The spread of political alienation from parents to adolescent children.

The present study examines the interpersonal circumstances that facilitate the spread of political alienation between parents and adolescent children. A total of 571 German adolescents (314 girls, 257 boys) and their mothers and fathers each completed questionnaires describing their own political alienation at two time points, approximately 1 year apart. In addition, adolescents completed questionnaires describing their perceptions of warmth in relationships with parents.

Off on the Wrong Foot: Task Avoidance at the Outset of Primary School Anticipates Academic Difficulties and Declining Peer Acceptance.

The present study examined the academic antecedents of declining peer social status. Participants included 545 (311 boys, 234 girls) Finnish students followed from the 1 through the 4 grade (ages 6-8 at outset). Each year, teachers completed assessments of academic task avoidance and students completed standardized measures of reading and math achievement.

Examining the association between perceived discrimination and heart rate variability in African Americans.

Objective: Previous research attempting to delineate the role of discrimination in racial/ethnic disparities in hypertension has focused largely on blood pressure, which is chiefly governed by the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system. Consequently, few studies have considered the role of the parasympathetic branch and particularly its regulation of the heart via the vagus nerve.

Method: In the present cross-sectional study, we employed hierarchical linear regressions to examine associations between perceived ethnic discrimination and resting heart rate variability (HRV), an important biomarker of parasympathetic cardiac modulation and overall health, in a sample (N = 103) of young, healthy African American participants (58% female, M = 19.

Depressive Symptoms Anticipate Changes in the Frequency of Alcohol Intoxication Among Low-Accepted Adolescents.

Objective: There is strong evidence that depression anticipates later drinking problems among adults. These associations have not been consistently documented during adolescence, perhaps because little attention has been given to individual differences in peer relationships, which are the primary setting for adolescent alcohol consumption. This study investigated associations between depressive affect and alcohol misuse as moderated by peer group acceptance.

Aggression can be contagious: Longitudinal associations between proactive aggression and reactive aggression among young twins.

The present study examined sibling influence over reactive and proactive aggression in a sample of 452 same-sex twins (113 male dyads, 113 female dyads). Between and within siblings influence processes were examined as a function of relative levels of parental coercion and hostility to test the hypothesis that aggression contagion between twins occurs only among dyads who experience parental coerciveness. Teacher reports of reactive and proactive aggression were collected for each twin in kindergarten (M = 6.

Relationships: commentary. Personality, relationships, and behavior problems: it's hard to be disagreeable.

Low agreeableness is defined and discussed. Disagreeable youth are antagonistic, disputatious, and uncooperative. The low agreeable share two common problems: behavior troubles and interpersonal troubles.