Romantic relationships and sexuality in diverse adolescent populations: Introduction to the special issue.

Although scientific research on adolescent romantic and sexual development has proliferated in recent years, currently, too little is known about how development in these areas can be understood across diverse populations (e.g., different socio-cultural groups within countries) and contexts (e.g., countries or different proximal social environments). The goal of the current virtual special issue in the Journal of Adolescence was to highlight relevant and timely empirical findings from studies utilizing innovative and diverse research methods in the areas of adolescent romantic and sexual development from around the globe, with an emphasis on data collected outside of the Western world. It combines an interesting set of nine empirical papers, which describe datasets from 5 countries (Canada, India, Indonesia, Mexico, and the United States). In this editorial, we provide an introduction to this special issue, and illustrate how these studies expand our understanding of adolescent romantic and sexual development by examining: 1) romantic and sexual relationship constructs that are relevant for understudied and diverse populations; 2) how culture-specific factors may shape adolescents' romantic and sexual relationships; 3) how romantic and sexual relationship constructs are linked to psychosocial adjustment outcomes in understudied cultural contexts; 4) the role of different proximal social environments (e.g., parents, siblings, peers) in romantic and sexual development in diverse populations.

The Peer Relationships of Those Who Have Experienced Adoption or Foster Care: A Meta-Analysis.

This meta-analytic review examines the presence and quality of close peer relationships for adoptees and individuals with foster care experience. Results indicate that adoptees show difficulty forming close peer relationships compared with biologically reared individuals, but they do not differ in the quality of these relationships. In contrast, those with foster care experience report lower quality peer relationships than biologically reared individuals. Additionally, this meta-analysis includes prevalence rates of close peer relationships that illustrate most adoptees and foster youth report having high-quality peer relationships. These findings have important implications for intervention and prevention efforts and offer directions for future research on peer relationships among adoptees and foster youth, but should be considered in light of the presence of some publication bias.

Dyadic invariance of the Adult Self-Report and Adult Behavior Checklist: Evidence from young adult romantic couples.

The current paper investigated the invariance of the behavior problem scales of two measures from the Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment, the Adult Self Report (ASR) and the Adult Behavior Checklist (ABCL), across members of young adult romantic couples. Data were derived from three studies examining romantic relationships in young adulthood (total N = 672). Using a series of confirmatory factor analysis models, we tested levels of invariance of the behavior problem subscales of the ASR/ABCL across self- and partner-reports. All behavior problem subscales demonstrated invariant factor structures across self- and partner-reports. However, only the attention problems, aggressive behavior, and rule-breaking subscales achieved full metric invariance for both men and women. The intrusiveness (for men) and somatic complaints (for women) subscales also met full metric invariance. The remaining subscales only met partial metric invariance for both men (withdrawn, anxious/depressed, somatic complaints) and women (withdrawn, anxious/depressed, intrusiveness). All subscales only met partial scalar invariance. The current study extends the literature on cross-informant assessments by moving beyond studies of mean differences or correlations between informant reports. Moreover, our findings indicate that understanding agreement between informants should include multiple levels of measurement, such as factor structure, factor loadings, and item means. We recommend careful consideration of these issues when using the ASR/ABCL in a cross-informant framework. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Positive parental engagement: Investigating the role of the mother-father relationship.

Promoting positive parental engagement (e.g., reading to the child, practicing nursery rhymes with the child, playing with the child) is beneficial for children. Previous research has largely been limited to only maternal reports and relatively affluent families. The current study longitudinally investigated spillover between positive experiences in the mother-father relationship and positive parental engagement using an ethnically and economically diverse sample of parents. Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N = 3,780 mother-father dyads)-and guided by family systems theory-we tested a series of path analysis models. Positive relationship experiences predicted positive parental engagement over time (from child's birth-5 years of age) for both mothers and fathers. Furthermore, strength of associations between positive relationship experiences and positive parental engagement largely did not differ based on family structure, poverty, or race. These findings highlight the importance of investigating the mother-father relationship using a family systems framework to better understand positive parental engagement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Pet Dogs: Does their presence influence preadolescents' emotional responses to a social stressor?

