Exploring EEG resting state as a function of boredom proneness in pre-adolescents and adolescents.

Boredom is a prominent experience commonly reported in school settings and associated with poor academic achievement. Little is known, however, about the age-related trajectory of boredom. Here we examined self-reported ratings of boredom in a cross-sectional sample of 8 to 15-year olds (n = 185) as a function of resting state EEG. Results indicated that reports of boredom in school rose as a function of age. Resting state EEG showed a decrease in theta power with age perhaps reflective of increased control. While no effects were evident in beta and alpha bands, we did observe an interaction between boredom and age for frontal asymmetry such that for those higher in boredom, the asymmetry increased with age. Finally, for theta to beta ratios there were main effects of age (i.e., a decrease in theta/beta ratio with age) and boredom such that those higher in boredom had higher theta/beta ratios over frontal and central brain areas. The results are discussed in the context of prior work on school-related boredom and provide several important avenues for further research.

Longitudinal associations between lie evaluations and frequency: The moderating role of age.

While previous studies have demonstrated correlations between children and adolescents' evaluations of lies and lie-telling behaviors, the temporal order of these associations over time and changes across this developmental period remain unexamined. The current study examined longitudinal associations among children and adolescents' (N = 1128; Mage = 11.54, SD = 1.68, 49.80% male, and 83.6% white) evaluations of lies to parents for autonomy and lie-telling frequency to parents and friends. Autoregressive cross-lagged analysis revealed longitudinal associations moderated by age. Among children, evaluations of lies predicted greater lie-telling rates over time. Conversely, among adolescents, lie-telling frequency predicted lie evaluations over time, and evaluations predicted lying to parents over time. These results demonstrate a novel developmental pattern of the associations between moral evaluations of lies and lie-telling. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Children and adolescents' evaluations of lie-telling and lie-telling frequency were associated longitudinally, but the direction of this association was moderated by age. Among children, more positive lie evaluations predicted greater lie-telling to parents and friends over time. Among adolescents, more positive lie evaluations predicted lying more often to parents over time; lying more to parents and friends predicted more positive evaluations over time. These findings suggest a novel developmental pattern regarding the temporal order of the association between evaluations of lie-telling and lie-telling frequency.

Shyness and risk-taking during peer observation in children and adolescents.

Although temperamental shyness is conceptualized as a trait marked by cautiousness, we know relatively little about its relation to risk-taking. We examined how shyness was related to opportunities for risk-taking while considering how social context (i.e., presence of peers) and developmental stage (i.e., children and adolescents) might influence this relation. In the current study, 198 children (Mage = 10.17 years) and 221 adolescents (Mage = 13.46 years) completed the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART) alone or during a peer observation manipulation. For children and adolescents, shyness was related to physiological arousal and self-reporting feeling anxious during the peer condition. However, peer observation did not influence the relation between shyness and behavioral responses during the BART. Across both alone and peer conditions, shyness was related to a longer response time for children and adolescents, which may reflect decisional conflict during risk-taking opportunities. Furthermore, shyness in children (but not in adolescents) was related to poorer performance (i.e., fewer points), whereas shyness was unrelated to risk-taking propensity (i.e., number of pumps) for both children and adolescents. Overall, although the presence of peers may induce anxiety during a risk-taking opportunity for children and adolescents higher in shyness, this does not appear to modify their risk-taking behaviors. Instead, shyer children and adolescents in general may take a longer time to decide whether to act in a risky manner, whereas shy children in particular may show poorer performance in obtaining a reward on a risk-taking task.

Longitudinal Changes in Psychosocial Adjustment Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic for Adolescents with Differential Patterns of Solitude and Sociability.

Previous research has lacked a comprehensive, longitudinal analysis of characteristics of solitude and sociability, and how they are associated with changes in psychosocial adjustment before and during the pandemic. The current study surveyed 1071 adolescents (Mage = 10.6, SD = 1.69, 49.86% female, age range = 8-14 years at Year 1) over six years (three years before pandemic, three years during pandemic). Piecewise linear mixed-effects analysis showed that adolescents with higher solitude and lower sociability reported improvements in adjustment during the pandemic, whereas adolescents with lower solitude and higher sociability reported declines in adjustment. The findings highlight the importance of considering multiple characteristics of solitude and sociability, as well as contextual factors (e.g., pandemic), to better understand the implications of solitude on adolescent adjustment.

