Family Functioning, Identity Commitments, and School Value among Ethnic Minority and Ethnic Majority Adolescents

Ethnic minority youth show worse school adjustment than their ethnic majority peers. Yet, it remains unclear whether this gap can be explained by differences in family functioning and consequent identity commitments. This study examined (1) whether family functioning relates to identity commitments over time and (2) whether identity commitments impact later school value (3) among minority and majority adolescents. Minority (N = 205, Mage = 16.25 years, 31.1% girls) and majority adolescents (N = 480, Mage = 15.73 years, 47.9% girls) participated in this preregistered three-wave longitudinal study (T1: March-April 2012; T2: October 2012; T3: March-April 2013). Dynamic Panel Models revealed that most within-person cross-lagged associations were not significant in the total sample. Yet, multigroup analyses revealed differences between groups: Stronger identity commitments related to lower school value among minority adolescents, but were unrelated to school value among majority adolescents over time. Additionally, higher school value increased identity commitments among minority youth, yet it decreased identity commitments among majority youth over time. The findings highlight the differential interplay between identity commitments and school adjustment for minority and majority adolescents, with important implications for their future life chances.

Queer in the Latter Days: An Integrated Model of Sexual and Religious Identity Development Among Former Mormon Sexual Minority Adults

Sexual minority individuals often have complicated relationships with conservative religion, including conflicts between their sexual and religious identities. Sexual minority members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (CJCLDS) experience unique struggles, given the policies and doctrine of the CJCLDS and its commitment to heteronormative family structures and gender roles. A better understanding of the identity development trajectory for sexual minority individuals formerly involved in the church can deepens our understanding of sexual identity development in constrained contexts and help promote successful identity integration within this subpopulation. Transcripts from semi-structured interviews with thirty-four sexual minority individuals who identified as former members of the CJCLDS were analyzed using an inductive thematic approach, followed by a deductive theory-building process in which Cass's Homosexual Identity Formation Model and Genia's Religious Identity Development Model were overlaid on themes. We present a model that captures the trajectory of sexual and religious identity development that captures the experiences of sexual minority adults within the constraints of the CJCLDS, a non-affirming religious denomination.

Longitudinal Associations among Identity Processes and Mental Health in Young Adulthood: The Mediating Role of Social Support

Emerging adulthood (ages 18-25) is a period of identity exploration, particularly for young adults navigating the transition to post-secondary school. Little is known about how changes in identity exploration may be related to emerging adults' mental health, or the role of social support plays in identity-related processes. In the present study, associations among identity exploration, internalizing symptoms, and perceived social support were examined. Participants included a diverse group of emerging adults (N = 1,125, Mage = 17.96 years) studying at a Canadian university. Random-intercept cross-lagged modeling demonstrated that within-person increases in exploration in breadth predicted fewer depressive symptoms over time, whereas within-person increases in exploration in depth predicted more depressive and anxious symptoms over time. A mediation effect from perceived support from significant other to depressive symptoms via exploration in breadth was also evident. Findings suggest that identity exploratory processes may be developmentally relevant in emerging adulthood, but their implications for mental health may differ. Perceived social support is also meaningfully related to identity exploration and mental health.

[Transitional psychiatric needs and identity development of adolescents in Tyrol]

BACKGROUND

Due to the structural separation of child and adolescent psychiatric treatment and adult psychiatric treatment, a switch between these two systems upon the age of 18 is necessary. Considering the importance of an organized transition, patients from an age of 17 were asked about their transition needs and aspects of their identity development. Thus future improvements in the treatment structures in this sensitive phase should derive.

METHODS

With the help of the Transition Readiness and Appropriateness Measure (TRAM), the transition-specific needs of 17 to 24-year-old patients (N = 42) at the Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy in Hall in Tirol were surveyed. In addition, the connection between identity development and transition was examined using the Assessment of Identity Development in Adolescence (AIDA).

RESULTS

Almost 80% of the patients stated that they needed further care. 'Patient-related factors' and 'family support' were described as barriers to the willingness to transition. A significant connection was found between identity development and the willingness or need for transition (r = 0.431, p < 0.01), although this was more pronounced in relation to the need for transition (r = 0.821 p < 0.01). In addition, those affected stated that they were frequently and severely burdened by stress, 45% reported self-injurious behavior, 48% suicidal thoughts or behavior in the last six months. In terms of psychopathology, anxiety and depression were among the most common symptoms. In terms of functional impairment, the 'relationships' area was the most affected.

CONCLUSIONS

The study provides initial insights into the transition-specific characteristics and needs of patients in transition age. The integration of standardized measuring instruments in institutional care systems, which individually record the transition-related needs, the willingness and need of young people in transition age, can facilitate targeted and needs-based treatment or transition. Interdisciplinary cooperation between child and adolescent psychiatry and adult psychiatry as well as a continuous transfer of the therapeutic relationships in the transition process should also be guaranteed.

