This study explores the longitudinal changes among a sample of early adolescent girls in China throughout their transition from primary to junior high school. Early adolescence is a time of multiple transitions and is associated with a range of mental health outcomes in Western literature. This study will be the first to examine developmental changes in early adolescence among Chinese girls. A sample of 425 Chinese girls completed a self‐report questionnaire at three time points: the end of primary school, the start of the first year of junior high, and the end of the first year of junior high. The questionnaire comprised a range of measures relating to bodily changes, puberty, and gender issues, social changes in family, peers and school, and a series of standardised measures of mental health including: life satisfaction, self‐esteem, psychosomatic symptoms, loneliness, anxiety, depression, and coping. Results were analysed using ANOVA to examine longitudinal changes in measures. Following an overview of the interrelations between all the variables in this study using One‐way ANOVA, longitudinal results were reported in three chapters: physical changes, social changes, and mental health. Findings relating to physical growth highlighted the co‐occurrence of pubertal development and school transition. Significant increases in body dissatisfaction and social comparisons of physical appearance were identified, indicating girls’ growing self‐consciousness about their physical changes. Specifically, apart from weight concerns, an interesting finding of this study was that girls in this study reported consistently higher and significantly growing concerns about their height stature. A significant decline in positive feelings of gender typing was also identified. In terms of social development, there were no longitudinal changes in the overall quality of attachment with parents or peers, as well as peer norms, suggesting that although variance exists across individuals, these constructs remained longitudinally stable in this sample. On the other hand, a significant decline was found in parental involvement. In contrast to the negative outcomes reported widely in Western literature following the primary to middle school transition, this study revealed an overall positive school transition experience. To be specific, overall school climate was reported to be more positive in junior high school, girls’ personal goals and school behaviours were improved longitudinally, and school transition problems were significantly smaller than expected prior to the transition. Analysis of developmental changes in mental health revealed no changes in global life satisfaction and depression. However, self‐esteem in general significantly reduced over time; simultaneously and interestingly, psychosomatic health, loneliness, and overall anxiety significantly improved after the transition. Furthermore, longitudinally girls adopted a wider range of coping strategies to deal with stressful events, although both the selection and efficacy evaluation varied across coping strategies among individuals. This study is the first to explore Chinese girls’ development during early adolescence. Developmental trends are established in Chinese adolescent girls’ physical, social, and psychological domains. Despite evidence consistent with the universalities of this life stage as established in Western literature, this study also highlights cultural differences in the developmental experiences of Chinese adolescents. Taken together, the findings reveal a positive developmental phase with little evidence of increases in adaptation difficulties or mental health outcomes. These empirical findings are in contrast to Western research, which often highlights early adolescence as a time of adaptation difficulties. Overall, this study contributes to the literature on adolescent development. The role of culture and implications for future research and practice are also discussed.

Title: Reliability of Child SCAT 3 Component Scores in Children at Rest and Following Exercise Author Names: Jeff Billeck, BPE, CAT(C)1, Mike Ellis, MD2, Jeff Leiter, PhD2, Joanne Parsons, PhD, BPT3. Jason Peeler, PhD, CAT(C)4 Problem: A lack of research exists regarding the test-retest reliability of the Child Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 3 (Child SCAT 3) in healthy non-concussed adolescent females in both baseline and post-exercise settings. Method: This study consisted of two testing sessions. Within each session the Child Sport Concussion Assessment Tool 3 (Child SCAT 3) was administered once prior to exercise and once after a bout of exercise. Results: Individual component scores displayed a wide range of reliability and response stability values. A positive correlation existed within one session, between child symptom scores and slower rates of heart rate recovery after exercise. Conclusions: Overall, the Child SCAT 3 appears to be a moderately reliable assessment tool when used to evaluate uninjured female children. However, further research is required to clarify the exact sources of method error within individual Child SCAT 3 component scores. / May 2016

