Youth Issues Research Articles

A social-ecological examination into the research, policy and health service delivery environment related to early marriage and sexual and gender-based violence among youth in Jordan

BackgroundThe determinants of sexual- and gender-based violence (SGBV) and early marriage are embedded across different levels of the social ecological system, including at the individual, family, community, and policy levels. In Jordan and the Middle East, SGBV, honor killing, and early marriage are priority public health and human rights issues that often overlap, and affect a significant percentage of youth. Jordan is home to a large number of refugees from across the Middle East, who may be even more vulnerable to these forms of violence than the local youth. The purpose of this analysis is to 1) synthesize the existing literature and 2) present the perspectives of key stakeholders to identify research gaps, programmatic lessons learned, and opportunities for policy change from an ecological perspective at the individual, community, health-system, and policy/legal levels.MethodsThis study includes 1) a systematic literature review of both published and unpublished literature since 2008 and 2) focus group discussions (FGDs) with key stakeholders representing 18 international and local governmental and non-governmental organizations.ResultsThe literature review included 27 documents. Stakeholder discussions highlighted important research and policy gaps. Prevalence estimates of SGBV, honor killing, and early marriage vary across sources; however, all of them indicate that they remain important issues for youth in Jordan. Several sources indicate that early marriage has been increasing in Jordan since the beginning of the war in Syria, especially among Syrian refugees. Refugee youth are particularly vulnerable to SGBV and early marriage given the worsening economic situation in Jordan. The norms, attitudes, and practices that support SGBV in Jordan appear to be reinforced within families and communities. Despite ongoing programs, SGBV services are limited, especially for youth, and there is little awareness of service availability amongst target populations. Laws and policies continue to offer legal justification for SGBV, honor killing, and early marriage.DiscussionAs countries across the Middle East face instability and continue to struggle with the urgent health needs of large refugee and youth populations, this review provides valuable insight relevant to research, programs, and policy in Jordan and across the region.

Empowering Youth to Build BRIDGES: Youth Leadership in Suicide Prevention

Suicide is a prevalent health issue for youth and understanding youth experiences is critical for the development of effective prevention strategies. Although youth perceptions regarding suicide are relatively well studied, there is a paucity of youth voices in the planning, design, facilitation, and implementation of suicide prevention research. This study examines youth perceptions of suicide prevention through a community-academic partnership with the Youth Council for Suicide Prevention (YCSP). Working together as co-researchers, the YCSP conducted a modified Group Level Assessment with over 200 youth to understand youth perspectives on suicide prevention. The findings were used by the council to inform outreach and prevention activities that directly affect YCSP members and their peers.

Educação de jovens e adultos e desenvolvimento local em comunidades quilombolas rurais brasileiras

Este artigo aborda a educação de jovens e adultos (EJA) como força catalisadora da participação comunitária e de processos de desenvolvimento local no contexto de uma comunidade quilombola rural brasileira. Em tal contexto se buscou compreender melhor qual o papel da educação de jovens e adultos, identificando fatores que potencializam ou que inibem processos educativos articulados com dinâmicas de desenvolvimento local. O desenho metodológico se pautou por abordagens participativas centradas na pesquisa-ação, implicando lideranças quilombolas na construção compartilhada de processos educativos não formais definidos por elas como prioritários. Para tanto, propôs-se o Programa EJA e Desenvolvimento Local, vinculado a uma instituição educacional, que materializou atividades educativas não formais referentes à homeopatia rural; técnicas em armazenamento de água; e roteiro turístico quilombola de base comunitária. Um dos principais desafios identificados foi a organização de tempos-espaços favoráveis à participação comunitária. Contudo, os principais resultados apontaram a educação de jovens e adultos como ferramenta de participação comunitária e mediadora de conflitos endógenos por meio dos círculos de diálogo, que geraram aprendizagens colaborativas, engajando quilombolas e parceiros externos na busca de soluções dos problemas comunitários inibidores de processos estruturantes de desenvolvimento local.

