Longitudinal Associations Between Pet Relationship Quality and Socio-Emotional Functioning in Early Adolescence.

Adolescence is a key developmental period for socio-emotional skills, and companion animal relationships may be one potential source of emotional support and resilience during this time. This study used longitudinal data from 940 pet-owning adolescents, collected over four time points, from youth in the Northeastern United States. We assessed whether pet relationship quality (indexed by relationship satisfaction, companionship, and emotional disclosure) predicted trajectories of loneliness, social anxiety, and depression. Results indicated that high satisfaction with a pet relationship was associated with more favorable trajectories, but companionship (i.e., regarding frequency of interacting with the pet) was not related significantly to socio-emotional functioning. High levels of disclosure to a pet were linked with less favorable trajectories for loneliness and depression, but not related to social anxiety. These results suggest that a pet relationship can, in some cases, be associated positively with socio-emotional development, but that there is significant complexity in these associations. Families, educators, and practitioners should take a nuanced approach to understanding individual adolescent-pet relationships as a contextual asset for specific youth.

The "what" and "how" of father-teen talks about sex and relationships.

For adolescents who have a father in their lives, father-teen conversations about sex and relationships can protect teens from risky sexual behaviors. However, little is known about the content and process of these conversations. This study explored topics of and approaches to fathers' talk with their teens about sex and relationships in interviews with a diverse sample of 43 fathers of high school-aged adolescents from across the United States. Interview data were analyzed using content analysis. The results showed how fathers talked with their adolescent children about topics of sexual behavior, risks of sex, dating and relationships, as well as less studied areas of diverse sexual and gender identities and consent, and how these conversations differed with male and female teens. Findings also showed that fathers took multiple approaches to talk about sex, including personal talk, talk about friends and family, and use of media and other distal contexts to start conversations. These findings show how fathers contribute to the sexual socialization of their adolescent children and suggest points of access for fathers who are unsure how to approach talk with their teens about sex and relationships. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Associations between Pet Care Responsibility, Companion Animal Interactions, and Family Relationships during COVID-19.

For families with children during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is crucial to explore how both youth and parents view their roles with regard to the shared caretaking of pets. While most human-animal interaction studies examine adult or early childhood samples, our focus was on adolescent development. We present findings from a U.S. based mixed-method study of adolescent surveys and parent interviews regarding pet care responsibility. As part of an ongoing longitudinal study, we analyzed survey data from 567 pet-owning adolescents and a subset of 356 dog owning adolescents aged 10-17 as well as 31 in-depth interviews with parents of adolescents from the same study. Higher reported pet caretaking responsibilities was significantly associated with a preference for spending time with pets when stressed and improved family relationships during the COVID-19 pandemic for both pet owners and dog owners. For dog owners only, increased levels of responsibility for the pet was significantly associated with a higher likelihood of identifying as a pet owner. Qualitative findings showcase the range of parental expectations and adolescent initiative around pet caretaking. Our study highlights the continued importance of pet companionship during the adolescent years as they develop their identities as responsible pet owners.

Examining Early Adolescent Positive and Negative Social Technology Behaviors and Well-being During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Public concerns of how frequently adolescents used screens during the pandemic shutdowns fueled the need to research whether these behaviors were conducive or detrimental to their wellbeing. The aims of this longitudinal survey study of 586 middle school students in the Northeast U.S. were to examine (a) changes in positive and negative social technology behaviors prior to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic (fall 2019) compared to during the pandemic (fall 2020) including any differences by subgroups and (b) whether changes in social technology behaviors were associated with wellbeing outcomes and any moderating factors. We found that during this time period, there were significant increases in frequency of checking social media, social technology use before bedtime, and problematic internet use. Students also experienced significant increases in social anxiety, loneliness, and depressive symptoms, but also increased strategies of coping when stressed. By following our preregistered analytical plan, each research aim was addressed within a multilevel modeling framework with time nested within students. We found extremely small effects of social technology behaviors associated with wellbeing, such as online support seeking being related to strategies when coping with stress. Though we found statistically significant effects, none of the findings met our effect size criteria (i.e., effect of ≥.05). Overall, we did not find any strong support that the changes in wellbeing that adolescents experienced during the COVID-19 social distancing was meaningfully related to their social technology use, which is counter to the popular assumption that adolescent wellbeing is intricately tied to their social technology use.

