Association between sexting and sexual coercion among female adolescents

This study aims to investigate whether experiences of offline sexual coercion are associated with adolescent females’ involvement in different types of sexting behaviors. It draws on data from 450 ethnically diverse female adolescents with an average age of 19.02 years (SD = 0.74) who were originally recruited in southeast Texas. The participants were asked about their experiences with sexual coercion, and their engagement in sexting behavior (i.e., sending, requesting, and being asked for a sext, and receiving a sext without giving permission). Logistic regressions were used to analyze these relationships, while controlling for age, ethnicity, education level, living situation, and sexting behaviors in the year prior of the study. Offline sexual coercion was significantly associated with sending and being asked for a naked image, as well as receiving a naked image without giving permission. The results suggest that sexting could function as an online extension of offline forms of sexual coercion.     

Adolescents׳ perceptions of peers with depression: An attributional analysis

Understanding adolescents? perceptions of peers with depression is vital in order to tackle peer exclusion and lessen stigmatization. To examine adolescents? perceptions of a hypothetical peer with depression, we test an attributional model: that stigma towards persons with mental disorders is influenced by attributions about the causes of their disorders and inferences of personal responsibility. Participants were 401 adolescents from 4th year/10th grade with an age range of 14.75–17.08 years (M=15.90 years; S.D.=0.403 years). Structural Equation Modeling was employed to assess the relationships among causal attributions (personal control), perceived responsibility, and emotional reactions, in predicting social acceptance/exclusion of a peer with depression. Results indicated that (a) if the peer with depression is perceived as having little control over the cause of depression, responsibility is not inferred, participants feel sympathy and pity, and are likely to socially accept the peer (b) gender of vignette character and participant influence these responses. This study builds on our theoretical understanding of why adolescents with depression may face social exclusion from peers by applying a well‐established theory in social psychology. Findings should be incorporated into the design of interventions aimed at reducing peer exclusion and stigmatization of adolescents with depression.     

A first investigation into gender minority adolescents’ sexting experiences

IntroductionGender minority adolescents, such as transgender, gender nonconforming, gender diverse and non-binary youth, may face unique challenges with regard to online sexual communication. They may be especially vulnerable for sexting-related risks. The aim of this study is to explore the sexting experiences of gender minority youth among a school-based sample.MethodsThis brief exploratory study reports on a survey that was conducted among 1293 respondents with an average age of 14.79 years old (SD = 1.97) in the Dutch-speaking area of Belgium, and compares engagement in sexting experiences between cisgender and gender minority youth.ResultsThe results of our exploratory study show that gender minority adolescents were more likely to have ever been pressured to send a sexting image. There were no significant differences with regard to receiving sexts, or receiving forwarded sexts. None of the gender minority youth reported that they had forwarded a sexting image from someone else, as opposed to 9.3% of cisgender youth who had forwarded a sext.ConclusionsDespite the explorative nature of our study, the results suggest that gender minority youth may be at an increased risk to experience sexting-related pressure. Additional research is needed to investigate the sexting experiences of gender minority adolescents. Gender minority youth may benefit from education about safer sexting, and specifically ways to cope with sexting-related pressure.     

Friends' drinking norms and male adolescents' alcohol consumption: The moderating role of performance-based peer influence susceptibility

This study examined whether the relationship between friends' drinking norms and male adolescents' alcohol use is moderated by performance-based peer influence susceptibility. Seventy-three male adolescents (M = 17 years) from three schools in the Netherlands were exposed to the drinking norms of “peers” (electronic confederates) in a chat room experiment. These peers were either popular or unpopular, and conveyed pro- or anti-alcohol norms. Peer influence susceptibility was defined as the change in adolescents' answers before and after exposure to the peer norms. Multilevel regression analyses indicated that the relationship between friends' drinking norms and adolescents' alcohol use (assessed during eight weekends) was moderated by susceptibility to the pro-alcohol norms of popular peers. This relationship was stronger for adolescents who were highly susceptible. These findings suggest that a behavioral measure of peer influence susceptibility could be useful in alcohol prevention programs to select adolescents at risk for negative peer socialization.     

