Adolescents, Volume 4, Issue 3 (September 2024) – 9 articles

Sexual debut among young adolescents is under-investigated. In this quantitative descriptive study, we examined the 2019 Middle School Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) data of 66,366 young adolescents aged 10–14 from 10 states to determine the prevalence of early sexual debut among young adolescents. Data analyses used state-level sampling weights as described in the CDC’s 2019 Middle School YRBS user guide. Nearly 8% of the sample reported having had sexual intercourse. Of those who reported age of first sex, 4% had their first sexual intercourse before 13 years of age. Compared to Whites, young Black/African American (13.2% vs. 5.1%, OR = 4.51, 95% CI: 2.78–7.31) and Hispanic adolescents (8.3 % vs. 5.1 %, OR = 1.44, 95% CI = 1.13–1.84) were more likely to report having early sexual intercourse. Males were more likely to report having multiple sexual partners than females (48.1% vs. 36.5%, OR = 1.68, 95% CI = 1.22–2.29) and were more likely to report using condoms during their last sexual intercourse compared to their female counterparts (59.7% vs. 50.8%, OR = 1.43, 95% CI = 1.06–1.94). This study suggests the need for more research on young adolescents’ sexual behaviors and for the development of sexual health interventions that target young adolescents. Full article

According to Young Minds, ‘everyone gets angry sometimes’. Their website offers a number of de-escalating strategies, including staying calm, managing responses, and setting limits to help young people who most deem resistive. Yet, Young Minds are not alone because such logical advice is ubiquitous in the literature about challenging behaviour despite the fact that in our experience when faced with high states of arousal, most young people tend to act first and deal with the consequences later. It is not that they are stupid or non-caring, but they are human, capable of great feats as well as stupidity. The same is true for any claims that solution focused (SF) conversations can put right the several decades of psychological theory suggesting resistance requires logic and better cognition. By giving the correct thinking skills, young people will walk away from risk, avoid physical confrontation, handle challenging situations like logical thinkers, and generally discount that the process of growing up is part of the challenge. It is with this in mind that over recent years in our current SF practice (with staff group supervision), we have examined the concept of ‘resistance’ and how it can be put to use as a process of collaboration. To do this, we have revisited SF theory that preoccupied many of its pioneers during the 1980s and 1990s and attempted to make it useful for the early 2020s for professionals having conversations with young people, who, in traditional models, are labelled challenging. We want to introduce key differences of solution focused practice and how our research started to formulate a 6D-SF model (details, dynamics, dimensions, dispositions, dislocations, descriptions) for contemplating how groups of professionals relate to each other and are triggered by challenging behaviour. We do not claim to have proof, logic, or exactness on our side, but we are happy to suggest how our resistance mirrors what many of the staff teams feel and describe when working through their work. Full article

(1) Background: Adolescent girls have increasingly faced mental health challenges. We examined prevalence trends and associated risk factors for depression among adolescent girls. (2) Methods: Data for girls aged 12 to 17 years (N = 4346) from the 2021 cross-sectional National Survey on Drug Use and Health were analyzed. Factors associated with depression were examined using multiple regression analysis. (3) Results: Rates of severe depression were significantly higher (p < 0.001) in older girls (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 1.63, 1.61), those who did not have authoritative parents (AOR: 3.40), and those with negative school experiences (AOR: 4.03). Black and Asian/Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islanders were less likely to report severe depression than white girls. As previously reported, non-white girls were significantly less likely to receive treatment for depression (p < 0.05). Parents’ characteristics and school experiences had no effect on the likelihood of receiving mental health treatment. (4) Conclusions: Depression has become increasingly common among American adolescent girls, who are now three times as likely as adolescent boys to have had recent experiences with depression. Our results show that family structure, parenting style, and negative school experiences significantly contribute to the rate of depression and that treatment disparities exist with regard to race and ethnicity. The results of our research could be valuable for policymakers, healthcare professionals, and educators in developing specific preventative initiatives and support networks that effectively address these unique challenges. Full article

To improve adolescent nutrition, it is crucial to understand factors underlying food behaviours. This study aims to identify pathways by which the environment and individual factors interact to affect the consumption of iron-rich food (IRF) among Senegalese adolescent girls in the hopes to reduce anemia. This is a cross-sectional study conducted among 600 adolescent girls (10–19 years old) of all 14 regions of Senegal. IRF consumption in the past day and night was evaluated using a food frequency questionnaire. Individual determinants, such as the attitude, the subjected norm, and the perceived behaviour control (PBC), and environmental determinants, such as food accessibility and price, were assessed using a validated and reliable questionnaire. Path analyses were conducted to examine relations between IRF consumption and individual and environmental variables. Overall, 83.7% of girls had the intention to eat IRF and 84.7% reported doing so. The PBC (β = 0.20, p < 0.01) and the attitude (β = 0.57, p < 0.01) predict the intention of consuming IRF daily. In turn, the environment predicts the attitude (β = −0.22, p < 0.01) and the PBC (β = 0.26, p < 0.01). The intention was a predictor of the IRF consumption (β = 0.16, p < 0.05). This research provides guidance to nutrition education programmes as well as to improve the food environment to facilitate the consumption of IRF among adolescent girls by inspiring community health initiatives based on empirical data. Full article

