Article Version of Record

Longitudinal associations between humor styles and psychosocial adjustment in adolescence

Author(s) / Creator(s)

Fox, Claire Louise
Hunter, Simon Christopher
Jones, Siân Emily

Abstract / Description

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.

Keyword(s)

humor psychosocial adjustment depression loneliness self-esteem adolescence

Persistent Identifier

Date of first publication

2016-08-19

Journal title

Europe's Journal of Psychology

Volume

12

Issue

3

Page numbers

377–389

Publisher

PsychOpen GOLD

Publication status

publishedVersion

Review status

peerReviewed

Is version of

Citation

Fox, C. L., Hunter, S. C., & Jones, S. E. (2016). Longitudinal associations between humor styles and psychosocial adjustment in adolescence. Europe's Journal of Psychology, 12(3), 377–389. https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.v12i3.1065
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Fox, Claire Louise
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Hunter, Simon Christopher
  • Author(s) / Creator(s)
    Jones, Siân Emily
  • PsychArchives acquisition timestamp
    2018-11-21T09:59:43Z
  • Made available on
    2018-11-21T09:59:43Z
  • Date of first publication
    2016-08-19
  • Abstract / Description
    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.
    en_US
  • Publication status
    publishedVersion
  • Review status
    peerReviewed
  • Citation
    Fox, C. L., Hunter, S. C., & Jones, S. E. (2016). Longitudinal associations between humor styles and psychosocial adjustment in adolescence. Europe's Journal of Psychology, 12(3), 377–389. https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.v12i3.1065
  • ISSN
    1841-0413
  • Persistent Identifier
    https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12034/1007
  • Persistent Identifier
    https://doi.org/10.23668/psycharchives.1199
  • Language of content
    eng
  • Publisher
    PsychOpen GOLD
  • Is version of
    https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.v12i3.1065
  • Keyword(s)
    humor
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    psychosocial adjustment
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    depression
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    loneliness
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    self-esteem
    en_US
  • Keyword(s)
    adolescence
    en_US
  • Dewey Decimal Classification number(s)
    150
  • Title
    Longitudinal associations between humor styles and psychosocial adjustment in adolescence
    en_US
  • DRO type
    article
  • Issue
    3
  • Journal title
    Europe's Journal of Psychology
  • Page numbers
    377–389
  • Volume
    12
  • Visible tag(s)
    Version of Record