Coping styles and the developmental trajectories of anxiety symptoms in children during transition into early adolescence.

The study investigated how active and avoidant coping styles predicted the trajectory membership of anxiety symptoms during the transition into early adolescence. A total of 321 Chinese children aged 9 to 10 years were recruited from a primary school in mainland China. Self-reported trait anxiety, coping styles and anxiety symptoms were assessed at baseline. After 6 months, self-reported anxiety symptoms were measured at three follow-up assessments with an interval of 6 months. Latent class growth modelling revealed high (18.7%) and low (81.3%) trajectories of anxiety symptoms in children during the transition into early adolescence. After controlling for trait anxiety, depression and sex, high active coping style predicted the trajectory of high anxiety symptoms, which was not moderated by trait anxiety. Before controlling for these covariates, the relation between active coping style and anxiety symptoms was in the opposite direction. A high avoidant coping style showed a trend to predict the trajectory of high anxiety symptoms only for children with low trait anxiety. These findings add a developmental context to the relationships of active and avoidant coping styles to anxiety symptoms and suggest that trait anxiety may moderate these relationships.

Perceived parental warmth attenuates the link between perceived parental rejection and rumination in Chinese early adolescents: two conditional moderation models.

Background: Prior studies have explored the association between perceived parental rejection-warmth and adolescents' rumination, but it is unclear whether the interaction between perceived parental rejection and warmth can predict adolescents' rumination in a Chinese context and whether this interaction varies by children's gender during the post-COVID-19 era. Objective: This study aimed to address these issues in Chinese early adolescents from a family system perspective. Methods: A total of 910 adolescents (M age = 13.63, 48.50% female) from two middle schools in Chongqing and Changsha, China participated in the survey, answering measures for demographics, perceived parental rejection-warmth, and rumination. Results: The results show that adolescents' rumination was positively related to perceived paternal rejection (r = 0.326, p <.001) and maternal rejection (r = 0.343, p <.001), and negatively related to perceived paternal warmth (r = -.184, p <.001) and maternal warmth (r = -0.125, p <.001). Moreover, perceived maternal warmth significantly moderated the link between perceived paternal rejection and adolescents' rumination (boot effect = -0.066, 95CI% = [-0.124, -0.010]), but this moderating effect is only presented in boys not in girls (boot effect = -0.063, 95CI% = [-0.015, 0.140]). However, perceived paternal warmth moderated the link between perceived maternal rejection and rumination in adolescents (boot effect = -0.052, 95CI% = [-0.103, -0.001]), and this interaction varied by adolescents' gender (boot effect = 0.103, 95CI% = [0.029, 0.177]). Conclusions: Perceived Parental rejection and parental warmth co-exist in the Chinese family system, and they exert an interactive effect on adolescents' rumination depending on their gender. It implies that both parents should be more accepting, caring, considerate, and warm toward their daughters, and it is also in line with the tradition and status quo of parenting in Chinese families. These findings have implications for Chinese parental co-parenting practices in families with adolescents and adolescence mental health counseling work.

Your Body Is Your Home: The feasibility of an intuitive eating intervention for early adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: Intuitive eating (IE) is an emerging health promotion framework which has shown promise in the prevention and early intervention of disordered eating (DE) behavior in adults. This study sought to extend this work by assessing the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a 5-week IE intervention, "Your Body is Your Home," delivered in school classrooms for early adolescents aged 11-13. METHODS: The present study utilized a quasi-experimental design. Eligibility criteria were defined a priori and published in a registered protocol. Four classrooms (n = 128 student participants) were recruited into two streams, and self-report questionnaires were administered at pre-test, post-test, and 4-week follow-up. The questionnaires included the Intuitive Eating Scale for Early Adolescents (IES-2-EA), the Body Appreciation Scale (BAS-2), and the WHO Wellbeing Index (WHO-5). Linear mixed models were used to conduct preliminary efficacy testing. RESULTS: The results indicate that a brief classroom-based IE intervention is feasible and acceptable for both students and teaching staff; retention, fidelity, and attendance targets were achieved. Students and teachers rated all five sessions of the intervention as a highly feasible method of health promotion. Further, preliminary efficacy data suggest IE interventions aimed at early adolescents may be a feasible way of improving certain aspects of IE (p < .001) in male and female participants, and body appreciation (p < .001) in male participants. DISCUSSION: The study provides preliminary support for the implementation and evaluation of an IE intervention as part of school-based health promotion and offers preliminary effect size estimates for a larger-scale randomized trial. PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE: Existing evidence suggests that IE may be a useful framework through which relationships with food and the body can be improved. The present study seeks to extend this work by adapting the framework for early adolescents (among whom the framework is not well understood) and examining feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary changes to several health and well-being metrics following a 5-week school-based intervention.

