Calvert Tisdale, N. Snowdon, J. Allan, L. Hides, Philip Lee Williams, Dominique de Andrade
{"title":"Youth Mental Health Peer Support Work: A Qualitative Study Exploring the Impacts and Challenges of Operating in a Peer Support Role","authors":"Calvert Tisdale, N. Snowdon, J. Allan, L. Hides, Philip Lee Williams, Dominique de Andrade","doi":"10.3390/adolescents1040030","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/adolescents1040030","url":null,"abstract":"Youth aged 16–24 years have the highest prevalence of mental illness in Australia, accounting for 26% of all mental illness. Youth mental health peer support work is a promising avenue of support for this population. However, limited research has examined impacts on those who provide youth mental health peer support work. We aimed to identify the benefits and challenges of working in a youth mental health peer support role. Semi-structured qualitative interviews with seven purposefully sampled peer workers from a national youth mental health organisation in Australia were conducted. The interviews were thematically analysed. Six key themes were identified: (1) personal growth, (2) interpersonal factors, (3) organisational factors, (4) boundaries, (5) role acknowledgement, and (6) challenging situations. Key supportive factors included financial reimbursement, training, support, and role-related flexibility. Identified challenges included lack of role acknowledgement, role-related stress, and boundaries. Operating within a youth mental health peer support role is perceived to have positive impacts on personal growth and interpersonal factors, enhanced through financial reimbursement, supervision, and role-related flexibility. Perspectives on the most effective form of role boundaries were diverse however their importance in addressing challenges was emphasised.","PeriodicalId":72070,"journal":{"name":"Adolescents (Basel, Switzerland)","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43651392","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Examining the Role of Social Support for Adolescents from Low Socioeconomic Backgrounds in a College Access Program","authors":"Adrian Gale","doi":"10.3390/adolescents1040029","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/adolescents1040029","url":null,"abstract":"Prior research has shown that college access programs help to increase college-going for youth from lower-income backgrounds. In addition to increasing college access, these programs also provide social support to youth and impact their academic and non-academic outcomes. Guided by risk and resilience frameworks, the present study examined social support from the college access program as a promotive factor for adolescents from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. The results indicated that social support was positively associated with personal resources, future college-going, and confidence in academic abilities. Overall, the current findings affirm the importance of investigating social support for adolescents from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. These findings also have implications for future research related to social support from college access programs.","PeriodicalId":72070,"journal":{"name":"Adolescents (Basel, Switzerland)","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-09-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48377308","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Leena Paakkari, Didier Jourdan, Jo Inchley, Minna Torppa
{"title":"The Impact of School Closure on Adolescents' Wellbeing, and Steps towards to a New Normal: The Need for an Assessment Tool Update?","authors":"Leena Paakkari, Didier Jourdan, Jo Inchley, Minna Torppa","doi":"10.3390/adolescents1030027","DOIUrl":"10.3390/adolescents1030027","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Close to 200 countries have implemented school closures to decrease the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. Though the closures have seemed necessary, their effects on the wellbeing of children and adolescents have raised serious concerns. To truly understand the impact of such disruption on young people's wellbeing, and their views on how to move towards a new normal, we must adopt different approaches to gather the data to secure children's and adolescents' rights to be heard in the issues that concern their lives. Current ways to examine the impacts of school closure have been dominated by gathering information concerning the children and adolescents, using mainly existing wellbeing indicators and related questionnaire surveys. Although such sources of information are important, they provide limited understanding of how children and adolescents have experienced school closures, especially if they have been produced using measures developed purely by adults. There is a need for information produced by children and adolescents themselves, which may require going beyond existing and pre-COVID theoretical wellbeing frameworks. By capturing information produced by children and adolescents, we can more effectively guide the development and evaluation of public health policies and identify solutions to mitigate the negative impacts of school closure, or to acknowledge the possible positive effects, and respond accordingly.