Purpose: When the prevalence of physical teen dating violence (TDV) victimization is examined at the state level, significant variation exists; the prevalence ranges from 7.4% in Oklahoma and Vermont to 17.8% in Louisiana. Using U.S. states as the unit of analysis, this study sought to determine whether gender inequality is a societal level risk factor for TDV victimization. Method: Data measuring physical TDV victimization were obtained from the 2009 YRBS. To measure the level of gender inequality in each state, the Gender Inequality Index (GII) was calculated using the procedure described in the United Nations’ Human Development Report. Pearson’s correlation coefficients were calculated to determine the association between TDV victimization, the GII, and the indicators of the GII. Results: Of the 40 states included in analyses, the GII was significantly associated with the state prevalence of both total TDV victimization (r=.323, p=.042) and female TDV victimization (r=.353, p=.026). Subsequent to removal of the outlying case of Oklahoma, the GII was also significantly associated with male TDV victimization (r=.366, p=.022). Several individual GII indicators were significantly associated with TDV victimization after removing the outlying case. Ordinary least squares regression was used to create a model for TDV victimization and gender inequality. Conclusion: This is the first study to examine societal level gender inequality as a risk factor for state level TDV victimization using nationally representative data on school youth. As policy-makers implement TDV prevention policy at the state level, further research understanding potential macro-level risk factors is particularly important.

Identity development is a crucial process which occurs during the period of adolescence (Erikson, 1950, 1968). Researchers have suggested that the adolescent period is becoming prolonged due to increasing numbers of individuals pursuing post-secondary education (Kerckhoff, 2002; Larson, 2002; Mortimer & Larson, 2002). During this period known as “post-adolescence”, further identity formation is believed to take place (Mortimer & Larson, 2002). Despite these suggestions, little research has been performed regarding identity development during post-adolescence. In addition, the role of leisure during the identity formation period has largely been overlooked. The few studies that have been conducted on this topic focus on the relationship between leisure participation and identity development, while failing to acknowledge the role of other salient leisure lifestyle variables such as leisure experience, motivation and meaningfulness. In addition, previous studies have used global measures of identity, rather than considering separate dimensions of personal and social identity. The present study expands upon previous literature by investigating personal and social identity development during post-adolescence, and the relationship between identity and a variety of leisure lifestyle variables. Participants included 465 students from the University of Waterloo. Questionnaires were completed regarding leisure participation, meaningfulness derived from participation, leisure experience, motivation and identity. Results of the study indicate that identity development is still occurring during the period of post-adolescence. Leisure participation, meaningfulness, leisure experience and motivation all displayed some degree of a relationship with identity. Personal and social identities yielded differing associations with these leisure lifestyle factors. Personal identity was most strongly related to leisure experience, while social identity was associated with leisure motivation. Although causality cannot be inferred from the results of this study, indications do exist that these leisure lifestyle variables may exert some influence on the identity development process.

A basic interpretive qualitative research approach (Merriam, 2002) was used to investigate the experiences of adolescent females engaged in elite dance training while attending regular high school programs. Participants were five adolescent females from the local dance community of a mid-size Canadian Prairie city. Semi-structured interviews provided an opportunity for the participants to share their experiences and perspectives, and describe what it is like to dance through high school. Data were analyzed in terms of Kearneys (2001) shared meaning and descriptive categories. The shared meaning of the dancers experiences reflected a common sentiment of mastery, accomplishment in both dance and school, and recognition of dance as a coping behavior and resource. Descriptive categories included two themes: The Daily Life of a Dancer (School and Dance Integrated) and The Social Life of a Dancer (School and Dance Separated). Findings are discussed in terms of the current literature on dance training and extracurricular activities for adolescents; implications are identified for counselling and educational professionals; and recommendations are made for future research.

