Dimensions Of Adolescents Research Articles

Adolescent work values and adult attainment in key social domains two decades later: evidence from a population-based longitudinal study of Norwegian men and women

ABSTRACT Adolescence is a crucial period for the formation of work values, which are strongly linked to young people’s educational and occupational choices. However, longitudinal studies that systematically explore interlinkages between adolescent work values and attainment in other relevant domains of adult life are scarce. This study addresses this gap by using longitudinal survey data from the Young in Norway panel (N = 1,527) linked to administrative registers. We investigated the prospective associations between four dimensions of adolescents’ work values and attainment at age 34 in social domains that traditionally mark a successful transition to adulthood. Findings revealed that adolescents driven by intrinsic work values left parental homes earlier but obtained lower wages. Those with altruistic values were more likely to marry and become parents. Extrinsically oriented adolescents achieved higher earnings. Adolescents with challenge aversion values faced poorer educational and labour market outcomes. Interaction analyses revealed that intrinsic values had stronger negative associations with earnings among men than women. Overall, this study indicates that work values formed during high school years are intricately related to later outcomes in key social domains of adult life. The findings highlight the importance of timely career guidance to help adolescents develop strong positive work values.

Circulating Growth Factors and Cytokines Correlate with Temperament and Character Dimensions in Adolescents with Mood Disorders

Background/Objectives: The incidence of mood disorders in adolescents is increasing. Bipolar disorder is often misdiagnosed in the early stages of the disease due to the prevalence of depressive symptoms, while manic episodes occur later. Identifying predictors of diagnosis conversion could facilitate timely and appropriate treatment. Our study aimed to find correlations of selected peripheral protein levels with temperament and character traits in adolescents diagnosed with major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder. Methods: A group of adolescents and young adults diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD, n = 50) or bipolar disorder (BD, n = 24) was enrolled in the study during the exacerbation of symptoms and followed up over two years. Diagnosis conversion from MDD to BD was monitored. The Temperament and Character Inventory was applied, and BDNF, proBDNF, EGF, MIF, SCF, S100B, TNF-alpha, and IL-8 serum levels were measured. Spearman’s rank correlation analysis was conducted. Results: We found different patterns of correlations in MDD (TNF-alpha, IL-8, EGF, S100B with reward-dependence, self-directedness, and empathy) and BD (BDNF and EGF with persistence novelty-seeking and self-transcendence). Significant correlations were found in a group with diagnosis conversion. Conclusions: The findings of our study have the potential to significantly impact our understanding and treatment of mood disorders. Correlations obtained in the subgroup with diagnosis conversion may contribute to the development of prognostic markers in the future. Evaluating temperament and character traits alongside established biomarkers may offer a valuable method for predicting the conversion of mood disorders in adolescents, facilitating early and effective pharmacotherapy.

Exploring the Relationship of Dietary Intake With Inattention, Hyperactivity, and Impulsivity, Beyond ADHD

Objectives: This study investigates the association between dietary intake and ADHD diagnosis and its dimensions in adolescents. Methods: In the KOALA Birth Cohort Study, 810 adolescents aged 16 to 20 years provided information on ADHD diagnosis and completed a food frequency questionnaire. Dietary patterns were extracted using Principal Component Analysis. Parents reported on ADHD symptoms using the Conners’ Parent Rating Scale—Revised Short form, and the Impulsivity subscale from the Temperament in Middle Childhood Questionnaire. Results: The 80 adolescents with ADHD scored higher on the Snacking dietary pattern compared to those without ADHD, while they did not differ on Healthy, Animal-based, Sweet, or Beverage dietary patterns. All ADHD symptom scores (Hyperactivity, Inattention and Impulsivity, and ADHD-index) correlated with increased Snacking. Impulsivity was inversely related to Sweet dietary patterns and positively to Beverage dietary patterns. Conclusion: The results highlight the importance of considering ADHD dimensions beyond diagnosis in understanding adolescents’ dietary intake.

