Journal of Youth and Adolescence最新文献

It is unclear how delay discounting and substance use develop across adolescence and whether contextual factors alter their trajectories. The present study used a longitudinal design to examine whether socioeconomic status is related to developmental trajectories of delay discounting and substance use across adolescence. The sample included 167 adolescents (M_age = 14 at Time 1; 53% male) and their parents who participated annually across four years. Parents reported SES at Time 1 and adolescents completed delay discounting behavioral assessments and substance use questionnaires at Times 1 to 4. Bivariate latent growth curve modeling revealed that low SES was related to steeper increases in substance use from age 14 through 17, mediated through elevated delay discounting at age 14. The findings clarify the mediating role of delay discounting in linking family economic environment to the progression of substance use.

Peers are important socializers of adolescent prosocial behavior. Still, the proximal cognitive and emotional process underlying this link and the sources of individual differences in sensitivity to peer influence have yet to be explored. Utilizing the gene-gene-environment (G × G × E) approach and multi-informant measurement, this study investigated how peer relationships operate to influence adolescent prosocial behavior by examining the mediating role of cognitive and emotional empathy, and the moderating role of the OXTR and DRD2 genes. The study utilized longitudinal data from a community sample of Chinese adolescents (N = 1080, M_age = 13.32 years at T1). Results showed that cognitive empathy rather than emotional empathy mediated the link between peer acceptance/rejection and prosocial behavior. Furthermore, the association among peer acceptance, cognitive empathy, and prosocial behavior was moderated by OXTR and DRD2. Specifically, adolescents with the combinations of AA/AA or G/G genotypes of OXTR/DRD2 benefited more from peer acceptance compared to their counterparts carrying other combined genotypes. The findings highlight cognitive empathy as a proximal process linking peer interaction to prosocial behavior and lend support to the interaction between oxytocinergic and dopaminergic systems on environmental sensitivity.

Previous studies have identified narcissism as one of the dark triad personalities. However, contradictory findings were found regarding the relationship between grandiose narcissism and prosocial behaviors. The present research further explored their relationships and reconciled the contradictions by distinguishing between narcissistic admiration and rivalry facets, as well as investigating the bidirectional relationships between narcissism and prosocial behaviors, and the mediating effect of basic psychological needs satisfaction/frustration. This study utilized three-wave panel data of Chinese adolescents (N = 1641, 52.3% female, Wave 1 M_age = 15.26, SD = 0.52). Cross-lagged panel models revealed that admiration predicted a higher level of basic psychological needs satisfaction and prosocial behaviors, while rivalry predicted a higher level of basic psychological needs frustration and a lower level of prosocial behaviors. Prosocial behaviors, in turn, predicted higher levels of needs satisfaction and admiration, and lower levels of needs frustration and rivalry subsequentially. These effects were not observed by random-intercept cross-lagged panel model. The findings contribute to the understanding of the complexity of narcissism and its intra- and interpersonal outcomes among adolescents, providing practical implications for future studies and educational practices.

Although social media provides a crucial platform for self-development in emerging adulthood, the link between online self-presentation and mental health outcomes remains unclear. Thus, the associations among real self, ideal self, different types of false self-presentations, and depressive symptoms were examined over time (T1-T3) in the present study, along with the mediating role of self-concept clarity. Participants (N = 1,217, Mage = 18.14, 71% female-identifying) completed a survey three times over one year. Random-intercept cross-lagged panel modelling indicated that individuals presenting themselves authentically tended to demonstrate stronger self-concept clarity and fewer depressive symptoms. Those engaging in false-deceptive, compare/impress, and ideal self-presentation tended to have weaker self-concept clarity and more depressive symptoms. A within-person bidirectional association was found between false-deceptive self-presentation and depressive symptoms. Within-person increases in false-explore self-presentation predicted increases in depressive symptoms, whereas increases in compare/impress self-presentation predicted decreases in depressive symptoms. Self-concept clarity was not a significant mediator. The findings suggest that promoting authentic online self-presentation may support self-concept clarity and reduce risk of mental health challenges in emerging adults. However, engaging in false-deceptive online self-presentation (both greater than typical levels and compared to others) may increase risk of mental health challenges, and vice versa.

While bullying has significant long-term impacts on mental health, the developmental relationship between empathy and bullying behaviors remains unclear. Specifically, it is uncertain whether bullying perpetration and victimization predict changes in empathy over time or if empathy influences these behaviors. This study addresses this gap by examining the longitudinal dynamic relationship between empathy, bullying perpetration, and victimization. The sample comprised 3337 Chinese school children (M_age = 11.23 years, SD = 1.60; 47.7% female), followed over six waves across three years. Random intercept cross-lagged panel models (RI-CLPMs) were employed to separate between-person and within-person effects. Results indicated that at the between-person level, empathy, bullying perpetration, and victimization followed decreasing trajectories, with initial empathy negatively associated with both bullying perpetration and victimization. At the within-person level, fluctuations in bullying perpetration and victimization predicted subsequent declines in empathy, while empathy did not significantly predict later changes in bullying perpetration and victimization behaviors. These findings suggest that bullying experiences, whether as a perpetrator or victim, can impair empathy development and that empathy alone may not be sufficient to reduce bullying. This challenges current intervention models focused on empathy enhancement and calls for more nuanced approaches that address the complex dynamics between empathy and bullying.

