Personal values in adolescence and suicidality: a cross-sectional study based on a retrospective recall

Roles of values in the risk factors of passive suicide ideation among young adults in the US and Japan

The present study examined how the importance of values and perceived value congruence with families, friends, and country would be associated with the risk factors of passive suicide ideation. Specifically, the study investigated the associations that the values and perceived congruence had with thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness during the COVID-19 pandemic after controlling for the impact of depression levels. The data from the US and Japan demonstrated that the values such as cherishing family and friends and value congruence played a protective factor for Japanese participants; however, the associations differed among those in the US. Values such as enduring challenges played a protective factor for perceived burdensomeness in Japan whereas values such as cherishing family and friends played a protective factor and improving society was a risk factor for thwarted belongingness for those in the US. These results can be used to further understand the roles of values in mental health.

Adverse childhood experiences and personal values in adolescence: A cross-sectional study using community adult samples in Japan

BACKGROUND

No study has examined whether adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) were related to value priorities and commitment to values during adolescence. We investigated the association between ACEs by age 15 and personal values during adolescence using cross-sectional data from community adult samples in Japan.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional panel study with retrospective assessments. We measured whether the participants experienced childhood victimization of physical abuse, neglect, or parental divorce by the age of 15 years. We also assessed personal value priorities and commitment to values of the participants during adolescence. Analysis of covariance was conducted to compare mean scores of personal priorities and commitment to values between participants with ACEs and those without ACEs.

RESULTS

A total of 2463 participants were included in analysis. The participants reported ACEs by the age of 15 years of 5.1% for physical abuse, 1.8% for neglect, and 2.2% for parental divorce. Having any of the ACEs was significantly associated with lower perceived importance in personal values of avoiding causing trouble (P < 0.0001), and of cherishing family and friends (P < 0.0001). There was no significant association between ACEs and commitment to values.

CONCLUSIONS

The study suggested that ACEs by age 15 years were associated with lower perceived importance in value priorities on avoiding causing trouble and cherishing people in close relationships.

Psychographic segmentation to identify higher-risk teen peer crowds for health communications: Validation of Virginia's Mindset Lens Survey

Audience segmentation is necessary in health communications to ensure equitable resource distribution. Peer crowds, which are macro-level teen subcultures, are effective psychographic segments for health communications because each crowd has unique mindsets, values, norms, and health behavior profiles. These mindsets affect behaviors, and can be used to develop targeted health communication campaigns to reach those in greatest need. Though peer crowd research is plentiful, no existing peer crowd measurement tool has been formally validated. As such, we developed and validated Virginia's Mindset Lens Survey (V-MLS), a mindset-based teen peer crowd segmentation survey to support health communication efforts. Using an online convenience sample of teens (N = 1,113), we assessed convergent and discriminant validity by comparing the V-MLS against an existing, widely-used peer crowd survey (I-Base Survey^®) utilizing a multi-trait multi-method matrix. We also examined the V-MLS's predictive ability through a series of regressions using peer crowd scores to predict behaviors, experiences, and traits relevant to health communication campaign planning. The V-MLS demonstrated reliability and convergent and discriminant validity. Additionally, the V-MLS effectively distinguished teen peer crowds with unique health behaviors, experiences, and personal traits. When combined with appropriate information processing and campaign development frameworks, this new tool can complement existing instruments to inform message framing, tone, and style for campaigns that target at-risk teens to increase campaign equity and reach.

Associations Between Personal Values and Work Engagement: A Cross-Sectional Study Using A Representative Community Sample

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate associations between personal values and work engagement among workers.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study used data from the Japanese Study on Stratification, Health, Income, and Neighborhood (J-SHINE) in 2010 and 2017. Personal values were measured by 11 value priorities and by commitment to these values. Multivariate linear regression analyses were conducted to determine the associations between personal values and work engagement.

RESULTS

A total of 1946 workers were analyzed. Four personal values (eg, "Improving society") and commitment to values were significantly positively associated with work engagement, while "Graduating from a famous school" was significantly negatively associated.

CONCLUSIONS

Some personal values relate to openness to change, self-transcendence, and self-enhancement, and commitment to values showed associations with work engagement. It could be beneficial to consider personal values to enhance work engagement.

Adolescent Work Values and Drug Use in Adulthood: A Longitudinal Prospective Cohort Study

Background: Personal values have been considered as a predictor of drug use. Methods: We examined the association between work values in adolescence and drug use in adulthood using 23-year longitudinal data from the Youth Development Study. Results: Partial extrinsic and intrinsic work values predicted cannabis use in the past year after adjusting for sociodemographic variables and alcohol and tobacco use at baseline. A part of intrinsic work values was negatively associated with illicit drug use in the past year. Conclusions: The present study suggested that some personal values might influence future drug use. Investigating the association between personal values and subsequent drug use through personal value theory and self-determination theory could help to understand risk and preventive factors in drug use.

Personal values in adolescence and their associations with metabolic biomarkers in adulthood: a Japanese population-based study

Background

Personal values, which are formed in early life, can have an impact on health outcome later in life.

Objective

The aim of this study is to investigate the relation between personal values in adolescence and bio-indicators related to metabolic syndrome (MetS) in adulthood.

Participants and Methods

The longitudinal data used was from the Japanese Study on Stratification, Health, Income, and Neighborhood (J-SHINE). Personal values in adolescence were retrospectively obtained in 2017 from a self-reporting questionnaire, composed of value priorities and commitment to the values. Venous samples were collected in 2012 for low and high-density lipoprotein (LDL, HDL) cholesterol and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c). Body mass index (BMI), waist circumference and systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP) were also measured. The associations of each variable were examined by partial correlation analysis. In addition, multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to examine overall associations between personal values and the sum of standardized scores (Z-score) of the biomarkers as a proxy of MetS.

