Kimberly J. Hills

The Dual-Factor Model of Mental Health Further Study of the Determinants of Group Differences

Consistent with a positive psychology framework, this study examined the contributions of personality, environmental, and perceived social support variables in classifying adolescents using Greenspoon and Saklofske’s Dual-Factor model of mental health. This model incorporates information about positive subjective well-being (SWB), along with psychopathology (PTH), to identify four groups of adolescents: positive mental health (high SWB, low PTH), vulnerable (low SWB, low PTH), symptomatic but content (high SWB, high PTH) and troubled (low SWB, high PTH). Using multinomial logistic regression analyses, adolescents were accurately classified into the four groups above chance. The contribution of the personality, social support, and stressful life events variables differed across the groups. Differences in perceived parent social support statistically significantly differentiated (p < .05) the vulnerable and troubled groups from the positive mental health group. The experience of stressful life events significantly differentiated the troubled group from the positive mental health group. The personality characteristics of Extraversion and Neuroticism significantly differentiated symptomatic but content and troubled students from the positive mental health group. The study thus identified relatively malleable factors (e.g., parent support) that relate to optimal mental health.

Measuring School‐Related Subjective Well‐Being in Adolescents

The tripartite model of subjective well-being (SWB) incorporates 3 components: frequent positive emotions, infrequent negative emotions, and an overall positive evaluation of life circumstances (Diener, Suh, Lucas, & Smith, 1999). In light of the large amount of time that youth spend in school, this study investigated a tripartite model of school-related SWB among adolescents, based on 3 measures of SWB appropriate for adolescents. The measures included a measure of school satisfaction (SS) and measures of positive and negative emotions experienced specifically during school hours. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to analyze the factorial validity of 3- and 4-factor models of school-related SWB in a sample of 921 adolescents. Results indicated that a 4-factor model comprised of positive emotions, negative emotions, fear-related negative emotions, and SS best described the structure of school-related SWB in the current sample. Results also revealed a comparable factor structure for male and female students. The study points to the possible benefits of a contextualized approach to SWB that takes into account the specific environments in which adolescents live.

The Longitudinal Stability and Dynamics of Group Membership in the Dual-Factor Model of Mental Health: Psychosocial Predictors of Mental Health

This study examined the longitudinal stability and dynamics of group membership within the Greenspoon and Sakflofske’s dual-factor model of mental health. This expanded model incorporates information about subjective well-being (SWB), in addition to psychopathological symptoms, to better identify the mental health status and current functioning of youths. Participants included 730 seventh- and eighth-grade U.S. middle school students. Four groups of students were identified: flourishing (i.e., high SWB and low psychopathology), vulnerable (i.e., low SWB and low psychopathology), symptomatic but content (i.e., high SWB and high psychopathology), and troubled (i.e., low SWB and high psychopathology). Analyses of stability of group membership revealed varying levels of stability, with flourishing students demonstrating the highest stability. Analyses also revealed that social support variables yielded meaningful predictions of changes in group membership. Implications for professional practice are discussed.

Does the positive psychology movement have legs for children in schools

In a provocative article, Lazarus (2003) posed the question, ‘Does the positive psychology movement have legs?’ Based on a critique of psychology in general and positive psychology in particular, Lazarus exhibited considerable skepticism about the contribution of positive psychology at that time, given concerns related to: (1) an overemphasis on cross-sectional research designs, (2) lack of attention to context in determining the valence of emotions, (3) one-time assessments of participants’ emotions, ignoring the flow of emotional experience, and (4) an overemphasis on cohort differences relative to individual differences in comparative studies. Lazarus concluded that ‘as of now, the movement is, in my view, in danger of being just another one of the many fads that come and go in our field, and which usually disappear in time’ (p. 93).

Life Satisfaction and Maladaptive Behaviors in Early Adolescents.

This study explored the directionality of the relations between global life satisfaction (LS) and internalizing and externalizing behaviors using a sample of regular education students who were initially enrolled in Grade 7 (n = 470). Self-report measures of internalizing and externalizing behaviors and LS were administered on 2 occasions, 6 months apart, to students from a Southeastern U.S. middle school. Short-term longitudinal analyses revealed that neither externalizing behaviors nor internalizing behaviors at Time 1 predicted LS at Time 2. However, LS at Time 1 predicted externalizing behaviors at Time 2. LS at Time 1 also predicted internalizing behaviors at Time 2, but the results were moderated by student gender. At higher levels of LS, boys reported lower levels of internalizing behaviors at Time 2. The overall results suggested that lower levels of LS are an antecedent of increased maladaptive behaviors among early adolescents. Alternatively, higher levels of LS may be a protective factor against subsequent externalizing behaviors among boys and girls and internalizing behaviors among boys. Furthermore, the results provide further support for the discriminant validity of positive and negative measures of mental health and suggest that LS measures may provide useful information for comprehensive adolescent health screening and monitoring systems.

