Even though it has always been widely believed that HIV affects mainly the underprivileged and unemployed, the scourge is fastest growing in the educated and employed. Despite this, it is still the unemployed and underprivileged that are still of concern. According to the UNAIDS (2004) South Africa has the fastest growing HIV/AIDS epidemic in the world and this situation poses a great threat to the country’s economic, political and even social development. Within the socio-economic landscape of South Africa, the most adversely affected is the youth, women and those in poverty. It is this vulnerable social group (the underprivileged youth and women) who is of concern to this study. Adolescent pregnancy also seems to be increasing in South Africa - a trend that seems to be influenced by various personal and socio-cultural factors. Not only do some adolescent girls find themselves faced with a presumable adult challenge for some of these girls also seem at greater risk for sexual transmitted diseases, particularly HIV and AIDS. Dealing with the reality of adolescent pregnancy and HIV/AIDS could be challenging as the adolescents try to take care of themselves and their children in an environment often filled with stigma, uncertainty, and limited access to information and health care. This situation calls for those in the field of research to understand teenage pregnancy in the context of HIV and sociological and psychological pressures that these girls find themselves in as they manoeuvre through this challenge. Perhaps by understanding their personal experiences, society can best devise ways to assist these girls. Even though a lot of research has been conducted in South Africa on HIV/AIDS, a considerable amount of it has focused on males and pregnant women in general. In situations where adolescents are studied, a lot of focus and emphasis is put on their sexual behaviour and the causes of their pregnancy. The purpose for this study therefore was to get an in depth view of the experiences of three pregnant, black adolescent girls living with HIV/AIDS. A qualitative phenomenological approach with in depth interviews was conducted. The method of analysis used was Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Four themes or categories of meaning units were derived from the analysis of the interview material. These themes are extrapolated and described and representative quotations from the raw data are included. In exploring these themes and making sense of the data, Erikson’s psychosocial theory of development was used as a frame of reference to contextualise the themes derived from the study in the light of the relevant development stage. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Psychology / unrestricted

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Do Maternal Psychosocial Factors Predict Adolescent Weight? Sandra Jody MarksDepartment of Exercise Sciences, BYUMaster of SciencePurpose: This study investigated the possible relationship between maternal psychosocial factors, mainly maternal stress and maternal depression, and adolescent weight status. Also, this study examined the predictive effect of these maternal psychosocial factors on adolescent weight loss during a health education intervention as well as the months following the health education. Methods: Study design was a longitudinal pretest posttest with a health education intervention. We assessed 40 adolescents and their mothers on four occasions over a 1-year period. At each occasion, the Stress Index for Parents of Adolescents (SIPA) was used to measure maternal stress and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) was used to measure maternal depression. Also, at the four occasions, adolescent anthropometric data were obtained by research assistants using a digital scale for weight and a portable stadiometer for measuring height. Body Mass Index scores (BMI = [weight (kg)]/[height (m)]2) were calculated and converted into a percentile score (zBMI), adjusting for age and gender, using the standard Center for Disease Control and Prevention calculator. At the onset of the study, the adolescent participants and their mothers all received 12 weeks of health education, which included group behavioral therapy, family-based intervention, motivational interviewing and electronic intervention. Results: Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that no significant relationships existed between maternal stress and adolescent zBMI or between maternal depression and adolescent zBMI at baseline (Time 1). Nor did the study find that maternal stress and/or depression scores at Time 1 significantly predicted a greater amount of adolescent weight loss. Lower stress and/or depression also did not significantly predict adolescent weight maintenance after the 12-week intervention (Time 2). However, results did indicate that the adolescent component of the maternal stress domain (AD) from Time 1 to Time 2 was a significant predictor of adolescent zBMI from Time 1 to Time 2, (R2 = 0.238, F (1,21) = 6.571, p = 0.018). This means that 23.8% of the variability in overall zBMI change from Time 1 to Time 2 is being accounted for by change in the maternal AD stress domain from Time 1 to Time 2. Conclusion: Adolescent zBMI decreased concurrently with maternal stress during the health education intervention stage. Although the correlational nature of this study prevents causal claims, this result suggests that decreasing maternal stress may strengthen the ability of obese adolescents to effectively lose weight. This study encourages further research to examine the effects that maternal psychosocial factors may have on adolescent weight status, weight loss, and weight maintenance.

