Embracing the hidden potential: The contribution of majority world research to developmental science.

Research on adolescence from the Majority World possesses major hidden potential in contributing to global adolescent research and developmental science more broadly. In this commentary, the authors (1) describe the background and the process through which this special issue came into fruition, (2) introduce the emic approaches to study the influences of macro-contextual variations on developmental science and provide several pertinent examples on the contributions of Majority World research, (3) elaborate on challenges and barriers that Majority World scholars often face in conducting and disseminating their research, and (4) a few actionable steps and recommendations in promoting the representation and inclusion of Majority World research into global developmental science. Only when our field fully integrates findings from all regions of the world will we be able to develop a fundamental scientific representation and understanding of what it means to be an adolescent, how adolescents develop over time, and what tasks or phenomena in adolescent development are truly universal or specific to particular groups, regions, or areas.

Adjusting Parenting Roles and Work Expectations among Women with Children during COVID-19.

This study explores mothers' experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic with a focus on stressors, parenting roles, and work expectations. Qualitative analysis of open-ended interviews with a diverse group of 44 mothers in the United States generated two main themes: adjusting parenting roles and career concerns for mothers. Findings reveal that mothers have both internalized strong intra-family expectations to shoulder the primary responsibility for domestic labor and childcare in addition to completing their work obligations and experience institutional gender bias in the expectations that employers have for female employees. The interviews highlight lower expectations for fathers' contributions to parenting under pandemic conditions. Implications for research and policy are discussed with a particular focus on critiquing structures that may perpetuate gender disparities.

Association between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Unmet Health Care Needs among Children in the United States.

Although studies have investigated and found an association between adverse childhood experiences and poor health and mental health outcomes, there is a dearth of studies investigating the association between adverse childhood experiences and unmet health care needs among children. The objective of this study is to examine the association between adverse childhood experiences and unmet health care needs after adjusting for predisposing, enabling, and need factors of health care service utilization. Data for this study came from the 2016-2017 National Survey of Children's Health. An analytic sample of 46,081 children (51.3% males; average age 11.5 years) was analyzed using negative binomial regression. Based on parent reports, about 3.5% of children had unmet health care needs, and half (50%) of the sample had experienced at least one childhood adversity. Controlling for other factors, children who experienced three or more childhood adversities had 4.51 times higher odds of having unmet health care needs (AOR = 4.51, p < .001, 95% CI = 3.15-6.45) when compared to their counterparts with no childhood adversity. Children with parents who have someone to turn to for everyday emotional support were 31% less likely to have unmet health care needs (AOR = .69, p < .01, 95% CI = .54-.89). Adverse childhood experiences have a detrimental effect on unmet health care needs. The findings of this study offer an important opportunity for further research on how best to prevent adverse childhood experiences and mitigate their impact on families.

Exposure to Neighborhood Violence and Gun Carrying Among Adolescents in the United States: Findings From A Population-Based Study.

Although studies have investigated and found an association between victimization and weapon carrying, few studies have examined the association between exposure to neighborhood violence (NV) and gun carrying among adolescents. The objective of this study was to examine the cross-sectional association between exposure to NV and gun carrying among adolescents. Data for this study came from the 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. An analytic sample of 17,033 adolescents aged 14 to 18 years old (51.7% male) was analyzed using logistic regression with complementary log-log link function. The outcome variable investigated in this study is gun carrying and was measured as a binary variable, whereas the main explanatory variable examined in this study was exposure to NV, which was also measured as a binary variable. Of the 17,033 adolescents, 4.2% carried a weapon during the past year, and 18.7% were exposed to NV. Controlling for the effects of other factors, adolescents who were exposed to NV had more than double the odds of carrying a gun when compared to their counterparts not exposed to NV (adjusted odds ratio = 2.33, 95% Confidence Intervals [1.69, 3.23]). Other significant factors associated with gun carrying include being a male, non-Hispanic Black, being threatened or injured with a weapon, use of alcohol, cigarette smoking, and misuse of prescription opioids. High parental monitoring was protective against gun carrying. The findings of this study underscore the importance of developing age-appropriate intervention strategies to reduce gun carrying among adolescents. School counselors and other professionals working with adolescents in disadvantaged neighborhoods should actively engage parents in assessments and interventions.