Poor interpersonal relationships are one of the risk factors for non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and suicidal behaviors among adolescents. Previous studies have mostly focused on a single interpersonal perspective, and it remains uncertain how the cumulative interpersonal risk across time and domains interacts with NSSI and suicide. The current study employed cross-lagged panel models (CLPM) and random intercept cross-lagged panel models (RI-CLPM) to investigate the interaction among cumulative interpersonal risk, NSSI, and suicide attempts at both the between-person and within-person levels, while examining sex differences in these relationships. A total of 1038 Chinese adolescents (47.0% girls; baseline M_age = 12.35 years, SD = 0.52) participated in a four-wave longitudinal survey with 6-months intervals. The results showed that at the between-person level, there were reciprocal predictive relationships between cumulative interpersonal risk, NSSI and suicide attempts. At the within-person level, changes in NSSI affected changes in cumulative interpersonal risk, and suicide attempts exhibited a reciprocal relationship with cumulative interpersonal risk and NSSI, with significant sex differences observed. These findings underscore the stable and trait-like associations between cumulative interpersonal risk, NSSI and suicide attempts. Given these findings, to reduce the occurrence of suicide among adolescents, it is essential to target interventions aimed tat enhancing their interpersonal adaptability.

Although many studies have explored the effects of peer rejection on bullying and victimization, the specific targets of bullying and victimization in adolescents after experiencing rejection have not been identified. This study adopts longitudinal social network analysis to examine whether the effects of peer rejection on bullying and victimization are only for peers in the rejecting relationship or involve other peers. This two-wave longitudinal study included 2,223 Chinese junior high school students. Students reported rejection, bullying, and victimization at the end of the first semester of eighth grade (M_age = 13.93 years, SD = 0.60, 48.6% girls) and the end of the second semester of eighth grade (M_age = 14.38 years, SD = 0.59, 49.0% girls). After fitting the data to stochastic actor-oriented models, the results revealed that rejected adolescents are more likely to be victimized by peers who reject them but not by others. Conversely, rejected adolescents tend to bully peers who do not reject them. These findings suggest that rejected adolescents simultaneously are at risk of both developing as bullies and being forced to become victims. They target different peers in each context, reflecting the complexity of bullying and victimization among adolescents after being rejected by peers.

Parenting styles are closely related to bullying behavior in children and adolescents. However, differences in study design and inconsistent results create uncertainty regarding the relationship between parenting and bullying. This study aimed to evaluate the associations between four parenting styles and bullying perpetration/victimization through a meta-analysis, identifying sources of study heterogeneity by examining moderating effects. This meta-analysis included 107 studies with 624 effect sizes and 162203 participants (49.28% female, M_age = 13.51, SD_age = 2.56). Results indicated that positive parenting was negatively correlated with bullying perpetration and victimization, while negative/harsh parenting and uninvolved parenting were positively correlated with bullying perpetration and victimization. A positive correlation was also found between psychologically controlling parenting and bullying victimization (not perpetration). Significant moderating variables included the identity of the caregiver, country of origin, ethnic group, reporter of parenting, reporter of bullying, and measure of bullying. Specifically, the mother's psychological control was more related to bullying perpetration and victimization than the father's. Compared to other countries and ethnic groups, the relationships between psychologically controlling parenting or negative/harsh parenting and bullying were more positive in studies of Chinese and Asians. The relationship between negative/harsh parenting and bullying demonstrated a greater effect size in self-reported measures of parenting and bullying. Finally, a stronger correlation was found between negative/harsh parenting and bullying victimization when using the Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire to measure bullying. The current study deepens the understanding of the relationship between different parenting styles and bullying, emphasizing that adopting appropriate parenting, particularly positive parenting behaviors, helps mitigate bullying issues and achieve positive developmental outcomes for children and adolescents.

While the impact of violent media on aggression is well established, less is known about how individual differences influence this relationship over time. This longitudinal study addresses that gap by examining whether narcissism and sex moderated the effect of violent media consumption and reactive and proactive aggression one year later. A sample of 2,284 adolescents from Cyprus (M_age = 16, SD_age = 0.89, 49.5% female) participated in this study. Hierarchical regressions, controlling for baseline levels of aggression and age, revealed distinct patterns: violent media and sex predicted reactive aggression, but narcissism did not. In contrast, violent media, sex, and narcissism all predicted proactive aggression. Notably, sex moderated the link between violent media and reactive aggression, with females showing a steeper increase than males. Both sex and narcissism moderated the violent media-proactive aggression association, with males being affected regardless of narcissism, while only highly narcissistic females showed an increase in proactive aggression. These findings show the importance of considering individual differences, such as sex and narcissism, to better understand how violent media influences different functions of aggression.

Schools are often encouraged to foster a positive climate to reduce adolescent violence, but evidence on the effectiveness of this approach varies significantly. This study investigates the roots of this variation by testing alternative hypotheses about how positive school-level climate and school-level student friendship network density interact to shape adolescent violence perpetration. Research on informal social control and network closure suggests that the violence-reducing association of positive school climate will be enhanced among schools where students are more densely tied through their friendships. Research on youth conflict and subversion of control suggests the opposite. These hypotheses are tested with data from Waves I-II of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (n = 11,771; 49% Female; Age mean = 15.04, SD = 1.60). Consistent with the conflict/subversion hypothesis, analyses indicate that the inverse association between positive school climate and adolescent violence is only evident among schools with a very low density of friendship ties. Strikingly, however, there is evidence that a more positive school climate is associated with increases in violence among youth attending schools with a high density of friendship ties. These findings suggest that efforts to reduce violence by fostering cohesion among youth in their schools and other social contexts can be undermined by youth network processes.