Developmental Science Perspective Research Articles

Behavioral physical activity counselling to promote an active healthy lifestyle among adolescent psychiatric outpatients. The TRANSPAC-study

Introduction
 Mental health disorders are one of the main reasons for disability in adolescents worldwide (Dahl et al., 2018). Sleep disturbances are an important contributor to a vicious cycle of increased vulnerability during this developmental period. Interventions that improve sleep are suggested to improve psychosocial outcomes. One such intervention may be physical activity (PA), with a beneficial effect on both sleep and mental health. Yet, PA levels are declining during adolescent years, with even higher inactivity levels for individuals with psychiatric disorders. Guidance on how to address PA counselling (PAC) among psychiatric adolescents in routine clinical practice has the potential to improve clinical and psychosocial outcomes.
 Methods
 During this ongoing randomized waitlist controlled trial, 18 adolescent psychiatric outpatients have been recruited from local clinics and private practices. Those who met inclusion criteria were aged 12 to 18 years, suffered from sleep problems, and had at least one additional mental health diagnosis. Exclusion criteria included organic sleep and brain disorders and changes in medication. At baseline, participants completed questionnaires related to sleep and psychopathology. For the next seven days, participants wore an Actigraph to track PA and sleep patterns. Participants were serially randomized into two groups after baseline: PAC or Treatment as usual (TAU). At 3-month follow-up, all tests were repeated. Additionally, a semi structured interview was conducted with intervention participants. To assess intervention effects, mixed model ANOVAs were conducted for PA, psychopathology, and composite sleep health.
 The 6-session intervention builds on previous standardized and theory-based PAC programs (Gerber et al., 2019).
 Results
 By 2023, follow-up data were available from 12 participants (Mage 15.33 yrs; 75% females). Preliminary data show a significant trend for increased PA on school days, and composite sleep health (p = .07). Yet, compliance of Actigraph wear time was low. No changes were observed for psychopathology. The post-intervention interview revealed positive experiences.
 Discussion/Conclusion
 The preliminary data show the feasibility of the intervention. It is likely that improvements in PA and sleep patterns must first stabilize before they can have a meaningful impact on psychopathology. However, more data is needed to confirm the results. The interviews revealed that the content and mode of delivery were generally accepted. Considering the many other obligations adolescents face in their everyday lives, including homework and psychotherapy, the combination of online and face-to-face sessions was well received. Because of the low compliance rate of Actigraph wear time, alternative devices should be considered for this population.
 References
 Dahl, R. E., Allen, N. B., Wilbrecht, L., & Suleiman, A. B. (2018). Importance of investing in adolescence from a developmental science perspective. Nature, 554(7693), 441–450. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature25770
 Gerber, M., Beck, J., Brand, S., Cody, R., Donath, L., Eckert, A., Faude, O., Fischer, X., Hatzinger, M., Holsboer-Trachsler, E., Imboden, C., Lang, U., Mans, S., Mikoteit, T., Oswald, A., Pühse, U., Rey, S., Schreiner, A. K., Schweinfurth, N., … Zahner, L. (2019). The impact of lifestyle physical activity counselling in IN-PATients with major depressive disorders on physical activity, cardiorespiratory fitness, depression, and cardiovascular health risk markers: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials, 20(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-019-3468-3

Epigenetic studies of child neurodevelopment: what can we learn from a developmental science perspective?

Epigenetic studies of child neurodevelopment: what can we learn from a developmental science perspective?

Climate change and resilience: Developmental science perspectives

Climate change is a complex, multisystem phenomenon that disrupts human development both directly and indirectly through the interactions of interconnected systems. This article outlines the physical, social, and psychological impacts of exposure to climate disasters, which are already increasing in frequency and ferocity across the globe. Climate change poses particular challenges for billions of people with vulnerabilities related to geography, age, injustice, poverty, and many other social or economic disadvantages. In this article, we apply resilience and positive development frameworks to describe the resources and processes at the level of the individual, the family, and the community that can prepare and support people as they contend with the impacts of climate change. To illustrate these frameworks in action, we give examples of promising interventions that focus on mobilizing powerful human adaptive systems to build hope, agency, social cohesion, and a shared sense of belonging. We conclude by calling on developmental scientists to engage in research, interventions, and collaborative advocacy to address the unprecedented and existential threat posed by climate change.