Family-based treatments for adolescent substance abuse demonstrate efficacy and are becoming a treatment of choice. Family risk factors for substance abuse may present barriers to or suggest targets for modification during treatment. The sample included 149 adolescents presenting for substance abuse treatment and their parents. Structural equation modeling tested the hypothesis that parent psychological problems, parent substance use, and parenting behaviors influence adolescent psychological problems and substance use. This study is among the first to examine the unique impact of maternal and paternal variables on adolescent problems within one analytical model. Results indicated that parental psychological problems were directly associated with adolescent psychological problems after controlling for parent substance use and parenting behaviors. Paternal positive involvement and poor monitoring were also independently associated with adolescent substance use. Results suggest that both mothers' and fathers' symptoms of psychopathology play an important role in the symptoms of adolescents in treatment for substance abuse. Findings highlight the need for family-based assessment in adolescent treatment populations to address important clinical and research questions.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Arts in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Masters of Psychology (Clinical Psychology) in the Department of Psychology at the University of Zululand, 2017 / The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of postnatal depression among adolescent mothers. The study was going to achieve this through a comparative approach. Two groups of adolescent mothers were compared. One group’s participants were still in relationships with their partners (child’s biological father), and the other group consisted of single adolescent partners without the child’s biological father, or a romantic partner. The research study was based in the Umhlathuze region, in two local townships, namely, Enseleni and Esikhawini Townships. A total of 100 adolescent mothers from two health care facilities were sampled for the current research study. A quantitative research methodology was adopted, as the study intended to compare nominal variables. A self-selection sampling method was utilised, and a validated tool called the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) was used to collect data. Furthermore, the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was utilised for the purposes of data analysis. The study revealed that there was no evidence of an association between partner availability and postnatal depression among adolescent mothers. However, the limitations of the current research study were acknowledged. The study recommends that a more longitudinal study be conducted, with a closer look at the quality of romantic relations among adolescent couples, and their impact on postnatal health of both adolescent mothers and fathers. / National Research Foundation

Understanding the adaptational responses and ecocultural niche of the Navajo adolescent mother from her perspective provides a richness of information about a little-studied population . The overall purpose of this study was to explore the ecocultural factors determined to be significant in the decision of a Navajo adolescent mother to remain in high school or drop out of high school. Thirty Navajo adolescent mothers recruited from two small reservation towns in eastern Arizona participated in the study. Navajo adolescent mothers in the study participated in a one and one half hour semistructured accommodations interview, and completed a Family Resource Scale and a Family Support Scale. An assessment tool, the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, was administered to infants and toddlers of Navajo adolescent mothers. Computation of effect sizes determined the magnitude of difference between the two groups. Findings indicated that (a) Navajo adolescent mothers who remained in high school had more family support than those who dropped out of high school, (b) Navajo adolescent mothers who remained in high school had more family resources than those who dropped out of high school, and (c) Navajo adolescent mothers who remained in high school made greater adaptations than those who dropped out of high school. An additional question focused on the relationship between Navajo adolescent mothers' current enrollment in school and the cognitive and motor performance development of their children. Findings indicated that children born to Navajo adolescent mothers in the drop-out group scored higher on both the cognitive and motor performance tests of development than those infants born to the in-school group mothers.

The purpose of this study was to adapt a measure for coping in outdoor adventure activities that reliable and valid inferences could be made. To do this, the constructs were clearly defined; relevant items were written representing the constructs. An expert panel reviewed the items for content validity, and the instrument was administered to subjects to gather evidence supporting the reliability and validity of inferences. The instrument adapted will provide a foundation for future research and understanding related to outdoor adventure coping skills. In addition, evidence supporting the reliability and validity of inferences of the assessment serve to measure outcomes in adventure and wilderness therapy programs.

<p dir="ltr">Loneliness is a perceived discrepancy between desired and experienced social relationships, which may arise from perceived lack of intimate attachment to another person (e.g., friend) or lack of involvement in larger networks (e.g., peer groups). The current study examined and compared how different aspects of friendship and peer group involvement predicted loneliness of Indonesian adolescents. Participants were 754 twelfth-grade Indonesian students (413 girls, mean age = 16.5 years). Loneliness was self-reported. Reciprocated friendships were calculated from within-grade nominations and friendship quality was obtained from ratings pertaining to each nominated friend. Peer groups were generated from Social Cognitive Mapping (SCM) and status indices were calculated from SCM and peer nominations. A concurrent SEM model was tested where quantity and self- and friend-perceived quality of friendship, group membership (i.e., within-group centrality), and status of the group in the larger network (i.e., group centrality status and group popularity status) predicted loneliness. All predictors had unique negative effects on loneliness with generally similar effect sizes except for friend-perceived friendship quality. An interaction between within-group centrality and group popularity status was found for boys. The results revealed that quantity and quality of friendship as well as position in the peer group and the status of the peer group were associated with loneliness. Being central in a group may be more important for those in low-status groups than high-status groups. Group-related indices were comparable to friendship indices as predictors of loneliness, which may be shaped by Indonesian culture where group involvement is valued more than intimate friendships.</p>

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