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Eighty-four students were administered the Multidimensional Students' Life Satisfaction Scale (MSLSS) on three occasions, 1 year apart (Grades 8, 9, and 10). The 1-year stability coefficients ranged from .29 to .59, whereas the 2-year stability coefficients ranged from .41 to .59. MSLSS mean scores were consistent across administrations, with the exception of satisfaction with living environment in which scores were lower in Grade 10 relative to the previous two grades. Although a fair degree of stability was observed across most MSLSS domains, differences in the magnitudes of the coefficients across domains and time intervals suggested the importance of contextual factors in understanding the nature of the life satisfaction construct among adolescents as well as implications for the use of total and domain-specific life satisfaction reports as outcomes measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the psychometric properties of the BMSLSS-College among 723 college students. METHODS: Internal consistency estimates explored scale reliability, factor analysis explored construct validity, and known-groups validity was assessed using the National College Youth Risk Behavior Survey and Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study. Criterion-related validity was explored through analyses with the CDC's health-related quality of life scale and a social isolation scale. RESULTS: Acceptable internal consistency reliability, construct, known-groups, and criterion-related validity were established. CONCLUSIONS: Findings offer preliminary support for the BMSLSS-C; it could be useful in large-scale research studies, applied screening contexts, and for program evaluation purposes toward achieving Healthy People 2010 objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES: To examine the association between depressed mood and clusters of health risk behaviors. METHODS: A nationally representative sample of adolescents (N=15,214) was utilized to construct 10 pseudocontinuous health risk behaviors. Cluster analysis was performed to group adolescents, and subsequent multivariable logistic models were created. RESULTS: Compared to non-risk takers, belonging to risk clusters significantly increased the odds of reporting depressed mood. African Americans in high-risk clusters appeared to be more vulnerable to depressed mood, when compared to remaining racial groups. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that adolescents engaging in multiple health-risk behaviors do so in the context of depressed mood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the psychometric properties of the BMSLSS among 522 college students. METHODS: Internal consistency reliability explored scale reliability, factor analysis explored construct validity, known-groups validity was assessed by use of items from the National College Youth Risk Behavior Survey and Harvard National Survey of Alcohol Use, and criterion-related validity was explored through analyses with the CDC's Health-Related Quality of Life Scale. RESULTS: Acceptable internal consistency reliability, construct, known-groups, and criterion-related validity were established. CONCLUSIONS: These findings offer preliminary support for the BMSLSS; it could serve as part of comprehensive evaluations of subjective QOL for program evaluation and/or policy purposes among college students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contribution of the construct of perceived quality of life (PQOL) to adolescent health assessment and promotion is discussed. Theory, measurement, and correlates of PQOL in adolescence are reviewed, with a focus on the incremental validity of PQOL data in relationship to more traditional pathology-based health indices. Similar to Diener's proposal, which pertained exclusively to adults, we call for the inclusion of PQOL data in national databases that monitor adolescent health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: To explore relationships between life satisfaction and violent behaviors among 5,032 adolescents. METHODS: Adjusted polychotomous logistic regression analyses and multivariate models were used via SUDAAN with the 1997 CDC YRBS. RESULTS: Carrying a weapon; carrying a gun; carrying a weapon at school; physical fighting; physical fighting at school; physical fighting that required physician treatment; drinking and driving; riding with a drinking driver; having property stolen/damaged at school; feeling unsafe while at, going to or returning from school; and being injured/threatened with a weapon were associated (p=.05) with reduced life satisfaction. CONCLUSION: Measures of life satisfaction as a component of comprehensive assessments of adolescent violence/aggression in field-work, research, and program-evaluation efforts should be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aimed to identify the developmental trajectories of loneliness in Chinese children and examine the predictive roles of domain-specific environmental factors (i.e., family dysfunction and satisfaction of relatedness needs at school), personality factors (i.e., neuroticism and extraversion), and their interactions in these developmental trajectories., Methods: A total of 702 Chinese children (M age  = 8.95, SD = 0.76; 54.1 % boys) participated in assessments at six time points over three years at six-month intervals. Growth mixture modeling (GMM) was used to estimate trajectory classes for loneliness, followed by multivariate logistic regression analyses exploring associations between these classes and predictors., Results: GMM analyses identified three distinct trajectories of loneliness: "low-stable" (81.5 %), "moderate-increasing" (9.4 %), and "high-decreasing" (9.1 %). Multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that family dysfunction and neuroticism served as risk factors for adverse loneliness trajectories, while satisfaction of relatedness needs at school and extraversion acted as protective factors. Furthermore, the interaction between family dysfunction and extraversion indicated that extraversion did not mitigate the adverse effects of high family dysfunction on children's loneliness, emphasizing the vital need to support positive family functioning among all children., Limitations: This study did not incorporate biological variables (e.g., genetics), which are crucial in the evolutionary theory of loneliness., Conclusions: The identification of three distinct trajectory groups of children's loneliness, along with key environmental and personality predictors, suggests that interventions should be tailored to each group's unique characteristics., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This study examined three models (relationship-driven model, symptom-driven model and transactional model) testing the across-time bidirectional relations between psychological maltreatment by teachers and early adolescents' psychosocial adjustment (i.e., internalizing problems, externalizing problems, and academic achievement) during early adolescence. A total of 4169 Chinese early adolescents (M age  = 9.93 years, SD = 0.73, 54% males) completed assessments across five waves, every six months. Employing autoregressive latent trajectory models with structured residuals (ALT-SR), the results revealed that adolescents' internalizing problems and academic achievement were predicted by psychological maltreatment by teachers (supporting the relationship-driven model), whereas externalizing problems and psychological maltreatment by teachers were bidirectionally related (supporting the transactional model). Moreover, sex moderated the relations between psychological maltreatment by teachers and psychosocial adjustment. The finding of differential relations between psychological maltreatment by teachers and three components of psychosocial adjustment (i.e., internalizing problems, externalizing problems, and academic achievement) indicated that prevention and interventions should be tailored to different psychosocial adjustment difficulties., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This study aimed to identify sex-specific co-developmental trajectories of multiple forms of childhood victimization: family maltreatment (FM), psychological maltreatment by teachers (PMT), and peer victimization (PV), and their relations to prosocial and delinquent behaviors among elementary school students. A total of 4378 Chinese elementary school students (Mage = 9.93; SD = 0.92; 55.14% boys) participated in assessments on five occasions, using six-month intervals. Parallel process latent class growth model analyses revealed three trajectories for boys: Congruent-low (75.64%), High-PV, Moderate-FM and PMT (14.62%), and Moderate-PV, High-FM and PMT (9.74%). Similarly, girls exhibited three trajectories: Congruent-low (81.11%), Moderate-PMT, High-FM and PV (10.54%), and High-PMT, Moderate-FM and PV (8.35%). The results indicated that boys were more susceptible than girls to three forms of childhood victimization. Furthermore, boys were especially vulnerable to co-occurring FM and PMT. In contrast, girls were more vulnerable to co-occurring FM and PV. Additionally, after experiencing childhood victimization, girls showed a greater hindrance in prosocial behavior development, whereas boys exhibited a more significant increase in delinquent behavior. These findings underscore the importance of considering sex differences in understanding multiple forms of childhood victimization and provide important insights for prevention and intervention efforts., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Childhood maltreatment is a risk factor for internalizing and externalizing symptoms in early adolescents. However, few studies have examined the associations between profiles of childhood maltreatment and trajectories of internalizing and externalizing symptoms in Chinese early adolescents., Objectives: First, this study aimed to identify profiles of childhood maltreatment (i.e., physical abuse, emotional abuse, physical neglect, and emotional neglect) using latent profile analysis (LPA). Second, this study aimed to elucidate the associations between the profiles and trajectories of the early adolescents' internalizing and externalizing symptoms using latent growth curve analysis (LGCM)., Participants and Setting: The baseline sample included 1954 Chinese early adolescents (44.7 % girls) in Grade 4 with an average age of 11.39 years (SD = 0.56)., Method: Assessments were conducted on four occasions, six months apart. Childhood maltreatment was assessed at Time 1. Internalizing and externalizing symptoms were assessed from Time 1 to Time 4., Results: Three profiles for the early adolescents were identified: Low Childhood Maltreatment (n = 1446; 74.00 %), Moderately High Neglect and Low Abuse (n = 300; 15.35 %), and High Abuse and Moderately Low Neglect (n = 208; 10.65 %). The levels of internalizing and externalizing symptoms were the highest for the students in the High Abuse and Moderately Low Neglect profile, followed by the students in the Moderate High Neglect and Low Abuse profile. However, the rate of decline in internalizing and externalizing symptoms over time was the fastest within the High Abuse and Moderate Low Neglect profile, followed by the Moderate High Neglect and Low Abuse profile., Conclusion: This study contributes to the understanding of childhood maltreatment profiles among early adolescents in China and their impact on internalizing and externalizing symptoms, while also discussing the results from a specific cultural perspective., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Competency-based teasing has been identified as a risk factor for children's depressive symptoms. However, the specific psychological mechanisms mediating this relationship are not well understood, especially in the context of Chinese culture. This study examined the relationship between competency-based teasing, subsequent depressive symptoms, and the possible mediating role of positivity in Chinese children by using parallel process latent growth curve modelling. Gender differences were also explored. A sample of 4376 Chinese children (55.1% boys; age: M = 9.98 years, SD = 0.88) completed measurements of the relevant constructs on five occasions across 2 years, using half-year intervals. The findings revealed that competency-based teasing was significantly positively associated with subsequent depressive symptoms in Chinese children. Furthermore, positivity mediated this relationship in girls, but not in boys. The results suggest that positivity-cultivating and gender-specific interventions may be effective to reduce the risk of depressive symptoms in Chinese children., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Introduction: The current study aimed to examine the longitudinal associations among basic psychological need satisfaction at school (BPNSS), self-esteem, and suicidal ideation (SI), including whether self-esteem functioned as a mediator of the relations between BPNSS and SI at the within-person level after disentangling between- and within-person associations encompassing middle childhood to early adolescence., Methods: A total of 650 Chinese students (53.54% boys, M age  = 9.95, SD = 0.75 at Time 1) completed measures on four occasions across 1.5 years, using 6-month intervals. Random intercept cross-lagged panel models were applied to disaggregate between- and within-person effects, thus providing greater confidence in elucidating the causal relations among study variables., Results: The results showed that at the within-person level: (a) BPNSS negatively predicted SI; (b) BPNSS positively predicted self-esteem; (c) Self-esteem negatively predicted SI; and (d) BPNSS indirectly predicted SI via self-esteem., Conclusion: These findings advanced the literature by demonstrating longitudinal associations among BPNSS, self-esteem, and SI at the within-person level, and highlighting the significance of distinguishing between- and within-person effects in developing prevention and intervention programs aimed at reducing SI over time from middle childhood to early adolescence., (© 2024 Foundation for Professionals in Services to Adolescents.)