Longitudinal associations between impulsivity and lie-telling in childhood and adolescence.

Lie-telling and impulsivity levels peak during late childhood to early adolescence and have been suggested to be related. Heightened impulsivity may lead adolescents to lie in favor of short-term benefits without consideration for the potential consequences of deception. The present study assessed longitudinal relations between self-reported impulsivity and lie-telling frequency. Participants from a large-scale longitudinal study (N = 1148; Mage  = 11.55, SD = 1.69, 9-15 years at Time 1) reported on their impulsivity (Barratt Impulsiveness Scale) and their frequency of lie-telling to parents, to teachers, to friends, and about cheating across two time points 1 year apart. Cross-lagged path analysis revealed greater impulsivity was associated with more frequent lie-telling to parents, friends, and teachers, and about cheating over time. Our findings demonstrate the role of impulsivity in the development of lie-telling behaviors. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Impulsivity predicts lying across time in multiple contexts (to parents, friends, teachers, and about cheating). Previous research has demonstrated the role of top-down influences on lie-telling, but the current study suggests that bottom-up processes are also influential.

When is Solitude Maladaptive for Adolescents? A Comprehensive Study of Sociability and Characteristics of Solitude.

Research examining the link between solitude and psychosocial adjustment among adolescents has lacked a comprehensive, person-centered examination of differential patterns of both solitude and sociability. The current study surveyed 1071 adolescents (Mage = 12.48, SD = 1.71, 49.86% female, age range = 10-16 years). Using latent-profile analysis, four groups were identified with differential patterns of characteristics of solitude (i.e., enjoyment, motivations, preference, frequency) and sociability. Results indicated that worse psychosocial adjustment across time points was associated with membership in the PFS-NonSociable group (characterized by high enjoyment, preference, and frequency of solitude; low sociability) compared to all other groups. Findings suggest that solitude for adolescents appears to be linked to worse psychosocial adjustment only if accompanied by a lack of sociability.

A Latent Profile Analysis of Lie-Telling to Parents and Friends during Adolescence.

Adolescence has been suggested to be a time of heightened lie-telling. The current study used a latent profile analysis to examine unique patterns of lie-telling for lies told to parents and friends during adolescence as well as whether adjustment indicators (relationship quality, depressive symptoms, social anxiety, externalizing problems) could be used to predict group membership. These patterns were examined among 828 10- to 16- year-olds (Mage = 12.39, SD = 1.69, 49.9% male). In both relationships, 5-profile solutions emerged; most adolescents reported very infrequent lie-telling, while a small portion (less than 5%) told high rates of lies. Adjustment indicators predicted group membership. Depressive symptoms, social anxiety, parent relationship quality, and externalizing problems predicted group membership for lying to parents. Depressive symptoms and social anxiety predicted group membership for lying to friends. The findings indicate that high rates of lie-telling found in previous research may be driven by a small number of prolific lie-tellers.

A developmental examination of medial frontal theta dynamics and inhibitory control.

Medial frontal theta-band oscillations are a robust marker of action-outcome monitoring. In a large developmental sample (n = 432, 9-16 years), we examined whether phase and non-phase locked medial frontal theta power were related to inhibitory control among children and adolescents. Our results showed that the well-established increase in medial frontal theta power during inhibitory control was captured largely by non-phase locked dynamics, which partially mediated the positive effect of age on task performance. A person-centered approach also revealed latent classes of individuals based on their multivariate theta power dynamics (phase locked/non-phase locked, GO/NOGO). The class of individuals showing low phase locked and high non-phase locked medial frontal theta were significantly older, had better inhibitory control, scored higher on measures of general cognitive function, and were more efficient in their behavioural responses. The functional significance of phase and non-phase locked theta dynamics, and their potential changes, could have important implications for action-outcome monitoring and cognitive function in both typical and atypical development, as well as related psychopathology .

Affinity for Solitude and Motivations for Spending Time Alone Among Early and Mid- Adolescents.

Research on the link between affinity for solitude (a tendency to enjoy time alone) and psychosocial adjustment among adolescents has been mixed; however, this may depend on whether time spent alone is motivated by positive (self-reflection, creative pursuits) or reactive (negative affect, avoiding social interaction) factors. The current study investigated affinity for solitude and motivations for spending time alone among 1072 early to mid-adolescents (Mage = 12.48 years, age range = 10-16, 49.8% female). Higher reactive solitude predicted depressive symptoms, peer victimization, and lower self-esteem, controlling for previous scores on these adjustment indicators. For social anxiety and friendship quality, there were significant 3-way interactions between affinity for solitude, reactive solitude, and frequency of time spent alone, indicating that the relation between affinity for solitude and these latter adjustment indicators depends on why and how often youth spend time alone. Findings indicate that attention should be given to youth who spend time alone for reactive reasons, as this appears to be associated with negative adjustment.