Unveiling the silent crisis: global burden of suicide-related deaths among children aged 10-14 years.

BACKGROUND: The rise in suicides among children aged 10-14 years demands urgent attention globally. This study aims to assess the global burden of suicide-related deaths in this age group from 1990 to 2019, considering factors such as sex, geography, and sociodemographics, to inform prevention strategies and interventions. METHODS: The data from Global Burden of Disease 2019, encompassing 204 countries and territories, were analyzed to investigate deaths and years of life lost (YLLs) due to suicide among children aged 10-14 years. Statistical analyses, including mortality rates, YLLs, and the sociodemographic index (SDI), were conducted using standardized tools. RESULTS: In 2019, a total of 8327 [95% uncertainty interval (UI) = 7073-9685] children aged 10-14 years died globally due to suicide, with a mortality rate of 1.30 (95% UI = 1.10-1.51) per 100,000. The rates varied across countries/territories ranging between 0.05 (95% UI = 0.02-0.10) in South Africa and 7.49 (95% UI = 5.13-10.57) in Greenland. The contribution of suicide-related deaths to all-cause mortality ranged from 0.07% (95% UI = 0.04%-0.15%) in South Africa to 33.02% (95% UI = 24.36%-41.53%) in Greenland. Worldwide, there were approximately 636,196 (95% UI = 540,383-740,009) YLLs due to suicide, with a rate of 99.07 (95% UI = 84.15-115.23) per 100,000. The association between SDI and suicide-related deaths was evident, with higher contributions observed in countries with higher SDI. CONCLUSIONS: This study reveals a concerning global burden of suicide-related deaths among children aged 10-14 years. Despite progress in reducing mortality rates, suicide remains a significant issue. While overall rates have declined, the percentage of deaths caused by suicide in this age group is increasing.

Interparental Conflict and Early Adolescent Depressive Symptoms: Parent-Child Triangulation as the Mediator and Grandparent Support as the Moderator.

A notable ambiguity persists concerning whether distinct forms of parent-child triangulation (unstable coercive coalition, stable coalition, detouring-attacking, detouring supportive, parentification) might mediate the association between interparental conflict and early adolescent depressive symptoms similarly within the context of Chinese Confucianism. Filling this research gap, this study aimed to examine the mediating role of the five dimensions of parent-child triangulation in the association between interparental conflict and early adolescent depressive symptoms, as well as the moderating effect of grandparent support on this mediating pathway. Data were drawn from a sample of 761 Chinese adolescents (M age = 12.82 ± 0.47, 49.1% girls). Structural equation model analyses indicated that unstable coercive coalition, stable coalition, and detouring-attacking behaviors partially mediated the association between interparental conflict and adolescent depressive symptoms, while detouring-supportive behaviors and parentification did not demonstrate such mediating effects. Unlike Western societies, a negative correlation was observed between interparental conflict and parentification in the context of China. Grandparent support mitigated the adverse effects of both interparental conflict and the unstable coercive coalition on early adolescent depressive symptoms.

In the Words of Early Adolescents: A Novel Assessment of Positive Psychological Well-Being Predicts Young Adult Depressive Symptoms.

