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Introduction: The Latinx population has the second highest COVID-19 death rate among racial/ethnic groups in the United States and less than half of Latinx youth aged 5-17 years old completed their COVID-19 primary vaccination series as of September 2022. COVID-19 vaccine misinformation detrimentally impacts vaccination rates. In this study, we examined factors that predicted Latinx youth COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and vaccination status., Methods: A community-based sample of 290 Latinx parent and adolescent dyads from a Southwestern metropolitan area of the United States who were recruited to complete an online survey at baseline at T1 (August 2020 -March 2021) and one year later. We tested a longitudinal mediation model in which we examined individual and family factors that would predict youth COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and vaccination status over time., Results: Youth's pandemic disbelief (i.e., the belief that the COVID-19 pandemic is a conspiracy or not real) predicted greater youth's COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, and in turn, a lower likelihood of youth's COVID-19 vaccination. Youth's pandemic disbelief also predicted greater parent's vaccination hesitancy which, in turn, predicted greater youth's vaccination hesitancy and a lower likelihood of COVID-19 vaccination. Parents' pandemic disbelief predicted their own COVID-19 hesitancy, but not youth hesitancy., Discussion: Our study findings provide initial evidence that general pandemic disbelief was a significant driver of vaccine hesitancy and vaccination among Latinx families. The study contributes to the limited research investigating COVID-19 vaccination in the Latinx community and among Latinx youth, further aiding how COVID-19 vaccine disparities can be mitigated among racial/ethnic populations., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Mantina et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

The COVID-19 pandemic drastically affected higher education and higher education students around the world, but few studies of college students' experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic have been conducted in Latin America. This study describes the COVID-19-related experiences and perspectives of Peruvian college students. We surveyed 3,427 full-time college students (average age: 23 years) attending a multi-campus Peruvian university in fall 2020. Participants were recruited through the digital platform of the learning management system at their university, email, and social media. We asked participants how they were managing risks related to COVID-19; the continuity of social, educational, and work activities; and the psychological and economic impacts of the pandemic on their lives. Since March 2020, 73.0% of participants reported COVID-19-related symptoms, but only 33.9% were tested for COVID-19. During the national quarantine imposed by the Peruvian government (March 15-June 30, 2020), 64.3% of participants remained in their house. Furthermore, while 44.0% of participants were working in February 2020 (95% CI: [41.7%, 46.4%]), only 23.6% (95% CI: [21.7%, 25.7%]) were working immediately after the pandemic began (i.e., at the end of April 2020). Participants were more stressed about the health and educational implications of COVID-19 for Peruvian society and their families than about themselves. The public health, economic, and educational implications of COVID-19 on college students are continuing to unfold. This study informed Peruvian higher education institutions' continued response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the progressive return to postpandemic activities, as well as other future pandemics and other crises., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

With the onset of puberty, youth begin to choose their social environments and develop health-promoting habits, making it a vital period to study social and biological factors contextually. An important question is how pubertal development and behaviors such as physical activity and sleep may be differentially linked with youths' friendships. Cross-sectional statistical network models that account for interpersonal dependence were used to estimate associations between three measures of pubertal development and youth friendships at two large US schools drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. Whole-network models suggest that friendships are more likely between youth with similar levels of pubertal development, physical activity, and sleep. Sex-stratified models suggest that girls' friendships are more likely given a similar age at menarche. Attention to similar pubertal timing within friendship groups may offer inclusive opportunities for tailored developmental puberty education in ways that reduce stigma and improve health behaviors., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Pachucki et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Objective: Irritability, typically defined as a proneness to anger, particularly in response to frustration, falls at the intersection of emotion and disruptive behavior. Despite well-defined translational models, there are few convergent findings regarding the pathophysiology of irritability. Most studies utilize computer-based tasks to examine neural responses to frustration, with little work examining stress-related responding to frustration in social contexts. The present study is the first to utilize the novel Frustration Social Stressor for Adolescents (FSS-A) to examine associations between adolescent irritability and psychological and physiological responses to frustration., Method: The FSS-A was completed by a predominantly male, racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse sample of 64 12- to 17-year-olds, who were originally recruited as children with varying levels of irritability. Current irritability was assessed using the Multidimensional Assessment Profiles-Temper Loss scale (MAP-TL-Youth). Adolescents rated state anger and anxiety before and after the FSS-A, and usable salivary cortisol data were collected from 43 participants., Results: Higher MAP-TL-Youth scores were associated with greater increases in anger during the FSS-A, but not increases in anxiety, or alterations in cortisol. Pre-task state anger negatively predicted the slope of the rise in cortisol observed in anticipation of the FSS-A., Conclusions: Results provide support for unique associations between adolescent irritability and anger during, and in anticipation of, frustrating social interactions. Such findings lay a foundation for future work aimed at informing physiological models and intervention targets.

Objective: To examine inequalities in sleep quality during the COVID-19 pandemic by gender, sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic position (SEP), and test associations between discrimination and sleep quality in a national longitudinal cohort of emerging adult college students., Participants: Participants were enrolled in college full-time and were aged 18-22 at baseline., Methods: Participants completed online surveys in spring 2020 ( N  = 707) and summer 2021 ( n  = 313). Measures included the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Everyday Discrimination Scale., Results: Most students reported poor sleep quality (78% in 2020; 82% in 2021) and those from marginalized groups generally experienced worse sleep quality. Discrimination was associated with poorer concurrent sleep quality at both time points., Conclusions: Sleep inequalities among college students continued to manifest during the pandemic, even when students were not necessarily on campus. Colleges should take a multi-pronged approach to promote sleep quality through individual, community, and institutional interventions.

Sociopolitical stress arises in reaction to awareness of, exposure to, and/or involvement in political events. Among a longitudinal cohort of 628 college students from 10 universities across the U.S., we explored trajectories of sociopolitical stress during the 2020 United States presidential election season and examined relationships to psychological well-being. Growth mixture modeling classified our sample into four subgroups each with distinct trajectories of sociopolitical stress: High and Decreasing , Moderate and Increasing , Consistently Low , and High-to-Low . Participants with lower levels of sociopolitical stress expressed higher psychological well-being (high flourishing, high optimism, low anxiety symptoms, low depressive symptoms). The High and Decreasing subgroup was associated with the highest levels of civic action. Participants in the High and Decreasing trajectory were 20 times more likely to identify as LGBQ+, and 4 times more likely to be a woman or a transgender/gender diverse student, compared to participants in the Consistently Low subgroup., Competing Interests: We have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (© 2023 The Authors.)

