Journal of Research on Adolescence最新文献

The prevalence of depression in females after puberty is twice as high as in their male peers. Considering numerous studies that associate the onset of depression with stress, we tested three hypotheses to elucidate the role of biological sex in stress-induced depression on a sample of 1618 secondary school students from Zagreb, Croatia (Males, N = 671, Mage at baseline = 16.4 years, SD = 0.60; Females, N = 947, Mage at baseline = 16.3 years, SD = 0.65), in a three-wave longitudinal study. The study tested the hypotheses regarding: (a) sex-related differences in reciprocal causation of stress and depression, (b) the moderating role of biological sex in the effect of stress on depression, and (c) the mediating role of stress on the pathway from biological sex to depression. The data were analyzed using a random intercept cross-lagged panel model (RI-CLPM) and standard moderation and mediation analyses. Females consistently reported higher levels of stress (Cohen's d ranged from 0.76 to 0.83) and depression (0.59 to 0.69) compared with their male peers. The hypothesis that biological sex moderates the effect of stress on depression was not supported, as the interaction between sex and subjective stress was mostly nonsignificant or small in magnitude, with standardized regression coefficients not exceeding .126. The hypothesis of sex-differentiated reciprocal causation of stress and depression was also not supported since cross-lagged relations were found to be mostly nonsignificant, indicating that the association between stress and depression rests largely on stable dispositions. The data supported the hypothesis of stress mediating the effect of biological sex on depression, with indirect effects ranging from 0.23 to 0.25 (95% CI 0.19 to 0.30). The findings suggest that the increased vulnerability of adolescent girls may lie in stable dispositions possibly responsible for higher sensitivity and less effective coping with stressful situations that lead to depression.

Developing effective emotion regulation ability to manage negative emotion (NE) is critical during adolescence. Social baseline theory posits social connectedness may impact adolescents' everyday emotion regulation. This study examined the relation between social connectedness and NE after a negative social interaction (emotion regulation) and whether contextual factors moderate the association. Adolescent girls (N = 114; M_age = 12.26, SD = 0.8) from a midsized Midwestern U.S. city (67.5% White, 19.3% Black/African American, 9.6% biracial, 1.8% Asian, 1.8% Native American/other race; 8.8% Latinx) completed a 16-day ecological momentary assessment (EMA) protocol, reporting current NE, current social context and social connectedness, peak NE, and receipt of co-regulatory support. Multilevel models were used to examine direct associations of social connectedness on emotion regulation, defined as current NE regressed on peak NE, and moderation of the social connectedness-emotion regulation association by social context, co-regulatory support, and adolescent shyness. Greater within- and between-person social connectedness was associated with better emotion regulation (greater reductions in NE). However, the within-person association depended on girls' social context: Compared to being with solely peers and/or non-family, being with family was associated with a weaker association between social connectedness and emotion regulation. Similarly, receiving in-the-moment co-regulatory support was associated with a weakened link between within-person social connectedness and emotion regulation, which appeared to be driven by reports of co-rumination. Results indicate that social connectedness is associated with better emotion regulation among girls, particularly in interactions with peers and non-family compared to family, highlighting the value of social connection with peers and non-family members. However, co-rumination disrupts the benefits of social connectedness, suggesting social connectedness is not beneficial during maladaptive co-regulatory processes.

Depression is the leading cause of disability among adolescents. Fewer than 50% of youth with depression access mental healthcare services. Leveraging a mixed-methods approach, this pre-registered study characterized youths' self-reported barriers to accessing mental healthcare in a socio-demographically diverse sample of 123 United States adolescents (ages 13–16, identifying as Asian (n = 19), Hispanic (n = 23), Black (n = 7), White (n = 65), or other race (n = 9); man (n = 9), woman (n = 58), or gender minority (n = 56); heterosexual (n = 19) or sexual orientation minority (n = 104)). All participants were experiencing elevated depression symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire-2 score of ≥2) and endorsed wanting mental health support but being unable to access it. We asked participants an open-ended question gauging perceived barriers to accessing care (“what has kept you from getting support when you wanted it?”), and a binary item gauging perceived current need for mental health support (“right now, do you feel that you need support for emotional or mental health problems?”). Via thematic analysis of responses to the perceived barriers question, we identified a total of 13 categories of barriers. Across all participants, 42.48% (n = 52) endorsed family-related barriers and 31.71% (n = 39) endorsed financerelated concerns. We conducted Chi-square analyses, examining rates of endorsing specific barriers as a function of (a) perceived current support need and (b) demographic variables (e.g. race/ethnicity, gender). In the current study, all adolescents endorsed similar categories of treatment access barriers, regardless of race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and level of depression. Implications for increasing mental healthcare access for adolescents with elevated depression symptoms are discussed.