PURPOSE: Given the burden of depression in young adulthood, identifying protective early life factors is important. Protective factors like positive psychological well-being may be challenging to assess via conventional methods if early adolescents lack personal insight or informants disagree. We investigated whether essays written by 11-year-olds could indicate the presence of positive psychological well-being and predict depressive symptom levels in young adulthood, beyond informant reports of problematic behaviors. METHODS: Data were from 4,599 individuals in the 1958 National Child Development Study who wrote an essay at age 11 about how they imagined their life at age 25. Coders rated essays for seven facets of positive psychological well-being, which were averaged together (α = 0.92). Participants self-reported depressive symptoms (yes/no) at age 23 on the 24-item Malaise Inventory. Depressive symptoms were modeled as a sum, both continuously (range = 0-24) and dichotomously (depressed: total scores ≥8). Linear and logistic regressions adjusted for relevant age 11 covariates including teacher-reported internalizing and externalizing behaviors. RESULTS: Unadjusted logistic regression showed a 1-SD higher positive psychological well-being score in early adolescence was associated with reduced odds of being depressed 12 years later (odds ratio = 0.83, 95% confidence interval [0.75, 0.93], p = .001). Associations remained when adjusting for all covariates (odds ratio = 0.87, 95% confidence interval [0.78, 0.98], p = .02); patterns were similar with continuous depressive symptoms. DISCUSSION: A well-being measure derived from the words of 11-year-olds was associated with young adult depressive symptoms independent of teacher-reported internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Incorporating early adolescents' perspectives on positive functioning provides valuable information about current and future health beyond problem behaviors.

Nutrition literacy status and its association with adherence to the Mediterranean diet, anthropometric parameters and lifestyle behaviours among early adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate nutrition literacy status and its association with adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD), anthropometric parameters and lifestyle behaviours among early adolescents. DESIGN: This is a cross-sectional study. Nutrition literacy was evaluated using the 'Adolescent Nutrition Literacy Scale'. Dietary intake was assessed by 24-h food recall. The 'Mediterranean Diet Quality Index' was used to evaluate adolescents' adherence to the MD. Physical activity was assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Body weight, height, waist, hip and neck circumference were measured. SETTING: Four secondary schools in Izmir, Türkiye. PARTICIPANTS: The study included 1074 secondary school students. RESULTS: Adolescents' nutrition literacy was at a moderate level. Nutrition literacy scores were significantly lower in those who skip main meals. Adolescents with high nutrition literacy had higher intakes of fibre, protein, protein, Ca, K, Mg, P, vitamin C, folate and Fe intake than those with low and moderate nutrition literacy (P < 0·05). According to IPAQ, active adolescents had higher nutrition literacy scores than inactive adolescents. There was no significant difference in BMI and anthropometric measurements of the adolescents according to their nutrition literacy level. Linear regression analysis showed that each unit increase in nutrition literacy increased adherence to the MD by 0·286 points (ß = 0·286) and decreased total screen time by 0·182 points (ß = -0·182). CONCLUSIONS: These findings showed that nutrition literacy among early adolescents was not optimal, and a higher nutrition literacy score was significantly associated with higher MD adherence, and healthy eating habits and lifestyle behaviours.

A Longitudinal Mediation Analysis of the Interrelations among Exclusionary Immigration Policy, Ethnic Identity, and Self-Esteem of Latinx Early Adolescents.

Little is known about how exclusionary immigration laws affect ethnic identity and self-esteem among Latinx middle school students. Arizona's SB 1070, which required local officers to verify the legal status of detained individuals, garnered national attention for its impact on immigrant and Latinx communities. This study tested a longitudinal parallel multiple mediation model where perceptions of the effects of an exclusionary immigration law (Arizona's SB 1070) on self-esteem were mediated by dimensions of ethnic identity (ethnic centrality, ethnic private regard, ethnic public regard). Data were collected from a two-wave survey of 891 early adolescents ranging in age from 10 to 14 years (M = 12.09 years; SD = 0.99), a majority (71%) of whom were of Mexican descent. Analyses revealed an indirect effect of T1 perceptions of this law on T2 self-esteem (7 months later), holding T1 measures constant, with T2 ethnic centrality, private regard, and public regard acting as mediators. Perceived effects of this exclusionary law led to increased self-esteem through increased dimensions of ethnic identity. Results reveal how ethnic identity functions as a multidimensional construct in the process through which exclusionary immigration policy may impact the self-esteem of Latinx early adolescents.

Assessing suicidal thoughts and behaviors and nonsuicidal self-injury in autistic and non-autistic early adolescents using the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale.

