Negative Developmental Outcomes Research Articles

Personal Resources, Well-Being, Internalizing and Externalizing Symptoms of Youth in Out-Of-Home Care

Abstract: Background: Many youth living in out-of-home care have higher rates of mental health problems and more negative developmental outcomes than youth who live in their biological families. Aims: While previous studies have focused primarily on risk factors that increase the likelihood of behavioral problems, this study focuses on resources that contribute to positive development. Method: As part of the EMPOWERYOU research project, youth aged 11–18 years living in out-of-home care ( n = 79, living in foster and adoptive families and residential groups) and living with their biological families ( n = 71) participated in an online survey. Youth reported on their personal resources, internalizing and externalizing symptoms, and well-being. Results: Youth in out-of-home care reported significantly fewer personal resources, less well-being, and more internalizing and especially externalizing symptoms than youth growing up in their biological families. Path analysis results showed that high self-esteem and high self-control were associated with less externalizing symptoms. Lower empathy/perspective-taking and more self-esteem were associated with less internalizing symptoms. More optimism was associated with increased well-being. These relationships were independent of family placement as there was no moderating effect for placement type. Limitations: Potential limitations arise from focusing solely on self-report and using of a cross-sectional design. Conclusion: The results highlight the relevance of promoting the personal resources of youth in out-of-home care. Since the path analysis did not reveal moderation by family placement, possible interventions do not need to be specified for them, but (already existing) effective interventions can be used.

Study protocol for leaving care-A comparison study of implementation, change mechanisms and effectiveness of transition services for youth.

Youth placed in out-of-home care is a large and highly vulnerable group at high risk of negative developmental outcomes. Given the size and extent of negative developmental outcomes for youth placed in out-of-home care, interventions to help this vulnerable group navigate successfully towards independent living and promote wellbeing across a spectrum of outcome areas are needed. To date, there is a lack of such interventions, particularly in Sweden. Importing interventions from other societies and cultures is associated with difficulties. The aim of the research project is to implement, test, and evaluate interventions that have been recently developed in Swedish practice to close this gap. The project has an ambitious and complex data collection and analysis strategy using qualitative, quantitative, and multiple information methods (hybrid effectiveness-implementation study) over the course of two years. Both the implementation and effectiveness of the interventions will be evaluated. The recently developed My Choice-My Way! leaving care program for youth aged 15+ will be the primary focus of the project and will be compared to usual services. The project has the potential to offer novel insights into how society can promote wellbeing across a spectrum of outcome areas for the high-risk group of youth transitioning from out-of-home care to independent living. As such, the project will have important implications for both research and practice. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05813197.

Examining the indirect role of perceived normativeness in the association between collectivistic values and psychological control of Turkish mothers

AbstractParental psychological control has previously been related to negative developmental outcomes. However, fewer studies examined the cultural factors associated with parental psychological control. Several studies suggested that psychological control is used more by mothers in collectivistic (as compared to individualistic) cultures yet did not examine the mother's personal endorsement of the cultural values. This approach ignores the widely reported findings showing within country heterogeneity. In this study, we examined maternal adherence to collectivistic values and their psychologically controlling behaviour directed towards their preschool children. We also examined the indirect role of perceived normativeness of the psychologically controlling behaviour in the association between adherence to collectivistic values and using psychologically controlling behaviours. We hypothesized that mothers who endorsed collectivistic values more would perceive psychologically controlling parenting as more normative and in turn would display more psychological control. To test our research question, we collected data from 318 Turkish mothers, who had at least one preschool‐aged child (child Mage = 59.46 months, SD = 9.23; range = 34–80 months; 160 males). The descriptive analyses are planned to be run in SPSS and path analyses in MPlus are planned for examining the hypothesized mediational model.