Problems of Youth Leisure in Ukraine and Ways of their Solution

The aim of the article is to summarize the problems of youth leisure and to identify the ways of solving them at the state and regional levels.Research methodology. Methods of analysis, synthesis and modeling were used in the research process.Results. In the process of reviewing the issue, all problems are intelligently divided into three groups — global or state, local or regional and sectoral and individual. Global problems of youth leisure have been examined in the context of the imperfection of the communication process; the policy area in force in the current legislation of the sphere of culture and the financial support of cultural heritage. Local problems of youth leisure are directly dependent on regional and sectoral factors. Thus, the individual problems of leisure of the modern youth are formed under the influence of changes in value orientations, needs and interests. The basic individual problems of youth leisure recognized the inability to plan and rationally use free time and support the forms and manifestations of mass culture. The author develops the recommendations and concrete proposals for solving youth leisure problems in the areas of “public administration”, “information” and “financing”.Novelty. The problems of modern youth leisure in Ukraine are generalized. The role of the human factor in shaping and solving the problem of contemporary youth leisure has been determined. The human factor is considered in the context of the triad: state figures (lawmakers and managers) — specialists (cultural workers) — their own youth with their outlook, values, needs and interests.The concept of the Internet portal of information resources of cultural and leisure life of young people has been developed and described in detail, with the purpose of creating a single cultural and leisure information network.The practical significance. The main findings and conclusions of the study are the contribution to the development of applied cultural studies. It is possible to use the results of the research in the practical activities of cultural and leisure activities and management of issues of youth and culture.

Treatment of cardiometabolic risk factors in patients with type 1 diabetes.

Individuals with type 1 diabetes (T1D) have excess cardiovascular risk and reduced life expectancy. Adolescence is the time when the first signs of vascular complications appear and a critical window for interventions. This article reviews recent evidence on cardiometabolic risk factors and their management in youth with T1D. Adolescents with T1D show early signs of vascular complications, as a result of several cardiometabolic risk factors. Poor glycemic control is one of the main risk factors and the main target of treatment. However, only a minority of adolescents with T1D reaches recommended targets for glycemic control. Hypertension, dyslipidemia, smoking, alcohol use, obesity and insulin resistance are other common cardiometabolic risk factors in this age group. Recent data confirm that screening for these risk factors is suboptimal and use of pharmacological interventions for hypertension and dyslipidemia remains low. Data on adjunctive noninsulin agents to improve glycemic control and other cardiometabolic risk factors are still lacking in this age group. Vascular complications and the associated mortality remain a major issue for youth with T1D. Better screening strategies for cardiometabolic risk factors and interventions are required to improve the long-term prognosis of youth with T1D.

The Cost of Academic Focus: Daily School Problems and Biopsychological Adjustment in Chinese American Families.

Stress from daily school problems may accumulate and eventually lead to mental health issues in both youth and their parents. With a strong cultural emphasis on school performance, Chinese American families may be particularly vulnerable to such stress. In the current research, Chinese American adolescents (N = 95; Mean age = 13.7 years; 51% girls) and their parents completed daily diary reports of school problems and emotional well-being for 14 continuous days. Adolescents also provided four saliva samples per day for 4 consecutive days. Multilevel modeling analyses showed that youth's daily school problems predicted their lower happiness, higher distress, and higher total cortisol output above and beyond their emotional well-being and cortisol output the prior day. Moreover, there was a spillover effect such that youth's school problems also negatively predicted their parents' emotional well-being. Notably, the negative influence from school problems was moderated by children's cultural orientation, such that youth who were more oriented toward Chinese (vs. American) culture were more vulnerable to the school problems. Taken together, our results highlight the costs on biopsychological adjustment accompanying the academic focus in Chinese American youth and their parents.

Социально ориентированные некоммерческие организации и молодежные объединения как фактор формирования гражданственности молодежи

The article analyses the issue of youth’s civic consciousness formation in the face of new emerging communication formats. The topic of youth’s civic consciousness formation is one of the most relevant and requires comprehensive scientific analysis. The study aims to determine how modern subjects of the civil society - non-profit socially oriented organisations and public associations - affect youth’s acquisition of civic values. Argumentation is carried out by means of the data collected through an empirical research conducted by the authors in 2019.

Cannabis and the Developing Adolescent Brain.