Background: Higher subjective social status (SSS) is associated with better mental health among youth; however, few studies have examined youth's perceptions of past (childhood) or future (adulthood) SSS. Methods: Utilizing latent profile analysis, we examined unique profiles of past, present, and future SSS among 401 college students in the United States and tested associations between these profiles and psychological well-being (ie, depressive symptoms, negative affect, positive affect, and flourishing), controlling for family socioeconomic status (SES). Results: Results revealed four profiles: Low SSS (8%), Upward SSS (18%), Moderate SSS (43%), and High SSS (31%). Youth in the High SSS profile had the best psychological well-being, and those in the Low SSS profile had the worst. While the Upward SSS profile was associated with depressive symptoms and negative affect, it was protective in terms of positive affect. Discussion: Findings highlight unique effects of upward SSS mobility.Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2021.1954010.

We review research on gendered patterns of internalizing behaviors in adolescents and emerging adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. We find that young women reported worse mental health than young men. Transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) youth are underrepresented in mental health research but often report the highest internalizing disorders of any gender group. Finally, we use intersectionality as a lens to acknowledge how gender and other social identities (e.g., race, socioeconomic position) impact mental health. Overall, this review points to gender as a meaningful social construct that is relevant for understanding young people's internalizing symptoms during the pandemic. We call attention to the structural factors underlying gender disparities and the need for intersectionality-informed approaches to work towards mental health equity., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

The COVID-19 pandemic and violence against people of Color during 2020 brought troubling racial inequities to the forefront of American discourse. In line with the Critical Consciousness (CC) and Social Justice Youth Development (SJYD) frameworks, emerging adults may have developed their capacity for critical reflection, motivation, and action against systemic inequities. We drew from interviews with 27 emerging adults (ages 18-23) across the US, and used thematic analysis to explore differences in their reflections, motivations to act, and actions based on their racial/ethnic identification. We found nuanced variability in their critical reflections based on self, social, or global awareness and experiences of marginalization. White and Asian emerging adults used vague language or expressed feeling their reflections were insufficient. Black and Latinx emerging adults emphasized the importance of education and raising awareness. Although all emerging adults took action based on a sense of duty, few engaged in critical action; decisions to take in-person action varied based on whether they viewed racism or COVID-19 as a greater threat. Findings demonstrate that emerging adults' experiences of racialization may have related to their CC development. We share implications for community psychologists conducting antiracist research addressing White fragility and dismantling racial hierarchy., (© 2023 The Authors. American Journal of Community Psychology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society for Community Research and Action.)

The purpose of the study was to investigate the moderating effect of discrimination experiences on the association between civic engagement and sleep in youth of color. Participants included 125 college students ( M age = 20.41, SD  = 1.41, 22.6% cisgender male). Most of the sample (28%) identified as Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin; 26% identified as multi-racial/ethnicity; 23% identified as Asian; 19% identified as Black or African American; and 4% identified as Middle Eastern or North African. Youth self-reported their civic engagement (civic activism and civic efficacy), discriminatory experiences, and sleep duration during the week of the 2016 United States presidential inauguration (T1) and again approximately 100 days later (T2). Civic efficacy was associated with longer sleep duration. In contexts of discrimination, however, more civic activism and efficacy was associated with less sleep duration. In contexts of low discrimination, more civic efficacy was associated with longer sleep duration. Thus, civic engagement within supportive contexts may contribute to positive sleep among youth of color. Working toward dismantling racist systems may be one way to combat the racial/ethnic sleep disparities that underlie long-term health inequalities.

Objective: Although emerging adults' civic engagement is generally associated with positive outcomes, concerns about an elected candidate's leadership ability and the implications of administrative turnover may negatively impact youths' well-being. Using longitudinal data collected during the 2016 election cycle, the current study examined whether negative evaluation of a presidential candidate-who is eventually elected-may be indirectly associated with college students' psychological well-being due to increased election distress. Participants: 286 college-attending emerging adults ( M age = 20, SD age = 1.40) participated in the current study. Methods: Path models linking evaluation of Trump's leadership ability (pre-election) to psychological well-being (approx. 100 days in office) via election distress (presidential inauguration) were computed. Results: Reporting lower confidence in Trump's leadership ability prior to the election was associated with greater election distress 3 months post-election, and in turn, poorer psychological well-being 6 months post-election. Conclusion: Findings underscore the importance of centering college students' well-being within a broader sociopolitical context.

This study takes a person-centered approach to investigate White youths' racial contexts by utilizing a latent profile analysis among a sample of White adolescents (N = 323, ages 16-17; 52% female, 48% male; data collected 1996-1998). Racial contexts were composed of parent, peer, and school influences, which revealed three distinct profiles: a Race Conscious profile, a Race Silent profile, and a Low Race Engagement profile. These profiles predicted White adolescents' critical action during emerging adulthood, where adolescents in the Race Conscious profile were engaged in more critical action as compared to the other two profiles. These findings suggest that the racial contexts in which White adolescents develop have direct implications on their desire to work toward, and take action for, social change., (© 2022 The Authors. Child Development © 2022 Society for Research in Child Development.)

