Biomedical subjects

Brigitte Wanner

Publications and source records attributed to Brigitte Wanner.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Protective and compensatory factors mitigating the influence of deviant friends on delinquent behaviours during early adolescence.

This study examined factors that could moderate or compensate the link between exposure to deviant friends and delinquent behaviours in a sample of 265 early adolescents. The putative moderating or compensatory factors referred to the behavioural domain (i.e. novelty seeking, harm avoidance), the biological domain (i.e. physical maturation), the sociofamily domain (i.e. sociofamily adversity, parental practices), the school domain (i.e. academic performance), and the social domain (i.e. peer acceptance). A series of regression analyses showed that novelty seeking and puberty status moderated the link between friends' self-reported delinquency and participants' self-reported delinquency. In addition, all the factors except peer acceptance also had main effects that, cumulatively, reduced the association between friends' delinquency and self-rated delinquency through compensatory main effects. These results are discussed in light of the differential roles of moderating and of compensatory factors.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Flow and dissociation: examination of mean levels, cross-links, and links to emotional well-being across sports and recreational and pathological gambling.

To examine whether flow (Csikszentmihalyi (1990). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. NY: Harper & Row) and dissociation (Jacobs (1986). Journal of Gambling Behavior, 2, 15-31) are experienced across sports and recreational and pathological gambling, we assessed a sample of 511 college students (256 females and 255 males, M age = 19.54) that was comprised of 14 pathological gamblers, 21 non-addicted gamblers, and 476 athletes. The findings showed that both flow and dissociation lay on a continuum of subjective experiences across activity groups. Specifically, pathological gamblers experienced lower levels of flow than athletes, whereas recreational gamblers lay in between the previous groups in this regard. In contrast, pathological gamblers experienced higher mean levels of dissociation than athletes and recreational gamblers who, in turn, were similar in this regard. A LISREL model showed that flow was positively associated with general emotional well-being, whereas dissociation was negatively associated with well-being.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Verbal abuse by the teacher and child adjustment from kindergarten through grade 6.

OBJECTIVES: Many adults mention past incidences of verbal abuse by the teacher as the most overwhelming negative experience in their lives. The present study examined (1) the course and stability of verbal abuse by the teacher from kindergarten through grade 4 and (2) the link between verbal abuse by the teacher and children's behavioral, emotional, and academic adjustment. DESIGN: Participants were 399 children (177 girls) who were assessed yearly over a period of 7 years, starting in kindergarten. Verbal abuse by the teacher, as well as acceptance versus rejection by the peer group from kindergarten through grade 4, were assessed through peer nomination. Child adjustment from kindergarten through grade 4 (antisocial behavior, attention problems, anxiety) was evaluated by the teacher. Child adjustment in early adolescence (delinquent behavior, depressive feelings, academic performance) was assessed by teacher evaluations and self-reports. RESULTS: The vast majority of children (approximately 85%) have almost 0 risk of becoming a target of verbal abuse by the teacher over the course of elementary school. However, a small minority of children (15%) seems to be at relatively high risk of verbal abuse by the teacher in kindergarten, and this risk increases even further over the course of elementary school. Boys, as well as children with high levels of early antisocial behavior and attention problems in kindergarten, are at high risk of verbal abuse by the teacher during elementary school. In turn, verbal abuse by the teacher is significantly related to subsequent delinquent behavior and academic difficulties in early adolescence, although this effect depends on child characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: Verbal abuse by the teacher seems to be a highly stable phenomenon for at-risk children. Children who are relatively well adjusted are at low risk of becoming the target of verbal abuse by the teacher. If they do, however, these children are the most vulnerable to subsequent developmental difficulties.

Child↗

PubMed2005

Joint trajectories of gambling, alcohol and marijuana use during adolescence: a person- and variable-centered developmental approach.

