., post-traumatic stress disorder, depression) and/or adjustment (e.g., self-efficacy, emotion understanding), for a total of 26 studies (k = 64, n = 9692, for maladjustment; k = 37, n = 3504, for adjustment).

Results

There were global positive significant correlations between coping strategies and negative symptomatology (r _pooled  = .23) for maladjustment, and positive indicators (r _pooled  = .17) for adjustment. Negative symptomatology positively correlated with escape (r = .19), social isolation (r = .15), submission (r = .64), and opposition (r = .16); positive indicators positively correlated with problem solving (r = .31), social support (r = .22), and submission (r = .30). We found a moderating role of age, disaster type, and continent for maladjustment.

Conclusions

The study presented an analysis of the coping strategies that can be effective for children and adolescents dealing with natural disasters.

Self-esteem development during the transition to work: A 14-year longitudinal study from adolescence to young adulthood

INTRODUCTION

Previous studies examined the trajectory of self-esteem during critical developmental periods and over the life-span. However, little is known about how self-esteem changes during the school-to-work transition.

METHOD

We examined the effect of beginning a job for the first time on self-esteem development, using data from 368 adolescents assessed up to six times across a 14-year time span. Specifically, we analyzed the pattern of self-esteem change during the transition to work and whether the self-esteem trajectory varied as a function of several school- and job-related variables, while controlling for important covariates.

RESULTS

Results revealed linear increases in self-esteem across the 14-year study period, with partial support that the rate of increase slowed slightly after the school-to-work transition. We found significantly greater variability in the slopes after the transition, supporting the idea that people differ in the way they cope with the developmental tasks associated with important life transitions. We also found evidence for an interaction between college graduation and educational expectations, such that the positive effect of college graduation on self-esteem change was stronger for those who graduated with low (vs. high) educational expectations.

CONCLUSION

School-to-work transition has an effect on self-esteem development. Developmental processes of findings were discussed.

"The Glass is Half Full": Narratives from Young Adults on Parental Incarceration and Emerging Adulthood

Prior literature highlights that children of incarcerated parents are more likely to endure negative life outcomes. Yet, this discussion is mainly centered on the immediate impacts of parental incarceration during childhood and adolescent years, with less focus on the longer-term consequences as these children emerge into adulthood. This study examined how young adults interpreted their experience of parental incarceration. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 young adults to understand their interpretations of parental incarceration as a turning point in specific transitions to adulthood: education and employment, intimate relationships, living independently, and parenthood. Findings demonstrate that, for some respondents, this experience created negative turning points, for example, by limiting their academic opportunities due to financial strain or a lack of support, hindering their trust in romantic partners, keeping them from living independently due to feelings of responsibility for the remaining parent, or by creating a fear of repeating the cycle with their own children. For other respondents, this experience created positive impacts on their lives because it provided a motivational push towards acquiring an education, accelerated them into becoming independent, or encouraged their desire to become a good parent and provide stability for their own children. There were also respondents who believed that the experience had no effects on certain life domains. These findings add to the growing body of research by providing support that parental incarceration can influence avenues for success and alter navigations into emerging adulthood.

The Transition to Siblinghood: An Understudied Yet Influential Process Pertinent to Social Work Research

Across cultures, the majority of individuals will have a sibling relationship in their lifetime. Of particular importance to parents and children is the transition to siblinghood, which refers to the process wherein a child becomes a sibling. Although many parents are concerned about how their children will adjust during the transition to siblinghood, scant empirical work on this subject exists. Available empirical work on the transition to siblinghood has stemmed from developmental psychology; however, social work researchers have yet to deeply explore this body of work. The transition to siblinghood is a topic that is rife with opportunity for social work researchers, who have the ability to study this transition from culturally sensitive, person-in-environment, and social justice perspectives. This article provides an overview of the elements and importance of the transition to siblinghood, introduces a theoretical framework relevant to social workers, reviews existent empirical work on the transition to siblinghood, and elucidates limitations in the literature that social work researchers are adept to address. The article concludes with four recommendations to researchers who are interested in studying the transition to siblinghood through a social work lens.

Prevalence and Contributing Factors of Childhood Trauma, Anxiety, and Depression Among Adolescents From Two-Child Families in China

The two-child policy has been implemented in China since 2016 and has attracted the attention of the world. Adolescents may face huge psychological challenges in the process of changing family structures and relationships. To date, no mental health survey of adolescents from two-child families has been conducted. We investigated the prevalence and risk factors for childhood trauma, anxiety, and depression in two-child families in a statistically representative sample of Chinese senior high school students from Shanghai. A total of 426 participants were randomly selected from 1,059 students of four senior high schools in different districts of Shanghai. The childhood trauma questionnaire-short form (CTQ-SF), self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) and self-rating depression scale (SDS) were used as the screening tools. We found that the overall prevalence of childhood trauma, anxiety, and depression among senior high school students in two-child families was 46.70% (95% CI, 39.93-53.47%), 22.17% (95% CI, 16.53-27.81%), and 35.85% (95% CI, 29.34-42.36%), respectively. The two-child families was an important factor associated childhood trauma, emotional neglect, and physical neglect (χ² = 5.984, p = 0.014; χ² = 4.071, p = 0.044; χ² = 4.202, p = 0.040). Ranking in two-child families was a risk factor for childhood trauma (β = -0.135, p = 0.048). Parental preference was a significantly correlated with physical abuse, physical neglect, anxiety, and depression (β = -1.581 to 0.088, p < 0.05). Meanwhile, emotional abuse, physical abuse, emotional neglect, and physical neglect of participants in the two groups were positively correlated with anxiety and depression (r = 0.195-0.478, p < 0.05). There was a significant relationship between sexual abuse and anxiety symptoms in the one-child family group (r = 0.161, p < 0.05). The findings suggest that the overall prevalence of childhood trauma, anxiety and depression among adolescents from two-child families in China was high. The two-child families and family ranking are important factors associated childhood trauma, while parental preference is related to anxiety and depression. These results highlight an urgent need to be addressed by adolescents' mental health service providers and policy-makers.