Developmental implications of prenatal opioid exposure among school-aged children: a mixed methods and community-initiated analysis

BackgroundGrowing research points to potential long-term developmental implications of prenatal opioid exposure for children. Yet, polysubstance use and adverse childhood experiences are raised as potential confounders. Further, there is a lack of data on school-age children and the children’s strengths.MethodsParents and caregivers of children with prenatal opioid exposure worked with the study team to design, collect, and descriptively analyze mixed method data. Data were collected through survey (n = 148) and two focus groups (n = 15) from a convenience sample in mostly West Virginia and Massachusetts.ResultsNearly half of the children in the sample were diagnosed with multiple developmental delays, behavioral health conditions, and specific learning disorders. Roughly 85% of children have behavioral challenges. Associations between prenatal opioid exposure and negative developmental outcomes did not vary by type of opioid nor by polysubstance use, while controlling for adverse childhood experiences. Importantly, over 80% of families also reported their child’s strengths, including empathy, social magnetism, and their resilience.ConclusionsThe challenges for children born with prenatal opioid exposure may extend into school-age. The results are consistent with prior research on younger children, suggesting a need for best practices for caring for these children beyond the neonatal stage.

Identifying Trajectories of Maltreatment Revictimization and Juvenile Justice Outcome: A Latent Class Analysis of Subtype, Timing, and Chronicity.

Continued exposure to abuse or neglect is a strong predictor for immediate and long-term negative developmental outcomes including developmental delays, disabilities, poor school performance, criminal behavior, and mental health issues. The purpose of this study was to identify distinct subgroups of children with repeat victimization based on maltreatment timing, subtype, and chronicity and to examine how the unique subgroups are related to youth's juvenile justice outcome. Using data from Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect, this study included 286 children (47% males, 41% blacks) with more than one report for substantiated maltreatment from birth to age 17. Latent class analysis was employed to identify heterogeneity in the patterns of maltreatment revictimization. Four latent classes emerged: (a) Prevailing Early Neglect (52.6%); (b) Co-occurring Maltreatments in Preschool Age (20.1%); (c) Incremental Neglect with Sexual Abuse in School Age (18.7%); and (d) Co-occurring Maltreatments in School Age (8.6%). Black children were overrepresented in Incremental Neglect with Sexual Abuse in School Age compared to white and other racial groups of children. Ordinal logistic regression analysis indicated that there was no significant difference in the juvenile justice outcome across four subgroups of children with revictimization. Our person-centered investigations of maltreatment subtype, timing, and chronicity highlight the need for precise assessment and prevention strategies based on a more nuanced understanding of various patterns of childhood maltreatment revictimization.

Effectiveness of anger Control Measures on Reducing Anger among Adolescent Girls

Effectiveness of anger Control Measures on Reducing Anger among Adolescent Girls

Predicting neurodevelopmental outcomes in preterm infants: A comprehensive evaluation of neonatal and maternal risk factors

ObjectiveThis retrospective cohort study aimed to evaluate neurodevelopmental outcomes of preterm infants (≤ 34 weeks gestational age) in the NICU. MethodsThis retrospective cohort study included 89 preterm infants admitted to the NICU of Ghaem hospital, Mashhad, between 2016 and 2020. Data on neonatal and maternal factors were collected. By recalling the mentioned infants in 2021, the neurodevelopmental outcomes were assessed using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, non-parametric tests, and binary logistic regression conducted with SPSS V.26 and R program software. ResultsThe sample comprised 48.3 % males with a mean gestational age of 32.10 weeks. Bayley Scale analysis revealed significant associations of Intrauterine Growth Restriction, Pneumothorax, and Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia with impairments in all domains. Diabetes in Pregnancy, Surfactant use, and Necrotizing Enterocolitis were also significantly linked to various impairments. Lower Apgar scores, gestational age, birth weight, and extended hospitalization and oxygen therapy durations correlated with several domain impairments. Logistic regression showed hospitalization duration impacted the coarse motor domain (OR = 0.92, p = 0.019), oxygen therapy duration influenced cognitive, perceptual, and fine motor domains. ConclusionThis study underscores the importance of considering neonatal and maternal factors when assessing developmental outcomes in preterm infant. Long hospital stays and increase duration of oxygen therapy associated with negative developmental outcomes in different domains of Bayley scales.Early identification of these risk factors and targeted interventions may improve long-term outcomes for preterm children.

