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This study examined the association between gratitude and social behaviors in a sample of 877 adolescents in South Korea. Participants completed measures of gratitude, social support, prosocial behavior, and problem behavior scales. Gratitude had an influence on both prosocial and problem behaviors through social support as a mediating factor. Gender differences were found in the relationships between gratitude and problem behaviors. The current findings imply that supporting young people in early adolescence to have an enhanced level of gratitude and perceived social support may potentially be an effective educational intervention method. Implications and future directions are discussed., Author(s): Sukkyung You [sup.1] , June Lee [sup.1] , Yunoug Lee [sup.1] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.440932.8, 0000 0001 2375 5180, College of Education, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, , Imun-dong, [...]

Effective self-report screening tools for emerging adults are understudied. The present study examined the latent structure of the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales (DASS-21) with U.S. undergraduates. Data were collected from 1,413 undergraduates surveyed online. Three models were tested: (a) a one-factor model, (b) the original correlated three-factor model, and (c) a bifactor model that included a general negative affectivity factor and three specific factors of depression, anxiety, and stress. The bifactor model with three specific orthogonal factors yielded the best fit. All items loaded onto the general negative affectivity factor. This study provides an important evaluation of alternative models of the latent structure of the DASS among U.S. undergraduates, with results supporting it as an assessment of general distress for emerging adults.

Male-dominant and male-controlling patriarchal ideology justifies males possessing more power and authority, using power to control women, and exerting violence when their partner shows disobedience; this ideology is increasingly recognized as an important factor explaining dating violence perpetrated by men. The present study investigated the relationship between patriarchal sex-role attitudes and dating violence perpetration, as well as the mediating influence of acceptance toward dating violence. Participants were 622 Korean male university students. First, patriarchal sex-role attitudes were found to influence acceptance toward dating violence. Second, acceptance toward dating violence had an influence on the perpetration of all three subtypes of dating violence (i.e., psychological, physical, and sexual violence). Third, patriarchal sex-role attitudes directly affected the perpetration of psychological dating violence. Fourth, the level of acceptance toward dating violence mediated the relationship between traditional sex-role attitudes and the perpetration of all three subtypes of dating violence. The findings of the study underscore the importance of sex-role attitudes among young adults. Significant implications for school counselors as well as dating violence prevention program developers are discussed., Author(s): Sukkyung You [sup.1] , Kyulee Shin [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.440932.8, 0000 0001 2375 5180, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, , Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, South Korea (2) grid.412485.e, 0000 0000 [...]

AbstractSocial network sites (SNS) are becoming a popular means of “digital leisure” among young adults. Several problematic consequences of extensive SNS use have been reported including objectifying bodies on SNS. Thus, in this study, we aimed to understand the specific pathway between young female adults’ SNS use and mental and behavioral problems using the objectification theory framework. We conducted structural equation modeling of data from 507 Korean female undergraduates to elucidate the relationships between SNS use and self-esteem, depression, abnormal eating, and exercise dependence, and the mediation effects of body surveillance and body shame. A significant direct relationship between SNS use and problematic consequences was found only between SNS use and exercise dependence. Mediation effects of body surveillance and body shame were confirmed in all four relationships. In this study, the researchers expand the objectification theory’s applicability to SNS platforms and identify a potential mechanism of consequent adverse outcomes, providing useful empirical evidence for preventive educational measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study used a political and social survey to examine the relationships among political efficacy, community activity, and political engagement in different generational cohorts in South Korea. A nationally representative sample of 777 Korean voters (age range: 20-59) was used for the analysis. We hypothesized that political efficacy is positively related to political engagement, both directly and indirectly, via mediating variables (i.e., both online and offline community activities). After we had controlled for gender, income, and educational level, the results revealed that the indirect effect of political efficacy on online political engagement via online community activities was significant for both the 20-30 age groups and the 30-40 age groups studied. For the 40-50 generation, offline community activities had a significant effect on offline political engagement. Political efficacy had a significant direct effect on online political engagement for both age groups., Author(s): Kyungmee Park [sup.1] , Sukkyung You [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.411545.0, 0000 0004 0470 4320, Chonbuk National University, , Jeonju, South Korea (2) grid.440932.8, 0000 0001 2375 5180, College [...]

