Based on the General Aggression Model and Social Ecological Systems Theory, this study investigated the longitudinal mediating roles of moral disengagement and violent attitudes in the relationship between exposure to violence and aggressive behavior. A three-wave longitudinal survey was conducted among college students in China from May 2021 to November 2022. The final analytical sample comprised 809 participants (605 females, 204 males; aged 16-24 years, M = 19.62, SD = 0.803) who completed all three waves. Measures assessed exposure to violence, violent attitudes, moral disengagement, and aggressive behavior. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling, including cross-lagged and multiple mediation models with bootstrapping. The results indicated that: (1) Exposure to violence, moral disengagement, and violent attitudes all longitudinally predicted subsequent aggressive behavior significantly. (2) Exposure to violence influenced aggressive behavior through two significant sequential mediation pathways: one mediated first by violent attitudes and then by moral disengagement, and another mediated first by moral disengagement and then by violent attitudes. (3) A bidirectional predictive relationship was found between violent attitudes and moral disengagement over time. The findings reveal complex longitudinal mediating mechanisms involving both violent attitudes and moral disengagement linking violence exposure to aggression. This underscores the importance of addressing these cognitive and moral factors in developing targeted prevention and intervention strategies aimed at reducing aggressive behavior among individuals exposed to violence.

Future time perspective and growth mindset are both critical to adolescents' academic development, yet their reciprocal relationship and underlying mechanisms remain underexplored. This study investigated the longitudinal bidirectional associations between future time perspective and growth mindset in Chinese adolescents and examined the moderating role of academic grit. A two-wave longitudinal study was conducted with 629 middle school students in China. Participants completed measures of future time perspective, growth mindset, and academic grit. Cross-lagged panel modeling and moderation analyses were used to examine temporal relations and interaction effects. Future time perspective at time 1 positively predicted growth mindset at time 2, but not vice versa. Academic grit significantly moderated the effect of future time perspective on growth mindset, as higher levels of academic grit strengthened the positive association between future time perspective and growth mindset. No moderating effect was found in the reverse pathway. Our findings highlighted that future time perspective positively predicts growth mindset, with academic grit moderating this relationship. These results underscore the value of fostering future time perspective and academic grit to cultivate a growth mindset during early adolescence. Practical implications for fostering future time perspective and academic grit in school settings were discussed.

Problematic Internet Use (PIU) is a critical public health issue, especially among children and adolescents. The Dual Systems Model posits that imbalances between reward processing and self-control systems increase PIU vulnerability, with potential reciprocal effects of PIU on these systems. However, previous studies have primarily employed variable-centered approaches, neglecting within-system heterogeneity, and longitudinal studies on bidirectional relationships have mostly focused on single system, with limited evidence in children. The present study fills these research gaps by utilizing person-centered approaches to explore bidirectional relationships in 1341 children (9-11 years) and adolescents (13-16 years). A 1-year longitudinal survey measuring reward sensitivity, self-control, and PIU was conducted, combined with latent profile transition analysis and supervised machine learning. The results showed developmental similarities and differences. First, dual systems patterns predicted PIU in both age groups, but the underlying mechanisms were different. Low reward sensitivity and low self-control in children and adolescents increased PIU risk, while adolescents also uniquely affected by high reward sensitivity and low self-control. Second, PIU only reduced reward sensitivity and self-control over time in children. The present study enriches the Dual Systems Model by demonstrating bidirectional relationships from a person-centered perspective and informs tailored PIU interventions based on developmental stage and dual-system profiles.

ABSTRACT Introduction Adolescents are increasingly exposed to hate speech in both online and offline contexts, yet limited research has examined how such exposure is experienced and how it relates to adolescents' psychological needs and well‐being. Drawing on Self‐Determination Theory (SDT), this study explores how adolescents make sense of hate speech and how these experiences affect autonomy, competence, and relatedness in everyday peer and digital environments. Methods Ten focus groups were conducted with 46 Swedish upper secondary school students (girls and boys) aged 16–19 years. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis within a critical realist framework, allowing for an in‐depth exploration of shared patterns of meaning across school‐based and online contexts. Results Four interrelated themes were developed. Omnipresence of hate speech captured adolescents' experiences of hate speech as difficult to avoid and emotionally draining. Ambiguity of hate speech highlighted challenges in distinguishing hate speech from jokes, memes, or peer‐based humor, complicating moral evaluation and response. Conformity to hate norms illustrated how social pressures encouraged tolerance of or participation in hostile talk to maintain belonging, often at the expense of autonomy. Finally, online‐specific dynamics showed how anonymity and normalization facilitated hostile behavior, discouraged intervention, and undermined adolescents' sense of competence. Conclusions Adolescents experience hate speech as ambiguous, normalized, and difficult to resist, with clear implications for their autonomy, competence, and relatedness. The findings demonstrate how exposure to hate speech can shift motivation toward controlled regulation or disengagement, highlighting the importance of interventions that strengthen adolescents' psychological needs in both peer and digital contexts.