Objective: The study used both person-centered (i.e., parallel process latent class growth modeling) and variable-centered (i.e., random intercept cross-lagged panel modeling) approaches to examine developmental changes in global and domain-specific self-esteem from middle childhood to early adolescence., Method: A total of 715 Chinese youth participated (54.3% boys; 45.7% girls; M age  = 9.96; SD = 0.51) in a 6-wave longitudinal study with 6-month intervals., Results: Parallel process latent class growth modeling identified three co-developmental trajectories of global and domain-specific self-esteem: Congruent high increasing and then flattening global and domain-specific self-esteem, congruent moderate domain-specific self-esteem with convex global self-esteem, and congruent low with concave appearance and global self-esteem. Results from random intercept cross-lagged panel modeling found reciprocal within-person associations between academic self-esteem and global self-esteem; global self-esteem significantly predicted social self-esteem, while physical appearance self-esteem significantly predicted global self-esteem., Conclusion: Evidence was provided for top-down and bottom-up effects of self-esteem among Chinese youth. The findings provided new insight into the development of self-esteem in youth., (© 2023 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: Psychological maltreatment by teachers and peer victimization are significant public health issues among youth. However, few studies have verified transactional associations between psychological maltreatment by teachers and peer victimization at the within-person level and the mediating roles of depression and aggression have yet to be fully evaluated., Objective: This study examined the transactional associations between psychological maltreatment by teachers and peer victimization from middle childhood to early adolescence, separating within- and between-person variation. The study also examined whether youth's depression and aggression mediated the associations., Participants and Setting: A total of 4945 Chinese youth (M age  = 9.92 years, SD = 0.73 53 % boys) completed a packet of measures on five occasions at 6-month intervals from May of 2017 to May of 2019., Methods: Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Models (RI-CLPMs) were used to distinguish between- and within-person effects., Results: The results indicated that: (a) Psychological maltreatment by teachers predicted peer victimization, and vice versa; (b) Depression (but not aggression) mediated the associations from peer victimization to psychological maltreatment by teachers., Conclusions: The findings supported bidirectional spillover effects between adverse teacher-student and peer interactions and demonstrated at the within-person level that such effects were transmitted indirectly via youth's depression., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: In this multi-informant, 3-year longitudinal study, the bidirectional relations between externalizing and internalizing problems were investigated, along with whether peer victimization and academic achievement mediated their relations after separating between-person effects from within-person effects., Method: A sample of 3238 Chinese children (55.02% boys; M age T1 = 9.89 years) reported semiannually on peer victimization and both externalizing and internalizing problems, and parents reported on their children's externalizing and internalizing problems. Students' objective academic achievement data (i.e. final exam scores) were obtained from school records., Results: Random intercepts cross-lagged panel modeling (RI-CLPM) revealed that neither academic achievement nor peer victimization mediated the relations between externalizing and internalizing problems in both self and parent reports at the within-person level. The cross-lagged panel models (CLPM) results supported that peer victimization (but not academic achievement) mediated the relations from internalizing to externalizing problems or externalizing to internalizing problems, whether self-reported or parent-reported. This study also identified meaningful sex differences in focal relations among children., Conclusions: Findings illustrate the importance of distinguishing within-person and between- person associations, with within- person findings failing to support the hypothesized mediating pathways of the Dual Failure or Acting Out Models among children.

