Work

Developmental trajectories of positivity from mid‐childhood to early adolescence: Family and school environmental predictors

Year: 2022

Type: article

Abstract: This study examined the heterogeneity in positivity trajectories and the predictive roles of family and school environments (i.e., perceived parental warmth and basic psychological need satisfactions at school) from mid‐childhood to early adolescence. Elementary school students in China (N = 2204, 54.9% boys, Mage = 9.47 years) completed relevant measures on six occasions, every 6 months. Latent class growth modeling revealed four heterogeneous developmental trajectories of positivity: High‐Increasing (50.6%), Moderate Low‐Increasing (33.2%), Low‐Stable (11.0%), and High‐Decreasing (5.2%). Perceived parental warmth and satisfaction of relatedness and competence needs at school significantly predicted trajectory class membership. Findings underscore the value of identifying group difference in positivity development in youth and the need for specific interventions targeting their unique characteristics.

Source: Journal of Research on Adolescence

DOI: 10.1111/jora.12816

Authors: Meidan Wang, Eugene Scott Huebner, Lili Tian

Institutions: South China Normal University, University of South Carolina

Language: English

Topic: Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development

Subfield: Clinical Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Quality education

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: National Natural Science Foundation of China, Jilin Office of Philosophy and Social Science, Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation of Guangdong Province