Alexander T. Vazsonyi

University of Kentucky | UKY · Department of Family Studies

The present study employed parallel analyses to develop a greater understanding of the relationships between infant socialization (maternal sensitivity and home quality), early childhood self-control (attentional focusing, inhibitory control, gratification delay, and self-control), and measures of reactive-overt and relational aggression, assessed...

The current study tested the validity of grit as a non-cognitive construct related to, yet distinct from self-control. Data were collected from N = 1907 adults spanning the life-course (53.1% female, M age = 41.4 years). Associations between grit and present and past goals were very similar to ones observed with self-control. Extensive model tests...

Purpose: The current study tested the links between routine activities and deviance across twenty-eight countries, thus, the potential generalizability of the routine activities framework. Methods: Data were collected as part of the Second International Self-Report Delinquency Study (ISRD-2) from 28 cultures, from seventh, eighth, and ninth grade a...

Purpose: The study tested whether developmental changes in self-control stabilize by late childhood (age 10) or continue into early and middle adolescence. Second, it tested the bidirectional, longitudinal relationship between self-control and deviance over an 11-year period. Methods: Children (N = 1159) from the longitudinal NICHD Study of Early C...

Purpose: The current meta-analysis examines the link between self-control and measures of crime and deviance, taking stock of the empirical status of self-control theory and focusing on work published between 2000 and 2010. Methods: A total of 796 studies were reviewed for inclusion/exclusion criteria and yielded a final study sample of 99 studies...

Internet addiction is a pervasive problem among adolescents today. Previous research identifies socialization processes, including parenting, as important for these behaviors. The current study tested the links between perceived maternal monitoring, support, communication, and conflict and Internet addiction among youth, and whether these relations...

The current investigation tested changes in low self-control and the developmental links between parenting and the developmental course of self-control. It was hypothesized that (1) low self-control would change over time (within individual changes); (2) parenting would negatively predict both the intercept and slope of low self-control during chil...

The current investigation tested childhood developmental antecedents of adolescent empathy, self-control, callous-unemotionality, and delinquency, namely difficult temperament, positive socialization experiences, and intelligence; it also tested potential mediation effects of temperament via socialization. Data were collected as part of the Nationa...

Self-control theory proposes that weak emotional bonds with caregivers are key in the lack of self-control development, that in turn increases the likelihood of externalizing and deviant behaviors. Guided by this theory, the present study tested a mediation model, namely the relationships among adolescent attachment to both parents, selfcontrol, an...

Introduction: Few studies have considered the importance of kin or extended family relationships on future orientation. Additionally, some of the underlying processes linking social bonds to future orientation remain poorly understood. Based on theoretical work focused on attachment and identity, this study tested the potential mediating effects o...

Duckworth and Seligman’s seminal work found that self-discipline (self-control) was more salient for academic achievement than intelligence. Very little replication work exists, including in different cultures; the current study addressed these gaps. Data were collected from 6th and 7th grade cohorts of early adolescents (N = 589; age: Mean = 12.34...

Introduction: The current study tested the longitudinal bidirectional links between changes in sleep quality and two measures of internalizing problems, depressive and anxiety symptoms, and whether these links differed between males and females. Methods: Longitudinal data were collected from 570 early adolescents (58.6% female; Mage = 12.43 year...

The current study focused on longitudinal effects of genetics and parental behaviors and their interplay on externalizing behaviors in a panel study following individuals from adolescence to young adulthood. The nationally representative sample of Add Health participants of European ancestry included N = 4142 individuals, measured on three occasion...

Research has shown that girls in rural contexts are more likely to experience dating violence victimization than peers in urban or suburban ones. Yet, little research has been carried out on rural adolescent girls in regard to the outcomes of such dating violence and the role of parenting. The current study tested the link between dating violence v...

Research has shown a relationship between two types of narcissism (grandiose and vulnerable) and social media use, often in the context of using smartphones. This work has also provided evidence that narcissistic individuals might be more prone to feelings of boredom. However, few studies have tested the association between grandiose and vulnerable...

