Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
American Adolescents (american + adolescent)
Kinds of American Adolescents Selected AbstractsTheorizing Religious Effects Among American AdolescentsJOURNAL FOR THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF RELIGION, Issue 1 2003Christian Smith A large body of empirical studies shows that religion often serves as a factor promoting positive, healthy outcomes in the lives of American adolescents. Yet existing theoretical explanations for these religious effects remain largely disjointed and fragmented. This article attempts to formulate a more systematic, integrated, and coherent account of religion's constructive influence in the lives of American youth, suggesting nine key factors (moral directives, spiritual experiences, role models, community and leadership skills, coping skills, cultural capital, social capital, network closure, and extra,community links) that cluster around three key dimensions of influence (moral order, learned competencies, and social and organizational ties). [source] Psychological Adjustment in Young Korean American Adolescents and Parental WarmthJOURNAL OF CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHIATRIC NURSING, Issue 4 2008Eunjung Kim PhD PROBLEM:,The relation between parental warmth and psychological adjustment is not known for young Korean American adolescents. METHODS:,One hundred and three Korean American adolescents' perceived parental warmth and psychological adjustment were assessed using, respectively, the Parental Acceptance,Rejection Questionnaire and the Child Personality Assessment Questionnaire. FINDINGS:,Low perceived maternal and paternal warmth were positively related to adolescents' overall poor psychological adjustment and almost all of its attributes. When maternal and paternal warmth were entered simultaneously into the regression equation, only low maternal warmth was related to adolescents' poor psychological adjustment. CONCLUSION:,Perceived parental warmth is important in predicting young adolescents' psychological adjustment as suggested in the parental acceptance,rejection theory. [source] Culture: A Possible Predictor of Morality for African American AdolescentsJOURNAL OF RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE, Issue 2 2009Marisha L. Humphries This study examined the ways in which cultural orientation (communalism and material well-being) and empathy influence the moral reasoning of African American middle to late adolescents. Specifically, this study utilized path analysis to investigate Ward's (1995) hypothesis that a communal orientation would promote morality among African American adolescents, while a material well-being orientation would mitigate against it. In addition, it was hypothesized that empathy would mediate the relationship between cultural orientation and moral reasoning. Thirty-seven high school students and 35 college students participated in the study. Results revealed that communalism was a significant predictor of empathy. Despite prediction, communalism and material well-being were not predictors of moral reasoning. The findings did not yield support for empathy functioning as a mediator between communalism and moral reasoning. These findings are discussed in terms of previous findings, methodological limitations, and implications for future research. [source] The Meaning of Good Parent,Child Relationships for Mexican American AdolescentsJOURNAL OF RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE, Issue 4 2007Lisa J. Crockett Perceptions of good parent,adolescent relationships were explored among 19 Mexican American high school students aged 14,17 who participated in focus group interviews on what it means for Mexican American teenagers to have good relationships with parents. Using a grounded theory approach, five general themes emerged in the responses, corresponding to open communication, instrumental and emotional support, indirect expressions of caring, parental control, and valued relationship qualities. Both genders described distinct relationships with mothers and fathers. Relationships with mothers were closer and more open than relationships with fathers, and mothers were seen as being more affectionate, lenient, and emotionally supportive, whereas fathers tended to express caring indirectly by providing instrumental and financial support and by just being there. Parental upbringing, culture, gender, and parental role expectations emerged as explanations for parents' behavior. Theoretical, methodological, and practical implications are discussed. [source] Risk Factors of Sexual Harassment by Peers: A Longitudinal Investigation of African American and European American AdolescentsJOURNAL OF RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE, Issue 2 2007Sara E. Goldstein The present research explores risk factors for, and longitudinal associations of, sexual harassment by peers during adolescence. Eight-hundred and seventy-two African American and European American adolescents (65.4% African American, 51.1% females) were assessed during the summer after the eighth