Reciprocal Prospective Relationships Between Loneliness and Weight Status in Late Childhood and Early Adolescence

Adolescents who do not conform to weight ideals are vulnerable to disapproval and victimization from peers in school. But, missing from the literature is a prospective examination of weight status and feelings of loneliness that might come from those experiences. Using data from the Québec Longitudinal Study of Child Development, we filled that gap by examining the prospective associations between loneliness and weight status when the sample was aged 10–13 years. At ages 10, 12, and 13 years, 1042 youth (572 females; 92% from French speaking homes) reported on their loneliness and were weighed and measured. Family income sufficiency was included in our analyses given its relationship with weight status, but also its possible link with loneliness during early adolescence. The findings showed that (1) weight status and loneliness were not associated concurrently; (2) weight status predicted increases in loneliness from ages 12 to 13 years; and (3) loneliness predicted increases in weight from ages 12 to 13 years among female adolescents, but weight loss among male adolescents. The fact that loneliness was involved in weight gain for females suggests that interventions focused on reducing loneliness and increasing connection with peers during early adolescence could help in reducing obesity.     

Death fantasies of father-absent and father-present late adolescents

Parental perceptions of father-absent and father-present late adolescents were studied by having them create stories to selected pictures from the Thematic Apperception Test and the Michigan Pictures Test. Ratings on the manifest thematic content of the stories revealed that father-present females, but not males, introduced themes of death and loss involving the parents with significantly greater frequency than did late adolescents who had actually lost their fathers. One of the tasks of adolescence, as described in psychoanalytic writings, is decathecting internalized parental images. It is possible that father-present females produced significantly more death and loss themes because they were actively coping with their fantasies of parental loss. The significantly fewer fantasies of parental loss given by father-absent females is consistent with this psychoanalytic model which suggests that the loss of a parent at an earlier developmental period complicates the decathexis process in adolescence. Reasons for the failure to find differences between father-absent and father-present males are discussed, and suggestions for future research are provided.This research is based upon the doctoral dissertation of the first author.Received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Texas at Austin; internship at the Children's Hospital Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts. Current research interests include death and dying and adolescent personality development.Received his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. Current research interests include imaginary companions and fantasy in young children and adolescent psychosexual development.     

The Parental Bond and the Well-Being of Adolescents and Young Adults

In this work, changes in the parental bond and the well-being of adolescents and young adults in the Netherlands are investigated. It concerns a longitudinal study among youngsters in the age of 12 to 24 (their ages varying between 15 and 27 when assessed for the second time 3 years later). In total, 1688 adolescents/young adults (730 boys and 958 girls) participated. We found a curvilinear development pattern in the bond between daugthers and their parents. Only the bond between sons and their parents became somewhat less positive in the transition from early to middle adolescence. Our general conclusion, however, is that adolescents and young adults maintain a rather good and reasonably stable relationship with their parents. Parents also prove to be of lasting importance for the psychological well-being of their upgrowing children, daughters in particular.     

Associations Between Trauma Type,Timing, and Accumulation on Current Coping Behaviors in Adolescents: Results from a Large,Population-based Sample

The development of adolescents’ coping in response to stress is critical for adaptive functioning; these coping strategies may be shaped by numerous environmental factors during childhood, including experiences such as exposure to trauma. Childhood trauma has been shown to undermine contemporaneous coping, but how does a history of exposure to trauma and the characteristics of that trauma (type, timing, and accumulation) relate to current coping among adolescents? We addressed this question using a nationally-representative sample of 9427 adolescents (ages 13–18; 48.9% female; 66% White). Adolescents reported on their lifetime exposure to 18 different traumas, including witnessing or experiencing interpersonal violence, accidents, disasters, and violent or accidental loss of loved ones, as well as their current use of coping behaviors when under stress (problem-focused, positive emotion-focused, and negative emotion-focused coping strategies). The study’s results highlight that exposure to nearly all forms of trauma was unrelated to problem-focused and positive emotion-focused coping behaviors, but strongly associated with increased negative emotion-focused coping. Use of each coping style did not vary with age at first exposure to trauma, but increased with the number of lifetime traumatic events experienced. The findings suggest that the extent of prior exposure to trauma, including variations across type and timing, may be related to a particular form of coping that has been linked to increased risk for mental health problems. Study results highlight coping strategies as a potential target for prevention and treatment efforts, and indicate a need to better understand the malleability and trajectory of coping responses to stress for promoting healthy youth development.     