Perceived parenting styles and bonding among adolescents with mental illness: Okasha Institute of Psychiatry experience

BackgroundWorldwide, at least 10% of adolescents have a documented mental illness, which is a leading source of morbidity, mortality, and functional impairment. Among individuals aged between 10 and 24 years, psychiatric disorders account for 45% of all years lived with disability. Parenting discipline styles are fundamental in shaping adolescents’ emotional integrity, cognitive capabilities, and behavioral patterns.To compare parenting styles and parental bonding dimensions in adolescents with different psychiatric disorders versus a group of healthy adolescents matched for age and sex.Patients and methodsA case–control study conducted at Okasha Institute of Psychiatry, Ain Shams University Hospitals, involved 50 participants of adolescents diagnosed with variable psychiatric disorders and 50 matched healthy controls.ResultsAuthoritarian parenting style was evident in mentally ill adolescents, while authoritative parenting style was prevalent in healthy controls. In terms of parental bonding, mentally ill adolescents experienced a low level of care and a high level of overprotection from both parents.ConclusionThe results of the study demonstrated that parenting styles may serve as predictors and predisposing factors for psychiatric disorders in adolescents. Adolescents with psychiatric disorders perceived both parents as more authoritarian, less authoritative. They also received a low level of care and a high level of overprotection from both parents.

Health literacy and medication health literacy in adolescents: Highlights from HBSC/WHO

AbstractHealth literacy (HL) is an essential health determinant that could encourage the adoption of individual and community protective behaviours that contribute to public health. This study aims to analyse the associations between HL and medication HL (MHL) in 4015 adolescents from the Health Behaviour in School‐aged Children (HBSC/WHO). Data were collected from the HBSC/WHO questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, bivariate analysis, and multinomial logistic regression were performed. 62.4% of participants have a moderate level of HL and 29.1% have a high level of HL. The youngest boys, and those who have a low level of MHL in the different dimensions presented (expiration date, recycling, side effects, illegal sale and safety), have a low level of HL. The oldest girls have a moderate level of HL. Also, girls with a high level of MHL, reported a high level of HL. MHL, namely, the expiration date, recycling, side effects and safety dimensions in adolescents is significantly related to and positively associated with HL. The results will enable us to highlight to family professionals and public policies the importance of HL and MHL promotion in adolescents.

Unraveling Multimodal Brain Signatures: Deciphering Transdiagnostic Dimensions of Psychopathology in Adolescents

Adolescent psychiatric disorders arise from intricate interactions of clinical histories and disruptions in brain development. While connections between psychopathology and brain functional connectivity are studied, the use of deep learning to elucidate overlapping neural mechanisms through multimodal brain images remains nascent. Utilizing two adolescent datasets—the Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort (PNC, n = 1100) and the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD, n = 7536)—this study employs interpretable neural networks and demonstrates that incorporating brain morphology, along with functional and structural networks, augments traditional clinical characteristics (age, gender, race, parental education, medical history, and trauma exposure). Predictive accuracy reaches 0.37–0.464 between real and predicted general psychopathology and four psychopathology dimensions (externalizing, psychosis, anxiety, and fear). The brain morphology and connectivities within the frontoparietal, default mode network, and visual associate networks are recurrent across general psychopathology and four psychopathology dimensions. Unique structural and functional pathways originating from the cerebellum, amygdala, and visual‐sensorimotor cortex are linked with these individual dimensions. Consistent findings across both PNC and ABCD affirm the generalizability. The results underscore the potential of diverse sensory inputs in steering executive processes tied to psychopathology dimensions in adolescents, hinting at neural avenues for targeted therapeutic interventions and preventive strategies.

