Showing papers in "Journal of Research on Adolescence in 2011"
TL;DR: Five themes of peer influence research from this decade were identified, including a broadening of the range of behaviors for which peer influence occurs, distinguishing the sources of influence, probing the conditions under which influence is amplified/attenuated, and preliminary exploration of behavioral neuroscience perspectives on peer influence.
Abstract: This article reviews empirical and theoretical contributions to a multidisciplinary understanding of peer influence processes in adolescence over the past decade. Five themes of peer influence research from this decade were identified, including a broadening of the range of behaviors for which peer influence occurs, distinguishing the sources of influence, probing the conditions under which influence is amplified/attenuated (moderators), testing theoretically based models of peer influence processes (mechanisms), and preliminary exploration of behavioral neuroscience perspectives on peer influence. This review highlights advances in each of these areas, underscores gaps in current knowledge of peer influence processes, and outlines important challenges for future research.
992 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors focus on selected new research findings from the past decade regarding how teachers, curricular tasks, and classroom environments, aspects of the school as an organization, and district policies and practices can play an instrumental role in adolescents' intellectual and social emotional development.
Abstract: Considerable strides have been made in the past decade in recognizing the centrality of the cultural context of schooling to adolescent development. In this review, adopting a developmental systems conceptualization of schooling, we focus on selected new research findings from the past decade regarding how (a) teachers, curricular tasks, and classroom environments; (b) aspects of the school as an organization; and (c) district policies and practices can play an instrumental role in adolescents' intellectual and social–emotional development.
934 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a key innovation across the field of adolescent sexuality research over the last decade has been to conceptualize sexuality as a normative aspect of adolescent development, which has led to new views on sexual behavior, sexual selfhood and sexual socialization in the 21st century.
Abstract: This review details a key innovation across the field of adolescent sexuality research over the last decade—conceptualizing sexuality as a normative aspect of adolescent development. Anchored in a growing articulation of adolescent sexuality as having positive qualities and consequences, we provide an organizing framework for understanding sexuality as normative and developmentally expected. Using this framework, we report on 3 specific areas of research that have developed “critical mass” over the past decade: new views on sexual behavior, sexual selfhood, and sexual socialization in the 21st century. We conclude by suggesting that the next step in the field of adolescent sexuality development is the explicit integration of “positive” dimensions of sexuality with risk management dimensions. Rather than navigating a binary between positive and risky, we propose characterizing the “both/and” quality of adolescent sexuality development as normative. This framework, we argue, encourages empirical research that assumes a wide range of strategies through which adolescents learn about themselves, their bodies, intimate partners, and relationships within contexts where they are required to both manage risks and develop positive patterns for adulthood sexuality. We conclude with considerations for future research and public policy.
528 citations
TL;DR: A recent review as discussed by the authors suggests that identity formation is a less dynamic process than commonly assumed, and that the identity status continuum has the order diffusion (D)→moratorium (M)→foreclosure (F)→achievement (A), that adolescents may follow two distinct sets of identity transitions on this continuum: D→F (or EC: early closure, an alternative label for foreclosure)→A or D→M→C (closure, a subtype of early closure) →A, that present identity status research offers multiple ways to study continuity of identity,
Abstract: Longitudinal research into personal and ethnic identity has expanded considerably in the first decade of the present century. The longitudinal studies have shown that personal identity develops progressively during adolescence, but also that many individuals do not change identity, especially ethnic identity. Researchers have found rank-order stability of personal identity to be larger in adulthood than in adolescence and stability of ethnic identity to be larger in middle and late than early adolescence. Personal identity appears to progress in adulthood, as well. Adolescents with a mature identity typically show high levels of adjustment and a positive personality profile, live in warm families, and perform well at school. There is little evidence for developmental order, however, and studies instead have mainly found covariation over time between identity and the other developmental processes. The present review demonstrates that the dimensional approach to the study of identity formation can be very successful. It allows for combined variable and person-centered analyses, and for empirically generated and replicable statuses. Theoretically, the review suggests that identity formation is a less dynamic process than commonly assumed, that the identity status continuum has the order diffusion (D)→moratorium (M)→foreclosure (F)→achievement (A), that adolescents may follow two distinct sets of identity transitions on this continuum: D→F (or EC: early closure, an alternative label for foreclosure)→A or D→M→C (closure, a subtype of early closure)→A, that present identity status research offers multiple ways to study continuity of identity, and that there is no empirical proof for the assumption that exploration precedes commitment in the process of identity formation. Additionally, narrative identity research became highly visible between 2000 and 2010. The studies into narrative identity have shown that continuity of identity and coherence of the life story both grow in adolescence. Suggestions for future research are outlined.
