Associations between externalizing behavior problems and risky sexual behaviors in adolescence: Attachment as a mediator

INTRODUCTION

Risky sexual behaviors in adolescence are associated with negative health and psychological functioning outcomes. Although the association between behavior problems and risky sexual behaviors is well established, addressing these problems requires understanding the mechanisms that help explain this association. Adolescent attachment, while related to risky sexual behavior, has not been extensively explored as an outcome of childhood externalizing problems. The two objectives of this study were to explore the links between parental and peer attachment and risky sexual behaviors and to examine the mediating effect of attachment on the links between behavior problems and risky sexual behaviors.

METHODS

Five hundred and ninety-eight French-Canadian adolescents (46.2% girls), Mage at T1 = 13.23; Mage at T2 = 14.28; Mage at T3 = 17.35) participated in this longitudinal study.

RESULTS

The quality of parental attachment at T2 was significantly and negatively associated with risky sexual behaviors 3 years later, at T3. More specifically, a lower quality parental attachment relationship was associated with having nonexclusive partners as well as with inconsistent condom use. Finally, parental attachment (T2) was a significant mediator between behavior problems (T1) and risky sexual behaviors (T3), but only for younger adolescents.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings suggest that in addition to behavior problems in adolescence, the quality of parental attachment relationships may help in understanding risky sexual behaviors in adolescence.

The Slut-Shaming Instrument: Preliminary validation, correlates, and links with psychological distress among adolescent girls

Despite social awareness of the problem of slut-shaming for adolescent girls, no existing measure captures this construct. Using data from a sample of 202 girls from Québec, Canada (ages 14-17; 68% White), preliminary validation is provided for the Slut-Shaming Instrument, a seven-item measure of negative peer experiences related to being perceived as too sexually active, sexualized, or flirtatious. The measure showed strong psychometric properties including good reliability and factor structure, expected associations with daily experiences of slut-related victimization and sexual harassment, and links with number of sexual partners and other forms of peer victimization. Slut-shaming was associated with distress accounting for these other forms of victimization (including sexual harassment), suggesting the pertinence of addressing this type of gender-based victimization.

Dating Violence Trajectories in Adolescence: How Do They Relate to Sexual Outcomes in Canada?

Dating violence during adolescence is a major public health issue: it is highly prevalent and extensive research has documented its physical and psychological consequences, yet very little has focused on its sexual consequences. The present study investigated the longitudinal associations between dating violence victimization (psychological, sexual or physical) and sexual well-being (sexual satisfaction and sexual distress) among 1442 sexually active adolescents aged between 14 and 17 years who completed at least one of three data waves (51.1% girls; 45.7% boys; 0.3% non-binary; 3.0% varying gender identity). The study also examined whether these associations differed by gender identity and sexual minority status. Adolescents completed online questionnaires on electronic tablets during class. The results indicated that psychological, physical (except for boys), and sexual dating violence victimization were all associated with lower sexual satisfaction and greater sexual distress over time. Moreover, the between-level associations between dating violence and poorer sexual outcomes were stronger among girls and gender varying adolescents than among boys. The within-level association between physical dating violence and sexual satisfaction was significant among adolescents with a nonvarying sexual minority status, but not among those with a nonvarying heterosexual status or that varied in sexual minority status. Findings offer cues for dating violence prevention and intervention programs by suggesting the need to examine sexual well-being over time.

The Development and Preliminary Validation of a Measure of Victimization within the Friendships of Emerging Adults

For emerging adults, high-quality friendships can be an important source of companionship and support. The most commonly studied negative interaction between friends is conflict, yet work with youth suggests more serious victimization also occurs in friendship. In the current study, we developed and obtained preliminary psychometric evidence for the Friendship Victimization Scale, a measure that assesses physical, sexual, relational, and verbal forms of victimization in the friendships of emerging adults, as well as coercive and controlling behaviors. Emerging adults (N = 316, Mage = 21.27 years, SD = 1.47; 60.4% women, 37.0% men; 59.2% White) completed the Friendship Victimization Scale along with measures to examine construct validity. The majority of the sample reported experiencing at least one act of victimization by a friend, and men reported more victimization than did women. Results supported a 2-factor structure, with relational and verbal victimization loading on one factor and physical and sexual victimization and controlling behaviors loading on the other. Cronbach's alphas exceeded .90 for the total score and both subscales. Greater friendship victimization was predicted by negative features in each of a best and a challenging friendship, even after accounting for negative features in a dating relationship, and was unrelated to positive features in any of these relationships. Overall, results indicate that victimization is common in emerging adults' friendships. The findings provide preliminary evidence for the utility of the Friendship Victimization Scale as a measure of this understudied source of risk in the interpersonal lives of emerging adults.

Real and assumed sexual minority status: Longitudinal associations with depressive symptoms

Sexual minority status persists in being linked to poorer adolescent mental health. Using a longitudinal sample (N = 845), we examined how youth's own same-gender attraction and their perceptions of peers' beliefs about their same-gender attraction (i.e., assumed attraction) were associated with trajectories of depressive symptoms from grade eight (when students are typically 13-14 years old) to grade 10. Reporting either same-gender attraction, assumed same-gender attraction or both were associated with higher initial levels of depressive symptoms that persisted over time compared to youth with real and assumed other-gender attraction only. These links were partially mediated by experiences of discrimination. Findings suggest the importance of understanding adolescent perceptions of peer beliefs in the association between same-gender attraction and depressive symptoms.

Social Reactions and Trauma Symptoms Among Gender and Sexual Minority Students Disclosing Sexual Violence

Addressing the higher rates of sexual violence experienced by gender and sexual minority students in university contexts requires an understanding of responses to disclosures of sexual violence. Using data from a large-scale study of sexual violence in university contexts, the current study examined (1) whether gender and sexual minority status was associated with responses to sexual violence disclosure and (2) how disclosure responses were associated with trauma symptoms among these students. Linear regression indicated that university students' (n = 1,464) reports of responses to disclosures of sexual violence did not differ across gender or sexual minority status. Focusing on gender and sexual minority participants (n = 327), linear regression linked turning against the victim and positive responses to higher levels of trauma symptoms.

