Determinants of tobacco use among Korean female adolescents: Longitudinal test of the theory of triadic influence

This study aimed to examine the influences of social, attitudinal, and intrapersonal factors at three levels on tobacco use among female adolescents in South Korea using longitudinal national data. The study analyzed data from the Korean Youth Panel Study, with a study population consisting of middle-school second-graders (N = 1594). Using time dependent Cox regression, our analyses yielded the following main findings: the theory of triadic influence was verified to provide a theoretical framework for smoking among Korean female adolescents. All of the social factors at the three levels, including parental supervision, attachment to friends, and peer smoking prevalence, were found to influence tobacco use among Korean female adolescents. Stigma on the distal level and attitude towards smoking on the proximal level were significant attitudinal factors. Among intrapersonal factors, self-control on the distal level and stress on the proximal level were found to be significant. The study findings suggest that including parental education and promoting attachment to non-smoking friends, as well as enhancing sound relationships with them, would provide an effective strategy for the prevention and cessation of smoking. Prevention and cession should include strategies that alleviate stigma and stress, and improve negative attitude toward smoking and the level of self-control.     

South Korean adolescents' delinquency,disclosure, parental knowledge,parent–child closeness,and delinquent peer associations

The present study sought to examine longitudinal associations among delinquency, children's disclosure to parents, parent-child relationship quality, and parental knowledge in a South Korean sample. Longitudinal research shows that in Western samples, delinquency is negatively associated with the latter three variables. We also sought to test whether the associations varied across gender. We found little evidence of significant reciprocal relationships among the variables and no differences in associations across gender. A second analysis revealed that adolescents’ involvement with delinquent peers was a good predictor of subsequent delinquency for males and females. Implications of the findings for future research and practice are discussed.     

U.S. College Students' Sexual Activity: The Unique and Interactive Effects of Emotion Regulation Difficulties and Attachment Style

ABSTACT

Objectives: This study explored the association between emotion regulation difficulties and sexual activity, and whether emotion regulation difficulties moderated the link between attachment and sexual activity. Methods: U.S. college students (N = 373) from two institutions completed self-report measures of sexual activity, emotion regulation difficulties and attachment. Results: Findings indicated that greater emotion regulation difficulties were associated with less frequent exclusive sexual activity. Moreover, emotion regulation difficulties moderated links between attachment avoidance and sexual activity, and associations varied according to relational context and gender. Conclusions: Implications for promoting sexual health and relationship intimacy are discussed.     

Religiousness and Adolescent Behaviors

Abstract

This study examined the relative influence of religiousness on a sub-sample of adolescents (N = 1911) from a nationally representative sample of youth. Outcome measures included delinquency, substance abuse, physical health, mental health, and education. The study controlled for family processes and peer influences, as well as a variety of sociodemographic factors.

Parent religiosity and family processes, especially parental styles, are found to influence girls more so than boys, while exposure to peer influences affects both boys and girls on all outcome measures except delinquency. Findings highlight gender related similarities and differences that should be taken into account when providing interventions to adolescents and their families.     

Adolescent sexual behavior—family characteristics,parental involvement,and associated mental disorders

Abstract

Manifold factors connect with adolescent sexual behavior, but studies on their reciprocal associations are scarce. This study seeks to find the ways in which parental involvement, family characteristics, depression, and delinquency are connected to adolescent early/risky sexual behavior, and to what extent they modify each other. A population-based self-report survey of nearly 187,000 adolescents (50.4% girls) was used. The most important of the family variables was living in a two-parent family, which showed the clearest inverse association with early/risky sexual behavior throughout adolescence. Depression and delinquency persisted associated with sexual behavior in the presence of the family variables.     

Persistent Complications of Child Sexual Abuse: Sexually Compulsive Behaviors,Attachment, and Emotions

ABSTRACT

Child sexual abuse has the potential to cause distress for the victim across the lifespan. Romantic relationships may be particularly difficult for victims of child sexual abuse. This retrospective study examined differences in adult romantic attachment, sexually compulsive behaviors, and emotion regulation by history of child sexual abuse in a large, nonclinical sample. Those with a history of child sexual abuse reported more attachment anxiety in romantic relationships and engaged in more sexually compulsive behaviors. Overall, males displayed more sexually compulsive behaviors than females regardless of history of sexual abuse. Males with a history of sexual abuse displayed the greatest number of sexually compulsive behaviors. Surprisingly, no differences were observed in emotion regulation or attachment avoidant behaviors by history of child sexual abuse. Future research should seek to replicate current findings and examine emotion regulation difficulties experienced as a result of trauma.     