481 citations
TL;DR: A biologically plausible conceptualization of the mechanisms underlying nonlinear changes in behavior observed during adolescence, as an imbalance between a heightened sensitivity to motivational cues and immature cognitive control is provided.
Abstract: Adolescence is a developmental period often characterized as a time of impulsive and risky choices leading to increased incidence of unintentional injuries and violence, alcohol and drug abuse, unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Traditional neurobiological and cognitive explanations for such suboptimal choices and actions have failed to account for nonlinear changes in behavior observed during adolescence, relative to childhood and adulthood. This review provides a biologically plausible conceptualization of the mechanisms underlying these nonlinear changes in behavior, as an imbalance between a heightened sensitivity to motivational cues and immature cognitive control. Recent human imaging and animal studies provide a biological basis for this view, suggesting differential development of subcortical limbic systems relative to top-down control systems during adolescence relative to childhood and adulthood. This work emphasizes the importance of examining transitions into and out of adolescence and highlights emerging avenues of future research on adolescent brain development.
473 citations
TL;DR: The body of research from the past decade on adolescent sexual orientation, focused on issues of measurement, developmental trajectories, evidence related to health disparities, and the risks and protective factors that help explain the health and developmental challenges some lesbian, gay, and bisexual adolescents experience, is reviewed.
Abstract: The decade between 1998 and 2008 saw rapid increases in research on adolescent sexual orientation development and related health issues, both in the quantity and in the quality of studies. While much of the research originated in North America, studies from other countries also contributed to emerging understanding of developmental trajectories and social influences on the health of sexual minority adolescents. This paper reviews the body of research from the past decade on adolescent sexual orientation, focused on issues of measurement, developmental trajectories, evidence related to health disparities, and the risks and protective factors that help explain the health and developmental challenges some lesbian, gay, and bisexual adolescents experience. Although many sexual minority adolescents face stigma and rejection within their families, their schools, or their communities, it should be noted that most successfully navigate the developmental tasks of adolescence and attain similar levels of health and well-being as their heterosexual peers, often despite the stigma and discrimination they encounter. Further research is needed to understand population trends as well as individual patterns of development, cultural variations in both development and health disparities, the interplay of general and unique risk factors that contribute to various health disparities and protective factors that buffer those risks, and interventions to promote the healthy development of sexual minority adolescents.
371 citations
Abstract: In this article, we review the most important findings to have emerged during the past 10 years in the study of judgment and decision making (JDM) in adolescence and look ahead to possible new directions in this burgeoning area of research. Three inter-related shifts in research emphasis are of particular importance and serve to organize this review. First, research grounded in normative models of JDM has moved beyond the study of age differences in risk perception and toward a dynamic account of the factors predicting adolescent decisions. Second, the field has seen widespread adoption of dual-process models of cognitive development that describe 2 relatively independent modes of information processing, typically contrasting an analytic (cold) system with an experiential (hot) one. Finally, there has been an increase in attention to the social, emotional, and self-regulatory factors that influence JDM. This shift in focus reflects the growing influence of findings from developmental neuroscience, which describe a pattern of structural and functional maturation that may set the stage for a heightened propensity to make risky decisions in adolescence.
319 citations
TL;DR: The neuroendocrine aspects ofuberty and its components, as well as the timing of puberty and its tempo, are addressed and recommendations for what is needed in the next decade regarding the measurement of puberty are made.