Moving from Needs Assessment to Intervention: Fathers' Perspectives on Their Needs and Support for Talk with Teens about Sex.

Talk with fathers about sex and relationships can support teens' health, but its impact is limited as few fathers talk with their teens about sexual issues. Needs assessment and fathers' input on intervention content and structure can guide the development of programs that support fathers' health-promoting talk with their teen children about sex and relationships. In the present study, we explored fathers' goals in their talk with teens about sex and relationships and barriers they perceive to these conversations, as well as what they would look for in an intervention program. Content analysis was conducted using interviews in the U.S. with 43 fathers of high school-aged teens (age 14-18). Themes explored fathers' roles in talk with teens, key messages to teens, and approaches and barriers to conversations, in addition to attitudes toward an intervention, and feedback on intervention structure, content, and process. The findings suggest that fathers see talk with teens about sex as part of their roles, but face challenges in accomplishing this goal. Fathers' feedback highlights their openness to an intervention and can guide the development of a peer-based and interactive program that addresses how to talk with teens about sex in addition to the content of these conversations.

The role of parents, other adults, peers and informal learning communities in shaping positive social media use in adolesent girls.

Purpose: This study aims to introduce the concept of communities of social media practice where more experienced users provide guidance to female novice users, enacting a form of legitimate peripheral participation to "onboard" newcomers. Design/methodology/approach: Through surveys with 968 early adolescents (average age was 13), the authors quantitatively explored sources and types of guidance for young social media users, popularity of conversation themes related to this guidance and how these conversations are associated with positive social media engagement. The authors qualitatively documented a case study of how a summer workshop of 17 students promotes positive social media use through a community of practice. Findings: Although early adolescent girls reported that they more frequently talked to their parents about a wider range of social media topics, same-age peers and younger family members (e.g., siblings, cousins) were also frequent sources. Surprisingly, the authors also found that the source most strongly associated with positive social media use was the peer group. This case study of an intentional community of practice demonstrated how peers go from "peripheral" to "centered" in socializing each other for more positive social media use. Originality/value: Unlike most prior scholarship on mediating social technology use, this study focuses on a critical developmental period (e.g. early adolescents), sources of guidance other than exclusively parents, explore the specific conversation topics that offer guidance and document an informal community of practice for girls that provides the training ground for peers and adult facilitators to codesign more positive social media spaces.

Associations of early social media initiation on digital behaviors and the moderating role of limiting use.

Little is known about the effects of social media initiation on digital behaviors from middle childhood to early adolescence, a critical developmental period marked by peer influence and inaugural access to mobile devices. Participants from middle schools in the Northeast U.S. (N=773; 11-15 years, Mean = 12.6) completed a cross-sectional survey about social media initiation, digital behaviors, and parental restrictions on digital use. Descriptive results demonstrated that overall early adolescents more frequently engaged in positive digital behaviors compared to negative ones. Results from structural equation models showed that initiating social media platforms, namely Instagram or Snapchat, in later childhood (10 years or younger) was significantly associated with problematic digital behavior outcomes compared to either tween (11-12) and/or teen (13+) initiation, including having online friends or joining social media sites parents would disapprove of, more problematic digital technology behaviors, more unsympathetic online behaviors, and greater likelihood of online harassment and sexual harassment victimization. Additionally, there is evidence to show that childhood initiators demonstrated a greater tendency to engage in supportive or civically-engaged online community behaviors compared to older initiator counterparts. Parental restriction of mobile phone use and a less frequent checking of social media ameliorated some of the negative effects.

Depressive Symptoms Among Adolescents: Testing Vulnerability-Stress and Protective Models in the Context of COVID-19.

Adolescents who experience negative life events may be at risk for depression, particularly those with psychosocial vulnerabilities. We investigate longitudinally the impact of vulnerability/protective factors on the relation between a large-scale negative life event, the COVID-19 pandemic, and depressive symptoms. Adolescents (N = 228, Mage = 14.5 years, 53% female, 73% white) self-reported depressive symptoms 2-4 months before the pandemic (Time 1), and again 2 months following stay-at-home orders (Time 2). At T2, adolescents also completed measures of vulnerability, protective factors, and COVID-19-related distress. Depressive symptoms increased at T2, and COVID-19 distress interacted with resilience and negative cognitive style in predicting increases in T2 depression. Focusing on vulnerability and protective factors in adolescents distressed by large scale negative life events appears crucial.

