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Today — 23 January 2025Wiley: Journal of Research on Adolescence: Table of Contents

The co‐development of ethnic identity and future orientation among ethnically/racially minoritized adolescents: A parallel process model

✇Wiley: Journal of Research on Adolescence: Table of Contents
By: Kiera M. Coulter， Aprile D. Benner， Francheska Alers Rojas， Madeline Harrington
22 January 2025 at 03:21

Abstract

This brief report examined the co-development of ethnic/racial identity (ERI) and future orientation among ethnically/racially minoritized adolescents. The current study used three waves of longitudinal data (N = 619) spanning 8th to 10th grades from a diverse sample (55.9% Latino/a/x, 21.2% biracial/multiethnic/other, 13.2% Asian, 9.7% Black; 54.1% female; 57.4% economically disadvantaged). We investigated the developmental trajectories of future orientation and ethnic identity and determined if these trajectories were interrelated. The results of the single and parallel process latent growth curve models showed that mean levels of ERI increased while future orientation decreased over time. Initial levels of ERI were significantly related to accelerated declines in future orientation. Exploratory analyses, which tested distinct forms of ethnic/racial discrimination as moderators, revealed that the negative association between ERI in 8th grade and the rate of change in future orientation was significant only at average and high levels of educator-perpetrated discrimination. These results point to complex interrelations between ERI formation and experiences of ethnic/racial discrimination and their influence on trajectories of future orientation during early to middle adolescence.

Profiles of negative and positive risk‐taking behavior among Asian and non‐Asian American emerging adults

✇Wiley: Journal of Research on Adolescence: Table of Contents
By: Yea Won Park， Amy L. Gentzler
22 January 2025 at 03:15

Abstract

Risk-taking includes both negative and positive risky behaviors, but little is known about how negative and positive risk-taking occur simultaneously. This study examined negative and positive risk-taking profiles of Asian American and Non-Asian American emerging adults (N = 401; M age = 20.68; 68.30% women) and their demographic and cultural factor correlates. Three profiles emerged: Moderate Negative and Positive, Low Negative and Positive, and High Negative/Average Positive. Asian Americans were most likely to belong in the Low Negative and Positive. The High Negative/Average Positive profile was associated with stronger emotion control values, whereas the Low Negative and Positive profile was higher in humility values. These findings underscore the role of cultural beliefs in shaping distinct risk-taking patterns among emerging adults.

Before yesterdayWiley: Journal of Research on Adolescence: Table of Contents

Locked down, rising up

✇Wiley: Journal of Research on Adolescence: Table of Contents
By: Sairaj Sagaram
15 January 2025 at 09:44

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, youth across the globe took outstanding initiatives to support their communities. From distributing food and oxygen to raising funds via digital platforms, young people demonstrated their potential in times of crisis. This commentary explores how youth civic engagement surged during the pandemic, driven by digital activism, community-led initiatives, and institutional collaboration. The scoping review highlighted the importance of Positive Youth Development (PYD) in fostering leadership skills and social responsibility among youth, while also exposing challenges like the digital divide and the risk of armchair activism. Drawing from examples in India, where youth-led initiatives and government recognition played a crucial role, this commentary discusses how civic participation can be a force for positive change, provided it is adequately supported and inclusive of diverse backgrounds.

Social support is fundamentally important for mental health among adolescents and emerging adults: Evidence across relationships and phases of the COVID‐19 pandemic

✇Wiley: Journal of Research on Adolescence: Table of Contents
By: Alicia Mitchell， Chloe L. Johnson， Emily Schroeder， G. Wei Ng， Jordan A. Booker
30 December 2024 at 03:29

Abstract

People are fundamentally driven to seek support, care, and validation from others. These are aspects of social support. Feeling sufficiently supported and cared for is important for wellness and mental health across adolescent and emerging adult development. Further, social support is valuable for wellness across both “mundane” periods of daily life as well as during times of turmoil and uncertainty. Guided by multiple frameworks on social motivation, social cognition, and ecological frameworks of development, we aimed to replicate and expand insights about social support, wellness, and mental health for adolescents and emerging adults, studying people living through periods of the COVID-19 pandemic. We studied reports of social support, coping and distress, and mental health concerns (i.e., depression and anxiety) from middle and high school age adolescents, as well as college-going emerging adults recruited during periods of COVID quarantine and following returns to in-person activities in the United States. Across eight samples, social support showed positive relations with coping strategies and negative relations with depressive and anxious problems. These findings were relevant for both adolescents and emerging adults; supported across multiple time points; involved support from family, friends, and other peers; and were sustained during periods of quarantine and the return to face-to-face daily activities. Our work both replicates and extends insights on the essential needs of feeling supported by close others for wellness and mental health and underscores the value of investing in additional infrastructure that can foster social support across multiple relationship domains (i.e., improving family relations and building spaces for peer and friend engagement in schools).