Abstract: Since the early 1980s, the focus on the importance of puberty to adolescent development has continued with variability in the methodology selected to measure puberty. To capture the relevant and important issues regarding the measurement of puberty in the last decade, this paper will address (1) the neuroendocrine aspects of puberty and its components, as well as the timing of puberty and its tempo; (2) why puberty is measured, including the relevance of puberty and its timing to health and development as well as the relevance of being off‐time, that is, early or late with respect to a reference group; (3) the measurement of puberty and its methodology with respect to pubertal staging by physical examination, self‐report measures, and their agreement with other methods and measures, hormones and their methods of measurement, and comparison of hormone concentrations to pubertal stage; and (4) recommendations for what is needed in the next decade regarding the measurement of puberty.
297 citations
TL;DR: The past decade's research on the use and effects of older (television, music, movies, magazines) and newer media (the Internet, cell phones, social networking) on adolescents' health and well-being is reviewed in this article.
Abstract: The past decade's research on the use and effects of older (television, music, movies, magazines) and newer media (the Internet, cell phones, social networking) on adolescents' health and well‐being is reviewed. A portrait of patterns of use of the media is provided and then the predictors and effects of those patterns on adolescents' mental health is discussed. Research on the effects of exposure to specific kinds of content on adolescents' aggressive behavior, gender roles, sexual relationships, body image disturbances, obesity, and substance use also are reviewed. Finally, media literacy as a promising strategy for enhancing adolescents' use of the media in the future is considered.
247 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a review of recent trends in research and theory on the role of gender in adolescent development is presented, focusing on three constructs that are especially relevant to the investigation of within-gender individual differences in gender phenomena: gender typing, gender stereotypes, and gender identity.
Abstract: This article summarizes and critiques recent trends in research and theory on the role of gender in adolescent development. First, gender differences in key areas of adolescent functioning are reviewed. Second, research on 3 constructs that are especially relevant to the investigation of within-gender individual differences in gender phenomena—gender typing, gender stereotypes, and gender identity—is discussed. Third, trends in theories of gender differentiation are identified. Throughout, issues of conceptualization and of methodology are discussed, and directions for future research are offered.
232 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors synthesize the existing literature on pubertal timing and depression and externalizing behavior within a theoretical framework of risks, transitions, and psychological development during adolescence.
Abstract: The purpose of this report is to synthesize the existing literature on pubertal timing and (a) depression and (b) externalizing behavior within a theoretical framework of risks, transitions, and psychological development during adolescence. This review first proposes a framework for considering pubertal timing and maladaptive behavior. Next, the literature on pubertal timing and depression is discussed, followed by the literature on pubertal timing and externalizing behavior with fine distinctions being made for males and females. Additionally, mediating and moderating variables are reviewed in an effort to understand mechanisms by which timing of puberty and maladjustment may operate or risk factors that may amplify the detrimental consequences of the pubertal transition. Finally, conclusions and future directions are proposed.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: In this article, the influence of family structure and family relation ships on adolescent well-being was examined using data collected in the National Survey of Families and Households (NSSH).
Abstract: This article examines the influence of family structure and family relation- ships on adolescent well-being. Using a subsample (N = 850) of data collected in the National Survey of Families and Households, we examine socioemotional adjustment, academic performance, and global well-being among adolescents (ages 12 to 18) living in the four most prevalent family structures in the United States: (a) intact first-married family units, (b) divorced, single- parent families, (c) stepfamilies, and (d) continuously single mothers and their children, one of the fastest growing types of households. These four family types vary dramatically on socioeconomic characteristics and rneasures of family relations. Compared to the other family types, families headed by continuously single mothers have the lowest income, whereas divorced families and stepfamilies report the highest levels of mother-adolescent disagreement and the lowest levels of parental supervision and mother-adolescent interaction, Unadjusted comparisons across family types reveal that adolescents in first-rnarried families have slightly higher scores on all three measures of well-being, but few of the differences are statistically significant, Regression analyses indicate that the strongest and most consistent predictor of adolescent well-being is mother-adolescent disagreement, Other family process variables directly involving the mother-adolescent dyad (mother-adolescent interaction, aggression, and support) are consistently related to adolescent adjustment, academic performance, and well-being.
TL;DR: This paper examined the role of empathy and self-regulation as mediators between positive parenting (mothering and fathering) and early adolescents' prosocial behavior toward three targets (strangers, friends, and family).
