Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a significant public health concern, with severely impacts for adolescent mental health. As awareness of the harmful effects of NSSI grows, there is an increasing emphasis on understanding the underlying mechanisms in this age group. This study explores how internalizing and externalizing issues related to…

Problematic internet use (PIU) has become a noticeable issue among adolescents, which negatively affects their physical and mental health. Previous research has noted the protective role of school climate in reducing PIU, but the underlying mechanisms need to be further explored. Based on the ecological systems theory, this study focused on the…

Sexually aggressive behavior, risky-sexual behavior, and heavy episodic drinking are interrelated behavioral-health problems among college men. College men reporting these problems, relative to peers, report lower use of protective behavioral strategies (PBS), which are cognitive-behavioral, harm-reduction strategies. College men exhibiting heavy…

We study the peer effects of grade retention in the context of Indiana's statewide third-grade retention policy. When a retention occurs, it changes the peer group for two cohorts: rising fourth graders who lose a peer and rising third graders who gain a peer. We identify peer effects in both cohorts by leveraging plausibly exogenous variation in…

Background: According to Self-Determination Theory (SDT), motivation is inherently present in every individual, growing from amotivation via controlled to autonomous motivation, through fulfilment of the basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness. Peer relatedness has been found to influence motivation multimodally.…