Developing accurate and equitable screening protocols can lead to more targeted, efficient, and effective, teen dating violence (TDV) prevention programming. Current TDV screening protocols perform poorly and are rarely implemented, but recent research and policy emphasizes the importance of leveraging more trauma-focused screening measures for…

Reservation-dwelling American Indian adolescents are at exceedingly high risk for cannabis use. Prevention initiatives to delay the onset and escalation of use are needed. The risk and promotive factors approach to substance use prevention is a well-established framework for identifying the timing and targets for prevention initiatives. This study…

This study investigates how the interplay between adolescents' daily levels of emotional distress and diurnal cortisol relates to their risk-taking behaviors. Specifically, we test competing hypotheses whether emotional distress exacerbates the link between cortisol and risk taking, or whether cortisol only predicts risk taking in the absence of…

Purpose: Developmental language disorder (DLD) is a lifelong condition associated with poorer outcomes than neurotypical peers, yet relatively little is known about long-term quality of life in DLD. This preliminary study adopts a neurodiversity-informed approach by exploring "self-reported" quality of life in an adolescent and young…

The current study sought to better understand how leisure boredom is associated with alcohol use and how peer factors moderated the relationship between state and trait leisure boredom and past month alcohol use. The 2004 to 2008 multi-cohort study sample included 3,837 high school students (50% female; 91% mixed race; M[subscript age] = 14 years;…

Students with language-based learning disabilities (LBLD) can face elevated socio-emotional well-being challenges in addition to literacy challenges. We examined the prevalence of risk and resilience factors among adolescents with LBLD (N = 93), ages 16-18, and the association with reading performance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were…

Past research has demonstrated an association between financial hardships and risk-taking behaviors (defined as delinquent or transgressive acts). However, this effect may differ based upon the provision of protective spaces, like those offered in extracurricular activities. In the current study, we examined the longitudinal effect of financial…

The Routine Activity Theory proposes that the presence of a suitable target and a motivated offender in the absence of capable guardianship predict criminal behaviors. Prior research has utilized the theory to explain varied cyber victimization in different western and eastern cultures. The purpose of this study is to test the effects of…

To identify factors in adolescence that predict the onset of sexual violence in adolescence and young adulthood. Data were analyzed from six survey waves of the longitudinal Growing up with Media Study (2008-2018) conducted in the USA. Participants were 778 youth 13-18 years old at baseline, who completed online surveys assessing sexual violence…

Background: Youth psychosocial and school adjustment results from complex developmental transactions between their individual characteristics and diverse environmental influences, which appear as risk or protective factors throughout one's development. Objective: From an ecosystemic and developmental perspective, this study aims to: (1) identify…

Depression is a common comorbidity in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Little is known about risk factors for depression and depressive symptoms in this population. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) has been used in the typically developing population to identify risk factors for depression, but has been rarely applied in ASD populations. In…

Parent-child similarity is a function of genetic and environmental transmission. In addition, genetic effects not transmitted to offspring may drive parental behavior, thereby affecting the rearing environment of the child. Measuring genetic proclivity directly, through polygenic risk scores (PRSs), provides a way to test for the effect of…

Although it is known from epidemiological research that girls are more likely to develop internalizing disorders and boys are more likely to develop externalizing disorders, differences between girls and boys are rarely examined in risk research. This longitudinal study of 356 families identified risk factors for the development of externalizing…

Infection with sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies are risks associated with adolescents' risky sexual behavior. Mental models of attachment relationships influence behavior and may influence adolescents' involvement in sexual activities that are risky. This study explored whether attachment styles predicted adolescents'…

Childhood and adolescence are critical periods for human development, involving an inherent tension between children's development and autonomy and their safety and well-being. The digital mediation of children's increasingly autonomous participation in the social world has been one of the most heated issues for parents and policy maker, generally…