This review summarizes (1) recent trends in delta-9-tetrahydrocannabionol [THC] and cannabidiol (CBD) content in cannabis products, (2) neurobiological correlates of cannabis use on the developing adolescent brain, (3) effects of cannabis on psychiatric symptoms and daily functioning in youth (i.e., academic performance, cognition, sleep and driving), (4) cannabis products used to relieve or treat medical issues in youth, and (5) available treatments for cannabis use disorder in adolescence. Despite marked increases in THC content and availability of cannabis, there has been a decline in perceived risk and an increase in use of THC extract products among youth in the United States. The primary psychiatric symptoms associated with cannabis use in youth are increased risk for addiction, depressive, and psychotic symptoms. Cannabis alters endocannabinoid system function which plays a central role in modulating the neurodevelopment of reward and stress systems. To date, few studies have examined neurobiological mechanisms underlying the psychiatric sequalae of cannabis exposure in youth. Adolescent cannabis exposure results in impaired cognition, sleep, and driving ability. There are very limited FDA-approved cannabinoid medications, none of them supporting their use for the treatment of psychiatric symptoms. Behavioral therapies are currently the mainstay of treating cannabis misuse, with no pharmacotherapies currently approved by the FDA for cannabis use disorder in youth. Here, we summarize the most up-to-date knowledge on the neurobiological psychiatric, and daily function effects of the most commonly used cannabinoids, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). We then review FDA approved medical use of cannabinoid treatments as well as pharmacological and psychological treatments for cannabis use disorder in youth. Our current understanding of the effects of cannabis on the developing brain and treatments for cannabis misuse in youth remain limited. Future research aimed at examining the neurobiological effects of cannabis, with objective measures of exposure, over the course of pediatric development and in relation to psychiatric symptoms are needed.

As Diverse as the Spectrum Itself: Trends in Sexuality, Gender and Autism

The goal of this paper is to provide an update on recent findings relating to sexuality and gender in autism. The following questions were posed in the review of recent literature: What are the key emerging trends in sexuality and gender within autism, and how might these issues have clinical significance? After many years of misinformation, it is now recognised that most autistic people are interested in romance and sexuality. There is growing awareness of reduced heterosexuality and increased diversity and dysphoria in gender identity in autistic people, and initial clinical guidelines for the potential co-occurrence of autism and gender dysphoria are emerging. There is a heightened risk of inappropriate sexual behaviours and victimisation in autism, and autistic women appear to be more vulnerable in having unwanted sexual experiences than autistic males and typically developing females. Sexuality and gender are importance topics for most autistic people. Experience and expression of sexuality and gender may differ in the autistic population compared with typically developing people, which underlies the importance of identifying, understanding and supporting the development and maintenance of intimate relationships in autistic people. We suggest a biopsychosocial and developmental framework be used to tailor individual support for sexuality and gender-related issues for autistic youth.

Discovering socially withdrawn youth in Shanghai through the eyes of social workers: A mixed-methods study

SummaryThe phenomenon of the social withdrawal of youth has been increasingly identified in some developed Asian and Western countries. There is also evidence to suggest that it is an emerging problem among the youth of China. To assess the current status of this youth problem in China, an exploratory mixed-methods study was conducted to collect the views through survey from 364 social workers in Shanghai and five focus group interviews were then conducted.FindingsSocial workers in Shanghai began to identify cases of social withdrawal among youth as early as in 2004. Social workers’ perceptions and intervention approaches were influenced by the extent of their experience in working with the identified youth group. They believed family relationships were a key causal factor in the social withdrawal of youth. The majority of family members of socially withdrawn youth tended to see social workers as the first line of help. Social workers also reported that the fragmentation of existing social services in Shanghai was a significant barrier, with respect to the rendering of timely assistance to this youth population.ApplicationsThis study can be considered to be the first attempt to explore the extent and nature of youth social withdrawal behaviour in China, from the perspectives of Chinese social workers. It is hoped that the study provides insights into the capacity of the existing youth social services in China to deal with this emerging youth issue.

