Early Adolescent Years Research Articles

Age-varying associations of parent-adolescent relationship and school connectedness with adolescent self-compassion: Differences by gender.

Parent-adolescent relationships and school connectedness are critical promotive factors for adolescent self-compassion. However, little is known about how the magnitude of the associations between these protective factors and self-compassion changes across continuous age groups and whether gender differences exist in the age-varying associations. This study aims to investigate (1) the age-varying associations of parent-adolescent relationships and school connectedness with self-compassion using time-varying effect modeling and (2) how their age-varying associations may differ by gender. A total of 14,776 adolescents aged 10-18 (mean age = 13.53 ± 2.08, 52.3% males) from Shenzhen, China participated in this study. All adolescents completed the online questionnaires in the school computer rooms. The results showed that both parent-adolescent relationships and school connectedness were positively associated with adolescent self-compassion, and the magnitudes fluctuated with age. Specifically, the association between parent-adolescent relationships and self-compassion peaked for adolescents in early adolescence, with the key timing for girls (age group of 10 years old) being slightly earlier than boys (age group of 11 years old). The association between school connectedness and self-compassion was stronger for boys in the early years of adolescence (in the age group of 12.7 years), while stronger for girls during middle adolescence (in the age group of 14.0 years). Overall, girls were more sensitive to connections with parents and schools than boys during most age groups. The findings demonstrated differential key timing for boys and girls regarding family- and school-based intervention to cultivate self-compassion and highlighted the importance of maintaining strong connections with families and schools for cultivating adolescent self-compassion, particularly for girls.

Relationship between peer conformity and reproductive health maintenance behaviours among early adolescent girls in Islamic boarding schools

Reproductive health problems are often experienced by early adolescents who live in Islamic boarding schools because Islamic boarding schools have a higher population density and interpersonal contact than other schools. In the early adolescent years, there is a tendency in terms of a solid urge to behave like peers, so conformity quickly occurs when adolescents adopt reproductive health care behaviours. This study aimed to determine the relationship between peer conformity and reproductive health maintenance behaviour of early adolescent girls at Islamic boarding schools. This study used a correlational research design with a cross-sectional approach and a purposive sampling technique conducted on 165 early adolescents. The analytical method used for this study was univariate and bivariate analysis tests, in bivariate tests using the Pearson test processed with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) program. The analysis showed that all early adolescents (100%) had a history of vaginal discharge. The results of the bivariate test showed a value of p=0.0001. The level of reproductive health maintenance behaviour is determined by the extent to which conformity occurs in adolescents. Conformity that occurs can affect and change one's perceptions and behaviour.

Depression and Personality Traits Across Adolescence-Within-Person Analyses of a Birth Cohort.

Depressive symptoms and personality traits covary in adolescents, but our understanding of the nature of this relation is limited. Whereas a predisposition explanation posits that specific personality traits increase the vulnerability for developing depression, a scar explanation proposes that depression may alter premorbid personality. Attempts to test these explanatory models have relied on analyses that conflate within-person changes and between-person differences, which limits the implications that can be drawn. Moreover, research on the early adolescent years is lacking. The present study therefore examined within-person associations between depressive symptoms and Big Five personality traits across ages 10 to 16. Children (n = 817; 49.9% boys) and parents from two birth cohorts in Trondheim, Norway, were assessed biennially with clinical interviews capturing symptoms of major depressive disorder and dysthymia, and self-reported Big Five personality traits. Analyses were conducted using a random intercept cross-lagged panel model, which accounts for all unmeasured time-invariant confounding effects. Increased Neuroticism predicted an increased number of depressive symptoms-and increased depressive symptoms predicted increased Neuroticism-across ages 10 to 14. Moreover, increased depressive symptoms forecast reduced Extraversion across ages 10 to 16, and reduced Conscientiousness from ages 12 to 14. Increases in Neuroticism may contribute to the development of depressive symptoms-in line with the predisposition model. As regards the scar model, depression may have an even wider impact on personality traits: increasing Neuroticism and reducing Extraversion and Conscientiousness. These effects may already be present in the earliest adolescent years.

Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity among Pre-adolescence school children at Al- Nasiriya city, Iraq

Objective: To examine the sociodemographic factors and determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity amongstudents in their early adolescent years.Method: The cross-sectional study was conducted at four governmental intermediate schools located in Al-Nasiriyacity of Thi-Qar Governorate in Iraq from January 2 to February 15, 2021, and comprised students of either gender aged12-14 years. Data was gathered using a self-designed questionnaire. Body mass index was calculated after measuringthe subjects’ weight in kilograms on a properly calibrated digital scale and their height in centimetres on an appropriatetape meter scale. Data was analysed using SPSS 23.Results: Of the 218 subjects, 124(56.88%) were girls and 94(43.12%) were boys. Overall, 100(45.87%) subjects wereaged 13 years. There were 71(32.56%) overweight and 30(13.76%) obese subjects. Age and gender were significantlyassociated with body mass index (p<0.05).Conclusion: Students in their early adolescent years were relatively more likely to be overweight and obese. Age andgender had a correlation with body mass index.Keywords: Overweight, Body mass, Paediatric, Obesity, Demography.

Lifestyle and sexual habits of students in a Southern Italian region.

Incorrect or harmful lifestyle during youth may impact negatively gonadal function later in life. To reduce the development of risky behaviors a series of health prevention and intervention campaigns have been conducted in Italy. The present study is part of a Sicily Region (Italy) health surveillance program that was carried out on a sample of late adolescents. Between March 2022 to December 2022, we enrolled 718 adolescents (15-26 years old) attending the last two years of high school (278 males and 440 females) in the districts of Syracuse, Ragusa, Catania, and Agrigento (Sicily, Italy). All adolescents were invited to complete a questionnaire that explored their lifestyles and the student's knowledge of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and the main andrological diseases. Our analysis revealed that 43% of students smoke cigarettes, with a similar gender distribution; one-third of the students use illicit drugs, with a higher prevalence of males than females. More than two-thirds of youngsters reported drinking alcohol with a statistically significant difference between genders. 68.2% of students do not have sexual difficulties and males have a greater tendency to sexual promiscuity than females and only about half of them use condoms. 92% of students surf the Internet every day; boys tend to visit pornographic sites more often than girls. This survey revealed statistically significant differences between the two genders in terms of lifestyle and sexual habits. In particular, the survey shows that the prevalence of risky behaviour is still extremely high among late adolescents and young adults and that much still needs to be done in terms of prevention and information. Adequate prevention campaigns, to be proposed in the early years of adolescence, should be initiated in order to provide youngsters with adequate preparation in terms of healthy lifestyle habits.

Parent-Adolescent Communication About Contraceptives And Its Associated Factors in Bahir Dar City, North West, Ethiopia, 2022

Adolescent pregnancy is a serious and complex problem. An overwhelming majority of teens feel that avoiding teen pregnancy would be easier if they were able to have open discussions about contraceptives with their parents. This study aimed to assess parent-adolescent communication about contraceptives and its associated factors in Bahir Dar city, North West Ethiopia, 2022 GC. Institution based cross-sectional study was conducted. A total of 821 adolescents was included in the study from June 10 to 30/2022GC. Multi stage - simple random sampling technique was used. The data was collected by using a pretested and structured interviewer administered questionnaire via Epicollect5. Then it was exported in to Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 25 for analysis. Both bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analysis were done. Variables with a p-value of <0.05 were considered statistically significant. <i>Result</i>: Overall (22.3%) (95% CI: 19%-25%) of the adolescent had communicated about contraceptives with their parents in the past six months. Favorable attitude toward parent-adolescent communication [AOR= 4.014; 95%CI: 2.618-6.155], being sexually active [AOR= 2.236, 95%CI: 1.341-3.731], female sex [AOR =2.675, 95%CI: 1.761-4.065], age (15-19) [AOR=1.641, 95%CI: 1.042,2.586], knowledgeable toward contraceptives [AOR =1.661, 95%CI: 1.016-2.717], private school student [AOR=0.451; 95%CI: 0.245-0.831] and family size of ≥5 [AOR=2.764, 95%CI: 1.791-4.267] were significantly associated with parent-adolescentcommunication about contraceptives. <i>Conclusion and Recommendation</i>: Communication about contraceptives between the adolescent and their parents was low. Parents shall give especial emphasis to male adolescents, but not mean that neglecting the female adolescent. It is important to encourage and empower parents to start to communicate with their adolescents while the adolescents are still in the early adolescent years, before they become sexually active.

