A dramatic decline in physical activity levels occurs from adolescence to young adulthood. Those who were sedentary as adolescents tend to maintain a sedentary lifestyle. Women are particularly vulnerable to the effects of a sedentary lifestyle because of the risk for cardiovascular disease. The purpose of this research was to test a theoretical model of exercise in adolescent and young adult women using the theory of unpleasant symptoms with social cognitive variables and then to test a revised model that was determined a priori. The central hypotheses were that the relationships as depicted in the proposed theoretical models would be reproducible in data from adolescent and young adult women of ages 18 to 25.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a national priority for several reasons including its endemic/pandemic status and economic demand. Adolescents 15 to 24 years old who are sexually active acquire nearly half of all new Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs). Recent findings from the Centers of Disease Control (CDC) have documented increased teen birth rates, escalating births to unwed mothers, and STIs ascribed to one in four adolescent females, are reasons to enhance effective prevention efforts. The specific aim of the study, based on Bandura's social cognitive theory, was to test associations among communication system methods and HIV/AIDS self-efficacy, perceived risk, knowledge, and sexual decision-making among older adolescent females. Communication systems consist of interpersonal relationships, mass and print media. Research questions are: (1) What are the associations among demographic variables (age, race/ethnicity, education, socioeconomic status) in young women and the types of communication systems preferred (media and interpersonal)? (2) What are the associations among the types of communication systems preferred by young women and person factors (HIV/AIDS self-efficacy, perceived risk, and knowledge)? (3) What are the associations among the types of communication systems preferred by young women (media, print, interpersonal) and behavior (sexual-decision making)? (4) What are the associations among young women's person factors (HIV/AIDS self-efficacy, perceived risk, knowledge) and behaviors (sexual decision-making)? The study used a non-experimental cross sectional design. The sample included 866 females, 18 to 21 years old, attending the the second largest public university or a historically black university in Florida. Data was collected using validated instruments transcribed into an electronic survey program. Data analysis consisted of frequency distributions, descriptive statistics, and Multiple Regression Analysis. Results indicated that there were associations beween all proposed constructs that constitute the theoretically derived conceptional model. Interpersonal relationships explained the most variance (parents--22%; partners-12%) when associated with other communication systems. Overall, students reported that parents had more influence on their decisions with regards to basic beliefs, value systems, sexuality, dating, and alcohol use. The communication systems associated with older adolescents' sexual decision-making may assist public health advocates in developing related preventive interventions for young adult females.

<p> </p><p>Den ökade psykiska ohälsan bland tonårstjejer ses som ett problem och tanken om denna utveckling kunde förebyggas med fysisk aktivitet uppstod. Detta eftersom den fysiska aktiviteten har visat sig ha positiva effekter på den psykiska hälsan. Den minskade fysiska aktiviteten hos unga tjejer väckte intresset för hur tjejernas uppfattningar påverkar deras fysiska aktivitet. Hypotesen om att uppfattningar påverkar handlandet formades och tre teman som tros påverka tjejernas uppfattningar om fysisk aktivitet, genus, kultur och media inkluderades. <strong>Syftet </strong>med studien var att undersöka vilka uppfattningar 15-åriga tjejer har om fysisk aktivitet och hur dessa skiljer sig utifrån deras grad av fysisk aktivitet. Som <strong>metod </strong>användes fokusgruppintervjuer där deltagarna delades in i tre grupper utifrån deras fysiska aktivitet. Två till fem tjejer ingick i varje grupp. I <strong>resultatet </strong>framkom att uppfattningarna skiljde sig mellan grupperna. Tjejerna med högst fysisk aktivitet, grupp 1, uppfattade den fysiska aktiviteten som självklar med fokus på prestation. Grupp 2, medelaktiva tjejer, uppfattade också den fysiska aktiviteten som självklar men med fokus på hälsa. De minst aktiva tjejerna, grupp 3, uppfattade inte den fysiska aktiviteten som självklar och uttryckte inte heller något intresse för den fysiska aktiviteten. <strong>Slutsatsen </strong>blev att tjejernas uppfattningar skiljer sig utifrån deras fysiska aktivitet. För att öka tjejernas fysiska aktivitet bör arbetet därför inriktas på tjejernas uppfattningar om fysisk aktivitet. Genom att förändra tjejernas uppfattningar skulle således den fysiska aktiviteten kunna öka och den psykiska ohälsan troligtvis minska.</p><p><p> </p></p>