grade (mean age=14.2 years) and then again in the 11th grade (mean age=17.1 years). At the first assessment, adolescents were asked about their experiences with sexual harassment, their psychological reactions to sexual harassment, and also about their peer relationships, perceived pubertal timing, problem behavior, and mental health. At the second assessment, adolescents reported on their problem behavior and mental health. In general, youth who associated with peers who were involved in problem behavior were at risk for victimization. Among females, those who perceived themselves to be experiencing early pubertal development were also at risk. Additionally, for some adolescents, sexual harassment predicted later adjustment difficulties. [source] Racial Identity Matters: The Relationship between Racial Discrimination and Psychological Functioning in African American AdolescentsJOURNAL OF RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE, Issue 2 2006Robert M. Sellers This study examines the interrelationships among racial discrimination, racial identity, and psychological functioning in a sample of 314 African American adolescents. Racial discrimination was associated with lower levels of psychological functioning as measured by perceived stress, depressive symptomatology, and psychological well-being. Although individuals who believe that other groups hold more negative attitudes toward African Americans (low public regard) were at greater risk for experiencing racial discrimination, low public regard beliefs also buffered the impact of racial discrimination on psychological functioning. More positive attitudes about African Americans were also associated with more positive psychological functioning. The results further illustrate the utility of a multidimensional framework for understanding the role of racial identity in the relationship between racial discrimination and psychological outcomes among African American adolescents. [source] Disclosure to Parents About Everyday Activities Among American Adolescents From Mexican, Chinese, and European BackgroundsCHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 5 2009Jenny P. Yau Disclosure to parents and reasons for not disclosing different activities were examined in 489 Chinese, Mexican, and European American adolescents (M = 16.37 years, SD = 0.77). With generational status controlled, Chinese American adolescents disclosed less to mothers about personal and multifaceted activities than European Americans and less about personal feelings than other youth, primarily because these acts were considered personal, not harmful, or because parents would not listen or understand. Disclosure regarding prudential behavior was lower among Mexican American than among European American adolescents, primarily due to concerns with parental disapproval. Multigroup path analyses indicated that greater closeness to parents is associated with more disclosure for all youth and activities; associations between family obligation and disclosure varied by domain and ethnicity. [source] The Status Model of Racial Identity Development in African American Adolescents: Evidence of Structure, Trajectories, and Well-BeingCHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 5 2006Eleanor K. Seaton Although the identity formation model is widely used to assess adolescent ethnic identity development, the model propositions have rarely been tested. The existence of the identity statuses (diffuse, foreclosed, moratorium, achieved), the proposed developmental trajectories, and whether youth in the achieved status report higher levels of psychological well-being were examined among a longitudinal sample of 224 African American adolescents, aged 11,17. Cluster analyses were used to create 4 identity statuses consistent with the theoretical model at both time points. The findings indicate that some adolescents progressed, while others regressed or remained constant across time periods. Lastly, the results generally support the assumption that individuals in the achieved status had the highest levels of psychological well-being at both time periods. [source] Racial Identity and Academic Attainment Among African American AdolescentsCHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 4 2003Tabbye M. Chavous 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. [source] Daily Variation in Ethnic Identity, Ethnic Behaviors, and Psychological Well,Being among American Adolescents of Chinese DescentCHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 5 2002Tiffany Yip This study examined the links among Chinese American adolescents' (N= 96) global ethnic identity and their ethnic behaviors, ethnic identity salience, and psychological well,being based on daily diaries collected over a 2,week period. The daily association between engagement in ethnic behaviors and ethnic salience was positive regardless of overall ethnic identity. The daily,level association between ethnic identity salience and well,being, however, was dependent on adolescents' global ethnic identity. Among adolescents who were moderate or high in global ethnic