Previous research has shown a strong link between deviant peer affiliation (DPA) and externalizing problems (EXT) among children and adolescents. Little is known about how DPA and EXT develop jointly over time or possible sex differences in their development. This longitudinal study identified sex-specific joint trajectories of DPA and EXT from middle childhood to early adolescence and investigated the predictive role of family maltreatment experiences in joint trajectories of DPA and EXT. A total of 3622 Chinese elementary school students in grades 3 and 4 (M age  = 10, SD = 0.53; 46.5% girls) comprised the sample. Assessments were conducted every six months on five occasions across 2.5 years. Parallel process latent class growth modeling (PP-LCGM) was used to explore the joint trajectories of DPA and EXT for boys and girls separately. The PP-LCGM identified four trajectories for boys: "congruent-low" (78.2%), "congruent-high" (12.40%), "deviant peer affiliation increasing" (6.5%), and "congruent late increasing" (2.9%). Four trajectories were identified for girls: "congruent-low" (82.5%), "slowly increasing" (10.2%), and "deviant peer affiliation desisting" (5.6%), and "congruent late increasing" (1.7%). After controlling for socioeconomic status (SES), the results showed that compared to the congruent-low group, more severe family maltreatment predicted the high and high-start trajectories for boys. The findings highlighted the joint development of DPA and EXT and the sex differences associated with their development. Findings also shed light on the importance of sex in developmental responses to family maltreatment., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany.)

Background: Previous cross-sectional and unidirectional longitudinal studies have identified positive associations between childhood victimization and neuroticism in children. However, these studies have not simultaneously examined multiple common sources of childhood victimization (family abuse, teacher abuse, and peer victimization) in relation to neuroticism nor have they distinguished between- and within-person effects. Moreover, the moderating role of child sex in their associations has yet to be fully evaluated., Objective: This study examined the within-person longitudinal associations between three common sources of childhood victimization and neuroticism in Chinese children and whether these effects differed between boys and girls., Participants and Setting: The sample included 4315 children (55.1 % boys) with an average age of 9.93 (SD = 0.73) years from a large city in China., Methods: Participants completed self-report measures on five occasions across two years, employing six-month intervals. Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Models (RI-CLPMs) were used to distinguish between-person and within-person effects., Results: Results included: (a) Family abuse (excluding sexual abuse) and peer victimization directly predicted subsequent increases in neuroticism at the within-person level and vice versa, whereas teacher abuse and neuroticism did not reveal significant longitudinal relations at the within-person level; (b) The effect of family abuse on neuroticism at the within-person level was stronger in boys, while the effect of peer victimization on neuroticism at the within-person level was stronger in girls., Conclusions: Prevention and intervention strategies targeting high neuroticism and childhood victimization should consider the roles of both family and peer systems., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Machine learning (ML) has been widely used to predict suicidal ideation (SI) in adolescents and adults. Nevertheless, studies of accurate and efficient models of SI prediction with preadolescent children are still needed because SI is surprisingly prevalent during the transition into adolescence. This study aimed to explore the potential of ML models to predict SI among preadolescent children., Methods: A total of 4691 Chinese children (54.89 % boys, M age  = 10.92 at baseline) and their parents completed relevant measures at baseline and the children provided 6-month follow-up data for SI. The current study compared four ML models: Random Forest (RF), Decision Tree (DT), Support Vector Machine (SVM), and Multilayer Perceptron (MLP), to predict SI and to identify variables with predictive value based on the best-performing model among Chinese preadolescent children., Results: The RF model achieved the highest discriminant performance with an AUC of 0.92, accuracy of 0.93 (balanced accuracy = 0.88). The factors of internalizing problems, externalizing problems, neuroticism, childhood maltreatment, and subjective well-being in school demonstrated the highest values in predicting SI., Conclusion: The findings of this study suggested that ML models based on the observation and assessment of children's general characteristics and experiences in everyday life can serve as convenient screening and evaluation tools for suicide risk assessment among Chinese preadolescent children. The findings also provide insights for early intervention., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Cyberbullying (perpetration and victimization) is a prevalent public health problem associated with a wide variety of psychopathological symptoms (e.g., depression, anxiety, delinquent behaviors, and substance use). However, the generality and specificity of relations between cyberbullying involvement and psychopathological symptoms have not been investigated. Thus, the current study used a latent dimensional approach to examine how cyberbullying (perpetration and victimization) is associated with underlying dimensions of psychopathology as well as with specific symptoms. General and specific associations were estimated by a series of structural equation models with data from 654 Chinese adolescents (52.4% girls, M age  = 12.96 years, SD = 0.67) in a three-wave study. Results indicated that cyberbullying (perpetration and victimization) was significantly and positively associated with latent internalizing and externalizing dimensions. Cyberbullying involvement was non-significantly associated with most specific symptom domains after accounting for the impact of the latent internalizing and externalizing factors. In a few cases, cyberbullying involvement was directly and uniquely associated with specific symptoms. Findings of significant general and symptom-specific associations have important implications for efforts to develop more efficient and targeted strategies for preventing and treating mental health problems associated with cyberbullying., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany.)

Although several studies have addressed the relations between perceived parental warmth and social behaviours, few have distinguished their between- and within-person effects or explored their within-person mediating mechanisms. This study examined the transactional relations among perceived parental warmth (i.e. maternal warmth and paternal warmth), children's self-esteem and children's positive/negative social behaviours (i.e. prosocial behaviour and delinquent behaviour) along with the mediating role of self-esteem after disentangling between- and within-person effects. A total of 4315 Chinese elementary children (44.9% girls; M age  = 9.93 years, SD = 0.73) completed relevant measures on four occasions employing 6-month intervals. Results of random-intercept cross-lagged panel models showed that (a) perceived parental warmth reciprocally and positively predicted prosocial behaviour and self-esteem; (b) perceived paternal warmth reciprocally and negatively predicted delinquent behaviour; (c) self-esteem reciprocally predicted prosocial and delinquent behaviour; (d) perceived maternal warmth reciprocally and positively predicted prosocial behaviour through self-esteem; (e) perceived parental warmth reciprocally and negatively predicted delinquent behaviour through self-esteem; and (f) perceived maternal and paternal warmth differed in their relations with prosocial and delinquent behaviours through self-esteem. These findings illuminated the complicated longitudinal within-person interactions among perceived parental warmth, self-esteem, and social behaviours, the specific mediating mechanism of self-esteem, and the differing results associated with perceived maternal and paternal warmth, all of which yield significant implications for assessments and early interventions aimed to promote positive social behaviour., (© 2023 The British Psychological Society.)

