Emerging research has emphasized the crucial roles of parental responses to adolescents’ negative emotions in adolescent socioemotional development. Parental responses to adolescents’ negative emotions are multidimensional and often interconnected; however, prior research has primarily adopted a variable-centered approach, which may obscure the complex ways in which different parental responses co-occur within families. Moreover, existing research using latent profile analysis (LPA) to identify patterns of parental responses to adolescents’ negative emotions has largely focused on mothers and been conducted predominantly in Western cultural contexts. To address these gaps, the present study employed LPA to examine profiles of adolescent-reported parental responses to adolescents’ negative emotions at the family level, incorporating both fathers’ and mothers’ responses, in China. A total of 1,004 adolescents (53.5% female; aged 14–17 years, Mage = 15.25 years, SDage = 0.50) participated in the study at two time points, spaced eight months apart. The results identified three family-level profiles: Disengaged, Harsh and Dogmatic, and Nurturing. Adolescents exposed to non-nurturing parenting profiles were more likely to experience psychological problems compared with those in the Nurturing profile, with girls showing higher levels of psychological problems in the Disengaged profile and boys exhibiting higher levels of difficulties in the Harsh and Dogmatic profile. Both emotion regulation difficulties and parent–child relationship quality mediated the associations between parenting profiles and adolescent psychological outcomes, although the patterns of mediation varied by gender. In conclusion, this study provides longitudinal evidence linking family-level profiles of parental responses to adolescents’ negative emotions to adolescent psychological outcomes.

This study aimed to identify distinct profiles of children’s perceived family environments and examine how these profiles and their transitions are associated with psychological symptoms. Data were drawn from 9,786 children (mean age = 9.92 years; 47.8% female; 55.7% White) in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study. Latent profile analysis identified four family environment profiles at both baseline and 1-year follow-up: Harmonious, Moderate with Two Loving Caregivers, Moderate with One Loving Caregiver, and Adverse. Overall, children in the first two profiles exhibited fewer psychological symptoms than those in the latter two profiles. Latent transition analysis revealed that the Harmonious Profile was highly stable (85% unchanged), whereas only 39–43% of children in the remaining three profiles stayed in their baseline profile at the one-year follow-up. Notably, transition trajectories were predictive of psychological problems. Specifically, transitions away from the Harmonious Profile were generally associated with higher internalizing and externalizing symptoms (Cohen’s ds = 0.18–0.37), while shifts from Moderate with One Loving Caregiver and Adverse profiles to the Harmonious Profile were linked to lower externalizing symptoms (ds = 0.27 and 0.58). These findings underscore the importance of longitudinal monitoring of perceived family environments for supporting mental health during late childhood.

Noting widespread disenchantment with representative actors and institutions, a growing field of research has investigated public support for decision-making by alternative actors, such as ordinary citizens and independent experts. However, previous research has mainly focused on ideal-type models of government centred on a single actor, rather than considering that citizens may hold ‘mixed preferences’ for multiple actors. Through a latent profile analysis of survey responses to an established battery measuring preferences for who should govern, we identify six preference types that exist across nine European countries, though their prevalence varies from country to country. The results show that only a small minority of respondents support an ideal-type model, i.e., the representative democrats, while most favour a combination of actors. A sizeable share of respondents continues to support politicians but would like to see greater involvement from either citizens or experts. Finally, we identify three profiles that lack strong theoretical or empirical grounding in previous research but emerge across multiple countries and therefore merit further attention: stealth populists, responsible democrats, and moderates.

Violence in early dating relationships can continue into adulthood. The literature usually focuses on the negative effects of violent relationships, but rarely includes the reasons for or antecedents of such behavior. The main objectives of this study were to identify different psychosocial profiles in terms of frustration tolerance and partner dependency and how they are correlated with psychological partner violence, as well as to analyze the justifications for such violence in adolescents and young adults. A total of 69.9% of the final 1044 participants (62.1% girls; age range = 15–22) were involved in a relationship at the time of the evaluation. From a person-centered approach, latent profile analyses yielded three profiles (anxious dependent, low anxious and exclusive dependency, and low exclusive dependency). Significant differences were found between groups, except for the scores between Profiles 2 and 3 in exclusive dependency and anxious attachment between Profiles 3 and 1, with Profile 3 having the highest correlation with violence despite scoring lower in emotional dependency and exclusive dependency than Profile 1. Moreover, significant differences were found among the three groups in terms of violence in the relationship, but all three groups experienced bidirectional violence. The justifications were similar in all three groups, with the concern response being the most reported, together with jealousy in many cases. This research increases knowledge about the psychosocial factors associated with offline and online psychological violence in young couples and allows us to deeply examine the motives that young people express to justify violence in their relationships.

