Understanding the Impact of Deviant Peer Association on Dual Systems Model Development: Testing the Moderating Role of ADHD.

ABSTRACT: Recent research has indicated that deviant peers may play a role in cognitive development. This is particularly the case for the dual systems model, a key framework for understanding engagement in antisocial behavior during adolescence and emerging adulthood. However, limited research has examined how preexisting mental health concerns may moderate these relationships. This study used the Pathways to Desistance data to examine attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as a moderator of the relationships between deviant peer association and dual systems model constructs. Generalized estimating equations were used to test these relationships. Results indicated that deviant peer association and the presence of ADHD both predicted increased sensation-seeking and lower impulse control. ADHD significantly moderated the relationship between deviant peer association and impulse control, indicating a weaker impact of deviant peer association on impulse control among participants with ADHD. No significant interaction was observed for the relationship between deviant peer association and sensation-seeking.

The transition from physical sibling abuse to bullying perpetration through trait anger: A longitudinal study.

OBJECTIVES: Experiencing physical sibling abuse is a form of family violence that is common but understudied. While it is often perceived as a normative aspect of sibling relationships, there are apparent behavioral consequences. The current study aims to advance the literature by utilizing the displaced aggression model and I3 theory to longitudinally examine trait anger as a pathway linking physical sibling abuse to bullying perpetration. METHODS: Using data from the Bullying, Sexual, and Dating Violence Trajectories from Early to Late Adolescence in the Midwestern United States, 2008-2013, adolescents (n = 851, M = 14.8 years) completed questionnaires at baseline and were reassessed 6 months later. RESULTS: Results suggested that when adolescents experience physical sibling abuse, they are more likely to engage in bullying perpetration. Mediation analyses indicated that as adolescents were physically abused by a sibling at home, they were more likely to report higher levels of trait anger, which subsequently increased their risk of engaging in bullying perpetration. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that experiencing physical sibling abuse has long-term detrimental consequences, including elicitation of trait anger, subsequently predicting bullying perpetration.

Dual Systems Imbalance as a Mediator of the Relationship Between Exposure to Violence and Violent Offending Risk: Delineating Direct Victimization and Witnessed Violence.

Exposure to violence is a robust risk factor associated with violent offending. Furthermore, exposure to violence can lead to dysfunctional cognitive development, and this may underpin the relationship between exposure to violence and violent offending risk. However, there is a dearth of research that has examined the independent effects of direct victimization and witnessed violence in this regard, particularly as it pertains to dual systems imbalance as a cognitive mediator of either or both forms of exposure to violence. This study sought to address this gap in the literature by examining the effects of direct victimization and witnessed violence on violent offending risk and examining dual systems imbalance as a mediator of these relationships. The Pathways to Desistance data were analyzed. Generalized structural equation modeling was used to assess the direct and indirect effects of interest. The results indicated that only experiencing direct victimization was associated with an increased risk of violent offending at follow-up but not witnessed violence. Furthermore, dual systems imbalance significantly mediated the relationship between direct victimization and violent offending risk. The results indicate that justice-involved youth who have experienced direct victimization should be prioritized for intervention in order to reduce violent recidivism risk and that treatment should focus on improving cognitive processes pertaining to impulse control and risk-seeking.

Relative impacts of a virtual cooking and nutrition program for children and families.