This study examined the joint trajectories of loneliness, depressive symptoms, and social anxiety from middle childhood to early adolescence and their associations with suicidal ideation. A total of 643 Chinese elementary school students (55.2% male; M age  = 9.01; SD = 0.75; range = 7 to 11 years at T1) completed measures on six occasions at 6-month intervals. Parallel process latent class growth models revealed five distinct trajectories of loneliness, depressive symptoms, and social anxiety: "congruent-low" (45.1%), "moderately low with predominant loneliness and depressive symptoms" (15.7%), "moderate with predominant loneliness and depressive symptoms" (4.2%), "moderately low with predominant social anxiety" (24.9%), and "congruent-high" (10.1%). The highest suicidal ideation was observed among adolescents who persistently experienced two or three symptoms, followed by those who persistently experienced one predominant symptom, and finally, adolescents who persistently experienced low levels of all three symptoms. The findings highlight the importance of individual differences considerations in understanding the joint patterns of loneliness, depressive symptoms, and social anxiety among youth during the transition into adolescence and the need for more sophisticated intervention programs tailored to the unique characteristics of the relevant trajectories to reduce the risk of suicidal ideation., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany.)

This study aimed to identify gender-specific co-developmental trajectories of internalizing and externalizing problems from middle childhood to early adolescence, along with key environmental and individual predictors among Chinese youth. A total of 1653 Chinese elementary school students ( M age = 9.40; SD = 0.51; 54.57% boys) participated in assessments at six time points, using 6-month assessment intervals. Parallel process latent class growth modeling identified four trajectories for boys: Congruent-low (65.74%), moderate-decreasing internalizing and moderate-stable externalizing problems (18.40%), high increasing-internalizing and low-stable externalizing problems (8.20%), and high decreasing-internalizing and low-stable externalizing problems (7.65%). Three trajectories were identified for girls: Congruent-low (81.09%), moderate co-occurring (7.19%), and high increasing-internalizing and low-stable externalizing problems (11.72%). Multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that peer victimization served as an environmental risk predictor for the adverse co-developmental trajectories of internalizing and externalizing problems for boys and girls. High sensation-seeking and low self-control served as individual risk variables predicting the trajectories of high increasing-internalizing and low-stable externalizing problems , and low self-control also predicted the trajectories of high decreasing-internalizing and low-stable externalizing problems for boys. The findings highlight the importance of gender differences in understanding the progression of internalizing and externalizing problems and inform effective strategies for prevention and intervention.

This study examined the heterogeneity in positivity trajectories and the predictive roles of family and school environments (i.e., perceived parental warmth and basic psychological need satisfactions at school) from mid-childhood to early adolescence. Elementary school students in China (N = 2204, 54.9% boys, M age  = 9.47 years) completed relevant measures on six occasions, every 6 months. Latent class growth modeling revealed four heterogeneous developmental trajectories of positivity: High-Increasing (50.6%), Moderate Low-Increasing (33.2%), Low-Stable (11.0%), and High-Decreasing (5.2%). Perceived parental warmth and satisfaction of relatedness and competence needs at school significantly predicted trajectory class membership. Findings underscore the value of identifying group difference in positivity development in youth and the need for specific interventions targeting their unique characteristics., (© 2022 Society for Research on Adolescence.)

Background: Emotional abuse has been identified as a risk factor for children's depressive symptoms. However, the specific psychological mechanisms mediating this relation are not well understood., Objective: This longitudinal study examined the relation of emotional abuse to subsequent depressive symptoms and the possible mediating role of emotion regulation among Chinese children., Participants and Setting: The sample included 3633 children (45.5 % girls) with an average age of 9.96 years from a large city in southern China., Method: Participants completed multiple measurements of emotional abuse, emotion regulation, and depressive symptoms on five occasions at six-month intervals, controlling for sex, age, and physical abuse and emotional neglect at Time 1. Latent growth curve modeling was applied to examine the longitudinal relations among the variables., Results: Results showed (a) emotional abuse was significantly positively associated with subsequent depressive symptoms; (b) cognitive reappraisal mediated the relation between emotional abuse and depressive symptoms, but expressive suppression did not., Conclusions: The results highlighted the mediating role of cognitive reappraisal in the relation between emotional abuse and depressive symptoms, suggesting that intervention programs targeting cognitive reappraisal may be effective to reduce the likelihood of depressive symptoms among Chinese children., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None. The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Cyberbullying may negatively affect youth's development. Because knowledge of the onset and course of cyberbullying during middle childhood and early adolescence is limited, studies of its antecedents, heterogeneous profiles, and transitions are needed to inform prevention and intervention efforts. The current longitudinal study explored the profiles and transitions of cyberbullying perpetration and victimization from middle childhood to early adolescence, along with their multi-contextual risk and protective factors. A total of 4326 Chinese elementary school students (44.6% female, M age  = 9.94) participated in self-report assessments at four time points with six-month intervals. The profiles and transitions of cyberbullying were modeled using latent profile analysis and latent transition analysis. Three cyberbullying profiles were identified: non-involved, cyberbully-victims, and cybervictims. The findings on the development of cyberbullying showed that: (1) its prevalence rate decreased from middle to late childhood and then increased during the transition to early adolescence; and (2) its stability increased from middle childhood to early adolescence. Multi-contextual risk and protective factors of profile memberships and transitions were also examined. The findings suggested that: (1) family abuse and peer aggression were stable risk factors for cyberbully-victims; (2) high-quality friendships and self-control were stable protective factors for cyberbully-victims; (3) family abuse and depressive symptoms were stable risk factors for cybervictims; and (4) significant predictive effects of family abuse, high-quality friendships, perceived parental warmth, and self-control were found for the transitions in cyberbullying profiles. These results supported multi-contextual models of the development and transitions of cyberbullying in Chinese children., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Relationships in the family (e.g., child maltreatment in families) and school environments (e.g., psychological maltreatment by teachers) are influential in children's socialization, but how family and teacher-student domains mutually affect each other and which mediating mechanisms are involved in cross-domain spillover at the within-person level are not well understood. This study examined the bidirectional relations between child maltreatment in families and psychological maltreatment by teachers and whether internalizing and externalizing problems functioned as mediators between them after separating between-person effects from within-person effects. A total of 4270 Chinese children (54.9% boys; M age = 9.92; SD = 0.51) participated in a five-wave longitudinal study with 6-month intervals. Results from random intercept cross-lagged panel modeling mainly found that: (1) Child maltreatment in families predicted psychological maltreatment by teachers, and vice versa; (2) child maltreatment in families influenced psychological maltreatment by teachers through externalizing problems; child maltreatment in families affected the likelihood of psychological maltreatment by teachers via the sequential effect from internalizing problems to externalizing problems at the within-person level; and (3) internalizing and externalizing problems mediated the longitudinal relations from psychological maltreatment by teachers to child maltreatment in families separately. Findings demonstrated bidirectional spillover effects in the domains of family and teacher-student relationships, suggesting that children may be trapped in a vicious cycle of negative relationships through internalizing and externalizing problems, either directly or indirectly. Thus, these two domains influence each other through children's internalizing and externalizing problems. Interventions aimed at addressing maltreatment should include family, school, and individual (i.e., internalizing and externalizing problems) components to prevent a downward spiral.

