Heterogeneous effects of spanking on child protective services involvement in early childhood: A propensity score stratification analysis.

Background: Extant literature has primarily employed linear models to estimate the average effect of spanking on children. Less is known about child and parent characteristics that may predict differential risks of children's exposure to spanking (i.e., pre-treatment heterogeneity) and the effect of spanking on child outcomes that may differ by the propensity for spanking (i.e., post-treatment heterogeneity). Objective: The present study examines pre- and post-treatment heterogeneity in the association between maternal spanking at child age 3 and subsequent household Child Protective Services (CPS) involvement that were reported by mothers between child ages 3 to 5. Methods: The sample consisted of 2,422 families from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a birth cohort study that oversampled children born to unmarried families. A propensity score stratification analysis procedure examined pre- and post-treatment heterogeneity in the association between spanking and subsequent household CPS involvement. Children were stratified into three strata depending on their propensity for experiencing spanking. Subsequently, the association between spanking and household CPS involvement was examined for each stratum. Results: Disadvantaged socio-economic characteristics, negative psychosocial conditions of the mother, and dysregulated temperament of the child were associated with elevated risk of spanking. The odds of subsequent household CPS involvement increased by 2.4 times (ß = 0.869, p <.01) for children in the stratum with the lowest propensity for experiencing spanking. Conclusions: Results emphasize the importance of promoting alternative disciplinary strategies to families who would be considered low-risk before they may come into contact with the child welfare system.

Profiles of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and psychosocial adjustment in South Korea: Comparison between probation and non-probation youth.

BACKGROUND: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are risk factors affecting adolescent psychosocial adjustment. Youth involved in the juvenile justice system are more likely to have ACEs, but few studies have investigated this topic outside the western context. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to (1) compare latent profiles of ACEs among probation and non-probation youth in South Korea and (2) examine which profiles pose the greatest risk of maladaptive psychosocial adjustment (offline risk-taking, online risk-taking, school adjustment, and happiness). PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: South Korean data adopting survey questions from the Fourth International Self-Report Delinquency Study was analyzed. Adolescents with complete information on regression covariates were included (non-probation: 1846/probation: 368). METHODS: Latent profile analysis was utilized to identify distinctive patterns of ACEs. Multiple linear regression and logistic regression were performed to predict the maladjustment experiences of each latent subgroup. RESULTS: Four ACE profiles emerged for probation and non-probation samples. Three profiles were common (i.e., emotional/physical abuse, emotional neglect, high maltreatment/domestic violence) and one profile was unique (high maltreatment with family dysfunction for the probation sample; moderate maltreatment for the non-probation sample). In the probation sample, compared to the emotional neglect group, the other three profiles showed poorer adjustment in at least one domain. In the non-probation sample, profiles with high emotional/physical abuse and high maltreatment/family dysfunction had poorer outcomes than the emotional neglect group. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate the need for a comprehensive approach toward adolescents and their family environments for preventing delinquency and promoting positive youth adjustment.

Predictors of suicide ideation among South Korean adolescents: A machine learning approach.

BACKGROUND: The current study developed a predictive model for suicide ideation among South Korean (Korean) adolescents using a comprehensive set of factors across demographic, physical and mental health, academic, social, and behavioral domains. The aim of this study was to address the pressing public health concerns of adolescent suicide in Korea and the methodological limitations of suicidal research. METHODS: This study used machine learning methods (decision tree, logistic regression, naive Bayes classifier) to improve the accuracy of predicting suicidal ideation and related factors among a nationally representative sample of Korean middle school students (N = 6666). RESULTS: Factors within all domains, including demographic characteristics, physical and mental health, and academic, social, and behavioral, were important in predicting suicidal thoughts among Korean adolescents, with mental health being the most important factor. LIMITATIONS: The predictive model of the current research does not infer causality, and there may have been some loss of information due to measurement issues. CONCLUSIONS: Study results provide insights for taking a multidimensional approach when identifying adolescents at risk of suicide, which may be used to further address their needs through intervention programs within the school setting. Considering the cultural stigma attached to disclosing suicidal ideation and behavior, the current study proposes the need for a preventive screening process based on the observation and assessment of adolescents' general characteristics and experiences in everyday life.

Developmental trajectories of Korean and heritage language proficiencies and their association with maladjustment among Korean multicultural adolescents.