Executive functioning (EF) is fundamental to positive development. Yet, little is known about how to best characterize constellations of EF skills that may inform disparate associations between EF and behavior during adolescence. In the current study, cross-validated latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to derive profiles of EF based on measures of inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility using data from 11,672 youth (52.2% male, mean age = 9.91 years) in the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development study. Four meaningful EF profiles emerged from the data representing Average EF, High EF, Low Inhibitory Control, and Low EF. Boys, youth from low-income households, and early developing youth were more likely to be in profiles distinguished by lower EF. Profile membership also predicted differences in externalizing, internalizing, and other problem behaviors assessed one year later. Findings indicate that youth may have distinct constellations of EF skills, underscoring the need for person-centered approaches that focus on patterns of individual characteristics., (© 2022 The Authors. Developmental Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Conceptions of adolescent "storm and stress" may be tied to a developmental mismatch that exists between young people's need for meaningful roles and autonomy - which we refer to as a need for enacting maturity - and the lack of such opportunities in most adolescents' contexts. First, we summarize our previous work on enacting maturity, including a review of the key components, links to wellbeing, and the nuances and limitations of this construct. Next, we extend this work by considering how the ecological contexts (e.g., family, school, community) young people are embedded in and their various intersecting social positions and identities (e.g., race/ethnicity, gender, immigrant origin) influence their experiences with enacting maturity. In this section, we pose several key questions for developmental scientists around: (a) identifying a young person's desire for, and phenomenological processing of, their adult-like roles, (b) understanding how complex and unequal responses to physical maturation shape opportunities for enacting maturity, and (c) attending to disparities in curricular and extracurricular pathways to leadership, responsibility, and autonomy. Finally, we discuss spaces with high potential to support enacting maturity, including both specially designed programs (e.g., youth participatory action research, leadership programs) as well as routine, everyday opportunities (e.g., interactions with teachers, training for companies that employ youth). We offer two levers for supporting enacting maturity across both types of spaces: adult allies and responsive organizations. Looking to exemplary programs, innovative leaders, social media, and case studies, we re-imagine how adults and organizations can promote young people enacting maturing in ways that are safe, worthwhile, and equitable., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The handling editor declared a past-authorship with the author PB., (Copyright © 2022 Ballard, Hoyt and Johnson.)

Objective: The present study examines sociopolitical stress, coping, and well-being among college students. Participants: Young adult college students (N = 588; ages 18-29; 72% cisgender women) from 10 universities in the USA participated in this study. Methods: Participants completed a 45-minute online survey with closed-ended and open-ended questions, administered via Qualtrics. Results: Election-related sociopolitical stress was high with notable differences across students' demographic backgrounds (e.g., Hispanic/Latinx students, women, and sexual minority students reported high sociopolitical stress). Among those who reported being stressed by the election (N = 448), closed-ended and open-ended data reveal coping strategies including self-care, drugs and alcohol, and further civic action/political participation. Higher sociopolitical stress predicted more depression and many coping strategies were related with flourishing. Conclusions: Young adult college students are experiencing election-related sociopolitical stress and are coping in different ways. More work is needed to understand what coping strategies support well-being. Implications for colleges are discussed.

This study examined the role of demographics, civic beliefs, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in association with distinct forms of civic participation. College students were recruited across 10 institutions of higher education to complete an online survey. Bivariate, multivariable linear, and logistic regressions were performed. Findings indicated that participants from traditionally marginalized backgrounds were more likely to engage in systemchallenging forms of civic participation and community engagement than those from more privileged backgrounds. Participants who rated high in critical reflection, viewed racism as a key issue, and were heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic were also more likely to engage in system-challenging forms of civic participation. Participants who endorsed beliefs supporting current systems of power were more likely to report they intended to vote. Results highlight implications for antiracist activism, community engagement, and traditional political civic behaviors., (© 2022 The Authors. Journal of Community Psychology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: Firefighters are often exposed to occupational stressors that can result in psychological distress (ie, anxiety and depression) and burnout. These occupational stressors have only intensified with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and will likely persist in the postpandemic world., Objective: To address occupational stressors confronting firefighters, we pilot tested a novel, cost-effective, smartphone app-based meditation intervention created by Healthy Minds Innovations that focused on mindfulness (awareness) training along with practices designed to cultivate positive relationships (connection), insight into the nature of the self (insight), and a sense of purpose in the context of challenge (purpose) with a sample of professional firefighters from a large metropolitan area in southwestern United States., Methods: A total of 35 participants were recruited from a closed online group listserv and completed the self-guided 10-unit meditation app over the course of 10 days, at 1 unit per day. We assessed anxiety symptoms, depression symptoms, burnout, and negative affect as well as saliva diurnal cortisol rhythm, an objective indicator of stress-related biology, before and after use of the meditation app., Results: This study demonstrated the meditation app was both feasible and acceptable for use by the majority of firefighters. We also found significant reductions in firefighters' anxiety (P=.01), burnout (P=.05), and negative affect (P=.04), as well as changes in cortisol diurnal rhythm, such as waking cortisol (P=.02), from before to after use of the meditation app., Conclusions: Our study findings call for future research to demonstrate the efficacy of this meditation app to reduce psychological distress and burnout in firefighters., (©Thaddeus W W Pace, Katharine H Zeiders, Stephanie H Cook, Evelyn D Sarsar, Lindsay T Hoyt, Nicholas L Mirin, Erica P Wood, Raquel Tatar, Richard J Davidson. Originally published in JMIR Formative Research (https://formative.jmir.org), 08.06.2022.)

We analyzed qualitative data from 707 USA college students aged 18-22 in late April 2020 regarding if and how their relationships had changed at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most (69%) participants experienced relationship changes, most of whom (77%) described negative changes: less overall contact, feeling disconnected, and increased tension, some of which was due to conflict over pandemic-related public health precautions. Physical distancing from social contacts also created emotional distancing: it was harder to maintain affective connections via online platforms and within the isolating context of shelter-in-place. Due to emerging adulthood being a sensitive window for social development, the COVID-19 pandemic-induced emotional distancing could have long-term ramifications for this cohort's relationships over the course of their lives., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© 2022 Society for the Study of Emerging Adulthood and SAGE Publishing.)