Agreement between self-, mother and father proxy-reports on health-related quality of life in adolescents with Tourette syndrome

This study aimed to investigate agreement and discrepancies between parent proxy- and adolescent self-reports on assessments of adolescents’ health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and the role that individual factors may play in parent-adolescent agreement, in a sample of adolescents with Tourette syndrome (TS) compared to a control group of healthy adolescents. Adolescents aged 12–18 years diagnosed with TS were recruited with their parents from primary and secondary referral centres. Adolescent healthy controls were matched for gender and age. Adolescents and each of their parents completed a set of questionnaires including a HRQoL evaluation of adolescent, the ‘Vécu et Santé Perçue de l’Adolescent’. Mother-adolescent, father-adolescent and mother-father agreements on adolescents’ HRQoL scores were investigated at individual and group level, both in TS and control groups. Data were available for 75 adolescents, 75 mothers and 63 fathers, in the TS group. Agreement between mother, father proxy-reports and TS adolescents self-reports of HRQoL varied from poor to good, without significant difference with the control group. In TS group, mothers and fathers underestimated adolescents’ HRQoL in ‘Psychological well-being’ subscale and mothers underestimated it in ‘Physical ‘well-being’ subscale, while controls overestimated adolescents’ HRQoL in these subscales. Larger mother-adolescent discrepancies for ‘Psychological well-being’ and ‘Physical well-being’ subscales were associated with internalizing symptoms. Regarding future studies, comprehensive evaluation of the various dimensions of adolescents’ HRQoL with TS requires the integration of the perspectives of both adolescents, mothers and fathers. Clinicians should take into account this point to provide comprehensive care and services.

Parents' and classmates' influences on adolescents' ethnic prejudice: A longitudinal multi-informant study.

The family and classroom are important contexts that can contribute to the socialization of ethnic prejudice. However, less is known about their unique, relative, and synergic contributions in influencing youth's affective and cognitive prejudice. The current longitudinal study examined these processes and possible moderators among 688 Italian youth (49.13% girls; Mage = 15.61 years), their parents (nmothers = 603, nfathers = 471; Mage = 49.51 years), and classmates between January/February 2022 and January/February 2023. Cross-lagged panel models highlighted that parents and classmates exert unique and relative influences on different dimensions of adolescents' prejudice. Additionally, different interaction effects also emerged for affective (i.e., adverse compensatory effect) and cognitive (i.e., amplifying effect) prejudice. Thus, adolescents draw from the multiple contexts of development to orient themselves in the social world.

A quantitative study of the effects of recreational physical activity on adolescents’ social skills

Abstract Based on the definition of recreational sports activities, this paper summarizes the role of recreational sports activities on adolescents’ social competence and initially conducts the design of related survey questionnaires. Then the scientific feasibility of the questionnaire is examined using the reliability test method. The online survey distribution was used to obtain initial data for this paper’s study. The influence of leisure sports activities on adolescents’ social competence was investigated using Spearman’s correlation coefficient and regression model. It was explored that there was a significant positive correlation between the dimensions of leisure sports activities and the dimensions of adolescents’ social competence, satisfying Sig<0.05, in addition to which it was concluded that cooperative spirit = 21.714 + 0.616*facilities + 0.445*time + 0.749*atmosphere + 0.637*cognition + 0.843*interest, and that the independent variable had 78.9% explanatory power for the dependent variable. This study conducted quantitative research on the social competence of adolescents through recreational sports activities using questionnaire scales and mathematical analysis models.

Correlations Between Mindset and Participation in Everyday Activities Among Healthy Adolescents