This study identified changes in Korean and heritage language proficiencies across five waves (2011-2015) and examined the association between linguistic acculturation trajectories and adjustment (2016) among Korean adolescents with immigrant family backgrounds (N = 1441; 51.21% female; Mage(baseline)  = 9.97). All adolescents were from multiethnic families with 91.65% comprising a non-Korean Asian mother (e.g., Japan, Philippines, China, Thailand) and Korean father. Parallel process latent class growth modeling and multivariate regression analysis were conducted to estimate the trajectories of linguistic acculturation and their effects on adolescents' future adjustment. Linguistic acculturation trajectories were classified into three latent groups. Bilingual adolescents demonstrated better adjustment over adolescents in other trajectories. Findings highlight the importance of considering patterns of change in linguistic acculturation for understanding Korean multicultural adolescents' adjustment.

The Protective Effect of Neighbourhood Collective Efficacy On Family Violence and Youth Antisocial Behaviour in Two South Korean Prospective Longitudinal Cohorts.

Neighbourhood collective efficacy has been proposed as a protective factor against family violence and youth antisocial behaviour. However, little is known about its impact on parent and child behaviour in non-Western countries. Using data from two population-based prospective cohorts from South Korea, including primary school students aged 10-12 years (N = 2844) and secondary school students aged 15-17 years (N = 3449), we examined the interplay between collective efficacy, family violence, and youth antisocial behaviour, and whether effects vary by SES. In a first series of models, in both samples, higher levels of collective efficacy were associated with lower levels of family violence, whereas higher levels of family violence were associated with higher levels of youth antisocial behaviour. There was no direct effect of collective efficacy on youth antisocial behaviour; however, there was an indirect effect via family violence. Although these effects were more pronounced in low SES children, there was no evidence of moderation by SES. In a second series of models, in primary school students, collective efficacy was not associated with youth antisocial behaviour. However, there was a direct effect of collective efficacy on family violence, even after adjusting for youth antisocial behaviour. Again, there was no evidence of moderation by SES. In secondary school students, the pattern of results was less consistent, however, again, suggesting more pronounced effects of collective efficacy in low SES children. The findings suggest that collective efficacy may influence family violence more directly, whereas youth antisocial behaviour may be affected more indirectly through the family environment.

Individual- and School-level Predictors of Latent Profiles of Bullying Victimization: Comparing South Korea and the United States.

This cross-national research investigated nationally representative adolescents from South Korea and the United States, explored similarities and differences in latent profiles of bullying victimization between countries, and examined individual- and school-level variables that predict such latent profiles supported by the Social Disorganization Theory. The fourth-grade sample of the 2015 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study from South Korea (N = 4,669) and the United States (N = 10,029) was used to conduct a latent profile analysis based on eight items of the bullying victimization questionnaire. Multilevel logistic regression was conducted using latent profiles as dependent variables. Independent variables include individual-level (material goods, school absence, academic interest, school belonging) and school-level (concentration of affluent families, school resources, the severity of delinquency, academic commitment) factors. More similarities existed than differences in the latent groups of bullying victimization between South Korea (rare, low-moderate, verbal-relational-physical, and multi-risk) and the United States (rare, low-moderate, verbal-relational, and multi-risk). Evidence for school-level variables as predictors of bullying victimization profiles was stronger for adolescents in the United States, with a concentration of affluent families and severity of delinquency being significant in four of the six models. For the South Korean sample, the severity of delinquency predicted bullying victimization in only one model. Examination of both individual- and school-level factors that predict unique bullying victimization experiences grounded in Social Disorganization Theory may be informative for addressing key areas of intervention-especially at the school-level context in which victimization primarily takes place and where anti-bullying intervention programs are often provided.

Physical punishment, physical abuse, and child behavior problems in South Korea.

