Specificity and valence of adolescents' turning point memory narratives: Relationships with depressive symptoms over time.

Although recent research suggests that, for community youth, greater specific (episodic) detail in self-relevant turning point memory narratives predicts depressive symptoms over time, no research has investigated whether the narratives' specificity similarly predicts depression. Therefore, we investigated whether recalling a specific (unique, 24-hour or less) turning point narrative predicted youth depressive symptoms concurrently and across 6 months (Study 1), and, for a subset of participants, three years (Study 2). We also examined whether the valence of the implication of the experience for self (the resolution) explained additional variance and interacted with memory specificity. For Study 1 (N = 320, M = 16.9 years, 81% female), a specific (rather than a non-specific) turning point predicted greater depressive symptoms concurrently but not longitudinally, whereas a negative resolution predicted both concurrent and longitudinal depressive symptoms. The moderation result showed that a specific turning point predicted escalating depressive symptoms across six months when the resolution was negative. Study 2 (N = 68) additionally showed that a specific turning point predicted increased depressive symptoms three years later. These findings contrast with research suggesting that specific memories are related to better mental health and highlight the complexity of the role of memory in emerging youth depression.

Introducing 'Ngaruroro', a New Model for Understanding Maori Wellbeing.

Indigenous peoples around the world are revitalising their ancestral beliefs, practices, and languages, including traditional understandings of health and wellbeing. In the Aotearoa (New Zealand) context, a number of ground-breaking Maori health- and wellbeing-related models have emerged, each with their own scope and applications. We sought in our qualitative studies to explore and identify several key sources of wellbeing for Maori individuals. Nine interviews were conducted with members of Maori communities to identify key themes of Maori wellbeing. We performed a Reflexive Thematic Analysis on these data and then conducted a further fifteen interviews to revise, refine, and reposition the previously generated themes. The Ngaruroro model describes wellbeing as the embodied and active process of being well in relation with one's (1) here tangata (social and familial ties), (2) te taiao (the environment), and (3) taonga tuku iho (cultural treasures) while doing what one can to make lifestyle choices that are conducive to the health of one's (4) tinana (body) and (5) wairua (spirit) while cultivating a balanced (6) ngakau (inner-system), fulfilling (7) matea (core needs) and exercising your (8) mana (authority). These themes illustrate that Maori wellbeing is dynamic, interconnected, and holistic.

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

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

Experimentally induced changes in authoritarian submission as a response to threat.

Authoritarianism is best conceptualised by three attitudinal clusters: Aggression, Submission, and Conventionalism. Once considered a fixed characteristic, recent observational research has demonstrated how the dimension of submission can fluctuate in response to COVID-19 threat as a means of maintaining collective security. However, this effect has not been investigated with other forms of threat, nor has it been supported experimentally. In the present study, we sought to test observational findings by priming 300 participants with either a COVID-19 threat, a domestic terrorism threat, or a non-threatening control. Levels of authoritarianism were tested before and after presentation of a prime and then the difference between the two measures could be compared between prime conditions. Results from a Bayesian multivariate regression analysis informed by observational findings suggested that participants who experienced the COVID-19 or terrorism primes reported higher levels of authoritarian submission after the prime compared to before the prime, relative to those who experienced the neutral control prime. In contrast, the aggression subfactor did not seem to elicit any change in response to threat, and the conventionalism subfactor showed a response only to the terrorism prime. We concluded that two different forms of societal threat could elicit changes in specific dimensions of authoritarianism over a very short time span. We caution against the common practice of treating authoritarianism as a unidimensional construct without careful consideration.

The Maori Cultural Embeddedness Scale (MaCES): Initial evidence of structural validity.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this article is to introduce a self-report measure of cultural embeddedness for Maori (Maori Cultural Embeddedness Scale [MaCES]), which builds on theoretical and qualitative research on the concept. METHOD: A total of 548 adults who self-identified as Maori responded to 49 items that were designed to measure aspects of Maori Cultural Values, Beliefs, and Practices. The data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis, and invariance was tested through multigroup confirmatory factor analysis. RESULTS: A total of six items were pruned from the measure for having low loadings on the latent factor, having ambiguous wording, and/or measuring contentious concepts. The remaining 43 items fit the data well when organized by three primary factors (i.e., Values, Beliefs, and Practices), further split into secondary subfactors. We also found that this nuanced subfactor model was invariant to sole/mixed identification as Maori, as well as growing up in urban or rural settings. We found evidence of structural validity for the MaCES, but ongoing validation, including convergent and divergent comparisons to other scales, is required in future work. CONCLUSIONS: The MaCES is a theoretically derived and statistically sound measure that offers significant research potential for exploring the various ways that embeddedness in Maori culture informs differential outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Left-wing support of authoritarian submission to protect against societal threat.

