Conceptualizing Social Power in Adolescence

Popularity in adolescence has been of interest to researchers for decades—oft described and conceptualized as social power, yet few studies have investigated the overlap between popularity and social power outside of Vaillancourt and Hymel (2006). This dissertation explores the extent to which popularity is synonymous with social power by examining three research questions: (1) to replicate research done by Vaillancourt and Hymel (2006), (2) to measure the convergence between an indirect construct of power in the vein of Vaillancourt and Hymel with a new, sociometrically consistent, direct measure of power, and (3) to look at the unique contributions of power to the prediction of peer-reported prosocial and antisocial behaviors. This study used a longitudinal middle school sample of 314 7th and 8th graders. Sociometric and self-report data were collected as part of a larger research project in the Fall of 2019. Results suggest that while Vaillancourt and Hymel’s original model was sound, a single, direct measure of power most strongly explained the variance of popularity above and beyond the indirect measures of power. The effects of power on prosocial and antisocial are moderated by gender after controlling for popularity. Keywords: Popularity, Social Power, Adolescence, Measuremen

Socio-Cultural Influences on Adolescent Smoking in Mainland China: The Mediating Role of Smoking-Related Cognitions

The etiology of smoking behaviors involves the interplay among multiple systems at the cultural, familial, and personal levels, but few investigations have explored the effects of multiple environments on adolescent smoking behaviors. Survey data were collected from 658 parent-child dyads of Chinese adolescents aged between 14 and 17 years from Jiande, Zhejiang province in mainland China. Using data from multiple informants, the direct and indirect roles of socio-cultural influences, parenting strategies, smoking-specific parenting behaviors, and smoking-related cognitions on adolescent smoking behaviors were examined. Results indicated that smoking-related cultural values, extended family members smoking, and parental psychological control had direct effects on Chinese adolescents smoking behaviors. Smoking-related cultural values, parent smoking, and health-related values had indirect effects on adolescent smoking behaviors through smoking-related cognitions. Psychological control, frequency of communication about smoking, disapproval of adolescent smoking, and home rules against smoking indirectly influenced adolescent smoking behaviors through smoking-related cognitions. A sub-analysis of 496 nonsmoking adolescents revealed similar pathways linking socio-cultural and parenting influences on adolescent intention to smoke. The findings from this study provide valuable information for the development of prevention and intervention programs targeting adolescent smoking

Communication as the crucial link: Toward a multilevel approach to normative social influence

Social norms are informal rules within a group or society. Despite the consensus that social norms affect behavior, there is an inherent tension in the cross-disciplinary norms literature between the conceptualization of norms as individual and collective phenomena. The present paper capitalizes on the potential of communication as the link between different levels of social norms to develop an integrative approach to normative social influences. Concretely, it refers to the differentiation between perceived and collective norms, systematizes the current literature on the role of communication in social normative influences, and outlines how communication serves as functional link between the individual and collective level of norms. The resulting multilevel approach to normative social influences (MANSI) allows us to reflect on norms as dynamic phenomena that account for individual and social change. Ultimately, we discuss challenges and areas for further inquiry for the study of norms, and thereby derive recommendations for future research on multilevel normative social influences

Communication as the crucial link: Toward a multilevel approach to normative social influence

Social norms are informal rules within a group or society. Despite the consensus that social norms affect behavior, there is an inherent tension in the cross-disciplinary norms literature between the conceptualization of norms as individual and collective phenomena. The present paper capitalizes on the potential of communication as the link between different levels of social norms to develop an integrative approach to normative social influences. Concretely, it refers to the differentiation between perceived and collective norms, systematizes the current literature on the role of communication in social normative influences, and outlines how communication serves as functional link between the individual and collective level of norms. The resulting multilevel approach to normative social influences (MANSI) allows us to reflect on norms as dynamic phenomena that account for individual and social change. Ultimately, we discuss challenges and areas for further inquiry for the study of norms, and thereby derive recommendations for future research on multilevel normative social influences

Community Gun Violence Exposure among Urban Youth: An Overlooked Externality of Endemic Gun Violence in the United States

Gun violence is a daily reality for many youth in the United States (U.S). As mass shootings at concerts, schools, and places of worship have incited a national reckoning with the country’s unwavering defense of gun rights over safety legislation, ensuing research has justifiably focused on the direct victims of gun homicides. Yet the public health impact of gun violence goes beyond these heavily publicized mass shootings, with chronic community violence constituting the vast majority of gun violence events. Low-income Black and brown youth are most at risk of secondhand exposure to chronic community gun violence. Despite this persistent and harmful exposure, research into the downstream effects of community gun violence on youth has lagged. This review aimed to assess the state of evidence on indirect exposure to community gun violence among low-income urban youth in the U.S. PubMed, Web of Science (core collection), ProQuest, and SCOPUS were searched for peer-reviewed articles exploring the scope, risk factors, and impacts of community gun violence exposure on this population. The primary findings suggest that exposure to community gun violence is common in certain communities and detrimental to youth development. The broad themes emerging from this review include (1) a lack of consensus regarding the range of experiences that constitute community gun violence, (2) exposure to violence involving a firearm as distinct from that with other weapons, (3) a need to conceptualize multiple dimensions of gun violence exposure, (4) differential impacts of exposure to community gun violence across developmental stages, and (5) how indirect gun violence exposure uniquely contributes to cycles of community violence. Future research should move toward a consistent typology, multidimensional conceptualization, and developmental- and context-specific examination of community gun violence exposure

