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

This study examines the influence of family background and structure on academic achievement. The research focuses on the 11th- and 12th-grade population in the Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science (TAMS) at the University of North Texas, Denton. The study examines the variables in family background and family structure that contribute to the students' high academic achievement. Twelve hypotheses related to parents, home environment, family structure and interaction, family roles, and family values are proposed. The multivariate analysis shows that the variables being read to, reading independently, fathers' education, mothers' education, and ethnicity are significant in impacting academic achievement. The study underlines the fact that multiple factors in family structure and background have an influence on academic achievement.

The purpose of the study was to find the relationship between adolescent premarital sexual activity and involvement in the family, school, and church. The sample was composed of 192 adolescents. The data were analyzed for significant relationships by using chi square test of independence. The study found that there were significant relationships between adolescent premarital sexual activity and family structure, family mobility, parental employment, grade level achievement, and parental attendance at school functions. Since the findings of a study of this nature are pertinent to society, further research needs to be done using a more heterogeneous sample and a more refined, limited instrument. The instrument should be further tested for reliability and validity.

随着经济的快速发展与社会的重大转型，青少年网瘾问题成为中国大陆困扰家庭的社会问题。对于这种新兴的青少年越轨行为，已有研究往往关注青少年自身的心理因素及同伴影响，从社会学角度对青少年问题网络行为及其背后的家庭因素进行系统分析的研究相对缺乏。因此，本研究重新聚焦家庭，整合社会资本理论与一般压力理论，深入地探究家庭对于青少年问题网络行为的影响，并进一步比较家庭和同伴对于青少年上网行为的作用。 / 研究数据来自于2008年的"北京青少年上网行为调查"项目，该项目在海淀区14所中学中抽取697名初中二年级的学生，最终获得有效问卷668份。结合数据，我们将样本划分为安全群体、危险群体及网瘾群体，三个群体占样本总数的比例分别为37.6%、46.4%及16.0%。通过回归分析发现，产生于家庭内部的一般性社会资本（比如孩子对父母的依恋）会对青少年问题网络行为产生显著的负向效应，而功能性家庭社会资本（比如父母与孩子共同上网的行为等）与青少年问题网络行为之间并未出现显著的相关关系。同时，来自于父母的家庭压力（比如孩子遭受父母虐待等）以及越轨同伴都对青少年问题网络行为有显著的正向影响。另外，本研究进一步探究了家庭和同伴的互动关系，并发现因上网而越轨的同伴作为中介变量，跟孩子与父母的负面关系（包括孩子遭受父母虐待及孩子与父母之间的冲突）共同对青少年问题网络行为产生影响作用。本研究还结合了定性分析，对青少年从"正常"到"成瘾"过程中家庭因素的影响做了更深入和全面的分析。不仅从理论层面填补了社会学领域以家庭为焦点解释青少年问题网络行为的空白，而且也为实证领域对青少年网瘾进行有效的预防和疏导提供了重要参考。 / With the rapid economic development and great social change in Mainland China, Internet Addiction among adolescents has become a serious social problem disturbing families. Concerning this rising adolescent deviant behavior, previous studies mainly emphasized the individual psychological factors and some peer influences, but few studies have systematically explained the familial influences behind the adolescent problematic Internet use from sociological perspective. Therefore, this study has returned back to family, combining Social Capital Theory and General Strain Theory in a sociological framework, to explore the interactive mechanism between familial factors and adolescent problematic Internet use. Furthermore, we compare the influences of family and of peers on such deviant behavior. / This study used the data collected by the project of Internet Use among Beijing Adolescents in 2008, which sampled 697 students in Junior 2 from 14 middle schools of Haidian District and finally got 668 valid questionnaires for analysis. We divided the sample into three groups according to the risk degree of their Internet use, i.e., safe group, risk group and addicted group, and the percentages of the three groups to the whole sample are 37.6%, 46.4% and 16.0%. With the regression analysis, we found that the general internal-family social capital (e,g., attachment to parents) was significantly negatively related to the adolescent problematic Internet use, while the functional family social capital (e.g., aligned Internet use between parents and children) had no significant effect on adolescent problematic Internet use. And, both family strain (e.g., experience of parental maltreatment) and deviant peers had significant positive influence on adolescent problematic Internet use. Furthermore, we explored the interactive relationships among family strain, deviant peers and adolescent problematic Internet use, and found deviant peers, as a mediating factor, together exerted influences on adolescent problematic Internet use. / This study also combined the qualitative analysis to explain the deeper familial reasons in the process of adolescent becoming "addicted". It not only filled out the gap in sociological research area with focusing on family to systematically explore the social influences on adolescent problematic Internet use, but also provided important references to the practical prevention and treatment of adolescent Internet Addiction. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / 孟宏. / Thesis (Ph.D.) Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2014. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 117-137). / Abstracts also in English. / Meng Hong.