Background: With growing interest in parenting stress among mothers of children with disabilities, the current study examined the multidimensional aspects of parenting stress and their impact on life satisfaction among Korean mothers of children with disabilities. Based on the suggestions of prior findings concerning the potential role of intrapersonal resources on moderating parenting stress, the study focused on intrinsic religious orientation as one of the intrapersonal resources. Method: Participants completed measures of three types of parenting stress (parental distress, parent-child dysfunctional interaction and difficult child), life satisfaction and religious orientation. Results: Two subscales of parenting stress (i.e., parental distress and difficult child) had negative associations with life satisfaction. Intrinsic religious orientation weakened the relationship between parental distress and life satisfaction, especially among individuals who held moderate and high levels of intrinsic religious orientation. Conclusion: These findings indicate the existence of differential associations between parenting stress type and life satisfaction in Korean mothers of children with disabilities. The current findings also identified the interrelationships between the religious resources and maternal parenting stress of children with disabilities. Intrapersonal religious resources have the potential to counterbalance the negative impact of maternal distress.

The purpose of this study was to identify the factors influencing adolescents' career development. Using three-wave longitudinal data (Seoul Education Longitudinal Study2010), we examined the direct and indirect effects of parents' support on career maturity, in addition to the mediating effect of self-esteem in the relationship between parents' support and career maturity. We also examined the sex differences in the relationship among the variables. The subjects of this research were 4,187 adolescents who progressed from seventh grade in 2010 to ninth grade in 2012. The results are as follows: First, parental support has differential effects on career maturity via self-esteem. Second, in the longitudinal relationship of parents' support, self-esteem, and career maturity, the developmental differences according to sex were supported empirically. This study finding suggests that it is possible to enhance adolescents' career development by proper interventions in the period of adolescence which take into consideration these sex differences.

Over the last 20 years, women in ministerial positions have played an essential role in Korean Baptist churches. Thus, this study measured the ministerial satisfaction of women in ministerial positions according to their individual and religious backgrounds. The relationship between spiritual well-being and ministerial satisfaction was also examined. A total of 162 women in various ministerial positions in Korean Baptist churches participated in this research study. Our findings from hierarchical regressions showed that marital status and seminary education had negative effects on both intrinsic and extrinsic ministerial satisfaction, and total ministerial satisfaction. However, other elements such as education level, church size, and ministerial status did not have significant effects on ministerial satisfaction. While religious well-being was not a significant predictor of ministerial satisfaction, one subscale of spiritual well-being, existential well-being, was the strongest predictor. The implications of this study and potential discussion for further research in this field are presented., Author(s): Jieun Yoo [sup.1] , Sukkyung You [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.443830.8, 0000 0004 0647 2631, Department of Christian Education, Anyang University, , Anyang, South Korea (2) grid.440932.8, 0000 0001 [...]

Structural equation modeling was used to examine a conceptual model specifying hypothesized linkages among teachers' perceptions of school organizational factors, including classroom context and role stress, and commitment, satisfaction, and intentions to leave. Respondents to survey questions designed to capture the above constructs included 177 teachers in seven high schools in a southern coastal region of California. Structural equation modeling results indicated that all three study predictors (class size, student behavior, and role stress) affected intentions to leave, and satisfaction and commitment mediated the relationship between the school organizational factors and intentions to leave., Author(s): Sharon Conley [sup.1] , Sukkyung You [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.133342.4, 0000 0004 1936 9676, Department of Education, University of California-Santa Barbara, , Santa Barbara, CA, USA (2) grid.440932.8, [...]

The purpose of this study was to apply an empathy-based learning model developed by Lee et al. (2014 (See CR30)) to a middle school art class and document its effects on students' empathy, self-esteem, and class participation. The participants were 37 ninth-grade students from two middle school classes in Korea (19 in the experimental group and 18 in the control group). The experimental group was placed in an art class using the empathy-based learning model, while the control group was placed in a different art class taught in a traditional, lecture-oriented way. Quantitative data measuring students' empathy, self-esteem, and class participation were analyzed using independent sample t-tests and MANOVA. A female teacher (age = 34) and 19 students (age range = 14-16, mean age = 14.60) from the experimental group also participated in written interviews to provide more in-depth perspectives about the empathy-based learning model. The results showed that the empathy-based instruction (received by the experimental group) had stronger positive effects on students' empathy and class participation than the traditional lecture-oriented instruction, but these positive effects were not seen on the students' self-esteem. Interviews with members of the experimental group indicated that both the teacher and students were satisfied with the empathy-based art class and recognized the importance of empathy in their lives. These results suggest the positive influence of the empathy-based learning model on middle school students. The implications and future directions are discussed., Author(s): Sukkyung You [sup.1], June Lee [sup.1], Yunoug Lee [sup.1], Eui Kyung Kim [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.440932.8, 0000 0001 2375 5180, College of Education, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, [...]

