Within-person Changes in Co-rumination and Rumination in Adolescence: Examining Heterogeneity and the Moderating Roles of Gender and Time.

Although previous work has consistently identified positive associations between co-rumination and rumination during adolescence, little to no research has examined how this relationship operates on the person-specific level. The current study aimed to extend current developmental theories of co-rumination and rumination by examining within-person associations between these constructs. Survey data was collected from 1502 adolescents (Mage = 13.20; 52% girls; 52% non-Hispanic White) every six-months across the span of 3.5 years. The results showed that at time-points when adolescents reported co-ruminating more than their usual level, they reported concurrent increases in rumination. This association was stronger for boys and strengthened over time. Despite substantial between-person heterogeneity, 97% of adolescents showed positive associations between co-rumination and rumination. This research has important implications for mental health professionals, school systems, and parents who may look to teach adolescents about effective emotion-regulation.

Adolescent Psychological Functioning and Membership in Latent Adolescent-Parent Communication Dual Trajectory Classes.

The primary goal of this study was to examine the relationship between adolescents' psychological functioning (as indicated by depressive symptoms) and substance use (alcohol and drug use) and membership in adolescent-parent communication trajectory subgroups in a large, diverse community sample of adolescents from the United States (n = 1,057; 53% female; 51% Caucasian; Age: M = 16.15, SD = .75). Adolescents completed questionnaires at three annual assessments. Fit indices from parallel process growth mixture models suggested three dual trajectory classes: (1) Average communication with both parents (Average-Both); (2) Good adolescent-mother and poor adolescent-father communication (Good-Mom/Poor-Dad); and (3) Poor adolescent-mother and good adolescent-father communication (Poor-Mom/Good-Dad). The trajectory classes differed by gender. In addition, psychological functioning and substance use were differentially related to the trajectory classes.

Social media use and risky behaviors in adolescents: A meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the associations between social media use and risky behaviors during adolescence, and evaluated study characteristics (e.g., sample age, type of social media platform assessed) that may moderate these relationships. METHODS: A comprehensive search strategy identified relevant studies from PsycInfo, PubMed, Google Scholar, and Proquest Dissertations and Theses Global. RESULTS: The final sample included 27 independent cross-sectional studies with a total of 67,407 adolescents (Mage = 15.5, range: 12.6-18.0 years; 51.7% girls; 57.2% White). Results from random effects models indicated that there were positive, small-to-medium correlations between social media use and engagement in risky behaviors generally (r = 0.21, 95% CI = 0.16-0.25), substance use (r = 0.19, 95% CI = 0.12-0.26), and risky sexual behaviors (r = 0.21, 95% CI = 0.15-0.28). There were an insufficient number of independent samples available to conduct a random effect models for violence-related behaviors (k = 3). Moderator analyses suggested that studies assessing solely early social media platforms (e.g., Facebook/MySpace only) in relation to substance use had smaller effect sizes than substance use studies assessing a broader range of contemporary social media platforms. In addition, younger samples had larger effect sizes for studies focused on social media use and risky sexual behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: The positive links identified between social media and risky behaviors during adolescence in this meta-analysis suggest that developmental theories of risk taking would benefit from incorporating the social media context. Longitudinal studies are needed to clarify directionality and make more specific practice and policy recommendations so that social media is a safe place in which adolescents can thrive.

Self-Competence and Depressive Symptoms in Middle-Late Adolescence: Disentangling the Direction of Effect.

This study examined the temporal relation between self-competence (academic, social, athletic, physical appearance, and close friend) and depressive symptoms in a large, diverse community sample of 636 adolescents. Surveys were administered to all 10th- and 11th-grade students at participating high schools at baseline (mean age = 16.10, SD = .71) and 1 year later. Girls reported higher levels of self-competence in close friendships and more depressive symptoms, whereas boys reported higher levels of self-competence in athletics and physical appearance. However, there were no gender differences in the associations between self-competence and depressive symptoms. Results from autoregressive, cross-lagged path analyses indicated that depressive symptoms predicted self-competence more consistently than self-competence predicted depressive symptoms during middle-late adolescence. Implications for prevention are discussed.