Compulsory residential care: An examination of treatment improvement of individual and family functioning

The aim of the present study was to examine the treatment progress of both adolescent's and their families' functioning in a new compulsory residential treatment program. The sample consisted of 339 admitted adolescents (56.3% boys). The mean age at time of entry was 15.69 (SD = 1.30). Adolescents stayed on average 9.42 months (SD = 4.66) in a new residential treatment program. Data on adolescents' internalizing and externalizing problems were assessed using self-reports, parent reports, and group care worker reports. In addition, adolescents reported their substance use and delinquency and parents also reported family functioning and level of perceived parental stress. The findings revealed a significant decrease in adolescents' self-reported internalizing and externalizing problems, delinquency, and substance use. According to parent ratings, a significant improvement was found concerning adolescents' problem behaviors during treatment. However, according care worker ratings, adolescents showed no improvement on internalizing problems and showed an increase in externalizing problems. Concerning families, although there was no improvement in family functioning, parental stress significantly improved over time. Further research should examine whether improvements experienced during treatment are maintained after treatment.     

The Work Ethnic and Delinquency

Abstract

Many criminologists argue that delinquency stems, in part, from the abandonment of the work ethnic by adolescents. No longer willing to engage in hard work and self-denial, adolescents become more likely to engage in delinquency. Using longitudinal data from a national survey of adolescent boys, this study found that adolescents with a low commitment to the work ethic were more likely to become delinquent. The effect of the work ethic was explained, in large part, by social control and cultural deviance theory. The implications of these findings are briefly examined.     

Effects of Parental Monitoring and Peer Deviance on Substance Use and Delinquency

From socialization theory, it was hypothesized that parental support and monitoring as well as peer deviance would influence individual trajectories of alcohol misuse, other substance use, and delinquency. Six waves of data were analyzed using interviews with 506 adolescents in a general population sample. Results from multilevel modeling showed that monitoring significantly predicted adolescents’ initial levels (intercepts) of alcohol misuse and delinquency. Parental monitoring strongly predicted the rates of increase (slope) in all 3 problem behaviors. Peer deviance significantly predicted initial levels of all problem behaviors and the rates of increase in them. This study provides evidence that both effective parenting and avoidance of associations with delinquent peers are important factors in preventing adolescent problem behaviors.     

Parent-child relationships between Korean American adolescents and their parents

This cross-sectional correlational study examined the association between Korean American adolescents' and their parents' reports of parent-child relationships. A total of 61 Korean American families completed a questionnaire assessing parental knowledge, parental/filial self-efficacy, parent-child communication, and parent-child conflicts. T tests, Pearson's correlations, a scatter diagram, and bivariate regression were used to analyze the data. Both Korean American adolescents and their parents reported that fathers were less knowledgeable about their child's school life and less likely to communicate with their children than were mothers. Fathers reported a significantly lower level of parental self-efficacy than mothers, and adolescents also reported a significantly higher level of filial self-efficacy in mother-child relationships than in father-child relationships. Positive correlations between parents' and adolescents' reports of parent-child relationships were observed. These findings indicated a need for parent education programs or counseling services for Korean American parents of adolescents, particularly fathers with inadequate parental skills and limited communication with their children.     

The influence of strain factors,social control factors,self-control and computer use on adolescent cyber delinquency: Korean National Panel Study

This study examined how cyber delinquency changes over time and we identified how predictors influence these changes. We analyzed Korean Youth Panel data collected by the National Youth Policy Institute over five years for 2844 Korean adolescents living in 7 metropolitan cities and 8 provinces, using hierarchical linear modeling. The results are as follows. Cyber delinquency linearly increased over time. Greater computer use and perceived stress were related to more cyber delinquency, while greater self-control ability and community attachment were associated with less cyber delinquency. More computer use and offline bullying victimization were related to an acceleration of the increase of cyber delinquency over time. While, greater self-control ability was associated with a deceleration of the increase of cyber delinquency as time passed. The strongest predictor was amount of computer use, followed by self-control, and then by offline bullying victimization.     