New Zealand's Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, adopted a "go hard, go early" approach to eliminate COVID-19. Although Ardern and her Labour party are considered left-leaning, the policies implemented during the pandemic (e.g., police roadblocks) have the hallmarks of Right-Wing Authoritarianism (RWA). RWA is characterized by three attitudinal clusters (authoritarian aggression, submission, and conventionalism). The uniqueness of the clusters, and whether they react to environmental change, has been debated. Here, in the context of the pandemic, we investigate the relationship between political orientation and RWA. Specifically, we measured political orientation, support for New Zealand's major political parties, and RWA among 1,430 adult community members. A multivariate Bayesian model demonstrated that, in the middle of a pandemic, both left-leaning and right-leaning individuals endorsed items tapping authoritarian submission. In contrast to authoritarian submission, and demonstrating the multidimensional nature of RWA, we observed the typical relationships between political orientation and authoritarian aggression and conventionalism was observed.

Measurement Invariance of the Subjective Happiness Scale Across Countries, Gender, Age, and Time.

The purpose of this study was to examine measurement invariance of the Subjective Happiness Scale across countries, gender, and age groups and across time by multigroup confirmatory factor analysis. Altogether, 4,977 participants from nine European, American, and Australian countries were included in the study. Our results revealed that both configural and metric invariance held across countries, but scalar invariance was only partially confirmed with one item yielding varying intercepts in different countries. Measurement invariance was also confirmed across gender and age groups. Longitudinal measurement invariance was examined on a subsample of 478 English-speaking participants and was fully confirmed across five consecutive assessment points. Factor means were compared between groups and across time, and good convergent validity of the Subjective Happiness Scale was found in relation to a measure of temporal satisfaction with life. Overall, our results demonstrate that self-reported happiness was measured similarly in nine different countries, gender and age groups and over time, and provide a solid foundation for meaningful cross-group and cross-time comparisons in subjective happiness.

Trajectories of Substance Use and Well-being in Early and Middle Adolescence Shaped by Social Connectedness.

Increasing substance use and decreasing well-being are typical in adolescence, yet how social contexts shape disparate development during this time is less well-understood. A latent growth class analysis was conducted that identified groups of early (N = 706; Agem = 12.20) and middle (N = 666; Agem = 14.38) adolescents distinguished by rates of substance use and well-being over three years. In both cohorts, the largest group reported low substance use and high well-being, with a smaller group exhibiting maladaptive trajectories for both substance use and well-being. Two additional groups were identified during middle adolescence characterized by either low well-being or high substance use. Family connectedness was a protective factor, while high peer connectedness was a risk factor for substance-use groups and low peer connectedness for languishing.

Does the Fear of Missing Out Moderate the Relationship Between Social Networking Use and Affect? A Daily Diary Study.

Social networking site (SNS) use is common and speculation about the negative impact of SNS use on mental health and psychological well-being is a recurring theme in scientific debates. The evidence for this link, however, is inconclusive. The Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) may assist in understanding the mixed evidence, as individuals who experience FoMO are more driven to keep up with what is happening to avoid missing out. We used a 2-week daily diary study of 408 university students to measure the daily associations between SNS use and negative and positive affect and whether FoMO moderated these associations. Multi-level Bayesian regression analyses revealed that 1) greater SNS use was associated with reductions in successive positive affect, but not increases in negative affect and 2) FoMO moderated the influence of SNS use such that increases in successive negative affect occurred only in those individuals high in trait FoMO.

Identifying profiles of affective change: An ecological momentary assessment of flourishers.

The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotion suggests that higher levels of positive affect promote an independently measurable state of high psychological well-being termed flourishing. Levels of self-perceived flourishing have been shown to be influenced by past affect, and there is some indication that flourishing may influence future affect. Our study addressed 2 questions: (a) whether a person-centered latent profile analysis based on momentary affective dynamics (intercept, stability, and variability) would identify the expected flourishing profile and (b) whether this profile would exhibit predicted bidirectional relationships between affective experience and self-reported flourishing status. A sample of 1,152 early adults reported momentary positive and negative affect 4 times a day and daily self-perceived flourishing for 13 days. Latent profile analysis identified 3 affective profiles: a positive profile, a mixed profile, and a negative profile. Our results indicate that distinct groups of people can be identified by their affective profiles and that momentary affect predicts changes in future self-perceptions of flourishing. However, we failed to find support for the view that self-perceptions of flourishing reliably predicted changes in levels of future affect. Thus, we only provide mixed support for the broaden-and-build theory and failed to support a key inference of the framework, a bidirectional relationship between experienced affect and self-perceptions of flourishing (at least on the scale of daily momentary change). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

The moderating role of social network size in the temporal association between formal social participation and mental health: a longitudinal analysis using two consecutive waves of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE).