Impact and centrality of attention dysregulation on cognition, anxiety, and low mood in adolescents

Functional impairments in cognition are frequently thought to be a feature of individuals with depression or anxiety. However, documented impairments are both broad and inconsistent, with little known about when they emerge, whether they are causes or effects of affective symptoms, or whether specific cognitive systems are implicated. Here, we show, in the adolescent ABCD cohort (N = 11,876), that attention dysregulation is a robust factor underlying wide-ranging cognitive task impairments seen in adolescents with moderate to severe anxiety or low mood. We stratified individuals high in DSM-oriented depression or anxiety symptomology, and low in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), as well as vice versa – demonstrating that those high in depression or anxiety dimensions but low in ADHD symptoms not only exhibited normal task performance across several commonly studied cognitive paradigms, but out-performed controls in several domains, as well as in those low in both dimensions. Similarly, we showed that there were no associations between psychopathological dimensions and performance on an extensive cognitive battery after controlling for attention dysregulation. Further, corroborating previous research, the co-occurrence of attention dysregulation was associated with a wide range of other adverse outcomes, psychopathological features, and executive functioning (EF) impairments. To assess how attention dysregulation relates to and generates diverse psychopathology, we performed confirmatory and exploratory network analysis with different analytic approaches using Gaussian Graphical Models and Directed Acyclic Graphs to examine interactions between ADHD, anxiety, low mood, oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), social relationships, and cognition. Confirmatory centrality analysis indicated that features of attention dysregulation were indeed central and robustly connected to a wide range of psychopathological traits across different categories, scales, and time points. Exploratory network analysis indicated potentially important bridging traits and socioenvironmental influences in the relationships between ADHD symptoms and mood/anxiety disorders. Trait perfectionism was uniquely associated with both better cognitive performance and broad psychopathological dimensions. This work suggests that attentional dysregulation may moderate the breadth of EF, fluid, and crystalized cognitive task outcomes seen in adolescents with anxiety and low mood, and may be central to disparate pathological features, and thus a target for attenuating wide-ranging negative developmental outcomes.

Pregnancy and Childbirth in Women With Epilepsy

Women with epilepsy (WWE) need effective and safe treatment during the childbearing age. Administration of antiseizure medications to WWE during pregnancy may be associated with risks to the fetus, including major congenital malformations and negative developmental outcomes. Therefore, preconception care is essential for WWE. Multidisciplinary approaches with interprofessional collaboration are important to support WWE during pregnancy and childbirth; however, such collaboration may be complicated and difficult. Moreover, the prevalence of perinatal depression among WWE is higher than that in the general population. Health care professionals should determine factors associated with perinatal mental health concerns among WWE. Previous meta-analysis have reported that perinatal mental health disorders were associated with a three-fold higher risk of child maltreatment. Therefore, perinatal mental health care is important for WWE.

Negative Perceptions of Peer Relationships as Mechanisms in the Association Between Maltreatment Timing and the Development of Psychopathology

Abstract: Despite findings that developmental timing of maltreatment is a critical factor in predicting subsequent outcomes, children's developmental stage is understudied in maltreatment research. Moreover, childhood maltreatment is associated with the development of maladaptive peer relationships and psychopathology, with social cognition identified as a process underlying this risk. The current study uses structural equation modeling to examine the impact of developmental timing of maltreatment (i.e., infancy through preschool versus elementary and middle-school years) on psychopathology via negative perceptions of peer relationships. Multi-informant methods were used to assess 680 socioeconomically disadvantaged children. Results did not support differential effects of early versus later maltreatment on children's internalizing symptomatology or disruptive behavior, but indicated that chronic maltreatment, relative to episodic maltreatment, has more severe consequences for children's internalizing symptomatology. Results further support the mediating role of children's perceptions of relationships in the effect of maltreatment on negative developmental outcomes.

Informal mentoring support as a potential moderator of the relation between adolescent dating violence victimization and substance use.

Research links adolescent dating violence (ADV) victimization to negative developmental outcomes, including involvement in substance use. Informal mentoring is associated with several positive outcomes, including reduced risk of substance use. Addressed in this study is whether support from an informal mentor can function to protect victims of ADV from involvement in substance use.Participants were 152 adolescents (grades 9-12).Findings revealed a significant association between ADV victimization and adolescents' involvement in substance use, as well as some evidence that support from an informal mentor moderates that link. When informal mentor support was low or at the mean, ADV victimization was significantly linked to adolescents' involvement in substance use; when informal mentor support was high, ADV victimization was unrelated to substance use involvement.Discussed are research and practice implications of the potential protective role of informal mentors for victims of ADV.