Problem Behavior and Heart Rate Reactivity in Adopted Adolescents: Longitudinal and Concurrent Relations

The present longitudinal study examined resting heart rate and heart rate variability and reactivity to a stressful gambling task in adopted adolescents with aggressive, delinquent, or internalizing behavior problems and adopted adolescents without behavior problems (total N=151). Early‐onset delinquent adolescents showed heart rate hyporeactivity to the stress‐eliciting gambling task compared to late‐onset delinquent adolescents and adolescents without behavior problems. Heart rate, heart rate variability, and reactivity to stress were not related to environmental factors such as early‐childhood parental sensitivity, parental socioeconomic status, or adoptee's health status at arrival. We conclude that the distinction between delinquency and aggression and between childhood‐onset and adolescence‐onset delinquency is important for the study of stress reactivity in adolescents.     

Foster care,geographic neighborhood change,and the risk of delinquency

Background and purposePrevious studies report that foster care placement is associated with an increased risk of delinquency. Yet it remains unclear which aspects of the placement experience increase the risk of delinquency. The current study addresses this knowledge gap. This study investigates the relationship between geographic neighborhood change and the risk of delinquency for adolescents in foster care settings. Based on findings from the neighborhood effects literatures, we hypothesize that moving to a neighborhood characterized by concentrated disadvantage and residential instability is associated with increased risk of delinquency.MethodsThe design for the current study is longitudinal. The sample is comprised of 145 foster youth from two birth cohorts, one born in 1983 and one in 1984, in Chicago, Illinois. The sample was 92% African American and 52% male. Overall, 11% had an official juvenile arrest. We used data from multiple sources, including the 1990 census data and administrative data from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services and the Cook County Juvenile Court. To measure neighborhood change, we calculated a difference between children's home and placement neighborhoods on ten census variables: percentages of households in a given neighborhood that were below the poverty line, neighborhood households on public assistance, female-headed households, unemployed population, and persons < 18 years old, African American, Latino, foreign-born, residents living in the same house as five years earlier, and owner-occupied homes, all of which are commonly used in neighborhood studies. We identified two factors within the neighborhood variables—concentrated disadvantage and residential instability,—and used the two-factor scores in the following analysis. We conducted a Cox regression to model time to first arrest.ResultsThe results indicate that moving to a neighborhood with high residential instability significantly increases an individual's risk of juvenile delinquency. In addition, two subgroups—male foster youth; and all foster youth with an experience of neglect—are significantly more likely to be associated with a formal delinquency petition.Conclusions and implicationsThe current study is unique and builds the knowledge base with regard to the placement of children and adolescents in substitute care settings. The findings indicate that the neighborhoods in which children are placed do matter in terms of their outcomes, and thus they should be considered in the placement decision process. This finding is consistent with the “person-in-environment” concept advanced by social work professionals.     

Multiple‐Family Group Intervention for Incarcerated Male Adolescents Who Sexually Offend and Their Families: Change in Maladaptive Emotion Regulation Predicts Adaptive Change in Adolescent Behaviors

The multiple‐family group intervention is an effective, yet affordable, 8‐week treatment that is conducted in a juvenile correctional institution in Alabama with adolescents who sexually offend and their families. Data from 115 incarcerated male adolescents and their male and female caregivers collected at pre‐, post‐, and 1‐year follow‐up were used to determine that problem behaviors (internalizing, externalizing) decreased over pre‐ and posttest and the significant decreases in maladaptive emotion regulation predicted those changes. Adolescent‐reported anxiety over abandonment and attachment dependence on parents increased significantly; these changes were predicted by decreases in maladaptive emotion regulation. Linear growth models were also fit over the 3 time points and indicate decreases in adolescent problem behavior and maladaptive emotion regulation.     

Does It Matter What Mama Says: Evaluating the Role of Parental Mediation in European Adolescents’ Excessive Internet Use

This study investigated the relationship between adolescents’ excessive Internet use (EIU) and parental mediation. A random stratified sample of 11‐ to 16‐year olds (N = 18 709) and their parents from 25 European countries (EU Kids Online II project) was analysed to explore to what extent different types of parental mediation and other factors predict EIU. Active parental involvement in the child's Internet use (when the child had experienced online harm) and restrictive mediation were associated with lower EIU. Harmful online experiences, time spent online, scope of online activities and adolescents’ age predicted higher EIU.     

