Common stressful life events and difficulties are associated with mental health symptoms and substance use in young adolescents

Effect of comorbid psychologic and somatic symptom trajectories on early onset substance use among U.S. youth in the ABCD study

BACKGROUND

Adolescent substance use (SU) is often motivated by a desire to alleviate undesirable symptoms. To test the self-medication hypothesis, we examined associations between comorbid psychologic and somatic symptom trajectories across early adolescence and early onset SU.

METHODS

Using Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study® data, we differentiated youth who reported no SU at baseline based on their comorbid anxiety, depression, pain, somatic and somnolence symptom trajectories. The outcome, early onset SU (by age 13-14 years) was derived from self-reported alcohol (≥full drink), tobacco (full regular/e-cigarette), marijuana, or other drug use over 5 years.

RESULTS

8311 participants were classified with Asymptomatic (27.8 %), Low/stable (39 %), Moderate/persistent (25.3 %) or High/worsening trajectories (7.9 %) from age 9.97 ± 0.74 to 13.57 ± 0.88 years. Early onset SU was 56 % higher for Moderate-High compared to Asymptomatic-Low symptom trajectory groups (12.5 % vs. 8.5 %; OR 1.56 [95 % CI 1.33, 1.79]). Adjusted for covariates, the High/worsening group was more likely than the Asymptomatic group to report use of any substance (adj.OR 2.13 [95 % CI 1.40, 3.25], Alcohol (adj.OR 2.80 [95 % CI 1.56, 5.02]), Tobacco (adj.OR 2.09 [95 % CI 1.23, 3.55]), and Marijuana (adj.OR 2.33 [95 % CI 1.36, 3.99]). Longitudinal, time-lagged analyses revealed potential feedback effects of earlier depression on subsequent SU, and earlier SU on later depression (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Higher comorbid symptom trajectories emerging in late childhood increased the likelihood of early onset SU. Since negative feedback loops may contribute to symptom persistency, ongoing and potentially harmful SU for at-risk youth, addressing comorbid symptoms that emerge during late childhood is warranted.

The effect of environmental change, planned and unplanned life events on the long-term outcome of common mental disorders

PURPOSE

To examine the nature of positive and negative environmental change on clinical outcome in 210 patients presenting with anxiety and depression and followed up over 30 years.

METHODS

In addition to clinical assessments, major environmental changes, particularly after 12 and 30 years, were recorded in all patients by a combination of self-report and taped interviews. Environmental changes were separated into two major groups, positive or negative, determined by patient opinion.

RESULTS

In all analyses positive changes were found to be associated with better outcome at 12 years with respect to accommodation (P = 0.009), relationships (P = 007), and substance misuse (P = 0.003), with fewer psychiatric admissions (P = 0.011) and fewer social work contacts at 30 years (P = 0.043). Using a consolidated outcome measure positive changes were more likely than negative ones to be associated with a good outcome at 12 and 30 years (39% v 3.6% and 30.2% v 9.1%, respectively). Those with personality disorder at baseline had fewer positive changes (P = 0.018) than others at 12 years and fewer positive occupational changes at 30 years (P = 0.041). Service use was greatly reduced in those with positive events with 50-80% more time free of all psychotropic drug treatment (P < 0.001). Instrumental positive change had greater effects than imposed changes.

CONCLUSIONS

Positive environmental change has a favourable impact on clinical outcome in common mental disorders. Although studied naturalistically in this study the findings suggest that if harnessed as a therapeutic intervention, as in nidotherapy and social prescribing, it would yield therapeutic dividends.

Youth participation in substance use prevention: A national profile, 2011-2019

PURPOSE

Prevention efforts are critical to avoid the negative consequences of substance use in adolescents. This study aimed to examine national trends and sociodemographic differences in adolescents' participation in school-based substance use prevention (SUP) education, community-based SUP programs, as well as family conversations about substance use.

METHODS

Publicly available data for adolescents aged 12-17 from the annual cross-sectional surveys of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health 2011-2019 were analyzed.

RESULTS

Across the survey years, up to 74.9%, 12.2%, and 58.1% of adolescents reported having participated in school-based SUP education, community-based SUP programs, and family conversations about the danger of substance use in the past-year, respectively. From 2011 to 2019, statistically significant decreases were observed in adolescents' participation in school-based SUP education (OR = 0.97, 95% CI: 0.96, 0.98, p < 0.001) and community-based SUP programs (OR = 0.98, 95% CI: 0.97, 0.99, p < 0.001). Meanwhile, no significant changes were observed in adolescents' participation in family conversations about the dangers of substance use. Overall, lower levels of participation in school-based and community-based SUP programs were found in adolescents aged 16-17. Adolescents living in rural areas showed lower levels of participation in school-based SUP programs and family conversations about SUP. Racial/ethnic minority adolescents overall were less likely to participate in conversations with parents about SUP than Whites.

CONCLUSIONS

Further development and implementation of developmentally appropriate, gender-specific, culturally sensitive, and contextually informed SUP programs at school, community, and family levels are needed.

Sports participation moderates the risk of family-specific negative life events on alcohol use among adolescents: Evidence from the longitudinal MyLife study

Negative life events (NLE) have been associated with increased alcohol use (AU) during adolescence. However, whether this risk association may be modified by leisure activities such as sports participation (SP) remains poorly understood. This study examined whether accumulated family-specific NLE in particular were associated with greater AU, and if so, whether SP moderated this association to reduce AU among high-NLE adolescents. We examined five annual assessments from a nationwide cohort of 3,422 Norwegian adolescents (13-15 year-olds; 55.3 % girls at baseline) who participated in the MyLife study. At each assessment, adolescents reported their AU on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Concise (AUDIT-C), the number of family-specific NLE in the past 12 months, SP days in the past 30 days, and multiple sociodemographic and individual-level characteristics (covariates). Changes over time in AU as a function of NLE, SP, and their interaction (NLExSP) were examined with a set of partially nested growth curve models. AU increased non-linearly over time in all models. The fully adjusted best-fitting model showed significant NLExSP interactions (estimate = -0.013, 95% CI [-0.02, -0.006]), such that the initial AUDIT-C scores were lower for high-NLE adolescents with high SP and greater for high-NLE adolescents with low SP. Further, linear increases in AU over time were marginally steeper for high-NLE adolescents with high SP (NLExSPxTime estimate = 0.034, 95% CI [-0.0002, 0.007]). Thus, SP appeared to have a protective role in reducing AU for high-NLE youth primarily during middle school years. Prevention efforts thus may utilize organized sports for youth facing family-specific NLE as a resource early on.

Substance use outcomes from the Child/Adolescent Anxiety Multimodal Extended Long-term Study (CAMELS)

BACKGROUND

Substance use problems and anxiety disorders are both highly prevalent and frequently cooccur in youth. The present study examined the benefits of successful anxiety treatment at 3-12 years after treatment completion on substance use outcomes (i.e. diagnoses and lifetime expected use).

METHODS

The sample was from the Child/Adolescent Anxiety Multimodal Extended Long-term Study (CAMELS), a naturalistic follow-up study to the Child/Adolescent Anxiety Multimodal Study (CAMS) which randomized youth to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT; Coping cat), medication (sertraline), their combination, or pill placebo. The first CAMELS visit occurred an average of 6.5 years following CAMS randomization. Participants were 319 youth (65.4% of the CAMS sample), aged 7-17 years at CAMS baseline assessment with a mean age of 17.6 years (range: 11-26 years) at the time of the first CAMELS follow-up. Substance use outcomes included diagnoses as well as lifetime substance use (i.e. alcohol and tobacco use).

RESULTS

Eleven of 319 (3.4%) CAMELS participants were diagnosed with a substance use disorder at the initial follow-up visit. When compared to the population lifetime rate of 11.4%, the rate of diagnoses in the posttreated sample was significantly lower. Additionally, rates of lifetime alcohol use were lower than population rates at the initial and final follow-up visits. Rates of lifetime tobacco use were similarly lower than lifetime population rates at the initial visit (driven by significantly lower rates in the CBT treatment condition), but higher by the final visit. Furthermore, treatment remission (but not treatment response) was associated with a lower rate of substance use diagnoses at the initial follow-up visit, although rates of lifetime alcohol and tobacco use did not differ by treatment outcome.

