American Teenagers Research Articles

Schooling in camp: Incarceration camps and the Japanese American school experience during World War II

AbstractObjectiveThis study aims to explore the school experiences of Japanese American children and teenagers who were incarcerated in camps during World War II following the issuance of Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942.MethodsThe study examines video interviews available in Densho's online archive, focusing on the educational experiences of second‐generation Japanese Americans who resumed their education in the camps.ResultsThe analysis reveals that many interviewees reported positive experiences in camp schools, despite the poor conditions. A key factor contributing to these positive experiences was the dedication of teachers, who not only promoted academic success but also addressed the psychological and emotional needs of the incarcerated students.ConclusionWhile many interviewees highlighted the supportive role of teachers, the negative effects of incarceration on their school experiences cannot be overlooked, as a significant number recalled unpleasant aspects of their education in the camps. Moreover, the incarceration of Japanese Americans still has contemporary implications.

Abstract A065: How accurate are parents' recalls? Factors affecting the concordance of parental and provider reports of HPV vaccination among African American adolescents

Abstract Objectives. Since the introduction of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in 2006, substantial efforts have been made at the national and state levels to monitor its uptake and understand the factors influencing vaccination. Most studies have focused on the acceptability and intent to vaccinate among adolescents and their parents, providing limited insights into how this understanding affects actual vaccine uptake and completion. A common method for measuring adolescents' vaccination status is parental recall. While some research has assessed the accuracy of parental recall, its implications have not been thoroughly explored. African Americans are disproportionately affected by HPV-related cancers, with higher mortality rates for cervical and oropharyngeal cancers compared to non-Hispanic whites. This study examined the accuracy of parents' reports of their adolescent children's HPV vaccination status and how this accuracy varied by socio-demographic characteristics within the Black/African American community. Methods. Data were taken from the 2015–2019 National Immunization Survey (NIS)-Teen, which includes a household interview and a provider-completed immunization history. We evaluated concordance between parents’ and providers’ reports of teens’ HPV vaccine initiation (at least 1 dose) and completion (3 doses) among Black/African American adolescents between the age of 13 to 17. We assessed bivariate associations of sociodemographic characteristics with having a concordant, false-positive (overreporting) or false-negative (underreporting) report, and used multinomial logistic regression to estimate the independent impact of each characteristic. Results: In a cohort of 68,205 adolescents (51.2% male, 95% CI: 50.4%-51.8%; 48.8% female, 95% CI: 48.2%-49.5%), parental reporting discrepancies in vaccination status were observed. Girls' parents were more likely to underreport (β=0.10, p=0.03) and overreport (β=0.10, p=0.03) vaccination status compared to boys' parents. Mothers with higher education levels were less likely to underreport, while single mothers were more likely to underreport (β=0.15, p=0.02) and overreport (β=0.17, p=0.008) vaccination status. Conclusions: Discrepancies between physician-reported and parental-reported HPV vaccination records among African American teenagers were observed, with parental reporting accuracy varying based on the child's gender and the mother's education level and marital status. Strategies to improve parental reporting accuracy and address disparities are needed to increase HPV vaccination rates and reduce HPV-related diseases in the African American community. Citation Format: Elaine Z. Liu, Philip Siu, Chun Pan, Grace X. Ma, Lin Zhu. How accurate are parents' recalls? Factors affecting the concordance of parental and provider reports of HPV vaccination among African American adolescents [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 17th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2024 Sep 21-24; Los Angeles, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2024;33(9 Suppl):Abstract nr A065.

"If I Stay Silent, It Doesn't Help Anyone": Understanding How People Use TikTok to Talk About Sexual Violence.

TikTok is the second most popular social media platform among American teenagers, suggesting it may be a way to reach young people with sexual violence-related messages. This qualitative content analysis focused on what TikTok users share about sexual violence. The content of the videos fell into two primary types of information, people sharing experiences of sexual violence (i.e., what happened, how they responded, impacts of experiences) and people sharing other information related to sexual violence (i.e., education, raising awareness). The study results demonstrate that people use TikTok as a platform to share their messages about sexual violence-related topics, underscoring the potential of this platform for prevention and recovery messages targeted toward individuals who directly or indirectly experience sexual violence.