Kept in the Closet: Structural Stigma and the Timing of Sexual Minority Developmental Milestones Across 28 European Countries

Structural stigma's role in lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) people's attainment of identity development milestones remains unknown. In a sample of 111,498 LGB people (ages 15 to 65+) living across 28 European countries, associations were investigated between structural stigma measured using an objective index of discriminatory country-level laws and policies affecting LGB people and the timing and pacing of LGB self-awareness, coming out, and closet duration, and subgroup differences in these associations. On average, self-awareness occurred at age 14.8 years old (SD = 5.1), coming out occurred at 18.5 years old (SD = 5.7), and the closet was 3.9 years long (SD = 4.9); thereby highlighting adolescence as a key period for sexual identity development and disclosure. Greater structural stigma was associated with higher odds of never coming out, later age of coming out, and longer closet duration. Gender identity, transgender identity, and sexual identity moderated associations between structural stigma and these developmental milestones. Reducing structural stigma can plausibly promote sexual identity development among LGB populations, especially during adolescence when identity related milestones are often attained.

Longitudinal Relations among Identity Distinctiveness, Continuity, and Integration among Dutch Adolescents

Identity distinctiveness, continuity, and coherence are all components of adolescents' identity development, but their longitudinal relations have rarely been examined. Data were analyzed on these three constructs collected over three years from 349 Dutch adolescents (M_age = 14.7, SD_age = 0.7, 215 [61.6%] girls and 133 [38.1%] boys). A cross-lagged panel model of the three constructs showed that stability was relatively high for distinctiveness and continuity, whereas coherence was less stable. Distinctiveness and continuity were correlated positively within time, but cross-lagged associations were mostly not significant: Only distinctiveness and coherence negatively predicted each other across waves. Results suggest that distinctiveness, continuity, and coherence may be interrelated, but may not drive the development of each other.

Attachment to Peers and Parents in Italian Catholic Seminarians: Associations with Identity and Well-Being

By reference to a sample of 173 emerging adult seminarians in South Italy, this study evaluates the influence of attachment to one's parents and peers on identity development and well-being in seminarians. The statistical analysis (PLS-PM) reports that secure attachment to one's mother and secure attachment to a peer are positively associated with identity and well-being. No such association is found with attachment to one's father. Attachment to one's mother loses its association with identity during the shift from the freshmen to the senior group and is replaced by attachment with one's peers. Both attachment relationships lose their associations with well-being between these groups. Our results demonstrate that attachment to one's peers becomes the most relevant relationship, thus supporting this specific form of relationship among seminarians.

Comparing sexual orientation identity development in plurisexual versus monosexual latinx sexual minority youth

INTRODUCTION

Plurisexual individuals represent 50% of sexual minority adolescent communities. However, most studies of sexual minority adolescents analyze this population as a homogeneous group rather than attending to plausible differences between plurisexual and monosexual sexual minority youth. This study examined whether plurisexual Latinx youth differed from monosexual youth on three facets of sexual orientation identity (SOI) development (exploration, resolution, and affirmation). Further, we examined whether plurisexual (vs. monosexual) identity moderated the relationship between SOI development and depressive symptoms and self-esteem.

METHODS

The sample included 365 Latinx sexual minority youth (14-24 years) living in the United States or US Territory. The majority of participants identified as monosexual (84.1%); 15.9% were plurisexual. The sample was 75.6% male, 19.5% female, and 2.0% transgender. Participants were asked to complete an online, cross-sectional survey that asked questions pertaining to ethnicity and sexual orientation. This data was collected in the fall of 2014.

RESULTS

Latinx plurisexual youth had higher levels of SOI affirmation, exploration, and resolution than monosexual youth. SOI affirmation and exploration and were positively associated with self-esteem for all youth. SOI affirmation was significantly negatively associated with depressive symptoms for monosexual youth but not for plurisexual youth. SOI exploration and resolution were not significantly associated with depressive symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrates that there are significant differences between plurisexual and monosexual Latinx adolescent populations in reference to identity affirmation, exploration, and resolution, and that these sexual orientations should be treated distinctly in future research. In addition, all three aspects of identity development were significantly related to higher self-esteem for all youth regardless of identity, providing evidence for the importance of developing these three factors.

Family Racial/Ethnic Socialization Through the Lens of Multiracial Black Identity: A M(ai)cro Analysis of Meaning-Making

The role of family members in racial identity development is often constrained to conceptualizations of parental socialization, with a focus on socialization during childhood and adolescence. However, parents may continue to play a role in racial identity development as youth enter young adulthood and continue to explore who they are. Our study investigates how parents feature in the racial identity meaning-making of multiracial Black college students to understand the role that parents may continue to play for youth's identities as they age. We invoke a critical m(ai)cro perspective to fully consider how parent influence necessarily intertwines with macrosystem dynamics of anti-Blackness, white supremacy, and monoracism for multiracial Black youth's identity meaning-making in the context of Black Lives Matter. Through inductive analysis of semi-structured interviews with 11 multiracial Black ("Black + ") college students, we found that young adults mention parents or familial adults when discussing their racial identity to (1) recount parental guidance on racial identity, (2) illustrate the racial politics of multiracial identification, and (3) expose the nuances of navigating (un)shared identity spaces within the family. Our findings highlight the relevance of parental socialization in the adulthood years, and that parents are inextricably implicated in how youth are making sense of macrosystem dynamics of anti-Blackness and monoracism. We end with a discussion of takeaways for parents of multiracial youth.