Applying new RDoC dimensions to the development of emotion regulation: Examining the influence of maternal emotion regulation on within-individual change in child emotion regulation

While the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) acknowledges that environmental and developmental influences represent important elements of the RDoC framework, there is little specificity regarding how and when to systematically examine the impact of these dimensions on domains of function. The primary aims of this paper are to demonstrate the ways in which the RDoC can be expanded to include an explicit emphasis on (a) assessing within-individual change in developmental processes over time and (b) evaluating the extent to which selective and measurable environmental influences drive meaningful change during key developmental periods. We provide data from an ongoing randomized control trial as a proof of concept to highlight how repeated assessments within an experimental intervention design affords the unique opportunity to test the impact of environmental influences on within-individual change. Using preliminary data from 77 mother–child dyads repeatedly assessed across 12 months during the sensitive preschool period, we demonstrate the impact of change in maternal emotion regulation (ER) on within-individual growth in child ER and link that growth to fewer teacher-reported externalizing problems. In line with this Special Issue, findings are discussed within the context of expanding and clarifying the existing RDoC framework to explicitly incorporate environmental and developmental dimensions.

Exploring People's Reaction and Perceived Issues of the COVID-19 Pandemic at Its Onset

The experience of the COVID-19 Pandemic has varied considerably from individual-to-individual. Little is known about the changes in the level of experience general people went through during the first few months after the coronavirus (COVID-19) was declared as a Pandemic. This longitudinal qualitative study explores the general public’s reports of their experience with the COVID-19 Pandemic during its early stage. An online survey was conducted using a convenience/snowball sampling technique in March and again in May 2020, where North American adults with at least a college-degree, and female majority, shared their experiences with the COVID-19 Pandemic in response to an open-ended question, apart from completing questionnaires assessing transitional impact and psychological well-being. Open responses were first content analyzed to identify themes most commonly reported, and then, the quantitative analysis examined the reliability of the changes of themes between the two-time points. Text-analysis of the open-responses from the two waves identified seven themes, namely emotional response, social contact, virus-infected, financial impact, impact on plans, disease, and non-disease related concern, as well as social-distance. These themes indicated that, (a) people were distressed and having negative affective thoughts; (b) they spoke more about their plans-and-goals that were affected by the Pandemic than their financial condition; (c) people mostly used digital platforms to maintain contact with their social network, although they preferred face-to-face interactions; (d) they spoke more about the infection experienced by people in general than infection experienced by themselves and individuals they know. Surprisingly, (e) people mentioned more about the way the Pandemic had disrupted their day-to-day activities than the disease-related health concern. Finally, (f) most of the respondents approved of the practice of social distancing while some expressed its negative or neutral effect on their social lives. The quantitative measure determined that as time passed, people’s experience with the Pandemic became quite different as people talked more about getting infected, and their affected goals-and-plans. We concluded with a remark that this Pandemic would most likely leave an impression on people’s lives and that these online comment-style responses might provide us with insights into people’s perspectives as the Pandemic unfolds, helping us in understanding the uniqueness of the Pandemic experience of individuals for an effective tailored intervention to protect their well-being during a health-crisis.

Patient Assessments of the Factors Facilitating and Impeding User Involvement During the First Phase of Substance Abuse Treatment

User involvement in the first phase of treatment is essential for treatment satisfaction among patients with substance use disorders (SUDs). This study explores how patients perceive the first phase of specialized SUD treatment and identifies what promotes and inhibits user involvement. We used a qualitative approach, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 informants admitted to a substance abuse treatment unit in central Norway. The analysis was inspired by a phenomenographical analysis approach, and 4 categories were identified as the core experiences of user involvement during the first phase of SUD treatment: (a) a new hold on life, (b) missing information, (c) the importance of a sense of community, and (d) ambivalence about the usefulness of the treatment. Overlapping elements with Aaron Antonovsky's theoretical framework of salutogenesis were used to support the main findings. The study indicates that activating personal resources (eg, the ability to envision a different life), conveying information in a matter sensitive to patients' current cognitive state, a sense of community, and therapeutic alliance are essential factors to promote user involvement in the first phase of specialized SUD treatment. Based on the findings, we suggest a salutogenesis approach to promote user involvement and provide several ways to employ this approach in the crucial first phase of specialized SUD treatment.

Impacts of Male Intimate Partner Violence on Women: A Life Course Perspective

The nature and extent of the impacts of intimate partner violence (IPV) on victims are well documented, particularly male partner violence against women. However, less is known about how these impacts might change over time, including their legacy after women leave an abusive relationship and the lasting effects in their later lives. The purpose of this study was to examine women’s experiences of IPV at different stages over their life courses. Interviews with a cohort of 18 older women who had left an abusive relationship were analysed using thematic narrative analysis and the findings were presented according to trajectories, transitions, and turning points over their life courses. When in the relationship, the women experienced direct impacts on their physical, mental, social, and financial wellbeing. During separation, many experienced continued abuse and housing, legal, and financial stress. Life after separation was marked by loneliness, trauma, financial insecurity, and damaged relationships. Some women reached a turning point in their recovery through helping others. Understanding these impacts can inform interventions during each stage. Crisis support is critical when women are in an abusive relationship and during the dangerous phase of separation. Interventions can also assist women’s longer-term wellbeing and help them recover through post-traumatic growth.