Abstract: The current study examined the role of empathy and self-regulation as mediators between positive parenting (mothering and fathering) and early adolescents' prosocial behavior toward 3 targets (strangers, friends, and family). Data were taken from Time 1 and Time 2 of the Flourishing Families Project, and included reports from 500 families with an early adolescent child (mean age of child at Time 1=11.29). Analyses suggested that predictors of prosocial behavior toward the 3 targets differed, with empathy (as reported by mothers only) and self-regulation mediating the relation between positive parenting and prosocial behavior toward strangers and friends, but not toward family. Positive mothering was the only variable that was significantly related to prosocial behavior toward family. The discussion focuses on the need for continued research examining a relational approach to prosocial development.
TL;DR: This article gives an overview of the progress made in childhood and adolescent obesity research in the last decade, with a particular emphasis on the transdisciplinary and complex nature of the problem.
Abstract: Childhood obesity has become an epidemic on a worldwide scale. This article gives an overview of the progress made in childhood and adolescent obesity research in the last decade, with a particular emphasis on the transdisciplinary and complex nature of the problem. The following topics are addressed: 1) current definitions of childhood and adolescent overweight and obesity; 2) demography of childhood and adolescent obesity both in the US and globally; 3) current topics in the physiology of fat and obesity; 4) psychosocial correlates of childhood and adolescent overweight and obesity; 5) the three major obesity-related behaviors, i.e. dietary intake, physical activity and sleep; 6) genes components of childhood and adolescent obesity; 7) environment and childhood and adolescent obesity; and 8) progress in interventions to prevent and treat childhood obesity. The article concludes with recommendations for future research, including the need for large-scale, high dose and long-term interventions that take into account the complex nature of the problem.
TL;DR: It is argued that viewing adolescence within the full life course will improve the authors' understanding of both adolescence itself and the life course more generally, making explicit how adolescence is linked to developmental processes in the years both before and after adolescence in ways that are shaped by broader patterns of social change.
Abstract: In this essay, we argue that viewing adolescence within the full life course will improve our understanding of both adolescence itself and the life course more generally. Such an approach makes explicit how adolescence is linked to developmental processes in the years both before and after adolescence in ways that are shaped by broader patterns of social change. We highlight insights from research over the past decade that illustrate the kinds of life course questions about adolescence that need to be posed in the next decade, focusing on connections between adolescence and the 2 life stages that border it: childhood and young adulthood. Although life course themes cut across the many different topics that adolescence scholars typically study, we draw our examples from 3 specific substantive areas—educational success, puberty, and problem behavior.
TL;DR: A review of research published from 2000 to 2010 with a specific focus on the nature and impact of child maltreatment on adolescent development can be found in this article, focusing on three especially critical themes of this recent research: (1) prospective longitudinal studies that examine adolescent adaptation and maladaptation of individuals abused or neglected earlier in life; (2) research that focuses on some developmental outcomes with particular saliency during adolescence such as delinquency and substance abuse, romantic relationships, and sexuality; and (3) psychobiological processes in maltreated adolescents, processes that might indicate the mechanisms
Abstract: Child abuse and neglect, often collectively called child maltreatment, are huge social problems affecting millions of children and adolescents in America. Adolescents are affected both by maltreatment which occurred during childhood with lingering effects and by maltreatment that continues into or begins in adolescence. Several decades of research indicate such maltreatment is associated with a number of mental health problems, including internalizing and externalizing problems, as well as other maladaptive developmental problems, in childhood and beyond. This is a review of research published from 2000 to 2010 with a specific focus on the nature and impact of child maltreatment on adolescent development. This article focuses on 3 especially critical themes of this recent research: (1) prospective longitudinal studies that examine adolescent adaptation and maladaptation of individuals abused or neglected earlier in life; (2) research that focuses on some developmental outcomes with particular salience during adolescence such as delinquency and substance abuse, romantic relationships, and sexuality; and (3) research that examined psychobiological processes in maltreated adolescents, processes that might indicate the mechanisms underlying maladaptive development.
TL;DR: A comprehensive review of studies conducted over the past decade on the effects of neighborhood and poverty on adolescent normative and nonnormative development is provided in this paper, where the authors conclude with promising strategies for future research, including recommendations for addressing theoretical and methodological issues that continue to plague this field of research.