Transgender identity: Development, management and affirmation

In this review, I discuss recent research on transgender identity development, management and affirmation, situating key topics within a social feedback model of transgender identity. This model foregrounds the dynamic interplay between internal and external influences on transgender identity. Furthermore, issues of intersectionality are highlighted throughout and located within broader socio-political contexts. Collectively, research on topics such as gender euphoria, passing, identity affirmation and social transitions, among others, points to the pivotal role of supportive social relationships and social environments in the healthy development and expression of transgender identities. Future work should prioritize longitudinal studies with careful and rigorous assessment of identity-related constructs in order to further examine these and other topics.

Digital sexual identities: Between empowerment and disempowerment

In the digital age, people increasingly explore and express their sexual identities online. The management and development of digital sexual identities can provide opportunities of empowerment on the individual, interpersonal, and societal level. At the same time, social media users are confronted with risks of sexual disempowerment in terms of identity de-validation, social exclusion, discrimination or even criminalization. The review article summarizes the current state of research on six selected sexual identities: (1) heterosexual, (2) LGBTIQ+, (3) asexual, (4) kink and fetish, (5) polyamory, and (6) sex worker identities in digital contexts. Covering a variety of social media platforms and cultural backgrounds, the review demonstrates that digital sexual identities are best understood as multifaceted socio-technical phenomena with ambivalent outcomes.

Social psychological aspects of gay identity development

This article focuses upon the social psychological aspects of identity development among gay men. Key stage-based models of, and contemporary empirical research into, gay identity development are outlined. Three levels of sexual identity development are examined: the psychological, the interpersonal and the collective. It is argued that, in order to develop an effective theory of gay identity development, empirical research should focus upon these levels of analysis, acknowledging that there is a dynamic interplay between them; the multiplicity of identity itself (consisting of sometimes competing elements); and the motives that underpin the construction, management and protection of identity (principally self-esteem, self-efficacy, continuity, positive distinctiveness and belongingness). Identity process theory is proposed as a useful theoretical framework for doing so.

Cascading bidirectional influences of digital media use and mental health in adolescence

A substantial portion of critical adolescent development is occurring within digital environments. However, certain individual differences may lead adolescents to use digital media in diverse ways. In this chapter we suggest that the way teens use digital media influences how digital media affects their mental health. Further, we propose a model in which these influences, in the context of ongoing development, may have feedback effects on how digital media is subsequently used, thus resulting in a self-perpetuating cycle. Our model suggests that certain developmental risk/protective factors and maladaptive/adaptive digital media behaviors likely perpetuate each other in a cyclical manner each serving to maintain and/or escalate the other. We discuss existing evidence of these processes in psychosocial, identity, incentive processing, and physical health development. Future research focusing on individual differences and self-reinforcing digital media behaviors that manifest these feedback loops may portray a more complete picture of cascading digital media influences across adolescent development.

Identities and roles through clinician-educator transitions: A systematic narrative review

OBJECTIVE

To synthesise the literature exploring nurse and other clinicians' conceptualisations and experiences of roles and identities as they transition to educator positions and to identify facilitators/barriers to, and consequences of, successful transitions.

DESIGN

A systematic narrative review of empirical research reporting clinician-educator transitions was conducted from database inception to December 2020.

DATA SOURCES

Our search employed ERIC, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Scopus, Ovid MEDLINE® Plus, ERIC (ProQuest), and Sociological Abstracts (ProQuest). We used search terms and synonyms relating to 'identity', 'role' and 'transitions'.

REVIEW METHODS

Using the PRISMA protocol for systematic reviews, we reviewed titles and abstracts for inclusion, then used the Critical Appraisal Skills Program tool to evaluate article quality. We extracted evidence from included articles, synthesising data thematically by exploring similarities and differences between studies.

RESULTS

We screened 2753 articles. 23 studies (across 25 articles) matched our inclusion criteria, 20 of which included nursing clinician-educator transitions. We identified four themes describing clinician-educator transitions: (i) multiple ways of conceptualising roles and identities, (ii) clinician-educator transitions as complex, emotion-laden processes, (iii) personal, interpersonal, and organisational facilitators and barriers of clinician-educator transitions, and (iv) positive and negative consequences of clinician-educator transitions.

CONCLUSION

Our review supports deeper understandings of transition processes that can be used by organisations to better support clinicians as they adapt to their new educator roles and identities.

Exploring the identity development of the budding neuroscientist at postgraduate level: a mixed-method study with perspectives from alumni and academics

INTRODUCTION

Neuroscience represents one of the most exciting frontiers in scientific research. However, given the recency of neuroscience as a discipline, its inter- and multi-disciplinary nature, the lack of educational research on brain science training, the absence of a national or global benchmark and the numerous neuroscience subfields, the development of the academic neuroscientist identity across career stages remains obfuscated. Neuroscience is not predominantly taught at the undergraduate level but presents as a postgraduate specialism, accepting graduates from a wide range of primary disciplines.