Background: Mother-child cohesion and friendship quality have been shown to be protective factors against the development of children's depressive symptoms. However, the possible direct and indirect pathways from these two important interpersonal relationships to children's depressive symptoms need to be further elucidated. Moreover, these associations have not been examined from a developmental perspective. Therefore, this study examined the direct and indirect relations among developmental trajectories of mother-child cohesion, friendship quality, and depressive symptoms in children., Methods: A total of 4078 Chinese children (45.2 % girls, M age  = 9.90 years, SD = 0.73) participated in assessments at five time points across 2.5 years, employing six-month intervals. Latent growth curve modeling was conducted to examine the direct and indirect relations among the developmental trajectories of mother-child cohesion, friendship quality, and depressive symptoms., Results: The developmental trajectories of both mother-child cohesion and friendship quality were negatively and directly associated with the developmental trajectory of children's depressive symptoms. The developmental trajectory of friendship quality was indirectly associated with the developmental trajectory of depressive symptoms through the mediating role of mother-child cohesion., Limitations: This study did not investigate father-child cohesion and other important psychological mechanisms linking interpersonal relationships to depressive symptoms., Conclusions: The findings documented the direct and indirect relations among mother-child cohesion, friendship quality, and depressive symptoms from a developmental perspective, which suggested that prevention and intervention efforts target improving mother-child cohesion and friendship quality to reduce children's depressive symptoms., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Parental involvement is an important multi-faceted factor in children's academic performance and school behaviour. However, most prior studies have involved cross-sectional designs, with few studies exploring the co-developmental nature of various parental involvement characteristics over time and their associations with children's academic achievement, externalizing, and internalizing problems., Aims: This study explored (a) co-developmental trajectories of seven parental involvement characteristics in elementary schoolchildren, and (b) relations to children's academic achievement, externalizing, and internalizing problems., Sample and Methods: A total of 3553 Chinese elementary schoolchildren (M age  = 9.90, SD = .72; 53.9% boys) completed relevant measures on 4 occasions at 6-month intervals. Parallel process latent class growth modelling was used for examining study hypotheses., Results: Four co-developmental trajectories of parental involvement were identified: 'High motivation and involvement', 'Low motivation and involvement', 'Incongruent motivation and involvement', and 'Incongruent motivation and high involvement'. The highest academic achievement and fewest externalizing and internalizing problems were observed for schoolchildren in the 'High motivation and involvement' class, followed by those who were in the 'Incongruent motivation and high involvement' and 'Incongruent motivation and involvement' classes, and finally, schoolchildren were the 'Low motivation and involvement' class., Conclusions: The identification of heterogeneous trajectories with differential outcomes highlights the importance of individual differences considerations in understanding the co-developmental patterns of parental involvement, suggesting that specific interventions need to be formulated for differing groups., (© 2022 The British Psychological Society.)

Background: Although the family and peer systems are both important for children's development, few studies have simultaneously considered the impact of adversity experienced in these systems on children., Objective: The first purpose of this study was using latent profile analysis (LPA) to identify profiles of family maltreatment (i.e., physical abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect) and peer victimization (i.e., physical victimization and relational victimization) among Chinese elementary school children. The second purpose was to examine associations between the identified profiles and short-term psychosocial adjustment (i.e., self-esteem, depression symptoms, prosocial behavior, and externalizing behavior)., Participants and Setting: The sample included 4313 children (45.6 % girls) with an average age of 10.9 years (SD = 0.49) from a large city in China., Method: Assessments were conducted on two occasions six months apart. Family maltreatment and peer victimization were assessed at Time 1. Psychosocial adjustment was assessed at Time 2., Results: The potential complexity of children's adversity experiences was revealed in that six profiles of family maltreatment and peer victimization in children were identified: (a) Low-risk; (b) Slight peer victimization; (c) Severe peer victimization; (d) Serious neglect; (e) Severe maltreatment; (f) Doubly disadvantaged. Children in the low-risk profile showed the best psychosocial adjustment whereas children in the doubly disadvantaged profile showed the worst psychosocial adjustment. The findings revealed additional differences in the subsequent psychosocial adjustment of the children in the six profiles., Conclusions: The identification of multiple profiles and differing relations to psychosocial adjustment implies that interventions should be tailored to members of specific profiles., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Childhood bullying is a public health concern. The stability and changes in children's bullying profiles should provide useful information about specific risk groups and their developmental patterns. The current longitudinal study examined the stability and changes in bullying involvement in children along with the predictive roles of depressive symptoms in bullying subgroup memberships and transitions. A total of 4,321 Chinese children (55.1% male, M age = 9.93) participated in self-report assessments at three time points with six-month intervals. Bullying subgroups were identified based on physical, relational, and cyberbullying using latent profile analysis. The transitions patterns were modeled using latent transition analysis. Depressive symptoms were added as a covariate in bullying subgroup memberships and transitions. Five bullying subgroups were found at Time 1 and Time 2: traditional bully-victims, traditional victims, (cyber) bully-victims, (cyber) victims, and noninvolved children, whereas four bullying subgroups were found at Time 3: traditional bully-victims, traditional victims, (cyber) bully-victims, and noninvolved children. Findings suggested that (a) childhood bullying involvement showed varying levels of stability, with noninvolved children displaying the most stability and cyberbullying-involved children displaying the least stability; (b) children reporting more severe depressive symptoms manifested a higher risk of bullying involvement; (c) initially noninvolved children showing depressive symptoms were at a higher risk for becoming traditional victims; and (d) children reporting depressive symptoms found it more difficult to escape from bullying than children without depressive symptoms. The findings offer support for both the cumulative continuity and interactional models of development. The findings also highlight the important the role of depressive symptoms in preventing and ameliorating children's bullying.

