Adolescence is often accompanied by an increase in stress and depression. Although there is considerable consensus about the benefits of mindfulness-based interventions to reduce these problems, the ...results for the role of dispositional mindfulness facets have been mixed. Recent studies have contributed to clarifying this role by identifying subtypes of individuals according to their profiles in mindfulness facets and examining the functioning of these profiles in relation to several self-reported indicators of wellbeing and health. The current study extends previous research by exploring mindfulness profiles in adolescents and by providing several sources of indicators (self-reports, parent-reports, and hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis hormones) to examine the adaptive role of these profiles. A sample of 571 adolescents (50.61% girls; 12–17 years old) completed measures of mindfulness, depression, maladaptive schemas, and temperament (neuroticism, extraversion, and effortful control), and provided salivary samples for cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate. In addition, 331 adolescents’ parents completed measures of their children’ temperaments. The results of latent profile analyses supported a three-profile solution: (1) moderate mindfulness (65.5%), (2) judgmental observing (24.2%), and (3) nonjudgmentally aware (10.3%). The judgmental observing profile was associated with a worse adjustment, indicated by higher depressive symptoms, maladaptive schemas, perceived stress, stress-associated hormones, and neuroticism, as well as lower scores on extroversion and effortful control. This profile was more frequent among the oldest adolescents. In contrast, the nonjudgmentally aware group presented a better adjustment and was more frequent among the youngest adolescents. These findings have implications for preventive interventions. Analyzing the specific profile of each adolescent can help improve individual intervention, taking into account the strengths and weaknesses of each adolescent.
This study examines two indicators of developmental level (testosterone and grade) as moderators of the effects of a single-session incremental theory of personality intervention on both traditional ...and online aggressive behaviors. A sample of 535 Spanish adolescents (boys: 50%; age: 12–17 years) participated in a double-blind, randomized controlled trial. Participants were randomized to receive the incremental theory of personality intervention or an alternative educational control condition. The intervention consisted of teaching the belief that people can change. Aggressive behaviors were measured at baseline, one-week posttest, and six-month and twelve-month follow-ups. Testosterone level moderated the effectiveness of the intervention for online aggressive behavior so that, among adolescents with low and medium testosterone levels, those in the control group increased online aggressive behavior, whereas adolescents receiving the intervention remained at similar levels of perpetration. Grade moderated the effectiveness of the intervention on both forms of aggressive behavior, being only effective in Grade 8. Overall, the findings indicate that some preventative interventions can be more effective among adolescents with lower levels of development.
Objective: This study aims to elucidate the similarities and differences between the concept of resilience and of recovery and build an argument for the integration of these two concepts. Method: A ...review of the literature on resilience and recovery was conducted. An electronic search of PsychInfo, Web of Science, and EBSCOhost databases was performed to identify relevant peer-reviewed studies. Results: A total of 53 articles on resilience, 29 articles on recovery, and 2 articles that covered both topics were reviewed and analyzed. Conclusions and Implications for Practice: In the field of mental health, resilience and recovery have several factors in common such as the occurrence of adversity and the use of internal strengths and environmental resources to achieve greater subjective well-being. In view of these similarities, we propose that resilience and recovery are different constructs which converge in the recovery journey. We provide theoretical and empirical evidence to support this proposition. Interventions promoting resilience could help people with a psychological disorder not only adapt positively to adversities but also reduce the impact of life stressors on the clinical and personal recovery process, thereby more effectively improving mental health outcomes.
Resilience could moderate the impact of bipolar disorder (BD) on patients’ quality of life (QoL) and psychosocial functioning. This study aimed to (1) explore the relationships between bipolar ...disorder mood episodes (depression, hypomania, and euthymia) and mental health outcomes of QoL, personal recovery, impaired work, and psychosocial functioning in individuals with BD; and (2) determine whether resilience domains were moderators of these associations. A clinical adult sample of 97 individuals diagnosed with BD (63.90% female, mean age = 45.02 years) completed a battery of BD-specific measures of resilience and mental health-related variables. Multiple regression showed that self-management of BD resilience domain moderated the negative relationship between (hypo)manic episode and personal recovery. Furthermore, self-confidence moderated the positive relationships between (hypo)manic and depressive episodes and impaired functioning. We suggest that BD patients experiencing (hypo)manic or depressive episodes may improve their mental health and wellbeing through interventions that promote disorder-specific resilience factors.
The development of brief and inexpensive interventions that reduce risky behaviors in adolescence constitute a challenge for current research. This study addresses the prevention of two online ...behavior problems in adolescents (cyberbullying and online grooming). Two pilot studies evaluated the effects of a 1-hour intervention, which combined self-affirmation (SA) with the incremental theory of personality (ITP), for cyberbullying and online grooming. Study 1 involved 339 adolescents (51% male, mean age = 14.12 years, SD = 0.70), who were randomly assigned to the SA + ITP intervention or one of two control conditions. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that the SA + ITP intervention reduced the reciprocity between sexual solicitation and sexualized interaction with adults, as well as between cyberbullying victimization and perpetration. Study 2 included 214 adolescents (50.3% male, mean age = 14.06 years, SD = 0.96), who were randomly assigned to the SA + ITP or a control condition. Hierarchical linear modeling analyses indicated that the SA + ITP reduced the reciprocity between sexual solicitation and sexualized interaction with adults, and reduced cyberbullying perpetration. The studies provided preliminary evidence of the benefits of the SA + ITP intervention.
