Through art therapy, this research examines the influence of the main components of Latino culture as risk and/or protective factors for internalizing and externalizing behaviors and disorders in Latino adolescents. The goal of this research is to also identify how these factors impact academic performance for Latino high school students. First, a literature review examines preexisting research evaluating the presence and influence of particular cultural factors like family expectations and roles, gender, religion, language, and parental involvement in education. Non-cultural factors include peer influence and socioeconomic influences. The literature further examines the impact these factors have been found to influence internalizing and externalizing behaviors. No literature regarding the presentation of these cultural factors within art therapy was found. Second, data was collected from a case study conducted by the researcher with a Latino high school adolescent participating in school-based counseling within the art therapy modality and demonstrated internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Themes and symbols from the art created were analyzed and coded for the risk and/or protective qualities of each factor. Lastly, a discussion of findings guided by the literature review expands the meaning of the case study data and addresses five main areas: the protective or risk qualities of cultural themes and symbols within the art and art process, how the themes and symbols presented by the client can inform and guide treatment in relation to cultural factors, whether to examine these factors individually within treatment or in an integrated manner, and how this process played out within a crosscultural therapeutic relationships.

Varje år omhändertas ungdomar på grund av nutidens ungdomskriminalitet. Flera av dessa ungdomar placeras på HVB (hem för vård eller boende) i syfte att rehabiliteras från antisocialitet vilket kan förstås som en social hållbarhetsåtgärd. HVB har däremot kritiserats för att missgynna en hälsosam utveckling i och med en eventuell negativ socialiseringsprocess. Alla individer påverkas undermedvetet av sin omgivning vilket kan argumenteras vara mer påtagligt under ungdomsåren, därav kan konceptet av att samla flera ungdomar med liknande problematik på ett HVB ifrågasättas. Detta fenomen studeras utifrån teorier om social påverkan, konformitet, social inlärning, social identitet samt självbestämmandeteorin. Med hjälp av teorierna har studien som syfte att utforska behandlingsassistenters subjektiva erfarenheter av HVB-placerade ungdomars kriminella beteenden. Studien undersöker socialpsykologiska processer i form av interpersonella relationer och normkultur för att se hur de påverkar ungdomars upprätthållelse eller utveckling av kriminella beteenden. Med en kvalitativ design tillämpas semistrukturerade intervjuer med ett urval av 10 behandlingsassistenter i svensk kontext. Studiens tematiska analys identifierade tre huvudteman: “yrkesverksammas förhållningssätt”, “skyddsfaktorer” samt “riskfaktorer” med totalt 12 tillhörande subteman. Resultatet visar att en samling av antisociala ungdomar i samma sammanhang oftast bidrar till en negativ påverkan för ungdomarna. Hur ungdomarna påverkas av sin HVB-vistelse beror på vilka skyddsfaktorer samt riskfaktorer de besitter, men även hur behandlingsassistenter förhåller sig och arbetar med ungdomarna. / Every year, young people are taken into custody due to the youth crime prevailing in today's society. Several of these youths are placed in HVB (homes for care or residence) around Sweden to rehabilitate from their destructive lifestyles which can be seen as a concept of action from a social sustainability perspective. However, HVB have been criticized for disadvantaging the healthy development of youths due to a potential negative socialization process. All individuals are subconsciously influenced by their environment which can be argued to be more sensitive for youths, hence the concept of gathering several youths with similar issues in an HVB can be questioned. The social psychological theories underlying this issue include social influence, conformity, social learning, social identity, and self-determination theory. Using these theories, the study aims to explore caregivers' subjective experiences of HVB-placed youths' criminal behaviors. The study examines social psychological processes in the form of interpersonal relationships and norm culture to see how they affect youths' maintenance or development of criminal behaviors. With a qualitative design, the study uses semi-structured interviews with a sample of 10 caregivers in a Swedish context. Through thematic analysis, we have been able to identify three overarching themes:“professionals' approaches”, “protective factors”, and “risk factors” with a total of 12 associated subthemes. The results indicate that gathering a group of antisocial youths in the same setting often contributes to a negative influence for the youths. How the youths are affected by their residential care depends on the protective and risk factors they possess, as well as how caregivers engage with and work with the youths.