Sensitivity to negative feedback among children and adolescents: An ERP study comparing developmental differences between high-worriers and low-worriers.

Neurodevelopmental imbalance models suggest that asynchrony in the maturation of interconnections between brain regions contributes to adolescents being more sensitive to emotionally salient events (e.g., negative feedback) than children. There may, however, be important individual differences to consider when investigating sensitivity to negative feedback. For example, worriers tend to have a greater sensitivity to negative feedback than low-worriers. Thus, it may be that adolescents' sensitivity to negative feedback is tied to worry. One way to test this question is to compare worriers to nonworriers separately for both children and adolescents. If only adolescent worriers are sensitive to negative feedback (i.e., low-worriers are not), then sensitivity to negative feedback may be linked to higher rates of worry. If however, adolescent nonworriers also have a sensitivity, then adolescents in general may be sensitive to negative feedback. The current study (N = 100, Mage = 11.26, standard deviation = 1.71) used event-related potentials (ERPs) to investigate neural differences in sensitivity to negative feedback among adolescents and children with high and low levels of worry. For both children and adolescents, worriers had a larger P3 amplitude to negative feedback than nonworriers. This difference, however, was smaller among the adolescents (i.e., adolescent nonworriers also had a large P3 amplitude to negative feedback). Our results support neurodevelopmental imbalance models that suggest adolescents in general are sensitive to emotionally salient events, such as receiving negative feedback.

A Longitudinal Person-Centered Examination of Affinity for Aloneness Among Children and Adolescents.

Affinity for aloneness among youth often is viewed negatively. However, some youth may enjoy solitude for positive reasons, rather than because of social anxiety. The prevalence and adjustment over time of youth with high affinity for aloneness is unclear. Groups of children (N = 605, Mage  = 9.29) and adolescents (N = 596, Mage  = 12.20) were identified using affinity for aloneness and social anxiety scores, and group differences in adjustment were assessed. Latent class analyses revealed four groups at T1 and T2 for both samples. Among these were Normative (Low.affinity_for_aloneness-Low.social_anxiety) and Affinity for Aloneness (High.affinity_for_aloneness-LowMod.social_anxiety) groups. These groups did not differ longitudinally in adjustment. Having elevated levels of affinity for aloneness without high social anxiety is relatively benign.

Investigating honesty-humility and impulsivity as predictors of aggression in children and youth.

Among adult and adolescent populations, the personality trait of honesty-humility (HH) has been linked to aggression. For example, adults low in HH have been found to exhibit higher levels of workplace delinquency and revenge motivation, and adolescent low in HH are more likely to bully others. However, there is a paucity of research examining this relationship in children and youth, and how these relationships develop over time. The current study addressed these gaps in the literature by assessing whether HH and impulsivity are independently associated with aggression in children Grades 3 through 8 (N = 1201). Using data from the two waves of a longitudinal project, autoregressive crossed-lagged path analysis was used to examine the bidirectional relationships between HH, impulsivity, and aggression over a 1-year period. Results revealed significant bidirectional relationships between HH and aggression, such that lower scores of HH at Time 1 were associated with higher scores of aggression at Time 2 and vice versa. Similarly, higher scores of impulsivity at Time 1 were associated with higher scores of aggression at Time 2 and vice versa. In addition, these relationships were strongest in boys and at higher ages. Consistent with research in other populations, these results indicate that low HH and high impulsivity are linked to aggression in children and youth. Further, our results demonstrate that HH and impulsivity bidirectionally impact aggression as one age, suggesting a need for early intervention.

Lying to friends: Examining lie-telling, friendship quality, and depressive symptoms over time during late childhood and adolescence.

