Trajectories of Sexual Risk From Middle Adolescence to Early Adulthood

Developmental trajectories of risky sexual behavior were identified in a multiethnic sample of 1,121 youth drawn from the Children of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth data set (NLSY79). Group-based trajectory modeling of a composite index of sexual risk taking revealed four sexual risk groups from ages 16 to 22: low risk, decreasing risk, increasing risk, and high risk. The Low Risk group exhibited low levels of risk across the study period. The Decreasing Risk group had high levels of sexual risk in adolescence that declined in early adulthood. The Increasing Risk and High Risk groups showed distinct risk patterns during adolescence but converged in early adulthood. When compared with adolescents in the low-risk group, individuals in the other groups were more likely to be male, had mothers who had an early birth, were less likely to live with both biological parents in early adolescence, had higher risk proneness, and reported more negative peer pressure.     

Condom Use Trajectories in Adolescence and the Transition to Adulthood: The Role of Mother and Father Support

Few studies have investigated how mother and father support differ on predicting youths' sexual risk behavior. We therefore examined the influence of parental support on condom use trajectories and its correlates in a predominantly African American sample [(N=627; 53% female; M = 14.86 years (SD=. 64)] from adolescence to young adulthood. We used hierarchical growth curve modeling to examine the relationship between condom use, substance use, psychological distress and parental support prospectively. We found that consistent condom use decreased over time and was associated negatively with psychological distress and substance use. Furthermore, both maternal and paternal support were associated with more condom use over time. We discuss the implications of our findings for HIV prevention programs.     

Casual Sexual Relationships and Mental Health in Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood

Casual sexual relationships are relatively common in emerging adulthood. Yet the mental health implications of engaging in these relationships are unclear; past research has found negative associations, positive associations, or no association with mental health. In addition, little research has accounted for mental health status prior to entering casual sexual relationships. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (N = 12,401), we measured mental health prior to engaging in casual sexual relationships and subsequent mental health after engaging in these relationships. We found that suicidal ideation and depressive symptoms in adolescence were associated with entrance into casual sexual relationships in emerging adulthood. Furthermore, casual sexual relationships were associated with an increased likelihood of reporting suicidal ideation in emerging adulthood.     

Coping Trajectories from Adolescence to Young Adulthood: Links to Attachment State of Mind

The objective of this study was to examine the links between coping and attachment. In a longitudinal study of 112 participants, coping behavior was assessed at five points in time during adolescence (starting at the age of 14 years) and early adulthood. In addition, at the age of 21 years, state of mind regarding current and earlier attachment experiences was assessed by employing the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). In both adolescence and early adulthood, differences in coping styles were found to be related to differences in attachment. Individuals classified as secure dealt with their problems more actively by using their social network during adolescence and at the age of 21 years. Both secure and dismissing individuals used more internal coping than those with a preoccupied state of mind. Latent growth curve modeling revealed that differences in active and internal coping between secure and insecure individuals applied to the rate of change in these coping styles between 14 and 21 years, with participants in the secure group showing much steeper growth in both coping styles. Only minor differences were found with respect to withdrawal as a coping style. The results represent first evidence that coping trajectories during adolescence and young adulthood are linked with attachment state of mind.     

Parental Anger and Trajectories of Emotional Well‐Being from Adolescence to Young Adulthood

This study assesses the relationship of parental anger on children’s anger and self‐derogation from adolescence to young adulthood. We examine a life‐course perspective and incorporate theories of emotion regulation and self‐referent behavior. Using structural equation models and hierarchical growth curve models with the Kaplan Longitudinal and Multigenerational data, the results indicate that parental anger leads to anger in adolescence, supporting theories of learning through modeling in adolescence. In young adulthood, as predicted by self‐referent behavior theory, parental anger contributes to increases in self‐derogation. Interestingly, maternal anger, but not paternal anger, is correlated with child’s anger and self‐derogation.     