En Réponse Au Projet De Loi 2 : Associations Entre Les Démarches Légales D'affirmation Du Genre et Deux Indicateurs De Bien-être Chez Des Personnes Trans et Non-Binaires Du Québec

Mots-clés bien-être, détresse psychologique, satisfaction devie, transition légale, identité de genre, trans, non-binaire.

Trajectories of medical service use among girls and boys with and without early-onset conduct problems

BACKGROUND

Children with conduct problems (CP) have been found to be heavy and costly medical service users in adulthood. However, there is little knowledge on how medical service use develops during childhood and adolescence among youth with and without childhood CP. Knowing whether differences in developmental trajectories of medical service use for specific types of problems (e.g., injuries) are predicted by childhood CP would help clinicians identify developmental periods during which they might intensify interventions for young people with CP in order to prevent later problems and associated increased service use.

METHODS

Participants were drawn from an ongoing longitudinal study of boys and girls with and without childhood CP as rated by parents and teachers. Medical service use was assessed using administrative data from a public single payer health plan. Latent growth modeling was used to estimate the mean trajectory of four types of medical visits (psychiatric, injury-related, preventative, total visits) across time and evaluate the effect of CP and other covariates.

RESULTS

Support the hypothesis that early CP predicts higher medical service use at nine years old, and that this difference persists in a chronic manner over time, even when controlling the effects of ADHD and family income. Girls had fewer medical visits for psychiatric reasons than boys at baseline, but this difference diminished over time.

CONCLUSIONS

Clinicians should be aware that childhood CP already predicts increased medical service use in elementary school. Issues specific to different contexts in which injuries might occur and sex differences are discussed.

Development and Validation of the Teen Dating Aggression Measure Among Canadian Youth

Teen dating violence (TDV) victimization is a traumatic experience that can have adverse consequences for adolescents. Current measures that assess TDV do not fully distinguish between psychological and relational forms of aggression, nor do they capture aggressive acts that are common within adolescent relationships. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Teen Dating Aggression Measure (TeDAM) using a sample of 730 Canadian adolescents (M = 15.88 years, SD = 1.23). The measure is an expansion of the Conflict in Adolescent Dating Relationships Inventory and includes items that describe other forms of violence such as coercion and control, along with more traditional indicators of dating violence (e.g., sexual aggression). Factor analyses yielded three factors, namely psychological aggression, sexual and physical aggression, and relational aggression, which were correlated with more frequent cannabis and alcohol use as well as rape myth acceptance. These results provide initial support for the utility of the TeDAM for assessing TDV with adolescents.

Family relationship quality during the COVID-19 pandemic: The value of adolescent perceptions of change

INTRODUCTION

Adolescents typically spend decreasing amounts of time with family members, but the COVID-19 pandemic changed this pattern for many youth. The objective of the current study was to better understand adolescents' perceived change in family relationship quality, and how these perceptions were related to psychosocial functioning during the COVID-19 pandemic, accounting for more traditional measures of family relationship quality. Understanding how adolescents perceived change in relationship quality with family members during the pandemic offers novel insight into adolescents' relationships with their families and psychosocial functioning during this period.

METHOD

A sample of Canadian adolescents (N = 605, ages 14 to 18, 53% girls), was employed to examine patterns of adolescents' perceived change in relationship quality with parents and siblings since the start of the pandemic, accounting for relationship quality, pandemic-related characteristics, and demographic variables.

RESULTS

Four latent profiles were identified: youth who perceived (1) low change, (2) improvement only, (3) moderate instability and (4) high instability in relationship quality. Higher perceived instability was associated with poorer functioning, with youth who reported only improvement reporting the highest overall level of functioning.

CONCLUSIONS

Adolescent perceptions of change in relationship quality were heterogeneous, and contribute to psychosocial functioning over and above their general evaluations of relationship quality. In particular, youth who perceive considerable change in their relationships with siblings and parents may require additional support in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Self-Continuity Moderates the Association Between Sexual-Minority Status Based Discrimination and Depressive Symptoms

Self-continuity, or how an individual understands their sense of self as persisting from past to present and present to future, is an important aspect of the self-concept that is linked to mental health outcomes. This self-concept construct may be particularly pertinent for sexual minority populations, as living in a heterosexist environment may prove detrimental for the development of self-continuity. The current study examined self-continuity among sexual minority and heterosexual community college and university students (N = 292). Compared to their heterosexual peers, sexual minority participants reported lower levels of self-continuity. Self-continuity moderated the associations between victimization due to gender nonconformity and victimization due to sexual minority status and depressive symptoms, such that higher levels of self-continuity were protective among individuals who were experiencing higher levels of victimization due to gender nonconformity or sexual minority status. Findings will be discussed in terms of their implications for identity development among emerging adults.

Self and parent-reported sleep problems of adolescents with childhood conduct problems and comorbid psychological problems

INTRODUCTION

Childhood conduct problems (CP) are characterized by maladaptive externalizing behaviors and are linked with poor sleep. CP are highly comorbid with other psychological problems, including attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and depression, which are also associated with disturbed sleep. The present study examined if childhood CP and comorbid depressive and/or attentional-hyperactivity problems were prospectively associated with parent and self-reported sleep difficulties in adolescence.

METHODS

Participants (N = 744; 53% boys) from an ongoing longitudinal study in Québec, Canada were assessed for CP and comorbidities when they were between 6 and 9 years old. Participants were classified as without CP, CP only, CP and depressive symptoms, CP and attention-hyperactivity problems, or CP, depressive symptoms, and attention-hyperactivity problems. Regressions were conducted to examine the associations between comorbidity groups, parent, and self-reported sleep problems 7 years later (Median age = 15.33 years), controlling for sex, age, family income, primary caregiver education and medication.

RESULTS

Adolescents in all CP groups had higher self and parent-reported sleep problems compared to adolescents without histories of CP. Adolescents with histories of CP, depressive symptoms and attention-hyperactivity problems had more sleep problems than all other groups according to self-reports, but not parent-reports.

CONCLUSION

Childhood CP was prospectively linked to sleep problems in adolescence, and comorbid conditions exacerbated these problems, according to youth but not parents.

