Introduction: This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the associations between social media use and risky behaviors during adolescence, and evaluated study characteristics (e.g., sample age, type of social media platform assessed) that may moderate these relationships.Methods: A comprehensive search strategy identified relevant studies from PsycInfo, PubMed, Google Scholar, and Proquest Dissertations and Theses Global. Results:The final sample included 27 independent cross-sectional studies with a total of 67,407 adolescents (M age = 15.5, range: 12.6-18.0 years; 51.7% girls; 57.2% White). Results from random effects models indicated that there were positive, small-to-medium correlations between social media use and engagement in risky behaviors generally (r = 0.21, 95% CI = 0.16-0.25), substance use (r = 0.19, 95% CI = 0.12-0.26), and risky sexual behaviors (r = 0.21, 95% CI = 0.15-0.28). There were an insufficient number of independent samples available to conduct a random effect models for violence-related behaviors (k = 3). Moderator analyses suggested that studies assessing solely early social media platforms (e.g., Facebook/MySpace only) in relation to substance use had smaller effect sizes than substance use studies assessing a broader range of contemporary social media platforms. In addition, younger samples had larger effect sizes for studies focused on social media use and risky sexual behaviors. Conclusions:The positive links identified between social media and risky behaviors during adolescence in this meta-analysis suggest that developmental theories of risk taking would benefit from incorporating the social media context. Longitudinal studies are needed to clarify directionality and make more specific practice and policy recommendations so that social media is a safe place in which adolescents can thrive.Social media has become an important developmental context for adolescents since its advent and widespread societal adoption in the early-to-mid 2000s. The co-construction model (Subrahmanyam, Smahel, & Greenfield, 2006) emphasizes that online and offline contexts within which adolescents are immersed are strongly interconnected. Adolescents, therefore, are hypothesized to bring to the social media context their offline developmental issues related to identity, autonomy, peer relationships, sexuality, and risk taking and sensation seeking (Subrahmanyam et al., 2006). The prominence and significance of social media to adolescents, therefore, likely results from the increasing salience of identity exploration, self-expression, friendships, and peer acceptance that occurs during this

The primary goals of this longitudinal study were to examine the relationship between family functioning and adolescent alcohol use and to examine whether depressed mood mediates this relationship. An additional goal was to explore whether these relations were moderated by gender. The sample included 1,031 high school students from the Mid-Atlantic United States. Participants completed surveys in school during the spring of 2007, 2008, and 2009. Path analysis results indicated that family functioning predicted alcohol use for girls. Moreover, depressed mood mediated this relationship. None of the direct paths between family functioning and adolescent alcohol use were significant for boys. However, similar to girls, depressed mood negatively predicted alcohol use for boys. Taken together, the findings highlight the need for prevention programs targeting adolescent substance use to consider gender-specific trajectories.

This longitudinal study sought to investigate associations between adolescent substance use and family functioning and whether internalizing symptoms play a mediating role in this relationship; based on growing evidence from the literature, we also explored gender differences. Participants ( N = 1,036) completed surveys in school during 2007, 2008, and 2009. Path analysis results indicated that boys’ alcohol use negatively predicted family functioning while marijuana use results indicate both significant impacts on family functioning. Further results show that boys’ depressive symptoms mediated the relationships between alcohol use and family cohesion and adaptability. For girls, depressive symptoms negatively predicted family functioning (cohesion, adaptability, communication with mother/father), whereas anxiety symptoms positively predicted this same set of family functioning outcomes with the exception of communication with father.

This study aimed to characterize adolescent family functioning typologies using latent profile analysis (LPA). A secondary aim was to examine profile associations with adolescent internalizing symptoms at one-year follow-up. Students (N = 1029; 53% female; mean age = 16.14, SD = .75 years) completed measures of family functioning, anxiety, and depressive symptoms at two time points. LPA was conducted to characterize family functioning typologies at Time 1, revealing five profiles: 1) Low Family Functioning, 2) Only Close to Father, 3) Average Family Functioning, 4) Only Close to Mother, and 5) High Family Functioning. Results indicated that the Low and Only Close to Mother profiles had greater depressive symptoms at Time 2, compared with the Average profile. The High profile had fewer depressive symptoms at Time 2. The Low and Only Close to Mother profiles also had significantly more anxiety symptoms at Time 2. Findings highlight the utility of examining family functioning profiles.The demands adolescents face transitioning to adulthood may tax still-developing emotion regulation abilities, increasing vulnerability towards negative affect (Henker, Whalen, Jamner, & Delfino, 2002;Zimmermann & Iwanski, 2014). Indeed, adolescence is characterized by rising internalizing problems such as anxiety and depression (Graber, 2004;Zahn-Waxler, Klimes-Dougan, & Slattery, 2000). Almost one-fourth of adolescents aged 13 to 17 meet diagnostic criteria for an anxiety disorder and 8% meet criteria for a major depressive disorder (Kessler et al., 2012). Both disorders are associated with significant functional impairment and suicidality, as well as increased risk for recurrent anxiety and depression in adulthood (Balazs et al., 2013;Pine, Cohen, Gurley, Brook, & Ma, 1998). Even sub-clinical symptoms have been associated with impairment, highlighting the need to address these adolescent behavioral health problems (Balazs et al., 2013;Carrellas, Biederman, & Uchida, 2017). Developing effective prevention programs for adolescent internalizing problems requires identification of key risk and protective factors. Research has established that the family plays an important preventive role for both adolescent depression and anxiety (

This study examined gender differences in a moderated-mediation model examining whether perceived social support moderated depressive symptom and academic achievement mediation pathways from peer victimization to substance use among 1,334 U.S. early adolescents (11-14 years, 50% girls, 51% White). Surveys were administered in schools at three 6-month intervals. Multiple group analyses suggested that the moderated-mediation model differed for boys and girls. Indirect effects suggested that declines in academic achievement mediated the relationship between peer victimization and substance use for girls and boys, while elevated depressive symptoms mediated this relationship for girls only. Higher family and friend support attenuated the relationship between overt victimization and academic achievement for boys and between relational victimization and depressive symptoms for girls. These findings implicate two risk pathways that account for why peer victimization enhances substance use risk and emphasize the importance of perceived support following peer victimization during early adolescence. Gender differences require replication.

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This study examined the relationship between parental problem drinking (maternal and paternal) and emerging adult problem behaviors (alcohol use, drug use, and antisocial behavior). In addition, the moderating role of parental support (maternal and paternal) was explored. Data were drawn from a nationally representative sample of emerging adults (N = 600; Mage = 20.00, SD = 1.42; 50% women; 62% White). Results from regression analyses of survey data indicated that both maternal problem drinking and maternal support moderated the relationship between paternal problem drinking and emerging adult alcohol use. For drug use, there was a three-way interaction between paternal problem drinking, maternal problem drinking, and maternal support. The relationship between paternal problem drinking and drug use only was significant for those who reported high maternal problem drinking and low maternal support. For antisocial behavior, there