Profiles of Family and School Experiences and Adjustment of Adolescents During the Transition to High School.

Although family and school experiences play an important role in adolescents' adjustment during the transition to high school, most prior studies investigated the effects of these experiences in isolation; their joint implications for both adolescents' concurrent and long-term adjustment outcomes are less clear, and the potential role of individual characteristics within such associations remains understudied. Based on 525 10th graders (Mage = 15.48, SDage = 0.71, 43.6% boys) who participated in a longitudinal study, the present research aimed to identify distinct family and school experience profiles among first-year high school students and examine their associations with adolescents' internalizing problems and externalizing problems, both concurrently and 18 months later. Latent profile analysis revealed four distinctive profiles: thriving, low resources-moderate family risk, developmental stress-high parental conflicts, and developmental stress-high peer victimization profiles. The other three profiles (vs. the thriving profile) reported significantly higher levels of concurrent internalizing problems; while these differences diminished after 18 months. However, the enduring impacts of these profiles on internalizing problems persisted among adolescents with higher levels of environmental sensitivity. Additionally, adolescents characterized by two developmental stress profiles (vs. the thriving profile) exhibited significantly higher levels of externalizing problems both currently and longitudinally. Findings underscore the importance of identifying at-risk populations among adolescents during the transition to high school by including both family and school experiences when examining environmental influence on their adjustment, as well as the necessity to take individual environmental sensitivity into account when examining these associations.

Protective role of resilience on the associations between childhood maltreatment and internalising and externalising problems.

Different types of childhood maltreatment have negative effects on individual mental and behavioural outcomes. However, most of previous studies investigated their effects separately. Little is known about the effects of co-occurring maltreatment profiles on adolescents' developmental outcomes and the potential protective factor. The current study sought to identify distinct profiles of childhood maltreatment and examine the effects of profiles of childhood maltreatment on internalising and externalising problems and the protective role of resilience based on two-wave longitudinal data, which was collected from a sample of 670 Chinese adolescents (Mage = 15.50, SDage = 0.75, 48.4% boys). Four profiles of childhood maltreatment, that is, No maltreatment (67.9%), High neglect (23.0%), High abuse and neglect/Low sexual abuse (5.0%), and Multi-maltreatment (4.1%), were identified. Adolescents in High neglect, High abuse and neglect/Low sexual abuse, and Multi-maltreatment profiles were more likely to report internalising and externalising problems. Further, significant moderating effects of resilience only emerged for the association between the High neglect profile and internalising problems, such that high levels of resilience may weaken the association between the High neglect profile and internalising problems. Our findings revealed the importance and utility of identifying maltreatment profiles to tailor treatment based on specific maltreatment experiences. Resilience-oriented intervention could be considered for Chinese adolescents who have experienced high neglect.

Reciprocal associations between peer victimization and depressive symptoms among Chinese children and adolescents: Between- and within-person effects.

Peer victimization is detrimental to child mental health. Research has indicated a reciprocal relationship between peer victimization and mental health problems. Yet limited evidence was from children and adolescents in China. The present study used the random intercepts cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM) to examine both between-person and within-person associations between peer victimization and depressive symptoms among Chinese children and adolescents. Participants were 1205 Chinese students (Mage = 11.27 years; ranged from 9 to 15 years; SD = 1.75; 55% boys) who completed four surveys (Time 1 to Time 4) between 2017 and 2019 on demographics, peer victimization, and depressive symptoms. At the between-person level, peer victimization was positively associated with depressive symptoms. Controlling for between-person effects, RI-CLPM suggested positive within-person effects from peer victimization to depressive symptoms across adjacent waves. The model also suggested a positive within-person effect from Time 2 depressive symptoms to Time 3 peer victimization. The multi-group analysis showed that these effects did not differ by gender, age, or subjective socioeconomic status. Peer victimization and depression appear to be reciprocally related at the transitioning period between late childhood and early adolescence in Chinese students. Mental health interventions should attend to peer victimization for children and adolescents in China.

A mindfulness-based mobile health (mHealth) intervention among psychologically distressed university students in quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic: A randomized controlled trial.