Trauma Symptoms Resulting From Sexual Violence Among Undergraduate Students: Differences Across Gender and Sexual Minority Status

Experiencing sexual violence is an important risk factor for trauma symptoms, and these symptoms significantly impair psychosocial functioning. Sexual and gender minority university students are more likely than their heterosexual and cisgender peers to experience sexual violence (e.g., sexual harassment, unwanted sexual contact, or sexual coercion) while attending university, but research on the consequences of these experiences is needed to inform service provision to these vulnerable populations. Using a large-scale study of university-based sexual violence in Quebec, the current study examined how gender and sexual minority status were associated with the severity of trauma symptoms among students who experienced sexual violence (N = 1,196). Findings indicated that compared with their cisgender peers, gender minority students experienced significantly higher levels of trauma symptoms as a result of sexual violence, controlling for the severity of sexual violence behaviors experienced and other variables. Among cisgender women, but not cisgender men, sexual minority identity was also associated with higher levels of trauma symptoms, controlling for severity of sexual violence behaviors experienced and other variables. Furthermore, gender of perpetrator and amount of sexual violence moderated the associations between sexual identity and trauma symptoms among cisgender women. These findings not only suggest that gender minority and some sexual minority university students are more likely to experience sexual violence, but that they are also more likely to experience negative psychological sequelae as a consequence of these experiences. Ultimately, these findings may suggest the need for services that are more supportive of the specific needs of gender and sexual minority students with regard to sexual violence.

Validation of a French Translation of the McLean Screening Instrument for Borderline Personality Disorder, Invariance Across Genders, and Association With Depression, Trauma Symptoms, and Substance Use Among University Students

The present study investigated psychometric properties of a French translation of the McLean Screening Instrument for Borderline Personality Disorder (MSI-BPD; Zanarini et al., 2003) in a large sample of university students (N = 1,350). A confirmatory factor analysis supported the single-factor structure of the MSI-BPD, and its configural, metric and scalar invariance across gender was established. Internal consistency was high (tetrachoric α = .88; Ω = .88). MSI-BPD scores were significantly correlated to depressive symptoms (r = .57), trauma symptoms (r = .40), negative consequences of substance use (r = .25), and frequency of drug use (r = .11). Finally, 9.5% of the sample reached the clinical cutoff, which is similar to the pooled prevalence for BPD reported in a recent meta-analysis of university students. The present study showed that the French translation of the MSI-BPD is a psychometrically sound screening tool for BPD in both men and women.

Profiles and Predictors of Dating Violence Among Sexual and Gender Minority Adolescents

PURPOSE

Sexual and gender minority adolescents report higher levels of dating violence compared with their heterosexual and cisgender peers. The objectives of the present study were to (1) identify latent profiles of dating violence; (2) examine if sexual and gender minority adolescents were particularly vulnerable to certain profiles of dating violence; and (3) explore how experiences of peer victimization, discrimination, and parental maltreatment explained this greater vulnerability.

METHODS

High school students in Grades 9 and 11 from the 2016 Minnesota Student Survey (N = 87,532; mean age = 15.29 years, SD = 1.23) were asked about their sexual and gender identities, their gender nonconformity, their experiences of verbal, physical, and sexual dating violence victimization and perpetration, as well their experiences of childhood maltreatment, peer victimization, and gender-based and sexual minority status-based discrimination.

RESULTS

Multinomial logistic regression analysis in a three-step latent class analysis procedure suggested five profiles of dating violence victimization and perpetration across the entire sample. Sexual and gender minority adolescents were generally more likely to be in classes high in dating violence victimization, perpetration, or both, compared with their heterosexual and cisgender peers. Gender nonconformity was also associated with greater risk for being in high dating violence classes. These differences, however, were generally nonsignificant when the social stressors of childhood maltreatment, peer victimization, and experiences of discrimination were accounted for.

CONCLUSIONS

Although findings suggested greater vulnerability for dating violence among sexual and gender minority adolescents, they underscore the importance of how minority stressors generally accounted for this greater vulnerability for dating violence.

Gender minoritized students and academic engagement in Brazilian adolescents: Risk and protective factors

Gender minoritized students experience unique challenges in their school environments that may have consequences for their educational outcomes, including academic engagement. The goal of the current study was to understand the association between gender identity and academic engagement among adolescents attending public high schools in Paraná, Brazil (N = 10,828). In particular, student perceptions of student-teacher relationships, school rule fairness and clarity, school-wide academic engagement, and peer victimization were examined as four facilitator/barrier factors that may account for lower levels of academic engagement for gender minoritized students as compared to their cisgender peers, and these processes were tested for differences across race/ethnicity. Public high school students (ages 12-18 years) completed an in-class survey assessing their gender identities, perceptions of the school environment, and academic engagement. Gender minoritized students reported significantly lower levels of academic engagement as compared to their cisgender peers. They also reported less clear and fair school rules, lower levels of school-wide academic engagement, and higher levels of victimization. These facilitator/barrier variables partially accounted for the lower levels of academic engagement reported by gender minoritized students. No significant differences were observed for gender identity according to race/ethnicity. These findings suggest that facilitators/barriers that account for academic engagement for students in general partially explain gender identity-related disparities, and the implications for school psychologists are discussed.

Self and parent-reported sleep difficulties of adolescents with childhood conduct problems and comorbid psychological problems

Introduction

Children with conduct problems (CP) exhibit problematic externalizing behaviors that violate the rights of others and/or societal norms, are likely to present with comorbid psychological problems, engage in high-risk behaviours during adolescence and in turn, display poorer prospective health in adulthood. However, little known about their adolescent quotidian behaviors, such as their sleep behaviours, which may contribute to these poorer outcomes.

Objectives

Using a sample designed to assess the longitudinal consequences of CP, the current study examines how histories of CP and comorbidity with depressive symptoms and/or attention-hyperactivity problems are associated with sleep difficulties during adolescence.

Methods

744 participants from an ongoing longitudinal study in Québec, Canada were assessed for CP and comorbidities when they were 6 to 10-years-old. They were classified as without CP, CP only, CP and depressive symptoms, CP and attention-hyperactivity problems, or CP, depressive symptoms and attention-hyperactivity problems based on parent and teacher-reported indices. Sleep difficulties were assessed 7 years later, using self and parent-reported indices. Regression analyses controlling for sex, age, family income, maternal education and medications were conducted.

