Adolescent Behavior

Exposure to violence in media, including television, movies, music, and video games, represents a significant risk to the health of children and adolescents. Extensive research evidence indicates that media violence can contribute to aggressive behavior, desensitization to violence, nightmares, and fear of being harmed. Pediatricians should assess their patients' level of media exposure and intervene on media-related health risks. Pediatricians and other child health care providers can advocate for a safer media environment for children by encouraging media literacy, more thoughtful and proactive use of media by children and their parents, more responsible portrayal of violence by media producers, and more useful and effective media ratings. Office counseling has been shown to be effective.

Estabelecer a prevalência de hipertensão arterial sistêmica (HAS), do "risco de sobrepeso", sobrepeso, sedentarismo e tabagismo em crianças e adolescentes, de 7 a 17 anos, de ambos os sexos, da rede pública e privada de ensino de Maceió, AL. Estudo epidemiológico transversal. Amostragem por conglomerados em escolas de nível fundamental e médio. Cálculo da amostra baseado na menor prevalência esperada das variáveis estudadas. Protocolo de avaliação: questionário estruturado, antropometria e medidas da pressão arterial. Análise de associação das variáveis realizada pelo método do qui-quadrado. Em 2001 foram avaliados 1253 estudantes (547 do sexo masculino, média de idade 12,4±2,9 anos), demonstrando-se que 1172 não praticavam atividade física de moderada a intensa; "risco de sobrepeso" e sobrepeso presentes em 116 e 56 indivíduos, respectivamente; pressão arterial no percentil ≥ de 95 identificada em 97 estudantes e apenas 30 admitiram fumar regularmente. Observouse associação significante do "risco sobrepeso" e do sobrepeso com estudantes de escolas particulares (*p=0,0001) e do sedentarismo com o sexo feminino (*p=0,0001). A prevalência de sedentarismo, "risco de sobrepeso", sobrepeso, hipertensão arterial sistêmica e tabagismo na população estudada foi de 93,5%; 9,3%; 4,5%; 7,7% e 2,4%, respectivamente.

Introduction and Aims. In Australia, 20% of 14‐ to 19‐year‐olds drink at least weekly. Some parents supply alcohol to their adolescent children with the intention of limiting the quantity consumed, but it is possible that such supply facilitates risky drinking. We sought to determine whether there is an association between parental supply and risky drinking.Design and Methods. A cross‐sectional survey was conducted in seven high schools in New South Wales, Australia. Five hundred and thirty students (mean age 16.0 years, SD 1.3) completed survey items relating to their alcohol consumption, sources of alcohol, circumstances of parental supply, and peers' consumption.Results. Among respondents (response rate 43%), 93% of participants had tried alcohol, 66% had consumed at least a full glass, and 40% had consumed more than four drinks on a single occasion in the preceding month (risky drinking). Risky drinkers obtained alcohol mainly from friends (48%) and parents (19%). After cont...

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) was originally developed for chronically suicidal adults with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and emotion dysregulation. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) indicate DBT is associated with improvements in problem behaviors, including suicide ideation and behavior, non-suicidal selfinjury (NSSI), attrition, and hospitalization. Positive outcomes with adults have prompted researchers to adapt DBT for adolescents. Given this interest in DBT for adolescents, it is important to review the theoretical rationale and the evidence base for this treatment and its adaptations. A solid theoretical foundation allows for adequate evaluation of content, structural, and developmental adaptations and provides a framework for understanding which symptoms or behaviors are expected to improve with treatment and why. We first summarize the adult DBT literature, including theory, treatment structure and content, and outcome research. Then, we review theoretical underpinnings, adaptations, and outcomes of DBT for adolescents. DBT has been adapted for adolescents with various psychiatric disorders (i.e., BPD, mood disorders, externalizing disorders, eating disorders, trichotillomania) and problem behaviors (i.e., suicide ideation and behavior, NSSI) across several settings (i.e., outpatient, day program, inpatient, residential, correctional facility). The rationale for using DBT with these adolescents rests in the common underlying dysfunction in emotion regulation among the aforementioned disorders and problem behaviors. Thus, the theoretical underpinnings of DBT suggest that this treatment is likely to be beneficial for adolescents with a broad array of emotion regulation difficulties, particularly underregulation of emotion resulting in behavioral excess. Results from open and quasi-experimental adolescent studies are promising; however, RCTs are sorely needed.

Classroom-based physical activity: Classroom teachers can incorporate movement activities and physical activity breaks into the classroom setting that may improve student performance and the classroom environment. Most interventions reviewed here used short breaks (5-20 minutes) that required little or no teacher preparation, special equipment, or resources. • Extracurricular physical activities: The evidence suggests that superintendents, principals, and athletic directors can develop or continue school-based sports programs without concern that these activities have a detrimental impact on students' academic performance. School administrators and teachers also can encourage after-school organizations, clubs, student groups, and parent groups to incorporate physical activities into their programs and events. The Association Between School-Based Physical Activity, Including Physical Education, and Academic Performance | 7 * Studies often included more than one type of measure; thus, the number of studies that include these different academic performance measures may exceed the total number of studies in any given category. † Some studies included more than one setting; therefore, the total number of studies by setting exceeds 50.

