title: Longitudinal Associations Between Humor Styles and Psychosocial Adjustment in Adolescence.
abstract: This study assessed the concurrent and prospective associations between psychosocial adjustment and four humor styles, two of which are adaptive (affiliative, self-enhancing) and two maladaptive (aggressive, self-defeating). Participants were 1,234 adolescents (52% female) aged 11-13 years, drawn from six secondary schools in England. Self-reports of psychosocial adjustment (loneliness, depressive symptomatology, and self-esteem) and humor styles were collected at two time points (fall and summer). In cross-lagged panel analyses, self-defeating humor was associated with an increase in both depressive symptoms and loneliness, and with a decrease in self-esteem. In addition, depressive symptoms predicted an increase in the use of self-defeating humor over time, indicating that these may represent a problematic spiral of thoughts and behaviors. Self-esteem was associated with an increase in the use of affiliative humor over the school year but not vice-versa. These results inform our understanding of the ways in which humor is associated with psychosocial adjustment in adolescence.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Keele University, Keele, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Claire Louise
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Fox
authors.affiliation: School of Psychological Sciences and Health, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, United Kingdom; University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.
authors.forename: Simon Christopher
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Hunter
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths College, University of London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Siân Emily
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Jones
keywords: adolescence; depression; humor; loneliness; psychosocial adjustment; self-esteem