Results

demonstrated that youth and parents from all CP groups reported more sleep difficulties than youth without histories of CP. Participants from the CP, depressive symptoms and attention-hyperactivity problem group reported more sleep difficulty than all other groups, while their parents did not.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that histories of CP, regardless of comorbidity, predispose youth to future sleep difficulties and highlight the importance of incorporating self and parental indices of sleep as well as examining the effect of comorbidity.

Understanding Youth Perceptions of Neighborhood Disorder: The Role of Conduct Problems

While research addresses neighborhood disorder as leading to conduct problems, the role of individual-level differences in shaping adolescent perceptions of neighborhood has been overlooked. Data on youth, over-selected for childhood conduct problems (N = 744, 58% childhood conduct problems, 47% girls), were used to examine the link between conduct problems (time 1: Mean age = 12.23) and perceived neighborhood disorder (time 3: M = 14.30). The mediating role of delinquent friends, peer victimization, depressive symptoms, and observer-rated neighborhood disorder (time 2: M = 13.23) were also tested. Conduct problems were associated with higher levels of perceived neighborhood disorder, via delinquent peers and peer victimization. These findings offer new insight into the consequences of perceived neighborhood disorder for health and wellbeing.

Conduct Problems and Adherence to COVID-19 Guidelines: A Developmental Psychopathology-Informed Approach

COVID-19 underscores the importance of understanding variation in adherence to rules concerning health behaviors. Children with conduct problems have difficulty with rule adherence, and linking early conduct problems with later adherence to COVID-19 guidelines can provide new insight into public health. The current study employed a sample (N = 744) designed to examine the longitudinal consequences of childhood conduct problems (Mean age at study entry = 8.39). The first objective was to link early conduct problems with later adherence to both general and specific COVID-19 guidelines during emerging adulthood (M age = 19.07). The second objective was to prospectively examine how interactional (i.e., callous unemotional traits, impulsivity) and cumulative (i.e., educational attainment, work status, substance use) continuity factors mediated this association. The third objective was to examine differences in sex assigned at birth in these models. Direct associations were observed between childhood conduct problems and lower general, but not specific COVID-19 guideline adherence. Conduct problems were indirectly associated with both general and specific adherence via higher levels of callous unemotional traits, and with specific adherence via higher problematic substance use. No differences in the models were observed across sex assigned at birth. Findings provide insight into both how developmental psychopathology constructs are useful for understanding COVID-19 guideline adherence, and the ways in which conduct problems may shape health outcomes.

A French Translation of the Transgender Congruence Scale: Validation and Associations with Distress, Well-Being, and Perceived Transition Status

Purpose: Disparities in psychosocial functioning between transgender and cisgender populations highlight the importance of validating measures assessing mechanisms of resilience for transgender and nonbinary people. Gender congruence is an important mechanism of resilience, as it focuses on the individual's own gender objectives. Moreover, research increasingly links gender congruence to psychosocial functioning and well-being. The goals of the current study were to validate a French-language version of the Transgender Congruence Scale and examine how this scale was associated with life satisfaction, psychological distress, and perceived transition status. Methods: Individuals (N=179) with a variety of transgender and nonbinary gender identities living in Quebec, Canada, were recruited online. They completed the Transgender Congruence Scale, as well as measures of transition status, psychological distress, and life satisfaction. Results: A two-factor model (assessing appearance congruence and identity congruence, respectively) was supported in the current sample. The French translation of the Transgender Congruence Scale showed good reliability and validity, similar to those found with the original English language version of the measure. Higher scores on both subscales, as well as the total scale, were associated with better psychosocial functioning and self-defined transition status. Discussion: Findings linked both appearance and identity congruence to psychosocial outcomes and supported the validity of this French version of the Transgender Congruence Scale. With potential clinical or research applications, the Transgender Congruence Scale is a brief and psychometrically sound measure of an important resilience construct for gender minority individuals that can now be used with Francophone populations.

Mediating Factors Explaining the Association Between Sexual Minority Status and Dating Violence

Dating violence presents a serious threat for individual health and well-being. A growing body of literature suggests that starting in adolescence, individuals with sexual minority identities (e.g., individuals who identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual) may be at an increased risk for dating violence compared with heterosexuals. Research has not, however, identified the mechanisms that explain this vulnerability. Using a diverse sample of young adults (n = 2,474), the current study explored how minority stress theory, revictimization theory, sex of sexual partners, and risky sexual behavior explained differences in dating violence between sexual minority and heterosexual young adults. Initial analyses suggested higher rates of dating violence among individuals who identified as bisexual, and individuals who identified as gay or lesbian when compared with heterosexuals, and further found that these associations failed to differ across gender. When mediating and control variables were included in the analyses, however, the association between both sexual minority identities and higher levels of dating violence became nonsignificant. Of particular interest was the role of discrimination, which mediated the association between bisexual identity and dating violence. Other factors, including sex and number of sexual partners, alcohol use, and childhood maltreatment, were associated with higher rates of dating violence but did not significantly explain vulnerability among sexual minority individuals compared with their heterosexual peers. These findings suggest the importance of minority stress theory in explaining vulnerability to dating violence victimization among bisexuals in particular, and generally support the importance of sexual-minority specific variables in understanding risk for dating violence within this vulnerable population.

Exploring childhood temperament as a moderator of the association between adolescent sexual minority status and internalizing and externalizing behavior problems

INTRODUCTION

Sexual minority youth experience worse mental health compared to their heterosexual peers, reflecting the consequences of sexual minority-based stigma. Previous research has focused on contextual variation to understand variability within this vulnerability. Childhood temperament factors such as negative affect, effortful control and surgency/extraversion are important for understanding differential susceptibility to environmental stressors. The objective of the current study was to understand how childhood temperament factors, measured prior to the most difficult developmental period for sexual minority youth, moderated the association between sexual minority status and internalizing and externalizing behavior problems.

