The Co-Development of Relational Aggression and Disruptive Behavior Symptoms from Late Childhood through Adolescence

Bidirectional associations between self-esteem and relational aggression from 5th to 11th grade

A widely held belief among laypeople and psychologists suggests that self-esteem and relational aggression (i.e., perpetration and victimization) are associated over time. The present study examines the bidirectional associations between self-esteem and relational aggression across 6 years, using two types of longitudinal models (latent cross-lagged panel models and latent random intercepts cross-lagged panel models) to separate between- and within-person effects. Six hundred and seventy-four Mexican-origin youth reported their global and domain-specific self-esteem and relational aggression (perpetration and victimization) in the fifth, seventh, ninth, and eleventh grades. Our findings suggest that: (a) being a perpetrator is prospectively associated with later lower opposite-sex relationships self-esteem at the between-person level, (b) lower self-esteem in the domain of honesty-trustworthiness is prospectively associated with becoming a perpetrator and a victim at the within- and between-person level, (c) lower global self-esteem is prospectively associated with higher victimization at the between-person level, and (d) being victimized is not prospectively associated with later global or domain-specific self-esteem, at neither the within- nor the between-person level. The present study provides little evidence for the widely held belief about the bidirectional associations between self-esteem and relational aggression across time but demonstrates the complexity of these associations on the between- and within-person level.

Characterizing the Neural Correlates of Response Inhibition and Error Processing in Children With Symptoms of Irritability and/or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in the ABCD Study®

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), characterized by symptoms of inattention and/or hyperactivity and impulsivity, is a neurodevelopmental disorder associated with executive dysfunctions, including response inhibition and error processing. Research has documented a common co-occurrence between ADHD and pediatric irritability. The latter is more characterized by affective symptoms, specifically frequent temper outbursts and low frustration tolerance relative to typically developing peers. Shared and non-shared neural correlates of youths with varied profiles of ADHD and irritability symptoms during childhood remain largely unknown. This study first classified a large sample of youths in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study at baseline into distinct phenotypic groups based on ADHD and irritability symptoms (N = 11,748), and then examined shared and non-shared neural correlates of response inhibition and error processing during the Stop Signal Task in a subset of sample with quality neuroimaging data (N = 5,948). Latent class analysis (LCA) revealed four phenotypic groups, i.e., high ADHD with co-occurring irritability symptoms (n = 787, 6.7%), moderate ADHD with low irritability symptoms (n = 901, 7.7%), high irritability with no ADHD symptoms (n = 279, 2.4%), and typically developing peers with low ADHD and low irritability symptoms (n = 9,781, 83.3%). Latent variable modeling revealed group differences in the neural coactivation network supporting response inhibition in the fronto-parietal regions, but limited differences in error processing across frontal and posterior regions. These neural differences were marked by decreased coactivation in the irritability only group relative to youths with ADHD and co-occurring irritability symptoms and typically developing peers during response inhibition. Together, this study provided initial evidence for differential neural mechanisms of response inhibition associated with ADHD, irritability, and their co-occurrence. Precision medicine attending to individual differences in ADHD and irritability symptoms and the underlying mechanisms are warranted when treating affected children and families.

Bivariate latent change score analysis of peer relations from early childhood to adolescence: Leading or lagging indicators of psychopathology

Understanding longitudinal associations between problematic peer relations and psychopathology are needed to inform public health. Three models have been proposed: poor peer relations i) lead or are a risk factor for psychopathology; ii) lag or are a consequence of psychopathology; iii) both lead and lag psychopathology. Another model is that poor peer relations lead or lag psychopathology depending upon the developmental period. To test these models, youth's peer relations and clinical symptoms were assessed up to 6 times between ages 3-11 in 306 children. Bivariate latent change score models tested leading/lagging longitudinal relationships between children's peer relations (peer victimization/rejection, peer-directed aggression, social withdrawal, prosocial behavior) and psychopathology (depression, anxiety, and externalizing symptoms). Peer victimization/rejection was a leading indicator of depression from early childhood into preadolescence. Peer-directed aggression was a leading indicator of externalizing symptoms (in late childhood).

The structure of adolescent temperament and associations with psychological functioning: A replication and extension of Snyder et al. (2015)

The present study attempts to replicate and extend Snyder et al. (2015, JPSP). The original study examined the latent factor structure of the Early Adolescent Temperament Questionnaire-Revised (EATQ-R), a commonly used measure of adolescent temperament, and showed that the resulting latent factors (i.e., effortful control, negative emotionality, and positive emotionality) had theoretically meaningful concurrent associations with several measures of adolescent functioning (depression, anxiety, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder [ADHD], relational aggression, and school performance and behavior). We performed these same analyses using data from a large sample of Mexican-origin youth (N = 674), and also examined prospective associations between the three EATQ-R factors and measures of adolescent functioning assessed two years later. We found some evidence supporting the bifactor models reported in the original study but poor replication of the correlations among latent factors. Additionally, model comparisons demonstrated that correlated factors models produced more interpretable factors than the bifactor models. In contrast, we replicated most of the concurrent correlations (and extended the findings to prospective associations) between the EATQ-R factors and measures of adolescent functioning, supporting the construct validity of the EATQ-R as a measure of adolescent temperament. Thus, these findings raise concerns about the generalizability of the factor structure identified by Snyder et al. (2015), but bolster claims about the generalizability of the concurrent and predictive validity of the EATQ-R. Overall, differences between the present findings and those of Snyder et al. (2015) highlight the importance of ongoing construct validation in youth temperament research, especially with participants from groups traditionally underrepresented in psychological research. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