Relative likeability and relative popularity as sources of influence in children's friendships.

The present study contrasts two forms of peer status as sources of friend influence: Relative likeability and relative popularity. Participants included 310 children (142 boys, 168 girls), ages 9 to 12, in stable reciprocated friendships. Peer nominations were collected at two time points, 8 to 14 weeks apart. After removing overlapping variance through residualization, partners in each friend dyad were categorized into roles on the basis of relative (to the partner) popularity and relative (to the partner) likeability. Dyadic analyses compared more- and less-liked friends and more- and less-popular friends in terms of their influence over physical aggression, relational aggression, prosocial behavior, and academic achievement. Higher initial relational aggression, prosocial behavior, and academic achievement among more-liked partners predicted greater increases in the same among less-liked partners, but not the reverse. Unexpectedly, physical aggression among less-liked partners predicted increases in physical aggression among more-liked partners. More popular friends did not influence less popular friends on any of these variables, although (also unexpectedly) less-popular friends influenced the academic achievement of more-popular friends. Taken together, the findings suggest that during the pre- and early adolescent years, relative influence within a friendship tends to be apportioned on the basis of likeability, not popularity.

Positive classroom climate buffers against increases in loneliness arising from shyness, rejection sensitivity and emotional reactivity.

Loneliness is detrimental to well-being, particularly during the transition into and early years of adolescence when peer relations are ascendant. Shy and emotionally sensitive youth, who often spend considerable time alone, have known vulnerabilities to loneliness. Studies of young children suggest that a supportive classroom context may mitigate adjustment risks, reducing victimization and improving a sense of belonging. Herein we extend this work to older students, testing the hypothesis that a positive classroom climate protects temperamentally vulnerable children (i.e., those who are shy, emotionally reactive, or sensitive to rejection) from escalating levels of loneliness across the course of a school year. A community sample of 540 (277 boys, 263 girls) Lithuanian students in grades 5-7 (10-14 years old) completed identical surveys twice, 4-5 months apart. Self-reports assessed shyness, emotional reactivity, and rejection sensitivity, as well as perceived positive classroom climate and loneliness. Path analyses indicated that longitudinal associations from shyness, emotional reactivity, and rejection sensitivity to increased loneliness were mitigated by positive classroom climate. In each case, temperamental vulnerability anticipated greater loneliness for youth reporting low but not high positive classroom climate. The results held after accounting for several potential confounding variables. The findings have practical implications, suggesting that scholars and practitioners redouble efforts to improve classroom support, particularly for temperamentally vulnerable children who are at elevated risk for solitude, loneliness, and attendant mental health challenges.

“Respect Thy Father and Thy Mother in Old Age” – on the Social Determinants of the (in) Presence of Old Age in the Space of the Polish Family. Reminiscences of Representatives of the Baby Boomers Generation