The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness and acceptability of a positive psychology-based psychoeducation program on the psychological states, future expectations, and coping styles of adolescents affected by the 2023 earthquake in Türkiye. A single-group, pretest-posttest design was adopted. A four-session psychoeducation program was delivered to 74 students in one of the high schools in a village affected by the earthquake. The Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), Future Expectations Scale for Adolescents (FESA), and Coping Scale for Adolescents (KIDCOPE) were used to assess the intervention outcomes. Additionally, interviews were used to assess the intervention's acceptability and perceived impact. There was a statistically significant decrease in the total BSI score and all sub-dimensions after the intervention (p < 0.001). While there was no significant difference between the KIDCOPE general scores (p = 0.599), significant improvements were recorded in the active coping (p = 0.031) and negative coping (p = 0.003) sub-dimensions. Additionally, there was an increase in FESA scores, with a statistically significant difference, especially in the marriage and family sub-dimension. Students perceived the interventions as impactful, interactive, timely, and culturally relevant. They suggested including their families in the intervention and reducing the group size to allow more interaction. Mental health interventions targeting children and adolescents should not only focus on reducing negative symptoms but also on nurturing positive mental health traits. Additionally, families should be included in the interventions as they play a vital role in adolescents' emotional and social well-being.

Adolescent dating motivations are often considered a key issue in understanding dating and sexual behaviors. Despite their initial identification, the development of these motivations and their correlates remains understudied. The present study aimed to investigate the development of dating motivations over a 3-year period using a longitudinal design, and to explore the moderating roles of romantic experiences and current dating status. French late adolescents (N = 493; 61% girls) completed a questionnaire six times over 3 years. Rooted in self-determination theory, the questionnaire assessed their amotivation for dating, intrinsic motivation (intimacy and companionship), identified regulation (pleasure and dating timetable), and external motivation (peer pressure), as well as their romantic experiences and current dating status. As expected, growth models revealed an increase in identified regulation and intrinsic motivation, and a decrease in amotivation, and external motivation between the beginning and end of high school. Gender differences emerged in the developmental trajectories of these motivations: girls showed a more rapid decline in amotivation and a steeper increase in identified regulation than boys. Furthermore, the gender gap in intrinsic motivation increased across the six waves. Overall, the findings support the view that adolescents progressively shift toward more self-determined motivations with age-a process that appears to occur earlier in girls than in boys. Romantic experiences and current dating status hindered the decrease in amotivation and made only a small contribution to the development of other forms of regulation. Practical implications of the development of dating motivation and gender differences are discussed.

Menstruation is a crucial milestone in women's sexual and reproductive health, with significant social and cultural implications. For many adolescent and young women, this process is often associated with anxiety and limited experiential knowledge. The meaning of menstruation and the cultural practices surrounding it vary significantly across different societies. This study aimed to examine the relationships between menstrual experiences, cultural awareness, and gender role perceptions among adolescent and young women in Türkiye. This descriptive, cross-sectional study included 533 women aged 15-24. Data were collected using the Menstruation Impact Scale (MIS), Social Gender Perception Scale (SGPS), and Intercultural Awareness Scale (IAS). The study revealed that 65.5% of women believe that menstruation makes them ritually impure due to bleeding, 55.7% thought it advisable to abstain from sexual intercourse, 27.6% considered it necessary to refrain from haircuts, and 25.9% thought it necessary to avoid activities such as pickling, kneading dough, and fermenting yogurt. A positive but low correlation was observed between MIS and IAS (r = 0.147). Additionally, a low-level positive and significant relationship was identified between IAS and SGPS (r = 0.290). Regression analysis further demonstrated a low-level negative relationship between age at first birth and SGPS (r = -0.114). Hierarchical regression analysis indicated that demographic variables accounted for a small portion of the variance in SGPS scores, whereas the addition of IAS substantially increased the explained variance. IAS emerged as the strongest predictor of SGPS, with MIS contributing modestly to the model. Intercultural awareness significantly shapes social gender perceptions among adolescent and young women, while the perceived impact of menstruation contributes to a lesser extent. These findings underscore the role of cultural context and the need for targeted educational programs to foster egalitarian gender attitudes.