Self-reported homesickness in Australian adolescent males during their first year at boarding school: an exploratory study of symptomatic features, its dimensionality, coping strategies, and the relationship with academic, resilience, emotional and mental wellbeing factors

ABSTRACT Objective To explore the symptomatic features of homesickness in Australian adolescent males during their first year at boarding school, as well as its dimensionality, coping strategies, and the relationship with academic, resilience, emotional and mental health factors. Method Drawing on a larger, longitudinal study (n = 174 students), survey responses were collected from 29 male participants aged 11–12 years at one non-government boarding school (K-12) located in Western Australia. Results Exploratory statistical analysis found one-third did not experience homesickness, with almost one-third of participants experiencing a single episode of homesickness lasting for one week and one in five reporting recurrent episodes throughout the first year. Further, homesickness was not necessarily associated with specific negative emotions such as sadness or provoking problematic thoughts towards boarding school, cognitive impairment in class and somatisation. However, school-orientated homesickness was associated with a greater vulnerability to non-specific psychological distress, conduct problems, peer problems, and overall total difficulties. A range of productive coping strategies used by participants to ameliorate homesickness. Conclusion Findings are discussed within the context of the existing literature and wider setting of adolescence and insight from a developmental science perspective. Potential implications for practice and future directions are presented, as are the limitations of this study.

Preterm‐born children's development: A bioecological perspective

AbstractPreterm birth is a biological risk factor for developmental problems. Infants born preterm are more likely to present difficulties and potential delays in all areas of development. The aim of the present review is to apply Bronfenbrenner´s bioecological model of human development to understand the factors that shape the developmental trajectories of infants born preterm. This model offers a developmental science perspective, which considers the dynamic interaction of diverse processes and contextual factors across the lifespan to explain developmental trajectories. Firstly, the article provides key definitions associated with preterm birth and the relevance of this condition from a public health perspective. Secondly, we describe why preterm birth is a neurobiological risk factor for optimal development. Then, we describe the components of the bioecological model, provide examples associated with infants born preterm, and describe available evidence on how psychosocial factors influence development in this population. This review contributes to a deeper understanding of the factors that influence the development of infants born preterm from an integrative and complex perspective and discuss some implications of using this approach for clinical practices oriented to infants born preterm.Highlights Preterm birth is a relevant public health problem. Child development in preterm‐born infants has been studied mainly from a biomedical perspective. Prematurity is analysed from a developmental science perspective, specifically from the bioecological model. Growing up in adverse psychosocial contexts may negatively impact premature children. Developmental sciences may contribute to clinical practices and research related to preterm infants.

A Developmental-Science Perspective on Social Inequality

Many people believe in equality of opportunity but overlook and minimize the structural factors that shape social inequalities in the United States and around the world, such as systematic exclusion (e.g., educational, occupational) based on group membership (e.g., gender, race, socioeconomic status). As a result, social inequalities persist and place marginalized social groups at elevated risk for negative emotional, learning, and health outcomes. Where do the beliefs and behaviors that underlie social inequalities originate? Recent evidence from developmental science indicates that an awareness of social inequalities begins in childhood and that children seek to explain the underlying causes of the disparities that they observe and experience. Moreover, children and adolescents show early capacities for understanding and rectifying inequalities when regulating access to resources in peer contexts. Drawing on a social reasoning developmental framework, we synthesize what is currently known about children’s and adolescents’ awareness, beliefs, and behavior concerning social inequalities and highlight promising avenues by which developmental science can help reduce harmful assumptions and foster a more just society.

A lifespan developmental science perspective on trauma experiences in refugee situations.

Developmental science theory and empirical research on refugee situations requires an updated approach to the study of trauma as a multi-systemic and multilevel phenomenon. We present a theoretical framework that integrates developmental science approaches to highlight critical threats to development in situations of violent displacement. Given the complexities of displacement (causes, trajectories, and living circumstances once displaced), this theoretical model highlights the utility of an approach that recognizes the person-age-context fit in which displaced individuals live their lives and how both trauma and ongoing major disruption to daily life affects outcomes. In so doing, we aim to broaden understanding for future trauma and intervention research as well as practice with those who experience potentially traumatic events and severe disruption to their social ecology at different points in the lifespan.

Getting Developmental Science Back Into Schools: Can What We Know About Self-Regulation Help Change How We Think About "No Excuses"?