Healthy and balanced emotions are an important aspect of well-being. Today, diabetes has a high prevalence in American Indian communities. Four Talking Circle facilitators were interviewed in a phenomenological research study to describe their experience of facilitating Talking Circles during a diabetes research intervention, Diabetes Wellness: American Indian Talking Circles. The Diabetes Wellness study provided a twelve week educational curriculum in a Talking Circle format to target prevention and effective maintenance of symptoms of Type 2 diabetes among American Indians adults on two rural Northern Plains reservations. Seven essential themes emerged from the phenomenological study data. This report describes one theme: expression of the emotional aspect of diabetes and three sub-themes that depict American Indian culture: connectedness, collective living, and transformation. Type 2 diabetes is a chronic disease that affects the emotional status of American Indians in rural comm...

This chapter reviews the literature on substance abuse and prevention efforts in Native communities. The first section describes demographic characteristics of America's indigenous people, including tribal and government definitions, interaction and validation styles, and rural-urban differences. It concludes by warning that use of broad ethnic glosses to describe any ethnic group in a research venture is poor science, and that research involving American Indians must consider the cultural variations and numerous subgroups that have distinct lifeways. The second section presents an overview of the substance use and misuse field, noting that the research on prevention is very limited. Topics covered include setting, rates and patterns of substance use, etiology and correlates of use, prevention, social skills, peers, family, school-based programs, policy, community-wide efforts, community readiness, and cultural sensitivity. Conclusions drawn include: the family is central in American Indian culture and must be involved in prevention approaches; peer influence is significant, but to a lesser degree than among non-Natives; cultural identification is not directly related to substance abuse prevention, although it may be critical in treatment; many factors affecting youth in general also impact drug use among American Indian youth; much more is known about risk than about resiliency factors for American Indian youth; and evidence of the effectiveness of school-based programs is very limited. Seven recommendations are given for the advancement of prevention strategies, themes, and research among American Indians and Alaska Natives. (Contains 72 references.) (TD) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document.

This study focuses on the phenomenon of lying on adolescents' weblogs. The sample consisted of 113 completed surveys out of 120 in total. The age of participants ranged between 13 and 17 years old. Interviews were conducted with 10 randomly selected participants whose answers were then verified. The results suggest not only that adolescents present personal information such as their age, gender, and place of residence but that these pieces of information are presented truthfully. Generally, the level of dishonesty was low, with young adolescents tending to lie more often about their interests. Public topics (school and life) had the most truthful answers, whereas the least truthful answers concerned intimate topics (family life, partnership). These results suggest that adolescents' blogs serve as a place where the writers can both present themselves and communicate with their peers in a way that goes beyond a traditional diary.

Participants: Girls 14 to 16 years old with body mass index below the national median. Intervention: Behavioral intervention (bimonthly group meetings, quarterly coaching telephone calls, and weekly self-monitoring) designed to improve diet and increase physical activity. Main Outcome Measures: Total bone mineral density was measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Behavioral outcomes included intake of calcium, vitamin D, soda, and fruits and vegetables; high-impact and strengthtraining physical activity; measures of strength and fitness; and biomarkers (osteocalcin and naltrexone). Results: Compared with control subjects, girls in the in-tervention group had significantly higher bone mineral density in the spine and trochanter regions during the first study year, which was maintained during the second study year. The naltrexone biomarker demonstrated a greater relative decrease in the intervention group compared with the control group, with nonsignificant changes in osteocalcin consistent with more bone building in the intervention group. Participants in the intervention group reported significantly greater consumption of calcium in both study years, vitamin D in the first year, and fruits and vegetables in both years. We found no effect on soda consumption or target exercise rates. Conclusions: A comprehensive health care-based lifestyle intervention can effectively improve dietary intake and increase bone mineral gains in adolescent girls. To our knowledge, this study is the first to significantly improve bone mass in adolescent girls in a non-schoolbased intervention.

Background: Living with parents suffering from mental illness can influence adolescents' health and well-being, and adverse effects may persist into adulthood. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between parents' mental health problems reported by their 15-16-year-old adolescents, the potential protective effect of social support and long-term dependence on public welfare assistance in young adulthood. The study linked data from a youth health survey conducted during 1999-2004 among approximately 14 000 15-16-year-olds to data from high-quality, compulsory Norwegian registries that followed each participant through February 2010. Cox regression was used to compute hazard ratios for long-term welfare dependence in young adulthood based on several risk factors in 15-16-year-olds, including their parents' mental health problems. Results: Of the total study population, 10% (1397) reported having parents who suffered from some level of mental health problems during the 12 months prior to the baseline survey; 3% (420) reported that their parents had frequent mental health problems. Adolescent report of their parents' mental health problems was associated with the adolescents' long-term welfare dependence during follow-up, with hazard ratios (HRs) of 1.49 (CI 1.29-1.71), 1.82 (1.44-2.31) and 2.13 (CI 1.59-2.85) for some trouble, moderate trouble and frequent trouble, respectively, compared with report of no trouble with mental health problems. The associations remained significant after adjusting for socio-demographic factors, although additionally correcting for the adolescents' own health status accounted for most of the effect. Perceived support from family, friends, classmates and teachers was analysed separately and each was associated with a lower risk of later welfare dependence. Family and classmate support remained a protective factor for welfare dependence after correcting for all study covariates (HR 0.84, CI 0.78-0.90 and 0.80, 0.75-0.85). We did not find evidence supporting a hypothesized buffering effect of social support. Conclusions: Exposure to a parent's mental health problem during adolescence may represent a risk for future welfare dependence in young adulthood. Perceived social support, from family and classmates in particular, may be a protective factor against future long-term welfare dependence.