Prior cross-sectional and unidirectional longitudinal research has investigated the associations among academic achievement, depressive symptoms, and suicidal ideation without distinguishing between-person effects from within-person effects. Our study aimed to examine the longitudinal relations among academic achievement, depressive symptoms, and suicidal ideation in a sample of elementary school children at the within-person level using cross-lagged panel models (CLPMs) and random intercept cross-lagged panel models (RI-CLPMs). Also, multiple models replicated these findings by using three measures of academic achievement (i.e., objective academic achievement, subjective academic achievement, and teacher-assigned academic achievement). A sample of 715 Chinese elementary schoolchildren completed self-report measures of subjective academic achievement, depressive symptoms, and suicidal ideation on five occasions, using 6-month intervals. Objective academic achievement data were obtained from school records and teacher-assigned academic achievement data were reported by teachers. The results showed that: (a) In CLPMs, objective academic achievement negatively predicted suicidal ideation. However, RI-CLPMs supported the negative effect of suicidal ideation on objective academic achievement. (b) The CLPMs revealed reciprocal associations between subjective and teacher-assigned academic achievement and depressive symptoms, respectively. However, RI-CLPMs only provided support for the negative effect of depressive symptoms on subjective academic achievement. (c) Both the CLPMs and the RI-CLPMs showed bidirectional relations between depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation. These findings highlight that mental health problems (e.g., depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation) serve as antecedents of academic performance and that it is beneficial to distinguish between between-person and within-person effects in research informing the development of prevention and intervention programs., (© 2021. Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Friendships affect children's development and adjustment. This longitudinal study examined the possible heterogeneity and gender differences in the trajectories of children's friendship quality, as well as the relations between distinct friendship quality trajectories and school adjustment. A total of 3,779 Chinese elementary school students (45.5% girls, M age = 9.94 years, SD = 0.72 at Time 1) completed measures of relevant constructs on five occasions at 6-month intervals. Latent class growth modeling revealed four heterogeneous developmental trajectory classes of friendship quality: high-increasing (49.6%), moderate-decreasing (5.1%), moderate-increasing (31.9%), and low-stable (13.4%). Girls were more likely than boys to fall into the higher friendship quality trajectory classes in reference to the low-stable class. Children in the high-increasing class and low-stable class showed the best and the worst school adjustment, respectively. The identification of four heterogeneous developmental trajectories of friendship quality with differential school adjustment outcomes highlights the importance of intervention programs tailored to specific groups for promoting children's friendship quality and school adjustment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Structural modeling was used to investigate presumed antecedents of hope in a community-based sample of Chinese adolescents. Specifically, we evaluated the mediating role of self-esteem in the link between social support from family and friends and individual differences in hope. The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and Children's Hope Scale were administered to 1,654 adolescent students (781 boys and 873 girls) from Chinese senior high schools. Social support from family and friends correlated equally with hope levels of participants, demonstrating the importance of both sources of support. Self-esteem fully mediated the relationship between family support and hope and partially (23.6%) mediated the relationship between friends support and hope. Results support a social-cognitive model of the origins of hope among adolescents. Findings also suggest implications for the design of hope-promoting environments for adolescents that extend beyond a focus on the individual to incorporate more comprehensive systemic components, including social support from family and friends. [ Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 60 (7), 39-46.].

Rationale: Previous cross-sectional and unidirectional longitudinal studies have investigated the associations among perceived parental warmth, positivity, and depressive symptoms among children and adolescents without distinguishing between-person effects from within-person effects., Objective: The current study aimed to examine the dynamic longitudinal associations among perceived parental warmth, positivity, and depressive symptoms, including whether positivity functioned as a mediator of the reciprocal relations between perceived maternal/paternal warmth and depressive symptoms at the within-person level encompassing middle childhood to early adolescence., Methods: A sample of 3765 Chinese students (45.8% girls; M age = 9.92 years, SD = 0.72; range = 9-12 years at Time 1) completed self-report measures on 4 occasions across 2 years, using 6-month intervals. Random-Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Models were employed to disentangle between- and within-person effects., Results: (a) Perceived maternal/paternal warmth and depressive symptoms reciprocally and negatively predicted each other; (b) positivity and depressive symptoms reciprocally and negatively predicted each other; (c) perceived maternal/paternal warmth and positivity reciprocally and positively predicted each other; (d) depressive symptoms indirectly predicted perceived maternal/paternal warmth via positivity; (e) perceived maternal warmth displayed earlier and more stable effects on positivity and depressive symptoms than perceived paternal warmth; and (f), no childhood sex differences existed in the observed associations., Conclusions: These findings highlight the longitudinal within-person transactions among perceived parental warmth, positivity, and depressive symptoms, and the differential roles of perceived maternal/paternal warmth. These findings may help provide a potential theoretical framework through which to precisely identify objectives for early intervention., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Aggression among peers is a common and serious problem in school-age children. Physical, relational, and cyber aggression often occur simultaneously but may exhibit heterogeneous developmental patterns. We aimed to identify heterogeneous co-developmental patterns of physical, relational, and cyber peer aggression and to investigate the contributions of victimization experiences to co-developmental trajectories. Participants were 2869 elementary school students (56.2% boys), initially in fourth grade (M age  = 10.51 years) in China. Longitudinal data on peer aggression were collected from participants semiannually for 2 years. Data on victimization experiences were collected in the initial measurement wave. Parallel process latent curve growth modeling produced four co-developmental trajectories of peer aggression: High Desisting group, Moderate-Increasing group, Moderate-Physical and Relational Aggression group, and Low Stable group. Multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that childhood emotional abuse, psychological maltreatment by teachers, as well as physical peer victimization, and cyber peer victimization, served as risk factors for severe co-developmental trajectories. The findings highlight the co-development of physical, relational, and cyber aggression. The identification of risk factors for co-developmental trajectories points to the need for continued monitoring and protection from ongoing victimization experiences in the family and school settings to prevent or ameliorate aggressive behavior., (© 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Previous research has investigated the associations among childhood maltreatment, self-control, and aggression among adolescents without distinguishing between-person effects from within-person effects. Thus, we evaluated the dynamic longitudinal associations among childhood maltreatment, self-control, and aggression, including whether self-control functioned as a mediator of the reciprocal relations between childhood maltreatment and aggression at the within-person level after disentangling between- and within-person associations. A sample of 2050 Chinese early adolescents (43.69% girls, M age  = 10.39 years, SD = 0.55, range = 9 to 12 years at T1) completed measures on 5 occasions across 2.5 years, using 6-month intervals. Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Models were applied to disaggregate between- and within-person effects. RI-CLPMs analysis revealed that at the within-person level: (a) Childhood maltreatment and aggression bidirectionally predicted each other; (b) Childhood maltreatment and self-control bidirectionally predicted each other; (c) Aggression predicted subsequent self-control but not vice versa; (d) Childhood maltreatment did not indirectly predict aggression via self-control and vice versa; (e) Additionally, there were no gender differences observed in the longitudinal associations among childhood maltreatment, self-control and aggression. These findings advanced the literature by elucidating longitudinal associations among childhood maltreatment, self-control, and aggression at the within-person level, highlighting the significance of distinguishing between- and within-person effects in research informing the development of prevention and intervention programs aimed at reducing adolescent aggression., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