Den ökade psykiska ohälsan bland tonårstjejer ses som ett problem och tanken om denna utveckling kunde förebyggas med fysisk aktivitet uppstod. Detta eftersom den fysiska aktiviteten har visat sig ha positiva effekter på den psykiska hälsan. Den minskade fysiska aktiviteten hos unga tjejer väckte intresset för hur tjejernas uppfattningar påverkar deras fysiska aktivitet. Hypotesen om att uppfattningar påverkar handlandet formades och tre teman som tros påverka tjejernas uppfattningar om fysisk aktivitet, genus, kultur och media inkluderades. Syftet med studien var att undersöka vilka uppfattningar 15-åriga tjejer har om fysisk aktivitet och hur dessa skiljer sig utifrån deras grad av fysisk aktivitet. Som metod användes fokusgruppintervjuer där deltagarna delades in i tre grupper utifrån deras fysiska aktivitet. Två till fem tjejer ingick i varje grupp. I resultatet framkom att uppfattningarna skiljde sig mellan grupperna. Tjejerna med högst fysisk aktivitet, grupp 1, uppfattade den fysiska aktiviteten som självklar med fokus på prestation. Grupp 2, medelaktiva tjejer, uppfattade också den fysiska aktiviteten som självklar men med fokus på hälsa. De minst aktiva tjejerna, grupp 3, uppfattade inte den fysiska aktiviteten som självklar och uttryckte inte heller något intresse för den fysiska aktiviteten. Slutsatsen blev att tjejernas uppfattningar skiljer sig utifrån deras fysiska aktivitet. För att öka tjejernas fysiska aktivitet bör arbetet därför inriktas på tjejernas uppfattningar om fysisk aktivitet. Genom att förändra tjejernas uppfattningar skulle således den fysiska aktiviteten kunna öka och den psykiska ohälsan troligtvis minska.

The aim of the study was to develop an understanding of how adolescent South African girls in institutional care perceive their female gender role, in the past, the present and future. The research question was: How do adolescent girls living in institutional care in South Africa perceive their female gender role in the past, the present and future? A mixed design, a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods, was used in order to answer the research question. The quantitative part of the study consisted of a questionnaire, and the qualitative part of the study contained seven interviews. To interpret the analyzed data a theoretical framework was used, consisting of the theory of social constructionism and gender theory. The final result of the quantitative and the quantitative parts of the study showed that the perception of the female gender role among the respondents is more stereotyped/ traditional when it comes to the area of relationships and sexuality, but more equal in the field of future occupation and the professional role. The result shows that a majority of the respondents have one view of gender roles in general, a more traditional picture of how things are supposed to be, and another, less conservative when they express their own desires of how they want their future life and household.

Early adolescent girls in a private school setting are in a vulnerable state on account of their gender, transitional developmental phase and a combined array of modern-day expectations and challenges. With many private schools expecting a 100% pass rate from their students, issues of competitiveness and achievement pressure may become prevalent. Research has shown that early adolescent girls are more susceptible to psychosocial problems than boys as well as girls of other ages, putting them more at risk of the effects of performance pressure, academic stress, depression and anxiety. Early adolescent girls’ vulnerability due to the impact that puberty has on their self-esteem as well as the fact that they are easily influenced by the opinions of others, causing them to be highly sensitive to the approval of others, may be compounded by pressures of the private school. The purpose and aim of this study was therefore to explore and describe the lived experiences of early adolescent girls in a private school setting so as to gain a deeper understanding of such experiences. In following this it was hoped that the study would offer the girls a ‘voice’ as well as create awareness of how they can be better supported in terms of their psychosocial development and well-being. The study was not viewed from one specific theoretical perspective but rather took into consideration various theories of development while undertaking the literature review, in order to gain a broader orientation of the subject at hand. The current literature with regard to the key concepts of the study formed part of the overview of the study. A qualitative approach was followed so as to understand the unique, true meaning of the girls’ experiences. A case study design allowed for a holistic, in-depth study of the social phenomenon at hand. The participants were ten early adolescent girls in Grade 7 in a private school in Northern Johannesburg who volunteered to take part in the study with the informed consent of their parents. The data obtained were viewed in line with an interpretive descriptive paradigm, which allowed the phenomenon to be studied through a ‘subjective lens’ while allowing for the formation of various realities. A deeper understanding of such realities in terms of the girls’ interpretations of their lived experiences was obtained through the data collection methods of semi-structured in-depth interviews, collages, confidential letters, journal Psychosocial experiences of early adolescent girls in a private school setting entries, field notes and researcher reflective notes. In combination with the researcher’s interpretation, this led to a richer, co-constructed, description of the girls’ experiences. The interpretive description allowed for the emergence of thematic patterns which revealed the findings of the study. The findings confirm that the girls are experiencing pressure to attain and maintain the high standard of the school. The findings further confirm that such pressures are increased by the early adolescent girls’ vulnerable developmental phase which places them in need of greater positive support from teachers, peers and parents to maintain healthy psychosocial development. The findings show that perceived rejection from peers and teachers has a negative effect on the girls’ self-concept. The findings further reveal that in considering the girls’ well-being they should be given a voice and be respected in their authentic uniqueness. Recommendations were made for the school to investigate the establishment of ‘mindfulness workshops’ to be run at the school, with the outcome that parents, teachers and students further develop skills in ways of supporting the girls’ healthy psychosocial development. / Thesis (MA (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