para la edad, dificultades en el funcionamiento diario del alumno o alumna en el ámbito familiar, escolar y/o social, llegando a ser vistos con frecuencia como "inmanejables" por las personas de su entorno". Pero no todos los problemas de conducta son trastornos. Hay ciertas conductas de desafío, rotura de normas, o inquietud, propias de la edad infantil o adolescente, y que no debemos confundir con un trastorno de conducta. Hemos de tener en cuenta, además de la conducta, la gravedad, intensidad y frecuencia de la misma, a la hora de definirla como un trastorno, o como un problema propio de la edad. También habremos de observar si el alumno presenta un deterioro en sus relaciones escolares y sociales. Así, según la clasificación del DSM -IV -TR, se consideran trastornos por déficit de atención y comportamiento perturbador los siguientes: Trastorno Negativista Desafiante, Trastorno Disocial, y Trastorno por Déficit de Atención con o sin Hiperactividad. En el caso de TND, se caracteriza por conductas desafiantes y hostiles, sobre todo hacia figuras de autoridad; en cuanto al TDAH, se caracteriza por conductas hiperactivas, impulsivas y por faltas de atención; y finalmente, el TD consiste en una violación normas sociales importantes o derechos de los otros. Este tipo de trastornos no tienen muchas respuestas educativas, puesto que muchas veces este alumnado es considerado como travieso, irrespetuoso, desobediente, etc., pero no se achaca su situación a un trastorno que necesita unas respuestas y atenciones específicas. Al contrario, por lo general, el profesorado lo critica, discrimina y rechaza, sin buscar soluciones. Consideran que son niños "malos", y únicamente les castigan, en vez de AUMENTO DE PROBLEMAS DE CONDUCTA EN NIÑOS Y ADOLESCENTES CON O SIN TRASTORNOS DE CONDUCTA: POSIBLES CAUSAS EXPLICATIVAS. 5 preocuparse por lo que les pasa, por lo que sienten, por lo que pueden hacer para cambiar su actitud, y hacer que se desarrollen integralmente igual que el resto. Aún así, hay que tener en cuenta que este tipo de conductas insolentes, inquietas e irrespetuosas son normales en niños y adolescentes, como ya he dicho, por lo que tampoco se debe diagnosticar a "lo loco". Esta es otra de las causas por la que resulta difícil diagnosticar a este alumnado, y en consecuencia, darle respuesta. Lo cierto es que resulta bastante complicado trabajar con este alumnado, ya que

Adolescence is a period of life characterised by changes in learning and decision-making. Learning and decision-making do not rely on a unitary system, but instead require the coordination of different cognitive processes that can be mathematically formalised as dissociable computational modules. Here, we aimed to trace the developmental time-course of the computational modules responsible for learning from reward or punishment, and learning from counterfactual feedback. Adolescents and adults carried out a novel reinforcement learning paradigm in which participants learned the association between cues and probabilistic outcomes, where the outcomes differed in valence (reward versus punishment) and feedback was either partial or complete (either the outcome of the chosen option only, or the outcomes of both the chosen and unchosen option, were displayed). Computational strategies changed during development: whereas adolescents' behaviour was better explained by a basic reinforcement learning algorithm, adults' behaviour integrated increasingly complex computational features, namely a counterfactual learning module (enabling enhanced performance in the presence of complete feedback) and a value contextualisation module (enabling symmetrical reward and punishment learning). Unlike adults, adolescent performance did not benefit from counterfactual (complete) feedback. In addition, while adults learned symmetrically from both reward and punishment, adolescents learned from reward but were less likely to learn from punishment. This tendency to rely on rewards and not to consider alternative consequences of actions might contribute to our understanding of decision-making in adolescence.

Prenatal drug exposure (PDE) can undermine subsequent health and development. In a prospective longitudinal study we examine whether PDE moderates the link between stress reactivity and cognitive functioning in adolescence. Participants were 76 prenatally drug-exposed and 61 nonexposed (NE) community comparison African American youth (50% male, mean age 14.17 years) living in an urban setting. All participants completed neuropsychological and academic achievement tests (Children's Memory Scales, the California Verbal Learning Test - Children's version and the Wide Range Achievement Test 4) over the course of 1 day in a laboratory setting. Two mild stressors (Balloon Analog Risk Task - Youth and Behavioral Indicator of Resilience to Distress) were administered, with saliva samples (assayed for cortisol) collected pre- and poststress task. A higher percentage in the NE group, compared to the PDE group (26% vs. 12%, χ2 = 4.70, d.f. = 1, n = 137, p = 0.03), exhibited task-relate...

