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Smoking is an important problem in adolescence. Early developmental trajectories are also associated with cigarette smoking. The present study aims to evaluate the separation-individuation process and use of transitional objects in daily smoker adolescents. The research included 97 adolescents who were daily smokers and 210 adolescents who were nonsmokers. Transitional object assessment questionnaire, strength and difficulties questionnaire- adolescent form(SDQ), children's depression inventory(CDI) and state-trait anxiety inventory for children(STAI-C), separation and individuation test of adolescence(SITA) were applied. SITA subscales scores of engulfment anxiety, need denial, and rejection expectancy was higher and separation anxiety, teacher enmeshment, nurturance seeking scores were statistically significantly lower in smoker adolescents than nonsmokers. In logistic regression analysis, separation anxiety(odds ratio [OR] 0.93; 95% confidence interval[CI] 0.87-0.98), teacher enmeshment(OR 0.93; 95% CI 0.88-0.98), practicing mirroring(OR 1.05; 95% CI 1.02,1.08) and rejection expectancy (OR 1.06 95% CI 1.02,1.11) were found to be predictors of daily smoking. The use of a childhood transitional object for feeling tired and the use of an adolescent transitional object for feeling anxious and tired was found to be significantly higher in smokers. There are some differences in the process of separation-individuation and the use of transitional objects in the smoker group. This suggests that early developmental characteristics may be associated with smoking. Further studies are needed to better understand the causal relationship between smoking and the separation-individuation process and transitional object use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social network sites (SNSs) are relatively new phenomena, and the relationship between SNSs and psychopathology remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the type of SNSs depressed adolescents use and the incidence of depressive disclosure on SNSs among them. The study was designed to be cross-sectional. The sample consisted of 53 adolescents diagnosed with depressive disorder, as confirmed by K-SADS-PL, and 55 non-depressed adolescents. The Children’s Depression Inventory, Social Anxiety Scale and Social Network Use Questionnaire were administered. The primary finding was that the amount of time spent on the Internet and on SNSs was significantly higher among depressed adolescents than non-depressed adolescents. Additionally, depressed adolescents reported significantly higher disclosure of anhedonia, worthlessness, guilt, loss of concentration, irritability and thoughts of suicide on SNSs. The intensity of the depression sharing was significantly higher in the depressed group. Depressed young people use social networks to express their symptoms. Adolescents’ disclosure on social networks may be able to guide relatives, friends and mental health professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The study investigated the psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the Children's Response Style Scale (CRSS). Participants were 1358 students, aged 13 - 19, and about half of the sample consisted of girls (N= 640, 47.13%). Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted and the original two-factor structure of the CRSS was replicated among the Turkish sample. It was demonstrated that sub-scales of the Turkish version have good internal reliability, test-retest reliability and convergent validity. Rumination, meta-cognitions, pathological worry, and thought suppression were found to be significant antecedents of depressive symptomatology in adolescents. Consistent with the conceptualization of the response styles theory, distraction was preventive from depressive symptoms. A structural equation model specified based on an integration of the response styles theory (Nolen-Hoeksema, 1991) and the Self-Regulatory Executive Function (S-REF) model of emotional disorders (Wells, 2000; Wells & Matthews, 1996) detected that significant linkages between depression and metacognitions were mediated by thought suppression, rumination and worry among adolescents. Gender differences on measures of cognitive vulnerability factors were substantial that girls revealed a greater tendency to meta-cognitive vulnerability, thought suppression, rumination and pathological worry, while boys scored higher on distraction. Gender differences in depressive symptomatology fell short of significance when controlling for cognitive vulnerability factors. Age was not a significant antecedent of cognitive vulnerability factors and depressive symptoms. The results are discussed in light of theoretical and empirical evidence in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study is to examine the relationships between digital game addiction, abilities of reading mind in the eyes and alexithymia personality characteristics. Method: Six hundred and sixty-two adolescents between the ages of 15 and 17 from two secondary schools in Ordu Province (n = 358 females, 57%; n = 286 males, 43%) were included in the study. Digital game addiction scale for children (DGASFC), Child Form of Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (Eyes Test) and 20 item Toronto alexithymia scale (TAS-20) were administered to participants. The scale scores of female and male participants were compared by independent sample t test. Correlations between the scales were analyzed by Pearson product moment correlation test. The predictive effects of skills of reading mind in the eyes, alexithymia, gender and age on the development of digital game addiction were evaluated by multivariate linear regression analysis. Results: Digital game addiction scores of males were significantly higher than females. The scores of DGASFC were negatively correlated with the scores of Eyes Test and positively correlated with total scores of TAS-20 and its subscales' scores, significantly. Regression analysis revealed that the scores of Eyes Test, TAS-20 factor 1 and factor 3, and gender were significantly predict the digital game addiction levels. Conclusions: The therapeutic interventions to improve abilities of reading mind in the eyes, identifying emotions, and empathic thinking skills may be beneficial for the adolescents which present with digital game addiction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the relationships between somatization, the ability of reading mind in the eyes, alexithymia, and associated mental problems in adolescents. Method: 817 adolescents aged between 13 and 17 (60% girls, n=490) were included. DSM-5 level 2 somatic symptom scale child form, 20 item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), child form of reading the mind in the eyes test (eyes test) and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) were applied to participants. The scale scores of male and female groups were compared with independent sample t test. The correlations between the TAS-20, eyes test total scores, and SDQ total and subscale scores were evaluated with Pearson-product moment corelation test. The predictability of eyes test, TAS-20, SDQ problem scores, and age on somatization were tested with multivariate linear regression analysis. Results: The somatization scores of females were higher than males, significantly. There were significant correlations between the somatization scores, and TAS-20, SDQ emotional problems, inattention/hyperactivity, conduct problems, and peer relation problems subscale scores. Regression analysis indicated that TAS-20, SDQ emotional problems, inattention/hyperactivity, peer relation problems subscale scores and age significantly predict the somatization scores. There was not a statistically significant relationship between the somatization and eyes test scores. Conclusion: Therapeutic interventions focusing on problems about identifying, describing and expressing the emotions which are the essential characteristics of alexithymia may be effective in adolescents with alexithymic personality traits and somatization problems. Focusing on the associated emotional and behavioral problems in somatization may improve the success of the treatment. Further studies are needed to improve our knowledge about the relationship between the somatization and the abilities of reading mind in the eyes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]