Increasing reports of racial microaggressions raise concerns about their impact on young adults' mental health. Social support can act as a protective process in the association between racial microaggressions and mental health symptoms. In this article, we used an egocentric network approach to examine the extent to which network size and functions of support moderated the effect of racial microaggressions on anxiety among racialized and White young adults. Results from structural equation modeling indicated that a larger network size and support in the emotional, instrumental, and informational domains reduced the effect of racial microaggressions on anxiety for racialized participants. Findings have implications for supporting young adults who experience racial microaggressions and have reduced social supports.

Mathematics ability is considered the underlying “fabric of society”. Thus, disentangling specific differences between individual and school-level factors is critical for understanding disparities in mathematics achievement, particularly among underrepresented groups. In this brief report on over 700,000 Brazilian adolescents (ages 18–21), we used a multilevel modeling approach to predict math scores based on a number of individual-level and between-level variables. Our findings show that males still outperform females and that students from higher socioeconomic backgrounds achieve higher scores. Beyond these individual differences and the advantages associated with private school attendance, positive school climate as a school-level factor was also linked to better math scores. Nevertheless, positive climate was more strongly related to math grades for male students attending private schools. Furthermore, positive school climate was more strongly related to math scores for students with higher socioeconomic statuses attending private schools. These findings replicate those of previous literature while also expanding on the multifaceted impact of school-level positive climate. We close by calling for more studies that disentangle differences between underrepresented groups in mathematics.

IntroductionInternalizing symptoms in general and depression in particular is a significant health concern among adolescents, with peer victimization as a consistent risk factor. The current study aimed to examine the association between peer victimization and depressed affect among Brazilian adolescents, as well as the potential buffering effect of close friends and the indirect effect of social support on this association.MethodsData were analyzed from the PeNSE National Survey of School Health, a nationally representative sample of 5th to 11th grade Brazilian students (final N = 154,122). Participants completed self-administered questionnaires assessing peer victimization, number of friends, social support, and internalizing symptoms.ResultsPeer victimization was found to be a significant predictor of depressed affect, and reporting more close friends was related to lower depressive symptoms. The study also found evidence for a curvilinear relationship between the number of close friends and depressed affect. More importantly, the number of close friends buffered the effect of peer victimization whereas peer support mediated the association to depressed affect.DiscussionThese findings highlight the importance of addressing both peer victimization and social support in promoting mental health among Brazilian adolescents in addition to making the school environment less challenging for all students.

Objectives Theta burst stimulation (TBS) is a novel and faster modality of transcranial magnetic stimulation, which is showing promise as a treatment-resistant depression (TRD) treatment. Though TBS can be applied unilaterally or bilaterally, few studies have compared the effectiveness of both approaches in a naturalistic clinical sample. In this retrospective chart review, we aimed to: (1) replicate previous bilateral sequential TBS effectiveness in a larger cohort of patients at a single centre, (2) present treatment outcome data between unilateral and bilateral TBS approaches, (3) investigate baseline factors associated with our observed outcomes, and (4) examine the sustainability of response, with follow-up data up to 6 months from patients. Methods We included 161 patients who received TBS (unilateral: n = 64 (40%), 45.55 ± 14.25 years old, 55% females; bilateral: n = 97 (60%), 47.67 ± 15.11 years old, 58% females). Results Firstly, we observed 47% response and 34% remission in the bilateral group, replicating findings from a smaller naturalistic study from our group; patients receiving unilateral TBS displayed 36% response and 26% remission, with no significant differences found between unilateral and bilateral TBS in remission and response rates. Secondly, bilaterally stimulated patients needed fewer treatments than those stimulated unilaterally (27 vs 29 on average respectively, t [159] = 3.31, p = .001), and had significantly lower anxiety symptoms post treatment (GAD-7) relative to patients receiving unilateral stimulation, F (1,148) = 3.95, p = .049. Thirdly, no baseline factors were found to predict treatment outcomes. Lastly, after six months, 69% of patients who met the response criteria did not require additional treatment or a change in medication. Conclusions Our findings support the efficacy and tolerability of TBS in TRD and indicate that bilateral TBS may have a superior anxiolytic effect and offer a slightly faster time to response.

