Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Organized Activity Involvement, Depressive Symptoms, and Social Adjustment in Adolescents: Ethnicity and Socioeconomic Status as Moderators

  • Empirical Research
  • Published:
Journal of Youth and Adolescence Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The current cross-sectional study investigated the links between various dimensions of organized activity involvement and depressive symptoms, loneliness, and peer victimization in an ethnically and economically diverse sample of adolescents (N = 152; 58% female). Results indicate that adolescents who were involved in organized activities for more years also reported lower levels of loneliness. There was evidence of diminishing returns when adolescents were very highly involved in organized activities; those who were either under- or over-involved reported the highest levels of depressive symptoms. Conversely, findings indicate that adolescents who participated in a narrow or wide range of activity contexts reported the lowest levels of depressive symptoms. In addition, results suggested that the relation between organized activity involvement and adjustment differs among adolescents from diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. Findings from the current study also underscore the importance of considering multiple indices of activity involvement when assessing its association with adjustment.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aiken, L. S., & West, S. G. (1991). Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Andersen, S. L., & Teicher, M. H. (2008). Stress, sensitive periods and maturation events in adolescent depression. Trends in Neurosciences, 31(4), 183–191. doi:10.1016/j.tins.2008.01.004.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Asher, S. R., & Wheeler, V. A. (1985). Children’s loneliness: A comparison of rejected and neglected peer status. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 52, 500–505. doi:10.1037/0022-006X.53.4.500.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • American Psychological Association, Task Force on Socioeconomic Status. (2007). Report of the APA task force on socioeconomic status. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barber, B. L., Eccles, J. S., & Stone, M. R. (2001). Whatever happened to the jock, the brain, and the princess? Young adult pathways linked to adolescent activity involvement and social identity. Journal of Adolescent Research, 16, 429–455. doi:10.1177/0743558401165002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bartko, W. T., & Eccles, J. S. (2003). Adolescent participation in structured and unstructured activities: A person-oriented analysis. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 32, 233–241. doi:10.1023/A:1023056425648.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bohnert, A. M., Aikins, J. W., & Edidin, J. (2007). The role of organized activities in facilitating social adaptation across the transition to college. Journal of Adolescent Research, 22, 1–20. doi:10.1177/0743558406297940.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bohnert, A. M., & Garber, J. (2007). Prospective relations between organized activity participation and psychopathology during adolescence. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 35, 1021–1033. doi:10.1007/s10802-007-9152-1.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bohnert, A. M., Kane, P., & Garber, J. (2008). Organized activity participation and internalizing and externalizing symptoms: Reciprocal relations during adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 37, 239–250. doi:10.1007/s10964-007-9195-1.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Busseri, M. A., Rose-Krasnor, L., Willoughby, T., & Chalmers, H. (2006). A longitudinal examination of breadth and intensity of youth activity involvement and successful development. Developmental Psychology, 42, 1313–1326. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.42.6.1313.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Crick, N. R., & Ladd, G. (1993). Children’s perceptions of their peer experiences: Attributions, loneliness, social anxiety, and social avoidance. Developmental Psychology, 29, 244–254. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.29.2.244.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Darling, N. (2005). Participation in extracurricular activities and adolescent adjustment: Cross-sectional and longitudinal findings. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 34, 493–505. doi:10.1007/s10964-005-7266-8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dworkin, J. B., Larson, R., & Hansen, D. (2003). Adolescents’ accounts of growth experiences in youth activities. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 32, 17–26. doi:10.1023/A:1021076222321.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eccles, J. S., & Barber, B. L. (1999). Student council, volunteering, basketball, or marching band: What kind of extracurricular involvement matters? Journal of Adolescent Research, 14, 10–43. doi:10.1177/0743558499141003.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eccles, J. S., Barber, B. L., Stone, M., & Hunt, J. (2003). Extracurricular activities and adolescent development. The Journal of Social Issues, 59, 865–889. doi:10.1046/j.0022-4537.2003.00095.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Entwisle, D. R., & Astone, N. M. (1994). Some practical guidelines for measuring youth’s race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status. Child Development, 65, 1521–1540. doi:10.2307/1131278.