This study focused on characteristics of the family environment that may influence the relationship between hurricane exposure and ataques de nervios in Puerto Rican children and youth. Approximately 18 months after Hurricane Georges hit Puerto Rico in 1998, participants were randomly selected based on a probability household sample using 1990 US Census block groups. Caregivers and children were interviewed about past year and lifetime experience of ataques de nervios, hurricane exposure, and the family environment in Spanish. Areas of the family environment assessed include parent-child relationship quality, parent-child involvement, parental monitoring, discipline, and parents' relationship quality. Structural equation models were estimated for parents and children, and by age group. For children (4-10 years old, N = 582), hurricane exposure was directly related to lifetime experience of ataques, but not for past year experience of ataques. However, for children, none of the family variables had a significant mediating role in the relation between hurricane exposure and either past year or lifetime experience of ataques; rather, parent-child involvement decreased risk for lifetime and past year ataques. For youth (11-17 years old, N = 569), per youth report, positive discipline mediated the hurricane exposure to lifetime experience of ataques relationship, whereas parents' relationship quality mediated the relationship between exposure and past year experience of ataques. Hurricane exposure decreased positive discipline and parents' relationship quality, and positive discipline and parents' relationship quality decreased risk for ataques. Per parent report, parent-child involvement decreased risk for past year or lifetime experience of ataques. Implications for post-disaster mental health recovery efforts are discussed.

Disasters affect the school and community microsystems in which children and youth recover. This study explored characteristics of the school (school violence, teachers' attitudes) and community microsystem (neighborhood climate, neighborhood monitoring, community violence) that may affect the disaster exposure and internalizing psychopathology relationship in children and youth 12-27 months after Hurricane Georges hit Puerto Rico. A representative sample (N=1,637) of caregivers and children/youth completed structured interviews in Spanish. Controlling for gender and perception of poverty, for children (age 6-10 years), hurricane exposure increased risk for internalizing psychopathology, but the school and community variables did not have an influence. For all youth (age 11-17 years), witnessing community violence and poor teacher attitudes increased the risk of psychopathology. In addition, neighborhood climate and school violence were moderators. For non-exposed youth, poor neighborhood climate and perceiving greater school violence increased the risk of internalizing psychopathology, whereas for exposed youth it did not.

The subject of special education teachers' intentions to leave has been a longstanding concern of researchers and practitioners. This paper reports on a study that examined the workplace predictors of teachers' intentions to leave for a nationally representative USA sample of 2,060 secondary school special education teachers (with students aged approximately 13-18). Structural equation modeling was used to assess the plausibility of a conceptual model, specifying linkages among special education teachers' perceptions of workplace factors, job satisfaction and commitment, and teachers' intentions to leave. Using the 2007-2008 Schools and Staffing Survey data set, two models were tested to assess job satisfaction and commitment as mediators. Administrative support and teacher team efficacy had strong, significant direct and indirect effects on special education teachers' intentions to leave. Teacher job design/autonomy, poor socio-economic/human conditions, and student disengagement also exerted significant indirect effects through satisfaction and commitment. However, administrative support and team efficacy were the most important for these teachers in their effects. Among several demographic variables, teacher age was the most powerful demographic factor, with more experienced teachers having lower intentions to leave. The authors suggest that several conditions and attitudes embedded in the teachers' responses are influenced by administrators. [This work was conducted with permission from the Institute of Education Sciences for use of the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) data set.]

This study applied multilevel modeling to examine how individual characteristics, such as gender and teaching experience, and contextual characteristics, such as principal leadership and perceived colleague support, influenced Korean secondary school teachers' sense of job satisfaction. Previous research identified teachers with high job satisfaction to have positive influences on their students, making it important to understand teacher job satisfaction not only for teachers but also for students. Using data from a nationally representative sample of 2908 teachers from 150 middle schools, the results indicated that (1) among teachers' individual characteristics, teacher efficacy had significant effects on teacher job satisfaction, and (2) among institutional, school-level characteristics, perceptions of academic climate, support from colleagues, and supportive principal leadership had significant impacts on teacher job satisfaction. The findings of this study provide reason for individual teachers to reflect on their sense of efficacy and the influence it can have on their professional practice. The study also suggests ways to create better education policies on the basis of its empirical data.

