Adolescents’ Online Pornography Exposure and Its Relationship to Sociodemographic and Psychopathological Correlates: A Cross-Sectional Study in Six European Countries

The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of online exposure to pornography in European adolescents and its relationship to sociodemographic and psychopathological correlates. A cross-sectional school-based survey of 10,930 adolescents (5211 males/5719 females), aged 14–17 years old (mean age 15.8 ± 0.7) was carried out in six European countries (Greece, Spain, Poland, Romania, the Netherlands, and Iceland). Anonymous self-completed questionnaires covered exposure to pornography, internet use and dysfunctional internet behavior, and psychopathological syndromes (measured by Achenbach’s Youth Self-Report). The prevalence of any online exposure to pornography was 59% overall and 24% for exposure at least once a week. The likelihood of online exposure to pornography was greater in male adolescents, heavier internet users, and those who displayed dysfunctional internet behavior. Country-specific analyses confirmed that the gender effect existed in every country, although its strength varied, from an odds ratio of 1.88 in Poland to 14.9 in Greece. Online exposure to pornography was shown to be associated with externalizing problem scale scores, especially rule-breaking and aggressive behavior, but also associated with higher scores in competences, namely activities and social competence. Exposure to pornography is ubiquitous, more relevant to boys, and is associated with both positive qualities/competences and externalizing behavioral problems.

Effects of Maternal Self-Esteem, Coparenting and Warmth in Early Childhood on Children’s Problem Behaviors at School Entry

Objectives: The present study examined the effects of maternal self-esteem, coparenting and warmth in early childhood on children’s problem behaviors at school entry.Methods: The data were drawn from the seventh (T1, age 5) and eighth (T2, age 6) waves of the Panel Study of Korean Children (PSKC). A total of 1,429 mothers of 6-year-old children at T2 participated in this study. Data were analyzed with Structural Equation Modeling (SEM).Results: First, in relation to direct paths, the mother’s self-esteem at age 5 had direct effects on both internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors when children were aged 6 at school entry. Second, regarding indirect paths, mother’s self-esteem at age 5 had indirect effects on children’s internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors at age 6 through coparenting at age 5 and maternal warmth, respectively. Lastly, in relation to other indirect paths, mother’s self-esteem at age 5 had indirect effects on children’s internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors sequentially at age 6 through coparenting at age 5 and maternal warmth.Conclusion: This short-term longitudinal study explored whether mothers’ self-esteem, coparenting, and warmth in early childhood have crucial effects on children’s internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors at school entry. The results emphasize the importance of positive family dynamics in early years of life to prevent children’s problem behaviors. The findings of this study offer meaningful foundation for designing parenting education programs for parents and families as well as behavioral intervention programs for children, and they can ultimately serve as basic data for heathy development of children and family.

Maternal Psychological Control and Rural Left-Behind Children's Anxiety: The Moderating Role of Externalizing Problem Behavior and Teacher Support

Based on the risk and protective factor framework and context-dependent theory, the present study investigated the association between maternal psychological control and anxiety among left-behind children in rural China as well as the moderating roles of externalizing problem behavior and teacher support in this association. A total of 149 children with two migrant parents, 306 children with only a migrant father, and 287 accompanied children aged 11–16 years (M = 13.85 years, SD = 0.50) in the rural areas of Shandong Province, Eastern China, participated in the study. Children reported their perceived levels of maternal psychological control, teacher support, externalizing problem behavior, and anxiety. The results provided evidence that a higher level of psychological control was associated with more anxiety symptoms in all three groups of children, and this association was stronger in children with two migrant parents than in accompanied children. Hierarchical regression analysis supported our hypotheses that the moderating effects of externalizing problem behavior and teacher support varied as a function of parents' migrant status, with externalizing problem behavior exacerbating the impact of psychological control on anxiety in accompanied children, and teacher support buffering the impact of psychological control on anxiety in children with a migrant father. These findings broaden our understanding of the factors and processes that contribute to anxiety problems in left-behind children in rural China.

Community Violence Exposure and Externalizing Problem Behavior Among Chinese High School Students: The Moderating Role of Parental Knowledge

Adolescents' community violence exposure (CVE) has been demonstrated with a range of behavioral and psychological problems, but the processes that explain these correlations are not clear. In our 2017 study, the mediating role of deviant peer affiliation in the relationship between CVE and externalizing problem behaviors has been confirmed. However, the moderating effect of parental factors is still unclear. Therefore, a new group (high school group) was adopted in this study to further explore the moderating effect of parental knowledge based on also confirming the mediating effect of deviant peer affiliation. Stratified-cluster sampling was used to recruit 1,797 volunteers who completed questionnaires on CVE, deviant peer affiliation, parental knowledge, and externalizing problem behaviors. The results of the structural equation modeling were: on the basis of our previous research, we further analyzed the mediating role of deviant peer affiliation, and the mediated association was moderated by parental knowledge. Especially when the school climate is added as a covariate, the moderating effect of parental knowledge has changed, that is, the positive association between CVE and externalizing problem behaviors was much stronger for adolescents who reported lower levels of parental knowledge than for those who reported higher levels of parental knowledge. The results support the assumptions of social learning theory and have implications for interventions of community violence.