In the United States, Black youth are negatively stereotyped in math ability and are comparatively behind their White and Asian peers on many indicators of math success. Because perceptions of social groups are linked to self-perceptions, Black youths' endorsement of Black-White math stereotypes might be bidirectionally related to their perceptions of their own math abilities. Drawing from a sample of 563 Black youth (250 boys; 313 girls), we used latent growth curve modeling to examine longitudinal change in youths' math self-concept from Grade 5 to Grades 7, 10, and 12, and tested the potential moderating role of youths' gender in developmental change. To advance understanding of developmental connections between students' self-concept and their racialized social group beliefs, we also examined associations between youths' math self-concept and their math Black-White stereotype endorsement. Results showed declines in math self-concept from Grades 5 to 7 to 12, with no gender differences in change across time. In Grade 7, higher math self-concept was associated with lower math stereotype endorsement. Further, a higher math self-concept in Grade 7 predicted steeper declines in stereotype endorsement through high school, and higher Grade 7 stereotype endorsement predicted steeper declines in subsequent math self-concept. Results are discussed in relation to support for improving math self-concept and reducing harmful math stereotype beliefs among Black youth.

The current study draws from literature on Multiracial ethnic-racial identity development processes and utilizes logistic regression models to identify what factors inform ethnic-racial self-categorization choices when confronted with a monoracial paradigm of race in a sample of Biracial high school students. Separate logistic regression models analyzed how family ethnic-racial socialization, phenotype, friend groups, and experiences with discrimination are associated with the racial category for Biracial White, Asian, Black, Native American, and Latinx youth, respectively, when asked to choose just one racial background. Results suggest that the associations of family ethnic-racial socialization, experiences with discrimination, and skin color with self-categorization vary in directionality and strength for different groups of Biracial adolescents. However, adolescents with a greater proportion of friends in a given ethnic-racial group were more likely to self-categorize with that respective ethnic-racial group across all models. These findings provide a nuanced understanding of how Biracial youth draw on various aspects of their lived experiences when confronting monoracism.

This study aimed to explore the characteristics of parent–adolescent emotional communication patterns from the perspectives of both parents and adolescents and to further examine their relationships with adolescent depressive symptoms. A mixed methods exploratory sequential design was used. In the qualitative phase, 21 parent–adolescent dyads (adolescents aged 15.1 years, with 11 reporting high depressive symptoms and 10 reporting low depressive symptoms) were interviewed, and the data were analyzed via inductive thematic analysis. The quantitative phase surveyed 369 parent–adolescent dyads (adolescents aged 13.5, 48.5% female). Emotional communication patterns were identified via latent profile analyses, and adolescent depressive symptoms were compared across patterns. The qualitative phase identified six parent–adolescent emotional communication patterns depending on parental behaviors, adolescents’ needs, and family arrangements. Different patterns were observed between groups with high and low depressive symptoms. In the quantitative phase, five patterns emerged from both adolescent and parent reports. Adolescents’ depressive symptoms significantly differed across patterns regardless of the data source, with the lowest in the adaptive communication pattern and the highest in maladaptive or limited communication patterns. Reporting concordance/discordance was also associated with adolescent depressive symptoms. Parent–adolescent emotional communication patterns differ in frequency and quality. Adolescent depressive symptoms varied across patterns. Concordance/discordance in reporting was associated with depressive symptoms in adolescents.

