Coping Strategies for Youth Suffering from Online Interpersonal Rejection

The Internet and social media have rapidly changed our lives, and are profoundly affecting the social lives of adolescents, expanding and enriching their communication options. At the same time, they often operate as a platform that amplifies the real-world phenomenon of interpersonal rejection – a harsh and excruciating experience. In this study, we will examine, youth\u27s coping methods with online social rejection from a psycho-social perspective. To achieve this objective, a data-based heuristic model was developed, based on in-depth interviews with 19 adolescents from Israel who experienced online rejection. The findings show several coping strategies ranging from adaptive to maladaptive online and offline used interchangeably

Developing a supplemental resource for trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapists working with lesbian, gay, and bisexual adolescent survivors of interpersonal trauma

The rates of maltreatment and interpersonal trauma among children and adolescents are astounding. Youth exposed to interpersonal trauma are at increased risk for both short and long-term negative physical, behavioral, and mental health outcomes. Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) adolescents represent a uniquely vulnerable population. Compared to their heterosexual peers, LGB youth are at increased risk for experiencing interpersonal trauma and sexual violence, including trauma’s negative sequelae (e.g., higher rates of PTSD, depression, suicidality, substance abuse, and risky sexual behavior). Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) is an evidence-based treatment demonstrating repeated efficacy in treating youth and families exposed to various forms of trauma, including complex trauma. While a breadth of empirical data demonstrates TF-CBT’s effectiveness in treating adolescent trauma survivors, additional research suggests that TF-CBT can be culturally modified to enhance its effectiveness and relevance among specific minority populations. Thus, this current study involved development of a supplemental resource manual with culturally sensitive recommendations for TF-CBT therapists working with LGB adolescents. Development of the resource was informed by a review of the literature pertaining to LGB adolescence, interpersonal trauma, and LGB-affirming treatment approaches. Data from this literature review was synthesized and integrated into a supplemental resource manual, which was then reviewed by a panel of three expert clinicians who provided feedback and recommendations via an evaluation form. Results suggested that the resource is a culturally sensitive and useful supplement to the 2006 TF-CBT treatment manual. Strengths, weaknesses, limitations, and recommended improvements are also addressed

Shame, Aggression, and Self-Compassion in At-Risk Adolescents

Prior research has identified a strong link between experiences of shame and aggressive behavior in at-risk and offender populations but the mechanisms of this relationship are unclear. One potential interrupter of this relationship is self-compassion, a teachable emotional regulation skill. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether nonoffender at-risk youth differed significantly in levels of self-compassion, shame, and aggression from nonviolent offender and violent offender youth with the goal of evaluating these relationships to aid in the future development of more tailored and effective interventions for court-involved youth. One hundred and six at-risk adolescents in the Rocky Mountain region completed self-report questionnaires on experiences of shame, aggression, self-compassion, and criminal history. Multivariate analysis revealed main effects of gender in experiences of shame and main effects of offender status on all measures. These findings highlighted the importance of tailoring treatment for young offenders by specific characteristics such as offense type and gender in order to reach maximum efficiency. Other implications of these findings for clinical work and further research were also discussed. Keywords: shame, aggression, self-compassion, juvenile offender, youth offender, at-risk, adolescen

Stigma described by attempt survivors with diverse gender and sexual identities in their suicide stories: a hermeneutic phenomenological dissertation.

Suicide is a profoundly impactful issue across societies. Gender and sexually diverse (GSD) populations exhibit rates of suicidal ideation and behavior far greater than those of cisgender heterosexual populations. Stigma impacts health outcomes among GSD populations through stress exposure and response processes. Compound stigma is experienced when individuals occupy positions in multiple stigmatized identity groups and can have multiplicative effects on adverse outcomes. Further, opportunities for positive social support and resilience building may be limited due to the narrow convergence of stigmatized identity groups. Stigma among GSD suicide attempt survivors (GSDAS) is an important phenomenon to explore in order to understand nuanced differences and similarities between experiences, sources, and interactions with stigma within stories of suicide. Using data from the Live Through This advocacy project, hermeneutic phenomenological processes were utilized to explore the lived experience of stigma among GSDAS. The larger study sample was divided into two groups: those with nonheterosexual sexually diverse identities only (n=37) and those with noncisgender gender diverse identities (n=11). Findings from this dissertation indicate a complex web of factors that exist within a pervasive environment of stigma and interact to shape social experiences of GSDAS. This study contributes to our understanding of stigma within the context of suicide stories for GSDAS and can help inform individual and social suicide prevention efforts with an overarching goal to decrease stigma-related experiences and improve outcomes through greater equity, support, and care for GSDAS