The Use of Indirect Aggression among Boys and Girls with and without Conduct Problems: Trajectories from Childhood to Adolescence

Though conceptually distinct from other behavior problems, indirect aggression (IA) is correlated with physical aggression and is linked to oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder from childhood to adolescence. Thus, IA could be part of the clinical picture of children with identified conduct problems (CP). However, trajectories of IA have not been studied in children with CP. In the present study, we evaluated and compared the mean trajectory of IA from 7 to 14 years of age in children with (n = 328; 47.6% girls) and without (n = 320; 51.3% girls) early clinically significant CP using both parent and teacher ratings. We then examined if sub-groups of children distinguished themselves by their use of IA over time and tested for sex differences. Latent growth models showed that children with CP used IA at higher rates over time than children without CP. Regardless of this higher frequency, the use of IA in both groups of children was best described by down-turned curvilinear trajectories peaking at 10 years of age. Growth mixture models showed that children without CP, according to parent and teacher ratings, and children with CP, according to parent ratings, both followed two trajectories of IA over time, with, respectively, 10% to 14% of them following a high trajectory. As for sex differences, the use of IA of boys and girls without CP did not differ, but differences emerged for children with CP, with girls using IA more frequently. The clinical implications of the findings are discussed.

Becoming more egalitarian: A longitudinal examination of Mexican-origin adolescents' gender role attitudes

The current study examined the trajectory of gender role attitudes of 471 Mexican-origin adolescents (236 girls, 235 boys) from 5th grade (Mage = 10.86 years) to 11th grade (Mage = 16.75 years), investigating how situating identities (i.e., gender, nativity, SES), ethnic identity (i.e., ethnic pride), and familial context (i.e., parents' attitudes) contributed to adolescents' gender role attitudes across time. Participant interviews were conducted every other year, resulting in 4 waves of data. Most parents (96%) were Mexico natives, with an average immigration age of 18.16 years for fathers and 14.01 years for mothers. Results revealed linear and quadratic trends in gender attitude traditionality for all adolescents, characterized by a linear decline through age 16 years that leveled off through age 18 years. Although both girls and boys trended toward egalitarian gender role attitudes across adolescence, girls endorsed more egalitarian attitudes than did boys. Adolescents from higher-SES backgrounds endorsed more egalitarian attitudes than those from lower-SES backgrounds. Significant within-person effects of ethnic pride surfaced, such that children with higher levels of ethnic pride at any given time also reported more traditional gender role attitudes. Significant between-person effects of mothers' and fathers' attitudes were found, such that parents with more traditional gender role attitudes tended to have children with relatively more traditional gender role attitudes. Overall, these findings highlight the importance of studying gender development in conjunction with situating identities, cultural identities, and the broader context, particularly when children are embedded in multiple cultures with contrasting gender role expectations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

The role of effortful control in the development of ADHD, ODD, and CD symptoms

Many adolescents have difficulty regulating their impulses and become prone to externalizing problems (e.g., attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder [ADHD], oppositional defiant disorder [ODD], and conduct disorder [CD]) and other adverse consequences. Using multimethod data from a longitudinal study of Mexican-origin youth (N = 674), assessed annually from age 10 to 16, we examined the relations between effortful control and ADHD, ODD, and CD symptoms over time. Bivariate latent growth curve models showed negative correlations between the trajectories of effortful control and ADHD, ODD, and CD, indicating that steeper decreases in effortful control were related to steeper increases in ADHD, ODD, and CD symptoms. Using a novel statistical technique, the factor of curves model (FOCUS), we found that ADHD, ODD, and CD share a common "externalizing" trajectory during adolescence. Although effortful control was strongly associated with this common trajectory, it had few unique associations with the individual disorder trajectories, above and beyond their shared trajectory. When we extended the FOCUS model to include the effortful control trajectory as an indicator, we found that ADHD and ODD had strong loadings, whereas effortful control and CD had comparatively weak loadings on the shared developmental trajectory. Follow-up analyses showed that a two-factor solution, with externalizing symptom trajectories on one factor and the effortful control facet trajectories on a separate factor, was a better fit to the data than a one-factor solution. Finally, parent ASPD symptoms were related to increases in CD, but had no significant influence on effortful control, ADHD, or ODD. We discuss the implications for personality and externalizing problem development. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Self-Reported Moral Emotions and Physical and Relational Aggression in Early Childhood: A Social Domain Approach

This study examined discrepancies between 4- and 7-year-olds' (n = 135; M_age  = 5.65) self-reported affect following hypothetical moral versus social-conventional transgressions and their associations with teacher-rated physical and relational aggression concurrently and 9-months later. Negative emotion ratings in response to prototypical moral transgressions were not associated with children's aggression. When transgressions were described as no longer prohibited by rules and authority figures, children reporting more negative affect in response to moral as compared to conventional violations were less physically aggressive at Wave 1 and showed relative and mean-level declines in physical aggression over time. Relational aggression was not associated with self-reported emotions. Findings indicate the importance of distinguishing between types of transgressions and forms of aggression in studying moral emotions.