Belgian Adolescents Research Articles

Acculturative Stress or Resilience? A Longitudinal Multilevel Analysis of Sojourners’ Stress and Self-Esteem

Intercultural contact may lead to temporary phases of acculturative stress but is also associated with personal growth. While this topic has been well studied, we argue that there has been a lack of systematic investigation in the form of panel data studies. The present article examines the temporal pattern of stress and self-esteem, with measures for sojourners and controls prior to, during, and post intercultural contact. The sojourner sample consisted of a group of Belgian adolescents who took part in a 1 year intercultural exchange program. Sojourners reported lower levels of stress and higher levels of self-esteem during the sojourn compared to pre-departure levels and controls. These findings were explained in terms of personal growth and acculturative resilience. Subsequent analyses also investigated whether stress and self-esteem could be predicted by intrapersonal (i.e., homesickness), interpersonal (i.e., social support), intergroup (i.e., identity, prejudice), and cultural distance measures. Stress was indeed associated with intrapersonal, interpersonal, and intergroup measures, but not with cultural distance. Self-esteem was associated with intrapersonal and intergroup predictors.

Does the perception of neighborhood built environmental attributes influence active transport in adolescents?

BackgroundAmong Belgian adolescents active transport (AT) is a common physical activity (PA) behavior. Preliminary evidence suggests that AT can be an important opportunity for increasing adolescents’ daily PA levels. To inform interventions, predictors of this PA behavior need to be further explored. Therefore, in the perspective of the ecological models this study aimed (a) to investigate the relationship between the perception of neighborhood built environmental attributes and adolescents’ AT and (b) to explore the contribution of the perception of neighborhood built environmental attributes beyond psychosocial factors.MethodsFor the purpose of this study, data from the Belgian Environmental Physical Activity Study in Youth (BEPAS-Y), performed between 2008 and 2009, was used. The final study population consisted of 637 adolescents aged 13–15 years. The participants completed a survey measuring demographic and psychosocial factors, the Flemish Physical Activity Questionnaire and the Dutch version of the Neighborhood Environmental Walkability Scale.ResultsA set of stepwise linear regression analyses with backward elimination revealed that a shorter distance to school, perceiving neighborhoods to have connected streets, a lower degree of land use mix diversity, less infrastructure for walking and a lower quality of the infrastructure for walking are associated with more min/day AT to and from school (p all <0.05). Furthermore, marginally significant associations (p < 0.10) were found between residential density and safety from crime and AT to and from school. No relationship between the perception of the neighborhood built environmental attributes and walking for transport during leisure time and cycling for transport during leisure time was found.ConclusionsThe substantial contribution of the perception of neighbourhood built environmental attributes to AT found in Belgian adults, could not totally be confirmed by this study for Belgian adolescents. Among Belgian adolescents, the contribution of neighborhood environmental perceptions to explain the variance in AT seems to be dependent of the purpose of AT. Further research is needed to explore this relationship in specific subgroups and to overcome some of the limitations this study had to contend with.

Comparison of knowledge and attitudes about vaccination between Belgian and immigrant adolescents

Immigrant adolescents have different beliefs and attitudes about health and disease compared to Belgian adolescents. The aim of this study was to compare the knowledge of Belgian and immigrant adolescents concerning vaccination. In March 2009, adolescents between the ages of 14 and 17 years from three schools with a mixed Belgian and immigrant population in Antwerp completed a written questionnaire concerning vaccination. In total, 186 adolescents (88 immigrants and 98 Belgians) completed the questionnaire. Knowledge about vaccinations was slightly lower among immigrant adolescents (P<0.001). In both groups, the family physician and the school were the most important information sources for vaccination. Parents played a less important role among immigrant adolescents (50%) compared to Belgian adolescents (80%) (P=0.002). The physician, the school and the parents played key roles in the vaccination of both immigrants and Belgian adolescents.