Association between Serum Vitamin D Concentrations and Life's Essential 8 score in American adolescents

IntroductionThis study sought to use the latest Life's Essential 8 scoring tool to obtain information on the relationship between serum vitamin D concentration and adolescent cardiovascular health (CVH).Material and methodsA total of 1,819 teenagers aged 16–19 were enrolled. Associations between serum vitamin D concentrations and CVH ratings were estimated using multiple linear regression and multinomial logistic regression methods, and the dose–response relationship was examined by restricted cubic spline analysis.ResultsAfter adjusting for all confounding factors, serum vitamin D concentrations were positively correlated with CVH scores (β=0.12; 95% CI: 0.09-0.14, p<0.001). Among the sex and race subgroups, the correlation was stronger in male, Mexican American and Non-Hispanic Black participants, with ORs of 1.05 (95% CI: 1.03-1.07), 1.06 (95% CI: 1.04-1.08), p=0.002), 1.07 (95% CI: 1.03-1.11), 1.09 (95% CI: 1.05-1.14), p=0.01, 1.04 (95% CI: 1.01-1.06), and 1.05 (95% CI: 1.02-1.09), p=0.01, respectively. Serum vitamin D concentrations had a nonlinear relationship with CVH ratings. CVH scores grew with serum vitamin D concentrations up to the inflection point (86 nmol/L) (β=0.17 (95% CI: 0.135-0.206, p<0.001). When serum vitamin D concentrations exceeded 86 nmol/L, CVH scores were not associated with serum vitamin D concentrations.ConclusionsThe study identifies a nonlinear relationship between serum vitamin D levels and CVH in US adolescents aged 16-19, with an inflection point at 86 nmol/L. These findings underscore the importance of vitamin D in adolescent cardiovascular health and suggest the need for targeted health strategies, particularly in high-risk groups such as male, Mexican American, and Non-Hispanic Black teenagers.

Association between serum cotinine and hepatic steatosis and liver fibrosis in adolescent: a population-based study in the United States.

Tobacco exposure is known to be associated with a higher prevalence and incidence of liver diseases. Cotinine, a metabolite of nicotine, is a typical indicator of tobacco exposure. However, the relationship of serum cotinine levels with hepatic steatosis and liver fibrosis remains controversial and these relationships need more research to explored in American teenagers. Cross-sectional data included 1433 participants aged 12-19 from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2017 to 2020 were thoroughly used for this study. The linear relationships between serum cotinine levels and the Liver Stiffness Measurement (LSM) and Controlled Attenuation Parameter (CAP) were examined using multiple linear regression models. Subgroup analysis, interaction tests, and nonlinear interactions were also carried out. Serum cotinine levels > 2.99ng/ml [β = 0.41 (0.07, 0.76), p = 0.018] and 0.05-2.99ng/ml [β = 0.24 (0.00, 0.49), p = 0.048] showed a significant positive connection with LSM in multivariate linear regression analysis when compared to serum cotinine levels ≤ 0.05ng/ml (p for trend = 0.006). Moreover, we discovered an inverted U-shaped association of log2-transformed cotinine with LSM with an inflection point of 4.53 using a two-stage linear regression model. However, according to multiple regression analysis, serum cotinine and CAP did not significantly correlate (p = 0.512). In conclusion, this study demonstrated that smoking cessation and keep away from secondhand smoking may beneficial for liver health in American teenagers.

