Hope is a Mediator Between Enhancing Attributional Style and Depressive Symptoms in Early Adolescence.

This study added to understanding of the recovery model of depression in adolescents by testing whether hope mediates the link between enhancing attributional style (EAS) and depression using two independent samples. Study 1 used cross-sectional data from 378 students (51% female) in fifth through seventh grade students. Study 2 used data from 546 (50% female) seventh and eighth grade students at two time points: January and May within the same year. Cross-sectional analyses indicated that EAS indirectly predicted depression. Cross-sectional and prospective analyses indicated that stable attributions, in particular, were associated with lower levels of depression through higher levels of hope. Notably, contrary to expectations, global attributions consistently predicted higher levels of depression. Results suggest that hope mediates the association between attributional stability for positive events and reductions in depression over time. The importance of investigating attributional dimensions is emphasized as implications and future research directions are discussed.

Development and Initial Validation of the Persevering Hope Scale: Measuring Wait-Power in Four Independent Samples.

Hope has been conceptualized as agency and pathways to achieve goals. However, this goal-directed conceptualization does not encapsulate all situations in which hope may be beneficial. To address the dispositional motivation to endure when a desired goal seems unattainable, unlikely, or even impossible (i.e., goal-transcendent hope), we provide initial psychometric evidence for the new Persevering Hope Scale (PHS). We developed and refined the PHS with undergraduates at a public college (Study 1) and replicated our findings in a community adult sample (Study 2). We replicated and extended these findings using longitudinal data with undergraduates at a faith-based college (Study 3) and a community sample of chronically ill adults (Study 4), and examined measurement invariance (Study 5). Scores on the PHS demonstrated robust evidence of estimated internal consistency and of criterion-related, convergent/discriminant, and incremental validity. Estimated temporal stability was modest. Partial scalar invariance was evidenced across samples, and full scalar invariance was evidenced across gender, race/ethnicity, and time. These preliminary findings suggest that the PHS is a psychometrically sound measure of persevering hope. Its use can broaden the current body of literature on trait hope to include goal-transcendent hope and advance research on the nature and benefits of this important construct.

Prevalence of Depression Symptoms Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic Among Two Asian American Ethnic Groups.

Asian Americans have experienced compounding stressors during the pandemic as a result of racial discrimination. We aim of to investigate the prevalence of depression symptoms among Asian Americans before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and examine differences based on socio-demographic factors. Data are from a cross-sectional study (N = 636) among Chinese and South Asian adults in Chicago collected between February and May 2020. One cohort of participants were surveyed from each ethnic group before the pandemic and a second cohort of participants were surveyed during the pandemic. Depression symptoms increased more than two-fold, from 9% pre-pandemic to 21% during the COVID-19 pandemic. We found an increase in depression symptoms during the pandemic for South Asians, men and adults older than 30 years. These findings call for public health education that effectively addresses anti-Asian harassment and violence and ensure that culturally competent mental health services are provided to Asian Americans from diverse ethnic backgrounds.

Bullying types and roles in early adolescence: Latent classes of perpetrators and victims.

Although research has suggested that youth involved in bullying as victims, perpetrators, or both are at risk for negative outcomes, less work has investigated different patterns in how youth are involved in bullying with consideration for both the role (i.e., victimization and perpetration) as well as type of behaviors experienced (i.e., cyber, verbal, relational, and physical). Using Latent Class Analysis (LCA), the current study investigated patterns of bullying involvement with a sample of 799 middle school students. Results indicated that five classes of bully-involved youth emerged, including a (a) not involved class, (b) traditional bully victim class, (c) verbal bully-victim class, (d) traditional victim-only class, and (e) cyber bully-victim class. Notably, the bully-involved groups demonstrated significantly more internalizing, externalizing, and school related problems than youth not involved in bullying. Implications regarding identification of youth at risk for social and emotional challenges and intervention planning for bully involved youth are discussed.

Indirect Effects of Attributional Style for Positive Events on Depressive Symptoms Through Self-Esteem During Early Adolescence.

Research on adolescent depression has overwhelmingly focused on risk factors, such as stressful negative events and cognitive vulnerabilities, but much important information can be gained by focusing on protective factors. Thus, the current study aimed to broaden understanding on adolescent depression by considering the role of two positive elements as protective factors, attributional style for positive events and self-esteem, in a model of depression. The sample included 491 middle school students (52 % female; n = 249) with an age range from 12 to 15 years (M = 13.2, SD = .70). The sample was ethnically/racially diverse, with 55 % White, 22 % Hispanic, 10 % Asian American, 3 % African American, and 10 % Biracial/Other. Correlational analyses indicated significant cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between an enhancing attributional style (internal, stable, global attributions for positive events), self-esteem and depressive symptoms. Further, prospective analyses using bootstrapping methodology demonstrated significant indirect effects of an enhancing attributional style on decreases in depressive symptoms through its effects on self-esteem. These findings highlight the importance of considering attributional style for positive events as a protective factor in the developmental course of depressive symptoms during early adolescence.

