Children’s self-esteem is crucial for their well-being and mental health. From a theoretical perspective, interpersonal experiences are important precursors of global self-esteem. According to sociometer theory, self-esteem builds upon social acceptance and inclusion monitoring. Due to teenagers' increased sensitivity to social evaluation, the development of self-esteem may be particularly vulnerable during the transition from childhood to adolescence. Despite the recognized importance of the family in fostering positive self-esteem, there is a scarcity of longitudinal research examining the role of family functioning in children’s self-esteem development during this critical period. In the present study, we aimed to investigate whether family functioning predicts the development of global self-esteem, and whether these relations are reciprocal. We employed data from a community-based study, the Trondheim Early Secure Study, which biennially followed up 718 Norwegian adolescents from the age of 10 to 14 years. Self-concept was measured with the Self-Description Questionnaire (SDQ-I) at age 10 and the Revised Self-Perception Profile for Adolescence (SPPA-R) at ages 12 and 14. Family functioning was measured with the Family Assessment Device (FAD). By employing the Random Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Model (RI-CLPM), which separates between-person and within-person variance, the results showed that increased family functioning at ages 10 and 12 predicted increased self-esteem two years later, at ages 12 and 14. There were no significant paths linking children’s self-esteem to later family functioning. This study adds to the literature by underlining the continued importance of the family system for children’s global self-esteem at the within-person level during the transition from childhood to early adolescence, with sophisticated methods enabling the uncovering of actual within-person effects. For youth in need of interventions to strengthen their self-esteem during this crucial period, targeting the family system could be beneficial.

Understanding how students engage with technology in their daily lives requires considering not only its role as a tool but also its potential to distract from school activities. This study explores technology-related attitudes, perceived utility, and patterns of distraction among 803 middle-school students (mean age = 12,2 years, SD = 0,9; 46.6% male) using Latent Profile Analysis (LPA). Four profiles were identified: 1) non-users of technology, 2) underconfident and unaware but easily distracted; 3) efficient technology users; 4) overstimulated technology users. These profiles reflecting a continuum of engagement of technology, balanced against levels of distraction. Additionally, the study assessed how students perceived maternal and paternal support in completing schoolwork influences their profile membership. These findings underscore the dual nature of technology as both a valuable tool and a source of distraction from school activities, highlighting the importance of tailored strategies to promote balanced and mindful technology use. Future research about further exploration of how these profiles interact with broader psychosocial and developmental factors is also discussed.

Preterm-born children are at increased risk for socio-emotional difficulties at school age. The factors contributing to these difficulties are not fully understood. The current study examined, for the first time, whether the qualities of preterm infants' spontaneous movements (i.e., unintentional movements observed in the first 5 months) predict their social competence and self-esteem in childhood. It also explored whether children's motor skills and mothers' emotional availability at school age mediated these links.

This longitudinal study included 106 mother-child dyads (Gestational age range = 23-35 weeks; Birth weight range = 520-2434g; 38.3% girls). At corrected ages of 3-5 months, infants' spontaneous movements were assessed using the Prechtl General Movement Assessment (Einspieler et al., 2004). At school age (60-106 months), children's motor skills were evaluated using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (Henderson et al., 2007). Mothers' emotional availability was assessed during play interactions with the child using the Emotional Availability Scales (Biringen, 2008). Mothers and teachers reported children’s social competence via the Health and Behavior Questionnaire (Armstrong & Goldstein, 2003), and teachers reported children's self-esteem using the Teacher’s Rating Scale of Child's Actual Competence and Social Acceptance (Harter & Pike, 1984).

Controlling for relevant background characteristics of children and mothers, results showed that atypical spontaneous movements in infancy predicted lower social competence in childhood. Both poorer motor skills and lower maternal emotional availability mediated this link. Additionally, atypical spontaneous movements predicted lower self-esteem, with motor skills but not maternal emotional availability, acting as a mediator.

These findings suggest that assessing infants' spontaneous movements may help identify children at risk for social and emotional difficulties at school age. The results underscore the importance of interventions targeting motor skills and mother-child relationships to improve socio-emotional outcomes in this population.

Compulsive internet use defined as the dependencies of online activities with excessive internet usage is one of the main problems associated with the social media use. One of the main factors shaping children’s and adolescents’ compulsive internet use is parenting. Social media allows children to feel independent, providing an opportunity for socialization away from adults. However, this situation can also be dangerous and without parental control it may lead children to inappropriate sexual content, illegal activities, and elements of violence.

This study aims to examine the parenting factors affecting children’s and adolescents’ compulsive internet use. A total of 5041 children and adolescents aged between 8-18 (M=12.68, SD=2.61), from 185 schools and their mothers participated in this longitudinal study. According to results, maternal overprotective behavior predicted compulsive internet use for elementary school students. Paternal monitoring behavior, disclosure to mother and father, maternal and paternal overprotective behavior predicted compulsive internet use for middle school students. For high school students, paternal monitoring behavior, disclosure to mother, maternal and paternal overprotective behavior predicted compulsive internet use. The longitudinal analyses showed that only for middle school students parenting predicted compulsive internet use at the second time point.

This research is important in terms of examining the compulsive internet use of children and adolescents and considering different parenting factors. In addition, results may show a developmental pattern for CIU in terms of the effect of parenting. The findings are discussed within the scope of the limitations and contributions of the study based on previous research.

Research on childhood emotional abuse has revealed that this negative experience has detrimental consequences on the cognitive, social and emotional development of individuals. There are studies showing that childhood emotional abuse raises the tendency towards risky behaviors, especially during adolescence. Considering that the tendency towards risky behaviors increases the likelihood of committing crimes and/or may result in death, it is very important to study the factors explaining it. Accordingly, the current study aimed to investigate the relationship between childhood emotional abuse and risky behaviors in adolescents and the mediating mechanism of self-esteem in this relationship. More specifically, it is thought that individuals who experience childhood emotional abuse will report low self-esteem, which will increase the tendency towards risky behaviors. A total of 369 high school students participated in the study by convenience sampling method. The level of adolescents' tendency to risky behaviors, perceived childhood emotional abuse for both parents, self-esteem and sociodemographic characteristics were measured respectively by having high school students fill out the Risk Behaviours Scale, the Perception Psychological Maltreatment Inventory for Adolescents II, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the Demographic Information Form. The hypotheses were tested with PROCESS Macro Model 4. The results revealed a significant positive relationship between perceived childhood emotional abuse and risky behaviors, even after controlling for the gender, maternal and paternal education level. In addition, self-esteem has a partial mediating role. Thus, it was supported that emotional abuse has both a direct role and an indirect role through self-esteem in increasing the tendency towards risky behaviors. The present study is thought to be crucial in drawing attention to intervention programs that aim to reduce the negative effects caused by perceived childhood abuse and neglect, one of the early negative experiences, by enhancing self-esteem.