A comparative analysis of gender and youth issues in rice production in North, Central, and South Vietnam

ABSTRACT This paper examines how rice farmers at all gender and ages perceive climate change and adopt Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) technologies to enhance resilience and adaptation in three sub-regions of Vietnam. Impacts on livelihoods resilience, workloads of left behind family members, gender roles and responsibilities are also assessed. Using data from 579 randomly-sampled households, results show that women play a more important role in rice production in North and Central compared to the South due to higher rate of male out-migration. Differences in awareness and adoption of CSA technologies are observed although men and women across provinces have similar perception of climate change. The key challenges of youth engagement include drudgery in farm operations, labour-intensive technologies, low profit, inadequate access to land and credit, and lack of agricultural insurance scheme. Results imply that farmers should be provided with equal opportunities in trainings and field demonstrations on CSA technologies. Recommendations to attract the youth include: (i) promote on-farm training at school; (ii) organize exchange visits, trade fairs, competition on farming techniques; (iii) develop good production and business model; (iv) emphasize the important role of farmers and agriculture; (v) update agricultural policies and programmes; (vi) upgrade the skills and knowledge of extension workers.

ФОРМИ ЗАЛУЧЕННЯ МОЛОДІ НІМЕЧЧИНИ ДО ПОЛІТИЧНОГО ЖИТТЯ КРАЇНИ

The article deals with the features of political participation of German youth, in particular, information obtained from the results of studies of youth issues. Youth policy-making in Germany takes place at different levels. The cooperation between public and non-public institutions and organizations is determined by the principle of subsidiarity. The principle of subsidiarity is that a central authority performs only those tasks that cannot be executed by a person or organization at a local level. The guiding principle of this policy approach is the active participation of young people. The latest achievement in Germany as part of this strategy is the development of a so-called «youth check» (Jugendcheck), that serves to assess the impact of national legislation on the life of young people. «Youth check» also serves to examine if and how young people were involved in the democratic procedures and the development of public projects. Another issue in the Germany’s policies is the integration and support of young refugees. Young people lacking higher educational and professional qualifications run the danger of being isolated not only professionally and financially, but also politically, because they lack the political skills necessary to assert their political demands and because they use their political rights to a lesser extent. The Internet enables the acceleration and expansion of political activities of young people. The attraction of all media and forms of communication quickly and directly not only leads to a larger amount of information, communication and participation but also to a new level of quality in social interaction. The development of skills and certain personality characteristics also guarantees a positive social integration into the adult world under difficult and changed present social conditions. Young people with higher levels of education and political involvement tend to use opportunities for democratic political decision-making more frequently than others. It is safe to say that all forms of political participation, from the simple act of voting to time-consuming activities such as working for political parties, increase with the level of a person’s education. The study of the experience of policy participation of young people in other countries can be a good source for innovative ideas for educating civic identities in youth.

CONTEMPORARY EXPOSITION OF CHARACTERS IN THE NOVELS OF CHETAN BHAGAT

Numerous authors are effective at communicating what is in their hearts or articulating in a specific perspective. Chetan Bhagat's Novels do both and that is only the tip of the iceberg. Bhagat, in his novels, portrays a genuine story amalgamated with genuine occasions intermixing with a grave, dull foundation. He gets the beat of the country by utilizing a dialect that the adolescents swear by. He is the author of present day India and he has put numerous issues of youth through his books. In each novel he has featured his profound worry about the youth today, that is, what are the issues, expectations and goals. He generally discusses about youngster’s worries, their apprehensions and every one of those things which distract them, by methods for his compositions. His composition subjects incorporate parental scholarly weight alongside pre-marriage sex, drinking and different points unthinkable in socially moderate India. Contemporary style is the fixation thatchooses the achievement of one who makes works of art. A number of authors spent their lifetime in sadness, not as per normal procedure in light of dejection of their considerations, but instead in light of the way that the total disposition of public isnot adequately refined. It cannot be denied that predominance and quality are two interesting points. The present paper focuses on elucidation of modern-day characters in the novels written by Chetan Bhagat. The writing style of Bhagat and the depiction of his characters in his novels are explained in this paper.

An Exploration of the Relationship Between Spirituality, Religion and Mental Health Among Youth Who Identify as LGBT+: A Systematic Literature Review.

There is a growing interest in addressing spirituality in health care with evidence emerging that personal spiritual and religious practices, and support of these, can influence mental health in a positive way. However, there can be distinct challenges to spiritual expression and mental health issues for youth who identify as LGBT+. The goal of this paper was to undertake a systematic review of the available evidence to investigate the relationship between mental health, spirituality and religion as experienced by LGBT+ youth. A comprehensive literature search was conducted using medical and psychological databases that focused on spirituality, mental health and LGBT+ youth. The search yielded a total of ten articles published in English between May 2008 and June 2018. The key findings highlighted issues around discriminatory attitudes, shame related to disclosure, spirituality as a supportive resource, internalised conflict and external factors around sexual orientation concerns. The psychological, social and health implications are presented and discussed.