BACKGROUND:Cognitive impairment (CI) is common in people with MS (PwMS). Evidence is lacking for the self-reported CI's mediation effect on employment status and objective cognitive performance. Self-reported CI was found to be unreliable and seemed to be more associated with depression rather than formal cognitive performance. We hypothesized that the link between subjective and objective assessments of cognitive functions, mood, and employment status may be more complex in PwMS than previously reported. OBJECTIVE:The aims of this study are the following: (Romero-Pinel et al., 2022) to determine whether employment status could affect performance in cognitive function testing and (Rao et al., 1991) whether their relationship may be mediated by self-reported CI; and (Deluca et al., 2013) to determine whether self-reported depression interacts with self-reported CI in influencing performance in various cognitive domains in PwMS. METHODOLOGY:A retrospective study was performed involving PwMS who completed the self-report Multiple Sclerosis Neuropsychological Questionnaire (MSNQ), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-depression scale (HADS-D), Minimal Assessment of Cognitive Function in MS (MACFIMS) and had data regarding employment status. Included PwMS were classified as employed or unemployed. A structural equation modeling (SEM) approach was taken due to the advantage of examining multiple cognitive outcomes simultaneously while accounting for shared associations. First, a latent factor of memory and executive functioning modeled the error-free associations between both factors and a processing speed task (SDMT). Next, the model tested for the indirect effect of self-reported cognition (MSNQ) on employment status differences in each outcome (memory, speed, and executive functioning). Finally, we tested interactions between MSNQ and HADS-D on each of the outcomes. RESULTS:We included 590 PwMS: 72.5% female, mean age 44.2 years (SD = 10.5), mean disease duration 8.6 years (SD 9.0). The majority (n = 455, 77.1%) had relapsing MS; 357 (60.5%) were employed. About half (n = 301, 51%) did not report CI on the MSNQ; of those, 213 (70.8%) were employed. The mean MSNQ for employed PwMS was 24.5 (SD = 10.7) and 29.8 (SD = 11.2) for unemployed PwMS. Employed PwMS had significantly better memory (β = .16, p < .05), executive functioning (β = .25, p < .05), and processing speed (β = .22, p < .05). MSNQ partially indirectly mediated the effect of employment status on memory (Δβ = .03, p < .05) and executive functioning (Δβ = .03, p < .05) and processing speed (Δβ = .04, p < .05), indicating that self-report CI partially explains the influence of employment status on these cognitive domains. The association between MSNQ with both memory and executive functioning was moderated by depression, meaning that in PwMS with high HADS-D scores, MSNQ was more strongly related to worse memory and executive functioning. The final model was an acceptable fit to the data (χ2(87) = 465.07, p < .05; CFI = .90, RMSEA = .08, 90% CI [.06, .09], SRMR = .05) explaining 41.20%, 38.50% and 33.40% of the variability in memory, executive functioning, and processing speed, respectively. CONCLUSION:Self-reported CI partially explains the associations between employment status and objective cognitive assessment in PwMS. Depression may moderate the relationship between self-reported cognitive assessment and objective cognitive performance. Thus, employment status and mood may guide the interpretation of self-reported CI.