Age and Gender Effects on Coping in Children and Adolescents

The aim of this study was to investigate age and gender effects of childrens and adolescents coping with common stressors in 3 age groups (late childhood, early, and middle adolescence). Furthermore, age and developmental differences in situation-specific coping with 2 stress domains were examined. N = 1,123 participants (ages 8 to 13 years) were asked to complete the German Coping Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents (Hampel et al., 2001) in response to both an interpersonal and an academic stressor. Adolescent boys and girls, as well as girls from all age ranges scored lower on adaptive and higher on maladaptive coping strategies. With regard to interaction effects, female early adolescents coped maladaptively with common stressors, showing a decreased employment of adaptive (e.g., distraction, positive self-instructions) and an enhanced use of maladaptive coping strategies (e.g., rumination, aggression). Situation-specific coping did not differ consistently with age and gender. Implications of the findings for mental health care and developing clinical treatment of children and adolescents are discussed.Professor of Rehabilitation Psychology, Center of Clinical Psychology and Rehabilitation, University of Bremen, Germany. Received her PhD from the Free University of Berlin in 1994. Major research interests are stress, coping, and stress management in children and adolescents.Professor of Psychology, Center of Clinical Psychology and Rehabilitation, University of Bremen, Germany. Received his PhD from the University of Bonn in 1977. Major research interests are diagnostics, clinical child psychology, and rehabilitation research.     

Adolescent Stressors,Coping Strategies,and Psychological Health Studied in the Family Context

The present study examined adolescents' stressors, coping, and psychological health in the family context in 42 adolescents, ranging in age from 11 to 18. Perceptions of intergenerational stressors and coping strategies were examined for congruence by comparing adolescents' self-reports to parents' reports on their adolescents. Adolescents' reports on their parents were also compared to parents' reports on themselves. This study also specified family environment dynamics in relation to the study variables. Hypotheses that more congruent adolescent and parent perceptions about each other's stressors and coping were related to more cohesive family environments and more adaptive copings were generally supported. Family environment variables and congruent coping were related to psychological health symptoms as well. The findings contribute to current knowledge about the study variables examined in the context of the family.     

Adolescent response to the death of a parent

Participants in the present study, while between the ages of 12 and 19, had a parent die. The death had occurred not less than 6 months and not more than 5 years prior to psychological testing and interview. The effects of loss, as assessed by the Beck Depression Inventory and other measures, were considered in relation to a number of independent factors. Factors found to influence healthy adaptation included high levels of informal social support postloss, good relations with the surviving parent prior to loss, a balanced personality style, and presence of religious beliefs.Received Ph.D. in psychology from University of Toronto. Research interest is applied clinical research.     

Preadolescents’ and Parents’ Dietary Coping Efficacy During Behavioral Family-Based Weight Control Treatment

Developmentally relevant high-risk dietary situations (e.g., parties where tempting foods are available) may influence overweight youth’s weight control, as they increase risk for overeating. Better self-efficacy for coping with these situations—which preadolescents may learn from their parents—could foster successful weight control. Overweight preadolescents (N = 204) ages 7–12 years (67% female), each with one parent, separately completed the Hypothetical High-Risk Situation Inventory (HHRSI) pre- and post-weight loss treatment. The HHRSI assesses temptation to overeat and confidence in refraining from overeating in response to four high-risk dietary scenarios. Participants generated coping strategies for each scenario. Coping strategies and confidence increased and temptation decreased from pre- to post-weight loss treatment. Parents’ increase in confidence from pre- to post-treatment was associated with preadolescents’ and parents’ weight loss. Tailoring treatments to enhance parents’ coping skills (e.g., building strategies, targeting high temptation/low confidence scenarios) may maximize preadolescents’ weight control.     