Early adolescent girls in a private school setting are in a vulnerable state on account of their gender, transitional developmental phase and a combined array of modern-day expectations and challenges. With many private schools expecting a 100% pass rate from their students, issues of competitiveness and achievement pressure may become prevalent. Research has shown that early adolescent girls are more susceptible to psychosocial problems than boys as well as girls of other ages, putting them more at risk of the effects of performance pressure, academic stress, depression and anxiety. Early adolescent girls’ vulnerability due to the impact that puberty has on their self-esteem as well as the fact that they are easily influenced by the opinions of others, causing them to be highly sensitive to the approval of others, may be compounded by pressures of the private school. The purpose and aim of this study was therefore to explore and describe the lived experiences of early adolescent girls in a private school setting so as to gain a deeper understanding of such experiences. In following this it was hoped that the study would offer the girls a ‘voice’ as well as create awareness of how they can be better supported in terms of their psychosocial development and well-being. The study was not viewed from one specific theoretical perspective but rather took into consideration various theories of development while undertaking the literature review, in order to gain a broader orientation of the subject at hand. The current literature with regard to the key concepts of the study formed part of the overview of the study. A qualitative approach was followed so as to understand the unique, true meaning of the girls’ experiences. A case study design allowed for a holistic, in-depth study of the social phenomenon at hand. The participants were ten early adolescent girls in Grade 7 in a private school in Northern Johannesburg who volunteered to take part in the study with the informed consent of their parents. The data obtained were viewed in line with an interpretive descriptive paradigm, which allowed the phenomenon to be studied through a ‘subjective lens’ while allowing for the formation of various realities. A deeper understanding of such realities in terms of the girls’ interpretations of their lived experiences was obtained through the data collection methods of semi-structured in-depth interviews, collages, confidential letters, journal Psychosocial experiences of early adolescent girls in a private school setting entries, field notes and researcher reflective notes. In combination with the researcher’s interpretation, this led to a richer, co-constructed, description of the girls’ experiences. The interpretive description allowed for the emergence of thematic patterns which revealed the findings of the study. The findings confirm that the girls are experiencing pressure to attain and maintain the high standard of the school. The findings further confirm that such pressures are increased by the early adolescent girls’ vulnerable developmental phase which places them in need of greater positive support from teachers, peers and parents to maintain healthy psychosocial development. The findings show that perceived rejection from peers and teachers has a negative effect on the girls’ self-concept. The findings further reveal that in considering the girls’ well-being they should be given a voice and be respected in their authentic uniqueness. Recommendations were made for the school to investigate the establishment of ‘mindfulness workshops’ to be run at the school, with the outcome that parents, teachers and students further develop skills in ways of supporting the girls’ healthy psychosocial development. / Thesis (MA (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

A substantial number of adolescent girls are insufficiently active to achieve the health benefits and well-being associated with physical activity (PA). Physical education (PE) classes can provide part of the solution, yet most girls opt out of PE when it is no longer mandatory. Improvements in PE course content and learning environments can motivate adolescent girls to participate. Self-determination theory (SDT) provides a framework to examine the motivational processes of girls in PE. This qualitative case study explored female students’ motivation towards physical activity in one elective PE 10-12 course tailored to meet their interests and needs. A secondary objective was to determine if the pre-requisites and outcomes of their motivation were consistent with the constructs of SDT. Emerging themes reflected the elements of SDT. The students expressed that their needs were supported by the teacher through the PE course content and learning environment. Many stated that they felt motivated because they now enjoyed PE. Positive outcomes included PA participation, positive affect towards PE and PA, meaningful learning, and a sense of well-being. This study provides physical educators with insight to improve physical activity motivation and participation of female students in elective PE.