قضايا الشباب في البرامج الحوارية في القنوات الفضائية العراقية.

The purpose of this research is to identify the youth issues in Talk Shows in the Iraqi satellite channels via monitoring a sample of episodes of the Talk Shows episodes which are concerned and analyzed the youth issues in the Iraqi satellite channels, namely, «Hala Shabab Program» at Al-Iraqia satellite Channel and «Shabab wa Banat Program» at Al-Sumaria satellite Channel by recording and re-watching them again. This research is classified as one of descriptive researches. The survey method was adopted in this study. For this purpose, the researcher prepared an analysis form. The researcher designed the content analysis form based on the research problem, goals and questions related to the research problem, which included the categories of analysis that were presented to the experts, relying on calculating the number of occurrences and percentages as a statistical measure. The researcher reached a number of results, the most important of which are: The most prominent issues, that are displayed on «Hala Shabab» and «Shabab wa Banat» Programs, are focused on the artistry and cultural issues which are ranked firstly, and social issues are ranked secondly. The programs of the research’s sample are focused on (male) gender, according to the nature of the guests’ gender, via a large percentage (87.5%) for the program of «Hala Shabab», and (76.47%) for the «Shabab wa Banat» These percentages are indicated that the two programs are focused on the dialogue with male guests more than the female guests whose percentages of hosting, in the research sample programs, are very poor. The majority of programs’ guests, «Hala Shabab», «Shabab wa Banat», are respectively introduced the three high ranks (poet, civil activist and artist) for each. Such category of people reflects the concentration of this kind of program that hosts guests of these qualities in. The programs of the research’s sample are also different in the methods of presentation of dialogue issues largely and variously, namely the program of «Hala Shabab» is based on the category of (one dialogue issue) which is presented a large percentage (90%). Whilst, the program of «Shabab wa Banat» is focused on the category (more than one dialogue issue) which is inevitably presented high percentage (95%). Thus, there are variations and differences in the methods of issues presentation in the programs of the research’s sample. The most prominent issues, that are displayed on Hala Shabab and Shabab wa Banat Programs, are focused on the artistry and cultural issues which are ranked firstly, and social issues are ranked secondly. The programs of the research’s sample are focused on (male) gender, according to the nature of the guests’ gender, via a large percentage (87.5%) for the program of Hala Shabab, and (76.47%) for the Shabab wa Banat program. These percentages are indicated that the two programs are focused on the dialogue with male guests more than the female guests whose percentages of hosting, in the research sample programs, are very poor. The majority of programs’ guests, Hala Shabab, Shabab wa Banat, are respectively introduced the three high ranks (poet, civil activist and artist) for each, which are reflected that these programs are concentrated, on these qualities, in hosting guests. The programs of the research’s sample are also different in the methods of presentation of dialogue issues largely and variously, namely the program of Hala Shabab is based on the category of (one dialogue issue) which is presented a large percentage (90%). Whilst, The program of Shabab wa Banat is focused on the category (more than one dialogue issue) which is inevitably presented high percentage (95%). Thus, there are variations and differences in the methods of issues presentation in the programs of the research’s sample.

What Psychosocial Factors are Associated with Positive Educational Outcomes?

ABSTRACT Vulnerable youth often face challenges with delayed learning due to their life experiences. Trauma, loss, mental illness, and social-emotional developmental delays present a variety of challenging educational issues for such youth. This study was undertaken at a Therapeutic Residential Care (TRC) facility to provide insights into psychosocial and educational experiences adolescent clients were facing. A total of 85 clients participated in this study. The setting was an adolescent Therapeutic Residential Care (TRC) facility located in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. Results from Pearson product moment correlations and stepwise multiple regression analyses indicated that the more adolescent clients made gains in reading during their time in treatment, and the more positive their overall psychosocial developmental attitudes, the more confident they felt about their school functioning upon exit.