Protective Factors Associated with Daily Affective Reactivity and Instability During Adolescence.

The daily emotional experiences of adolescents are dynamic, vary significantly across individuals, and are crucial to their psychological adjustment, warranting a need to identify factors that promote adaptive affective responses to stressors and attenuated affective instability. The objective of this study, therefore, was to examine protective factors linked to individual differences in daily affective reactivity and instability utilizing a daily diary design in a national sample of 100 U.S. adolescents (13-17 years; 40% girls; 79% White). Adolescents completed a baseline survey and then 14 daily online surveys. Better mother-adolescent communication predicted lower negative affect reactivity, whereas greater use of problem-focused coping strategies predicted higher positive affect reactivity. Greater trait resilience and instrumental support seeking predicted lower negative affect instability. Conversely, more emotional support seeking predicted higher negative affect instability. No factors were associated with positive affect instability, and father-adolescent communication was unrelated to daily affective reactivity and instability. The findings implicate specific protective factors associated with distinct aspects of affective reactivity and instability.

Psychometric properties of the brief loss of control over eating scale (LOCES-B) in early adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the brief loss of control over eating scale (LOCES-B) in a community sample of adolescents. METHOD: Participants were 1,116 adolescents (11-15 years; 53% girls; 53% non-Hispanic White) recruited from middle schools in the Northeast United States. Participants were administered self-report surveys during school in the fall of 2016. RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the LOCES-B total score was unidimensional, which was invariant across gender and weight status. The LOCES-B had excellent internal consistency (α = .92). The LOCES-B total score had large, positive relationships with the frequency of LOC eating episodes, objective bulimic episodes, and subjective bulimic episodes, and a small, positive relationship with objective overeating episode frequency. After adjusting for demographics, anthropometrics, and LOC eating frequency, adolescents reporting higher scores on the LOCES-B total score had greater body image dissatisfaction, more internalizing symptoms, and lower trait effortful control. DISCUSSION: Findings suggested that the LOCES-B is a reliable and valid measure of LOC eating in early adolescents. The availability of the LOCES-B has the potential to elucidate the developmental trajectories, predictors, and outcomes of LOC eating across the full severity spectrum in large cohort studies of youth.

Body Image Dissatisfaction and Anxiety Trajectories During Adolescence.

The primary goal of this study was to examine the associations between baseline body image dissatisfaction (BID) and subsequent anxiety trajectories in a diverse, community sample of adolescent girls and boys. Participants were 581 adolescents (baseline age: M = 16.1, SD = 0.7; 58% female; 65% non-Hispanic White) from U.S. public high schools. Self-report questionnaires were administered during school at 3 annual assessment waves. Latent growth curve modeling examined the association between baseline BID and growth factors of anxiety disorder symptom trajectories. Covariates included baseline gender, age, race/ethnicity, parental education attainment, body mass index standard scores, and depressive symptoms. Higher BID at baseline was significantly associated with higher initial symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder (PD), social anxiety disorder (SAD), and significant school avoidance (SSA; ps = .001-.04) but was unrelated to initial separation anxiety disorder (SEP) symptoms (p = .27). Higher baseline BID also was associated with attenuated decreases in SAD symptoms across time (p = .001). Among adolescents with low baseline anxiety symptoms only, higher BID was associated with more attenuated decreases in SAD symptoms (p = .01) and greater increases in PD symptoms (p = .02). BID was unrelated to changes in GAD, SEP, and SSA symptoms (ps = .11-.94). Findings suggest that BID is associated with concurrent symptoms of multiple anxiety disorders and may have a prospective link to SAD and PD symptoms during adolescence. As such, assessing body image issues may be important to assess when identifying adolescents at risk for exacerbated SAD and PD symptoms.

Family functioning and adolescent internalizing symptoms: A latent profile analysis.

