The LGCM estimated a mean suppression score of 3.11 at Year 3 (SE = 0.021, p < .001) and a gradual increase of 0.11 points per year (SE = 0.007, p < .001). Intercept and slope variances (0.322 and 0.046, both p < .001) were sizable, confirming that youth differed widely in both starting levels and subsequent change. The negative interceptโslope covariance (โ0.039, p < .001) indicates a leveling effect: adolescents who began with higher suppression tended to grow more slowly, whereas those starting low often caught up.
Model fit was generally solid (CFI = 0.949, TLI = 0.938, SRMR = 0.045), though the RMSEA of 0.092 hints at minor misfit that could reflect omitted time-specific covariances. Cluster-robust standard errors were computed for both sites and families; adding the family level barely shifted estimates, suggesting that most dependency operates at the site level, but the dual adjustment still guards against underestimated SEs. Finally, residual variances shrank from 0.439 at Year 3 to 0.292 at Year 6, implying that suppression measurements became more stable as participants aged.