Despite interest in human-animal interaction, few studies have tested whether the presence of a dog facilitates children's emotional responding. Preadolescents (n = 99) were randomly assigned to complete the Trier Social Stress Test either with or without their pet dog. Children rated their positive and negative affect, and high frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV) was assessed throughout the session. Children reported higher positive affect when they completed the task with their pet dog, although there were no differences for negative affect or HF-HRV. Children who had more physical contact with their dog at baseline reported higher positive affect. The findings suggest contact with pets is associated with enhanced positive affect.

Evaluations and Future Plans After Casual Sexual Experiences: Differences Across Partner Type.

Casual sexual relationships and experiences (CSREs) are common among emerging adults, and their diversity may contribute to variability in their associations with mental health and future romantic relationship development. The present research used multiple regression analyses to examine how CSRE type (casual dating, friends with benefits [FWB], or booty call/one-night stand) is associated with short-term outcomes of these experiences, including positive and negative evaluations, plans to start a romantic relationship with a CSRE partner, and general plans for future CSREs. College students and non-college-attending emerging adults (N = 192, 80% female, mean age = 22.09 years) reported on recent sexual encounters through daily diaries collected around an alcohol consumption holiday. Individuals with casual dating partners evaluated their experiences more positively and/or less negatively than individuals with booty calls/one-night stands; these associations were moderated by gender and sexual behavior type. Individuals with casual dating partners were more oriented toward pursuing a romantic relationship with their partners than individuals with FWB or booty calls/one-night stands. However, no association was found between CSRE type and plans for future CSREs in general. Results highlight the diversity of CSREs and suggest that casual dating may be more rewarding than FWB and booty calls/one-night stands, particularly for women.

Development of a Measure to Assess Parent Perceptions of Barriers to Child Weight Management.

BACKGROUND: Families face many barriers related to creating or maintaining a healthy lifestyle, which likely contributes to the prevalence of childhood obesity in the United States; however, no measure currently exists to examine these barriers. This study developed a quantitative measure of parents' perceptions of barriers to family healthy lifestyle. METHODS: Parents of children between the ages of 7-17 were recruited using Amazon Mturk (n = 812). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses and preliminary convergent validity analyses were conducted. RESULTS: Four factors emerged in the final measure: Parent Disengagement, Cost and Built Environment, Lack of Family Support, and Family Time Constraints, with the final 19-item measure having good initial psychometric properties, including reliability and validity. CONCLUSIONS: Future research is needed to examine whether this measure may be used in clinical practice to identify barriers to a healthy family lifestyle, to tailor interventions for families.

Self-Control and Emotional and Verbal Aggression in Dating Relationships: A Dyadic Understanding.

Guided by the dynamic developmental systems perspective, this study extends past research by examining the association between self-control and emotional and verbal aggression (EVA) using a dyadic multi-method design. Guided by empirical research and the dynamic developmental systems perspective, we hypothesized that (a) there would be a negative association between one's own self-control and one's own perpetration of EVA and (b) there would also be a negative association between one's partner's self-control and one's own perpetration of EVA. One hundred twenty heterosexual dating couples (ages 18-25 years) provided data on self-control (Grasmick et al.'s Low Self-Control Scale; reverse scored for ease of interpretation), self-reported perpetration of EVA (Emotional and Verbal Abuse subscale of the Conflict in Adolescent Dating Relationships Inventory), and observationally assessed perpetration of EVA. Data were analyzed using path analyses within the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM) framework. Consistent with previous findings, we found that self-control was negatively associated with the perpetration of EVA. Furthermore, we found partner effects, such that female-but not male-self-control predicted partner-observed perpetration of EVA. These findings highlight the importance of examining risk factors for EVA of both partners. Our findings also suggest that the association between self-control and EVA is partially a function of whether EVA is assessed through self-report or observational methodology. This highlights the need to conduct multi-method assessments in future research. As discussed in the article, our findings have implications for theories on intimate partner violence, study designs, and couple interventions.

The occurrence of earlier changes in family dynamics and friendship conflict predicting adolescent functional somatic symptoms: A large-scale prospective study.