Blades assisted with the statistical analyses. Ms. Heaton collected data and assisted with writing the manuscript. Mr. Randazzo collected data and assisted with the statistical analyses. Dr. Dorn assisted with designing the study and writing of the manuscript.

This paper revisits Erik Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development with particular attention to the adolescent stage, Identity versus Role Confusion, within African contexts. While Erikson’s model has shaped much of developmental psychology, its grounding in Western individualism limits its relevance in collectivist societies such as Nigeria. Drawing from psychology, sociology, and cultural studies, the paper examines how communal values, religion, economic realities, and gender norms influence adolescent identity formation. Through theoretical analysis and cultural illustrations, including rites of passage and the psychosocial challenges of urban youth and adolescents living with HIV, it highlights the communal, spiritual, and contextual dimensions of identity formation in Africa. The paper argues for a culturally responsive reinterpretation of Erikson’s model that integrates indigenous perspectives and reflects the lived  realities of African adolescents. The findings hold implications for psychology education, counseling, and youth development across the continent, calling for a more inclusive and context-sensitive approach to human growth.

Risk Perception, Awareness and Prevention Measures to Reduce Underage Drinking and the Illegal Purchase of Alcohol in Malta Copyright © 2005 Duncan Aaron Borg Ellul All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any ...

Study Objective-To examine a computer-assisted, counselor-guided motivational intervention (CAMI) aimed at reducing the risk of unprotected sexual intercourse. Design-We conducted a 9-month, longitudinal randomized controlled trial with a multi-site recruitment strategy including clinic, university, and social referrals, comparing the CAMI to didactic educational counseling (DEC) with 572 female adolescents (mean age = 17; SD = 2.2 Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.

This study tested whether the mediational pathway involving interparental conflict, adolescent emotional insecurity, and their psychological problems was altered by their earlier childhood histories of insecurity. Participants included 230 families, with the first of the five measurement occasions occurring when children were in first grade (Mean age = 7 years). Results indicated that interparental conflict was associated with increases in adolescent emotional insecurity which, in turn, predicted subsequent increases in their psychological problems. Childhood insecurity predicted adolescent maladjustment five years later even after considering contemporaneous family experiences. Moderator findings revealed that adolescents with relatively higher levels of insecurity in childhood evidenced disproportionately greater and reduced levels of insecurity in the context of high and low levels of interparental conflict, respectively. Witnessing high levels of discord and conflict increases children's risk for a wide array of psychological problems including internalizing (e.g., depression, anxiety) and externalizing (e.g., aggression, conduct problems) problems . In further highlighting its potency as a risk factor, the magnitude of risk conferred by frequent interparental hostility and discord is documented to be nearly twice the size of the risk associated with divorce . Toward the goal of explaining why exposure to interparental conflict is burdensome for children, emotional security theory (EST) proposes that children's worries about their security in the context of the interparental relationship progressively intensify following repeated exposure to interparental conflict and, in turn, increase children's vulnerability to adjustment problems . Although preserving a sense of security is conceptualized as a latent goal in EST, signs of insecurity are theorized to be expressed in children's observable response processes. Insecurity is specifically posited to be manifested in children's tendencies to respond to interparental conflict with intense, prolonged bouts of fearful distress, greater involvement, and negative internal representations of the implications interparental difficulties have for themselves and their families. Supporting this hypothesis, studies using diverse measurement approaches and designs (e.g., cross-sectional, longitudinal) have identified

School violence can lead to a disruptive and threatening environment, physical injury, and emotional stress, all of which can be obstacles to student achievement (Elliott, Hamburg, and Williams 1998). Educators have responded to the perceived threat of school violence by implementing programs designed to prevent, deter, and respond to the potential for violence in schools (Peterson, Larson, and Skiba 2001). In addition, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (P.L. 107-110) emphasizes the importance of safe learning environments by requiring schools to have a safety plan in place and to fund programs and practices intended to prevent and reduce violence in schools. 1

Background-There is evidence both that parental monitoring is an environmental influence serving to diminish adolescent externalizing problems and that this association may be driven by adolescents' characteristics via genetic and/or environmental mechanisms, such that adolescents with fewer problems tell their parents more, and therefore appear to be better monitored. Without information on how parents' and children's genes and environments influence correlated parent and child behaviors, it is impossible to clarify the mechanisms underlying this association. Method-The present study used the Extended Children of Twins model to distinguish types of gene-environment correlation and direct environmental effects underlying associations between parental knowledge and adolescent (age 11-22 years) externalizing behavior with a Swedish sample of 909 twin parents and their adolescent offspring and a US-based sample of 405 White adolescent siblings and their parents. Results-Results suggest that more parental knowledge is associated with less adolescent externalizing via a direct environmental influence independent of any genetic influences.