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fletcher, A. C., Nickerson, P., & Wright, K. L. (2003). Structured leisure activities in middle childhood: Links to well-being. Journal of Community Psychology, 31, 641–659. doi:10.1002/jcop.10075.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fredricks, J. A., & Eccles, J. S. (2006a). Extracurricular involvement and adolescent adjustment: Impact of duration, number of activities, and breadth of participation. Applied Developmental Science, 10, 132–146. doi:10.1207/s1532480xads1003_3.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fredricks, J. A., & Eccles, J. S. (2006b). Is extracurricular participation associated with beneficial outcomes? Concurrent and longitudinal relations. Developmental Psychology, 42, 698–713. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.42.4.698.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Garber, J. (1984). The developmental progression of depression in female children. In D. Cicchetti & K. Schneider-Rosen (Eds.), New directions for child development (pp. 25–58). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Garber, J., Keiley, M. K., & Martin, N. C. (2002). Developmental trajectories of adolescents’ depressive symptoms: Predictors of change. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 70, 79–95. doi:10.1037/0022-006X.70.1.79.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hanish, L. D., & Guerra, N. G. (2000). Predictors of peer victimization among urban youth. Social Development, 9, 521–543. doi:10.1111/1467-9507.00141.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hintze, J. (2006). NCSS, PASS, and GESS: Statistical and power analysis software. Kayesville, UT: Number Cruncher Statistical Systems.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holmbeck, G. N. (2002). Post-hoc probing of significant moderational and mediational effects in studies of pediatric populations. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 27, 87–96. doi:10.1093/jpepsy/27.1.87.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Horowitz, J. L., & Garber, J. (2006). The prevention of depressive symptoms in children and adolescents: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 74, 401–415. doi:10.1037/0022-006X.74.3.401.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jacobs, J. E., Vernon, M. K., & Eccles, J. (2005). Activity choices in middle childhood: The roles of gender, self-beliefs, and parents’ influence. In J. L. Mahoney & R. W. Larson (Eds.), Organized activities as contexts of development: Extracurricular activities, after-school and community programs (pp. 235–254). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kao, G., Tienda, M., & Schneider, B. (1996). Racial and ethnic variation in academic performance. In A. M. Pallas (Ed.), Research in sociology of education and socialization (pp. 263–297). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kinney, D. A. (1993). From nerds to normals: The recovery of identity among adolescents from middle school to high school. Sociology of Education, 66, 21–40. doi:10.2307/2112783.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kovacs, M. (1981). Rating scales to assess depression in school-aged children. Acta Paedopsychiatrica, 46, 305–315.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Larson, R. W., Hansen, D. M., & Moneta, G. (2006). Differing profiles of developmental experiences across types of organized youth activities. Developmental Psychology, 42, 849–863. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.42.5.849.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lerner, R. M., Freund, A. M., De Stefanis, I., & Habermas, T. H. (2001). Understanding developmental regulation in adolescence: The use of the selection, optimization, and compensation model. Human Development, 44, 29–50. doi:10.1159/000057039.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luthar, S. S., & Becker, B. E. (2002). Privileged but pressured? A study of affluent youth. Child Development, 73, 1593–1610. doi:10.1111/1467-8624.00492.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Luthar, S. S., Shoum, K. A., & Brown, P. J. (2006). Extracurricular involvement among affluent youth: A scapegoat for “ubiquitous achievement pressures”? Developmental Psychology, 42, 583–597. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.42.3.583.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mahon, N. E., Yarcheski, A., Yarcheski, T. J., Cannella, B. L., & Hanks, M. M. (2006). A meta-analytic study of predictors for loneliness during adolescence. Nursing Research, 55, 308–315. doi:10.1097/00006199-200609000-00003.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mahoney, J. L. (2000). School extracurricular activity participation as a moderator in the development of antisocial patterns. Child Development, 71, 502–516. doi:10.1111/1467-8624.00160.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mahoney, J. L., Cairns, B. D., & Farmer, T. W. (2003). Promoting interpersonal competence and educational success through extracurricular activity participation. Journal of Educational Psychology, 95, 409–418. doi:10.1037/0022-0663.95.2.409.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mahoney, J. L., Harris, A. L., & Eccles, J. S. (2006). Organized activity participation, positive youth development, and the over-scheduling hypothesis (Social Policy Report No. 4). Ann Arbor, MI: Society for Research in Child Development.

