Purpose COVID-19 has disrupted many aspects of adolescents' lives, yet little data are available that document their subjective experiences of the pandemic. In a mixed-methods study of U.S. adolescents, we examined (1) adolescents' perceptions of how their social and emotional lives had changed during COVID-19; and (2) associations between these perceived changes and indices of their mental health, above and beyond their prepandemic mental health status. Methods Four hundred seven U.S. adolescents ( M age = 15.24, standard deviation = 1.69; 50% female; 52%, 20% African American, 17% Hispanic/Latinx) completed surveys before (October 2019) and during (April 2020) the COVID-19 pandemic. They provided qualitative and quantitative responses on their experiences with COVID-19 and reports of their mental health. Results Adolescents perceived various changes in their relationships with family and friends (e.g., less perceived friend support) during COVID-19. They also perceived increases in negative affect and decreases in positive affect. These perceived social and emotional changes were associated with elevated depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and loneliness in April 2020, controlling for mental health problems before the pandemic. Conclusions Our findings sensitize clinicians and scholars to the vulnerabilities (changes in friendship dynamics), as well as resiliencies (supportive family contexts), presented to U.S. adolescents during the early months of COVID-19.

Many studies have found a link between time spent using social media and mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety. However, the existing research is plagued by cross-sectional research and lacks analytic techniques examining individual change over time. The current research involves an 8-year longitudinal study examining the association between time spent using social media and depression and anxiety at the intraindividual level. Participants included 500 adolescents who completed once-yearly questionnaires between the ages of 13 and 20. Results revealed that increased time spent on social media was not associated with increased mental health issues across development when examined at the individual level. Hopefully these results can move the field of research beyond its past focus on screen time.

Parent-adolescent sexual communication can help reduce sexual risk behaviors among adolescents. However, research and theory are less clear regarding the specific pathways (i.e., mechanisms of change) by which this communication works to reduce sexual risk behavior. The current review addresses this gap by proposing a conceptual model describing the processes by which parent-adolescent sexual communication influences adolescents' sexual intentions and behaviors and by conducting a systematic review to locate evidence for this model. Guided by the Integrative Model of Behavioral Change, the proposed conceptual model focuses on the social cognitive pathways that act as explanatory mechanisms of the relations between parent-adolescent sexual communication and adolescents' sexual intentions and behaviors, as well as the characteristics of this communication that determine its effectiveness in influencing these sexual cognitions. Thirtyeight peer-reviewed studies were systematically located and synthesized. Findings showed consistent links between parent-adolescent sexual communication and adolescents' sexual attitudes and safe-sex efficacy (though links with perceived sexual norms were more mixed), which in turn may influence their sexual intentions and behaviors. Evidence also emerged to suggest that the characteristics of the communication itself (e.g., extent, content, quality) may influence its effectiveness over adolescents' sexual cognitions. The identification of these processes advances theory on parent-adolescent sexual communication which has, to date, been unclear regarding these pathways. As such, these findings can inform future research efforts as well as prevention efforts seeking to promote adolescent sexual health.

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Purpose Recent studies have documented worrisome levels of hesitancy and resistance to the COVID-19 vaccine, including within the adolescent population. In this study, we examined attitudinal (perceived severity of COVID-19, vaccine-related concerns) and interpersonal (parent and peer norms) antecedents of adolescents’ intentions to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Methods Participants were 916 adolescents (ages 12 – 17) from across the United States (47.3% male) representing diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds (26% African American, 22% Hispanic/Latinx; 35% White; 7% Asian American). They completed a survey on their experiences and attitudes surrounding COVID-19 and the COVID-19 vaccine. Results Parent and peer norms were distinct predictors of adolescent willingness to receive the vaccine. These norms were associated with vaccine intentions directly, as well as indirectly through adolescents’ beliefs about the vaccine’s safety, efficacy, and necessity. Parent norms in particular displayed large effect sizes and explained considerable variance in adolescents’ vaccine intentions. Conclusions Parents and friends – who figure as adolescents’ most salient interpersonal relationships – are key leveraging points in promoting adolescents’ uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine. Norm interventions and family-based interventions may be successful in this regard.