METHODS

Youth reporting same-sex attraction in an ongoing longitudinal project on the development of conduct problems in Quebec, Canada were matched with heterosexual peers, for an analytic sample of 280 youth (62% girls). Structural equation models were used to examine (1) the association between youth-reported same-sex attraction (ages 13-16) and parent and youth-reported internalizing and externalizing problems a year later at ages 14-17, and (2) the moderating role of temperament (ages 6-9) in this association between sexual minority status and internalizing and externalizing problems.

RESULTS

Same-sex attraction was associated with higher levels of youth-reported internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. Surgency/extraversion moderated the association between sexual minority status and youth-reported internalizing and externalizing problems.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that temperament linked to individual visibility may be important for understanding variation in self-reported mental health among sexual minority youth, and supports the use of developmental constructs like temperament to better understand vulnerability to psychosocial difficulties within this population.

Prevalence and Correlates of Sexting Behaviors in a Provincially Representative Sample of Adolescents

OBJECTIVES

To examine the prevalence and correlates of sending and receiving sexts (i.e., sexually explicit images) in a provincially representative sample of adolescents in Canada.

METHODS

Data from the 2014 Ontario Child Health Study, a provincial survey of households with children in Ontario, which includes a sample of 2,537 adolescents aged 14 to 17 years (mean age = 15.42, male = 51.6%) were used to address the research objectives.

RESULTS

The past 12 months prevalence of sending and receiving sexts was 14.4% and 27.0%, respectively. In unadjusted logistic regression analyses, non-White adolescents and those living in low-income households were less likely to send or receive sexts compared to White and non-low-income adolescents. Adolescents who disclosed their sexual and/or gender minority identities were 3 to 4 times more likely to send and receive sexts than youth who had not disclosed these identities. Higher levels of mental health problems generally observed among adolescents who sent or received sexts. In fully adjusted models, low income and ethnic minority status were associated with reduced odds of sending and receiving sexts, while sexual and/or gender minority disclosure status was associated with increased odds. Social anxiety was associated with reduced odds of sending and receiving sexts, while conduct disorder was associated with elevated odds.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of sexting behavior was higher among adolescents who disclosed their sexual or gender minority identities. Sexting behaviors were associated with higher levels of mental health problems. Identifying vulnerable populations and the potential mental health ramifications associated with sexting behavior is vital to mitigating negative sequelae.

The longitudinal association between externalizing and internalizing problems: An exploration of the dual failure model

The Dual Failure Model suggests that peer victimization (social failure) and academic difficulties (academic failure) mediate the association between externalizing and later internalizing problems. The present study sought to better understand why children with externalizing problems develop later internalizing problems by testing the Dual Failure Model using a sample of 744 children (aged 6 to 10 at Time 1 [T1]), of whom 434 (44.7% girls) presented with high levels of conduct problems at study inception. Both parent and teacher ratings of externalizing and internalizing problems support the social failure pathway, but not the academic failure pathway. Children with externalizing behaviors at T1 who developed internalizing problems 2 years later did so via their experiences of peer victimization. These results apply for both boys and girls and do not vary according to child age at T1 or the level of conduct problems at study inception. These findings underscore the importance of early screening and intervention for externalizing behavioral problems in order to reduce subsequent peer victimization and internalizing problems. Findings regarding the consequences of internalizing are also discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Trajectories of Verbal and Physical Peer Victimization Among Children with Comorbid Oppositional Defiant Problems, Conduct Problems and Hyperactive-Attention Problems

The high levels of comorbidity between oppositional/conduct problems and hyperactivity/attention problems underscore the need for assessing how vulnerability for peer victimization is shaped by overlap among these behavior problems. Children (mean age 8.39, SD = 0.93) participating in a longitudinal study of the development of conduct problems (N = 744; 348 girls) in Quebec, Canada, were evaluated by their teachers regarding experiences of peer verbal and physical victimization every year for 6 years. Parent and teacher ratings of clinically significant oppositional/conduct problems, and hyperactivity/attention problems, as well as cormorbid opposition defiant/conduct problems and hyperactivity/attention problems were regressed onto trajectories of verbal and physical victimization. While behavior problems (both alone and together) were associated with higher levels of verbal and physical victimization, some variation was observed across rater and type of victimization. Ultimately, these findings suggest the importance of adapting programming for reducing victimization to children with oppositional and conduct problems.

Différences en matière de santé mentale selon le statut de minorité sexuelle

Objectif Les individus provenant d’une minorité sexuelle rapportent plus de problèmes de santé mentale que les individus ayant une identité hétérosexuelle. Or, la majorité des recherches canadiennes sur ce sujet ont été réalisées il y a plusieurs années, bien avant les changements culturels et légaux concernant la population lesbienne, gay et bisexuelle. Ces changements culturels, sociaux et légaux ont sans aucun doute influencé le portrait clinique de cette population. Cette étude vise à identifier les différences en santé mentale chez les gens qui sont issus ou non de minorités sexuelles.

Méthode Un échantillon régionalement représentatif d’adultes en Estrie, Québec (n = 10 687) a participé à un sondage téléphonique. Pour ce faire, les participants devaient répondre à des questions concernant leur identité sexuelle et la présence de problèmes de santé mentale incluant la détresse psychologique, la dépression, et de problèmes de surconsommation d’alcool et de drogues.

Résultats Les résultats ont indiqué plusieurs différences significatives entre les individus appartenant à une minorité sexuelle et les individus hétérosexuels. Les différences sont surtout observées lorsque les individus bisexuels ou principalement hétérosexuels sont comparés aux individus hétérosexuels. La majorité de ces différences sont principalement expliquées par les variables de contrôle (l’âge, le niveau d’éducation, le revenu et le fait d’appartenir à une minorité visible).

Conclusions Ces résultats suggèrent l’importance d’atténuer les différences sociodémographiques pour améliorer la santé mentale chez les individus issus d’une minorité sexuelle. Les vulnérabilités spécifiques des individus ayant une identité bisexuelle et principalement hétérosexuelle devraient être davantage considérées.