Abstract: This article provides a comprehensive review of studies conducted over the past decade on the effects of neighborhood and poverty on adolescent normative and nonnormative development. Our review includes a summary of studies examining the associations between neighborhood poverty and adolescent identity development followed by a review of studies addressing both direct and indirect linking among neighborhood poverty to academic achievement as well as internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Available neighborhood studies that examined physical health disparities, as well as genetic and environmental influences on adolescent development, were also included. Within each section we summarize findings that address the direct and indirect effects of neighborhood poverty. We conclude with promising strategies for future research, including recommendations for addressing theoretical and methodological issues that continue to plague this field of research.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the effect of peer presence on reward sensitivity in a sample of 100 late adolescents ages 18 through 20 (M=18.5) using a delay discounting task, which assessed an individual's preference for immediate versus delayed rewards.
Abstract: Adolescents take more risks in the presence of their peers, but the mechanism through which peer presence affects risky decision-making is unknown. We propose that the presence of peers increases the salience of the immediate rewards of a risky choice. The current study examined the effect of peer presence on reward sensitivity in a sample of 100 late adolescents ages 18 through 20 (M=18.5) using a delay discounting task, which assesses an individual's preference for immediate versus delayed rewards. Participants were randomly assigned to complete the task alone or with 2 same-age, same-sex peers observing. Consistent with our prediction, adolescents demonstrated a greater preference for immediate rewards when with their peers than when alone. Heightened risk taking by adolescents in the company of their friends may be due in part to the effect that being with one's peers has on reward sensitivity.
TL;DR: This paper identified key issues in research on adolescent coping with stress with parents, friends, and romantic partners during the past decade and made recommendations for prevention and intervention, particularly with respect to complex and important developmental questions that have not yet been fully addressed.
Abstract: This review identifies key issues in research on adolescent coping with stress with parents, friends, and romantic partners during the past decade. An analysis of 78 studies revealed findings on relationship stressors and the potential links between the use of different coping styles for different relationship types. Research has confirmed consistent gender differences in dealing with relationship stress and shown how individual factors (e.g., personality factors and attachment style) contribute to variations in stress perception and coping styles. Implications for prevention and intervention are identified and suggestions are made for future research, particularly with respect to complex and important developmental questions that have not yet been fully addressed.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examine adolescents' conscious processes of developing pertinent competencies for pursuing goals (agency) in these kinds of real-world settings, drawing on qualitative longitudinal research on youth's experiences working on arts and community projects.
Abstract: Adolescents need to develop competencies to navigate an adult world that is complex and disorderly: a world of heterogeneous macro- to microecological systems containing contradictions and catch-22s. This exploratory essay examines adolescents' conscious processes of developing pertinent competencies for pursuing goals (agency) in these kinds of “real-world” settings. It draws on qualitative longitudinal research on youth's experiences working on arts and community projects in which they encounter the irregular dynamics of complex human systems. I describe how youth develop “strategic thinking”: executive skills for formulating strategies based on forecasting dynamics in navigating these systems. I also describe how youth learn to manage emotions (in self and others) that arise in these real-world transactions and how they develop motivation that sustains their work toward goals. Even as we learn more about the biological hardware of development, I argue that we must study youth's conscious, proactive processes in developing their own “software” to navigate complex and disorderly human worlds.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors extols methodological advances and growing diversity of samples while critiquing conceptual underpinnings of many investigations, and suggest to guide research toward a more contextually sensitive, integrative understanding of dynamic, reciprocal processes between general and peer-focused parenting processes and adolescent peer relations.
Abstract: Drawing energy from a debate about the efficacy of parental monitoring, research over the first decade of the 21st century has traced numerous ways in which parenting practices and parent–child relationship features affect adolescents' peer interactions, and how these 2 factors interact to affect adolescent adjustment. In reviewing this research, this paper extols methodological advances and growing diversity of samples while critiquing conceptual underpinnings of many investigations. Suggestions are offered to guide research toward a more contextually sensitive, integrative understanding of dynamic, reciprocal processes between general and peer-focused parenting processes and adolescent peer relations.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors applied multilevel social network analytic techniques to examine processes of homophilic selection and social influence related to alcohol use among friends in early adolescence, and found that selection processes played a more significant role than social influence processes in predicting similarity between early adolescent friends' alcohol use.