OBJECTIVE: To better understand the role earlier stressful environments have in predicting functional somatic symptoms (FSS) in late adolescence, this study explores the effect the occurrence of earlier changes in family dynamics and friendship conflict have on FSS. METHOD: We used data from the Consortium for Longitudinal Studies on Child Abuse and Neglect (N = 1,314), a large, prospective study of children at risk for maltreatment and their parent/caregiver from approximately 4 to 18 years of age. RESULTS: We found a significant, small (Effect Size = .10), positive association between the frequency of family dynamic change during middle childhood (ages 6-12 years) and FSS at age 18 but not during middle adolescence (ages 14 and 16). Conflict with a same-sex best friend at age 16 moderated the association between the frequency of change and FSS. The frequency of family dynamic change in middle childhood and middle adolescence was associated with greater FSS among those who reported greater conflict but not for those who reported experiencing lower conflict. Overall, these effects were specific to friendship conflict and remained when other friendship processes (intimacy and companionship) were included, did not generalize to anxiety/depressive symptoms, and predicted FSS without comorbid anxiety/depressive symptoms. No gender differences were found. The change-conflict interaction differed according to type of family dynamic change (parental vs. residential). CONCLUSION: Findings emphasize how earlier exposure to frequent changes in family dynamics in middle childhood is particularly associated with late-adolescent health, especially in the context of greater friendship conflict. (PsycINFO Database Record

Transgender Individuals and Osteoporosis Prevention.

BACKGROUND: Risk behaviors and hormone use place transgender individuals (TIs) in jeopardy for osteoporosis. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to expand the science about the knowledge, health beliefs, and osteoporosis (OP) preventing behaviors of TIs. METHODS: This was a mixed-methods pilot study of a convenience sample of 31 TIs 30 years and older. Participants completed an online Osteoporosis Bone Health Survey. Fifteen participants were randomly selected for an interview to describe their perceptions of bone health. RESULTS: Transgender individuals performed poorly on the knowledge measure. There were no significant findings for osteoporosis health beliefs. Participants' daily dietary dairy calcium intake was 800 mg and daily walking activity was 17 minutes. Perceptions of bone health revealed two essential elements, knowing and doing. CONCLUSION: Determining TIs' bone health perception is important because of their unique healthcare issues. Healthcare providers need to be aware of TIs' bone health needs to help enhance TIs' OP knowledge, health beliefs, and preventing behaviors.

Preadolescents' Relationships with Pet Dogs: Relationship Continuity and Associations with Adjustment.

Research on human-animal interaction in children has been studied in isolation rather than integrated with core theories of children's relationships. This study is one of the first to examine how children's relationships with pet dogs are related to their human relationships (parent-child attachments, friendships) and to child adjustment, and to include observational assessment of children's interactions with their pet dog. Children (9 to 11 years old, n = 99) completed questionnaires regarding relationships with pet dogs, parents, and friends. Half the children were observed interacting with their pet dog. Children and teachers reported children's adjustment. Children who felt closer to their dogs were more securely attached to mothers and fathers, and reported more positive qualities and less conflict with friends. Children with more secure attachments to mothers, and greater companionship with dogs, interacted more with their dogs. Parental attachment and friendship quality, but not the pet dog relationship, were related to child adjustment.

The Association of Attachment Anxiety and Avoidance With Emotional Dating Abuse Perpetration Using Multimethod, Dyadic Data.

This study examined the relationship between emotional dating abuse perpetration and attachment anxiety and avoidance using multimethod, multi-informant dyadic data. Data were derived from a sample of young adult heterosexual dating couples (N = 113 couples). We measured attachment through self-report survey data and emotional dating abuse through self-report surveys, partner-report surveys, and ratings by independent observers of a videotaped couple interaction. Both female and male anxiety were related to female emotional abuse across each method. Male anxiety was related to male emotional abuse in survey data, but female anxiety was related to male emotional abuse in observed data. Neither male nor female avoidance was related to emotional abuse. Dating abuse prevention should focus on attachment anxiety factors (e.g., jealousy, anger) to reduce emotional abuse in young adult romantic relationships.

Premature termination from psychotherapy and internalizing psychopathology: the role of demoralization.