Age-Graded Transitions and Turning Points in Polish Offenders' Criminal Careers from the Standpoint of Life Course Theory

Both juvenile and adult criminal careers show regularities in the origins of delinquency, the dynamics of the criminal pathway, and the turning points that lead to desistance/persistence in crime. Research shows that family, education, and friendship environments contribute significantly to the individual choices that create criminal biographies. Our aim was to apply core aspects of life course theory (LCT): trajectory, the aged-graded process, transitions, institutions, and ultimately how desistance/persistence factor into explaining the criminal careers of Polish offenders. The research is based on in-depth interviews (130) carried out with both offenders (90) and experts (40). The offenders were divided into two groups: 30 were juveniles, and 60 were adults of whom half were sentenced for the first time (30) and half were recidivists (30) located in correctional institutions or released. The experts group (40) includes psychologists, educators, social rehabilitators, and prison and juvenile detention personnel working with offenders. We used triangulation of researcher, data, and methodology. Our data revealed that similar biographical experiences characterized by an early socialization, family and friends-based circles laid the groundwork for their entry and continued participation in criminal activity. Juvenile and adult first-time sentenced offenders led criminal careers significantly different from those of recidivists, who faced problems with social adaptation caused by lack of family and institutional support.

Trajectories of Symptom Severity in Children with Autism: Variability and Turning Points through the Transition to School

This study examined the trajectories of autistic symptom severity in an inception cohort of 187 children with ASD assessed across four time points from diagnosis to age 10. Trajectory groups were derived using multivariate cluster analysis. A two trajectory/cluster solution was selected. Change in trajectory slopes revealed a turning point marked by plateauing in symptom reduction during the period of transition to school (age 6) for one of the two trajectories. Trajectories were labelled: Continuously Improving (27%) and Improving then Plateauing (73% of sample). Children in the two trajectories differed in levels of symptom severity, language, cognitive, and adaptive functioning skills. Study findings can inform the development of more personalized services for children with ASD transitioning into the school system.

Developmental Psychopathology and Ethnicity I: The Young Adulthood Assessment of the Boricua Youth Study

OBJECTIVE

Developmental psychopathology processes pertinent to underserved ethnically diverse youths may not always coincide with those relevant to youths from nondisadvantaged groups. This article reports on the young adulthood assessment (fourth wave; April 2013 to August 2017) of the Boricua Youth Study, which includes 2 population-based samples of children of Puerto Rican background (N = 2,491) aged 5-13 years (recruited in 2000), in the South Bronx, New York, and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

METHOD

Study procedures included intensive participant tracking and in-person interviews of young adults and, when possible, their parents. Study participation rates, measures, and weights are described.

RESULTS

At Boricua Youth Study wave 4 (on average 11.3 years since last wave of participation), we reassessed 2,004 young adults (mean age = 22.9 years, range = 15-29 years; 51% women; retention rate adjusted for ineligibility = 82.7%) and available parents (n = 1,180). Nonparticipation was due to inability to locate/contact participants (8.6%); refusal (4.7%); and ineligible status (2.8%) owing to cognitive impairment, incarceration, or death. Among participants originally from Puerto Rico, 91% stayed in Puerto Rico during young adulthood. Of participants from the South Bronx, 52.4% remained in the area (85.8% within 100 miles). Most study measures had good internal consistency (Cronbach α ≥ .70).

CONCLUSION

Our results support the viability of retaining a population-based cohort of children from the same ethnic group across 2 contexts during a life stage when individuals are likely to move. Longitudinal samples that are generalizable to underserved populations can elucidate developmental processes of relevance for curtailing the risk of psychopathology in disadvantaged contexts.

The Effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Internalizing and Externalizing Behaviors among Black Children and Youth

There is limited research on the short-term effects of ACEs on Black children and youth. Black children and youth are disproportionately exposed to abuse, neglect, and other victimizations (Drake et al. 2009; Wade et al. Journal of Family Issues, 17(3), 283-316, 2014). Investigating ACEs will provide a broader understanding of childhood trauma on developmental processes. The current study investigates how ACES impacts psychological distress, substance use, and delinquency among Black children and youth. Hypotheses were tested using a subsample of longitudinal data from 265 participants who were recruited from six school districts in Southeast Michigan. ACEs at T1 significantly predicted depressive symptoms at T2 (β = .19, p < .05), which in turn predicted substance use (β = .20, p < .05), and delinquency (β = .19, p < .05). Psychological distress also mediated the associations between ACEs and substance use, and delinquency. To engage youth in prevention/interventions and practice, it is important to understand the contexts in which they develop i.e. having knowledge on the specific type of victimization instances that Black youth may experience more than their peers as well as the social factors. Therefore, taking a trauma-informed approach that will acknowledge the adverse childhood experiences that youth went through and to understand how these experiences shape their development through adolescence may be efficacious.

Parents' perceptions of the foundational and emergent benefits of residential immersive life skills programs for youth with disabilities

PURPOSE

To examine parents' views of the benefits of residential immersive life skills programs for youth with disabilities.

