Adolescence is generally regarded as a time of developmental change in all aspects: physical, emotional and psychological. This change is difficult and stressful for the adolescent to comprehend and assimilate into their way of being. During these times of developmental change and stress the manner in which the adolescent chooses to or learns to cope with the various stressors they face can be a signifier of things to come. In other words, coping strategies that an individual chooses to use, be they functional or maladaptive, may inform their future. This study’s focus is the relationship between an individual’s ability to cope and his level of suicidal ideation, and explores whether these two variables are related. In South Africa, and throughout the world, there is a trend of a greater number of younger people engaging in suicidal behaviour than previously and research into any and all aspects of this phenomenon is thus valuable. Many hypotheses have been proposed and there are many related factors that need to be considered. A quantitative approach was used to examine the relationship between coping strategies and suicidal ideation. The Coping Across Situations Questionnaire and the Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire were administered to a sample of adolescent males at a co-educational high school in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The results determined that there is a significant, positive relationship between maladaptive coping strategies and high levels of suicidal ideation, that demographic variables such as grade and race seem to have some impact on this relationship and that further investigation is necessary into the relationship between adaptive coping skills and low levels of suicidal ideation. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2011.

The challenges of adolescence include negotiating risk behaviours such as alcohol use. The high prevalence and frequency of alcohol use among adolescents has been noted with concern, as has the rapidly decreasing age of initiation. Adolescent alcohol use has been found to be associated with numerous factors at intra-personal, inter-personal and contextual levels. This study aimed to explore qualitatively the perceived underlying factors related to alcohol use and binge drinking among adolescent boys, as identified and explained by the boys themselves. Exploration of these factors was guided by Brofenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory, the Prototype/Willingness Model and Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory. The study population was comprised of male learners who were at that time in Grade 11 at the school and ranged in age from 16 to 18 years. Three focus group discussions were conducted, each comprising between 8-11 male learners, which were transcribed and analysed thematically in order to identify commonalties and variances among the responses of participants. The Nvivo software program was used to aid analysis. The findings of this study indicate that there are a variety of factors which influence adolescent alcohol use, and which operate individually as well as cumulatively. While adolescent boys are aware of the consequences of alcohol use and binge drinking, they often do not perceive themselves to be vulnerable to these risks. Protective factors include the school identity, team activities such as sports, and a sense of future. In conclusion, adolescent alcohol use is extremely complicated as it is impacted by multiple factors, and thus an awareness and greater understanding of the nature in which these factors interact are important for future interventions. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

Adolescence is a time when individuals begin to explore and examine psychological characteristics of the self in order to discover who they really are and how they fit in the social world in which they live. It is during this time of self-exploration that adolescents at risk for Huntington's Disease often learn of their risk status and witness the debilitating symptoms of the disease in their parents. Huntington Disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by mid-life onset, involuntary movements, cognitive impairment, and depression. This dissertation investigated how adolescents experience living in a family with Huntington's Disease and therefore at risk for Huntington's Disease, and how this impacts their self-understanding and self-identity. The method of inquiry was based on a phenomenological approach. In-depth interviews were conducted with each of the adolescents. The data were analyzed using Van Manen's (1980) and Cochran and Claspell's (1987) format, resulting in an extraction of three themes. These themes are: (1) Naming the Legacy: Understanding and Misunderstanding; (2) Experiencing the Legacy: Huntington's Disease in Relation to Relationships; and (3) Integrating the Legacy: At the Crossroads of Self and Future Self. The analysis emphasizes that the at-risk adolescents' exploration of self-identity and future self was an individual process influenced by the cognitive, developmental, and socio-cultural contexts of the adolescents' lives. The process of learning about Huntington's Disease occurred through intuition and practical and experiential learning. The adolescents found support outside their family through friends and adult mentors. They engaged in complicated coping strategies and demonstrated a capacity for decision-making that displayed maturity beyond what would be expected for their age group. These findings led to specific recommendations for theory, research, and clinical practice in the area of the adolescent experience of HD. The research underscores the need for healthcare professionals to re-evaluate their view of adolescent autonomy and capacity for decision-making.

There is no abstract available for this dissertation. / Department of Educational Psychology

The purpose of this study was to explore the association among risk behaviors, HIV/AIDS knowledge, and cognitive variables in high-risk adolescents. Subjects were 82 youth (50 males and 32 females) residing in a Midwest residential treatment facility for abused, neglected, or delinquent children and adolescents. The mean age of the adolescents was 14.6 years. Self-report measures of AIDS knowledge, invulnerability, self-efficacy, locus of control, sensation seeking, and risk involvement were administered in counterbalanced order. Data were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression analysis to examine the relation between risk behaviors and scores on invulnerability, locus of control, self-efficacy, and sensation seeking measures once age and AIDS knowledge were controlled in the initial steps. Although age and knowledge of AIDS were related positively to the likelihood of behavioral risk taking, the combination of cognitive variables explained an additional 23% of the variance in risk behaviors and accounted for the largest proportion of shared variability. Therefore, adolescents' risk behaviors appeared to be determined by their cognitive beliefs to a greater degree than by their knowledge of the consequences of such behavior. The importance of cognitive factors in the apparent behavior choices that adolescents make suggests that educational prevention programs need to consider more than just the sharing of knowledge in addressing issues of risky behavior. Instead, the perceptions of adolescents toward sensation seeking and other cognitive characteristics also must be considered. / Department of Educational Psychology

Second language enrolments, especially among boys, have declined markedly in our secondary schools over the last thirty years. Most research into this decline has been concerned with understanding what students do not like about language study. The present study took a different perspective, looking at classes in two schools where second language learning is popular and enrolments were high for both genders. The study sought to find which aspects of learning styles and strategies each gender enjoyed as a way to provide information to improve classroom language study and enrolment, particularly among boys. The study involved two, private schools, one boys’ and one girls’ — from the same socio-economic background. The schools were chosen because they had high enrolments in second languages, allowing meaningful amounts of data to be obtained. The single gender classes also permitted clear analysis of which classroom behaviours and activities suited each gender. A mixture of quantitative and qualitative methods was used. Data were collected using a student questionnaire, classroom observations and teacher interviews. Gender differences were found in a number of aspects of learning styles and strategies. Girls favoured collaborative learning styles that emphasised experience and support. Boys favoured a learning style emphasising clear parameters and expectations and opportunities to produce comprehensible output in the target language. The study found that teachers matched speaking activities to the preferred learning styles of the gender being taught. Further, it was found that while girls generally enjoyed groups of all sizes, boys preferred to practise speaking activities in pairs. Boys were found to be more confident about speaking activities than girls and both genders’ use of the target language reflected gender differences in communication in the first language

Thesis (M.S.)--University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2007. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Feb. 29, 2008). Directed by Cheryl Buehler; submitted to the School of Human Environmental Sciences. Includes bibliographical references (p. 108-127).

Thesis (M.S.)--Indiana University, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 47-53). Also available online (PDF file) by a subscription to the set or by purchasing the individual file.

Thesis (M.S.)--Indiana University, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 47-53).

Thesis (Psy. D.)--Wheaton College, 2005. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 52-56).