</p>","PeriodicalId":72070,"journal":{"name":"Adolescents (Basel, Switzerland)","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-09-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7614031/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9072154","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"“Diabetes Makes You Feel Lonely When You’re the Only One”: A Qualitative Study of Identity Development among Young People Living at a Residential Care Facility for People with Diabetes","authors":"D. Grabowski, L. N. Jespersen, L. Johansen","doi":"10.3390/adolescents1030026","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/adolescents1030026","url":null,"abstract":"Young people with poorly regulated diabetes often experience recurrent hospitalization, behavioral problems, higher incidence of psychiatric disorders, as well as family dysfunction. It is crucial that young people with diabetes learn to manage their diabetes effectively. Some young people with diabetes cannot manage their diabetes at home and have to live at a residential care unit for young people with diabetes. In this study we highlight the identity development of these young people. The data consist of semi-structured interviews with current and former residents of a care facility for young people with diabetes. The analysis revealed three themes: (1) the young people report a high level of personal growth and maturity after moving to the care home; (2) the importance of identifying with others and how forming relations plays a significant role in the young people’s personal development; and (3) the young people have a constant fear of being different. Being able to define and shape one’s identity against a background that includes a meaningful perception of diabetes is key to understanding why life at the care home is so identity-changing for the young residents.","PeriodicalId":72070,"journal":{"name":"Adolescents (Basel, Switzerland)","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49318517","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
M. Ahmed, F. Yunus, M. B. Hossain, K. Sarker, Safayet Khan
{"title":"Association between Menstrual Hygiene Management and School Performance among the School-Going Girls in Rural Bangladesh","authors":"M. Ahmed, F. Yunus, M. B. Hossain, K. Sarker, Safayet Khan","doi":"10.3390/adolescents1030025","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/adolescents1030025","url":null,"abstract":"Background: This study investigated the relationship between menstrual hygiene practices and academic performance among rural Bangladeshi adolescent girls. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out among the 499 secondary-school-going adolescent girls in grades 7–10 (aged 11–17 years, mean ± SD = 14.04 ± 1.11 years) attending either public or private institutions in rural Bangladesh. Menstruation hygiene management (MHM) was defined based on three indicators such as (i) change materials (pads/cloths) less than every 6 h, (ii) hand washing practice with soap before and after changing pads/cloths, or not washing the external genitalia at least once per day, and (iii) using a sanitary pad or drying of re-usable cloths under direct sunlight. The MHM was categorized as poor (if not practicing or practicing only one issue), average (if practicing only two issues), or good (if practicing all of the issues). School performance was determined by the total marks obtained in their last final examination (<60% marks defined as low performance and ≥60% marks defined as good performance). Binary logistics regression models were developed at the <0.05 significance level. Results: The mean age of the participants was 12 years, where 83% reported a regular menstrual cycle pattern. Overall, prevalence of practicing poor, average, and good MHM were found to be 28.46%, 55.71%, and 15.83%, respectively. About 52% of girls reported using sanitary napkins (manufactured disposable pads), 43.4% reported using pieces of reusable cloths per occasion (multiple uses), and almost all (96.29%) reported using detergents to clean multiple-use cloths. We found 2.9 times (AOR: 2.90, 95% CI: 1.61–5.24) and 5.7 times (AOR: 5.65, 95% CI: 2.72–11.71) higher odds to achieve good academic performance among those who practiced ‘average’ and ‘good’ MHM after adjusting age, education, paternal education, occupation, maternal education, household wealth status, and respondent’s knowledge of menstruation. Conclusions: Results suggested that girls’ school academic performance can be improved by practicing good menstrual hygiene practices. School-based menstrual hygiene management education could be useful.","PeriodicalId":72070,"journal":{"name":"Adolescents (Basel, Switzerland)","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43462318","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
