Journal of Research on Adolescence最新文献

The under-involvement of adolescents in health research has been attributed to multiple barriers faced by both researchers and adolescents. Despite identifying these barriers, the literature offers few solutions, mostly from the perspective of researchers. To address this, we conducted a qualitative study to explore effective strategies to address these barriers from the perspective of both researchers and adolescents. We conducted semi-structured interviews with adolescents (n = 25) and researchers (n = 25) from 14 countries. We included adolescents aged 10–24 years with experience of contributing to health research studies and health researchers with experience of engaging adolescents in health research. The interviews explored the mitigation strategies to commonly reported barriers to meaningful adolescent involvement for researchers and adolescents. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. We identified three overarching strategies to address the commonly experienced barriers to adolescent involvement. First, participants suggested the need to plan for adequate resources, organizational support, capacity building, accessibility, compensation, and adolescents' safety. Second, they recommended building relationships by engaging the community, fostering trust and respect with adolescents, promoting teamwork, and maintaining transparent communication. Third, they proposed making involvement engaging for adolescents by creating a conducive environment, increasing their representation, using interesting methods, and addressing power dynamics. These findings build on the current best practices for adolescent involvement in health research by highlighting which strategies should be incorporated early on to plan for and prevent potential challenges to adolescent involvement.

During adolescence, opportunities for interethnic interactions can shape future attitudes toward diversity. However, it is unclear how family can influence adolescents' quality of contact in different life contexts. This study aims to fill this gap. A sample of 702 Italian adolescents (M_age = 15.61, SD_age = 1.11, 48.58% girls) and their parents (615 mothers, M_age = 48.45, SD_age = 4.34; 487 fathers, M_age = 51.22, SD_age = 4.92) completed questionnaires at two time points. Cross-lagged models indicated that adolescents' intergroup contact at T1 was associated with mothers' contact over time, mainly in structured (i.e., school and work) contexts. No significant associations were found regarding fathers' intergroup contact and unstructured contexts. These results shed new light on the process of family transmission during adolescence, particularly regarding intergroup dynamics.

Substance use among youth is associated with adverse consequences and may increase vulnerability to addiction and psychiatric disorders later in life. Sociocultural factors such as discrimination have been associated with substance use, while positive cultural resources, such as enculturation and familism, have demonstrated protective outcomes. However, few studies have highlighted how family factors influence substance use among Latinx youth during their transition from adolescence to young adulthood. This study used longitudinal data to explore the associations between sociocultural factors, family factors, childhood adversity, and substance use among Latinx youth. The data were from a longitudinal study of acculturation and substance use among Latinx youth in Southern California (n = 1257, 52.1% female, mixed socioeconomic status). The average age was 14.5 (SD = 0.39). Data collection began in 2005 and ended in 2016. Hierarchical regression models showed that discrimination was associated with higher problematic alcohol susceptibility. Childhood adversity was associated with higher odds of tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use. Parental communication was associated with lower odds of problematic alcohol and marijuana use. To promote youth well-being, preventive efforts should prioritize reducing childhood adversity and discrimination, while fostering positive family relationships. Overall, our findings suggest the need for interventions targeting various systemic levels to effectively address substance use among Latinx youth.

Short-term longitudinal data were used to examine how racial discrimination, cultural socialization (CS), and preparation for bias (PB) related to Black and Latinx young adults' public and private regard. Black (n = 90) and Latinx (n = 54) young adults (M_age = 20 years) were assessed at two time points, 6 weeks apart. Racial discrimination predicted lower levels of public regard 6 week later; whereas PB predicted greater levels of private regard. CS moderated the relations between racial discrimination and private regard suggesting that at low levels of CS, discrimination related to lower private regard 6 weeks later. Findings demonstrate the short-term effects of racial discrimination and suggest that ethnic–racial socialization is a salient cultural resource for young adults.

This study explores adolescents' evaluations of unfair teacher and peer behavior in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) classes. Participants included ninth and tenth grade students from five public schools in the Southeastern United States, (N = 577, 45.9% female, 49% male, 5% other/prefer not to say/unsure). Students were ethnically representative of their communities: 48% White/European American, 22.7% Black/African American, 14% Latino/a/e/x, and 15.3% multi-racial/other/prefer not to say. Measures assessed adolescents' responses to hypothetical scenarios of unfair treatment. The findings indicate that adolescents recognize both teacher and peer unfair behavior as wrong, with nuanced differences based on participants' gender and grade. Attribution analysis reveals varied expected reasons for unfair treatment. Responses to unfair behavior differ, with adolescents more likely to confront peers than teachers. Demographic factors, school climate, discrimination, belonging, and critical consciousness contribute to variations in judgments and responses. The study highlights the importance of addressing unfair treatment in STEM settings to foster inclusivity and support student persistence in STEM.

