| The purpose of this study was to advance understanding of the relationship between news media use and civic engagement among adolescents. The study explored how interpersonal communication with parents and friends influenced the link between news media use and civic engagement. Structural equation modeling was used to evaluate cross-lagged panel models that tested the hypothesis that news media use was predictive of civic engagement (civic duty, civic efficacy, neighborhood social connection, and civic participation) for youth in Grades 8, 9, and 10, via the mediation of interpersonal communication about politics with parents and friends, respectively. The proposed measurement and panel (autoregressive paths) models demonstrated an appropriate fit to the data, establishing adequacy and consistency of measurement, as well as stability of the latent constructs across Grades 8, 9, and 10; however, in general, the proposed cross-wave structural paths related to the mediation hypothesis were not statistically significant. The results, role of media use and interpersonal communication in promoting civic engagement, and implications for future research and policy were discussed. |
