Attention deficit/hyperactivity behaviors in children are often unnoticed until they reach school age; however, evidence suggests that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) tends to develop at an earlier age. Recent studies also indicate that perinatal maternal mental health is associated with ADHD symptoms in offspring. This study…

This study examined the hypothesis, derived from theories highlighting the importance of group harmony and sense of belonging in human relationships, that the adolescents who are most likely to be influenced by their close friends are those who have the highest quality social relationships. Potential moderators of close friend influence on…

Narcissistic youth use social media to engage in a variety of self-promotional behaviors, which have either antisocial or prosocial characteristics. Differing views exist to explain the processes underlying narcissistic self-promotion, either characterizing these actions as intentional, or as impulsive. This study compared intentional…

Family socioeconomic status (SES) has a significant influence on children's academic success and is related to parents' attitudes toward education. Moreover, according to the expectancy-value theory, parental expectations are linked to their children's perceptions of school, which, in turn, influences the way their children invest themselves in…

This study examined the role that peer groups play in shaping students' academic re-engagement across their first year in middle school and whether influences are stronger from peers with whom students remained affiliated over time. Data were collected on an entire cohort of 366 sixth graders (48% female) in a small town. Students reported on…

Sexualized gender stereotypes (SGS) include the belief that girls should singularly prioritize their sexualized attractiveness for the attention and approval of boys. By elementary school, boys and girls perceive girls' sexualized attractiveness to be incompatible with intelligence and competence. In the current 2-year study, we examined whether…

Adolescents' negative social expectations of their peers were examined as long-term predictors of problematic self-reported social functioning. Early adolescent negative expectations were hypothesized to predict risk-averse functioning in late adolescence that would ultimately contribute to confirmation of those expectations. Utilizing…

Aggression among youth is a public health problem that is often studied in the context of how youth interpret social information. Social cognitive factors, especially hostile attribution biases, have been identified as risk factors for the development of youth aggression, particularly across the transition to middle school. Parental behaviors,…

Students perform better in school to the extent they are able to engage fully, cope adaptively, and bounce back from obstacles and setbacks in their academic work. These three processes, which studies suggest are positively inter-connected, may comprise a self-sustaining system that enables "motivational resilience." Using…

Coping research has consistently shown that accommodative coping is positively correlated with individuals' health. Until now, however, there have been little to no studies on the prognostic impact of accommodative coping on health, and only a few studies investigating its buffering effect on the relation between stress and health in childhood and…

Using data from 1,676 youth who participated in three waves (Grades 6 to 8) of the longitudinal, 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development, we tested two series of hierarchal linear models to examine the role of peer support, associating with "problem-behaving" friends, and bullying involvement in the development of behavioral and emotional school…