Syftet med denna studie är att bidra till en ökad medvetenhet och förståelse inom socialt arbete för unga HBTQ-personer som samt HBTQ-separatistiska mötesplatser. Studien bygger på nio kvalitativa, semistrukturerade intervjuer med arrangörer av och deltagare från sex separatistiska mötesplatser i Stockholm, Göteborg och Malmö. Materialet har bearbetats genom tematisk analys och analyserats med hjälp av kritisk och feministisk teoribildning med ett intersektionellt perspektiv. Studien visar att separatistiska mötesplatser har stor betydelse för deltagarnas psykosociala utveckling. Många har erfarenheter utav diskriminering och exkludering på offentliga platser. Flera upplever att minoritetsstress påverkar deras vardag och mentala hälsa samt styr vilka platser de väljer att vistas på. Mötesplatsen beskrivs av respondenterna som en resurs för återhämtning, social stimulans, gemenskap och identitetsskapande. En utmaning är att mötesplatser kan missa att nå vissa ungdomar beroende på faktorer som geografisk placering, rummets tydliga inriktning och den mångfald som finns representerad i rummet. De flesta respondenter var överens om att trygghet inte kan garanteras och menar på att skapandet av trygghet kräver ett kontinuerligt arbete för att förbättra förutsättningarna. / The purpose of this study is to contribute to increased awareness and understanding of young LGBTQ individuals and LGBTQ-separatist activities within the field of social work. The study is based on nine qualitative, semi-structured interviews with participants and organizers from six LGBTQ-separatist meeting points for young people located in Stockholm, Malmö and Gothenburg. The material has been processed through thematic analysis and examined using critical and feminist theory with an intersectional perspective. The findings indicate that separatist meeting points and activities are of great importance for the psychosocial development of the participants. The majority of the participants expressed experiences of discrimination and exclusion in public spaces. Several participants reported that minority stress impacts their daily lives and mental health and influencing their choices of places to frequent. Respondents described the meetings points as resources for social interaction, community building, identity formation and recovery. A challenge identified is that these meeting points may not reach all LGBTQ youth in need due to factors such as geographical location, the specific label of the space and the diversity represented in the space. Most respondents concurred that ensuring safety cannot be guaranteed; it requires ongoing efforts to create the best possible conditions for safety.

This scoping review examines the risk and protective factors associated with delinquency among immigrant youth, with a focus on generational differences. The immigrant paradox and cultural factors like assimilation, ethnic identity, and acculturation are used as a theoretical framework to explore and analyze potential influences on delinquent behavior across generations. The review employed a comprehensive search strategy across multiple databases to identify relevant peer-reviewed studies. After screening against predefined inclusion/exclusion criteria, 43 studies conducted in Western countries were included for data extraction and synthesis. Findings indicate that cultural factors like strong ethnic identity, family cohesion, and adherence to traditional values act as protective factors against delinquency for first-generation youths. However, as immigrants assimilate across generations, a decline in these protective factors coupled with increased exposure to risks like poverty, discrimination, and weakening of parental authority contributes to higher delinquency rates among later generations. The review synthesizes evidence from the included studies, providing insights into the complex interplay of risk and protective factors influencing this phenomenon and opening discussion about implications for culturally-sensitive interventions and future research.

The main aim of this study was to attempt to determine which factors that contribute to resilience are absent in adolescents who are considered to be ”at risk”. The research was undertaken with white adolescent learners between Grades 8 and 12, in a former Model-C secondary school. Several definitions of resilience, a historical view of resilience, the characteristics of a resilient adolescent, several definitions of adolescence, the stages and tasks of adolescence and who the adolescent is in psycho-educational terms, were explored. In this qualitative study, the Vulnerability Questionnaire and the Resilience Questionnaire were given to twelve educators who were requested to select the participants for the study. A qualitative assessment, using the Child and Youth Resilience Measure, was used to determine why certain adolescents are more resilient than others. Each participant also completed a collage which was analysed. / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Specialisation in Guidance and Counselling)

This study focuses on the feasibility of inculcating resilience skills in adolescents using the forum of group therapy. Resilience equals the ability to surmount life's obstacles and continue towards self-actualisation, regardless. The study was initiated by the writer's masters thesis, which delineated the profile and characteristics of resilient adolescents. The writer believed that an intervention programme to effect resilience was overdue. Adolescents were generally afforded therapy re-actively. If intervention was to be an exercise in wellness, rather than in repair, a pro-active intervention programme targeting resilience had to be designed. This study focuses on the provision of such a programme. The intervention programme is semi-structured and spans twelve one hour sessions. The intervention programme specifically targets adolescents, given the amplified vulnerability associated with this developmental phase. Should resilience be sabotaged during this phase of life, the repercussions are thought to be lasting. Group therapy was chosen as the forum for intervention, given its suitability to adolescents. Adolescents are peer-group-minded, suggesting that therapeutic intervention by means of group work, would be ideal, if competently lead. The personal attributes impacting on the ability to surmount life's challenges are targeted as an interrelated whole by the group therapy intervention programme involving an experimental group of six adolescents, who appear to have turned their backs on self- actualisation. A control group, which receives no intervention, provides a contrasting profile. The study aims to provide educational psychologists with an intervention programme and an in-depth understanding of the phenomenon of resilience, so that vulnerable youngsters might ultimately be therapeutically assisted to choose a more resilient attitude and behaviour. The results of the study suggest the feasibility of inculcating resilience skills. Four of the six group members in the experimental group show marked improvement. Of the remaining two members, one shows some amelioration of vulnerability. Furthermore, results suggest that personal choice underlies resilience, implying that resilience can be coached. Additionally, it would seem that schools can play a leading role in this coaching by facilitating intervention groups. / Psychology of Education / D. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