CONCLUSIONS

Anxiety treatments confer a beneficial impact on problematic substance use (i.e. diagnoses) as well as on expected substance use (i.e. alcohol and tobacco use) for on average, a period of 6.5 years.

How much stressful life events really matter? Conceptual and methodological difficulties in assessing the impact of self-reported events on adolescents' subjective stress

Numerous studies have pointed to the strong impact of stressful life events on subjective stress and indirectly on the adolescents' mental health. However, the results of many such studies contain bias caused by the choice of measurement method or an incomplete theoretical framework. To estimate the extent of possible bias when using self-reports, we conducted research on a representative sample of 2201 Croatian adolescents aged 14-18 years. Using manipulation we examined the influence of measurement method and the number of constructs included in the model on the variance of subjective stress explained by stressful events. Structural equation modelling indicated that different measurement methods, occurrence-based and severity-based, provide a marked discrepancy in the impact size estimation. The occurrence-based method provided estimates of a much smaller proportion of the explained variance (6%-25%) compared to the severity-based approach, which estimated the explained variance in the range of 25%-55% depending on the model. The complexity of the tested models additionally contributed to the variation in the estimates. It is recommended that when using self-reports to measure stressful life events, occurrence-based and severity-based methods are used simultaneously and that impact estimates are expressed within intervals.

Family dysfunction, stressful life events, and mental health problems across development in the offspring of parents with an affective disorder

BACKGROUND

Offspring of parents with affective disorders (OAD) are at risk of developing a wide range of mental disorders. Deficits in the rearing environment and high levels of stress are well-known risk factors for negative outcomes in OAD. Building on prior research, we aim to examine the longitudinal relationships between family dysfunction, stressful life events, and mental health in OAD and control offspring of parents with no affective disorder. In the present study, we hypothesized that high levels of family dysfunction would be associated with more internalizing and externalizing problems across time in OAD than in controls, and that family dysfunction would mediate the relationship between stressful life events in adolescence and poor mental health in adulthood, particularly in OAD.

METHODS

As part of the TRacking Adolescents' Lives Survey (TRAILS), 2230 participants (51% female, Mage = 11.1 years, SD = 0.6, at baseline) and their parents completed measures across six time points, spanning 15 years. Mental health, family dysfunction, and stressful life events were assessed with the Youth and Adult Self-Report, Family Assessment Device, and an in-house measure, respectively.

RESULTS

Multi-group structured equation modeling revealed that family dysfunction was linked to internalizing and externalizing problems in OAD, but not controls, across time. Risk status did not moderate family dysfunction's mediation of the relationship between stressful life events and negative outcomes in adulthood.

CONCLUSIONS

OAD show high sensitivity to dysfunction in the rearing environment across childhood and adolescence, which supports the use of family based interventions to prevent the development of mental disorders in high-risk youth.

Effects of online coping skills training on stress, anxiety and social problem solving in young people: A randomised controlled study

BACKGROUND

Although most young people successfully manage the transition from childhood to adulthood, the speed and magnitude of these changes can cause stress that can exceed the coping abilities of many young people. Previous studies have suggested that adolescence is a vulnerable period for the development of psychiatric disorders; therefore, an adequate coping repertoire must be developed.

AIMS

Our aims were to develop and implement a coping skills training for young people and to evaluate the results of the training. Therefore, the components of the coping skills training programs in the existing literature were used.

METHODS

Young people from Turkey participated in this cluster randomised controlled trial (n = 89; mean age, 20.06 ± 1.44 years). Ten sessions of the coping skills training were applied in the study group (SG; n = 33), and one session was applied in the control group (CG; n = 56). To assess the effects of the coping skills training, all participants completed several psychological questionnaires (for stress, anxiety, coping and social problem-solving evaluations) at the beginning and end of the training. We performed an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). In cases where ANCOVA assumptions could not be met, the efficacy of the intervention was determined using the mixed design/split-plot analysis of variance.

RESULTS

Compared with the CG, the SG had significantly reduced stress and anxiety levels and increased adaptive coping skills. Social problem-solving skills remained relatively similar between the groups.

CONCLUSION

Complete and correct implementation of coping skills training among the youth may contribute positively to the development of adaptive coping skills by reducing their stress and anxiety levels. This online coping skills training program allowed young people to directly experience their response to stress and offered opportunities to try and develop different coping strategies. Coping skills should be considered for successful stress and anxiety management in everyday life.

Relationships Between Family Connectedness and Stress-Triggering Problems Among Adolescents: Potential Mediating Role of Coping Strategies

The aim of this study was to provide a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying the relationships between family connectedness, coping strategies, and stress-triggering problems in adolescents. To this end, it longitudinally examined the relationships between these three phenomena in a sample of New Zealand adolescents. Data were the three waves of the Youth Connectedness Project, in which 1,774 adolescents aged 10-17 completed a self-report survey three times at one-year intervals. Using random intercept longitudinal mediation path models, we tested whether and to what extent different coping strategies at T2 functioned as mediators between family connectedness at T1 and stress-triggering problems at T3. As predicted, statistical analyses indicated that family connectedness negatively predicted stress-triggering problems over time, and we found that maladaptive coping, but not adaptive coping, significantly mediated this relationship. This result suggests that family connectedness predicted a reduction in maladaptive coping one year later, and this lower level of maladaptation predicted a reduction in stress-triggering problems a subsequent year later. These and other related findings are important as they highlight several mechanisms shaping unfolding problematic situations experienced by adolescents. Contributions of the results to the existing body of knowledge about adolescents' stress and coping strategies are discussed, as well as their clinical implications for the prevention or reduction of stress experienced by adolescents.

Using EMA to explore the role of Black adolescents' experiences in activity spaces in momentary negative emotion and marijuana use

Research examining the role of place in Black adolescents' health behaviors typically examines neighborhoods, with little attention paid to micro geographies such as activity spaces. Understanding experiences in activity spaces may be especially important for Black adolescents living in neighborhoods traditionally characterized as disadvantaged. The SPIN project recruited 75 Black adolescents living in a single neighborhood to complete ecological momentary assessments (EMA) about the activity spaces they encountered over a month. Perceptions of violence and social support in activity spaces in a day are related to marijuana use during the day, relationships partially explained by negative momentary emotions.

Yoga classes as an early intervention for college students reporting high levels of stress and anxiety: A pilot study

Background:Today's college students are experiencing unprecedented rates of stress, anxiety, and mental health issues. As a result, college counseling centers are often overwhelmed by the demand for mental health services. Methods: The current study evaluated the potential for Hatha yoga classes to be used as an alternative to conventional psychotherapy for college students reporting high levels of stress and anxiety. Results: After 6 weeks of twice-weekly, hour-long yoga classes, significant reductions in stress, anxiety, pathological worry, and rumination were reported by 7 undergraduate college students. Conclusions: Results of this pilot study suggest that Hatha yoga classes may serve as a widely accessible, cost-effective early intervention that can be offered as a first-line recommendation to students who are struggling with heightened levels of stress and anxiety.

Neural correlates of negative life events and their relationships with alcohol and cannabis use initiation

OBJECTIVE

Negative life events (NLEs), e.g., poor academic performance (controllable) or being the victim of a crime (uncontrollable), can profoundly affect the trajectory of one's life. Yet, their impact on how the brain develops is still not well understood. This investigation examined the National Consortium on Alcohol and Neurodevelopment in Adolescence (NCANDA) dataset for the impact of NLEs on the initiation of alcohol and cannabis use, as well as underlying neural mechanisms.

METHODS

This study evaluated the impact of controllable and uncontrollable NLEs on substance use initiation in 207 youth who initiated alcohol use, 168 who initiated cannabis use, and compared it to 128 youth who remained substance-naïve, using generalised linear regression models. Mediation analyses were conducted to determine neural pathways of NLE impacting substance use trajectories.

RESULTS

Dose-response relationships between controllable NLEs and substance use initiation were observed. Having one controllable NLE increased the odds of alcohol initiation by 50% (95%CI [1.18, 1.93]) and cannabis initiation by 73% (95%CI [1.36, 2.24]), respectively. Greater cortical thickness in left banks of the superior temporal sulcus mediated effects of controllable NLEs on alcohol and cannabis initiations. Greater left caudate gray-matter volumes mediated effects of controllable NLEs on cannabis initiation.