Chronic familial conflict is known to hinder the development of adaptive stress responding in adolescents. However, there are differences in how individuals respond to familial conflict, which may be explained by the temperament trait of Sensory Processing Sensitivity (SPS). The aim of the current study was to examine the unique and interactive effects of childhood family conflict and SPS on objective stress responding in a cohort of adolescents in the United States, ages 16-19 (n = 60, M age = 18.07 years, 71.68% female), with a range of early life trauma. Participants completed a battery of self-report forms, including the Highly Sensitive Person Scale (HSPS) and the Family Risk and Protective Factors Scale. Objective stress response was captured using the No-Predictable-Unpredictable threat paradigm, which includes anticipation of predictable (P-) and unpredictable (U-) electric shock. Startle eyeblink potentiation was measured as an index of aversive responding to stress. Hierarchical linear regression analyses controlling for age, biological sex, and lifetime trauma exposure revealed a main effect of family conflict on startle reactivity to U-threat and P-threat. There was also an SPS by family conflict interaction on startle reactivity to U-threat, only. At high levels of SPS, greater family conflict was associated with greater startle to U-threat. At low levels of SPS, there was no association between family conflict and startle reactivity. These findings suggest that more sensitive individuals might experience greater sensitization to unpredictable stressors in the presence of early family conflict, which may influence risk for psychopathology and other adverse outcomes.

Self-disclosure is a fundamental aspect of human communication, particularly important for adolescents. As adolescents navigate the gradual transition from parental reliance to individual autonomy, they increasingly turn to their peers as trusted confidants. Although self-disclosure has been associated with positive psychological outcomes among adolescents, research remains limited, inconsistent, and outdated, particularly in the Majority World. This study examined the direct relations between self-disclosure and psychological well-being among 192 Chinese adolescents and explored the indirect associations via self-perception. Adolescents (Mage = 13.18 years, SD = 1.1, 57.3% girls) reported their self-disclosure behaviors with best friends, self-perception, and psychological well-being. Results showed that Chinese adolescents reported a medium to high level of disclosure with their best friends, with no significant sex differences. Adolescents disclosed the most on school-related topics and the least about boy-girl relationships, with girls perceiving certain topics as more intimate than boys. Consistent with existing literature, self-disclosure was positively associated with overall psychological well-being (particularly the subfactors of self-acceptance, positive relationships, and personal growth). The indirect relation between self-disclosure and psychological well-being via perceived social competence was significant. These findings underscore the important role of self-disclosure in supporting to foster adolescents' mental well-being and reveal enhanced social competence as one potential pathway linking the two. Overall, the study confirms the links between self-disclosure and youth well-being and adds to our understanding of disclosure behaviors among Chinese adolescents.

Personal and national identities can play a pivotal role in understanding youth well-being in increasingly diverse societies. However, previous research has predominantly focused on Western contexts, overlooking youth from non-Western societies. Furthermore, there is a scarcity of research that simultaneously examined both personal and national identities in relation to well-being. To address this gap, this study focused on youth belonging to a majority group in Japan, confronting augmented cultural variations, and addressed relationships between personal and national identities and their links to well-being. This cross-sectional study included 968 university students in Japan aged 18-29 years (Mage = 20.06, SD = 1.17; 51.34% women) who identified their nationality as Japanese. Participants completed in 2016 self-report questionnaires, including measures of personal and national identity processes and well-being. Personal identity commitment and in-depth exploration were positively associated with national identity exploration and commitment, whereas personal identity reconsideration of commitment was positively associated with national identity exploration. Personal identity commitment and national identity exploration were positively related to well-being, and personal identity reconsideration of commitment was negatively related to well-being. This study contributes to understanding the interplay between personal and national identity processes and their relations with well-being among youth in a majority group outside Western countries. Given the importance of identity for young people's adjustment and for fostering their sense of social responsibility, this study may have significant practical implications for promoting both individual well-being and social cohesion.