BACKGROUND: Some research suggests that higher levels of depression and anxiety-related symptoms at intake are associated with premature termination from psychotherapy, but findings are mixed. However, theoretical and measurement considerations - introduced by a common mood factor - might complicate literature synthesis. Tellegen (1985) demonstrated that demoralization causes multicollinearity between measures of depression and anxiety, and other lines of research have converged to indicate that this construct is an important non-specific factor to consider when assessing mood pathology. METHODS: We utilized a sample of 557 community mental health center outpatients (188 males, 265 females; 80% Caucasian) with an average age of 32.2 years (SD=10.2). We used self-report indicators to model latent low positive emotionality and negative emotionality constructs, which are temperament markers of core depressive and anxiety symptoms. We further specified a latent demoralization bifactor from these indicators. RESULTS: As hypothesized, the bifactor model yielded significantly better fit than competing one-factor and two-factor models. Furthermore, the bifactor was substantially correlated with a demoralization measure (r=.96). As expected, low positive emotionality and negative emotionality were significant predictors of therapist ratings of premature termination. Though demoralization was a non-significant predictor, the structural paths from the other two internalizing constructs markedly increased in the bifactor model relative to the two-factor model. LIMITATIONS: Replications with other, more diverse clinical populations using multi-method indicators of premature termination are needed. CONCLUSIONS: This research indicates that after accounting for demoralization patients presenting with core mood disorder symptoms are at substantially increased risk for premature termination.

The association between alcohol use and engagement in casual sexual relationships and experiences: a meta-analytic review of non-experimental studies.

The present study provides a meta-analytic review of the association between alcohol use and engagement in casual sexual relationships and experiences (CSREs). Specifically, the meta-analysis focused on non-experimental studies of community and college samples. Results from the meta-analysis, which included 29 relevant studies (34 effect sizes), indicated that alcohol use was significantly associated with engaging in CSREs, r = .34, 95 % CI [.29-.38], but that this link showed considerable variability. Subsequent analyses examined moderators that may explain this heterogeneity. Results revealed that age and method of assessment significantly moderated the effect of alcohol use on CSRE engagement such that the association was greater for emerging adults (18-24 year olds) than older adults and online assessments produced greater effect sizes than paper-and-pencil assessments. These results have implications for future research and intervention development. In particular, this meta-analysis emphasizes the need for studies that utilize consistent measurements of CSRE engagement, include diverse methodology, and expand upon sampling.

Executive dysfunction is independently associated with reduced functional independence in heart failure.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To examine the independent association between executive function with instrumental activities of daily living and health behaviours in older adults with heart failure. BACKGROUND: Executive function is an important contributor to functional independence as it consists of cognitive processes needed for decision-making, planning, organising and behavioural monitoring. Impairment in this domain is common in heart failure patients and associated with reduced performance of instrumental activities of daily living in many medical and neurological populations. However, the contribution of executive functions to functional independence and healthy lifestyle choices in heart failure patients has not been fully examined. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analyses. METHODS: One hundred and seventy-five heart failure patients completed a neuropsychological battery and echocardiogram. Participants also completed the Lawton-Brody Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale and reported current cigarette use. RESULTS: Hierarchical regressions revealed that reduced executive function was independently associated with worse instrumental activity of daily living performance with a specific association for decreased ability to manage medications. Partial correlations showed that executive dysfunction was associated with current cigarette use. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that executive dysfunction is associated with poorer functional independence and contributes to unhealthy behaviours in heart failure. Future studies should examine whether heart failure patients benefit from formal organisation schema (i.e. pill organisers) to maintain independence. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Screening of executive function in heart failure patients may provide key insight into their ability to perform daily tasks, including the management of treatment recommendations.

Cognitive performance in older adults with stable heart failure: longitudinal evidence for stability and improvement.

Cognitive impairment is prevalent in heart failure (HF), though substantial variability in the pattern of cognitive impairment is found across studies. To clarify the nature of cognitive impairment in HF, we examined longitudinal trajectories across multiple domains of cognition in HF patients using latent growth class modeling. 115 HF patients completed a neuropsychological battery at baseline, 3-months and 12-months. Participants also completed the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). Latent class growth analyses revealed a three-class model for attention/executive function, four-class model for memory, and a three-class model for language. The slope for attention/executive function and language remained stable, while improvements were noted in memory performance. Education and BDI-II significantly predicted the intercept for attention/executive function and language abilities. The BDI-II also predicted baseline memory. The current findings suggest that multiple performance-based classes of neuropsychological test performance exist within cognitive domains, though case-controlled prospective studies with extended follow-ups are needed to fully elucidate changes and predictors of cognitive function in HF.

