This study investigated the utility of applying the social constructionist perspective to adolescent sexual minority identity development, disclosure, and identity explorations. Differences between middle and late adolescents and male and females were examined. No differences were found between middle and late adolescents on measures of identity development and identity exploration; however, differences in identity disclosure were found regarding history of accidental discovery of sexual orientation. Biological sex differences were found for identity development, disclosure, and exploration. Relationships between same- and opposite-sex attractions, behaviors, romantic experiences, and self-labels are presented. Trends in intentional disclosure patterns and unintentional discovery identify predicted reaction as a primary motivator in disclosure. Finally, different relationship styles in which sexual minorities engage are presented. Outcomes of relationship styles show better psychosocial outcomes for those engaging in different relationship styles compared to those who do not participate in relationships.

The purpose of the study was to develop a valid and reliable instrument designed to assess the parenting and child rearing attitudes of adolescents, Responses to the instrument would allow for the identification of "high risk" adolescents, i.e., those adolescents whose attitudes towards parenting and child rearing indicated a high potential for child abuse. A review of the literature identified the following four parenting constructs most commonly associated with abusive parents: Construct A: Inappropriate parental expectations of the child; Construct B: Inability of the parent to be empathically aware of the child's needs; Construct C: Strong parental belief in the value of punishment; Construct D: Role reversal. These constructs served as the basis for the development of the item domain. The sample used in this study consisted of 2,628 adolescents attending schools located in Utah and Idaho. Employing a Likert format, three Prototypes of the instrument were developed and field tested. Substantial content validity was acquired through the judgments made by a panel of experts in child abuse, test construction, and attitudinal measurement. Construct validity of the instrument was established through the results obtained from factor analysis, interitem correlations, and item-construct correlations. The data generated from the factor analysis indicated 32 items had the highest positive factor loadings (>= .20) in each of the four identified constructs. The range of item-construct correlations for the 32 items (.53 to .75) indicated adequate to high degrees of relationship between the item scores and total construct scores. The data obtained relative to the internal consistency of the items indicated adequate level s of reliability for each construct (Construct A, .70; Construct B, .75; Construct C, .81; Construct D, .82). The test-retest reliability coefficient of the instrument showed an adequate level of stability over a one week period of time (.76). Raw scores, converted into factor scores, indicated approximately 3% of the adolescents who responded to the instrument scored -2 and -3 standard deviations away from the mean. The results of the multi-variant analysis of variance indicated that abused adolescents scored significantly lower (p.

Health-compromising behavior is a leading cause of death among American Indian (Al) adolescents. Examples of these behaviors include: smoking, alcohol consumption, drug use, and lack of seatbelt use. Theories that predict which Al youth are most at risk for executing these behaviors are needed. Social learning theory (SL T) has shown adolescents' behaviors are sometimes highly correlated with their parents' behaviors across different ethnic groups. However, there has been little previous research done with Als. The present study attempted to determine if SL T was applicable to Al adolescents and their parents with regard to four health-related behaviors: cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, seatbelt use, and religiosity. The first three were chosen because of the high number of Al adolescent deaths associated with them. Religiosity was included because high religiosity scores have been shown to negatively correlate with health-compromising behaviors in some studies. The present study provided partial support for SL T when applied to Al youth. For example, there were positive correlations found between parents' smoking and if the youths have ever smoked regularly or smoke currently. Little support was found for SL T with regard to alcohol consumption (i.e., the overall correlation was not significant). The exception to this was when daughters were correlated with fathers. How often the father drank and if he binged were positively correlated with how often the daughter drank and if she ever binged. There were strong correlations between parents' seatbelt use and similar use of their adolescents, thus supporting the theory. Also, strong positive correlations were found between the religiosity of the parents' and the youth. Further, religiosity did show negative correlations with health-compromising behaviors among the youth. There was also a sex difference found, with female youth having stronger negative correlations than the male youth. There were 290 Al adolescents in this nationally representative sample, 136 mate and 154 female. All the behaviors were measured via self-report, as was the identification of the adolescent's ethnicity. Limitations of this research, implications for future research, and areas for prevention/intervention with Al youth at risk are discussed.