INTRODUCTION: In April 2010 tenofovir and abacavir replaced stavudine in public-sector first-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) for children under 20 years old in South Africa. The association of both abacavir and tenofovir with fewer side-effects and toxicities compared to stavudine could translate to increased durability of tenofovir or abacavir-based regimens. We evaluated changes over time in regimen durability for pediatric patients 3 to 19 years of age at 8 public sector clinics in Johannesburg, South Africa. METHODS: Cohort analysis of treatment naïve, non-pregnant pediatric patients from 3 to 19 years old initiated on ART between April 2004-December 2013. First-line ART regimens before April 2010 consisted of stavudine or zidovudine with lamivudine and either efavirenz or nevirapine. Tenofovir and/or abacavir was substituted for stavudine after April 2010 in first-line ART. We evaluated the frequency and type of single-drug substitutions, treatment interruptions, and switches to second-line therapy. Fine and Gray competing risk regression models were used to evaluate the association of antiretroviral drug type with single-drug substitutions, treatment interruptions, and second-line switches in the first 24-months on treatment. RESULTS: 398 (15.3%) single-drug substitutions, 187 (7.2%) treatment interruptions and 86 (3.3%) switches to second-line therapy occurred among 2602 pediatric patients over 24-months on ART. Overall, the rate of single-drug substitutions started to increase in 2009, peaked in 2011 at 25%, then declined to 10% in 2013, well after the integration of tenofovir into pediatric regimens; no patients over the age of 3 were initiated on abacavir for first-line therapy. Competing risk regression models showed patients on zidovudine or stavudine had upwards of a 5-fold increase in single-drug substitution vs. patients initiated on tenofovir in the first 24-months on ART. Older adolescents also had a 2-3-fold increase in treatment interruptions and switches to second-line therapy compared to younger patients in the first 24-months on ART. CONCLUSIONS: The decline in single-drug substitutions is associated with introduction of tenofovir. Tenofovir use could improve regimen durability and treatment outcomes in resource-limited settings.

Context: Heterosexual transmission has been found to be the major route of HIV infection in Nigeria. Thus prevention of HIV infection by reducing risky behaviors has been identified as a public health priority. This study examines regional pattern and correlates of gender differences in HIV risk behaviors among Nigerian youths aged 15-24 years. As different geo-political regions have specific gender ideologies and practices, there is need to find out if gender differences in Nigeria regions drive HIV risk behaviors among youths. Method: Data from the 2003 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey were analyzed for never married, sexually experienced 342 males and 630 females. Multiple sex partnerships and pattern of condom use were the HIV risk behaviors examined. Respondents were asked the number of sexual partners in the last 12 months while pattern of condom use is a composite variable of four items in the 2003 NDHS. Univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analyses were done using STATA 9.SE. Binary and multinomial logistic models were used for multivariate analyses. Results: The study shows that there is high level of risk behaviours in the population. This cuts across gender and regions. For instance, 54% of males and 69% of females engage in inconsistent condom use and 30% of males and 9% of females in multiple sex partnership. This pattern is consistent across the regions. It is also shown that while correlates of HIV risk behaviours vary by gender, its regional variation by gender is inconsistent. The study highlights inconsistent gender differentiation by regions. Further investigation is necessary to explain this observation.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Humanities, Dramatic Arts, 2013 / Gender based sexual violence against women has become epidemic in South Africa. This study attempts to explore the pedagogical approach of Applied Drama as a qualitative behavioural change programme for adolescent black males. This Practice-based Research Report investigates the efficacy of Applied Drama as a tool to address male adolescent perceptions toward their female counterparts, with particular reference to the case study of Izenzo Community College, Hillbrow, South Africa. The research consisted of a Participation Action Research exploration in three phases over a year, culminating in a Practice-based examination and followed by this written research report. The study argues that Applied Drama is a powerful tool to encourage dialogue amongst adolescent males about complex subject-matter. Chapter One introduces the reader to Izenzo, the framework of the study, and the narrative of the researcher/facilitator. Chapter Two interrogates masculinities in contemporary South Africa. Chapter Three introduces the research problem and methodology, and Chapter Four discusses the two initial phases of research. This highlights the trajectory of research that resulted in the final phase of research that is explored in detail in Chapter Five. Chapter Six analyses the nature of Applied Drama in relation to masculinities. This study affirms the role of Applied Drama as a meaningful approach to tackling the rising crisis of gender based sexual violence in South Africa. It emphasises the central role of the facilitator as the implementer of Applied Drama as a facilitation process that enhances dialogue for change.

