Social Disconnection During COVID-19: The Role of Attachment, Fear of Missing Out, and Smartphone Use.

This mixed-methods study explored adolescents' (n = 682) feelings of social connection in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic and examined potential risk (fear of missing out, problematic smartphone use) and protective (parent/peer attachment, smartphone use) factors to social disconnection. Data were collected from two schools in Canada using an online survey with questionnaires and open-ended questions. Three themes regarding adolescents' feelings of social connection during the pandemic were identified through thematic content analysis: (1) feeling socially connected, (2) feeling socially disconnected, and (3) feeling socially indifferent. Moreover, regression analysis identified secure peer attachments as a protective factor against social disconnection in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, while fear of missing out was identified as an independent risk factor.

Cyberbullying and Cybervictimization Within a Cross-Cultural Context: A Study of Canadian and Tanzanian Adolescents.

This study explored cyberbullying and cybervictimization (CBCV), for adolescents aged 11-15 from Tanzania (N = 426) and Canada (N = 592). Measurement invariance and model invariance was found for CBCV. In addition, multigroup structural equation modeling was used to explore several variables: age, gender, average hours online each day, accessing the Internet in a private location, having online privacy concerns, going online for social purposes, and motivation for cyberbullying. Results found interesting patterns within each country. It was found that cellphone ownership moderated the relation between these predictor variables and reported incidences of CBCV uniquely for each country. These findings provide evidence for the global nature of cyberbullying.

Does one size fit all? Ethnic differences in parenting behaviors and motivations for adolescent engagement in cyberbullying.

Cyberbullying has become a growing concern for adolescents. This study examined differences in cyber-aggression for 518 Canadian adolescents of either East Asian or European descent (61% female; M age = 15.24; SD = 1.68). Associations between parenting behaviors (parental control, parental solicitation, and child disclosure) and engagement in cyber-aggression, as well as motivations for engaging in cyber-aggression were explored. Adolescents completed self-report questionnaires about their engagement in cyberbullying, perceptions of their parents' behaviors about their online activities, their motivations for cyberbullying (reactive vs. proactive), as well as several other relevant psychosocial and demographic variables (e.g., sex, age, Canadian born, mother's education level, using a computer in a private place, and average amount of time spent online). Regression analyses showed that East Asian adolescents were less likely to engage in cyberbullying. In addition, higher levels of parental control and lower levels of parental solicitation were linked more closely with lowered reported levels of cyber-aggression for East Asian adolescents relative to their peers of European descent. In addition, East Asian adolescents were more likely to be motivated to engage in cyber-aggression for proactive reasons than reactive reasons, with the opposite found for adolescents of European descent. A significant 3-way interaction suggested that this pattern was more pronounced for East Asian males relative to East Asian females. Findings are discussed in terms of cultural differences based on the doctrines of Confucianism and Taoism.

Gendered motivational processes affecting high school mathematics participation, educational aspirations, and career plans: a comparison of samples from Australia, Canada, and the United States.

In this international, longitudinal study, we explored gender differences in, and gendered relationships among, math-related motivations emphasized in the Eccles (Parsons) et al. (1983) expectancy-value framework, high school math participation, educational aspirations, and career plans. Participants were from Australia, Canada, and the United States (Ns = 358, 471, 418, respectively) in Grades 9/10 at Time 1 and Grades 11/12 at Time 2. The 3 samples came from suburban middle to upper-middle socioeconomic backgrounds, primarily of Anglo-European descent. Multivariate analyses of variance revealed stereotypic gender differences in educational and occupational outcomes only among the Australian sample. Multigroup structural equation models identified latent mean differences where male adolescents held higher intrinsic value for math in the Australian sample and higher ability/success expectancy in both North American samples. Ability/success expectancy was a key predictor in the North American samples, in contrast to intrinsic value in the Australian sample. Attainment/utility ("importance") values were more important for female adolescents' career choices, except in the Australian sample. Findings are interpreted in relation to gender socialization practices, degree and type of early choice, and specialization across settings. Implications are discussed for long-term math engagement and career selection for female and male adolescents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).

Evaluation of the factor structure of the child-reported parenting questionnaire in the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth.

BACKGROUND: The effect of parenting behaviours is important in child health and development research. This study evaluates three child-reported parenting behaviour scales (nurturance, rejection and monitoring) in the Canadian National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY). DATA AND METHODS: The sample consisted of two longitudinal cohorts (n = 1,164) who were interviewed at ages 10 to 11, 12 to 13, and 14 to 15. The factor structure of each scale was evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis with weighted least squares estimation on polychoric correlation matrices. RESULTS: The 7-item NLSCY Parental Nurturance model appeared to be a good fit to the data for children aged 10 to 11 and 12 to 13, but not for those aged 14 to 15. The 7-item Parental Rejection model was not a good fit to the data across any of the three time points. The 5-item Parental Monitoring model was a good fit to the data across all three time points. Removal of one item from the nurturance and one item from the monitoring scale improved the fit to the data. INTERPRETATION: The revised models appeared to be useful in assessing parental nurturance and monitoring. The model for parental rejection was not confirmed for this sample of adolescents.