A meta-analytic review of the association between perceived social support and depression in childhood and adolescence.

This meta-analysis evaluated the relation between social support and depression in youth and compared the cumulative evidence for 2 theories that have been proposed to explain this association: the general benefits (GB; also known as main effects) and stress-buffering (SB) models. The study included 341 articles (19% unpublished) gathered through a search in PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, ERIC, and ProQuest, and a hand search of 11 relevant journals. Using a random effects model, the overall effect size based on k = 341 studies and N = 273,149 participants was r = .26 (95% CI [.24, .28]), with robust support for the GB model and support for the SB model among medically ill youth. Stress-buffering analyses suggest that different stressful contexts may not allow youth to fully draw on the benefits of social support, and we propose value in seeking to better understand both stress-buffering (effects of social support are enhanced) and reverse stress-buffering (effects of social support are dampened) processes. Key findings regarding other moderators include a different pattern of effect sizes across various sources of support. In addition, gender differences were largely absent from this study, suggesting that social support may be a more critical resource for boys than is typically acknowledged. Results also demonstrated the importance of using instruments with adequate psychometric support, with careful consideration of methodological and conceptual issues. Building upon these collective findings, we provide recommendations for theory and practice, as well as recommendations for addressing limitations in the extant literature to guide future investigations. (PsycINFO Database Record

Different Subjective and Objective Responses to Alcohol Among Heavy and Light Drinkers of Han and Uyghur Nationalities in China.

OBJECTIVE: Given the observed differences in alcohol consumption characteristics between the Han and Uyghur nationalities in clinical reports and in daily life, the subjective and objective responses to alcohol in heavy drinkers (HDs) and light drinkers (LDs) in the Han and Uyghur nationalities in China were compared. METHODS: A within-subject, double-blind, placebo-controlled human laboratory paradigm was performed. Each subject completed three experimental sessions in random order. Biphasic Alcohol Effects Scale and Positive and Negative Affect Schedule scales were administered, and heart rate (HR), blood pressure, and salivary cortisol levels were measured at predrink baseline and 30, 60, 120, and 180 minutes after the initial alcohol beverage consumption. RESULTS: Compared with LDs, HDs exhibited higher stimulation, positive affect, and lower sedation in both ethnicities. Han drinkers (both HDs and LDs) exhibited higher sedation and lower positive affect and stimulation than Uyghur drinkers after consumption of alcohol. Moreover, HDs exhibited more HR increase during the ascending limb of breath alcohol content (p < .05) and less cortisol level during the declining limb of breath alcohol content (p < .05). Both HDs and LDs exhibited decreased systolic and diastolic pressures for both high- and low-dose beverages (ps < .01). CONCLUSION: Compared with LDs, HDs exhibited more HR increase and lower salivary cortisol level after alcohol consumption. Han drinkers (both HDs and LDs) exhibited higher sedation and lower positive affect and stimulation after consumption of alcohol as compared with Uyghur drinkers. This modality of subjective and physiological responses to alcohol in the Han and Uyghur ethnicities is similar.

Effects of peer victimization on psychological and academic adjustment in early adolescence.

The purpose of the current study is to investigate the effects of frequency of peer victimization experiences on psychological and academic adjustment during early adolescence, with a focus on testing psychological adjustment as a mediator, as well as differences based on gender and type of victimization. The sample in this short-term longitudinal design study consists of 7th and 8th graders (n = 670, 50% male) from an ethnically and socioeconomically diverse middle school. Victimization was measured using 10 items that assessed frequency of verbal, physical, and relational victimization experiences, and outcomes were assessed with the Behavior Assessment System for Children (2nd ed.) and school records. There was support for gender differences in frequency of peer victimization experiences based on type of victimization. More specifically, boys reported higher levels of physical and verbal victimization, and girls reported higher levels of relational victimization. In addition, there were statistically significant differences between boys and girls on the relation between victimization and anxiety, attendance, and grades, with girls experiencing more maladjustment than boys in response to peer victimization. Finally, results demonstrated no gender differences in indirect effects of psychological adjustment on the relation between peer victimization and academic outcomes, whether victimization was physical, verbal, and relational. These findings highlight the importance of addressing social-emotional functioning as well as peer victimization in the schools for both boys and girls, as both affect students' academic functioning.

Effects of perceived support from mothers, fathers, and teachers on depressive symptoms during the transition to middle school.