Thesis advisor: Diane Scott-Jones / This study examined adolescents' HIV-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors, and the relationship between self-protective behaviors and beliefs about HIV-related medical technologies. The sample consisted of 20 male and 30 female high school seniors with a mean age of 17.5 years. Participants completed a questionnaire and an open-ended interview. Knowledge about HIV transmission and prevention was high. Seventy percent of the sample was sexually active. Only 49% of the sexually active adolescents reported consistent condom use during sexual intercourse. Males and females did not differ on most items; however, males reported using protection during intercourse more often than females (p = .02). Participants reported low feelings of personal vulnerability to HIV/AIDS but placed high value on self-protection against HIV/AIDS. No differences were found in beliefs about HIV-related medical technologies among three sexual behavior groups (abstinent, use condoms always, use condoms inconsistently). / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2004. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Psychology. / Discipline: College Honors Program.

Understanding the mechanisms of poor decision making and risk behavior in adolescence is an important goal. Two important features of adolescence relevant to these concerns are the saliency of social acceptance and increased frequency of making decisions in the company of peers. The current study examines individual differences in susceptibility to peer influence and the effect of positive and negative social contexts on adolescent decision making. Fifty-five adolescents (11.2-17.6 years of age) completed measures of social susceptibility and risk behavior and subsequently underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while completing a simulated driving game in three conditions: alone, while being watched by peers, and after an event of social exclusion. Individual differences in susceptibility to peers predicted a decrease in adaptive decision making following exclusion by peers. Adolescents with greater self-reported engagement in substance use, risky sexual behavior, and aggressive behavior performed worse on the game following social exclusion. Neuroimaging results showed relatively greater activation in the striatum during risky decisions (Go through a yellow light) in the peer condition compared to the social exclusion condition. Whole-brain and region of interest analyses revealed a significant decrease in striatal activity during Go decisions following social exclusion. Adolescents who were more susceptible to peer influence and engaged in more risk behavior evidenced the greatest decreases in striatal activity after social exclusion. Results suggest that susceptibility to peer influence interacts with the experience of social exclusion to produce maladaptive decision making in adolescents. More broadly, the results demonstrate that individual differences and social contexts are both important factors affecting adolescent decisions and that changes in momentary levels of social acceptance can influence the quality of adolescent decisions in social situations. These findings suggest that the explanatory power of existing models of adolescent decision making could be extended by exploring individual differences in decision making within and across social contexts, including peer influence and social exclusion, to provide a more comprehensive account of which adolescents are prone to making poor decisions and when.

This thesis is an exploration of values-consistent behaviour from a contextual behavioural science perspective. The first chapter is a systematic review of the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy in enhancing values-consistent behaviour. The results from this review were inconclusive, mainly due to a lack of psychometrically robust outcome measures, and inconsistent use of available measures. Recommendations were made to improve the utility of measures of values-consistent behaviour. The second chapter reports a cross-sectional survey of adolescents, aimed at testing the psychometric properties of values measures, and assessing the relationship between values-consistent behaviour and wellbeing. The measures used in this study were the Valued Living Questionnaire 2 (VLQ-2), Portrait Values Questionnaire – Second Revision, Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure, Avoidance and Fusion Questionnaire for Youth – Short Form, and the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale. Using the VLQ-2 in its current form, values-consistent behaviour was found to account for an additional 13% of variance in wellbeing, above the contributions of demographics, mindfulness and experiential avoidance. However, a recommendation was made for adaptions to be made to the VLQ-2 to make it more suitable for adolescents.