Care delivery and outcomes among Belgian children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes

We aimed to investigate care processes and outcomes among children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes treated in hospital-based multidisciplinary paediatric diabetes centres. Our retrospective cross-sectional study among 12 Belgian centres included data from 974 patients with type 1 diabetes, aged 0-18 years. Questionnaires were used to collect data on demographic and clinical characteristics, as well as process of care completion and outcomes of care in 2008. Most patients lived with both biological or adoption parents (77 %) and had at least one parent of Belgian origin (78 %). Nearly all patients (≥95 %) underwent determination of HbA(1c) and BMI. Screening for retinopathy (55 %) and microalbuminuria (73 %) was less frequent, but rates increased with age and diabetes duration. Median HbA(1c) was 61 mmol/mol (7.7 %) [interquartile range 54-68 mmol/mol (7.1-8.4 %)] and increased with age and insulin dose. HbA(1c) was higher among patients on insulin pump therapy. Median HbA(1c) significantly differed between centres [from 56 mmol/mol (7.3 %) to 66 mmol/mol (8.2 %)]. Incidence of severe hypoglycaemia was 30 per 100 patient-years. Admissions for ketoacidosis had a rate of 3.2 per 100 patient-years. Patients not living with both biological or adoption parents had higher HbA(1c) and more admissions for ketoacidosis. Parents' country of origin was not associated with processes and outcomes of care. Outcomes of care ranked well compared to other European countries, while complication screening rates were intermediate. The observed centre variation in HbA(1c) remained unexplained. Outcomes were associated with family structure, highlighting the continuing need for strategies to cope with this emerging challenge.

Religiosity, values, and acculturation

We address the understudied religious dimension of acculturation in acculturating adolescents who combine a religious Islamic heritage with a secularized Christian mainstream culture. The religiosity of 197 Turkish-Belgian adolescents was compared with that of 366 age-mates in Turkey (the heritage culture) and 203 in Belgium (the mainstream culture) and related to cultural values, acculturation orientations, and ethnic identification. Belgian adolescents showed lower and declining religiosity with age, whereas Turkish and Turkish-Belgian adolescents were more religious regardless of age. Acculturating adolescents reaffirmed religion as compared with monocultural adolescents in Turkey. Religious reaffirmation was related to cultural values of interdependence, heritage culture maintenance, and ethnic identification.

Do All Associations Lead to Lower Levels of Ethnocentrism? A Two-Year Longitudinal Test of the Selection and Adaptation Model

Within the literature on the relation between membership in voluntary associations and tolerance, three theoretical perspectives can be distinguished. The socialization perspective assumes that the interaction within association leads to higher levels of tolerance; the self-selection perspective suggests that tolerant actors are more likely to join associations; while the selection and adaption model predicts that the group culture within an association will have a specific effect on members’ attitudes. We use a two-year panel study among Belgian adolescents to ascertain the empirical merits of these three approaches. Results show that not all associations have an effect on the reduction of prejudice, but that this effect is limited to specific associations. A structural equation model furthermore suggests that socialization effects are significantly stronger than self-selection effects. As such, this analysis of panel data lends support to the selection and adaptation model.

Active living neighborhoods: is neighborhood walkability a key element for Belgian adolescents?

In adult research, neighborhood walkability has been acknowledged as an important construct among the built environmental correlates of physical activity. Research into this association has only recently been extended to adolescents and the current empirical evidence is not consistent. This study investigated whether neighborhood walkability and neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) are associated with physical activity among Belgian adolescents and whether the association between neighborhood walkability and physical activity is moderated by neighborhood SES and gender. In Ghent (Belgium), 32 neighborhoods were selected based on GIS-based walkability and SES derived from census data. In total, 637 adolescents (aged 13-15 year, 49.6% male) participated in the study. Physical activity was assessed using accelerometers and the Flemish Physical Activity Questionnaire. To analyze the associations between neighborhood walkability, neighborhood SES and individual physical activity, multivariate multi-level regression analyses were conducted. Only in low-SES neighborhoods, neighborhood walkability was positively associated with accelerometer-based moderate to vigorous physical activity and the average activity level expressed in counts/minute. For active transport to and from school, cycling for transport during leisure time and sport during leisure time no association with neighborhood walkability nor, with neighborhood SES was found. For walking for transport during leisure time a negative association with neighborhood SES was found. Gender did not moderate the associations of neighborhood walkability and SES with adolescent physical activity. Neighborhood walkability was related to accelerometer-based physical activity only among adolescent boys and girls living in low-SES neighborhoods. The relation of built environment to adolescent physical activity may depend on the context.

On the association between adolescent autonomy and psychosocial functioning: Examining decisional independence from a self-determination theory perspective.