CONCLUSIONS

Controllable but not uncontrollable NLEs increased the odds of alcohol and cannabis initiation. Moreover, those individuals with less mature brain structures at the time of the NLEs experienced a greater impact of NLEs on subsequent initiation of alcohol or cannabis use. Targeting youth experiencing controllable NLEs may help mitigate alcohol and cannabis initiation.

Examination of the Relationship Between Daily Perceptions of Collective Efficacy and Marijuana Use Among Black Youth: Does the Location of the Perception Matters?

Neighborhood-level collective efficacy protects Black youth from substance use; however, neighborhood research does not account for the entirety of adolescents' exposure or their perceptions of space which may be critical to understanding the role of context in substance use. To address this limitation, the SPIN Project recruited 65 Black adolescents (M(SD) = 15.32(1.06)) to complete four brief surveys each day for a month describing their perceptions of spaces and marijuana use. Multilevel negative binomial models were estimated to test the relationship between an individual's perceptions of collective efficacy and the marijuana used during a day, and if the location of the observations moderated these relationships. Findings indicated that the perceptions of collective efficacy protected adolescents from marijuana use when occurring within their home neighborhood, but not outside of it; thereby suggesting important variations in adolescents' perceptions based on the location that matter for Black youth marijuana use.

Mind-Wandering and Its Relationship With Psychological Wellbeing and Obsessive-Compulsive Symptomatology in the Context of Covid-19

Mind-wandering (MW) as a research topic has received considerable attention over the last several decades. The recent differentiation between spontaneous and deliberate MW has suggested a particular effect of the former on psychopathology; in that increased spontaneous MW may precede mental illness. The present study sought to explore MW as a potential contributing factor to poor mental health in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. More specifically, we sought to determine firstly, whether the effects of MW frequency, type and content on subjective psychological wellbeing was consistent with previous findings after controlling for the impacts of Covid-related stress. Secondly, previous research has demonstrated an effect of both Covid-stress and spontaneous MW on the experience of obsessive-compulsive symptomatology (OCS), and so the present study explored this relationship further by assessing whether Covid-stress mediated the relationship between spontaneous MW and OCS. Participants completed measures of MW, OCS and psychological wellbeing through an online questionnaire. The results indicated that increased spontaneous MW was indicative of both poorer subjective psychological wellbeing and OCS, with Covid-stress partially mediating the relationship between spontaneous MW and OCS. Our findings provide further support for the adverse effect of unintentional MW on psychological wellbeing, as well as for the differentiation between both forms of the cognitive phenomenon. Additionally, they provide an important insight into one of the factors that may have preceded poor mental health among the Irish population during Covid-19. Future research may build upon the present study by exploring similar relationships among clinical populations.

The effectiveness of digital health technologies for reducing substance use among young people: a systematic review & meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Substance use amongst young people poses developmental and clinical challenges, necessitating early detection and treatment. Considering the widespread use of technology in young people, delivering interventions digitally may help to reduce and monitor their substance use.

AIMS

We conducted a systematic review and two meta-analyses to assess the effectiveness of digital interventions for reducing substance use (alcohol, smoking, and other substances) among young people aged 10 to 24 years old.

METHOD

Embase, Global Health, Medline, PsychINFO, Web of Science and reference lists of relevant papers were searched in November 2020. Studies were included if they quantitatively evaluated the effectiveness of digital health technologies for treating substance use. A narrative synthesis and meta-analysis were conducted.

RESULTS

Forty-two studies were included in the systematic review and 18 in the meta-analyses. Digital interventions showed small, but statistically significant reductions in weekly alcohol consumption compared to controls (SMD= -0.12, 95% CI= -0.17 to -0.06, I2=0%), but no overall effect was seen on 30-day smoking abstinence (OR = 1.12, 95% CI = 0.70 to 1.80, I2=81%). The effectiveness of digital interventions for reducing substance use is generally weak, however, promising results such as reducing alcohol use were seen. Large-scale studies should investigate the viability of digital interventions, collect user feedback, and determine cost-effectiveness.

PRISMA/PROSPERO

This systematic review was conducted following Cochrane methodology PRISMA guidelines. The review was registered with PROSPERO in November 2020 (CRD42020218442).

A prospective study of the relative contribution of adolescent peer support quantity and quality to depressive symptoms

BACKGROUND

During adolescence, peer support has an increasingly important role in identity formation and well-being. Prior research has identified that lack of social support from peers in adolescence is a potent risk factor for depression. Two ways that social support has been operationalized is by the number of one's friends (i.e., 'quantity') and perception of one's network (i.e., 'quality'). Typically, these aspects of peer support are assessed separately.

METHODS

Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (N = 3,857), this study sought to test whether (1) adolescent depression relates to having fewer friends versus lower quality friendships, (2) these aspects of adolescent peer support prospectively predict depression in adulthood, (3) gender moderates the effects of peer support on depression, and (4) these aspects of peer support buffer the effects of stressful life events on depression.

RESULTS

Peer support quality uniquely predicted depression in adolescence and adulthood among both males and females. The effect of peer support quality on depressive symptoms, however, was greater for females than males. By contrast, peer support quantity did not uniquely predict depression for males or females.

CONCLUSIONS

Qualitative aspects of adolescent peer support uniquely contribute to mental health not only in adolescence, but in adulthood as well. Potential processes through which peer support relates to depression are discussed, as well as implications for treatment.

Mental health status and stressful life events among postgraduate nursing students in Cyprus: a cross-sectional descriptive correlational study

BACKGROUND

Despite prior evidence supporting the association between stressful life events and mental health status, there are limited data on the number and severity of stressful life events and their effects on university students' mental health status. Therefore, the present study aimed to: (a) examine mental health status and subsequent predictors of clinically significant mental distress symptoms, (b) estimate the number and severity of stressful life events, and (c) explore the associations between mental health status, stressful life events (number and severity) and sociodemographic characteristics.

METHODS

This study was descriptive, cross-sectional, and correlational with internal comparisons. A convenience sample of 90 Master of Science in nursing and midwifery students, participated in the study. Participants with a General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28) total score ≥ 24 were considered to have clinically significant mental distress symptoms. Descriptive and inferential statistics were evaluated, and Pearson's chi-square test for group differences was used to analyse the data. Analysis of variance and t-tests were used for comparisons between two or more groups, and regression analyses were employed to identify the predictors of GHQ-28 scores and clinical mental distress symptoms.

RESULTS

The final sample comprised 90 students (response rate: 97.8%), 33 (36.7%) of whom reported clinically significant symptoms of mental distress. Students with divorced parents [29.92 (± 10.62), p < .05] scored high on the GHQ-28. Participants who had low/no satisfaction with the education system posted higher scores than participants who had high/very high satisfaction [24.82 (± 11.68) vs. 17.93 (± 9.78), p < .05]. In the subscale measuring depressive symptoms, there was a statistically significant gender difference, with men reporting higher scores than females. [3.0± (3.69) vs. 1.60 (± 2.42), p = .034]. In multiple analyses of sociodemographic characteristics and those who scored higher on the Life Events Scale for Students (LESS) scale (≥ 340), the loss of parent/s was associated with the total GHQ-28 score (B=-17.046, p < .001). In multiple analyses, chronic physical disorders or disabilities and numerous stressful life events among students (≥ 8 events) were correlated with higher overall GHQ-28 scores (B = 15.232, p < .005).

CONCLUSION

The high frequency of clinical symptoms of mental distress among postgraduate university nursing students and their correlation with stressful life events highlights the need for university counselling services to provide psychological support strategies to students.

A serial mediation model of negative life events on school adjustment of left-behind adolescents in rural china: the central role of hope and gratitude

Adjustment difficulties of school students are common and their school adjustment has gained wide concern in recent years. Negative life events (NLEs) hope, and gratitude have been associated with school adjustment. However, the potential effect of NLEs on hope and gratitude and whether hope and gratitude mediate the association between NLEs and school adjustment among high students have not been studied. Thus, this study aims to investigate the association between NLEs, hope and gratitude, and school adjustment in high school students in China. Additionally, the study aims to examine the mediating role of hope and gratitude in the association between NLEs and school adjustment. A total of 700 junior high school students in Guangxi Province (336 boys, 364 girls, M age = 15 years) completed the questionnaire. The results indicated significant mediating effects of hope and gratitude in the sequential positive association between NLEs and school adjustment. Furthermore, this study unraveled the complexity of the link between NLEs and school adjustment with the combination of hope and gratitude. The findings emphasized the importance of fostering hope and gratitude in left-behind adolescents to combat the negative consequences of NLEs. The study is also one of the first to investigate a serial mediation model to determine which NLEs influence Chinese left-behind adolescents' school adjustment.