Le teen film, c'est ma culture : Céline Sciamma and the American Teen Movie

ABSTRACT: On the release of Naissance des pieuvres ( Water Lilies , 2007), director and screenwriter Céline Sciamma likened her tale of female sexual awakening to American sex quest romp American Pie (Paul Weitz and Chris Weitz, 1999). With Bande de filles ( Girlhood , 2014), Sciamma continues her engagement with le teen film . I examine the various ways in which Sciamma's films invoke elements of the American teen movie. I argue that Sciamma's films call to be read alongside and as examples of the transnational teen movie, thus decoupling the category from its predominant association with American cinema.

Diasporic Consciousness: A Study of Identity Crisis in Jhumpa Lahiri’s “Unaccustomed Earth”

This paper explores the creative work of renowned diasporic Indian writer Jhumpa Lahari in her collection of eight short stories entitled "Unaccustomed Earth" where, she has explored the tug of war between the traditional-cultural values sustained by the immigrant parents but were curtailed by their precocious young American teenagers. The oscillation of permanent settlement in the new land and an overwhelming nostalgia for the homeland is a persistent theme of diasporic writers. In the introductory part of the research paper diaspora is defined and elucidated. The dispersion of Indian people across the globe and their vivid experiences and suffrages is discussed in the second part of the paper. The central themes of the diasporic writer and Indian diasporic writers and their closeness and corelation to celebrated diasporic writer Jhumpa Lahiri is discussed in the subsequent paragraphs. Diasporic terms like assimilation, adaptation, hybridity, host culture, ethnic and culture conflicts have been discussed in the light of the ‘Unaccustomed Earth’ by Lahiri. Irresistible past of the immigrants for their land of origin is a perennial source of study among diasporic writers. This paper explores the tug of war between the first-generation migrants who have the sense of rootlessness, alienation, and nostalgic homesickness on one hand and the hybrid and multicultural third generation and its synthesis of the past and the modern leading to socio-cultural, linguistic, and psychological transfusion widening new dimensions for the next generation in Lahiri’s stories.

Facets of Suicidal Ideation

According to SAMHSA (2023), approximately 16,600,000 American adults and teens reported having serious thoughts of suicide in 2022. While suicide prevention has primarily focused on suicide deaths and attempts, we contend that suicidal ideation (SI) deserves more in-depth investigation and should be an essential intervention target on its own. In support of this point, we provide three examples of ways to improve specificity in understanding of SI through the study of controllability of SI, the language used to assess SI, and measuring SI in real time. We also consider qualitative work on the content of SI, its treatment, and definitional considerations. We thus call for an increased general focus on SI within research, clinical care, and policy.

Vowel Pronunciation as an Ethnic Marker: Pacific Islander Teens in Salt Lake County, Utah

This paper analyzes word list recordings from 37 Pacific Islander (PI) and 40 European American (EA) teens from two Salt Lake County (SLCo) high schools to address three questions: (1) Do the teens in the study participate in the linguistic practices previously described for Utah and for the American West? (2) Do EAs and PIs pattern together, or is there a distinctive PI pattern in SLCo? (3) How does the ethnic composition of the school context affect ethnic-based vowel patterns? The analysis focuses on a subset of vowel features associated with the West: the Low-Back-Merger Shift (LBMS) and the fronting of non-low back vowels. Results show the Utah teens employing many LBMS features, with statistical differences based on gender, ethnic group, and school (with school acting as a proxy for ethnic diversity). Non-low back vowel positions are generally consistent with historical baselines. BOAT vowel positions are farther back for PI participants, and there is a small difference in BUT vowel position based on gender, ethnicity, and school. The results of this ethnographically grounded study demonstrate how small phonetic differences may help construct ethnic identity and why it is important to include more participants of color in dialectal research.

