The latent growth model (LGM) is a popular tool in the social and behavioral sciences to study development processes of continuous and discrete outcome variables. A special case are frequency measurements of behaviors or events, such as doctor visits per month or crimes committed per year. Probability distributions for such outcomes include the…

Studying development processes, as they unfold over time, involves collecting repeated measures from individuals and modeling the changes over time. One methodological challenge in this type of longitudinal data is separating retest effects, due to the repeated assessments, from developmental processes such as maturation or age. In this article,…

Longitudinal research is often interested in identifying correlates of heterogeneity in change. This paper compares three approaches for doing so: the mixed-effects model (latent growth curve model), the growth mixture model, and structural equation model trees. Each method is described, with special focus given to how each structures…

Self-determination, as a person dispositional characteristic, is indeed influenced by situational characteristics that shape actions across contexts. Research has also reported differences in self-determination as a function of personal factors, but there is a need to integrate this knowledge in a general model aiming to analyse the impact of…

This study examined the relationships among home-based parental involvement, study habits, and academic achievement using structural equation modeling. The sample consisted of 566 eighth-grade students in Taiwan, and their mean age was 14.35. The data for home-based parental involvement and study habits was collected in the "first survey…

Background: Modelling academic self-concept through second-order factors or bifactor structures is an important issue with substantive and practical implications; besides, the bifactor model has not been analysed with a Chinese sample and cross-cultural studies in the academic self-concept are scarce. Likewise, latent structure validity evidence…

Background: Based on learned helplessness theory and conservation of resources theory, the present study explores the role of schools' social environments (i.e., school belonging, school exclusion, and teacher-student relationships) as potential buffers and amplifiers in students' development of learned helplessness during adolescence. Aims: We…

Background: Based on Mayer and Salovey's model of emotional intelligence, this study examined whether perceived stress mediates the interplay of emotional intelligence and life satisfaction for girls and boys during early and middle adolescence. Methods: Using multigroup structural equation modeling with questionnaire data from a sample of Spanish…

The current study investigated the indirect effects of anger on the four forms and functions of relational aggression (i.e., proactive indirect, proactive direct, reactive indirect, reactive direct) through anger rumination in a sample of 1020 Greek adolescents (504 boys). Males used more proactive direct and indirect relational aggression,…

A first-order latent growth model assesses change in an unobserved construct from a single score and is commonly used across different domains of educational research. However, examining change using a set of multiple response scores (e.g., scale items) affords researchers several methodological benefits not possible when using a single score. A…

Two alternative versions of a model of the cognitive decision-making processes of gifted and talented adolescents associated with occupational or career indecision were tested in this study. A psychometrically rigorous survey instrument was used to collect data from 664 adolescents attending three academically selective high schools in Sydney,…

Adolescents around the world are increasingly exposed to cyberhate. More knowledge is needed to understand how adolescents cope with cyberhate and how they can be supported when exposed. To this end, the present study investigated the associations between parental mediation of Internet use and adolescents' problem-focused coping strategies for…

Background: Adolescent mental illness is of increasing concern, with prevalence increasing especially in females in the United Kingdom. While service-related barriers can deter help-seeking, the role of family support and engagement in family activities, and attitudes towards seeking help from a doctor has received little attention. Studies…

Structural equation modelling (SEM) with longitudinal survey data was used to test a proposed developmental model of the association of family income (with children aged 6-9) to parent behaviours (for children at 10 years of age) and adolescent cognitive achievement and behaviour problems (at age 15). Data from the Child Development Supplement and…

The consequences of economic crisis are different from one European context to the other. Based on life design (LD) approach, the present study focused on two variables--career adaptability and a positive orientation toward future (hope and optimism)--relevant to coping with the current work context and their role in affecting life satisfaction. A…