Context Adolescence is a period of transition that involves biological, cognitive, psychological and social changes. During the vulnerable transition period of adolescence, decisions relating to contraception may occur. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between female adolescent self-esteem, decision making and contraceptive behavior. Understanding the relationship between female adolescent self-esteem, decision-making and contraceptive behavior has contributed to the knowledge base about female contraceptive behavior. Gaining further insight into these relationships will help health care professionals provide counseling and health care to female adolescents. Methods Using a descriptive cross sectional survey design, data were collected from a convenience sample of 98 female adolescents aged 14-17 who came to 5 different clinics in Hawaii for health care. Along with a brief demographic questionnaire, global self­ esteem was measured by Rosenberg's SelfEsteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1965), decision­ making was measured by the Flinders Adolescent Decision Making Questionnaire (Mann, Harmoni, Power, Beswick & Ormond, 1988) and sexual activity and contraception use was measured by a Sexual History and Contraceptive Use Questionnaire developed for this study. The conceptual framework for this study was Janis and Mann's (1977) conflict theory of decision-making. Descriptive statistics, logistic regression and correlations were used to analyze associations and correlations between age, global self esteem, decision self esteem, decision coping (vigilant and maladaptive) and contraceptive use for sexually active female adolescents. Results No significant associations or correlations were found between age, global self-esteem, decision self esteem, decision coping (vigilance) and their decision to use contraception in sexually active adolescent females. There was, however, significant negative correlation (p<.OS) between maladaptive decision-making and contraceptive use in sexually active female adolescents. This suggests that sexually active adolescent females with higher maladaptive scores are less likely to use contraception. There was also significant association (p<.OS) between maladaptive decision-making in contraceptive use and sexually active female adolescents. For every one unit increase on the maladaptive scale, the odds of using contraception were estimated to decrease by 7% meaning those who scored higher on the maladaptive scale were less competent or poor decision makers and less likely to use contraception. Conclusions Adolescents who score higher on the maladaptive decision-making scale are less competent in decision-making and are less likely to use contraception. Interventions focused on improving decision-making skills and stimulating thinking around not only sexual issues, but also relationship and communication in adolescent issues, may facilitate more competent decision-making.

This descriptive study compared life events in the lives of pregnant (n = 23) and non-pregnant (n = 23) adolescents using a developmental model. A 51-item life events checklist adapted from Robbins (1981) and Johnson and McCutcheon (1980) was used to identify occurrence and perception (good or bad) of life events. Mean ages were 17.3 (pregnant) an 17.0 (non-pregnant). Ethnic representation was Hispanic (n = 28), Anglo (n = 14), American Indian (n = 2), and Black (n = 2). One pregnant and seven non-pregnant adolescents were employed. Thirty-nine adolescents lived with their parents, and seven lived on their own. Pregnancy of sister or close friend, an increased number of arguments between parents, a change in parents' financial status, and trouble with brother or sister were reported by more than 50% of the total. No significant difference existed in either the total number or perception of life events between groups. In addition, the developmental adaptation categories revealed no significant statistical difference.

This study explored elite female adolescent swimmers' perceptions of the motivational influences of their coaches, parents, and peers using qualitative methods. Nine elite female swimmers (aged 13--15 years) participated in two semi-structured interviews that were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Data was gathered and analyzed according to Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (Smith & Osborn, 2003). Six categories emerged including: individual factors, and assistance, informational, esteem, emotional, and network support. Results indicated girls' interpretations and unique, salient aspects of social support types provided by coaches, parents, and peers. Findings are related to past self-determination theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 1985) motivational research. In particular, swimmers social support experiences were uniquely linked to their perceptions of competence, autonomy, relatedness, and motivation in elite competitive swimming. Findings support main SDT tenets and offer new insights into the important and differential social support influences in sport.