INTRODUCTION: Previous studies have shown that engaging in formal social participation may protect against declining mental health, but social network size (the number of close social ties a person has) may moderate the relationship. We assessed the potential moderating role of social network size using longitudinal data. METHODS: Nationally representative data from two consecutive waves (2011, 2013) of the SHARE survey were analyzed. The data consisted of 38,300 adults from 13 European countries aged 50 years and older in 2011. Measures pertaining to formal social participation, social network size, quality of life, and depression symptoms were used. Multivariable linear regression models were conducted. RESULTS: The majority of participants (over 70% of the sample) had a social network size of four or less close social ties. We identified significant moderations in both models. Individuals with relatively few close social ties may have benefitted from formal social participation both in terms of reductions in depression symptoms and increases in quality of life, while formal social participation among those with many social ties did not appear to be beneficial, and may even to some extent have been detrimental. CONCLUSIONS: Declines in mental health specifically among those with relatively few close social ties could potentially be prevented through the promotion of formal social participation. It is possible that such strategies could have a greater impact by specifically targeting individuals that are otherwise socially isolated. High levels of formal participation among those with relatively many close social ties may not be pragmatically beneficial.

Formal social participation protects physical health through enhanced mental health: A longitudinal mediation analysis using three consecutive waves of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE).

INTRODUCTION: Previous studies have shown that formal social participation may reduce the risk of developing chronic conditions. Yet, the underlying mechanisms are largely unknown. In this study, we assessed the potential mediating roles of quality of life and depressive symptoms using longitudinal data. METHOD: We analyzed nationally representative data from three consecutive waves (2011, 2013, 2015) of the SHARE survey, including 28,982 adults from 12 European countries aged 50 years and above at baseline. Measures were self-reported and included formal social participation (i.e. active participation within volunteer organizations, educational institutions, clubs, religious organizations, or political/civic groups), quality of life (CASP-12), depressive symptoms (EURO-D), and chronic conditions. Structural equation modeling was used to construct a focused longitudinal path model. RESULTS: Formal social participation at baseline was inversely associated with the number of chronic conditions at 4-year follow-up. We identified two significant longitudinal mediation patterns: 1) formal social participation predicted higher levels of quality of life, which in turn, predicted lower levels of chronic conditions; and 2) formal social participation predicted lower levels of depressive symptoms, which, in turn, also predicted lower levels of chronic conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Formal social participation functions as a protective factor against the onset or development of chronic conditions. This association is partially explained by enhanced quality of life and diminished depressive symptoms.

Social disconnectedness, perceived isolation, and symptoms of depression and anxiety among older Americans (NSHAP): a longitudinal mediation analysis.

BACKGROUND: Research indicates that social isolation and loneliness increase the risk of mental disorders, but less is known about the distinct contributions of different aspects of isolation. We aimed to distinguish the pathways through which social disconnectedness (eg, small social network, infrequent social interaction) and perceptions of social isolation (eg, loneliness, perceived lack of support) contribute to anxiety and depression symptom severity in community-residing older adults aged 57-85 years at baseline. METHODS: We did a longitudinal mediation analysis with data from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP). The study included individuals from the USA born between 1920 and 1947. Validated measures on social disconnectedness, perceived isolation, and depression and anxiety symptoms were used. Structural equation modelling was used to construct complete longitudinal path models. FINDINGS: Using data from 3005 adults aged 57-85 years, we identified two significant longitudinal mediation patterns with symptoms of depression, and two with anxiety symptoms. Overall, social disconnectedness predicted higher subsequent perceived isolation (ß=0·09; p<0·0001), which in turn predicted higher depression symptoms (ß=0·12; p<0·0001) and anxiety symptoms (ß=0·12; p<0·0001). The reverse pathways were statistically supported as well, suggesting bi-directional influences. INTERPRETATION: Social network structure and function are strongly intertwined with anxiety and depression symptoms in the general population of older adults. Public health initiatives could reduce perceived isolation by facilitating social network integration and participation in community activities, thereby protecting against the development of affective disorders. FUNDING: Nordea-fonden.

A lifespan developmental science perspective on trauma experiences in refugee situations.