Use of Population-Level Administrative Data in Developmental Science.

Population-level administrative data-data on individuals' interactions with administrative systems (e.g., health, criminal justice, and education)-have substantially advanced our understanding of life-course development. In this review, we focus on five areas where research using these data has made significant contributions to developmental science: (a) understanding small or difficult-to-study populations, (b) evaluating intergenerational and family influences, (c) enabling estimation of causal effects through natural experiments and regional comparisons, (d) identifying individuals at risk for negative developmental outcomes, and (e) assessing neighborhood and environmental influences. Further advances will be made by linking prospective surveys to administrative data to expand the range of developmental questions that can be tested; supporting efforts to establish new linked administrative data resources, including in developing countries; and conducting cross-national comparisons to test findings' generalizability. New administrative data initiatives should involve consultation with population subgroups including vulnerable groups, efforts to obtain social license, and strong ethical oversight and governance arrangements.

The Relationship of Risky Online Behaviors and Adverse Childhood Experiences to Online Sexual Victimization Among Korean Female Adolescents.

Prior research has demonstrated that online sexual victimization (OSV) is a significant social problem and is associated with adolescents' negative developmental outcomes. However, it remains unclear whether adolescents' risky online behaviors and offline victimization are related to the risk of OSV. The present study examined whether female adolescents' risky online behaviors (mood regulation through the Internet, ingratiating behavior, disclosure of personal information, harassing behavior, talking with someone met online, and sexual behavior) and offline victimization (adverse childhood experiences [ACEs]) would be associated with OSV. This study recruited female adolescents and their mothers within six metropolitan cities and provinces of residential areas of South Korea. A total of 509 female adolescents participated in the survey (aged 13-18 years). The present study employed multivariate regression to examine the relationship of risky online behaviors and offline victimization to the experience of OSV. Female adolescents' risky online behaviors (harassing behavior, talking with someone met online, and sexual behavior) were significantly associated with OSV, and those with high exposure to maltreatment and family dysfunction during childhood were more at risk of OSV than adolescents with low exposure to ACEs. The results suggest that it is important to address the effects of risky online behaviors and exposure to offline victimization on female adolescents' sexual victimization online. Identifying risky online behaviors and offline victimization related to OSV can help researchers and practitioners further understand female adolescents' online victimizations in the context of offline and online dynamics.

Challenging the Sensitive Window Hypothesis: Timing Effects of Maternal Depressive Symptoms on the Intergenerational Transmission of Maltreatment and Psychopathology in the Next Generation

Objective: The current study explored the role of maternal depressive symptoms in the intergenerational transmission of childhood maltreatment and developmental psychopathology. Based on the sensitive window hypothesis, the effects of earlier versus later maternal depression symptoms on child development were analysed. Method: Ninety-nine mother-child dyads, 65% of which had high-risk teenage mothers, participated in a longitudinal study with three assessments in the first 18 months of the child’s life (T1–T3) and a 4th reassessment (T4) at the child’s preschool age. Using serial mediation analyses, we tested whether the relationship between the mother’s own maltreatment history (Childhood Experience of Care and Abuse Questionnaire) and the child’s psychopathological outcome at preschool age was mediated in a causal effect chain by maternal depression in the first 2 years of life, by current maternal depression (Beck Depression Inventory-II) and by current maternal child abuse potential (Child Abuse Potential Inventory). The children’s emotional problems and externalizing symptoms were assessed at preschool age by parent or teacher Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire ratings. Results: The results indicated that especially later maternal depression mediated the relationship between maternal childhood maltreatment and negative developmental outcomes in the next generation. The effects of maltreatment type on maternal depression were rather nonspecific. However, mental abuse affected existing risk factors more directly over time compared to physical and sexual abuse. Additionally, the impact of early life maltreatment and maternal depression on child psychopathology varied by rater. The pathway to externalizing symptoms was significant only in teacher ratings and for the pathway to emotional problems only in maternal ratings. Conclusions: The present findings suggest that early maternal depression followed by ongoing maternal depression plays a mediating role in the intergenerational cycle of maltreatment. Therefore, in the future, interventions should be offered at an early stage, but also extend well beyond the first 2 years of a child’s life, addressing maternal depression and trauma.

