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Middle school is a time of adjustments in youth: physical, intellectual, and social changes often result in stress. Middle school students are vulnerable to academic, behavioral, and mental health problems. Yoga is an Indian discipline practiced for health and relaxation. School-based yoga programs are becoming increasingly common given their potential benefits for students. We conducted a literature review of studies of middle school-based yoga programs, focusing on the reported benefits for students. We identified and retrieved 12 studies from electronic databases including Education Resources Information Center, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar that met inclusion criteria: (a) examined the benefits of yoga as the primary intervention conducted in a middle school setting with students ages 10 to 15 years old, (b) was published by June 2022, (c) was reviewed either by a journal editorial board or by a student’s dissertation or thesis committee, (d) was available in English, and (e) a full text copy was available. Results of studies were synthesized by clustering findings into common domains. Study results suggested that middle school-based yoga interventions showed mental health, executive functioning, physical, social, and academic benefits for students. Yoga also showed benefits for middle school students who were stressed, anxious, or depressed, and those at risk. We provide considerations for those contemplating the implementation of yoga in middle schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peer victimization is common and linked to maladjustment. Prior research has typically identified four peer victimization subgroups: aggressors, victims, aggressive‐victims, and uninvolved. However, findings related to sex and racial‐ethnic differences in subgroup membership have been mixed. Using data collected in September of 2002 and 2003, this study conducted confirmatory latent class analysis of a racially‐ethnically diverse sample of 5415 sixth graders (49% boys; 50.6% Black; 20.9% Hispanic) representing two cohorts from 37 schools in four U.S. communities to replicate the four subgroups and evaluate measurement invariance of latent class indicators across cohort, sex, race‐ethnicity, and study site. Results replicated the four‐class solution and illustrated that sociodemographic differences in subgroup membership were less evident after accounting for differential item functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to examine coping patterns among victims of cyberbullying in middle school. The study included 232 adolescents, of whom 20.7% reported having been the victim of cyberbullying. Findings show that the most common emotional reactions to cyberbullying among the cyber victims were anger, rage, and frustration. The most commonly found behavioral reactions to cyberbullying were informing a friend, counterattacking, and ignoring the cyber incident. Examining the types of coping strategies that were used, we found that the victims of cyberbullying reported a lower use of problem-focused coping strategies for stressful situations, compared to adolescents who were not cyber victims; in addition, cyber victims also reported a much greater use of emotionally focused coping strategies and avoidance-focused strategies, compared to adolescents who were not cyber victims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to determine the relation between middle-school students' Internet Addiction levels and their perceived social support from family. The study has been conducted in the cross-sectional descriptive design, and data were collected from 3,391 students in the 5th-8th grades at 23 middle schools under the Directorate of National Education in the city of Burdur and its central villages. A personal information form, the Internet Addiction Scale, and the Social Support Received from the Family Scale have been used for collecting data. After making the necessary explanations to the students, an informed consent form was sent to their parents/legal guardians; students who returned these forms were included in the study. The quantities, percentages, averages, and standard deviations, which are among descriptive statistical methods, have been used in evaluating the data. Pearson's correlation and regression analysis were applied over the study's continuous variables. Of the students in the study, 4.6% were observed to have Internet addiction at a pathological level. The factors influencing Internet addiction have been determined as: lack of social support received from family, being male, low school success, having a high weekly allowance, being in higher grades, and being online frequently. The rate of internet addiction is higher in this group and found to relate to the perceived support from family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Involvement in dating violence has been linked with negative health outcomes including depressive symptomology, substance use, and later expressions of aggressing and victimizing behaviors. Less is known about the prevalence and mental health correlates of teen dating violence in countries like Mexico where adult partner violence is high. Additional research on teen dating violence is also needed, as it may be an important precursor to adult partner violence and linked to other mental health problems. The current study used self-report ratings to assess the similarities and differences in risk factors associated with dating violence among middle school students in Mexico and the United States. The US sample (Nus = 15,099; Mus = 12.8; 49.5% female) included non-Hispanic Caucasian (24.9%), Hispanic American (20.3%), and African American (24.2%) adolescents. The Mexican sample (NMexico = 2211; MMexico = 13.67; 51% female) included 93.1% adolescents of Hispanic or Latin descent. Logistic regressions showed that dating violence victimization was reported at similar rates in the cross-national samples, though exposure to risk factors like deviant peers and substance use differed significantly by country. Our analyses indicated that, although the country of residence was not significantly associated with dating violence victimization, the strength of the association between some known risk factors and dating violence victimization varied as a function of nationality, such that there was a significant interaction between country of residence, Mexico or the US, and experiencing internalizing symptoms on experiencing physical dating violence victimization. This study contributes to the growing body of literature on dating violence, both inside and outside the US. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the current study is to investigate the relationships between suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs), school climate, and student demographics among middle school students. The study was conducted with a sample of 152,191 middle school students across 607 schools within 182 school districts in a southeastern state. Results support prior research that positive perceptions of school climate are associated with fewer reports of STB. Participants identified family reasons, bullying, peer problems, and 'other' as the most common reasons for STB. Further, older students and males were more likely to engage in STB than their counterparts. When examining cross-sectional interactions, race/ethnicity moderated the relationship between school climate and STB. Findings from the study support the role of school psychologists in advocating for prevention and intervention STB supports for middle school students with particular attention to students who may be at increased risk based on group identification. Implications for future research and practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Suicide is an important public health problem that requires a preventive approach. The present study aimed at assessing suicidal behaviors and their relations with other psychosocial factors in Campeche, Mexico, in order to inform the design of potential preventive interventions. A multistage probability sample of 2386 students representative of all middle schools of the state of Campeche, Mexico, took a standardized, paper-and-pencil survey covering selected psychosocial constructs including suicide behavior, depression, drug use, familial relationships, locus of control, impulsivity, and self-esteem, among others. Latent classes were identified and multinomial logistic regression was used to analyze associations between class membership and psychosocial covariates. An estimated 8% of the middle school population in Campeche had three or more psychosocial problems in the past month including drug use, major depression episode symptoms, as well as suicidal problems like attempts and self-inflicted injuries. Four latent classes were identified, one with lowest risk and three with varying characteristics in terms of binge alcohol and other drug use, depression, and suicide behaviors. Associations between psychosocial covariates and latent class were observed, as predicted based on a multi-dimensional theoretical framework. Heterogeneity across "High-Risk" groups and their potential determinants highlight the need for differentiated, specialized efforts ranging from universal to indicated interventions. Given the high level of risk factors in this population, universal preventive interventions should aim at building resiliency among youth by helping them develop an array of coping resources, as well as by creating a more nurturing psychosocial environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the widespread application of the Symptom Check List-90-R (SCL-90-R) with Chinese middle-school students, there are currently no widely accepted national norms for mental health specifically for this group. In this study our aim was to establish mental-health norms for Chinese middle-school students using the Chinese version of the SCL-90-R. A large sample (N = 20,862) of Chinese middle-school students completed the SCL-90-R. Their mean scores for the 9 subscales of the SCL-90-R ranged from 1.45 to 1.85. The mean General Symptomatic Index score was 1.61 ± 0.57. There were significant differences between these norms and the norms reported in a Chinese study conducted in 1986. The scores we recorded in this study can be used as new mental-health norms for this age group because the data were acquired directly through a survey using a large sample representative of middle-school students in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the connection between parental bonding and adolescent peer victimization is widely accepted, little is known about the specific mechanism underlying this link. Adolescent mental health status, in terms of individual-level psychological functioning, can be an important factor mediating this parental bonding -- peer victimization link. Among various mental health indicators, the current study examined the mediating roles of stress and depression in the relationship between perceived parental bonding and adolescent peer victimization. The subjects were 484 male adolescents attending middle schools in South Korea. Associations between both maternal and paternal parental bonding and peer victimization were mediated by both stress and depression in Korean male adolescents, confirming a dual-mediation model. Stress fully mediated the relationship between perceived parental bonding and depression, while depression partially mediated the relationship between stress and peer victimization. Implications for practice and policy were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated low socioeconomic status middle school students' STEM career interest (in areas of physical science, life science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) in relation to demographic variables of gender and grade level and also attitudes towards STEM areas (science, math, engineering, and 21st century skills). The sample of the study consisted of 263 sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students attending one of five middle schools located in the rural areas of a city in the northeast region of Turkey. Analysis results showed that students had positive feelings in having a STEM