Post-traumatic stress as a pathway to psychopathology among adolescents at high-risk for victimization

ObjectiveVictimization by violence elevates adolescents’ risk for developing internalizing and externalizing psychopathology. Recent findings suggest that disruptions in developmental processes associated with post-traumatic stress (PTS) reactions may partially account for the relationship between victimization and the subsequent development of psychopathology during adolescence. The present study tested the temporal sequencing of these associations using multi-informant measurements in a large, diverse sample of adolescents at high-risk for victimization.MethodData were collected from a multi-site consortium of prospective studies, the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN). Information about 833 youth’s victimization experiences (i.e., direct, indirect, familial, and non-familial violence), PTS, and affective, anxiety, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), and conduct disorder (CD) symptoms were gathered from youth and their caregivers during biannual face-to-face interviews when youth were between the ages of 4 and 14 years, and continuously from official child protective services records.ResultsStructural equation modeling revealed that cumulative victimization contributed to elevations in youth and caregiver reported late childhood and early adolescent psychopathology. While PTS mediated the association between victimization and youth reported ADHD, ODD, CD, major depressive, and generalized anxiety symptoms during adolescence, it only mediated the association between victimization and caregiver reported affective symptoms.ConclusionsPTS reactions following childhood victimization partially accounted for escalations in psychopathology during the transition to adolescence. These findings underscore the importance of integrating trauma-informed assessment and intervention approaches with at-risk adolescents. Researchers should determine whether trauma-focused interventions sufficiently ameliorate other psychopathology among victimized adolescents or if additional interventions components are necessary.     

Contraceptive self-efficacy in adolescents: a comparative study of male and female contraceptive practices

This comparative study examined the relationship between self-efficacy theory and contraceptive practices in male and female adolescents enrolled in Midwestern University. A survey method was employed to obtain data from 101 female and 106 male subjects aged 18-20, sexually active, single, and who had one sexual partner for at least 3 months. Findings suggest that both genders need to develop the necessary communication skills in sexual matters and contraceptive issues. Females scored low on several self-efficacy statements that involve the ability to communicate about sexual matters and securing the use of contraception. They also obtained a low score in statements that require assertiveness in preventing sexual intercourse in highly involved situations. Meanwhile, male subjects scored low in items involving communication skills. Finally, contraceptive self-efficacy was found to be significantly different for males and females in the following areas: females need to learn how to assume responsibility and to become more effective in securing contraceptives; and males need to learn to be assertive about avoiding sexual intercourse when not using contraception and to develop the ability to talk about using contraceptives.     

昆明地区高校大学生避孕方法KAP调查

目的:了解昆明地区高校大学生对常用避孕方法的知识掌握程度及使用的相关态度及行为现况,为西部高校开展更有针对性的性健康教育和服务提供参考。方法:采取随机抽样的方法,对昆明3所高校的350名在校本科生进行自填式问卷调查。结果:共收回310份有效问卷,男、女生对常用的避孕方法知晓率排名前三的均为:安全套、短效口服避孕药、安全期避孕。在更愿意选择的避孕方法上男、女生没有差异,均为安全套,其主要影响因素为:容易使用、方便获取、效果好、对身体没有副作用。在有过性行为的学生中(共74人),通常获得避孕用具的来源依次为:药店(51.4%)、商店(32.4%)、校医院或学校相关机构(17.6%)、网购(10.8%)、同学或朋友给予(6.8%)。结论:昆明地区在校大学生对常用避孕方法的知识掌握程度并不高,知识更新水平有限。更偏爱容易使用又方便获取的避孕方法,如安全套。应针对大学生避孕方法的KAP特点,多渠道、多层次地开展有效的避孕相关的宣传教育和服务。     

Substance use, substance abuse, and LD among adolescents with a childhood history of ADHD