Objectives: Evidence is limited on the comparative impact of specific anesthetic agents used in electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) on outcomes in treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Our study aimed to compare the efficacy of methohexital vs propofol by examining the number of treatment sessions needed to transition from acute to maintenance ECT (NTS) (i.e., change from minimum of two to one or fewer treatments per week), missed treatment sessions, and seizure durations.Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study via chart review of patients with TRD receiving ECT from October 2017 to October 2019. We included adult patients (3 18 years) diagnosed with TRD who received at least six ECT sessions. We analyzed our data using multilevel structural equation modeling(MSEM).Results: We included 149 patients (36.9% or 55/149 were ³ 65 years): 54 were methohexital-treated (mean age 59 ± 17 years; 41% male) and 95 were propofol-treated (mean age 55 ± 17 years; 36% male). No significant differences between methohexital vs propofol groups were found in NTS (mean ± SD: 12.6 ± 6.6 vs 11.5 ± 6.1; p = 0.3) and missed treatment sessions (0.63 ± 1.2 vs 0.69 ± 1.2; p = 0.75). Patients receiving methohexital manifested longer motor (25.5 ± 10.6s vs 19.9 ± 8.4s; p < .001) and electroencephalographic (EEG) seizure durations (42 ± 17.5s vs .9± 13.1s; p < .001) vs propofol. MSEM revealed that (1) methohexital was associated with longer first-session seizure durations (motor seizure: b = 6.28, p < 0.05; EEG seizure: b = 8.03, p < 0.05) and more rapid decline in motor seizure duration across sessions (b = –.38, p < .05) over propofol, while accounting for relevant covariates; (2) regardless of anesthesia used, faster reductions in seizure durations across sessions predicted fewer NTS; and (3) methohexital was associated with fewer NTS adjusted for covariates which were driven by two indirect effects: (a) sharper decline in motor duration across sessions and (b) the association between a sharper decline in motor duration across sessions with fewer missed treatments. The outcomes were not influenced by age, indicating that the findings are relevant to older adults.Conclusions: Our findings suggest that methoxexital had fewer NTS and longer seizure durations than propofol, indicating better ECT outcomes using methohexital for TRD. Further research is warranted to verify methohexital’s effects on cognitive and additional recovery outcomes within clinical practice.

This study explores three understudied facets—quadratic effects, change over time, and gender as a moderator—of the otherwise well-documented relationships between statistics anxiety and academic performance. Using pre- and post- course survey data among a sample of 111 undergraduate students in Social Statistics courses at a U.S. Midwestern university, we employ hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) to test for relationships between change in the six dimensions of the Statistics Anxiety Rating Scale (STARS) and exam grades over the course of the semester. We find that exam grades decreased over time, but at different rates across gender and the six STARS dimensions. We also identify a quadratic relationship between self-concept and final exam grades, as well as several gender interactions. This study highlights the multifaceted and dynamic nature of statistics anxiety/attitudes, as its relationship with academic performance is not always negative, linear, stable over time, or uniform across gender. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.

Spanish learners engaged in two-way interaction gap tasks where, through social interaction, they identified and defined low-frequency vocabulary. Participants (referred to as actors to differentiate them from task partners) completed two such tasks. Each time, they collaborated with different partners of varying degrees of Spanish proficiency and linguistic background, either an L2 learner or a heritage speaker (HS). The purpose of the study was thus to shed light on if and how features of the collaborating partners in mixed (HS–L2) and matched (L2–L2; HS–HS) partnerships impacted vocabulary learning. Through a mixed methods analysis of the data (perception measures and qualitative responses, plus pre- and post-vocabulary tests), it was deduced that learners’ language proficiency level alone was not associated with differences in vocabulary gains. Rather, the nature of the partnerships among learners was more salient. In particular, learners in mixed partnerships had greater gains than those in matched partnerships. In addition, actors’ perceptions of the experience of working with their partner had no discernible effect on vocabulary, except for HSs who increased less when working with partners’ whose linguistic abilities they had rated as low. Pedagogical implications address learners’ social interaction in mixed language classrooms.

This study investigated how picture concreteness (cartoon versus photo) and mental illness prevalence level (high versus low) in mental health messages influence mental illness stigma via a within-subjects online experiment (N = 92). Findings revealed that, compared to cartoons, photos elicited greater empathic closeness, decreased social distancing intention (especially for the low-prevalence mental illnesses of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder), and increased intention to support mental health policies. Compared to photos, cartoons increased comprehension (especially for the high-prevalence mental illnesses of depression and anxiety) and reduced personal responsibility for mental illness. Messages about high-prevalence mental illnesses compared to low-prevalence mental illnesses elicited more empathic closeness, lower social distancing intention, and higher message dissemination intention.