When adolescent girls growe up in the adolescence, facing physiological and psychological changes, they dress as a means to create the image of the body and to build their own social image ¢w how to be the right young girl in other¡¦s eyes. But there is no system to teach them how to change and self-shaping. When they are confronted with social demands and the capitalist or patriarchal shock, how to adjust their behavior. Online shopping has become a major shopping channel of many female students, female graduate students or the young female office workers. Today, using online shopping to purchase dress is also an important leisure entertainment to many adolescent girls. The e-shopping of PTT has become the gathering place of adolescent girls. Not only as an online shopping related information exchange field, but also become an important field of adolescent girls grow up group with emotional exchange.Shopping content and aesthetic criteria will be prevailed by e-shopping collective view. After the shopping experience, they expect supports of e-shopping. In addition to mother, sisters or classmates, colleagues, e-shopping has become an important reference, and some even replaced. The thourghts of adolescent girls are different to adult women and adolescent boyes. However, thinking and growth experience of adolescent girls have not been taken seriously, or limited to stereotype. In this study, the text of the form of direct contact with young girls in the e-shopping which comes from the real behavior are usd to understand the culture and values of adolescent girls between groups in online shopping. Through this e-shopping tunnel, the adolescent girls like through the rite of passage ceremony, into a mature woman.

With the growing use of digital camera and internet album, it brings a new internet visual culture called as ¡§internet self-portrait culture¡¨ in Taiwan. Internet users take digital self-portrait photos, upload self-portrait onto personal websites like blog or internet album, and communicate with people in this way. This culture is much popular especially among the adolescents (aged form 12 to 24) in Taiwan. This research refers to what kind of effects this new internet visual culture brings to the adolescents, especially focusing on the effect it brings to self-identity development and social relation. And interview is adopted in this research. According to the result, first, internet self-portrait culture could be seen as an adolescent sub-culture. In this subculture, the adolescents develop a series of communicative methods like ¡§to see¡¨ and ¡§to be seen¡¨. In this way, the adolescents chase for chances and stages for ¡§showing oneself¡¨, and the ¡§beautiful looks¡¨ is the main point of the show. ¡§Chasing for aesthetics of body¡¨ and ¡§everyone having equal and unique prettiness¡¨ are the two important values in this subculture. As for self-identity, participating in internet self-portrait culture brings the adolescents the experience of alternative role playing experience. Moreover, it helps build up self-confidence and positive self-identity on looks. As for social relation, it helps the adolescents keep in touch with the old friends and brings them new friends who help the adolescents build self-confidence on looks. Besides, participating in internet self-portrait culture could be seen as a way for the adolescents to retrieve ¡§freedom of making friends¡¨ and ¡§freedom of managing one¡¦s own body¡¨ from their parents.

The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to explore the significant predictors that related to adolescent¡¦s positive thinking and self-identity. Four hundreds and sixty-seven public junior high school participants from 3 different grade levels (i.e., seventh-grade, eighth-grade, and ninth-grade) completed a questionnaire on Adolescent Self-awareness Scale(ASS). The ASS included Background Questionnaire, Positive Thinking Scale, and Self-identity Scale. Moreover 5 junior high school students with the highest total scores on positive thinking and self-identity, and additional 5 with the lowest total scores on positive thinking and self-identity were recruited as target students for individual interviews to find their common background factors. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, analysis of variance, Pearson correlation, and stepwise multiple-regression were conducted on the quantitative data. For the interview data, an inductive analysis was applied. The major findings are as follows: 1.The significant predictors for adolescents¡¦ Positive Thinking are subjective family atmosphere, physical leisure participation frequency, interpersonal relationships, and academic achievement. 2.The significant predictors for adolescents¡¦ Self-identity are subjective family atmosphere, interpersonal relationships, physical leisure participation frequency, and academic achievement. 3.Ninth-grade students¡¦ Positive Thinking and Self-identity scores are significantly lower than seventh-grade and eighth-grade students. 4.Adolescents with more harmonious family atmosphere prescent significantly higher scores on Positive Thinking and Self-identity. 5.Adolescents with better interpersonal relationship obtain significantly higher Positive Thinking and Self-identity scores than their counterparts. 6.Adolescents who often involved in physical leisure participation present significantly higher Positive Thinking and Self-identity scores than these less involved in physical leisure participants. 7.Adolescents with high positive thinking and high self-identity scores present the following characteristics: better academic achievement, harmonious family atmosphere, good interpersonal relationships, and leisure in physical participation. 8.Adolescents with low positive thinking and low self-identity scores present the following characteristics: lower academic achievement, inharmonious family atmosphere, bad interpersonal relationships, and leisure engagements in non-physical participation. 9.There are significant correlations between adolescents¡¦ Positive Thinking and Self-Identity.

