Des de la perspectiva psicosocial s'analitzen alguns aspectes de les interaccions entre progenitors i fills/es adolescents entre 12 i 16 anys en relació a l'ús del telèfon mòbil en el marc de la societat acceleradament canviant. S'ha emprat un mètode plural o multimètode que s'ha articulat en dues fases d'investigació, una quantitativa i una qualitativa, per l'estudi dels fenòmens socials complexes com ho són les relacions intergeneracionals. Els resultats posen de manifest que existeixen interaccions entre les actituds dels adolescents i dels progenitors en l'ús del telèfon mòbil. També apunten que les tecnologies audiovisuals com el mòbil estan mediatitzant les relacions intergeneracionals. És a dir, no només els adolescents utilitzen molt més les tecnologies que els adults, sinó que a més sobre el context social que té impacte aquest ús és fonamentalment amb els amics. Cal un major apropament intergeneracional pel que fa a mantenir converses entre adults i adolescents al voltant dels temes que els motiven i interessen, com és el cas de les TICs. / Some aspects of the interactions between parents and their adolescent children aged 12-16 in relation to the use of mobile phones within the framework of a rapidly changing society are analysed from a psychosocial perspective. A multi-method analysis has been used, developed in two phases, quantitative and qualitative, to study the complex social phenomena of intergenerational relationships. The results show that there are interactions between the attitudes of the adolescents and those of their parents towards the use of the mobile phone. They also indicate that audiovisual technologies like the mobile phone are mediating intergenerational relationships: that is to say, not only do adolescents use these technologies more than adults, they also do so within a social context which is important to them, in that this use takes place primarily with their friends. A greater intergenerational convergence is needed in order to maintain conversations between adults and adolescents about subjects which motivate and interest them, such as ICTs.

In 2004, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Report, Healthy Weights, Healthy Lives (Ministry of Health and Long Term Care, 2004) identified the family (as well as the government, food industry, workplaces, schools, and individuals) for recommendations for action. As a means to promote, achieve, and maintain healthy body weights for both parents and children, Healthy Weights, Healthy Lives (2004) recommended enjoying family meals whenever possible. Very little evidence, however, exists to justify the promotion of family meals within Canada. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis was to describe family meal frequency and meal environments, and to examine the associations with diet quality (as assessed using a Canadian adaptation to the Health Eating Index (HEI-C; Glanville and McIntyre, 2006), and other commonly reported food behaviours and attitudes. The sample (males=1572 and females=1627) comprised students in grade six (n=1266), seven (n=1359), and eight (n=579) classrooms from Northern Ontario (Porcupine Region n=385), Southern Ontario (Peel Region n=1413, Region of Waterloo n=405, Toronto District n=216), and Nova Scotia (as part of the Physical Activity in Children and Youth (PACY) study n=804) participating in school surveillance-based studies. Data were collected using the web-based Food Behaviour Questionnaire, which included a 24 hour food recall, food frequency questionnaire, and specific questions relating to family meals. The majority of participants reported frequent family meals (70% on 6-7 days/week, 19% on 3-5 days/week, and 11% on 0-2 days/week). Family meal frequency decreased with increasing grade (X2=30.629 (df=4), p<0.001), and was significantly higher among participants from Porcupine, and lower among participants from Peel (X2=46.815 (df=8), p<0.001). The mean HEI-C score across all participants was 65.1 (SD 13.2) and the majority (73%) were rated in the needs improvement category. Family meal frequency, particularly between 0-2 and 6-7 days/week, was positively associated with diet quality scores (adjusted p=0.045) and ratings (p=0.049). When investigating the person(s) with whom meals were consumed, participants who ate breakfast with family members (versus alone, p=0.012) and/or lunch with friends (versus alone, p=0.007 or with family members, p<0.001) had a significantly greater likelihood of having a better diet quality. Participants who skipped breakfast (p<0.001) and/or lunch (p<0.001) had a greater likelihood of having a worse diet quality than those that consumed each meal. Cluster K-means procedures were used to classify observations about the four meal environment variables (where the meal was consumed, with whom the meal was consumed, who prepared the meal, and where the food was originally purchased) into groups. A total of 3, 8, and 6 clusters of meal environments were identified for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, respectively. Diet quality was negatively associated with consuming/purchasing meals outside of the home, and skipping breakfast and/or lunch. Meal skipping had a larger impact on overall diet quality than the environmental conditions under which the meal was consumed. Finally, associations among family meal frequency and other commonly reported food behaviours and attitudes were investigated. Higher family meal frequency was significantly associated with less pop consumption, consuming breakfast on the day of the survey, having higher self-efficacy for healthy eating when at home with family and during social times with friends. This research, in a large, geographically diverse sample of grade six, seven, and eight students from Ontario and Nova Scotia, found that family meal frequency and specific aspects of meal environments were positively associated with diet quality, and various healthy eating behaviours and attitudes. This research supports the growing body of literature in favour of family meals. Since the diet of most students in grade six, seven, and eight was suboptimal, strategies to promote healthy family meals should be widely encouraged.