D.Litt et Phil. / The present study employed an existential phenomenological research method in order to explore the experience of violence in adolescent girls. Five young women between the ages of 13 and 18 years, and from different ethnic groups and cultures participated in the study that was conducted in the area of Johannesburg, Gauteng. Participation was on a voluntary basis and followed a presentation on the issue of violence by the researcher to learners at various schools within the environs of Johannesburg. Only girls whose parents or caregivers gave consent were included in the study. A central research question was formulated and put as follows to each participant in a recorded interview: Tell me in as much detail and as honestly as possible about experiences of violence that have been most meaningful to you. Van Kaam’s (1969) method of analysing phenomenological data, which was employed for the study, revealed that violence took place predominantly in an interpersonal context, mainly within the confines of the home. It occurred mostly at the hands of persons known to the young women and the prime aggressors were male. Various forms of violence were experienced, including sexual violations and verbal, physical and emotional abuse. Exposure to domestic violence was a common experience. A number of themes were identified and explored from within the framework of a phenomenological approach that focused on the life-worlds of participants. Central themes included feelings of powerlessness, isolation, loss of life purpose and direction, and a sense of meaninglessness. Without exception all the participants had considered, or attempted, suicide as a result of their experiences. A life-span perspective directed attention towards the cultural and historical influences that underlie the violent experiences of adolescent girls. Feminist theory was utilised to further explore these influences and to examine the social construction of gendered power and violence in South Africa. The biological, psychological and social changes that characterise the adolescent stage of development were also considered. Participants’ descriptions of their experiences suggested that violence prevented them from satisfying relational needs and that this had consequences for the development of an identity. In particular, self-esteem was adversely affected and participants were unable to envisage a future role for themselves. Disturbances in peer relationships that are central to the development of adolescent girls, limited opportunities to benefit from more positive experiences in a social context. Heterosexual interactions were also negatively affected. The abstract thinking abilities that emerge in adolescence were discussed in the context of existential concerns and conflicts. The study indicated that when participants could become active in the design of their life, their actions were experienced as meaningful and restorative. This suggested the usefulness of an existential approach that emphasises the necessity of choice, an awareness of the possibilities of life, and an acceptance of the responsibility for bringing about change within the limitations of a person’s existence. The study recommends that this approach could be utilised in a group context where participants would also be given an opportunity to express themselves, to be heard and to experience a sense of community in interaction with their peers. It is suggested that in a school setting, the group could provide an accessible and affordable means of support, particularly in disadvantaged communities. Peer counselling is also advocated as a way of responding to the needs of young women who have had negative life experiences. Further research was encouraged in order to obtain a better appreciation of the ways in which adolescent girls understand their life-worlds and to explore what they deem to be of significance in those worlds. This would provide a basis for the structuring of interventions to assist young women in meeting the challenges that confront them in adolescence.

No description available.

The majority of research dealing with the eating disorder of bulimia has focused on characteristics of college-aged women, with those findings forming a basis for treatment planning with younger, adolescent women. While research in recent years has begun to examine those characteristics specifically related to bulimia in adolescence, there has been a relative lack of consideration of the effect of the developmental stage of the individual on these psychological characteristics. Such differential characteristics, if found to be present, would have implications for both the prevention and treatment of bulimia in younger populations. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the concerns of high school and college females at high risk for bulimia at different developmental levels as well as to identify the psychological characteristics of high risk subjects across the age groups. Participants were asked to complete questionnaires assessing their self-perceptions on a variety of intrapersonal and interpersonal dimensions. Individuals aged 12-14 who were also at high risk for bulimia reported greater levels of depression and more feelings of inefficacy than did older, high risk individuals. Across all ages, women at high risk for bulimia were more dissatisfied with their body shape, were more depressed, experienced more difficulty with peer and family relationships, and felt more alienated from others than did individuals at low risk for bulimia. These results were discussed within a developmental framework, and it was suggested that individuals who cannot come to terms with the multiple changes of adolescence are at increased risk for engaging in bulimic behavior. / Ph. D.

Thesis (MA (Psychology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / Body image and dating relationships are two of the most important topics in the lives of the female adolescents. Yet, not much South African research has been done on either of these themes with adolescent populations and no research could be found to investigate a possible relationship between these two important aspects, both internationally and locally. Therefore, the primary aim of this study was to investigate the potential relationship between female adolescents’ body image and their romantic relationships. Specifically, the aim was to determine if a relationship existed between participants’ self-rated attractiveness and body dissatisfaction, and their relationship status and romantic relationship satisfaction. There were two secondary aims. The first was to investigate how aspects like participants’ culture, age and body size were related to their body image and the second was to determine if aspects like participants’ culture, age and body size were related to their relationship status and satisfaction with their romantic relationships. Questionnaires were distributed to Afrikaans- and English- speaking White girls, Afrikaansspeaking Coloured girls and isiXhosaspeaking girls at four urban, coeducational, secondary schools and 511 questionnaires were completed. Participants selfreported their height and weight, self-rated their facial and bodily attractiveness on a 7- point scale, and completed two measures of body dissatisfaction: the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) Body Dissatisfaction subscale (Garner, Olmstead, & Polivy, 1983) and the Body Cathexis Scale (BCS) (Secord & Jourard, 1953). Participants also indicated their current relationship status using five categories: has never dated anyone, not dating anyone currently, casually dating one or more people, dating one person exclusively, and engaged or planning to marry, and completed the Relationship Assessment Scale (RAS) (Hendrick, 1988), a measure of relationship satisfaction. With regard to the primary aim of the study, results show that there were significant relationships between some of the measures of body image and relationship status for the total sample. In general, it was found that the girls who were involved in exclusive relationships at the time of the study had better body image than the girls who were not. Yet, results for this relationship were different for the different cultural and body mass index groups. With regard to the relationship between body image and relationship satisfaction, the Body Cathexis Scale scores significantly predicted participants’ satisfaction with their romantic relationships. Yet both weight and culture were also found to play a role in the relationship between body image and relationship satisfaction. With regard to the secondary aims of the study, culture was found to be related to body image, body mass index, relationship status and relationship satisfaction, while age played a role in participants’ body mass index and relationship status, and body mass index was related to body image, but not to relationship status and relationship satisfaction. Therefore, participants’ culture and body mass index were significant with regard to body image and romantic relationships, but was also found to play a significant role in the relationship between these two.