The family antecedents and the subsequent outcomes of early puberty.

The purpose of this study was to examine both the family antecedents and the outcomes of early puberty, with a particular focus on factors related to family socioeconomic status (SES). The study employed a comprehensive measurement of pubertal development and longitudinal data from the Canadian National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth. The sample (N = 8,440; 49% girls) included four cohorts of children who were followed biennially for 10 years, starting from age 4-11 to 14-21 years. Data were drawn at different years of age from these cohorts of children. Girls whose fathers were unemployed were more likely to experience early puberty than those whose fathers were employed. For boys, those living with fathers who had not finished secondary school were more likely to experience early puberty. Early maturing girls tended to engage in smoking and drinking at an earlier age compared with their peers. These findings provide support for psychosocial acceleration theory and suggest that different aspects of low family SES may act as a psychosocial stress for early pubertal maturation in boys versus girls, which may lead to engagement in drinking and smoking at a younger age, at least for girls.

An examination of the reciprocal relationships between adolescents' aggressive behaviors and their perceptions of parental nurturance.

This study examined reciprocal relationships between adolescents' perceptions of parental nurturance and two types of adolescent aggressive behaviors (indirect and direct aggression) using a transactional model. Three waves of longitudinal data were drawn from the Canadian National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth. The sample included 1,416 (735 female) adolescents who were 10- and 11-year-olds at Time 1 and became 14-and 15-year-olds at Time 3. The findings failed to support reciprocal effects, but confirmed parental effects at different ages for girls and boys. For girls, perceptions of parental nurturance at age 10 were negatively associated with both indirect and direct aggression at age 12. For boys, perceptions of parental nurturance at age 12 were negatively associated with both aggressive behaviors at age 14. Future research should continue to investigate reciprocal effects in parent-adolescent relationships to identify developmental periods where the effect of adolescents' or their parents' behavior may be stronger.

A domain-specific approach to adolescent reporting of parental control.

This study evaluated the psychometric properties of a newly developed adolescent-reported domain-specific measure of parental behavioral control. In addition, this study examined the relationships between domains of perceived behavioral control and adolescent problem behaviors and tested whether psychological control played a mediating role in these associations. Participants were 267 students, ranging in age from 9 to 16 years. Both high maternal and paternal use of behavioral control in the friendship domain were positively associated with externalizing behaviors. Low paternal use of control in the prudential and multifaceted domains was also positively associated with externalizing behaviors. Psychological control mediated the association between behavioral control in the friendship domain and externalizing behaviors, suggesting a potential overlap between perceptions of parental behavioral and psychological control. These findings highlight the need to study adolescents' perceptions of parental control in specific domains to fully understand its relationship with adolescent outcomes.

Patterns and correlates of pubertal development in Canadian youth: effects of family context.

BACKGROUND: Current health literature suggests that there has been a decline in the age of pubertal onset, and that pubertal development is influenced by social context. Unfortunately, contemporary Canadian-specific data have not been available. This study examined the odds of having entered puberty at various ages during adolescence, before and after controlling for the effects of family socio-economic status and family structure. METHODS: Longitudinal data for this study were drawn from the first four cycles of the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth. The final sample consisted of 7977 adolescents ranging in age from 10 to 17. Pubertal status of the participants was identified based on pubic hair, facial hair growth, and voice change, for boys; and pubic hair, breast development, and menstruation, for girls. Trajectories of pubertal development were analyzed with HLM growth curve modelling techniques. RESULTS: The results indicated that, compared to boys, the odds of having entered puberty at age 13 were 6.45 times higher for girls and that girls go through puberty more quickly. Low family socio-economic status and living with a stepfather were found to predict early onset of pubertal development. CONCLUSION: Contextual factors are related to pubertal development. Additional research is needed to develop a more solid understanding of how psychosocial factors interact to predict gendered patterns of pubertal development.

Teenage mothers' anger over twelve years: partner conflict, partner transitions and children's anger.

BACKGROUND: This study examined the effects of maternal anger, partner transitions and partner conflict on later oppositional and angry behavior of the children of teenage mothers. METHODS: One hundred and twenty-one teenage women were interviewed prior to the birth of the baby and at 3 points subsequently, when children were newborn, 7 years old and 12 years old. Child and teacher reports of children's oppositional behavior were obtained. RESULTS: Women who showed higher levels of anger at Time 1 experienced more conflict with partners and more partner transitions over the next 12 years than women with lower levels of anger. Partner conflict was a stronger predictor of children's oppositional and angry behavior than partner transitions. Maternal anger at Time 1 was associated with maternal anger at Time 4 but neither predicted children's oppositional behavior at Time 4. CONCLUSION: There was support for the theoretical model that suggested that the personality characteristics of teenaged mothers confer some of their risk to children through children's exposure to the mothers' problematic partner relationships.