METHOD

Three- and 12-month post-session interviews were held with ten parents of youth with disabilities who had attended one of three residential immersive life skills programs in one of three years of data collection. A deductive thematic analysis was conducted to describe the types of benefits reported by parents.

RESULTS

Parents discussed foundational benefits that were common to youth and more individualized emergent benefits. The foundational benefits included acquisition of life skills, greater awareness of future possibilities, and enhancements to self-confidence. The emergent benefits included greater comfort in new situations, and changes in motivation and initiative, maturity and responsibility, and community involvement.

CONCLUSIONS

Parents reported diverse benefits from involvement in these youth transition programs. In the eyes of parents, these programs prepared youth for transition to adult roles by enhancing awareness of life possibilities, amplifying existing capacities, and accelerating growth in adaptability, motivation, and maturity, as well as community involvement. The findings indicate the utility of RILS programs, and can be used to explain the diverse effects of these programs to parents and youth contemplating enrollment.

Characterizing competence among a high-risk sample of emerging adults: Prospective predictions and biological considerations

Few conditions epitomize severe and chronic stress to a greater extent than child maltreatment, which can derail development across multiple domains of functioning and throughout the life course. Furthermore, child maltreatment tends to co-occur with other adversities, such as poverty. Many individuals grow up under the stressful conditions of these adversities and exhibit developmental competence. The current study prospectively charted the developmental progression of economically disadvantaged maltreated and nonmaltreated children from childhood to emerging adulthood, and examined patterns of competence across multiple developmental domains of functioning central to the period of emerging adulthood. The study investigated childhood precursors to these patterns of adaptation and maladaptation, as well as the physiological cost of these patterns of adaptation (i.e., C-reactive protein; CRP). Latent class analysis revealed four distinct classes of functioning: multifaceted competence across domains (Multifaceted Competence); (multifaceted maladaptation across domains (Multi-Problem); (c) and two classes with mixed patterns of competence and maladaptation (Externalizing Problems and Work/School Impairment). Maltreated individuals were less likely than nonmaltreated individuals to demonstrate patterns of multifaceted competence and more likely to demonstrate aggregate maladaptation across domains. Additionally, Black men who demonstrated a pattern of multifaceted psychosocial competence also evidenced higher levels of low-grade inflammation (indexed by CRP), suggesting physiological distress was associated with adaptation in the context of stress among these individuals. Findings demonstrate the heterogenous patterns of functioning and diverse developmental outcomes that follow early adversity.

Assessing the Transitional Impact and Mental Health Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic Onset

In this article, we report the results of a survey of North American adults (n = 1,215) conducted between March 24 and 30, 2020 at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Respondents completed the COVID-TIS (Transitional Impact Scale-Pandemic version) and the 21-item Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS), indicated their level of COVID-infection concern for themselves and close others, and provided demographic information. The results indicated: (a) during its early stage, the pandemic produced only moderate levels of material and psychological change; (b) the pandemic produced mild to moderate levels of psychological distress; (c) respondents who lost their jobs as a result of the pandemic experienced more change and more psychological distress than those who did not, and (d) younger respondents and less well-educated ones experienced more psychological distress than older respondents. Unexpectedly, (e) respondents indicated that they were more concerned that friends and family members would become infected with COVID-19 than that they would be. We conclude by speculating that these results are driven less by the immediate changes brought about by the pandemic and more by uncertainty concerning its long-term economic and social impact.

Motherhood in Context—Life Course Interviews with Young Mothers in Contact with Child Welfare

Background: The purpose of this article is to explore how a sample of young mothers in contact with child welfare services in Norway narrate their transition to motherhood and their relation with child welfare services. Methods: The article is based on life-course interviews with the mothers, on which we have conducted a content analysis inspired by narrative theory. Results: Results show that whereas the mothers deviated from common expectations of predictability and orderliness before they became mothers, they strived to provide a “good enough” situation for their children in line with expectations in larger society ever after. Nevertheless, the complex disadvantages that the mothers said they had in several life domains concerning social networks and family support, education, working life, housing, and that were apparently already in their transition to adulthood, were likely to increase even after the mothers had decided to enter the mothering role in socially acceptable ways. Conclusions: The article concludes that child welfare services may contribute positively by acknowledging the complexity of young mothers’ living context when assessing mothering practices.

“Maybe One Day I Will also be Almito”: Ethiopian Israelis, Naming, and the Politics of Immigrant Identity

The issue of name change, and in particular name reclaiming (i.e., taking back a heritage name), among immigrants has been rarely studied academically, despite its centrality to immigrant identity and immigration experiences. Immigrants, in many countries, are often encouraged or pressured to change their names, but in recent years, some have chosen to reclaim their heritage or original names. This article analyzes the practice of name reclaiming among young Israelis of Ethiopian heritage, a community that has experienced racial discrimination. Data were gathered through a qualitative phenomenological study of 19 young adults who immigrated to Israel from Ethiopia as minors. The analysis yielded two simultaneous dialogues: an internal dialogue in which individuals described their personal experience of name reclaiming and an external dialogue in which name reclaiming reflected a political and social process through which a discriminated minority could express increased feelings of power and agency. The results enrich the study of migration by showing the ways in which personal and social-political processes experienced by a discriminated minority intertwine, as vividly illustrated by the specific case of name reclaiming.

Adverse events over the life course and later-life wellbeing and depressive symptoms in older people

OBJECTIVES

Exposures to adverse events are associated with impaired later-life psychological health. While these associations depend on the type of event, the manner in which associations for different event types depend on when they occur within the life course has received less attention. We investigated associations between counts of adverse events over the life course, and wellbeing and mental health outcomes in older people, according to their timing (age of occurrence), orientation (self or other) and, both their timing and orientation.

