Positive Family Environment, General Distress, Subjective Well-Being, and Academic Engagement among High School Students Before and During the COVID-19 Outbreak

The COVID-19 pandemic has altered the family dynamics of most people worldwide as well as the mode in which students take classes. The impact of such changes on students’ well-being, academic engagement, and general distress remains unknown. Therefore, this study aims to test the structural relations among positive family environment (a measure of Positive Home-Based Parent Involvement [HBI]), subjective well-being (SWB), general distress, and academic engagement, focusing on Mexican high school students. A longitudinal study was conducted covering two time points: before (T1) and during (T2) the COVID-19 outbreak. A sample of 502 students answered questionnaires in T1 whereas 111 did so in T2. Analyses were conducted using Mplus software. Principal results showed that the positive and significant association between positive family environment and SWB did not substantially change from T1 to T2, whereas the relation between positive family environment and academic engagement became stronger. Data revealed that a positive family environment can play an important role in promoting academic engagement among adolescent students despite the risks brought about by sanitary lockdowns and the increase of family interactions. Results are discussed highlighting the importance of positive family environments and HBI on academic outcomes for Mexican high school students.

Do it yourself: The role of early self-care ability in social skills in Japanese preschool settings

Self-care ability and social skills are potential areas of difficulty for preschool children. However, values about young children's self-care ability are different worldwide. This longitudinal study examined the influence of early self-care ability on social skills at the end of the preschool years. Participants were 509 children recruited from kindergartens and child care centers across Japan, whose self-care ability and social skills were assessed at baseline year and three years later (Age of children in 2015 at baseline: M = 35 months, SD = 6.1 months). The study found that gender was significantly associated with social skills, while preschool facility entrance age was only associated with assertion skills. After controlling gender and entrance age, early self-care ability was still positively related to later assertion and cooperation (Assertion: OR = 2.55, 95% CI = 1.00–6.51; Cooperation: OR = 3.15, 95% CI = 1.23–8.07). Implications of the findings are discussed in the context of cultural diversity, highlighting the importance of cultivating children's age-appropriate self-care ability based on daily observations and evaluations.

Negative emotionality and peer status: Evidence for bidirectional longitudinal influences during the elementary school years

Prior research indicates that high negative emotionality in combination with low peer status is conducive of clinically identified problems in childhood. This three-wave longitudinal study examined how negative emotionality and peer status are linked over time in middle and late childhood. Participants were recruited from second grade ( n = 90, mean age = 8.85) and fourth grade ( n = 119, mean age = 10.81) and were followed across a period of 2 years. Cross-lagged structural models examining concurrent and longitudinal associations between teacher-reported negative emotionality and peer ratings of likability were analyzed separately for externalizing emotion (anger) and internalizing emotion (sadness and fear). Both analyses provided support for a conceptual model in which high negative emotionality lowers peer status, and low peer status, in turn, through a feedback loop, increases negative emotionality over time. Bidirectional influences are interpreted as reflecting a transactional process involving the effects of negative emotionality on social behavior. The findings highlight the need for active efforts to help children with high negative emotionality gain acceptance from classmates.

Bereavement and educational outcomes in children and young people: A systematic review

Experiencing bereavement due to the death of a close person is rife in the lives of young people. This review aimed to investigate how bereavement affects educational outcomes of students at various educational levels and what factors may be involved in moderating these outcomes. The systemic review was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines with searches of peer-reviewed literature in Embase, Emcare, Medline, PsycINFO and Scopus. Twenty-two studies (17 quantitative and 5 qualitative) were included. In general, bereavement can constitute a barrier to educational achievement in young people compromising academic performance, and educational engagement and attainment. Several factors can place young people at greater risk of experiencing this disadvantage and further research into these mechanisms and interventions to mitigate short- and long-term consequences, especially among high-risk groups, is warranted.