The transition to middle school can be a significant stressor for young adolescents, leading to increases in depression for those who are vulnerable. The current study examined how perceived support from mothers, fathers, and teachers independently and interactively predicted developmental patterns of depressive symptoms during adolescents' transition to middle school, and gender differences in these effects of social support. Four timepoints of data were collected from 1,163 participants (48.5 % boys) enrolled in an ethnically diverse suburban middle school in the Midwest between 1.25 and 20.50 months after these participants entered the 7th grade. The results from growth curve modeling indicated that levels of depressive symptoms decreased over time for boys but remained stable for girls during the developmental period examined. There is also evidence that support from mothers, fathers, and teachers independently and inversely predicted levels of depressive symptoms at the beginning of the 7th grade, and support from both mothers and fathers predicted changes in these symptoms. Effects of mothers' support and teachers' support, but not the effect of fathers' support, remained significant in reducing levels of depressive symptoms at 20.50 months from middle school entry. Furthermore, the protective effect of mothers' support was stronger for girls than for boys. Finally, mothers' support interacted with fathers' support and teachers' support to predict levels of depressive symptoms. Specifically, the protective effect of mothers' support was more salient when fathers' support was low, and vice versa. In contrast, support from mothers and teachers had an amplifying, synergistic effect.

Effects of the opioid receptor antagonist naltrexone on smoking and related behaviors in smokers preparing to quit: a randomized controlled trial.

AIMS: To determine if naltrexone affects smoking behaviors in smokers preparing to quit, and whether or not such pre-quit responses predict post-quit date outcomes. DESIGN: Double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized study. The current study focused on smoking-related outcomes in the pre-quit phase, which was 1 week prior to the quit date, and these findings were linked with reductions in the same outcomes demonstrated in the post-quit phase published previously for this randomized controlled trial (RCT) in mediation analyses. SETTING: Community sample of adult smokers desiring to quit in Chicago, Illinois, USA. PARTICIPANTS: Participants were 315 smokers randomized to naltrexone (n = 161; mean age = 42.58 years; 60% Caucasian) or placebo (n = 154; mean age = 41.32 years; 55% Caucasian). MEASUREMENTS: The difference from baseline in the number of cigarettes smoked during the pre-quit phase interval was the primary outcome. Secondary pre-quit outcomes were assessed using Likert scales of subjective responses and consumption of cigarettes, alcohol and food. Number of cigarettes smoked, alcoholic drinks consumed and the Brief Questionnaire of Smoking Urges were assessed in the post-quit phase. FINDINGS: Relative to placebo, naltrexone decreased the number of cigarettes smoked (-4.21 versus -2.93, P < 0.05), smoking urge (P = 0.02) and number of alcoholic drinks consumed (P = 0.04). Exploratory mediation analyses linking outcomes of the pre-quit and post-quit phases found that naltrexone's effects on reducing smoking urge, cigarettes smoked and alcoholic drinks consumed in the pre-quit phase demonstrated full mediation of their respective effects during the post-quit phase. CONCLUSIONS: Naltrexone taken in the week before a quit attempt reduces cigarette consumption, urges to smoke and alcohol consumption relative to placebo. The size of the effect mediates statistically the size of similar effects after the quit date.

Self-administered web-based timeline followback procedure for drinking and smoking behaviors in young adults.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of the current investigation was to test the psychometric properties of a self-administered web-based version of the Timeline Followback (TLFB), a retrospective calendar method of assessing daily behaviors. METHOD: The study used a within-subjects, counterbalanced design to compare estimates of daily drinking and smoking behaviors obtained by a self-administered web-based version of the TLFB with estimates obtained by a telephone interview version. The sample consisted of 120 social drinker-smoker young adults (65 men). RESULTS: Correlations between the two modalities for total number of drinks, total drinking days, and heavy drinking days in a 4-week period ranged from .83 to .93; those for total cigarettes, total smoking days, and heavy smoking days ranged from .90 to .95. The correlation between the two modalities for estimates of the number of co-use days was .90. Drinking and smoking estimates from the online TLFB also correlated significantly with scores from the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test and Fagerström Test of Nicotine Dependence. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the results demonstrated strong support for the use of a self-administered web-based TLFB assessment tool to capture concurrent reports of social drinking and smoking behaviors in young adults. The web-based TLFB may be particularly well suited for assessment in clinical trials, longitudinal designs, and epidemiological studies.

Stability of peer victimization in early adolescence: effects of timing and duration.