DESIGN

Linear and logistic random-effects models for repeated observations.

SETTING

England, 2002-2015.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 4,208 respondents aged >50 years with 22,146 observations across Waves 1-7 of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.

MEASUREMENTS

Cumulative adversity was measured by counts of 16 types of events occurring within four age ranges over the life course using retrospective life history data. These were categorized into other- (experienced through harms to others) and self-oriented events. Outcomes included CASP-12 (control, autonomy, self-realization, and pleasure), the eight-item Centre of Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, and self-appraised subjective life satisfaction.

RESULTS

Additional adverse events were associated with lower CASP-12 and life satisfaction scores, and higher odds of probable depressive caseness. In childhood, other-oriented events had a larger negative association with later-life wellbeing than self-oriented events; the converse was found for events occurring in adulthood.

CONCLUSIONS

Events occurring at all life course stages were independently associated with both later-life wellbeing and depression in a cumulative fashion. Certain age ranges may represent sensitive periods for specific event types.

Validity and reliability testing of the transitional impact scale

The transitional impact scale (TIS) was developed to measure the quality and quantity of changes brought about by transitional events. The aim of the present study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the TIS. Study 1 investigated the validity and internal consistency of the TIS among 445 participants (aged 18-73 years) who completed the TIS, beck anxiety inventory (BAI), centrality of event scale (CES), impact of event scale-revised (IES-R), and post-traumatic growth inventory. Study 2 investigated the test-retest reliability of the TIS among 140 university students (70 female; 70 male) who completed a retest of the TIS after a 2-week interval. The two-factor structure (i.e., material change and psychological change) of the TIS proposed by Svob et al. (2014) was confirmed in different age and socioeconomic status groups of a Turkish sample. The TIS was significantly correlated with the BAI, CES, and IES-R. Finally, the TIS had a high test-retest reliability.

Mother's prenatal and postpartum depression symptoms and infant's sleep problems at 6 months

Mother's prenatal and postpartum depression have been associated with infant's sleep problems. This study aimed to analyze (a) the effects of mother's prenatal and postpartum depression symptoms, including the effects of prenatal and postpartum anxiety and depression scores of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), on infant's sleep problems at 6 months, and (b) the interaction effect between mother's prenatal and postpartum depression symptoms and infant's sex on infant's sleep problems at 6 months. The sample was comprised of 164 mother-infant dyads whose mothers completed measures of depression at the third trimester of pregnancy, 2 weeks, 3 and 6 months postpartum and a measure of infant's sleep problems at 6 months (CSHQ-I). Mother's prenatal depression symptoms, specifically depression scores of the EPDS, predicted more infant's sleep anxiety and daytime sleepiness, while mother's depression symptoms at 2 weeks postpartum, specifically anxiety scores of the EPDS, predicted more bedtime resistance and CSHQ-I total scores at 6 months. Boys of mothers with more prenatal depression symptoms presented more sleep anxiety at 6 months. Both mother's prenatal and early postpartum depression symptoms have a negative effect on the emergence of infant's sleep problems. Additionally, boys seem more vulnerable to mother's prenatal depression symptoms.

Mechanisms of Change in the Prevention of Depression: An Indicated School-Based Prevention Trial at the Transition to High School

OBJECTIVE

Depression represents a major public health concern, and prevalence increases significantly during adolescence. The high school transition may exacerbate the risk of depression for youth with pre-existing vulnerability. The High School Transition Program (HSTP) is a brief, skills-based intervention that has demonstrated efficacy in preventing depression in adolescents. The current study aimed to evaluate the theorized mechanisms of change of the HSTP intervention by testing a multiple mediation model including school attachment (SA) and self-esteem (SE) as two mediators of treatment outcomes.

METHOD

Students (N= 497; 61.5% girls) with elevated depressive symptoms, identified for the intervention program via an eighth-grade screening, were randomized to a brief intervention (n = 247) or the HSTP (n = 233) from 2003 to 2008. Participants completed measures at five time points. The first assessment occurred at the start of the second semester of eighth grade and the last assessment occurred at the end of ninth grade. A multiple mediation model tested whether SA and SE contributed to changes in depression for youth in the HSTP.

RESULTS

The mediation model, including contemporaneously assessed SE and SA, was not supported. There was evidence of sequential mediation, such that students who participated in the HSTP intervention reported higher SA, which in turn predicted improved SE, and in turn contributed to amelioration of depressive symptoms.

CONCLUSION

The HSTP intervention ameliorated depressive symptoms by targeting factors specific to the school transition (ie, SA). Results suggest youth at risk for depression may benefit from prevention efforts that enhance students' capacity to effectively manage identified environmental stressors, such as school transitions.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Middle School to High School Transition Project: Depression and Substance Abuse Prevention; https://clinicaltrials.gov/; NCT00071513.

Developmental transitions during adulthood and neighborliness: A multilevel cluster analysis

Neighborliness plays a critical role in promoting social integration, and is known to positively influence health and psychosocial adjustment. We examined variation in neighborliness based on developmental transitions as well as on the neighborhood context. We examined the direct and moderating role of neighborhood factors, to determine whether the neighborhood context modified the influence of developmental transitions on neighborliness. We analyzed data from a longitudinal study of Australian communities, in addition to census data. First, we analyzed developmental transition clusters. Next, we employed multilevel modeling to assess the impact of clusters and other key factors on neighborliness. We tested interactions to determine whether the influence of cluster membership on neighborliness was modified by the neighborhood. We found evidence for direct effects of cluster membership and structural factors on neighborliness. In addition, the neighborhood context modified the influence of cluster membership on neighborliness. Our findings underscore the importance of promoting neighborhood social engagement throughout the life course.