Developmental science theory and empirical research on refugee situations requires an updated approach to the study of trauma as a multi-systemic and multilevel phenomenon. We present a theoretical framework that integrates developmental science approaches to highlight critical threats to development in situations of violent displacement. Given the complexities of displacement (causes, trajectories, and living circumstances once displaced), this theoretical model highlights the utility of an approach that recognizes the person-age-context fit in which displaced individuals live their lives and how both trauma and ongoing major disruption to daily life affects outcomes. In so doing, we aim to broaden understanding for future trauma and intervention research as well as practice with those who experience potentially traumatic events and severe disruption to their social ecology at different points in the lifespan.

How Does Family Connectedness Contribute to Youths' Health? The Mediating Role of Coping Strategies.

Family connectedness has important implications for adolescents' well-being, contributing to their physical, psychological, and social health. However, little is known about the mechanisms underlying these effects. The present longitudinal study examined the process by which family connectedness, as perceived by adolescents, predicted greater positive and fewer negative health behaviors in adolescents over time. In particular, we sought to determine whether adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies mediated the link between family connectedness and adolescents' self-reported health status. Data were obtained from 1,774 New Zealand adolescents aged 10-17 years, who completed a self-report survey three times at one-year intervals. With longitudinal mediation path models, we tested whether maladaptive and adaptive coping strategies at T2 functioned as mediators between family connectedness at T1 and overall health, vitality, sleep sufficiency, body satisfaction, substance use, and self-harm at T3. Findings revealed that family connectedness predicted greater levels of adaptive coping, which, in turn, predicted better health indicators but not decreases in ill-health indicators. Furthermore, family connectedness predicted lower maladaptive coping, which, in turn, predicted higher levels of positive health outcomes and fewer negative health outcomes. Results showed that the positive effect of family connectedness on adolescents' health occurred through increased use of adaptive coping strategies, decreased use of maladaptive coping strategies, or both. These results have important implications for practitioners working with adolescents and parents, as well as for health promotion program developers.

La conectividad familiar tiene implicancias importantes para el bienestar de los adolescentes, ya que contribuye a su salud física, psicológica y social. Sin embargo, se sabe muy poco acerca de los mecanismos que subyacen a estos efectos. El presente estudio longitudinal examinó el proceso por el cual la conectividad familiar, según la perciben los adolescentes, predijo más conductas positivas y menos conductas negativas relacionadas con la salud en los adolescentes con el paso del tiempo. En particular, buscamos determinar si las estrategias de afrontamiento adaptativas y desadaptativas mediaron el vínculo entre la conectividad familiar y el estado de salud autoinformado por los adolescentes. Se obtuvieron datos de 1774 adolescentes neozelandesees de entre 10 y 17 años, quienes contestaron una encuesta de autoinforme tres veces con intervalos de un año. Con modelos de mediación longitudinal de pautas, evaluamos si las estrategias de afrontamiento desadaptativas y adaptativas en la segunda fase funcionaron como mediadoras entre la conectividad familiar en la primera fase y la salud general, la vitalidad, la cantidad suficiente de sueño, la satisfacción con el cuerpo, el consumo de sustancias y la autolesión en la tercera fase. Los resultados revelaron que la conectividad familiar predijo niveles más altos de afrontamiento adaptativo que, a su vez, predijo indicadores de mejor salud, pero no disminuciones de los indicadores de mala salud. Además, la conectividad familiar predijo un afrontamiento desadaptativo más bajo que, a su vez, predijo niveles más altos de resultados positivos de salud y menos resultados negativos de salud. Los resultados demostraron que el efecto positivo de la conectividad familiar en la salud de los adolescentes se produjo mediante el mayor uso de estrategias de afrontamiento adaptativas y el menor uso de estrategias de afrontamiento desadaptativas, o mediante ambas. Estos resultados tienen implicancias importantes para los profesionales que trabajan con adolescentes y padres, así como para los creadores de programas de promoción de la salud.

Repetitive Negative Thinking as a Transdiagnostic Predictor of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms in Adolescents.

Repetitive negative thinking (RNT) is a transdiagnostic process associated with numerous emotional disorders. Most measures of RNT are disorder-specific, limiting utility in comorbid populations. Transdiagnostic measures of RNT have been developed in adults and are associated with anxiety and depression. However, a transdiagnostic measure is needed to assess RNT in adolescents as a potential vulnerability factor for emotional disorders. This study validates a transdiagnostic measure of RNT-Repetitive Thinking Questionnaire-10 (RTQ-10)-in adolescents ( N = 840, Mage = 15.7 years). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported a unidimensional structure. The RTQ-10 manifested good internal consistency and measurement invariance across genders and age. RNT was equally associated with anxiety and depression symptoms irrespective of gender or age. Convergent validity was demonstrated by correlations with disorder-specific measures of RNT. These findings support the RTQ-10 as a reliable and valid transdiagnostic measure of RNT in adolescents.