Some Correlates of Risky Sexual Behavior among Secondary School Adolescents in Ogun State,Nigeria

The purpose of the study is to examine factors associated with risky sexual behaviors among secondary school adolescents in Ogun State, Nigeria. Two hundred and fifty adolescents randomly selected from three schools participated in the study. The ages of the participants ranged from 13 to 18 years. Both the independent and dependent variables were measured with standardized instruments. The results showed that the independent variables jointly and relatively had significant influence on risky sexual behaviors among the sampled adolescents. Implications for the study include the need to encourage and create home–school partnerships for enhancing the overall development and well-being of the students and the employment of qualified and trained guidance counselors in secondary schools in the country. Peer tutoring should also be encouraged to train and help adolescents learn how they can influence one another positively, and school counselors should organize workshops/seminars where parents are exposed to parenting skills and practices.     

Cognitive appraisal of major and daily stressful events during adolescence: A multidimensional scaling analysis

Multidimensional scaling analysis was used to examine adolescents' cognitive appraisals of major and daily stressful events. The desirability of events was the only salient feature for early adolescents. Middle and late adolescents also appraised events in terms of their desirability; in addition, the amount of impact that events exerted on their lives and the generality of the causes of events were salient dimensions for these age groups. These results suggest increased complexity with age in adolescents' cognitive appraisals of stressful events. Correlational analyses also indicated that perceptions of personal coping capabilities are associated with high event desirability, high frequency of occurrence, stable causes, and decreased ability of others to be of help in coping.This research served as a portion of the doctoral dissertation of the first author and was supported in part by an institutional award from the University of Vermont to the second author.Received his Ph.D. from University of Vermont. Research interests include stressful events during adolescence.Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Vermont where he is investigating stress and coping among children and adolescents. Received his Ph.D from UCLA in 1980.     

Common problems and coping strategies reported in childhood and early adolescence

This research investigated problems commonly experienced by children and young adolescents, and the strategies they use to cope with these events. Six hundred seventy-six children, ages 9–13 years, were asked to identify a problem they recently experienced and to describe the strategies they used to cope with it. In addition, they were also asked to complete a scale describing how they coped with a common problem (being grounded by parents). In general, we found that children reported four common Stressors: parents, siblings, school, and friends. These Stressors were the same across age and sex; however, the coping strategies employed differed by age and type of problem. Both age and sex effects were found in reported use of coping strategies to deal with being grounded by parents. The results of this study suggest that more research must be performed to offset the lack of data in the area of children's normative coping. The implications of the findings for clinical assessment and treatment of children are discussed.He has a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University. Current research interests include coping strategies used by healthy and chronically ill children, and attempted suicide in adolescence.She has a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from West Virginia University. Her current research interests include coping in chronically ill children and feeding difficulties in children with cystic fibrosis.She received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Louisiana State University. Her current research interests include pediatric psychology and childhood anxiety disorders.His current research interests include behavioral consultation in industrial settings.     

The effectiveness of seeking help for coping with personal problems in late adolescence

Older adolescents' help-seeking behavior, in terms of talking to friends, family, or professionals about a personal problem, was assessed at five time points over a 12-month period. A longitudinal causal model, controlling for previous help-seeking behavior, prior level of psychological symptoms, and current life events, was used to assess the effects of seeking help for problems on symptoms of psychological distress 12 weeks later. When these variables were controlled, neither seeking professional nor informal help from friends or family resulted in a significant improvement in subsequent psychological health. The help-seeking behavior of these adolescents did not, therefore, appear to effectively alleviate their psychological distress. It is suggested that focusing on problems by talking about them may intensity rather than decrease the arousal of psychological symptoms. Consequently, seeking help by talking about one's problems may not be an adaptive form of coping for adolescents.She received her Ph.D. in Social Science from the Australian National University. Her major research interests are help-seeking, adolescent mental health, and aging.     

One-Year Follow-Up of Suicidal Adolescents: Parental History of Mental Health Problems and Time to Post-Hospitalization Attempt

This longitudinal study of recently hospitalized suicidal youth examined parental mental health history in addition to several indices of adolescent functioning as risk factors for time-to-suicide attempt over a 1-year period. Participants were 352 adolescents (253 girls, 99 boys; ages 13–17 years) who participated in self-report and interview assessments within 1 week of hospitalization and 6 weeks, 3, 6, and 12 months post-hospitalization. Multivariable proportional hazards regression modeled time-to-suicide attempt. Results indicate that adolescents were almost twice as likely to make a suicide attempt if they had at least one biological parent with mental health problems. Risk was also increased for adolescents with baseline histories of multiple previous suicide attempts, more severe suicidal ideation and more severe functional impairment. Findings suggest the need to consider the family system when intervening with suicidal youth.     