Same-Sex Attraction Disclosure and Sexual Communication Topics within Families.

Few studies compare family communication about sex and relationships for sexual minority youth versus hetero-sexual teenagers. Further, existing studies often focus on mothers, overlooking fathers and extended family. Our survey of 952 adolescents aged 14-21 included 115 adolescents disclosing non-heterosexual attraction. Mothers offered more sexual protection methods messages to their non-SM teens, whereas fathers talked less with SM teens about risks of sex and relational sex. Most participants identified mothers, sisters, and female cousins, with male SMs having the highest number of disclosures to family members, whereas female and non-binary SMs confided in fewer family members or no one.

Father-Teen Talks about Sex and Teens' Sexual Health: The Role of Direct and Indirect Communication.

Family talks about sex can protect against teens' risky sexual behavior, but most research has focused on the role of mothers. The current study included cross-sectional survey data from 728 adolescents in the 11th and 12th grades (Mage = 17.00, SD = 0.90) in the United States. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to assess associations between teens' direct and indirect talk, defined as less straightforward ways to communicate one's sexual values, with fathers about sex, and teens' sexual behaviors. There were no significant direct associations between father-teen talk about sex and teens' sexual behavior. However, teen gender moderated associations between indirect father-teen communication and teens' sexual behavior. The results suggest the need to assess indirect talk about sex in studies of family sexuality communication and to further investigate the role of teens' identities in determining the influence of father-teen talk about sex on teens' sexual behavior.

Young Sexual Minority Adolescent Experiences of Self-expression and Isolation on Social Media: Cross-sectional Survey Study.

BACKGROUND: Early adolescent years are marked by pervasive self- and peer-regulation regarding gender and sexuality norms, which can affect the mental well-being of sexual minority youth. During this developmental period, social media use is also emerging as a dominant mode of communication with peers, allowing for both risk and resilient behaviors that can impact well-being. OBJECTIVE: This exploratory study aims to examine how sexual minorities in middle school use social media, who they are connected to and for what purposes, and the associations between these behaviors and mental well-being compared with their heterosexual peers. METHODS: In our cross-sectional survey study of 1033 early adolescents aged between 10 and 16 years (average age 12.7, SD 1.21 years) from 4 middle school sites in the Northeastern United States, we conducted an exploratory study comparing sexual minorities (212/873, 24.3% of sample with known sexual orientation) with their heterosexual peers (n=661), obtaining an 84.46% (1033/1223; total possible) response rate. RESULTS: Sexual minorities reported having smaller networks on their favorite social media website (ß=-.57; P<.001), less often responded positively when friends shared good news (ß=-.35; P=.002), and less often tried to make friends feel better when they shared bad news (ß=-.30; P=.01). However, sexual minorities more often reported joining a group or web-based community to make themselves feel less alone (ß=.28; P=.003), unlike heterosexual youth. Sexual minorities had higher averages of loneliness and social isolation (ß=.19; P<.001) than heterosexual students. Sexual minorities were also twice as likely to have tried to harm themselves in the past (ß=.81; odds ratio [OR] 2.24, 95% CI 1.64-3.06; P<.001) and were more likely to have symptoms that reached the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression definition of depression (ß=.15; OR 1.16, 95% CI 1.08-1.25; P<.001). About 39.1% (83/212) of sexual minorities had no one to talk to about their sexual orientation. Sexual minorities were 1.5 times more likely to have joined a social media website their parents would disapprove (ß=.41; OR 1.50, 95% CI 1.14-1.97; P=.004) and more likely to report seeing videos related to self-harm (ß=.33; OR 1.39, 95% CI 1.06-1.83; P=.02) on the web than heterosexual youth. CONCLUSIONS: Given previous reports of supportive and safe web-based spaces for sexual minority youth, our findings demonstrated that sexual minority youth prefer to maintain small, close-knit web-based communities (apart from their families) to express themselves, particularly when reaching out to web-based communities to reduce loneliness. Future longitudinal studies could determine any bidirectional influences of mental well-being and social media use in sexual minorities during this difficult developmental period.