Abstract Importance: Mindsets are personal beliefs that one’s abilities and personality traits can be improved and modified through education and effort. It is known that mindsets contribute to behavior and achievements; however, research on mindsets in the context of participation is still lacking. Objective: To assess the correlations between mindsets and dimensions of participation among healthy adolescents and to explore the unique contribution of mindsets to the total explained variance of adolescents’ participation diversity, frequency, independence, enjoyment, and satisfaction. Design: Cross-sectional. Setting: Community in Israel. Participants: Healthy adolescents (N = 115; 63 females, 52 males) ages 11 to 16 yr (M age = 13.77, SD = 1.22) and their parents. Outcomes and Measures: The Mindset and Perseverance Questionnaire was used to assess mindsets regarding intelligence, emotions and behavior, and perseverance. The Adolescence Participation Questionnaire was used to assess participation in daily activities. Results: Mindset regarding emotions, behavior, and perseverance was positively and moderately associated with all participation measures aside from diversity. Mindset regarding intelligence was not associated with participation. The regression analysis indicates that the explanatory variables had a significant modest contribution of 6% to 13% to the total explained variance in adolescents’ participation frequency, independence, and enjoyment. Of note, mindset regarding perseverance was found to be the main predictor. Conclusions and Relevance: Mindsets and participation are correlated. Beliefs regarding perseverance and effort contribute significantly to various dimensions of adolescents’ participation. Occupational therapy practitioners may find growth mindset theory capable of enriching interventions aimed at promoting adolescents’ optimal participation. What This Article Adds: This is the first study to assess adolescents’ mindset in the context of their participation. The findings demonstrate the significant contribution of mindsets regarding perseverance, effort, emotions, and behavior to participation in everyday activities among healthy adolescents. The findings can be incorporated into interventions aimed at promoting adolescents’ optimal participation.

Can adolescents' subjective wellbeing facilitate their pro-environmental consumption behaviors? Empirical study based on 15-year-old students.

To address the challenge of declining pro-environmental behaviors in adolescence, this paper uses the theoretical foundations for subjective wellbeing to verify the influence of three latent dimensions of subjective wellbeing (life satisfaction, positive emotions, and negative emotions) on adolescents' pro-environmental consumption behaviors (PECBs). Furthermore, we explore the moderating effects of nations and regions in the relationship between subjective wellbeing and PECBs in adolescents. Based on the international data from the Programme for International Student Assessment 2018 (PISA 2018), we construct a unique dataset that includes 57,182 samples related to the subjective wellbeing and PECBs of 15-year-old students from eight countries/economies. Specially, we employ an ordered probit model to test our hypotheses. Both adolescents' life satisfaction and positive emotions can significantly improve their PECBs, while there is a significant negative association between negative emotions and PECBs. At the nation's level, adolescents' life satisfaction and negative emotions in developed countries/economies significantly impact PECBs. In contrast, the positive emotions of adolescents in developing countries/economies have more substantial effects on PECBs. At the regional level, the impact of all three dimensions of adolescents' subjective wellbeing on PECBs is more significant in rural than urban areas. This paper provides a new perspective for understanding adolescents' PECBs from the insights of subjective wellbeing. Previous studies have examined the effects of life satisfaction or happiness on PECBs in adults. This paper examines the impact of subjective wellbeing on adolescents' PECBs from life satisfaction, positive emotions, and negative emotions, which suggests that promoting adolescents' subjective wellbeing can be an effective strategy for encouraging PECBs. From a comparative research perspective, we further analyze the differences between the nations at different levels of development, the rural and urban areas, providing a valuable reference for policymakers and practitioners in promoting pro-environmental behaviors among adolescents.

Personality traits through psychological dimensions in adolescents with headache: an investigation on how social isolation during the pandemic influenced mental health – a pilot study

Personality traits through psychological dimensions in adolescents with headache: an investigation on how social isolation during the pandemic influenced mental health – a pilot study

Private supplementary education and Chinese adolescents' development: The moderating effects of family socioeconomic status.

Using the data from the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS), this study estimated the effects of two types of private supplementary education, namely, cram school and hobby class, on the development of Chinese junior high school students and the moderating effects of family socioeconomic status (SES). First, we found that cram schools and hobby classes both positively correlate with some dimensions of adolescents' development while negatively correlating with others. Attending cram schools is positively associated with students' academic achievement but negatively related to their noncognitive skills. Participating in hobby classes is positively associated with noncognitive abilities but negatively related to cognitive abilities. Second, the negative correlations between cram schools and noncognitive abilities and between hobby classes and cognitive abilities are stronger for low-SES students than their affluent counterparts. The current study's findings shed new light on the role of private supplementary education in educational inequality and social stratification in China.

An investigation of the effect of smartphone-based pain management application on pain intensity and the quality-of-life dimensions in adolescents with chronic pain: a cluster randomized parallel-controlled trial.