LAY ABSTRACT: Autistic adolescents are more likely to experience suicidal thoughts and behaviors and nonsuicidal self-injury than non-autistic adolescents, per caregiver- and self-report on single-item questionnaires. Comprehensive, clinician-rated measures of suicide risk have not been used to measure suicidal thoughts and behaviors and nonsuicidal self-injury in autistic youth despite greater parent-child rating discrepancies among autistic youth than their non-autistic peers. The Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale is a widely used, clinician-rated measure of suicide risk that has not been tested with autistic youth. In this study, the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale was employed to assess suicidal thoughts and behaviors and nonsuicidal self-injury in a community sample of 239 early adolescents (10:0-13:9 years old), of whom 138 youth were autistic and 101 were not autistic. Multiple analyses examined diagnostic (autistic vs non-autistic) and sex-based (male vs female) differences in suicidal thoughts and behaviors and nonsuicidal self-injury, as well as youth consistency in reporting across self- and clinician-rated measures. Findings show that a greater proportion of autistic youth reported lifetime suicidal thoughts and nonsuicidal self-injury than non-autistic youth; however, there were no sex-based differences. The majority of non-autistic youth were consistent in reporting suicidal thoughts on self- and clinician-rated measures; however, nearly one in five autistic youth disclosed suicidal thoughts on a self-report measure but not to a psychiatrist on the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale. Findings suggest that autism diagnostic status, but not sex, confers significant risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors and nonsuicidal self-injury in early adolescents and that the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale may be a useful measure of suicide risk for some autistic youth, but it may not detect all autistic youth experiencing suicidal thoughts.

Longitudinal links between early adolescent temperament and inflammation among young black adults.

A large body of research demonstrates that inflammation is involved in physical health problems that cause substantial morbidity and early mortality. Given inflammation's role in the etiology of chronic diseases, pediatric scientists have begun to study childhood factors that presage elevation of inflammatory biomarkers later in life. The purpose of this study was to test hypotheses designed to determine whether early adolescent emotionally intense and low attention temperaments forecast (a) inflammation at ages 25 and 29 years and (b) worsening levels of inflammation between these two data points. Toward this end, 307 Black children from the rural southeastern United States participated in an 18-year longitudinal study (mean age at baseline, 11.2 years) to determine whether and how early adolescent's behavioral styles or emotionally intense and low attention temperaments may be associated with absolute and worsening levels of inflammation in young adulthood. When children were 11-13 years of age, different teachers at each age provided assessments of emotionally intense and low attention temperaments. Thus, multiple measures of the same temperament constructs were obtained across 3 years for each participant. At age 25, participants provided data on their self-regulation abilities. Peripheral blood was collected at ages 25 and 29 years from which inflammation was quantified, using soluble urokinase plasminogen activator (suPAR), the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL) IL-6, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). Covariates associated with inflammation in prior studies were also assessed; these included socioeconomic risk, gender, cigarette smoking, body mass index (BMI), adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), depressive symptoms, and medication use. An early adolescent emotionally intense temperament was associated directly with higher suPAR and cytokine levels at age 29, and with worsening cytokine levels between ages 25 and 29. A low attention temperament was associated with suPAR levels at age 29. Collectively, these observations highlight pathways that could underlie health risks associated with early adolescent temperaments. The findings suggest that emotionally intense and low-attention early adolescent temperaments forecast higher and worsening inflammation levels across young adulthood.

"Not just the consequences, but also the pleasurable sex": a review of the content of comprehensive sexuality education for early adolescents in Rwanda.

BACKGROUND: Responding to adolescents' educational needs in sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) is central to their sexual health and achieved through school-based comprehensive sexuality education (CSE). In 2016, Rwanda introduced CSE through the competence-based curriculum in schools to enhance learners' knowledge about sexuality, gender, and reproductive health issues, including HIV/AIDS. However, globally, the content of CSE is sometimes dissimilar, and little evidence surrounds its scope in many settings, including Rwanda. In addition, the extent to which CSE aligns with international guidelines has yet to be well known. This study assesses major areas of CSE for early adolescents in Rwanda, analyses how CSE correlates with international guidelines and makes recommendations accordingly. METHODS: We reviewed the Rwandan competence-based curriculum to map CSE competences for early adolescents and conducted semi-structured interviews with key informants (N = 16). Eleven of the 23 curriculum documents met the selection criteria and were included in the final review. We manually extracted data using a standard form in Microsoft Excel and analysed data using frequency tables and charts. Interviews were thematically analysed in NVivo 11 for Windows. FINDINGS: We found 58 CSE competences for early adolescents across various subjects, increasing with school grades. All recommended CSE areas were addressed but to a variable extent. Most competences fall under four recommended areas: sexual and reproductive health; human body and development; values, rights, and sexuality; and understanding gender. The least represented area is violence and staying safe. Of the 27 expected topics, there are two to six CSE competences for 13 topics, one CSE competence for each of the six others, and none for the eight remaining ones. Qualitative findings support these findings and suggest additional content on locally controversial but recommended areas of sexual pleasure, orientation, desire and modern contraceptive methods. CONCLUSION: This study explores the CSE content for early adolescents in Rwanda and how they align with sexuality education standards. Ensuring equal coverage of CSE areas and addressing missing topics may improve CSE content for this age group and foster their SRHR.