Continuity and Change in the Family System Across the Transition from Adolescence to Emerging Adulthood

As adolescents move into emerging adulthood, their social networks shift toward a focus on peers and romantic partners, yet parents and siblings remain important sources of support. The present review takes a family systems approach to integrate the growing body of literature examining longitudinal continuity and change in both positive (e.g., intimacy, support) and negative (e.g., conflict, rivalry) qualities of parent–child and sibling relationships as adolescents transition to emerging adulthood. In general, contact with family members decreases, yet the quality of family relationships appears to improve or, at the very least, stabilize across this transition. These pathways are interpreted within the lens of several prominent theories, and a discussion of the limitations of the current literature and ideas for future research are presented.     

Gender and Casual Sexual Activity From Adolescence to Emerging Adulthood: Social and Life Course Correlates

The prevalence of casual sexual activity among teens and emerging adults has led to much public attention. Yet limited research has investigated whether the number of casual sexual partners per year changes as heterosexual men and women transition from adolescence into emerging adulthood. We considered the influence of social context and life course factors on the number of casual sex partners. We examined four waves of interviews from the Toledo Adolescent Relationships Study (TARS) and used negative binomial growth curve models to investigate patterns of change in the number of casual sex partners (N = 1,196) ages 15 to 22. Men and women both reported increases in the number of casual sex partners over time and did not differ from each other in the rate of change over time. In all, 40% of respondents reported a recent casual sex partner at age 22. Number of prior dating relationships, education status, substance use, and perceptions of peer sexual behavior significantly influenced the number of casual sex partners. Emerging adults who did not complete high school, compared to those enrolled in four-year degree programs, reported significantly more partners. The findings contribute to research on intimate relationships and provide insights for programs targeting emerging adults.     

Adaptation and Coping in Childhood and Adolescence for those at Risk for Depression in Emerging Adulthood

Emerging adulthood is a time of great possibility and of considerable risk. This qualitative study explored the adaptation and coping strategies used over time by twenty-five emerging adults. Respondents were selected from a longitudinal community study cohort of 26-year-olds and had experienced adversity in early life. Participants mentioned using a variety of strategies, such as active evasion, seeking support, and “letting go,” in order to cope with difficulties. These strategies varied by context and according to respondents’ developmental level at the time of the adversity. Flexibility in understanding life circumstances and in choosing coping strategies to deal with specific adversities was noted as beneficial through childhood, adolescence, and emerging adulthood.     

Trajectories of Gambling During Adolescence

This study aimed at empirically identifying groups of adolescents with distinct longitudinal trajectories of gambling involvement and validating these groups by comparing them with respect to correlates. 903 low SES boys were followed annually from age 11 to 16 years. Three groups were found: an early-onset high-level chronic group, a late-onset high-level group, and a low gambler group. The Chronic group and the Low group consistently differed on teacher-rated inhibition (i.e., anxiety) during childhood and early adolescence. They also differed on concurrent teacher and self ratings of disinhibition (i.e., impulsivity), while the Late Onset group appeared to lie in between these groups. Compared to the Low group, both high groups subsequently had elevated scores on later gambling related problems.     

Alcohol and Substance Use in Adolescence and Young Adulthood: The Role of Siblings

Interpersonal relationships within and outside the family have been a central part of alcohol and substance use research. Many studies have focused on the role of parents and peers; fewer studies have focused on siblings. This article examines siblings’ roles in alcohol, tobacco, and other drug (ATOD) use patterns and trajectories in the context of familial and nonfamilial factors across time. First, intraclass correlations were used to examine the degree to which older siblings’ ATOD use was associated with younger siblings’ ATOD use. Second, hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to examine the degree to which individual, parent, sibling, and peer factors over time were associated with adolescents’ and young adults’ ATOD use. It should be noted that developmentally proximal predictors were utilized in these models and within-family replication was also examined. Results demonstrate strong associations between older and younger siblings’ ATOD use. Moreover, the developmentally proximal sibling variables were predictive of younger sibling ATOD use in the context of other variables across all substances. Study findings are discussed in terms of identifying promising and potentially malleable points of intervention for future investigators.     