Assessing how alcohol use patterns relate to obesity among American adolescents from rural and urban areas: Five years of pooled data.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is associated with locality and alcohol use; however, less is known about how the interaction of these two factors may compound the risk of obesity among adolescents. OBJECTIVES: This study examines the relationship between alcohol use and obesity among adolescents from rural and urban areas in the United States. METHODS: Data came from a sample of American adolescents aged 12-17 years from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2015-2019; n = 39,489). Obesity was regressed on age, sex, race/ethnicity, income, cigarette smoking, locality, and alcohol use, with an interaction term to examine locality x alcohol use. Predicted probabilities were plotted to assess the interaction. RESULTS: Compared to adolescents from urban areas, those from rural areas had 1.35 times higher odds of being obese (95% CI 1.25, 1.47). Predicted probabilities indicated that the probability of being obese was higher for rural adolescents at lower levels of drinking, up to about 40 drinks in the past 12 months. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest rural-urban differences at the intersection of alcohol use and obesity could depend on the frequency of use, but overall adolescents from rural areas may be more at risk.

Family resilience mediates exposure to adverse childhood experiences on insufficient sleep among children: findings from a population-based study.

Background: Sleep plays a vital role in the well-being of children and adolescents. Researchers have identified adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) as an important factor associated with poor sleep among adolescents. The objective of this study was to examine the mediating role of family resilience on the association between ACEs and insufficient sleep among adolescents in the United States. Methods: Data for this study came from the 2018-2019 National Survey of Children's Health (N = 28,097). The outcome variable in this study was insufficient sleep, and the main explanatory variable was exposure to ACEs. The mediating variable was family resilience. Data were analyzed using binary logistic regression. Results: Based on parent reports, one in five (22.4%) adolescents did not meet the recommended sleep hours on an average night. About half of the adolescents had no ACEs, 24.2% had one ACE, and 14.6% had three or more ACEs. Controlling for the effect of other factors and family resilience, the odds of having insufficient sleep were 1.63 times higher for children exposed to three or more ACEs (AOR = 1.63, 95% CI = 1.30-2.05). Family resilience partially mediates the association between exposure to ACEs and insufficient sleep. Each additional increase in family resilience decreased the odds of having insufficient sleep by a factor of 12% (AOR = 0.88, 95% CI = 0.86-0.91). Conclusions: Family resilience partially mediated exposure to ACEs on insufficient sleep. There are modifiable factors that may improve sleep outcomes among adolescents who have been exposed to adversity. Future research can help elucidate findings and establish the directionality of this association.

Prevalence of youth experiencing homelessness and its association with suicidal thoughts and behaviors: Findings from a population-based study.

Although various studies have examined factors associated with suicidal behaviors among youth, few studies have investigated the association between youth experiencing homelessness (YEH) and suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs) using a large nationally representative sample. The objectives of this study were to investigate prevalence of YEH and its association with STBs. Data for this study came from the 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. An analytic sample of 17,033 youth aged 14-18 (51.7 % male) was analyzed using binary logistic regression. Of the 17,033 youth examined, 3 % experienced homelessness during the past 30 days, 21.3 % experienced suicidal ideation, 17.3 % made a suicide plan, and 10.9 % attempted suicide during the past 12 months. Controlling for demographic characteristics and feeling sad or hopeless, YEH was associated with 2.48 times higher odds of experiencing suicidal ideation (AOR=2.48, p<.001), 2.46 times higher odds of making a suicide plan (AOR=2.46, p<.001), and 4.38 times higher odds of making a suicide attempt (AOR=4.38, p<.001). The findings of this study highlight the importance of identifying youth who are at risk of experiencing homelessness to ensure early interventions are put in place to prevent suicidal behaviors.

Suicidal Behaviors in Early Adolescence: The Interaction Between School Connectedness and Mental Health.

Previous research has identified mental health symptoms such as depression and aggression as contributing factors associated with suicidal ideation and attempts in adolescence. However, much of this work has focused on older adolescents (ages > 14) resulting in a dearth of knowledge about early adolescents under 12 years. Moreover, much less is known about school connectedness as a protective factor in the relationship between mental health symptoms and suicidal behaviors. This study examined the interaction effect between school connectedness and mental health symptoms on suicidal behaviors among early adolescents aged 9-12 years. Data were drawn from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study and yielded an analytic sample (n = 2826) that was majority male (52%), Black (53%), and with an average age of 9.3 years. Data were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression. Among participants, 2% experienced suicidal ideation, and 2% experienced suicide attempts. Black adolescents were more than five times more likely to experience a suicide attempt compared to their White peers (AOR = 5.37; 95% CI = 1.71-16.95; p = .004). There was a significant interaction effect between withdrawn depressed symptoms and school connectedness (AOR = .95; 95% CI = .91-98; p = .006), and between aggressive behavior and school connectedness (AOR = 1.02; 95% CI = 1.01-1.03; p = .001) on suicide attempts. School connectedness did not moderate the relationship between mental health symptoms and suicidal ideation. The findings have important practical implications, which are discussed.