Considering current levels of overweight and obesity in the population and the associated adverse health consequences, engaging people with chronic exercise programmes is of heightened importance. During chronic structured exercise programmes, some adults experience adaptive compensatory behavioural responses through increased dietary intake and/or decreased free-living physical activity. These responses can negate the benefits of an exercise-induced energy deficit. However, it is unclear whether young people experience similar responses during chronic structured exercise. Therefore, the experimental research presented in this thesis examined the existence and extent of exercise-induced energy compensation in adolescent girls. To achieve this, a total of 92, 12 to 15 year old girls and 26 adults were recruited into six experimental studies. The Medical Research Council guidance for designing complex interventions was used to structure the experimental chapters into development (Chapters 4 to 7), piloting (Chapter 8) and evaluation (Chapter 9). The first experimental study (Chapter 4) demonstrated that typical daily variation of total energy expenditure (TEE) in adolescent girls is ~3% when estimated by the Actiheart. Physical activity energy expenditure (AEE) variation was found to be ~10%. In the second experimental study (Chapter 5) the agreement and variability of laboratory buffet meals test days was investigated. The results demonstrated typical daily variation of 8.7% in laboratory-based energy intake (EI) in adolescent girls aged 12 to 15 years. Furthermore, a buffet meals familiarisation day is recommended to reduce the variability in EI. Estimation of EI was further explored in Chapter 6 using a digital photography method. This study demonstrated potential for EI assessment using digital photography, but highlighted that, at present, a supplementary written record of EI is required to overcome the limitations associated with missing photographs. Chapter 7 explored themes related to recruitment and retention of adolescent girls to chronic exercise intervention studies. The seven recommendations identified were used to recruit and retain participants in a twelve week pilot exercise intervention study with adolescent girls (Chapter 8). There was no evidence of energy compensation behaviours on a group level; however, high individual variability in both EI and EE behaviours was apparent. The final experimental chapter (Chapter 9) evaluated the fidelity of the exercise intervention and compliance with the measurement of primary outcome variables. Intervention fidelity was largely upheld. On average, participants attended 94% of exercise sessions and 73% of the participants met their individual target heart rate zone. Focus groups with the participants and parents highlighted preference for school-based exercise sessions due to increased variety and convenience, and recommendations for future estimation of free-living EI and EE. Collectively, these studies suggest there is value in pursuing the investigation of energy compensation behaviours in adolescent girls using a mixed methods approach. These studies demonstrate the factors requiring attention when designing and delivering complex interventions to investigate exercise-induced energy compensation in adolescent girls. In particular, methods for estimating free-living EI and EE require further attention before attempting to conduct such research in a larger sample.

abstract: In contemporary society, educators teach adolescent students about the importance of developmental growth. This growth transitions into leadership, which prepares youth to collaborate with adults in a working environment. Additionally, youth mural programs generate leadership skills, yet not many art educators are using mural projects as a means to develop leadership in their students. This study explored the connection between working collaboratively on a mural project and the impact it had on leadership traits and skills in adolescent girls. I created an action research project in conjunction with Girl Scouts to encourage a group of girls while creating a mural. The mural project took place at an Arizona Girl Scout resident camp for a total of 11 days. Seven participants between the ages of 14-17 engaged in planning and executing a tile mosaic mural. The image they created remains as a permanent mural for the camp. Qualitative data includes responses to reflection questions and observations. Quantitative data consist of self-reported questionnaire scores before and after the mural project. The data is analyzed to understand if there was a difference in leadership traits and skills before and after instruction. Data is also used to see which leadership traits and/ or skills, if any, were impacted. Findings in the study reveal differences in leadership skills before and after instruction. However, there was not a significant impact to leadership traits. Specific skills that improved include those that involve communication and working with others. I conclude that adolescent girls became more aware of communicating effectively, adapting ideas to others, and working with others after they finished the mural. Additionally participants were more open to sharing thoughts near the end of the project than at the start. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Art 2014