Mental health and its determinants among adolescents living in families with separated or divorced parents in an urban area of Vietnam

BACKGROUND

We assessed the prevalence of stress, anxiety, and depression among adolescents living in families with separated or divorced parents in Hue City, Vietnam and identified factors associated with these conditions.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study enrolled 309 adolescents, aged 12 to 17 years, living in families with separated or divorced parents in Hue City, Vietnam. The depression anxiety stress scale-21 (DASS-21) was used to measure stress, anxiety, and depression. Predictors of overall and individual mental health problems were identified using ordered and binary logistic regression, respectively.

RESULTS

The DASS-21 scale revealed a 49.2% prevalence of stress, while anxiety and depression had s prevalence rates of 61.5%. Among participants, 42.4% experienced all 3 mental health issues. Several factors were identified as significant predictors of mental health problems, including poor to average economic status (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.00; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.21-3.31; p=0.007); being in high school (aOR, 5.02; 95% CI, 2.93-8.60; p<0.001); maternal occupation of teacher, healthcare professional, or official (aOR, 2.39; 95% CI, 1.13-5.03; p=0.022); longer duration of family separation or divorce (aOR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.05-1.45; p=0.009); living with one's mother (aOR, 1.69; 95% CI, 1.03-2.76; p=0.04); alcohol consumption (aOR, 1.70; 95% CI, 0.99-2.92; p=0.050); and being bullied (aOR, 5.33; 95% CI, 1.10-25.69; p=0.037). Most of these factors were associated with stress, anxiety, and depression. Additionally, smoking was associated with stress.

CONCLUSION

Adolescents with separated or divorced parents were at increased risk of stress, anxiety, and depression. The findings of this study provide important implications for prevention programs.

Commonly reported negative experiences on social media are associated with poor mental health and well-being among adolescents: results from the "LifeOnSoMe"-study

Introduction

Cyberbullying has been extensively studied and is associated with adverse mental health outcomes in adolescents. However, adolescents may also experience a range of other negative experiences, such as name-calling, threats, exclusion, and unwanted attention or contact from others. Few studies have investigated how adolescents' mental health is affected by these relatively common and less severe types of negative experiences on social media (SOME). To assess the association between mental health outcomes and two aspects of negative experiences on SOME; unwanted attention and negative acts and exclusion.

Methods

This study is based on a survey conducted in 2020/21 consisting of 3,253 Norwegian adolescents (56% female, M_age = 17 years). Eight statements about negative experiences on SOME were asked and combined into two composite measures: "Unwanted attention from others" and "Negative acts and exclusion." Dependent variables in regression models were symptoms of anxiety, symptoms of depression, and mental well-being. Covariates in all models included age, gender, subjective socioeconomic status, and amount of SOME-use.

Results

Both "negative acts and exclusion" and "unwanted attention from others" on SOME were consistently positively associated with self-reported symptoms of depression and anxiety, and negatively associated with mental well-being in both crude and adjusted analysis.

Discussion

The results are indicative of an important relationship between experiencing negative events on SOME, even presumably less severe events, and worse mental health and well-being. Future research should extricate the potential causal relationship between negative experiences on SOME and mental health, as well as exploring potential precipitating and intermediating factors.

Longitudinal relationship between depression and antisocial behaviors in Korean adolescents

Background

It is well known that depression and delinquency in adolescents are highly correlated, but longitudinal studies on the causal relationship between them are not active in East Asia compared to in Western culture. In addition, even the results of research on causal models and sex differences are inconsistent.

Objectives

This study examines the longitudinal reciprocal effects between depression and delinquent behavior in Korean adolescents based on sex differences.

Methods

We conducted multiple-group analysis by using an autoregressive cross-lagged model (ACLM). Longitudinal data from 2,075 individuals (2011-2013) were used for analysis. The longitudinal data are from the Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey (KCYPS), and data were used beginning with students at 14 years old (in the second grade of middle school) and tracked them until they were 16 (in the first grade of high school).

Results

Boys' delinquent behaviors at 15 years (the third grade of middle school) affected their depression at 16 years (the first grade of high school). In contrast, girls' depression at 15 years (the third grade of middle school) influenced their delinquent behaviors at 16 years (the first grade of high school).

Discussion

The findings support the failure model (FM) among adolescent boys and the acting-out model (ACM) among girls. The results imply that strategies to effectively prevent and treat delinquency and depression in adolescents must consider sex effects.

Chinese school adolescents' stress experience and coping strategies: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Stress in adolescence is associated with adverse mental health outcomes. Coping resources have been proved by literature to have buffering effects on the impact of stress on mental health. It is imperative to understand the stress and coping strategies of adolescents. However, to date, there has been a scarce of qualitative examination of stress and coping strategies in adolescents in a Chinese population.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to understand the stress experience and coping strategies of high school students in China.

METHODS

This study adopted a qualitative design involving three focus group interviews. A purposive sampling method was used to recruit high school students who were enrolled in grades 10 to 11, and their teachers, at a Chinese high school which resulted in 20 students and 9 teacher participants. Data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 4 themes were identified: (i) sources of stress; (ii) impacts of stress (iii) coping strategies used by students; and (iv) recommendations for stress management programs. Students experienced excessive stress in their daily lives. The primary source of stress came from high expectations for academic achievement. Other sources of stress were peer relationships and family issues. The stress had negative impacts on students' emotions, sleep, study, and mental wellbeing. The students demonstrated various coping strategies, with the most common being avoidant coping. Students and teachers agreed that the coping strategies were not effective in reducing stress in the long run and that more coping skills training was needed.

CONCLUSIONS

This study is the first to assess the perceptions of Chinese high school students and their teachers regarding adolescent stress experiences and coping strategies. Chinese high school students experienced significant stress in their daily lives and demonstrated unhelpful coping strategies. Participants demonstrated consensus that they did not have the skills to cope. There is a demonstrated need for interventions that focus on increasing coping skills in this population.

The Relationship between Traumatic Life Events and Polysubstance Use: Examining the Mediating Role of DSM-5 Level of Personality Functioning and Maladaptive Personality Traits

The experience of traumatic events in childhood is an important risk factor for the initiation and continuation of polysubstance use. This study aimed to examine the mediating role of DSM-5 level of personality functioning and maladaptive personality traits in the relationship between traumatic life events and polysubstance use. We used a mixed sample (N = 290; M_age = 40; SD_age = 12.26; 75.2% males) of patients with substance use disorder (SUD; including 90 mono-drug users and 113 polysubstance users) and non-users (including 87 university students) recruited using convenience sampling method from harm reduction-oriented drug treatment centers and universities respectively in Tehran, Iran. Participants completed the Level of Personality Functioning Scale-Brief Form, the Personality Inventory for DSM 5-Brief Form, and the Life Events Checklist-Revised. The results of structural equation modeling showed that DSM-5 level of personality functioning and maladaptive personality traits partially mediated the relationship between traumatic life events and polysubstance use. Experiencing traumatic events may contribute to the risk of polysubstance use through the effect of global personality dysfunction and specific personality traits. This proposed mediational model must be replicated using a longitudinal design across different populations.

A qualitative investigation of stressful life events and mental health disorders: The views of patients and caregivers in Bangladesh

BACKGROUND

Mounting mental health disorders among students has become a significant challenge in producing quality graduates with bright minds. Therefore, it is crucial to investigate the underlying causes of students' mental health-related problems and their experiences while living with mental health disorders. This study investigates the causes and exposures of mental health problems among university students in Bangladesh. For this purpose, a qualitative method was used, and an unstructured in-depth interview schedule was used to collect data from students and caregivers. The students were selected from Khulna University, and data were collected in two consecutive months, i.e., November and December 2021. Using a convenient sampling technique, eight (8) students with mental health issues and five (5) caregivers were interviewed to obtain the necessary data.