METHODS

This work represents the first mixed-method study exploring the development of the neuroscientist identity at the postgraduate level at a high-ranking, research-intensive UK University. It combines responses from standardised self-efficacy and professional identity questionnaires and qualitative data from nineteen semi-structured interviews with alumni and academics.

RESULTS

Key findings on influences, identity transitions, curricular skills and sense of belonging have been discussed. The results obtained can be mapped against the theoretical framework proposed by Laudel and Gläser in 2008, although some minor changes to the model have been suggested.

DISCUSSION

Implementing active learning strategies and experiential assessments, designing mentoring opportunities and creating spaces for interaction can favour the transition from students to neuroscientists and contribute to an inclusive and diverse neuroscientific community.

Links Between Adolescents' Moral Mindsets and Narratives of their Inconsistent and Consistent Moral Value Experiences

Past work on moral mindsets has largely overlooked the adolescent developmental period, a time when adolescents are navigating the complexities of moral life and experiencing tensions between important moral principles and their own actions. This study investigated how moral incrementalism and essentialism are linked to how adolescents construct meanings about their moral experiences. The sample included 96 Canadian adolescents (12-15-years of age; M = 13.5 years). Adolescents generated written narratives of times when they acted inconsistently and consistently with a moral value, and completed a vignette-based measure of moral mindsets. Moral incrementalism was associated with references to the psychological and emotional facets of experiences and engaging in meaning-making processes in narratives. Adolescents who endorsed incrementalism disengaged less only when narrating a self-discrepant experience, indicating some context-specificity across moral event types. Overall, results contribute to scholarship on moral mindset and narrative identity construction. Findings illuminate how individual differences in youth's views of moral traits and behavior may be associated with important aspects of moral identity development such as delving into the psychological and emotional aspects of their experiences and engaging in meaning-making processes.

Identity Development and Social-Emotional Disorders During Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Depression, anxiety and eating disorders ("social-emotional disorders") are common during adolescence/emerging adulthood, periods of intense identity development. Despite this, there are few reviews of existing research on the relationship between symptoms of these disorders and ongoing identity development. This study systematically reviewed, narratively synthesized and meta-analyzed longitudinal investigations of the relationship between identity synthesis/confusion and depression, anxiety and eating disorders symptoms during adolescence/emerging adulthood. Three databases (PsycInfo, Medline, Embase) were searched. Study quality was systematically appraised, findings were qualitatively synthesized and (where possible) meta-analyzed. 20 studies (55% "fair" quality, 45% "poor" quality) were identified, including 13,787 participants (54.2% female, mean age = 14.48 years, range 10-29 years). The narrative synthesis found evidence of bidirectional relationships between identity synthesis/confusion and depression, anxiety and eating disorder symptoms. Meta-analyses and meta-regressions of a sub-sample of studies (N = 9) indicated no significant associations between identity synthesis or confusion and anxiety or depression symptoms. More high-quality research is needed before firm conclusions can be drawn.

To compare, or not to compare? Age moderates the relationship between social comparisons on instagram and identity processes during adolescence and emerging adulthood

INTRODUCTION

Social networking sites such as Instagram have provided young people with unprecedented opportunities for social comparison, and such behaviour can have implications for identity development. Although initial evidence suggests that there may be developmental differences in terms of how such behaviour informs identity development during adolescence and emerging adulthood, all previous research has been conducted in highly individualistic cultural contexts (i.e., the UK and the US).

METHOD

To shed further light on these possible developmental differences and to determine whether results replicate amongst young people from more collectivist cultural contexts, cross-sectional survey data were collected from 1,085 (M age = 18.87, SD = 2.57; Female = 77.8%) adolescents and emerging adults in Romania and Serbia between December 2019 and March 2020. The relationships between social comparisons of ability and opinion on Instagram and three key identity processes (i.e., commitment, in-depth exploration, and reconsideration of commitment) were then examined.

RESULT

Hierarchical multiple regression analyses identified significant age differences in terms of how social comparisons of ability and opinion on Instagram associated with identity commitment and in-depth exploration. Furthermore, possible cultural differences were identified in terms of how social comparisons of opinion on Instagram associated with the identity processes.

CONCLUSION

Overall, results suggest that whilst social comparisons on Instagram can elicit self-focus and prompt further exploration, developmental and cultural factors may influence how such behaviour informs identity development during adolescence and emerging adulthood.

The Self-Identification, LGBTQ+ Identity Development, and Attraction and Behavior of Asexual Youth: Potential Implications for Sexual Health and Internet-Based Service Provision

While often included in the spectrum of sexual minority identities, asexuality receives comparatively little attention. Awareness and understanding remains limited, and knowledge has been generated primarily from adult populations. This paper employs a sample of 711 self-identified asexual youth (aged 14-24, M = 17.43 years) who identified as members of the LGBTQ+ community to consider the implications of a number of different areas for service provision. Two-thirds (66.8%) of participants identified as gender minorities within the spectrum of transgender and non-binary identities. Findings include aspects of participants' LGBTQ+ developmental processes, including that only 14.3% had disclosed their LGBTQ+ status to everyone in their lives. However, just 2.4% had disclosed to no one. Their attraction and sexual activity were also explored, with 27.1% having never experienced any kind of romantic or sexual attraction and 20.6% having ever been sexually active. Findings regarding participants' accessing of LGBTQ+ health information and engagement in a range of offline and online LGBTQ+ community activities are also provided. Participants acquired more health information online than offline-including sexual health information. Recommendations for service provision, particularly implications for sexual health and Internet-based services, are discussed.