Exploring challenges in mental health service provisions for school-going adolescents in Sri Lanka

Schools provide an ideal setting for early, accessible intervention according to research conducted in developed countries for adolescents experiencing adverse mental health (MH). Many schools in South Asia, however, lack structured and standardized school counselling services. Research indicates that where services do exist, students are reluctant to access them due to perceived high risks and low benefits in MH help seeking. This paper explores the challenges experienced in MH provision from the perspective of school counsellors. A qualitative approach was chosen, and three main themes emerged from the data using the thematic analysis: negative perceptions of MH and counselling, the unwillingness to invest in MH services, and the challenges inherent in the system itself. The findings reveal cultural implications behind these challenges and suggest grassroots level initiatives that can be implemented within schools to reduce the barriers to service provision without the need for legislative changes at a national level.

Assessing school community needs during the initial outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic: Teacher, parent and student perceptions

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on the lives of adults and children worldwide. Schools were among the first settings to be influenced by this crisis. Home confinement and school closure were implemented as necessary preventive measures creating a new way of living based on web-based communication. The aim of the study is to explore school community needs during the COVID-19 outbreak in Greece. The study followed a mixed methods design, consisting of a teacher, a parent and an adolescent survey. The sample entailed 1,157 participants (414 teachers, 487 parents and 256 adolescents). Quantitative data were collected using questionnaires. Qualitative data were collected using open-ended questions to explore participants’ adjustment and needs during the pandemic. Parents and teachers showed high propensity for anxiety and high levels of resilient coping. Health and adaptation concerns were evident in all samples. Teachers, parents and adolescents described helpful coping practices, primarily related to social support. The findings highlight the importance of supporting all school community members to cope with feelings of stress and anxiety during the pandemic and to identify and make use of helpful personal and social resources.

Recruitment and retention of bilingual graduate students in school psychology: Efforts and challenges in increasing professional diversity

The main goal of this paper is to illustrate recruitment efforts, strategies, and challenges in the process of training bilingual school psychologists to serve diverse schools. First, we address the acute and chronic shortage of bilingual school psychologists in the United States, particularly in urban schools where student populations are increasingly diverse. Then we provide a review of strategies and efforts to recruit and retain bilingual graduate-level learners in one school psychology program in an urban university. Quantitative data regarding recruitment and retention efforts are discussed. We identify challenges and future directions to increase diversity in the field of school psychology.

From early to late adolescence: Effect of problematic mobile phone use on depression of adolescents

Problematic mobile phone use can predict depression in adolescents, but few studies have thoroughly explored its internal mechanism. This study surveyed 1,768 Chinese adolescents in three educational levels (upper grades of elementary, junior middle, and high school levels) using a questionnaire. Results showed that (1) problematic mobile phone use significantly positively predicted adolescents’ depression after controlling for gender and age, (2) parent–child relationship played a mediating role between problematic mobile phone use and adolescents’ depression, and (3) adolescents’ educational level moderated relationships between problematic mobile phone use and parent–child relationship as well as parent–child relationship and depression. The negative effect of problematic mobile phone use on the parent–child relationship and the impact of the parent–child relationship on depression are weakened as the educational level of adolescents increases. These findings indicated that problematic mobile phone use affects adolescents’ depression by reducing the quality of parent–child relationship, wherein the degree of influence reduces at high educational levels. Limitations and future directions of this study were also discussed.

Academic self-efficacy and test anxiety in high school students: A conditional process model of academic buoyancy and peer support

Based on social cognitive theory and ecological systems theory, this study constructed a conditional process model to explore the relationship between academic self-efficacy and test anxiety as well as underlying psychological mechanisms through academic buoyancy and peer support. A sample of Chinese high school students ( N = 560) completed questionnaires assessing academic self-efficacy, academic buoyancy, peer support, and test anxiety. Structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed an indirect effect of academic self-efficacy on test anxiety through academic buoyancy. Moreover, the results of the conditional process analysis demonstrated that this indirect effect was moderated by peer support. The findings suggested that both personal positive psychological characteristics (e.g., academic buoyancy) and school environmental factors (e.g., peer support) are protective factors for test anxiety in high school students. Limitations and implications for future research are discussed.