Longitudinal associations between emotion regulation strategies and subjective well-being in migrant and non-migrant adolescents in urban China.

This study examined the long-term reciprocal impact of two key emotion regulation strategies, cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression, on the subjective well-being of migrant and non-migrant adolescents in urban China. A total of 2397 middle school students from urban China (864 migrant, Mage  = 13.05 years, SD = 0.62, 41.7% girls; 1533 non-migrant, Mage  = 13.01 years, SD = 0.47, 50.1% girls) were followed from 2016 to 2017. Data on the two emotion regulation strategies (measured using the Chinese version of the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire) and subjective well-being (measured using the Subjective Well-Being Inventory) were collected. Although no differences were found in the use of cognitive reappraisal, migrant adolescents reported greater use of expressive suppression than non-migrant adolescents. Furthermore, a two-group cross-lagged panel analysis showed that cognitive reappraisal positively predicted subjective well-being among both migrant and non-migrant adolescents, whereas expressive suppression was positively related to subjective well-being in only migrant adolescents. Migrant adolescents with higher levels of subjective well-being jointly used cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression, while non-migrant adolescents were prone to only using cognitive reappraisal. These findings indicate that group-level context influences both the utilisation and functionality of emotion regulation strategies among migrant and non-migrant adolescents in urban China.

A cross-lagged model of the link between parental psychological control and adolescent aggression.

INTRODUCTION: The present study investigated the longitudinal relationship between parental psychological control and adolescent aggression in Chinese adolescents. We also explored whether adolescent gender plays a moderating role in this relationship. METHODS: A total of 2458 adolescents (mean age = 13.20 ±â€¯0.65 years; 51.3% male) from Beijing, China, participated at three time points during middle school, 1 year apart. Parental psychological control, adolescent aggression, and demographic characteristics were self-reported at each time point. A cross-lagged model was conducted. RESULTS & CONCLUSIONS: The results showed that adolescent aggression at Time 1 positively predicted parental psychological control at Time 2. Parental psychological control at Time 2 positively predicted adolescent aggression at Time 3. Adolescent aggression at Time 2 predicted parental psychological control at Time 3. These findings provide evidence that supports the reciprocal effects model and further our understanding of the longitudinal and bidirectional relationship between parental psychological control and adolescent aggression. No significant adolescent gender differences were found in terms of the reciprocal effect model.

The Developmental Process of Peer Support Networks: The Role of Friendship.

This study investigated the characteristics and development of peer support networks in an effort to unravel the role of friendship in this developmental process. The relationships between friendship networks and peer support networks were explored, and the influence of dyadic and triadic friendships on the development of peer support relationships was examined. Two waves of data were collected among a sample of adolescents in six Chinese junior high schools (n = 913 students from 28 classrooms; mean age = 14.13 years; 50.49% boys), and classroom friendship networks and peer support networks were analyzed. The results showed that peer support networks were sparse, hierarchical, and sex-segregated. Furthermore, peer support networks and friendship networks partially overlapped. Friends tended to have similar support-seeking and support-providing ties. Longitudinal multiplex social network analysis revealed that peer support networks changed moderately over time, and friendships played various roles in the development of peer support networks. Dyadic friendships improved the formation of peer support ties. A mutual friend improved the formation of support relationships between two students when the mutual friend chose the two students as friends, but a mutual friend also hindered or had no effects on the formation of support relationships in other cases. The implications for educators to improve peer support networks are presented, and directions for future research are discussed.