Justice is at the center of many definitions of character across various lines of research, yet there is little empirical research on how the justice of contexts can foster character virtues. The current study draws from a sample of 1,865 Brazilian fourth and fifth graders across two time points in 60 schools (42.7% White; 48.3% male). A multilevel structural equation model demonstrated the mediating role that justice beliefs play between authoritative school climate and socio-emotional learning, and the character virtues of bravery, fairness, and prosocial leadership even after accounting for grade, gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status (SES). This study highlights the importance of understanding the contextual justice of children’s environments on the development of character virtues.

IntroductionThe current study aimed to expand on the existing literature by examining the effect of race-based victimization on academic functioning in a nation-wide sample of Brazilian youth.MethodsThe ENEM 2009 dataset contained academic functioning scores of 795,924 Brazilian students from 25,488 schools.ResultsAbove and beyond the effect of general victimization, ethnic/racial victimization was significantly negatively related to academic functioning with differences across ethnic/racial groups in the effects. More interesting is that diversity climate at the school level buffered the association between ethnic/racial victimization and academic functioning. The effects were further qualified by school level ethnic/racial diversity and victimization.DiscussionThe current findings illustrate the pernicious effects of ethnic/racial victimization even after controlling for other forms of victimization. Moreover, differences in these associations across schools were accounted for using a combination of school level racial diversity and victimization with school level diversity climate emerging as a buffer of the effects of ethnic/racial victimization.

Self-continuity refers to the strategies individuals use to justify a stable sense of self despite the various changes they experience. Among young adults, in particular, self-continuity over time has been associated with indicators of mental health. The aim of the current project was to identify whether aspects of the social context are measurably distinct from other established strategies of self-continuity. Data were collected from emerging adults from the US Midwest (n = 309) and southern Brazil (n = 285). Self-continuity and its opposite, self-discontinuity, were measured, in addition to essentialism or narrativism and the social context as strategies. Structural equation modeling supported the contention that self-continuity is positively associated with strategies of essentialism, narrativism, and the social context. Models confirmed that the social context was measurably distinct from the other strategies of self-continuity and higher among older emerging adults. Finally, though the factor structure was largely identical between the two samples, some mean differences emerged.

This study explored school psychologists’ practices in the areas of developing behavior intervention plans (BIPs), conducting functional behavior assessments (FBAs), and behavioral consultation. Practitioners were asked to rate their level of confidence in the implementation with fidelity of the last BIP they developed. Relationships between these practices and school psychologists’ confidence levels were examined. Data were collected from a national sample of practitioners ( n = 179). Overall, results suggest that school district supports, being mindful of potential barriers to implementation, certain components of the FBA process, and adhering to best practices in behavioral consultation can have substantial positive impacts on a school psychologist’s confidence in the treatment integrity and maintenance of BIPs over time. Implications for practice are discussed.

Social norms are vital for the functioning of adolescent peer groups; they can protect the well-being of groups and individual members, often by deterring harmful behaviors, such as aggression, through enforcement mechanisms like peer victimization; in adolescent peer groups, those who violate aggression norms are often subject to victimization. However, adolescents are nested within several levels of peer group contexts, ranging from small proximal groups, to larger distal groups, and social norms operate within each. This study assessed whether there are differences in the enforcement of aggression norms at different levels. Self-report and peer-nomination data were collected four times over the course of a school year from 1,454 early adolescents ( M age = 10.27; 53.9% boys) from Bogota, Colombia. Multilevel modeling provided support for social regulation of both physical aggression and relational aggression via peer victimization, as a function of gender, grade-level, proximal (friend) or distal (class) injunctive norms of aggression (perceptions of group-level attitudes), and descriptive norms of aggression. Overall, violation of proximal norms appears to be more powerfully enforced by adolescent peer groups. The findings are framed within an ecological systems theory of adolescent peer relationships.

