Sindy R. Sumter

A prepared speech in front of a pre-recorded audience: Subjective, physiological, and neuroendocrine responses to the Leiden Public Speaking Task

This study describes a new public speaking protocol for youth. The main question asked whether a speech prepared at home and given in front of a pre-recorded audience creates a condition of social-evaluative threat. Findings showed that, on average, this task elicits a moderate stress response in a community sample of 83 12- to 15-year-old adolescents. During the speech, participants reported feeling more nervous and having higher heart rate and sweatiness of the hands than at baseline or recovery. Likewise, physiological (heart rate and skin conductance) and neuroendocrine (cortisol) activity were higher during the speech than at baseline or recovery. Additionally, an anticipation effect was observed: baseline levels were higher than recovery levels for most variables. Taking the anticipation and speech response together, a substantial cortisol response was observed for 55% of participants. The findings indicate that the Leiden Public Speaking Task might be particularly suited to investigate individual differences in sensitivity to social-evaluative situations.

Age and puberty differences in stress responses during a public speaking task: Do adolescents grow more sensitive to social evaluation?

During adolescence pubertal development is said to lead to an increase in general stress sensitivity which might create a vulnerability for the emergence of psychopathology during this period. However, the empirical evidence for increasing stress sensitivity is scarce and mixed. Biological responses (salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase) were investigated during a social-evaluative stressor, the Leiden Public Speaking Task, in 295 nine to 17-year olds. Specific attention was paid to different elements of the task, that is anticipation to and delivery of the speech. Biological reactivity to the speech task increased with age and puberty, particularly during anticipation. Current findings support the idea that biological stress sensitivity increases during adolescence, at least in response to a social-evaluative situation. The increasing stress sensitivity appears related to both age and pubertal maturation, but unique contribution could not be distinguished. The importance of measuring anticipation is discussed.

Developmental trajectories of peer victimization: off-line and online experiences during adolescence

PURPOSE This study investigated the development and consequences of off-line and online victimization during adolescence. We examined the number and shapes of off-line and online victimization trajectories, the relationship between trajectories of off-line and online victimization, and their effect on life satisfaction. METHODS A four-wave panel study with 6-month time intervals was conducted among a representative sample of Dutch adolescents aged 12-17 years (N = 1,762). We used group-based modeling to investigate the victimization trajectories. RESULTS Three off-line victimization trajectories could be distinguished. One group followed a trajectory of low to no victimization experiences across adolescence. A second group followed a pathway of moderate and decreasing victimization. A third group followed a pathway of high and decreasing victimization. Two groups in online victimization could be distinguished. One group followed a trajectory of low to no victimization experiences. A second group followed a pathway of moderate victimization that peaked at age 14. Dual-trajectory analyses revealed a substantial overlap between off-line and online victimization trajectories. Finally, victimization and life satisfaction were longitudinally related; moderate and high victimization trajectories resulted in lower levels of life satisfaction during wave 4. CONCLUSIONS The overlap between the off-line and online victimization trajectories and their negative consequences on life satisfaction suggests that prevention of victimization should focus on both types of victimization. The results suggest that peer victimization should not be studied without considering adolescent peer relationships on the Internet.

Does country context matter? Investigating the predictors of teen sexting across Europe

Despite growing research interest in sexting, not much is known about individual and country differences in engaging in sexting. Therefore, the aims of this study were to investigate (a) which individual and country characteristics explain sexting and (b) whether individual predictors vary across countries. On the individual level, we investigated age, gender, sensation seeking, and internet use. On the country level, we investigated traditionalism, gross domestic product, and broadband internet penetration. The sample consisted of 14,946 adolescents (49.7% boys) aged 11-16 from 20 European countries. Data were collected as part of the EU Kids Online project. Participants were interviewed at home. Using multilevel modeling, findings indicate that on the individual level, age, sensation seeking, and frequency of internet use predicted sexting across all countries. Gender differences in sexting varied across countries. Although country characteristics (GDP, broadband internet penetration, traditional values) had no direct effect on adolescent sexting, traditionalism significantly predicted gender differences in sexting. In more traditional countries, gender differences were more pronounced than in less traditional countries, with more boys than girls engaging in sexting. In less traditional countries, gender differences were smaller.

Identifying Teens at Risk: Developmental Pathways of Online and Offline Sexual Risk Behavior

OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were (1) to investigate the prevalence and development of both online (OnSRB) and offline sexual risk behavior (OffSRB) in adolescence, (2) to establish whether OnSRBs and OffSRBs are related, and (3) to identify risk factors that determine problematic pathways of OnSRB and OffSRB. METHODS: A 4-wave longitudinal study with 1762 Dutch adolescents aged 12 to 18 was conducted (mean age, T1 = 14.52, 49% girls). By using group-based modeling, developmental pathways for OnSRB and OffSRB were identified and the relationship between both behaviors over time was examined. RESULTS: Substantial intraindividual differences in the development of OnSRB and OffSRB were found. The analysis revealed 3 developmental pathways of OnSRB: no risk (70.2%), moderate risk (23.7%), and high risk (6.1%). For OffSRB, we identified a no risk (90.6%) and an increasing pathway (9.4%). OnSRBs and OffSRBs were related and had common predictors (ie, sensation seeking, low educational level, gender). CONCLUSIONS: Only a minority of adolescents shows sustained high OnSRB. This group is likely to consist of low-educated, high-sensation-seeking adolescents who spend more time communicating on the Internet and come from less cohesive families. These same adolescents are also more likely to engage in OffSRB. Preventions should focus on these adolescents.