CHILDHOOD ABUSE, DISSOCIATION, AND CALLOUS-UNEMOTIONAL TRAITS

The purpose of the present study was to examine the associations between childhood maltreatment (physical, sexual, psychological, neglect and exposure to family violence), dissociation, and callous-unemotional traits. Past literature has recognized that a significant subset of children are developing with an extensive history of abuse in an environment that is devoid of nurturing (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children\u27s Bureau, 2016). Unfortunately, children developing in maladaptive environments often develop unhealthy coping mechanisms that impact their personality later in life (Ford, Chapman, Mack & Pearson, 2006; Messman-Moore & Coates, 2007). One example of this phenomenon is the development of cold personality styles (i.e., lack of caring for others, lack of empathy, remorselessness). The present study hypothesized that all the types of childhood maltreatment (physical, sexual, psychological, neglect, and exposure to family violence) lead to the formation of cold personality traits at least partially due to the influence of dissociation. Consistent with my hypothesis, bootstrapped mediational regression analyses indicated that five types of childhood maltreatment were significantly associated with callous-unemotional traits via dissociation. In practice, treating the underlying influence of trauma and dissociation may help in modifying the personality traits associated with childhood maltreatment

Whether or not \u27It Gets Better\u27…Coping with Parental Heterosexist Rejection

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) people face the burden of additional stressors as a result of their experiences of stigma and discrimination regarding their sexual minority status. Parental rejection of LGB people in the context of heterosexism serves as a powerful minority stressor associated with poorer mental health (e.g., Bouris et al., 2010; Ryan, Huebner, Diaz, & Sanchez, 2009). Few contemporary theories exist to describe the experience of parental rejection. In addition, the extant empirical research has focused primarily on youth experiences among White and urban LGB samples, signaling the need for research across the lifespan investigating more diverse samples. Moreover, prior published studies have not focused directly on how LGB people cope with parental rejection, but rather on the negative consequences associated with the rejection more generally. For the current study, I conducted semi-structured interviews with 15 LGB and queer (LGBQ) people about their experiences coping with parental rejection using retrospective recall questions. I sought to maximize diversity in the realms of experiences of parental rejection, race, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, gender, age, and U.S. regions. I analyzed the data using an adaptation of grounded theory methodology based upon the work of psychologist David Rennie (e.g., Rennie, Phillips, & Quartaro, 1988). The core category that emerged was: Parental rejection was experienced as harmfully corrective and then internalized; reframing the rejection as heterosexism mitigated internalized heterosexism and enabled adaptive acceptance strategies. The findings documented the common experiences shared by participants, which led to an original stage model of coping with heterosexism parental rejection, a central contribution of this study. In addition to contributing to the empirical understanding of how LGBQ people cope with parental rejection related to their sexual orientation, my findings can guide clinicians working with this population to maximize their clients’ adaptive coping. Parental rejection is a complex process that impacts LGBQ people in a wide range of arenas and requires a multi-dimensional coping approach, drawing upon both internal resources and reliance on community supports

