Self-reflection is often viewed positively; paradoxically, however, it is also associated with distress, potentially because of its relationship with rumination. Focusing self-reflection on positive themes may be one way to promote adaptive self-reflection. This study examined whether the disposition to engage in self-reflection motivates use of a journal containing positively focused writing prompts and moderates the benefit gained from it, specifically when rumination is controlled for. For 28 days, participants (N = 152) accessed an app-based mental health intervention containing various features, including the aforementioned journal. Outcomes of self-regulation and psychological wellbeing were assessed, controlling for time spent using other app features. As expected, journaling was associated with improvements in psychological wellbeing but only when baseline self-reflection was average or higher. Journaling was also initially associated with improvements in self-regulation, but this was diminished after controlling for time spent using other app features. Findings suggest self-reflection could be a strength for fostering wellbeing when it is directed in a positive way.

Although infants less than 18 months old are capable of engaging in self-regulatory behavior (e.g., avoidance, withdrawal, and orienting to other aspects of their environment), the use of self-regulatory strategies at this age (as opposed to relying on caregivers) is associated with elevated behavioral and physiological distress. This study investigated infant dopamine-related genotypes (dopamine receptor D2 [DRD2], dopamine transporter solute carrier family C6, member 4 [SLC6A3], and catechol-O-methyltransferase [COMT]) as they interact with maternal self-reported history of maltreatment to predict observed infant independent emotion regulation behavior. A community sample (N = 193) of mother–infant dyads participated in a toy frustration challenge at infant age 15 months, and infant emotion regulation behavior was coded. Buccal cells were collected for genotyping. Maternal maltreatment history significantly interacted with infant SLC6A3 and COMT genotypes, such that infants with more 10-repeat and valine alleles of SLC6A3 and COMT, respectively, relative to infants with fewer or no 10-repeat and valine alleles, utilized more independent (i.e., maladaptive) regulatory behavior if mother reported a more extensive maltreatment history, as opposed to less. The findings indicate that child genetic factors moderate the intergenerational impact of maternal maltreatment history. The results are discussed in terms of potential mechanism of Gene × Environment interaction.

A community sample of 96 mother-child dyads participated in a study evaluating the extent to which directly observed differences in maternal parenting behavior could be predicted on the basis of both global and proximal maternal reports of child behavior problems and personal distress. To allow for simultaneous testing of a set of relations and make tentative causal inferences, a structural equation modeling approach was used. When the analysis was conducted on the entire sample, results indicated that global and to a lesser extent proximal measures of child behavior problems and personal distress made modest contributions to dysfunctional parenting, with neither child behavior problems or personal distress playing a more important role than the other. When the sample was divided into low (n = 54) and high (n = 42) socioeconomic disadvantage (SED) families, a different picture emerged. In low disadvantage families, parenting was most strongly predicted by mothers' proximal reports of their children's behavior; whereas in high disadvantage families, parenting was best predicted by mothers' proximal reports of their own personal distress. Results are interpreted in light of Wahler and Dumas' (1989) attentional hypothesis. It suggests that mothers who do not experience chronic sources of distress (such as SED) attend and respond to their children's behavior in a fairl accurate and consistent manner, but that mothers who experience chronic distress are unable to attend effectively to their children, responding to them often in light of the many stressors to which they are exposed, rather than in light of the children's actual behavior.

The present study, utilizing both a child protective services and high school sample ofmidadolescents, examined the issue of self-report of maltreatment as it relates to issues of externalvalidity (i.e., concordance with social worker ratings), reliability (i.e., overlap with an alternatechild maltreatment self-report inventory; association of a self-labeling item as“abused” with their subscale item counterparts), and construct validity (i.e., theassociation of maltreatment with posttraumatic stress symptomatology and dating violence).Relevant theoretical work in attachment, trauma, and relationship violence points to a mediationalmodel, whereby the relationship between childhood maltreatment and adolescent dating violencewould be expected to be accounted for by posttraumatic stress symptomatology. In the highschool sample, 1329 adolescents and, in the CPS sample, 224 youth on the active caseloadscompleted comparable questionnaires in the three domains of interest. For females only, resultssupported a mediational model in the prediction of dating violence in both samples. For males,child maltreatment and trauma symptomatology added unique contributions to predicting datingviolence, with no consistent pattern emerging across samples. When considering the issue ofself-labeling as abused, CPS females who self-labeled had higher posttraumatic stresssymptomatology and dating violence victimization scores than did their nonlabeling, maltreatedcounterparts for emotional maltreatment. These results point to the need for ongoing work inunderstanding the process of disclosure and how maltreatment experiences are consciouslyconceptualized.

Utilizing attachment theory as a basis for conceptualizing close relationships amongadolescents, this study investigated two important relationship risk factors (child maltreatment,and adolescent self-perceived insecure attachment style) as predictors of“offender” and “victim” experiences in youth relationships. Inaddition to considering the influence of these risk factors, we further considered their interactionin predicting conflict in close relationships. Of interest was the extent to which attachment stylesmay function as a moderator of the relationship between childhood abuse and current abuse inteen close relationships. High school students (N = 321) in grades 9 and 10 completedquestionnaires tapping their histories of maltreatment, currently viewed styles of attachment, andconflict in close relationships over the past 6 months. Maltreatment alone emerged as the mostconsistent predictor, accounting for 13–18% of the variance in male's physically,sexually, and verbally abusive behaviors; in contrast, it was not highly predictive offemale's abusive behaviors. Maltreatment was predictive of victimization experiences forboth males and females. Attachment style did not substantially add to the prediction ofrelationship conflict beyond maltreatment; however, avoidant attachment style emergedrepeatedly as a significant predictor of female abusiveness and victimization. Attachmentself-ratings were found to function as a moderator of child maltreatment in predicting primarilymale coercive behavior towards a relationship partner as well as predicting male'sexperience of coercion from a partner. Thus, the presence of childhood maltreatment andadolescent self-perceived insecure attachment style applies predominantly to male youth. Theimplication of these gender differences for understanding relationship violence is discussed.

This study sought to understand how experiences of maltreatment occurring prior to 12 yearsof age affect adolescent peer and dating relationships. A school-based sample of 15-year-oldswas divided into maltreated (n = 132) and nonmaltreated (n = 227)subgroups based on self-reported maltreatment. These two groups were then compared on twotheoretically determined dimensions of adjustment (i.e., interpersonal sensitivity/hostility;personal resources) and self- and teacher-report measures of peer and dating relationships.Findings supported the hypothesis that maltreated youths significantly differed fromnonmaltreated youths in terms of adjustment problems as well as conflict with dating partnersand close friends. Maltreated youths reported significantly more verbal and physical abuse bothtoward and by their dating partners, and were seen by teachers as engaging in more acts ofaggression and harassment toward others. In regression analyses, the significant associationbetween maltreatment and dating conflict for males was strengthened by including adjustmentdimensions in the equation; for females, adjustment variables mediated the association betweenmaltreatment and dating conflict. Results are discussed in relation to a maladaptive interpersonaltrajectory for maltreated children, wherein a violent interactional dynamic in adolescent closerelationships may be setting the stage for violence in intimate partnerships.