Externalizing Behaviors Exacerbate the Link between Discrimination and Adolescent Health Risk Behaviors

Discrimination based on race/ethnicity, sexual minority status, and gender is associated with higher rates of drinking, drug use and risky sexual behavior during adolescence. The current study explored variation in the link between these three types of discrimination and health risk behaviors by focusing on how this association differed according to externalizing problem behavior status. Participants in the Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development were asked about discrimination and their drinking, drug use and risky sexual behavior (age 15; 50% female, 82% White, n = 939). The association between discrimination and health risk behaviors varied according to both externalizing problem status and the type of discrimination, suggesting that individual-level characteristics (i.e., externalizing behaviors) shape variation in the consequences of discrimination for adolescent health outcomes. Ultimately, these findings point to the need for future research to better understand which adolescents are the most vulnerable to the consequences of discrimination, and when these vulnerabilities are most likely to occur.

[Differences in mental health across sexual minority status]

Objectives Individuals with sexual minority identities (e.g., identities other than heterosexual such as gay, lesbian bisexual or mostly heterosexual) are at increased risk for a number of negative health outcomes compared to individuals who identify as heterosexuals. The majority of existing Canadian population-based studies on this topic, however, were conducted prior to major cultural and legal changes with regards to sexual minority population. Furthermore, much of the more recent work focuses on adolescents or identifies mental health outcomes among urban populations. The goal of the current study was to assess if sexual minority-based health disparities were observed within a population-based sample of adult men and women from Estrie, a semi-urban administrative region of Quebec. Method In 2014-15, an independent firm surveyed a random sample of adults in Estrie, Quebec. A total of 10,687 individuals completed telephone surveys about their mental health (psychological distress, depression, alcohol use and drug consumption) and their sexual identities (i.e., heterosexual, gay, lesbian, bisexual or mostly heterosexual). Analyses were performed separately for men and women. Results Significant differences, specifically with regards to distress and cannabis use were observed across sexual minority status. Specifically, bisexual and mostly heterosexual participants reported poorer mental health outcomes compared with heterosexual participants. The majority of differences observed, however, were explained by variation in demographic variables (age, education, revenue and visible minority status). Conclusion These findings suggest the importance of demographic factors with regards to understanding vulnerability to mental health outcomes among sexual minority adults. Furthermore, the specific vulnerabilities experienced by mostly heterosexual and bisexual participants need to be taken into consideration by mental health professionals.

Self-Continuity Moderates the Association Between Peer Victimization and Depressed Affect

Two longitudinal studies conducted with early adolescents (ages 10-13) examined the hypothesis that self-continuity, or the degree to which individuals feel that they remain the same person over time regardless of how their specific characteristics may change, would moderate the association between victimization and depressed affect. Both Study 1 (N = 141) and Study 2 (N = 100) provided evidence of the moderating role of self-continuity as a buffer on the effect of peer victimization. Study 2 confirmed that self-continuity had a moderating effect after controlling for academic performance, number of friends, self-esteem, self-concept clarity, hopelessness, and self-blame. Findings support self-continuity as being protective with regard to negative peer environments.

"It's about having money, but also happiness:" A qualitative investigation of how adolescents understand subjective status in themselves and others

INTRODUCTION

Understanding why adolescent subjective assessments of status matter to their psychosocial outcomes over and above objective assessments of socioeconomic status (SES) requires a better comprehension of how adolescents construct status in themselves and others. Using a qualitative approach, the goal of the current study was to better understand what factors adolescents use to assign status, and how their perceptions of this status vary according to their own SES.

METHOD

Qualitative interviews were conducted with 32 adolescents from Quebec, Canada, from varied socioeconomic backgrounds. In particular, they were shown the ladder from the Subjective Social Status Scale and asked what defined scale placement in their communities. They were also asked where they would place themselves on this scale, and why.

RESULTS

The importance of traditional indicators of SES such as money, educational level, and occupational prestige were underlined by almost all adolescents, but other factors (e.g., wellbeing, family life, values concerning work, other-orientation, or rule-following) were also frequently discussed. Adolescents used similar criteria in the placement of themselves and others. Contradictions often emerged, however, as adolescents' scale placement was often higher than what would be expected based on traditional SES indicators.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings provide a starting point for understanding why adolescents' subjective assessments of status may matter above and beyond traditional assessments of SES, and how we can better measure this construct.

Disparities in sleep duration and restedness among same- and different-sex couples: findings from the American Time Use Survey

Study Objectives

The importance of sleep for health necessitates investigation of disparities in multiple aspects of sleep. Given the potential disruption to sleep posed by the well-documented discrimination experienced by sexual minorities, disparities related to sexual minority status warrant such attention. This study sought to (1) measure differences in same- and different-sex couples in sleep duration and perceived restedness, (2) examine how the link between sleep duration and restedness varied among same- and different-sex couples, and (3) assess variation in restedness across state-level sexual minority indicators.

Methods

Participants in the Wellbeing Module of the American Time Use Survey, assessed in 2010, 2012, and 2013 (n = 17378), completed time diaries assessing sleep duration and evaluated their own restedness.

Results

Multinomial and ordinal regression analyses showed no links between partner sex and sleep among men. Women with same-sex partners reported lower restedness than women with different-sex partners, and perceptions of restedness were more strongly linked to sleep duration for the former than the latter. Finally, women with the same-sex partners living in states more supportive of sexual minorities reported better restedness than those in less supportive states.

Conclusions

Women with same-sex partners were vulnerable to lower restedness, especially when they reported lower sleep duration or were in less supportive environments. Such disparities could underlie related disparities in health, as sleep health is predictive of health outcomes. Future research is needed to explore the role of sleep in explaining variation in health outcomes among sexual minority women.

Firearm Ownership in High-Conflict Families: Differences According to State Laws Restricting Firearms to Misdemeanor Crimes of Domestic Violence Offenders

This study examines the association between state laws that prohibit firearm ownership for offenders convicted of misdemeanour crimes of domestic violence (MCDV) and firearm ownership in two-parent families with high-conflict male partners with arrest histories. Mixed effects logistic regression models applied to data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth cohort (n = 5,350) determined that living in a state with laws that prohibited firearm ownership for convicted MCDV offenders decreased the likelihood of firearm ownership among families with high-conflict males by 62%. The length of the time limit length on firearm prohibition was correlated with incremental decreases in firearm ownership in such families, with the probability of firearm ownership among families with high-conflict males decreasing from 30% in states with no MCDV laws restricting access from firearms to 12% in states with permanent prohibition on firearm ownership. These findings have significance for public health policy aimed at decreasing intimate-partner homicide.

