The Association Among Parental Bonding, Depression, Social Aggression, and Criminal Assault: Are There Gender Differences Between Male and Female Youth Offenders?

This research examined similarities and differences in gender regarding social aggression, criminal assault, depression, and familial factors. The participants were 251 youth offenders (158 males) who were arrested and incarcerated in a juvenile facility. The measures consisted of self-reported acts of social aggression, simple and aggravated assault, subtypes of depression, and self-reports on parental care and control. Our data demonstrate the importance of including gender, types of aggression/assault, subtypes of depression, and familial factors when examining their association. For example, less parental care predicted more social aggression for both males and females. However, neither did parental care predict aggravated assault for either gender, nor did parental care predict general depression or anhedonia. Parental control had different impact depending on gender. More parental control increased rates of social aggression and simple assault for females but not for males. Symptoms of general depression predicted committing simple assault for both males and females, but not anhedonia. However, general depressive symptoms and anhedonia were associated with committing aggravated assault for both genders. Policy implications were discussed.

Relations Among Victimization, Witnessing, and Perpetration of Aggression: Impact of Gender Among Youth Offenders.

The participants included 251 (158 males; 93 females) youth offenders who were arrested and incarcerated in a juvenile facility in the Midwest United States. The aims were to assess (a) how often they were a victim, a witness, and/or a perpetrator of social aggression, simple assault, and aggravated assault during the past year; (b) to examine whether exposure (either witness or victim or both) predicted committing three types of aggressive behaviors; and (c) to assess the impact of gender among the youth offenders. Differential predictability models were utilized to assess gender differences. The findings revealed that gender was an important predictor. For example, females reported higher rates of being a witness, a victim, and a perpetrator of social aggression than did males. Moreover, female offenders committed simple assault more often than males and males committed aggravated assault more often than females. The general results suggest that it is important to examine the various forms of aggression, and exposure, as well as how gender affects these relationships.

Adolescent Misconduct Behaviors: A Cross-Cultural Perspective of Adolescents and Their Parents.

The primary goal of the current study was to examine cultural differences in Chinese and U.S. adolescents' and parents' perceptions and evaluations of adolescent misconduct behaviors. A total of 395 U.S. and Chinese adolescents (ages 11-19 years) and 255 parents participated in this study. Each participant generated adolescent misconduct behaviors and rated each misconduct behavior as to the degree of wrongness. The misconduct behaviors were coded into 10 categories across three themes (moral offenses, drugs, and conventions). Results revealed significant cultural differences in a number of adolescent misconduct behaviors. For example, the United States generated more misconduct behaviors in weapon offenses and drug use than did China. These cultural differences were further complicated by an interaction between culture and generation. Chinese adolescents were more likely than U.S. adolescents to use categories of school, home, and social conventional violations, and considered these adolescent misconduct behaviors to be more wrong. However, it was the U.S. parents who considered adolescent misconduct behaviors in these categories to be more wrong than did Chinese parents.

An application of the LC-LSTM framework to the self-esteem instability case.

The present research evaluates the stability of self-esteem as assessed by a daily version of the Rosenberg (Society and the adolescent self-image, Princeton University Press, Princeton, 1965) general self-esteem scale (RGSE). The scale was administered to 391 undergraduates for five consecutive days. The longitudinal data were analyzed using the integrated LC-LSTM framework that allowed us to evaluate: (1) the measurement invariance of the RGSE, (2) its stability and change across the 5-day assessment period, (3) the amount of variance attributable to stable and transitory latent factors, and (4) the criterion-related validity of these factors. Results provided evidence for measurement invariance, mean-level stability, and rank-order stability of daily self-esteem. Latent state-trait analyses revealed that variances in scores of the RGSE can be decomposed into six components: stable self-esteem (40 %), ephemeral (or temporal-state) variance (36 %), stable negative method variance (9 %), stable positive method variance (4 %), specific variance (1 %) and random error variance (10 %). Moreover, latent factors associated with daily self-esteem were associated with measures of depression, implicit self-esteem, and grade point average.

