Adverse Childhood Experiences Predicting Psychological Distress among Black Youth: Exploring Self-Control as a Moderator.

Contextual risk factors, such as adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), have a significant impact on the mental health of Black youth. Surprisingly, few studies focus efforts specifically on Black youth. The present study investigates the influence of ACEs on psychological distress among Black youth.

Longitudinal Effects of Electronic Dating Violence on Depressive Symptoms and Delinquent Behaviors Across Adolescence.

Depressive symptoms and delinquent behaviors that emerge during adolescence pose both short- and long-term negative outcomes. Though there is growing evidence that exposure to teen dating violence is also associated with a greater likelihood of depressive symptoms and delinquent behaviors such as engaging in peer violence and substance use, less is known about the effects of specific forms of electronic dating violence (i.e.

Does sexting predict sexual behaviors among adolescents? Gender and race effects.

Introduction: Sexting has emerged as a significant public health issue. Sexting is associated with substance use and other sexual behaviors, such as oral and vaginal sex (Houck et al., 2014; Temple & Choi, 2014).

Electronic Teen Dating Violence Curves by Age.

Electronic dating violence is a form of violence perpetrated through electronics between dating partners and is associated with worse mental health, greater risk of substance use, and increased risk of in-person forms of dating violence. Though prevalent and seeming to increase in occurrence across adolescence, little is known about trajectories of electronic dating violence throughout adolescence and both risk and protective factors predicting a given trajectory. Latent growth models were used to evaluate change over time in three specific domains of electronic dating violence: harassment, coercion, and monitoring.

The Effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Internalizing and Externalizing Behaviors among Black Children and Youth.

There is limited research on the short-term effects of ACEs on Black children and youth. Black children and youth are disproportionately exposed to abuse, neglect, and other victimizations (Drake et al. 2009; Wade et al.

Adolescent Risk of Dating Violence and Electronic Dating Abuse: A Latent Class Analysis.

Electronic forms of dating violence among youth are common yet little is known about how these forms of violence overlap with the commonly studied domains of physical, sexual and verbal teen dating violence. Using factor analysis and latent class analysis, this study identifies patterns of electronic, verbal, physical and sexual dating violence victimization and perpetration in 9th and 12th graders. Data are from 470 9th (n = 190; 60.

Stress, Coping, Resilience and Trust during the Flint Water Crisis.

In 2014, government officials in the City of Flint, Michigan switched the municipal water source from the Detroit Water System (water source: Lake Huron) to the Flint River. During this time, an estimated 102,000 Flint residents were potentially exposed to multiple chemical (e.g.

Attitudes about aggression and perpetration of Adolescent Dating Aggression: A cross-lagged panel model.

Introduction: Several cross-sectional and longitudinal studies have found associations between attitudes about aggression and aggressive behaviors. However, few studies examine all subtypes of Adolescent Dating Aggression (ADA)-physical, psychological/emotional, sexual, and stalking; occurring in person or electronically-and there is a paucity of longitudinal studies that follow adolescents over several years.

Methods: Middle school and high school students (N = 1240), in the Midwestern United States, participated in surveys one time per year for four years.

Adapting an evidence-based positive youth development intervention to prevent sexual and teen dating violence.

Adapting evidence-based interventions (EBIs) guided by implementation science frameworks is a promising way to accelerate the translation of effective violence prevention in schools. School-based interventions offer an opportunity to reduce the risk of multiple forms of violence, including sexual violence (SV) and teen dating violence (TDV). EBIs in schools reach large populations of adolescents, including those underserved in other settings.

Onset Trajectories of Sexting and Other Sexual Behaviors Across High School: A Longitudinal Growth Mixture Modeling Approach.

Sexting is receiving substantial scholarly attention and is now considered commonplace in adolescence. Little is known, however, about the normative contexts and the development of adolescent sexting behavior, including the initiation of sexting in relation to other sexual behaviors. In this study, we used growth mixture modeling to identify classes of onset trajectories for sexual behaviors across high school.

Sexting Rates and Predictors From an Urban Midwest High School.

Background: Risks associated with teen sexting draw increasing concern from teachers and communities as developments in communication software and devices make sharing private content faster and simpler each year. We examined rates, recipients, and predictors of teen sexting to better plan education and preventative policies and strategies. A comprehensive literature review was conducted to determine the most likely predictors of teen sexting using prior survey studies and theoretical conceptions.

Comparing Women's and Men's Sexual Offending Using a Statewide Incarcerated Sample: A Two-Study Design.

This study identifies the characteristics that distinguish between women's and men's sexual offending. We compare women and men currently incarcerated for a sex offense in one state using two data sources: administrative data on sex offenders in the state prison ( = 9,235) and subsample surveys ( = 129). Bivariate and logistic regressions were used in these analyses.

Factors Related to Co-Offending and Coerced Offending Among Female Sex Offenders: The Role of Childhood and Adult Trauma Histories.

Research suggests two important domains of women's sexual offending: co-offending, in which additional perpetrators are present with the woman during the crime, and coerced offending, in which the woman feels pressured by someone else to commit the crime. This exploratory analysis examines these 2 domains using self-report data from 60 incarcerated female sex offenders (FSOs) in a Midwestern state. In addition to indicating whether a co-offender was present and whether they felt pressure to commit the sex offense for which they were incarcerated, participants provided demographic information about themselves, the victim, and the offense, as well as about their own trauma, substance abuse, and mental illness histories.