Event centrality, transitional impact and symptoms of posttraumatic stress in a clinical sample

Background and Objectives: There is growing research indicating that event centrality strongly predicts posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, there is not much research on what makes a traumatic event central to one's life story. One reason a traumatic memory becomes a reference point for one's life story is that it brings about significant changes in one's life. This study investigated the relationships between transitional impact of an event, event centrality, and PTSD symptoms. Specifically, it tested whether higher negative changes were associated with higher levels of event centrality and PTSD symptoms. It also investigated whether event centrality mediated the relationship between transitional impact and PTSD severity.Methods: 101 individuals diagnosed with PTSD completed the Transitional Impact Scale (TIS), Centrality of Event Scale, and Impact of Event Scale-Revised regarding their traumatic experiences. Furthermore, they responded to the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Scale-Self Report (PSS-SR), Traumatic Events Checklist (TELC), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI).Results and Conclusions: Results indicate that (a) the TIS had valid and reliable psychometric properties in a PTSD sample, (b) most of the traumatic events received high negative psychological and material change scores, and (c) event centrality mediated the relationship between transitional impact and PTSD severity.

The impact of parenthood on risk of registration for alcohol use disorder in married individuals: a Swedish population-based analysis

BACKGROUND

Although being married with children is associated with a reduced rate of alcohol use disorder (AUD), is this finding independent of a marital effect, different in mothers and fathers and potentially causal in effect.

METHODS

Using Cox proportional hazards, we examined, in 1 252 237 married individuals, the association between a resident younger and older child and risk for AUD registration in national medical, criminal, and pharmacy registers. Using logistic regression, we analyzed, in 600 219 parents, within-person models comparing risk for AUD prior to first pregnancy v. with young children. We examined whether risk for AUD in 1302 parents after a first spousal AUD registration was reduced by having a young resident child.

RESULTS

Compared with childless married individuals, resident younger children were associated with a reduced risk for AUD in mothers [hazard ratio (HR) 0.36, 95% confidence interval 0.31-0.41] and fathers (HR 0.66, 0.60-0.73). The reduced risk was attenuated but still significant for older children. Within-person models confirmed the protective effect of young children in mothers [odds ratio (OR) 0.49, 0.30-0.80] but yielded inconclusive results in fathers (OR 0.85, 0.58-1.25). After a first spousal registration for AUD, a resident young child was associated with a substantial reduction in risk for mothers and a weaker marginal effect in fathers.

CONCLUSION

In married individuals, resident children are associated with a reduction in basal risk for AUD which is stronger in mothers than fathers and with younger v. older children. This effect is also evident during high-risk periods. In mothers, our results are consistent with a largely causal effect.

Effects of Child Sexual Abuse on the Parenting of Male Survivors

Research shows that child sexual abuse (CSA) can have detrimental effects on adult functioning. While much research regarding the effects of CSA on parenting of mothers is available, there is a dearth of information on how CSA impacts fatherhood. This literature review finds that the parenting experiences of male survivors are characterized by self-perceptions as adequate parents, deficient parenting as measured by standardized instruments, conceptualization of parenting as an intergenerational legacy and potential healing experience, fear of becoming an abuser, and physical and emotional distance from their children. These themes are strongly related to social discourses on intergenerational cycle of violence theories. Fatherhood is not exclusively problematic for male survivors and can be a healing experience and a source of strength for some survivors. Based on literature concerning male survivors who are parents, narrative therapy is recommended as a therapeutic model to explore how fathers who are survivors challenge dominant discourses around legacies of family violence, intergenerational parenting deficiencies, and victimization. Restorying fatherhood as a healing opportunity is essential when working with fathers who are male survivors and their families.

Predicting Arrest in a Sample of Youth Perinatally Exposed to HIV: The Intersection of HIV and Key Contextual Factors

We examined the role of youth HIV status and other key factors on past-year arrest in perinatally HIV-exposed but uninfected (PHIV-) and perinatally HIV-infected (PHIV+) youth using data from a multi-site study of psychosocial behaviors in PHIV-exposed urban youth (N = 340; 61% PHIV+; 51% female; ages 9-16 at baseline). Youth and caregivers were administered 5 interviews, spanning approximately 7.5 years. Using longitudinal logistic mixed-effect models, we explored the association between past year arrest, internal [e.g., substance use disorder (SUD)] and external (e.g., neighborhood arrest rates) contextual factors, and social-regulation processes (e.g., in-school/work). Arrest rates increased from 2.6 to 19.7% across follow-ups; there were no differences in arrest over time by HIV status. In the final model, odds of arrest were greater for youth who were male, with SUD, ≥ 18 years old, with high levels of city stress, and neither in school nor employed. PHIV-exposed, urban youth have much higher rates of arrest than national samples. Lack of differences in arrest by HIV status suggests key contextual factors are more important in promoting arrest.