Patterns of Maternal Distress from Pregnancy Through Childhood Predict Psychopathology During Early Adolescence.

Capitalizing on a longitudinal cohort followed from gestation through adolescence (201 mother-child dyads), we investigate the contributions of severity and stability of both maternal depressive and perceived stress symptoms to adolescent psychopathology. Maternal depressive and perceived stress trajectories from pregnancy through adolescence were identified with latent class growth analyses, and associations with adolescent internalizing and externalizing symptoms were examined. For both depression and stress, the most common trajectory group comprised mothers displaying stable and low symptom levels over time, and adolescents of these mothers had the fewest internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Maternal membership to one or more aberrant trajectory groups predicted higher levels of internalizing and externalizing symptoms, determined by both maternal and adolescent self-report. This study indicates that profiles of multiple indicators of maternal psychopathology assessed across childhood, beginning prenatally, can provide critical additional insight into child psychopathology risk.

Parental corporal punishment and adolescent drinking: the protective role of personal growth initiative and gender difference.

Introduction: Parenting and peer victimization (PV) are crucial for adolescent drinking. To further explore the cause of adolescent drinking, the present study investigated the role of PV and personal growth initiative (PGI) in the relationship between parental corporal punishment (PCP) and adolescent drinking. Methods: Present study build moderated mediation models to test the hypothesis, and detailed analysis of gender differences was conducted on the models. The data were collected in a cross-sectional questionnaire study with n = 1,007 adolescents (mean age = 13.16 years, 51.84% girls, n = 522). Results: Model analysis showed that: (1) PV totally mediated the relationship between PCP and adolescent girls' drinking behavior; (2) The positive association between PV and drinking was only significant for girls with low PGI. Discussion: These findings underscore the importance of the protective effect of a personality trait characterized by spontaneous self-promotion on adolescent girls' drinking.

Exploring Multivariate Profiles of Psychological Distress and Empathy in Early Adolescent Victims, Bullies, and Bystanders Involved in Cyberbullying Episodes.

(1) Background: Adolescents may be involved in cyberbullying as victims, perpetrators, or to a lesser extent, victim-perpetrators simultaneously. The present research investigated differences between participants acting in different bullying roles-namely, bully, victim, or bully/victim-and bystander roles-namely, defending, passive bystander, and passive/defending; (2) Methods: We used multivariate analysis of covariance to determine how, in the same individuals, direct involvement in cyberbullying episodes compares to participating in them as by-standers in relation to both psychological distress and empathy; (3) Results: Both victims and bully/victims were found to be at increased risk for suicidal ideation, internalizing and externalizing symptoms, and emotional dysregulation compared with students who were neither victims nor perpetrators of cyberbullying episodes. Additionally, victims showed higher empathy scores when compared with bullies and bully/victims. All bystander roles showed increased emotional dysregulation compared with uninvolved students, but no differences emerged on other psychological distress measures. Finally, defending bystanders showed increased cognitive empathy. (4) Conclusions: During early adolescence, the direct experience of cyberbullying, as a bully or a victim (or both), show a stronger association with psychological distress than the mere participation in cyberbullying as a witness, regardless of the witness acting defensive toward the victim, or passive. However, both cyberbullying and bystanding roles provide a similar (small) explicative power over empathy variables.

Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes of COVID-19 in Pediatric and Early Adolescent and Young Adult Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Recipients: A Cohort Study.