Eustress, the positive response to stress, is a relatively understudied concept. Most of the research on eustress has been concentrated in the occupational and management setting. Empirical studies of eustress in adolescents are absent, even though youth experience unique sources and magnitudes of stress. Specifically, Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) students report more stress than their general education peers but excel in their rigorous academic program. Eustress is related to a variety of positive psychological and physiological outcomes among adult samples, which makes it an important concept to explore in adolescent samples. Many constructs such as self-efficacy, hope, meaningfulness, flow, engagement and coping have correlated with eustress among samples of adults. This study investigated different aspects of eustress in a sample of 2379 AP and IB students (grades 9 – 12), and explored if its relationship with positive outcomes (among adults) holds true in this population. First, the psychometric properties of a modified self-report measure of eustress were examined. Results from this study supported a five-item eustress measure that had adequate reliability (α= .85) and construct validity based on a confirmatory factor analysis. Second, differences between the eustress measure in different subgroups, namely gender, grade level, and academic program were explored. Only a significant difference in eustress was found between grade levels, indicating that students in upper grade levels had higher levels of eustress. Third, relationships between eustress scores and a nomological network of theoretically similar constructs (potential correlates) and salient outcomes – indicators of students’ academic and emotional success— were examined. Consistent with previous literature, eustress had a significant positive relationship with task-focused coping, cognitive and affective engagement, self-efficacy, flow, and grit. Eustress had a negative relationship with distress and emotion-focused coping. Related to student outcomes, eustress was a significant predictor of higher levels of positive indicators of success—GPA and life satisfaction— lower levels of indicators of undesirable outcomes—school burnout and psychopathology. Implications for practitioners and future directions for research are discussed.

A dual-factor model of mental health conceptualizes mental health status as a combination of both psychopathology and subjective well-being. Current literature indicates that complete mental health (i.e., low psychopathology, high subjective well-being) is associated with the best academic and social functioning among youth. Thus, the absence of psychopathology alone is not sufficient for student success. While research on interventions for improving subjective well-being, termed positive psychology interventions (PPIs), is increasing, PPIs for youth in particular lag behind similar interventions for adults. Additionally, a majority of youth-focused PPIs have targeted singular constructs (e.g., gratitude, character strengths), have neglected to include relevant stakeholders in youth's lives, and have not examined the impact of booster sessions on maintaining gains in subjective well-being. Research questions answered in the current study pertain to: (a) the impact of a comprehensive, multi-target, multi-component, small-group youth-focused PPI on students' subjective well-being and symptoms of psychopathology, and (b) the extent to which booster sessions can prevent students from experiencing post-intervention declines in subjective well-being and symptoms of psychopathology. To answer these questions, 42 seventh grade students were randomly assigned to either immediately receive the PPI or to a wait-list control group; all participants' subjective well-being and symptoms of psychopathology were analyzed across time. At immediate post-intervention, students who participated in the PPI made significant gains in all components of subjective well-being, and there was a trend for them to report less internalizing and externalizing symptoms of psychopathology relative to students in the wait-list control group. By seven-week follow-up, students who participated in the PPI exhibited sustained high levels of positive affect, and there was a trend for them to report sustained low levels of negative affect and internalizing symptoms of psychopathology relative to students in the wait-list control group. Thus, findings from the current study support this multi-component PPI as an evidence-based method for making long-lasting improvements in early adolescents' positive affect, a primary indicator of subjective well-being. Implications for school psychologists, contributions to the literature, and future directions are discussed.

The present study examined the direction and strength of the relation between three different areas academic achievement and working memory with adolescent students. The data analyzed included ratings for inattention, a diagnosis of ADHD (or not), and demographic information for race/ethnicity. Fifty children aged 11 to16 years of age participated in the study. Participants were recruited from several middle schools, homeschooling networks, and churches from a southeastern state of the United States. Each participant completed a standardized achievement test, a behavioral rating scale, and visual and verbal working memory tests. The research questions investigated: 1) the relation between visual and verbal working memory with each of three areas of academic achievement; 2) whether the relation between visual and verbal working memory was strengthened or moderated by inattention. Results found that verbal-auditory working memory (p=p=p=.01). There was a positive relation between the working memory scores and academic achievement, with higher working memory scores predicting higher academic achievement. Due to significant differences with the standardized testing scores between Caucasians and non-Caucasians, the analysis was controlled for ethnicity. The measure of inattention problems did not add significantly to or moderate the prediction of academic achievement by visual or verbal working memory after controlling for ethnicity. Future recommendations included research to support students with low working memory skills and to examine the cultural sensitivity of the working memory batteries.