Trajectories of Depressed Mood From Early Adolescence to Young Adulthood: The Effects of Pubertal Timing and Adolescent Dating

The effects of pubertal timing and adolescent dating on trajectories of depressed mood from early adolescence to young adulthood were examined among youths who participated in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Results showed that for both boys and girls, the trajectories of depressed mood between the ages of 12 and 23 took an inverse U‐shape with its peak in mid‐adolescence. Furthermore, pubertal timing was a significant predictor of depressed mood at age 12. The pubertal timing effect was nonlinear, suggesting that at age 12, early and late maturing youths were at risk of experiencing elevated levels of depressed mood. The adverse effect of off‐time maturation gradually dissipated over time. Moreover, in early adolescence, teenagers, particularly girls, were adversely affected by dating, and off‐time physical maturation exacerbated the negative effects of dating. However, the interactive effect of dating and pubertal timing gradually decreased with age. Our findings underscore the importance of examining junctures of biological and social challenges in adolescence to gain better understandings of young people's emotional experiences over time.     

成年初显期青年微信朋友圈的中辍行为探究

社交媒体已渗透进人们日常生活中.以往研究大多聚焦于用户如何采纳、使用某一社交平台,对特定用户群体"不使用"某种社交媒体的情况关注较少.基于对微信朋友圈消极使用现象探究,发现用户出于自我表达的观众可及性、互动可能性的"想象",以及持续性印象维持压力的共同作用下,表达前容易反复自我审视产生社交疲惫感,进而选择退出;大多中辍后倾向于转移到同龄群体为主的强关系聚集的社交媒体,享受小范围观众舞台的安全感;看似消极的中辍行为本身成为他们寻求自我认同、提升社交质量、蜕变为理想成人的路径,具有自我同一性确认的探索意义.中辍行为赋予每个社交媒体以不同距离感知,帮助用户重新确认自我的主体性地位,通过有意识发展深入交往关系,提升情感反馈质量,借助驯化技术和掌控社交边界的感知来对抗不确定性的风险压力.     

Family Conflict in Childhood and Adolescence and Depressive Symptoms in Emerging Adulthood: Mediation by Disengagement Coping

Exposure to family conflict in childhood increases risk for later life psychological maladjustment. The family environment shapes the development of coping strategies used to manage interpersonal stressors, representing a pathway through which adverse family experiences impact later emotional functioning. In 2 studies, we evaluated engagement and disengagement coping as mediators of the relation between family conflict in childhood and depressive symptoms in young adulthood. Study 1 included participants from continuously married families exposed to higher and lower quality childhood family environments and found that disengagement partially mediated the relation between family conflict and depressive symptoms. Study 2 examined these relations among emerging adults who experienced parental divorce. Results indicated that disengagement coping fully mediated the relation between family conflict and depression. Engagement did not emerge as a mediator in either study. Elevated family conflict across varying family structures might be associated with poor adjustment via disengaged responses to stress.     

Associations Between School Connection and Depressive Symptoms From Adolescence Through Early Adulthood: Moderation by Early Adversity

Depressive symptomatology is one of the most common and costly threats to American mental health, making the elucidation of environmental influences on depressive symptoms particularly important. Using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, this study explores the interaction between environmental risk and protective factors in the etiology of depressive symptoms by asking whether school connection is associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms through early adulthood, and whether connection serves as a protective or promotive factor for youth who experienced early adversity. Findings highlight the importance of school connection in promoting long‐term mental health for all youth and suggest that policies and practice supporting school connection may be effective intervention strategies for youth at risk for depressive symptomatology.     

