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Background: Early appearing temperamental differences and the psychological flexibility skills of individuals are proposed factors influencing stress and depression among adolescents. We test the theoretical assumption that temperament may form a basis for facing the outer world, while the development of psychological flexibility being another such basis and a mediator in well-being outcomes. Methods: Using data on 740 adolescents (Mage = 15.7 years, 57% female) assessed at the beginning and end of the final grade of basic education, structural equation modeling (SEM) with mediation analysis was conducted to examine the associations between the key temperament dimensions, changes in psychological flexibility, and changes in symptoms of stress and depression. Results: The results indicate that both temperament and psychological flexibility had unique, direct associations with changes in symptoms of stress and depression. There were also indirect links between temperament and changes in symptoms achieved via psychological flexibility: adolescents with negative affectivity (NA) showed an increase in symptoms of stress and depression mediated by lower psychological flexibility, while adolescents with effortful control (EC) and extraversion (EX) showed a decrease in symptoms, mediated by higher psychological flexibility. Limitations: More research with longer-term follow-up study designs is needed to explore these associations thoroughly. Conclusions: Temperamental patterns play a significant role in the development of psychological symptoms. However, these associations are modified by psychological flexibility. Together, temperamental dimensions and psychological flexibility form cumulative patterns influencing psychological symptoms. The practical implications of the findings are discussed in this study.

Objective: We sought to investigate the longitudinal associations of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and pubertal development with academic achievement in adolescents. Methods: A total of 635 adolescents (283 boys, 352 girls) aged 11–13 years participated in the study. MVPA was assessed by the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study questionnaire, and pubertal development was assessed by the Pubertal Development Scale at beginning of the 6th grade (baseline) and end of the 7th grade (follow-up). Grade point average (GPA) at the end of Grades 5 and 7 was computed from data acquired from the school registers. The data were analyzed using linear regression and analyses of covariance. Results: In boys, MVPA was positively associated with GPA at baseline after adjustment for age (β = 0.144, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.028−0.260, p = 0.028). In girls, the Pubertal Development Scale was positively associated with GPA at baseline (β = 0.104, 95%CI: −0.004 to 0.211, p = 0.058) and follow-up (β = 0.104, 95%CI: −0.002 to 0.211, p = 0.055) after adjustment for age, and these associations strengthened after further adjustment for MVPA (p < 0.05). Adolescents who were inactive at baseline or at baseline and follow-up had lower GPA during follow-up than their continuously highly active peers (mean difference = −0.301, 95%CI: −0.543 to −0.058, p = 0.009) and all other adolescents (mean difference = −0.247, 95%CI: −0.475 to −0.019, p = 0.029). These differences were greater in girls than in boys. Conclusion: Lower levels of MVPA were associated with lower GPA in boys at baseline. Girls who were continuously inactive had lower GPA over the follow-up period than those who were continuously active. Finally, earlier pubertal development was associated with better academic achievement in girls.

Understanding adolescent usage activity and experiences in web-based psychological intervention programs helps in developing universal programs that can be adopted for promotion of adolescent well-being and prevention of mental health problems. This study examined the usage activity, perceived usefulness (i.e., learning of mindfulness, acceptance and value-related skills), and program satisfaction of 157 Finnish ninth-grade adolescents, who participated in a school-based five-week universal acceptance and commitment therapy web intervention called Youth Compass. Individual and growth environment-related antecedents were measured before the five-week intervention, adolescents' usage activity during the intervention, and perceived usefulness and satisfaction after the intervention. The results showed that female adolescents and adolescents with high self-regulation were more active program users and had more positive experiences of the program. Most of the adolescents used the program on at least a moderate level and perceived it to be moderately or highly useful and satisfactory. Four subgroups of adolescents were identified based on their usage activity, perceived usefulness, and satisfaction: adolescents in the satisfied group (41%) had average activity and high perceived usefulness and intervention satisfaction, the dissatisfied group (18%) had low activity and very low perceived usefulness and intervention satisfaction, the active group (8%) had very high activity and average perceived usefulness and intervention satisfaction, and the moderate group (33%) had average activity, perceived usefulness and intervention satisfaction. Gender, academic achievement, closeness to mother and teacher, and conflict with teacher were significantly related to subgroup membership. The results suggested that adolescent usage activity, perceived usefulness, and satisfaction with the Youth Compass program may to some extent be predicted based on different factors.