Juvenile delinquency amongst school-going adolescents is a growing concern in South Africa. Initiatives by policy-makers, educationists and school authorities, amongst others, have not yielded the desired changes in learner behaviour. This dissertation focuses on adolescent delinquency amongst learners in Gauteng secondary schools, with the precise aim of making recommendations to address the problem. An extensive literature review was conducted. An interpretive-constructivist paradigm with a mainly qualitative design was followed. A questionnaire and focus group interviews were administered to teachers. The findings confirmed the researcher’s view that juvenile delinquency in schools is escalating and warrants attention and intervention from all stakeholders. The main conclusion drawn from this research was that current policies and interventions on learner behaviour had no impact because policy-makers lacked the necessary will to ensure that interventions were implemented, reviewed and monitored. This study argues for a multi-pronged approach to address the problem. The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) should review its policies and approach to the problem, and support teachers to ensure that teaching and learning remain the main priority of schooling. Future research could explore the role of social ills in the South African context on the development of learners’ antisocial behaviour. / Educational Foundations / M. Ed. (Socio-Education)

La consommation de substances psychoactives débute généralement à l’adolescence. Cette pratique, bien qu’illégale, est répandue à cet âge. Toutefois, elle peut avoir de graves répercussions sur le développement de l’individu. Il est important de mieux connaître les facteurs pouvant influencer sa fréquence d’utilisation afin d’en diminuer les risques. Ce mémoire vise à examiner le rôle des amis déviants et de la pratique d’un sport organisé dans le développement de l’intoxication à l’alcool et la consommation de cannabis à l’adolescence. Plus précisément, l’étude vise à déterminer si la pratique d’un sport organisé a des effets modérateurs sur la relation entre les amis déviants et l’intoxication à l’alcool et la consommation de cannabis. Les analyses ont été réalisées séparément pour l’alcool et le cannabis. L’échantillon utilisé provient de l’étude longitudinale de la Stratégie d’Intervention Agir Autrement et comprend 4219 adolescents. Des régressions probit ont été effectuées. Tel qu’attendu, les résultats montrent que la fréquentation d’amis déviants est associée au risque d’intoxication à l’alcool et de consommation de cannabis. De plus, les résultats ont démontré le rôle modérateur protecteur de la pratique d’un sport organisé pour l’alcool. Un jeune qui a des amis déviants et qui participe à un sport organisé consommerait généralement moins d’alcool qu’un jeune qui a des amis déviants et qui ne participe pas une activité sportive organisée. Les implications de ces résultats pour la recherche sont discutées. / Substance use generally emerges during adolescence and, even if prohibited, is widespread at that age. However, it can have severe consequences on human development. It is important to better understand the factors that influence the frequency of drug use in order to reduce risk. This research project aims to examine the role of deviant friends and organized sport practice in the development of alcohol abuse and cannabis use in adolescence. More specifically, this study aims to determine whether an organised sport practice held a moderating effect on the relationship between deviant friends and alcohol abuse and cannabis use. Analyzes were performed separately for alcohol and cannabis. The sample is drawn from the longitudinal study of New Approach, New Solutions and includes 4219 adolescents. Probit regressions were performed and showed, as expected, that deviant friends are associated with alcohol abuse and cannabis use. In addition, the results support the protective moderating role of organized sport practice for alcohol. Youth who has deviant friends and participate in organized sport generally consume less alcohol that youth who has deviant friends and is not involved in organized sport activity. The implications of these findings are discussed.

An implementation of what is currently one of the most commonly used tools for high- risk assessment of offenders, HCR-20, the 3rd version - HCR (V3) to the Czech Republic is the main goal of the submitted thesis. Specifically, a theoretical background of this tool, an illustration of the administration and data evaluation within two different case studies, an assessment of inter-rater reliability, a comparison of three versions of HCR-20 with emphasis on the second and the third vision and advantages and disadvantages of HCR (V3) are introduced. This project underlines an importance of taking part in training for a high-risk assessment tool, which is very often underestimated in the Czech Republic, and the importance of gained experiences in high-risk assessment of offenders and the unification of assessors. Moreover, the study supports the implementation of standardised high-risk assessment method. The high-risk assessment of offenders ad hoc should be replaced in our country by clinical assessment supported by results gained via standardised high-risk assessment tool as it is applied abroad. Further research is needed to gain this goal. Empirical results in the thesis are supported by theoretical background. Terms like the high- risk assessment, re-offense, rehabilitation techniques and programs...

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