Origins of Early Adolescents' Hope: Personality, Parental Attachment, and Stressful Life Events.

Psychology has recently increased attention to identifying psychological qualities in individuals that indicate positive mental health, such as hope. In an effort to understand further the origins of hope, we examined the relations among parental attachment, stressful life events, personality variables, and hope in a sample of 647 middle school students from one middle school in a southeastern U.S. state. The results showed statistically significant correlations between hope and all four predictor variables as well as students’ grade levels and socioeconomic status (SES) levels. The results of a hierarchical multiple regression analysis further revealed that after controlling for grade level and SES, the personality variable of neuroticism contributed significance variance to early adolescents’ hope scores. Furthermore, the quality of parental attachment accounted for significant variance in hope scores over and above the demographic variables of grade and SES as well as extraversion scores. Contrary to expectations, students’ levels of neuroticism did not moderate the relation between stressful life events and hope. The frequency of occurrence of stressful life events was inversely associated with early adolescents’ individual differences in hope regardless of neuroticism levels. Implications for hope interventions are discussed.

Autism Spectrum Disorder Symptoms in Infants with Fragile X Syndrome: A Prospective Case Series

No studies to date have prospectively examined early autism spectrum disorder (ASD) markers in infants with fragile X syndrome (FXS), who are at elevated risk for ASD. This paper describes the developmental profiles of eight infants with FXS from 9 to 24 months of age. Four meet diagnostic criteria for ASD at 24 months of age, and four do not. Trends in these case studies suggest that early social-communicative deficits differentiate infants with and without later ASD diagnoses in ways that are similar to later-born siblings of children with ASD. Repetitive behaviors and cognitive and adaptive impairments are present in all FXS infants throughout development, suggesting that these deficits reflect the general FXS phenotype and not ASD in FXS specifically.

Evidence-Based Sexuality Education Programs in Schools: Do They Align with the National Sexuality Education Standards?.

While many states mandate some type of sexuality education in schools, state legislation varies widely across the United States. Nevertheless, though much has been written about the behavioral outcomes of sexuality education programs shown to be effective at reducing one or more risky sexual behaviors in teenagers, less is known about the exact content taught by these programs, and whether it aligns with national recommendations for sexuality education programming in school. This article reviews the content of evidence-based sexuality education programs in schools (n = 10) from the Office of Adolescent Health (OAH) to assess the extent to which programs are following a comprehensive model of sexual health endorsed by the National Sexuality Education Standards. Results indicate that the majority of programs provide education on sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancy, abstinence, and contraceptive use. Far fewer address components related to healthy dating relationships, including interpersonal violence and an understanding of gender roles. No programs address nonheterosexual orientations. Analysis of the programs and implications of the findings are discussed.

Assessment and Promotion of Life Satisfaction in Youth

This chapter addresses assessment and intervention practices related to children’s quality of life, especially their perceived quality of life or life satisfaction (LS). Following a brief discussion of measurement issues, a model for more comprehensive assessments of children’s LS is presented. Research on key determinants of individual differences in children’s LS is subsequently reviewed. Finally, examples of universal (e.g., school wide) interventions are described in relation to the empirically established determinants of LS. The need for more comprehensive assessments and targeted intervention programs across primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention contexts, is emphasized throughout the chapter.

Measures of Life Satisfaction Across the Lifespan

This chapter reviewed life satisfaction measures appropriate for children, adolescents, adults, and older adults. Psychometric evidence was summarized in terms of normative samples, reliability, and validity data. A review of the available measures suggested that a number of life satisfaction measures demonstrate acceptable psychometric properties for various purposes, especially research purposes. Some measures appear useful for professional practice purposes (e.g., clinical screening, group monitoring) as well. Recommendations for future research are offered. Given the within-nation and across-nation interest in life satisfaction measurement, the most important recommendation for future research involves studies of the equivalence of the reliability and validity of key measures across differing groups, such as nations, cultures, ethnic groups, genders, and age groups. Research on the application of life satisfaction measures to the public policymaking arena also appears essential.