Patterns of Time Use among 12-Year-Old Children and Their Life Satisfaction: A Gender and Cross-Country Comparison.

Despite the importance of children's time use to their quality of life, relatively few international comparative studies have focused on the patterns of children's time use and their relationship with quality of life. This study, therefore, aimed to examine the typologies of time use among 12-year-old children by gender and their relationship with their quality of life. We used the second wave of data from the International Survey of Children's Well-Being collected from 16 countries. Children's time use, gender, satisfaction with time use, and life satisfaction were included as the key variables. Latent class analysis using MPLUS 7.0 was utilized. Gender differences in the classification of time-use patterns were identified. Three latent classes (G1, G2, and G3) were identified for girls. Overall high activity group (G1) had the highest level of satisfaction, whereas family helpers (G3) had the lowest level of satisfaction with their time use and life in general. Boys, however, were classified into four classes (B1, B2, B3, and B4). Overall high activity group (B4) had the highest levels of satisfaction with their time use and life in general. The results show that children who actively engage in various activities experience the most satisfaction with their lives and time. Substantial gender differences in time use, particularly around typical gender roles (e.g., housework and family caring), are noteworthy. Programs and policies that encourage children to reduce digital time and enhance activities in other areas are also discussed.

Social networks and health-promoting behaviors among North Korean refugees in South Korea.

Poor health behaviors among North Korean refugees (NKRs) in South Korea are serious risk factors hindering their overall well-being. Despite their significance, little is known about the roles of social networks in promoting health behaviors of NKRs. Thus, we examined how social network characteristics were associated with health-promoting behaviors among 202 NKRs. We found that social networks featuring members of religious organizations were positively associated with overall health-promoting behaviors, health responsibility, exercise, and nutrition, whereas networks with South Korean friends were negatively associated with nutrition. Findings suggest that health interventions facilitating religion-based network ties may promote health behaviors among NKRs.

How Do Time Use and Social Relationships Affect the Life Satisfaction Trajectory of Korean Adolescents?

This study investigated the life satisfaction trajectory of Korean adolescents, and factors associated with changes in life satisfaction. Specifically, we focused on how changes in time use and social relationships were associated with changes in life satisfaction. Using three waves of the Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey, we conducted a series of multilevel growth curve modeling analyses. The results indicate that Korean adolescents' life satisfaction decreased over a three-year period, and that time spent on leisure and sleeping were both significant predictors of changes in life satisfaction. Life satisfaction decreased at a slower rate for adolescents whose relationships with peers and teachers positively increased over time. Findings highlight the importance of ensuring adequate amount of sleep and providing various opportunities for leisure activities in improving Korean adolescents' life satisfaction. Furthermore, social relationships, specifically with teachers and peers should be the focus of prevention and intervention for adolescents to maintain and improve their level of life satisfaction.

Young Adult Unemployment and Later Depression and Anxiety: Does Childhood Neighborhood Matter?

Young adulthood represents a developmental period with disproportionately heightened risk of losing a job. Young adult unemployment has been linked to increased mental health problems, at least in the short term. However, their possible long-term impacts, often referred as "scarring effects," have been understudied, possibly underestimating the magnitude of mental health burden that young adult unemployment generates. This longitudinal study examined whether duration of unemployment during young adulthood is associated with later mental health disorders, after accounting for mental and behavioral health problems in childhood. Furthermore, the current study investigated whether childhood neighborhood characteristics affect this association and if so, in what specific functional ways. Data were drawn from a longitudinal study of developmental outcomes in a community sample in Seattle. Data collection began in 1985 when study participants were elementary students and involved yearly assessments in childhood and adolescence (ages 10-16) and then biennial or triennial assessments (ages 18-39; N = 677 at age 39; 47% European American, 26% African American, 22% Asian American, and 5% Native American; 49% female). The current study findings suggest that duration of unemployment across young adulthood increased mental health problems at age 39, regardless of gender. Childhood neighborhood characteristics, particularly their positive aspect, exerted independent impacts on adult mental health problems beyond unemployment experiences across young adulthood. The current findings indicate a needed shift in service profiles for unemployed young adults-a comprehensive approach that not only facilitates reemployment but also addresses mental health needs to help them to cope with job loss. Further, the present study findings suggest that childhood neighborhoods, particularly positive features such as positive neighborhood involvement, may represent concrete and malleable prevention targets that can curb mental health problems early in life.

Children with co-occurring anxiety and externalizing disorders: family risks and implications for competence.

This study used data from 340 mother-child dyads to examine characteristics of children with co-occurring diagnoses of anxiety and externalizing disorders and compared them with children with a sole diagnosis or no diagnosis. Comparisons were made using 4 child-diagnostic groups: anxiety-only, externalizing-only, co-occurrence, and no-problem groups. Most mothers were characterized by low income and histories of psychiatric diagnoses during the child's lifetime. Analyses using multinomial logistic regressions found the incidence of co-occurring childhood disorders to be significantly linked with maternal affective/anxiety disorders during the child's lifetime. In exploring implications for developmental competence, we found the co-occurrence group to have the lowest level of adaptive functioning among the 4 groups, faring significantly worse than the no-problem group on both academic achievement and intelligence as assessed by standardized tests. Findings underscore the importance of considering co-occurring behavior problems as a distinct phenomenon when examining children's developmental outcomes.

Material hardship and the physical health of school-aged children in low-income households.

OBJECTIVES: We examined the relationship between material hardship reported by low-income caregivers and caregivers' assessments of their children's overall health. METHODS: We used logistic regression techniques to analyze data from 1073 children aged 5 through 11 years whose caregivers participated in multiple waves of the Illinois Families Study. RESULTS: Caregivers' reports of food hardship were strongly associated with their assessments of their children's health. Other sources of self-reported material hardship were also associated with caregivers' assessments of their children's health, but the effects disappeared when we controlled for caregiver physical health status and mental health status. Proximal measures of material hardship better explained low-income children's health than traditional socioeconomic measures. There were no statistically significant cumulative effects of material hardships above and beyond individual hardship effects. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight the importance of developing and supporting programs and policies that ensure access to better-quality food, higher quantities of food, and better living conditions for low-income children, as well as health promotion and prevention efforts targeted toward their primary caregivers as ways to reduce health disparities for this population.