In Search of Modifiable Risk and Protective Factors for Teen Dating Violence.

The present research explores the additive and interactive effects of anger or hostility (A/H), acceptance of violence (AoV), and constructive conflict resolution strategies (CRS) on the perpetration of physical and sexual teen dating violence (TDV). Adolescents completed surveys assessing physical and sexual TDV perpetration, A/H, AoV, and positive CRS. While the findings require replication with longitudinal data, the results suggest that developing interventions to modify AoV and A/H may have the potential to prevent instances of TDV perpetration among both boys and girls.

Feminine Discrepancy Stress and Psychosocial Maladjustment Among Adolescent Girls.

Discrepancy stress, stress about being perceived to not conform to one's gender role (i.e., gender role discrepancy), has demonstrated effects on risky sexual and violent behaviors.

Masculine Discrepancy Stress and Psychosocial Maladjustment: Implications for Behavioral and Mental Health of Adolescent Boys.

Gender role discrepancy (GRD), or nonconformity to socially prescribed gender roles, has been linked to a multitude of adverse mental and behavioral health outcomes. Masculine discrepancy stress (MDS), stress about being perceived not to conform to one's gender role, may explain the relationship between GRD and deleterious health outcomes. However, research on MDS has primarily been restricted to adult males.

Behavioral and Mental Health Correlates of Youth Stalking Victimization: A Latent Class Approach.

Introduction: Although recognized as a public health problem, little attention has been paid to the problem of stalking among youth. Latent profile analysis was used to identify latent groups of adolescent stalking victims and their behavioral and mental health correlates.

Methods: A cross-sectional sample of 1,236 youths were randomly selected from 13 schools stratified by community risk level (i.

Adolescent stalking and risk of violence.

Stalking perpetration and the associated risk for violence among adolescents has generally been neglected. In the present study, 1236 youth completed surveys assessing empirically established stalking indicators, threats and aggression toward stalking victims, dating violence, and violent delinquency. Latent Profile Analysis identified 3 latent classes of boys: non-perpetrators (NP), hyper-intimate pursuit (HIP), and comprehensive stalking perpetrators (CSP) and, and 2 classes for girls: NP and HIP.

An Exploration of the Relationships between Attitudes Towards Anger Expression and Personal Style of Anger Expression in Women in the USA and Canada.

This study surveyed 228 women, ages 18-75, to assess their attitudes towards anger expression in themselves and other women. Following exposure to an anger-inducing vignette, the women were asked to complete the STAXI-2 and evaluate five possible responses based on how appropriate the response was and how likely they felt that other women would respond similarly. Correlation analyses revealed positive and negative relationships between the women's attitudes towards anger expression and their own style of anger expression, as measured by the STAXI-2.

Masculine discrepancy stress, teen dating violence, and sexual violence perpetration among adolescent boys.

Purpose: Addressing gender norms is integral to understanding and ultimately preventing violence in both adolescent and adult intimate relationships. Males are affected by gender role expectations which require them to demonstrate attributes of strength, toughness, and dominance. Discrepancy stress is a form of gender role stress that occurs when boys and men fail to live up to the traditional gender norms set by society.

Violence exposure and teen dating violence among African American youth.

This study examines the relationships between exposure to violence in the community, school, and family with dating violence attitudes and behaviors among 175 urban African American youth. Age, gender, state support and experiences with neglect, school violence, and community violence were the most significant predictors of acceptance of dating violence. Experiences with community violence and age were important predictors of dating violence perpetration and victimization.

Iraqi American refugee youths' exposure to violence: relationship to attitudes and peers' perpetration of dating violence.

This exploratory study examines the relationships between exposure to violence in the community, school, home and dating relationships among Iraqi American youth. As Iraqi American youth are traditionally not allowed to date, dating violence measures focused on attitudes about and perceptions of abuse occurring in the relationships of friends. The number of friends known who were secretly dating was the most significant predictor of acceptability of dating violence and perceived prevalence of abuse.

Attitudinal correlates of girls' use of violence in teen dating relationships.

This article explores the applicability of the Theory of Planned Behavior in understanding female perpetrated adolescent dating violence. The Theory of Planned Behavior is intended to predict behavioral intention by examining the actor's perceptions of consequences and rewards associated with the behavior, social acceptability of the behavior, and behavioral control. Previous research on adult populations has found that the planned behavior model is correlated with violent behavior among males (Tolman, Edleson, & Fendrich, 1996), but not females (Kernsmith, 2005).

Family experiences of young adult sex offender registration.

Since 1994, policies have been instituted throughout the United States that require sex offenders to register their personal information with law enforcement officials (Jacob Wetterling Crimes against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Program, 1994). With the passage of additional laws, this information is now available to the public via the Internet or a request to a police department. These laws have brought about consequences for both the registrants and for members of their families.

Public attitudes toward sexual offenders and sex offender registration.

This study explores the relationship between fear of various types of sexual offenders and a belief that those sexual offenders should be subject to sex offender registration. We hypothesized that those who offend against children would elicit the most fear; consequently, the most feared offenders would be rated as most requiring registration. As part of a telephone survey, 733 participants answered questions about fear of sex offenders and agreement with requirements about registration for offenders convicted of incest, statutory rape, marital rape, pedophilia, date rape, and an offense committed more than 10 years prior.