Chronic pain negatively affects adolescents' quality of life. Therefore, it is important to seek for ways to effectively manage pain, which may, in turn, promote quality-of-life dimensions in this population. However, there are many barriers including geographical distance which prevent most adolescents from receiving an effective treatment for chronic pain. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of a smartphone-based pain management application compared with face-to-face pain management program and wait-list control on the pain intensity and quality-of-life dimensions in adolescents with chronic pain. This study used a cluster double-blinded randomized parallel-group design with school as the unit of randomization. Participants included were 192 adolescents with chronic pain. The questionnaires (pain intensity and quality of life measuring physical, emotional, social, and school dimensions) were completed at the baseline, immediately at the end of pain management program and three months after the end of the program. Repeated measures ANOVAs with adjustment for clustering effect showed that there were significant main effects of time on ratings of pain intensity (p < 0.01), physical (p < 0.005), emotional (p < 0.008), social (p < 0.001), and school (p < 0.005) dimensions of quality of life. There was also a significant main effect of group on ratings of emotional (p < 0.001), social (p < 0.009), and school (p < 0.002) dimensions. The interaction of group × time for emotional (p < 0.004), social (p < 0.001), and school (p < 0.005) dimensions of quality of life was statistically significant. The findings suggest that smartphone-based pain management program, which is a highly accessible and cost-effective intervention, may provide benefits similar to a face-to-face intervention and shows promise for being effective on emotional, social, and school dimensions of quality of life in adolescents with different types of chronic pain. The study was registered within the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT20180808040744N2).

Is it possible to build adolescents’ cognitive adaptive capacity through climate change education? Insights into a two-year long educational programme in North Tyrol (Austria) and South Tyrol (Italy)

Adapting to anthropogenic climate change requires informed citizens capable of managing personal and societal risks. This study explores the contribution of climate change education (CCE) to build adolescents’ cognitive adaptive capacity. As defined by Grothmann and Patt’s (2005) Model of Private Proactive Adaptation to Climate Change (MPPACC), cognitive dimensions of adaptive capacity correspond to climate change risk perception and adaptation appraisal as preconditions for individual adaptation actions. Their model has been operationalised to examine adolescents’ cognitive adaptive capacity in a pre-test–post-test design, and the educational programme Generation F3–Fit for Future is presented as a quasi-experiment linking this concept with CCE. Because cognitive adaptive capacity is a complex and multifaceted concept, this contribution also studies the influence of CCE on knowledge and thinking skills, which are important dimensions as well. Overall, 173 upper-secondary school students aged between 16 and 18 years actively collaborated with 57 scientific and practical experts on climate change adaptation (CCA) in North and South Tyrol. Additionally, the programme included control groups. Over two school years, Generation F3–Fit for Future encouraged students to follow constructivist inquiry-based CCE, and they carried out their own research-oriented CCA projects. A mixed methods approach compared data from a multivariate multilevel mixed model collected by web-based questionnaires (N = 231) and qualitative data from problem-centred interviews (N = 47), which were analysed by documentary method. The results suggest a mismatch between quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data do not show any change in adolescents’ risk perception and adaptation appraisal, but qualitative data reveal that intervention group students demonstrated increased levels of adaptation knowledge and elaborated critical as well as forward thinking skills. Control group students did not show such capacities after standard curriculum education. It is concluded that CCE holds potential to build several dimensions of adolescents’ cognitive adaptive capacity. Upcoming research should further explore mixed research approaches and advance adaptive capacity theory to better understand this concept.

