Educational level and alcohol use in adolescence and early adulthood-The role of social causation and health-related selection-The TRAILS Study

Both social causation and health-related selection may influence educational gradients in alcohol use in adolescence and young adulthood. The social causation theory implies that the social environment (e.g. at school) influences adolescents’ drinking behaviour. Conversely, the health-related selection hypothesis posits that alcohol use (along other health-related characteristics) predicts lower educational attainment. From past studies it is unclear which of these mechanisms predominates, as drinking may be both a cause and consequence of low educational attainment. Furthermore, educational gradients in alcohol use may reflect the impact of ‘third variables’ already present in childhood, such as parental socioeconomic status (SES), effortful control, and IQ. We investigated social causation and health-related selection in the development of educational gradients in alcohol use from adolescence to young adulthood in a selective educational system. We used data from a Dutch population-based cohort (TRAILS Study; n = 2,229), including measurements of educational level and drinking at ages around 14, 16, 19, 22, and 26 years (waves 2 to 6). First, we evaluated the directionality in longitudinal associations between education and drinking with cross-lagged panel models, with and without adjusting for pre-existing individual differences using fixed effects. Second, we assessed the role of childhood characteristics around age 11 (wave 1), i.e. IQ, effortful control, and parental SES, both as confounders in these associations, and as predictors of educational level and drinking around age 14 (wave 2). In fixed effects models, lower education around age 14 predicted increases in drinking around 16. From age 19 onward, we found a tendency towards opposite associations, with higher education predicting increases in alcohol use. Alcohol use was not associated with subsequent changes in education. Childhood characteristics strongly predicted education around age 14 and, to a lesser extent, early drinking. We mainly found evidence for the social causation theory in early adolescence, when lower education predicted increases in subsequent alcohol use. We found no evidence in support of the health-related selection hypothesis with respect to alcohol use. By determining initial educational level, childhood characteristics also predict subsequent trajectories in alcohol use

Финансово-экономические составляющие инвестиционного климата России при привлечении прямых иностранных инвестиций

В статье раскрываются финансово-экономические особенности с выделением реальных как благоприятных, так и неблагоприятных причин и факторов, способствующих развитию инвестиционного климата России при привлечении прямых иностранных инвестиций. Отражены факторы, реально сдерживающие качественное продвижение в российскую экономику иностранных инвестиций. Выделены конкретные правовые нарушения, способствующие сдерживать полноценную внешнеэкономическую деятельность предприятий сырьевой и перерабатывающей сферы. Сделан вывод, в котором выделены конкретные мероприятия, способствующие стабилизации инвестиционного климата в России.У статті розкриваються фінансово-економічні особливості з виділенням реальних як сприятливих, так і несприятливих причин і факторів, що сприяють розвитку інвестиційного клімату Росії при залученні прямих іноземних інвестицій. Відбиті фактори, що реально стримують якісне просування в російську економіку іноземних інвестицій. Виділено конкретні правові порушення, що сприяють стримувати повноцінну зовнішньоекономічну діяльність підприємств сировинної й переробної сфери. Зроблено висновок, у якому виділені конкретні заходи, що сприяють стабілізації інвестиційного клімату в Росії.Financial and economic peculiarities of Russia's investment climate development while attracting foreign direct investments are revealed with the definition of real positive and negative influential reasons and factors. Factors that restrain qualitative promotion of foreign investments into Russian economy are reflected. Specific juridical violations which restrain full-fledged foreign economic activity of companies in raw-material and processing industry are defined. Conclusions where specific actions to support stabilisation of investment climate in Russia are provided

Бюджет домохозяйств: сущность, финансовые ресурсы формирования, государственное регулирование

Цель статьи - теоретическое обоснование бюджета домашнего хозяйства и влияния на него со стороны государства, практический анализ формирования доходной и расходной частей бюджета домохозяйств

ADHD Symptoms and Educational Level in Adolescents:The Role of the Family, Teachers, and Peers