Social fears during adolescence: Is there an increase in distress and avoidance?

Mid-adolescence is considered as the time of onset for social phobia and is assumed to be related to a normative increase of social fears. People diagnosed with social phobia, however, do not only experience high levels of fear or distress, but also report avoidance behavior. Little attention has been paid to the development of avoidance behavior during adolescence. In the current study, a community sample with 9-17 year olds (n=260) completed a questionnaire derived from the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule for Children (ADIS-C) [Silverman, W. K., & Albano, A. M. (1996). Anxiety disorders interview schedule for DSM-IV child version, child interview schedule. San Antonio: The Psychological Corporation]. They rated their levels of distress and avoidance in a variety of social situations. The results showed an age related increase for formal speaking and interaction situations in both avoidance and distress, with a stronger increase in avoidance than in distress. The same pattern was found for girls for situations regarding observation by others. No effects were observed for informal speaking and interaction situations.

Perceptions of love across the lifespan: Differences in passion, intimacy, and commitment

This study investigated perceptions of love across the lifespan using Sternberg’s triangular theory of love, which distinguishes between passion, intimacy, and commitment. The study aimed to (a) investigate the psychometric properties of the short Triangular Love Scale (TLS-short) in adolescents and adults (see Appendix), and (b) track age and gender differences in the three love components of the TLS-short in a sample of 12- to 88-year-olds (N = 2791). The three-factor structure of the TLS-short was confirmed in both the adolescent and adult sample. Adolescents (12–17 years) reported lower levels of all love components compared to young adults (18–30 years). Late adults (50+) reported lower levels of passion and intimacy, but similar levels of commitment compared to young (18–30 years) and middle adults (30–50 years). Gender differences in the perceptions of all three love components were present but less sizeable than suggested in popular accounts and earlier academic research.

Subjective and objective arousal correspondence and the role of self-monitoring processes in high and low socially anxious youth

Previous research found weak correspondence between subjective and objective arousal measures during social-evaluative tasks, particularly in high socially anxious individuals. This study evaluated subjective-objective correspondence in high versus low socially anxious youth (9–17 years). Sixty-six high (HSA; 38 boys and 28 girls) and 61 low (LSA; 37 boys and 24 girls) socially anxious youth participated in a speech task, with a moderately (pre-speech), high (speech), and low anxious (recovery) phase. Subjective experience of nervousness, heart rate and sweaty palms were measured along with salivary cortisol, actual heart rate, and skin conductance. Participants also completed questionnaires measuring 3 self-monitoring variables; self-focused attention, emotional awareness, and negative thoughts. Results showed that HSA participants had exaggerated perceptions of their physiological arousal. However, they did not have weaker subjective-objective correspondence than LSA participants. Correspondence was rather low in both groups. Finally, inclusion of the self-monitoring variables improved the prediction of subjectively experienced arousal in both groups.

Development and validation of the Multidimensional Offline and Online Peer Victimization Scale

The MOOPV is a valid and reliable measure of offline and online peer victimization.MOOPV distinguishes indirect and direct forms of offline and online peer victimization.Offline and online peer victimization were related to psychosocial well-being.Boys reported more direct offline victimization than girls, no other gender differences. Peer victimization can seriously impair ones well-being. As youth spend more time on the Internet, a new form of peer victimization has emerged, namely, online peer victimization. To fully comprehend peer victimization among todays youth, there is a need for a psychometrically sound measure that can assess peer victimization occurring both offline and online. In addition, research has shown that it is also important to distinguish between direct and indirect peer victimization. Thus, the aim of this study was to develop and validate the Multidimensional Offline and Online Peer Victimization Scale (MOOPV). The MOOPV measures how often adolescents experience direct and indirect forms of offline and online peer victimization. The four-factor structure of the MOOPV was confirmed using exploratory (n=325) and confirmatory factor analyses (n=799) among adolescents aged 9-18years. As expected, higher scores on all subscales were related to lower levels of psychosocial wellbeing, i.e., less life satisfaction, more loneliness and less social self-esteem. In all, the 20-item MOOPV proved to be a valid, reliable and highly useful instrument. Importantly, because the MOOPV is not linked to specific technologies, it will remain viable even after new technologies for online communication become available.

Positive-Negative Asymmetry in the Evaluation of Trivial Stimuli

WHEN PEOPLE MAKE a series of dichotomous evaluative judgments (such as in the allocation of bipolar trait adjectives to target individuals), they tend to do so asymmetrically, with a greater proportion of positive responses than would be predicted by chance alone. This positive-negative asymmetry effect has been shown to be a robust phenomenon, and some people argue that this asymmetry is a manifestation of normal adaptive functioning (see Peeters & Czapinski, 1990, for an overview). Research by, among others, Adams-Webber (1978), Benjafield (1984), and Tuohy and Stradling (1 987) showed that the proportion of positive responses tended to be approximately 60%. That ratio is assumed to approximate an optimal figure-ground relationship between negatives and positives, because it makes the negatives maximally salient against a background of positives. The ratio might have an evolutionary significance. Without a ratio that favors positivity over negativity, an organism might be unmotivated to approach novel objects, stimuli, or contexts. With such a ratio, an organism that faces neutral or unfamiliar stimuli would be weakly motivated to approach and to engage in exploratory behavior. Such a tendency might have important survival value (Cacioppo & Berntson,