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A Six‐Year Longitudinal Study of Texting Trajectories During Adolescence
Author(s) -
Coyne Sarah M.,
PadillaWalker Laura M.,
Holmgren Hailey G.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
child development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.103
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1467-8624
pISSN - 0009-3920
DOI - 10.1111/cdev.12823
Subject(s) - psychology , aggression , developmental psychology , longitudinal study , anxiety , depression (economics) , clinical psychology , psychiatry , statistics , mathematics , economics , macroeconomics
This study examined growth trajectories of texting (and other media) over a 6‐year time period. Participants were 425 adolescents from Washington, USA (age 13 at Time 1, age 18 at Time 6; 48% male, 68% European American). Analyses suggested a curvilinear pattern for texting and social media use, with rates peaking during midadolescence. There was also considerable heterogeneity in trajectories of texting. A growth mixture model revealed four distinct classes of individuals: perpetuals (14%), decreasers (7%), moderates (68%), and increasers (11%). Higher levels of depression, being a male, and coming from a single‐parent family predicted being a “perpetual” texter. Perpetuals had the most problematic outcomes compared to other classes, including higher depression, anxiety, aggression, and poor relationships with fathers.