Childhood adversities tend to impact development in a cumulative way. However, extant research on childhood adversities has focused on a variable-centered approach to examine the cumulative effect of adversity. Using Latent Class Analysis (LCA) and adopting a pattern-centered approach, the authors investigate how different youth may experience…

Antisocial peer behavior and low parental knowledge of adolescents' activities are key interpersonal risk factors for adolescent substance use. However, how the magnitude of associations between these risk factors and substance use may vary across adolescence remains less well understood. The present study examined the age-varying associations of…

Introduction: E-cigarette use remains a controversial topic in public health and medicine. Historically, cigarette smoking was identified as a gateway to marijuana use among adolescents. Recently, the prevalence of adolescent cigarette smoking has declined, but that of e-cigarette use continues to increase. As e-cigarettes eclipse cigarettes among…

We analyzed a population-based cohort of 11,780 US children to identify risk and protective factors by kindergarten predictive of being frequently verbally, social, reputationally, or physically victimized during the upper elementary grades. We also stratified the analyses by biological sex. Kindergarten children displaying externalizing problem…

Background: We investigated predictors of self-efficacy to cope with stress in diverse populations with stressful life experiences. We also examined the association between predictors of coping self-efficacy and the different copying strategies adapted by study participants. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship…

Collegiate athletes experience mental health concerns at similar rates to non-athlete students, however, the student-athlete population underutilizes professional mental health help with only 10% of those in need seeking services. Criticisms of the extant research on student-athlete mental health help-seeking include studies that lack theoretical…

The present study examined, within a longitudinal family-informed design and across middle childhood, the predictive associations between preference for solitude and social wariness, two forms of social withdrawal, and peer difficulties. Specifically, preference for solitude, rather than social wariness, was expected to predict peer victimization…

Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at risk for high stress levels. Multiple child factors have been identified as predictors of stress in parents of children with ASD, but factors associated with stress in parents of children with ASD and comorbid intellectual disability (ASD-ID) are not well understood. This study…

Self-injurious and aggressive behaviors are common in fragile X syndrome (FXS). However, little is known about the persistence of these behaviors and associated risk markers. We established the prevalence and persistence of self-injurious and aggressive behaviors over eight years in males with FXS, and associations with risk markers. Results…

Background: Cigarette use is a public health issue and juvenile offenders are at risk for engagement in substance use. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been linked to elevated risk for cigarette use and juvenile offenders are at elevated risk for mental health issues. Objectives: To elucidate general patterns of development of…

The authors compared data from a social-emotional-behavior screener (i.e., the "Student Risk Screening Scale--Internalizing and Externalizing" [SRSS-IE]) with data from a high school early warning system. Data from 2,256 suburban high school students were used. Research questions examined the degree to which student demographic variables…

Purpose: Understanding variability sources in early language interaction is critical to identifying children whose development is at risk and designing interventions. Variability across socioeconomic status (SES) groups has been extensively explored. However, SES is a limited individual clinical indicator. For example, it is not generally directly…

This research brief draws upon the fall 2019 data from the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES) 2019. FACES provides information at the national level about Head Start programs, centers, and classrooms as well as the children and families that Head Start serves. Head Start is a national program that helps young children from…

COVID-19 has become one of the greatest health crises ever to face the United States. Among other broad social and economic effects, the pandemic led to the closure of almost all schools to in-person instruction in spring 2020. Heated controversies emerged about whether to reopen schools in person in fall 2020, and the debate around reopening…

Early communication impairment is among the most-reported first concerns in parents of young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Using a parent-report questionnaire, we derived trajectory groups for early language and gesture acquisition in siblings at high risk for ASD and in children at low risk, during their first 2 years of life.…