Understanding Whether Economic Instability and Food Insecurity During COVID-19 Moderate the Change in Emotional Abuse and Emotional Neglect Over Time: A Longitudinal Pre- and During COVID-19 Analysis From China, Democratic Republic of Congo, Indonesia, and Malawi.

Purpose: This study explores whether economic instability or food insecurity moderates the changes in emotional abuse and neglect over time.

Methods: We used data from the Global Early Adolescent Study, a longitudinal study among adolescents ages 13-18 years (10-14 during pre-COVID-19 round) from poor urban communities in China (n = 387), the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) (n = 285), Indonesia (n = 400), and Malawi (n = 320). Data were collected before (2017 to March 2020) and during the pandemic (June to November 2020).

Nonconforming gender expression and insufficient sleep among adolescents during COVID-19 school closure and after school reopening.

Background: Gender nonconformity (GNC) (i.e., gender expression that differs from gender role expectations for feminine or masculine appearance and behavior) is an under-researched area of adolescent sleep health.

Comparing the Perceptions of Gender Norms among Adolescents with Different Sibling Contexts in Shanghai, China.

Individuals' gender development is influenced by the characteristics of personal and contextual environments. However, the role of sibling contexts in shaping gender norms has rarely been studied among Chinese youth at early adolescence as most of them were the only child. The aim of this paper is to compare perceived gender norms among adolescents aged 10-14 with different sibling configurations, to help inform and tailor guidance for sexual and reproductive health education in the future.

Sexual-Related Knowledge, School and Family Sexuality Education and Its Association with Experience of Sexual Intercourse among Vocational Secondary School Students in China.

Objectives: To investigate the associations between sexual-related knowledge, access to school and family sexuality education, and the experience of sexual intercourse, in order to make recommendations on sexuality education for vocational secondary school students in China.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 3180 vocational secondary school students in the Shanghai municipality and the Shaanxi province, China. Data were collected through an online, electronic questionnaire, which included socio-demographics, sexual-related knowledge, sources of information, and sexual-related behaviors.

Parenting Practice Profiling and Its Associated Factors among Secondary Vocational School Students in China.

Background: Parenting styles have a tremendous influence on a child's development and behavior. Studies on parenting styles using latent profile analysis have been increasing in recent years. However, there are few such studies conducted in China, especially concerning joint parenting styles (that simultaneously characterize maternal and paternal practices), which are held over the age group of secondary vocational school students.

A Multi-Country Study of Risk and Protective Factors for Emotional and Behavioral Problems Among Early Adolescents.

Purpose: Early adolescence (ages 10-14) is a critical period for psychosocial development, but few studies have focused on risk and protective factors for emergent psychosocial challenges among youth living in low- and middle-income countries. This study explored the contribution of social environmental factors to patterns of emotional and behavioral problems among early adolescents across four low- and middle-income countries.

Methods: Participants were drawn from the Global Early Adolescent Study, and included 10,437 early adolescents from six low-resource urban settings in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Indonesia, and China.

A latent class approach to understanding patterns of emotional and behavioral problems among early adolescents across four low- and middle-income countries.

Early adolescents (ages 10-14) living in low- and middle-income countries have heightened vulnerability to psychosocial risks, but available evidence from these settings is limited. This study used data from the Global Early Adolescent Study to characterize prototypical patterns of emotional and behavioral problems among 10,437 early adolescents (51% female) living in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Malawi, Indonesia, and China, and explore the extent to which these patterns varied by country and sex. LCA was used to identify and classify patterns of emotional and behavioral problems separately by country.

COVID-19 Experiences and Health-Related Implications: Results From a Mixed-Method Longitudinal Study of Urban Poor Adolescents in Shanghai.

Purpose: This analysis aimed to investigate gender differences in adolescents' concerns and the health implications of COVID-19.

Methods: We used two rounds of the Global Early Adolescent Study (GEAS) collected in Shanghai in 2018 and 2020. We analyzed data from 621 adolescents, comparing boys' and girls' concerns about COVID-19 and examining trends in general health and mental health by sex between the pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 periods.

Grade repetition and bullying victimization in adolescents: A global cross-sectional study of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) data from 2018.

Background: Grade repetition is practiced worldwide and varies considerably across the globe. Globally, around 32.2 million students repeated a grade at the primary education level in 2010.

The pattern of romantic and sexual related experiences among Chinese young adolescents: an exploration with multi-group latent class analysis.