A clinic-referred sample of 109 children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was followed into adolescence for the ascertainment of alcohol and other drug use and abuse. Learning disability (reading or math) in childhood was examined as a predictor of adolescent substance use and substance use disorder for alcohol and marijuana. No statistically significant group differences for children with LD versus those without LD emerged even after using different methods to compute LD. IQ/achievement discrepancy scores were similarly not predictive of later use or abuse. However, children with ADHD who had higher IQs and higher levels of academic achievement in childhood were more likely to try cigarettes, to smoke daily, and to have their first drink of alcohol or first cigarette at an early age. Children with ADHD who had higher reading achievement scores were less likely to have later alcohol use disorder. Although these findings are necessarily preliminary, due to the small number of children interviewed, the pattern of results suggests that level of cognitive functioning--rather than discrepancy between IQ and achievement--is important for the prediction of later substance use and abuse, at least in this clinic-referred sample of children with ADHD. Further, different mechanisms of risk related to cognitive functioning may be operating for experimentation with legal drugs such as alcohol and tobacco, regular cigarette smoking, and problematic alcohol use.     

Primary prevention of child abuse and neglect: Identification of high-risk adolescents

Based on the result of the study, the following conclusions are made:

1. 1. The parenting inventory developed has adequate levels of content validity, construct validity, internal reliability, and stability over time.

2. 2. Approximately 13% (150) of the adolescents responding to the inventory had factor scores -1 or more standard deviations below the group mean. It is concluded that the further the score deviates below the mean, the greater the risk the adolescent becomes for practicing abusive parenting behaviors.

3. 3. Abused adolescents have significantly lower mean scores than non-identified abused adolescents, suggesting that abused adolescents espress attitudes towards parenting and child-rearing which are similar to the parenting and child-rearing practices of abusive parents.

4. 4. Female adolescents, whether members of the abused or non-identified abused group, have higher mean scores than abused or non-identified abused male adolescents. The results suggest that male adolescents of both groups express more abusive parenting attitudes than females of both groups.

5. 5. Each of the four group parenting constructs can effectively be used to discriminate between abused and non-identified abused adolescents. Construct B:

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, however, had the greatest discriminatory capability.

The results of the study have indicated the utility of the inventory in assessing the parenting attitudes of adolescents and in discriminating between adolescents identified as abused and those non-identified as abused. In its present stage of development, the inventory may only be validly used to identify adolescents' attitudes towards child-rearing and parenting. Before the inventory is employed to identify potential child abusers for treatment purposes, it is recommended that longitudinal research be concluded. Such research should be designed to provide data relative to the predictive validity of the inventory.     

Family structure and academic skills among Finnish adolescents

This study investigated whether family structure accounts for adolescent academic performance in Finland in the analysis. The thirteen- to fourteen-year-old (grade 8) students' (N = 171) literacy skills were measured and their mathematical performance was tested. Information about family structure was gathered via a questionnaire sent to their homes. The findings of the study revealed that adolescents from other than two-parent intact families performed particularly well in regard to literacy skills. There were no gender differences with respect to either skill. The adolescents came from families of each type of structure, across all skill levels, suggesting that adolescent learning outcomes are not determined by diversity in family structure.     

Psychological responses to blood vengeance among Arab adolescents

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to investigate the well being of Arab adolescents who live under the threat of ongoing blood vengeance, and to assess the impact of socio-demographic characteristics, cultural context, and family functioning as a mediators factors. METHOD: The sample consisted of 100 adolescents in grades 6-8. Self-reported standardized measures were used to assess the participants' level of self-esteem (Rosenberg's scale), mental health (the Brief Symptom Inventory BSI), and perceived family functioning (the McMaster Family Assessment Device FAD). RESULTS: The participants of this study demonstrated higher levels of distress and symptomatic behavior as compared to the Israeli norms. In a series of multiple regression, General Family Functioning emerged as the major predictor associated with mental health. Female participants reported a higher anxiety level than their male counterparts. Male participants, on the other hand, were more willing to continue the feud of blood vengeance. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that there are similarities among children and adolescents who live in war zones and those who live under a threatening blood vengeance. Family functioning appears as the major mediator of well being. Implications for practice are discussed.     

Bullying and victimization among Turkish adolescents: the predictive role of problematic internet use,school burnout and parental monitoring

Education and Information Technologies - This study aims to examine the paths between excessive Internet use, school burnout and parental monitoring and their predictor effects in peer bullying and...     