As part of a substance abuse prevention project, a measure was developed in both English and Spanish to measure levels of acculturation among members of a Latino youth population for later comparison of acculturation with high-risk behaviors. The Latino Youth Acculturation Scale (LYAS) consists of 23 items. Eleven items deal with language use of the respondent; six items deal with television viewing, music, and eating habits; and six items focus on cultural activities. The LYAS was administered to students in the fifth through eighth grades at two Chicago (Illinois) elementary schools in predominantly Latino neighborhoods. Usable surveys were obtained from approximately 650 youths, of whom 33 percent were first-generation in the United States. Forty percent of the respondents self-identified themselves as Puerto Rican, 28 percent as Mexican, 5 percent as both Mexican and Puerto Rican, and 7 percent as other Latino ancestry. A principal components analysis with oblimin rotation perfo...

While the importance of social relations for health has been demonstrated in childhood, adolescence and adulthood, few studies have examined the prospective importance of peer relations for adult health. The aim of this study was to examine whether peer problems in the school setting in adolescence relates to the metabolic syndrome in middle-age. Participants came from the Northern Swedish Cohort, a 27-year cohort study of school leavers (effective n = 881, 82% of the original cohort). A score of peer problems was operationalized through form teachers' assessment of each student's isolation and popularity among school peers at age 16 years, and the metabolic syndrome was measured by clinical measures at age 43 according to established criteria. Additional information on health, health behaviors, achievement and social circumstances were collected from teacher interviews, school records, clinical measurements and self-administered questionnaires. Logistic regression was used as the main statistical method. Results showed a dose-response relationship between peer problems in adolescence and metabolic syndrome in middle-age, corresponding to 36% higher odds for the metabolic syndrome at age 43 for each SD higher peer problems score at age 16. The association remained significant after adjustment for health, health behaviors, school adjustment or family circumstances in adolescence, and for psychological distress, health behaviors or social circumstances in adulthood. In analyses stratified by sex, the results were significant only in women after adjustment for covariates. Peer problems were significantly related to all individual components of the metabolic syndrome. These results suggest that unsuccessful adaption to the school peer group can have enduring consequences for metabolic health.

The main objective of the study was to develop a precise and reliable instrument for measuring the level of jealousy. The study was carried out in the following four stages. In the first phase, the items of the jealousy scale were generated by reviewing existing literature and employing a logical group discussion strategy. In the next phase, these items were sent to the experts of Psychology and theology for qualitative item analysis. In phase III, the items proposed by the experts were applied to the randomized sample of 300 participants as a first try out of the test. All the items showing good internal consistency, were further applied to a sample of 200 individuals in the final Phase of Factor Analysis. The Exploratory Factor Analysis also shows significant factor loading on three components. According to the value of the Confirmatory Factor (CFI), the model has a good fit.The scores obtained from test revealed very good reliability i-e .93(N=500). Each item shows a significant item-total correlation. Thejealousy scale is a threedimensional scale. It has good reliability and can be used within Pakistan. Further studies are suggested for validation of the scale across the globe  .

Experience with and management of stress has implications for adolescents' behavioral and socioemotional development. This study examined the relationship between adolescents' physiological response to an acute laboratory stressor (i.e., Trier Social Stress Test; TSST) and anger regulation and interpersonal competence in a sample of 175 low-income urban adolescents (51.8% girls). Findings suggested that heightened reactivity as indicated by cortisol, heart rate, and blood pressure was associated with increased interpersonal competence and anger regulation. However, these findings were context dependent such that, for youth high in self-reported child maltreatment, heightened reactivity was associated with decreased interpersonal competence and anger regulation. Results highlight the importance of considering how context may condition the effect of stress reactivity on functioning during adolescence.

OBJECTIVES: Canadian adolescents' sedentary behaviour (SB) is poorly understood and greatly understudied compared to physical activity (PA). Accumulating evidence suggests that SB poses long-term health risks regardless of PA levels. To design effective interventions that target SB, it is critical to first understand adolescents' sedentary time (ST) trajectories in a Canadian context. Therefore, we examined longitudinal trajectories of Manitoba students' ST from 2008 to 2011 and identified associated factors in the context of a province-wide physical education (PE) policy. METHODS: Secondary schools offering grades 9 through 12 were randomly selected in blocks to represent the urban and rural geography of Manitoba. In each selected school (n = 31), a convenience sample of grade 9 or 10 PE classes was recruited, leading to a final sample of 447 students. To assess ST, participants wore accelerometers on 7 consecutive days at baseline ( ) and during at least one follow-up period (2009, 2010 and 2011). RESULTS: At baseline, students accumulated an average of 540 minutes/day of ST. Over the course of secondary school, students' ST trajectories remained stable. Females compared to males had a slightly higher rate of decline in ST (p = 0.035), adjusting for socio-demographic variables. ST trajectories were not associated with baseline PA, body mass index and school neighbourhood socio-economic status. CONCLUSION: Adolescent ST remained high throughout secondary school. SB may be well established by early adolescence and track through late adolescence. Our findings suggest the potential need for additional interventions to reduce SB before and over the course of secondary school.