This study explored the relations among peer victimization (i.e., physical, relational, and cyberbullying victimization), learning flow, and academic achievement among elementary school students, using a seven-wave longitudinal design across four consecutive semesters. Participants were 1,440 students from Grades 3 and 4 in China ( M age = 9.91 years, 52.4% male). Measures of peer victimization and learning flow were completed in the middle of every semester, from the second to fourth semesters. Academic achievement was measured via students' final exam scores in Chinese, Math, and English at the end of each semester. The results indicated that: (a) relational victimization, but not physical and cyberbullying victimization, directly predicted subsequent lower academic achievement; in the reverse path, lower academic achievement predicted all three types of subsequent peer victimization; (b) learning flow directly predicted academic achievement and vice versa; and (c) learning flow mediated the relations between the three types of peer victimization and lower academic achievement. The findings suggested that educational experiences are needed that both protect elementary school students from relational victimization and facilitate learning flow to promote students' academic achievement. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Background: Little is known about how cyberbullying victimization may influence adolescent nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) and what conditions may buffer the detrimental effects of cyberbullying victimization. By integrating multiple theories, this study investigated emotion reactivity as an underlying mediator and mindfulness as a potential moderator to explain the link between cyberbullying victimization and NSSI among Chinese adolescents., Method: A total of 2,523 participants with an age range of 11 to 16 years old (Mage = 13.22, SD = 1.60, 48.4% girls) completed assessments., Results: After controlling SES, age, gender, traditional bullying victimization, and child maltreatment, latent moderated structural equation modeling revealed that emotion reactivity mediated the association between cyberbullying victimization and NSSI. In addition, dispositional mindfulness was found to buffer the relation between cyberbullying victimization and NSSI, but not the relation between cyberbullying victimization and emotion reactivity., Limitations: This study was cross-sectional in nature and relied exclusively upon self-report measures., Conclusions: The findings provide researchers and practitioners with a deeper understanding of the relation between cyberbullying victimization and NSSI among adolescents and its underlying mechanism. Suggested intervention and prevention strategies include helping youth reduce emotion reactivity to break the cyberbullying victimization to NSSI cycle and to enhance youths' mindfulness to buffer against the ill effects of cyberbullying victimization., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Although perceived parental warmth and "peer victimization and peer perpetration" are believed to be unidirectionally related, researchers have not examined the possibility of bidirectional relations among them, especially with regard to within-child relations. We thus explored the dynamic longitudinal associations among children's perceived parental warmth (maternal warmth and paternal warmth), peer perpetration, and peer victimization at the within-child level. A total of 3720 Chinese children (M age  = 9.95 years at Time 1, 46.1% girls) were investigated on five occasions, every 6 months. Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Models (RI-CLPMs) were applied to estimate the within-child associations among these variables. The results were: (1) for peer perpetration, peer perpetration inversely predicted subsequent perceived parental warmth, while perceived maternal (but not paternal) warmth inversely predicted subsequent peer perpetration; (2) for peer victimization, perceived maternal and paternal warmth both inversely predicted a child's subsequent peer victimization, and perceived parental warmth and peer victimization bidirectionally predicted each other; and (3) peer perpetration and peer victimization bidirectionally predicted each other. These findings enhance understanding of how perceived parental warmth temporally interrelates with peer perpetration and peer victimization from a positive spillover theory perspective, as well as how peer perpetration temporally interrelates with peer victimization from a negative vicious cycle perspective., (© 2021. Society for Prevention Research.)

Background: Learning flow is an optimal learning experience representing full engagement in one's studies. The belief-affect-engagement model and control-value theory suggest that positivity would be a motivator of learning flow, while positive affect in school would be a mediator of the relation between positivity and learning flow., Aims: The current research aimed to examine (1) the longitudinal relations among positivity, positive affect in school, and learning flow, and (2) the mediational role of positive affect in school between positivity and learning flow., Sample and Method: A sample of 4681 Chinese elementary school students (44.9% girls; M age  = 9.87 years, SD = 0.70 at Time 1) completed reliable measures for each construct on four occasions across 2 years, using 6-month intervals. Structural equation modelling was used for examining study hypotheses., Results: After controlling for gender, age, and family socioeconomic status, the results showed that (1) positivity, positive affect in school, and learning flow reciprocally facilitated each other directly; (2) positive affect in school mediated the relation between positivity and later learning flow, as well as the relation between learning flow and later positivity., Conclusions: These findings revealed that positivity, positive affect in school, and learning flow form a complex, dynamic system, suggesting that school professionals should consider monitoring and developing interventions based upon these variables as early as elementary school., (© 2021 The British Psychological Society.)

Background: Previous research has identified a significant, positive relation between childhood maltreatment and depressive symptoms. However, the findings required replication at the within-person level. Moreover, the mediating mechanism of locus of control accounting for their relations has yet to be fully evaluated. Thus, this study examined the dynamic longitudinal relations between childhood maltreatment and depressive symptoms including whether locus of control functioned as a mediator between them after separating between-person effects from within-person effects., Methods: A sample of 4110 Chinese children (50.60% boys; M age  = 9.89 at Wave 1) covering the transitional period from middle childhood to early adolescence completed a package of self-report measures on 5 occasions across 2.5 years, using 6-month intervals. Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Models were applied to disaggregate between- and within-person effects. Also, alternative Cross-Lagged Panel Models were applied., Results: Locus of control played a mediating role in the reciprocal relations between childhood maltreatment and depressive symptoms at the within-person level., Limitations: Some limitations existed in the measures. Moreover, sexual abuse was not investigated in this study., Conclusions: The findings highlighted the mediating role of locus of control in the reciprocal relations between childhood maltreatment and depressive symptoms at the within-person level, suggesting that interventions targeted at promoting internal locus of control may help prevent the developmental pathway from childhood maltreatment to depressive symptoms and vice versa from middle childhood to early adolescence., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Rationale: Emotional maltreatment and bullying (including both bullying perpetration and bullying victimization) are two prevalent and highly related problems among children and adolescents worldwide. The adverse consequences of emotional maltreatment and bullying behoove researchers to identify their causal mechanisms., Objective: We examined the reciprocal relations between emotional maltreatment and bullying perpetration/victimization and whether depressive symptoms functioned as mediator of the relations, after separating within-person effects from between-person effects., Methods: A total of 4273 Chinese early adolescents (45.2% girls; M age  = 9.90 years, SD = 0.73) participated in a five-wave longitudinal study with 6-month intervals., Results: Results from random intercept cross-lagged panel modeling showed: (a) emotional maltreatment and bullying perpetration were bidirectionally related; (b) bullying victimization directly predicted emotional maltreatment, but not vice versa; (c) emotional maltreatment indirectly predicted bullying perpetration/victimization via depressive symptoms; and (d) bullying victimization indirectly predicted emotional maltreatment via depressive symptoms., Conclusions: These findings provided evidence for bidirectional spillover effects in the family and peer domains, demonstrating that early adolescents may become trapped in a vicious cycle of negative relationships, directly or indirectly, via their depressive symptoms. To prevent a downward spiral, findings suggested that bullying interventions need to address family and peer relationships as well as individual psychological well-being simultaneously to be most effective., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Bullying victimization is becoming an increasing problem among children. This longitudinal study examined the relation of bullying victimization (both traditional and cyberbullying victimization) to subsequent depressive symptoms and the possible mediating role of self-esteem among children., Methods: A total of 4043 Chinese elementary school children in Grades 3 and 4 comprised the sample. Assessments were conducted every six months on five occasions. Latent growth curve modeling was applied to examine the longitudinal relations among the variables., Results: Results showed that (a) bullying victimization was positively and significantly associated with subsequent depressive symptoms; (b) self-esteem played an important mediating role in the relation between bullying victimization and depressive symptoms., Limitations: The study only considered self-esteem as a mediator. The generalizability of the results should be made cautiously., Conclusions: The results highlight the relation between bullying victimization and depressive symptoms among children, suggesting that intervention programs target bullying victimization and self-esteem to reduce the likelihood of depressive symptoms among children., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Different types of specific anxiety symptoms commonly co-occur but also display distinct developmental trajectories over time in children and adolescents. Nevertheless, little is known about the co-developmental trajectories of specific anxiety symptoms among youth during the transition into adolescence and how identified trajectories are associated with important psychological and academic outcomes. This study thus aimed to determine the (a) heterogeneous co-developmental trajectories of five specific anxiety symptoms (generalized anxiety, separation anxiety, social anxiety, school anxiety, and panic disorder) from middle childhood to early adolescence, and (b) associations between the identified, distinct trajectories and youth's psychological well-being and academic achievement. A total of 715 Chinese elementary school students (45.6% girls, M age  = 8.96, SD = 0.76) completed measures on six occasions across three years, using 6-month intervals. Parallel process latent class growth modeling revealed five distinct anxiety trajectory groups: "congruent-low" (49.8%), "moderately low with predominant social anxiety" (18.5%), "moderately low with predominant school anxiety" (12.6%), "moderately high with predominant generalized and social anxiety" (8.6%), and "congruent-high" (10.5%). The lowest psychological well-being and academic achievement were observed for youth who persistently experienced the co-occurrence of two or more specific anxiety symptoms, followed by those who persistently experienced one predominant anxiety symptom, and finally, youth who persistently experienced low levels of all five specific anxiety symptoms. The identification of five heterogeneous groups with differential outcomes highlights the importance of individual differences considerations in understanding the co-developmental patterns of specific anxiety symptoms from middle childhood to early adolescence and the need for more sophisticated intervention programs tailored to members of specific groups to promote optimal psychological well-being and academic success.