Old age is a life stage that is very often analyzed in the context of losses and the many difficulties that an elderly person must face. Dependence or reliance inherent for many seniors make their successful daily functioning require thirdparty support. Socio-cultural or legal rationales allow us to expect that help for dependent seniors will be provided by the family. However, the reality around us verifies this belief often to the disadvantage of the family environment. Moreover, it turns out that the opinion on the (in)presence of old age in the space of the Polish family, significantly depends on the generational affiliation of those who make an assessment of the state of affairs. This is due, among other things, to the social conditions and the axionormative system in which the socialization process of the representatives of each generation took place. The submitted article discusses the reminiscences of representatives of the generation of post-war Baby Boomers, i.e. people born between 1946 and 1964. Experiencing childhood and the years of early adolescence in the conditions of the Polish People’s Republic, including attachment to the family and religious values of Polish society at the time, are circumstances that cannot be ignored, determining the views of people growing up at the time. Based on qualitative research conducted in 2022, the text will discuss the recollections of women and men of the Baby Boomers generation regarding old age in the family space during their childhood, as well as opinions on contemporary trends. The author’s intention is to convince the reader that religion’s function of providing and sustaining a sense of meaning and purpose in existence, especially under the harsh reality of communist times, was not without influence on the identity and attitudes of the Baby Boomers generation growing up at the time.

Analysis of adolescents' perception and awareness level for Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights in Pakistan.

Awareness of rights is a precondition to establishing rule of law in society. Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) are closely knitted in the human rights framework as they overlap with other human rights such as the right to health and life. However, awareness about these rights remains a challenge. Considering the importance of these rights this study has measured the awareness of adolescents about SRHR in Bahawalpur (Division) of Pakistan. We conducted a cross-sectional study in the Divison of Bahawalpur, Pakistan from October 2019 to December 2019. The study included a sample size of 500 respondents which included 250 young females of age 15-19 and 250 their parents (mother). The reasoning behind including only females in this study was the increased vulnerability and greater impact of SRHR in their life compared to males. The age range 15-19 was primarily selected as females this age will better understand and respond to the questionnaire compared to females in their early adolescent years. The quantitative research was conducted using two-stagecluster sampling. Detailed structured questionnaires were distributed among the respondents to obtain their points of view on the awareness of SRHR. The population was divided into multi-clusters with 25 households comprising 250 households for the division of Bahawalpur. The information was also gathered from the doctors and the teachers through interviews. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 21. The study explored the knowledge and understanding of adolescent SRHR thereby highlighting the key restrictions in Bahawalpur, Pakistan, which prohibit adolescents from gaining access to SRHR and exercising it. There is a significant portion of adolescents who strongly agreed with the importance and awareness level and think they should be more aware of information regarding SRHR. However, they are of the view that they are less independent in practicing them. The study found a low level of awareness about SRHR among young female and their parents in Bahawalpur, Pakistan. It is a need of time and responsibility of the local government of the Bahawalpur region to devise clear and proper policies which give access to these rights. This can be done by including the information on these rights in the course curriculum and teachers keeping in view the cultural and regional restrictions that guide the young female about SRHR.

The Academic Cost of Worry Among Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Children.

ObjectivesWorry and loneliness looms large in American schools, especially in the social years of early adolescence where friendships are in flux and children strive to fit in and do well academically. We examine a nationally-representative sample of American 5th graders to document the extent of academic worry and loneliness, its costs for academic performance, and how social class can disrupt or exacerbate its associations.MethodsBased on a nationally representative longitudinal survey (ECLS-K 2010–2011) of childhood (N = 5750), we examine if a child’s self-reported worry and loneliness are associated with standardized math and reading scores using OLS regression. We explore whether these associations vary by socioeconomic status.ResultsWe find that academic worry is a strong predictor of math and reading skill. The association is amplified for disadvantaged students. Patterns hold when accounting for a host of other factors and are replicated in the ECLS-K 1998–1999. Loneliness and its association with math and reading performance was not statistically significant.Conclusions for PracticeAs academic worry is negatively associated with standardized math and reading skills, practitioners can be especially attuned to how these patterns are amplified for children in low socioeconomic households. Utilizing a nationally representative survey of early adolescence, we show that worry (and less so loneliness) is associated with math and reading skills and that these associations are moderated by socioeconomic status—disadvantaged students have a higher negative association with math and reading performance when they worry about their academic performance compared to advantaged students.

Fitness, Food, and Biomarkers: Characterizing Body Composition in 19,634 Early Adolescents.