Relationships between body dissatisfaction, dieting methods, father absence, and puberty timing were investigated in this study. Participants included adolescent females from Wave 1 of the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health. Logistic regression results indicated that girls without a biological father in the home were significantly more likely to have an early onset of puberty than on-time or late. Girls who experienced early puberty exhibited higher levels of body dissatisfaction, but didn't use more dieting methods. Early onset girls more likely used dieting methods if their biological father was present than absent; however, no significant difference in body dissatisfaction was shown. A negative relationship with fathers indicated more body dissatisfaction. None of the attained findings were found when the biological mother was absent, and having a stepfather did not seem to matter. Evidence was revealed that fathers play a role in their daughters' view of their own bodies.

This interpretive descriptive study explored the meaning and lived experience of breast cancer for 5 mothers and their 5 adolescent daughters, and for these mother-daughter relationships. Mothers had been diagnosed with breast cancer between 2 and 6 years ago, and their daughters were between 11 and 13 years old at the time of the diagnosis. A series of six in-depth interviews with mothers and daughters, conducted both jointly and separately, afforded a view of aspects of experience that were shared and privately held. Interview data were supplemented with participants' drawings of their experience, and the researcher's observations. The interpretive descriptive framework employed was augmented with the lens of portraiture in the conduct of study, data analysis, and composition of the product of inquiry. Portraiture utilizes five essential features: voice, relationship, context, emergent themes, and aesthetic whole. Individual and relational experience and meaning were described in four themes: (a) Inhabiting Another Landscape, (b) Intending and Acting, (c) Acquiring Wisdom, and (d) Enduring Mother-Daughter Relationships. The theme of Inhabiting Another Landscape described a trajectory of experience and meaning that began with diagnosis, persisted through prolonged effects of treatment, and continued in the present and into imagined futures. Mothers and daughters had privately held concerns about the mothers' breast cancer and the possibility that breast cancer might one day visit daughters as well. The most prominent reminder of vulnerability was recurrence among friends in the social networks of breast cancer. The theme of Intending and Acting described the mutual caring and protectiveness of these mothers and daughters. Mothers and daughters described actions and strategies to minimize the threat of breast cancer for themselves and for the other person. Actions included attempts by both persons to create and maintain a sense of normalcy. Conversations between mothers and daughters on the experience of breast cancer were limited, in particular around prognosis and the possibility of death. The theme of Acquiring Wisdom described personal growth and change after the diagnosis of breast cancer. For both persons, realizations of mortality brought a new perspective on what was important in life. Mothers passed on the wisdom gained from their experience either directly in what was said to daughters or indirectly in the attitudes and behaviours they modelled. The theme of Enduring Mother-Daughter Relationships described the quality of mother-daughter relationships and the import of breast cancer for these relationships. Mothers and daughters described their relationships as close. Daughters described their relationships as closer than most, in part because of their experience with breast cancer. Parenting and being parented was in some cases complicated by breast cancer. Friction between mothers and daughters was described as par for the course during the teen years, but one source of friction was the unexpected and prolonged effects of treatment. The findings in this study indicate the value in attending to the voices of teenage daughters, which remain largely absent in the literature. Mothers and daughters have needs for information and support that are not being met. The emotional landscape of breast cancer, which entails prolonged uncertainty for both mothers and daughters, deserves further study. Personal growth described by both mothers and daughters provides an alternative view of the largely problem-focused perspective in the literature of the meaning and experience of breast cancer.

Girls' participation in physical education, sport and other physical activity was examined relative to their levels of Perceived Sport Competence, Body Attractiveness, Physical Self Worth and Social Physique Anxiety. Two hundred and thirteen grade 11 girls from two co-educational and two single sex Toronto high schools completed questionnaires designed to assess physical activity participation and these psychological attributes. T-tests verified that there were no differences on the psychological measures between the two types of schools. On the basis of the girls' responses, they were divided into non, low, medium and high participant groups. The relationships between physical activity participation and the selected psychological measures were analyzed by Pearson correlations. Analysis of Variance's (participant groups x psychological construct) determined where differences existed among participant groups. The results revealed that high level participants had greater Perceived Sport Competence, Body Attractiveness, Physical Self Worth levels than the participants at the lower levels. Social Physique Anxiety was unrelated to physical activity participation. Perceived Sport Competence was the best predictor of participation.