This paper reports on some of the implications for health education and intervention programmes of data from a large scale study which explored anxiety in young people. A total of 387 young people aged between 14 to 15 years in the East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire area took part. The study used grounded theory methodology for analysis. The core category was identified as concerns about what other people think. These concerns were related to self-consciousness and self-presentation. Further analysis demonstrated the significance of these concerns: other people's opinions can have real personal, social and behavioural consequences. Advocated within this paper is the use of research methods that promote empowerment, in particular selfselected friendship groups, which reduce self-presentational concerns and increase self-disclosure in research situations. The findings lead to a number of suggestions on ways of improving the impact that health education messages have on young people. If such messages and intervention programmes are to be effective, they must connect with the lived experiences of young people.

Exposure to violence in media, including television, movies, music, and video games, represents a significant risk to the health of children and adolescents. Extensive research evidence indicates that media violence can contribute to aggressive behavior, desensitization to violence, nightmares, and fear of being harmed. Pediatricians should assess their patients' level of media exposure and intervene on media-related health risks. Pediatricians and other child health care providers can advocate for a safer media environment for children by encouraging media literacy, more thoughtful and proactive use of media by children and their parents, more responsible portrayal of violence by media producers, and more useful and effective media ratings. Office counseling has been shown to be effective.

Background.-Sensation seeking has been implicated as a major risk factor for underage alcohol use, however little research into this personality trait has been conducted among children. Methods.-A latent state-trait (LST) analysis was conducted among 552 individuals (54.3% female; age range 8-13; mean age 9.3) to determine the state or trait-based aspects of sensation seeking, and if this state or trait predicted future alcohol use. Sensation seeking behavior and lifetime alcohol use were assessed at four time points using two previously validated measures. Results.-Between 49.4% and 95.3% of individual differences in sensation seeking could be attributed to a stable underlying sensation seeking trait. Further, logistic regression of the stable trait of sensation seeking predicted future alcohol use. A one unit increase in the latent trait increased the odds a student would try alcohol by 7.83 times (95% CI = 1.49-41.11, p = .015). Standardized regression coefficients revealed that an increase of one standard deviation in the latent trait of sensation seeking increased the odds of experimentation with alcohol by 1.29 times (95% CI = 1.11-1.49, p = .001). Conclusion.-Findings suggest sensation seeking presents as a stable trait during childhood, which can cause children to seek out novel or exciting behaviors such as alcohol use. Future substance use interventions may need to account for the influence of the underlying trait.

Research on the academic adjustment of immigrant adolescents has been predominately conducted in large cities among established migration areas. To broaden the field's restricted focus, data from 172 (58% female) Asian American adolescents who reside within a nontraditional or emerging immigrant community in the Southeastern US were used to examine gender differences in academic adjustment as well as school, family, and cultural variables as potential mediators of gender differences found. Results suggest that girls report significantly higher educational goals, intrinsic academic motivation, and utility value of school compared to boys. These gender differences are statistically mediated by ethnic exploration and family processes, most prominently, family respect. School connectedness and perceived discrimination are also associated with academic adjustment at the bivariate level, suggesting that academic success may be best promoted if multiple domains of influence can be targeted.

Depressive symptoms in Latino youth have been related to both culturally-universal and culturally-based stressors. However, few studies have examined the unique contributions of culturally-based stressors above and beyond other types of stressors. Moreover, no past studies with Latinos have examined the role of culturally-based stressors within a hopelessness model of depressive symptoms, a cognitive model with the strongest empirical support in adolescence. The current study examined these issues in a sample of 171 Latino adolescents (7th-10th grades; mean age = 14; 46 % male). The Latino adolescents were primarily Mexican-American (78 %) and born in the United States (60 %). Students completed measures during a school period on their experiences of parent-child conflict, economic stress, discrimination from peers, and acculturative stress as well as depressive symptoms and attributional style. The results indicated that culturally-based stressors (e.g., acculturative stress and discrimination) predicted greater depressive symptoms even when controlling for culturally-universal stressors (e.g., parent-child conflict, economic stress). Moreover, a negative attributional style moderated the relationship between culturally-universal stressors and depressive symptoms, but this was not the case for culturally-based stressors. Culturally-based stressors play an important role in depressive symptoms among Latino youth. These stressors predicted greater symptomatology even when controlling for other types of stressors and a negative attributional style. These findings suggest that there may be other cognitive risk factors associated with culturally-based stressors.

The mental health situation for high school students these days shows some clear patterns. It also brings up real challenges. And it points to what might help in the long run. Adolescence hits with a lot of changes in the mind, social life, and body. High school stands out as one of the toughest stretches in that time. Students deal with more anxiety, depression, and trouble handling emotions than before. Things like school stress, time on social media, messed up sleep, friends, and money issues at home all play into it. This piece looks at how those factors affect teens' mental health. It pulls together what recent studies and polls say. And it thinks about ways to build better habits for feeling okay. Educators, parents, and those making rules need to get this. It helps them guide kids through a world that's full of twists and heavy loads.

