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Markov chains can be used for the modeling of complex longitudinal network data. One class of probability models to model the evolution of social networks are stochastic actor-oriented models for network change proposed by Snijders. These models are continuous-time Markov chain models that are implemented as simulation models. The authors propose an extension of the simulation algorithm of stochastic actor-oriented models to include networks of changing composition. In empirical research, the composition of networks may change due to actors joining or leaving the network at some point in time. The composition changes are modeled as exogenous events that occur at given time points and are implemented in the simulation algorithm. The estimation of the network effects, as well as the effects of actor and dyadic attributes that influence the evolution of the network, is based on the simulation of Markov chains.

AbstractAcceptance and rejection by parents and peers play an important role in pre-adolescents' educational outcomes. Prior research focused on either parents or peers, did not encompass effects into adulthood, or considered either acceptance or rejection. This study investigated the relation between parental and peer acceptance and rejection, and their interplay, in pre-adolescence and educational attainment in early adulthood. A sample of 2229 pre-adolescents (MageT1 = 11.11, SD = 0.56; 50.7% girls) was followed to early adulthood (MageT5 = 22.29, SD = 0.65). Ordinal logistic regression showed that pre-adolescents' perceived parental acceptance was positively related to educational attainment in early adulthood, whereas peer rejection was negatively related, even when WISC score and socioeconomic status were considered. No interaction effects were found, revealing no "dual-hit effect" of being rejected by parents and peers, no "dual-miss effect" of being accepted by parents and peers, and no effects of acceptance in one context (i.e., parents or peers) buffering the negative effect of rejection in the other context. The findings underscore unique and long-term links of parental acceptance and peer rejection with early adults' educational attainment, underlining the importance of not only peers but also parents in adolescence. These insights can be used in promoting long-term educational outcomes through relationships with parents and peers.

People confronted with homicidal loss have to cope with separation distress, related to their loss, and traumatic distress, associated with the circumstances surrounding the death. These reactions are related to complicated grief (CG) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The psychological effects for people who have lost someone through homicide, in terms of PTSD and CG, are largely unclear. This cross-sectional study (a) examined the prevalence of self-rated PTSD and self-rated CG in a community-based sample of 312 spouses, family members, and friends of homicide victims and (b) aimed to identify socio-demographic, loss-related, and perpetrator-related correlates of PTSD and CG. Participants were recruited via support organizations for homicidally bereaved individuals in the Netherlands (i.e., support group), and by casemanagers of a governmental organization, which offers practical, non-psychological, support to bereaved families (i.e., casemanager group). Prevalence of self-rated PTSD was 30.9% (support group) and 37.5% (casemanager group), prevalence of CG was 82.7% (support group) and 80.6% (casemanager group). PTSD and CG severity scores varied as a function of the relationship with the victim; parents were at greater risk to develop emotional problems, compared with other relatives of the victim. Time since loss was negatively associated with PTSD and CG scores.

AbstractThis study examined the differential effects of two forms of adolescents' perceptions of peers' prosociality, aggression, and popularity, on friendship selection. Individuals' reports of their peers' behaviors (dyadic perceptions) and the aggregated classmates' reports (reputational perceptions) were disentangled. The findings indicated that adolescents were more likely to befriend classmates widely perceived as prosocial (reputational perception) and were less likely to befriend classmates they perceived as aggressive (dyadic perception). For popularity, the effect of dyadic perception disappeared when including the reputational perception. The findings highlight the differences between the dyadic and reputational perceptions of peer behavior. Not only dyadic perceptions of behaviors but also reputational perceptions exert a role in befriending peers.

AbstractPrevious studies on peer relationships in school transitions neglected individual differences, or did not examine the relation with academic performance in secondary school. This study followed 649 students from their last year of primary school to their first year in secondary school (Mage at T1 = 11.6 (SD = 0.6); 53.6% girls). Results revealed that students became more attached to peers, less lonely, and were stable in victimization across the transition. Particularly students with more negative peer experiences in primary school enjoyed a "fresh start" in terms of peer experiences in secondary school. Students who had more co-transitioning peers experienced greater reductions in loneliness. Changes in peer experiences over the transition did not relate to academic performance in secondary school.

BackgroundRecent studies have shown that it is possible to foster affective involvement between people with congenital deafblindness and their communication partners. Affective involvement is crucial for well‐being, and it is important to know whether it can also be fostered with people who have congenital deafblindness and intellectual disabilities.MethodsThis study used a multiple‐baseline design to examine whether an intervention based on the Intervention Model for Affective Involvement would (i) increase affective involvement between four participants with congenital deafblindness and intellectual disabilities and their 13 communication partners and (ii) increase the participants' positive emotions and decrease their negative emotions.ResultsIn all cases, dyadic affective involvement increased, the participants' very positive emotions also increased and the participants' negative emotions decreased.ConclusionThe results indicate that communication partners of persons with congenital deafblindness and intellectual disabilities can be successfully trained to foster affective involvement.

Introduction In this study, we applied the Intervention Model for Affective Involvement (IMAI) to four participants who are congenitally deafblind and their 16 communication partners in 3 different settings (school, a daytime activities center, and a group home). We examined whether the intervention increased affective involvement between the participants and their communication partners and whether it increased positive emotions and reduced negative emotions in the participants. Methods We used video observations in a multiple-baseline design across subjects to assess the effects of the 20-week intervention on the communication partners' interactions with the participants. Results After onset of the intervention, affective involvement increased for three participants, while all four participants showed an increase in positive emotions and a decrease in negative emotions. During follow-up, the positive effect on the participants' behaviors decreased in most cases, but remained visible as compared to the baseline level. Discussion The findings demonstrate that the IMAI can be successfully applied to persons who are congenitally deafblind. Given the small number of participants, replication of the intervention is recommended. Implications for practitioners Affective involvement can be increased by training, but it is difficult to maintain this effect over time. Coaching of communication partners on a more permanent basis is recommended to maintain the sharing of emotions between persons who are congenitally deafblind and their communication partners.

Sustained interaction with other people is of crucial importance for persons with deafblindness and multiple disabilities. This article introduces a relatively time-efficient observational coding system to measure sustained interaction directly from video recordings using only two observation categories: turns and interaction breakdowns. Sustained interaction is defined as a sequence of at least three turns between two interaction partners. An interaction breakdown means that a sequence is not being continued, but is broken off by one of the partners. This article also presents the results of a first study applying the coding system to videos of five adults with deafblindness and multiple disabilities and their caregivers. The system seems well applicable and provides supporting evidence regarding inter-observer reliability. The system can stimulate further research and intervention to increase sustained interaction.

This article demonstrates the effectiveness of applying the Diagnostic Intervention Model for fostering harmonious interactions by describing a single-case study. Changes in the caregiver's turn-giving had substantial effects on the child's turn-taking, regulation of intensity, and approving and disapproving answers. The interaction effects were less clear for the child's initiatives.