Parsing apart affective dimensions of withdrawal: Longitudinal relations with peer victimization.

The current study examined a bifactor model of affective dimensions of withdrawal. Specifically, a model which specified a general factor of anxious-avoidant withdrawal (i.e., withdrawal with negative affect), a specific factor of unsociability (i.e., withdrawal without negative affect), and a specific factor of negative affect without withdrawal was specified in the primary sample (n = 238, 56.3% boys, M age = 44.92 months, SD = 5.32 months) and a validation sample (n = 332, 52.6% boys, M age = 47.11 months, SD = 7.32 months). The model provided a good fit to the data in both samples. In the primary sample, longitudinal relations between the bifactor model and peer victimization were examined across three time points (Time 1 in the spring, Time 2 in the fall, and Time 3 in the spring). Results showed that negative affect without withdrawal was concurrently associated with higher levels of relational and physical victimization at T1, unsociability predicted reductions in relational victimization from T1 to T2 as children entered a new classroom, and anxious-avoidant withdrawal predicted reductions in relational and physical victimization from T2 to T3 as children acclimated to the new classroom. Developmental considerations and clinical implications are discussed.

Being an other-sex crush during early adolescence in India: Investigating socio-behavioral and psychological concomitants.

INTRODUCTION: After years of neglect, there is now strong empirical interest in adolescents' romantic experiences. Most studies, however, focus on adolescents' romantic relationships in Western societies and fail to consider other-types of romantic experiences and adolescents who reside in non-Western societies. METHODS: The present study begins to address these research gaps by examining the social-behavioral and psychological concomitants of being viewed by many other-sex peers as a crush, or having high crush status, in a large (N = 445; 56% male; Mage = 13.77 years, SD = 0.43) longitudinal sample of young adolescents in urban India. RESULTS: Utilizing self- and peer-report data, results provide the first evidence that being viewed by many peers as an other-sex crush in India is related to some of the same (i.e., physical attractiveness), but also different (i.e., shyness) social-behavioral characteristics relative to what has been found in studies of young adolescents from the United States. Further analysis revealed new evidence regarding the unique social-behavioral (i.e., decreased physical aggression) and psychological (i.e., decreased social anxiety) outcomes associated with high crush status in urban India. CONCLUSIONS: Taken as a whole, results underscore the importance of considering the larger cultural context in studies of young adolescents' crush experiences.

Receiving Prosocial Behavior: Examining the Reciprocal Associations between Positive Peer Treatment and Psychosocial and Behavioral Outcomes.

This study investigates the prospective and reciprocal associations between positive peer treatment and psychosocial (popularity, preference, psychological distress) and behavioral (prosocial behavior) outcomes during early adolescence. Participants were 270 young adolescents (52% boys; Mage  = 11.84 years) who completed peer nomination and self-report measures as part of a 7-month longitudinal study (Wave 1; Feb. Grade 6; Wave 2: May, Grade 6; Wave 3: Sept., Grade 7). Cross-lagged autoregressive path models revealed reciprocal associations between positive peer treatment and prosocial behavior, such that Wave 1 positive peer treatment predicted increases in Wave 2 prosocial behavior and vice versa. Findings are novel, highlight the importance of considering positive peer treatment during adolescence, and set the stage for future work in this area.

An Examination of Reciprocal Associations Between Social Preference, Popularity, and Friendship during Early Adolescence.

Getting along with peers becomes increasingly important to health and well-being during early adolescence (10-14 years). Young adolescents may succeed with peers when they are well-liked by and popular among the larger peer group (or at the group-level of social complexity). They might also fare well with peers when they are able to form numerous mutual and high quality friendships (at the dyadic-level of social complexity). Theory emphasizes the interrelatedness of different types of peer experiences, but few longitudinal studies have examined the interplay among and between group- and dyadic-level peer experiences in the same study. As a result, it is not known whether group-level peer experiences are predictors of dyadic-level peer experiences, and/or vice versa. To address this limitation, this study examined the prospective and reciprocal relations between four indices of peer experiences, preference (or being highly liked and not disliked by peers), popularity (or having a reputation as popular), friendship quantity (or having many mutual friends), and friendship or relationship quality, during early adolescence. Participants were 271 adolescents (49% girls; Mage = 11.52 years) who completed peer nominations of preference and popularity, a self-report measure of friendship quality, and nominated friends at two waves (Wave 1: November, Grade 6; Wave 2: October, Grade 7). Structural equation modeling indicated that friendship quantity predicted increases in preference and popularity and that friendship quality predicted increases in friendship quantity. Initial popularity was associated with decreases in preference. The importance of these findings for future research is discussed along with study limitations.

Associations between sleep hygiene and insomnia severity in college students: cross-sectional and prospective analyses.

Although a small number of studies characterized cross-sectional associations between sleep hygiene and insomnia severity, no prior study has examined their relationships prospectively. Further, the relationship between sleep hygiene and insomnia severity among college students has rarely been examined. This study examined the prevalence of diverse sleep hygiene behaviors and their associations with insomnia severity in two independent samples of college students from a cross-sectional (N=548; mean age=19; 59% female; 71% White) and a two-wave short-term prospective (N=157; mean age=19; 71% female; 76% White) study. A total of 12% to 13% of students reported clinically significant insomnia. On average, students reported frequent engagement in inconsistent sleep-wake schedules and lounging and worrying/thinking about important matters in the bed. Improper sleep scheduling, behaviors that promote arousal near bedtime, and uncomfortable sleeping environments were positively associated with cross-sectional insomnia severity. After controlling for other well-established risk factors, only improper sleep scheduling remained significant. Prospectively, baseline improper sleep scheduling predicted insomnia severity at a 2-month follow-up after controlling for baseline insomnia severity and other well-established risk factors. Together, findings suggest a potential unique role of improper sleep scheduling in insomnia among college students.