Adolescent Research Review最新文献

Civic engagement, including activities like volunteering, is generally associated with positive developmental outcomes in youth (e.g., sense of belonging), but its associations with mental health remains uncertain. This systematic review explored longitudinal associations between youth civic engagement and mental health. A systematic search of MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and EMBASE was conducted for studies up to November 14, 2024. This review included English peer-reviewed longitudinal studies involving youth aged 15–30 that examined civic engagement and mental health. Risk of bias was assessed with the Newcastle–Ottawa Quality Assessment tool. Thirteen articles were included for this review. Volunteering was the most studied civic activity (n = 5), with depressive symptoms (n = 12) as the primary mental health outcome. Narrative synthesis suggests mixed findings: volunteering was typically associated to positive mental health outcomes, while political behaviors and voting, showed mixed or null associations. Youth with better mental health were more likely to engage in civic activities, though some studies found no significant association. These findings highlight the complex association between civic engagement and mental health, underscoring the need for further exploration of this bidirectional relationship and the importance of creating resources and supportive environments to help youth navigate and cope with negative civic experiences.

A growing body of research indicates that problematic social media use can have detrimental effects on adolescents' mental health and well-being. This systematic review aims to synthesize evidence on longitudinal risk factors contributing to the development of problematic social media use in adolescents, defined as the use of social media impacting physical or mental well-being. The review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. A comprehensive literature search was performed on PubMed, PsycINFO, and Embase databases, including articles published from 2010 onwards. Out of 1,729 screened articles, 23 were included. Findings on risk factors related to individuals and their social environment were categorized into nine groups: motivations for use, parenting factors, adverse childhood experiences, peer factors, emotions, self-regulation, personality, mental health, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Peer factors (e.g., poor social relationships, social comparison, fear of missing out, negative peer pressure, exposure to relational aggression), negative emotions, personality traits (e.g., sensation seeking), and poor mental health emerged as the most common risk factors. Due to methodological limitations in the studies included, further research is necessary. It is essential to use clinical samples, objective measures, and consistent conceptualizations to contribute to a better understanding of problematic social media use as well as its mechanisms and effects.

Experiences of early life stress are associated with long-term socioemotional, cognitive and mental health challenges. Despite the growing interest in elucidating the neurobiological consequences of early life stress, relatively little is known about its specific impacts on adolescent white matter maturation. The objective of this systematic review was to consolidate the current literature on neuroimaging studies utilizing diffusion tensor imaging to investigate white matter correlates of early life stress experiences in adolescents (10–25 years). A comprehensive search of online databases identified 546 studies, with 22 studies meeting the inclusion criteria. Early life stress was consistently associated with alterations across several white matter pathways, across Association, Projection and Commissural tracts. Compared to healthy controls, perturbed white matter integrity was observed in adolescents with early life stress exposure, as indexed by both increased and decreased fractional anisotropy. Compromised white matter integrity can have extensive impacts on adolescent development and associated functioning, including emotional dysregulation, mood instability, executive dysfunction, and sensorimotor impairments. Limitations of the current evidence base include the inconsistencies in the measurement of early life stress exposure and the lack of longitudinal research. Future investigations should track developmental trajectories of early life stress exposure and determine how this impacts adolescent neural connectivity.

There is mixed evidence regarding the effectiveness of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) skills when delivered as a universal, school-based intervention. The present study synthesized literature examining the effect of school-based DBT skills programs on adolescents’ psychosocial functioning. Two databases were searched to identify studies using single-arm trial or controlled trial designs. A random effects meta-analysis was conducted to measure the effect of school-based DBT skills interventions. Twenty-seven studies (k = 10 single-arm; k = 17 controlled) representing 4,228 participants were identified. Forty-four percent of studies were conducted with college students, and participants’ mean age was 17.83 years. Most participants were females/girls/women (69.4%) and White/Caucasian (59.4%). Results from single-arm trials suggested that DBT skills significantly improved positive psychosocial functioning (e.g., adaptive coping, life satisfaction, resilience, self-efficacy) at post-treatment and follow-up. DBT skills significantly reduced negative psychosocial functioning (e.g., maladaptive coping, emotion regulation difficulties, psychological distress) at post-treatment and follow-up. Results from controlled trials demonstrated that DBT skills significantly improved positive psychosocial functioning at post-treatment relative to controls, with no significant between-group differences at follow-up. DBT skills significantly reduced negative psychosocial functioning at follow-up, relative to controls, with no significant between-group differences at post-treatment. Analyses revealed high risk of bias within primary studies and substantial heterogeneity in effect size estimates. However, the small number of eligibles studies precluded exploration of moderator variables that may affect intervention effectiveness. In sum, DBT skills represent a promising school-based intervention for improving adolescents’ psychosocial functioning, but programs are not reliably efficacious.

