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We examined time perspective and self-esteem in adolescents, young adults, middle-aged adults, and older adults. Time perspective was measured with scales that assess relative orientations and relationships among the past, present, and future. Age effects were examined with standard analytic strategies to determine categorical differences between age groups and with new statistical techniques designed to show continuous age patterns. Findings indicated that (1) thinking about the future was greatest for adolescents and young adults and lowest for middle-aged and older adults, and thinking about the present increased across ages; (2) fewer adolescents and middle-aged participants perceived that the time periods were interrelated compared to younger and older adults; and (3) across ages, a greater emphasis towards the past compared to other time periods was associated with lower self-esteem, whereas emphasizing the present and the future jointly was associated with higher self-esteem.

We examined time perspective and self-esteem in adolescents, young adults, middle-aged adults, and older adults. Time perspective was measured with scales that assess relative orientations and relationships among the past, present, and future. Age effects were examined with standard analytic strategies to determine categorical differences between age groups and with new statistical techniques designed to show continuous age patterns. Findings indicated that (1) thinking about the future was greatest for adolescents and young adults and lowest for middle-aged and older adults, and thinking about the present increased across ages; (2) fewer adolescents and middle-aged participants perceived that the time periods were interrelated compared to younger and older adults; and (3) across ages, a greater emphasis towards the past compared to other time periods was associated with lower self-esteem, whereas emphasizing the present and the future jointly was associated with higher self-esteem.

To provide a comprehensive view of the unique contexts shaping adolescent development in the U.S., we utilized latent class analysis (LCA) with indicators of risk and protection across multiple domains (family, peers, school, neighborhood) and examined how latent class membership predicted heavy episodic drinking, illicit substance use, and depression in adolescence and 6 years later when participants were young adults. Data came from Wave 1 (W1) and Wave 3 (W3) of the nationally representative U.S.-based Add Health study (N = 6,649; M[subscript age] W1 = 14.06; M[subscript age] W3 = 20.38; 53.8% female; 56.1% White/European American, 22.8% Black/African American, 9.5% Hispanic, 6.7% Biracial, Asian or Pacific Islander 4.2%, American Indian/Native American 0.7%). A six-class solution was selected with classes named: Two Parent: Low Risk, Two Parent: Relationship Risks, Two Parent: Neighborhood Risks, Single Parent: Low Risk, Single Parent: Relationship Risks, and Single Parent: Multidimensional Risk. Subsequent analyses suggested that adolescent social relationships are particularly important for prevention interventions as the classes marked by substance using peers and a lack of closeness to parents and teachers in adolescence (Two Parent: Relationship Risks and Single Parent: Relationship Risks) had consistently poorer outcomes in adolescence and young adulthood.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) studies reveal the profound impacts of experiencing trauma and hardships in childhood. However, the cumulative risk approach of treating ACEs obscures the heterogeneity of ACEs and their consequences, making actionable interventions impossible. latent class analysis (LCA) has increasingly been used to address these concerns by identifying underlying subgroups of people who experience distinctive patterns of co-occurring ACEs. Though LCA has its strengths, the existing research produces few comparable findings because LCA results are dependent on ACEs measures and indicators, which vary widely by study. Therefore, a scoping review of ACEs studies using LCA that focuses on ACEs measures, indicators, and findings is needed to inform the field. Following Arksey and O'Malley's five-stage scoping review methodological framework, we first identified 211 articles from databases of EBSCOhost, PubMed, and Scopus using "adverse childhood experiences" for title search and "latent class analysis" for abstract search. Based on the inclusion criteria of peer-reviewed articles written in English published from 2012 to 2022 and the exclusion criteria of nonempirical studies and the LCA not analyzing ACEs, we finally selected 58 articles in this scoping review. Results showed LCA has been increasingly endorsed in the ACEs research community to examine the associations between ACEs and human health and well-being across culturally diverse populations. LCA overcame the limitations of the traditional methods by revealing specific ACEs clusters that exert potent effects on certain outcomes. However, the arbitrary nature of selecting ACEs indicators, measures, and the limited use of theory impedes the field from moving forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although early sexual initiation has been linked to negative outcomes, it is unknown whether these effects are causal. In this study, we use propensity score methods to estimate the causal effect of early sexual initiation on young adult sexual risk behaviors and health outcomes using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. We found that early sexual initiation predicted having two or more partners (for both males and females) and having a sexually transmitted infection in the past year (females only) but did not predict depressive symptoms in the past week (for either gender). These results underscore the importance of continued programmatic efforts to delay age of sexual initiation, particularly for females.