Do Friends Matter?: The Role of Peer Influence on Adolescent Risk Behavior

It is difficult to determine whether influence or selection drive the association between an adolescent\u27s behavior and his or her friend’s behavior. To understand what role influence plays on adolescent risk activities, this research analyzed the longitudinal network sample of the AddHealth dataset to examine whether any random friend, a best friend, or a peer group shapes an adolescent’s risk behavior. The project conducted cross-behavior analyses of five activities — cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, tobacco chewing, marijuana use, and sexual debut — among a sample of 1,969 adolescents aged 12-17 years at time one. The data contained real behavior measures for the adolescents and their nominated friends. The analyses used logistic regressions to predict the respondents’ time two behaviors and to determine whether demographic variables, self-esteem, or parental factors modified peer influence. The results from this project contain four important findings. First, there is a main effect for peer influence and it is equivalent across risk behaviors. On average adolescents were twice as likely to engage in a risk behavior if their friend participated in the activity at time one. Second, peer influence may be both harmful and protective. For cigarette and marijuana use, there was only influence to initiate a risk behavior. In comparison, for alcohol consumption there was equal influence to conform to friends who drank and friends who did not drink. In contrast, for chewing tobacco use there was significantly more influence to stop chewing than to begin. This suggests that friends offer teens protection from risk activities. Third, the group analysis found that a linear measure of peer influence, which accounts for each group member’ s behavior, provides significantly more detail about the peer influence process when compared to a dichotomous measure of group influence, which does not detail how many peers engage in a risk activity. Finally, results found that best friends are not more influential than other close peers, suggesting that adolescents have multiple friends who exert equal levels of influence. In summary, this project found that peer influence is a real phenomenon that takes on varying roles across adolescent risk behaviors

How Is Exposure to Tobacco Outlets Within Activity Spaces Associated With Daily Tobacco Use Among Youth? A Mediation Analysis

INTRODUCTION: We investigated associations between exposure to tobacco outlets within activity spaces and daily tobacco use, and whether exposure to adults or peers using tobacco mediate these relationships. METHODS: We used Geographic Ecological Momentary Assessment data over 14 days from 85 youth aged 16-20 years in eight mid-sized California city areas. Tobacco outlet addresses and global positioning systems locations were geocoded and activity spaces were constructed by joining sequential points. We assessed daily number of tobacco outlets within 50 or 100 m of activity space polylines and number of minutes participants were within 50 or 100 m of tobacco outlets each day; daily use of tobacco; and whether participants saw (1) adults and (2) people their age (peers) using tobacco each day. RESULTS: Controlling for demographics, results of multilevel structural equation models showed no association between number of tobacco outlets within 50 m of polylines and tobacco use (probit regression coefficient: 0.01, p = .82). However, we found evidence of an indirect effect (p = .001) through daily exposure to peers using tobacco. Specifically, greater number of tobacco outlets within 50 m of polylines was positively associated with seeing peers use tobacco (probit regression coefficient: 0.10, p < .001). In turn, seeing peers use tobacco was positively associated with tobacco use on that day (probit regression coefficient: 2.23, p < .001). Similar results were found for number of tobacco outlets within 100 m of polylines. CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to tobacco outlets within activity spaces affects youth tobacco use through daily exposure to peers who use tobacco. IMPLICATIONS: Using real-time-ordered data, this article examines whether exposure to adults and peers using tobacco mediate associations between exposure to tobacco outlets within activity spaces and daily tobacco use among youth. Results suggest that exposure to tobacco outlets within activity spaces affects daily tobacco use through exposure to peers who use tobacco. These findings provide additional significant support for policy makers who are considering regulating the number and density of tobacco retailers and point to the importance of interventions focused on peer tobacco use and youths' daily environments to reduce tobacco use

J Youth Adolesc

Although peers are a major influence during adolescence, the relative importance of specific mechanisms of peer influence on the development of problem behavior is not well understood. This study investigated five domains of peer influence and their relationships to adolescents' problem and prosocial behaviors. Self-report and teacher ratings were obtained for 1787 (53\u2009% female) urban middle school students. Peer pressure for fighting and friends' delinquent behavior were uniquely associated with aggression, drug use and delinquent behavior. Friends' prosocial behavior was uniquely associated with prosocial behavior. Friends' support for fighting and friends' support for nonviolence were not as clearly related to behavior. Findings were generally consistent across gender. This study highlights the importance of studying multiple aspects of peer influences on adolescents' behavior.U01 CE001956/CE/NCIPC CDC HHSUnited States/U49 CE000730/CE/NCIPC CDC HHSUnited States

Examining associations between second-hand smoke exposure in early childhood, respitory disease, and anxiety in adolescence

This item is only available electronically.Report (B.PsychSc(Hons)) -- University of Adelaide, School of Psychology, 202