Purpose The current investigation tested two tenets from self-control theory regarding its cross-national validity and applicability, namely the extent to which (1) parenting behaviors (closeness and monitoring) were associated with low self-control, and (2) the extent to which opportunities (two competing operationalizations: routine activities or...

The current study tested the developmental significance of both early adolescent sleep quantity and quality for academic competence and internalizing and externalizing problems over the course of 2 years. As part of an accelerated longitudinal study, data were collected from N = 586 Czech adolescents (Mage = 12.34 years, SD = .89, 58.4% female). Da...

Sleep is closely related to physical and mental health problems as well as problem behaviors among adolescents and young adults. Thus, to better understand sleep seems paramount, including how to best measure it. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) is one of the most widely used sleep measures. Some recent psychometric evidence (i.e., inconsi...

The present study tested the links between perceived maternal and paternal parenting and internalizing and externalizing problems across ten cultures (China, Czech Republic, Hungary, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, and the United States). Self-report data were collected from N = 12,757 adolescents (Mage = 17.13 years,...

Purpose Studies have shown that disadvantaged neighborhoods are associated with higher levels of crime and delinquent behaviors. Existing explanations do not adequately address how individuals select neighborhood. Thus, the current study employed a genetically-informed design to test whether living in a disadvantaged neighborhood might be partly ex...

The current investigation tested life satisfaction (LS), a cognitive component of subjective well-being, among emerging adults, in the context of individualism (I) and collectivism (C), by distinguishing both cultural and individual levels of analysis, considering their horizontal (H) and vertical (V) dimensions, and controlling age and gender effe...

It is well established that parental supervision reduces the chance of adolescent problem behaviors. As the Internet has become a near-constant part of daily life, for communication, for leisure, or for education, it has led to new concerns about healthy adolescent development. Based on previous research and theory, the present study hypothesized t...

Introduction A substantial body of research supports both social control and self-control theories in explaining violent or deviant behaviors. Most previous work has focused on the links between family ties or bonds and deviance, along with low self-control. A potentially untested and overlooked bond is the extended kinship network, particularly am...

Introduction: Although an extensive body of work has shown that family functioning is linked to adolescent outcomes, less is known about how the family affects school outcomes and vice versa. The present longitudinal study tested reciprocal relationships between the family environment and school engagement during the middle school years. Methods:...

Aggressive behavior in early childhood has been associated with several negative outcomes for children, such as short- and long-term academic, developmental, social, and emotional difficulties. This study used a social-ecological framework to consider the direct, indirect, and interactive effects of both individual and family factors on children’s...

Objectives The current study tested the extent to which the neighborhood context influenced Roma youth adjustment (internalizing and externalizing problems, and academic competence) and whether ethnicity moderated these links and explained unique variance.Methods Cross-sectional data were collected from 369 Roma and non-Roma early and middle adoles...

Objectives The present study tested the role of low self-control, positive parental and peer relationships, and ethnic minority status (Armenian or Azeri), in explaining variability in depressive symptoms in Georgian youth.Methods Self-report data were collected from N = 8254 adolescents in Georgia (55.5% female, M age = 15.57, SD 1.03). Hypotheses...

The relationship between cyberbullying victimization, lower self-esteem, and internet addiction has been well-established. Yet, little research exists that explains the nature of these associations, and no previous work has considered the inability to identify or describe one’s emotions, namely alexithymia, as a potential mediator of these links. T...

Sleep has been linked to adjustment difficulties in both children and adolescents; yet little is known about the long-term impact of childhood sleep on subsequent development. This study tested whether childhood sleep problems, sleep quantity, and chronotype predicted internalizing and externalizing problems during adolescence. Latent Growth Modeli...

Hirschi developed and identified four bonds to explain variability in delinquency. Gottfredson and Hirschi later refined the idea and proposed that family influences explained the developmental course of self-control during the first decade of life; in turn, it underlies variability in crime and deviance. In fact, Hirschi (2016) concluded that soci...

Previous research has documented ethnic/racial disparities in the implementation of school discipline, including exclusionary practices. The current study focused on ethnic/racial disparities in four types of school exclusionary policies through the Civil Rights Data Collection (2013–2014) based on 15,901 middle and 18,303 high schools from the Uni...