The usefulness of Moffitt's (1993) [Moffitt, T. E. (1993). Adolescence-limited and life-course-persistent antisocial behavior: A developmental taxonomy. Psychological Review, 100, 674-701.] theory of antisocial behavior was examined regarding gambling, alcohol and marijuana use. We assessed 903 Caucasian boys' developmental trajectories of these behaviors annually from age 11 through age 16. Severity of problems with these behaviors were assessed at ages 17 and 23. As correlates of these behaviors, teacher-rated personality and self-reported parenting were assessed at age 10. Self-reported autonomy was measured at ages 11 and 14. A cluster analysis on the correlates yielded two clusters. Membership in the cluster without adult problems was associated with either late onset of gambling and/or alcohol use trajectories or consistently low involvement in each of the behaviors. This cluster may correspond to Moffitt's adolescence-limited group and uninvolved adolescents, respectively. Membership in the cluster with subsequent adult problems was associated with early initiation of at least one of the three behaviors and involvement in each of them during adolescence. This cluster may correspond to Moffitt's life-course-persistent group. Findings indicate that early assessment of correlates used in the cluster analysis may be useful for screening and preventive purposes.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Relations with parents and with peers, temperament, and trajectories of depressed mood during early adolescence.

The present study examined (a) whether groups of children can be empirically identified with distinct longitudinal profiles of depressed mood from late childhood through early adolescence, (b) to what extent these different longitudinal depression profiles are predicted by problematic relations with parents, same-sex peers, and other-sex peers, and (c) what role individuals' temperamental characteristics play in this context. Based on a sample of 414 early adolescents (197 girls), four groups were identified with distinct longitudinal profiles of depressed mood between ages 11 and 14: One group with consistently low levels of depressed mood, another with consistently moderate levels of depressed mood, a third group whose depressed mood increased sharply from late childhood through early adolescence, and a fourth group who already showed clinical-range levels of depressed mood during late childhood and whose depressive feelings increased even slightly more thereafter. Subsequent analyses revealed that rejection by same-sex peers was related to the odds of following an increasing trajectory of depressed mood, but only for girls with a highly reactive temperament. A problematic relationship with parents increased the odds of an elevated trajectory of depressed mood regardless of individual temperament. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Differential contribution of parents and friends to smoking trajectories during adolescence.

The purpose of this study was to assess the relative contribution of friends' and parents' smoking on the age of smoking initiation. A sample of 812 preadolescents, who were part of an accelerated longitudinal design, participated in the study over a 4-year period. Three smoking trajectory groups were first established: an age 11-12 starters group (5.7% of the sample), an age 12-13 starters group (11.1% of the sample), and an age 13-14 starters group (7.9% of the sample). A fourth trajectory group included the children who had not started smoking by age 15 years and who represented the majority of the participants (75.4%). After controlling for parental education, gender, and participants' behavioral and academic maladjustment, a series of logistic regressions revealed that parents' smoking assessed during the same year predicted membership in the age 11-12 starters trajectory group. Both parents' and friends' smoking predicted membership in the age 12-13 starters group. Finally, only friends' smoking predicted membership in the age 13-14 starters group. The results are discussed in light of the controversy about the contribution of parents' and friends' smoking behavior to smoking initiation in adolescents.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Is there a dark side of positive illusions? Overestimation of social competence and subsequent adjustment in aggressive and nonaggressive children.

This study examined (a) the links between children's overly positive perceptions about the relations with the peer group and with their best friend to subsequent behavioral, emotional, and social adjustment, and (b) whether these links are moderated by children's aggression. Using a short-term longitudinal design, the study was based on a sample of 819 4th- to 6th-graders (427 girls) from low to average SES families. Results showed that positive illusions about their social relations with classmates and with friends were related to an increase in children's peer-rated social preference and fostered the stability of children's dyadic friendships, regardless of children's level of aggression. In addition, overestimation of social competence with the peer group and overestimation of friendship quality were both related to a decrease in children's depressive feelings. Extreme overestimation as well as extreme underestimation of social competence with the peer group was also related to an increase in children's aggression. This latter result, however, was only true for children who were highly aggressive to begin with. The theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Trajectories of gambling during adolescence.

