The Interplay of Emotional Instability and Socio-Environmental Aspects of Schools during Adolescence

Abstract

According to Bronfenbrenner’s socio-ecological model, school is an essential microsystem of the developing child. Schools provide important developmental contexts for children and adolescents, as they constitute environments that might either foster or evoke students’ emotional instability. In particular, less is known about the precise and dynamic interplay of students’ socio-environmental aspects in school (i.e., sense of school belonging, social relationships with teachers and peers) and emotional instability (i.e., depressive symptoms, perceived stress, feelings of loneliness) during adolescence. To close this gap, this study examined within- and over-time cross-lagged associations based on data from a quantitative questionnaire-based survey of adolescent students (T1: N= 1088; Mage = 13.70, SD = 0.53) from 23 secondary schools in Brandenburg, Germany. Results of latent cross-lagged panel design supports the mutual relations for within-time associations, which is in line with Bronfenbrenner’s model. However, only the over-time association between school belonging and teacher-student relationship was found to be reciprocal.

Keywords

• Depressive symptoms,perceived stress,school belonging,loneliness,teacher-student and student-student-relationship

References

1. Agoston, A. M., & Rudolph, K. D. (2016). Interactive contributions of cumulative peer stress and executive function deficits to depression in early adolescence. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 36(8), 1070–1094. doi: 10.1177/0272431615593176
2. Asparouhov, T. (2005). Sampling weights in latent variable modeling. Structural Equation Modeling, 12(3), 411–434. doi: 10.1207/s15328007sem1203_4
3. Asparouhov, T., & Muthén, B. (2006). Item response mixture modeling: Application to tobacco dependence criteria. Addictive Behaviors, 31(6), 1050–1066. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2006.03.026
4. Baker, J. A., Grant, S., & Morlock, L. (2008). The teacher-student relationship as a developmental context for children with internalizing or externalizing behavior problems. School Psychology Quarterly, 23(1), 3–15. doi: 10.1037/1045-3830.23.1.3
5. Berry, D., & Willoughby, M. T. (2016). On the practical interpretability of cross‐lagged panel models: Rethinking a developmental workhorse. Child Development, 88(4), 1186–1206. doi: 10.1111/cdev.12660
6. Bronfenbrenner, U. (1975). Reality and research in the ecology of human development. Proc.Am. Philos. Soc. 119, 439–469.
7. Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
8. Bronfenbrenner, U. (1989). Ecological systems theory. In R. Vasta (Ed.). Six theories of child development: Revised formulations and current issues (pp. 187–250). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.