Effects of Goal Appraisals and Goal Motivation on Dimensions of Identity Development: A Longitudinal Mixed Methods Analysis of European American Emerging Adults

In the present study, we investigated the ways in which the ideographic goal descriptions and goal appraisals of European American high school seniors reflect potentials for intentional self-development during emerging adulthood (EA), a lifespan phase characterized by increasing levels of freedom and decreasing age-graded, socially sanctioned developmental norms. Additionally, we investigated whether variation in participants’ goal appraisals and the motivational qualities emergent in their goal descriptions would predict variation in dimensions of identity development, both concurrently at age 18 and prospectively at age 23. Results of an exploratory, mixed method analysis of participants’ (N = 129, 56.6% male, M_age = 18.24, SD = 0.37) goal data revealed diversity in education and work goals, strong potentials for intentional self-development reflected across goal appraisals, and more nuanced reflections of intentional self-development across the motivational qualities emergent in goal descriptions. Results partially supported the hypothesis that goal appraisals and motivational qualities that reflect potentials for intentional self-development would predict kindred processes of identity development across the first five years of EA. These findings contribute to a nascent empirical literature focused on the interrelationship of goal and identity constructs during EA and suggest new avenues for future research.

Becoming outstanding educators: What do they say contributed to success?

Aspiring medical educators and their advisors often lack clarity about career paths. To provide guidance to faculty pursuing careers as educators, we sought to explore perceived factors that contributed to the career development of outstanding medical educators. Using a thematic analysis, investigators at two institutions interviewed 39 full or associate professor physician faculty with prominent roles as medical educators in 2016. The social cognitive career theory (SCCT) informed the interview guide. Investigators developed the codebook and performed iterative analysis using qualitative methods. Extensive team discussion generated the final themes. Eight themes emerged related to preparation, early successes, mentors, networks, faculty development, balance, work environment, and multiple identities. Preparation led to early successes, which served as "launch points," while mentors, networks, and faculty development programs served as career accelerators to open more opportunities, and a supportive work environment was an additional enabler of this pathway. Educators who reported balance between work and outside interests described boundary setting as well as selectively choosing new opportunities to establish boundaries in mid-career. Participants described multiple professional identities, and clinician and educator identities tended to merge and reinforce each other as careers progressed. This study revealed common themes describing trajectories of success among medical educators. These themes aligned with the SCCT, and typically replayed and spiraled over the course of the educators' careers. These findings resonate with other studies, lending credence to an approach to career development that can be shared with junior faculty who are exploring careers in medical education.

Harvesting Good Medicine: Internalizing and Crystalizing Core Cultural Values in Young Children

Indigenous Alaskans face many obstacles as they attempt to navigate what it means to be a member of a tribal group. Pressures to assimilate into the global society, loss of access to traditional lands, and dwindling subsistence resources due to climate change are aggravating factors in the cultural identity development of Indigenous Alaskans. Experiences on the land such as fishing, picking berries, and harvesting edible and medicinal plants with family members and other culture-bearers are known to play a mitigating role in resisting assimilative pressures, yet little is known about how such experiences contribute to a child's growing sense of self and belonging. In this research study, the authors sought to untangle the nuanced experiences of young children as they engaged in the cultural activity of harvesting a medicinal plant in Southeast Alaska. Through the use of wearable cameras, the authors captured video footage from the perspectives of 5- to 6-year-old kindergarten children from a small Alaska Native village in Southeast Alaska as they learned lessons on and from the land, from adult culture-bearers, and from peers. As the authors analyzed the videos, themes emerged that pointed to small interactions with adults, peers, and the environment that positioned the children to internalize and crystalize core cultural values and thereby strengthen their own cultural identity development.

Negotiating identity at the intersection of family legacy and present time life conditions: A qualitative exploration of central issues connected to identity and belonging in the lives of children of refugees

INTRODUCTION

Most studies on refugee populations are organized around trauma-related issues and focus on explanations of pathological factors. Few studies are anchored in general developmental psychology with the aim of exploring normal age-specific developmental tasks and how the special circumstances associated with forced migration can influence that development.

METHODS

Using an ecological and transactional understanding of developmental trajectories, this qualitative study explored issues connected to identity formation processes in an exile context based on interviews with 6 male and 10 female children of refugees (18-26 years) who have grown up in Norway.

RESULTS

The findings show that family experiences of war and conflict intersect with experiences of marginalization in exile. The interaction of these experiences influences the development of individual identity in cumulative and complex ways. Many of the participants expressed feelings of isolation, disconnectedness, and a lack of belonging. Nevertheless, though the participants described growing up facing major challenges, they also searched for ways to reframe their difficult personal and family histories into meaningful experiences.

CONCLUSIONS

In order to provide conditions and develop interventions that can support well-being and identity development, we need a better understanding of the different forces that influence the identity development of children of refugees. By foregrounding the participants' experiences, and perspectives, we gained insight into different ways in which participants negotiate identity issues in relation to often contradictory demands and messages from family and the wider social context.

Identity development among Lebanese youth: An investigation of Marcia's paradigm

The purpose of this study was to investigate Marcia's ego identity paradigm in a sample of Lebanese youth. Another purpose was to examine correlates to identity statuses, namely gender and academic achievement. The sample consisted of 255 students, 18-21 years old, selected randomly from one university in Lebanon. The Ego Identity Process Questionnaire (EIPQ) was used to measure participants' level of Exploration and Commitment, and accordingly, classify them into one of Marcia's four Ego Identity Statuses: Achievement, Moratorium, Foreclosure, and Diffusion. Also, participants' self-reported cumulative grade point average (GPA) served as achievement data. The results showed that most participants were in either Foreclosure (29.41%) or Moratorium (29.02%). No significant gender or academic differences were found across the statuses. In future research, factors such as family structure, war, and political instability that might affect individuals' identity statuses must be investigated using larger and more representative samples.

Advancing Critical Thinking Through Learning Issues in Problem-Based Learning

Health professions educators are increasingly urged to use learning designs that promote critical thinking and the development of interpersonal competencies. Problem-based learning (PBL) has a long, albeit contested, history as a collaborative and deep think-aloud process that participants use to reach conclusions about medical cases. In order to make progress, participants must assess what they do not know and what they must learn in order to continue. Answering these learning issues (LI) requires self-direction and cognitive presence. This study analyzes the discussions that participants used in the reporting phase of the LI process in an 8-week PBL module on cardiac-renal systems. Data were drawn from 10 class sessions and analyzed for critical thinking using a model based on Garrison and Newman et al. Participants at first presented LI reports didactically but over time initiated active learning strategies. The findings indicate large increases in the numbers of LI reports in which participants engaged in collaborative thinking. There were also large increases in the amount of time devoted to critical thinking as participants aligned the LI process more closely with the intent of PBL. Participants' identity development as experts also underwent changes and the fluidity of the expert roles increased. Thoughtful design of the LI process can help learners develop the habitus of self-direction and collaborative critical thinking that they need in order to develop clinical reasoning.

Leader identity development in healthcare: an existential-phenomenological study

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study is to take an existential-phenomenological perspective to understand and describe the experienced leader identity development of healthcare leaders working in dual roles. Leader identity development under the influence of strong professional identities of nurses and doctors has remained an under-researched phenomenon to which the study contributes.

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH

Existential-phenomenology serves as a perspective underpinning the whole research, and an existential-phenomenological method is applied in the interview data analysis.

FINDINGS

The study showed leader identity development in healthcare to be most strongly influenced and affected by clinical work and its meanings and followers' needs and leader-follower relationships. In addition, four other key categories were presented as meaningful in leader identity development; leader identity development is an ongoing process occurring in relations of the key categories.

ORIGINALITY/VALUE

The existential-phenomenological approach and analysis method offer a novel way to understand leader identity development and work identities as experienced.

Science identity development: an interactionist approach

In this introduction for this Special Issue we discuss the need for the investigation of science identity with an emphasis on the environment. As such, we propose taking an interactionist approach; one that examines the person in interaction within their environment (Adams & Marshall, 1996). The Special Issue highlights the role of psychology constructs, such as interest and belonging that are deeply relevant and ultimately inform students' science identity development. The Special Issue includes six articles: this introduction, four empirical papers investigating the psychological experiences of students in various science spaces with a focus on the interactions between the individual and the context, and a commentary. Each contribution emphasized how the context either afforded or did not afford that sense of belonging to develop in students. The collection of articles were inspired by a symposium on the topic of STEM identity development that was presented at the 2017 annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) in San Antonio, TX.

Stigma, gender dysphoria, and nonsuicidal self-injury in a community sample of transgender individuals

We investigated rates of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) and correlates of past-year NSSI among transgender people to better understand factors contributing to this health disparity. A community-based sample of 332 transgender people participated in quantitative in-person interviews. The mean age of participants was 34.56 years (SD = 13.78, range = 16-87). The sample was evenly divided between transfeminine spectrum (50.3%) and transmasculine spectrum identities (49.7%) and was diverse in race/ethnicity. We evaluated associations between sociodemographic characteristics, stigma, hypothesized resilience factors, and identity variables with past-year NSSI. 53.3% of participants reported ever having self-injured in their lifetime. Past-year NSSI was reported by 22.3% of the sample and did not significantly differ based on gender identity. In logistic regression models, past-year NSSI was associated with younger age and felt stigma (perceived or anticipated rejection), but not enacted stigma (actual experiences of discrimination), and with gender dysphoria. Efforts to address the high rates of NSSI among transgender people should aim to reduce felt stigma and gender dysphoria, and promote transgender congruence. Future research using a developmental approach to assess variations in NSSI across the life course and in relation to transgender identity development may illuminate additional processes that affect NSSI in this population.