Syfte Syftet med studien var att beskriva hur barn- och ungdomsledare resonerar kring att inkludera barn och ungdomar med funktionsnedsättning inom föreningsidrottens aktiviteter. Metod En kvalitativ intervjustudie valdes som design där 12 barn- och ungdomsledare deltog i studien. Deltagarna var mellan 30-45 år gamla (medelålder 36,6 år) och aktiva inom föreningsidrotten sedan minst 1 år tillbaka (medelvärde 7,9 år). Studien innefattade idrotterna innebandy, fotboll, handboll, simning, gymnastik och friidrott och samtliga deltagare hade erhållit minst en ledarutbildning. Urvalet av deltagare skedde genom ett snöbollsurval med utgångspunkt i två skilda geografiska områden i Sverige. Vid dataanalysen användes en kvalitativ innehållsanalys med induktiv ansats och resultatet presenterades i tre kategorier med tillhörande underkategorier tillsammans med citat från deltagarna. Resultat I kategorierna Individens förutsättningar och hur föräldrar och ledare påverkar möjligheten tillinkludering, Idrottens utformning och föreningars arbete kring inkludering samt Hur bemötande från omgivningen och samhällets utformning påverkar inkludering presenterades ett flertal olika förutsättningar som kan skapa möjligheter för en framgångsrik inkludering av barn- och ungdomar med funktionsnedsättning inom föreningsidrotten. I resultatet framkom bland annat att utbildning, ledares kompetens och föräldrars engagemang var viktiga förutsättningar för en lyckad inkludering. Konklusion Studien har bidragit till en inblick kring vilka förutsättningar som främjar barn och ungdomar med funktionsnedsättningars möjligheter att delta inom föreningsidrotten. Resultatet gav indikationer på att arbetsterapeutens kompetens kan användas för att främja en möjlig inkludering för barn och ungdomar med funktionsnedsättning.

El objetivo del presente estudio consistió en analizar la relación entre la resiliencia y las fases del cáncer en un grupo de 72 adolescentes con tratamiento oncológico de un instituto especializado del Ministerio de Salud. Los instrumentos utilizados incluyeron la Escala de Resiliencia de Wagnild & Young y una ficha sociodemográfica. Los hallazgos indicaron que la mayoría presentó niveles normales de resiliencia. Se analizaron las edades agrupadas dividas en tres etapas: adolescencia temprana (M = 110.11; DE = 1.78); intermedia (M = 106.06; DE = 1.87); y tardía (M = 111.40, DE = 1.95), la cual presentó un mayor promedio. Asimismo, al considerar el sexo, se halló que las mujeres presentan un promedio mayor que los hombres; asimismo, según el lugar de procedencia, aquellos adolescentes que provienen de las distintas provincias del Perú presentaron un promedio mayor que aquellos que residen en Lima. Respecto a la confiabilidad, se encontró que los adolescentes que viven con otros familiares presentan un promedio mayor que aquellos que viven con ambos padres y que quienes viven con al menos alguno de los padres. Por otro lado, se encontró una relación no significativa entre la resiliencia y las fases del cáncer (r = .11; p = .34), rechazando la hipótesis de investigación. Dado que se encontró una relación significativa entre resiliencia y confiabilidad, se analizó la relación entre resiliencia y las fases de la enfermedad, controlada por la variable con quienes vive, pero esta no fue significativa. (r = .08; p = .49). / The objective of this study was to analyze the relationship between resilience and cancer phases in a group of 72 adolescents with oncological treatment from a specialized institute of the Ministry of Health. The instruments used included the Wagnild & Young Resilience Scale and a socio-demographic record. It was obtained in the descriptive analyzes that most adolescents, in the different phases of the disease, scored normal levels of resilience. In addition, no significant differences were found in the averages sex, age, place of origin. Only a minimal difference in those who live with their parents compared to those who do not live with them. By other side, there was found a non-significant correlation between the resilience and the cancer phases (r = .11; p = .34), rejecting the research hypothesis. Given that a significant relationship was found between resilience and cohabitation, there was analyzed the relation between resilience and the phases of the disease controlled by the variable with whom it lives, but it was no significant (r = .08; p = .49). / Tesis