Sexual Orientation Trajectories Based on Sexual Attractions,Partners, and Identity: A Longitudinal Investigation From Adolescence Through Young Adulthood Using a U.S. Representative Sample

Defining sexual minority status longitudinally over critical developmental periods is essential for understanding the roots of health disparities. Theory supports multidimensional continuums, but current research often examines single measures of sexual activity, sexual attractions, or self-labeled identity separately. Here, a new typology of longitudinal latent classes describes dynamic multidimensional processes continuing from late adolescence (ages 16 to 18) through the late 20s. Using Add Health data (N = 6,864), longitudinal latent class analysis (LLCA), a person-centered approach, showed significant differences between the orientation experiences of males and females (invariance tests led to stratification by sex). The male LLCA model predicted four classes: straight males (87.4%), minimal sexual expression males (6.5%), mostly straight and bi males (3.8%), and emerging gay males (2.4%). The female LLCA model predicted five classes: straight females (73.8%), minimal sexual expression females (7%), mostly straight discontinuous females (10.2%), emerging bi females (7.5%), and emerging lesbian females (1.5%). Some classes represent generally consistent indicators across dimensions over time, while other classes describe more emerging or discontinuous trajectories. Substantial changes were common not only from late adolescence to the early 20s but also from the early 20s to the late 20s, indicating that sexual orientation development continues throughout emerging adulthood.     

Young Adult Substance Use and Depression as a Consequence of Delinquency Trajectories During Middle Adolescence

This longitudinal study extended work from Wiesner and Windle (2004) by examining young adult outcomes (i.e., alcohol and illicit drug use, depression) of middle‐adolescent trajectories of delinquent behavior for a community sample of 724 young women and men (at average ages 23.8 years). Each domain of young adult adjustment problems was assessed with three indicators (i.e., lifetime rates of psychiatric disorders, annual rates of psychiatric disorders, elevated levels of problem behaviors). Findings indicated specificity in trajectory‐outcome associations, with all active offender pathway groups consistently showing poorer adjustment in the domains of young adult alcohol and illicit drug use (but not depression) relative to the rare offenders. However, there was almost no evidence of differential outcomes among the four most active offender trajectory groups. Overall, this study offered limited support for the contention that differing developmental courses and experiences during middle adolescence are linked to differential outcomes in early adulthood.     

Dimensions of Lesbian Identity During Adolescence and Young Adulthood

Abstract

As knowledge about gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people continues to mature, social work research must address the complexity of key issues, including sexual identity. The present study examined dimensions of sexual identity among young women who identify as questioning or lesbian, and it illustrates the progress being made in conceptualization and measurement in this area.

Three distinct dimensions of lesbian identity were found: “New Identity Possibilities,” “Consolidation and Fulfillment,” and “Stigma and Mistreatment Management.” For these young women, individual and social dimensions of identity development were not distinct as had been previously hypothesized. These findings are discussed in relation to theory and future research that attends to the intersection of gender, age, and sexual identity.     

Parental Child‐Rearing Conflicts Through Adolescence: Trajectories and Associations With Child Characteristics and Externalizing Patterns

Research on longitudinal interparental conflict patterns and offspring development is scarce. The population‐based TOPP study (N = 459) was used to investigate (1) child‐rearing conflict trajectories through four time points during childhood and adolescence (ages 8–16), and (2) associations between conflict trajectories and child characteristics (i.e., birth order, gender, externalizing patterns from early childhood). Latent profile analysis identified six distinct trajectories. Conflict levels decreased for most respondents over the adolescent offspring period, but offspring's birth order and externalizing problems were related to less typical trajectories and higher levels of conflict. Onset of externalizing problems was of additional importance for the course of parental child‐rearing conflicts. The results highlight the perception of the whole family as an interwoven system.     

Depression and Anger Trajectories During the Transition to Adulthood

The current study examined within‐person (transitions in living situation and parent status) and between‐persons (age, gender, parent education) predictors of trajectories of depressive and angry symptoms in 577 university graduates (ages 20 to 29) tracked for 7 years. Multilevel models determined that depressive and angry symptoms declined on average. Depressive symptoms were associated with leaving home when younger and living with parents when older. Becoming a parent was associated with increased anger, especially in mothers. These results were obtained after controlling for the effects of marriage and unemployment. Leaving home and parenthood may be turning points that are associated with shifts in trajectories of well‐being, depending on stable characteristics such as age and gender.