This article examines the multifaceted impact of the pandemic on students' education and mental health, drawing on both an analysis of existing literature and firsthand testimonials from adolescents during the lockdown. It highlights significant challenges, including technological barriers, mental health struggles, and the exacerbation of educational inequalities. Through personal accounts, the article illustrates varied experiences: while some students faced obstacles such as a lack of devices and motivation, others demonstrated resilience and adaptability by finding innovative solutions to continue their education. Positive outcomes, such as increased digital literacy and community support, are acknowledged but often overshadowed by the focus on negative effects. The article emphasizes the long-term implications of learning losses and the psychological impact on young people, urging for a more balanced view that includes success stories. Furthermore, it calls for immediate actions to address disparities in educational resources, including mental health support, skill development programs, and financial assistance. By advocating for youth-centric policies, the article aims to empower students to overcome the challenges presented by the pandemic and build a brighter future.

We investigated how adolescents' time allocation across daily activities influences their body mass index and well-being by paying explicit attention to gender and activities relevant to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We hypothesized that the inequitable domestic burden shouldered by girls adversely affects their health and well-being. Using data from three waves of the Young Lives Longitudinal Survey (2009, 2013, and 2016) tracking 1891 children aged 8, 12, and 15 from predominantly rural, low-income households from South India, we analyzed gendered time use patterns and their implications. Girls spent more time on caregiving, housework, and studying at home, while boys allocated more time to school, leisure, and sleep. Random effects models revealed that time spent on caregiving and housework increased the likelihood of being overweight or obese among girls, whereas leisure time reduced it. Time in school was positively associated with girl's thinness, as was time spent on sleep for both boys and girls. Gender moderated the effects of time spent on housework and unpaid economic tasks on thinness, reducing its likelihood for girls. Subjective well-being improved with time spent in school and studying for all adolescents. Fixed effects models revealed it worsened for girls engaged in paid work and boys engaged in leisure. Longer sleep hours improved boys' well-being. These findings underscore that gendered time use patterns, particularly girls' unequal burden of domestic responsibilities, contribute to their increased risk of overweight and obesity. Addressing these disparities is crucial for improving adolescents' health and well-being in resource-poor settings in LMICs.

TikTok is a pervasive and controversial social media platform with a sizeable adolescent following. Using a two-wave longitudinal design spaced 3 months apart during the academic year (N = 328, 60.4% male, M_age = 16.99), we investigated how adolescents' self-concept clarity relates to approval anxiety, fear of missing out, and online vigilance as possible stressors experienced on TikTok. Results showed a negative bidirectional link between self-concept clarity and approval anxiety. We also found a negative unidirectional longitudinal association between self-concept clarity and fear of missing out (FoMO) and online vigilance, respectively. Last, we found that approval anxiety longitudinally fosters fear of missing out. These findings suggest that adolescents holding uncertain self-views are more likely to perceive TikTok as a stressful environment and that experiencing approval anxiety might be especially harmful for them.

Friends' influence may importantly contribute to the development of adolescent disordered eating behaviors. However, little is known about the influence of friends on loss of control eating. This study investigated whether friend-reported loss of control eating was associated with changes in adolescents' own loss of control eating 1 year later and tested whether adolescents with lower self-esteem, higher fear of negative evaluation, and higher body dissatisfaction were more susceptible to friends' influence. Sex differences in these associations were also examined. Participants were 612 adolescents (50.0% female; M_{T1 Age} = 13.50 years, SD_{T1 Age} = 1.01) who were recruited from a school in the Netherlands with predominantly native Dutch students and participated in an ongoing longitudinal research project between 2019 and 2021. Results indicated that adolescents and their friends reported similar levels of loss of control eating but provided no support for friends' influence on loss of control eating, nor for differential susceptibility. The modest degree of similarity between adolescents' and their friends' loss of control eating and the lack of friends' influence on loss of control eating may be due to homophilic selection effects or the restrictions involving the COVID-19 pandemic, so replication of the results is warranted.