Peer teasing is a complex, versatile, and universal form of social interaction, common within youth’s peer relationships. Despite its prevalence, a comprehensive understanding of how youth themselves define this interaction, and the myriad features of playful and harmful teasing experience is lacking in the field. The current review aimed to coalesce the evidence detailing youth’s definitions and experiences of teasing from qualitative studies in a two-part systematic review and meta-synthesis. Part 1 of this review applied a conceptual framework of features of teasing (e.g., content, perpetrator, relationship between target and perpetrator) to understand (1) how youth define teasing and (2) the features present in playful versus harmful teasing experiences. In Part 2, additional analysis examined (3) how combinations of teasing features yield playful versus harmful interpretations by youth, (4) how youth conceptualize teasing across development, and (5) which features of teasing are most salient for youth when determining whether teasing “crosses the line” from playful to harmful. A total of 4134 records were screened, of which 35 were included in the review. Using thematic analysis, results in Part 1 indicated that youth defined teasing along a continuum from playful to harmful. There was substantial overlap in the features of harmful and playful teasing (e.g., teasing meant to be playful could still cause harm). Playful teasing was more likely among friends, whereas harmful teasing often focused on appearance and personal characteristics. Further, the experience of positive emotions and relationship benefits were only found in youth’s descriptions of playful teasing experiences whereas harmful teasing experiences incurred relationship damage. In Part 2, analysis revealed that certain combinations of features are important for the differentiation between playful and harmful teasing (e.g., interaction between teasing content, relationship, and context). In terms of developmental patterns, younger children tended to view teasing as primarily harmful whereas adolescents recognized the capacity for play in teasing interactions, especially among friends. Lastly, when determining whether teasing crossed the line from playful to harmful, youth considered key features including the tone and content of the tease, perpetrator identity, whether the teasing was repeated, and whether the tease was intended to—or did—cause harm. Implications for the growing understanding of the complexity and nuance in playful versus harmful teasing are discussed.

Parenting is often conceptualized as a mutual experience between parent and child, embedded within cultural contexts. Yet, existing literature is predominantly dominated by Western perspectives, leaving it unclear whether Western frameworks apply to Asian families and whether there are unique manifestations of parenting in Asian context. Given the consistent evidence of informant discordance in parenting, the articles included in this review required methodological and conceptual rigor by incorporating both adolescents’ and parents’ perspectives on parenting. This systematic review applies the Parenting in Cultural Context framework on 60 articles published in the past decade on parenting among Asian adolescents. Findings largely support hypothesized paths within the framework, supporting the applicability of the framework to Asian cultures. This review summarizes key Asian-culturally specific constructs (e.g., filial piety and training beliefs, strict-affectionate parenting styles) and highlights the role of acculturation-related factors in Asian American parenting. Moreover, informant discordance was found between adolescents’ and parents’ reports, as well as between mothers’ and fathers’ reports of parenting, which affected the influence of parenting constructs based on the informant. Results reinforce the cultural underpinnings of parenting in the Asian context and highlight the use of multiple family perspectives in capturing the full complexity of adolescent parenting experience.

Chinese societies, encompassing Hong Kong, mainland China, Macau, and Taiwan, face growing challenges concerning the mental health of youth. Despite increasing scholarly interest and governmental policy emphasis on youth mental health prevention and promotion programs to address such concerns, there remains insufficient evidence on the synthesized effectiveness of current programs across Chinese societies, due to the lack of thorough reviews and methodological limitation in existing analyses. This systematic review and meta-analysis identified and evaluated studies that used experimental or quasi-experimental designs to examine the characteristics, quality, implementation, and efficacy of existing evidence-based prevention and promotion programs targeting mental health and well-being among youth aged 12 to 18 in Chinese societies. The study screened 3,448 studies identified through searches in both English and Chinese databases, of which 52 met the systematic review inclusion criteria. Included studies encompassed 39255 youth residing in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, as no studies were found in Macau. The majority of the included studies were school-based (n = 50), addressed multiple mental health outcomes (n = 46), used randomized trials (n = 37), and conducted in mainland China (n = 26). Overall risk of bias assessment indicated an average quality score of 7.33 (SD = 1.08) for all included studies, with several criteria on participant recruitment, follow-up, and data analysis remained significant threats across studies. While schoolteachers were the primary implementers for many programs (n = 30), scant information regarding implementation support and process was available. Pooled effects regressions by outcome across included studies (n = 30) showed statistically significant effect on reducing externalizing behaviors, particularly substance use among youth. Included programs also demonstrated small effects on youth’s coping skills (i.e., drug resistance and positive coping behaviors) and social and emotional competencies (i.e., self-esteem and self-efficacy). No effects were found on the reduction of internalizing problems and behaviors, including anxiety, stress, and depression. The findings show promise for high-quality youth mental health prevention and promotion programs in Chinese societies aimed at promoting mental well-being, whereas preventing internalizing symptoms remains challenging. Furthermore, findings reveal that the prevailing study quality risks and lack of attention on implementation issues might pose additional threats to many current programs. Future scholars should pay close attention to addressing methodological quality and implementation challenges when designing and delivering mental health prevention and promotion programs for youth across Chinese societies.