Predictive Values of Early Parental Loss and Psychopathological Risk for Physical Problems in Early Adolescents

Background: Several studies have suggested that the early loss of parents is a potentially traumatic experience, exposing adolescents to a higher risk for the onset of psychopathological symptoms. Furthermore, research has shown an association between the loss of a parent in childhood and subsequent physical illnesses, but much less attention has been given to the predictive role of loss in the development of physical illness in adolescence. Methods: From a larger normative sample, we selected 418 early adolescents (and their surviving parents) each of whom had lost a parent in their first 3 years of life. We evaluate the offspring's and parents' psychopathological symptoms, dissociation, and physical problems over a 6-year period. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analyses with time-dependent variables were used to examine the predictive values of the adolescents' and surviving parents' psychopathological symptoms, and youths' demographic characteristics (sex and age) for the occurrence of physical illness during a 6-year period of follow-up. Results: Independently of sex, the psychopathological risk of the surviving parents' and adolescents' affective problems and dissociation has been found to predict the occurrence of physical illnesses. Furthermore, dissociation was the most significant predictor of significant physical problems. Conclusion: These results may be relevant and an addition to the previous literature, opening up new possibilities for prevention and intervention that are oriented toward greater support for children who have experienced the loss of one parent and for surviving parents.

High School Dropout in Proximal Context: The Triggering Role of Stressful Life Events

Adolescents who drop out of high school experience enduring negative consequences across many domains. Yet, the circumstances triggering their departure are poorly understood. This study examined the precipitating role of recent psychosocial stressors by comparing three groups of Canadian high school students (52% boys; Mage  = 16.3 years; N = 545): recent dropouts, matched at-risk students who remain in school, and average students. Results indicate that in comparison with the two other groups, dropouts were over three times more likely to have experienced recent acute stressors rated as severe by independent coders. These stressors occurred across a variety of domains. Considering the circumstances in which youth decide to drop out has implications for future research and for policy and practice.

Children's emotional experience two years after an earthquake: An exploration of knowledge of earthquakes and associated emotions

A major earthquake has a potentially highly traumatic impact on children’s psychological functioning. However, while many studies on children describe negative consequences in terms of mental health and psychiatric disorders, little is known regarding how the developmental processes of emotions can be affected following exposure to disasters.

Individual differences in anxiety trajectories from Grades 2 to 8: Impact of the middle school transition

This study examined the impact of the middle school transition on general anxiety trajectories from middle childhood to middle adolescence, as well as how youths’ individual vulnerability and exposure to contextual stressors were associated with anxiety trajectories. Participants were 631 youth (47% boys, M age = 7.96 years at Time 1), followed for 7 successive years from second to eighth grade. Teachers reported on youths’ individual vulnerability to anxiety (anxious solitude) in second grade; youth reported on their anxiety in second to eighth grade and aspects of their social contexts particularly relevant to the school transition (school hassles, peer victimization, parent–child relationship quality, and friendship quality) in sixth to eighth grade. The results revealed two subgroups that showed either strongly increasing (5%) or decreasing (14%) levels of anxiety across the transition and two subgroups with fairly stable levels of either high (11%) or low (70%) anxiety over time. Youth in the latter two subgroups could be distinguished based on their individual vulnerability to anxiety, whereas youth with increasing anxiety reported more contextual stressors and less contextual support than youth with decreasing anxiety. In sum, findings suggest that the middle school transition has the potential to alter developmental trajectories of anxiety for some youth, for better or for worse.

Antecedents of transition patterns of depressive symptom trajectories from adolescence to young adulthood

This study examined (a) transition patterns from adolescent-specific depressive symptom trajectory classes to young adult-specific trajectory classes (N = 537; 15-26 years) and (b) identified risk factors associated with these transition patterns. The latent classes and transition analyses identified three transitional patterns of depressive symptom trajectories, including a deteriorating pattern (8.2%), a recovering pattern (22.5%), and a consistently low pattern (69.3%). Additionally, the results showed that contextual risk factors (i.e., negative economic events, negative romantic relationships, and low college enrolment rates) in the transition period to young adulthood were more positively associated with deteriorated or recovered transition patterns of depressive symptom trajectories than with the consistently low transition patterns even after taking into account the effects of adolescent risk factors. The identification of dynamic transition patterns in depressive symptom trajectories from adolescence to young adulthood and risk factors provide useful tools for preventive and intervention efforts. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? Heterogeneous trajectories of depressive symptoms across adolescence and young adulthood have been reported. Psychosocial characteristics differentiate trajectories of depressive symptoms from adolescence to young adulthood. What does this study add? Dynamic transition patterns of depressive symptom trajectories are found between adolescence and young adulthood. Life experiences in the transition period are uniquely associated with the transition patterns of depressive symptom trajectories even after adjusting the effects of adolescent characteristics.

Effect of Victimization on Impulse Control and Binge Drinking among Serious Juvenile Offenders from Adolescence to Young Adulthood

A vast literature has found longitudinal effects of early life stress on substance use and self-regulatory processes. These associations may vary by period-specific development among youth involved in the juvenile justice system. The current study used an accelerated longitudinal design and auto-regressive latent trajectory with structure residuals (ALT-SR) model to examine the within-person cross-lagged associations between binge drinking, impulse control, and victimization from 15 to 25 years of age. A large sample (N = 1100) of justice-involved youth were followed longitudinally for 7 years (M age baseline  = 15.8, M age conclusion  = 22.8). In general, the sample was ethnically diverse (41% Black, 34% Hispanic, 21% White, 4.3% Other) and primarily male (87.2%). Participants reported on their frequency of binge drinking, impulse control, and frequency of victimization at each time point. The results indicated that, during adolescence, victimization and binge drinking attenuated impulse control, which resulted in more binge drinking and victimization during young adulthood. The current study highlights the importance of assessing developmental processes and period-specific transitions among at risk youth, especially for youth experiencing early life stress.