The features of moral judgment competence among Chinese adolescents

In this paper, we used the “Moral Judgment Test” (MJT), an instrument that was developed by German psychologist, Georg Lind in 1976, along with some additional items, administered after the standard MJT. The participants were 724 Chinese adolescents whose ages ranged from 14 to 27 years of age. The results show that there was considerable fluctuation between grades in C scores, without the regularity seen in prior studies conducted in Western cultural contexts, but with senior college students generally showing higher C scores than freshmen. No significant differences in C scores were found between male and female students, between students with various professions, between key schools and the regular schools and between the two-year and the four-year college students. The possible implications of these findings for Chinese moral education are also discussed. This research was supported by a grant to Yang Shaogang from the Scientific Research Creation Team Project of GDUFS (GW2006-TA-008).     

Learned helplessness and level of underachievement among deaf adolescents

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a helplessness experience on the subsequent performance of deaf adolescents functioning at mildly underachieving or severely underachieving levels. Sixty deaf adolescents meeting the experimental subject criteria were separated into mildly underachieving or severely underachieving groups of 30 each on the basis of the discrepancy between their individual IQs and 1976 achievement scores. Group members were then randomly assigned to one of three pretreatment situations: a solvable Block Design test; an unsolvable Block Design test; or no pretreatment. A 2 × 3 multivariate analysis of variance posttest only group design then examined the solvable posttest performance of all 60 subjects. Results indicated significantly high posttest error scores among severely underachieving deaf adolescents experiencing an unsolvable pretreatment situation. Recommendations are offered for the practical applications of this research in the classroom.     

Racial identity and academic attainment among African American adolescents

In this study, the relationships between racial identity and academic outcomes for African American adolescents were explored. In examining race beliefs, the study differentiated among (a) importance of race (centrality), (b) group affect (private regard), and (c) perceptions of societal beliefs (public regard) among 606 African American 17-year-old adolescents. Using cluster analysis, profiles of racial identity variables were created, and these profile groups were related to educational beliefs, performance, and later attainment (high school completion and college attendance). Results indicated cluster differences across study outcomes. Also, the relationships between academic attitudes and academic attainment differed across groups. Finally, the paper includes a discussion on the need to consider variation in how minority youth think about group membership in better understanding their academic development.     

Perceived parental acceptance-rejection and parental control among Korean adolescents

Korean youths' perceptions of parental control are correlated positively with perceived parental warmth and low neglect. These results contrast sharply with the findings of studies on North American youth. Cultural factors contributing to the distinctly different pattern of correlations among the Korean versus American studies are discussed.     

Religious conviction,morality and social convention among Finnish adolescents

The assumptions of Kohlberg, Turiel and Shweder regarding the features of moral reasoning were compared empirically. The moral reasoning of Finnish Evangelical Lutheran, Conservative Laestadian and non‐religious adolescents was studied using Kohlberg’s Moral Judgment Interview and Turiel Rule Transgression Interview methods. Religiosity and choice in moral dilemmas (orientation) were related to the structural stages of reasoning. The choice in moral dilemmas was related to the distinction between morality and social convention as separate domains. Religious participants made no distinction between morality and social convention, and their conception of morality was dependent on religious authorities. The implications of the results for moral education in schools are briefly discussed.     

Suicidality, school dropout, and reading problems among adolescents

The purpose of this study was to examine the risk of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts and school dropout among youth with poor reading in comparison to youth with typical reading (n = 188) recruited from public schools at the age of 15. In a prospective naturalistic study, youth and parents participated in repeated research assessments to obtain information about suicide ideation and attempts, psychiatric and sociodemographic variables, and school dropout. Youth with poor reading ability were more likely to experience suicidal ideation or attempts and more likely to drop out of school than youth with typical reading, even after controlling for sociodemographic and psychiatric variables. Suicidality and school dropout were strongly associated with each other. Prevention efforts should focus on better understanding the relationship between these outcomes, as well as on the developmental paths leading up to these behaviors among youth with reading difficulties.