Research from education, psychology, and human development indicates that social and emotional skills are essential to success in school, work, and life, and that high-quality social and emotional learning (SEL) programs can benefit students’ mental health, academic achievement, and behavioral outcomes. While many schools are adopting an SEL approach, there remains a concerning gap between SEL research and policies and practices related to discipline and behavior management. Following the No Child Left Behind Act and education reform driven by a culture of high-stakes standardized testing and accountability benchmarks, there has been an increase in elementary schools adopting a “no excuses” model of education. This model is characterized by extended time in school, highly structured in-service teacher training, frequent assessments, and “zero tolerance” policies to strictly manage and control children’s behavior. These behavior policies are problematic as they run counter to what research tells us about children’s social and emotional development. Reactive and exclusionary discipline policies inhibit children’s abilities to build and practice self-regulation skills and jeopardize the relationships between students and teachers. The developmental science perspective on children’s regulatory skills suggests that the early years of school are a central context for developing and practicing self-regulation with the support of educators and peers. Research also indicates that warm, caring, reciprocal relationships based on trust are critical to learning and development. Yet, this research base is often overshadowed by pressures to improve standardized achievement scores or misinterpreted in the form of hyper-vigilance about children’s behavior in the classroom. Finally, the “no excuses” approach to behavior management is used disproportionally in schools serving low-income students of color and thus may contribute to unequal rates of suspensions and expulsions, both of which are linked to negative developmental outcomes later in life. This is particularly true for students who have experienced trauma, in part because the act of social exclusion is often re-traumatizing. This article summarizes research on self-regulation, trauma, and developmental relationships, highlights potential consequences of “no excuses” policies and practices in schools, and presents an alternative view of learning environments which promote effective self-regulation skills in young children.

Is adolescence the missing developmental link in Microbiome-Gut-Brain axis communication?

Gut microbial research has recently opened new frontiers in neuroscience and potentiated novel therapies for mental health problems (Mayer, etal., 2014). Much of our understanding of the gut microbiome's role in brain function and behavior, however, has been largely derived from research on nonhuman animals. Even less is known about how the development of the gut microbiome influences critical periods of neural and behavioral development, particularly adolescence. In this review, we first discuss why the gut microbiome has become increasingly relevant to developmental cognitive neuroscience and provide a synopsis of the known connections of the gut microbiome with social-affective brain function and behavior, specifically highlighting human developmental work when possible. We then focus on adolescence, a key period of neurobiological and social-affective development. Specifically, we review the links between the gut microbiome and six overarching domains of change during adolescence: (a) social processes, (b) motivation and behavior, (c) neural development, (d) cognition, (e) neuroendocrine function, and (f) physical health and wellness. Using a developmental science perspective, we summarize key changes across these six domains to underscore the promise for the gut microbiome to bidirectionally influence and transform adolescent development.

Importance of investing in adolescence from a developmental science perspective.

This review summarizes the case for investing in adolescence as a period of rapid growth, learning, adaptation, and formational neurobiological development. Adolescence is a dynamic maturational period during which young lives can pivot rapidly-in both negative and positive directions. Scientific progress in understanding adolescent development provides actionable insights into windows of opportunity during which policies can have a positive impact on developmental trajectories relating to health, education, and social and economic success. Given current global changes and challenges that affect adolescents, there is a compelling need to leverage these advances in developmental science to inform strategic investments in adolescent health.

Sociodemographic Differences in Humility: The Role of Social Relations

This study examines whether humility is associated with gender, education, and racial/ethnic group. We also investigate how social relations mediate these links across the life course. Data are from the Detroit Community Study, which focused on three prominent groups in the area: Arab Americans, African Americans, and White Americans (N=907). Findings indicate that Arab Americans and African Americans report greater humility than Whites. Further, social relations partially mediate this association, but only among older Arab Americans. Findings are discussed within a developmental science perspective to consider the relational aspects of the individual and context over the life course.

Self‐Control in Childhood: A Synthesis of Perspectives and Focus on Early Development

AbstractIn this article, I describe three prominent developmental science perspectives on self‐control in childhood, discuss differences and areas of consensus, and suggest a comprehensive, early integrative approach to research on this topic. The self‐control perspectives are the self‐regulatory concepts of delay of gratification and willpower, the cognitive neuroscience executive functioning construct of inhibitory control (IC), and the behavioral and emotional temperament dimensions of effortful control and IC. The primary focus of these approaches is similar, and differences are based largely on theory, methods, and the age of the children studied. Therefore, I agree with a synthesis of these perspectives championed by other developmental scientists, and propose comprehensive, multitheoretical, multimethod empirical study that begins when self‐control emerges in toddlerhood.

An ecological framework of place: situating environmental gerontology within a life course perspective.

This article presents an emergent heuristic framework for the core environmental gerontology concept of "place." Place has been a central concern in the field since the 1970s (Gubrium, 1978) for its hypothesized direct relationship to identity, the self, and agency--suggestive of the appropriateness of lateral theoretical linkages with developmental science. The Ecological Framework of Place (EFP) defines place as a socio-physical milieu involving people, the physical setting, and the program of the place, all catalyzed by situated human activity and fully acknowledging that all four may change over time. The article begins with a concise overview of the EFP before moving on to consider it within three theoretical terrains: place theory, developmental science theory, and environmental gerontology theory. The EFP will be argued to be a place theory which subsumes themes of emergent environmental gerontology theories within a developmental science perspective. Implications for theory, method and practice are discussed. One of the strengths of the model is its ability to serve both research and practice, as is exhibited in its ability to incorporate applied design research and inform architectural decision-making so often lacking in other environmental gerontology models. Place should be viewed as an integrative concept providing opportunities for both environmental gerontology and developmental science to more critically concern the profound role places have in terms of agency, identity and sense of self over the life course.

