The current study replicated and extended previous research by examining empirically the direct and indirect influence of social pressure (to lose weight and diet), social body comparisons, internalization of the thin ideal, body dissatisfaction, self-esteem, and cardiorespiratory fitness on self-reported dietary restraint in a diverse sample of middle school boys (n = 663); Mage was 12.49 years (SD = .99). With IRB approval, parental consent, and child assent, during annual FITNESSGRAM testing, participants completed questionnaires that measured the study’s constructs. Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) was determined by the boys’ performance on the PACER running test. The proposed model was examined using structural equation modeling (SEM). Because measures demonstrated univariate and multivariate normality, the maximum likelihood procedure within EQS to examine the measurement and structural models was used. Fit was determined using a two-index procedure. Participants were randomly split into exploratory (Sample A - 331) and confirmatory (Sample B - 332) samples. For Sample A, the measurement and structural models fit the data well. The structural model was confirmed in Sample B, with the same paths being significant and nonsignficant. For both Sample A and Sample B, 35% of the Dietary Restraint variance was explained. These findings support a multifactorial approach to understanding boys’ self-reported dietary restraint, and illuminate the negative influence of sociocultural weight pressures and salutary effects of CRF on early adolescents’ psychosocial well-being and dietary behaviors.

published_or_final_version / Social Work and Social Administration / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

Three investigations were conducted using pulsed Doppler echocardiography (PDE) and oxygen consumption to non-invasively determine the relationship between hemodynamic and metabolic variables from rest through submaximal and maximal exercise in early adolescent males. In the first study, interinvestigator and day-to-day variability of cardiac output measurements at rest and during exercise determined by PDE were analyzed in six junior high school age boys. Four Doppler-derived variables (cardiac output, cardiac index, stroke volume, and stroke index) were not different when calculated by independent investigators and showed the same interinvestigator variability from rest through submaximal and maximal exercise as has been reported at rest in previous validation studies. There was a slight but statistically significant increase in the absolute values of the above hemodynamic variables and simultaneously collected metabolic variables during a second identical test conducted approximately nine days later. A faster adjustment to increasing workrates in the second test could explain this latter finding since supine cycle ergometry is not as familiar an activity as more frequently used modes of exercise testing. It is concluded that hemodynamic measurements using PDE exhibit the same acceptable variability throughout exercise as has been previously demonstrated at rest. In the second study, PDE was used to determine rapid serial measurements of cardiac output during a rapid loading supine cycle ergometer exercise test in twenty-two junior high school age boys. These measurements were compared to simultaneoulsy determined measurements of oxygen consumption. Cardiac output adjusted faster to each new workrate than oxygen consumption. Further analysis of these responses revealed that increases in heart rate (as opposed to stroke volume) were responsible for this rapid adjustment. It is concluded that there is an uncoupling and recoupling of these normally closely related hemodynamic and metabolic variables during the transitional periods between increasing levels of steady-state supine exercise. In the final study, gradual loading and rapid loading supine cycle ergometer protocols were compared in fifteen junior high school age boys. Maximal metabolic measurements and heart rate from each test were not different. Maximal PDE-derived measurements of cardiac output, cardiac index, stroke volume, and stroke index were slightly, but significantly, higher in the gradual loading protocol. It is concluded that a more complete adjustment of cardiac output (reflected by stroke volume) to maximal supine exercise occurs in a more gradual loading protocol than in a rapid loading protocol.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceived needs of high school male adolescents and study possible implications for mentoring those of divorced parents. The researcher defines adolescents, discipleship, mentoring, needs based ministry, and the traditional home for the purpose of this study. The researcher presents a model for mentoring in studying the example Christ set in the relationship He had with His disciples. This relationship was one built within a small group that later had a large impact on others following the commands of Christ. The dissertation discusses the importance of developing relationships with others in order to influence them both now and in the future. The research also addressed the perceived needs of today's high school male adolescents. Some of these needs are relationships with other people, a desire to excel in educational achievements, and other related issues. These perceived needs have a direct impact upon the ways a young person lives his life. The research for this study was conducted in the northern suburbs of Nashville, Tennessee. The researcher surveyed high school male adolescents who attend Sunday school in three Southern Baptist churches. Once this was completed the researcher collected the surveys and tabulated the result. The study presented charts and graphs comparing the perceived needs of high school male adolescents who come from divorced homes with those who come from intact homes. The four areas being compared was one's perception of mentoring relationships, anger related issues, one's perception toward school, and relational needs. Once the information was tabulated and displayed the researcher drew conclusions related to mentoring relationships. Those who come from divorced homes had lower mean scores in all four areas. This statistical information helped to reveal that high school male adolescents who have experienced a divorce between their parents would benefit from a mentoring relationship. The research also discovered that today's high school male adolescents struggle with anger related issues and have a high perception of mentoring relationships. / This item is only available to students and faculty of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. If you are not associated with SBTS, this dissertation may be purchased from <a href="http://disexpress.umi.com/dxweb">http://disexpress.umi.com/dxweb</a> or downloaded through ProQuest's Dissertation and Theses database if your institution subscribes to that service.