RESULTS

The findings showed that the intertwined social circumstances led to mental health problems among university students. The students experienced deep depression following a breakup of their romantic affairs/relationships. The prolonged isolation or social distancing due to the government-imposed strict lockdown during the COVID-19 also produced frustration regarding the possible loss of both academic and professional careers. Furthermore, the growing academic pressure in a form of an unfamiliar approach to teaching and learning-online education-also compelled students to complain about depression and suicidal tendencies as parts of their experiences.

CONCLUSIONS

This study recommends that the government and policymakers prioritize mental health issues in educational institutions, and they should enforce specific strategies, such as introducing age-specific mental health services and student counseling at educational institutions to reduce growing mental health issues. Furthermore, a positive approach from the family and community is also required to battle against mental health disorders. Besides, nationally representative empirical research is recommended to comprehend the growing mental health issues among students in the 21st century to figure out solutions for the present and the future.

Empirical evidence for climate concerns, negative emotions and climate-related mental ill-health in young people: A scoping review

BACKGROUND

Climate change represents a serious threat to human health, including mental health, due to both the traumatizing effects of extreme climate events and the psychological effect of worry about climate change.

OBJECTIVES

This scoping review aims to search the literature for original research investigating mental health and climate-related negative emotions in young people. Findings will help to understand the current landscape, gaps in the literature, and provide recommendations for future youth mental health research and practice.

METHODS

A scoping review of the literature examining negative emotions associated with climate change in young people was undertaken. Studies published prior to March 2022 were included if they examined mental ill-health (e.g., symptoms of depression or anxiety) or negative emotions (e.g., distress, worry, concern) associated with the threat of climate change.

RESULTS

Of 3939 articles screened, 26 met the inclusion criteria. Together, studies show that young people are worried about climate change. Negative emotions about climate change were correlated with symptoms of mental ill-health. Studies also explored coping strategies young people use to manage their distress caused by climate change.

DISCUSSION

The limited literature in this area indicates a key gap in youth mental health research. While available evidence suggests that young people are concerned about climate change, more research is needed on the relationship between climate-related negative emotions and mental ill-health. Clinicians should assess for and address climate-related negative emotions in young people. Mental health leaders are urged to advocate for actions to mitigate the mental health impact of climate change.

Co-occurring Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Hoarding Disorder: A Review of the Current Literature

Current research suggests obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) co-occurs in around 20% of people with hoarding disorder (HD). The article discusses the theoretical conceptualization of co-occurring HD and OCD (HD+OCD), highlighting similarities between the disorders that may contribute to comorbidity, such as potentially overlapping etiological factors, comorbidity profiles, and phenomenological aspects; and differences that are important to consider in differential diagnosis and conceptualization, such as belief patterns, ego-syntonicty/dystonicity, and trajectory. The combination of HD+OCD versus either disorder alone appears to be associated with a profile characterized by higher nonhoarding OCD symptoms, anxiety symptoms, depression, and tic disorders, and which may be more treatment-refractory. The authors discuss some commonly used measures to assess hoarding that may be relevant in the context of OCD, as differential diagnosis of hoarding behaviors is often difficult, and hoarding may be difficult to detect in patients with OCD, especially in children. The article ends with a discussion on considerations for the treatment of HD+OCD with cognitive-behavioral therapy, as hoarding symptoms are less likely to respond to gold-standard exposure and response prevention, and there are no established treatment protocols that are designed to treat co-occurring HD and OCD.

Does stress predict the development of internalizing symptoms in middle childhood? An examination of additive, mediated, and moderated effects of early family stress, daily interpersonal stress, and physiological stress

Early life stress, daily life experiences, and the stress responsive hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis have each been examined as predictors of the development of psychopathology. Rarely have researchers attempted to understand the covariation or interaction among these stress domains using a longitudinal design in the prediction of symptoms of internalizing psychopathology, particularly during childhood. This study examined early family stress, daily interpersonal stress, indicators of diurnal cortisol, and internalizing symptoms in a racially/ethnically and socioeconomically diverse sample of twins (N = 970 children; Mage at outcome = 9.73; 52% female; 23.7% Hispanic/Latino, 58.8% White; 30% below middle class; Lemery-Chalfant et al., 2019). An additive model of stress, a stress mediation model, and a stress sensitization framework model each delineated potential pathways linking stress and internalizing symptoms. Supporting additive pathways, multilevel models showed that all 3 stress indicators uniquely predicted internalizing symptoms. There was a significant indirect path from early family stress to 9 year internalizing symptoms through interpersonal stress, supporting stress mediation. Family stress moderated the association between interpersonal stress and internalizing symptoms, though not in the direction that would support stress sensitization. Child stress, including daily interpersonal stress and HPA axis activity, and internalizing symptoms are prevalent and family stress is a significant precursor to child internalizing symptoms across child development. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

The relationship between negative life events and mental health of overseas Chinese left-behind children: A moderated mediation model

To examine the factors influencing the mental health and sociality of overseas Chinese left-behind children, and to identify the protective mechanisms of their mental health, the current study investigated 568 overseas Chinese left-behind children. The age distribution of the sample ranges from 10 to 16 years, with an average age of 13.51 years and a standard deviation of 1.11. Using the Adolescent Self-Rating Life Events Checklist, Perceived Social Support Scale, General Self-Efficacy Scale and Mental Health Inventory of Middle-school Students, results showed that: (1) Perceived social support played a moderate mediate role in the relationship between negative life events and mental health. (2) The effect of negative life events on perceived social support was moderated by general self-efficacy. Negative life events of overseas Chinese left-behind children with higher self-efficacy were more likely to experience negative mental health. Conclusion: Perceived social support plays a moderating mediating role in the relationship between negative life events and mental health of overseas Chinese left-behind children.

Nicotine vaping for relaxation and coping: Race/ethnicity differences and social connectedness mechanisms

The current study examined race- and ethnicity-based differences in the reasons that youth report for vaping, with an emphasis on understanding the relationship between race/ethnicity and vaping for relaxation and stress/anxiety coping. This work also sought to go beyond examining race-based differences as a cause of tobacco-use disparities by assessing social connectedness factors that mediate relationships between race/ethnicity and vaping for relaxation and coping. Research questions were tested using data from the 2019-2020 California Student Tobacco Survey, a representative school-based survey of 10th and 12th grade public school students throughout schools in California. Overall, 7.78% of the sample reported using nicotine vapes in the past 30 days. The final sample included 11,112 high school student current vape users. The most important reason that youth vaped was for relaxation and stress/anxiety coping, with racial and ethnic minorities most likely to report this vaping motivation. Analyses of the structural mechanisms underlying the relationship between race/ethnicity and vaping reasons showed that minority youth reported lower school, peer, and family connectedness when compared to White youth. Lower school and family connectedness were in turn correlated with being motivated to vape to relax or relieve stress and anxiety, and lower overall mental health. Findings imply that future intervention efforts might profitably focus on reducing stressors associated with relaxation and stress/anxiety coping motivations and highlight the importance of connectedness for indirectly decreasing vape use risk by improving negative mood and mental health.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Adolescent Mental Health and Substance Use

PURPOSE

The aim of this study is to determine whether COVID-19-induced financial impact, stress, loneliness, and isolation were related to perceived changes in adolescent mental health and substance use.

METHODS

Data were from Baseline (2018) and Wave 3 (2020; mean age = 14.8; 50% female) of 1,188 adolescents recruited from 12 Texas public middle schools as part of a randomized controlled trial. Participants were primarily Black (23%), Latinx (41%), Asian (11%), and White (9%). We assessed mental health and substance use (Baseline and Wave 3) and pandemic-related physical interaction, loneliness, stress, family conflict, and economic situation (Wave 3).

RESULTS

COVID-19-induced stress and loneliness were linked to depression (beta = 0.074, p ≤ .001; beta = 0.132, p ≤ .001) and anxiety (beta = 0.061, p = .001; beta = 0.088, p ≤ .001) among ethnically diverse adolescents. Adolescents who did not limit their physical interactions due to COVID-19 had fewer symptoms of depression (beta = -0.036, p = .03); additionally, adolescents who did not restrict their socializing were substantially more likely to report using a variety of substances (e.g., for episodic heavy drinking; odds ratio = 1.81, p = .001). Increased use of a food bank was linked to depression (beta = 0.063, p ≤ .001) and a negative change in financial situation was linked to increased alcohol use (odds ratio = 0.70, p = .04) among adolescents.