In the present study, we focus on the concept of adolescent autonomy and its relation with psychosocial functioning. Specifically, we aim to differentiate between 2 prevailing conceptualizations of autonomy, that is, (a) autonomy defined as independence versus dependence and (b) autonomy defined as self-endorsed versus controlled functioning. A 2nd goal is to examine the relative contribution of each autonomy operationalization in the prediction of adolescents' adjustment (i.e., well-being, problem behavior, and intimacy). Data were gathered in a sample of 707 Belgian adolescents. Using a newly developed questionnaire, we assessed both the degree of independent decision making per se and the self-endorsed versus controlled motives underlying both independent and dependent decision making. The degree of independent decision making could clearly be differentiated from the underlying motives for doing so. Moreover, independent decision making as such showed unique associations with more problem behavior. Further, as expected, self-endorsed motives for both independent and dependent decision making generally related to an adaptive pattern of psychosocial functioning, and controlled motives were associated with maladjustment. The discussion focuses on the difference between the 2 perspectives on autonomy and on the different meaning of the motives underlying independent, relative to dependent, decision making.

A Two-Year Panel Study among Belgian Late Adolescents on the Impact of School Environment Characteristics on Political Trust

Trust in political institutions can be considered as an important prerequisite for the stability of democratic political systems. Opinions differ, however, on how this attitude is shaped. Research among adolescents suggests that this age group already has quite stable levels of political trust, even before they have had first-hand experiences with the functioning of political systems. Building on a two-year panel study among Belgian adolescents (n = 3,632), we investigate the development of political trust between the ages of 16 and 18 years. As was already predicted by functionalist authors, experiences with an open classroom climate have strong and persistent positive effects on political trust, and this effect proves to be much stronger than the one from direct civic education classes. The information function of mass media and academic aspirations, too, have a strong effect on political trust.

Maternal Attachment and Television Viewing in Adolescents’ Sexual Socialization: Differential Associations Across Gender

The present study explores whether gender and maternal attachment moderate the relationship between television viewing and adolescents’ sexual and gender stereotypical attitudes. A quantitative survey was conducted among 1,026 Belgian adolescents in a targeted sample of nine schools (Mean age = 16.3). Findings show that greater exposure to television among boys and lower maternal attachment among boys and girls is associated with more liberal and stereotypical sexual attitudes. While maternal attachment has a buffering effect on the relationship between television viewing and sexual attitudes among girls, maternal attachment has a risk-increasing effect among boys. Further research is needed to explore more fully the emergence of gender differences in the influence of maternal attachment and television viewing on adolescents’ sexual development.

The effects of civic education on political knowledge. A two year panel survey among Belgian adolescents

Traditionally political knowledge was regarded as an important potential outcome for civic education efforts. Most of the currently available research, however, tends to focus on non-cognitive goals, despite the fact that studies repeatedly have shown that political knowledge is an important resource for enlightened and engaged citizenship. In this article, we investigate whether civic education efforts at school contribute to political knowledge levels. The analysis is based on the Belgian Political Panel Survey, a 2 year panel study among 2,988 Belgian late adolescents. The analysis shows that experiences with group projects at school contribute significantly to political knowledge levels 2 years later on. Furthermore, we can observe an interaction effect as those who are already most knowledgeable about politics, gain most from these group projects. Classes about politics, on the other hand, did not have an effect on knowledge levels. In the discussion, it is argued that civic education can have strong cognitive effects, but that these effects are not always related to classical civic education efforts and we discussion the policy implication for civic education.

Television and Political Participation Among Adolescents: The Impact of Television Viewing, Entertainment and Information Preferences

Although sweeping statements about the effect of television viewing on political participation could still be found in the literature in the 1990s, it is now commonly held that the effect of television should be studied as a multidimensional phenomenon. Not only the time spent watching television but also the kinds of programs being watched and even the preference for particular stations are assumed to have an effect. In this article, we report on a survey among 6,330 Belgian adolescents allowing for a comprehensive analysis of the relationship between various dimensions of television viewing and political participation. We focus on adolescents, because research suggests that the decline in participation levels clearly manifests itself in this age group. The results of the analysis confirm a negative impact of the amount of television viewing, which is partly counterbalanced by a positive impact of a preference for information and for public broadcasting. We discuss the implications of these findings among adolescents for adult participation behavior.

