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This study examined the role of sibling and friend characteristics in Mexican-American youth's gender-typed characteristics (i.e., attitudes, interests, and leisure activities) in early versus middle adolescence using a sibling design. Mexican-American 7th graders (M = 12.51 years; SD = .58) and their older siblings (M = 15.48 years; SD = 1.57) from 246 families participated in home interviews and a series of seven nightly phone calls. Results revealed that younger/early adolescent siblings reported more traditional gender role attitudes than their older/middle adolescent siblings and older brothers were more traditional in their attitudes than older sisters. When comparing siblings' gender-typed interests and leisure activities, boys reported more masculine orientations than girls and girls reported more feminine orientations than boys. Older brothers' gender-typed characteristics were associated with the amount of time spent with and gender characteristics of their friendship group, but for younger brothers, sibling characteristics were associated with their gender-typed characteristics. In contrast, both sibling and friendship characteristics were significantly associated with older and younger sisters' gender-typed characteristics. The discussion addressed the different correlates of older and younger sisters' and brothers' gender-typed characteristics.

Stress and coping frameworks posit that active coping may help mitigate stress experiences of individuals, such as the stress resulting from structural racism or anti-immigrant sentiments (i.e., sociocultural stress) Latinx adolescents experience in the United States. Active coping has been linked to better school functioning in mixed-ethnic adolescent populations. The current study examined the associations between active coping and school functioning, as well as the moderating role of gender among 288 Latinx adolescents (M = 13.69, SD =.56; 53% girls). Results revealed active coping related to higher levels of school belonging and grades. No gender differences were found, suggesting active coping works similarly for Latinx adolescent girls' and boys' school functioning. This study's findings contribute to the knowledge on Latinx school functioning by identifying active coping as a potential malleable target for intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Finding ways to protect youth from maladjustment during adolescence and young adulthood is important, and youth of Mexican descent are key targets for such efforts given that they experience higher rates of depressive symptoms, risky behaviors, and sexual risk behaviors compared to youth from other ethnic/racial groups. Using a sample of younger (Mage Time 1 = 12.77 years) and older (Mage Time 1 = 15.70 years) siblings from an 8-year longitudinal study of 246 Mexican-origin families, we conducted path analyses to test whether older siblings' reports of sibling intimacy predicted younger siblings' later positive values and adjustment problems controlling for prior adjustment and maternal and paternal warmth. Additionally, we tested whether younger siblings' familism values moderated and their positive values mediated the sibling intimacy to adjustment problem linkages. Findings revealed that sibling intimacy in early adolescence predicted younger siblings' adjustment problems in young adulthood via their positive values in later adolescence, but only for younger siblings with strong familism values. This study highlights the importance of examining promotive factors, such as positive relationship qualities and familism values, and how positive values protect against problems in young adulthood. Results also have practical implications for prevention programs including the utility of promoting positive sibling relationships and values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Difficulties in coping with stress and regulating emotions are transdiagnostic risk factors for self‐harming behavior. Due to sociocultural stressors, ethnic minority adolescents may be at greater risk for self‐regulation difficulties and self‐harm. Dialectical behavior therapy for adolescents (DBT‐A) frames adaptive skill acquisition as a mechanism of change, but few studies have investigated its impact on ethnic minority adolescents' self‐regulation (i.e. coping, emotion regulation). Therefore, this pilot study examined relations between self‐regulation and self‐harm among ethnic minority adolescents and investigated changes in their self‐regulation upon completing DBT‐A. Methods: A clinically referred sample of 101 ethnic minority adolescents (Mage = 14.77; female = 69.3%) completed questionnaires about a history of self‐harm, coping (DBT Ways of Coping Checklist), and emotion regulation (Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale). Of the initial sample, 51 adolescents (Mage = 14.73; female = 80.4%) entered a 20‐week DBT‐A program due to self‐harm and/or Borderline Personality features. Results: In a pretreatment sample, the frequency of dysfunctional coping, but not of adaptive coping, differentiated self‐injurers from non‐self‐injurers. Full information maximum likelihood estimation was used to address high attrition (60.8%) from DBT‐A. Those who completed DBT‐A (n = 20) reported significantly improved emotion regulation. Adaptive coping at pretreatment predicted increased DBT skills use at post‐treatment. Conclusions: This non‐randomized pilot study highlights dysfunctional coping and emotion dysregulation as risk factors for self‐harm and suggests that 20‐week DBT‐A may help improve emotion regulation. Future research should employ a randomized design to further examine the effect