INTRODUCTION: Lie-telling appears to peak during adolescence; however, previous research has not yet examined lie-telling frequency in adolescents' friendships. Increased lie-telling may be problematic given that honesty is crucial for trust within positive relationships, and more positive relationships lead to more positive well-being. The present study examined adolescents' lies to friends and longitudinal associations between lying, friendship quality, and depressive symptoms. METHODS: Canadian adolescents (Time 1: N = 1313, Mage = 11.65, SD = 11.75, 50% male) reported how often they lied to their friends about their mental health/mood, possessions, romantic relationships, school, and to avoid spending time with them. Participants also completed measures of friendship quality and depressive symptoms. Participants completed these measures at two time points one year apart. RESULTS: Poorer friendship quality predicted more frequent lie-telling over time. Greater depressive symptoms predicted more frequent lie-telling over time, and more frequent lie-telling predicted greater depressive symptoms over time. Lies about mental health in particular were bidirectionally associated with both friendship quality and depressive symptoms over time. CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight the developmental importance of lie-telling during adolescence. More negative friendships lead to greater lie-telling over time. Additionally, increased lie-telling predicted and is predicted by depressive symptoms, suggesting that lie-telling may be an important indicator of poor mental health.

A Latent Class Analysis of Adolescents in First-Year University: Associations with Psychosocial Adjustment Throughout the Emerging Adult Period and Post-University Outcomes.

The long-term outcomes for adolescents who struggle in first-year university remain unexplored. This 7-year longitudinal study aimed to identify distinct groups of adolescents based on their characteristics/behaviors in first-year university, and then assess whether these groups differ in psychosocial adjustment trajectories (i.e., mental health, positive relationships) throughout the emerging adult period, as well as in graduation rates, employment characteristics, and reflections on time spent at university. Participants (N = 1017; 71% female; Year 1 Mage = 19 years) enrolled in a Canadian university completed a survey annually for 7 years. Four groups in Year 1 were identified: Good Students who exhibited no difficulties; Sensation-Seeking who prioritized social engagement and substance use over academic engagement but reported no psychological adjustment difficulties; Struggling Students who had the most difficulties; and Club Involved who exhibited high club involvement. The Struggling Students Group continued to have more psychosocial adjustment difficulties than the other groups during and after university, were more likely to drop out of university, and to later have less job satisfaction. This group requires the most support. Consideration also should be given to the Sensation-Seeking Group, as they reported a lack of academic motivation (and regret about that later) and also were more likely to drop out of university. At the same time, they may be more difficult to target given that they did not report psychosocial difficulties. Overall, the findings highlight the need for early support and discourage a 'one-size fits all' method for promoting psychosocial adjustment.

A Longitudinal Examination of the Relation Between Lie-Telling, Secrecy, Parent-Child Relationship Quality, and Depressive Symptoms in Late-Childhood and Adolescence.

Lie-telling and secret-keeping are common behaviors during adolescence. Given the importance of honesty for building trust in positive relationships, the present study examined relations between lie-telling, secret-keeping, and relationship quality over time. Additionally, given the protective role of positive relationships in developing depression, the present study examined how lying to and keeping secrets from parents related to depressive symptoms over time. Children and adolescents (N = 1313; 8 to 15 years old at Time 1, Mage= 11.65, SD = 11.75; 50.04% male) reported on lying to parents, secret-keeping from parents, relationship quality with parents, and depressive symptoms at two time points one year apart. The results indicated that greater secret-keeping was bidirectionally associated with poorer parent-child relationship quality and greater depressive symptoms over time. Thus, keeping secrets from parents appears to be an important behavior to examine in the context of development between late childhood and adolescence.

Perceptions of Dishonesty: Understanding Parents' Reports of and Influence on Children and Adolescents' Lie-Telling.

Previous studies suggest parents lack knowledge regarding child and adolescent lie-telling; however, no study to date has examined children's and parents' reports of lying within parent-child dyads. The current study examined parents' knowledge of and influence on children's and adolescents' lie-telling. Parent-child dyads (N= 351) completed self-report surveys. Children (8-14 years, 52.3% children female) reported on prosocial and antisocial lie-telling. Parents (Mage = 41.68, 89.5% parents female) reported on their child's lie-telling, as well as their own honesty-targeted parenting strategies and modeling of dishonest behaviors. Parents' reports were unrelated to children's and adolescents' reports of prosocial and antisocial lie-telling. Additionally, parents' honesty-targeted parenting strategies and modeling of dishonesty did not predict children's lie-telling. Parents' behaviors predicted their reports of children's lie-telling, suggesting parents' behaviors bias their reports. Parents' biased perception of adolescents lie-telling may have negative implications for parent-child relationships.