The population of medically fragile adolescents has grown in recent decades because of the sequelae of prematurity, injuries, and chronic or terminal illnesses. Medically fragile adolescents who require respiratory assistance are part of this unique population with challenges in their daily lives, yet as nurses, we know little about their experiences and the best approaches to use in caring for them. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of medically fragile adolescents who require respiratory assistance. Interpretive phenomenology was used to describe and interpret the experience of 11 medically fragile adolescents who required respiratory assistance. The adolescents ranged in age from 13 to 18 years of age and required respiratory assistances of tracheostomies, ventilator support, and Bi-level positive airway pressure (BiPap). Audiotaped semi-structured interviews were conducted with the adolescents. Data analysis was completed using the steps delineated by Diekelmann and Allen (1989). Six themes and one pattern were identified from the interviews with the adolescents. The major themes were “Get to know me”, “Allow me to be myself”, “Being there for me”, “No matter what, technology helps”, “I am an independent person”, and “The only one I know of”. This study explored medically fragile adolescents who required a specific technology, respiratory assistance, within a distinct developmental stage. These adolescents have a clear view of who they are as a person. They want nurses to view them as a person, not just a patient. The adolescents felt that friends were there for them when they needed support. This was in contrast to those that they did not consider friends who were judgmental. Technology had meanings that encompassed enhanced daily living and existing as a part of their day, not their whole day. The adolescents viewed themselves as an independent person and were actively engaging in activities and strategies to achieve their goals of independence. This study contributes to nursing knowledge by helping nurses to understand what these adolescents experience in their daily lives and aiding nurses in providing better care for these adolescents. Recommendations for nursing practice, education, and research were identified in this study.

Background: Studies have consistently found a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in adolescents. Few validated dietary intake assessment tools for vitamin D exist for adolescents. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine if a short food frequency questionnaire (SFFQ) can be used to effectively assess vitamin D intake in adolescents compared to a previously validated long food frequency questionnaire (LFFQ). Participants/setting: 140 healthy 6-12 year old (male n=81) Caucasian and African American (n=94) children from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania completed a SFFQ and LFFQ at two time points 6 months apart. Main outcome measures: Reliability and validity of a SFFQ by comparison with a previously validated LFFQ for children and adolescents. Statistical analysis: Reliability, validity, sensitivity, specificity, positive, and negative predictive values were assessed using Pearson correlation coefficients. Results: Mean vitamin D intake from the SFFQ (range, 434 to 485 IU) was higher than the LFFQ (range, 320 to 378 IU). Overall association between the SFFQ and the LFFQ for vitamin D intake was modest (r=0.36, P<0.001). When stratified by race, the overall degree of association was weak for African Americans (r=0.26, P=0.001) and moderate for Caucasians (r=0.57, P<0.001). Overall reliability testing results were modest and significant for the LFFQ (r=0.28, P=0.002) and SFFQ (r=0.33, P<0.001). Association between mean vitamin D intake from LFFQs and SFFQs was used to determine validity. The association for validity was found to be modest (r=0.51, P<0.001). Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value for the SFFQ were 90%, 64%, 0.78, and 0.58, respectively. Conclusion: The SFFQ was found to be modestly valid and reliable in an early adolescent population. Associations between African Americans were not as strong as Caucasians which may be due to errors in reporting dietary consumption related to higher body weight.

This study examines the relations between depressive symptom expression and cultural and family contexts among adolescent females from different ethnic groups. Specifically, ethnic identity, parenting style, family stress and the quality of parent-adolescent relationships were examined as potential protective factors for depressive symptom expression among a diverse group of female adolescents. This study addressed the following research questions: 1) Are there ethnic group differences in depressive symptom expression across Latina, African American and Asian adolescent females? 2) Are there ethnic group differences in the association of family processes with depressive symptom expression across these three ethnic groups? 3) Regardless of ethnic group membership, does ethnic identity moderate the association of family processes with depressive symptoms? The sample consisted of 93 female high school students. Overall, 30% of participants reported depressive symptoms in the moderate to severe range. The results of this study indicate that there are few statistically significant differences in depressive symptom expression across Latina, African American and Asian participants; however, Latina participants consistently reported the highest rates of depressive symptoms. Family stress and authoritative parenting style were significant predictors of depressive symptom expression, such that participants of all ethnicities who reported high levels of depressive symptoms also reported high levels of family stress and low levels of authoritative parenting. No ethnic group differences were found for authoritative parenting, family stress or ethnic identity indicating that these processes were comparable across ethnic groups. These results indicate that family process variables are important predictors of depressive symptoms in adolescent females, which lead to recommendations that adolescent treatment of depressive disorders should include family therapy. In addition, due to the 30% prevalence rate of depression in this study, it is recommended that mental health professionals and school systems collaborate in order to offer outreach programs through local schools. INDEX WORDS: Adolescents, Depression, Ethnic minorities, Authoritative parenting, Family stress, Ethnic identity