Abstract: This study applies multilevel social network analytic techniques to examine processes of homophilic selection and social influence related to alcohol use among friends in early adolescence. Participants included 3,041 Dutch youth (M age =12 years, 49% female) from 120 classrooms in 14 schools. Three waves with 3-month intervals of friendship nomination data and self-reports of drinking behavior were collected. Results revealed that within classrooms, friendship nominations tended to be reciprocated and dyadic friendships tended to be embedded within cohesive subgroups (e.g., cliques). Students tended to nominate friends who were the same sex, from a similar ethnic background, and who they previously knew from primary school. Selection processes turned out to play a more significant role than social influence processes in predicting similarity between early adolescent friends' alcohol use. Although friendship dynamics and individual drinking trajectories substantially differed between classrooms, the effects of homophilic selection and social influence did not.
TL;DR: Perceived personal discrimination has notable direct effects on both general and violent delinquency and is an important mediator between neighborhood structural conditions and offending; moreover, its effects exceed those associated with neighborhood conditions.
Abstract: Prominent explanations of the overrepresentation of Black Americans in criminal justice statistics focus on the effects of neighborhood concentrated disadvantage, racial isolation, and social disorganization. We suggest that perceived personal discrimination is an important but frequently neglected complement to these factors. We test this hypothesis with longitudinal data on involvement in general and violent juvenile delinquency in a sample of Black youth from a variety of communities in 2 states. We examine the direct effects of concentrated disadvantage and racial isolation and the direct and mediating effects of social organization, support for violence, and personal discrimination. Consistent with our hypothesis, perceived personal discrimination has notable direct effects on both general and violent delinquency and is an important mediator between neighborhood structural conditions and offending; moreover, its effects exceed those associated with neighborhood conditions.
TL;DR: In this article, a racial identity-context congruence framework was proposed to predict positive benefits of a strong, positive racial identity when the context is congruent with youths' beliefs.
Abstract: Researchers have been concerned with whether strong racial identification promotes or inhibits achievement motivation among African American youth, but current literatures have paid little attention to the role of youths' contexts. In this study, we outline a racial identity–context congruence framework that predicts positive benefits of a strong, positive racial identity when the context is congruent with youths' beliefs. To test this framework, we examined school racial climate as a moderator in the relationships of three racial identity variables (centrality, private regard, and public regard) with intrinsic motivation for attending school in a sample of 11th graders. Overall, results support the congruence perspective and also demonstrate how feelings of belonging at school mediate the relationship between racial identity–racial climate congruence and school intrinsic motivation.
TL;DR: All civic indicators showed significant differences based on youths' college aspirations: Youth who planned to graduate from a 4-year college were more civically inclined than their peers with 2-year or no college plans.
Abstract: Using annual cross-sectional data from Monitoring the Future, the present study examined trends in high school seniors' current and anticipated civic participation and beliefs over a 30-year period. We examined overall trends and patterns based on youths' post-high school educational plans. Findings point to declines in recent cohorts' involvement in conventional and alternative forms of engagement but greater involvement in community service. Regardless of period, the majority of youth said they intended to vote when eligible but few expressed trust in the government or elected officials. All civic indicators showed significant differences based on youths' college aspirations: Youth who planned to graduate from a 4-year college were more civically inclined than their peers with 2-year or no college plans.
TL;DR: For example, the authors found that adolescents who dated fewer partners in mid-adolescence and who experienced a better quality dating relationship at age 16 demonstrated romantic partner interactions characterized by smoother relationship process in young adulthood (e.g., negotiating conflict to mutual satisfaction, effective and timely caregiving/seeking).
Abstract: Conceptual links between aspects of adolescents' dating experiences (i.e., involvement and quality; ages 15–17.5) and qualities of their romantic relationships in young adulthood (ages 20–21) were examined in a prospective longitudinal design. Even after accounting for earlier relationship experiences with parents and peers, aspects of adolescent dating experiences predicted romantic relationship qualities in young adulthood. Adolescents who dated fewer partners in mid-adolescence and who experienced a better quality dating relationship at age 16 demonstrated romantic partner interactions characterized by smoother relationship process in young adulthood (e.g., negotiating conflict to mutual satisfaction, effective and timely caregiving/seeking); adolescents who dated more partners in mid-adolescence displayed greater negative affect in romantic partner interactions in young adulthood.
