Despite type 1 diabetes' (T1D) potential influence on adolescents' physical development, the occurrence of body image problems of adolescents with diabetes remains unclear. No research synthesis has yet addressed this issue. This study aims to systematically evaluate the empirical evidence concerning body image in individuals with T1D in order to provide an overview of the existing literature. Using PRISMA methodology, 51 relevant studies that fulfilled the eligibility criteria were found, the majority of them (N = 48) involving youth. The findings varied across studies: 17 studies indicated that in youth with T1D, body dissatisfaction was common and that body concerns were generally greater in youth with T1D than in controls; nine studies did not find any differences in body image problems between participants with and without T1D; three studies described higher body satisfaction in youth with diabetes than in controls; and three studies reported mixed results. Body concerns in individuals with T1D were often found to be associated with negative medical and psychological functioning. The variability and limits in assessment tools across studies, the overrepresentation of female subjects, and the fact that most research in this field is based on cross-sectional data are stressed in the interpretation of these mixed findings. Future research directions that could improve the understanding of body image concerns and clinical implications are discussed.

Adolescence is a sensitive socio-cognitive period for social engagement, social skills, and social identity. Perspective taking is an important socio-cognitive skill developing throughout adolescence associated with prosocial behavior and psychological functioning. Identification of factors associated with development of this skill could play an important role in adolescent wellbeing. This systematic review aimed to evaluate longitudinal research of adolescent perspective taking, identifying risk and protective factors, as well as positive and negative outcomes. A systematic search of peer-reviewed and gray literature identified 21 prospective/longitudinal articles that measured adolescent perspective taking. The results include a comparison analysis of empirical definitions and measurements of perspective taking as well as both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses of socio-cognitive factors in the identified studies. Key findings from the review indicate that adolescent perspective taking gradually increases across the ages of 13 to 18 years, however, males and females differ on their respective trajectories. Cultural differences were found in adolescents aged 15 to 18 years with U.S. adolescents higher in perspective taking than other reviewed countries. Longitudinal adolescent perspective taking is associated with self-esteem, depressive symptoms, and prosocial attitudes and beliefs. The findings also indicate the significance of both adolescent-parent and student–teacher relationships in the development of adolescent perspective taking. Recommendations for intervention, education and future research are discussed.

John Bowlby’s theory of attachment has inspired numerous studies which have concluded that insecure attachment can contribute to the development of depressive symptoms in adolescents. It has also spurred research confirming that other environmental factors, such as parental depressive symptoms, can contribute to the development of insecure attachment in adolescents. However, few studies have investigated how insecure adolescent attachment works as a mechanism in the relationship between adolescent and parental depressive symptoms. Accordingly, this systematic review was conducted to better ascertain how attachment is related to the development of adolescent depressive symptoms in the context of parental depressive symptoms. Inclusion criteria for this review were met if the child study population had a mean age in our identified “adolescent” range (age 10–19), if depressive symptoms were measured in at least one parent and their adolescent child, and if adolescent attachment was related to (i.e., mediated or moderated) the intergenerational relationship between depressive symptoms. A total of nine studies were identified searching among three databases (APA PsychNET, Academic Search Elite and PubMed) and one search engine (Google Scholar) through March 2020. The overall sample of this review included mothers (N = 1,684), fathers (N = 123), and adolescents (N = 1805). Samples for the original studies were recruited from both clinical and community populations, with clinical samples being determined by both parental and adolescent levels of depressive symptoms in different studies. Attachment was measured as both an internal working model of self or “state of mind” and as a behavior in which a stressed child seeks comfort or support from an attachment figure acting as a “secure base.” Measurements of attachment were taken at varying stages in child development ranging from infancy through adolescence. Additionally, most reviewed studies did not include fathers or much racial or social class diversity. Overall, the review determined that both conceptualizations of attachment (internal working model and support-seeking behavior) successfully mediated or moderated the relationship between maternal and adolescent depressive symptoms.

Motivation is an essential determinant of academic learning, educational choices, and career decisions during adolescence and early adulthood. While achievement motivation has been widely studied across Western populations, recent work has emphasized the importance of examining the universality versus cultural specificity of motivation constructs across countries or diverse cultures. This article is a systematic review of the current discourse surrounding developmental and gender differences in student motivation in the disciplines of mathematics and English, offering comparisons of how these patterns are deployed within Western and East Asian countries. Guided by expectancy–value theory, this review focuses on ability self-concept and task values as two prominent motivational constructs. The authors first examine age and gender differences in the development of ability self-concept and task values among those from Western and East Asian countries from primary school to secondary school. Next, the sociocultural and contextual factors driving developmental and gender differences in motivation are discussed. The article concludes by summarizing the limitations of existing literature and suggesting new lines of inquiry to advance knowledge in cross-cultural studies on student achievement motivation.

School engagement researchers have historically focused on academic engagement or academic-related activities. Although academic engagement is vital to adolescents' educational success, school is a complex developmental context in which adolescents also engage in social interactions while exploring their interests and developing competencies. In this article, school engagement is re-conceptualized as a multi-contextual construct that includes both academic and social contexts of school. The authors begin by describing how the characteristics of these contexts provide the opportunities and resources for adolescents to engage in academic learning and social interactions throughout school. Motivational theories are then used as an operational framework for understanding how adolescents become engaged in school, which is followed by a discussion about how adolescents' academic and social engagement interact to shape their academic achievement. The article concludes with implications for practice and future research.

This article addresses the ongoing debate on the role of agency and structure in shaping the transition from school to work. Drawing on theories of life-course sociology and life-span psychology an integrated social-ecological developmental approach is presented, conceptualizing individual agency as a relational and intentional process that evolves through interactions with the wider socio-cultural context. Agency is understood as a multi-dimensional construct, influenced by multiple proximal and distal social circumstances that channel the manifestation of agency by offering distinct transition pathways. The article specifies the ways how social structures support and constrain the development of agency, and asks if individual agency can overcome social constraints, and to what extent and in what circumstances can agency be most effective? It is argued that agency is most influential (a) when social structures are flexible, enabling switching between tracks; (b) during critical windows of opportunity, such as during transitions from one educational track to another or from education into paid employment; (c) in situations when individuals leave a pre-structured path; (d) when intentions are closely matched to individual competencies; and (e) when socio-economic disadvantage is not overpowering. The analysis presented in this paper should enable researchers to expand and deepen their understanding of the role of structure and agency in shaping school-to-work transitions and inform empirical research on the topic.

Adolescence is characterized by neurological reorganization, developments in cognitive and emotional processing, and an increasingly complex social world. During this sensitive transitional period, the ways in which adolescents identify and engage with internal and external challenges is integral to developmental trajectories. More resources should be dedicated to promoting adaptive development in adolescence, particularly ones that capitalize on and support adolescent’s growing self-regulatory and socio-cognitive skills. This article summarizes research and theory on one such resource, mindful practices, and evaluates these practices as they relate to the needs and challenges of adolescence. Mindfulness-based programs are also evaluated as interventions for adolescents who are at risk for, or have already developed, maladaptive behaviors. By promoting self-regulatory and socio-cognitive skills, mindfulness practices may enhance adolescents’ agentic control over their own developmental trajectories. While more research is still needed, there is substantial evidence that mindfulness is a flexible and efficacious program with potentially far-reaching implications for promoting adaptive development in adolescence.