Environmental Predictors of Within-Person Changes in Callous-Unemotional Traits among Justice-Involved Male Adolescents

ABSTRACT Objective Youth who display elevated callous-unemotional (CU) traits are at risk for negative developmental outcomes. Previous studies demonstrate that environmental conditions contribute to elevated levels of CU traits, but the majority of this work focuses on a single source of environmental influence. To better understand how environmental conditions contribute to changes in CU traits during adolescence, the current study examined the time-varying relation between CU traits, parent, peer, and community conditions. Method Using data from the longitudinal Pathways to Desistance study (N = 1,026 males, Mage = 15.98, SD = 1.16; 40.94% Black, 34.11% Latino, 20.66% White, 4.29% Other), full-factorial fixed effect regression models were implemented to examine how parental hostility, antisocial peers, community violence, and neighborhood disorder are individually and interactively associated with within-person changes in CU traits during adolescence (15–21 years). Results Results indicated that proximal conditions (i.e., negative parenting, antisocial peers) had more consistent associations with CU traits than distal conditions (i.e., neighborhood disorder, community violence). Affiliation with antisocial peers was not significantly related to CU traits when youth were simultaneously exposed to high community violence and low neighborhood disorder. Further, the association between CU traits and impact of living in high disordered, high violence neighborhoods was stronger for younger youth. Conclusion Results indicate that the association among parents, peers, and CU trait development is more nuanced than previously suggested, such that the risk that each environmental condition poses is moderated by a youth’s age and their exposure to distal conditions.

The Distinct Roles of Biological and Perceived Pubertal Timing in Delinquency and Depressive Symptoms from Adolescence to Adulthood.

Pubertal timing is a robust predictor of externalizing and internalizing problems in adolescence, but controversies remain whether only early or off-time (both early and late) pubertal timing is associated with negative developmental outcomes and whether effects differ across perceptions of pubertal timing and actual biological pubertal timing. Additionally, less is known about the longevity of pubertal timing effects and mediators of effects that persist through adolescence and into adulthood. This longitudinal study investigated the effects of early and off-time pubertal timing, in form of perceived pubertal timing relative to peers and reported biological pubertal timing relative to age, on delinquency and depressive symptoms in adolescence and young adulthood between 2003 and 2022. Peer deviance and school connectedness were examined as mediators of any persisting effects. The sample included 704 youth (52% male, 76% African American, 22% Non-Hispanic White) who were assessed at four time points from early adolescence (Mean ages: 11.8, 13.2) to late adolescence (Mean age: 17.6) and young adulthood (Mean age: 27.7). Perceived off-time pubertal timing in males and early biological pubertal timing in both males and females were risk factors for persistent delinquency into young adulthood, but neither form of pubertal timing was associated with depressive symptoms. None of the effects were mediated by peer deviance or school connectedness. These findings advance the understanding of more nuanced effects of pubertal timing on adjustment problems in diverse youth as they develop from early adolescence to adulthood.

Cardiac Startle Response and Clinical Outcomes in Preschool Children With Fragile X Syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Objective: Poor physiological regulation in response to threat is linked to multiple negative developmental outcomes including anxiety, which is highly prevalent and impairing in young children with neurodevelopmental disabilities like fragile X syndrome (FXS) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The present study contrasted cardiac startle response in pre-school-aged children with FXS, with and without ASD, to children with non-syndromic ASD (nsASD) and neurotypical controls (NT). The relationship of cardiac startle to non-verbal mental age (NVMA), ASD severity, and parent-reported anxiety was also examined.Method: Four age-matched groups of pre-school children participated including those with FXS without ASD (FXS-Only, n = 21), FXS with ASD (FXS+ASD, n = 17), nsASD (n = 42), and NT children (n = 27). Participants viewed a silent movie during which a single 200 ms 98-decibel white noise burst occurred. Cardiac activity was analyzed for pre-stimulus respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and the inter-beat intervals (IBI) at the auditory stimulus and 10 s post-stimulus. The Spence Pre-school Anxiety Scale, Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-2nd Edition, and Mullen Scales of Early Learning were examined in relation to startle response.Results: The nsASD group demonstrated heightened cardiac activity at the auditory stimulus and 10 s post-stimulus compared to the NT controls. Neither of the FXS groups showed differences from any other group. Higher pre-stimulus RSA was associated with reduced cardiac response across groups, while the relationship between cognitive ability and ASD severity to cardiac response varied between groups. Parent-reported anxiety was not associated with cardiac response for any group.Conclusion: These findings demonstrate group distinctions in cardiac responses to auditory startle. Although FXS and ASD share behavioral characteristics, the nsASD group showed a heightened cardiac startle response compared to the NT group that was not present in the FXS groups with or without ASD. Non-verbal mental age was associated with greater stimulus or post-stimulus reactivity for all groups except the FXS+ASD group, which showed no association between startle response and any clinical outcomes. Increased understanding of the relationship between physiological regulation and clinical outcomes will assist in identifying the timing and targets for effective interventions for individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities.