Impulsivity and nonsuicidal self-injury: A longitudinal examination among emerging adults.

INTRODUCTION: Nonsuicidal self-injury (e.g., self-cutting without lethal intent) is a widely occurring behavior among adolescents and emerging adults. Heightened impulsivity during the adolescent and emerging adult years may contribute to an increased risk for nonsuicidal self-injury onset and engagement during these developmental periods; however, longitudinal research on impulsivity and nonsuicidal self-injury among young persons is lacking. METHOD: To extend previous research, and elucidate the direction of effects between impulsivity and nonsuicidal self-injury, 782 emerging adults (75% female) completed assessments of impulsivity and nonsuicidal self-injury annually for three years. RESULTS: Path analysis revealed a bidirectional relation, such that higher impulsivity predicted greater nonsuicidal self-injury frequency over time, and greater nonsuicidal self-injury frequency predicted higher impulsivity over time, even after taking into account past scores on these variables as well as other participant factors (e.g., age, sex, depressive symptoms, anxiety). Gender did not moderate the pattern of associations. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings indicate that impulsivity may not only lead to nonsuicidal self-injury, but that frequent engagement in nonsuicidal self-injury may undermine regulatory skill development and lead to greater impulsivity over time during the emerging adult years.

Shyness and Social Anxiety Assessed Through Self-Report: What Are We Measuring?

The distinction between shyness and social anxiety remains unclear in the literature. In an attempt to shed further light on this issue, our research evaluated whether shyness and social anxiety were the same construct underlying various measurement scales. Participants (N = 801, Mage = 36.21, range = 18-74, female = 53.10%) responded to 10 questionnaires assessing either shyness or social anxiety. Evidence indicated that the scales were highly correlated and loaded onto 1 factor. Confirmatory factor analysis corroborated this finding. A second exploratory factor analysis revealed that all the shyness and social anxiety items best loaded together onto 3 factors: one corresponding to fear of negative evaluation, embarrassment, self-consciousness, scrutiny, authority, interaction anxiety, and shyness (71.0%); a second comprised of primarily interaction anxiety and shyness (17.7%); and a third associated with performance anxiety (7.5%). All scales were similarly discriminated from sociability. Overall, the constructs of shyness and social anxiety were not differentiated from each other. Researchers should carefully consider what items are included in shyness and social anxiety scales if these constructs are to be distinguished from one another.

Stressful Experiences, Emotion Dysregulation, and Nonsuicidal Self-Injury among University Students.

Developmental theory on nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI; e.g., self-cutting without lethal intent) underscores that stressful life experiences may lead to heightened risk for NSSI, potentially by undermining individuals' emotion coping capacities. Given that the transition to university is often accompanied by new stressors for emerging adults, it is possible that stressors experienced during the university years may lead to heightened susceptibility for NSSI during this developmental period. Cross-sectional research supports a positive association between stressful experiences and NSSI among students; however, longitudinal research is needed to examine the direction of effects and explore potential mediating factors (i.e., emotion dysregulation). In the present study, university students (N = 1132; 70.5% female; mage = 19.11) reported on their stressful experiences in university, difficulties in emotion regulation, and NSSI each year for three consecutive years. Path analysis revealed a bidirectional association between stressful experiences and NSSI. Increased stressful experiences predicted increased risk for NSSI through emotion dysregulation, and NSSI predicted increased stressful experiences through emotion dysregulation. Overall, these findings provide new insight into the processes through which NSSI may be initiated and maintained, as well as elucidate the impacts of NSSI on emotion regulation and stressful life experiences in university.

Psychosocial Adjustment Throughout University: A Longitudinal Investigation of the Roles of Sleep Quality and Emotion Dysregulation.

Sleep problems and emotion dysregulation are associated with depressive symptoms and alcohol use but little research has examined the long-term associations and the direction of effects between these factors. We examined these relationships with 1132 undergraduates (70.5% female) over 5 years. Sleep problems and emotion dysregulation, sleep problems and depressive symptoms, and emotion dysregulation and depressive symptoms were all related bidirectionally. Tests of indirect effects indicated that sleep problems predicted depressive symptoms over time (and vice versa) via emotion dysregulation and emotion dysregulation predicted depressive symptoms over time (and vice versa) via sleep problems. The results highlight the need to assess direction of effects, given that many factors that are typically seen as "predictors" also can be framed as "outcomes".