DISCUSSION

After controlling for prepandemic psychopathology and race/ethnicity, COVID-19 induced isolation, loneliness, stress, and economic challenges were linked to poor mental health and substance misuse. Substantial structural, community, school, and individual level resources are needed to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescent psychosocial health.

The impact of living in an un- or under-furnished house on individuals who transitioned from homelessness

Very few empirical evaluations have been conducted on the impact of furniture on the lives of those who have transitioned from homelessness into permanent housing, especially within the United States. Our study contributes to this limited body of research by exploring the impact of furniture on the lives of 20 recently housed individuals residing in the Detroit Metropolitan Area. In partnership with the Furniture Bank of Southeast Michigan, we conducted semi-structured interviews with recently housed individuals that lived for a period of time in an un- or under-furnished house before receiving furniture support. Given the study's exploratory nature, interview questions were purposefully broad to allow themes to naturally emerge and were analyzed using a qualitative data analysis software package, NVivo (release 1.0). We present a conceptual model that outlines our findings and conclude with a discussion of the limitations of our approach, avenues for future research, and policy implications.

Do subjective and objective measures of stress agree in a clinical sample of youth and their parents?

This study explored agreement and potential relationships among perceived stress (self-reported using the Perceived Stress Scale), hair cortisol concentration (HCC), and mental disorders in a clinical sample of youth and their parents. Data were collected from a cross-sectional sample of 48 youth (38 females; mean age = 15.6 years) with a mental disorder and 72 parents (65 females; mean age = 45.49 years). Agreement was assessed using Bland-Altman plots and intraclass correlation coefficients. Multiple regression was used to model the association between covariates and HCC and perceived stress for youth and parents. Agreement between perceived stress and HCC was low for both youth and parents (ICC = 0.15 to 0.31). Among youth, lower income (β = 0.24) and parent psychopathology (β = 0.42) were associated with higher HCC. Female sex (β = 0.42) and higher parent psychopathology (β = 0.28) were associated with higher perceived stress, whereas chronic physical illness was associated with lower perceived stress (β = -0.24). Among parents, female sex (β = -0.21) was associated with lower HCC and family functioning (β = 0.46) was associated with higher perceived stress. In youth, higher HCC was associated with generalized anxiety (OR = 1.14) and higher perceived stress was associated with major depressive episode (OR = 1.33), generalized anxiety (OR = 1.10), and separation anxiety (OR = 1.14). Among parents, higher HCC was associated with depression (β = 0.27) and perceived stress was associated with depression (β = 0.53) and anxiety (β = 0.45). This exploratory study shows that agreement between psychological and physiological stress is low in a clinical sample of youth and their parents. Sociodemographic and psychosocial factors, and mental health, are differentially associated with psychological and physiological stress.

Generation 1.5: Years in the United States and Other Factors Affecting Smoking Behaviors Among Asian Americans

Introduction

Generation 1.5, immigrants who moved to a different country before adulthood, are hypothesized to have unique cognitive and behavioral patterns. We examined the possible differences in cigarette smoking between Asian subpopulations who arrived in the United States at different life stages.

Methods

Using the Asian subsample of the 2015 Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey, we tested this Generation 1.5 hypothesis with their smoking behavior. This dataset was chosen because its large sample size allowed for a national-level analysis of the Asian subsamples by sex, while other national datasets might not have adequate sample sizes for analysis of these subpopulations. The outcome variable was defined as whether the survey respondent had ever smoked 100 cigarettes or more, with the key independent variable operationalized as whether the respondent was: 1) born in the United States; 2) entered the United States before 12; 3) entered between 12 and 19; and 4) entered after 19. Logistic regressions were run to examine the associations with covariates including the respondent's age, educational attainment, and household income.

Results

Asian men who entered before 12 were less likely to have ever smoked 100 cigarettes than those who immigrated after 19; for Asian women, three groups (born in the United States, entered before 12, entered between 12 and 19) were more likely to have smoked 100 cigarettes than those who immigrated after 19.

Conclusions

While Asian men who came to the United States before 12 were less at risk for cigarette smoking than those who immigrated in adulthood, the pattern was the opposite among Asian women. Those who spent their childhood in the United States were more likely to smoke than those who came to the United States in adulthood. These patterns might result from the cultural differences between US and Asian countries, and bear policy relevance for the tobacco control efforts among Asian Americans.

The Relationship Between Negative Life Events and Internet Addiction Disorder Among Adolescents and College Students in China: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objective

Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD) has become a social problem. Literature suggests that negative life events can cause numerous problematic behaviors and part of them will result in IAD. However, there is a lack of evidence that elucidates the association between negative life events and IAD. Thereby, we performed a comprehensive analysis to further document the relationship between negative life events and IAD among adolescents and college students in China.

Methods

We searched ten electronic databases for relevant articles. We extracted correlation coefficient (r) values from each study and calculated 95% confidence interval (95% CI) after applying Fisher's z. A random-effect or fixed-effect model was applied to analyze the data. Heterogeneity was examined using I2 statistics and the Cochran's Q statistics.

Results

A total of 31 studies were involved in this meta-analysis. Positive correlation was observed between negative life events and IAD. The subtype interpersonal relationship of negative life events was closely associationed with IAD.

Conclusion

There were significant positive association between negative life events and IAD. The findings can be used to guide IAD interventions.

Systematic Review Registration

[https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/#recordDetails].

The Link Between Adversity and Dating Violence Among Adolescents Hospitalized for Psychiatric Treatment: Parental Emotion Validation as a Candidate Protective Factor

Adolescents are at risk for becoming victims or perpetrators for a variety of forms of dating violence, including cyber violence, physical violence, psychological abuse, and sexual abuse. Interestingly, a robust predictor of dating violence is adverse experiences during childhood; however, factors that could mitigate the risk of dating violence for those exposed to adversity have seldom been examined. Using the cumulative stress hypothesis as a lens, the current study examined severity of adverse experiences as a predictor of dating violence within a sample at risk for both victimization and perpetration of dating violence: An adolescent (12-17 years old; N = 137) sample who were receiving inpatient psychiatric treatment. First, the current study aimed to replicate previous findings to determine whether adversity predicted dating violence and whether this varied by gender. Then, the current study examined one factor that could mitigate the relation between adversity and dating violence-parental emotion validation. High rates of maternal emotion validation resulted in no relation between adversity and dating violence perpetration and victimization; however, the relation was present at average and low levels of maternal emotion validation. Next, by adding gender as an additional moderator to the model, we found that high rates of paternal emotion validation extinguished the relation between adversity and dating violence perpetration, but only for adolescent boys. This pattern was not found for maternal emotion validation. Interestingly, the relation between adversity and dating violence victimization did not vary as a function of maternal or paternal validation of emotion for either child gender. These findings are discussed in terms of their meaning within this sample, possible future directions, and their implications for the prevention of dating violence.

Adolescents' mental health problems increase after parental divorce, not before, and persist until adulthood: a longitudinal TRAILS study

Parental divorce is one of the most stressful life events for youth and is often associated with (long-lasting) emotional and behavioral problems (EBP). However, not much is known about the timing of the emergence of these EBP in adolescents relative to the moment of parental divorce, and its longitudinal effects. We therefore assessed this timing of EBP in adolescents of divorce and its longitudinal effects. We used the first four waves of the TRacking Adolescent's Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS) cohort, which included 2230 10-12 years olds at baseline. EBP were measured through the Youth Self-Report (YSR), as internalizing and externalizing problems. We applied multilevel analysis to assess the effect of divorce on EBP. The levels of both internalizing and externalizing problems were significantly higher in the period after parental divorce (β = 0.03, and 0.03, respectively; p < 0.05), but not in the period before divorce, with a persistent and increasing effect over the follow-up periods compared to adolescents not experiencing divorce. Adolescents tend to develop more EBP in the period after parental divorce, not before. These effects are long-lasting and underline the need for better care for children with divorcing parents.