This study aimed at empirically identifying groups of adolescents with distinct longitudinal trajectories of gambling involvement and validating these groups by comparing them with respect to correlates. 903 low SES boys were followed annually from age 11 to 16 years. Three groups were found: an early-onset high-level chronic group, a late-onset high-level group, and a low gambler group. The Chronic group and the Low group consistently differed on teacher-rated inhibition (i.e., anxiety) during childhood and early adolescence. They also differed on concurrent teacher and self ratings of disinhibition (i.e., impulsivity), while the Late Onset group appeared to lie in between these groups. Compared to the Low group, both high groups subsequently had elevated scores on later gambling related problems.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Adolescent gambling: relationships with parent gambling and parenting practices.

This study explored the possible links between family risk factors (i.e., parent gambling and parenting practices) and adolescent gambling. A community sample of 938 adolescents (496 females and 442 males) completed the South Oaks Gambling Screen Revised for Adolescents (SOGS-RA; K. C. Winters, R. Stinchfield, & J. Fulkerson, 1993b) along with a questionnaire assessing parenting practices. Both parents completed the SOGS (H. R. Lesieur & S. B. Blume, 1987). Results showed that adolescent gambling frequency was related to both parents' gambling frequency and problems. However, adolescent gambling problems were linked only to fathers' severity of gambling problems. Low levels of parental monitoring enhanced adolescents' risk of getting involved in gambling activities and developing related problems. A higher level of inadequate disciplinary practices was also related to greater gambling problems in youth. These links were significant after controlling for socioeconomic status, gender, and impulsivity-hyperactivity problems.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Deviant peer affiliations and depression: confounding or causation?

Data gathered from 2 longitudinal studies (the Christchurch Health and Development study of a birth cohort of 1,265 New Zealand participants studied to 21 years and the Quebec Study of 240 Canadian participants studied to 13 years) was used to examine the linkages between deviant peer affiliations and depression in adolescence. Both studies produced similar conclusions: a) increasing peer affiliations were associated with significant (p < .0001) increases in depressive symptoms; b) the associations between peer affiliations and depression could not be fully explained by confounding factors; and c) peer affiliations and depressive symptoms were linked by a causal chain process in which deviant peer affiliations led to increased externalizing behaviors with the negative consequences of these behaviors leading to depression.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1996

Adolescents' well-being and perceived control across 14 sociocultural contexts.

The sweeping sociopolitical changes in Eastern Europe and the importance of self-related resources in facilitating adolescents' transitions to adulthood motivated this study on the effects of sociocultural context on adolescents' perceived control and well-being (N = 3,844; 7 Western contexts, 7 Eastern). The authors found that the mean levels of well-being and perceived control varied along stable Western vs. unstable Eastern sociohistorical contexts: (a) Eastern adolescents showed lower levels of well-being (perhaps related to economic aspects of change) and (b) higher levels of perceived control (perhaps related to perceived freedoms implied in the direction of change). Notably, however, the individual-difference relations (correlations) among the constructs were very uniform across the 14 settings, suggesting that the adaptive psychological interface between well-being and personal control is relatively robust against sociopolitical influences.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Gender differences in developmental links among antisocial behavior, friends' antisocial behavior, and peer rejection in childhood: results from two cultures.

This study addressed gender differences in the developmental links among antisocial behavior, friends' antisocial behavior, and peer rejection. High and increasing, moderate, and low antisocial developmental trajectories were identified among 289 Dutch children, ages 7 to 10, and 445 French-Canadian children, ages 9 to 12. Only boys followed the high trajectory. These boys had more deviant friends and were more often rejected than other children. A minority of girls followed the moderate antisocial behavior trajectory. These girls had fewer deviant friends than moderate antisocial boys, but moderate antisocial boys and girls were equally likely to be rejected. The influence of friends and poor peer relations plays a crucial but different role in the development of antisocial behavior among boys and girls.

Antisocial Personality Disorder↗