Trajectories of Identity Formation Modes and Their Personality Context in Adolescence

Identity formation is a dynamic process during adolescence. Trajectories of identity formation were assessed longitudinally in early and middle adolescents, taking into account the personality underpinnings of this process. Identity formation was conceptualized according to the circumplex of identity formation modes. The model distinguishes basic modes rooted in Marcia’s categories of exploration and commitment. Plasticity and stability, the two higher order Big Five meta-traits, were used to assess personality underpinnings. This study includes five measurement waves over 1.5 years and involves 1,839 Polish participants; 914 early adolescents (53.9% girls) and 925 middle adolescents (63.8% girls). The results suggest that (1) the four identity formation modes change dynamically, showing linear and curvilinear growth and that (2) identity formation mode trajectories are more dynamic in middle adolescence than in early adolescence. The results also showed that, in the conditional model, (3) the higher-order personality factors and gender affect the growth factors of identity formation modes. Overall, trajectories of identity formation modes are more linear during early adolescence and more curvilinear during middle adolescence. The initial levels in identity trajectories are influenced by the personality metatraits but only plasticity is related to change among early adolescents.

The Unfolding of LGBT Lives: Key Events Associated With Health and Well-being in Later Life

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

Life events are associated with the health and well-being of older adults. Using the Health Equity Promotion Model, this article explores historical and environmental context as it frames life experiences and adaptation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) older adults.

DESIGN AND METHODS

This was the largest study to date of LGBT older adults to identify life events related to identity development, work, and kin relationships and their associations with health and quality of life (QOL). Using latent profile analysis (LPA), clusters of life events were identified and associations between life event clusters were tested.

RESULTS

On average, LGBT older adults first disclosed their identities in their 20s; many experienced job-related discrimination. More had been in opposite-sex marriage than in same-sex marriage. Four clusters emerged: "Retired Survivors" were the oldest and one of the most prevalent groups; "Midlife Bloomers" first disclosed their LGBT identities in mid-40s, on average; "Beleaguered At-Risk" had high rates of job-related discrimination and few social resources; and "Visibly Resourced" had a high degree of identity visibility and were socially and economically advantaged. Clusters differed significantly in mental and physical health and QOL, with the Visibly Resourced faring best and Beleaguered At-Risk faring worst on most indicators; Retired Survivors and Midlife Bloomers showed similar health and QOL.

IMPLICATIONS

Historical and environmental contexts frame normative and non-normative life events. Future research will benefit from the use of longitudinal data and an assessment of timing and sequencing of key life events in the lives of LGBT older adults.

Longitudinal Links Between Identity Consolidation and Psychosocial Problems in Adolescence: Using Bi-Factor Latent Change and Cross-Lagged Effect Models

Most previous identity research has focused on relationships between identity synthesis, confusion, and psychosocial problems. However, these studies did not take into account Erikson's notion of identity consolidation, that is, the dynamic interplay between identity synthesis and confusion. This study aimed to examine longitudinal relationships and the directionality of the effects between identity consolidation and psychosocial problems during adolescence, using two waves of longitudinal data from 793 Japanese adolescents (49.7% girls; ages 13-14 and 16-17 at Time 1). A bi-factor latent change model revealed that levels and changes in identity consolidation were negatively associated with levels and changes in psychosocial problems. Furthermore, a bi-factor cross-lagged effects model provided evidence that identity consolidation negatively predicted psychosocial problems, and vice versa. Our study facilitates a better understanding of the importance of identity consolidation in the relations between identity components and psychosocial problems.

Sexual Identity Mobility and Depressive Symptoms: A Longitudinal Analysis of Moderating Factors Among Sexual Minority Women

Sexual minority identity (bisexual, lesbian) is a known risk factor for depression in women. This study examined a facet of minority stress prevalent among women-sexual identity mobility-as an identity-related contributor to higher levels of depressive symptoms. We used three waves of data from the Chicago Health and Life Experiences of Women study, a longitudinal study of sexual minority women (N = 306). Random effects OLS regression models were constructed to examine the effect of sexual identity changes on depressive symptoms. We found that 25.6 % of the sample reported a sexual identity change between Wave I and Wave II, and 24.9 % reported a sexual identity change between Waves II and III. Women who reported a change in sexual identity also reported more depressive symptoms subsequent to identity change. This effect was moderated by the number of years participants had reported their baseline identity and by whether the participant had initiated a romantic relationship with a male partner.

Pragmatics of the Development of Personal Identity in Adolescents in the Latin American Context

The present work proposes a pragmatic perspective of the development of personal identity. Such perspective is based on a unifying vision that incorporates the contribution of communicative pragmatics and becomes aware of the contribution of semiotics to psychology, without leaving aside the eriksonian point of view and other significant contributions in the field. The article defines identity in adolescence from a development approach, and adopts a systemic perspective concerning the insertion of adolescents in their context of formation as individuals. It then proposes a way to understand identity from a pragmatic-communicative perspective. Finally, it introduces two communicative use contexts from which personal identity can emerge, showing the importance of communication and language in the formation and development of identity.