Body image and peer relationships: Unique associations of adolescents' social status and competence with peer- and self-reported appearance victimization

Adolescents were asked to nominate peers who experience appearance-related victimization or engage in appearance-related aggression, in order to examine the peer social status and competency correlates of receiving more nominations. Moreover, the correlates of peer-report vs. self-report appearance-related victimization were considered. Participants were 371 young Australian adolescents (55% girls, M_age = 12.0 years) who completed surveys. Results showed that victimized adolescents were rated as less liked, prosocial, popular and good-looking, and perceived themselves to be less attractive, less competent at sport and more teased by peers about appearance. Aggressive adolescents were rated as more popular and better looking, but also less prosocial. Aggressive adolescents also perceived themselves to be less academically but more romantically competent, and reported more appearance anxiety symptoms. Findings from peer-report measures generally support previous research findings using self-report measures, but the significant correlates did appear to differ between peer- and self-report of appearance victimization.     

Poor sleep quality is associated with discordant peer relationships among adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder

BackgroundIndividuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) experience impairments in social communication, and these deficits often make it difficult to form and maintain friendships with peers. Poor sleep quality and daytime sleepiness are common among adolescents with ASD, and consequences of poor sleep may make social interactions difficult. Connections between sleep quality and social relationships in ASD samples have been understudied; the current study addresses this gap.MethodParticipants were community samples of 19 adolescents with ASD and 10 neurotypical (NT) adolescents. Adolescents completed questionnaires about closeness and discord in relationships with a same-gender peer, and they reported on sleep-wake problems, daytime sleepiness, and internalizing problems. Adolescents also wore an actigraph for 7-nights.ResultsPearson correlations revealed significant associations between adolescents’ reports of sleep problems and discordant peer relationships; more sleep-wake problems and more daytime sleepiness were associated with more discord with peers in the sample with ASD, but not in the NT sample. The closeness aspect of peer relationships was not significantly associated with sleep quality. Internalizing problems did not mediate between sleep quality and discordant relationships.ConclusionsAdolescents’ reports of more sleep problems and daytime sleepiness, but not actigraph indicators of sleep quality, were directly associated with discordant peer relationships. Adolescents who are already challenged in social interactions due to ASD may be especially vulnerable to intense negativity in peer relationships when they also experience poorer nighttime sleep and more daytime sleepiness. NT adolescents may be better able to regulate social interactions despite poor sleep and feeling tired.     

Hormonal and neural correlates of prosocial conformity in adolescents

The dual hormone hypothesis, which centers on the interaction between testosterone and cortisol on social behavior, offers a compelling framework for examining the role of hormones on the neural correlates of adolescent peer conformity. Expanding on this hypothesis, the present study explored the interaction between testosterone and cortisol via hair concentrations on adolescents’ conformity to peers. During fMRI, 136 adolescents (51 % female) ages 11–14 years (M = 12.32; SD = 0.6) completed a prosocial decision-making task. Participants chose how much of their time to donate to charity before and after observing a low- or high-prosocial peer. Conformity was measured as change in behavior pre- to post-observation. High testosterone with low cortisol was associated with greater conformity to high-prosocial peers but not low prosocial peers. Focusing on high prosocial peers, whole-brain analyses indicated greater activation post- vs. pre-observation as a function of high testosterone and low cortisol in regions implicated in social cognition, salience detection, and reward processing: pSTS/TPJ, insula, OFC, and caudate nucleus. Results highlight the relevance of hormones for understanding the neural correlates of adolescents’ conformity to prosocial peers.     

Brief report: Peer group influences and adolescent internalizing problems as mediated by effortful control

Internalizing problems in adolescence encompass behaviors directed inward at the self (Colman, Wadsworth, Croudace, & Jones, 2007). Several predictors have been linked to internalizing problems including antisocial and prosocial peers (Cartwright, 2007; Chung, 2010). Effortful control, a component of self-regulation, is one factor that could mediate the relationship between peer behaviors and individual outcomes. This study assessed the relationship between peer behaviors, effortful control, and adolescent internalizing problems. Participants were 151 middle school adolescents (M = 12.16 years old) who completed self-report questionnaires regarding behaviors of their peers, perceptions of effortful control, and experiences of internalizing problems. Structural equation modeling (SEM) yielded a significant negative relationship between antisocial peers and effortful control, and a significant positive relationship between prosocial peers and effortful control. In addition, effortful control significantly mediated the relationship between prosocial peers and internalizing problems, but not for antisocial peers. Implications for interventions related to adolescent health were discussed.     