Victimization Disparities Between Heterosexual and Sexual Minority Youth From Ages 9 to 15

Mental health disparities between heterosexual and sexual minority youth are partly explained by the higher rates of victimization experienced by sexual minority youth. The onset and progression of these victimization disparities, however, are poorly understood. Using multirater longitudinal data, trajectories of victimization starting at age 9 were compared among youth who did and did not report same-sex attraction at age 15 (N = 310). Self and teacher, but not primary caregivers, reported victimization was significantly higher among sexual minority youth starting at age 9, but did not vary across time. The findings underscore the importance of understanding homophobic experiences of sexual minority youth during late childhood and early adolescence in order to inform prevention programs.

Sexual Violence on Campus: Differences Across Gender and Sexual Minority Status

PURPOSE

Sexual violence is a pervasive problem on university campuses. Although previous work has documented greater vulnerability for sexual violence among sexual and gender minority students, little is known about contextual variation in vulnerability to this kind of violence. The goals of the current study were (1) to identify vulnerability among sexual and gender minority students with regard to sexual violence, and (2) to explore if the context of this violence differs across sexual and gender minority status.

METHODS

Undergraduate students (ages 18-24) from six francophone universities in Quebec, Canada (N = 4,264) completed online questionnaires regarding their experience of sexual violence, as well as the context of these acts (e.g., the gender of the perpetrator, the status of the perpetrator, and the location of the violence). They also provided information regarding their sexual and gender minority status. Binary logistic regressions were conducted to assess for variation in experiencing sexual violence across sexual and gender minority status.

RESULTS

Transgender/nonbinary students generally reported higher levels of sexual violence than their cisgender peers, while variation occurred with regard to vulnerability across sexual identity subgroups. Few differences in context were observed across sexual minority identity. Transgender/nonbinary students were significantly more likely to report sexual violence in athletic contexts and during volunteering activities compared to their cisgender peers.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings highlight the higher levels of vulnerability for sexual violence among gender minority and some sexual minority university students. They also point to the contexts in which such violence occurs, suggesting specific strategies for prevention.

Alcohol use and change over time in firearm safety among families with young children

BACKGROUND

Improperly stored firearms pose a clear health risk to children. Previous research concurrently links alcohol use with lower levels of firearm safety. The objectives of this study were to assess (1) how families move from unsafe to safer firearm storage practices and (2) how parental drinking was associated with moving away from unsafe firearm storage practices.

METHODS

This study used data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort, 2003 when children were two years old and again when they were four years old. Parents were asked about firearm storage practices, alcohol consumption, and information to measure other confounding variables. Their responses were used to identify families who engaged in unsafe firearm storage practices (n = 650) during the initial testing period and to assess how alcohol consumption and other variables were associated with moving to safer firearm storage practices at the second testing period.

RESULTS

Families grew more likely to adopt safer firearm storage practices as their children aged, compared with continuing unsafe practices. Multivariate logistic regressions indicated that parental drinking, however, reduced the likelihood that parents moved to safer storage practices, controlling for covariates. Other families- and community-level variables, in particular, family structure, were also associated with the likelihood of moving to safer firearm storage behaviors.

CONCLUSIONS

Families with higher levels of alcohol use may need additional assistance in addressing firearm safety. The findings call for future research to better understand how physicians can counsel at-risk families to help them store firearms more securely.

Trajectories of internalizing problems during the transition to adolescence in children with and without conduct problems

Children with conduct problems are at greater risk for internalizing problems. The objectives of this study were to (1) examine trajectories of internalizing problems among children with and without clinically significant conduct problems during the transition to adolescence; and (2) identify how academic achievement, peer rejection, parent socioeconomic status, maternal distress, parental warmth, child temperament, and receptive verbal functioning explained differences between the two groups. Children with conduct problems ( N = 388, 45% girls) and a comparison sample without conduct problems ( N = 299, 52% girls) were recruited from Quebec, Canada, when they were between the ages of 7 and 10 years, and were followed across 4 years. Mothers and teachers provided information on internalizing problems each year. Having clinically significant conduct problems was associated with higher initial levels of internalizing problems according to mothers and teachers, but not with changes in internalizing problems over time. With regards to teacher ratings, academic achievement, peer rejection, and negative emotionality partially explained differences in internalizing problems for youth with and without conduct problems. For mother ratings, maternal distress, negative emotionality, and peer rejection completely explained the association for girls, and partially explained the association for boys. Findings supported a multi-rater approach for understanding risk for internalizing problems among children with and without conduct problems. In particular, they highlight the importance of differences across context for understanding factors associated with vulnerability to internalizing problems.

Trajectories of dating violence: Differences by sexual minority status and gender

The purpose of this study was to examine how sexual minority status (as assessed using both identity and behavior) was associated with trajectories of dating violence. University students from a large Southwestern university completed questions on their sexual minority identity, the gender of their sexual partners, and about experiences of dating violence for six consecutive semesters (N = 1942). Latent growth curve modeling indicated that generally, trajectories of dating violence were stable across study participation. Sexual minority identity was associated with higher initial levels of dating violence at baseline, but also with greater decreases in dating violence across time. These differences were mediated by number of sexual partners. Having same and other-sex sexual partners was associated with higher levels of dating violence at baseline, and persisted in being associated with higher levels over time. No significant gender difference was observed regarding trajectories of dating violence.

Harassment Due to Gender Nonconformity Mediates the Association Between Sexual Minority Identity and Depressive Symptoms

The visibility of a stigmatized identity is central in determining how individuals experience that identity. Sexual minority status (e.g., identifying as gay, lesbian, or bisexual) has traditionally been identified as a concealable stigma, compared with race/ethnicity or physical disability status. This conceptualization fails to recognize, however, the strong link between sexual minority status and a visible stigma: gender nonconformity. Gender nonconformity, or the perception that an individual fails to conform to gendered norms of behavior and appearance, is strongly stigmatized, and is popularly associated with sexual minority status. The hypothesis that harassment due to gender nonconformity mediates the association between sexual minority status and depressive symptoms was tested. Heterosexual and sexual minority-identified college and university students (N = 251) completed questionnaires regarding their sexual minority identity, experiences of harassment due to gender nonconformity, harassment due to sexual minority status, and depressive symptoms. A mediational model was supported, in which the association between sexual minority identity and depressive symptoms occurred via harassment due to gender nonconformity. Findings highlight harassment due to gender nonconformity as a possible mechanism for exploring variability in depressive symptoms among sexual minorities.