career and these perceptions did not differ in terms of gender and grade level. Moreover, students' STEM career interest was high for both males and females. Among three grade levels, there was no significant difference in terms of STEM career interest, except for life science. Besides, canonical correlation analysis showed that students' career interest in STEM was positively related to students' attitudes towards STEM fields. Turkish low socioeconomic status middle school students have limited information about STEM career options and they should be given sufficient guidance about STEM occupations during middle school years. Additionally, we suggest investigating the ways of enhancing students' STEM career interest in further studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study surveyed the physical and mental health of middle school students which was based on the Well-being and ill-being dual perspectives. 2344 Chinese middle school students were tested by Well-being (WB) and Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) scales. The mean score of well-being was 5.46±1.997 and the mean scores of all SCL-90 subscales were lower than 2.00. The independent sample t-test analysis indicated that seven of nine SCL-90 subscales were significantly lower than the norm in 2004. These results implied that the well-being and physical and mental health were good in Chinese middle school students. The independent sample t-test analysis indicated that girls’ scores of SCL-90 were significant higher than those of boys’, but there was no difference in well-being scores between girls’ and boys’. In addition, the scores of SCL-90 were significant difference between senior high school students and junior high school students, and high school students got higher scores in all subscales of SCL-90; but there was no difference in well-being between senior and junior school students. One-Way ANOVA results indicated that there was significant difference among six grades in SCL-90 but not in well-being. Pearson correlation analysis indicated that there was a negative correlation between well-being and subscales of SCL-90, but it was not significant. According to the above analysis, we conclude that the well-being and ill-being are independent of each other and they play different roles in the mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the Wiki and its influence on the anxiety produced during cross-cultural web-based collaborative learning sessions. Design/methodology/approach – In total, 49 high school students participated in transnational collaborative learning and engaged in a one-month Google Wiki activity. A transnational collaborative learning anxiety inventory was used to measure the anxiety of the participants, which included the dimensions of social anxiety, foreign language anxiety, and computer anxiety. In addition, platform usage records were compiled using Google Wiki user records and participation process checklists. Relative data derived from these two items were compared with the questionnaire data. Findings – The results indicated that participants who had experience with Wiki transnational collaborative learning exhibited significantly reduced SA and FLA. Participation process and user records revealed that embedding videos; responding to content created by others; proofreading and editing the content of others; updating layouts; underlining text, changing the font, and color coding; and increasing the number of edits reduced FLA. The number of times edits and responses were produced was correlated with decreases in SA. Originality/value – The causes and effects of transnational collaborative learning have concurrently received attention. However, studies on Wiks and their impact on the anxiety produced during cross-cultural Web-based collaborative learning are limited. Therefore, Google Wiki was used in this study as the medium through which the effects of Wiki participation on anxiety resulting from transnational collaborative learning were explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A critical debate within the field of school psychology has centered on the relationship between bullying and cyberbullying in terms of prevalence, overlap, and impact. The current study sought to address the following questions: (1) Does cyberbullying create new victims or merely a new means of victimization? (2) Does cyberbullying uniquely contribute to negative outcomes above and beyond those of traditional bullying? Utilizing an anonymous survey to examine students' experiences with cyberbullying, traditional bullying, and negative psychological symptoms, it was found that the vast majority of students who were bullied online were also victims of in-person bullying. Both forms of victimization were independently associated with negative outcomes. However, when controlling for traditional bullying, cyberbullying did not remain a predictor of negative mental health outcomes. In contrast, when controlling for cyberbullying, traditional bullying remained a significant predictor of negative mental health outcomes. These results suggest that although traditional and cyber forms of bullying tend to target the same victims, traditional bullying is more uniquely associated with negative psychological outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A withdrawal design was used to examine the influence of a self-monitoring procedure on the overall effectiveness of an interdependent group contingency intervention implemented in a sixth-grade classroom in an alternative school serving students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). Dependent variables included student on-task, off-task, and disruptive behaviors exhibited during language arts. Following baseline, the classroom teacher implemented an interdependent group contingency using randomized criteria for reinforcement and randomized reinforcers. Next, a self-monitoring intervention procedure was added to the existing interdependent group contingency intervention. The self-monitoring procedure was then withdrawn and reinstated. Results indicated that though there were improvements in behavior from