Erratum: Mindfulness and compassion training in adolescence: A developmental contemplative science perspective

The following table was inadvertently omitted from the article appearing in New Directions for Youth Development, Volume 2014, Number 142, pages 9–30. The table should have appeared on page 15 of the article.

Mindfulness and compassion training in adolescence: A developmental contemplative science perspective

Adolescence is a developmental period of risk, as well as a window of opportunity for cultivating positive development and thriving. It is characterized by simultaneous changes in the brain, body, mind, and social domains that offer a platform for building new skills and habits. This chapter discusses the role that secular forms of mindfulness and compassion training may play in fostering positive development in adolescence. The emerging discipline of "Developmental Contemplative Science" (DCS) is introduced, the theoretical and empirical basis of mindfulness in adolescence is illustrated in depth, and secular mindfulness and compassion practices for youth are portrayed. Last, this chapter offers an agenda for future research on connecting mindfulness to key developmental domains in adolescence.

Cancer symptom cluster research

Cancer symptom cluster research

Matching method to problem: A developmental science perspective

In developmental research there is quite often a mismatch between the scientific problem and the methods used to address it. In this article we discuss what this mismatch is about and we suggest some remedies. Our discussion is confined to typical matching situations that arise within a developmental science (DS) theoretical framework. A number of measurement issues are brought up including variable standardization and how to measure change. It is argued that to study individual development precise measurements are necessary and that, for this purpose, most measures currently used in developmental research are not sufficiently reliable. Further, we discuss the choice of a statistical method suitable for analysis within a DS framework and it is concluded that increased use should be made of person-oriented methods and methods developed for studying nonlinear dynamic systems. Finally, causality issues are discussed and a distinction is made between the study of average and individual causality.

Entrepreneurship from a Developmental Science Perspective

Due to worldwide social, political, and economic change (Silbereisen & Chen, 2010), entrepreneurship has become a key topic of our time (Hisrich, Langan-Fox, & Grant, 2007). We understand entrepreneurship as starting and growing one’s own business (or, more broadly, as the identification, evaluation, and exploitation of opportunities, Shane, 2012). Globalization, post-industrial society, rapid technological progress, the deregulation of the labor market in many countries, political shifts towards liberal economies (e.g., in the former Eastern Bloc), and the increasing individualization of the life course have together contributed to an era of entrepreneurship. At the individual level, entrepreneurship has become a central competence to succeed in a working life where, in view of the economic challenges and changing landscapes of work, proactive, self-responsible, creative, and competitive behaviors have become crucial assets and where starting one’s own business, and creating something new by entrepreneurial means and innovation, is a promising, albeit risky, job alternative for many people. At the societal level, entrepreneurship (and innovative growth oriented startups in particular) is considered a driver of economic and technological development, innovation, and job creation. In view of this growing relevance at different levels, it is not surprising that both scholars and policymakers have called for enhanced efforts in researching and promoting entrepreneurship (Hisrich et al., 2007; The World Bank, 2010; World Economic Forum, 2009).

The Importance of Developmental Science for Studies in Bullying and Victimization

Research on bullying and victimization, especially in school settings, has become an important area of developmental research, with strong practical implications. In this article we overview some considerations from neuropsychology, quantitative genetics, developmental neuroscience, we discuss CU traits and conduct problems, individual, group, class and school levels of analysis, developmental changes by age and context, and cross-cultural aspects. Together we argue that these can help bring about a developmental science perspective on to this area of research.

The age of criminal responsibility: developmental science and human rights perspectives

PurposeThe minimum age of criminal responsibility (MACR) was set at ten years old in 1963. Since then a deeper appreciation of children's rights and understanding of their unique capabilities and experiences has been gained. This paper seeks to examine the implications of these developments for our understanding of this MACR.Design/methodology/approachResearch is reviewed that illuminates questions about children's culpability, their competence to participate in the criminal justice system (CJS) and the consequences of criminalising them at a young age. Recent understandings of how children's rights apply to the MACR are also summarised.FindingsDevelopmental science and human rights perspectives are inconsistent with a MACR no younger than 12 years.Originality/valueThe paper is one of the first to extensively apply developmental science research to the MACR. The author finds that although a just and rehabilitative CJS may be achievable in the case of most adolescent defendants, this is an unrealistic goal for younger children who instead require a welfare‐based system that addresses underlying causes of antisocial behaviour, facilitates accountability and ensures child protection.