This study aimed to characterize adolescent family functioning typologies using latent profile analysis (LPA). A secondary aim was to examine profile associations with adolescent internalizing symptoms at one-year follow-up. Students (N = 1029; 53% female; mean age = 16.14, SD = .75 years) completed measures of family functioning, anxiety, and depressive symptoms at two time points. LPA was conducted to characterize family functioning typologies at Time 1, revealing five profiles: 1) Low Family Functioning, 2) Only Close to Father, 3) Average Family Functioning, 4) Only Close to Mother, and 5) High Family Functioning. Results indicated that the Low and Only Close to Mother profiles had greater depressive symptoms at Time 2, compared with the Average profile. The High profile had fewer depressive symptoms at Time 2. The Low and Only Close to Mother profiles also had significantly more anxiety symptoms at Time 2. Findings highlight the utility of examining family functioning profiles.

Associations between friend conflict and affective states in the daily lives of adolescents.

This study examined the associations between friend conflict, defined as arguments with friends, and affective states using a daily diary design in a community sample of adolescents. Participants were 100 U.S. adolescents (13-17 years; 40% girls; 79% white). Adolescents completed an online survey on 14 consecutive evenings. Adolescents reported significantly higher anger/hostility, confusion, and tension/anxiety and less friendliness on days during which they experienced friend conflict relative to no-conflict days. However, no same-day associations for depressed affect, fatigue, or vigor were found. Adolescents experiencing friend conflict reported increased next-day anger/hostility, depressed affect, and tension/anxiety, but not other affective states. Higher levels of anger/hostility and depressed affect predicted an increased likelihood of next-day friend conflict. Conversely, higher levels of friendliness and vigor predicted a decreased likelihood of next-day friend conflict. These findings suggest that directional relationships between adolescents' friend conflicts and their affective states vary by affective domain.

Gender Differences in Anxiety Trajectories from Middle to Late Adolescence.

Although developmental trajectories of anxiety symptomatology have begun to be explored, most research has focused on total anxiety symptom scores during childhood and early adolescence, using racially/ethnically homogenous samples. Understanding the heterogeneous courses of anxiety disorder symptoms during middle to late adolescence has the potential to clarify developmental risk models of anxiety and to inform prevention programs. Therefore, this study specifically examined gender differences in developmental trajectories of anxiety disorder symptoms (generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and social anxiety disorder) from middle to late adolescence in a diverse community sample (N = 1000; 57 % female; 65 % White), assessed annually over 2 years. Latent growth curve modeling revealed that girls exhibited a slight linear decrease in generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and social anxiety disorder symptoms, whereas boys exhibited a stable course. These models suggested that one trajectory was appropriate for panic disorder symptoms in both girls and boys. Growth mixture models indicated the presence of four latent generalized anxiety disorder symptom trajectory classes: low increasing, moderate decreasing slightly, high decreasing, and very high decreasing rapidly. Growth mixture models also suggested the presence of five latent social anxiety disorder symptom trajectory classes: a low stable trajectory class and four classes that were qualitatively similar to the latent generalized anxiety disorder trajectories. For both generalized anxiety disorder and social anxiety disorder symptoms, girls were significantly more likely than boys to be in trajectory classes characterized by moderate or high initial symptoms that subsequently decreased over time. These findings provide novel information regarding the developmental course of anxiety disorder symptoms in adolescents.

Family functioning and adolescent alcohol use: A moderated mediation analysis.

The primary goals of this longitudinal study were to examine the relationship between family functioning and adolescent alcohol use and to examine whether depressed mood mediates this relationship. An additional goal was to explore whether these relations were moderated by gender. The sample included 1031 high school students from the Mid-Atlantic United States. Participants completed surveys in school during the spring of 2007, 2008, and 2009. Path analysis results indicated that family functioning predicted alcohol use for girls. Moreover, depressed mood mediated this relationship. None of the direct paths between family functioning and adolescent alcohol use were significant for boys. However, similar to girls, depressed mood negatively predicted alcohol use for boys. Taken together, the findings highlight the need for prevention programs targeting adolescent substance use to consider gender-specific trajectories.

Introduction to the Special Issue: Discrepancies in Adolescent-Parent Perceptions of the Family and Adolescent Adjustment.