Based on expectancy-value theory, this longitudinal study was designed to test the relations between two achievement task values (i.e., attainment value and utility value) as well as their respective influences on academic achievement and depressive symptoms. This study incorporated a sample of 897 ( M age = 10.36 years, 55.8% male) and a cross-validation sample of 821 ( M age = 10.42 years, 55.2% male) Chinese elementary school students from Grade 4. The students completed measures of achievement task values and depressive symptoms (parent reports) in the middle of two consecutive semesters and their academic achievement levels were assessed at the end of each semester. The results of cross-lagged analyses showed that: (a) attainment value reciprocally and positively related to utility value; (b) baseline attainment value positively related to later academic achievement and negatively related to later depressive symptoms after controlling for baseline utility value; (c) baseline academic achievement positively related to later attainment value and utility value. Furthermore, latent profile analyses revealed: (a) four achievement task values profiles (i.e., high, medium, low achievement task values, and high attainment value and low utility value) in both samples; (b) the profiles were differentially related to subsequent academic achievement and depressive symptoms. Theoretically, the findings of reciprocal relations between achievement task values and their relations with the academic and mental health outcomes refine and extend the scope of expectancy-value theory. Practically, intervention strategies may be most effective by focusing on the synergistic development of high attainment value and utility value in promoting positive developmental outcomes in early adolescents. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Given the possibility of cultural differences in the meaning and levels of gratitude among children, we evaluated the measurement invariance of the Gratitude Questionnaire-5 (GQ-5) and differences in latent means across adolescents from two distinct cultures, China and America. Data were obtained from 1,991 Chinese and 1,685 American adolescents. Confirmatory factor analysis and multigroup confirmatory factor analysis were performed to examine the factor structure and the measurement equivalence across Chinese and American adolescents. The Cronbach's alpha and Item-total Correlations of the GQ-5 were also evaluated. Results of confirmatory factor analyses provided support for the expected one-factor structure. Also, a series of multi-group confirmatory factor analyses supported full configural invariance, full metric invariance, and partial scalar invariance between the two groups. Furthermore, the findings suggested that the GQ-5 is suitable for conducting mean level comparisons. The subsequent comparison of latent means revealed that the Chinese adolescents reported significantly lower gratitude than American adolescents.

This longitudinal study examined the developmental trajectories of internalizing and externalizing problems, as well as the moderating role of children's locus of control on the relations between traditional and cyberbullying victimization and developmental trajectories of internalizing and externalizing problems. A total of 4180 Chinese elementary school students (M age  = 9.90 years) completed measures of bullying victimization (Time 1), locus of control (Time 1), internalizing and externalizing problems (from Time 1 to Time 5, 6-month intervals). Latent growth curve analyses indicated (a) internalizing problems first gradually decreased and then increased across time, whereas externalizing problems decreased slowly and remained steady over time; (b) both traditional and cyberbullying victimization served as risk factors for internalizing and externalizing problems; however, the effects of traditional bullying victimization on internalizing and externalizing problems were stronger than those for cyberbullying victimization; (c) locus of control moderated the relations between traditional bullying victimization and developmental trajectories of internalizing and externalizing problems. Consistent with cognitive diathesis-stress models, children who experienced higher levels of traditional bullying victimization and reported an external locus of control were more likely to experience internalizing and externalizing problems. This study also identified meaningful gender differences. Implications for the prevention of behavior problems were discussed.

Previous studies of the Children's Hope Scale (CHS) have not compared its factor structure using samples of Chinese early adolescents and American early adolescents. Contrary to expectations, the one-factor model revealed a better fit for the Chinese sample (N = 1184) whereas the two-factor model revealed a better fit for the American sample (N = 1049). Full measurement invariance was not demonstrated for the two-factor model of the CHS with the Chinese adolescents. This finding indicated that researchers should not make mean level comparisons between the two factors of agency and pathways across early adolescents from these two nations. Partial scalar invariance was achieved for the one-factor model, which suggested that researchers may tentatively make comparisons between Chinese and American early adolescents using CHS total scores. Although caution should be exercised in interpreting the mean differences, Chinese adolescents reported a lower total mean level of hope than American adolescents. Differences in the findings are discussed within the collectivism-individualism framework.

Background: Despite widespread application of the Symptom Check-List-90-R (SCL-90-R) for Chinese undergraduate students, there are no appropriate norms for them. The aim of this study is to provide norms for the Chinese version of the tool for undergraduate students using a large and representative sample., Methods: Four thousand eight hundred sixty students completed the scale of SCL-90. The mean scores obtained in the present study were compared with mean scores from previous normative samples., Results: The mean scores for nine subscales of the SCL-90-R ranged from (1.36 ± 0.46) ~ (1.77 ± 0.63) and the mean (standard deviation) Global Severity Index (GSI) was 1.50 (0.49). Relative to previous normative studies, the findings suggested that Chinese undergraduate students' self-reported mental health symptoms decreased in interpersonal sensitivity, depression, hostility, and paranoid ideation subscales., Conclusion: It is necessary to revise the norms of the Chinese version of the SCL-90-R for undergraduate students.