Search

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted opportunities for adolescents to progress through a typical developmental trajectory of adjustment and self-regulation. Adolescents across many contexts have shown an increase in adjustment difficulties during the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic levels. Utilizing data collected from 830 Italian adolescents from one time-point just prior to when pandemic restrictions were enacted, and then at two additional time-points 12 and 24 months later, we examined trajectories of internalizing symptoms, regulatory self-efficacy for managing negative emotions, and the time-varying impact of COVID-related stress and social support. Latent Growth Curve Analyses (LGCAs) revealed that COVID stress predicted increased internalizing symptoms and decreased regulatory self-efficacy beyond what was estimated by the developmental trajectory. Further, at Time 3, the impact of perceived COVID stress on internalizing symptoms and regulatory self-efficacy was stronger than at Time 2. Co-development results were similar for males and females. There was no time-varying impact of social support on the co-development of internalizing symptoms and regulatory self-efficacy. The findings are important for informing interventions to strengthen coping strategies for adolescents during stressful community-wide events.

The present study focuses on understanding the online aggression in adolescent couples from a gender-sensitive perspective. Specifically, the aims were: (1) to analyze the direct relationship between online jealousy and online control among adolescent boys and girls and (2) to explore the moderating role of moral disengagement and socio-emotional competence in the association between online jealousy and online control by gender. The sample comprised 1,160 high school students (52.7% girls) aged between 12 and 17 years (M = 14.25, SD = 1.35). The study design was cross-sectional. The moderation analysis revealed that online jealousy was directly related to the perpetration of online control. Moral disengagement strengthened the relationship between online jealousy and online control among both boys and girls, while socio-emotional competence weakened it, but only among girls. The results are discussed considering the gender differences found and the practical implications for programs designed to promote healthy dating relationships.

Empirical evidence regarding the impact of childhood emotional neglect on later adjustment is mixed, with some studies reporting neglect to predict low psychological well-being, while others reporting a well-adjusted development despite childhood experiences of emotional neglect. This heterogeneity is understood within a resilient framework where individual and contextual factors act as moderators. This is the first study investigating the moderating role of environmental sensitivity and contextual resilience on the association between childhood emotional neglect and psychological well-being.737 students from the University of Florence with an age ranging from 18 to 30 years (M = 19.81; SD = 1.91; 87% female) took part in the research. To investigate the effects of childhood emotional neglect on relational well-being, and the moderating role of environmental sensitivity and contextual resilience on the impact of emotional neglect, a series of generalized linear models, including only main effects and then adding interaction terms, were run and compared. Results provided support for a three-way interaction model, with environmental sensitivity and contextual resilience moderating the impact of childhood emotional neglect on relational well-being in young adulthood (B = .37, SE = .11, p < .001). Among those who experienced severe levels of childhood emotional neglect, young adults high in environmental sensitivity were more susceptible to the positive impact of supportive contexts, presenting higher levels of well-being compared to those low in environmental sensitivity. This study suggests that promoting supportive contexts in adulthood might reduce the impact of severe childhood emotional neglect, particularly in individuals with an increased environmental sensitivity., Author(s): Ludovica Di Paola [sup.1] , Annalaura Nocentini [sup.1] , Francesca Lionetti [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) https://ror.org/04jr1s763, grid.8404.8, 0000 0004 1757 2304, Department of Education, Languages, Interculture, Literature and Psychology, [...]

This study explored the profiles of Longitudinal Life Environmental Satisfaction (LLES) during the COVID-19 pandemic, evaluating their predicting role in social-emotional adjustment in children and early adolescents. 488 children (M[subscript age] = 8.54; SD = 0.63), and 129 early adolescents (M[subscript]age = 11.08, SD = 0.48) completed two questionnaires, pre-COVID-19 (T1) and in June 2021 (T2). Results showed two profiles, the risk profile characterized by a decrease in LLES and the second profile with stable, high levels of satisfaction. LLES profiles moderated the impact of time on children and adolescents' social-emotional adjustment. Specifically, children prosocial behaviour decreased in the risk profile, while independent participation remained stable. Self-efficacy decreased in both profiles for early adolescents, but only in the risk profile for children. Findings suggested that only children were able to benefit from systems wellbeing stability during the pandemic, improving their social-emotional adjustment. Findings supported the impact of the pandemic on social-emotional adjustment, especially for those who showed a disruption of systems satisfaction.