Peer influence or projection bias? Predicting respondent delinquency with perceptual measures of peer delinquency in 22 samples

IntroductionThe current study was designed to determine whether the peer influence effect is the direct result of respondents projecting their own delinquency onto peers in a process referred to as projection bias.MethodsData from 22 gender-homogeneous U.S. and British samples (Ns = 154 to 4098) of individuals under the age of 17 at the time of initial assessment were used to create partial correlations between perceptual measures of peer delinquency and subsequent respondent offending, controlling for concurrent respondent offending.ResultsSignificant partial correlations surfaced between peer delinquency and subsequent respondent offending in 21 out of 22 samples, for a significant pooled effect size (r_p1o2.o1) of 0.158 (95% CI = 0.124‒.193). Although the peer‒offending relationship, controlling for prior offending, was moderated by data recentness—with less recent samples (>16 years old) achieving a higher pooled effect size than more recent samples (≤16 years old)—a small but significant pooled effect size was recorded for both more and less recent samples.ConclusionsThese results are inconsistent with projection bias as a complete explanation for the peer influence effect and suggest that perceived peer delinquency has a demonstrable and meaningful effect on future offending in adolescents. Despite the lack of support for the projection hypothesis, there is still a need to include additional variables in the analyses (i.e., direct measures of peer delinquency and differential respondent opportunities to observe peer behavior) while entertaining alternative explanations of the perceived peer delinquency‒future offending relationship (i.e., hearsay and rejecting delinquency/non-delinquency).     

Early pubertal maturation and externalizing behaviors: Examination of peer delinquency as mediator and cognitive flexibility as a moderator

IntroductionWhile peer delinquency is a known mediator between early pubertal timing and externalizing behaviors, little is known about factors that could protect against the adverse influence of peer delinquency. This study assesses the possible moderating role of cognitive flexibility, which is one index of executive functioning that facilitates flexible and adaptive responses to challenging situations. We assessed the interactive influence of peer delinquency and cognitive flexibility in the association between pubertal maturation and externalizing behaviors in boys and girls.MethodParticipants were 220 adolescents (111 boys) from the United States, between the ages of 11 and 16 years (M = 13.2, SD = 1.53) who participated in the Adolescent Emotion Study (AES).ResultsFindings from the cross-sectional path modeling analyses provided evidence for the mediating role of peer delinquency for boys and girls, indicating that early maturing adolescents tend to affiliate with delinquent peers, which in turn exacerbates externalizing problems. Additionally, the moderating role of cognitive flexibility was also demonstrated for both boys and girls. Region of significance tests revealed that relatively well-developed cognitive flexibility skills could protect against the adverse influences of peer delinquency, whereas lower levels could exacerbate those negative influences.ConclusionThese findings suggest that involvement with deviant peers increases vulnerability for both early maturing boys and girls. Additionally, cognitive flexibility was an important moderating factor for adolescents, such that youths with less developed skills would be at a higher risk for psychopathology, whereas those with better development could be protected.     

The effect of social feedback from peers on adolescent cognitive control

IntroductionSocial feedback can influence cognitive control during adolescence, particularly if provided by peers. The main aim of this study was to investigate if feedback given by liked or disliked peers differentially influenced adolescents' cognitive control. The second aim was to investigate if these effects could be linked to the participants’ social embeddedness in their classroom.MethodsA personalized incentive go/no-go task was administered to 45 early adolescents (M = 11.6 years, 25 male) and 68 late adolescents (M = 16.7, 38 male) in the Netherlands. Feedback was given after no-go trials in two social feedback conditions (displaying a picture of a real liked or disliked classmate) and in a non-social control condition.ResultsPerformance on the task significantly improved with age. We found no differences between conditions in cognitive control, as measured by d-prime. However, analysis of task speed revealed slower reaction times during the liked peer condition as compared to the disliked peer and the control condition, potentially suggesting that participants responded more cautiously, or alternatively that participants were more distracted. These effects did not differ between age groups. Participants’ differences in task performance were not reflected in their social embeddedness in the classroom.ConclusionsThis study shows that the same kind of social feedback can have different effects on adolescent behaviour depending on the peer delivering the feedback. It demonstrates the importance of studying the effects of real life social environments to better understand and utilize their impact on adolescent development.     