This study examined the variability of language profiles in Spanish–English bilingual children with and without developmental language disorder (DLD). The data included 529 children between the ages of 5 and 10 years. Eighty-eight of these children were identified as having DLD. A latent profile analysis was conducted based on children’s morphosyntax and semantics performance in Spanish and English. The optimal model identified five different profiles, illustrating the heterogeneity in bilingual development. Children with DLD were observed across all profiles, but most were classified in the only two profiles where lower morphosyntax than semantic performance was observed across languages. These results show the variability in both bilingual children with and without DLD. Additionally, the hallmark deficit of DLD in morphosyntax was confirmed, with the morphological weakness being observed in each of the bilingual children’s languages. Children’s background factors (age, maternal education and language exposure) were associated with profile characteristics.

Childhood bereavement is a public health issue with significant mental health implications, including depression, intrusive grief, and suicidality. Theories suggest that children’s malleable processes, like coping and subjective views of themselves and their environment, influence adaptation to bereavement. Protective processes may mitigate mental health risks, while risk processes may exacerbate them. Using a sample of support-seeking, parentally-bereaved children (8–16 years; M = 11.39, SD = 2.43; 53% male; 67% White), this study employs latent profile analysis to identify baseline patterns of coping and subjective views; and examines how profile membership predicts depression symptoms, intrusive grief, and suicidality at 14-month and six-year assessments. Three profiles were identified: Low Protective-High Risk (34%), High Protective-Low Risk (23%), and High Protective-High Risk (43%). Profile membership predicted depression symptoms. Children in the Low Protective-High Risk profile showed higher depression symptoms than those in the other profiles 14-months later, while children in the High Protective-Low Risk profile unexpectedly showed higher depression symptoms six-years later compared to those in the Low Protective-High Risk profile. Profile membership did not predict intrusive grief or suicidality. Findings underscore the importance of person-centered approaches in understanding adaptation following parental death and raise questions about the association between baseline childhood protective processes and long-term depression symptoms.

This study explores patterns of self-regulation and emotional well-being among Syrian refugee children in Lebanon, employing a person-centered approach, responding to theoretical challenges articulated by Dante Cicchetti and other psychologists. Using latent profile analysis with data from 2,132 children, we identified seven distinct profiles across cognitive regulation, emotional-behavioral regulation, interpersonal regulation, and emotional well-being. These profiles showed significant heterogeneity in patterns of self-regulation across domains and emotional well-being among Syrian children. Some profiles consistently exhibited either positive (“Well-regulated and Adjusted”) or negative (“Moody and Frustrated”) functioning across all domains, while others revealed domain-specific challenges, e.g., particularly sensitive to interpersonal conflict. This heterogeneity in the organization of self-regulatory skill and emotional well-being challenges the traditional homogeneous view of child development in conflict settings. The study also underscores the profiles’ differential associations with demographic characteristics and experiences, with school-related experiences being particularly salient. We discuss the implications of these findings for future research in developmental psychopathology on self-regulation and emotional well-being in conflict-affected contexts. In addition, we advocate for tailored interventions to meet the diverse needs of children affected by conflict.

This study explores what kinds of moral potency profiles can be identified among three different samples: Top sports, Leaders, and Followers. Based on the social norm theory, we examine whether and how the experienced strength of ethical organizational culture is associated with the probability to be identified into different moral potency profiles. Based on ratings of 188 top sport representatives, 237 leaders and their 202 followers, a person-centered approach was used to identify three moral potency profiles: morally hesitant, moderate moral potency, and morally confident. A fourth profile was identified based on the followers’ evaluations of their leaders: morally void. Low evaluations of ethical culture increased the likelihood of being classified into the morally hesitant profile. As the followers were somewhat more critical in evaluating their leaders’ moral potency than the leaders themselves, our findings highlight the value of including other-rated indicators when examining moral actions within organizations.

This study applies a comprehensive bioecological perspective to address a significant gap in the childhood adversity literature by employing latent profile analysis to examine the impact of diverse combinations of early childhood adversities and protective factors on adolescent psychosocial and behavioral outcomes. Drawing from the United Kingdom’s Millennium Cohort Study (N = 19,444), we identified eight unique profiles of early childhood adversity and protective factors. These profiles provide a nuanced understanding of adversity combinations and allow for differentiation between groups with similar profiles. Latent profile membership was a significant predictor of all adolescent outcome variables, indicating that profiles differed significantly from one another on psychosocial and behavioral outcomes (Wald values ranged from 10.10–623.22; p < .001). Some findings support the cumulative risk model, indicating that exposure to multiple early adversities increases the likelihood of adverse outcomes. However, we also found that specific adversities, such as parental psychopathology, parental alcohol use, and neighborhood deprivation, uniquely impact adolescent outcomes. This study highlights the necessity for tailored interventions and policies to support children with distinct early life experiences, emphasizing the importance of addressing both cumulative and specific adversities at multiple levels to prevent psychosocial and behavioral problems in adolescence.