Among the many factors contributing to increased consumption of ultraprocessed foods, a societal decline in cooking skills is a barrier to achieving healthy dietary patterns among children and adolescents. The current study assessed the effectiveness of a healthy cooking program, its geographic reach, and whether program format (child only, in-person format vs. family-based, virtual format) influenced outcomes. This was a quasi-experimental comparison study using youths' (8-18 years old) pre-post surveys, paired t-tests, propensity score matching, and hot spot analysis. Children participated in one of two healthy cooking programs: Flint Kids Cook (FKC)] in-person or [Flint Families Cook (FFC) virtual. FKC was facilitated inside a farmers' market commercial kitchen, whereas FFC took place virtually, in families' homes. Youth were eligible to participate in FKC if they were age 8-18 years, spoke English, and had not participated in a prior session. Families were eligible to participate in FFC if they had a child(ren) age 8-18 years, spoke English, and had not participated in a prior session of FKC or FFC. A total of 246 children (152 FKC; 94 FFC) completed assessments. FFC participants reported improved cooking self-efficacy (p < 0.001), intake of vegetables (p = 0.04), health-related quality of life (HRQoL; p = 0.01), and physical functioning (p < 0.001). Geographic reach, cooking self-efficacy, attitude towards cooking, and HRQoL exit scores did not differ between virtual or in-person programs. However, virtual program participants reported higher intake of whole grains (p = 0.02) and total fruits (p = 0.02) than in-person participants. Differences in outcomes based on program format included notable dietary improvements among youth who participated in the family-based virtual program.

ADHD as a Predictor of Quicker Time to Violent Recidivism and a Moderator of the Exposure to Violence-Violent Recidivism Relationship.

Research on the role that attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) plays as a moderator of the relationship between exposure to violence and violent recidivism is limited. The Pathways to Desistance data were analyzed to examine these relationships. Survival analysis was used to examine ADHD as a risk factor predicting time to violent recidivism. Cox-proportional hazard modeling was used to assess the impact of ADHD on violent recidivism risk and examine ADHD as a moderator of the relationship between exposure to violence and violent recidivism. Results indicated that ADHD predicted quicker time to recidivism. The effect of witnessed violence was significantly weaker for participants with ADHD at baseline than those without ADHD at baseline. The direct effect of ADHD diagnosis at baseline on violent recidivism risk was only significant when the hypothesized interaction terms were included in the model. These findings suggest that individuals with ADHD may be less vulnerable to the impact of witnessing violence on their own risk for perpetrating violence. Effective targeting of treatment should be understood within this context.

Understanding the link between alcohol dependence and victimisation risk: Is risk explained by peers or alcohol behaviours?

BACKGROUND: Alcohol dependence is a risk factor for experiencing victimisation, but little is known about how peer and behavioural mechanisms may explain this relationship. AIMS: To test deviant peer association and/or heavy-episodic drinking frequency as mediators between alcohol dependence and risk for being victimised. METHODS: The Pathways to Desistance data were analysed. Generalised structural equation modelling was used to determine whether either or both of the hypothesised pathways significantly mediated the relationship between alcohol dependence and victimisation. RESULTS: Alcohol dependence at recruitment (age 14-17) was associated with higher odds of being a victim of some form of violence in Wave 3 (age x-y). This relationship was significantly mediated by deviant peer association but not heavy-episodic drinking frequency between Waves 2 and 3. CONCLUSIONS: These findings add knowledge about the mechanism of a link between early alcohol dependence and later violent victimisation among young offenders. They suggest that more focus on reducing delinquent peer association, or reducing its impact, is crucial to reducing further harms to these young people, in turn possibly affecting continuing substance use and reoffending risks. Peer mentoring programmes help to provide prosocial modelling and reduce deviant peer ties in some circumstances, and these findings suggest that the next step should be their evaluation specifically among justice-involved young people with alcohol dependence. Providing additional funding and/or opportunities for involvement in such mentoring programmes may help to reduce the public health and financial costs associated with alcohol dependence in the juvenile justice system.

Antisocial personality disorder as a predictor of polydrug use: a longitudinal study of the dual mediating roles of deviant peer association and self-control among juvenile offenders.

BACKGROUND: Antisocial personality disorder (APD) has been linked to increased risk for polydrug use (PU). However, there is a dearth of research focusing on the mechanisms underlying this risk. AIMS: To examine the relationship between APD and PU; to test for the mediating effects of deviant peer association (DVA) and self-control in this relationship; to determine if the magnitudes of observed mediation effects are equivalent. METHODS: The Pathways to Desistance data were analyzed. Generalized structural equation modeling tested for direct and mediating relationships. Mediation effect equivalence was tested using a Clogg Z test. RESULTS: Antisocial personality disorder was associated with increased drug use heterogeneity (coefficient = 0.479; CI = 0.107-0.851). This was significantly mediated by self-control and DVA. The magnitude of the mediation was significantly stronger for the self-control path (self-control coefficient = 0.233; CI = 0.044-0.422; DVA coefficient = 0.134; CI = 0.028-0.241). CONCLUSION: While both self-control and DVA were found to be important for explaining PU in APD, it may be beneficial to focus on self-control to address this problem.