Background: Problem Behaviour Theory postulates that different forms of norm violations cluster and can be explained by similar antecedents. One such cluster may include cyberbullying and cyberhate perpetration. A potential explanatory mechanism includes toxic online disinhibition, characterized by anonymity, inability to empathise, and to recognis...

According to the general theory of crime, low self-control is the main cause of deviance. How to assess self-control is crucial because examination of the general theory of crime and the assessment of adolescent risk in committing deviance relies on self-control measures. This study aims to examine whether two well-known cognitive scales of self-co...

Chronotype, or morningness/eveningness, has been associated with adjustment in both children and adolescents. Specifically, eveningness has been linked to adjustment difficulties; however, the mechanism underlying this association is poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to test whether the associations between eveningness and adjustment...

Rationale: Rates of adolescent pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the United States remain high. Norms and beliefs about sex and the use of contraception have been identified as potential contributors to these. Objective: The current study examined multi-contextual links between norms and beliefs about sex and contraception,...

Self-control plays an important role in human’s daily life. In the recent two decades, scholars have exerted tremendous effort to examine the etiologies of the individual differences in self-control. Among numerous predictors of self-control, the role of culture has been relatively overlooked. In this study, the influences of cultural orientation o...

Culture and self-control—Minimized data. (SAV)

Gottfredson and Hirschi’s General Theory of Crime (GTC) has been one of the most cited and tested theories in criminology. It posits to be in effect transcultural in its application and relevant for any norm-violating behaviors. As most empirical work has been completed in English speaking countries, the current study tested some of the main theore...

Background Previous research has shown substantial heritability for depressive symptoms, yet, there are few genetically-informed studies which focused on developmental changes. The current study sought to model prototypical developmental trajectories of depressive symptoms from adolescence to adulthood and to elucidate genetic and environmental con...

Introduction: Supportive mothering buffers against adolescent deviance, but the precise mechanisms underlying this relationship are poorly understood. The current investigation tested the extent to which self-esteem mediated the maternal support-deviance link and whether it varied by adolescent age and sex. Methods: Data were collected from 911...

The current investigation hypothesized and tested latent bully/victim traits for physical, verbal or relational bullying/victimization, both cyber and traditional behaviors. Data were collected from 1,356 German students who attended grades 5 to 10; 48.4% male, 49.3% female from eight different schools in Northern Germany. Based on two samples for...

The current longitudinal study tested the reciprocal relationships between video game play and depressive symptoms among 9,421 adolescents from the Add Health (Mage = 16.15 years, SD = 1.64, 55% female), over 11 years (Waves 2, 3, and 4), ages 16 to 27. Based on structural equation modeling as well as latent growth models, findings indicated that (...

Sleep functioning is concurrently and longitudinally associated with norm-violating behaviors; however, the specific correlates contributing to these links remain unknown. Moreover, despite known mean-level differences in sleep functioning across immigrant and non-immigrant youth as well as socioeconomic strata, it is largely unknown whether links...

The Cambridge Handbook of Violent Behavior and Aggression - edited by Alexander T. Vazsonyi July 2018

The Cambridge Handbook of Violent Behavior and Aggression - edited by Alexander T. Vazsonyi July 2018

The Cambridge Handbook of Violent Behavior and Aggression - edited by Alexander T. Vazsonyi July 2018

The Cambridge Handbook of Violent Behavior and Aggression - edited by Alexander T. Vazsonyi July 2018

The Cambridge Handbook of Violent Behavior and Aggression - edited by Alexander T. Vazsonyi July 2018

The Cambridge Handbook of Violent Behavior and Aggression - edited by Alexander T. Vazsonyi July 2018

The Cambridge Handbook of Violent Behavior and Aggression - edited by Alexander T. Vazsonyi July 2018

The Cambridge Handbook of Violent Behavior and Aggression - edited by Alexander T. Vazsonyi July 2018

The Cambridge Handbook of Violent Behavior and Aggression - edited by Alexander T. Vazsonyi July 2018

The Cambridge Handbook of Violent Behavior and Aggression - edited by Alexander T. Vazsonyi July 2018

The Cambridge Handbook of Violent Behavior and Aggression - edited by Alexander T. Vazsonyi July 2018