of DBT‐A on these transdiagnostic processes of psychopathology. Key Practitioner Message: Due to cultural and environmental stressors, ethnic minority adolescents may be at greater risk for developing self‐regulatory difficulties – transdiagnostic mechanisms known to underly self‐harming behaviors; however, we know little about whether empirically supported treatments for self‐harm will improve youth's coping and emotion regulation.In a clinically referred, pretreatment sample of ethnic minority youth, levels of BPD symptomatology, emotion dysregulation, and dysfunctional coping, but not of adaptive coping, differentiated teens who self‐harmed from those who did not.Self‐harming ethnic minority youth who participated in an uncontrolled, pilot trial of dialectical behavior therapy for adolescents (DBT‐A) at an urban mental health clinic reported improved emotion regulation at post‐treatment.Baseline emotion regulation skills were not predictive of treatment‐related changes, suggesting that other factors, such as DBT‐A, may have played a decisive role in improving teens' emotion regulation. In contrast, adaptive coping skills at pretreatment were linked to increased DBT skills use at post‐treatment, indicating that patients' baseline coping skills may play a predictive role in psychotherapy outcomes.Future research should employ a randomized control trial to examine the effect of DBT‐A on vulnerable ethnic minority youth's development of self‐regulation. It should also investigate the hypothesized mediating role of self‐regulation in effecting lasting clinical gains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Substance use in multiracial adolescents exceeds rates identified in the general population. Despite this fact, there is limited research examining risk and protective factors for multiracial substance use. Objectives: The current study examined the moderating effect of social support on the relationship between ethnic identity and substance use in a sample of multiracial adolescent youth. Methods: Multiracial youth (N = 523) completed a survey that asked questions related to their ethnic identity, perceived social support, and substance use. A series of path analyses were conducted to test the hypothesized relationships between ethnic identity, social support, and substance use. Results: Analyses indicated that ethnic affirmation was negatively related to frequency of, but not quantity of substance use. Teacher support was negatively related to both frequency and quantity of substance use, while parent support was only related to frequency. Further, teacher and parent support emerged as moderators of ethnic affirmation and frequency and quantity of substance use respectively. Conclusions/Importance: Our findings add to the current understandings of the relationship between ethnic identity, social support, ethnic identity, and substance use among the understudied multiracial adolescent population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined profiles of sibling relationship qualities in 246 Mexican-origin families living in the United States using latent profile analyses. Three profiles were identified: Positive, Negative, and Affect-Intense. Links between profiles and youths’ familism values and adjustment were assessed using longitudinal data. Siblings in the Positive profile reported the highest familism values, followed by siblings in the Affect-Intense profile and, finally, siblings in the Negative profile. Older siblings in the Positive and Affect-Intense profiles reported fewer depressive symptoms than siblings in the Negative profile. Further, in the Positive and Negative profiles, older siblings reported less involvement in risky behaviors than younger siblings. In the Negative profile, younger siblings reported greater sexual risk behaviors in late adolescence than older siblings; siblings in opposite-sex dyads, as compared to same-sex dyads, engaged in riskier sexual behaviors. Our findings highlight sibling relationship quality as promotive and risky, depending on sibling characteristics and adjustment outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engagement in risk behavior has implications for individuals' academic achievement, health, and well-being, yet there is a paucity of developmental research on the role of culturally relevant strengths in individual and family differences in risk behavior involvement among ethnic minority youth. In this study, we used a longitudinal cohort-sequential design to chart intraindividual trajectories of risk behavior and test variation by gender and familism values in 492 youth from 12 to 22 years of age. Participants were older and younger siblings from 246 Mexican-origin families who reported on their risk behaviors in interviews spaced over 8 years. Multilevel cohort-sequential growth models revealed that youth reported an increase in risk behavior from 12 to 18 years of age, and then a decline to age 22. Male youth reported greater overall levels and a steeper increase in risk behavior from ages 12 to 18, compared to female youth. For familism values, on occasions when youth reported higher levels, they also reported lower levels of risk behavior (i.e., within-person effect). For sibling dyads characterized by higher average levels of familism values, youth reported lower average levels of risk behavior (i.e., between-family effect). Findings provide unique insights into risk behavior from adolescence to young adulthood among Mexican-origin youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined prospective associations between the family context and adolescents' romantic relationships as moderated by adolescents' gender and culture among Mexican American