A Unified Latent Curve, Latent State-Trait Analysis of the Developmental Trajectories and Correlates of Positive Orientation.

Literature documents that the judgments people hold about themselves, their life, and their future are important ingredients of their psychological functioning and well-being and are commonly related to each other. In this article, results from a longitudinal study (N = 298, 45% males) are presented. Using an integrative Latent Curve, Latent State-Trait Model ( Tisak & Tisak, 2000 ), results corroborated (a) the impressive mean level and rank-order stability of positive orientation across a 4-year period, (b) the traitlike nature of positive orientation, and (c) the strong association of positive orientation with intrapersonal (i.e., quality of daily emotional experiences) and interpersonal (i.e., quality of friendships) adolescents' areas of functioning and on psychological resilience. These results attest to the utility of the new construct as a critical component of individuals' optimal well-functioning.

Investigating the Nature of Method Factors Through Multiple Informants: Evidence for a Specific Factor?

When a self-report instrument includes a balanced number of positively and negatively worded items, factor analysts often use method factors to aid model fitting. The nature of these factors, often referred to as acquiescence, is still debated. Relying upon previous results ( Alessandri et al., 2010 ; DiStefano & Motl, 2006 , 2008 ; Rauch, Schweizer, & Moosbrugger, 2007 ), we submit that the so-called method factors, instead, represent substantive specific factors. This study investigates the convergence of method effects across different observers. The revised Life Orientation Test ( Scheier, Carver, & Bridges, 1994 ) was administered to a sample of 372 adults (57% females), with 372 acquaintances serving as informants. Results showed that a specific factor was detectable both with self- and other-ratings. A significant correlation across informants provided evidence for the convergence of this specific factor. Construct validity was examined by locating this specific factor within a nomological net of personality variables. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

Assessing spiritual growth and spiritual decline following a diagnosis of cancer: reliability and validity of the spiritual transformation scale.

This study assessed the factor structure, reliability, and validity of an instrument designed to assess spiritual transformations following a diagnosis of cancer-the Spiritual Transformation Scale (STS). The instrument was administering to 253 people diagnosed with cancer within the previous 2 years. Two underlying factors emerged (spiritual growth (SG) and spiritual decline (SD)) with adequate internal reliability (alpha = 0.98 and 0.86, respectively) and test-retest reliability (r = 0.85 and 0.73, respectively). Validity was supported by correlations between SG and the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS) Positive Affect Subscale (r = 0.23, p < 0.001), the Daily Spiritual Experiences Scale (r = 0.57, p < 0.001), and the Post-traumatic Growth Inventory (r = 0.68, p < 0.001). SD was associated with higher scores on the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale (r = 0.38, p < 0.001) and PANAS-Negative Affect Subscale (r = 0.40, p < 0.001), and lower scores on the PANAS-Positive Affect Subscale (r = -0.23, p < 0.001), and the Daily Spiritual Experiences Scale (r = -0.30, p < 0.001). Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that the subscales uniquely predicted adjustment beyond related constructs (intrinsic religiousness, spiritual coping, and general post-traumatic growth). The results indicate that the STS is psychometrically sound, with SG predicting better, and SD predicting poorer, mental and spiritual well-being following a diagnosis of cancer.

Measurement error and the correlation between positive and negative affect: spearman (1904, 1907) revisited.

There has been considerable debate in the literature on the structure of affect, especially on the correlation between positive and negative affect and the effect of measurement error on this correlation. In this brief article, it is shown that, as Spearman (1904, 1907) noted, the extent to which the correlation between imperfect measures is attenuated by measurement error depends upon the reliabilities of the measures used.

Examining time-invariance in reliability in multi-wave, multi-indicator models: a covariance structure analysis approach accounting for indicator specificity.

A covariance structure analysis method for testing time-invariance in reliability in multiwave, multiple-indicator models in outlined. The approach accounts for observed variable specificity and permits, in addition, estimation of reliability in terms of 'pure' measurement error variance. The proposed procedure is developed within a confirmatory factor analysis framework and illustrated with data from a cognitive intervention study.