  • Mahoney, J. L., Larson, R. W., Eccles, J. S., & Lord, H. (2005). Organized activities as developmental contexts for children and adolescents. In J. L. Mahoney, R. W. Larson, & J. S. Eccles (Eds.), Organized activities as contexts of development: Extracurricular activities, after-school and community programs (pp. 3–22). Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mahoney, J. L., Schweder, A. E., & Stattin, H. (2002). Structured after-school activities as a moderator of depressed mood for adolescents with detached relations to their parents. Journal of Community Psychology, 30, 69–86. doi:10.1002/jcop.1051.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Markstrom, C. A., Li, X., Blackshire, S. L., & Wilfong, J. J. (2005). Ego strength development of adolescents involved in adult-sponsored structured activities. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 34, 85–95. doi:10.1007/s10964-005-3208-8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marsh, H. W. (1992). Extracurricular activities: Beneficial extension of the traditional curriculum or subversion of academic goals? Journal of Educational Psychology, 84, 553–562. doi:10.1037/0022-0663.84.4.553.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marsh, H. W., & Kleitman, S. (2002). Extracurricular school activities: The good, the bad, and the nonlinear. Educational Review, 72, 464–514.

    Google Scholar 

  • McHale, S. M., Crouter, A. C., & Tucker, C. J. (2001). Free-time activities in middle childhood: Links with adjustment in early adolescence. Child Development, 72, 1764–1778. doi:10.1111/1467-8624.00377.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pedersen, S., & Seidman, E. (2005). Contexts and correlates of out-of-school activity participation among low-income urban adolescents. In J. L. Mahoney, R. Larson, & J. S. Eccles (Eds.), Organized activities as contexts of development: Extracurricular activities, after-school and community programs (pp. 85–109). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erbaum Associates Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peng, S. S., & Wright, D. (1994). Explanation of academic achievement of Asian American students. The Journal of Educational Research, 87, 346–352.

    Google Scholar 

  • Posner, J. K., & Vandell, D. L. (1999). After-school activities and the development of low-income urban children: A longitudinal study. Developmental Psychology, 35, 868–879. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.35.3.868.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Powell, D. R., Peet, S. H., & Peet, C. E. (2002). Low-income children’s academic achievement and participation in out-of-school activities in 1st grade. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 16, 202–211.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prinstein, M. J., Boergers, J., & Vernberg, E. M. (2001). Overt and relational aggression in adolescents: Social-psychological adjustment of aggressors and victims. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 30, 479–491. doi:10.1207/S15374424JCCP3004_05.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rose-Krasnor, L., Busseri, M. A., Willoughby, T., & Chalmers, H. (2006). Breadth and intensity of youth activity involvement as contexts for positive development. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 35, 385–399. doi:10.1007/s10964-006-9037-6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sandstrom, M. J., & Coie, J. D. (1999). A developmental perspective on peer rejection: Mechanisms of stability and change. Child Development, 70, 955–966. doi:10.1111/1467-8624.00069.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Saylor, C. F., Finch, A. J., Spirito, A., & Bennet, B. (1984). The children’s depression inventory: A systematic evaluation of psychometric properties. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 52, 955–967. doi:10.1037/0022-006X.52.6.955.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz, D., Gorman, A. H., Nakamoto, J., & McKay, T. (2006). Popularity, social acceptance, and aggression in adolescent peer groups: Links with academic performance and school attendance. Developmental Psychology, 42, 1116–1127. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.42.6.1116.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Simpkins, S. D., Fredricks, J. A., Davis-Kean, P. E., & Eccles, J. S. (2006). Healthy mind, healthy habits: The influence of activity involvement in middle childhood. In A. C. Huston & M. N. Ripke (Eds.), Developmental contexts in middle childhood: Bridges to adolescence and adulthood (pp. 283–302). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Storch, E. A., & Ledley, D. (2005). Peer victimization and psychosocial adjustment in children: Current knowledge and future directions. Clinical Pediatrics, 44, 29–38. doi:10.1177/000992280504400103.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Strauss, R. S., & Pollack, H. A. (2003). Social marginalization of overweight children. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 157, 746–752. doi:10.1001/archpedi.157.8.746.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Youniss, J., McLellan, J. A., Su, Y., & Yates, M. (1999). The role of community service in identity development: Normative, unconventional, and deviant orientations. Journal of Adolescent Research, 14, 248–261. doi:10.1177/0743558499142006.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zaff, J. F., Moore, K. A., Papillo, A. R., & Williams, S. (2003). Implication of extracurricular activity participation during adolescence on positive outcomes. Journal of Adolescent Research, 18, 599–630. doi:10.1177/0743558403254779.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

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

    Edin T. Randall & Amy M. Bohnert

Authors
  1. Edin T. Randall
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Amy M. Bohnert
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Edin T. Randall.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Randall, E.T., Bohnert, A.M. Organized Activity Involvement, Depressive Symptoms, and Social Adjustment in Adolescents: Ethnicity and Socioeconomic Status as Moderators. J Youth Adolescence 38, 1187–1198 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-009-9417-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-009-9417-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation