Andrea D. Mata

Psychosocial predictors and outcomes of loneliness trajectories from childhood to early adolescence.

Using latent class growth analysis, we were interested in investigating how experiences of loneliness emerge in distinct developmental patterns over the course of middle childhood and adolescence (NICHD Study of Early Child Care, N = 832). Second, we examined the role of demographic, mental health, and behavioral variables in association with these discrete patterns of loneliness. Loneliness was measured at 3 time points: age 9, age 11, and age 15. Results indicated five discrete trajectories of loneliness from middle childhood to adolescence. Most children exhibited a stable and low level of loneliness over time. The remaining children were split among moderate increasing, high increasing, decreasing, and chronic loneliness groups. Ethnicity, income, age 7 social skills, age 7 depression, and age 7 aggression were associated with trajectory membership. In addition, the loneliness trajectories predicted self-reports of social skills deficits, depression, aggression, and suicidal ideation at age 15.

Cross-lagged effects between intimate partner violence victimization and suicidality from adolescence into adulthood.

PURPOSE The current article extended previous research on the association between intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization and suicidality by longitudinally investigating their mutual impact from adolescence into early adulthood. METHODS We analyzed data from a subsample (N= 4,675) of individuals with complete data on IPV victimization from Waves II (mean age = 16.41 years), III (mean age = 22.36 years), and IV (mean age = 28.85 years) of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Suicidality was measured through questions assessing suicidal thoughts and suicidal attempts during the past 12 months. IPV victimization was measured through a construct assessing whether individuals had experienced threat of violence, being pushed/shoved, or had something thrown at them during the past 12 (Waves III and IV) or 18 (Wave II) months. RESULTS Using a path analysis framework, we found that IPV victimization and suicidality were highly stable across time. Suicidality was associated with IPV victimization prospectively, but IPV victimization did not predict suicidality prospectively. This longitudinal effect was limited to adolescent suicidality predicting IPV in early adulthood, and this effect was not qualified by gender. CONCLUSIONS Although the findings from this study confirm the importance of considering concurrent IPV victimization in evaluating risk for suicidality, they also highlight the importance of considering a history of adolescent suicidality as an important risk marker for IPV victimization.

Latent Profile Analyses of Test Anxiety A Pilot Study

In an era of test-based accountability, there has been a renewed interest in understanding the relationship between test anxiety and test performance. The development and validation of test anxiety scales have grown with the rise of test anxiety research. Research is needed to critically examine the psychometric properties of these scales prior to widespread use. The purpose of this brief report is to demonstrate the use of latent profile analysis (LPA) to develop test anxiety profiles on the FRIEDBEN Test Anxiety Scale. LPA was performed using a sample of 1,133 students from five high schools in a Midwestern state. Results indicate three distinct test anxiety profiles (i.e., high, mid, and low anxiety profiles).

Adult-Onset Antisocial Behavior Trajectories Associations With Adolescent Family Processes and Emerging Adulthood Functioning

Guided by conceptual and empirical work on emerging adulthood, this study investigated the role of closeness to mother and father and behavioral autonomy during adolescence on the development of adult-onset antisocial behavior. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), we identified four aggressive (abstainer, adolescent-limited, adult-onset, chronic) and three nonaggressive (adolescent-limited, adult-onset, chronic) trajectories. Members of the aggressive adult-onset trajectory reported higher levels of paternal closeness during adolescence compared to the members of the aggressive chronic trajectory. Maternal closeness and behavioral autonomy did not differentially predict trajectory membership. In addition, members of the adult-onset trajectories were less likely to be employed or in a romantic relationship and reported decreased physical health during emerging adulthood compared to members of all other trajectories.

Extracurricular activity involvement is associated with adolescent suicidality through school belongingness

Adolescent sports participants report lower rates of suicidality compared with sports nonparticipants. Few studies have investigated whether this pattern holds for involvement in other types of extracurricular activities, in younger samples, or the mechanisms of these associations. This study investigated the mediating role of school belongingness on the association between types of extracurricular activities and suicidality in developmental age groups within a United States sample (N = 13,977; 11–14 years, 14–16 years, 16–18 years). Data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health showed that early adolescent sports participants endorsed lower rates of suicidal ideation. School belongingness mediated the association between extracurricular activity involvement and suicidality in that extracurricular activity participants who reported higher school belongingness were less likely to report suicidality. These findings indicate that school belongingness may be a factor in understanding the link between extracurricular activity involvement and risk for suicide.

Enhancing the Assessment of Verbal Aggression Through Observational Methodology

The assessment of verbal aggression in adolescent and young adult dating relationships has largely relied on self-report methodology. We investigated whether information on verbal aggression derived from an observational assessment would enhance the prediction of romantic relationship satisfaction and dissolution in a sample of young adult dating relationships (N = 113). Observationally assessed verbal aggression was moderately associated with self-reported verbal aggression. Consistent with previous findings, neither self-reported nor observationally assessed verbal aggression was associated with relationship dissolution. Observationally assessed verbal aggression and self-reported verbal aggression each uniquely accounted for a substantial amount of variability in romantic relationship satisfaction. The findings of this study provide additional support for conducting multimethod assessments of verbal aggression and incorporating observational methodology in the study of aggression in young adult dating relationships.

Group-Based Modeling of Time Spent in Structured Activity Trajectories From Middle Childhood Into Early Adolescence

This study investigated trajectories of time spent in structured activities from middle childhood to early adolescence by using data from the National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD) Study of Early Child Care. We used latent class growth analyses and identified five trajectories (stable low, increasing high, decreasing low, decreasing moderate, and increasing moderate). Girls were overrepresented in the higher-involvement trajectories. Higher aggression levels predicted group membership in the increasing high trajectory compared to the remaining four trajectories. Lower delinquency levels differentiated the increasing high members from the decreasing low members. Additionally, higher family income predicted group membership across all five trajectories. Maternal education predicted group membership across the five trajectories. The findings suggest (a) groups of children follow distinct trajectories of time spent in structured activities and (b) gender, aggression, delinquency, family income, and maternal education predict group membership.