We examined relationships among sleep quality and forms of social interaction (in-person vs. online) as predictors of change in affect and interpersonal needs (perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness) – correlates of suicidal thoughts and behaviors – during the early COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. New York City undergraduates (N = 58) from four public colleges completed a baseline survey and daily diaries up to 30 days in April-June 2020. Adjusting for relevant covariates, better sleep quality and in-person communication predicted greater positive affect and lower negative affect over time, but online social interaction only predicted greater positive affect and did not predict negative affect. Better sleep quality predicted lower perceived burdensomeness but not thwarted belongingness. Both in-person and online social interaction – but not total hours on social media – predicted lower thwarted belonging and perceived burdensomeness. Greater hours spent on social media each day lessened the relationship between in-person interaction and positive affect and lessened the buffering effect of in-person interaction on perceived burdensomeness. Improving sleep quality and increasing in-person interaction may ameliorate psychological variables that increase risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors. However, when in-person interaction is limited, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic, online social interaction might be encouraged – depending on the nature of the interactions – to increase positive affect and buffer against suicide-related factors.
Abstract In Tajikistan, infants are bound supine in a “gahvora” cradle that severely restricts movement. Does cradling affect motor development and body growth? In three studies (2013–2018), we investigated associations between time in the gahvora (within days and across age) and motor skills and flattened head dimensions in 8–24‐month‐old Tajik infants ( N = 269, 133 girls, 136 boys)) and 4.3–5.1‐year‐old children ( N = 91, 53 girls, 38 boys). Infants had later motor onset ages relative to World Health Organization standards and pronounced brachycephaly; cradling predicted walk onset age and the proficiency of sitting, crawling, and walking. By 4–5 years, children's motor skills were comparable with US norms. Cultural differences in early experiences offer a unique lens onto developmental processes and equifinality in development.
Objective: The present study sought to evaluate the psychometric properties and inter-informant agreement of the Self-Injurious Thoughts and Behaviors Interview-Revised (SITBI-R) in adolescents and their parents.Method: Suicidal and nonsuicidal adolescents from the community (N = 206), ages 12–19 years, were administered the SITBI-R during a lab visit. Approximately half of the adolescents' parents opted to complete a parent assessment, including the SITBI-R, on behalf of their child. Inter-rater reliability, convergent validity, and inter-informant agreement were assessed.Results: The SITBI-R exhibited overall excellent inter-rater reliability and good convergent validity in adolescents. Parent-adolescent agreement ranged from fair to poor across most outcomes, with parents tending not to report past self-injurious thoughts and behaviors endorsed by their children.Conclusions: The present study suggests that the SITBI-R can be extended for use with adolescents. Future research should evaluate moderators and implications of parent-adolescent disagreement, particularly with regard to suicide risk.