What predicts overgeneral memory in youth? Testing the CaR-FA-X model longitudinally in community adolescents.

Overgeneral autobiographical memory, the tendency to report general memories when asked to report specific event recollections, has been implicated in the development and maintenance of psychopathology. The dominant model of overgeneral memory, the CaR-FA-X model (Williams et al., 2007), proposes that three cognitive processes (increased rumination and avoidance, and reduced executive control) either independently, or in interaction, interfere with successful memory retrieval. Although psychopathology increases significantly during adolescence, no research has tested this model in its entirety, including interaction effects, longitudinally in community youth. We tested the model with 323 adolescents (152 females, 171 males) across four annual assessment points. Increased avoidance predicted higher proportions of overgeneral memories from Time 3 to Time 4, but this association was stronger for youth with elevated depressive symptoms across the four waves, and limited to memories generated in response to negative cue words. This finding may indicate that youth with stable higher levels of depression remember in an overgeneral way to avoid re-elicitation of negative event-related emotions. In youth with lower depression levels across time, the CaR-FA-X mechanisms did not predict overgeneral memory.

Cybervictimisation of adolescents predicts higher rumination, which in turn, predicts worse sleep over time.

INTRODUCTION: Research has suggested that cybervictimised adolescents experience poorer health outcomes, including less sleep. The present study was designed to determine whether cybervictimisation's ability to predict sleep adequacy (i.e., number of nights in the previous week of 8 h or more of sleep) would be mediated by adaptive coping (i.e., problem solving) as well as maladaptive coping (i.e., rumination). METHODS: A three year longitudinal study with an initial sample of 2179 New Zealand adolescents (854 females and 920 males; 10-15 years old at T1) obtained self-report data on frequencies of cybervictimisation, use of problem solving and rumination coping strategies, and sleep adequacy. RESULTS: Findings from longitudinal cross-lag path analyses indicated that: 1) cybervictimisation predicted lower levels of sleep one year later; and 2) rumination, but not problem solving, mediated the temporal relationship of cybervictimisation on sleep adequacy. Cybervictimisation predicted increases in rumination, and it, in turn, predicted diminished sleep. CONCLUSIONS: Cybervictimised adolescents not only reported higher rumination and sleep inadequacy concurrently, but levels of cybervictimisation predicted these ill effects one and two years later as well. Negative consequences of being cybervictimised were discerned long after the experience of being victimised online.

Do Overgeneral Autobiographical Memories Predict Increased Psychopathological Symptoms in Community Youth? A 3-Year Longitudinal Investigation.

Research suggests that an overgeneral autobiographical memory style (i.e., retrieval of general memories when instructed to retrieve a specific episodic memory) represents a vulnerability marker for depression. Although adolescence is a period of high risk for the emergence of depression, little research has investigated the associations among overgeneral memory, psychopathology, and risk factors longitudinally in a community sample in this age group. We, therefore, investigated overgeneral memory, psychopathology (depression and anxiety), and rumination (an established risk factor for psychopathology) longitudinally in 269 typically-developing youth (125 females, 144 males) across 3 annual assessment points. We sought to determine whether 1) overgeneral memory would predict psychopathology across the entire sample, and 2) whether associations would vary as a function of longitudinal rumination growth. Across the entire sample, overgeneral memory did not predict psychopathology. For youth who reported elevated, and increasing, patterns of rumination over time, transient relationships between overgeneral memory and subsequent increases in anxiety were found. We conclude that overgeneral memory may represent a vulnerability marker for adverse psychological outcomes only for youth at risk for psychopathology.

OBSERVATIONS ABOUT HOW WE LEARN ABOUT METHODOLOGY AND STATISTICS.

The overarching theme of this monograph is to encourage developmental researchers to acquire cutting-edge and innovative design and statistical methods so that we can improve the studies that we execute on the topic of change. Card, the editor of the monograph, challenges the reader to think about works such as the present one as contributing to the new subdiscipline of developmental methodology within the broader field of developmental science. This thought-provoking stance served as the stimulus for the present commentary, which is a collection of observations on "how we learn about methodology and statistics." The point is made that we often learn critical new information from our colleagues, from seminal writings in the literature, and from conferences and workshop participation. It is encouraged that researchers pursue all three of these pathways as ways to acquire innovative knowledge and techniques. Finally, the role of developmental science societies in supporting the dissemination and uptake of this type of knowledge is discussed.