An examination of the moderating role of growth mindset in the relation between social stress and externalizing behaviors among adolescents

INTRODUCTION

Experiencing elevated stress increases the risk of further difficulties in mental health, including externalizing behaviors in adolescents. There is a need for understanding the factors that help adolescents mitigate social stress to prevent problematic externalizing behaviors. Growth mindset has been found to be a promising protective factor in adolescent development including mental health. This study aimed to examine the potential buffering role of growth mindset of thoughts-emotion-and-behaviors in the context of two types of social stress (i.e., family and peer) to reduce externalizing behaviors among adolescents.

METHODS

The sample is composed of 399 adolescents (age range 14-18 years, M = 16.22, SD = 1.21; 56.4% female, 42.3% male, 1.3% gender-nonconforming or variant) from a large, urban, diverse high school in the United States. Adolescent self-reports were administered at one time.

RESULTS

Moderation analyses revealed that growth mindset of thoughts, emotion, and behaviors moderate the association between family stress and externalizing behaviors. The magnitude of this association weakened as the level of growth mindset increased, supporting the buffering effect of the moderator. Neither the moderation effect of growth mindset nor the main effects of peer stress and growth mindset were significant in predicting externalizing behaviors.

CONCLUSION

Taken together, the findings suggested that growth mindset has protective effects in reducing externalizing behaviors when adolescents experience family stress. Future directions and implications are discussed.

Personal and Social Consequences of Psychotropic Substance Use: A Population-Based Internet Survey

Background and objectives: Drug abuse has become a major worldwide health concern among all age groups. The present study analyses substance misuse and its social and personal consequences using a population-based internet survey in Spain. Materials and Methods: Screening for drug abuse (of alcohol, marijuana/hashish and psychostimulants) and its related risks and problems was performed using the Car, Relax, Alone, Forget, Friends, Trouble (CRAFFT) score. Socio-demographic factors, depressive, anxiety and stress symptoms as well as health habits were also evaluated. We used Linear regression methods to compare each variable's individual contribution so as to determine which one best explains the results. Results: In this population-based study, 1224 people completed and returned the online survey. Of all participants, 57% reported consuming at least one substance based on the CRAFFT scale. While increasing age reduces the probability of personal and social consequences of consumption, people who smoke receive up to three times more (OR = 3.370) recommendations from family and friends to reduce their consumption. As for the type of substance, the consumption of marijuana increases the risk of forgetting (OR = 2.33) and the consumption of other psychostimulant substances almost triples the risk of consuming alone (OR = 2.965). Combining substances can increase the rate of driving a vehicle after consumption by 3.4 times. Conclusions: Although age, smoking and the type of substances used increase the risk of suffering from social and personal consequences of the use or abuse of substances, future studies are needed to determine the influence of new variables as a potential tool for treating and minimizing the adverse consequences of drug abuse.

Longitudinal Effects of Stressful Life Events on Problematic Smartphone Use and the Mediating Roles of Mental Health Problems in Chinese Undergraduate Students

Background and Aims: This three-wave longitudinal study investigated the effects of stressful life events on problematic smartphone use and the mediating roles of mental health problems (i.e., depressive symptoms, poor sleep quality, and suicidal ideation) in Chinese undergraduate students. Methods: A total of 197 undergraduate students completed the three-wave surveys. Their severity of stressful life events, mental health problems, and problematic smartphone use were assessed. Results: Regression analyses revealed that stressful life events at T1 was significantly associated with problematic smartphone use at T3. Mediation analyses showed that mental health problems (i.e., depressive symptoms, poor sleep quality, and suicidal ideation) at T2 fully mediated the association between stressful life events at T1 and problematic smartphone use at T3 (B = 0.042, 0.034, and 0.022, respectively). Conclusions: The present study revealed that stressful life events and mental health problems (i.e., depressive symptoms, poor sleep quality, and suicidal ideation) are predictors of problematic smartphone use in Chinese college students.

Stressful Life Events and Their Unique Associations with Psychosocial Outcomes: a Gendered Analysis Among High School Adolescents

INTRODUCTION

There is substantial evidence linking stressful life events (SLEs) in childhood to poor mental health later in life, but few studies explore how various types of SLEs differentially impact mental health. The purpose of this study is to assess associations between SLEs and psychosocial outcomes in a diverse adolescent population in the USA and to examine whether and how these relationships are gendered.

METHODS

The sample comprises 181 high school students ages 13-21 years in Harrisonburg, Virginia. This study analyzed associations between 12 SLEs and eight psychosocial outcomes using ordinary least-squares and logistic regressions. Relationships were estimated for the full sample and for males and females, separately.

RESULTS

For boys, having ever been forced to leave one's family was associated with declines in resilience (B = - 4.646; 95% CI (- 8.79, - 0.50)) and increases in externalizing symptoms (B = 0.392; 95% CI (0.15, 0.63)). Furthermore, boys who experienced a drastic change in their family reported lower levels of school belonging (B = - 9.272; 95% CI (- 17.45, - 1.09)). For girls, having ever been forced to leave one's family was associated with decreases in depressive (B = - 0.961; 95% CI (- 1.88, - 0.05)) and anxiety symptomology (B = - 0.868; 95% CI (- 1.68, - 0.06)). Overall, students who experienced a life-threatening emergency exhibited greater depressive (B = 0.445; 95% CI (0.15, 0.74)) and anxiety symptoms (B = 0.287; 95% CI (0.05, 0.52)), and depressive symptomology was also associated with having ever been physically hurt by someone (B = 0.224; 95% CI (0.01, 0.44)).

CONCLUSIONS

Findings provide insights into how exposures might engender different mental health processes and outcomes, and how these processes may manifest differently across gender.

Zusammenhänge zwischen dissozialen Verhaltensweisen und Stresserleben bei Jugendlichen

Zusammenfassung. Dissoziale Verhaltensweisen wie Wutanfälle, Lügen und Stehlen bis hin zu gewaltsamen Übergriffen gegenüber Peers, Lehrpersonen und Eltern stellen hohe Belastungen für die soziale Umwelt der Jugendlichen dar. Obwohl kognitiv-emotionale Stressverarbeitungsprozesse eine zentrale Bedeutung für die Erklärung von Verhaltensproblemen haben, analysiert bislang keine Studie systematisch das Stresserleben bei Jugendlichen mit dissozialem Verhalten in unterschiedlichen Lebensbereichen. Diese Studie geht der Fragestellung nach, inwiefern Jugendliche mit dissozialem Verhalten in verschiedenen Lebensbereichen (u. a. Eltern, Schule, Zukunftsplanung, Freizeit, Peerbeziehungen) Stress empfinden. Die Stichprobe umfasst N = 91 Jugendliche (Altersrange 12 – 16, 39 Mädchen), von denen N = 44 dissoziale Verhaltensweisen aufweisen. Verhaltensprobleme und Stresserleben wurden mittels standardisierter Instrumente erfasst. In hierarchischen Regressionsanalysen erklären dissoziale Verhaltensweisen bedeutsame Varianz des Stresserlebens. In Bezug auf die Zukunft (z. B. Angst vor Arbeitslosigkeit) sowie schulische Stressoren (z. B. Leistungsversagen) ist das Stresserleben dissozialer Jugendlicher erhöht, im Freizeitbereich sowie im Umgang mit Peers bestehen keine bedeutsamen Unterschiede zur Kontrollgruppe. Die Ergebnisse implizieren spezifische kognitiv-emotionale Stressverarbeitungsprozesse bei dissozialen Jugendlichen, deren mögliche Bedeutung für Verhaltensänderungen in schulischen und anderen pädagogischen Kontexten diskutiert wird.

Classes of childhood adversities and their associations to the mental health of college undergraduates: a nationwide cross-sectional study

Background

Childhood adversities pose deleterious consequences on health and well-being, but limited studies explore whether unique patterns of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) impact the mental health of emerging adults and the mediating role of current stressful events (CSEs). This study examined classes of ACEs and how they relate to CSEs, psychological distress, and subjective well-being among Eritrean College undergraduates.

Methods

Cross-sectional data on ACEs, CSEs, symptoms of psychological distress, and subjective well-being were collected from a national sample of college students (N = 507). We identified ACE patterns using latent class analysis and further examined whether CSEs mediated the effects of ACE classes on psychological distress and subjective well-being.