9. Bronfenbrenner, U., & Ceci, S. J. (1994). Nature-nurture reconceptualized in developmental perspective: a bioecological model. Psychological Review, 101, 568–586. doi: 10.1037/0033-295X.101.4.568
10. Bronfenbrenner, U., & Morris, P. A. (1998). The ecology of developmental processes, In W. Damon & R.M. Lerner (Eds.), Handbook of Child Psychology: Theoretical Models of Human Development (pp. 993–1028). New York, NY: Wiley.
11. Chahal, J. K., & Ewen, H. (2014). Social integration, social relationships, and stress. The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Health, Illness, Behavior, and Society, 1–5. doi: 10.1002/9781118410868.wbehibs383
12. Cohen, L. H., Burt, C. E., & Bjorck, J. P. (1987). Life stress and adjustment: Effects of life events experienced by young adolescents and their parents. Developmental Psychology, 23(4), 583–592. doi: 10.1037/0012-1649.23.4.583
13. Cohen, S., Kamarck, T., & Mermelstein, R. (1983). A global measure of perceived stress.  Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 385–396. doi: 10.2307/2136404
14. Compas, B. E., Howell, D. C., Phares, V., Williams, R. A., & Giunta, C. T. (1989). Risk factors for emotional/behavioral problems in young adolescents: A prospective analysis of adolescent and parental stress and symptoms. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 57(6), 732–740.
15. De Laet, S., Colpin, H., Van Leeuwen, K., Van den Noortgate, W., Claes, S., Janssens, A., Goossens, L., & Verschueren, K. (2016). Transactional links between teacher–student relationships and adolescent rule-breaking behavior and behavioral school engagement: Moderating role of a dopaminergic genetic profile score. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 45(6), 1226–1244. doi: 10.1007/s10964-016-0466-6
16. Engels, M. C., Colpin, H., Van Leeuwen, K., Bijttebier, P., Van Den Noortgate, W., Claes, S., Goossens, L., & Verschueren, K. (2016). Behavioral engagement, peer status, and teacher–student relationships in adolescence: A longitudinal study on reciprocal influences. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 45(6), 1192–1207. doi: 10.1007/s10964-016-0414-5
17. Geiser, C. (2010). Datenanalyse mit Mplus. Eine anwendungsorientierte Einführung [Data-analysis with Mplus. A practical introduction]. Wiesbaden, Germany: VS.
18. Gräfe, K., Zipfel, S., Herzog, W., & Löwe, B. (2004). Screening psychischer Störungen mit dem "Gesundheitsfragebogen für Patienten (PHQ-D)". Ergebnisse der deutschen Validierungsstudie [Screening of psychological disorders with the PHQ-D. Results of the German Validation study]. Diagnostica, 50(4), 171–181. doi: 10.1026/0012-1924.50.4.171
19. Hamaker, E. L., Kuiper, R. M., & Grasman, R. P. P. P. (2015). A critique of the cross-lagged panel model. Psychological Methods, 20(1), 102–116. doi: 10.1037/a0038889
20. Hanish, L. D., Martin, C., L., Miller, C. F., Fabes, R. A., DeLay, D., & Updegraff, K., A. (2016). Social harmony in schools: A framework for understanding peer experiences and their effects. In Wenzel, K., R. & Ramani, G., B. (Eds.) Handbook of social influences in school contexts. Social-emotional, motivation, and cognitive outcomes (pp. 48–62). New York, NY: Routledge.
21. Hankin, B. L., & Abramson, L. Y. (2001). Development of gender differences in depression: An laborated cognitive vulnerability–transactional stress theory. Psychological Bulletin, 127(6), 773–796. doi: 10.1037/0033-2909.127.6.773
22. Harter, S. (1996). Teacher and classmate influences on scholastic motivation, self-esteem, and level of voice in adolescence. In J. Juvonen & K.R. Wentzel (eds.), Social Motivation – Understanding Children’s School Adjustment (pp. 11–42). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
23. Horowitz, J. L., & Garber, J. (2006). The prevention of depressive symptoms in children and adolescents: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 74(3), 401–415. doi: 10.1037/0022-006X.74.3.401
24. Hu, L. T., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: onventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 6(1), 1–55. doi: 10.1080/10705519909540118
25. Kiswarday, V. (2012). Empowering resilience within the school context. Methodological Horizons, 7(14), 93–103.
26. Kline, R. B. (2005). Principles and Practice of Structural Equation Modeling. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
27. Kunter, M., Schümer, G., Artelt, C., Baumert, J., Klieme, E., Neubrand, M., Prenzel, M., Schiefele, U., Schneider, W., Stanat, P., Tillmann, K.-J., Weiß, M. (2002). Dokumentation der Erhebungsinstrumente (Vol. 72) [Documentation of the measures]. Berlin, Germany: Max-Planck-Institut für Bildungsforschung.
28. Larson, R. W., Moneta, G., Richards, M. H., & Wilson, S. (2002). Continuity, stability, and change in daily emotional experience across adolescence. Child Development, 73(4), 1151–1165. doi: 10.1111/1467-8624.00464
29. Little, R. J. A. (1988). A test of missing completely at random for multivariate data with missing values. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 83, 1198–1202.
30. Little, T. D., Cunningham, W. A., Shahar, G., & Widaman, K. F. (2002). To parcel or not to parcel: Exploring the question, weighing the merits. Structural Equation Modeling, 9(2), 151–173. doi: 10.1207/S15328007SEM0902_1 
31. Little, T. D., Rhemtulla, M., Gibson, K., & Schoemann, A. M. (2013). Why the items versus parcels controversy needn’t be one. Psychological Methods, 18(3), 285– 300. doi: 10.1037/a0033266. 
32. Lombas, A. S., Martín-Albo, J., Valdivia-Salas, S., & Jiménez, T. I. (2014). The relationship between perceived emotional intelligence and depressive symptomatology: The mediating role of perceived stress. Journal of Adolescence, 37(7), 1069–1076. doi: 10.1016/j.adolescence.2014.07.016
33. MacKinnon, D. P. (2008). Introduction to statistical mediation analysis. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