Researchers commonly rely on adolescents' and parents' reports to assess family functioning (e.g., conflict, parental monitoring, parenting practices, relationship quality). Recent work indicates that these reports may vary as to whether they converge or diverge in estimates of family functioning. Further, patterns of converging or diverging reports may yield important information about adolescent adjustment and family functioning. This work is part of a larger literature seeking to understand and interpret multi-informant assessments of psychological phenomena, namely mental health. In fact, recent innovations in conceptualizing, measuring, and analyzing multi-informant mental health assessments might meaningfully inform efforts to understand multi-informant assessments of family functioning. Therefore, in this Special Issue we address three aims. First, we provide a guiding framework for using and interpreting multi-informant assessments of family functioning, informed by recent theoretical work focused on using and interpreting multi-informant mental health assessments. Second, we report research on adolescents' and parents' reports of family functioning that leverages the latest methods for measuring and analyzing patterns of convergence and divergence between informants' reports. Third, we report research on measurement invariance and its role in interpreting adolescents' and parents' reports of family functioning. Research and theory reported in this Special Issue have important implications for improving our understanding of the links between multi-informant assessments of family functioning and adolescent adjustment.

Discrepancies in Adolescents' and Mothers' Perceptions of the Family and Mothers' Psychological Symptomatology.

Research has shown that discrepancies in adolescents' and their parents' perceptions of the family are linked to adolescent adjustment. Of note, the majority of studies to date have focused on differences in perceptions between adolescents and their parents. However, recent research has suggested that convergence in adolescents' and their parents' perceptions of the family may be linked to adolescent psychological outcomes as well. To date, research examining adolescents' and parents' perceptions of the family in relation to outcomes has focused only on adolescent outcomes. Therefore, the goal of this study was to examine the relationship between adolescents' and their mothers' perceptions of the family and mothers' psychological symptomatology. Surveys were administered to 141 adolescents (56 % girls) and their mothers during the spring of 2007. The results indicated that adolescents viewed the family more negatively in comparison to their mothers. In addition, interactions between adolescents' and mothers' reports of open communication, communication problems, and family satisfaction predicted mothers' psychological symptoms. These interactions indicated that mothers reported the most psychological symptoms when adolescents and mothers agreed that family functioning was poor (e.g., low open communication, high communication problems, low family satisfaction). The findings from this study underscore the need to consider adolescents' and parents' perceptions of the family in tandem when considering parental psychological adjustment.

Outcomes from a Pediatric Primary Care Weight Management Program: Steps to Growing Up Healthy.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the efficacy of Steps to Growing Up Healthy, an obesity prevention intervention in preschool-age, urban-dwelling minority children. STUDY DESIGN: Thirty-two pediatric primary care clinicians used a brief (3- to 5-minute) evidence-based behavior change intervention with low-income mothers of children aged 2-4 years during each regularly scheduled clinic visit over a 12-month period to target 4 specific obesogenic behaviors (milk consumption, juice and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption, television/screen time, and physical activity). A written contract, self-monitoring calendar, and telephone follow-up at 5-7 days after the clinic visit reinforced the intervention. Body mass index (BMI) percentile over 12 months and obesogenic behaviors were compared with those of a sex- and age-matched historical control group drawn from the same clinic. RESULTS: Between January 2009 and November 2012, 418 mother-child dyads (82% Hispanic and 18% African American; mean child age, 35.8 ± 8.6 months; 21% overweight and 21% obese children) participated (218 in the control group and 200 in the intervention group). At 12 months, BMI percentile decreased by 0.33 percentile in the intervention group, compared with a mean increase of 8.75 percentile in the control group (P < .001). In participants with an initial BMI <85th percentile, BMI percentile did not change over time in the intervention group but increased in the control group (from the 48th ± 21 to 63th ± 29 percentile; P < .01). At 12 months, consumption of juice and milk were decreased in the intervention group (P < .001). CONCLUSION: A brief, evidence-based intervention targeting 4 behaviors, coupled with a written contract and telephone follow-up, decreased the rate of increase in BMI percentile in young children, especially in normal weight children.

Parental problem drinking and adolescent externalizing behaviors: The mediating role of family functioning.