Critical consciousness (CC) may promote well-being, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a national survey of 707 college students conducted in April 2020, we first validated the Short Critical Consciousness Scale (ShoCCS) among youth groups not often specifically examined in CC measurement (i.e., Asian, immigrant-origin, LGBQ+, and women youth). Next, we examined associations between ShoCCS subscales and validated measures of both anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7) and hopefulness (The Individual-Differences Measure in Hopefulness). The ShoCCS achieved measurement invariance across racial/ethnic groups and immigrant-origin status, and partial invariance among LGBQ+ and women-identifying youth. We found critical reflection and action associated with anxiety for the full sample, but no evidence of moderation by sociodemographic factors. ShoCCS subscales were differentially associated with hopefulness for Asian youth and LGBQ+ youth. This study contributes to the evolution of CC measurement and extends the field by identifying well-being associations during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic., (© 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify distinct neighborhood profiles patterned by key structural, physical, and social characteristics and test whether living in different profiles are associated with body mass index trajectories during adolescence in racial/ethnic minority female youth., Methods: Participants were 1,328 sexually active female adolescents and young adults aged 14-23 years, predominately Hispanic and black, enrolled in an human papillomavirus type 4 vaccine (Gardasil) surveillance study at a large adolescent health clinic in New York City between 2007 and 2018. Body mass index was calculated from weight and height every 6 months. A comprehensive set of neighborhood structural, social, and physical characteristics from multiple national and state datasets was linked to each participant based on home address., Results: Latent profile analysis revealed five distinct neighborhood profiles in New York City: High Structural/High Social Advantage, Moderate Advantage/Low Crime, Low SES (Socioeconomic Status)/High Activity, Low SES/High Social Advantage, and High Disadvantage. Results from multilevel growth curve analysis revealed that living in Low SES/High Activity neighborhoods was associated with a lower BMI at age 22 (b = -1.32, 95% confidence interval -2.49, -.16), as well as a slower increase in BMI from age 14 to 22 years (b = -.22, 95% confidence interval -.46, .02), compared to the High Disadvantage profile., Conclusions: Our findings suggest that improving neighborhood structural, social, and physical environments may help promote healthy weight and reduce health disparities during adolescence and young adulthood., (Copyright © 2021 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To study how young adult college students are managing their health behaviors and risks related to spreading COVID-19., Methods: We created a national cohort of full-time college students in late April 2020 (n = 707), and conducted a follow-up survey with participants in July 2020 (n = 543). Participants reported COVID-19-related health risk behaviors and COVID-19 symptoms, and also responded to an open-ended prompt about how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected their lives. Quantitative data were analyzed in Stata and we conducted content analysis to identify themes in the qualitative data., Results: For most health protective behaviors (e.g., frequent handwashing, social distancing), participants were less compliant in summer 2020 than spring 2020, with the exception of face mask use, which increased. In each month of the first half of 2020, only approximately half of participants with any symptoms that could indicate COVID-19 stayed home exclusively while symptomatic (there was no meaningful change from pre-pandemic or over the course of the pandemic). In qualitative data, the participants who had gone to bars or clubs at least twice within a 4-week period this summer reported being bored and/or isolated, stressed, and/or taking pandemic safety measures seriously., Conclusions: These findings suggest multiple areas for intervention, including harm reduction and risk management education approaches for the students who are going to bars and clubs, and creating policies and programs to better incentivize young people with symptoms to stay home exclusively while symptomatic., (Copyright © 2021 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Previous research has used cortisol, the major hormonal byproduct of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis system, to explore how environmental stressors influence daily physiological functioning. Most of the research focused on diurnal cortisol has examined specific cortisol markers, with little consideration of how different components of the diurnal pattern may co-occur. Morning level, cortisol awakening response (CAR), bedtime level, as well as the diurnal slope and total cortisol exposure throughout the day (area under the curve; AUC), are five common parameters of diurnal HPA axis functioning that have been individually linked to physical and mental health outcomes, with mixed results. The current study introduces a novel approach to capture heterogeneity in HPA axis activity by using latent profile analysis to generate empirically-derived, theoretically supported diurnal cortisol profiles based on all five indicators. We analyzed salivary cortisol data from 278 young adults during a time of heightened sociopolitical stress - the 2016 U.S. presidential election - and examined whether profiles differentially predicted mental health trajectories across six months. Findings suggest that a specific combination of cortisol parameters (i.e., flat slope, high AUC, and high CAR) may predict worse mental health risk over time. Overall, this work suggests that diurnal cortisol profiles likely reflect distinct physiological underpinnings with unique health consequences that may not be observed by studying individual cortisol parameters., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Limited research has investigated factors that shape White youth's civic action aimed at social change. Investigating the relation between Whiteness and civic action is an essential step toward identifying and cultivating environments that encourage White youth to use their racial privilege to combat inequality through civic engagement. To address this gap in the literature, across two distinct samples, this study investigates the role of White guilt in motivating civic action and the moderating role of civic beliefs. Participants included all young adults who self-identified as White from two online survey studies (Study 1, N = 219 college students, 71.9% Women, 28.1% Men, mean age = 19.6; Study 2, N = 185, 50% current college students, 54.6% Women, 45.4% Men, mean age = 23.9). In Study 1, White guilt related to more civic action. In the context of high social responsibility, White guilt related to more civic action; in the context of low social responsibility, White guilt corresponded with less civic action. In Study 2, White guilt also related to more civic action, and civic efficacy emerged as a potential moderator. Collectively, these results highlight the potential for White guilt to be turned into meaningful civic action, particularly when coupled with civic beliefs.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to document young adults' perceived stress and anxiety in a diverse sample of college students across the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic., Methods: We recruited, via Instagram, a sample of full-time college students aged 18-22 from across the U.S. We surveyed them in April (baseline; N = 707; mean age = 20.0, SD = 1.3) and July (follow-up) 2020. This study presents overall levels of perceived stress and general anxiety symptoms and inequalities across each of these outcomes by gender, sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, and household income. We also explore potential explanations for these health issues by analyzing baseline qualitative data., Results: All students, on average, were suffering from perceived stress and anxiety, with especially high levels in April. We also identified inequalities in college student mental well-being, particularly by gender identity and sexual orientation. Women reported worse well-being compared with men; transgender and gender diverse and sexual minority youths reported worse outcomes than their cisgender, heterosexual peers at both time points. Qualitative data illustrate how the COVID-19 pandemic has generated educational, economic, and environmental stressors that are affecting college students' well-being., Conclusions: As colleges and universities think about how to manage and mitigate the infectious disease dimensions of COVID-19 among their