identity, ethnic identity salience was consistently associated with positive well,being at the daily level. In contrast, the daily association between ethnic identity salience and well,being was less strong for youths who were low in ethnic identity. Additionally, a higher level of salience and a weaker association between salience and negative symptoms was found for girls than for boys, and older youths reported a weaker association between salience and positive symptoms than did younger youths. [source] Middle-Class African American Adolescents' and Parents' Conceptions of Parental Authority and Parenting Practices: A Longitudinal InvestigationCHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 6 2000Judith G. Smetana Conceptions of parental authority and ratings of parental rules and decision making were examined longitudinally among 82 middle-class African American adolescents and their parents (82 mothers and 52 fathers), who were divided into two groups according to family income. Adolescents were, on average, 13.14 years of age at Time 1 and 15.05 years of age at Time 2. Nearly all adolescents and parents affirmed parents' legitimate authority to regulate (and children's obligation to comply with) rules regarding moral, conventional, prudential, friendship, and multifaceted issues, but they were more equivocal in their judgments regarding personal issues. With age, adolescents increasingly judged personal issues to be beyond the bounds of legitimate parental authority, but judgments differed by family income. Adolescents from upper income families rejected parents' legitimate authority to regulate personal issues more at Time 1 than did adolescents from middle income families, but no differences were found at Time 2. Authority to regulate adolescents' behavior did not extend to other adults or to schools, churches, and the law. With adolescents' increasing age, African American families became less restrictive in regulating prudential, friendship, multifaceted, and personal issues. Adolescents', mothers', and fathers' judgments demonstrated significant continuity over time, but few cross- or within-generation associations in judgments were found. Conceptions of legitimate parental authority at Time 1 were found to predict family rules at Time 2. [source] Psychometric properties of the Beck Depression Inventory-II with incarcerated male offenders aged 18,21 yearsCRIMINAL BEHAVIOUR AND MENTAL HEALTH, Issue 4 2008Emma J. Palmer Background,The Beck Depression Inventory , Second Edition (BDI-II) is a self-report measure of depression. Studies have shown it to have good psychometric properties with adult and adolescent clinical and non-clinical populations. However, this research has mostly been conducted with North American samples. Aims/hypotheses,To examine the psychometric characteristics of the BDI-II with male young adult offenders in the UK. Methods,The BDI-II was administered to 117 incarcerated male young adult offenders aged 18,21 years from the UK. Results,The BDI-II showed good internal consistency and concurrent validity. Factor analysis revealed two factors, relating to cognitive-affective items and somatic items. The items loading on the two factors were very similar to those found in a North American adolescent (13,17 years) psychiatric inpatient sample. Conclusions and implications for future research,The findings suggest that the BDI-II can be used with confidence in young adult male offenders. It would be useful to confirm its psychometric properties in other offender samples and establish offender population norms. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Psychometric evaluation of a measure of Beck's negative cognitive triad for youth: applications for African,American and Caucasian adolescentsDEPRESSION AND ANXIETY, Issue 4 2005Leilani Greening Abstract A measure of Beck's negative cognitive triad, the Cognitive Triad for Children (CTI-C), was evaluated for its psychometric properties and utility with a community sample of 880 African,American and Caucasian adolescents. High-school students ranging from 14 to 17 years of age completed the CTI-C, the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) and the Children's Attributional Style Questionnaire-Revised (CASQ-R) on two occasions 4 months apart. The CTI-C was found to be internally consistent, Cronbach's ,=.90, to have acceptable test-retest reliability, r=.70, and concurrent validity as demonstrated by a significant correlation with the CASQ-R, r=.53. A principal factor analysis with promax rotation did not yield support for Beck's tripartite model of negative cognitions about the self, world, and future but rather yielded three factors with a combination of cognitions from all three domains. African American adolescents who reported more maladaptive cognitions on the CTI-C reported fewer depressive symptoms on the CDI 4 months later compared to their Caucasian counterparts, suggesting some limitation to using the CTI-C to predict depressive symptoms in African,American youth; however, Factor 1 derived from a factor analysis with the sample was more consistent in predicting future symptoms among both African,American and Caucasian adolescents. This factor consisted largely of positively worded items, offering some support for low positive affect as a predictor of depressive symptoms in adolescents. Depression and Anxiety 21:161,169, 2005. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Exposure to cannabis in popular music and cannabis use among adolescentsADDICTION, Issue 3 2010Brian A. Primack ABSTRACT Background Cannabis use is referenced frequently in American popular music, yet it remains uncertain whether exposure to these references is associated with actual cannabis use. We aimed to determine if exposure to cannabis in popular music is associated independently with current cannabis use in a cohort of urban adolescents. Methods We surveyed all 9th grade students at three large US urban high schools. We estimated participants' exposure to lyrics referent to cannabis with overall music exposure and content analyses of their favorite artists' songs. Outcomes included current (past 30 days) and ever use of cannabis. We used multivariable regression to assess independent associations between exposures and outcomes while controlling for important covariates. Results Each of the 959 participants was exposed to an estimated 27 cannabis references per day [correction added on 19 January 2010, after first online publication: 40 has been changed to 27] (standard deviation = 73 [correction added on 19 January 2010, after first online publication: 104 has been changed to 73]). Twelve per cent (n = 108) were current cannabis users and 32% (n = 286) had ever used cannabis. Compared with those in the lowest tertile of total cannabis exposure in music, those in the highest tertile of exposure were almost twice as likely to have used cannabis in the past 30 days (odds ratio = 1.83; 95% confidence interval = 1.04, 3.22), even after adjusting for socio-demographic variables, personality characteristics and parenting style. As expected, however, there was no significant relationship between our cannabis exposure variable and a sham outcome variable of alcohol use. Conclusions This study supports an independent association between exposure to cannabis in popular music and early cannabis use among urban American adolescents. [source] Adolescent Sexuality and Parent-Adolescent Processes: Promoting Healthy Teen Choices,FAMILY RELATIONS, Issue 2 2000Laurie L. Meschke Trends in adolescent sexual health, the relation between parenting and adolescent sexual outcomes, and adolescent sexuality interventions with a parent component are reviewed. American adolescents have higher rates of unprotected sex and STI contraction than adults and nine times the teen pregnancy rate of their European counterparts. Parenting efforts are related to adolescent sexual behavior. The review of 19 relevant programs supports the incorporation of theory and the ecological model in program design and evaluation. [source] Theorizing Religious Effects Among American AdolescentsJOURNAL FOR THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF RELIGION, Issue 1 2003Christian Smith A large body of empirical studies shows that religion often serves as a factor promoting positive, healthy outcomes in the lives of American adolescents. Yet existing theoretical explanations for these religious effects remain largely disjointed and fragmented. This article attempts to formulate a more systematic, integrated, and coherent account of religion's constructive influence in the lives of American youth, suggesting nine key factors (moral directives, spiritual experiences, role models, community and leadership skills, coping skills, cultural capital, social capital, network closure, and extra,community links) that cluster around three key dimensions of influence (moral order, learned competencies, and social and organizational ties). [source] Psychological Adjustment in Young Korean American Adolescents and Parental WarmthJOURNAL OF CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHIATRIC NURSING, Issue 4 2008Eunjung Kim PhD PROBLEM:,The relation between parental warmth and psychological adjustment is not known for young Korean American adolescents. METHODS:,One hundred and three Korean American adolescents' perceived parental warmth and psychological adjustment were assessed using, respectively, the Parental Acceptance,Rejection Questionnaire and the Child Personality Assessment Questionnaire. FINDINGS:,Low perceived maternal and paternal warmth were positively related to adolescents' overall poor psychological adjustment and almost all of its attributes. When maternal and paternal warmth were entered simultaneously into the regression equation, only low maternal warmth was related to adolescents' poor psychological adjustment. CONCLUSION:,Perceived parental warmth is important in predicting young adolescents' psychological adjustment as suggested in the parental acceptance,rejection theory. [source] Growing up in a dangerous developmental milieu: The effects of parenting processes on adjustment in inner-city African American adolescentsJOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 1 2006Alexander T. Vazsonyi The current longitudinal study examined the protective effects of parenting processes on measures of adolescent adjustment (health-compromising and violent behaviors) in a sample of high-risk, inner-city, poor African American youth ( N = 2,867). Parenting processes played an important role in this dangerous developmental milieu. For male adolescents, they accounted for 26 to 37% in health-compromising behaviors and 16 to 24% of the total variance in violent behaviors over time. Multigroup SEM analyses by sex and age groups (early, middle, and late adolescents) indicated no differences of these effects across groups. Findings provided evidence that parenting processes are salient for a high-risk, inner-city minority population in understanding and predicting health-compromising and violent behaviors. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Asian American adolescents' acculturation, binge drinking, and alcohol- and tobacco-using peersJOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 3 2004Hyeouk C. Hahm This study examines the association between acculturation and subsequent binge drinking among Asian American adolescents and investigates the mediating effect of friends' alcohol and tobacco use. Data from a nationally representative sample of 714 Asian American adolescents in grades 7 to 12 were analyzed. There was no gender difference in terms of binge drinking. A higher level of acculturation was associated with higher levels of binge drinking. Friends' alcohol and tobacco use was a mediator,the association between acculturation and binge drinking was no longer significant after controlling for best friends' alcohol and tobacco use. These findings demonstrate that binge drinking is not attributable to acculturation per se, but that social interaction is an important pathway by which highly acculturated adolescents become vulnerable to binge drinking. Since highly acculturated Asian American adolescents are at risk for binge drinking, there is an urgent need for prevention. Incorporating the effect of peer influences will improve both prevention efforts and treatment for Asian American adolescents who are binge drinkers. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comm Psychol 32: 295,308, 2004. [source] Ethnic identity in urban African American youth: Exploring links with self-worth, aggression, and other psychosocial variablesJOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 4 2002Susan D. McMahon This study represents an attempt to examine the relative influences of ethnic identity and global self-worth on aggression, coping, and adjustment among urban African American adolescents. Findings suggest that ethnic identity was associated with a range of positive feelings about oneself and health-related outcomes. When taking into account global self-worth, youth with a greater sense of ethnic/racial identity reported more active coping strategies, fewer beliefs supporting aggression, and fewer aggressive behaviors. A strong positive sense of global self-worth was significantly related to lower levels of anxiety and depression, and greater beliefs supporting aggressive behavior, when taking into account ethnic identity. Examining these constructs in combination can yield insight into the processes involved in competence and adjustment among at-risk youth. This study suggests that ethnic identity is an important component of development, and that we should consider examining and strengthening ethnoracial and political consciousness among youth in preventive interventions. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Race/Ethnic Differences in Effects of Family Instability on Adolescents' Risk BehaviorJOURNAL OF MARRIAGE AND FAMILY, Issue 2 2010Paula Fomby We used data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (N = 7,686) to determine whether racial and ethnic differences in socioeconomic stress and social protection explained group differences in the association between family structure instability and three risk behaviors for White, Black, and Mexican American adolescents: delinquent behavior, age at first nonmarital sex, and age at first nonmarital birth. The positive association between mothers' union transitions and each outcome for White adolescents was attenuated by social protection. The association of instability with age at first sex and first nonmarital birth was weaker for Black adolescents but not for Mexican American adolescents. The weaker association was explained by Black adolescents' more frequent exposure to socioeconomic stress in the context of union instability. [source] Racial and Ethnic Differences in Experiencing Parents' Marital Disruption During Late AdolescenceJOURNAL OF MARRIAGE AND FAMILY, Issue 3 2007Yongmin Sun Using panel data from 9,252 adolescents in the National Education Longitudinal Study, this study finds that among children who experience parents' marital disruption during late adolescence, European, Asian, and African American adolescents exhibit wider and greater maladjustment both before and after the