The Family System of Sexuality Communication: Extended Family Perceptions of Adolescent-Family Talk about Sex, with Sibling and Non-Sibling Comparison.

Talk with parents and extended family about sex and relationships can support adolescents' sexual health. However, few studies explore how parent and extended family communication with adolescents intersect. This study used thematic analysis to assess family roles in talk with teens about sex and relationships among a sample of 39 adult extended family members (such as aunts and uncles, and older siblings and cousins) in the United States. Analyses identified four themes in sexuality communication that address: why adolescents talk to extended family about sex and relationships, family engagement in these conversations, consistency of family messages, and family communication about adolescents. Findings identify variation in how family members interact with adolescents and one another regarding talk about sex and relationships. For example, some participants described family coordination of sexual messages to the teen, while others reported no family communication about this topic. Results also showed similarities and differences in how sibling and non-sibling extended family describe these processes. These findings identify the need to examine family talk about sex and relationships in the context of a larger family system, rather than only within dyadic relationships, and suggests possibilities for family-based interventions to support adolescents' sexual health.

Disconnecting and Reconnecting A Photovoice Workshop on Healthy Social Media Use.

Educators, parents, practitioners, and mainstream media often raise concerns about the dangers of social media for teenagers. Frequent social media use and exposure to sites that emphasize anonymity may be risky for young adolescents (Charmaraman, Gladstone, & Richer, 2018). However, with healthy limits, social media can improve social connectivity, enhance a sense of belonging, and provide forums for self-disclosure and identity exploration (James et al., 2017).

Companion Animal Relationships and Adolescent Loneliness during COVID-19.

The pandemic associated with the emergence of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is an unprecedented historical event with the potential to significantly impact adolescent loneliness. This study aimed to explore the role of companion animals and attachment to pets in the context of the pandemic. We used longitudinal quantitative survey data collected prior to and during the pandemic to assess the role of pets in predicting adolescent loneliness. Pet ownership was not a significant predictor of loneliness before the pandemic, but did predict higher levels of loneliness during COVID-19 as well as higher increases in loneliness from before to during the pandemic. Dog ownership predicted lower levels of loneliness prior to, but not during the pandemic, and dog owners were significantly more attached to their pets than non-dog pet owners. Adolescents with pets reported spending more time with their pets during the pandemic, and frequently reported pet interactions as a strategy for coping with stress. Overall, the results from this study did not support the presence of a buffering effect of companion animals on loneliness for adolescents and indicate complexity in the relationships between pet ownership, attachment, loneliness, and coping with stress. These results suggest a need for additional research further assessing how features of the relationship such as species and relationship quality might contribute to adolescent mental health outcomes.

Resources for teens' health: Talk with parents and extended family about sex.

Communication with family members about sex can protect teens from risky sexual behavior, but most research focuses on teens' communication with parents. Extended family members may also be a source of sexual socialization to support teens' health, but teens' perspectives on communication with extended family about sex have been little explored. The current study aims were to examine similarities and differences in the frequency and content of teens' communication with extended family and parents about sex and to assess whether the content of this communication differs based on teens' gender. This cross-sectional study used structural equation models (SEM) to analyze survey data from 952 11th and 12th graders (55% Female, 52% Latinx) in the United States. The study assessed three types of family talk about sex: Communication about Risks of Sex addresses negative consequences of sex, communication about Protection involves ways teens can guard against pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections and Relational Sex communication addresses sex within the context of a close relationship. We found that teens were as likely to report talk with extended family members as parents about sex. Teens' conversations with parents were more focused on sexual risk and protection while conversations with extended family focused on relational sex topics. Girls were more likely to engage in protection and relational sex communication with extended family, while boys talked more often with parents about these topics. These findings highlight the potential of extended family to support teens' healthy development.

Early Adolescent Social Media-Related Body Dissatisfaction: Associations with Depressive Symptoms, Social Anxiety, Peers, and Celebrities.

