The identification of psychological strengths that foster healthy development in youth has become a major topic of exploration in the field of positive psychology. Gratitude is a trait-like characteristic with qualities indicative of a potential psychological strength that may serve as a protective factor for early adolescents in the face of…

Introduction: This mixed-method longitudinal study examined American adolescents' meaning making of salient COVID-19 pandemic events. Method: Within phone interviews, adolescents (N = 124, M[subscript age] = 15.76 years; 46% Latine) narrated their most emotionally impactful pandemic experience at two time points ~30 days apart between July 2020…

Background: Autistic people have worse mental health (MH) than non-autistic people. This proof-of-concept study explored feasibility of longitudinal research with autistic university students, focusing on their MH and coping styles across an academic year. Methods: Twenty-two students took part at all timepoints. They completed four rounds of…

Objective: Although emerging adults' civic engagement is generally associated with positive outcomes, concerns about an elected candidate's leadership ability and the implications of administrative turnover may negatively impact youths' well-being. Using longitudinal data collected during the 2016 election cycle, the current study examined whether…

Many autistic people and people with non-spectrum neurodevelopmental disabilities (e.g. intellectual disability) report feeling lonely, which can negatively impact their well-being. There is little longitudinal research, however, tracking changes in how autistic people experience, conceptualize, and cope with loneliness throughout their lives. A…

Music students in tertiary education struggle with a range of health-related problems. We investigated students' self-referrals for counseling at a UK conservatoire to explore trends in students' attendance at counseling sessions over time and identify their reasons for seeking and continuing to attend counseling. We conducted a secondary analysis…

Pregnancy rates among adolescents have declined in the United States since the early 1990s. Despite the steady decline, adolescent pregnancy and parenthood remain risk factors for negative outcomes associated with youth development, education, and behavioral health. To date, most research on adolescent parenthood has focused heavily on the…

Black women in graduate school can experience stress due to blatant and subtle acts of gendered racism. However, we do not know how such stressors are navigated over time among those who successfully complete their PhDs. The current study used a Black feminist thought framework and narrative analysis to conduct a longitudinal exploration of how…

This 10-year study followed 134 caregivers of young adults with autism and intellectual disability, examining the effects of caregivers' coping strategies, sociodemographic features, and young adult symptomatology on caregiver well-being and depression. Lower caregiver education and higher young adult externalizing behaviors predicted lower…

Objective: The present study explored differences in four domains of university adjustment (i.e. personal-emotional, social, academic, and institutional attachment) among students with and without a history of engaging in non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and examined the independent influence of NSSI on university adjustment. Participants and…

Urban adolescents experience high rates of exposure to community violence, which is associated with sleep problems. However, less is known about the prospective relationships between community violence exposure and sleep problems across adolescence. This study investigated reciprocal relationships between community violence exposure and sleep…

We examined whether participation in adolescent substance use prevention programming can enhance long-term resilience into adulthood such that individuals were better able to cope with adversities during the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic, yielding benefits for the individuals, their partners/spouses, and children; 197 adults (28-30 years…

Scholars explain low levels of social engagement of disadvantaged students as self-isolation because they are endowed with lower levels of cultural and social capital. It renders a hopeless class reproduction conclusion, and it also reflects an implicit assumption that students engage academically and socially in parallel. To contribute both…

Introduction: The rising prevalence of depression and anxiety among adolescents is a public health concern. Early adolescence is a key developmental period to reduce risks for internalizing symptoms through primary prevention programs, yet additional research is needed on modifiable factors, such as coping skills, to target to mitigate risk…

Since its development in 2006, the Longitudinal Assessment of Engineering Self-Efficacy (LAESE) V3.0 instrument with six constructs indicated by 31 items has been a popular tool used in engineering education research in the United States. However, there has been lack of validity and reliability evidence in the literature beyond its initial…