PITCH AND TEMPORAL PECULIARITIES OF TEENAGERS’ SPEECH IN BRITISH AND AMERICAN ENGLISH

The present study intends to investigate the prosodic features of British and American Teenagers’ Speech. The concept of age, being universal, is the basis of social existence and has cultural specificity. Age determines a person’s place in society and workplace, and reaching certain age leads to new obligations, rights and social roles. Thus, a person’s age characteristics reflect the movement along an individual life trajectory and compliance with social norms. The speech of young people is an interesting linguistic phenomenon and has certain intonation features, special accentuation. Among the prosodic features of the speech of young people, the strengthening of the affricate, vowel stretching, ascending or descending of intonation in certain parts of the syntagm are noted. Studies of young people’s speech show that deviations from normative variants of intonation patterns are becoming a fairly common phenomenon. The work uses a complex methodology of analysis and processing of language material, which includes the method of building intonation curves, instrumental phonetic analysis, and statistical method of data processing. Audio recordings of spontaneous speech of 24 teenagers, of which 12 British and 12 American boys and girls aged 14 to 17, have served as the research material. The total duration of the audio recordings is 33 minutes. Common and distinctive pitch and temporal characteristics that mark the speech of two groups of teenagers have been established. The speech of British teenagers is marked by: a wider pitch range, a slower tempo of speech, i.e. a lower speech rate and articulation rate, greater pause saturation and average duration of pauses, the predominance of short pauses and pauses of medium duration. The speech of American teenagers is determined by: a narrower pitch range, a faster tempo of speech, i.e. a higher speech rate and articulation rate, less pause saturation, the prevalence short pauses compared to the speech of British teenagers.

Modelling the progression of illicit substance use patterns from real-world evidence.

To investigate an innovative pharmacometrics approach that addresses the challenges of using real-world evidence to model the progression of illicit substance use. The modelling strategy analysed real-world data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (AddHealth) survey using survival analyses and differential equations. Respondents were categorized into drug-naïve, active users and nonusers. The transitions between categories were modelled using interval-censored parametric survival analysis. The resulting hazard rate functions were used as time-dependent rate constants in a differential equation system. Covariate models for sex and depression status were assessed. AddHealth enrolled 6504 American teenagers (median age 16 years, range 11-21 years); this cohort was followed with five interviews over a 22-year period; the median age at the last interview was 38 years (range 34-45 years). The percentages of illicit drug users at Interviews 1-5 were 7.7%, 5.9%, 15.8%, 21.4% and 0.98%, respectively. The generalized gamma distribution emerged as the preferred model for the survival functions for transitions between categories. Age-dependent prevalence was obtained from the differential equation system. Active drug use was more prevalent in males, increased in adolescence and college years, peaked at 24 years, and decreased to low levels by 35 years. Depression, which was more frequent in females, increased the drug-naïve-active user transition rates but not the active user-nonuser and nonuser-active user transition rates. The evidence did not support an interaction between sex and depression. The model provided a satisfactory approximation for the age-dependent progression of illicit substance use from preadolescence to early middle age.

The Representation of Toxic Masculinity in the "Do Revenge" Movie

Toxic masculinity is a social condition created by society in which men can't express their feelings, and they shouldn't cry and be weak otherwise, they will be violating the norm, that's because they can't express their feelings; they use violence, emphasizes power, discrimination against gender in general. Netflix's movie entitled Do Revenge present an american teenager with some problems in their life, and it presents the character that represents the behavior of toxic masculinity named Max Broussard. This study used the theory of toxic masculinity by Kupers (2001) to identify how Max's character represents toxic masculinity in the movie. The qualitative method with a case study approach was the primary methodology of this research. The researcher gathered the data by watching the movie, reviewing earlier studies, and concentrating on the language and the scene that addressed either direct or indirect toxic masculinity issues. Previous research has not specifically classified various forms of toxic masculinity, such as misogyny, greed, homophobia, and violent domination, within the context of character behavior in the movie. Therefore, the novelty of this research lies in the more detailed classification of the forms of toxic masculinity that emerge in the character of Max in the movie "Do Revenge". The results of the study showed that the character represents toxic masculinity in the movie with 13 scenes and 15 dialogue data in the form of misogyny with the criteria hatred towards women, aggressive, likes to organize women, greed with the motive of sex, and violent domination with the category control, intimidation, and bullying.

