Adolescent Research Review最新文献

A growing number of evidence-based interventions have offered treatment for adults with Borderline Personality Disorder. Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Mentalization Based Therapy are both evidence-based treatments initially developed for chronically suicidal adults and have been adapted for adolescents relatively recently. There is increasing interest in treatment for Borderline Personality Disorder traits for adolescents using these two therapies. This article provides the results of a review of treatment outcomes for Dialectical Behavior Therapy versus Mentalization Based Therapy for adolescents. These interventions target Borderline Personality Disorder symptoms, self-harm and suicidal behavior. Adolescents with Borderline Personality traits are at considerable risk for suicide or long-term negative adult psychosocial outcomes. In order to assist clinicians and service providers in choosing the most appropriate treatment, six main electronic databases were searched from inception to April 11, 2019, to identify relevant studies. Twenty-five studies were included in this review; twenty-one on Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Adolescents and four concerning Mentalization Based Therapy for Adolescents. Significant improvements in suicidal ideation, suicidal attempts, self-harm (with or without suicidal intention), Borderline Personality Disorder symptoms, depressive symptoms, trauma, behavior problems and general functioning were reported for both interventions. In addition to outcome comparisons, this review contrasts the theoretical background and implementation issues of these two important psychological treatments for adolescents with Borderline Personality Disorder symptoms.

Adolescence is a developmentally sensitive period for emotion regulation with potentially lifelong implications for mental health and well-being. Although substantial empirical research has addressed this topic, the literature is fragmented across subdisciplines, and an overarching theoretical framework is lacking. The first step toward constructing a unifying framework is identifying relevant phenomena. This systematic review of 6305 articles used text mining to identify phenomena relevant to adolescents’ emotion regulation. First, a baseline was established of relevant phenomena discussed in theory and recent narrative reviews. Then, article keywords and abstracts were analyzed using text mining, examining term frequency as an indicator of relevance and term co-occurrence as an indicator of association. The results reflected themes commonly featured in theory and narrative reviews, such as socialization and neurocognitive development, but also identified undertheorized themes, such as developmental disorders, physical health, external stressors, structural disadvantage, substance use, identity and moral development, and sexual development. The findings illustrate how text mining systematic reviews, a novel approach, may complement narrative reviews. Future theoretical work might integrate these undertheorized themes into an overarching framework, and empirical research might consider them as promising areas for future research, or as potential confounders in research on adolescents’ emotion regulation.

Adolescents’ brains undergo development that enables and is enabled by emerging capacities for transcendent thoughts and emotions. These newly emerging psychological capacities form the basis for age-appropriate spiritual development because they push youth to move beyond considering only concrete actions and perceptions to deal with the values and broader meaning that social situations invoke. The current article reviews evidence for brain development relevant to transcendent thought, and argues that the neural underpinnings of these capacities present a useful starting point for studying the possible neural basis of adolescent spiritual development. Reviewing evidence that adolescents grow their brains and selves by actively making meaning in and through supportive social relationships and deeper reflections, the article posits that developmentally appropriate spiritual thinking may also grow the adolescent brain. Situating spirituality at the intersection of biological and psychological homeostasis, the article argues for the interest and benefits of launching a theoretically grounded interdisciplinary research program investigating the neuropsychological basis of adolescent spirituality.

This article presents an overview of how sociologists study the religious and spiritual development of adolescents, focusing on approaches to data collection, conceptualization of measures, and theoretical framing. With regard to data collection, producing context-rich information from a number of sources, including surveys, interviews, and ethnographies, is foundational for research that aims to present a holistic picture of adolescent spirituality. Having strong concepts and measures is also inherent to recognizing the multifaceted nature of religion and spirituality. With a number of concepts and measures available, sophisticated measurement approaches – such as multidimensional or configurational models – can be employed that capture the range of diversity in how adolescents engage with religion and spirituality. Finally, context-rich data and nuanced measurement tools allow for precise theorizing about the specific factors that influence religious and spiritual development. In this regard, the theoretical contributions of a life course perspective have offered strong support that (1) adolescence is a sensitive time period for development, (2) adolescents’ lives are shaped by links to influential others and social institutions, (3) social locations create diversity in religious and spiritual outcomes, (4) adolescents exercise agency in their spiritual lives, and (5) the context of adolescent spiritual development is bounded by historical time and place.

