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Background Anxiety disorders are among the most prevalent psychological disorders experienced during adolescence. Studies have suggested that physical activity may contribute to a beneficial role for anxiety including the prevention and reduction of anxiety symptoms among adolescents. This systematic review aims to explore the possible relationship between physical activity and anxiety. Methods A systematic search was performed to locate randomized-controlled trials (RCT)from 1980to 30 April 2014 in PubMed, MEDLINE(ProQuest), PsycINFO(ProQuest) and Google scholar. Quality of RCTs was assessed using JADAD. The relationship of physical activity and anxiety was explored. The change of anxiety reported scores for intervention groups in the follow-up period was tabulated. Findings From the results of five studies, physical activity may change mean anxiety scores in the general population of adolescents respectively. Regarding the within intervention group analysis, five studies had showed the significant changes compared pre-test and post-test anxiety scores, which support the positive effects of physical activity on anxiety. But no more evidence showed the specific period and depth the effects of interventions group as seldom trials reported follow-up data. That meant, we couldn’t tell whether there was enduring impacts of physical activity on reduction of anxiety symptoms. In these studies, the evidence of improvement levels of physical activity was weak as there were no consistent criteria of vigorous and aerobic exercise. Conclusion The reduction of anxiety scores with physical activity intervention is the main findings. Though most results showed significant improvement, limitations in the study design, analysis and reporting limit the inferences regarding the effect of physical activity on the reduction and prevention of anxiety. / published_or_final_version / Public Health / Master / Master of Public Health

Early adolescence is a period marked by increases in internalizing problems, particularly depression. In childhood, the rates of depressive symptomatology are between .6% and 1.7%, but by adolescence, rates rise to 8.0%. Two key correlates of adolescent depression are behavioral inhibition and poor peer relations. Yet, it is unclear whether these factors simply co-occur with depressive symptoms or are instrumental across development in regulating them. In this study, using data from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care, we examine whether increases in inhibition in late childhood may undermine peer relationships in predicting increases in adolescent depressive symptoms. Specifically, we test whether inhibition promotes depressive symptoms by undermining two aspects of peer relationships – popularity and friendship quality. Findings revealed that increases in inhibition from childhood to adolescence lead to increases in adolescent depressive symptoms. Decreases in popularity mediated the relation of inhibition, friendship quality and increases in adolescent depressive symptoms. / text

The purpose of this research was to investigate the association between gross household income during early adolescence and property crime from early adolescence into young adulthood. A truncated version of recent nationally representative sample---the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (1997-2006)---was married with a set of sociological and developmental theories to explore these processes. Results from Study I indicate that cumulative property crime did not significantly differ by income but did differ by race and gender; parent-adolescent relationship quality significantly differed by income; emotional problems significantly differed by gender; and criminal arrests significantly differed by income, gender, and race. In addition, baseline and change scores for all variables of interest shared substantial variation. Results from Study II indicate that controlling for gender, race, and household structure, gross household income during early adolescence had a significant positive association with cumulative property crime from early adolescence into young adulthood. Parent-adolescent relationship quality (but not emotional problems) helped to explain this association. In general, these mediated processes did not significantly differ by income, gender, or race. Results from Study III indicate that criminal arrests from early adolescence into young adulthood explained a substantial portion of the variance between income and cumulative property crime from early adolescence into young adulthood, and partially mediated the association between income and property crime. Criminal arrests during adolescence also explained a substantial portion of the variance between income and property crime during adulthood, and partially mediated the association between income and property crime during adulthood. For these processes, moderated mediation was occurring. On the one hand, criminal arrests during adolescence generally deterred adults from later engaging in property crime, but this association was only significant higher income adolescents ($25,001- $100,000). On the other hand, criminal arrests during adolescence were associated with higher counts of property crime for those adults who generally engaged in at least one property crime, but this association was only significant for adolescents for lower middle income adolescents ($10,001-$25,000). Implications of these findings and future research are discussed.

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Much research has recently been directed at social aggression, which includes subtle and covert behaviors intended to harm the target. Evidence indicates that social aggression is associated with social maladjustment such as peer rejection and internalizing and externalizing problems. Despite increasing interest by researchers on the consequences of this form of aggression, relatively few studies have examined the etiology of social aggression. Previous research has demonstrated that depression and social anxiety may predict social aggression, however little research has examined the role of the family system in contributing to the development of this maladaptive behavior. Using path-analytic techniques, this study examined how family factors (parent-adolescent conflict, positive family relations, and maternal psychological control) affect subsequent social aggression one-year later after controlling for baseline levels of social aggression. Individual symptoms of depression and social evaluative anxiety were also incorporated in the model to determine if the effects of the family variables on later social aggression were mediated by the individual emotional adjustment of a child. Using competing models, this study compared model fit across boys and girls. The stability of social aggression over a 1 year period was also examined using confirmatory factor analysis techniques. Participants included in this study were 497 10- to 14-year-old middle school students. Results suggest that social aggression is a stable and chronic difficulty for boys and girls over a one year period. Positive family relations significantly negatively effected social aggression over the course of a year, above and beyond baseline subsequent levels of social aggression, for girls. Additionally, parent-adolescent conflict, positive family relations, and maternal psychological control were significantly related to baseline levels of social aggression. This study corroborated previous research on the deleterious effects of parent-adolescent conflict, less positive family relations, and maternal psychological control on depressive symptoms for both boys and girls. Additionally, positive family relations were also shown to reduce social evaluative anxiety for both boys and girls. Findings from this study emphasize the need for prevention and intervention efforts directed at the family system for improved adjustment of early adolescents. / text

Adolescents and young adults face several developmental, social, and personal challenges as they grow towards adulthood. Common challenges such as: (a) conflicts within their families, (b) problems in their friendships and intimate relationships, (c) threats to their health, fitness, and body image, and (d) difficulties arising from their peer group social stratification, are generally addressed after damage or stress has already occurred. These challenges can introduce varying degrees of difficulty and stress into the lives of adolescents and young adults. While traditional reactive counselling methods are helpful in responding to challenges that emerge in the lives of young adolescents, it may be valuable to employ counselling methods proactively and non-therapeutically in order to equip students in junior high schools with the tools they will need to navigate common challenges before they occur. This study aimed to explore the thoughts and perceptions of teachers towards such a proactive approach to counselling with junior high school students. The findings indicated that there is a place for the proactive non-therapeutic use of traditional strategies in schools. While teachers may feel more comfortable with the content of “typical” adolescent challenges, they are less comfortable coaching students through the emotional and behavioural outcomes that occur as a result of these challenges. Educators may feel a need for more process related strategies to support students (e.g., managing unpleasant emotions, problem-solving, goal setting, etc.) in meeting goals and challenges however, one must also ensure that the context (e.g., peer relationships, family, health, etc.) is taken into consideration as well. In addition, proactive strategies and opportunities for social-emotional learning need to take place within a larger context rather than behind closed doors. In addition, the challenges experienced by today’s youth may be complicated by the technological world and the overall cultural climate of contemporary Western Canada (Ahn, 2011; Lai & Gwung, 2013; Subrahmanyam & Greenfield, 2008). Furthermore, with dual earner families being the majority in Canada, the home environment is impacted and the quantity and quality of time is diminished, which in turn affects the academic and social-emotional development and health of today’s youth (Wada et al., 2014; Dilworth, 2004). It may be that this phenomenon puts educators in a position where they are required to fill multiple roles and balance social-emotional education of children with their academic growth and development. / October 2015

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published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Clinical Psychology / Master / Master of Social Sciences