Results

The total population (n = 668) included 261 men and 407 women. For men, the personal value priority of “Having influence on society” was associated with high HDL cholesterol (0.133, p = 0.032) and “Cherishing familiar people” with low waist circumference (r = -0.129, p = 0.049), low SBP, and high DBP (r = -0.135, p = 0.039; r = 0.134, p = 0.041). For women, “Not bothering others” was associated with high SBP and low DBP (r = 0.125, p = 0.015; r = -0.123, p = 0.017). "Economically succeeding" was associated with a worse outcome (β = 0.162, p = 0.042) in men.

Conclusions

Although some significant associations were found between personal values in adolescence and MetS-related markers in adulthood, the overall associations were not strong. Culturally prevailing values were likely to be associated with a good outcome of metabolic health.

Association between personal values in adolescence and impaired bonding relationship with children

Background

Bonding disorders happen as parents cannot build an affective relationship with children and are associated with their psychological and social conditions. Personal values impact well-being and psychological outcomes; however, how personal values influence bonding relationships is unknown. The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between personal values in adolescence recalled by adult participants and impaired bonding using a community-representative database.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective study using cross-sectional data of adults living with children in Japan. Personal values were evaluated by value priorities measured by 11 items from Personal Value Questionnaires, and commitment to values measured by a Japanese version of the Personal Values Questionnaires II. Impaired bonding was evaluated by five items from a Japanese-version of the Mother-to-Infant Bonding Scale. Odds ratios of value priorities and commitment to values for impaired bonding relationships were calculated after adjusting covariates.

Results

Of 13,920 people selected by probability proportionate sampling, 466 participants with children under 6 years old were selected for analysis. Personal values on improving society, graduating from school, positive evaluation from others, and pursuing one’s interest were negatively associated with impaired bonding relationship, while personal values on financial success were positively associated with impaired bonding relationship. Commitment to values were negatively associated with bonding problems.

Conclusions

While a future longitudinal study is needed, the present findings may indicate that personal values in adolescence are associated with their bonding relationship with children.

Time preference and personal value: a population-based cross-sectional study in Japan

Objective

This study aimed to investigate the association between time preference (i.e., time discounting and hyperbolic time discounting) and personal values (the areas of priority values and commitment to value) in a sample of adult community residents in Japan.

Methods

Data from respondents (N = 2787) who completed the wave 1 and 3 surveys of a three-wave panel study of adult community residents in municipalities in Tokyo and suburban areas spanning 2010–2017 were analysed. Time discount rate and hyperbolic discount were measured using a three-item choice-based scale at the wave 1. Areas of priority value at present and at age 15 were measured by 11 questions for different value areas at the wave 3; the commitment to value at present and age 15 was measured by the Personal Value Questionnaire-II (PVQ-II) at the wave 3. Linear regression analyses were conducted of priority areas of values and commitment to value on time preference indicators, adjusting for sociodemographic variables and childhood socioeconomic status.

Results

After excluding those with missing responses, data from 1880 and 1958 respondents were subject to analyses on time discounting and hyperbolic time discounting, respectively. Time discount rate was significantly and negatively associated with the value area of maintaining a stable life at present. Hyperbolic time discounting was significantly and negatively associated with the commitment to value at age 15.

Conclusion

There may be an association between time preference and personal values. Time discounting and hyperbolic time discounting may be associated with different aspects of personal values, i.e., area of priority values and commitment to value, respectively.

Longitudinal association between adolescent work values and mental health and well-being in adulthood: a 23-year prospective cohort study

Personal values developed in adolescence may influence mental health and well-being over the life course. Using data from 684 respondents in the Youth Development Study (61.9% of respondents in the baseline survey), we explored the effects of work values at ages 14–15 on positive and negative emotions, as well as psychological resources (self-esteem and mastery), at ages 37–38. We adjusted for socioeconomic status and the baseline scores of these outcomes using linear regression analyses. Having the work value of getting ahead in adolescence was positively associated with self-esteem in adulthood. Work values in adolescence did not predict positive emotions, negative emotions, or mastery in adulthood. Valuing one’s growth in adolescence may help develop self-esteem in adulthood.

Association between personal values in adolescence and mental health and well-being in adulthood: a cross-cultural study of working populations in Japan and the United States

BACKGROUND

For promoting mental health and well-being of individuals, it is important to investigate its association with personal values. However, in Eastern Asian countries, no study has yet investigated the association between personal values in adolescence and mental health and well-being in adulthood. To fill that research gap, we conducted a cross-sectional study based on two online surveys of working populations in Japan and the United States.

METHODS

A total of 516 workers from each of the two countries, aged 30-49 years, completed a questionnaire that measured personal values in adolescence, current psychological distress, health-related quality of life, and subjective well-being (satisfaction and happiness). Personal values were measured by items based on Schwartz's theory of basic values and people's commitment to those ten values. Multiple group path analysis was performed to examine the associations between personal values in adolescence and health-related outcomes, grouped by country.

RESULTS

Care, graduating from school, and commitment to values were associated with better mental health and well-being in Japanese participants. Belief and challenging were associated with better mental health and well-being in US participants. On the other hand, financial success was associated with poor mental health and well-being in Japanese participants. Avoiding causing trouble and positive evaluation were associated with poor mental health and well-being in the US participants.

CONCLUSIONS

Certain personal values and commitment to those values in adolescence may be associated with mental health and well-being in adulthood. To address the limitations of this study, future studies should use a longitudinal design and investigate the interactions among the types of personal values and commitment to the values.