Teachers’ Peer Buddy Selections for Children with Autism: Social Characteristics and Relationship with Peer Nominations

We examined social and behavioral characteristics of children selected by their teachers to serve as peer buddies for a child with autism. Thirty-one general education teachers and 576 children from five public elementary schools completed social status, behavioral, and peer buddy nomination measures. When compared to non-selected students, teacher selected buddies were: (a) more often boys, (b) popular, and (c) viewed as prosocial leaders by their peers. Agreement between teacher and peer nominations of social status and behavioral characteristics ranged from low to high; agreement between teacher and peer selected buddies was moderate.     

The role of feared possible selves in the relationship between peer influence and delinquency

This study explores the impact of a feared delinquent possible self on the relationship between exposure to negative peer behaviors and violent and non-violent self-reported delinquency. Previous research strongly supports that deviant peers influence adolescents' delinquent behavior. Yet, few studies have explored intrapersonal factors that may moderate this influence. Possible selves include what one hopes, expects and fears becoming and are believed to motivate behavior. Thus, it was hypothesized that adolescents who were exposed to deviant peers and also feared engaging in delinquency would be more likely to self-report delinquency. Seventh grade students (n = 176) identified feared possible selves in the future, their exposure to negative peer behavior and self-reported violent and non-violent delinquent behavior. Findings suggest that exposure to negative peer behavior is associated with self-reported delinquent behavior. For violent behavior, possessing a feared delinquent possible self moderates this relationship. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.     

Age differences in depressive symptoms, antisocial behavior, and negative perceptions of family, school, and peers among adolescents

OBJECTIVES: To examine age differences among adolescents in the perceptions of family, school, and peers and their relationship with depressive and antisocial symptoms. METHOD: The sample consisted of 11,516 adolescents, aged 12 to 18 years, coming from a large representative community sample from 212 randomly selected schools in the Netherlands. In the period between October 1992 and January 1993, subjects filled out a self-report questionnaire on perceptions of family, school, and peer group environment; depressive symptoms; and antisocial behavior. Multivariate analyses of variance were performed to analyze age differences in the perceptions of family, school, and peers. Relationships with depressive and antisocial symptoms were studied by means of multiple regression analyses. RESULTS: Significant age differences were found for all 3 social support systems, with negative perceptions of family increasing with age, negative perceptions of peers decreasing with age, and negative perceptions of school remaining fairly stable after an initial increase at age 13. Independent of age, negative perceptions of the family had the-strongest relationship with depressive symptoms and antisocial behavior. In addition, depressive symptoms had a stronger independent relationship with negative perceptions of peers than with negative perceptions of school, while antisocial behavior had a stronger relationship with negative perceptions of school. No remarkable interaction effects between the 3 social support systems were found. CONCLUSIONS: Although age differences existed in the reporting of negative perceptions of family, school, and peers, the strong relationship with dysfunctioning in adolescence invariantly held true throughout the school years of adolescence.     

How challenges and peers contribute to social-emotional learning in outdoor adventure education programs

IntroductionMany youth development programs view adolescents’ process of grappling with challenges as a major driver of social-emotional learning. Our goal was to understand these processes as experienced and enacted by youth. We focused on the program Outward Bound in the United States because its students experience significant physical and social challenges and it has well-developed staff practices for facilitating learning from challenges.MethodsGroup interviews were conducted with 32 youth (ages 14–18; 50% female), immediately following their completion of Outward Bound expedition courses. Students were asked to provide a detailed narrative account of an episode on course in which they learned from challenges. Grounded theory analyses identified three processes that contributed to learning.ResultsFirst, students, described developing skills for persistence through successfully enduring distress and a process of experimenting with new mindsets that helped them rise above their anxiety and distress. Second, we found that peers provided skillful and responsive on-the-spot support that motivated youth, helped them succeed, and scaffolded students’ learning strategies for dealing with physical, social, and emotional challenges. Third, we found that this peer support and scaffolding was animated by a culture of compassion and mutual commitment, which was cultivated by staff and embraced by youth.ConclusionsThese findings from Outward Bound illuminate a learning model that may be useful to other youth programs. This model combines intense challenges with attuned peer support for adolescents’ active processes of addressing and learning from challenges. We highlight program structures and staff practices that support these processes.     

