ABSTRACT Introduction Adolescents in high‐achieving schools (HAS) are considered a high‐risk group due to unrelenting pressures to excel. Despite being at risk for poorer mental health outcomes, few studies have assessed how psychosocial stressors impact physical health in this population. There is evidence that youth from HAS struggle with perfectionistic demands and perceive greater parental alienation, both of which may influence psychological and physical health. This study examines associations between three domains of perfectionistic self‐presentation, somatic, anxiety, and depressive symptoms, and explores the moderating role of parental alienation and gender identity on these relations. This study also presents a detailed description of somatic symptoms among adolescents from HAS. Methods Two waves of cross‐sectional data were collected in 2017 and 2019. Students ( n = 181; 99 females and 82 males, M age = 15.61, SD age = 1.01) from a HAS in the Northeastern United States completed self‐report measures. Direct and moderated effects were analyzed using SPSS and the PROCESS macro. Results Adolescents in the current sample endorsed high levels of somatic symptoms. Nondisplay of imperfection was associated with more depressive symptoms and anxiety, while perfectionistic self‐promotion was associated with more somatic symptoms. Moderated effects indicated that perfectionistic self‐promotion was related to higher levels of somatic symptoms and nondisplay of imperfection was associated with greater anxiety and depressive symptoms across all levels of parental alienation. Additionally, nondisplay of imperfection was associated with more depressive symptoms for females only. Conclusions Findings highlight associations between parental alienation, perfectionism, and emotional and physical well‐being that warrant further investigation.
ABSTRACT Introduction Short video addiction (SVA) has emerged as a prominent mental health concern among young adults, while its dynamic relationship with basic psychological need frustration (BPNF) remains insufficiently understood. Methods Drawing on self‐determination theory, the present study examined the bidirectional associations between BPNF and SVA at both trait and state levels. Study 1 employed a three‐wave longitudinal design with a total of 7682 college students aged 16–25 years (50.8% female; M age = 18.03 years, SD = 0.86) assessed at 6‐month intervals. Study 2 adopted a daily diary design with 115 participants aged 17–27 years (69.6% female; M age = 20.15 years, SD = 2.24) to examine the day‐to‐day interrelation between state BPNF and state SVA. Results Cross‐lagged analyses indicated a bidirectional relationship between BPNF and SVA at the between‐person level, with BPNF exhibiting a stronger predictive effect on SVA. Dynamic structural equation modeling revealed a unidirectional association at the within‐person level, whereby daily SVA predicted subsequent increases in BPNF, but not vice versa. Conclusions These findings suggest that while SVA serves as a more immediate motivational driver of psychological needs in daily life, the detrimental effects of BPNF on excessive short video use may accumulate more gradually over time. This study advances a more nuanced understanding of the reciprocal cycle between BPNF and SVA, offering important implications for multilevel intervention strategies.
ABSTRACT Introduction Adolescence is a critical period for understanding social class, forming class‐related attitudes, and shaping future social engagement. However, the global educational segregation trend may hinder this learning by separating adolescents into socioeconomic status (SES)‐based school settings, thereby fostering intergroup misunderstandings, prejudice, and weakening social cohesion. Before implementing interventions to reduce these divides, a reliable, valid, and age‐appropriate measure of SES‐related attitudes is needed. To address socially desirable responding in explicit measures, this study developed and evaluated the Intergroup Indirect Attitude‐relevant Differentiation Measure (IIAM) for assessing adolescents' SES‐related attitude‐relevant differentiation. Methods A total of 328 Year 7–9 students from relatively advantaged secondary school contexts (higher‐SES) ( M age = 13.06, including both female and male students) in Mainland China and Hong Kong participated. The IIAM was developed using the Error‐Choice technique, with items informed by a literature review and expert panel input. Face and content validity were examined through cognitive interviews, construct validity was assessed through exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha. Results Findings indicated that the IIAM showed good face validity and strong internal consistency, with Cronbach's alpha values in the 0.80s. Both EFA and CFA supported a unidimensional, seven‐item structure with satisfactory model fit. Conclusion The IIAM appears to be a feasible indirect measure of SES‐related attitude‐relevant intergroup differentiation, with preliminary evidence supporting its internal consistency and dimensional structure among higher‐SES adolescents. Further research is encouraged to confirm the internal consistency, construct validity of the measure in socioeconomically heterogeneous samples, including adolescents from lower‐SES backgrounds.
Introduction Adolescents often care about their social status which may be influenced by various personality and behavioral characteristics. This study used a person-centered approach to examine intrapersonal (i.e., psychopathy, narcissism, self-esteem) and interpersonal (i.e., aggression, prosocial behavior) factors associated with how adolescents are perceived by peers.Methods Participants were 256 adolescents (61% of participants identified as male), ages 16-19, attending a 22-week quasi-military residential program. Self-report and peer-nomination data were collected.Results Latent profile analysis identified three groups based on peer-reported factors reflecting social preference, perceived popularity, and social impact. Each group demonstrated some distinct intrapersonal and interpersonal characteristics. Notably, the group with relatively higher social status exhibited generally positive traits (e.g., helpfulness; low levels of aggressiveness) but also moderate levels of peer-reported dominance and attempts to get others to do what they want.Conclusions Adolescent social status may be attained by a complex interplay of prosocial behaviors and peer-perceived dominance, highlighting the importance of further examining how personality and behavioral characteristics contribute to adolescent peer dynamics.
Introduction Most instruments designed to assess bystander defending responses against sexual harassment have been validated primarily in university contexts and with the North American population, which limits their generalizability to adolescent populations in other cultures. To address this gap, this study aimed to explore the psychometric properties of a new measure named Defending Responses Against Sexual Harassment Instrument (DEFEND-SH) in a Spanish sample.Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted during the 2023-2024 academic year. The sample comprised 1250 Spanish students from six educational centers, aged 12 to 19 years (M = 14.86; 51.3% boys). The statistical analyses included confirmatory factor analysis, multigroup analyses by gender and response type (hypothetical vs. actual).Results The results supported a four-factor structure encompassing different defending responses in the high school context: supporting the victim, seeking help from an adult, mobilizing other bystanders, and confronting the aggressor. DEFEND-SH demonstrated full measurement invariance across gender and response type (hypothetical vs. actual). Adolescents reporting hypothetical responses scored higher than those reporting actual behaviors, and girls scored higher than boys across all dimensions. Regarding criterion-related validity, tolerance toward sexual harassment was negatively correlated with all four defending responses, particularly supporting the victim. In contrast, self-efficacy and moral responsibility emotions showed significant positive associations with the defending responses.Conclusions The DEFEND-SH instrument is shown to be a useful tool for analyzing the defending responses of adolescents against sexual harassment.