This study explored relationships among parental problem drinking, family functioning, and adolescent externalizing behaviors. The unique effects of maternal and paternal drinking were examined separately for girls and boys. The sample included 14-19 year old U.S. adolescents (Mage = 16.15; SD = .75; 52.5% female) and their parents. Participants completed surveys in the spring of 2007 and 2008. Structural equation modeling was used to conduct path analysis models. Results showed the distinctive and adverse effects of parental problem drinking on adolescent alcohol use, drug use, rule breaking, and aggressive behavior over time. Findings also highlighted the indirect and mediating roles of family functioning. For both girls and boys, family cohesion mediated the relationship between parental problem drinking and adolescent externalizing behaviors. For girls, adolescent-father communication predicted increased externalizing behaviors over time. These findings draw attention to the importance of exploring adolescent and parent gender when examining parental problem drinking, family functioning, and externalizing behaviors.

A Long-Term Longitudinal Examination of the Effect of Early Onset of Alcohol and Drug Use on Later Alcohol Abuse.

BACKGROUND: Early onset of alcohol use has been linked to later alcohol problems in adulthood. Currently, it is not clear whether early onset of marijuana and tobacco use similarly predicts alcohol problems. Moreover, most studies examining the effect of early substance use onset on later problems only have followed youth into their early 20s. Therefore, the primary goal of this study was to examine whether early onset of alcohol, marijuana, and tobacco use predicts alcohol problems beyond the transition to adulthood. METHODS: The sample included 225 15-19-year-old youth (60% girls; 62% Caucasian) who were surveyed in three time periods: 1993-1998 (Time 1), 1998-2003 (Time 2), and 2003-2007 (Time 3). Participants reported their age of onset for regular drinking, tobacco use, and marijuana use. At each time of measurement, they also completed surveys relating to their alcohol use and abuse. RESULTS: Participants with an earlier age of onset of drinking regularly scored higher on the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST) and drank more frequently to get high and drunk throughout their 20s. Tobacco use onset and marijuana use onset were not associated with later alcohol use or abuse. CONCLUSIONS: Results from this study suggest that the relationship between the onset of substance use and later substance abuse may be substance specific. Of note, early onset of regular drinking was associated with alcohol problems during adulthood, underscoring the importance of delaying the onset of regular alcohol use among youth.

Steps to Growing Up Healthy: a pediatric primary care based obesity prevention program for young children.

BACKGROUND: Leading medical organizations have called on primary care pediatricians to take a central role in the prevention of childhood obesity. Weight counseling typically has not been incorporated into routine pediatric practice due to time and training constraints. Brief interventions with simple behavior change messages are needed to reach high-risk children, particularly Latino and Black children who are disproportionately affected by obesity and related comorbidities. Steps to Growing Up Healthy (Added Value) is a randomized controlled trial testing the efficacy of brief motivational counseling (BMC) delivered by primary care clinicians and the added value of supplementing BMC with monthly contact by community health workers (CHW) in the prevention/reversal of obesity in Latino and Black children ages 2-4 years old. METHODS/DESIGN: Mother-child dyads (targeted n = 150) are recruited for this 12-month randomized trial at an inner-city pediatric primary care clinic and randomized to: 1) BMC delivered by clinicians and nurses at well, sick, and WIC visits with the goal of reducing obesogenic behaviors (BMC); 2) BMC plus monthly phone calls by a CHW (BMC + Phone); or 3) BMC plus monthly home visits by a CHW (BMC + Home). During BMC, the medical team facilitates the selection of a specific goal (i.e., reduce sugar sweetened beverage consumption) that is meaningful to the mother and teaches the mother simple behavioral strategies. Monthly contacts with CHWs are designed to identify and overcome barriers to goal progress. Dyads are assessed at baseline and 12 months and the primary outcome is change in the child's BMI percentile. We hypothesize that BMC + Phone and BMC + Home will produce greater reductions in BMI percentiles than BMC alone and that BMC + Home will produce greater reductions in BMI percentiles than BMC + Phone. DISCUSSION: Steps to Growing Up Healthy will provide important information about whether a brief primary care-based intervention that utilizes a motivational interviewing and goal setting approach can be incorporated into routine care and is sufficient to prevent/reverse obesity in young children. The study will also explore whether monthly contact with a community health worker bridges the gap between the clinic and the community and is an effective strategy for promoting obesity prevention in high-risk families. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01973153.