Adult hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) recipients are at a high risk of adverse outcomes after COVID-19. Although children have had better outcomes after COVID-19 compared to adults, data on risk factors and outcomes of COVID-19 among pediatric HSCT recipients are lacking. We describe outcomes of HSCT recipients who were ≤21 years of age at COVID-19 diagnosis and were reported to the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research between March 27, 2020, and May 7, 2021. The primary outcome was overall survival after COVID-19 diagnosis. We determined risk factors of COVID-19 as a secondary outcome in a subset of allogeneic HSCT recipients. A total of 167 pediatric HSCT recipients (135 allogeneic; 32 autologous HSCT recipients) were included. Median time from HSCT to COVID-19 was 15 months (interquartile range [IQR] 7-45) for allogeneic HSCT recipients and 16 months (IQR 6-59) for autologous HSCT recipients. Median follow-up from COVID-19 diagnosis was 53 days (range 1-270) and 37 days (1-179) for allogeneic and autologous HSCT recipients, respectively. Although COVID-19 was mild in 87% (n = 146/167), 10% (n = 16/167) of patients required supplemental oxygen or mechanical ventilation. The 45-day overall survival was 95% (95% confidence interval [CI], 90-99) and 90% (74-99) for allogeneic and autologous HSCT recipients, respectively. Cox regression analysis showed that patients with a hematopoietic cell transplant comorbidity index (HCT-CI) score of 1-2 were more likely to be diagnosed with COVID-19 (hazard ratio 1.95; 95% CI, 1.03-3.69, P = .042) compared to those with an HCT-CI of 0. Pediatric and early adolescent and young adult HSCT recipients with pre-HSCT comorbidities were more likely to be diagnosed with COVID-19. Overall mortality, albeit higher than the reported general population estimates, was lower when compared with previously published data focusing on adult HSCT recipients.

Prenatal Considerations and Outcomes for Girls Aged 14 and Under: Development of a Multidisciplinary Team in a Large Tertiary Care Facility.

INTRODUCTION: Adolescent girls account for 11% of all births that occur globally every year. Among developing countries, the United States continues to have one of the highest adolescent birth rates, despite a decreasing trend between 1990 and 2010. Pregnant adolescents are a vulnerable population who are at increased risk for maternal morbidity and mortality. Additional risks are noted within the early adolescent population, usually defined as age 10 to 14. PROCESS: At Parkland hospital, a large tertiary care facility in Dallas, Texas, a multidisciplinary team was created in 2017 to care for this vulnerable population. The team consisted of a certified nurse-midwife (CNM), a Certified Child Life Specialist, a maternal fetal medicine physician, a social worker, and a Spanish interpreter, with additional services consulted as needed. Between 2017 and 2020, this team grew to include 8 CNMs and provided care to 76 young adolescents ages 14 and younger. OUTCOMES: Of the young adolescents who attended prenatal visits with the Adolescent Prenatal Care Team at Parkland, 87% presented to Parkland for birth. Eighteen percent had pregnancy-induced hypertension or eclampsia. Only 7% of adolescents in the program gave birth prior to 37 weeks. Seventy-four percent had vaginal births. Sixty percent of the adolescents attended known postpartum visits. DISCUSSION: In contrast to most studies, this Adolescent Care Team did not find a high rate of premature birth in early adolescents. Further work by this team is needed to compare the data obtained during this period with data on similar adolescents who have given birth at Parkland in prior years. In addition, comparing outcomes of early adolescents with those aged 15 to 19, who were not included in the Adolescent Care Team, will help to understand the impact that such a team or similar intervention might have on this vulnerable population.

Character strengths as protective factors against behavior problems in early adolescent.

Character strengths could effectively prevent negative psychological outcomes in adults. However, there was little research conducted among early adolescents. The present study aimed to explore character strengths that were independently related to fewer behavior problems in early adolescents. In total, 521 early adolescents (mean age 10.92 ± 0.04, range 10-12 years) were recruited from primary schools in Sichuan, China. Character strengths were measured using the Values in Action Inventory of Strengths for Youth (VIA-Youth). Behavior problems were measured using the Conners Parent Symptom Questionnaire (PSQ). The results showed that behavior problems were negatively correlated with character strengths (r = -0.14 to -0.3, p < 0.05 Bonferroni corrected). Character strengths explained a significant proportion of additional variance (14-22%) in five types of behavior problems after controlling the effect of demographic factors (residence, left-behind experiences, maternal education level). Moreover, several specific character strengths showed an independent contribution (ß = -0.34 to -0.14 for self-regulation, perseverance, zest, humility, and leadership; ß = 0.21 to 0.34, for hope; all p < 0.05) to behavior problems. Our study revealed that character strengths were protective factors against behavior problems in early adolescents.