Societal Vulnerability and Troublesome Youth Group Involvement

Troublesome youth groups (TYGs) or “gangs” have been a research topic in the past, especially in the United States, and an increasing number of studies are currently being conducted in European countries. However, Belgium has been rather absent from the study of TYGs. This study aims to fill that gap in the literature. In the present contribution, the authors are interested in the prevalence of Belgian adolescents' involvement in TYGs and the role of societal vulnerability in this involvement. The authors are interested in the strength of the relationship between societal vulnerability and TYG and test the hypotheses that violent values and low self-control mediate the relationship between societal vulnerability and TYG. The analyses are conducted on the Belgian sample of the second edition of the International Self-Reported Delinquency study (ISRD-2). Both violent values and self-control mediate the effect of societal vulnerability and have strong independent effects on TYG. The implications of these findings are discussed.

The attitudes of Belgian adolescents towards peers with disabilities

This study aimed to explore Belgian adolescents’ attitudes towards peers with disabilities and to explore factors associated with these attitudes. Based on the theory of persuasive communication, this study focused on receiver variables (the “whom”), characteristics of students with disabilities (“concerning who”) and channel (“how”). An online survey was created and published on several popular websites for youngsters. Attitudes were assessed by means of the CATCH questionnaire among 167 adolescents between 11 and 20 years old. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were conducted. Belgian adolescents had fairly tolerant attitudes towards peers with disabilities. Factors associated with more positive attitudes were being female, and viewing a video introduction of a peer with a disability before assessing attitudes. Factors such as having a parent, sibling or good friend with a disability and frequent contact with persons with disabilities did not remain significant in the overall model. The way in which students with disabilities are presented to their peers is very important. Further research is needed among larger samples, including more diverse variables, concerning the former mentioned categories, and also concerning the source (the “who”) and message (the “what”).

The use of accelerometry in adolescents and its implementation with non-wear time activity diaries in free-living conditions

The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of a non-wearing time activity diary (hereafter non-wear activity diary) when using accelerometry in adolescents to provide insight into their physical activity levels. In total, 213 Belgian adolescents (89 boys, 124 girls) were eligible for this study. Adolescents wore an accelerometer for seven consecutive days and kept a non-wear activity diary. On the last day, they completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents. The differences between the accelerometer data with and without use of the non-wear activity diary were significant for all physical activity intensities according to the Wilcoxon signed rank test. Bland-Altman plots showed that with more time spent in any physical activity intensity, the difference between including and not including the non-wear activity diary increased. The correlation coefficient between the International Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents and the accelerometer data increased when the non-wear activity diary was included. Differences in the percentage of adolescents reaching the physical activity recommendations between the accelerometer data only and the accelerometer with the non-wear activity diary were significant. We conclude that if the non-wear activity diary data are not included, some adolescents could be misclassified as not being physically active according to the physical activity recommendations. It is therefore recommended to use a non-wear activity diary for gaining insight into the physical activity levels of individuals.

'Doing Gender' in Fear of Crime: The Impact of Gender Identity on Reported Levels of Fear of Crime in Adolescents and Young Adults

Gender is seen as the most important factor related to different levels of fear of crime, with women consistently reporting higher levels of fear than men. Several explanations have been elaborated, which largely focus either on the irrationally high level of female fear or (from a feminist perspective) on the impact of differential socialization processes, with women being socialized as fearful subjects compared to 'fearless' men. However, both explanations imply a rather static interpretation of the gender-fear relation. In this paper, the 'doing gender' thesis (West and Zimmerman 1987) is adopted to develop a gender identity scale, using a broad range of attitudes and activities dominantly seen as masculine or feminine in a sample of Belgian adolescents and young adults. The extent to which this gender identity scale is able to explain differences in the level of fear of crime, and may therefore account for the gender gap, is discussed.

