Bias-based aggression at school in the form of homophobic name-calling is quite prevalent among early adolescents. Homophobic name-calling is associated with low academic performance, higher risky sexual behaviors, and substance abuse, among other adverse outcomes. This longitudinal study examined risk and protective factors across multiple…

Prospective associations linking parental responses to peer victimization (i.e., coping suggestions, school contact) with adolescents' coping and experiences of peer victimization were examined. Participants were 203 adolescents (X-bar[subscript] age = 12.16 years, SD = 0.98) and a parent (81% mothers). At Time 1, parents provided open-ended…

The current study explored early adolescent child-level predictors (physical aggression, impulsivity, empathy) and contextual-level predictors (peer deviance, neighborhood dangerousness) of violent and nonviolent antisocial behavior (AB) in late adolescence. Additionally, we tested the moderating role of rejecting parenting on these associations…

This special issue highlights biracial/multiracial/multiethnic early adolescents as a fast-growing demographic warranting greater inclusion in developmental research. We address several likely barriers to inclusion related to the conceptualization and measurement of biracial/multiracial/multiethnic status and offer recommendations for including…

The correlations between a low family socioeconomic status (SES) and adolescents' poor academic outcomes have been widely documented. However, the mechanisms through which family SES is associated with adolescents' academic achievement are not well understood. Therefore, this study examined the mediating roles of different types of parental…

Emotion-driven impulse control difficulties are associated with negative psychological outcomes. Extant research suggests that high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV) may be indicative of emotion-driven impulse control difficulties and potentially moderated by negative emotion. In the current study, 248 eleven- to 14-year-olds and their…

The purpose of this study was to examine the factors that influence the perceived social costs of interacting with gender-atypical peers. Our study examined the relationship between peer processes and gender socialization by exploring situational and individual-level factors that could affect the relationship. Middle school students (N = 107)…

Stereotyped beliefs about the teen years may guide individuals' cognition, behaviors, and well-being. This study explored associations between parents' generalized views of typical adolescents and parent and teen well-being and examined parent-adolescent communication (PAC) as a potential mechanism in that association. One-hundred twenty…

This study investigates the impact of early adolescent internalizing symptoms on family functioning for girls and boys, as moderated by perceived stress. Surveys were administered to 1,344 middle school students (11-14 years; 51% girls; 51% non-Hispanic White) in the fall of 2016 (T1) and 6 months later in the spring of 2017 (T2). For boys,…

This study examined the temporal relation between self-competence and depressive symptoms in a large, diverse, U.S. community sample of 1,344 adolescents (51% female; [x-bar] [subscript age] = 12.73, SD = 0.69, range = 11-14 years). Surveys were administered to seventh- and eighth-grade students at participating high schools in the fall of 2016…

The present three-wave panel study (N = 968, [X-bar][subscript age] = 11.30, SD = 1.06) examines how developmental factors--pubertal timing and heterosocial involvement (i.e., one's involvement in cross-sex activities)--influence early adolescents' level of media internalization. We hypothesized that early pubertal timing positively moderates the…

This study examined early adolescent romantic "churning," defined here as having a large number of boyfriends/girlfriends by age 13, as a problematic marker likely to predict hostility, abuse, and avoidance during conflict in later relationships. A sample of 184 adolescents was followed through age 24 to assess predictions of hostility,…

This study examined associations of best friend and peer group aggressive characteristics with students' overt and relational aggression, and whether coolness moderated these associations across the fall and spring of the first year in middle school. Students (N = 174; 57% females) self-reported best friendship and peer group members, as well as…

The purpose of this study was to examine the relation between measures of students' physical well-being and self-perception and their academic achievement. Specifically, we look at students' social support for physical activity, physical activity perceptions, self-concept, self-efficacy, health behaviors, and cardiorespiratory fitness (as measured…

Research shows that sibling victimization may be as detrimental to adolescent outcomes as peer victimization. However, many questions remain unanswered with regard to protective parenting factors and consequences of sibling victimization among adolescents. This study tested a mediation model in which sibling victimization, predicted by parental…