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This qualitative study aimed to explore the male adolescent’s sense of belonging in his family, in order to arrive at a Gestalt understanding of this concept. In order to achieve the aim, a conceptual framework was outlined focusing on concepts central to this topic, including belonging, adolescence and Gestalt theory. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eleven adolescents in order to obtain rich data. The data collected during these interviews was subsequently analysed and several themes and categories were identified and explored by the use of a literature control. Conclusions, recommendations and a Gestalt understanding of belonging were then presented. / Play Therapy / M. Diac. (Play Therapy)

M.Cur / The country and education system is after apartheid in a process of renewal and transformation. Adolescents in secondary schools are increasingly in interaction with adolescents who have different values. The media reports that violence and conflict in secondary schools is common. Adolescents find themselves already in a developmental period characterised by physical, emotional, social and intellectual change (Vermaak, 1993: i). It is apparent that today' s adolescent in South Africa is confronted with more than love disappointments and exam stress. This research tells the story of a group of adolescents within a specific public secondary school in Gauteng in an attempt to give the adolescent a voice. The objectives for this research are: 1. To explore and describe the adolescents' experience of interaction between adolescents with different values in a specific public secondary school in Gauteng. 2. To describe guidelines for the advanced psychiatric nurse practitioner to mobilise resources for facilitating interaction between these adolescents in order to promote their mental health. The Theory for Health Promotion in Nursing as applied by the Nursing Department of the Rand Afrikaans University forms the basis of this research. From this perspective, the human is seen as holistically in interaction with the environment in an integrated manner, and are the four central components of this theory, namely the human, nursing, environment and health defined. The purpose of this theory is aimed at enhancing individual, family, group and community health (Rand Afrikaans University; Department of nursing, 2000: 4) and in this case, mental health. A Functional approach to nursing (Botes, 1991: 19-23) is followed, which implies that the research in nursing is mainly applied research that addresses recent health problems of the South-African community and provide solutions to these problems. It is clear that this research addresses a recent problem/trend in the South African school going adolescent community, namely the interaction between adolescents with different values in schools. The research in nursing, as developed by Botes (1995: 1-21), applies. A qualitative (Cresswell, 1994: 162), explorative (Mouton, 1996: 103), descriptive (Mouton, 1996: 102) and contextual (Mouton, 1996: 133) research design was used, and data was gathered through means ofthree focus groups (Folch-Lyon & Trost, 1981: 443; Krueger, 1994: 14,19 ,29) consisting of adolescents who complied with the sampling criteria. The researcher took field notes during and after the focus groups (Wilson, 1989: 434 ). The Gauteng Department of Education, the schools principal, the parents/guardians of the adolescents and the participating adolescents themselves gave their consent for the conducting of the research. The researcher did analyse the data using Tech's (in Cresswell, 1994: 155) descriptive method and did open coding. An independent coder analysed the data with the researcher and they held consensus discussions (Poggenpoel, 1998: 245). After the data was analysed, a literature control was conducted in order to recontextualise the data (Morse & Field, 1996: 106) and to indicate differences and similarities with other research. In phase one of the research, the researcher concluded that the adolescents experienced that certain practises and incidents in the school contribute to the deconstructive atmosphere in the school. These incidents and practises entail aspects related to discipline, respect, disempowerment, communication, expectations relating to academic issues and the confirmation of certain practises. The practises related to the deconstructive atmosphere contribute to the experiencing of emotions like frustration, anxiety, fear of rejection and victimisation, powerlessness, sadness and disappointment, uncertainty and fury. Discipline, caring and support, friendship and taking responsibility for choices made by the adolescent were practises identified that relate to a constructive atmosphere. Guidelines in phase two describe to the advanced psychiatric nurse practitioner how to facilitate interaction between these adolescents in the specific secondary school in order to contribute to the promotion of their mental health. The researcher generated and describes guidelines, within the survey list as suggested by Dickoff, James & Wiedenbach (1968: 423), for a multicultural empowerment program. The researcher discussed conclusions, limitations and practical problems of the research and made suggestions for the nursing practise, education and research.

Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this document / Dissertation (MA (AAC))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (CAAC) / Unrestricted

Alcohol consumption among adolescents is an important issue because of its link to many negative social and health problems, including depression, suicide, and aggression. Drawing from Hirschi’s social bonding theory and Agnew’s general strain theory, this study examines the effects of family relations on alcohol consumption among Turkish adolescents. Social bonding theory suggests that individuals with stronger social bonds are less likely to use alcohol than individuals with weaker social bonds. General strain theory, on the other hand, proposes that individuals with higher levels of strain due to financial difficulties and/or negative relationships are more likely to consume alcohol compared to individuals with lower levels of strain. In particular, this study proposes to examine how parental attachment, parental monitoring, time spent with family, parents’ religiosity, family economic strain, and negative life events in the family predict alcohol consumption among adolescents in Turkey. 2008 Youth in Europe (YIE) project data is used in the study. In general, the results indicate that social bonding and strain factors have significant effects on the adolescents’ alcohol consumption patterns. These findings will help to inform prevention programs aimed at reducing adolescent alcohol risk behaviors by explaining the importance of family relationships.