Family transitions and juvenile delinquency

There is a large body of research that shows children from non-intact homes show higher rates of juvenile delinquency than children from intact homes, partially due to weaker parental control and supervision in non-intact homes. What has not been adequately addressed in the research is the influence of changes in family structure among individual adolescents over time on delinquent offending. Using the first and third waves of the National Youth Study, we assess the effect of family structure changes on changes in delinquent offending between waves through the intermediate process of changes in family time and parental attachment. Although prior research has documented adolescents in broken homes are more delinquent than youth in intact homes, the process of family dissolution is not associated with concurrent increases in offending. In contrast, family formation through marriage or cohabitation is associated with simultaneous increases in offending. Changes in family time and parental attachment account for a portion of the family formation effect on delinquency, and prior parental attachment and juvenile offending significantly condition the effect of family formation on offending.     

The Mediating Role of Emotion Dysregulation in the Relation Between Adult Attachment Insecurity and Depression Among Young Gay and Bisexual Men

Objectives: Attachment insecurity may be more pronounced among young gay and bisexual men (YGBM). Further, attachment insecurity is associated with dysregulated patterns of emotion regulation, which can lead to depression. However, pathways linking attachment insecurity to depression are underexplored among YGBM. Methods: This study used pilot data from N?=?67 YGBM to examine if emotion dysregulation mediated the association between attachment insecurity and depression. Results: Results supported the study hypotheses. Attachment insecurity was associated with emotion dysregulation, which was associated with depression. Conclusion: Findings provide preliminary evidence that emotion regulation training may be a useful approach for addressing depression among YGBM.     

The longitudinal effects of parental monitoring and self-control on depression in Korean adolescents: A multivariate latent growth approach

The purpose of this study was to examine the longitudinal effects of parental monitoring and self-control on depression. To address this purpose, this study investigated the interrelationships among depression, perceived parental monitoring, and self-control—as well as their developmental changes from the eighth to the twelfth grades—by repeated assessment of 3449 Korean adolescents. The data from Korea Youth Panel Survey (KYPS) of the eighth graders who were followed for five years were analyzed using latent growth modeling. The univariate latent growth models showed that adolescents experience an increase in both parental monitoring and self-control but a decline in depression over the five years. In addition, the multivariate latent growth model suggested that the initial level of parental monitoring had significant effects, both directly and indirectly through self-control, on the initial level of depression. The linear changes in parental monitoring were associated with the linear changes in self-control; likewise, the linear changes in self-control were related to those in depression. These results imply that parental monitoring and self-control need to be emphasized as a strategy in order to prevent or alleviate adolescents' depression.     

Differences between risk factors for truancy and delinquency in Dutch adolescents

The present study examined differences in risk factors for truancy and delinquency. Research questions were: (1) Which risk factors are significantly different between truants and delinquents? (2) Which risk factors make the strongest distinction between truancy and delinquency? Participants were Dutch adolescents (N = 365) who received a penal sanction in the Netherlands. 83% (n = 304) of them had violated the penal law, and 17% (n = 62) received the penalty for truancy. Differences in risk factors for truancy and delinquency were found for age and parental punishment. Binary logistic regression showed that only parental punishment retained its predictive effects when controlling for other differences. Truants experienced more parental punishment than delinquent adolescents. The present study shows that addressing dysfunctional home circumstances could be more important for truants, indicating that existing interventions do not differentiate enough between truants and delinquents.     

Reciprocal Effects Between Parental Solicitation, Parental Control, Adolescent Disclosure, and Adolescent Delinquency

This two-wave multi-informant study examined the bidirectional associations of parental control and solicitation with adolescent disclosure and delinquency. Participants were 289 adolescents (150 females and 139 males, modal age 14) and both parents. Parental solicitation and control did not predict adolescent delinquency, but adolescents' self-reported disclosure was a negative predictor of delinquency. In addition, delinquency predicted less disclosure. Furthermore, maternal solicitation predicted disclosure and adolescent disclosure predicted parental solicitation. All relations held after controlling for leisure time spent with parents and with peers. These longitudinal findings show an overlap in the development of parental solicitation and the development of adolescent disclosure, but also show that only adolescent disclosure is negatively related to delinquency over time.