Psychiatric problems are an increasing concern for youth in the United States, with these concerns targeted by school-based social-emotional learning programs. One intervention that may address these concerns is Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills groups, an evidence-based treatment that may remediate youth psychiatric problems. Adapting DBT skills groups for schools and colleges may increase the accessibility of mental health interventions for youth. In this systematic review, seven studies were examined to determine the effectiveness and acceptability of standalone DBT skills groups as a school-based treatment for psychiatric problems. Preliminary effectiveness for school-based DBT skills groups in reducing psychiatric problems in youth (e.g., aggression, depression) was found in four college studies and in two primary/secondary school studies. Four studies reported preliminary acceptability for the intervention. Numerous methodological shortcomings (e.g., lack of fidelity to DBT protocols and blinded outcome measures) should be addressed with future research. Consistent effectiveness was found in college samples, but the lack of generalizable samples and mixed results precludes a strong statement about the effectiveness of DBT skills groups in primary/secondary schools. Nevertheless, this intervention shows some promise in remediating psychiatric problems in youth. More research should be conducted to elucidate the effectiveness and acceptability of this intervention.

Latinx children and adolescents are uniquely positioned within the U.S. context, historically experiencing both systemic and institutional failings. Mentoring relationships plays a protective role in healthy youth development and may alleviate some of the deficit narrative often placed upon Latinx youth. To better understand these potential benefits, this systematic review examined the current literature on the role of mentoring (i.e., both natural and formal mentoring) in a variety of developmental outcomes of Latinx children and adolescents in the U.S., ranging from kindergarten-age to under 18 years old. The 24 included studies had mixed results, yet findings pointed to a range of potential benefits for this population, such as improved academic and psychosocial outcomes, language and ethnic identity. Various components of mentoring—including mentor characteristics, relationship characteristics, and family involvement in mentoring programs—were also found to be related to Latinx youth’s improved developmental outcomes. However, methodological concerns in study designs limit what can be gleaned from these conclusions. Recommendations for future directions for research and intervention are provided.

Qualitative research into adolescents’ experiences of social media use and well-being has the potential to offer rich, nuanced insights, but has yet to be systematically reviewed. The current systematic review identified 19 qualitative studies in which adolescents shared their views and experiences of social media and well-being. A critical appraisal showed that overall study quality was considered relatively high and represented geographically diverse voices across a broad adolescent age range. A thematic meta-synthesis revealed four themes relating to well-being: connections, identity, learning, and emotions. These findings demonstrated the numerous sources of pressures and concerns that adolescents experience, providing important contextual information. The themes appeared related to key developmental processes, namely attachment, identity, attention, and emotional regulation, that provided theoretical links between social media use and well-being. Taken together, the findings suggest that well-being and social media are related by a multifaceted interplay of factors. Suggestions are made that may enhance future research and inform developmentally appropriate social media guidance.

Scholars have begun to use maturation as a framework for understanding why crime declines (e.g., desistance) after adolescence, but have largely not used the concept to understand antisocial behavior over the entire life-course. The Integrated Maturation Theory (IMT) brings this work together to demonstrate that as individuals develop into adulthood, they become less likely to engage in crime due to environmental and individual factors. This article demonstrates how IMT is also useful in explaining antisocial behavior in childhood and adolescence. Utilizing the five domains of maturation within IMT (social role, civic, psychosocial, identity, and neurocognitive), the analysis shows how this perspective helps organize information on why individuals engage in crime and delinquency early in the life course in a more holistic manner, transforming the theory from a desistance from crime to a life-course perspective. As such, the theory helps organize information about risk factors for delinquency and crime throughout life, with clear implications for crime prevention and intervention.