Alcohol use among 10th-graders: Distinguishing between high-intensity drinking and other levels of use

IntroductionDrinking at levels beyond standard binge drinking thresholds poses particularly high risks to youth. Few studies have examined high-intensity drinking (HID; 10+ drinks in a row) in high school students and none have tested whether peer drunkenness and parental knowledge (e.g., about youth's whereabouts) distinguish between binge and high-intensity drinkers.MethodsWe used data from the Monitoring the Future study collected from nationally-representative samples of U.S. 10th graders (modal age 16 years old) in 2016–2018 (n = 14,824; 48.3% girls, 46.8% boys). We conducted multinomial logistic regression to examine odds of drinking at one of four mutually-exclusive levels: HID in the past 2 weeks, binge (5+) drinking in the past 2 weeks, any alcohol use in the past year, and no alcohol use in the past year.ResultsLow parental knowledge and peer drunkenness were both associated with higher odds of each drinking level, including HID vs. binge, binge vs. alcohol use, and alcohol use vs. no alcohol use. Boys had higher odds than girls of HID compared to binge drinking and of no alcohol use compared to alcohol use.ConclusionsParent and peer risk factors differentiate HID from other levels of drinking.     

Extrinsic relative to intrinsic goal pursuits and peer dynamics: Selection and influence processes among adolescents

Self-Determination Theory discerns goals and values in terms of whether they are intrinsic or extrinsic in nature. Although research substantiates the importance of goal preferences for a host of outcomes, few studies examined how such preferences develop, and studies that did pay attention to this focused on parental influence processes. The present study focuses on the role of peers. Social network analyses on longitudinal data gathered among senior high-school students (N = 695) confirm that peer similarity in goal pursuit exists, and that, although this similarity partly originates from adolescents selecting friends on the basis of perceived goal pursuit similarity, it also results from peers actively influencing each other. Hence, friends tend to become more alike in terms of goal pursuit over time. Data also suggest that, although changes in goal pursuit at this age can be predicted from peer dynamics, they cannot be attributed to parental goal promotion efforts.     

Measurement of peer and friend relational and physical victimization among early adolescents

IntroductionPeer victimization has been widely examined among children and adolescents; however, the majority of studies in the area of research have been conducted in Western cultures. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the utility of measures that assess different forms of victimization (physical and relational victimization; a two-factor model) against a global form of victimization (combined victimization; a one-factor model) in the peer groups and friendships among Japanese adolescents. It was hypothesized that peer and friend relational victimization would be conceptually distinct from peer and friend physical victimization in Japan.MethodsThe participants were fourth and fifth graders (n = 222, 50% females, age 9–11) and their classroom teachers in Japanese elementary schools. The data were drawn from a short-term longitudinal study.ResultsResults showed, as hypothesized, that peer and friend relational victimization was conceptually and empirically different from peer and friend physical victimization.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that children and teachers view peer and friend relational victimization and peer and friend physical victimization differently. Examining forms of victimization separately is promising for future peer relations research in Japan.     

Brief Report: Sociometric Status and Behavioral Characteristics of Peer Nominated Buddies for a Child with Autism

We examined social and behavioral correlates of children selected by their peers to serve as peer buddies for an unfamiliar child with autism (CWA). Participants were 293 children from two public elementary schools who completed social status, behavioral, and peer buddy nomination measures. Peer buddy nominations for a CWA were related to: (a) perceived unpopularity; (b) being viewed as helpful and smart; and (c) lacking influence regarding popularity within the classroom. In contrast, peer buddy nominations for a typical boy were related to being viewed as popular, helpful, and self-confident. Students may select a social niche for CWA based on principles of peer homophily. Limitations and suggestions for future research are discussed.