Journal of Adolescence最新文献

Introduction: Adolescents actively explore future imaginings as they prepare for major educational, work, and personal transitions. Although family members may support exploration of imagined futures, adults outside adolescents' kin network provide access to resources not supplied within the family. The purpose of this study was to understand how adolescents actively draw on social resources of nonfamilial adults relative to their imagined futures.

Methods: Adolescents attending two schools in British Columbia, Canada participated in a year-long study involving at least three face to face sessions and biweekly telephone calls. Participants (N = 13; eight identified as boys, four as girls, one as nonbinary; mean age = 14.92, SD = 1.60) were asked to invite nonfamilial adults from their social network to conversations about the future.

Results: Two youth invited an adult to the research while the majority of participants (n = 11) explicitly changed the protocol by engaging with the researchers rather than bringing nonfamilial adults to the research. The change in the protocol was incorporated into analysis to try to understand participants' engagement in the research. Analysis revealed participants' overall intentions were to engage with adults, using the connections to test and refine imagined futures. Imagined future projects aligned with three clusters: practicing claims, navigating the line in the sand (difficulties crossing into adult realms), and resisting incongruent views of themselves.

Conclusion: Findings illustrate adolescents' intention to alter the study protocol rather than dropping out and how adolescents' engagement with nonfamilial adults supported opportunities to test and refine imagined futures in the service of constructing identities.

Introduction: Existing research indicates high prevalence of emotional problems among adolescents with excessive academic burden, yet the underlying reasons are not well understood. This study aimed to explore loneliness, physical activity, and sleep as potential mediating pathways between academic burden and emotional problems in adolescents.

Methods: A longitudinal cohort study was conducted among middle and high school students in Taizhou City, Zhejiang Province, China, with data collected at three time points. The study included 2965 adolescents, with a mean age of 15.2 years (SD = 1.7), of whom 48.0% were female. Most participants came from families with middle to high economic status (94.8%). Structural equation modeling was employed to analyze the direct associations between academic burden (measured by study time and academic stress) and depressive and anxiety symptoms. Additionally, the indirect associations were explored through three mediators: loneliness, physical activity, and sleep.

Results: Higher academic stress at T1 was directly associated with more severe depressive symptoms at T3. Sleep (indirect effect 0.11, 95% CI 0.09-0.13), loneliness (0.10, 0.08-0.11) and physical activity (0.01, 0.002-0.012) at T2 mediated the relationship, accounting for 31.0%, 26.8%, and 1.8% of the total association of academic stress, respectively. For anxiety symptoms, sleep (0.11, 0.09-0.14) and loneliness (0.07, 0.05-0.08) mediated the association of academic stress with longitudinal mediation effect sizes of 34.1% and 20.6%, respectively. Study time was only associated with the outcomes indirectly via academic stress.

Conclusions: Our results highlight the importance of behavioral and psychosocial differences related to academic burden in understanding the severity of mental health problems in adolescents.

Introduction: Societal stressors place a tremendous burden on individuals who identify with a sexual minority identity. While minority stress experienced by racial/ethnic minority groups has been linked to accelerated aging, this link has yet to be examined among sexual minority youth. This study explores whether sexual minority youth who indicate experiencing stress at home or school (Minority Stress) due to their identity show evidence of accelerated aging (pubertal status or tempo) compared to those who do not report such experiences (No Minority Stress).

Methods: Data are from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. Participants were approximately 9-10 years old at baseline, 10-11 years old at Time 1, and 11-12 years old at Time 2. Measures included child-reports of sexual minority identity and stressors, and parent-reports of adolescent pubertal development.

Results: Among 432 included participants who identified with a sexual minority identity, 83.6% were assigned female at birth and 24.8% were in the Minority Stress group. There were consistent results showing that sexual minority youth in the Minority Stress group showed accelerated pubertal status over time compared to those in the No Minority Stress group. Pubertal tempo (i.e., slope) was only accelerated for those who first identified as sexual minority at Time 2.

Conclusion: Our findings underscore that minority stress experienced by sexual minority youth may be linked to differences in pubertal development among these youth. The developmental and clinical implications of these patterns present critical lines for future research concerned with the wellbeing of sexual minority youth.

Introduction: There is widespread concern that contemporary global issues (e.g., climate change, technology use) are exacerbating a "youth wellbeing crisis." However, we have heard little about this issue from youth themselves. To ascertain whether youth themselves are worried about global issues, their mental health, or other aspects of their life, we asked youth an open-ended question about their current worries. Further, we assessed whether mental health was related to self-generated worries.