Adölesanlarda Boy ve Ağırlık Ölçümleri İle Özbildirimlerin Karşılaştırılması

Boy ve ağırlığa ilişkin veriler; yüz yüze görüşme, postayla yoluyla, internet üzerinden yapılan anketle veya telefonla sorgulama gibi farklı biçimlerde elde edilebilmektedir. Ancak bahsi geçen bu değişkenler bireylerin beden algılarından büyük oranda etkilenebilmektedir. Ülkemizde adölesanlar üzerinde özbildirime dayalı boy ve ağırlık ölçülerinin doğruluğunu ve geçerliliğini konu alan çalışma sayısı oldukça sınırlıdır. Araştırmanın amacı, adölesanlarda özbildirime dayalı boy ve ağırlık ölçülerinin güvenirliliğinin tespitidir. Araştırma, Ankara'da farklı sosyo-demografik yapıya sahip liselerde öğrenim gören 14-17 yaş arası 356 öğrenci (133 erkek ve 233 kız) üzerinde gerçekleştirilmiştir. Boy ve ağırlık değerleri her bir bireye anket yoluyla sorularak özbildirimleri kaydedilmiş, ardından fiziki olarak antropometrik tekniklerle ölçülmüş ve aradaki farklılık istatistikî olarak analiz edilmiştir. Ortalama boy uzunluğunun erkeklerde 0,22 cm ve kızlarda 0,91 cm fazla, vücut ağırlığının ise erkeklerde 0,20 kg fazla ve kızlarda 0,80 kg düşük olarak bildirildiği saptanmıştır. Kızlar erkeklere nazaran ağırlıklarını daha düşük ve boy uzunluklarını daha yüksek bildirme eğilimindedirler. Araştırma örnekleminde yer alan bir grup lise öğrencisi çalışma tarihinden birkaç hafta önce beden eğitimi ve spor dersi kapsamında fiziki testlere tabi tutulmuşlardır, bu durum söz konusu öğrencilerin özbildirim verilerinin yüksek oranda doğruluk oranı ile sonuçlanmıştır. Ders müfredatı kapsamında düzenli fiziki ölçümlerin yapılması adölesanlarda vücut boyutlarına dair farkındalık yaratmaktadır. Adölesan dönemde vücut boyutları büyük değişim göstermektedir, bu açıdan beden eğitimi ve spor dersleri hem beden algısında rol oynamakta hem de vücut ağırlığı ile boy uzunluğunun doğru olarak bilinmesinde önem taşımaktadır. Çalışma sonuçlarına göre, ülkemizde özbildirim yönteminden kaçınılması ya da gerekli düzeltme tekniklerinin mutlaka uygulanması gerektiği kanısındayız.

Adolescents’ use of influence tactics with parents in family travel decision making: A cross-societal comparison in Eastern Europe

ABSTRACTWe aim to present a cross-societal comparison of the influence tactics that adolescents use with their parents in family travel decisions by investigating 762 usable responses of senior high school students across four Eastern Europe societies (Lithuania, Poland, Russia, and Slovakia). Through multi-group confirmatory factor analysis (MG-CFA), adolescent influence behavior emerges in a refined and validated model of four subscales reflecting bargaining, persuasion, emotional, and request strategies. These subscales indicate the measurement invariance of adolescent influence behavior across societies. Our findings show significant between-society differences for all four dimensions of adolescents’ influence tactics with their parents. Furthermore, respondents from all four societies have similar priorities of choosing their influence tactics, as reported in recent studies on family purchase decisions. We also found that respondents from the non-post-Soviet cluster (NPSC) are more likely to apply various influence tactics than their counterparts from the post-Soviet cluster (PSC). We conclude with a discussion of these differences and why they may have occurred.

How can art museums develop new business opportunities? Exploring young visitors’ experience