BACKGROUND: Prior literature has demonstrated the associations of parental physical punishment with child behavior problems and increased risk of physical abuse. In South Korea, physical punishment is a common parenting practice. In 2021, legislative reforms eliminated legal grounds for parental physical punishment in South Korea. However, research on physical punishment, physical abuse, and child behavior problems in the Korean context is scarce. OBJECTIVE: This study examined whether physical punishment and physical abuse have unique associations with child behavior problems and whether physical punishment is associated with increased exposure to physical abuse. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Data came from the 2010 Korean Child and Youth Panel Survey (KCYPS), a nationally representative sample of South Korean children who attended 1st grade in 2010. Our analyses were based on three waves of the KCYPS (N = 2,180). METHODS: We employed fixed-effects regression to examine the associations of physical punishment and physical abuse with child behavior problems and the association of physical punishment with physical abuse after controlling for time-invariant characteristics. RESULTS: Exposure to physical punishment and physical abuse was associated with higher levels of aggression, depression, and lower levels of academic behavior regulation. Physical punishment was associated with increased risk of physical abuse. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that physical punishment is a risk for child behavior problems and physical abuse in South Korea. Child maltreatment prevention efforts should focus on shifting favorable social norms around physical punishment and promoting non-physical disciplinary practices.

Neighborhood predictors of bullying perpetration and victimization trajectories among South Korean adolescents.

AIMS: This study examined latent trajectories of bullying perpetration and victimization, and identified neighborhood antecedents of these trajectories among South Korean adolescents. METHODS: Nationally representative individual-level data from waves 2 to 6 (middle school to high school) of the Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey were merged with neighborhood-level data drawn from the Korean Census and the Korean Ministry of Education. Latent class growth analysis (N = 2,178) and logistic regression were conducted (N = 2,021). RESULTS: Three unique trajectories of bullying experience-low-risk (80.8%), transient (13.3%), high-risk (5.9%)-were identified. Neighborhood factors (e.g., public assistance receipt, marital status, official bullying incidents, collective efficacy) predicted these distinct developmental paths. CONCLUSION: Joint trajectories of perpetration and victimization can inform service or policy decisions as each developmental path may represent unique experiences for youth in need of specific resources for treatment or intervention. Neighborhood indicators are important predictors of developmental trajectories of bullying experience among adolescents.

Application of Social Big Data to Identify Trends of School Bullying Forms in South Korea.

As the contemporary phenomenon of school bullying has become more widespread, diverse, and frequent among adolescents in Korea, social big data may offer a new methodological paradigm for understanding the trends of school bullying in the digital era. This study identified Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency (TF-IDF) and Future Signals of 177 school bullying forms to understand the current and future bullying experiences of adolescents from 436,508 web documents collected between 1 January 2013, and 31 December 2017. In social big data, sexual bullying rapidly increased, and physical and cyber bullying had high frequency with a high rate of growth. School bullying forms, such as "group assault" and "sexual harassment", appeared as Weak Signals, and "cyber bullying" was a Strong Signal. Findings considering five school bullying forms (verbal, physical, relational, sexual, and cyber bullying) are valuable for developing insights into the burgeoning phenomenon of school bullying.

Person-Environment Fit Approach to Trajectories of Cognitive Function Among Older Adults Who Live Alone: Intersection of Life-Course SES Disadvantage and Senior Housing.

OBJECTIVES: Drawing from life course and environmental perspectives, we examined the trajectory of cognitive function and how senior housing moderates the effects of life-course socioeconomic status (SES) disadvantage among older people living alone over time. METHOD: Six waves of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) were used with multilevel growth modeling to analyze developmental patterns of cognitive function over time and how various forms of life-course SES disadvantage affect cognitive function depending on senior housing residency status. RESULTS: At baseline, we found a positive role of senior housing in four subgroups: SES disadvantage in childhood only, unstable mobility pattern (disadvantage in childhood and old age only), downward mobility (no disadvantage in childhood, but in later two life stages), and cumulative disadvantage (all three life stages). Over time, the positive role of senior housing for the unstable and the most vulnerable group persisted. DISCUSSION: Our findings provide a much-needed practical and theoretical underpinning for environmental policy-making efforts regarding vulnerable elders who live alone.

Differential Aging in Place and Depressive Symptoms: Interplay Among Time, Income, and Senior Housing.

OBJECTIVE: We examined cumulative and differential experiences of aging in place. METHOD: Data came from the 2002 and 2010 wave of the Health Retirement Study. We modeled the trajectory of later-life depressive symptoms, and how senior-housing environments moderate the negative association between economic disadvantages and depressive symptoms. RESULTS: At baseline, economically disadvantaged older adults were more likely to exhibit depressive symptoms. However, detrimental effects of income group (non-low income vs. moderate income; non-low income vs. low income) on depressive symptoms did not significantly change over time. The age-leveler hypothesis may account for nonsignificant effects of disadvantaged income groups over time. DISCUSSION: Findings suggest that moderate-income seniors may experience positive differentials if they age in place in a supportive senior-housing environment. Moderate-income seniors may have broader opportunities in senior housing compared to private-home peers. Senior housing might partially counter risks such as low mental health, emerging from life-course disadvantage.