This randomized controlled trial evaluated the effect of a mindfulness-based mobile health (mHealth) intervention, tailored to the pandemic context, among young adult students (N = 114) with elevated anxiety and/or depressive symptoms during quarantine in China, compared to a time- and attention-matched social support-based mHealth control. At baseline, postintervention (1 month), and 2-month follow-up, participants completed self-reports of primary outcomes (anxiety and depression), secondary outcomes (mindfulness and social support), and emotional suppression as a culturally relevant mechanism of change. Feasibility and acceptability were also evaluated. Using intent-to-treat (ITT) analysis, linear mixed effects models showed that compared to social support mHealth, mindfulness mHealth had a superior effect on anxiety (p = .024, between-group d = 0.72). Both conditions improved on depression (baseline-to-FU ds > 1.10, between-group difference not significant, d = 0.36 favoring mindfulness). There was an interaction of Emotional suppression reduction × Condition in the improvement of anxiety and depression. Further, mindfulness mHealth was demonstrated to be more feasible and acceptable in program engagement, evaluation, skills improvement, and perceived benefit. Retention was high in both conditions (>80%). The difference in self-reported adverse effect was nonsignificant (3.9% in mindfulness and 8.7% in social support). Results of this pilot trial suggest that both mindfulness and social support, delivered via mHealth, show promise in reducing distress among young adults in quarantine, with mindfulness being particularly effective in addressing anxiety. Successful implementation and dissemination of this mHealth intervention approach have the potential for addressing the psychological consequences of the pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Resilience, Social Support, and Coping as Mediators between COVID-19-related Stressful Experiences and Acute Stress Disorder among College Students in China.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak might induce acute stress disorder (ASD) to people living in the epidemic regions. The current study aims to investigate the association of COVID-19-related stressful experiences with ASD and possible psychological mechanisms of the association among college students. METHODS: Data were collected from 7,800 college students via an online survey during the initial stage of the COVID-19 outbreak in China (from 31 January to 11 February 2020). Existing scales were adapted to measure stressful experiences, resilience, coping, social support, and ASD symptoms. Path analysis was employed to examine the research hypotheses. RESULTS: Among the 7,800 college students, 61.53% were women and their mean age was 20.54 years. Both direct and indirect effects from COVID-19-related stressful experiences to ASD symptoms were significant. The relationship between COVID-19-related stressful experiences and ASD could be mediated by resilience (ß = 0.01, p < .001), adaptive coping strategies (ß = 0.02, p < .001), and social support (ß = 0.01, p < .001); while not being significantly mediated by maladaptive coping strategies. CONCLUSION: The findings presented the ASD symptoms related to the COVID-19 outbreak and the mediating role of interpersonal and intrapersonal factors in the association. Identifying the risk and protective factors is important to reduce acute psychological responses.

Activation of the ventral and dorsal striatum during cue reactivity in Internet gaming disorder.

Studies conducted in drug addiction suggest a transition in processing of drug-related cues from the ventral to the dorsal component of the striatum. However, this process has not been studied in a behavioral addiction. Assessment of this process in a non-drug addiction can provide insight into the pathophysiology of both substance and behavioral addictions. Thirty-nine male Internet gaming disorder (IGD) subjects and 23 male matched healthy controls (HCs) participated in functional magnetic resonance imaging during performance of a cue-reactivity task involving alternating presentation of Internet gaming-related stimuli (game cues) and general Internet surfing-related stimuli (control cues). Cue-induced neural activations in the ventral and dorsal striatum (DS) were compared between IGD and HC participants. Associations between cue-reactivity within these regions and cue-induced craving and severity and duration of IGD were also explored. IGD participants exhibited higher cue-induced activations within both the ventral and DS when compared with HCs. Within the IGD group, activity within the left ventral striatum (VS) was correlated negatively with cue-induced craving; positive associations were found between activations within the DS (right putamen, pallidum and left caudate) and duration of IGD. Cue-induced activity within the left putamen was negatively associated with right VS volumes among IGD participants. Consistent with studies in substance addictions, our results suggest that a transition from ventral to dorsal striatal processing may occur among individuals with IGD, a condition without the impact of substance intake.

Altered resting-state functional connectivity of the insula in young adults with Internet gaming disorder.

The insula has been implicated in salience processing, craving, and interoception, all of which are critical to the clinical manifestations of drug and behavioral addiction. In this functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, we examined resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) of the insula and its association with Internet gaming characteristics in 74 young adults with Internet gaming disorder (IGD) and 41 age- and gender-matched healthy control subjects (HCs). In comparison with HCs, IGD subjects (IGDs) exhibited enhanced rsFC between the anterior insula and a network of regions including anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), putamen, angular gyrus, and precuneous, which are involved in salience, craving, self-monitoring, and attention. IGDs also demonstrated significantly stronger rsFC between the posterior insula and postcentral gyrus, precentral gyrus, supplemental motor area, and superior temporal gyrus (STG), which are involved in interoception, movement control, and auditory processing. Furthermore, IGD severity was positively associated with connectivity between the anterior insula and angular gyrus, and STG, and with connectivity between the posterior insula and STG. Duration of Internet gaming was positively associated with connectivity between the anterior insula and ACC. These findings highlight a key role of the insula in manifestation of the core symptoms of IGD and the importance to examine functional abnormalities of the anterior and posterior insula separately in IGDs.