TL;DR: This article summarizes the empirical studies showing pathways in the development of externalizing and delinquent behaviors and describes a parsimonious model of pathways in externalizing problems that incorporates psychiatric symptoms of Disruptive Behaviors Disorders, other externalizing behaviors, and delinquent acts.
Abstract: This article summarizes the empirical studies showing pathways in the development of externalizing and delinquent behaviors. Pathways are defined as the orderly temporal development between more than two problem behaviors. The paper addresses the following questions: (1) What are the developmental pathways between different diagnoses of Disruptive Behavior Disorders, including Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), Conduct Disorder (CD), and Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD)? (2) What is a parsimonious model of pathways in externalizing problems that incorporates psychiatric symptoms of Disruptive Behaviors Disorders, other externalizing behaviors, and delinquent acts? And do the data best fit a single or multiple pathways? (3) Which pathways have been documented from externalizing to internalizing behaviors? (4) What are the limitations of past studies and what are the prospects of future studies on developmental pathways? Implications are discussed of the findings for assessments and interventions.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors found that cross-national differences in school and life satisfaction were partially mediated by adolescents' perceptions of autonomy support from authority figures, which supports self-determination theory and the ecological model of child development.
Abstract: Past research shows that higher well-being is reported by adolescents who live in individualistic rather than collectivistic nations. Such cross-national differences may be due to the amount of autonomy support adolescents receive from authority figures. To examine this hypothesis, in the current study, 322 adolescents from Denmark, South Korea, and the United States completed self-report surveys that assessed adolescents' school and life satisfaction and their experience of autonomy support from parents and teachers. Results showed that Danish adolescents reported highest school satisfaction, life satisfaction, and perceived autonomy support, followed by American and Korean adolescents, respectively. Furthermore, cross-national differences in school and life satisfaction were partially mediated by adolescents' perceptions of autonomy support from authority figures. These findings support self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985) and the ecological model of child development (Bronfenbrenner, 1986).
TL;DR: The findings suggest that adolescents are socially rewarded for conforming to their peers' alcohol use and penalized (to a lesser degree) for increasing their consumption above that of their peers.
Abstract: Although many economic analyses of adolescents have examined the costs of risky behaviors, few have investigated the gains that young people derive from such actions, particularly in terms of social payoffs for complying with peer behavior. This paper studies the relationship between adolescents' use of alcohol (relative to that of their peers) and popularity at school. We use data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, a rich and nationally-representative survey with detailed information on social networks. Our findings suggest that adolescents are socially rewarded for conforming to their peers' alcohol use and penalized (to a lesser degree) for increasing their consumption above that of their peers. Male adolescents are rewarded for keeping up with their peers' drinking and for getting drunk. Female adolescents are rewarded for drinking per se, but not necessarily for keeping up with their peers. The results offer new information on peer influence and have implications for substance abuse interventions at school and in the community. Language: en
TL;DR: The authors examined coping self-efficacy as a mediator of the relationship between peer victimization and psychological maladjustment in order to gain an understanding of this heterogeneity in children's responses to victimization.
Abstract: Not all children exposed to peer victimization experience the same type or the same degree of negative outcomes; there is heterogeneity in outcomes. This study examined coping self-efficacy as a mediator of the relationship between peer victimization and psychological maladjustment in order to gain an understanding of this heterogeneity in children's responses to victimization. In this study, 2,161 children (1,071 females and 1,090 males), ranging in age from 10 to 15 years, 63% White, 17% Middle-Eastern, 10% Asian, and 10% from other ethnic groups, participated. Results from the mediational analysis revealed that four coping self-efficacy domains differentially mediated the relationship between peer victimization and social anxiety, cognitive depression, and externalizing symptoms. These findings highlight the importance of increasing children's coping self-efficacy for proactive behavior, avoiding self-blame, victim-role disengagement, and avoiding aggressive behavior in order to attenuate the negative psychological outcomes of peer harassment.