The rate of adolescent unintended pregnancy in the United States is high compared to other developed countries. While past research and interventions have largely focused on young women, the role of young men in pregnancy prevention has increasingly been recognized. Studies have assessed young men’s knowledge and attitudes toward pregnancy prevention as well as their role in male-controlled methods of birth control like condoms or withdrawal. However, less is known about how young men can contribute to or participate in decision-making with female partners about contraception other than condoms. The purpose of this systematic review was to explore how young men communicate with their partners and its impact on contraception use to prevent pregnancy. A systematic review of five databases was conducted to identify English-language articles published from January 1, 2002, through July 7, 2018. The review specifically explored how male partner communication affects female partner use of contraception other than condoms among young men ages 11-24 years. The systematic review explored additional questions, including those pertaining to the timing of partner communication in a relationship, strategies employed by young men, and which dynamics of partner communication are measured in studies. Of the 15 articles identified as exploring areas of communication, five of the articles used quantitative analysis to measure any association between partner communication and contraception use, and three of those produced statistically significant findings suggesting that communication increases the use of contraception other than condoms. Three qualitative studies provided supporting narratives of how young men have communicated with partners and influenced their contraception use with female partners. The remaining seven articles explored the other research questions of timing, strategies, and dynamics identifying topics, prompts, and communication cues among young men. Measurements of both communication and contraception varied across studies. With the small number of studies identified in this systematic review, it is recommended that future research seek to corroborate the relationship between partner communication and contraception use with more robust and precise measurements of both communication and contraception.

This dissertation examines the lives of four adolescent Black American boys as they relate to education, media, race, and the law. As a case study using elements of narrative research analysis and portraiture, this research offers an in-depth understanding of the individual journeys of these young men as a way to provide an understanding of their adolescent male urban experience. Thus, in this dissertation, I explore the intersections between media-constructed narratives and my participants’ educational experiences, as I pursue a better understanding of how the participants view themselves within the construction of their own identities. Through conversations, this dissertation offers a platform to empower my participants’ voices and allow them to tell their stories by answering open-ended questions. For this study, I met with each participant on a biweekly basis to have conversations that lasted between 10 and 30 minutes in a New York City coffee shop in Harlem over a winter period of 3 months. This research showed that through intentional and thoughtful conversations, Black American adolescent boys who live in urban settings conveyed exactly what they need not only to survive, but also to thrive in a country that systemically puts them at a disadvantage. Finally, this study was framed by W. E. B. Du Bois’s research on how Black Americans perceive themselves in the United States; this study utilized his double consciousness theory as its theoretical framework.

Overall, this thesis was designed to explore the nature of adolescent boys' body image, the effects of body image on body change strategies and psychological adjustment, and the factors that influence body image. The first study examined body image in 362 adolescent boys. Body image was considered in terms of attitudes to different body parts and attributes, including, lower, middle and upper body, as well as weight, shape and muscles. The relationships between Body Mass Index (BMI), body image, sociocultural messages, psychological adjustment and body change strategies, including strategies to decrease weight and increase muscles using food and exercise, drive for thinness, bulimic attitudes and behaviour, excessive exercise, food supplements to lose weight, increase muscles and steroids, were also investigated. Multiple regression analyses were used to examine the role of body image, sociocultural messages and psychological adjustment to predict satisfaction with different body attributes and body change strategies. The findings from study one led to the development of a program aimed at preventing the development of unhealthy attitudes and behaviours among adolescent boys. Study two involved the implementation and evaluation of this prevention program. One hundred and twenty one boys participated in the program. The program was based on social-cognitive theory, and included a focus on accepting differences and the development of self-esteem. The boys who participated in the program indicated some change in existing attitudes and showed less development of risk behaviours relative to the control group. The implications of the findings from this thesis in relation to future research, as well as the prevention of adolescent boys' body image problems are discussed.

Bibliography: leaves 100-113.

<p><em>The DISA method is a universal program developed for teenage girls to prevent depression. The program includes cognitive behavioral techniques are suppose to change negative pattern of thinking, give practice of communication, strategies of problem solution and exercises to strengthen the social network. </em><em></em></p><p><em>The purpose of this study is to find out how a group of teenage boys were affected by the DISA program and what factors that may have impacted the outcome. Material from three different studies have been used, a quantitative study in terms of data from self-assessment form CES-D, materials from two semi-structured focus group interviews with the boys and material from a questionnaire filled out by the boys on two occasions during the DISA method.</em></p><p><em> </em><em>The result of the CES-D indicates that the boys had less depressive symptoms after the final group meeting compared to the first group meeting and also a year later. Analysis of the material from focus group interviews and questionnaire have been made from a communication theory and systems theory perspective and indicate a shift to greater cohesion in the group and demonstrates that communication between the boy-group and group leaders had importance for the outcome. In particular, this study demonstrates how important group values and norms where for the boys, especially with regard to communication of emotions</em><em>. </em><em></em></p>