M. Skye, Thomasin T. H. McCoy, Allyson Kelley, Michelle Singer, S. Rushing, C. Donald, Kavita Rajani, Brittany L Morgan, Tosha Zaback, W. Lambert
{"title":"Effectiveness of Native STAND: A Five-Year Study of a Culturally Relevant Sexual Health Intervention","authors":"M. Skye, Thomasin T. H. McCoy, Allyson Kelley, Michelle Singer, S. Rushing, C. Donald, Kavita Rajani, Brittany L Morgan, Tosha Zaback, W. Lambert","doi":"10.3390/adolescents1030024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/adolescents1030024","url":null,"abstract":"Culturally relevant interventions have the potential to improve adolescent health and protective factors associated with sexual risk taking. We evaluated the impact of the Native STAND curriculum with American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN or Native) high school students living across the U.S. using a pre-post evaluation design. Native STAND is a comprehensive sexual health curriculum for Native high school students that focuses on sexually transmitted infections, HIV/AIDS, and teen pregnancy prevention, while also covering drug and alcohol use, suicide, and dating violence. The curriculum was implemented in 48 AI/AN communities from 2014 to 2019. A significantly higher percentage of youth reported at post-test having a serious conversation about sex with their friends (post 36% vs. pre 28%, p < 0.001), thinking about lessons learned (post 24% vs. pre 7%, p < 0.0001), and sharing lessons learned during the conversation (post 21% vs. pre 4%, p < 0.001). A lower percentage of AI/AN youth reported being bullied in the last year (post 31% vs. pre 37%, p < 0.001). Family social support was moderated by dose, with subscale scores of 3.75 at post-with <27 sessions vs. 3.96 at post-with all 27 sessions (p = 0.02). The results demonstrate the effectiveness of Native STAND when delivered in a variety of settings. Efforts are now underway to update Native STAND for medical accuracy, improve alignment with typical class periods, and promote its use and an effective EBI for AI/AN youth.","PeriodicalId":72070,"journal":{"name":"Adolescents (Basel, Switzerland)","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.3390/adolescents1030024","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47909317","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jon Edmund Bollom, A. Baldé, Z. Jandi, H. Boiro, J. Einarsdóttir, G. Gunnlaugsson
{"title":"Social Determinants of Narcotics Use Susceptibility among School-Attending Adolescents in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau: A Cross-Sectional Analysis","authors":"Jon Edmund Bollom, A. Baldé, Z. Jandi, H. Boiro, J. Einarsdóttir, G. Gunnlaugsson","doi":"10.3390/adolescents1030023","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/adolescents1030023","url":null,"abstract":"Balanced medical and criminal justice approaches addressing determinants of alcohol and other drugs (AOD) use are central to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 3 and 16. However, data on AOD use in resource-poor settings are characterised by relative paucity and anecdote. This study aimed to describe and analyse AOD use susceptibility and its determinants among school-attending adolescents in the capital Bissau, Guinea-Bissau. Survey data were collected through a locally adapted Planet Youth questionnaire in June 2017 across 16 schools in Bissau. The 2039-strong sample was selected through a multi-stage, random cluster process. Participants’ lifetime alcohol use was 27.3%, smoking 10.8%, and cannabis use 3.6%. In each instance, the ‘15 years and above’ age bracket was the most common initiation period, signifying increased instigation in later adolescence. Subsequent Varimax Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of 312 variables captured data-driven models of AOD use susceptibility, implying imitated, polydrug use among initiates. Linear regression analysis revealed drinking, group violence, male gender, school dismissal and relationship breakdown as explanatory variables. Overlapping predictive variables suggest singular interventions may pre-empt myriad antisocial behaviours. PCA offers alternatives to singular, potentially myopic quantifications of drug use. PCA facilitates the creation of context-sensitive composite variables, enabling the identification of related outcome behaviours relevant to studies’ sociocultural settings.","PeriodicalId":72070,"journal":{"name":"Adolescents (Basel, Switzerland)","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42522828","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Siblings as a Context for Positive Development: Closeness, Communication, and Well-Being","authors":"Samantha LeBouef, J. Dworkin","doi":"10.3390/ADOLESCENTS1030021","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/ADOLESCENTS1030021","url":null,"abstract":"To address a gap in the literature we examined sibling relationships as a context for positive development. Specifically, the relationships between