Results

86.4% of the sample experienced at least one ACE. Collective violence, domestic violence, and physical abuse were the most common ACEs. Three subgroups, low ACEs (66.3%), household violence (19.1%), and multiple ACEs (14.6%) were identified. We found that relative to low ACEs, household violence (β = 0.142, 95% CI 0.046, 0.248) and multiple ACEs (β = 0.501, 95% CI 0.357, 0.666) indirectly influenced psychological distress through CSEs, and CSEs mediated the relationships between household violence (β = −0.096, 95% CI −0.176, −0.033), multiple ACEs (β = −0.338, 95% CI −0.498, −0.210), and subjective well-being. However, there were nonsignificant relative direct effects of ACE patterns on both psychological distress and subjective well-being.

Conclusions

Experiencing multiple ACEs and household violence in conjunction with CSEs significantly predict psychological distress and subjective well-being. Contextual interventions for the early identification of ACEs and the management of CSEs may play a crucial role in the prevention of mental health problems.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12199-021-00993-7.

Benefit finding moderates the relationship between young carer experiences and mental well-being

OBJECTIVE

Research has shown that some young carers face many negative consequences because of their caring experiences, whereas others seem to be unaffected or even report greater well-being. To understand how caring for a family member or close friend can have these different effects, this study compared benefit finding between young carers and their peers and examined its association with mental well-being.

DESIGN

We recruited 2,525 adolescents aged 15-21 years (59.6% female, M_age = 17.73) through the Swiss education system. They were asked to complete measures of caring experiences, benefit finding, and mental well-being. Young carers (n = 1,137), including adolescents who currently or formerly provided care, were compared to adolescents without caring experiences (n = 1,388).

RESULTS

Young carers had a higher level of overall benefit finding than non-carer peers, and their profiles of benefit finding differed regarding the dimensions of growth and empathy. The association between caring experiences and mental well-being was weaker when benefit finding was higher. Benefit finding dimensions were differently associated with mental well-being among young carers.

CONCLUSIONS

This study shows that caring is associated with benefit finding and suggests that engaging with past stressors in a positive way may promote resilience in young carers.

Personality and psychosocial functioning in early adolescence: Age-differential associations from the self- and parent perspective

Although psychosocial functioning and personality are indisputably interrelated in adulthood, much less is known about these associations in early adolescence. Accordingly, the goal of the current study was twofold. First, we investigated associations between adolescents’ personality and three broad indicators of psychosocial functioning: academic achievement, social relationships, and psychosocial adjustment. Second, we tested differential effects by comparing these associations across three different cohorts (Grades 5, 7, and 9) and across two raters of adolescents’ personality: self- and parent reports. Our sample consisted of N = 2667 students and their parents. According to latent regression models, adolescents’ personality traits showed significant associations with all psychosocial functioning variables: Achievement was most consistently associated with emotional stability, openness, and conscientiousness; social relationships were most consistently associated with agreeableness and conscientiousness; and psychosocial adjustment was related to all of the Big Five traits. Most associations did not vary across grades, whereas self-reported extraversion showed lower associations in later grades. Looking at rater-specific effects, we found fewer and usually smaller associations with parent- than with self-rated personality, again with the most significant differences with extraversion. We discuss the consistent interrelatedness between adolescents’ personality and psychosocial functioning but also highlight important exceptions in grade- and rater-specificities.

Long-term Service Use Among Youths Previously Treated for Anxiety Disorder

OBJECTIVE

(1) To describe rates of long-term service use among subjects previously enrolled in a landmark study of youth anxiety disorder treatment and followed into early adulthood; (2) to examine predictors of long-term service use; and (3) to examine the relationship between anxiety diagnosis and service use over time.

METHOD

The Child/Adolescent Anxiety Multimodal Extended Long-term Study prospectively assessed youths treated through the Child/Adolescent Anxiety Multimodal Study at ages 7-17 years into early adulthood. A total of 319 youths (mean age 17.7, 55.2% female) previously randomized to cognitive-behavioral therapy, sertraline, combination, or placebo for the treatment of anxiety participated; 318 had service use data. Four annual clinic assessments were conducted along with telephone check-ins every 6 months.

RESULTS

Overall, 65.1% of participants endorsed receiving some form of anxiety treatment over the course of the follow-up period, with more subjects reporting medication use than psychotherapy; 35.2% reported consistent use of services over the course of the study. Overall, service use declined over time in subjects with less severe anxiety but remained more steady in those with recurrent/chronic symptoms. Levels of life stress and depressive symptoms were associated with amount of service use over time whereas treatment-related variables (type of initial intervention, acute response, remission) were not. A subset of youths remained chronically anxious despite consistent service use.

CONCLUSION

These findings point to the need to develop models of care that approach anxiety disorders as chronic health conditions in need of active long-term management.

Friendship and Consumption Networks in Adolescents and Their Relationship to Stress and Cannabis Use Intention

Background: Cannabis is an illegal psychoactive substance that’s use is widespread among adolescents. During adolescence, many changes can cause stress. In this phase, the group of friends becomes increasingly important, being a situation of vulnerability for the beginning of cannabis use, either as an escape mechanism or due to peer’s influence. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to describe and analyze the structure of the consumption and friendship network, the intention to use cannabis, and the stress in a secondary school class. Methods: An online platform with validated self-reported questionnaires were used for data collection. Results: The sample consisted of adolescents (n = 20) aged 14–16 from a third-year class of compulsory secondary education in Ponferrada (León, Spain). Significant differences were obtained concerning consumption intention and the different network metrics in both the friendship and consumption networks. Subsequently, the representation of these networks was carried out. Conclusions: Social Network Analysis is a very useful tool that provides a picture of the context in which adolescents are located. In the consumption network, there are central actors who have not yet consumed cannabis; this is a crucial moment to implement prevention strategies.

What makes adolescents psychologically distressed? Life events as risk factors for depression and suicide

Adolescence is a vulnerable period for psychological distress. This study aimed to comprehensively investigate the distribution of major stress-causing factors and their correlates in a large population of adolescents. A computerized self-report questionnaire was completed by 291,110 participating adolescents over a 4-year period using a cross-sectional study design. The questionnaire included items assessing demographic variables, major stressors, severity of perceived stress, and mental health outcomes such as depressed mood, suicidal ideation, and attempts. Among the major stressors, schoolwork/career was the most predominant (54.7%). However, the odds ratios for depressed mood and suicidal ideation were the highest in the stressor of conflict with peers (OR = 1.97 for depressed mood and OR = 2.00 for suicidal ideation), followed by family circumstances (OR = 1.77 and 1.94 for depressed mood and suicidal ideation, respectively). Conversely, schoolwork/career presented significantly lower odds ratios of 0.87 and 0.87 for depressed mood and suicidal ideation, respectively. This study provides important information on psychological distress related to adolescents' mental health. Although school/career was the most prevalent source of psychological stress, the odds ratios for negative health outcomes of adolescents were higher in interpersonal problems such as conflicts with parents and peers and family circumstances. The present findings might help parents and clinicians understand the psychological distress of adolescents and improve their mental health.

[IMAGEN and beyond: novel population neuroscientific strategies for clinical and global cohorts in the STRATIFY and GIGA consortia]

Cohort studies provide the possibility to more precisely define treatment and preventive approaches to mental diseases, when genetic and personal influences as well as sociocultural and environmental factors and their interactions are taken into account. This article presents cohort research approaches, which are dedicated to this aim and reports the lessons learnt and achievements made in the IMAGEN cohort study and the resulting further developments. Specifically, we focus on novel assessment instruments, the implementation of larger clinical and geographic ranges and innovative forms of data analysis.

Emotional Comprehension Is Not Related to Duration of Distress from Daily Life Events

The main aim of this paper is to analyze to what extent insight (i.e., mentalization referring to one’s own mental state) moderates recovering from daily life events. A total of 110 participants (84.5% women; mean age: M = 21.5; SD = 3.2) filled in the Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS-24) and the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ-R), and were interviewed about impairment derived from daily life events (everyday life stresses) during the past year. Multivariate regression models were adjusted for neuroticism, sex, and socioeconomic status to analyze whether different degrees of insight moderated the relationship between the intensity and the duration of emotional distress. Results showed that the global measure of insight did not moderate recovering from daily-life distress. Regarding the subdimensions, attention to emotional reactions was related to an increased duration of distress. Results showed that, against our hypothesis, deeper comprehension of emotional reactions, operationalized here as “true insight”, was not associated to faster recovery. Limitations and recommendations for further studies are discussed considering these results.