disruption than their Hispanic American counterparts. This finding lends general support to the hypothesis of prevalence of disadvantages, although it is less consistent with the hypothesis of prevalence of divorce. Moreover, whereas Asian American adolescents in predisrupted families are more vulnerable to a shortage of family social resources, their African American peers are affected more by a shortage of financial/human resources. Finally, postdisruption effects on non-Hispanic American adolescents are either completely or partially attributable to predisruption factors. [source] Role of the Father-Adolescent Relationship in Shaping Adolescents' Attitudes Toward DivorceJOURNAL OF MARRIAGE AND FAMILY, Issue 1 2004Sharon C. Risch The quality of father-adolescent relationships, especially for nontraditional fathers, has been neglected in investigating adolescents' beliefs. Closeness of father-adolescent relationships was examined as a predictor of adolescents' attitudes toward divorce. A sample of European and African American adolescents (N = 300) reported on the quality of father-adolescent relationships in 11th grade and their attitudes toward divorce at age 19. Boys who felt close to their biological custodial fathers, biological noncustodial fathers, and stepfathers felt less likely to divorce in the future than boys who did not feel close to their fathers. The same was not true for girls. Feeling close to a father,regardless of father type,is associated with boys' confidence in the stability of their future marriages. [source] The Influence of Ethnic Discrimination and Ethnic Identification on African American adolescents' School and Socioemotional AdjustmentJOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 6 2003Carol A. Wong Does African American ethnic identity buffer these relations? This paper addresses these two questions using two waves of data from a longitudinal study of an economically diverse sample of African American adolescents living in and near a major East Coast metropolis. The data were collected at the beginning of the 7th grade and after the completion of the 8th grade. As expected, experiences of racial discrimination at school from one's teachers and peers predicts declines in grades, academic ability self-concepts, academic task values, mental health (increases in depression and anger, decreases in self-esteem and psychological resiliency), and increases in the proportion of one's friends who are not interested in school and who have problem behaviors. A strong, positive connection to one's ethnic group (our measure of ethnic identity) reduced the magnitude of the association of racial discrimination experiences with declines in academic self-concepts, school achievement, and perception of friends' positive characteristics, as well as the association of the racial discrimination experiences with increases in problem behaviors. [source] Culture: A Possible Predictor of Morality for African American AdolescentsJOURNAL OF RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE, Issue 2 2009Marisha L. Humphries This study examined the ways in which cultural orientation (communalism and material well-being) and empathy influence the moral reasoning of African American middle to late adolescents. Specifically, this study utilized path analysis to investigate Ward's (1995) hypothesis that a communal orientation would promote morality among African American adolescents, while a material well-being orientation would mitigate against it. In addition, it was hypothesized that empathy would mediate the relationship between cultural orientation and moral reasoning. Thirty-seven high school students and 35 college students participated in the study. Results revealed that communalism was a significant predictor of empathy. Despite prediction, communalism and material well-being were not predictors of moral reasoning. The findings did not yield support for empathy functioning as a mediator between communalism and moral reasoning. These findings are discussed in terms of previous findings, methodological limitations, and implications for future research. [source] Risk Factors of Sexual Harassment by Peers: A Longitudinal Investigation of African American and European American AdolescentsJOURNAL OF RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE, Issue 2 2007Sara E. Goldstein The present research explores risk factors for, and longitudinal associations of, sexual harassment by peers during adolescence. Eight-hundred and seventy-two African American and European American adolescents (65.4% African American, 51.1% females) were assessed during the summer after the eighth grade (mean age=14.2 years) and then again in the 11th grade (mean age=17.1 years). At the first assessment, adolescents were asked about their experiences with sexual harassment, their psychological reactions to sexual harassment, and also about their peer relationships, perceived pubertal timing, problem behavior, and mental health. At the second assessment, adolescents reported on their problem behavior and mental health. In general, youth who associated with peers