In the current information society, digital literacy has become an indispensable part of individuals’ overall literacy. Thus, investigating the factors influencing digital literacy is of theoretical and practical significance, especially for developing children. Against this background, the present study examined the association between family socioeconomic status and children’s digital literacy and the mediating roles of active and restrictive parental internet mediation in this association. A total of 1050 Chinese students ranging from Grades 4 to 8 completed questionnaires in their classrooms. Regression-based analyses showed that (1) family socioeconomic status was positively associated with digital literacy and (2) active parental mediation could significantly mediate this relationship, but the mediating effect of restrictive parental mediation was insignificant. This research not only deepens our understanding of the factors affecting digital literacy but also provides an empirical reference point for interventions to improve children’s digital literacy. Full article

Introduction: Raising a child with social communication and emotion regulation challenges, such as those experienced in the context of an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is associated with family disruption and parental stress. Research shows that parents of children and young people with ASD can experience challenges in managing their child’s behaviour and experience a sense of disconnectedness, a lack of support from the “system”, and a broader lack of understanding within the community. Methods: A therapeutic parent group was held in parallel to a young person group working on social skills. The young person cohort included both boys and girls in early adolescence with neurodevelopmental diagnoses. The parent group provided a space for participants to focus on themselves, tune into their own emotions, and receive support in relation to their lived experiences of parenting. Parental outcomes were assessed using standard measures, and the experiences of the groups were captured qualitatively through focus groups with both parents and staff. Results: The project found that the therapeutic parent group was effective in supporting parents to feel less stressed and more in control, as well as less alone in their parenting journey. Qualitative data indicated that the groups filled an identified need within the service and were engaging and acceptable to parents. Full article

Background: Cyberbullying and nighttime phone use are independently detrimental to sleep and psychological wellbeing, but whether in combination they might be more disruptive remains unknown. Methods: Students aged 7–19 years (N = 53,734) completed a survey measuring sleep duration, nighttime phone use, cyberbullying, and psychological distress. Results: Across stratification variables of gender (F/M) and age group (primary/secondary-school-aged children), bivariate ordered probit regression revealed that being cyberbullied and nighttime phone use were independent predictors of both increased psychological distress and obtaining <8 h sleep. Nighttime phone use was observed to moderate the relationship between cyberbullying and sleep in both primary- and secondary-school-aged girls and boys and, likewise, between cyberbullying and psychological distress, especially in secondary-school-aged boys. Notably, the moderation effect was such that the impact of nighttime phone use was lower in children who were compared with those who were not cyberbullied. This may be a ceiling effect due to the high number of cyberbullied children reporting shortened sleep and higher levels of psychological distress. Discussion: The present findings point to a possible role of nighttime phone use as a moderator of the effect of cyberbullying on sleep and psychological wellbeing. There is a need for future studies to better explore more directly the effects of cyberbullying during the nighttime. Full article

It has been suggested that adolescents’ mental health challenges account for half of the disease burden in the world’s adolescents and young adults. In addition to psychological and medical interventions employed to prevent and treat mental health conditions, programmes such as social prescribing which include arts-based activities like dance, are gaining momentum in countries such as the UK. Evidence shows that such activities can produce positive mental and physical well-being outcomes for individuals with the potential to build a sense of belonging and connection among adolescents. This review aims to collate and synthesise findings of studies that explored building a sense of belonging and/or its features in dance with adolescents. The review was reported based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. We identified 14 studies that met the inclusion criteria which were used to present a narrative synthesis to address the review questions. The findings show the need for more dance research that directly focuses on and explores the role of dance in building a sense of belonging with adolescents and how a sense of belonging can be facilitated through dance. Full article

Individuals with eating disorders often face difficulty accessing sufficiently intensive, recovery-focused treatment. Residential treatment may fill a gap in the spectrum of care, offering 24-h support in a more home-like environment than a hospital and using a holistic approach including individual and group psychological therapy, meal support, and lived experience staff. As residential treatment has not previously been examined in Australia, the current study aimed to document the development, treatment components, and structure of this first Australian residential service for eating disorders and provide a pilot of its treatment outcomes. Preliminary outcomes are included from a sample of 19 individuals from the first six months of admissions, including eating disorder symptoms, eating disorder-related impairment, anxiety, and depression. Significant pre- to post-treatment improvement was found in total eating disorder psychopathology, dietary restraint, eating concerns, body mass index, eating disorder-related impairment, and depression, but not from pre-treatment to a six-month follow-up. Pilot outcomes were positive at end-of-treatment but require further clinical evaluation to examine follow-up effects. Clinical insights are discussed from the establishment of this new treatment service, including recommendations for clinicians involved in the current roll-out of residential programs across Australia. Full article