Purpose So far, most studies in cultural tourism have looked at visitors in relation to the experience itself. This study aims to bring a broader view on what constitutes the daily environment of younger visitors and how museums could use this knowledge to develop a service delivery that is more adapted to their needs without sacrificing the museums’ integrity and authenticity. As such, this research brings a unique and deeper analysis of young visitor behavior, in relation to arts and cultural practices that could be expanded to other areas of tourism experiences. Design/methodology/approach The present study examines the main art and cultural tourism activities among adolescents. Using 32 in-depth interviews with adolescents between 13 and 18 years of age, this research takes a closer look at their experience and perceptions of art museums and exhibitions. Findings The findings show that adolescents’ perception of arts and exhibitions do not correspond to museum art criteria held by cultural tourism professionals. Based on the key theoretical themes emerging from the empirical investigation, a conceptual framework of adolescents’ attitudes toward arts and exhibitions is now presented to provide insights into the dimensions of adolescents’ art consumption in today’s western consumer society. Figure 1 provides a graphic model that visualizes adolescents’ art consumption experiences and summarizes the main findings and marketing implications in the arts field. Originality/value Based on these findings, new ways of engaging with adolescents in the field of arts are suggested to create new business opportunities for the museum. The findings lean toward the necessity to develop a more youth-centric approach, which differentiates between how adults define art and what adolescents believe art is supposed to be. Thus, the findings demonstrate that adolescents’ art consumption experiences are deeply anchored within the context of their social environment and the value judgments of their peers. The adolescent-centric logic within the arts experiential context is taken into account to underline the gap existing in many current arts marketing strategies that are targeting young visitors – and especially adolescents.

The mediating role of social capital in the relationship between socioeconomic status and adolescent wellbeing: evidence from Ghana

BackgroundSocial capital is generally portrayed to be protective of adolescents’ health and wellbeing against the effects of socioeconomic inequalities. However, few empirical evidence exist on this protective role of social capital regarding adolescents’ wellbeing in the low-and middle-income country (LMIC) context. This study examines the potential for social capital to be a protective health resource by investigating whether social capital can mediate the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and wellbeing of Ghanaian adolescents. It also examines how SES and social capital relate to different dimensions of adolescents’ wellbeing in different social contexts.MethodsThe study employed a cross-sectional survey involving a randomly selected 2068 adolescents (13-18 years) from 15 schools (8 Senior and 7 Junior High Schools) in Ghana. Relationships were assessed using multivariate regression models.ResultsThree measures of familial social capital (family sense of belonging, family autonomy support, and family control) were found to be important protective factors of both adolescents’ life satisfaction and happiness against the effects of socioeconomic status. One measure of school social capital (school sense of belonging) was found to augment adolescents’ wellbeing but played no mediating role in the SES-wellbeing relationship. A proportion of about 69 and 42% of the total effect of SES on happiness and life satisfaction were mediated by social capital respectively. Moreover, there were variations in how SES and social capital related to the different dimensions of adolescents’ wellbeing.ConclusionSocial capital is a significant mechanism through which SES impacts the wellbeing of adolescents. Social capital is a potential protective health resource that can be utilised by public health policy to promote adolescents’ wellbeing irrespective of socioeconomic inequalities. Moreover, the role of the family (home) in promoting adolescents’ wellbeing is superior to that of school which prompts targeted policy interventions. For a holistic assessment of adolescents’ subjective wellbeing, both life evaluations (life satisfaction) and positive emotions (happiness) should be assessed concomitantly.

Adolescents' health in times of COVID-19: a scoping review.

COVID-19, the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 (novel coronavirus), emerged in China in December 2019 and spread quickly throughout the world. In this scenario, the current study aimed to identify the impact or effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescents' health. This is a scoping literature review based on the following databases: Web of Science, CINAHL, PsycINFO, SciELO, and PUBCOVID19. The study adopted the stages proposed by the Joanna Briggs Institute for scoping reviews, and the question orienting the procedures consisted of the acronym PCC (population; concept; context). Eleven articles were included in the review. Clinically, adolescents present the same COVID-19 symptoms as adults. The pandemic and the health measures taken to control transmission were found to be associated with mental health problems in adolescents. Specifically, adolescents have a negative experience with social distancing measures and closing of schools. These measures can also favor situations of violence or aggressive behaviors in the home environment. Healthcare services that treat the adolescent population had to reorient their practices, adopting a virtual model to replace face-to-face care, and even research projects involving adolescence had to be rethought. This scoping review addressed an emerging theme in relation to a population that has received little attention in studies on COVID-19. The results suggest that the pandemic can be considered a determinant that affects different dimensions of adolescents' lives.