baseline upon intervention implementation, the self-monitoring procedure did not increase the effectiveness of the interdependent group contingency intervention. Limitations and suggestions for future research investigating the influence of self-monitoring on group contingency interventions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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It is planned that every student in all primary, middle, and high schools (public schools) under the administration of the Turkish Ministry of National Education receive a tablet through the FATİH Project. Research shows that many teachers hold reservations toward students using tablets for educational purposes. The purpose of this study is to determine middle school students' perceptions regarding the integration of tablets into the learning process. Participants totaled 939 students in eight middle schools located in different cities throughout Turkey. Data were gathered through means of a survey (questionnaire) which included demographics like grade level and gender as well as items on tablet related issues and on student opinions. Two factors - outcome expectancy and tablet anxiety - were identified through an exploratory factor analysis. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted afterward in order to confirm and exemplify factors and their items. Two measurement models were tested, the latter returning a good model fit. The MANOVA test results showed that grade level affected the opinions on outcome expectancy, while gender affected tablet anxiety. It was found that 7th graders were the most optimistic of all grades in terms of outcome expectancy and that males were more withdrawn. It was also found that students with previous tablet experience were more optimistic regarding outcome expectancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study possessed 2 aims: (a) to develop and validate a clinician-friendly measure of academic problem behavior that is relevant to the assessment of adolescents with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and (b) to better understand the cross-situational expression of academic problem behaviors displayed by these youth. Within a sample of 324 adolescents with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition, Text Revision diagnosed ADHD (age M = 13.07, SD = 1.47), parent, teacher, and adolescent self-report versions of the Adolescent Academic Problems Checklist (AAPC) were administered and compared. Item prevalence rates, factorial validity, interrater agreement, internal consistency, and concurrent validity were evaluated. Findings indicated the value of the parent and teacher AAPC as a psychometrically valid measure of academic problems in adolescents with ADHD. Parents and teachers offered unique perspectives on the academic functioning of adolescents with ADHD, indicating the complementary roles of these informants in the assessment process. According to parent and teacher reports, adolescents with ADHD displayed problematic academic behaviors in multiple daily tasks, with time management and planning deficits appearing most pervasive. Adolescents with ADHD display heterogeneous academic problems that warrant detailed assessment prior to treatment. As a result, the AAPC may be a useful tool for clinicians and school staff conducting targeted assessments with these youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study identified middle school students who were less than delighted with their lives (reported life satisfaction scores between 1 and 6 on a 7-point scale), and attempted to improve these students' mental health via a 10-week group wellness-promotion intervention developed from prior applications of positive psychology research. Complete data at baseline, post-intervention, and 6-month follow-up was gathered from 55 sixth grade students who were randomly assigned to the intervention condition ( n = 28) or wait-list control ( n = 27). Repeated measures analyses of a propensity score matched sample of 40 participants indicated a significant group by time interaction for global life satisfaction from baseline to post-intervention. Specifically, life satisfaction of students in the intervention group increased significantly, while the control group declined during the same period (although this change was not statistically significant). The intervention group's gains were maintained at follow-up, but were matched by similar gains for students in the control group. No effects of intervention group were identified in the indicators of affect or psychopathology. The improvements in life satisfaction evidenced by students in the intervention group during the first semester of middle school are important given the adjustment difficulties that often appear during this sensitive developmental period marked by biological and educational changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural American Indian (AI) middle school students with depressive symptoms who participated in a culturally modified version of the Adolescent Coping with Depression (CWD-A) course (n = 8) reported significant improvement in depressive symptoms at post-intervention and at 3-month follow-up. There was also a nonsignificant but clinically relevant decrease in participants' anxiety symptoms. Students reported satisfaction with the intervention, and it was potentially more cost-effective and less stigmatizing than the individualized treatment-as-usual interventions to which it was compared. These results suggest the CWD-A is a promising approach for reducing depressive and anxiety symptoms in rural AI students and should be further evaluated with a larger sample of students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, a collaboration between Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH), and other government agencies. Results from the survey reportedly suggest that middle and high school students in the state have improved in health behaviors over the past decade in areas including seat belt use, and sexual activity, but raises concerns related to mental health, electronic cigarette and marijuana use.