Major depressive disorder as a moderator of the relationship between heavy-episodic drinking and anxiety symptoms.

BACKGROUND: Major depressive disorder and heavy-episodic drinking are risk factors for the development of anxiety. However, the interactive effect between these constructs for predicting anxiety symptoms remains understudied. AIMS: This study sought to examine how major depressive disorder moderates the relationship between heavy-episodic drinking frequency and the development of anxiety symptoms in adolescence and emerging adulthood among a sample of justice-involved youth, with expectations that the salience of this relationship may differ based on life-course stage. METHODS: Several waves of the Pathways to Desistance study were analyzed. Poisson regression with robust standard errors was used to test the direct and interactive effects of major depressive disorder and heavy-episodic drinking frequency on anxiety symptoms at follow-up in adolescence and emerging adulthood separately. RESULTS: Results indicated that there was a significant negative interaction between major depressive disorder and heavy-episodic drinking frequency for predicting anxiety scores in both adolescence and emerging adulthood, though the results for adolescence were more robust. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest youth without major depressive disorder that engage in heavy-episodic drinking may be a priority population for treating anxiety issues, but that ceiling effects may limit the impact of the behavior on anxiety on youth with major depressive disorder.

Exposure to Violence Variety as a Risk Factor for Cigarette Smoking: Relevance of Sensation-Seeking and Impulsivity as Mediators.

BACKGROUND: Prior research has indicated that exposure to violence is a risk factor associated with cigarette smoking. However, the relevance of variety of exposure for predicting this outcome has remained underexplored. This is problematic, as increased variety of exposure may represent a measure of severity of trauma exposure with less recall bias than other measures. Further, related constructs of sensation-seeking and impulsivity have yet to be investigated as mediators of this relationship. It is predicted that increased variety of exposure to violence results in dysfunctional variation in these constructs, leading to increased daily cigarette use. METHODS: The present study utilizes data from the first three waves of the Pathways to Desistance study to examine these relationships. Generalized structural equation modeling is used to identify direct and indirect effects of interest. A bootstrap resampling process was used to compute normalized standard errors so that indirect effects were not biased. RESULTS: Results indicated that lifetime exposure to violence variety prior to baseline predicted increased daily cigarette use at follow-up. Neither sensation-seeking nor impulsivity were significant mediators when both constructs were included in the model, but impulsivity emerged as a significant mediator when separate mediation models were estimated for each construct. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate the potential utility of screening for variety of exposure to violence to determine adolescents who may be at-risk for high frequency cigarette smoking. Programming focused on impulsivity may play a role in addressing cigarette smoking issues stemming from exposure to violence.

Presentation of Borderline Personality Disorder Symptoms in Adulthood: Development of Depression Mediates the Effect of Childhood and Adolescent Exposure to Violence.

ABSTRACT: Past research has linked the development of borderline personality disorder to earlier exposure to violence. However, the causal link by which this relationship exists has not yet been fully identified. The present study sought to examine how exposure to violence predicted heterogeneity in the development of depressive systems and results in the arousal of borderline personality disorder symptoms in adulthood. The Pathways to Desistance data were used in the analyses. This data set consisted of the responses of 1354 juvenile offenders followed across 7 years. Group-based trajectory modeling was used to identify latent trajectories of depressive symptoms. Ordinary least squares regression was used to model covariate effects on borderline personality disorder symptoms in adulthood. Results indicated that a three-group depression trajectory model best fit the data. Direct victimization early in life was associated with increased borderline personality disorder symptoms in adulthood. When trajectory group assignment was accounted for in the model, the relationship between direct victimization and borderline personality disorder symptoms was attenuated by around 30%. Implications are discussed.