Black South Africans account for a majority of HIV cases in South Africa, highlighting the need for greater understanding of risks specific to this group. Within the HIV prevention and risk literature, little information exists regarding the familial and neuropsychological contributions to HIV risk in youth. The current study addressed this gap. In a group of black South African parent-child dyads, the researchers investigated the independent and interactive contributions of parenting quality and executive functioning in the prediction of HIV risk. Child report of relationship quality was negatively associated with risky sexual attitudes and externalizing behaviors. Parent report of parental monitoring/involvement was negatively associated with child pre-coital behaviors. Cognitive inflexibility interacted with child report of parental monitoring/involvement in its relation with externalizing behaviors. Results indicated that parenting may protect black South African youth with respect to HIV risk, and that executive functioning may play an indirect role in this relationship.

The United States continues to be affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and now public health is faced with new challenges in mitigating the spread of the disease. African-Americans are disproportionately affected by HIV and a further understanding about the factors that influence high risk sexual behaviors needs to be continuously examined. The aim of this study was to understand and compare the the perception of HIV risk and factors associated with risk perception in high risk adult and adolescent groups. After multivariate analysis, having multiple partners was the only predictor of an increased risk perception among adults. Among adolescents, no significant relationship was found between HIV risk indicators and having an increased HIV risk perception. Both adults and adolescents appeared to underestimate their HIV risk based on their reported risk sexual behaviors. More work is necessary to help adolescents accurately assess their risk of infection.

Background: Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) have been a increasing problem worldwide with an estimation of 340 million new cases each year. STDs are one of the top five reasons of seeking health care in the developing countries. Aim: The aim was to investigate the knowledge, attitudes and beliefs regarding STDs among young adults in two vocational schools in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and also compare the genders regarding the issues. Method: A descriptive and comparative study was used. The 455 students between the age of 15 and 24, both male and female, participated voluntarily to answer a questionnaire. Dorothea Orem’s self-caring theory was provided as theoretical framework. Results: The students showed a low knowledge regarding STDs. Small differences between the genders could be seen regarding knowledge where the males had a higher knowledge regarding symptoms of STDs. Conclusions: The adolescents had lack of knowledge about STDs and no greater difference between genders have been shown. The traditional attitudes must change and follow the development of Vietnam. Further research should be performed to find out if there is any difference between students in rural and central areas of Vietnam.

Although the prevalence of mental pathology is high, public’s mental health literacy (i.e. knowledge about mental disorders) has not been examined to a great extent. The main purpose of this study was to examine mental health literacy concerning depression and schizophrenia in a setting of adolescents in Sweden. A secondary aim was to explore stigmatizing attitudes towards mentally ill and levels of altruism among adolescents regarding help-seeking behavior. The present study employed qualitative methodology and data were collected through vignettes. A total of 426 high school students living in Stockholm formed the respondents and content analysis showed that among teenagers recognition of both depression and schizophrenia was poor. Moreover, friends and informal sources of help were regarded as best types of help. Furthermore, results indicated stigmatizing beliefs about mental disorders and low levels of altruistic behavior. These results are supported from other similar studies and suggest awareness campaigns to increase mental health literacy among adolescents. Recommendations for future research are also discussed.

Bakgrund: Allt fler barn och ungdomar överlever idag en kronisk sjukdom och behöver överföras till vuxensjukvård. Idag är inte denna transition/överföringsprocess tillfredsställande utan en förbättring behöver ske. Syfte: Syftet var att identifiera faktorer som är betydelsefulla i samband med överföringsprocessen från barn- till vuxensjukvård hos unga med kronisk sjukdom. Metod: En systematisk litteraturstudie genomfördes. Efter urval och granskning genomfördes analys och tolkning. Studien omfattade 23 artiklar som besvarade studiens syfte. Resultat: Efter analys av artiklarna kunde fyra faktorer urskiljas. Information och förberedelse, samarbete mellan barn- och vuxensjukvård, psykosociala faktorer samt vårdgivarnas kompetens och egenskaper. Konklusion: Överföringsprocessen måste förberedas bättre. Den ska starta tidigt, individualiseras och involvera både patienten och föräldrar. Fokus ska ligga på att stärka ungdomarnas oberoende och att förändra föräldrarollen. Vårdgivarnas främsta uppgift är att bygga broar genom en förbättrad kommunikation och ett ökat samarbete mellan barn- och vuxensjukvård. Vårdgivarna måste känna sig trygga i sin kunskap om patienten när det gäller tidigare sjukhistoria och kunskap om sjukdomen samt bli bättre på ungdomsmedicinska frågor för att bemöta ungdomarna på ett bra sätt.