How do Adolescents Learn Cyber-victimization Coping Skills? An Examination of Parent and Peer Coping Socialization

Recently, cyber-victimization has become an ever increasing concern for adolescents. Given the negative consequences of cyber-victimization, it is important to understand how adolescents learn strategies to cope (i.e., “coping socialization”) with cyber-victimization. The purpose of this study is to understand common coping strategies reported by adolescents, identify from whom youth learn cyber-victimization coping strategies (coaching), and explore how coaching is associated with adolescents’ self-reported use of coping. In a sample of 329 adolescents (49% male; 70% white), we found that positive coping strategies (e.g., problem solving, seeking social support) are used most frequently, and adolescents’ perceptions of both parent and peer coping socialization is associated with self-reported use of coping. Interventionists can use this information to adapt interventions to include influential positive socializers.     

Associations of Neighborhood and Family Factors with Trajectories of Physical and Social Aggression During Adolescence

Adolescents develop within multiple contexts that synergistically influence their behavior and health. To understand the simultaneous influence of neighborhood and family contexts on adolescents, this study examined relationships of neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage, neighborhood social disorganization, family conflict, parent–child bonding and parental control with trajectories of physical and social aggression. The sample included 5,118 adolescents between ages 11 and 18 (50 % female, 52 % Caucasian) living in predominantly rural areas. Multilevel growth curve models showed an interaction between neighborhood disadvantage, family conflict and gender on the physical aggression trajectories. The interaction suggested more rapid processes of both increase in and desistance from physical aggression over time for boys with high neighborhood disadvantage and high family conflict, as well as a higher starting point, more gradual increase and slower process of desistance over time for girls in similar neighborhood and family contexts. Less parent–child bonding and less parental control also were associated with higher initial levels of physical aggression. For social aggression, an interaction between family conflict and gender showed girls with high family conflict had the highest initial levels of social aggression, with a more gradual increase over time for these girls compared to their male counterparts in high-conflict families or their female counterparts in low-conflict families. Less parent–child bonding was associated with higher initial levels and a faster increase over time of social aggression, and less parental control was associated with higher initial levels of social aggression. The findings suggest early family-based interventions may help prevent perpetration of both physical and social aggression during adolescence.     

Associations Between Suicidal High School Students’ Help-Seeking and Their Attitudes and Perceptions of Social Environment

Suicide is a leading cause of death among adolescents, many of whom fail to disclose suicide concerns to adults who might help. This study examined patterns and predictors of help-seeking behavior among adolescents who seriously considered suicide in the past year. 2,737 students (50.9?% female, 46.9?% male; racial distribution 79.5?% Caucasian, 11.9?% Hispanic/Latino, and 3.6?% Black/African-American) from 12 high schools in rural/underserviced communities were surveyed to assess serious suicide ideation (SI) in the past year, disclosure of SI to adults and peers, attempts to get help, attitudes about help-seeking, perceptions of school engagement, and coping support. Help-seeking was defined as both disclosing SI to an adult and perceiving oneself as seeking help. The relationship between adolescents' help-seeking disclosure and (1) help-seeking attitudes and (2) perceptions of social resources was examined among suicidal help-seeking youth, suicidal non-help-seeking youth, and non-suicidal youth. Of the 381 (14?%) students reporting SI, only 23?% told an adult, 29?% sought adult help, and 15?% did both. Suicidal help-seekers were similar to non-suicidal peers on all measures of help-seeking attitudes and social environment perceptions. Positive attitudes about help-seeking from adults at school, perceptions that adults would respond to suicide concerns, willingness to overcome peer secrecy requests, and greater coping support and engagement with the school were associated with students' increased disclosure of SI and help-seeking. This study supports prevention strategies that change student norms, attitudes and social environments to promote help-seeking among adolescents with SI. Promising intervention targets include increasing students' perceptions of the availability and capability of adults to help them, and strengthening students' understanding of how existing resources can help them cope.     