Despite the importance of school connectedness and bullying victimization in students' school burnout, to our knowledge, very few studies have analyzed their reciprocal associations, and most of them have used cross-sectional designs. So, the nature and directions of these relations have not been established yet. The general aim of this study was to address this gap by testing a longitudinal model of the association between the mentioned variables in a group of Italian students. The participants are 363 students from Italian secondary schools (34% females; Mage = 13.35, SD = 1.47), who took part in three waves of data collection. One hundred and eighty-four students attended middle school (45% females; Mage = 12.01, SD = 0.46), and 179 students attended high school (22% females; Mage = 14.62, SD = 0.836). The adolescents filled out a questionnaire containing self-report measurements of studied variables three times, with an interval of 6 months. At both school levels, the results show the reciprocal and longitudinal role of school connectedness in reducing burnout, and of school burnout in reducing the sense of connectedness to school, both directly and indirectly. On the contrary, bullying victimization is not longitudinally associated with school burnout, whereas it negatively predicts the level of students' connectedness to school. The study findings have revealed the importance of considering longitudinal and reciprocal associations among school burnout, connectedness, and bullying victimization, and are discussed referring to their implications for research and intervention efforts aimed at promoting students' school well-being.

Nowadays, an increasing number of children and adolescents living in Europe have an immigrant background. Because ethnicity is a recognizable characteristic that may become the driver of bullying, these youths are at high risk of victimization. School interventions based on peer-led approaches, assuming all the conditions postulated in contact theory, could be suitable to counteract bias-based bullying and victimization. This study aims to analyze whether the NoTrap! antibullying program, an evidence-based peer-led intervention, may also be effective in counteracting ethnic bullying and victimization when students with an immigrant background are involved as peer educators. There were 1,570 students who participated in the study: 24 control classes (N = 476) and 50 experimental classes (N = 1094). Within the last group we identified two conditions: 30 classes in which all peer educators were Italian (Experimental A, N = 661); 20 classes in which at least one of them had an immigrant background (Experimental B, N = 433). Results of two linear mixed models showed a significant interaction Time 3 Experimental condition for ethnic victimization, F(1, 1170) = 4.185; p = 0.015. Specifically, the NoTrap! is effective in reducing ethnic victimization when at least one student with an immigrant background is involved as a peer educator. Only in this condition, indeed, peer educators are directly involved in the phenomenon they counteract, and all four circumstances postulated in the contact theory are satisfied. No effects on ethnic bullying have been found, F(1, 1162) = 0.215; p = 0.806. This is in line with the activities proposed in the program, which is more focused on empowering victims than on acting directly on bullies.

Research on bullying underlines the role of significant adults: the way teachers and parents respond to offline bullying has the potential to reduce bullying behaviours, but whether they have an influence on cyberbullying is unknown. This study delves into what effects parent and teacher responses to offline bullying have on cyberbullying. The sample was composed of 1.406 middle and high school students (F = 41%; M[subscript age] = 13.1, SD = 1.4). We developed ad hoc measures to simultaneously estimate teacher and parent responses to offline bullying, i.e. non-intervention, disciplinary methods and supportive/relational interventions. Using a SEM model, we found that parents' supportive/relational interventions are associated with lower levels of cyberbullying behaviours. At the same time, teachers' non-intervention in offline bullying episodes was associated with higher involvement in cyberbullying. Findings highlight the critical and complementary role that parents and teachers play in preventing cyberbullying.