Online peer victimized adolescents are at an increased risk of several behavioral and emotional problems. Most cyberbullying interventions have focused on reducing the frequency of online peer ...aggressions. Meanwhile, less attention has been given to building resilience in victims to reduce the impact of victimization on their mental health. This study tested the effects of an online growth mindset intervention aimed at building resilience in victims. Eight hundred and fifty-six adolescents (47.10% female) were randomly assigned to the resilience vs. educational control intervention. The adolescents completed measures of online peer victimization, behavioral and emotional problems (online peer aggressions, depression, social anxiety, eating problems, and non-suicidal self-injury), entity theory of personality beliefs, and attitudes toward defending the victims of online peer aggressions at pretest and at three and six months. The resilience intervention reduced the predictive association between online peer victimization and online peer aggression and social anxiety, and it increased the association between online peer victimization and attitude towards defending the victims. The resilience intervention also reduced the entity theory of personality beliefs in all adolescents. These results are promising given that the intervention lasted only approximately 40–45 min.
•Victims of online aggressions have higher risk of behavioral and emotional problems.•It is necessary to build resilience in victims to prevent psychological problems.•An online growth mindset intervention was tested in adolescents.•The intervention reduced social anxiety and online aggression in victims.•The intervention improved attitude towards defending the victims.
•Temperament traits of PA, NA, and EC need to be jointly considered in mental health.•PA was protective against depression for youths who were low in EC.•Being high in PA and EC and low in NA ...predicted the best resilience improvement.•Among teens high in NA, having high EC increased the benefits of PA for resilience.•There is reciprocity between resilience and depressive symptoms.
From the initial sample of 956 adolescents from the Basque Country (Spain), 790 (Mage = 14.56, 49.4% girls) completed at least two waves including Wave 1 (retention rate: 82.6%), analyzing temperament traits as longitudinal predictors of depression and resilience. Positive affectivity (PA) predicted decreased depression and increased resilience, while negative affectivity (NA) had the opposite effect, and effortful control (EC) predicted reduced depression. Results indicated that PA protects adolescents who are low in EC against depression. In contrast, high EC levels worsened the damaging effect of NA on depression. Resilience and depression were bidirectionally associated and mediated the effects of temperament traits. Findings highlight the need to consider the effect of the complex interplays between temperament traits on resilience and depression improvement.
Emotional intelligence (EI) has been proposed as a protective factor for dating violence perpetration (DVP) based on the findings of a few cross-sectional studies. Given the lack of previous ...longitudinal research, this study aimed at studying the protective role of EI components against DVP one year later considering gender effects. The sample consisted of 542 adolescents (52.2% females) with a mean age of 16.36 years (SD = 0.86) at baseline. Participants completed measures of EI (attention, clarity, and repair) at T1 and DVP at T1 and T2. Results of the hierarchical regression analyses showed that the strongest predictor of DVP was previous level of aggression. EI moderated the maintenance of DVP over time. Specifically, those adolescents with a higher competence of clarity showed a lower perpetuation of DVP. The other two components of EI (attention and repair) displayed a gender-specific effect. In particular, a lower perpetuation of DVP was found for girls with higher scores on emotional attention, and for boys with higher scores on emotional repair. Since adolescents' EI predicts DVP, preventive interventions should address the improvement of attention, clarity, and repair of their emotions, considering EI gender specificities.
•Emotional intelligence protects adolescents against dating violence perpetuation.•Preventive interventions should target attention, clarity, and repair of emotions.•Gender differences on emotional intelligence facets have to be considered.
The aim of the current study was to validate the Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS), a measure of psychosocial functional impairment, in Spanish-speaking individuals with bipolar disorder. A ...sample of 120 patients with bipolar disorder and 97 healthy individuals completed the WSAS to analyze its factor structure and reliability. Patients also completed measures of personal recovery and quality of life (QOL). Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that a one-factor model explained data adequately, with all factor loadings proving to be significant. Cronbach's alphas indicated excellent internal consistency in the sample of individuals with bipolar disorder and the sample of healthy individuals. Significant negative correlations between the WSAS and personal recovery and QOL demonstrated good concurrent validity. Impairment on the WSAS was higher for the patient sample, confirming known-group validity of the scale. Thus, Spanish validation of the WSAS demonstrated it to be a sound self-reported measure of psychosocial functioning impairment in individuals with bipolar disorder. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 57(5), 44-51..
Introduction
Research focused on the association between peer cybervictimization and declining health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) is scarce. Currently, few longitudinal studies find an ...association between these phenomena, and none focus on cybervictimization profiles. The main objectives are: (1) to analyze the point and period prevalence, and incidence of cybervictimization profiles (uninvolved, new, ceased, intermittent, and stable cybervictims); (2) to study the relationship between cybervictimization and HRQoL over time; (3) to determine the longitudinal impact on the HRQoL of each type of profile.
Methods
A prospective study was conducted in three waves over 13 months. A total of 1142 adolescents aged 11–18 years participated in all the waves (630 girls, 55.2%).
Results
The prevalence of victimization for the three waves was 21.6% (Wave 1; W1), 23.5% (W2), and 19.6% (W3), respectively. The period prevalence was 41.3%, and the accumulated incidence was 25.1%. It was found that 24% of the participants were new victims, 5.9% were intermittent victims, and 6% were stable victims. Being a cybervictim at W1 poses a relative risk of 1.73 1.29–2.32, that is, a twofold increased risk of presenting a low HRQoL 13 months later compared to those who are not cybervictims.
Conclusion
One in four adolescents became a new cybervictim during the 13 months of the study. The adolescents who presented poorer HRQoL were the stable cybervictims.
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