Adolescents' perceptions of the nature of their communication with parents

This study examines the effects of the age and sex of adolescent and the sex of parent upon adolescents' perceptions of the nature of their communication with each parent. Two hundred and ninety-six adolescents aged 13–17 years completed a communication schedule, rating 14 content areas along six process dimensions: frequency of conversation, initiator, levels of recognition of adolescents' opinion, self-disclosure, domination, and levels of satisfaction. Multivariate analyses of variance were conducted separately for each process dimension. Frequency ratings revealed that adolescent females of all ages reported talking more often with mothers than did adolescent males. Adolescent males, however, believed they talked more often than did females with fathers about interests, sexual issues, and general problems. Mothers were seen to initiate more conversations than fathers on a wide range of topics. Mothers were also perceived as more likely to recognize and accept the adolescents' opinions. Adolescent females believed they disclosed more to mothers than fathers, but males believed they disclosed equally to both parents. Males disclosed more to fathers than did females about their sexual or other problems, while females disclosed more often overall to their mothers than did males. Adolescent males were equally satisfied with their discussions with both parents, but females were more satisfied about conversations with mothers rather than fathers. In sum, the results suggest that mothers' more frequent initiation of discussions with their younger adolescents and their greater recognition of their opinions lead to older adolescents interacting more with mothers than fathers.Ph.D. in Social Psychology, University of Queensland. Her current interests are in the areas of marital and family communication, adolescence, and personal relationships.Ph.D. in Social Psychology, Australian National University, with research interests in adolescence, marital communication, and childless couples.     

Weight-Based Victimization Among Adolescents in the School Setting: Emotional Reactions and Coping Behaviors

Weight-based victimization is a frequent experience for adolescents, but little is known about their emotional reactions and coping strategies in response to weight-based teasing and bullying. The present study examined the ways that adolescents cope with experiences of weight-based victimization at school. An initial sample of 1,555 students from two high schools in central Connecticut completed a comprehensive battery of self-report measures to assess their experiences of weight-based teasing and bullying at school, affective responses to these experiences, and coping strategies used to deal with incidents of weight-based victimization. Only those students who reported experiencing weight-based victimization (N = 394) were included for the purposes of the present study. Of this sub-sample, 56% were females, 84% were Caucasian, and the mean age was 16.4 years. Weight-based victimization resulted in 40–50% of adolescents feeling sad and depressed, worse about themselves, bad about their body, angry, and some feeling afraid. Gender differences emerged with respect to how boys and girls react to experiences of weight-based victimization. However, structural equation model estimates demonstrated that both boys and girls who reported negative affect in response to weight-based victimization were more likely to use coping strategies of avoidance (e.g., avoiding gym class), increased food consumption, and binge eating. Binary logistic regressions showed that the odds of students skipping school or reporting that their grades were harmed because of weight-based teasing increased by 5% per teasing incident, even after controlling for gender, age, race, grades, and weight status. To our knowledge, this study is the first systematic examination of affective reactions and coping strategies among overweight adolescents in response to weight-based victimization. These findings can inform efforts to assist overweight youth to cope adaptively with weight-based victimization.     

Physiological and Behavioral Engagement in Social Contexts as Predictors of Adolescent Depressive Symptoms

Depressive symptoms are considered to have evolutionary social functions to reduce social risks with peers and family members. However, social processes and their relationship to depressive symptoms have been understudied in adolescent boys. Low engagement in social contexts may predict depressive symptoms in adolescent boys, as it may signify efforts to reduce social risks. To address these issues, this study focused on 160 boys at risk for affective problems based on low socioeconomic status. We evaluated how behavioral and physiological engagement in peer and family contexts, respectively, in late childhood predicted depressive symptoms at age 12 and age 15. Social withdrawal was measured across late childhood (ages 9–12) in a camp setting using a latent variable of teacher ratings of withdrawn behavior, peer nominations of withdrawn behavior, and camp counselor ratings of withdrawn behavior. Physiological reactivity was measured during a provocative parent–child conversation using respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) at age 12. Social withdrawal in late childhood predicted depressive symptoms at age 12. The combination of high levels of social withdrawal with peers from ages 9–12 and low RSA reactivity with a parent at age 12 predicted higher depressive symptoms at age 15. Withdrawal in multiple social contexts may place boys at risk for depressive symptoms during the vulnerable period of adolescence.