Aging in Place of Vulnerable Older Adults: Person-Environment Fit Perspective.

Based on the premise that the experience of aging in place is different for vulnerable subgroups of older adults compared with less vulnerable subgroups, we focus on low-income older adults as a vulnerable subgroup and senior housing as an alternative to a conventional, private home environment. Using the 2008 and 2010 waves of the Health Retirement Study, regression models determined the impact of person-environment (P-E) fit between poverty status and residence in senior housing on self-rated health. Consistent with the environmental docility hypothesis, findings show that, among low-income individuals, the supportive environment of senior housing plays a pronounced compensating role and may be a key to successful adaptation in aging. As the first research effort to empirically demonstrate the positive health effects of senior housing among socioeconomically vulnerable elders, our findings provide a much-needed theoretical and practical underpinning for policy-making efforts regarding vulnerable elders.

Associations of maternal and adolescent religiosity and spirituality with adolescent alcohol use in Chile: Implications for social work practice among Chilean social workers.

To inform social work practice with adolescents who may consume alcohol, we examined if alcohol use among Chilean adolescents varied as a function of their mothers' and their own religiosity and spirituality. Data were from 787 Chilean adolescents and their mothers. Adolescent spirituality was a protective factor against more deleterious alcohol use. Parental monitoring and alcohol using opportunities mediated the associations. The practice of religious behaviors by themselves without meaningful faith were not associated with alcohol use among adolescents. Implications for social work practice are discussed.

School bonds and the onset of substance use among Korean youth: an examination of social control theory.

This study examined the association between school bonds and the onset of substance use among adolescents in South Korea. Based on Hirschi's social control theory, this study tested the roles of teacher attachment, educational aspiration, extracurricular activities, and rule internalization--four elements of social bonds within the school setting--in delayed initiation of alcohol drinking and cigarette smoking. Discrete-time logistic regression was used to analyze five waves of the Korea Youth Panel Survey (N=3449 at baseline), a nationally representative sample of Korean youth. Stronger teacher attachment, higher educational aspiration, and higher rule internalization were correlated with delayed onset of alcohol drinking and cigarette smoking. On the other hand, participation in school extracurricular activities was positively associated with the onset of alcohol drinking, but not statistically significantly linked with the onset of cigarette smoking. These findings suggest that early prevention strategies for youth substance use should specifically target school-related factors that represent social bonds developed among youth.

Addendum: han, y.; grogan-kaylor, a.; delva, j.; xie, y. Estimating the heterogeneous relationship between peer drinking and youth alcohol consumption in chile using propensity score stratification. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public health 2014, 11, 11879-11897.

The authors wish to update the Acknowledgments in their paper published in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health [1], doi:10.3390/ijerph111111879, website: http://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/11/11/11879.[...].

Estimating the heterogeneous relationship between peer drinking and youth alcohol consumption in Chile using propensity score stratification.

When estimating the association between peer and youth alcohol consumption, it is critical to account for possible differential levels of response to peer socialization processes across youth, in addition to variability in individual, family, and social factors. Failure to account for intrinsic differences in youth's response to peers may pose a threat of selection bias. To address this issue, we used a propensity score stratification method to examine whether the size of the association between peer and youth drinking is contingent upon differential predicted probabilities of associating with alcohol-consuming friends. Analyzing a Chilean youth sample (N = 914) of substance use, we found that youths are susceptible to the detrimental role of peer drinkers, but the harmful relationship with one's own drinking behavior may be exacerbated among youth who already have a high probability of socializing with peers who drink. In other words, computing a single weighted-average estimate for peer drinking would have underestimated the detrimental role of peers, particularly among at-risk youths, and overestimated the role of drinking peers among youths who are less susceptible to peer socialization processes. Heterogeneous patterns in the association between peer and youth drinking may shed light on social policies that target at-risk youths.

Discrimination and depressive symptoms among sexual minority youth: is gay-affirming religious affiliation a protective factor?