In an attempt to identify and intervene with students in need of services, the South Korean government has implemented national mental health screening. However, concerns raised about the unintended stigmatization of the screening assessment that focuses on student deficits prompts the need for additional research. This study evaluated the potential utility of an alternative screening approach that considers student strengths, in addition to symptoms of distress. Using a sample of 1,190 Korean adolescents enrolled in grades seven to nine, two latent profile analyses were conducted to identify underlying mental health strength and distress subtypes. Results identified five subtypes of psychological strengths and three subtypes of psychological distress. As hypothesized, students with higher levels of strengths and lower levels of distress reported better quality of life, academic performance, and higher life satisfaction. Implications for school based mental health screening and future directions for researchers and practitioners are discussed.

This study aimed to investigate the long-term relationships between the types of Internet use, school adjustment problems, and delinquent behaviors among Korean adolescents, using the longitudinal data of 7th-9th graders from the Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey (KCYPS). In particular, Internet use was divided into three types, viz. communication, information-seeking, and entertainment, and the effects of each type of Internet use on two types of delinquency (i.e., cyber and actual delinquency) were analyzed. Additionally, the indirect impact of Internet use on delinquency through school maladjustment was investigated. The results were as follows. Only the entertainment type was found to have significant direct positive effects on both actual delinquency and cyber delinquency. Furthermore, all three types of Internet use (communication, information seeking, and entertainment) were found to have significant indirect effects on actual delinquency mediated by school maladjustment. Whereas the communication and entertainment types were positively associated with school maladjustment and, in turn, with subsequent delinquent behaviors, the information seeking type was negatively associated with school maladjustment and, in turn, with subsequent delinquent behaviors., Author(s): Sun Ah Lim [sup.1] , Eui Kyung Kim [sup.2] , Sukkyung You [sup.3] Author Affiliations: (Aff1) 0000 0004 0470 4320, grid.411545.0, Department of Education, Chonbuk National University, , 567 [...]

In recent years, increase in adolescent crime in the Republic of Korea has put adolescent aggression in the spotlight. This study examines whether the quality of attachment to parents and peers influences aggressive behaviors and whether social emotional competencies serve as significant mediators for middle school students. These relationships were investigated between gender groups. A full mediational model better explained the male sample while a partial mediational model better explained the female sample. Specifically, parent and peer attachment was found to have indirect effects on aggression via behavioral self-control among boys, whereas for girls, parent attachment was found to have both direct and indirect effects on aggression via empathy and behavioral self-control. The findings of the study underscore the importance of parent and peer attachment during adolescent years. Significant implications for teachers and school psychologists as well as aggression-prevention program developers are discussed.

Background: In the Korean educational system, academic achievement is one of the crucial factors in assessing a student's academic ability for postsecondary education. Thus, many researchers have been studying ways to improve students' academic achievement. Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between students' perceptions of teachers' motivational behavior and students' academic achievement, as well as the mediating effects of students' motivation and self-efficacy on this relation. Methods: Using the Korean Education Longitudinal Study data, we employed structural equation modeling to assess the impacts of different variables (i.e., students' perceptions of their teachers' motivational behavior, self-efficacy, and intrinsic motivation) on the academic achievements of 6227 middle school students'. We further examined whether these relationships differed depending on the school subject, specifically, reading, English, and mathematics. Results: The results indicate that students' self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation mediated the relation between students' perceptions of teachers' motivational behavior and students' academic achievements in all three subjects. Conclusion: This study suggests that students' self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation increase when students perceive their teachers' motivational behaviors positively, which ultimately improves their performance in reading, English, and mathematics.

This study examined the relation of parental involvement with Korean adolescent academic achievement and self-efficacy, and the mediating role of academic self-efficacy in this relationship. We investigated the effects of parental involvement in both overall and domain-specific self-efficacy and academic achievement across three academic subjects (reading, English and mathematics). We conducted structural equation modelling analysis with the responses of 6,334 students from the Korean Education Longitudinal Survey. Our results were that first, academic self-efficacy partially mediated the relation between parental involvement and academic achievement. Specifically, domain-specific self-efficacy mediated the relations between parental involvement and academic achievement across three academic subjects (reading, English and mathematics), but these relations varied across subjects. Second, among multidimensions of parental involvement, parental participation and parental supervision had significant effects on adolescent academic achievement compared to parental expectation. This indicates that higher parental participation and parental supervision increased academic self-efficacy in Korean youth, which in turn, improved their academic achievement.