Methods: Participants, 516 youth 13-19 years old (M_age = 15.60, SD = 1.65, 48.2% female) from Canada, responded to the question: "What are some of the things you are worried about?" Youth also self-reported on demographics, social anxiety, depressive symptoms, and general worry.

Results: Youth generated a range of worries, with the most common worries being school and their future. Few adolescents directly mentioned the state of the world, covid, or their own mental health. Worries were differentially associated with mental health problems and youth who reported worrying about "everything" or reported many worries had worse mental health compared to peers.

Conclusions: Contemporary issues, that often are cited as a concern, were not a focal point of youth's responses. Asking open-ended questions to youth about their worries may be a way to identify which youth may be experiencing poor mental health.

Introduction: The impact of cyberbullying victimization on youth development, encompassing mental health, academic performance, and socioemotional well-being, has been widely documented. Research highlights the heightened vulnerability of sexual and gender minoritized youth, along with other youth from marginalized groups, to cybervictimization. However, there is a gap in understanding how intersecting marginalized social identities affect experiences of cyberbullying.

Methods: This study employs an intersectionality framework to examine cybervictimization among youth. The sample consists of 444,224 students in grades 9-12 from the 2017-2019 California Healthy Kids Survey. Using exhaustive chi-square automatic interaction detection (ECHAID), the analysis identifies the prevalence of cybervictimization across multiple intersecting social identities, including sex assigned at birth, gender modality (cisgender 97.6%), sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, grade level, and socioeconomic status.

Results: Cybervictimization was reported by 22.7% of youth in the sample. Rates were two to three times higher among youth with multiple marginalized identities. Youth at the intersection of bisexual sexual orientation, transgender gender modality, and racial/ethnic minoritized identities faced a particularly high risk of cybervictimization.

Conclusions: There is an urgent need for future research in cyberbullying and youth development. Such research should focus on identifying and understanding the intersectional nature of discrimination and victimization, both in-person and online, to develop evidence-based prevention programs that effectively address the complexities of minoritized identities and discrimination in the digital world.

Introduction: Initial evidence suggests that engaging with accepting communities on social media such as Instagram may inform sexual minority youths' sense of stigma and well-being. However, as existing research has predominately drawn upon cross-sectional or qualitative designs, it is currently unclear whether the positive experiences identified in previous research accumulate, endure, or evolve over time. We also know relatively little about whether engagement with accepting online communities is primarily a compensatory or enhancing behavior. Thus, drawing upon minority stress theory and broaden-and-build theory, this study explores the longitudinal reciprocal relationships between perceived stigma, well-being, and engagement with accepting Instagram communities.

Method: Three-wave panel data were collected from 460 sexual minority youth in the United States and Poland (M age = 18.58, SD = 1.64), and data were analyzed using a random intercept cross-lagged panel model.

Results: At the between-person level, engagement with accepting Instagram communities was positively associated with perceived stigma and negatively associated with well-being. No significant within-person associations emerged between perceived stigma and engagement with accepting Instagram networks. However, a positive reciprocal relationship was found between well-being and engagement with accepting Instagram communities. Cultural context had no moderating effect on the hypothesized model.

Conclusions: Results suggest that whilst the interrelations between perceived stigma and engaging with accepting online networks may be short-lived, engaging with supportive Instagram communities may contribute to an upward spiral of positive emotions. Findings therefore extend the existing literature regarding the potential benefits of social media use amongst sexual minority youth.

Introduction: Girls in Tanzania often experience menstrual restrictions (i.e., expectations about behaviors prohibited during menstruation) and menstrual stigma (i.e., negative attitudes toward people who menstruate). A better understanding of sociocultural contexts contributing to menstrual stigma and restrictions is needed.

Methods: In 2018, two conceptually linked quantitative and qualitative studies were conducted to describe menstrual restrictions and stigma among girls in Tanzania, examine how sociocultural contexts influence menstrual restrictions and stigma, and investigate the relationship between menstrual restrictions and stigma. A cross-sectional survey of 509 post-menarche girls from five schools assessed associations between religion, religion-based menstrual restrictions, and menstrual stigma while controlling for differences between schools. In-depth interviews with 10 adolescent girls and 10 adult key informants explored broader menstrual experiences. We analyzed themes pertaining to sociocultural contexts and other mechanisms that shape menstrual restrictions and stigma, their impacts on girls, and opportunities for intervention.