Adolescent obesity persists as a major concern, especially in Central and Eastern Europe, yet evidence gaps exist regarding the pivotal early adolescent years. Our objective was to provide a comprehensive picture using a holistic approach of measured anthropometry in early adolescence, including body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), and reported lifestyle characteristics. We aimed to elucidate potential sex/gender differences throughout and associations to biomarkers of disease risk for obese adolescents. Methods: Trained nurses measured 19,634 early adolescents (12–14-year-olds), we collected parental reports, and, for obese adolescents, fasting blood samples in four major Polish cities using a cross-sectional developmental design. Results: 24.7% boys and 18.6% girls were overweight/obese, and 2886 had BMI ≥ 90th percentile. With increasing age, there was greater risk of obesity among boys (p for trend = 0.001) and a decreasing risk of thinness for girls (p for trend = 0.01). Contrary to debate, we found BMI (continuous) was a useful indicator of measured fat mass (FM). There were 38.6% with CRF in the range of poor/very poor and was accounted for primarily by FM in boys, rather than BMI, and systolic blood pressure in girls. Boys, in comparison to girls, engaged more in sports (t = 127.26, p < 0.0001) and consumed more fast food (t = 188.57, p < 0.0001) and sugar-sweetened beverages (167.46, p < 0.0001). Uric acid, a potential marker for prediabetes, was strongly related to BMI in the obese subsample for both boys and girls. Obese girls showed signs of undernutrition. Conclusion: these findings show that overweight/obesity is by far a larger public health problem than thinness in early adolescence and is characterized differentially by sex/gender. Moreover, poor CRF in this age, which may contribute to life course obesity and disease, highlights the need for integrated and personalized intervention strategies taking sex/gender into account.

Trauma, Love, and Identity Development in Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Persons in the stage of adolescence are eager to know who they are. They are curious about their unique characteristics and identities and how they can start to bring about the self-realization that provides a gateway to adulthood by exploring those characteristics and identities. In this process of self-exploration, adolescents who receive encouragement as they search for an authentic identity, though they sometimes have conflicts with parents and others, are likely to develop a secure ego-identity and a strong sense of independence and self-control. By contrast, adolescents who fail to receive encouragement during the process of identity exploration, for whatever reason, may remain unsure about who they are, and hence feel insecure and confused about themselves as well as their future. The present study uses the fictional character Harry Potter to explore these issues in greater depth, mainly focusing on his early adolescent years—that is, when he is 11-13 years old. The study demonstrates that Harry Potter can manage to resolve conflicting ideas and thereby lay the foundations for a healthy ego-identity despite difficult circumstances. The study uses Erikson’s and other psychologists’ understanding of the importance of self-exploration in adolescence as an interpretive lens to examine the dynamics of trauma, love, and self-realization in Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. More specifically, it considers how family love (or the lack thereof), mentorship, and friendship in adolescence impact Harry’s mental and physical behaviors and influence the development of his identity.

Growth in emergency department self-harm or suicidal ideation presentations in young people: Comparing trends before and since the COVID-19 first wave in New South Wales, Australia.

Self-harm presentations in children and young people have increased internationally over the last decade. The COVID-19 pandemic has the potential to worsen these trends. To describe trends in emergency department self-harm or suicidal ideation presentations for children and young people in New South Wales before and since the COVID-19 pandemic. We studied presentations for self-harm or suicidal ideation by 10- to 24-year-olds to New South Wales emergency departments, using interrupted time series analysis to compare annualised growth before COVID (2015 to February 2020) and since COVID (March 2020 to June 2021). Subgroup analyses compared age group, gender, triage category, rurality and disadvantage. Time series decomposition via generalised additive models identified long-term, seasonal and short-term trends. Self-harm or suicidal ideation presentations by young people in New South Wales increased by 8.4% per annum pre-COVID. Growth accelerated since COVID, to 19.2% per annum, primarily due to increased presentations by females aged 13-17 years (47.1% per annum since COVID, from 290 per 10,000 in 2019 to 466 per 10,000 in 2021). Presentations in males aged 10-24 years did not increase since COVID (105.4 per 10,000 in 2019, 109.8 per 10,000 in 2021) despite growing 9.9% per annum before COVID. Presentation rates accelerated significantly in socio-economically advantaged areas. Presentations in children and adolescents were strongly linked to school semesters. Emergency department self-harm or suicidal ideation presentations by New South Wales young people grew steadily before COVID. Understanding the sustained increase remains a priority. Growth has increased since COVID particularly for adolescent females, but not among adolescent males. Surprisingly, the largest post-COVID increases in annual growth occurred in socio-economically advantaged and urban regions. The COVID-19 pandemic appears to have added new challenges, particularly in females in the developmentally critical early adolescent and teenage years.