Few studies have explored the contribution of family and school factors to the association between ADHD symptoms and lower education. Possibly, having more ADHD symptoms contributes to poorer family functioning and less social support, and consequently a lower educational level (i.e., mediation). Moreover, the negative effects of ADHD symptoms on education may be stronger for adolescents with poorer family functioning or less social support (i.e., interaction). Using data of the Dutch TRAILS Study (N = 2,229), we evaluated associations between ADHD symptoms around age 11 and educational level around age 14, as well as between ADHD symptoms around age 14 and 16 years and subsequent changes in educational level around age 16 and 19, respectively. We assessed the potential mediating role of family functioning, and social support by teachers and classmates, all measured around ages 11, 14, and 16, while additionally evaluating interactions between ADHD symptoms and these hypothesized mediators. ADHD symptoms were associated with poorer family functioning, less social support by teachers and classmates, and lower education throughout adolescence. No conclusive evidence of mediation was found, because unique associations between family functioning and social support by teachers and classmates and education were largely absent. Furthermore, we found no interactions between ADHD symptoms and family functioning and social support by teachers and classmates. Although social support by teachers and classmates and good family functioning may benefit the wellbeing and mental health of adolescents with high levels of ADHD symptoms, they will not necessarily improve their educational attainment.</p

Mild psychotic experiences among ethnic minority and majority adolescents and the role of ethnic density

Despite evidence of the increased risk of psychotic disorders among ethnic minority adults, little is known about the effect of ethnic minority status to mild psychotic experiences among adolescents. This study investigated mild psychotic experiences in ethnic minority and majority adolescents in a Dutch representative general population sample, and tested the ethnic density effect in the classroom.The CAPE was used to assess mild psychotic experiences among Dutch (n = 3,606) and non-Western ethnic minority pupils (n = 769).Ethnic minority adolescents showed higher levels of grandiosity and delusions than their ethnic majority peers, whereas no differences were found for hallucinations, paranormal beliefs and paranoia between both groups of adolescents. The ethnic density effect was partly confirmed for the ethnic majority: a decrease of ethnic majority pupils in class increased their feelings of paranoia.Because only some dimensions of mild psychotic experiences were affected by ethnic minority status or the interaction between ethnic minority status and ethnic class composition, our findings emphasize that mild psychotic experiences are multifactorial in origin, with different underlying processes.</p

Classroom Popularity Hierarchy Predicts Prosocial and Aggressive Popularity Norms Across the School Year

This study examined the coevolution of prosocial and aggressive popularity norms with popularity hierarchy (asymmetries in students' popularity). Cross-lagged-panel analyses were conducted on 2,843 secondary school students (N-classrooms = 120; M-age = 13.18; 51.3% girls). Popularity hierarchy predicted relative change in popularity norms over time, but not vice versa. Specifically, classrooms with few highly popular and many unpopular students increased in aggressive popularity norms at the beginning of the school year and decreased in prosocial popularity norms at the end of the year. Also, strong within-classroom asymmetries in popularity predicted relatively higher aggressive popularity norms. These findings may indicate that hierarchical contexts elicit competition for popularity, with high aggression and low prosocial behavior being seen as valuable tools to achieve popularity

Early Adolescent Friendship Selection Based on Externalizing Behavior: the Moderating Role of Pubertal Development. The SNARE Study

Abstract This study examined friendship (de-)selection processes in early adolescence. Pubertal development was examined as a potential moderator. It was expected that pubertal development would be associated with an increased tendency for adolescents to select their friends based on their similarities in externalizing behavior engagement (i.e., delinquency, alcohol use, and tobacco use). Data were used from the first three waves of the SNARE (Social Network Analysis of Risk behavior in Early adolescence) study (N = 1144; 50 % boys; M age = 12.7; SD = 0.47), including students who entered the first year of secondary school. The hypothesis was tested using Stochastic Actor-Based Modeling in SIENA. While taking the network structure into account, and controlling for peer influence effects, the results supported this hypothesis. Early adolescents with higher pubertal development were as likely as their peers to select friends based on similarity in externalizing behavior and especially likely to remain friends with peers who had a similar level of externalizing behavior, and thus break friendship ties with dissimilar friends in this respect. As early adolescents are actively engaged in reorganizing their social context, adolescents with a higher pubertal development are especially likely to lose friendships with peers who do not engage in externalizing behavior, thus losing an important source of adaptive social control (i.e., friends who do not engage in externalizing behavior)

Multiple health risk behaviors and mental health from a life course perspective:The Dutch TRAILS study