Tinto (1975) created a college persistence model, emphasizing institutional academic and social integration, that continues to guide U.S. university retention strategies. This longitudinal study followed 584 college Freshman from diverse backgrounds, testing for group differences in the relationship that Tinto’s key constructs have on college persistence, over time, for U.S.-White, U.S.-minority, and immigrant-origin groups. We found significant positive associations between Academic Integration and Intentions to Persist for all ethnic groups, but group differences in Social Integration and Intentions to Persist. Additionally, Intentions to Persist was a significant predictor of actual persistence for all groups, suggesting predictive power overall.

Very little is known about the role of early interactions in the development of peer relationships among toddlers. The present study examined whether behaviors early in the formation of toddler relationships predict interactions later in their relationships. Twenty-eight unfamiliar 20- and 30-month-old toddlers from a predominately European background met separately with each of two other toddlers for 18 playdates. Both positive and negative behaviors at the beginning of the relationship predicted a higher frequency of games later in the relationship. Positive behaviors at the beginning of the relationship predicted fewer conflicts later in the relationship. Negative behaviors at the beginning predicted more conflicts later in the relationship. These findings suggest that toddlers’ behaviors, when they initially meet, underlie the pathway in which their relationship develops.

The purpose of this study is to understand the role of school relationships in shaping students’ character development in middle childhood. Students and teachers completed surveys on student–teacher relationships, peer relationships, social-emotional learning (SEL), parent-teacher communication, and character strengths of fairness, hope, bravery, teamwork, self-regulation, social responsibility, and prosocial leadership. Participants were 1881 Brazilian children in fourth or fifth grade across 288 classrooms and 60 schools. Data were analyzed using a multi-level model framework. Higher student–student relationships were associated with higher starting scores of character strengths paired with a stronger increase among classes whose relationships improved over time. Higher quality student–teacher relationships were associated with a larger increase in character strengths among boys. Teachers’ usage of SEL strategies, student–teacher relationships and student peer relationships were important predictors of both classroom baselines and the change in character strengths across time. Most of the existing literature on character strengths is based on older adolescent samples from affluent countries and with little Latin American representation. This study supports existing literature on the relevancy of character strengths in the educational context, but adds the importance of seeing it as a contextual and relational outcome.

The frequency and length of games, conflicts, and contingency sequences that took place between toddlers as they got to know one another were studied using archival data. The sample consisted of 28 unfamiliar 20- and 30-month-old toddlers (predominantly White, 16 males) who met separately with each of two other toddlers for 18 play dates. The frequency of games increased over time, while the frequency of conflict and contingency sequences decreased. The length of games increased over time while the length of conflicts and contingency sequences were stable. Age and language ability predicted changes in frequency and length of the different types of sequences. Thus, toddlers engage in less structured interactions when they first meet; their interactions become increasingly more organized and positive as the relationship evolves.

LGBQ+ youth (youth who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, or with diverse identities other than straight or heterosexual) contend with unique stressors in the context of their peer relationships. They also access critical support from peers. These circumstances likely influence how LGBQ+ youth navigate and experience their relationships. Nevertheless, research remains limited in its breadth and depth of coverage of LGBQ+ youth's peer relationships. We suggest ways to advance such research within the following areas: (a) identity development in the peer context; (b) identity disclosure and “coming out” to peers; (c) initiating, developing, and maintaining friendships under marginalizing conditions; (d) homophily or diversity in LGBQ+ youth's friendships; (e) visualizing LGBQ+ youth's positions in their peer networks; (f) bias-based harassment, hypervigilance, and rejection sensitivity; and (g) peer action and advocacy. This work could yield richer understandings of how LGBQ+ youth cultivate meaningful, lasting peer relationships and thrive.