Career as Affective Journey: How Constant Flux Challenges the Search for Career Pathways and Counseling

Individuals have to actively manage their careers and with it their identities in this life domain. With the help of empirical findings and field reports, we will show how these changing demands need to be negotiated as part of identity development and, thus, career counseling processes. While Dialogical Self Theory (DST) is used to describe the constant negotiation of the self (identity) including dialogues within the person as well as dialogues with others, the Trajectory Equifinality Model (TEM) will help depict the development of career pathways that result from both - with a special focus on affective linking. Based on DST and TEM, it is argued that finding the right career is an ongoing and affective process and with that a developmental phenomenon that can be supported by different means: typologies that relate the individual to a larger population as well as idiographic approaches.

A Qualitative Exploration of the "Coming Out" Process for Asexual Individuals

"Coming out" is an important process not only for identity formation in sexual minorities, but also for increasing access to romantic partners of similar identities (Vaughan & Waehler, 2010). It is unclear how asexuality and the variations within the asexual community are revealed and communicated in the coming out process. Some asexual individuals may find no practical value in coming out, as they do not seek romantic partnerships, while others pursue romantic relationships that are devoid of sexual activity. To date, virtually no psychological research has explored the "coming out" experience for those with an asexual identity. The current research analyzed the "coming out" narratives of 169 self-identified asexual individuals recruited from three online asexual communities using a phenomenological approach. Salient themes were extracted from narratives about the experience of developing an asexual identity. Themes included skepticism from family and friends, lack of acceptance and misunderstanding, non-disclosure of the asexual identity, relief upon discovering the asexual community, and the role of the internet in asexual identity discovery and expression. A theoretical model of asexual identity development is proposed based on these findings.

Shedding light on the dark side of identity: Introduction to the special issue

The aim of this special issue is to shed light in the dark side of identity formation in adolescence and emerging adulthood, that is, to provide some understanding in what exactly can go wrong in identity development. After summarizing the recent developments in identity development literature, in this introduction the main findings of all thirteen empirical papers are summarized into three overarching themes: (1) lack of identity integration as a risk factor, (2) reconsideration of commitment as a sign of identity uncertainty, and (3) ruminative exploration as another risk factor undermining healthy identity development. Finally, given that all papers in this special issue are based on conference presentations at the 14th Biennial Conference of the European Association for Research on Adolescence (EARA), some more information on that conference is included in this introduction.

Micro-level processes of identity development: Intra-individual relations between commitment and exploration

We investigate intra-individual processes of identity at the micro level. With an intensive longitudinal design in the general context of higher education, we explore associations between changes in pivotal identity concepts: commitment and exploration and elaborate on how we conceptualize these concepts on a micro level. With our within-individual empirical approach, we revealed a large amount of variation between individuals with respect to the associations between exploration and commitment processes. At the same time, similarities were found amongst individuals, which help extend and clarify existing findings regarding identity development. Our findings highlight the necessity to, firstly, distinguish between micro- and macro-level identity processes. Secondly, and in the same vein, our findings emphasize the heterogeneous nature of micro-level identity processes, and the necessity to use a within individual approach to study these processes.

"Should I prioritize medical problem solving or attentive listening?": the dilemmas and challenges that medical students experience when learning to conduct consultations

OBJECTIVE

Communication skills can be trained alongside clinical reasoning, history taking or clinical examination skills. This is advocated as a solution to the low transfer of communication skills. Still, students have to integrate the knowledge/skills acquired during different curriculum parts in patient consultations at some point. How do medical students experience these integrated consultations within a simulated environment and in real practice when dealing with responsibility?

METHODS

Six focus groups were conducted with (pre-)/clerkship students.

RESULTS

Students were motivated to practice integrated consultations with simulated patients and felt like 'real physicians'. However, their focus on medical problem solving drew attention away from improving their communication skills. Responsibility for real patients triggered students' identity development. This identity formation guided the development of an own consultation style, a process that was hampered by conflicting demands of role models.

CONCLUSION

Practicing complete consultations results in the dilemma of prioritizing medical problem solving above attention for patient communication. Integrated consultation training advances this dilemma to the pre-clerkship period. During clerkships this dilemma is heightened because real patients trigger empathy and responsibility, which invites students to define their role as doctor.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

When training integrated consultations, educators should pay attention to students' learning priorities and support the development of students' professional identity.

Gender identity development in adolescence

This article is part of a Special Issue "Puberty and Adolescence".This article aims to provide an outline of what is currently known on trajectories, and contributing factors to gender identity development in adolescence. We give a historical overview of the concept of gender identity, and describe general identity development in adolescence, gender identity development in the general population and in gender variant youth. Possible psychosocial (such as child and parental characteristics) and biological factors (such as the effects of prenatal exposure to gonadal hormones and the role of genetics) contributing to a gender variant identity are discussed. Studies focusing on a number of psychosocial and biological factors separately, indicate that each of these factors influence gender identity formation, but little is known about the complex interplay between the factors, nor about the way individuals themselves contribute to the process. Research into normative and gender variant identity development of adolescents is clearly lagging behind. However, studies on persons with gender dysphoria and disorders of sex development, show that the period of adolescence, with its changing social environment and the onset of physical puberty, seems to be crucial for the development of a non-normative gender identity.