We examined trajectories of multiple health risk behavior (MHRB) patterns throughout adolescence, and changes in mental health from childhood to young adulthood. Further, we assessed how continuity or onset of MHRBs overall were associated with subsequent changes in mental health, and whether this varied by type of MHRBs. We used six waves of the prospective Dutch TRAILS study (2001-2016; n = 2229), covering ages 11 until 23. We measured MHRBs (substance use: alcohol misuse, cannabis use, smoking; and obesity-related: overweight, physical inactivity, irregular breakfast intake) at three time points during adolescence. We assessed mental health as Youth/Adult Self-report total problems at ages 11 and 23. Latent class growth analyses and ANOVA were used to examine longitudinal trajectories and associations. We identified six developmental trajectories for the total of MHRBs and mental health. Trajectories varied regarding likelihood of MHRBs throughout adolescence, mental health at baseline, and changes in mental health problems in young adulthood. We found no associations for the continuity of overall MHRBs throughout adolescence, and neither for early, mid- or late onset, with changes in mental health problems in young adulthood. However, continuity of MHRBs in the obesity-related subgroup was significantly associated with an increase in mental health problems. Adolescents with the same MHRB patterns may, when reaching adulthood, have different levels of mental health problems, with mental health at age 11 being an important predictor. Further, involvement with obesity-related MHRBs continuously throughout adolescence is associated with increased mental health problems in young adulthood

Developmental Alcohol-Specific Parenting Profiles in Adolescence and their Relationships with Adolescents’ Alcohol Use

Previous studies on general parenting have demonstrated the relevance of strict parenting within a supportive social context for a variety of adolescent behaviors, such as alcohol use. Yet, alcohol-specific parenting practices are generally examined as separate predictors of adolescents’ drinking behavior. The present study examined different developmental profiles of alcohol-specific parenting (rule-setting, quality and frequency of communication about alcohol use) and how these patterns relate to the initiation and growth of adolescents’ drinking. A longitudinal sample of 883 adolescents (47 % female) including four measurements (between ages 12 and 16) was used. Latent class growth analysis revealed that five classes of parenting could be distinguished. Communication about alcohol appeared to be fairly stable over time in all parenting classes, whereas the level of rule-setting declined in all subgroups of parents as adolescents grow older. Strict rule-setting in combination with a high quality and frequency of communication was associated with the lowest amount of drinking; parents scoring low on all these behaviors show to be related to the highest amount of drinking. This study showed that alcohol-specific rule-setting is most effective when it coincides with a good quality and frequency of communication about alcohol use. This indicates that alcohol-specific parenting behaviors should be taken into account as an alcohol-specific parenting context, rather than single parenting practices. Therefore, parent-based alcohol interventions should not only encourage strict rule setting, the way parents communicate with their child about alcohol is also of major importance

Disentangling the interplay between genes, cognitive skills, and educational level in adolescent and young adult smoking:The TRAILS study

Recent studies suggest that smoking and lower educational attainment may have genetic influences in common. However, little is known about the mechanisms through which genetics contributes to educational inequalities in adolescent and young adult smoking. Common genetic liabilities may underlie cognitive skills associated with both smoking and education, such as IQ and effortful control, in line with indirect health-related selection explanations. Additionally, by affecting cognitive skills, genes may predict educational trajectories and hereby adolescents' social context, which may be associated with smoking, consistent with social causation explanations. Using data from the Dutch TRAILS Study (N = 1581), we estimated the extent to which polygenic scores (PGSs) for ever smoking regularly (PGS SMOK) and years of education (PGS EDU) predict IQ and effortful control, measured around age 11, and whether these cognitive skills then act as shared predictors of smoking and educational level around age 16, 19, 22, and 26. Second, we assessed if educational level mediated associations between PGSs and smoking. Both PGSs were associated with lower effortful control, and PGS EDU also with lower IQ. Lower IQ and effortful control, in turn, predicted having a lower educational level. However, neither of these cognitive skills were directly associated with smoking behaviour after controlling for covariates and PGSs. This suggests that IQ and effortful control are not shared predictors of smoking and education (i.e., no indirect health-related selection related to cognitive skills). Instead, PGS SMOK and PGS EDU, partly through their associations with lower cognitive skills, predicted selection into a lower educational track, which in turn was associated with more smoking, in line with social causation explanations. Our findings suggest that educational differences in the social context contribute to associations between genetic liabilities and educational inequalities in smoking. </p