The Impact of Gendered Friendship Patterns on the Prevalence of Homophobia Among Belgian Late Adolescents

In order to assess the determinants of homophobia among Belgian adolescents, a shortened version of the Homophobia scale (Wright et al., 1999) was included in a representative survey among Belgian adolescents (n = 4,870). Principal component analysis demonstrated that the scale was one-dimensional and internally coherent. The results showed that homophobia is still widespread among Belgian adolescents, despite various legal reforms in the country aiming to combat discrimination of gay women and men. A multivariate regression analysis demonstrated that boys, ethnic minorities, individuals with high levels of ethnocentrism and an instrumental worldview, Muslim minorities, and those with low levels of associational involvement scored significantly higher on the scale. While among boys an extensive friendship network was associated with higher levels of homophobia, the opposite phenomenon was found among girls. We discuss the possible relation between notions of masculinity within predominantly male adolescent friendship networks and social support for homophobia.

Adolescents’ environmental worldview and personality: An explorative study

There is a growing interest among scholars in instruments based on environmental worldview. Several studies have used instruments of this kind to compare groups of children or to assess the impact of environmental education initiatives (EEIs) on children’s environmental worldview. When using scales of this nature, it is important to control for factors that might blur the true impact of EEIs. One such factor – and which may have been neglected – is personality. This study ( n = 957) examines the link between environmental worldview of Belgian adolescents (as measured by the New Environmental Paradigm scale for children – NEP) and their personality (as measured by the Hierarchical Personality Inventory for Children – HiPIC). The results show that adolescents who are willing to take responsibility for their actions and who feel in control over the outcomes of their decisions are more likely to have an ecocentric worldview. Furthermore, this study demonstrates that, for Belgian adolescents, egocentrism and ecocentrism are opposite conceptions. All correlations were, however, small and showed no deterministic pattern in the relationship between adolescents’ environmental worldview and personality, indicating that worldviews are not stable or innate characteristics within individuals, but can be influenced by interactions between the individual and its context. Personality traits explained only a very small part of the variation in adolescents’ environmental worldview (.7%), suggesting that they are unlikely to blur the impact of EEIs in worldview-based assessment. This is an important finding as it indicates that the results of studies showing differences in the environmental worldview of different groups of respondents or changes in their environmental worldview as a result of taking part in an EEI are not artefacts of non-control for personality and that they may, therefore, reflect genuine differences, changes or impacts.

Culture-general and -specific associations of attachment avoidance and anxiety with perceived parental warmth and psychological control among Turk and Belgian adolescents

Both the adolescent peer attachment and perceived parenting style literatures emphasize the role of the quality of the parent–child relationship in children's healthy adjustment beyond the family, but few studies have investigated links between adolescents' peer attachment and perceptions of parenting. We investigate relations of adolescents' perceptions of warmth and psychological control from parents with avoidance and anxiety in attachment to close friends in two contrasting cultures. Altogether, 262 Turk and 263 Belgian youth between 14 and 18 years of age participated. Cross-culturally, attachment avoidance was negatively related to maternal warmth, and attachment anxiety positively related to maternal and paternal control and negatively to paternal warmth. Beyond these general relations, attachment avoidance was associated with paternal psychological control in Belgians but not in Turks. The study provides cross-cultural evidence for specific relations between peer attachment and perceived parenting and suggests a culture-specific pathway for the development of attachment avoidance.

Perceived social and physical environmental correlates of physical activity in older adolescents and the moderating effect of self-efficacy

Objective To determine if perceptions of the social and physical environment are associated with active transport and leisure-time sports among Belgian youth and to investigate if this relationship is moderated by self-efficacy. Methods In February–May 2008, 1445 adolescents (17.4 ± 0.6 yrs) were recruited in 20 randomly selected Belgian schools. Physical activity, psychosocial, and environmental factors were assessed using validated questionnaires. Moderated multilevel regression analysis was used to examine the association between physical activity and possible correlates. Results Social environmental variables (modeling and social support) were positively associated with active transportation and leisure-time sports ( p < 0.05). Higher land use mix diversity, higher street connectivity, more attractive environments, better access to recreational facilities, and higher emotional satisfaction with the neighborhood were associated with more active transportation ( p < 0.05). Higher perceived safety from traffic, better access to recreational facilities, more physical activity equipment at home, and fewer electronic devices in the bedroom were associated with more leisure-time sports ( p < 0.05). Lower perceived safety and poorer access to (recreational) facilities were only associated with lower active transport among youth with lower self-efficacy ( p < 0.05). Conclusion Creating more supportive environments could have the potential to affect the physical activity levels of Belgian adolescents with both high and low self-efficacy.