Research has indicated that adolescents hold both negative and positive attitudes and have common misconceptions about breastfeeding that appear to result from their limited knowledge and reduced exposure to breastfeeding. The purpose of this study was to determine the knowledge and attitudes toward breastfeeding of adolescent male and female secondary school students. The study also sought to elicit information on factors that may influence the decision regarding future infant feeding methods. Self-efficacy theory was the theoretical framework to guide the study. This quantitative descriptive study, using a cross-sectional design, involved consenting secondary school students' completing a self-report questionnaire. The study employed purposive sampling and included 1845 males and females in both year-nine and year-12 at designated metropolitan and rural secondary schools in 2001. Analyses of the data were performed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (version 10.7). Statistical procedures involved chi-square analysis, Student's independent t-test and univariate analysis of variance. Spearman's rank order correlation coefficient was used to describe the relationship between the secondary school student respondents' knowledge of and their attitudes toward breastfeeding. The study results indicate that overall Western Australian adolescent secondary school students have less than ideal knowledge of breastfeeding which is consistent with findings from other studies. Higher breastfeeding knowledge scores were reported in year-12 for both male and female students. For both year groups, female students had higher breastfeeding knowledge scores than male students. With regards to attitudes toward breastfeeding, students had a tendency for neutral responses to attitude questions. / However, overall and for both year groups, female students were found to be more positive towards breastfeeding than male students. The comparison of rural to metropolitan students found that metropolitan students had higher breastfeeding knowledge and were more positive towards breastfeeding than rural students. The metropolitan students were also more inclined to consider breastfeeding future children than rural students. Consideration of breastfeeding future children was similar for both male and female students. Comparison of the combination of gender, year and site revealed higher breastfeeding knowledge and more positive attitudes to breastfeeding in both rural and metropolitan female year-12 respondents. Sources of efficacy information, particularly persuasion/education, were more prominent in female secondary school respondents than male secondary school respondents when considering factors influencing adolescent attitudes toward breastfeeding. The adolescent's acceptance of gender identity could be argued as a reason for the more positive breastfeeding attitudes in female respondents. Students who were breastfed or exposed to breastfeeding either through role models (ie mothers), reading about breastfeeding, media or family influence had greater knowledge and were more positive towards breastfeeding. This study suggests that breastfeeding and lactation information needs to be addressed in the early years of development in order to increase breastfeeding knowledge and promote positive attitudes. Information pertinent to the health benefits of breastfeeding needs to be included in health and nutrition education and addressed through targeted education programs. / Education and health promotion activities could be guided using the four sources of efficacy information in relation to the benefits of breastfeeding. Opportunities for the role modelling of positive breastfeeding attitudes, and consistent support from the school-based health professionals may assist to reduce the adolescent student's unmet informational needs in relation to breastfeeding. A recommendation from this study is the provision of lactation and breastfeeding education for community-based high school nurses as these health professionals are a key element in health education and health promotion in the school setting.

While research suggests that peer influence can lead to increases in undesirable behaviours of adolescents, there has been little focus on the specific mechanisms of influence. A relatively small literature examining social interactions between peers has found that the discussion of rule breaking topics by pairs of boys relates to how much problem behaviour the boys engage in. This research is limited by its reliance on a set of similar samples from a North American population base. This thesis explored the relationship between social interaction and behaviour with sample from New Zealand Aotearoa. Nine pairs of Year 10 boys were recruited primarily from two high schools. A half-hour conversation was video taped for each pair. These conversations were coded on the basis of the nature of the talk between pairs of participants following the coding system proposed by Poe, Dishion, Griesler and Andrews (1990). The coded behaviours were analysed and compared to measures of previous rule breaking behaviours. The duration of rule breaking talk was found to correlate with the level of previous rule breaking behaviour. It was not clear whether the amount of rule breaking talk was related to the amount of laughter following it. Possible explanations are discussed. While generalisations from these results are limited by an unexpectedly small sample size, they show similarity to the previous research findings. The findings, the difficulties in recruitment to the research and the implications of these for future research are discussed.