individual well-being, sibling closeness, and frequency of sibling communication were explored. The goal of this study was to determine whether individual well-being moderated the relationship between frequency of sibling communication and perceived sibling closeness. Participants included a subsample (n = 236) of youth from a larger study who reported having at least one sibling. Data were collected through Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that associations between frequency of sibling communication and sibling closeness were statistically significant, sibling communication and closeness were highly correlated, regardless of individual differences. Neither emotional, psychological, nor social well-being moderated the relationship between frequency of sibling communication and sibling closeness. Limitations and future directions are considered.","PeriodicalId":72070,"journal":{"name":"Adolescents (Basel, Switzerland)","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-07-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.3390/ADOLESCENTS1030021","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44515932","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
E. Thorsteinsson, Andrea Hjálmsdóttir, Thoroddur Bjarnason
{"title":"Perceptions of Gender Equality among Icelandic Year 10 Adolescents: Population Studies 1992, 2006, and 2014","authors":"E. Thorsteinsson, Andrea Hjálmsdóttir, Thoroddur Bjarnason","doi":"10.3390/ADOLESCENTS1030022","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/ADOLESCENTS1030022","url":null,"abstract":"The aim of this research is to outline, for the first time, the changes in attitudes towards gender equality among 10th graders in Iceland based on data obtained from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) in 1992, 2006, and 2014. The sampling proportions were high (85.1% in 1992, 43.2% in 2006, and 77.9% in 2014), thereby reflecting parameters (population values) rather than statistics (sample values). Boys and girls are viewing gender roles as being more equal with time, while, concurrently, girls tend to have more gender-equal attitudes than boys. The present paper provides an unparalleled examination of changes in attitudes towards gender equality. After a backlash in adolescents’ attitudes, revealed in the 2006 study, there are positive signs of more gender-equal attitudes in the 2014 results.","PeriodicalId":72070,"journal":{"name":"Adolescents (Basel, Switzerland)","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-07-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.3390/ADOLESCENTS1030022","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49146720","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
G. Harper, Katherine A. Lewis, Gabriella A Norwitz, Elijah Ochieng Odhiambo, Laura Jadwin-Cakmak, Felix Okutah, Kendall Lauber, Teddy Aloo, Ben Collins, E. Gumbe, K. Amico, Kennedy Olango, W. Odero, S. Graham
{"title":"“God Didn’t Make a Mistake in Creating Me”: Intrapersonal Resilience Processes among Gay and Bisexual Male Youth in Kenya","authors":"G. Harper, Katherine A. Lewis, Gabriella A Norwitz, Elijah Ochieng Odhiambo, Laura Jadwin-Cakmak, Felix Okutah, Kendall Lauber, Teddy Aloo, Ben Collins, E. Gumbe, K. Amico, Kennedy Olango, W. Odero, S. Graham","doi":"10.3390/adolescents1030020","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/adolescents1030020","url":null,"abstract":"Gay and bisexual male youth in Kenya experience human rights violations, including pervasive stigma and discrimination, and these oppressive forces are associated with elevated rates of mental health concerns. Despite these challenges, many gay and bisexual male youth in Kenya are thriving during this critical developmental period. This study explored intrapersonal processes that gay and bisexual male youth in Kisumu, Kenya, highlight as important to developing, and demonstrating resilience in the face of adversity. We conducted qualitative in-depth interviews (IDIs) with 40 gay and bisexual male youth, ages 20–30 (mean = 26.4), and an additional 20 IDIs with gay and bisexual men, ages 22–45 (mean = 26.6), who were working as peer educators (total n = 60), all in Kisumu, Kenya. A total of nine primary themes emerged which describe various intrapersonal resilience processes enacted by gay and bisexual male youth, including sexual identity acceptance, self-confidence, self-love, religious/spiritual affirmation, adaptive coping, successful navigation, legal rights awareness, economic stability, and advocacy satisfaction. These data demonstrate the range of positive personal processes that promote mental health and wellbeing among gay and bisexual male youth in Kenya. We discuss implications of these findings for community-based interventions, and call for a research paradigm shift away from deficits and toward resilience.","PeriodicalId":72070,"journal":{"name":"Adolescents (Basel, Switzerland)","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"84034864","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}