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Prospective Relations Between Organized Activity Participation and Psychopathology During Adolescence

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Abstract

This longitudinal study examined psychopathology as a predictor and outcome of organized activity involvement during high school among 198 adolescents who varied in risk for psychopathology as a function of their mother’s depression history. Higher levels of internalizing and externalizing symptoms in eighth grade significantly predicted lower levels of involvement in academic clubs during high school, over and above risk and SES. Tobacco use prior to high school predicted lower levels of involvement overall and in academic clubs and performance arts. Controlling for psychopathology prior to high school, higher levels of activity involvement were associated with lower levels of externalizing symptoms, less tobacco use, and fewer diagnoses of behavior disorders and substance abuse in 12th grade. The positive association between risk and adolescent psychopathology was not buffered by adolescent activity involvement. Overall, these findings suggest that involvement in organized activities may contribute to lower levels of externalizing psychopathology during high school even when controlling for prior psychopathology.

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Notes

  1. The AAII is available from the first author upon request.

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Acknowledgement

This work was supported in part by grants (R29-MH45458; R01-MH57822; K02 MH66249) from the National Institute of Mental Health, and a Faculty Scholar Award (88-1214) and grant (961730) from the William T. Grant Foundation. Amy M. Bohnert was supported in part from an NIMH training grant (T32-MH18921). We appreciate the cooperation of the Nashville Metropolitan School District, Drs. Binkley and Crouch, and we thank the parents and children who participated in the project.

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  1. Department of Psychology, Loyola University-Chicago, 6525 N. Sheridan Rd, Chicago, IL, 60626, USA

    Amy M. Bohnert

  2. Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37240, USA

    Judy Garber

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  1. Amy M. Bohnert
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  2. Judy Garber
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Correspondence to Amy M. Bohnert.

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Bohnert, A.M., Garber, J. Prospective Relations Between Organized Activity Participation and Psychopathology During Adolescence. J Abnorm Child Psychol 35, 1021–1033 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-007-9152-1

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