Comorbidity of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorders: Current Status and Promising Directions.

High rates of co-occurring Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) suggest common causal pathways, which await elucidation. What is well-established, however, is the negative impact of comorbid ADHD and ASD on outcomes for everyday living, particularly in social interaction and communication and on broader psychopathology. Neurocognitive approaches suggest correlates of comorbidity are rooted in functional connectivity networks associated with executive control. There is support for familial origins, with molecular-genetic studies suggesting a causal role of pleiotropic genes. Further investigation is needed to elucidate fully how genetic risk for ADHD and ASD affects neurodevelopment and to identify structural and functional neural correlates and their behavioral sequelae. Identification of intermediate phenotypes is necessary to advance understanding, which requires studies that include the full spectrum of ASD and ADHD symptom severity, use longitudinal designs and multivariate methods to probe broad constructs, such as executive and social function, and consider other sources of heterogeneity, such as age, sex, and other psychopathology. Randomized efficacy trials targeting comorbid symptomatology are needed to mitigate negative developmental outcomes.

Cognitive and language development in preschoolers is related to maternal cognitive performance: A study of young mothers in an urban area of a city in Southern Brazil

To evaluate the relationship between maternal cognitive performance and language and cognitive development of children between 24 and 36 months old of mothers who became pregnant in adolescence, in the city of Pelotas, Southern Brazil. This is a cross-sectional study nested in a cohort study with adolescent mothers who received prenatal care in the city’s public health system. To assess maternal cognitive performance, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) was used and Bayley Scales of Infant Development III (BSID-III) are used to assess children's language and cognition development. Data were analyzed using SPSS (Version 22.0) software. Pearson correlation, t-test, ANOVA and linear regression were performed. We evaluated 496 mother-child dyads. In the adjusted analysis, we found that children's language remained associated with maternal cognitive performance (p = .027, CI [0.0, 0.6]) and child’s gender (p < .001, CI [−7.2, −2.4]). Besides that children cognitive development remained associated with maternal cognitive performance (p = .008, CI [0.1, 0.6]) and child’s gender (p = .030, CI [−4.5, −0.2]). Our results suggest that poor maternal cognitive performance is associated with lower levels of children's language and cognitive development. The results contributing to early identification and intervention in children of mothers with poor cognitive performance at higher risk of negative developmental outcomes.

Interrogating the validity of cumulative indices of environmental and genetic risk for negative developmental outcomes.

Indices of cumulative risk (CR) have long been used in developmental research to encode the number of risk factors a child or adolescent experiences that may impede optimal developmental outcomes. Initial contributions concentrated on indices of cumulative environmental risk; more recently, indices of cumulative genetic risk have been employed. In this article, regression analytic methods are proposed for interrogating strongly the validity of risk indices by testing optimality of compositing weights, enabling more informative modeling of effects of CR indices. Reanalyses of data from two studies are reported. One study involved 10 environmental risk factors predicting Verbal IQ in 215 four-year-old children. The second study included an index of genetic CR in a G×E interaction investigation of 281 target participants assessed at age 15 years and then again at age 31 years for observed hostility during videotaped interactions with close family relations. Principles to guide evaluation of results of statistical modeling are presented, and implications of results for research and theory are discussed. The ultimate goals of this paper are to develop stronger tests of conjectures involving CR indices and to promote methods for improving replicability of results across studies.