In recent years, dietary calcium intake among children and adolescents has fallen sharply. This trend is alarming because childhood and adolescence are the primary ages for building bone mass. Therefore, an interactive website, Clueless in the Mall (http://calcium.tamu.edu) was developed targeting youth to increase knowledge, improve attitudes, and equip them to incorporate calcium-rich foods into their diets. This website was created with the help of adolescents at every stage of development and has been pilot tested with adolescents at home and in school, showing improvements in knowledge and attitudes. However, the website has not been tested for effectiveness in changing behaviors, specifically for increasing calcium intake. The present study was conducted to measure the effectiveness of the website for changing knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. The hypothesis of this investigation was that the website intervention would significantly improve attitudes and knowledge about calcium and increase dietary calcium intake among adolescents and pre-adolescents who took part in the study. After the group-administered Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) was validated among a local church youth group, a total of 126 middle school and high school students were recruited from 12 local public school classes to participate. Each student took three questionnaires during class time to measure baseline knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors (including calcium intake using the FFQ). Then each student took one class period to view the calcium website. Four to six weeks later, the investigators returned to administer the same three tests to each student. Demographic information was collected, and data were analyzed using paired samples t-tests and analyses of variance (ANOVA). Results demonstrated that the website alone was sufficient to improve knowledge scores; however, it was not enough to change attitudes and behaviors significantly. In conclusion, the website should be used to promote and reinforce health behaviors, but should not be expected to stand alone as an intervention.

This randomized clinical study aimed to compare the efficacy of written handouts with that of audio-visual computerized presentations in educating adolescents about acne vulgaris. The study included 101 adolescent patients, aged 13 to 17 years, presenting to a private dermatology practice or one of three pediatric clinics in New Haven, CT. All participants completed a brief enrollment questionnaire to gauge baseline knowledge about acne vulgaris. Subjects were then randomized to receive either a written handout or an audio-visual computerized presentation. Immediately following the intervention, and again at one month, patients were asked to complete identical questionnaires to assess change in knowledge about acne. The main outcome measure was change in knowledge about acne vulgaris, as indicated by performance on pre-intervention, post-intervention, and one-month follow-up questionnaires. Baseline questionnaires were completed by 21 patients in the pilot study and 80 subjects in the revised study; 17 (80.95%) and 77 (96.25%) completed the respective studies. In both the pilot and revised studies, there was no significant difference between intervention groups in terms of baseline knowledge or gain-in-knowledge. Immediately post- intervention, both groups showed significant improvement from baseline (P<.0001 revised study, P<.01 pilot study). At the one-month follow-up, patients in the pilot study randomized to receive the computerized presentation still showed significant gain in knowledge from baseline (p<.05), while those in the handout group did not. Meanwhile, both intervention groups in the revised study continued to show significant gain in knowledge from baseline at one month (p<.0001). From the above results it appears that both written handouts and audio-visual computerized presentations about acne vulgaris confer significant and equivalent benefits in terms of short- and long-term knowledge gains among adolescent patients with acne.

Thèse d'exercice : Médecine. Médecine générale : Paris 12 : 2004. / Titre provenant de l'écran-titre. Bibliogr. f. 39-42.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Department of Psychology, The Committee on Human Development, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.