Prevention programs that focus on enhancing positive body image may improve health and well-being in young people. Body image flexibility is a promising prevention approach, although its application with youth has yet to be comprehensively investigated. This systematic review evaluated the effectiveness of body image flexibility interventions among adolescents and emerging adults. There were 23 eligible studies (N = 2764, 91.3% female) published between 2004 and 2024. Random effects meta-analyses indicated that body image flexibility interventions led to immediate, g = 0.52 (13 studies, n = 1,045), and sustained, g = 0.27 (8 studies, n = 608, 1-week to 24-month follow-up) improvements in health outcomes and protected against adverse effects of body image threats, g = 0.33 (7 studies, n = 480), relative to no/minimal intervention controls. Improvements were largely attributable to reductions in body image concerns. Comparison with other evidence-based interventions, including cognitive and dissonance-based programs, suggested comparable effects. Randomized trials and universal programs demonstrated smaller improvements, and there was evidence of potential publication bias. Conclusions are thus limited by the quantity and quality of existing studies, with most focusing on emerging adult females. Recommendations are provided to address these limitations in future research and strengthen the reliability and generalizability of results.

Distress tolerance encompasses perceived and behavioral capacities essential for enduring adverse emotional experiences. Previous findings suggest that distress tolerance is correlated with depressive symptoms in children and adolescents. However, no meta-analysis has synthesized the available evidence to reach a consensus. This study aimed to provide meta-analytic evidence on this association in children and adolescents. An exhaustive search across multiple databases on February 4, 2024, yielded 56 studies with 39,492 participants and 155 effect sizes. Using a three-level random-effects meta-analysis, the results revealed a significant negative correlation between distress tolerance and depressive symptoms (r = − 0.364; 95% CI [ − 0.413, − 0.314]). Perceived distress tolerance demonstrated a stronger correlation with depressive symptoms compared to behavioral distress tolerance. Furthermore, associations were more robust when distress tolerance was self-reported rather than assessed by parents. The effect size of the correlation across different dimensions of the Distress Tolerance Scale also varied. This study provides evidence for the link between distress tolerance and depressive symptoms, with implications for understanding depressive symptoms of children and adolescents.

Reviews and meta-analyses were conducted on universal prevention on school bullying, but no systematic scientific attention has been paid to the indicated interventions targeting those students already involved in the bullying phenomenon as victims or as bullies. This review examined 43 studies providing a qualitative and systematic synthesis of what is realized in the school context as indicated actions, deepening the main characteristics of their implementation and their effectiveness. The analysis was conducted separately for interventions targeting those involved in perpetrating behaviors, those who are victimized, and for interventions including both sides. The results showed that most indicated actions are designed for victims and bullies/victims, and for adolescents. In terms of the interventions implemented, the review presented Evidence-Based Interventions specifically ideated for bullying or programs adapted from general mental health, traditional strategies reported in the literature to address bullying/victimization cases, and specific procedures defined as bullying-indicated interventions. Most interventions are delivered by school staff in the case of bullies/victims and bullies target, while for indicated victim interventions, they are generally led by the school psychologist or counsellor. Interventions for bullies included psycho-educational and emotional-focused actions, victims’ interventions mainly focused on counselling, clinical, and skills building. Protocols for both targets included relational and mediational approaches. 67% of the studies evaluated the effectiveness, and only in a minority of cases did the intervention result not significant in reducing the different types of outcomes. Research needs to integrate a valid evaluation of effectiveness to discuss the sustainability of these new and traditional interventions.