Family process correlates of firearm ownership and firearm storage among families with young children

To understand how family relations and dynamics were associated with firearm ownership among US families with 4-year-olds and with firearm storage among those families with firearms, controlling for sociodemographic characteristics of families and states. With representative data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort (n = 8,100), logistic regression models employed a set of family process variables (e.g., parenting practices, parental stress, maternal depression, and safety behaviors) as (1) predictors of firearm ownership among all families and, (2) as predictors of safe firearm storage among firearm owning families. An estimated 22 % of families with pre-kindergarten age children reported having firearms in their households. Among firearm owning families, 69 % of families kept firearms in a locked cabinet. Comparing families who did and did not report owning firearms, those who did were more likely to report spanking their children. Firearm owning parents who reported higher levels of parenting stress and lower likelihood that their child always wore a helmet when bicycling were also more likely to report unsafe firearm storage practices. Family processes differentiated both firearm owners from non-firearm owners and firearms owners who locked up their firearms from firearm owners who did not. These findings suggest that firearm ownership and firearm safety behaviors likely arise from a more general family context related to child health and safety.

A Research Note on Time With Children in Different- and Same-Sex Two-Parent Families

Public debate on same-sex marriage often focuses on the disadvantages that children raised by same-sex couples may face. On one hand, little evidence suggests any difference in the outcomes of children raised by same-sex parents and different-sex parents. On the other hand, most studies are limited by problems of sample selection and size, and few directly measure the parenting practices thought to influence child development. This research note demonstrates how the 2003-2013 American Time Use Survey (n=44,188) may help to address these limitations. Two-tier Cragg's Tobit alternative models estimated the amount of time that parents in different-sex and same-sex couples engaged in child-focused time. Women in same-sex couples were more likely than either women or men in different-sex couples to spend such time with children. Overall, women (regardless of the gender of their partners) and men coupled with other men spent significantly more time with children than men coupled with women, conditional on spending any child-focused time. These results support prior research that different-sex couples do not invest in children at appreciably different levels than same-sex couples. We highlight the potential for existing nationally representative data sets to provide preliminary insights into the developmental experiences of children in nontraditional families.

Exploring the social integration of sexual minority youth across high school contexts

Mental health disparities between sexual minority and other youth have been theorized to result in part from the effects of the stigmatization on social integration. Stochastic actor-based modeling was applied to complete network data from two high schools in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Mage  = 15 years, N = 2,533). Same-sex attracted youth were socially marginalized in a smaller predominantly White school but not in a larger, more racially diverse school. For both schools, homophily was a critical network feature, and could represent social support for and social segregation of such youth. These findings emphasize the school context in studying the social lives of sexual minority youth and suggest that youth may be better off socially in larger and more diverse schools.

Trajectories of overweight and their association with adolescent depressive symptoms

OBJECTIVE

To explore the potential for a developmental approach to reveal new insights into the well-documented link between weight and depressive symptoms.

METHOD

Latent class analysis identified multiple trajectories of overweight from 24 months to 15 years in the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (n = 957). Structural equation models then used these classes to predict depressive symptoms at age 15.

RESULTS

Five latent classes captured continuity and change in weight from early childhood into middle adolescence. Controlling for current weight, stably overweight girls tended to have the most depressive symptoms, but popularity and positive image appeared to buffer against some of the risks that girls faced from being stably overweight or becoming overweight in early to middle childhood. Notably, boys' longitudinal weight patterns were not associated with their depressive symptoms in adolescence.

CONCLUSIONS

Weight histories, controlling for current weight, are important for understanding the psychological experience of overweight, especially when such histories are considered in relation to other aspects of psychosocial functioning. (PsycINFO Database Record

Peer harassment and risky behavior among sexual minority girls and boys

The role of peer harassment in the association between sexual minority status and adolescent risky behavior was examined for 15-year-olds in the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (n = 957). The findings, although exploratory, suggest the importance of gender. For girls, peer harassment was best viewed as a moderator of the link between sexual minority status and increased risky behavior. It intensified an existing association, reflecting the gendered nature of the impact of sexual minority status on the adolescent social context. For boys, peer harassment was primarily a mediator, such that sexual minority status was associated with more risky behavior via elevated harassment, although sexual minority status itself was associated with lower risky behavior overall.

Perceived Neighborhood Safety and Adolescent School Functioning

This study examined the association between adolescents' perceptions of their neighborhoods' safety and multiple elements of their functioning in school with data on 15 year olds from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (n = 924). In general, perceived neighborhood safety was more strongly associated with aspects of schooling that were more psychosocial in nature (e.g., school attachment) than those that were more cognitive (e.g., test scores). Examination of neighborhood and family moderators of these associations revealed that perceived neighborhood safety was negatively associated with grades for youth from low-income families but was positively associated with school attachment for youth from such families when they lived in neighborhoods rated by observers as high in physical disorder.

State firearm laws, firearm ownership, and safety practices among families of preschool-aged children

OBJECTIVES

We investigated how state-level firearms legislation is associated with firearm ownership and storage among families with preschool-aged children.

METHODS

Using 2005 nationally representative data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort (n = 8100), we conducted multinomial regression models to examine the associations between state-level firearms legislation generally, child access prevention (CAP) firearms legislation specifically, and parental firearm ownership and storage safety practices.

RESULTS

Overall, 8% of families with children aged 4 years living in states with stronger firearm laws and CAP laws owned firearms compared with 24% of families in states with weaker firearm laws and no CAP laws. Storage behaviors of firearm owners differed minimally across legislative contexts. When we controlled for family- and state-level characteristics, we found that firearm legislation and CAP laws interacted to predict ownership and storage behaviors, with unsafe storage least likely among families in states with both CAP laws and stronger firearm legislation.

CONCLUSIONS

Broader firearm legislation is linked with the efficacy of child-specific legislation in promoting responsible firearm ownership.