Research has demonstrated associations between adolescent sexual behavior and depressive symptoms, but no single study has examined individuals at different ages throughout adolescence and young adulthood in order to determine at what ages sexual behavior may be associated with higher or lower levels of depressive symptoms. Using nationally representative longitudinal data and an innovative method, the time-varying effect model (TVEM), which examines how the strength of an association changes over time, this study examines how nonmarital sexual intercourse is associated with depressive symptoms at different ages, which behaviors and contexts may contribute to these associations, and whether associations differ for male and female participants. Findings indicate that sexual behavior in adolescence is associated with a higher level of depressive symptoms, particularly for female adolescents, and this association is relatively consistent across different partner types and adolescent contexts. Associations between sexual behavior and depressive symptoms in young adulthood are more dependent on partner factors and adolescent contexts; sexual behavior in young adulthood is associated with fewer depressive symptoms for women who have sex with a single partner and for men whose parents did not strongly disapprove of adolescent sexual behavior. Findings suggest that delaying sexual behavior into young adulthood may have some benefits for mental health, although contextual and relationship factors also play a role.

We examined Mexican adolescent sexual well-being tasks, defined as the positive cognitive and emotional evaluations of one's sexuality. We assessed three dimensions: acceptance of sexual desire, sexual decision-making involving mutual consent, and, when sexually active, the practice of safe sex. We utilized a person-centered approach to examine how patterns marked by different aspects of sexual well-being predict psychological adjustment. Participants were 1123 Mexican high or middle school (72%) students (54% girls; Mage = 15.1, SD = 1.52). We found a 6-profile model: 1) Average Sexual Health (40%); 2) High Protective Low Acceptance (20%); 3) Multidimensional Healthy (19%); 4) Multidimensional Risky (11%); 5) High Acceptance Low Contraception and Consent (6%); and 6) High Consent Low Contraception (4%). These profiles included some adolescents who experienced both low and high sexual scores on different sexual well-being indicators. For example, adolescents who belonged to the High Protective, Low Acceptance profile understood the importance of safe sex and mutual consent; but still felt sexual guilt. Profile membership was associated with gender, religion, age, and sexual experience. Adolescents in classes marked by high levels of well-being reported high levels of psychological adjustment. Findings may help educators develop more targeted sexual risk and violence prevention programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although sexual behavior is multidimensional, little research has focused on the experience of nonintercourse behaviors for adolescents and emerging adults. This article uses open-ended coded data from a longitudinal study of college students (N = 346; M age = 18.5, 52% female, 27% Hispanic/Latino [HL], 25% non-HL European American, 23% non-HL Asian American, 16% non-HL African American, 9% non-HL multiracial) to examine what emotional responses emerging adults report about their first experiences of six sexual behaviors. The four most common emotional reactions were happy, excited, fearful, and indifferent. Descriptions were largely positive, although mixed reactions were relatively common and emotional reactions varied by behavior. Results suggest the importance of including multiple types of sexual behaviors, as well as their possible positive and negative outcomes, in sexuality education programs.

We identified early material hardship profiles in infancy and their associations with the heterogeneity of behavioral self-regulation from early to middle childhood, using the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N=4,614). Four material hardship classes and three behavioral self-regulation trajectories were identified. Children experiencing diverse material hardship (e.g. food, bill, utility hardship) in year 1 demonstrated a higher probability of membership in the low-increasing and medium-stable behavioral self-regulation trajectories and a lower probability in the high-increasing trajectory from ages 3 to 9. Implications for addressing families' financial material difficulties and supporting self-regulation for children at greater risk are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]