Problem: The COVID‐19 pandemic has triggered or exacerbated eating disorders (EDs), especially in adolescents. This study examined the prevalence of admissions of patients with EDs at the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Unit from the pre‐COVID‐19 pandemic to March 2023 and explored the differences in dimensions of ED's symptomatology according to the year of access. Methods: We included 174 children and adolescents, 94.3% females and 5.7% males, with a diagnosis of ED (Mage = 14.87; SD = 1.72). The Eating Disorder Inventory‐3 (EDI‐3), the Body Uneasiness Test (BUT) and Youth Self Report ASEBA (YSR) were assessed. A one‐way analysis of variance test was performed. Findings: EDs' hospitalization prevalence was higher in the years 2020 and 2021 compared to pre‐COVID‐19 and the year 2022. Considering the ED psychopathology (EDI‐3), findings showed a higher score in the dimension of the push to thinness, body dissatisfaction, asceticism, and fear of maturity in the year 2021 compared to pre‐pandemic. Regarding the discomfort related to the image of one's own body (BUT), results showed an increase in the global severity index in the year 2022 compared to pre‐pandemic and in weight phobia in the year 2021 compared to the year 2020. Concerning the internalizing symptoms (YSR), a tendency was found for withdrawal/depression, with higher levels in the year 2022 compared to the year 2020. Conclusions: Our study highlighted the increase of different types of EDs symptomatology related to concerns about weight, especially 2 and 3 years after the outbreak of the pandemic, on which the literature is still scarce, especially in the Italian context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peer victimization is a public health concern that affects a significant proportion of children and adolescents. The study evaluated the prevalence of peer victimization among 440 subjects referred to Emergency Department for a psychiatric consultation and analyzed the association with psychopathological symptoms. Sample was divided into two categories (6-13 and 14-18 years old). Logistics regression analysis was performed. Peer victimized were reported in 16.3% of subjects; 27.7% were younger than13 years old and 72.3% were between 14-18 years old, representing the main targets for peer victimization. A significant association was found between being peer victimized and depressive disorder (OR=4.57) in subjects younger than 13 years old and, with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (OR=6.52) in subjects older than 13 years old. Furthermore, linkage between being peer victimized and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)(OR=4.45) was noted. Increased frequency of repeated hospitalizations was also documented. This is the first Italian study about children and adolescent peer victimization in psychiatric setting, showing a significant higher risk for depressive disorder in subjects younger than 13 years old and PTSD and OCD in subjects older than 13 years old. Investigating experiences of peer victimization provides an early diagnosis and a more efficient treatment plans, guaranteeing an improved clinical outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of bullying behavior was examined across three years in a sample of 515 adolescents (46% females) from 41 classrooms. At time 1, the students were in grades 9 and 10 (mean age = 14.5 years; SD = 0.54). Results of a multilevel growth model showed that both baseline level and change of bullying varied significantly across individuals as well as across classrooms. At the individual level, gender, aggression and competition for social dominance were related with baseline level of bullying. Competition for social dominance and class change were additionally associated with increases in bullying over time. At the classroom level, pro-bullying behaviors were associated with higher baseline level of bullying, whereas anti-bullying behaviors with decreases in bullying over time. Finally, a cross-level interaction underlined that the link between aggression and bullying was moderated by the pro-bullying behaviors within each class. Results are discussed according to the child by environment perspective. (Contains 2 tables and 3 figures.)

The aim of the present study was to investigate moral aspects and human values in traditional bullying and cyberbullying, in order to detect differences between the two types of bullying and to test the role of immoral and disengaged behaviours in mediating the relationships between personal values and involvement in bullying. Sample comprised 390 adolescents aged 14-18, balanced for gender, attending different high schools. Traditional and cyberbullying were detected by means of two self-report measures, while the Portrait Values Questionnaire was used to assess 10 values in four dimensions according to the value system model by Schwartz (1992): self-transcendence, self-enhancement, openness to change, and conservation. Finally, immoral and disengaged behaviours were assessed by means of five items about behavioural and personal aspects salient for morality. Results showed that, irrespective of gender, self-enhancement and self-transcendence moderately predicted cyber and traditional bullying, respectively, while immoral and disengaged behaviours predicted both. Indirect effects showed that self-enhancement and openness to change predicted both forms of bullying through immoral behaviour. Results are discussed in terms of similarities and differences between cyber and traditional bullying and with attention to the central role of morality in explaining bullying nature. (Contains 1 table, 1 figure, and 1 footnote.)

The codevelopment of delinquent behaviors and depressive symptoms from Grade 9 to 11 was investigated on an Italian sample of 518 adolescents (399 male) after the transition to high school, evaluating the time-invariant effects of past school failure and social failure and the time-varying effects of school achievement and social problems. Bivariate latent growth model showed a positive correlation between the two intercepts and the two slopes, suggesting that during adolescence the two trajectories are reciprocally and causally related over time. Time-invariant predictors--past school failure and social failure--explain interindividual variability only for delinquent growth. Time-varying covariates--school achievement and social problems--are significantly associated with both trajectories. These time-varying variables can act as snares, mechanisms responsible for accelerating the otherwise normative pattern of increase of delinquent behaviors and actively retarding the normative decrease of depressive symptoms over adolescence. Findings highlight how interventions aimed to promote competence during adolescence can be an effective way to prevent psychopathology or to reduce its impact. (Contains 3 tables, 1 figure, and 2 footnotes.)