Early adolescent psychological adaptation differences by stress-coping profiles: a latent transition analysis.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: This study sought to reveal adolescent coping profiles by focusing on the combination of help-seeking and active/passive coping styles, and to compare affective and school adaptation levels across different profiles. DESIGN: One-year longitudinal data were collected from 695 Japanese secondary-school students (359 males, 330 females, and 6 unknowns) every semester. All participants reported their positive/negative affect and school adaptation. Only those who experienced any personal problem in the past month completed self-report measures including four stress-coping strategies use. METHODS: Latent transition analysis (LTA) was conducted to identify stress-coping profiles and their transitions, conducting Tukey's tests to examine the association between the profiles and psychological adaptability. RESULTS: LTA suggested a seven-class solution. One of the profiles represented participants who did not report any stressor during the past month, and the other six classes were sorted by the amount of help-seeking (low, moderate, and high) and active/passive coping style. The results indicated that simultaneous use of help-seeking and active coping was important for school adaptation and affect balance. Low-adaptation profiles showed high stability during the investigation period. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that clinicians should assess and intervene with help-seeking and stress-coping styles before or during early adolescence.

Exposure to PM2.5 and Lung Function Growth in Pre- and Early-Adolescent Schoolchildren: A Longitudinal Study Involving Repeated Lung Function Measurements in Japan.

Rationale: Epidemiological evidence indicates that ambient exposure to particulate matter ⩽2.5 µm in aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5) has adverse effects on lung function growth in children, but it is not actually clear whether exposure to low-level PM2.5 results in long-term decrements in lung function growth in pre- to early-adolescent schoolchildren. Objectives: To examine long-term effects of PM2.5 within the 4-year average concentration range of 10-19 µg/m3 on lung function growth with repeated measurements of lung function tests. Methods: Longitudinal analysis of 6,233 lung function measurements in 1,466 participants aged 8-12 years from 16 school communities in 10 cities around Japan, covering a broad area of the country to represent concentration ranges of PM2.5, was done with a multilevel linear regression model. Forced expiratory volume in 1 second, forced vital capacity (FVC), and maximal expiratory flow at 50% of FVC were used as lung function indicators to examine the effects of 10-µg/m3 increases in the PM2.5 concentration on relative growth per each 10-cm increase in height. Results: The overall annual mean PM2.5 level was 13.5 µg/m3 (range, 10.4-19.0 µg/m3). We found no association between any of the lung function growth indicators and increases in PM2.5 levels in children of either sex, even after controlling for potential confounders. Analysis with two-pollutant models with O3 or NO2 did not change the null results. Conclusions: This nationwide longitudinal study suggests that concurrent, long-term exposure to PM2.5 at concentrations ranging from 10.4 to 19.0 µg/m3 has little effect on lung function growth in preadolescent boys or pre- to early-adolescent girls.

Diagnostic- and sex-based differences in depression symptoms in autistic and neurotypical early adolescents.

LAY ABSTRACT: Depression is more common in autistic adolescents than their neurotypical peers, but the effects of diagnosis and sex on the severity and types of depressive symptoms remain unclear. The study explored diagnostic- and sex-based differences in depressive symptoms in 212 autistic and neurotypical early adolescents. Results show that autism spectrum disorder and female may pose elevated risks, and depressive symptoms related to interpersonal problems and negative self-esteem are more frequent in autism spectrum disorder. Autistic males and females endorsed similar severity and type of depressive symptoms, but unique differences emerged when compared to sex-matched neurotypical peers. Exploratory analyses in a clinical subsample of early adolescents with elevated depressive symptoms (Children's Depression Inventory, Second Edition, Total T-score ⩾60) revealed more endorsement of beliefs of worthlessness in autistic early adolescents. Findings suggest initial intervention targets for treating depression in autistic early adolescents.