Safety is essential for life. To survive, humans and other animals have developed sets of psychological and physiological adaptations known as life history (LH) tradeoff strategies in response to various safety constraints. Evolutionarily selected LH strategies in turn regulate development and behavior to optimize survival under prevailing safety conditions. The present study tested LH hypotheses concerning safety based on a 6-year longitudinal sample of 1,245 adolescents and their parents from 9 countries. The results revealed that, invariant across countries, environmental harshness, and unpredictability (lack of safety) was negatively associated with slow LH behavioral profile, measured 2 years later, and slow LH behavioral profile was negatively and positively associated with externalizing behavior and academic performance, respectively, as measured an additional 2 years later. These results support the evolutionary conception that human development responds to environmental safety cues through LH regulation of social and learning behaviors.

 Implication #3: More research on rural ELT program adaptations is needed to understand how programs address funding, staffing, participant recruitment, and transportation issues: In order to address curricular and organizational innovation rural Maine, more research is needed to understand the flexibility and adaptations of rural programs to deliver high-quality programming. We will be producing a second report that examines exemplary after-school program practices within the context of both rural and non-rural Maine schools in March of 2016.

This paper argues that the cluster of traits historically labeled "Asperger's" (now generally subsumed under Autism Spectrum Disorder, Level 1) has not only influenced the lives of individuals but, through its large-scale, under-recognized presence and interaction with social institutions, contributed to a measurable shift in patterns of human socialization. By synthesizing neurochemical findings (serotonin, oxytocin, dopamine, glutamate/GABA), cognitive theories (theory of mind, weak central coherence, executive function, social motivation, mirror-neuron hypotheses), and philosophical reflections on normativity and social contract, I propose that the presence of undiagnosed autistic phenotypes changes the affordances of contemporary social environments and therefore reshapes social norms, communication conventions, and group epistemic practices. The paper draws on empirical neuroscience and psychological literature to support a framework that treats socialization as co-produced by neurodiverse cognitive styles rather than as a one-directional process of individual adaptation to an invariant social world.

This article explores the psychological, social, and cultural factors that contribute to youthperpetrated shootings in the United States. Focusing on adolescents and young adults aged 16-30, it examines brain development, identity formation, peer and online influences, mental health challenges, and societal pressures that can make violence appear as a path to recognition or respect. Drawing on theories from Erikson, Bandura, Agnew, and others, as well as statistical data from the FBI and Gun Violence Archive, the article highlights the complex interplay between developmental vulnerability and environmental strain. Proposed solutions emphasize early interventions, mentorship, media literacy, mental health support, and policies addressing access to firearms, aiming to reduce the incidence and impact of youth-perpetrated shootings.

Adolescence is a developmental period characterized by dramatic changes in cognition, risk-taking and social behavior. Although gonadal steroid hormones are well-known mediators of these behaviors in adulthood, the role gonadal steroid hormones play in shaping the adolescent brain and behavioral development has only come to light in recent years. Here we discuss the sex-specific impact of gonadal steroid hormones on the developing adolescent brain. Indeed, the effects of gonadal steroid hormones during adolescence on brain structure and behavioral outcomes differs markedly between the sexes. Research findings suggest that adolescence, like the perinatal period, is a sensitive period for the sex-specific effects of gonadal steroid hormones on brain and behavioral development. Furthermore, evidence from studies on male sexual behavior suggests that adolescence is part of a protracted postnatal sensitive period that begins perinatally and ends following adolescence. As such, the perinatal and peripubertal periods of brain and behavioral organization likely do not represent two discrete sensitive periods, but instead are the consequence of normative developmental timing of gonadal hormone secretions in males and females.

Objectives: We investigated the effect of some hypothetical factors (nutrition, health indicators, risk behaviors, personal characteristics, and family indicators) on academic achievement using Logistic Regression (LR) and the Chi-squared Automatic Interaction Detection ...

Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) intoxication represents a fascinating yet complex intersection of neuropharmacology, psychiatry, and emergency medicine. Although LSD is not associated with direct organ toxicity or fatal overdoses in isolation, its profound psychological and perceptual effects frequently lead to acute presentations in clinical practice. Patients often arrive following a distressing experience-commonly referred to as a "bad trip"-characterized by hallucinations, panic, synesthesia, and altered time perception. The challenge for clinicians lies less in recognizing LSD's immediate effects and more in differentiating it from a wide range of other psychoactive substances, psychiatric conditions, and medical disorders that can mimic its presentation. This paper elaborates on the differential diagnosis of LSD intoxication, highlighting distinguishing features from substances such as MDMA, MDA, psilocybin, DMT, PCP, cocaine, amphetamines, benzodiazepines, barbiturates, ethanol, and GHB. It also emphasizes the importance of differentiating drug-induced states from primary psychiatric illnesses like schizophrenia, as well as from metabolic or structural central nervous system disorders. Prognosis is generally favorable when patients receive supportive care, although complications such as persistent psychosis, hallucinogen-persisting perception disorder (HPPD), or trauma from unsafe environments can occur. Patient education and deterrence remain critical, as many individuals experiment without understanding the risks of polysubstance use, unsafe environments, or underlying psychiatric vulnerability. The healthcare team plays a vital role, not only in acute stabilization but also in ensuring interprofessional collaboration, clear discharge planning, and linkage to long-term psychiatric and social support. Ultimately, LSD intoxication challenges clinicians to combine medical precision with compassionate, nonjudgmental care, balancing harm reduction with evidence-based interventions.