OBJECTIVE: It is critical to examine the powerful socializing effects of networked media on early adolescents when social media use, body self-consciousness, and social comparisons are at their peak. METHOD: Using 2 subsamples (N = 374 and N = 396) of those aged 11 to 14 years from a larger survey sample of 700 middle school participants in the Northeast United States, we conducted a cross-sectional pilot survey using brief, descriptive body dissatisfaction measures directly related to social media use. RESULTS: Within our body dissatisfaction subsample, 19% reported dissatisfaction to body image issues. Participants' most common concerns around body image included not being thin enough, not attractive enough, and feeling dissatisfaction with body shape, hair, and face. The results from analysis of covariance analyses showed that those reporting social media-related body dissatisfaction checked their social media more frequently. When compared with those who did not feel negatively about their body image because of social media, those who did had higher rates of depressive symptoms, had online social anxiety, had found it harder to make new friends, and were more socially isolated. Those who followed celebrities checked social media more frequently and were more likely to have depressive symptoms and online social anxiety. CONCLUSION: There may be negative socioemotional health consequences of early adolescent social media users with exposure to particular sources of social media content, such as photographs of celebrities.

Sex behaviours and family sexuality communication among Hispanic adolescents.

This study compared the extent to which Hispanic teenagers talk with mothers, fathers and extended family members about risks of sex, protection and relational sex, as well as the moderating role of teenagers' gender on the association between sexuality communication and risky sexual behaviours. Analysis is based upon 474 Hispanic young people's responses to a school-based survey recruited from six New England high schools. We (1) calculated descriptive statistics and tests of difference by teenagers' gender, and (2) ran logistic regression models for three sexual behaviours (vaginal sex, oral sex and number of sex partners) separately by gender. There were significant gender differences in teenagers' talk with mothers and fathers, but not extended family members. There was consistent "gender matching" between teenagers and the extended family member they talked to. The content of sexuality communication, the family member the teenager talked to and the gender of the teenager all contributed to whether communication was protective for teenagers' sexual behaviour. There are substantial differences in the types of sexuality communication Hispanic teenagers have with different family members, which are closely tied to teenager's and the family member's gender. Results suggests that one size does not fit all when it comes to family communication about sex and sexuality.

Quantity, Content, and Context Matter: Associations Among Social Technology Use and Sleep Habits in Early Adolescents.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the associations of social technology access and content, bedtime behaviors, parental phone restrictions, and timing and duration of sleep on school nights in early adolescents. METHODS: Adolescents (aged 11-15 years, n = 772) in the Northeast U.S. completed an online survey during or after school in spring 2019. RESULTS: Quantity of social technology use (e.g., checking social media, problematic internet behaviors, mobile use), content viewed (e.g., emotional or violent videos, risky behaviors), and social context (e.g., bedtime behaviors, starting social media at an early age) were significantly related to later bedtimes and fewer hours of sleep on school nights. Parental rules restricting mobile phone and online use before bed and obtaining a smartphone at a later age were associated with increased sleep time and earlier bedtime. CONCLUSIONS: Quantity, content, and context of social technology use may affect sleep timing and duration in early adolescents.

Social and Behavioral Health Factors Associated with Violent and Mature Gaming in Early Adolescence.

We examined how risk level of video games, measured by maturity and violence level, was associated with behavioral health, social impacts, and online social interactions. School-based surveys in two different cohorts assessed self-reported gaming behaviors, health, and social media use. For Study 1, our 700 participants were 52% female and 48% White (mean age 12.7). Middle school students who played the high-risk games reported higher depressive symptoms and problematic internet behaviors, less sleep, more time spent playing games, and higher frequency of checking social media than non-gaming students. Those who played high-risk games were less likely to play alone and to play with strangers than those who played minimal-risk games. For Study 2, our 772 participants were 50% female and 57% White (mean age 12.6). Similar to Study 1, we found that those who played the high-risk games spent significantly more time playing games, were more interactive with other players, and had poorer sleep outcomes than non-high-risk gamers. Additionally, playing high-risk games had significantly different social impacts of gaming compared to less-risky gaming, including spending more money on games, spending less time on homework and with family or skipping meals due to gaming. Mature and violent content of video games and amount of online social interaction associated with gaming play a strong role in behavioral health and social impacts within families. These results can inform guidelines to intervene when problematic behaviors emerge.