The Development of Vocational Interests in Early Adolescence: Stability, Change, and State-Trait Components

Vocational interests predict major life outcomes such as job performance, college major choice, and life goals. It is therefore important to gain a better understanding of their development during the crucial years of late childhood and early adolescence, when trait-like interests are starting to develop. The present study investigated the development of vocational interests in a longitudinal sample, comprising N = 3,876 participants—assessed at four time points from ages 11 to 14. Stability, state-trait variance components, mean-level development, and gender differences in mean-levels of Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional (RIASEC) dimensions were examined. Stabilities were moderate for all dimensions, but Realistic, Investigative, Social, and Conventional interests became more stable over time. For Realistic, Artistic, Social, and Conventional interests, the trait variance increased over time. At age 14, all dimensions had substantial trait variance components. The mean-levels of Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, and Conventional interests decreased over the 3 years (–0.44 &lt; d &lt; –0.24). Initial gender differences—with girls having higher Artistic and Social interests and boys having higher Realistic and Investigative interests—increased over time. By investigating the development of vocational interests in late childhood and early adolescence, we complement previous findings and provide first insights about state-trait proportions in early adolescence.

A Retrospective Longitudinal Treatment Review of Multidisciplinary Interventions in Nonsyndromic Robin Sequence With Cleft Palate.

Objective:To document and analyze the overall longitudinal institutional treatment experience of children with nonsyndromic Robin sequence (RS) from infancy to early adulthood.Design:Retrospective longitudinal treatment review.Setting:A tertiary-care, referral, teaching hospital.Patients:Children with nonsyndromic RS and cleft palate (N = 117) born between December, 1985, and January, 2012.Interventions:Data regarding airway management, nutritional management, audiological interventions, orthodontic treatment, and surgical interventions were documented and analyzed in different growth/developmental stages. Comparative data from other international centers were collected from the literature.Results:Airway management during infancy involved prone positioning (92%), nasopharyngeal airway (6%), tracheostomy (2%), and mandibular distraction osteogenesis (1%). Feeding with nasogastric, gastrostomy, and/or gastrojejunostomy tubes was used in 44%, Haberman feeders in 53%, and Mead Johnson feeders in 3%. Gastroesophageal reflux disease was documented in 6% of the sample. During childhood and early adolescent years, pharyngeal flap surgery was carried out in 22% of the children, while 11% had secondary palatal surgery. Audiological management included the use of tympanostomy tubes in 62%, with several children needing multiple tube replacements. At least 18% were diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea. Adenoidectomy or adenotonsillectomy was undertaken in 4%. Analysis of data pertaining to middle childhood and adolescent years showed that orthodontic treatment was conducted for most children for crowding, tooth agenesis, and skeletal and/or dental dysplasia. Orthognathic surgery frequency (<18%) was low.Conclusions:Institutional treatment experience of children with nonsyndromic RS involves multidisciplinary care at different ages and stages of their development.

Factors associated with risk behaviors in adolescence: a systematic review.