The article explores the use of the Social and Emotional Health Survey-Secondary version (SEHS-S) with a sample of 975 Japanese students in Grades 7-9 attending schools located northwest of Tokyo. A confirmatory factor analysis using half the sample confirmed the four-factor structure of the SEHS-S, and further analyses verified its second-order factor model including Belief-in-Self, Belief-in-Others, Emotional Competence, and Engaged Living, all of which contribute to a latent second-order construct labeled Covitality. Additional SEM validity analyses found that the four identified first-order SEHS constructs and the second-order covitality construct were positively associated with subjective well-being. SEHS-S scores also predicted several variables indicative of positive school engagement for Japanese students, including academic performance, social relationships, and willingness to assist others. Results of the study are discussed in terms of the advantages of using strength-based assessments such as the SEHS-S for Japanese students and in promoting well-being in this population.

In efforts to increase the field and society's understanding of bullying, the authors investigated how various forms of attachment (mother, peer, and school) are directly and indirectly related to bullying behavior through empathy, and whether these relationships are moderated by gender. Adolescents, of grades 7 through 9, from one middle school in Seoul were surveyed. Using structural equation modeling, the study identified significant gender differences in the direct and indirect effects of attachment on bullying behavior. For male students, greater school attachment was directly related to less bullying behavior and maternal and peer attachment had indirect effects on bullying behavior, mediated by student cognitive empathy. For female students greater maternal attachment was directly related to less bullying behavior, and peer attachment had an indirect effect on bullying behavior, mediated by student affective empathy. The study provides evidence supporting increased emphasis on empathy development in bullying prevention programs.

The subject of teachers' intentions to leave has recently captured the attention of researchers and practitioners. This paper reports on a study that examined the workplace predictors of teachers' intentions to leave for teachers in different career stages. Structural equation modeling was used to assess the plausibility of a conceptual model specifying hypothesized linkages among secondary school teachers' perceptions of workplace predictors, satisfaction and commitment, and teachers' intent to leave. Using the USA Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) data set, two mediational models were tested, one reflecting partial mediation and the second representing full mediation. Results indicated that the workplace variables had significant meaningful indirect effects on teachers' intent to leave through three mediators: job satisfaction, work commitment, and career commitment. Furthermore, the effect of administrative support on work and career commitment was uniform and significant for teachers in the three career groups. Some differences across the three teacher career groups were discussed.

Social-emotional health influences youth developmental trajectories and there is growing interest among educators to measure the social-emotional health of the students they serve. This study replicated the psychometric characteristics of the Social Emotional Health Survey (SEHS) with a diverse sample of high school students (Grades 9-12; N = 14,171), and determined whether the factor structure was invariant across sociocultural and gender groups. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) tested the fit of the previously known factor structure, and then structural equation modeling was used to test invariance across sociocultural and gender groups through multigroup CFAs. Results supported the SEHS measurement model, with full invariance of the SEHS higher-order structure for all five sociocultural groups. There were no moderate effect size or higher group differences on the overall index for sociocultural or gender groups, which lends support to the eventual development of common norms and universal interpretation guidelines.

Recently, research studies and media have reported on the detrimental effects violent video games have on the social behaviors of adolescents. For example, previous studies have found that playing video games is positively associated with aggressive behaviors and negatively associated with prosocial behaviors. However, very few studies have examined the mediating effects of personal characteristics between students playing video games and their social behaviors. Thus, using a sample of 1,242 seventh, eighth, and ninth grade Korean students, the authors aimed to determine how playing video games is related to aggressive and prosocial behaviors and whether the emotional competencies of adolescents, such as empathy, emotional regulation, and behavioral self-control, mediate this relationship. The results indicated that violent video games have a significant direct effect on aggressive behaviors, and a significant indirect effect on prosocial behaviors. Specifically, empathy and behavioral self-control were found to mediate the relation between playing violent video games and prosocial behaviors. These results suggest different prevention and intervention approaches to reduce aggressive behaviors and increase prosocial behaviors in students exposed to violent video games. The limitations and implications of these findings are discussed.

This study investigated a sample of California elementary, intermediate, and high school employed teachers (N = 247) to assess the effects of retirement perceptions on career commitment among teachers who are in different age groupings. Using path analysis, the influence of five retirement perceptions variables was examined: concerns about retirement benefits, understanding of the retirement system, perceived need for system change, control over the retirement plan, and satisfaction with current salary. The results indicated that the pattern of results differed for younger and older teachers. For the younger (age 21-45) group, concerns about retirement benefits (such as losing or reducing benefits through geographic mobility) and control over the retirement plan had significant, large, and direct effects on career commitment. For the older (age 46+) group, retirement variables had a significant effect on career commitment via the mediator of satisfaction with the retirement system. Given these findings, for younger teachers, strategies might focus on providing greater control over the retirement plan, such as in offering choice in how their retirement monies are invested. Older teachers need to feel safe about retirement in the sense of being satisfied with the system and its benefits to commit to their jobs.