student populations, they must also consider who is most at risk for increased stress and anxiety during the pandemic., (Copyright © 2020 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: This is one of the first surveys of a USA-wide sample of full-time college students about their COVID-19-related experiences in spring 2020., Methods: We surveyed 725 full-time college students aged 18-22 years recruited via Instagram promotions on April 25-30, 2020. We inquired about their COVID-19-related experiences and perspectives, documented opportunities for transmission, and assessed COVID-19's perceived impacts to date., Results: Thirty-five percent of participants experienced any COVID-19-related symptoms from February to April 2020, but less than 5% of them got tested, and only 46% stayed home exclusively while experiencing symptoms. Almost all (95%) had sheltered in place/stayed primarily at home by late April 2020; 53% started sheltering in place before any state had an official stay-at-home order, and more than one-third started sheltering before any metropolitan area had an order. Participants were more stressed about COVID-19's health implications for their family and for American society than for themselves. Participants were open to continuing the restrictions in place in late April 2020 for an extended period of time to reduce pandemic spread., Conclusions: There is substantial opportunity for improved public health responses to COVID-19 among college students, including for testing and contact tracing. In addition, because most participants restricted their behaviors before official stay-at-home orders went into effect, they may continue to restrict movement after stay-at-home orders are lifted, including when colleges reopen for in-person activities, if they decide it is not yet prudent to circulate freely. The public health, economic, and educational implications of COVID-19 are continuing to unfold; future studies must continue to monitor college student experiences and perspectives., (Copyright © 2020 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: The goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of pubertal timing, and its interaction with prior childhood maltreatment, on the risk of cervical human papillomavirus (HPV) among sexually active adolescent minority female adolescents and young adults., Methods: This cross-sectional study includes 842 adolescent girls and young women (aged 12 to 20 years; predominately Black and Hispanic) enrolled in an HPV vaccine surveillance study at a large adolescent health clinic in New York City between 2007 and 2016. Pubertal timing was assessed by self-reported age at menarche at baseline, with "early" and "late" defined as one standard deviation below (<11 years) or above (>13 years) the mean. Childhood exposure to abuse (sexual, physical and emotional) and neglect (physical and emotional) was assessed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Over 40 types of HPV infection were detected using the polymerase chain reaction in cervical Pap specimens., Results: Results from multivariable logistic regression showed that early and late pubertal timing were marginally associated with a higher risk of HPV infection, adjusting for demographic and health covariates. Childhood maltreatment moderated the association between early pubertal timing and HPV infection: early pubertal timing was associated with a higher risk for HPV infection among maltreated girls (OR = 3.32, 95%CI:1.61-6.85), but not among non-maltreated girls (OR = 0.96, 95%CI:0.61-1.50; p-interaction<0.01)., Conclusions: Variation in the timing of puberty and history of childhood maltreatment may have implications for adolescent sexual and reproductive health. Findings suggest that clinicians need to assess the biological and psychosocial risks in caring for youth., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no conflicts of interest relevant to this article to disclose., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Adolescent sleep deprivation is a pressing public health issue in the United States as well as other countries. The contexts of adolescents' lives are changing rapidly, but little is known about the factors that adolescents themselves believe affect their sleep. This study uses a social-ecological framework to investigate multiple levels of perceived influence on sleep patterns of urban adolescents. Data were drawn from interviews and surveys conducted in three California public high schools. Most participants identified homework as their primary barrier to sleep, particularly those engaged in procrastinating, multitasking, or those with extracurricular demands. Results indicate that the home context has important implications for adolescent sleep, including noise, household rules, and perceived parent values. These findings identify important areas for future research and intervention, particularly regarding the roles of parents., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting Interests The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Objectives: Research has documented increased psychological distress among adults during the 2016 U.S. presidential election; however, little is known about how major political events affect adolescents. Despite not actively participating in the election process (e.g., voting), adolescents generally, and Latino youth specifically, may experience a unique stress response during elections, particularly when perceived policy changes center on issues related to their own families' stability and well-being., Methods: We examined 42 Latino early adolescents (Mage = 12.50 years, SD = .88; 58% male; 94% immigrant background) living in Arizona and explored their psychological and physiological responses during the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Adolescents self-reported their mood and behaviors for 5 consecutive days across election week (November 6-10, 2016): 2 days before the election, election day, and 2 days after the election. They also completed a saliva sampling protocol at waking and bedtime each day, to capture diurnal cortisol concentrations., Results: Multilevel growth models were utilized to examine intraindividual changes in positive affect, negative affect, and diurnal cortisol patterns across election week. Only 2 of the participants reported supporting the winning candidate. Changes in adolescents' stress hormone concentrations were evident; increases in evening cortisol levels and flatter diurnal cortisol slopes emerged across election week. Negative affect, positive affect, and morning cortisol concentrations did not change., Conclusions: This study provides preliminary evidence that macrolevel factors, such as the recent presidential election, may relate to adolescents' daily stress physiology. Further research is needed to better understand adolescents' responses to sociopolitical change. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Puberty is marked by substantial increases and emerging sex differences in psychological disorders and risky behaviors. However, few studies have examined these effects beyond adolescence, and the previous literature has been dominated by samples of White girls. The current study examines the broadest known set of health sequelae related to traditional pubertal markers and peer-relative pubertal timing in a representative sample of 14,545 U.S. youth from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. Maturational timing was assessed by age at menarche for girls and physical development for boys (e.g., facial hair, voice change), and then categorized as early (1 SD below mean), on-time, or late (1 SD above mean) within-sex. Early and late peer-relative timing was assessed by a self-report of looking "much older" or "much younger" than one's peers. We examined psychological (depressive symptoms, antisocial behavior), behavioral (number of sex partners, drug use, physical activity, screen time, sleep hours), and physical health (self-reported health, BMI) outcomes during adolescence and young adulthood in a series of sex-stratified regression analyses using survey weights and a comprehensive set of sociodemographic covariates. Results indicated that, overall, earlier pubertal timing (i.e., maturational timing and peer-relative timing) put both girls and boys at risk during adolescence, while later timing was protective. However, longitudinal models revealed mixed results. For instance, early maturational timing was associated with higher young adult BMI (girls: β = 0.139, p  < .01; boys: β = 0.107, p  < .01), but later timing for boys was associated with both risky (e.g., more screen time; β = 0.125, p  < .05) and health promoting (e.g., more sleep; β = .296, p  < .01) behaviors. Analysis of this holistic set of outcomes with sex differences in mind allows for more careful evidence-based recommendations for adolescent health promotion., Competing Interests: None., (© 2020 The Authors.)