Este estudo objetivou analisar e comparar a incorporação psicossocial do HIV/AIDS entre adolescentes soropositivos considerando os diferentes meios de transmissão: vertical e sexual. Trata-se de um estudo de natureza descritiva, com abordagem qualitativa, fundamentado na teoria das representações sociais, na perspectiva da Psicologia Social. Foram estudados 30 adolescentes soropositivos atendidos em um Hospital Universitário do Rio de Janeiro. Foi utilizada como técnica de coleta de dados entrevistas semi-estruturadas e dois instrumentos de coleta: um questionário de caracterização dos sujeitos e um roteiro temático que guiou as entrevistas. As entrevistas foram gravadas e os conteúdos transcritos e analisados conforme a técnica de análise de conteúdo temática. O resultado evidenciou que o significado do HIV/AIDS para os sujeitos, numa análise geral, é marcado predominantemente por sentimentos negativos como medo e sofrimento. Imagens comuns aos dois grupos foram da morte e destruição, assim como o preconceito foi um importante conteúdo representacional. Ao comparar os dois grupos percebe-se que os elementos mais presentes na representação de adolescentes contaminados por relação sexual são sofrimento e o medo, com uma dimensão imagética associada à morte. O uso do preservativo também é outro conteúdo representacional marcante nos discursos deste grupo. A sexualidade está incorporada na representação relacionada às dificuldades com a mesma pós descoberta do vírus. Já os adolescentes contaminados por transmissão vertical tiveram como elementos mais presentes a aceitação e conformação da doença. O tratamento torna-se um importante conteúdo da representação para este grupo, relacionando-o ao cuidado à saúde e a imunodeficiência. Conclui-se, então, que a escolha do estudo das representações sociais e das técnicas de análise utilizadas foram pertinentes, pois permitiram identificar os principais elementos constituintes da representação social do HIV/AIDS, comparando as diferenças representacionais nos dois grupos de adolescentes estudados. Estes resultados servirão para reflexão crítica de profissionais de saúde , tanto na contribuição para repensar estratégias de educação em saúde para prevenção de DST/AIDS, quanto no posicionamento diante de adolescentes soropositivos. / This study aimed to analyze and make a comparison between the HIV / AIDS psychosocial incorporation among HIV-positive adolescents in two different ways of transmission: sexual and vertical. This is a descriptive study with a qualitative approach, based on the theory of social representations in social psychology perspective. Thirty HIV-positive adolescents treated at a University Hospital in Rio de Janeiro were studied . It was used as a technique for data collection semi-structured interviews and two data collection instruments: a questionnaire for the characterization of the subjects and a thematic guide who guided the interviews. The interviews were taped, transcribed and content analyzed according to the thematic content analysis technique. The study result showed that the meaning of HIV / AIDS for the subjects, a general review, is marked by predominantly negative feelings like fear and suffering. Some mental images like death and destruction were common to both groups as well as the bias against HIV / AIDS and it was an important representational content. By comparing the two groups it is possible to realize that the most frequently shown elements in the representation of adolescents infected through sexual intercourse are suffering and fear, with a dimension imagery associated with death. Condom use is also another remarkable representational content in the speeches of this group. Sexuality is embodied in the representation related to issues with it after discovering the virus. In the opposite way, teenagers infected by vertical transmission had as the most present and shaping elements the acceptance of the disease. The treatment becomes an important content of representation for this group, relating it to health care and immunodeficiency. It follows then that the choice of study of social representations and analysis techniques used were appropriated, since it allowed to identify the main components of the social representation of HIV / AIDS, comparing the representational differences in the two groups of adolescents studied. These results serve to critical reflection of health professionals, both in contribution to rethink strategies for health education to prevent STD / AIDS, and in attitudes towards adolescents with HIV.

ABSTRACT This study sought to explore the experiences of pregnant adolescent learners. It solicited information around challenges faced by pregnant adolescent girls, the impact of pregnancy on interpersonal relationships and psychological functioning, the support system that pregnant learners have, as well as their current feelings and perceptions about their experience. It is a qualitative study, and it employed thematic content analysis to analyse the results. The sample, comprising of five adolescent girls, was drawn purposively from Soweto High Schools. Adolescent pregnancy is generally perceived as a social problem because of the negative consequences often associated with it. Literature also suggests that low socio-economic circumstances and developmental factors predispose adolescents to a higher risk for unplanned pregnancy. The results of this study indicate that an experience of pregnancy during adolescence often results in challenges that may have a negative impact on normative development. Another finding is that most adolescent mothers receive very little or no financial and emotional support from families, partners or formal structures.