The pandemic lockdowns interrupted critical developmental experiences especially for adolescents and emerging adults engaged in the challenge of constructing identities. This commentary focuses on four review articles that document both negative and positive consequences of the pandemic on family, peer, school, and community interactions. I argue that worldwide experiences of these interruptions led to a shared generational experience of disconnection and isolation, that, paradoxically, creates a shared generational identity. The COVID-19 generation shares a view of the world as unsafe, unpredictable, and unfair; yet, at the same time, they are perhaps more oriented toward social justice. Generational identities formed at pivotal developmental moments continue to reverberate across the life course. How these formative experiences of the pandemic will continue to influence the life course of the COVID-19 generation remains to be seen.

To resist and cope with oppression, youth of color may use the process of critical consciousness which involves understanding racial injustices (critical reflection), developing motivation to fight these injustices (critical motivation), and taking action to enact sociopolitical change (critical action). However, little is known about how each dimension of critical consciousness affects mental health in adolescents of color. In a sample of 367 ethnically and racially diverse American adolescents of color (age range = 13–17; 68.9% girls, 28.6% boys, and 2.5% gender minority; 84.4% US-born), we conducted multivariate regressions in Mplus to examine the cross-sectional links between each critical consciousness dimension (reflection, motivation, and action) and mental health outcomes (anxiety, depression, and stress) over and above the impact of everyday discrimination. We also investigated the interaction between critical consciousness and discrimination in predicting mental health outcomes. Controlling for age, gender, nativity, and social class, we found that discrimination and critical action were both positively associated with anxiety, depression, and stress. For our covariates, girls and gender minority adolescents reported worse outcomes. No interactions were significant. Overall, critical action, while necessary to enact societal change, may have a complex relationship with youth's depression, anxiety, and psychological stress symptoms and warrants careful exploration. Future research should focus on understanding the longitudinal mechanisms of critical action and how we can maximize the benefits by protecting youth from those negative effects.

Dr. John Schulenberg (1957–2023) was a brilliant and internationally recognized developmental scientist. In equal measure, he was an outstanding, dedicated, and generous mentor. Through his scholarship and mentorship, his impact on the fields of adolescent and substance use research will be deep and enduring. The overriding theme of his research was illuminating the importance of adolescence in the life course, which he referred to as “Taking the Long View” on adolescence. John's longstanding motivation for this was to answer the question: “Does adolescence matter?” This special issue, which (in addition to this introduction) includes 14 papers and 2 invited commentaries, is designed to honor his scholarship and impact. For this introduction to the special issue, we divide what it means to “Take the Long View” on adolescence into four major themes: (1) Turning points; (2) Developmental disturbances; (3) Continuity and long-term developmental connections; and (4) Heterogeneity in the age curve. We describe these four themes, consider how they connect with the overarching question “Does adolescence matter?,” and discuss how the research papers included in this special issue are excellent examples of research inspired by these themes.

Adolescence represents a period of opportunity in decision-making as developmental motivations and processes shift, particularly in social contexts. Sibling relationships may be especially influential in adolescent decision-making, as siblings spend a disproportionate amount of time with one another and can affect how adolescents think, feel, and behave. However, the ways in which siblings may shape adolescent decision-making through psychological, behavioral, and neurological processes, particularly their interactions, are less well known. This review introduces the developmental processes approach to understanding adolescent decision-making in the sibling context by reviewing patterns in the literature as to how each developmental process in sibling contexts may contribute to adolescent decision-making. Interdisciplinary collaborations across theories and methods (i.e., surveys, observations, and neuroimaging) can contribute to a more holistic understanding of how siblings may shape adolescent decision-making, for better and for worse. Further, this approach can inform practice through sibling-focused prevention programs and other sibling-focused programming (e.g., government, nonprofit) in promoting adaptive adolescent decision-making.

COVID-19 response offers a model to guide research and preventive interventions targeting adolescents, their families, and communities. My 2022 SRA Presidential Address posed: What if the COVID-19 Response Served as a Guidepost for Future Research on Adolescence? Solution versus Problem-Focused Agenda. Several “pandemics” were already underway, emerging from historic and contemporary events that threaten the safety and survival of human lives. The Multi-Transgenerational Life Course Theoretical model was selected to demonstrate pathways through which the transmission of generational exposure to crisis and trauma impact adolescents' developmental trajectories. Recommendations to inform and guide an adolescent research rapid response agenda are proposed minds to advance equity and social justice can become realities.