Results: In the surveys, 52% of Christian girls and 76% of Muslim girls experienced religion-based menstrual restrictions. Some restrictions, such as prohibitions against praying during menstruation, were more common among Muslim girls, who also had higher menstrual stigma. Menstrual stigma differed by school. Although menstrual restrictions did not show an association with stigma in the surveys, interview participants described how menstrual restrictions contribute to stigma and indicated that religion, tribe, education, family support, and menstrual resources influence menstrual restrictions and stigma.

Conclusion: Sociocultural contexts influence menstrual restrictions and stigma. Working with religious, school, and family leaders may provide opportunities to implement interventions to reduce menstrual stigma.

Introduction: Individuals' math value beliefs are theorized to influence who persists in STEM. However, the existing findings on gender differences in adolescents' math value beliefs are inconsistent. The goal of this study was to use three existing datasets to help clarify when gender differences emerge for high school adolescents and for whom (i.e., adolescents across historical time, grade level, and race/ethnicity). Specifically, we examined the extent to which gender differences in adolescents' math value beliefs (i.e., interest, utility, and attainment) replicated (1) across three datasets spanning the 1990s to 2010s, (2) from 9th-12th grade, and (3) within each of the four largest U.S. racial/ethnic groups (i.e., Asian, Black, Latine, and White adolescents).

Methods: We tested these aims with three existing longitudinal U.S. datasets: the California Achievement Motivation Project (CAMP) (n = 8855), the Childhood and Beyond Study (CAB) (n = 582), and the High School Longitudinal Study (HSLS) (n = 21,000). Students were in high school (9th-12th grade) and half were girls (49%-53%). All three datasets included measures with the same or similar math value belief items, making conceptual replication possible.

Results and conclusions: Overall, we did not find strong evidence for meaningful gender differences in adolescents' math value beliefs overall. We did find meaningful gender differences in the oldest data set (CAB). When examined within each racial/ethnic group, we found no evidence of gender differences in math value beliefs among Black or Latine adolescents, but some differences among Asian and White adolescents. The findings align with the gender similarities hypothesis, suggesting adolescent girls and boys had similar math value beliefs.

Introduction: Youth aged 15-29 who are not engaged in education, employment, or training (NEET) represent a critical concern within the European Union (EU).

Aim: This review aims to ascertain whether existing studies address the impact of living in either rural or urban settings, or in specific types of neighborhoods, on the likelihood of young European individuals falling into NEET status.

Methods: On February 21, 2023, and subsequently updated on January 15, 2024, a thorough literature search was carried out across four major databases to compile relevant studies.

Results: From an initial pool of 33,314 articles, 11 studies were deemed relevant for this review involving over 786,399 participants. The analysis revealed that residing in disadvantaged neighborhoods, characterized by significant crime rates and unemployment levels surpassing national averages, correlates strongly with an increased incidence of NEET status among youth. Notably, impoverished areas with a high presence of visible minorities were associated with higher rates of school dropout or unemployment. Furthermore, the conditions of the local labor market were found to notably affect dropout rates from secondary schools, especially in urban centers. Whereas rural areas exhibited elevated unemployment rates among the youth.

Conclusions: This review underscores the need for targeted policies that address geographical disparities in NEET status by tailoring interventions to urban, rural, and neighborhood-specific contexts. Policymakers should focus on localized support programs and integrate geographical factors into strategic planning to ensure equitable opportunities for all youth.

Introduction: The current study examined the relationships between neighborhood risk, perceived ethnic-racial discrimination, and depressive symptoms among rural Latinx adolescents. We also tested for potential moderation effects of ethnic-racial identity (ERI) and how these associations differ by gender.

Methods: Interviewer-administered surveys were used to collect quantitative data for this cross-sectional study in 2017. The sample included 198 Latinx adolescents (M_age = 15.90, SD = 1.47; 54.4% female; 75.6% US born) recruited from rural farm areas in the Southeastern United States. Analyses were performed using hierarchical regression analyses in SPSS. Separate models were run for each ERI component.

Results: Results revealed associations between neighborhood risk, perceived ethnic-racial discrimination, and depressive symptoms. ERI affirmation significantly moderated the association between neighborhood risk and depressive symptoms, demonstrating protective factors. Gender differences were identified in the hypothesized model.

Conclusions: Results highlight the role of neighborhood context and perceived ethnic-racial discrimination in mental health outcomes among rural Latinx youth. Additionally, the findings suggest ERI may be an effective buffer against these stressors. Our results replicate findings pertaining to the influence of neighborhood risk that have been reported in extant literature and extend what is known of the protective role of ERI to Latinx adolescents from rural communities.