A COMPREHENSIVE INVESTIGATION OF SOCIAL STATUS INSECURITY IN ADOLESCENTS

Surrounded by peers who pay increasing attention to social status, adolescents may experience growing concerns about their standing among peers such as feeling that their status being threatened by others or being not as high as they want. These types of social status related concerns are referred to as social status insecurity (SSI; Li, Wang, Wang, & Shi, 2010). Although SSI is a relatively new research topic, a few pioneering studies have found the presence of this issue among adolescents in different cultures and have identified some negative impacts of SSI on adolescents’ behavioral development, such as increased use of relational aggression (Li et al., 2010; Li & Wright, 2014). Despite this information, SSI has not been fully illuminated in the literature. Given the developmental significance of SSI, it is imperative to further examine this phenomenon, including its specified manifestation among adolescents, its origins, and its effects on adolescents’ well-being. The proposed study aimed to fill these research gaps by validating the representations of SSI through a mixed-method approach, examining the influences of SSI on various developmental outcomes, and probing the antecedent factors of SSI from the parent-child and peer experiences. To this end, in Study One, 134 middle school students were recruited to participate in study one of this research. They reported their SSI, coping strategies, current social status, social behaviors and experiences, attachment to parents and peers, mental and physical health, interpersonal relationships, and academic performance via a series of questionnaires. Findings from this this study elucidated the dimensionalities of SSI, the associations between peer and parental factors and SSI, and the associations between SSI and an assortment of mental, physical, andsocial consequences. In addition, in Study Two, 27 randomly selected students from another middle schools were invited to take part in the focus group interviews to discuss how SSI is manifested in adolescents. The findings of the qualitative portion cross-validated the quantitative results and provided narrative details of this social status related cognitive phenomenon. Taken together, the results of two studies of this project enrich our knowledge and help to build a theoretical framework of SSI. With the comprehensive information on the manifestation of SSI as well as on its antecedent factors and developmental implications, new outlooks could be generated for school psychologists, educators, and parents to address adolescents’ SSI and its related developmental difficulties

Exploring paths to youth suicide and sudden violent death : a multimethod case-control investigation

Suicide and other forms of sudden violent death are the most common causes of death among young people worldwide. Both suicide and other forms of sudden violent death are more frequent among males than females. Risk factors, suicidal behavior, and help-seeking patterns differ between young women and men. Aims: To explore the hypothesis that there are similar backgrounds to both death by suicide and to other forms of sudden violent death among youths. The aims of the quantitative studies were: (1) to compare risk factors for youth suicide and for other forms of sudden violent death with matched living controls; (2) to examine associations between life events and coping strategies common in these three groups of young people. The aims of the qualitative studies were: (3) to build a generic conceptual model of the processes underlying youth suicide, grounded in the parents’ perspective; (4) to compare boys’ and girls’ suicidal processes. Material/Methods: In the prospective longitudinal case-control design, 63 consecutive cases of youth suicide and 62 cases of other forms of sudden violent death were compared with 104 matched control cases. Data were collected in 196 psychological autopsy interviews with parents and other relatives and 240 equivalent interviews in the control group. The interviews included DSM-IV-R criteria for selected psychiatric diagnoses and measures of adverse childhood experiences, stressful life events, and ways of coping. Statistical analyses were conducted using logistic regression, factor analysis, mediation analysis, and moderator analysis. Grounded theory methodology was applied in the qualitative studies in order to give voice to and make sense of the parent’s experiences. Results: (1) The number of recent stressful life events was the only common risk factor for suicide and other forms of sudden violent death. Specific risk factors for suicide were any form of addiction and being an inpatient in adult psychiatric care, whereas for other forms of sudden violent death, risk factors were poorer elementary school results, lower educational level, and abuse of psychoactive drugs. (2) Distinctive of the suicide and the sudden violent death group was significantly less Planful Problem-Solving, and more Escape-Avoidance and Confrontive Coping than among the controls. Between-group differences were partly mediated by differences in negative life events, early and late in life. (3) Family alliances, coalitions and secrets were intertwined with the young person concealing problems and “hiding behind a mask,” whereas the professionals did not understand the emergency. Several interacting factors formed negative feedback loops. Finding no way out, the young persons looked for an “emergency exit.” Signs and preparations could be observed at different times but were recognized only in retrospect. Typically, the young persons and their parents asked for professional help but did not receive the help they needed. (4) Different forms of shame were hidden behind gender-specific masks. Both the young men and women were struggling with issues of their gender identity. Five interwoven paths to suicide were found: being hunted and haunted, being addicted, being depressed, being psychotic, or—for the girls—having an eating disorder. Conclusions: The suicide group seems to have been more vulnerable and exposed to different kinds of stressors, whereas the sudden violent death group seems to have been more prone to acting out and risk-taking. Improved recognition and understanding of the interplay between life events, both in the far past and present, and coping styles, may facilitate the identification of young people at risk of suicide and other forms of violent death. Both groups must be the subject of prevention and intervention programs. Future preventive programs need to address barriers to communication among all parties involved: the young people, parents, and community support agencies. Understanding and making use of the parents’ tacit knowledge can contribute to better prevention and treatment. Keywords: Suicide, sudden violent death, case-control study, psychological autopsy, multiple logistic regression, grounded theory, risk factors, youth, adverse childhood experiences, stressful life events, coping strategies, barriers to help, prevention