families ( N = 189). Adolescents at Time 1 (early adolescence) were on average 12.29 years of age ( SD = 0.50) and 54% female. Mothers and fathers reported on family structure and dynamics during early adolescence, and youth reported on their romantic relationship involvement and quality during middle and late adolescence. Results from path analyses indicated that family structure and dynamics (supportive parenting, consistent discipline, and parent-adolescent and interparental conflict) were associated with adolescents' romantic involvement and quality, and with differences by adolescents' gender and culture. Findings highlight Mexican American family contexts that contribute uniquely to adolescents' romantic relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prospective associations among parent -adolescent acceptance and familism values in early and middle adolescence and sibling intimacy in late adolescence and young adulthood were assessed in 246 Mexican-origin families. Older sibling gender and sibling gender constellation were investigated as moderators of these associations. Sibling intimacy was stable over time and younger siblings with older sisters reported higher levels of sibling intimacy than those with older brothers. As predicted, stronger familism values were associated with greater sibling intimacy, but this link was evident only for older sisters and for girl-girl dyads. The links from mother- and father-acceptance to sibling intimacy also depended on the gender constellation of the sibling dyad: Higher levels of maternal warmth were associated with greater sibling intimacy for older sisters and girl-girl sibling pairs but higher levels of paternal warmth were linked to greater sibling intimacy only for older siblings in mixed-gender sibling dyads. Findings are consistent with prior research on the role of gender in family relationships but extend this work to encompass the effects of both parents' and siblings' gender, as well as the role of sociocultural values in parents' socialization influences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Ethnic identity is an important protective factor for various ethnic groups and developmental periods. Although existing measures assessing ethnic identity are well known, less is known about the measurement invariance of the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM) across adolescent ethnic groups. The present study evaluates the factor structure of MEIM (Roberts et al., 1999) and tests the measurement invariance across early and middle adolescence and ethnic background (N = 4940).Methods: Data from an ethnic minority sample of youth (54% girls; Mage = 13.88, grades 6th - 12th; 60% African American, 22% multi-ethnic, 8% Latinx, 5% Asian, 5% American Indian) in the United States of America were examined using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and multi-group measurement invariance via a structural equation modeling (SEM) framework. Models for invariance were tested using full information maximum likelihood-robust (FIML-R) estimation in Mplus.Results: CFA supported a three-factor solution (i.e., cognitive clarity, behavioral engagement, and affective pride). The model indicated scalar invariance across early and middle adolescence and partial scalar invariance across the five self-identified racial/ethnic minority groups. There were no grade differences on the ethnic identity factors. Among the racial/ethnic groups, multi-ethnic youth reported the lowest levels on all three ethnic identity factors compared to the other groups.Conclusions: Results of this study point to the validity of using the MEIM for meaningful comparisons of ethnic identity across ethnic groups and across early and middle adolescence. Implications for the interpretation and use of this measure with diverse adolescents are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• PRYSHM is an online group program for sexual and gender minority youth. • PRYSHM was liked by youth and perceived to be impactful. • PRYSHM was delivered with fidelity. • The average attendance was 6.50 out of 9 sessions. • Feedback from youth was used to revise the program for future research. The purpose of the current study was to describe and present implementation outcome data from an open pilot trial of the Promoting Resilient Youth with Strong Hearts and Mind (PRYSHM) Program, an online, live-facilitated, nine-session group program for dating sexual and gender minority youth (SGMY) ages 15 to 18. The program, co-facilitated by two LGBTQIA2S+ adults, focuses on reducing proximal forms of minority stress and building LGBTQIA2S+ community in addition to providing evidence-based teen dating violence (TDV) and alcohol use (AU) prevention components. Participants (recruited via social media) included 18 SGMY (ages 15 to 17) from across the U.S. who completed a baseline survey and immediate post-test, as well as post-session surveys following each of the nine sessions. Sessions were recorded to monitor fidelity and facilitation skills. The intervention was highly acceptable, and the program was perceived to be relevant and impactful, as evidenced by SGMY agreeing or strongly agreeing to items assessing these domains. Further, fidelity was 82.4% (average) across sessions, and the average attendance was 6.50 out of 9 sessions. SGMY also provided open-ended feedback used to revise the PRYSHM program for future implementation and evaluation research. These data provide preliminary support for PRYSHM as a feasible, acceptable, and safe prevention program and suggest that further evaluation of the program using larger samples and rigorous outcome evaluation methods is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]