A previous study examined role stress in relation to work outcomes; in this study, we added job structuring antecedents to a model of role stress and examined the moderating effects of locus of control. Structural equation modeling was used to assess the plausibility of our conceptual model, which specified hypothesized linkages among teachers' perceptions of (a) mechanistic/organic job structuring, (b) role ambiguity, role conflict, and role overload, and (c) commitment, satisfaction, and intentions to leave the school. Respondents to survey questions designed to capture the above constructs included 177 teachers in seven moderately sized comprehensive high schools in Southern California. Results indicated that predicted patterns of relationships were partially moderated by locus of control. The study suggests ways to reduce role stress and enhance the work outcomes of teachers through identifying an appropriate job structure.

A brief 15-item version of the California School Climate Scale (Brief-CSCS) is presented to fill a need for a measure that could be used for periodic monitoring of school personnel's general perception of the climate of their school campus. From a sample of 81,261 California school personnel, random subsamples of 2,400 teachers and 2,400 administrators were used in the analyses. Confirmatory factor analyses supported a model in which general school climate was a second-order latent factor composed of 2 first-order latent traits, organizational supports and relational supports. Measurement invariance of factor loadings for teachers and administrators was found. Additional analyses revealed that administrators held more positive perceptions of school climate than teachers, with this difference increasing from primary through high school. The implications for these findings for educational research and policy reform are outlined.

The emergence of positive psychology has generated increased interest about the correlates of positive psychological functioning. Researchers have identified and studied various positive psychological constructs (e.g., hope, optimism, self-efficacy, gratitude, and life satisfaction) and found them to covary and to be positively associated with optimal human functioning and negatively associated with mental illness. This study of 528 college students examined the co-occurrence of selected positive psychological traits and explored their relations with a proposed second-order latent construct called "covitality" and with psychological well-being. Structural equation modeling examined each first-order positive psychology construct related to the second-order concept of covitality. Findings supported the second-order latent factor model of covitality, which was also significantly related to indicators of psychological well-being. Implications for theory development related to understanding positive human resources and applications within the context of college student populations are discussed.

Peer victimization is a pervasive problem among children and associated with numerous psychological and behavioural problems for all participants. Research is needed to understand the complex relations between factors that increase risk of victimization and its consequences. We used autoregressive cross-lagged modelling with self-report data to examine the longitudinal reciprocal effects of victimization by friends with problem behaviour, as well as the mediating effects of school bonding and peer norms. Participants were 316 4th grade students in socioeconomically disadvantaged elementary schools in California, USA, most of whom were Latino/a American (89.9%). Results indicated a causal path from peer victimization by friends in 4th grade to problem behaviour in 5th grade, which was fully mediated by school bonding and peer norms for academics in 5th grade. These results confirm the need to monitor and respond to peer victimization by friends in any setting. Moreover, results demonstrate the importance of creating opportunities to positively engage students in school activities that teach or ensure positive social interactions and exposure to peers that are engaged in normative social and academic behaviours. (Contains 1 table and 2 figures.)

The validity of the Multidimensional School Anger Inventory (MSAI) was examined with adolescents from 5 Pacific Rim countries (N = 3,181 adolescents; age, M = 14.8 years; 52% females). Confirmatory factor analyses examined configural invariance for the MSAI's anger experience, hostility, destructive expression, and anger coping subscales. The model did not converge for Peruvian students. Using the top 4 loaded items for anger experience, hostility, and destructive expression configural invariance and partial metric and scalar invariances were found. Latent means analysis compared mean responses on each subscale to the U.S. sample. Students from other countries showed higher mean responses on the anger experience subscale (ds = 0.37-0.73). Australian (d = 0.40) and Japanese students (d = 0.21) had significantly higher mean hostility subscale scores. Australian students had higher mean scores on the destructive expression subscale (d = 0.30), whereas Japanese students had lower mean scores (d = -0.17). The largest latent mean gender differences (females lower than males) were for destructive expression among Australian (d = -0.67), Guatemalan (d = -0.42), and U.S. (d = -0.66) students. This study supported an abbreviated, 12-item MSAI with partial invariance. Implications for the use of the MSAI in comparative research are discussed.