Investigating risk profiles of smartphone activities and psychosocial factors in adolescents during the COVID‐19 pandemic

✇Wiley: Journal of Research on Adolescence: Table of Contents
By: Ann‐Christin Haag， Elizabeth A. Nick， Mark S. Chen， Eva H. Telzer， Mitchell J. Prinstein， George A. Bonanno
30 December 2024 at 03:25

Abstract

Associations of adolescents' smartphone use and well-being have been contradictory. The present study investigates patterns of smartphone use and psychosocial risk / protective factors in US adolescents during COVID-19 and examines their associations with depression symptom trajectories from 5 yearly waves beginning prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Latent profile analyses revealed three risk profiles, including a high risk profile (18.9% adolescents) characterized by elevated social media use, high levels of psychosocial risk, and low levels of protective variables. Latent growth mixture modeling identified three depression trajectories; stable low, moderate-increasing, and high-severely increasing depression. Both the moderate-increasing and high-severely increasing depression trajectories were associated with membership in the high risk profile. Results highlight the impacts of type of smartphone activity rather than use per se and can inform targeted intervention strategies.

LGBTQ+ youth policy and mental health: Indirect effects through school experiences

✇Wiley: Journal of Research on Adolescence: Table of Contents
By: Samantha A. Moran， Meg D. Bishop， Ryan J. Watson， Jessica N. Fish
30 December 2024 at 02:39

Abstract

The link between state policies and LGBTQ+ youth mental health is well-established, yet less well-understood are the mechanisms that drive these associations. We used a sample from the LGBTQ+ National Teen Survey (n = 8368) collected in 2022 to examine whether and to what degree LGBTQ+ inclusive school strategies, student perceptions of school safety, and experiences with bias-based bullying and peer victimization explain the association between state LGBTQ+ youth-focused policies and LGBTQ+ youth mental health symptomology. We observed significant indirect effects between policy and LGBTQ+ youth mental health through all four constructs, suggesting that each of these more proximal school experiences was independently implicated in this association. Findings underscore how state policies shape LGBTQ+ youth mental health symptomology via more proximal contexts and emphasize the importance of policy implementation following enactment.

How Latine youth's positive development unfold through farmwork in rural migrant farmworker families in the U.S. Midwest

✇Wiley: Journal of Research on Adolescence: Table of Contents
By: Xue Jiang， Zoe E. Taylor， Gustavo Carlo， J. Jill Suitor， Yumary Ruiz
30 December 2024 at 02:13

Abstract

Some Latine youth from rural migrant farmworker communities engage in farmwork to help support themselves and their families. Although research has documented their motives for working and some characteristics of their employment, knowledge about how these youth construct their work in the fields and how such experiences relate to their positive development is needed to depict their holistic experiences. Using mixed methods, we explored youth's farmwork experiences and examined how these experiences relate to youth's prosocial behaviors, civic responsibility, and ego-resiliency. Data are from a mixed-method study of Latine youth and parents in rural and agricultural families in the U.S. Midwest. The present study uses qualitative data from a subsample of 47 youth (Mage = 11.42, 48.8% boys) who participated in interviews and survey activities. Thematic coding of the interviews revealed sociocognitive, socioemotional, skilled-related, and physical experiences, as well as prosocial considerations that included perspective taking, moral reasoning, and empathetic concern. Integrating qualitative and quantitative data showed that these experiences were distinctively associated with higher other-oriented and lower self-oriented prosocial behaviors and higher ego-resiliency. Further, farmworker youth also showed significantly lower civic efficacy, indicating that farmwork may discourage some aspects of civic responsibility. The results can inform policy and program designs on promoting Latine youth's positive development in the face of adversity, such as by highlighting character development and bridging youth engagement with civic spheres.

Adolescents in various contexts during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A commentary

✇Wiley: Journal of Research on Adolescence: Table of Contents
By: Elizabeth R. Ventura
30 December 2024 at 02:13

Abstract

This commentary provides a reflection on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescents in the context of family dynamics, school environments, peer relationships, and civic engagement. Drawing from four systematic literature reviews, the commentary highlights key findings, such as the long-term effects of COVID-19 on adolescent development, mental health, and academic well-being. The need for future research is emphasized to assess how these cohort effects will evolve over time. Cultural context and socioeconomic disparities emerge as crucial considerations, with the pandemic exacerbating existing inequalities, especially in access to education and digital resources. This commentary also underscores the importance of adopting a socio-ecological perspective to understand the multifaceted impact of COVID-19 on adolescents globally. In conclusion, it calls for targeted policies to support adolescents' mental health and academic recovery post-pandemic, particularly in underserved communities. Governments, educators, and civic organizations are encouraged to create inclusive policies that address these disparities while fostering resilience and well-being among young people. These reviews may also inform translational research that could aid in the development of evidence-based interventions and policies aimed at helping adolescents thrive in a post-pandemic world.

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