Research links life stressors, including acute, chronic, and early life stress, to the development of ruminative brooding. However, singular forms of life stress rarely occur in isolation, as adolescents typically encounter stressors that vary on important dimensions (e.g., types, timings, quantities) across development. The current study employs latent profile analysis (LPA) to identify natural clusters of life stress that, over time, may be differently associated with ruminative brooding. Evaluations of episodic, chronic, and early life stress were conducted with community-recruited mid-adolescents (N = 241, Mage = 15.90 years, 53% female) and their parents using the UCLA Life Stress Interview and lifetime adversity portions of the Youth Life Stress Interview. Analyses identified four distinct patterns: low stress, high peer stress, moderate home / family stress, and multifaceted / high school stress. Adolescents in the high peer stress and moderate home / family stress profiles were at highest risk for developing a brooding style over time. Despite high overall levels of stress, teens in the multifaceted / high school stress profile were at not at elevated risk for developing a brooding style. Findings demonstrate the utility of person-centered approaches to identify patterns of stress exposure that heighten risk for brooding over time.

Recent studies suggest that heterogeneous bilingual experiences implicate different executive functions (EF) in children. Using a latent profile analysis, we conducted a more nuanced investigation of multifaceted bilingual experiences. By concurrently considering numerous bilingual indicators – age of L1 and L2 acquisition, interactional contexts of verbal exchanges, L1 and L2 proficiency, balance of language use at home and school, and receptive vocabulary – we identified three latent profiles (subgroups): balanced dual-language, dominant single-language, and mixed-interaction. We found that the balanced dual-language and dominant single-language profiles predicted significantly better switching than the mixed-interaction profile. However, no profile differences were found in working memory, prepotent response inhibition, or inhibitory control. These results held true when multiple covariates (age, sex, household income, and nonverbal intelligence) were controlled for. Using a person-centered approach, our study underscores that disparate bilingual experiences asymmetrically predict the shifting facet of EF during early childhood.

This study examined co-occurring patterns of mental health among disaster victims using latent profile analysis and assessed the difference between sociodemographic factors and protective factors that affect group classification. The data of 2300 disaster victims from 2019 (4th wave) NDMI (National Disaster Management Research Institute) for Long-term Survey on the Change of Life of Disaster Victims were analyzed. The latent profile analysis revealed that three profiles; High comorbid symptom (HCS) (6.2%), Medium comorbid symptom (MCS) (22.6%), and Low symptom (LS) (71.2%). The factors that explain the difference in this divided profile group were the type of disaster, hurt, income, age, elapsed years, resilience, and community resilience in the multinomial logistic regression. When individual resilience and community resilience are high, more effective in making people belong to the low comorbid symptom group. Therefore, there is a need for a strategy that promotes synergy between the two relationships while maintaining a dual focus point of view that fosters resilience at the individual and community level together.

Adolescence is a significant period for the formation of relationship networks and the development of internalizing problems. With a sample of Chinese adolescents (N = 3,834, 52.01% girls, Mage = 16.68 at Wave 1), the present study aimed to identify the configuration of adolescents’ relationship qualities from four important domains (i.e., relationship quality with mother, father, peers, and teachers) and how distinct profiles were associated with the development of internalizing problems (indicated by depressive and anxiety symptoms) across high school years. Latent profile analysis identified a five-profile configuration with four convergent profiles (i.e., relationship qualities with others were generally good or bad) and one “Father estrangement” profile (i.e., the relationship quality with others were relatively good but that with father was particularly poor). Further conditional latent growth curve analysis indicated the “Father estrangement” profile was especially vulnerable to an increase in the internalizing problems as compared with other relationship profiles. This study contributes to understanding the characteristics of interpersonal relationship qualities and their influences on adolescent internalizing problems in a non-Western context. Results were further discussed from a culturally specific perspective.

Loneliness, a negative emotion stemming from the perception of unmet social needs, is a major public health concern. Current interventions often target social domains but produce small effects and are not as effective as established emotion regulation (ER)-based interventions for general psychological distress (i.e., depression/anxiety). Given that loneliness and distress are types of negative affect, we aimed to compare them within an ER framework by examining the amount of variance ER strategies accounted for in loneliness versus distress, and comparing the ER strategy profiles characterising them. Participants (N = 582, Mage = 22.31, 77.66% female) completed self-report measures of loneliness, distress, and use of 12 cognitive (e.g., cognitive reappraisal) or behavioural (e.g., expressive suppression) ER strategies. Regression analyses revealed that ER explained comparable variance in these constructs. Latent profile analysis identified seven profiles differing in ER patterns, with no distinct loneliness or distress profile identified. Rather, similar patterns of ER characterised these two constructs, involving the greater use of generally maladaptive strategies and the lesser use of generally adaptive strategies. However, loneliness was additionally characterised by less use of strategies involving social connection/expression. Overall, our study supports the utility of ER for understanding loneliness. Established ER-based frameworks/interventions for distress may have transdiagnostic utility in targeting loneliness.