The current study investigated the stability of peer victimization and the impact of the timing and duration of victimization on psychological and academic outcomes for boys and girls on a sample of 863 middle school students. Results demonstrated strong support for the onset hypothesis and concurrent effects of maladjustment in anxiety, depression, self-esteem, poor school attitude, GPA, and attendance. Support for the cessation hypothesis was mixed, depending on the outcome and gender: boys demonstrated recovery from internalizing distress, whereas girls demonstrated residual effects, even after the cessation of victimization. Girls also demonstrated residual effects of victimization on grades, and both boys and girls evidenced residual effects of victimization on attendance. Regarding duration of victimization, there was strong support for the life-events model of stress and coping across almost all outcomes, suggesting that even temporary experiences of victimization could have a negative impact on psychological and academic outcomes. Overall, results demonstrated the importance of considering the timing and duration of victimization in understanding the risks and damaging effects of victimization. The results from this study also highlight both the need and the potential to intervene during early adolescence when peer relationships are taking on increasing importance, as well as the importance of helping students regain social-emotional and academic functioning, even after victimization ceases.

Effects of stress, attributional style and perceived parental support on depressive symptoms in early adolescence: a prospective analysis.

This study prospectively examined the role of attributional style and perceived parental support as intrapersonal and interpersonal risk and resilience factors to increases in depressive symptoms in the face of stress with a sample of 497 middle school students. Results demonstrated that boys with a pessimistic attributional style and low or moderate levels of parental support had higher levels of depressive symptoms than boys with high levels of support under high levels of stress but not under low levels of stress. Girls with a pessimistic attributional style and low or moderate levels of perceived parental support had higher levels of depressive symptoms than those with an optimistic attributional style, regardless of the level of stress. These results highlight the need to consider more complex models with multiple moderators, such as cognitive styles and parental support, as well as gender differences, in understanding the development of depressive symptoms in early adolescence.

Relationship between multiple sources of perceived social support and psychological and academic adjustment in early adolescence: comparisons across gender.

The current study investigated gender differences in the relationship between sources of perceived support (parent, teacher, classmate, friend, school) and psychological and academic adjustment in a sample of 636 (49% male) middle school students. Longitudinal data were collected at two time points in the same school year. The study provided psychometric support for the Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale (Malecki et al., A working manual on the development of the Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale (2000). Unpublished manuscript, Northern Illinois University, 2003) across gender, and demonstrated gender differences in perceptions of support in early adolescence. In addition, there were significant associations between all sources of support with depressive symptoms, anxiety, self-esteem, and academic adjustment, but fewer significant unique effects of each source. Parental support was a robust unique predictor of adjustment for both boys and girls, and classmates' support was a robust unique predictor for boys. These results illustrate the importance of examining gender differences in the social experience of adolescents with careful attention to measurement and analytic issues.

Children's attributional style from middle childhood to early adolescence: Further validation of the paper-and-pencil versions of the children's attributional style interview.

The psychometric properties of two paper-and-pencil versions of the Children's Attributional Style Interview (i.e., CASI-I and CASI-II) were evaluated in a sample of 166 third and fourth graders and a sample of 245 sixth and seventh graders. The results demonstrated strong internal consistency reliability, convergent validity, and a factor structure that was consistent with theory in both samples. Furthermore, analyses demonstrated adequate evidence of the reliability and validity of several dimensional subscale scores and the composite measures of attributional style for both positive and negative events. These results suggest the utility of the CASI in research testing specific attributional predictions of cognitive theories of depression with the dimensional subscale scores. They further add to the literature by demonstrating item-level factor analytic support for a children's attributional style measure and the feasibility of administration sizes larger than previously tested, which add to the utility of the CASI in large-scale research designs.

The role of youth's ratings of the importance of socially supportive behaviors in the relationship between social support and self-concept.

The goal of this study was to investigate the relationship between the perceived frequency and perceived importance of social support with youth's self-concept. Data from a large representative sample of 921 children and adolescents in grades 3 through 12 were analyzed. Results indicated that the relationships between the frequency of social support from parents, teachers, classmates, and close friends with self-concept were significant. However, only the perceived importance of social support from teachers was significantly related to self-concept. Finally, an interaction was found between the frequency of social support and the importance of social support from classmates and close friends on self-concept. These results suggest that self-evaluations of the importance of teacher support may be especially influential for youths' self-concept, and that the ability to discount the value of support from classmates and friends, when it is lacking, may be protective to the self-concept of children and adolescents.

Group administration of the children's attributional style interview.

Research testing the reformulated theory of learned helplessness has been limited by the psychometric properties of instruments used to measure children's attributional style. Thus, the goal of this investigation was to modify a relatively new measure of attributional style that has demonstrated strong psychometric properties with young children and test its psychometric properties in a group administration with a sample of 238 fifth- and sixth-grade children. Results revealed strong internal consistency and test-retest reliability, significant correlations with another measure of attributional style, depressive symptoms, optimism, learned helplessness, and a factor structure that was consistent with theory. Overall, these results provide initial support for the use of a modified paper-and-pencil version of the Children's Attributional Style Interview in a group-administered format for children as young as fifth and sixth grade.