The impacts of latent profiles and transitions of stresses on adolescent mental health: A person-centred analysis.

Research has demonstrated robust links between adolescent stress and serious psychological problems. The current study aimed to identify latent stress profiles of 1510 adolescents (59.7% females; Mage  = 16.77 years, SD = 0.86) based on five stresses (parental stresses, family environment stresses, academic stresses, teacher stresses, and peer stresses) at three time points (T1/2/3). Moreover, this study would investigate the transition patterns of these profiles over time and examine the associations between the profiles and adverse psychological symptoms (e.g., anxiety, depression, nonsuicidal self-injury [NSSI], and suicidal ideation). Three latent stress profiles were identified, including High-stress profile, Medium-stress profile, and Low-stress profile. The three profiles were significantly different on the levels of T1/2/3 anxiety, depression, NSSI, and suicidal ideation. The profile memberships remained relatively stable across three time points. Notably, the present study found gender differences, with boys were more likely to be in the High-stress profile and to transition from the Medium- to the High-stress profile, compared to girls. Furthermore, left-behind adolescents were more likely to be in the High-stress profile than non-left-behind adolescents. The findings highlight the importance of adopting 'this-approach-fits-this-profile' interventions for adolescents. Parents and teachers are advised to adopt different strategies for girls and boys.

Emotional involvement matters, too: Associations among parental involvement, time management and academic engagement vary with Youth's developmental phase.

BACKGROUND: Prior studies have emphasized the importance of parents' educational involvement (a type of cognitive involvement) to academic engagement, although little is known about emotional involvement. AIMS: This study investigated whether and how different facets of involvement (cognitive vs. emotional, paternal vs. maternal) are differentially related to academic engagement and whether and how the associations among parental involvement, time management and academic engagement vary by adolescents' developmental phases. SAMPLES: The participants of this large national survey were students in elementary, middle and high school across different regions of mainland China. A total of 2687 adolescents (52.7% females, Mage = 14.07 ± 2.47) participated in this study. METHODS: Structural equation models and multigroup analysis were conducted. RESULTS: We found that the total effect of paternal and maternal emotional involvement on academic engagement was positive in elementary-, middle- and high school students, and an indirect effect of time management underlying the above paths was found in all three groups. In contrast, the positive effect of maternal cognitive involvement on academic engagement as well as the indirect effects underlying the above pathways was established only in high school students. CONCLUSIONS: The findings highlight the necessity of parents' emotional involvement and the consideration of adolescent developmental characteristics in the design of interventions.

A network approach to understanding parenting: Linking coparenting, parenting styles, and parental involvement in rearing adolescents in different age groups.

Prior research has used several indicators to represent parenting, from dyadic interactions between mothers/fathers and children (e.g., parenting styles, parental involvement) to triadic mother-father-child interactions (e.g., coparenting). This study applies network analysis to explore the interrelations between maternal and paternal coparenting, parenting styles, and parental involvement in families with adolescents in early (10-12 years), middle (13-15 years), and late (16-18 years) stages. Network analysis was used to identify central nodes (i.e., central parenting components) and central mechanisms (i.e., relations between central parenting variables) underlying the parenting network, providing a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of parenting. This study included 4,852 adolescents aged from 10 to 18 (Mage = 13.80, SD = 2.38, 51.5% females) in two-parent families across different regions of China. The results indicated that both maternal and paternal coparenting integrity and warm parenting style served as important bridges to connect the whole network; their integrity and emotional involvement were closely linked to other parenting variables. Also, the intrapersonal and interpersonal effects between mothering and fathering as well as adolescent developmental differences were found. If it is assumed that the parenting network is causal, the results suggest that supportive parenting should be considered the prime target for enhancing parenting systems. Adolescent developmental stages appear to be a vital factor influencing parenting intercorrelations, and interventions should be designed based on children's age groups. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Fathers and mothers' parenting stress and adolescent depressive symptoms: the mediating roles of overt and covert coparenting conflict behaviors.

BACKGROUND: It is yet to be clarified if and how parenting stress was linked to adolescent depressive symptoms during the pandemic. OBJECTIVES: This study adopted an interdependent approach to examine the relationship between parenting stress and adolescent depressive symptoms in Chinese families. It then examined the mediating effects of overt and covert coparenting conflict behaviors. METHODS: As a national survey, data were obtained from different regions in China. Fathers, mothers, and adolescents from 1031 families participated in this study. The fathers and mothers reported parenting stress; the adolescents rated their fathers and mothers' overt and covert coparenting conflict behaviors and their own depressive symptoms. RESULTS: Maternal parenting stress was related to adolescent depressive symptoms through the mediating effects of paternal overt and maternal covert coparenting conflict behaviors. Both paternal and maternal parenting stress were directly related to adolescent depressive symptoms. However, maternal parenting stress had a more substantial effect on adolescent depressive symptoms than paternal parenting stress. CONCLUSIONS: The findings support the effects of parenting stress on adolescent depressive symptoms. The study also highlights the mediating roles of paternal overt and maternal covert coparenting conflict behaviors in relationships.

Sexual Minority Stigma and Nonsuicidal Self-Injury Among Sexual Minorities: the Mediating Roles of Sexual Orientation Concealment, Self-Criticism, and Depression.