Emerging Adults' Experiences of Grandparent Death

This qualitative study examined the experience of grandparent death among 74 emerging adults enrolled in college. Guided by the life course perspective, the authors specifically explored (a) participant responses to the death, (b) how family systems were influenced by the loss of the grandparent, and (c) how grandparent death motivated life course transitions for emerging adults. The findings suggest that the death trajectory, level of attachment, the role the grandchild played in the family, as well as the coping style utilized affected participants' grief processes. This study underscores the importance of the grandchild-grandparent tie, how new death experiences create meaning and ritual, and how life course transitions are motivated when an older family member dies. Implications for providing support on college campuses when emerging adults experience grandparent death are highlighted.

Education Attainment and Parity Explain the Relationship Between Maternal Age and Breastfeeding Duration in U.S. Mothers

BACKGROUND

Prior research in high-income countries finds that young mothers tend to breastfeed their infants for shorter durations than older mothers; however, there are gaps in our understanding of the processes by which age influences breastfeeding. Research aim: The primary objective of this study was to test the mediating effects of parity and education attainment on the association between maternal age and two breastfeeding outcomes: total duration and duration of exclusive breastfeeding.

METHODS

This study was a secondary data analysis of the IFPS II, a prospective, longitudinal study of ~ 4,900 American mothers. Robust and bias-corrected regression analyses tested the direct effect of age and the indirect effects of age through parity and education for each outcome of interest.

RESULTS

Parity and education attainment together explain nearly all of the association between maternal age and both measures of breastfeeding duration. The mediating role of education is significantly larger than parity for both outcomes.

CONCLUSION

These findings indicate that maternal age primarily indexes parity and education but contributes minimally to breastfeeding duration via a direct effect. The findings have implications for intervention development and targeting strategies.

Aggressive Drive Derivatives in the Rorschachs of Maltreated Children and Adolescents: Latent Structure and Clinical Correlates

Psychological assessment can play an important role in informing the intervention process with child and adolescent victims of maltreatment. This study investigated the validity of the Rorschach in assessing aggressive drive derivatives using a profile-based approach, with a sample of 108 children and adolescents in foster care. Aggression indicators were derived from the work of Gacono and Meloy ( 1994 ). Latent class analysis yielded a 4-class model including gender and age as covariates. The first 2 classes were characterized by low prevalence rates across all indicators of aggression, and were distinguished primarily on the basis of participant's age. The 3rd class was characterized by the presence of Aggressive Vulnerability (AgV) responses, whereas the 4th showed higher occurrence of all markers except AgV. Modest associations were found between characteristics of abuse, select classes, and behavior problems. The 4th class showed the strongest link with behavior problems, albeit only in the presence of ego impairment. These findings support a contextualized, developmentally informed use of aggression markers on the Rorschach in the context of child maltreatment.

Resilience in the Offspring of Depressed Mothers: Variation Across Risk, Domains, and Time

Considerable research has demonstrated that maternal depression is a significant risk factor for emotional and behavioral problems in children and adolescents (Goodman and Gotlib in Psychol Rev 106:458-490, 1999). It is important to note, however, that most children of depressed parents do not develop problems. This review will examine studies of resilience as they relate to the degree to which positive adjustment occurs across different levels of risk (i.e., severity and chronicity of depression as well as in context of multiple risk factors), domains of adjustment, and time. Understanding the phenomenon of resilience to depression is of critical importance to prevention and intervention experts because it may provide insight into processes that can be enhanced and targeted in prevention approaches among high-risk populations.

Anticipating and addressing event-specific alcohol consumption among adolescents

Background

Various specific events and celebrations are associated with excessive alcohol consumption and related harms. End-of-school celebrations such as Schoolies in Australia are of particular concern given high levels of documented harm among underage and young drinkers. The present study investigated high school students’ expectations of their Schoolies celebrations to inform future interventions to reduce adverse outcomes among members of this vulnerable group and other young people involved in similar rites of passage.

Methods

A link to an online survey was distributed via high schools and Schoolies-related websites. The survey included qualitative questions that invited respondents to discuss (i) aspects of Schoolies they were looking forward to most and least and (ii) their perceptions of the likely consequences if they refrained from consuming alcohol during the event. In total, 435 students provided responses.

Results

Respondents discussed the role of Schoolies in marking their transition to adulthood. Their comments revealed a cross-temporal focus indicating that Schoolies is simultaneously symbolic of the past, present, and future. Through its ability to enhance social interaction, alcohol was perceived to have a vital role in realising the potential of this event to signify and facilitate this temporal progression.

Conclusions

Results suggest interventions that treat Schoolies as an isolated event that occurs in specific locations may fail to appreciate the extent to which these events transcend time for those involved. Instead, harm reduction is likely to involve a reconceptualisation of the event among both participants and authority figures to facilitate the provision of alternative pastimes to drinking during Schoolies that yield similar social benefits.

Being in the Safety Zone

This study examined how previously suicidal adolescents and emerging adults perceived their emotional experiences while being suicidal. Forty-one females and 9 males previously suicidal between the ages of 15 and 24 were interviewed. Qualitative data were analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Three major themes were identified in participants’ perceptions of their emotional experiences: (a) overwhelming despair, (b) shame and self-loathing, and (c) alienation and personal isolation. These emotional states were viewed within the multidimensional process of responding to emotions. Participants’ inability to deal with intense negative emotions appeared to be related to their suicidal state.