Researchers have examined perceived discrimination as a risk factor for depression among sexual minorities; however, the role of religion as a protective factor is under-investigated, especially among sexual minority youth. Drawing on a cross-sectional study investigating campus climate at a large public university in the U.S. midwest, we examined the role of affiliation with a gay-affirming denomination (i.e., endorsing same-sex marriage) as a moderating factor in the discrimination-depression relationship among self-identified sexual minority (n = 393) and heterosexual youth (n = 1,727). Using multivariate linear regression analysis, religious affiliation was found to moderate the discrimination-depression relationship among sexual minorities. Specifically, the results indicated that the harmful effects of discrimination among sexual minority youth affiliated with denominations that endorsed same-sex marriage were significantly less than those among peers who affiliated with denominations opposing same-sex marriage or who identified as secular. In contrast, religious affiliation with gay-affirming denominations did not moderate the discrimination-depression relationship among heterosexual participants. The findings suggest that, although religion and same-sex sexuality are often seen as incompatible topics, it is important when working with sexual minority clients for clinicians to assess religious affiliation, as it could be either a risk or a protective factor, depending on the religious group's stance toward same-sex sexuality. To promote the well-being of sexual minority youth affiliated with denominations opposed to same-sex marriage, the results suggest these faith communities may be encouraged to reconsider their position and/or identify ways to foster youth's resilience to interpersonal discrimination.

The association of neighborhood characteristics and domestic violence in Santiago, Chile.

The growing tension between conservative attitudes and liberal policies on gender issues in Chile is reflected by the high rates of domestic violence juxtaposed by a strong governmental policy aimed at preventing this social problem. Attempts to understand factors associated with domestic violence in Chile, and in other countries as well, have not paid much attention to neighborhood-level factors. This manuscript examined the extent to which selected neighborhood characteristics were associated with domestic violence against women. Relying on theories of social disorganization and social stress, this study conceptualized residence in a disadvantaged neighborhood as a source of stress and examined the relationship between detrimental physical and social characteristics of neighborhoods and the chance of women experiencing domestic violence. Results revealed that a higher level of trash in neighborhoods was associated with increased rates of domestic violence above and beyond individual characteristics. Findings also suggested that the relationship between high levels of trash in neighborhoods and domestic violence was greater for women with higher levels of financial stress. Given the potential role of neighborhood environments in reducing domestic violence, a comprehensive approach incorporating both neighborhood- and individual-level factors may be critical in designing effective preventive interventions for domestic violence.

Gender Differences in Predictors of Self-Reported Physical Aggression: Exploring Theoretically Relevant Dimensions among Adolescents from Santiago, Chile.

Research findings remain unclear on whether different factors predict aggression for adolescent men and women. Given that aggression research is rarely conducted with Latin American populations, the current study used multiple imputation and linear regression to assess gender differences in levels and predictors of self-reported physical aggression among a community sample of young (ages 11 through 17) men (n=504) and women (n = 471) from Santiago, Chile. Results revealed that adolescent women reported engaging in higher levels of physical aggression than men. The variables found to be significantly associated with higher levels of reported aggression-younger age, less family involvement, less parental control, less positive relationships with caregivers, having more friends who act out and use substances, having fewer friends committed to learning, presence of dating violence, and more exposure to neighborhood crime-were not moderated by gender, implying that similar factors are related to aggression in adolescent men and women from Chile. Implications for prevention and intervention efforts to address high-risk adolescents and reduce aggression among Chilean youth are discussed.

Relationship between Discordance in Parental Monitoring and Behavioral Problems among Chilean Adolescents.

This study investigated the role of discrepancies between parent and youth reports of perceived parental monitoring in adolescent problem behaviors with a Chilean sample (N= 850). Higher levels of discordance concerning parental monitoring predicted greater levels of maladaptive youth behaviors. A positive association between parent-youth discordance and externalizing problems indicated that large adult-youth disagreement in parental monitoring may impose a great risk, despite protective efforts of parental monitoring. Although the direct relationship between parental monitoring and youth internalizing behaviors was not significant, parent-youth incongruence in monitoring was associated with greater levels of internalizing behaviors. Therefore, differing assessments of parental behaviors, as an indicator of less optimal family functioning, may provide important information about youth maladjustment and may potentially provide a beginning point for family-focused intervention.