Introduction: Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), a significant predictor of suicide, is more frequent in sexual minorities (e.g., lesbian, gay, and bisexual) than in heterosexuals. The Minority Stress Model proposed that sexual minority stigma (SMS) may lead to maladaptive behaviors, including NSSI. However, the potential mechanism underlying the relationship between SMS and NSSI remains unclear. Therefore, the current study will examine the relationship between SMS and NSSI, and explore the serial mediating roles of sexual orientation concealment (SOC), self-criticism, and depression. Methods: A total of 666 individuals who self-identified as sexual minorities (64.0% male, M age = 24.49 years, SD = 6.50) completed questionnaires of SMS, SOC, self-criticism, depression, and NSSI, in 2020. Results: The findings indicated that (1) SMS, SOC, self-criticism, depression, and NSSI were positively correlated; (2) SOC, self-criticism, and depression independently played partial mediating roles between SMS and NSSI; and (3) SOC, self-criticism, and depression played serial mediating roles between SMS and NSSI. Conclusions: The current study supported the relation between SMS and NSSI among Chinese sexual minorities, and also implied a potential mechanism underlying the relation. Specifically, SMS was related to increased NSSI by higher SOC, self-criticism, and depression. SOC had dual-edged effects on NSSI. Policy Implications: To reduce NSSI and other psychological problems among sexual minorities, policy makers should take more measures to eliminate SMS. Specifically, policy makers are encouraged to provide more support for changing sexual minorities' living environment, such as repealing bills that could cause SMS and popularizing the knowledge about sexual orientation.

Parental Psychological Control, Parent-Related Loneliness, Depressive Symptoms, and Regulatory Emotional Self-Efficacy: A Moderated Serial Mediation Model of Nonsuicidal Self-Injury.

OBJECTIVE: Adolescent nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) has become an alarming public health concern. Parental psychological control has been identified as a risk factor for NSSI in some western samples. However, the relationship between parental psychological control and NSSI remains unclear among Chinese adolescents. Furthermore, little is known about how parental psychological control affects NSSI. This study aims to examine a moderated serial mediation model of NSSI, revealing the mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying the relationship between parental psychological control and NSSI. METHOD: A total of 953 Chinese secondary school students (47.7% females, mean age = 12.53 years, SD = 0.63) completed questionnaires of NSSI, parental psychological control, parent-related loneliness, depressive symptoms, and regulatory emotional self-efficacy. RESULTS: Parental psychological control was positively associated with NSSI. This association was mediated by parent-related loneliness and depressive symptoms independently. Also, it was serially mediated by parent-related loneliness and depressive symptoms. In addition, regulatory emotional self-efficacy moderated the indirect relationships between parental psychological control and NSSI. CONCLUSIONS: Findings of this study shed light on how NSSI is affected by parental psychological control, parent-related loneliness, depressive symptoms, and regulatory emotional self-efficacy, and provide insights into the prevention and intervention measures targeting adolescent NSSI.HIGHLIGHTSParental psychological control was positively associated with NSSI.Parent-related loneliness and depressive symptoms independently and serially mediated the association between parental psychological control and NSSI.Regulatory emotional self-efficacy moderated the indirect relationships between parental psychological control and NSSI.

The relations between childhood experience of negative parenting practices and nonsuicidal self-injury in Chinese adolescents: The mediating roles of maladaptive perfectionism and rumination.

BACKGROUND: Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a highly prevalent and serious public health concern among adolescents worldwide, and family experiences are influential in its development. However, the potential mediating mechanisms underlying the relations between childhood experience of negative parenting practices and NSSI are not fully understood. This study tested a mediating model to examine the roles of maladaptive perfectionism and rumination in these relations. METHODS: A total of 5,619 Chinese adolescents (54.7 % males; mean age = 15.92 years, SD = 0.73) participated in this study and completed self-report measures of negative parenting practices, maladaptive perfectionism, rumination, and NSSI. RESULTS: There were significant positive correlations among negative parenting practices, maladaptive perfectionism, rumination, and NSSI. In the mediation analyses, all negative parenting practices were indirectly related to NSSI via maladaptive perfectionism, while rumination only mediated the relation of maternal overprotection to NSSI. In addition, among all negative parenting practices, maternal rejection was the most closely associated with maladaptive perfectionism. CONCLUSION: The findings of the study expand our understanding of the influences of negative parenting practices on NSSI. Clinicians may pay special attention to maternal rejection and focus on adolescents' maladaptive perfectionism and rumination when interacting with individuals with NSSI.

Emotion reactivity, nonsuicidal self-injury, and regulatory emotional self-efficacy: A moderated mediation model of suicide ideation.

BACKGROUND: Adolescent suicide ideation (SI) has received increased attention in recent years, and emotion reactivity (ER) has been found to be a risk factor for SI. However, little is known about the mediating and moderating mechanisms underlying this relationship. The aim of this study is to test a moderated mediation model of SI. METHOD: A total of 2,716 Chinese adolescents (53.2% males, mean age = 13.19 years, SD = 0.52) completed self-report questionnaires regarding SI, ER, nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), and regulatory emotional self-efficacy (RESE). RESULTS: After controlling for gender, ER was significantly associated with SI, and this association was mediated by NSSI. RESE buffered the relation between ER and SI, as well as the relation between ER and NSSI. LIMITATION: This study was cross-sectional in design and relied upon self-report measures only. Almost all participants were recruited from a single city of China. CONCLUSION: Findings of this study demonstrate a relationship among ER, NSSI, and SI, and expand our understanding of the development of SI. Further, RESE may be a protective factor against SI and NSSI in adolescence, which suggests a potential role of promoting RESE in the prevention and intervention of SI and NSSI.