Background: Youth involved in the U.S. child welfare system (CWS) are at risk for mental health problems, including suicidal ideation (SI). However, the relationship between preteen suicidal ideation and academic outcomes has not been considered. Methods: This study uses data from two nationally representative longitudinal surveys of CWS-involved…

Teenage mothers are known to be at an elevated risk for poor socioeconomic outcomes in adulthood. However, little is known about the socioeconomic outcomes of mothers who bear multiple children during the teenage years (repeat teenage mothers) compared to one-time teenage mothers. This study examines socioeconomic outcomes in the mid- to late-20s…

We apply the theory of collateral consequences and a social stress process framework to school discipline to examine whether exclusionary school discipline policies are associated with the mental health and wellbeing of adolescents who have never been suspended or expelled and whether this association varies across race/ethnicity. Data are from…

Students' sense of social relatedness at school predicts health and well-being throughout life. However, little is known about whether observed associations reflect unobserved family background factors and whether these associations differ between student-student and student-teacher relationships. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of…

Latent class analysis was performed to identify clusters of items on the Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health -- School Connectedness Scale among students. Cluster membership was explored by student-reported ethnicity. The sample included students attending Canadian secondary schools in two waves of the COMPASS study: Years 4 (Y4:2015/16)…

This study explores the influence of parental warmth during adolescence on financial experiences and well-being across the transition to adulthood. Given the poorer financial outcomes and more complicated parental relationships reported by sexual minorities compared to their sexual majority counterparts, the present study examined the moderating…

Asian American adolescents' cross-race friendships are poorly understood, partially due to the model minority stereotype. Using data from 915 Asian American adolescents from the National Longitudinal Study for Adolescent to Adult Health, the present study examined the influence of cross-race friendships (based on peer nomination data) on Asian…

All young people have the potential to succeed--to do well academically, socially, and economically. Some young people, though, experience cumulative and chronic adversity along the way--disrupting their opportunities to thrive. Young people have the best chance to realize their potential when communities can intentionally align support with young…

General strain theory provides one framework for explaining the relationship between physical health and delinquency, pointing to mechanisms such as negative emotions, social bonds, and stress proliferation. Data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health were used to examine these hypothetical mediators. Controlling for demographic…

Previous studies find that romantic relationships adversely affect adolescents' psychological well-being, yet none examine the differential effects of adolescent romance for same-race and interracial daters. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), I find that heterosexual adolescents in same-race…

The purpose of this study is to identify protective factors in college student development as they relate to psychological well-being (PWB). Using archival data from National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) dataset, this research was guided by a blend of models and constructs to capture the association between college student…

The relationship between lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) identities and negative psychoemotional outcomes among teens is well established; this study analyzed happy memory narratives written by 390 LGB adolescents to investigate positive life experiences that might improve the well-being of LGB youth. A significant number of narratives were…

Sleep, a key indicator of health, has been linked to a variety of indicators of well-being such that people who get an adequate amount generally experience greater well-being. Further, a lack of sleep has been linked to a wide range of negative developmental outcomes, yet sleep has been largely overlooked among researchers interested in adolescent…

The objectives of this study are to understand the association between high school religious context in adolescence and the reporting of same-sex attraction and sexual identity in young adulthood and how these associations vary by gender. Previous studies have considered how high school contexts shape the well-being of sexual minority youth, yet…

Understanding the implications of the significant expansion in higher education over the latter half of the 20th century remains one of the central questions of research in stratification and inequality. Attaining a college degree is associated with numerous advantages ranging from higher earnings to improved health and wellbeing. As higher…