Abstract: Depression is a major mental health problem during adolescence. This study, using a sample of Chinese adolescents, examined the separate and combined effects of perceived school-related stress and of family socioeconomic status (SES) on the prevalence of depressive symptoms. A total of 1774 Chinese students from Grades 7–12 were recruited into our questionnaire survey. School-related stress was measured by the Effort-Reward Imbalance Questionnaire-School Version, family SES was assessed by a standardized question, and depressive symptoms were evaluated by the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale for Children. Multivariate logistic regression was applied, adjusting for age, gender, grade, smoking, alcohol drinking and physical activity. It was found that high school-related stress and low family SES were associated with elevated

Background: We attempted to apply the model of effort-reward imbalance (ERI) to school settings in order to measure students' psychosocial stress and analyze its association with self-rated health in adolescents. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Kunming, China among 1004 Chinese students (468 boys and 536 girls) in grades 7 through 12, using a 19-item effort-reward imbalance questionnaire. Results: Satisfactory internal consistencies for the scales for effort and reward were obtained; the value for the scale for overcommitment was acceptable. Factor analysis replicated the theoretical structure of the ERI construct in this sample of Chinese students. All 3 scales were associated with an elevated odds ratio for diminished self-rated health, and the effect was strongest for the effort-reward ratio, as predicted by the theory. Sex and grade differences were also observed. Conclusions: The ERI questionnaire is a valid instrument for identifying sources of stressful experience, in terms of effort-reward imbalance, among adolescents in school settings.

This article presents the main outcome findings from two inter-related randomized trials conducted at four sites to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of five short-term outpatient interventions for adolescents with cannabis use disorders. Trial 1 compared five sessions of Motivational Enhancement Therapy plus Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (MET/CBT) with a 12-session regimen of MET and CBT (MET/CBT12) and another that included family education and therapy components (Family Support Network [FSN]). Trial II compared the five-session MET/CBT with the Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach (ACRA) and Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT). The 600 cannabis users were predominately white males, aged 15-16. All five CYT interventions demonstrated significant pre-post treatment improvements during the 12 months after random assignment to a treatment intervention in the two main outcomes: days of abstinence and the percent of adolescents in recovery (no use or abuse/dependence problems and living in the community). Overall, the clinical outcomes were very similar across sites and conditions; however, after controlling for initial severity, the most cost-effective interventions were MET/CBT5 and MET/CBT12 in Trial 1 and ACRA and MET/CBT5 in Trial 2. It is possible that the similar results occurred because outcomes were driven more by general factors beyond the treatment approaches tested in this study; or because of shared, general helping factors across therapies that helped these teens attend to and decrease their connection to cannabis and alcohol.

The assessment of children's perception of marital conflict is an important area of research related to family relations, children's cognitions about self, and the development of psychopathology. The leading instrument in this domain is the Children's Perception of Interparental Conflict Scale (CPIC; J. H. Grych, M. Seid, & F. D. Fincham, 1992). It has 48 items organized into 9 conceptual designed subscales, with reports of 3-factor higher order structure to the 9 subscales. However, the 3-factor solution does not capture all 9 subscales well. Further, items have never been subjected to factor analysis to evaluate the best fitting factor structure at the item level. Doing so is particularly important when bringing the scale into new populations such as children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or disruptive behavior disorders. In the present study, 2 samples of children (total N = 1,190; ages 6-18 years) completed the CPIC. An exploratory factor analysis in Sample 1 (from a clinical study of ADHD and non-ADHD youths) yielded 4 interpretable factors. A confirmatory factor analysis in Sample 2 (a population sample of twins) confirmed the generalizability of the solution with an acceptable fit, although 1 item was dropped. The final solution used 38 of the 48 items. The 4-factor solution captured a Conflict Properties factor, two appraisal factors labeled Threat to Self and Self-Blame, and a Triangulation/Stability factor that included elements of appraisal and content. The authors concluded that the item-based 4-factor solution to the CPIC is preferable to the 9-factor or 3-factor formulation.

Suicide prevention remains a challenge across communities in North America and abroad. We examine a suicide prevention effort that is widely used, termed gatekeeper training. There are 2 aims: review the state of the evidence on gatekeeper training for suicide prevention, and propose directions for further research. Studies were identified by searching MEDLINE (PubMed) and PsycINFO from inception to the present for the key words suicide, suicide prevention, and gatekeeper. In addition, a manual scan of relevant articles' bibliographies was undertaken. Gatekeeper training has been implemented and studied in many populations, including military personnel, public school staff, peer helpers, clinicians, and Aboriginal people. This type of training has been shown to positively affect the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of trainees regarding suicide prevention. Large-scale cohort studies in military personnel and physicians have reported promising results with a significant reduction...