Problematic Smartphone Use Among High School Students

The world currently has more than three billion smartphone users. The smartphone is fully integrated into the daily life of individuals, including 95% of American teenagers. Excessive use of the smartphone leads to smartphone addiction and problematic smartphone use (PSU) which has been associated with depression, stress, reduced self-esteem, and decreased academic performance. This PSU study surveyed high school students grades nine thru twelve from a comprehensive and demographically diverse high school in the United States. This study was conducted with 319 high school students to assess for associations among PSU, depression, stress, self-esteem, grit, and academic performance. Results of this study indicated that students use the smartphone to support learning both inside and outside of the classroom. Results also indicated significant correlations among PSU, depression, stress, self-esteem, grit, and academic performance. Multiple regression analysis found stress, self-esteem, and grit to be significant predictors of PSU. Implications of this study included informing families, educators, district administrators, and policymakers to more fully and rigorously utilize the electronic device policy provided in California Assembly Bill 272 and to implement more robust and thoughtful classroom smartphone policies and practices. Recommendations are to continue to assess and build awareness of PSU among adolescents, especially post COVID-19 pandemic, when interpersonal relationships and personal connections are a focus of social emotional pandemic recovery.

Provider facility type and HPV vaccination rate among African American teenagers in the United States

Background: The Human Papilloma Virus vaccine is one of the most efficient preventive vaccinations on the market to prevent HPV infection and has made significant advances in human vaccination. This study aimed to examine the relationship between the provider facility type and HPV vaccination rates, among African American teenagers. By exploring the potential relation of the two, we hope to inform programs and further studies into boosting HPV vaccination rates by targeted provider-based interventions. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the National Immunization Survey for Teen (NIS-TEEN) for the year 2021. This study focused on African American teenagers, aged 13 to 17 years, living in non-institutionalized households in the United States in 2021. Data was collected in two phases -the household interview phase and the provider data collection phase. Statistical analysis was conducted using weighted provider data, and all analysis was done using SAS Studio 3.81. Results: Provider facility type was significantly associated with HPV vaccination status (p≤0.0001). Specifically, respondents who used hospital facilities and public facilities had higher odds of having received at least one dose of the HPV vaccine when compared to those who used private facilities (OR=1.86; 95%CI; 1.84,1.89) and (OR=1.72; 95% CI; 1.70, 1.74) respectively. Conclusions: Results of this study suggest that provider facility type is associated with HPV vaccination status among African American teens in the US. There is however a need for definitive longitudinal studies to establish the relationship between provider type and HPV vaccination rates in African American teens.

The Information Behavior of African American Teens

Research on the information-seeking behavior of teens has produced numerous articles over the past decade. Although a good number of research articles list sociocultural factors, such as identity, as playing a critical role in teen’s information-seeking behavior, very few explicitly cover racial identity. The goal of this study is to examine the everyday life information-seeking behavior of African American teens, using previously applied information-seeking models. Though African American teens are not alone in their ethnic experience, they are unique in that decades of systemic racism and inequality impacts their academic standing. The literature review examines research on the everyday life information-seeking (ELIS) behavior of teens, sources of teen information acquisition, modes of information-seeking, and factors that impact teen information-seeking behavior. Additionally, limited existing research on the information behavior of African American communities is reviewed. The findings are that the existing information-seeking behavior research has noticeable contradictory results in regard to African American communities. This mixed-method study will use observations, interviews, and online surveys of African American teens and librarians. The findings will be compared to previous teen information behavior research to see if and how African American teens’ information-seeking behavior is impacted by socio-cultural factors such as cultural beliefs, norms, and institutional barriers. This research would assist in clarifying the information behavior of African American youth and potentially influence information literacy education to be more inclusive and culturally responsive, and thus more impactful in lifelong learning for all youth.