There are substantial changes in executive functioning during adolescence that may correspond with the onset and progression of puberty. The current study examines associations between pubertal development (timing and tempo) and changes in specific executive functioning skills (i.e., attention and self-control) across the transition from childhood to adolescence (ages 9.5-15.5) using data from the Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (1099 youth; 52% female, 81% White, 83% above the poverty line). The findings indicated that early maturation was associated with faster increases in attention skills over adolescence for both boys and girls. Further, early maturation predicted worse self-control among girls but not boys. This study provides new insights on executive functioning during the transition to adolescence-a period of both vulnerability and opportunity.

The present study examines links between civic engagement (voting, volunteering, and activism) during late adolescence and early adulthood, and socioeconomic status and mental and physical health in adulthood. Using nationally representative data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, a propensity score matching approach is used to rigorously estimate how civic engagement is associated with outcomes among 9,471 adolescents and young adults (baseline M age  = 15.9). All forms of civic engagement are positively associated with subsequent income and education level. Volunteering and voting are favorably associated with subsequent mental health and health behaviors, and activism is associated with more health-risk behaviors and not associated with mental health. Civic engagement is not associated with physical health., (© 2018 The Authors. Child Development © 2018 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.)

Purpose: Both schools and neighborhoods play important roles in determining adolescent weight status, but little is known about their relative importance, particularly in predicting long-term weight outcomes. We assessed the impacts of both school and neighborhood socioeconomic composition, social connectedness, and built environment during adolescence on weight status in young adulthood., Methods: The study sample consisted of 14,625 respondents from Waves I and IV of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. Data were analyzed using cross-classified multilevel modeling to examine the joint effect of adolescents' school and neighborhood predictors on body mass index (BMI) 13 years later., Results: Living in a neighborhood with lower average parent education during adolescence, and attending a school with lower average parent education, were each associated with higher BMI in young adulthood. Living in a neighborhood with more physical activity resources predicted lower young adult BMI, independent of adolescent weight, parent obesity status, and demographic characteristics. School physical activity resources and perceptions of social connectedness (in the school or neighborhood) were not significantly associated with young adult BMI., Conclusions: These findings highlight the importance of school and neighborhood socioeconomic composition during adolescence on young adult weight status. Results also suggest that improving neighborhood infrastructure may promote healthy weight., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Decades of puberty research have yielded key scientific discoveries. Building on the field's rich history, we highlight four understudied populations: youth of color, boys, sexual minority youth, and gender minority youth. We explore why scientific study has been slow to evolve in these groups and propose paths forward for exciting new work. For ethnically racially diverse youth, we discuss the need to incorporate culture and context. For boys, we highlight methodological issues and challenges of mapping existing conceptual models onto boys. For sexual and gender minority youth, we discuss unique challenges during puberty and suggest ways to better capture their experiences. With an eye toward a new era, we make recommendations for next steps and underscore the importance of transdisciplinary research., (© 2019 Society for Research on Adolescence.)

Most adolescents face numerous obstacles to good sleep, which may undermine healthy development. In this study, we used latent class analysis and identified four categories of sleep barriers in a diverse sample of 553 urban youth (57% female). The majority profile, School/Screens Barriers, reported the most homework and extracurricular barriers, along with high screen time. The Home/Screens Barriers class (i.e., high environmental noise, light, screen use) and the High/Social Barriers class (i.e., high barriers across domains, particularly social) reported the poorest sleep quality and highest depressive/anxiety symptoms. The Minimal Barriers class-predominately male, with low depressive/anxiety symptoms-reported more sleep per night. We discuss implications of our findings for targeting interventions to address poor adolescent sleep among specific clusters of students.

Elections present unique opportunities to study how sociopolitical events influence individual processes. The current study examined 286 young adults' mood and diurnal cortisol responses to the 2016 U.S. presidential election in real-time: two days before the election, election night, and two days after the election of Donald Trump, with the goal of understanding whether (and the extent to which) the election influenced young adults' affective and biological states. Utilizing piecewise trajectory analyses, we observed high, and increasing, negative affect leading up to the election across all participants. Young adults who had negative perceptions of Trump's ability to fulfill the role of president and/or were part of a non-dominant social group (i.e., women, ethnic/racial minority young adults) reported increased signs of stress before the election and on election night. After the election, we observed a general "recovery" in self-reported mood; however, diurnal cortisol indicators suggested that there was an increase in biological stress among some groups. Overall, findings underscore the role of macro-level factors in individuals' health and well-being via more proximal attitudes and physiological functioning., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: This study aims to examine the longitudinal association between puberty and sleep in a diverse sample of girls and explore racial/ethnic differences in this association., Methods: Using latent growth curve modeling, the present study measured pubertal development (timing and rate) and sleep (wake time and bedtime) in 1,239 socioeconomically and ethnically diverse girls starting when they were 6-8 years old and followed longitudinally for up to 8 years. Pubertal assessment was conducted annually in clinic by physical examination, classified by sexual maturation stage for breast and pubic hair development by trained raters., Results: In line with previous research, black girls had the earliest pubertal development, followed by Hispanic, white, and Asian girls. Black girls, on average, reported significantly shorter sleep duration than Hispanic (β = -.20, p < .001), Asian (β = -.29, p = .002), and white (β = -.35, p < .001) girls. In a series of dual-process models, we found that early pubertal timing predicted shorter sleep duration for early-maturing black girls (breast development: β = .13, p = .005; pubic hair development: β = .14, p = .012). There was no evidence of any association between pubertal rate and sleep. All models controlled for family socioeconomic status and body mass index., Conclusion: Sleep is essential for many aspects of youth development, including emotional, cognitive, and physical functioning. Developmental changes associated with puberty may put some early maturing girls at risk of shorter sleep duration in adolescence and exacerbate racial/ethnic disparities in health and well-being., (Copyright © 2017 The Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The current study examines the extent to which participation in preschool at age 4 is associated with blood pressure, body mass index, and awakening cortisol at age 15. We capitalize on data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development to examine differences in adolescent health among children who attended preschool, parental care, or home-based care at age 4 (n = 742). Using quasi-experimental methods, we found that preschool participation was associated with multiple positive health outcomes in adolescence. In particular, preschool participation was associated with lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure and lower arterial pressure during adolescence compared with children in parental care (but not home-based care). Preschool participation was also related to lower levels of cortisol (measured at waking) compared with youth who did not attend preschool. More hours in preschool was associated with higher body mass index and more teacher education is associated with lower teacher education. Results are discussed in terms of how early preschool experiences may help to explain long-term health trajectories. (PsycINFO Database Record, ((c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).)