34. Marsh, H. W., Hau, K. T., Balla, J. R., & Grayson, D. (1998). Is more ever too much? The number of indicators per factor in confirmatory factor analysis. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 33(2), 181–220. doi: 10.1207/s15327906mbr3302_1
35. Maurizi, L. K., Grogan-Kaylor, A., Granillo, M. T., & Delva, J. (2013). The role of social relationships in the association between adolescents’ depressive symptoms and academic achievement. Children and Youth Services Review, 35(4), 618–625. doi: doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2013.01.006
36. Moksnes, U. K., Bradley Eilertsen, M. E., & Lazarewicz, M. (2016). The association between stress, self-esteem and depressive symptoms in adolescents. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 57(1), 22–29. doi: 10.1111/sjop.12269
37. Muthén, L. K., & Muthén, B. O. (1998–2012). Mplus user’s guide (7th ed.). Los Angeles, CA.
38. Muthén & Muthén. Nasser F., & Wisenbaker J. (2003). A Monte Carlo study investigating the impact of item parceling on measures of fit in confirmatory factor analysis. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 63, 729–757. doi: 10.1177/0013164403258228
39. Olsson, C. A., Bond, L., Burns, J. M., Vella-Brodrick, D. A., & Sawyer, S. M. (2003). Adolescent resilience: A concept analysis. Journal of Adolescence, 26(1), 1–11. doi: 10.1016/S0140-1971(02)00118-5
40. Persike, M., & Seiffge-Krenke, I. (2014). Is stress perceived differently in relationships with parents and peers? Inter-and intra-regional comparisons on adolescents from 21 nations. Journal of Adolescence, 37(4), 493–504. doi: 10.1016/j.adolescence.2013.09.007
41. Pittman, L. D., & Richmond, A. (2007). Academic and psychological functioning in late adolescence: The importance of school belonging. The Journal of Experimental Education, 75(4), 270–290. doi: 10.3200/JEXE.75.4.270-292
42. Prats D. C. (1990). The effects of forming miniscales on the construct validity of the test anxiety inventory. Paper presented at the National Council of Measurement of Education, Boston.
43. Qualter, P., Brown, S. L., Rotenberg, K. J., Vanhalst, J., Harris, R. A., Goossens, L., Bangee,
44. M., & Munn, P. (2013). Trajectories of loneliness during childhood and adolescence: Predictors and health outcomes. Journal of Adolescence, 36(6), 1283–1293. doi: 10.1016/j.adolescence.2013.01.005
45. Raufelder, D. (2007). Von Machtspielen zu Sympathiegesten. Das Verhältnis von Lehrern und Schülern im Bildungsprozess [From Powergames to gestures of sympathy. The Relationship of teachers and students in the process of education]. Marburg, Germany: Tectum.
46. Reynolds, A. D., & Crea, T. M. (2015). Peer influence processes for youth delinquency and depression. Journal of Adolescence, 43, 83–95. doi: 10.1016/j.adolescence.2015.05.013
47. Schwab, R. (1997). Einsamkeit. Grundlagen für die klinisch-psychologische Diagnostik und Intervention [Loneliness. Basics for clinical-psychological diagnostic and intervention]. Bern, Switzerland: Hans Huber.
48. Seiffge-Krenke, I., Aunola, K., & Nurmi, J. E. (2009). Changes in stress perception and coping during adolescence: The role of situational and personal factors. Child Development, 80(1), 259–279. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2008.01258.x.
49. Sterba, S. K., & Rights, J. D. (2017). Effects of parceling on model selection: Parcel-allocation variability in model ranking. Psychological Methods, 22(1), 47-68. doi: 10.1037/met0000067. 
50. Teppers, E., Klimstra, T. A., Damme, C. V., Luyckx, K., Vanhalst, J., & Goossens, L. (2013). Personality traits, loneliness, and attitudes toward aloneness in adolescence. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 30(8), 1045–1063. doi: 10.1177/0265407513481445
51. Uslu, F., & Gizir, S. (2017). School belonging of adolescents: The role of teacher–student relationships, peer relationships and family involvement. Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice, 17, 63‒82. doi: 10.12738/ estp.2017.1.0104
52. Vanhalst, J., Goossens, L., Luyckx, K., Scholte, R. H., & Engels, R. C. (2013). The development of loneliness from mid-to late adolescence: Trajectory classes, personality traits, and psychosocial functioning. Journal of Adolescence, 36(6), 1305–1312. doi: 10.1016/j.adolescence.2012.04.002
53. Vanhalst, J., Luyckx, K., & Goossens, L. (2014). Experiencing loneliness in adolescence: A matter of individual characteristics, negative peer experiences, or both?. Social Development, 23, 100–118. doi: 10.1111/sode.12019
54. Van Roekel, E., Ha, T., Verhagen, M., Kuntsche, E., Scholte, R. H., & Engels, R. C. (2015). Social stress in early adolescents’ daily lives: Associations with affect and loneliness. Journal of Adolescence, 45, 274–283. doi: 10.1016/j.adolescence.2015.10.012
55. Wentzel, K. R., & Muenks, K. (2016). Peer influence on students’ motivation, academic achievement and social behavior. In: Wentzel, K. R. & Ramani G. B. (Eds.), Handbook of Social Influences in School Contexts: Social-Emotional, Motivation, and Cognitive Outcomes (pp. 13–30). New York, NY: Routledge.
56. Werner-Seidler, A., Perry, Y., Calear, A. L., Newby, J. M., & Christensen, H. (2017). School-based depression and anxiety prevention programs for young people: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 51, 30–47. doi: 10.1016/j.cpr.2016.10.005
57. Wigfield, A., & Eccles, J. S. (Eds.) (2001). Development of achievement motivation. San              Diego, CA: Academic Press.
58. Williams, S. G., Turner-Henson, A., Davis, S., & Soistmann, H. C. (2017). Relationships among perceived stress, bullying, cortisol, and depressive symptoms in ninth-grade adolescents: A pilot study. Biological Research For Nursing, 19(1), 65–70. doi: 10.1177/1099800416656396
59. Windle, M. (1992). A longitudinal study of stress buffering for adolescent problem behaviors. Developmental Psychology, 28(3), 522–530. doi: 10.1037/0022-006X.57.6.732
60. Woodhouse, S. S., Dykas, M. J., & Cassidy, J. (2012). Loneliness and peer relations in adolescence. Social Development, 21(2), 273–293. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9507.2011.00611.x