Hispanic adolescents' internalizing symptoms and positive family functioning: A bidirectional examination of associations over time.

Open communication with parents, defined as perceived ease of adolescent-parent disclosure, and family support are components of positive family functioning linked with fewer adolescent internalizing symptoms. However, relatively little is known about bidirectional pathways over time. Even less is known about bidirectional pathways for Hispanic adolescents or about the role of adolescent and parent gender. Therefore, this study examined bidirectional pathways between positive family functioning and adolescent internalizing symptoms over time in a sample of Hispanic middle school adolescents (N = 340; 51% female, Mage = 13.27 years, SD = .77), who completed surveys in the fall of 2016 (Time 1) and the spring of 2017 (Time 2; N = 284; 52% female). Results indicated that positive family functioning, including open communication with mothers and fathers, predicted fewer depressive symptoms for girls, but not for boys. Open communication with fathers predicted fewer anxiety symptoms for girls and boys. Girls' depressive symptoms, but not boys', predicted decreases in open communication with fathers. Boys' depressive symptoms predicted less family support. Unexpectedly, boys' anxiety symptoms predicted increased family support. These findings highlight gendered pathways linking family functioning and internalizing symptoms in Hispanic adolescents over time, including the relative importance of open communication with fathers. Gendered findings emphasize the utility of family-based prevention and early intervention programs targeting internalizing symptoms, especially for Hispanic girls. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Parent problem drinking trajectory classes predict anxiety in adolescence and emerging adulthood.

BACKGROUND: This study identified latent trajectory classes for maternal problem drinking and paternal problem drinking and examined the associations between these trajectory classes and offspring anxiety symptoms during adolescence and emerging adulthood. METHODS: Participants (n = 870; 54% female; 59% non-Hispanic White; Mage = 16.10, SD = 0.71) were administered surveys during the spring of 2007, 2008, and 2009, and 2014. RESULTS: Fit indices from parallel process growth mixture models suggested three dual trajectory classes: (1) Low initial levels of maternal problem drinking and paternal problem drinking that increased over time (Low-Both); (2) Low initial levels of maternal problem drinking that increased over time and high initial levels of paternal problem drinking that increased slightly over time (Low-Mom/High-Dad); (3) High initial levels of maternal problem drinking that increased slightly over time and low initial levels of paternal problem drinking that remained relatively stable over time (High-Mom/Low-Dad). Girls were more likely than boys to be classified in the Low-Mom/High-Dad and High-Mom/Low-Dad classes, relative to the Low-Both trajectory class. In addition, adolescents in the High-Mom/Low-Dad trajectory class reported the most anxiety symptoms during adolescence and emerging adulthood. LIMITATIONS: Limitations include the reliance on one informant (the adolescent/emerging adult) and the geographically limited sample (northeastern United States). CONCLUSIONS: Prevention and intervention programs aimed at reducing anxiety should consider changes in alcohol use in both the father and the mother over time. Moreover, special attention should be paid to maternal problem drinking given that it appears to be a salient risk factor for anxiety during adolescence and emerging adulthood.

Social media use and internalizing symptoms during early adolescence: The role of co-rumination.

BACKGROUND: This study examined the longitudinal associations between social media use, co-rumination (repeatedly discussing personal problems with peers), and internalizing symptoms during early adolescence. METHODS: Self-report measures were administered to a diverse sample of 1,205 early adolescents (51% girls; 51% non-Hispanic White; Mage= 12.75, SD = .71) at three time points (during the fall of 2016, spring of 2017, and fall of 2017). RESULTS: Findings indicated that daily social media use predicted engagement in co-rumination, which in turn predicted increases in internalizing symptoms. Specifically, co-rumination significantly mediated social media use and anxiety symptoms. LIMITATIONS: Study limitations include the use of self-report data and the geographically limited sample (restricted to the Northeastern United States). CONCLUSIONS: Findings from this study highlight an important interpersonal pathway by which social media use may confer risk for internalizing problems. Prevention and intervention programs designed to reduce the negative effects that social media use may have on adolescent internalizing problems should target co-rumination as a modifiable behavior and provide skills training in the use of more positive, adaptive coping strategies.