Background: Studies on very young adolescents' romantic and sexual experiences would help inform the context in which early sex arises. However, such studies are scant in China due to sparse data and cultural issues.

Method: This study used the GEAS baseline data conducted among1776 adolescents in Shanghai.

The effect of COVID-19 school closures on adolescent sleep duration: an uncontrolled before-after study.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic affected almost 1.6 billion students or more than 90% of learners globally. However, the effect of school closures during COVID-19 pandemic on adolescent sleep duration remains unclear.

The Social Context of Early Adolescents in the Global Early Adolescent Study.

Purpose: This paper used data from the Global Early Adolescent Study (GEAS) to provide a descriptive analysis of how early adolescents' social environments vary by sex across diverse cultural settings.

Methods: The analyses were based on baseline data among 10-14-year old adolescents living in disadvantaged urban areas in seven sites: Kinshasa (DRC), Shanghai (China), Cuenca (Ecuador), Lampung, Semarang and Denpasar (Indonesia), and Flanders (Belgium). Except in Kinshasa where face-to face interviews were used, data were collected using self-administered surveys on mobile tablets.

Assessing the Spectrum of Gender Norms Perceptions in Early Adolescence: A Cross-Cultural Analysis of the Global Early Adolescent Study.

Purpose: There is increasing recognition that gender norms affect adolescent health and well-being. This study explores the consistency of adolescents' gender norm perceptions across different dimensions (roles, traits, relations) and describes how the patterns of these perceptions vary across four culturally different settings.

Methods: The study includes 8,977 adolescents aged 10-14 years from Kinshasa, Shanghai, Cuenca, and Indonesia.

Co-occurrence subgroups of child sexual abuse, health risk behaviors and their associations among secondary school students in China.

Background: Little is known on the co-occurrence and heterogeneity of child sexual abuse (CSA) or health risk behavior (HRB) prevalence nor the associations among the victims.

Objectives: To detect the prevalence and subgroups of adolescents reporting CSAs or HRBs, and to examine the association between the subgroups.

Methods: Participants were secondary school students in a national survey in China (N = 8746).

The Association between Gender Role Attitudes and Alcohol Use among Early Adolescents in Shanghai, China.

Adolescent alcohol use was a major social and public health concern given its negative impacts. Previous studies indicated gender role attitudes (GRA) were associated with alcohol use; however, few studies focused on early adolescents (10 to 14years) and similar researches were not found in China. This study sought to explore the association between GRA and alcohol use among early adolescents.

Measuring young adolescent perceptions of relationships: A vignette-based approach to exploring gender equality.

Unlabelled: This paper reports the development and baseline data of a vignettes-based measure of gender equality.

Methods: Vignettes were developed through 3-day long focus groups. After piloting in 13 sites and repiloting a revised version in 6 countries, responses were categorized by the construct tapped and a scoring system developed.

Puberty timing associated with obesity and central obesity in Chinese Han girls.

Background: There is growing scientific evidence supports a link between increased childhood adiposity and early onset of puberty in girls worldwide in recent decades. However, the data from Chinese girls remain ambiguous. The aims of this study were to estimate the puberty milestones and examine attainment of puberty associated with obesity and central obesity in Chinese Han schoolgirls.

The impact of the Wenchuan earthquake on early puberty: a natural experiment.

Background: The factors influencing pubertal timing have gained much attention due to a secular trend toward earlier pubertal onset in many countries. However, no studies have investigated the association between the Great earthquake and early puberty. We aimed to assess whether the Wenchuan earthquake is associated with early puberty, in both boys and girls.

Bullying victimization and child sexual abuse among left-behind and non-left-behind children in China.

Background: Bullying is one of the most important factors associated with child abuse. However, robust tests supporting the assumption that being bullied can contribute to child sexual abuse (CSA) among left-behind children (LBC) remain sparse. This study aims to investigate the association of bullying victimization with CSA among LBC in China.

Gender role attitudes, awareness and experiences of non-consensual sex among university students in Shanghai, China.

Background: Non-consensual sex (NCS) among young people, an important subject with public health and human rights implications, was less studied in China. This study is to investigate the NCS awareness and victimization of university students in Shanghai, China and whether they were associated with adolescent gender-role attitudes.

Methods: Gender-role attitudes, awareness and victimization of different forms of NCS were examined among 1099 undergraduates (430 males and 669 females) in four universities in Shanghai using computer-assisted self-interview approach.