The Structure of Adolescent Temperament and Associations with Psychological Functioning: A Replication and Extension of Snyder et al. (2015)

The present study attempts to replicate and extend Snyder et al. (2015, JPSP). The original study examined the latent factor structure of the EATQ-R, a commonly used measure of adolescent temperament, and then showed that the resulting latent factors (i.e., Effortful Control, Negative Emotionality, and Positive Emotionality) had theoretically meaningful concurrent associations with various measures of adolescent functioning (depression, anxiety, ADHD, relational aggression, and school performance and behavior). We performed these same analyses using data from a large sample of Mexican-origin youth (N=674), and also examined prospective associations between the three EATQ-R factors and measures of adolescent functioning assessed two years later. We found some evidence supporting the bifactor model fit reported in the original study but poor replication of the correlations among latent factors. Additionally, model comparisons demonstrated that correlated factors models led to more interpretable factors than the bifactor models. In contrast, we replicated most, but not all, of the concurrent correlations (and extended the findings to prospective associations) between the EATQ-R factors and measures of adolescent functioning, supporting the construct validity of the EATQ-R as a measure of adolescent temperament. Thus, these findings raise concerns about the generalizability of the factor structure identified by Snyder et al. (2015), but bolster claims about the generalizability of the concurrent and predictive validity of the EATQ-R. Overall, meaningful differences between the present findings and those of Snyder et al. highlight the importance of ongoing construct validation in youth temperament research, especially with participants from groups traditionally underrepresented in psychological research.

Validation of the Dutch version of the Multidimensional Adolescent Functioning Scale (MAFS)

Background The Multidimensional Adolescent Functioning Scale (MAFS) is a 23-item, self-report questionnaire assessing psychosocial functioning in adolescents aged 12–17 years. It captures three domains of functioning: ‘general functioning’, ‘family-related functioning’, and ‘peer-related functioning’. The original English version has good psychometric properties. The aim of the current paper was to translate the MAFS to Dutch and to investigate the psychometric properties of this translation. Methods After translation, the Dutch MAFS was assessed in 397 adolescents aged 12–17 years, assessed at schools. Internal consistency, factor structure and correlations with other questionnaires assessing functioning, psychopathology and well-being were investigated. Results A hierarchical/bifactor model with a general factor that loads on all items (MAFS-general) and three group factors, loading respectively on the GF, FF and PF items, was found to describe the data best. Internal consistency of the MAFS total score (α = 0.87) was good and of the subscales (α = 0.74–0.80) acceptable. Comparable alphas were found in males and females. Correlations between MAFS subscales ranged from 0.33 to 0.43, indicating sufficient differentiation. The MAFS general factor score and group factor scores showed positive correlations with other measures of good functioning and well-being, and negative correlations with measures of psychopathology, supporting convergent and divergent validity. Conclusions The Dutch translation of the MAFS has adequate psychometric properties to assess three domains of functioning in adolescents from the general population aged 12–17 years. The MAFS is freely accessible in the Appendix and easy to administer.

Congruence and Incongruence in Father, Mother, and Adolescent Reports of Parental Monitoring: Examining the Links With Antisocial Behaviors

This study examined the level of congruence and incongruence between fathers’, mothers’, and adolescents’ perceptions of parental monitoring in relation to the adolescents’ antisocial behaviors. A sample of 163 father-mother-adolescent triads (59.5% girls; [Formula: see text] age = 12.35) filled out separate questionnaires assessing the dimensions of parental monitoring (i.e., parental knowledge, adolescent self-disclosure, parental control, and parental solicitation) and the adolescents also reported on the frequency of their antisocial behaviors. Polynomial regression analyses revealed that the higher the level of congruence between the father’s and/or mother’s and adolescent’s perceptions, the less the adolescent tended to present antisocial behaviors. Some results differed according to the parents’ gender. Incongruence between mothers’ and adolescents’ perceptions of parental knowledge was associated with higher levels of antisocial behaviors, whereas congruence between fathers’ and adolescents’ perceptions of parental knowledge showed a nonlinear relationship with these behaviors. These results shed light on how parental monitoring contributes to adolescent functioning.

The challenges of adolescent sleep

Sleep is vital for our physical, emotional and cognitive health. However, adolescents face many challenges where their sleep is concerned. This is reflected in their sleep patterns including the timing of their sleep and how much sleep they achieve on a regular basis: their sleep is characteristically delayed and short. Notably, insufficient sleep is associated with impairments in adolescent functioning. Endogenous and exogenous factors are known to affect sleep at this age. Alterations in the bioregulation of sleep, comprising the circadian timing system and the sleep/wake homeostatic system, represent the intrinsic mechanisms at work. Compounding this, environmental, psychosocial and lifestyle factors may contribute to shortened sleep. This review discusses the amount of sleep gained by adolescents and its implications, the challenges to adolescent sleep and the interventions introduced in an effort to prioritize sleep health in this important developmental period.

Associations between dimensions of religiousness and psychosocial functioning among bereaved youth

Using a sample of recently bereaved youth (N = 2,425; Mage = 15.31, SD = 1.50), this study examined associations between dimensions of religiousness and current functioning. Youth reported on their religious service attendance, religious coping, and importance of religious beliefs and substance use, academic achievement, depressive symptoms, and self-esteem. Greater religious service attendance was associated with lower substance use and greater importance of religious beliefs was associated with lower substance use and greater self-esteem. Greater religious coping was associated with greater academic achievement. Findings suggest distinct dimensions of religiousness may have differential implications for adolescent functioning after experiencing loss.