Despite the increasing popularity of incorporating salivary cortisol measurement into health and social science research, relatively little empirical work has been conducted on the number of saliva samples across the day required to capture key features of the diurnal cortisol rhythm, such as the diurnal cortisol slope, the area under the curve (AUC), and the cortisol awakening response (CAR). The primary purpose of this study is to compare slope, AUC, and CAR measures obtained from an intensive sampling protocol with estimates from less intensive protocols, to identify sampling protocols with minimal participant burden that still provide reasonably accurate assessment of each of these measures. Twenty-four healthy adults provided samples four times in the first hour awake, and then every hour throughout the rest of the day until bedtime (M = 17.8 samples/day; SD = 2.0), over two consecutive days (N = 862 total samples). We compared measures calculated from this maximum intensity protocol to measures calculated from two to six sampling points per day. Overall, results show that salivary cortisol protocols with two fixed samples (waking and bedtime) and three additional daily samples, closely approximates the full cortisol decline (slope). Abbreviated sampling protocols of total cortisol exposure across the day (AUC), however, were not well approximated by reduced sampling protocols. CAR measures based on only two samples, including waking cortisol and a second sample measured at a fixed time point between 30 and 60 min after waking, provided a measure of the CAR that closely approximated CAR measures obtained from 3 or 4 sampling points.

Cortisol, the major physiological end product of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, is usually associated with stress and negative affect. However, a new body of research highlights the complex, adaptive significance of elevated cortisol within individuals in everyday life. Whereas most studies do not have the power to test the dynamic transactions between cortisol and affect within a person throughout the entire waking day, we employed an intensive study protocol analyzing hourly diary reports of affect in relation to hourly salivary cortisol samples among 24 healthy adults from morning to bedtime, across 2 consecutive weekdays (N = 862 total samples). Utilizing multileveling modeling and focusing on within-person effects, we examined whether momentary increases in cortisol could be mood protective, or energy enhancing, in everyday life, supporting the cortisol boost hypothesis. Results revealed no significant associations between cortisol and current affective state; however, within-person increases in cortisol were significantly associated with subsequent rises in activeness, alertness, and relaxation, and trend-level reductions in stress and nervousness. This study adds to growing evidence that cortisol plays a positive role in regulating affect in everyday life. (PsycINFO Database Record, ((c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).)

Objective: This study was designed to examine whether family and peer relationships in adolescence predict the emergence of metabolic risk factors in young adulthood., Method: Participants from a large, nationally representative cohort study (N = 11,617 for these analyses) reported on their relationship experiences with parents and close friends during adolescence. Fourteen years later, interviewers collected blood samples, as well as anthropometric and blood pressure measurements. Blood samples were analyzed for HbA1c., Results: Ordered logistic regressions revealed that for females, supportive parent-child relationships and close male friendships in adolescence were associated with reduced odds of having elevated metabolic risk markers in young adulthood. These effects remained significant even after controlling for baseline measures of body mass index (BMI) and health and demographic covariates. The protective effects of close relationships were not significant for males, however. Exploratory analyses with 2-parent families revealed that supportive father-child relationships were especially protective for females., Conclusions: These findings suggest that, for females, close and supportive relationships with parents and male friends in adolescence may reduce the risk of metabolic dysregulation in adulthood., ((c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).)

Depression is a prevalent and debilitating illness facing many adolescents, especially adolescent girls, whose risk for this disorder is approximately twice that of boys. Many studies have identified mechanisms that place girls at higher risk for depression during adolescence. Few, however, have examined differences in the everyday emotional experiences of boys and girls with varying levels of depressive symptoms. Using the Experience Sampling Method, this study investigated the roles of gender and depressive symptomatology in the emotional experiences of a community sample of youth (11-18 year-olds) from the Sloan 500 Family Study. Females with higher levels of depressive symptoms were more likely than females with fewer depressive symptoms and all males to experience strong negative emotions and to attribute the cause of these emotions to other people. These results suggest that emotional reactivity in interpersonal contexts is especially important to understand gender differences in the daily experience of depressive symptoms., (Copyright © 2015 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This scoping review synthesizes existing research on two major transitions in females' lives: puberty and perimenopause. These two periods of vast physiological change demarcate the beginning and the end of the reproductive life cycle and are associated with major neuroendocrine reorganization across two key systems, the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Despite growing evidence suggesting that the timing and experience of puberty and perimenopause are related to various physical and mental health outcomes (e.g., mood disorders, metabolism, cardiovascular health, autoimmune conditions, and cancer), these two processes are rarely examined together. In this paper, we bridge these disparate literatures to highlight similarities, isolate inconsistencies, and identify important areas for future research in women's health., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Psychobiological research with adolescent populations tends to focus on negative mood, stress, and psychopathology, but the role of positive emotions is insufficiently understood. The current study examines the relative contributions of both negative and positive affective experiences to the basal activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, measured by levels of cortisol across the waking day., Methods: A sample of 315 ethnically and racially diverse high school students (mean age = 17.1 years, 73% female) completed a multiple-day naturalistic salivary cortisol protocol twice over a 5-year period. Along with each saliva sample, youth provided diary reports of their current mood states. Principal components analysis revealed four factors: high arousal positive affect (PA), low arousal PA, high arousal negative affect (NA), and low arousal NA., Results: Multilevel growth curve models suggested that greater high arousal PA was associated with adaptive patterns of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal activity: steeper cortisol slope from waking to bedtime and lower evening cortisol, independent of NA. In addition, increases in high arousal PA over the 5-year follow-up period were associated with a steepening of the diurnal cortisol slope (β = -0.038, p = .009; negative values indicate the decrease of cortisol throughout the day) and lower evening cortisol levels (β = -0.661, p = .027) based on within-person fixed-effect regression analysis., Conclusions: This study shows that high arousal PA, such as feeling alert and active, is associated with a steeper decline in cortisol throughout the day. Low arousal positive emotions did not display this relationship.