who were involved in problem behavior were at risk for victimization. Among females, those who perceived themselves to be experiencing early pubertal development were also at risk. Additionally, for some adolescents, sexual harassment predicted later adjustment difficulties. [source] Racial Identity Matters: The Relationship between Racial Discrimination and Psychological Functioning in African American AdolescentsJOURNAL OF RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE, Issue 2 2006Robert M. Sellers This study examines the interrelationships among racial discrimination, racial identity, and psychological functioning in a sample of 314 African American adolescents. Racial discrimination was associated with lower levels of psychological functioning as measured by perceived stress, depressive symptomatology, and psychological well-being. Although individuals who believe that other groups hold more negative attitudes toward African Americans (low public regard) were at greater risk for experiencing racial discrimination, low public regard beliefs also buffered the impact of racial discrimination on psychological functioning. More positive attitudes about African Americans were also associated with more positive psychological functioning. The results further illustrate the utility of a multidimensional framework for understanding the role of racial identity in the relationship between racial discrimination and psychological outcomes among African American adolescents. [source] Improving the Mental Health, Healthy Lifestyle Choices, and Physical Health of Hispanic Adolescents: A Randomized Controlled Pilot StudyJOURNAL OF SCHOOL HEALTH, Issue 12 2009Bernadette M. Melnyk PhD, CPNP/NPP, FAAN ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Obesity and mental health disorders are 2 major public health problems in American adolescents, with prevalence even higher in Hispanic teens. Despite the rapidly increasing incidence and adverse health outcomes associated with overweight and mental health problems, very few intervention studies have been conducted with adolescents to improve both their healthy lifestyles and mental health outcomes. Even fewer studies have been conducted with Hispanic youth. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the preliminary efficacy of the COPE (Creating Opportunities for Personal Empowerment) Healthy Lifestyles TEEN (Thinking, Emotions, Exercise, and Nutrition) program, a manualized educational and cognitive behavioral skills-building program, on Hispanic adolescents' healthy lifestyle choices as well as mental and physical health outcomes. METHODS: A cluster randomized controlled pilot study was conducted with 19 Hispanic adolescents enrolled in 2 health classes in a southwestern high school. One class received COPE and the other received an attention control program. RESULTS: Adolescents in the COPE program increased their healthy lifestyle choices and reported a decrease in depressive and anxiety symptoms from baseline to postintervention follow-up. A subset of 7 overweight adolescents in the COPE program had a decrease in triglycerides and an increase in high-density lipoproteins. In addition, these overweight adolescents reported increases in healthy lifestyle beliefs and nutrition knowledge along with a decrease in depressive symptoms. CONCLUSION: The COPE TEEN program is a promising school-based strategy for improving both physical and mental health outcomes in adolescents. [source] "I Speak a Different Dialect": Teen Explanatory Models of Difference and DisabilityMEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY QUARTERLY, Issue 1 2003Tamara C. Daley What do teens with disabilities believe about their conditions, and what do they understand to be the causes, correlates, and consequences of disability? We elicited a cultural explanatory model (EM) of disability from longitudinal sample of 23 European American adolescents with varied cognitive disabilities and delay. We asked teens how they were similar to different from others; the name of this difference; its causes, severity, course, effects, associated problems and benefits; and need for treatment. IQ and type of disability strongly affected quality of responses only from the lowest functioning teens. A majority of teens had a reasonably rich and coherent EM, blending typical and disability themes of cultural knowledge and identity. The EM is a window into social context (schools, services, parents, and peers) as well as personal experience. Eliciting explanatory models from teens with disabilities is not only possible but also can enhance understanding of identity, family influence, and appropriate services, [disability; explanatory models; adolescence; culture] [source] Science success, narrative theories of personality, and race self complexity: Is pace represented in the identity construction of African American adolescents?NEW DIRECTIONS FOR CHILD & ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT, Issue 106 2004Cynthia E. Winston Narrative theories of personality help elucidate the complexity of success. [source] | ||||||||||||||||