Relevance as a Mechanism in Evaluating News-Ness among American Teens and Adults

Definitions of news are increasingly fraught in today’s media environment, making audience assessments of news-ness – the degree to which something is considered news – particularly important. Drawing from literature on representation in news and news-ness, we explore how seeing news that features a similar age group affects ratings of news-ness. We also argue that relevance offers as a psychological mechanism to explain how audiences make assessments about news-ness. Using two experiments among teens and adults in the United States, our results confirm that proximity (in terms of age) of the groups represented in news affects audience evaluations of news-ness, with relevance acting as a mediator to linking proximity and news-ness. These results are replicated across issues and among American teens and adults. We discuss the importance of representation and relevance as strategic initiatives to involve people in news.

“Spilling the tea” on generation Z social media use and body image

AbstractOver ninety percent of American teens and the majority of children have smartphones. As access to social media increases so does the growing concern for the psychological well‐being of today's youth. The current cross‐sectional study examined the media use, appearance pressure, and body image of 150 Midwestern American Generation Z (born in 1997–2012) youth. This study assessed media use by child‐report, parent‐report, and by gathering data directly from the child's smartphone. Results demonstrated that media use was higher in teens than children, but did not suggest strong gender differences. The data also showed the inconsistencies present in media use reporting, with parents overestimating the amount of time their children spend on phones. Media use was found to be unrelated to body image. Media pressure and social media integration into participants’ social routines were intercorrelated and higher in the older age groups than the younger ones. Media pressure and media use was found to be less gendered than expected, but greatly shifted with age. Time spent on social media may be less influential on body image than the content of the media being consumed.

Internalized Racial Oppression in Teresa Ann Willis’ Like A Tree Without Roots

Internalized racial oppression is a multi-dimensional interdisciplinary phenomenon that plagues many ethnic groups in America. However, little attention has been given to this race-based issue. The aim of this research paper is to highlight internalized racial oppression as a socio-psychological phenomenon in the novel of the African American writer Teresa Ann Willis’ Like A Tree Without Roots which is a story of suffering as well as of healing. In this young adult fiction, the protagonist is subjected to an internalized set of values that creates its own cycle of victimization leading to feelings of self-hatred, self-doubt and disrespect for her race and herself. An integral part of this culture is the White standards of beauty. The paper unravels the severe psychological effects of the internalization of Western beauty standards on the identity formation of African American teen girls. The paper focuses on oppression theory in relation to sociology and psychology to analyze the novel understudy. In addition, Liberatory/critical consciousness will be tackled as a concept in the educational system that proves to be highly important to fully comprehend this phenomenon of internalized racial oppression.

The Depression of Asian American Adolescents in School, Family and Society: A Systematic Review

This review identifies a variety of underlying psychological variables that affect Asian American adolescents’ depressive symptoms at school, family, and society levels. Among them, school-related elements are divided into three sections: (a) school system, (b) internalization of Asian model minority myth, and (c) peer relationship, while family-related factors are separated into two sessions: (a) parenting styles and (b) assimilation difficulty. These findings provide a basis for further research into factors that need to be taken into account during the creation and evaluation of depression prevention initiatives. Future studies still need to concentrate on providing care that is sensitive to cultural differences, strengthening ties between the home, school, and community, and making concerted research efforts to address the needs of Asian American teenage patients with a range of depression symptoms.

Hard History: Teaching the Japanese American Experience in American Concentration Camps

How should “hard history” be confronted to understand the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II? This article shares a way of teaching this topic that not only confronts directly the real experiences of Japanese Americans in concentration camps but also humanizes the story. Encouraging students to learn the history experientially, the author uses two different sets of historical primary sources, offering both an “outsider” and “insider” perspective. First, the author explains that he focuses on the biographies and objectives of different photographers who took photos at Manzanar, highlighting how this context helps illuminate students’ perceptions and understanding of these photographs, revealing a larger story about the experience of Japanese Americans. Second, he describes how he incorporates the diary of Stanley Hayami, a Japanese American teenager interned at Heart Mountain who used his diary to retain agency within an oppressive system. Through an analysis of the diary with students, the author demonstrates how this diary captures the complexity of the Japanese American experience in American concentration camps.