Objective:Understanding the distal (≤ 6 years of age) and proximal (between 6 years of age and early adolescence) factors in adolescent risk behavior is important for preventing and reducing morbidity and mortality in this population. This study sought to investigate the factors associated with the following adolescent risk behaviors: i) aggressiveness and violence, ii) tobacco, alcohol, and illicit substance use, iii) depressive behavior and self-harm (including suicidal ideation and attempts), iv) sexual risk behavior, and v) multiple risk behavior.Methods:A systematic review was conducted to identify longitudinal studies that examined factors associated with adolescent risk behaviors. The PubMed, PsycINFO, and LILACS databases were searched.Results:Of the 249 included studies, 23% reported distal risk factors, while the remaining reported proximal risk factors. Risk factors were related to sociodemographic characteristics (neighborhood, school, and peers), family patterns, and the presence of other adolescent risk behaviors.Conclusion:Distal and proximal factors in adolescent risk behavior that are not exclusively socioeconomic, familial, environmental, or social should be explored more thoroughly.

Problem Behavior and Life Satisfaction in Early Adolescence: Longitudinal Findings in a Chinese Context

This study tested the reciprocal relationships between problem behavior (PB) and life satisfaction (LS) as well as the relationships between their trajectories of change. Using a three-wave dataset collected from 3,328 Chinese junior secondary school students in Hong Kong, this study identified bidirectional associations between PB and LS. For PB, while externalizing behavior was indexed by ″delinquent behavior″ and ″problem behavioral intention″, internalizing behavior was indexed by ″deliberate self-harm″ and ″suicidal behavior″. As expected, both types of PB negatively predicted future LS. Besides, changes in PB also negatively predicted changes in LS. While the predictions of externalizing behavior on LS were similar among boys and girls and declined over time, the prediction of internalizing behavior appeared to be stronger and more persistent for boys than for girls. A novel finding was that while earlier LS positively predicted later PB, changes in LS negatively predicted changes in PB over time. The present findings underscore the dynamic relationships between problem behavior and life satisfaction over time and across genders in early adolescent years.

Food intake in children and adolescents: a cross-sectional study from 2009/2010 to 2015/2016.

The aim was to describe food intake over time in children and adolescents, with respect to age and gender. The present study was a repeated cross-sectional study using self-reported data from a health questionnaire. Data were collected from the School Health Services in south-east Sweden from 44 297 students, 10, 13-14 and 16 years of age, 48 % girls and 52 % boys from 2009/2010 to 2015/2016. Reported intakes for eight foods were analysed in relation to the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations. Seventeen per cent of the students reported an intake in line with the recommendations for at least six of the eight foods fish, vegetables, fruit, mealtime beverages, juice/chocolate drinks, sugar-sweetened beverages, sweets/snacks and pastries. Intake of at least two fruits a day was the recommendation that was followed by the lowest proportion of students (30 %), and this result was stable over the study period. There was a gradual increase over time in the proportion of students who reported an intake in line with the recommendations. Younger students compared to older students, as well as girls compared to boys, reported intakes in line with the recommendations to a statistically significant larger extent. Few students reported intakes in line with the recommendations, although the quality of food intake seems to improve over time. The present results indicate a deterioration in reported food intake in the early years of adolescence. Finding methods to support all children and especially older adolescents to eat healthier, including eating more fruit, is of great importance to public health.

Striatal bases of temporal discounting in early adolescents

Steeper rates of temporal discounting—the degree to which smaller-sooner (SS) rewards are preferred over larger-later (LL) ones—have been associated with impulsive and ill-advised behaviors in adolescence. Yet, the underlying neural systems remain poorly understood. Here we used a well-established temporal discounting paradigm and functional MRI (fMRI) to examine engagement of the striatum—including the caudate, putamen, and ventral striatum (VS)—in early adolescence (13–15 years; N = 27). Analyses provided evidence of enhanced activity in the caudate and VS during impulsive choice. Exploratory analyses revealed that trait impulsivity was associated with heightened putamen activity during impulsive choices. A more nuanced pattern was evident in the cortex, with the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex mirroring the putamen and posterior parietal cortex showing the reverse association. Taken together, these observations provide an important first glimpse at the distributed neural systems underlying economic choice and trait-like individual differences in impulsivity in the early years of adolescence, setting the stage for prospective-longitudinal and intervention research.