Interpersonal aggression victimization within casual sexual relationships and experiences.

The frequent occurrence of aggression within committed romantic relationships is well documented. However, little is known about experiences of interpersonal aggression within casual sexual relationships and experiences. This study aimed to describe the occurrence of emotional, physical, and sexual aggression victimization within committed romantic relationships, casual dating relationships, friends-with-benefit relationships, booty-calls, and one-night stands. College students (N = 172) provided data regarding the lifetime occurrence of emotional, physical, and sexual aggression across different forms of casual sexual relationships and experiences (friends-with-benefits, booty-call, casual dating, one-night stands, committed relationships). Emotional, physical, and sexual subtypes of aggression were reported across all casual sexual relationships and experiences. While a higher percentage of individuals who had been involved in committed relationships reported experiencing at least one form of aggression (approximately 69%), prevalence of at least one form of aggression ranged from approximately 31% to 36% for the various casual sexual relationships/experiences. Across relationships/experiences, emotional and sexual aggression were more common than physical aggression. The findings from this study indicate that emotional, physical, and sexual aggression occur across types of relationships and experiences. Thus, the current study underscores the importance of considering casual dating, friends-with-benefits, booty-calls, and one-night stands when assessing interpersonal aggression.

Randomized controlled trial of mindfulness-based stress reduction for prehypertension.

OBJECTIVE: Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) is an increasingly popular practice demonstrated to alleviate stress and treat certain health conditions. MBSR may reduce elevated blood pressure (BP). Treatment guidelines recommend life-style modifications for BP in the prehypertensive range (systolic BP [SBP] 120-139 mm Hg or diastolic BP [DBP] 80-89 mm Hg), followed by antihypertensives if BP reaches hypertensive levels. MBSR has not been thoroughly evaluated as a treatment of prehypertension. A randomized clinical trial of MBSR for high BP was conducted to determine whether BP reductions associated with MBSR exceed those observed for an active control condition consisting of progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) training. METHODS: Fifty-six men (43%) and women (57%) averaging (standard deviation) 50.3 (6.5) years of age (91% white) with unmedicated BP in the prehypertensive range were randomized to 8 weeks of MBSR or PMR delivered in a group format. Treatment sessions were administered by one treatment provider and lasted approximately 2.5 hours each week. Clinic BP was the primary outcome measure. Ambulatory BP was a secondary outcome measure. RESULTS: Analyses were based on intent to treat. Patients randomized to MBSR exhibited a 4.8-mm Hg reduction in clinic SBP, which was larger than the 0.7-mm Hg reduction observed for PMR (p = .016). Those randomized to MBSR exhibited a 1.9-mm Hg reduction in DBP compared with a 1.2-mm Hg increase for PMR (p = .008). MBSR did not result in larger decreases in ambulatory BP than in PMR. CONCLUSIONS: MBSR resulted in a reduction in clinic SBP and DBP compared with PMR. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00440596.

Psychosocial predictors and outcomes of loneliness trajectories from childhood to early adolescence.

Using latent class growth analysis, we were interested in investigating how experiences of loneliness emerge in distinct developmental patterns over the course of middle childhood and adolescence (NICHD Study of Early Child Care, N = 832). Second, we examined the role of demographic, mental health, and behavioral variables in association with these discrete patterns of loneliness. Loneliness was measured at 3 time points: age 9, age 11, and age 15. Results indicated five discrete trajectories of loneliness from middle childhood to adolescence. Most children exhibited a stable and low level of loneliness over time. The remaining children were split among moderate increasing, high increasing, decreasing, and chronic loneliness groups. Ethnicity, income, age 7 social skills, age 7 depression, and age 7 aggression were associated with trajectory membership. In addition, the loneliness trajectories predicted self-reports of social skills deficits, depression, aggression, and suicidal ideation at age 15.