Discrimination is theorized to set in motion a neuroendocrine response, which includes cortisol secretion from the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Repeated exposure to perceived discrimination is thought to contribute to alterations in diurnal cortisol rhythms and to have implications for health. Discrimination may have particularly strong effects on racial/ethnic minority individuals, based on histories of past exposure and/or greater perceived implications of discriminatory events. Utilizing an ethnically and racially diverse sample of young adults (N=140; Mage=22.8 years) and a multiple-day naturalistic cortisol protocol, the present study examined associations between self-reported discrimination and diurnal cortisol rhythms, and whether this relation was moderated by racial/ethnic minority status. Results revealed that self-reported discrimination predicted flatter diurnal cortisol slopes for racial/ethnic minority individuals only. These findings align with theory suggesting that discrimination experiences are important among racial/ethnic minorities., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background and Objectives: The neighborhoods in which children live, play, and eat provide an environmental context that may influence obesity risk and ameliorate or exacerbate health disparities. The current study examines whether neighborhood characteristics predict obesity in a prospective cohort of girls., Methods: Participants were 174 girls (aged 8-10 years at baseline), a subset from the Cohort Study of Young Girls' Nutrition, Environment, and Transitions. Trained observers completed street audits within a 0.25-mile radius around each girl's residence. Four scales (food and service retail, recreation, walkability, and physical disorder) were created from 40 observed neighborhood features. BMI was calculated from clinically measured height and weight. Obesity was defined as BMI-for-age ≥ 95%. Logistic regression models using generalized estimating equations were used to examine neighborhood influences on obesity risk over 4 years of follow-up, controlling for race/ethnicity, pubertal status, and baseline BMI. Fully adjusted models also controlled for household income, parent education, and a census tract measure of neighborhood socioeconomic status., Results: A 1-SD increase on the food and service retail scale was associated with a 2.27 (95% confidence interval, 1.42 to 3.61; P < .001) increased odds of being obese. A 1-SD increase in physical disorder was associated with a 2.41 (95% confidence interval, 1.31 to 4.44; P = .005) increased odds of being obese. Other neighborhood scales were not associated with risk for obesity., Conclusions: Neighborhood food and retail environment and physical disorder around a girl's home predict risk for obesity across the transition from late childhood to adolescence., (Copyright © 2014 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.)

Purpose: To examine the prospective, longitudinal associations between positive well-being during adolescence and health outcomes in young adulthood, using a large, nationally representative sample of youth., Methods: On the basis of the data from the first three waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, we examined positive well-being during adolescence (averaged across Waves I-II) as a predictor of perceived young adult general health and risky health behaviors (Wave III). Each model included a full set of health and demographic baseline covariates. Missing values were assigned using multiple imputation methods (n = 10,147)., Results: Positive well-being during adolescence was significantly associated with reporting better perceived general health during young adulthood, independent of depressive symptoms. Positive well-being was also significantly associated with fewer risky health behaviors in Wave III, after adding all covariates, including depressive symptoms and baseline risky health behaviors., Conclusion: Few studies of adolescent health have examined positive psychological characteristics, tending to focus instead on the effect of negative mood states and cognitions on health. This study demonstrates that positive well-being during adolescence predicts better perceived general health and fewer risky health behaviors during young adulthood. Aligned with the goals of the positive youth development perspective, promoting and nurturing positive well-being during the transition from childhood to adolescence may present a promising way to improve long-term health., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Purpose: To examine the associations between adverse interpersonal relationship histories experienced during adolescence and health in young adulthood in a large, nationally representative sample., Methods: Using data from Waves I, II, and III of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, multiple adverse relationship experiences were examined, including high loneliness, low perceived parental support, frequent transitions in romantic relationships (relationship instability), exposure to intimate partner violence, and loss by death of important relationship figures. These histories are assessed, both individually and in a relationship risk index, as predictors of self-reported general health and depressive symptoms at Wave III (ages, 18-27), controlling for baseline (Wave I) health and for demographic and health behavior covariates., Results: Net of baseline health and covariates, each type of relationship risk (experienced between Wave I and Wave III) was related to either depression or general health at Wave III, with the strongest effects seen for exposure to intimate partner violence. In addition, a cumulative relationship risk index examining the extent to which youth experienced high levels of multiple relationship risk factors revealed that each additional adverse relationship experience increased the odds of reporting worse mental and general health at Wave III, with increases occurring in an additive manner., Conclusion: Multiple types of adverse relationship experiences predicted increases in poorer general health and depressive symptoms from adolescence to early adulthood. Consistent with a cumulative risk hypothesis, the more types of adverse relationship a youth experienced, the worse were their young adult health outcomes., (Copyright © 2011 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Health-related behaviors in adolescence establish trajectories of risk for obesity and chronic degenerative diseases, and they represent an important pathway through which socio-economic environments shape patterns of morbidity and mortality. Most behaviors that promote health involve making choices that may not pay off until the future, but the factors that predict an individual's investment in future health are not known. In this paper we consider whether expectations for the future in two domains relevant to adolescents in the U.S.-perceived chances of living to middle age and perceived chances of attending college-are associated with an individual's engagement in behaviors that protect health in the long run. We focus on adolescence as an important life stage during which habits formed may shape trajectories of disease risk later in life. We use data from a large, nationally representative sample of American youth (the US National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health) to predict levels of physical activity, fast food consumption, and cigarette smoking in young adulthood in relation to perceived life chances in adolescence, controlling for baseline health behaviors and a wide range of potentially confounding factors. We found that adolescents who rated their chances of attending college more highly exercised more frequently and smoked fewer cigarettes in young adulthood. Adolescents with higher expectations of living to age 35 smoked fewer cigarettes as young adults. Parental education was a significant predictor of perceived life chances, as well as health behaviors, but for each outcome the effects of perceived life chances were independent of, and often stronger than, parental education. Perceived life chances in adolescence may therefore play an important role in establishing individual trajectories of health, and in contributing to social gradients in population health., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)