About the Conference on Youth Issues in Saint Petersburg

About the Conference on Youth Issues in Saint Petersburg

ПРОЕКТ СОЗДАНИЯ ПЕДАГОГИЧЕСКИХ УСЛОВИЙ ФОРМИРОВАНИЯ ЛИЧНОСТНОЙ ИДЕНТИЧНОСТИ СОВРЕМЕННОЙ СТУДЕНЧЕСКОЙ МОЛОДЕЖИ В СЕТЕВОМ ПРОСТРАНСТВЕ

The paper studies the factors on which pedagogical conditions for overcoming the crisis of personal identity of modern student youth in the network space depend. The scientific approaches to the analysis of the concept and the process of forming the personal identity of modern student youth in a network space are determined. The features of educational content that ensure the updating of life-meaning issues of modern student youth, the design and assimilation of the image of a person of culture as an axiological basis for building an image of one’s own life are revealed. The features of the teacher’s educational position in the process of network interaction with students in the implementation of educational content based on the advantages of network technologies in the implementation of a single concept of the process of formation of personal identity are studied. The use of crowdsourcing network technology in the process of formation and broadcasting of educational content, which determines the formation of personal qualities that ensure overcoming the crisis of personal identity of modern students is methodologically and technologically justified.

Young people’s life trajectories and social concerns about Russia’s future

The life plans of young people are an important factor affecting the future socio-economic development of our country. In this regard, a study of the prevalence of migration moods as one of the forms of realization of personal life plans of representatives of the younger generation is particularly relevant, since the results of a number of sociological studies tend to increase this kind of moods at the present time. The purpose of this article lies in studying the main factors that influence the choice of life strategies of the three main groups of young people (high school students, students, and representatives of working youth). The empirical basis of the study was formed by a questionnaire survey of students concerning the identification of the level of concern about the future of Russia and ways to overcome this concern by choosing future life trajectories. The IBM SPSS Statistics 23 program was used to process the received data. The study has found that most representatives of all youth groups are concerned about the future of Russia. However, the respondents who consider themselves competitive are more concerned about the future of the country than those who have a low estimate of their competitive potential. At the same time, with age, there was a decrease in the proportion of young people who are characterized by the manifestation of opposition moods. About a third of the respondents from various youth groups consider moving to another country as an option to overcome their concerns about their future. The predominant motivation of respondents who show emigration moods is to improve their living conditions, while the focus on education and professional self-realization are secondary factors. As a result of the study, it was noted that the desire to move to another country decreases with increasing the age of respondents and a high assessment of personal competitive potential. The results obtained could be useful for researchers who study youth issues, for the representatives of executive and legislative bodies of state power, for the authorities involved in the development of youth policy, as well as for the representatives of interested public associations and organizations.

Sexual Behavior and Its Associated Factors among Male College Youths of Pokhara, Nepal

Introduction: Young people are the important group for addressing sexual and reproductive health of Nepal as the proportion of youth is nearly a fifth of the total population. The issue of youth’s sexual behavior and its consequences is a concern for every generation and it is likely to continue to be a challenge in the future. The study aimed to assess the sexual behavior and its associated factors among male college youths of Pokhara, Nepal. 
 Methods: An institution based cross sectional study was conducted among the 801 male youths of 16 colleges of Pokhara metropolitan. Probability proportional to size sampling was used as sampling strategy. A structured, pretested and sealed self-administered questionnaire was distributed among the 967 participants. The association between sexual behavior and the explanatory variables were assessed using chi square test and multivariate logistic regression.
 Results: The study revealed that the substantial proportion (45.1%) of the male college youths had indulged in sexual intercourse. Nearly two third (60.4%) of the sexually active respondents had two or more than two partners. Similarly,more than half (51.61%) of those who were involved in sexual intercourse with commercial sex worker had not used condom at an every act of sexual intercourse. Age of the respondents (AOR=3.20, 95% CI; 1.06-9.66), permanent residence (AOR=2.38,95% CI;1.55-3.68), living arrangement (AOR=1.71 ,95% CI; 1.13-2.58) and dependent for income (AOR= 0.39,95% CI; 0.24-0.63) were significantly associated with having sexual intercourse. 
 Conclusions: The younger male college youths living with friends, relatives or alone in temporary residences were sexually more active than their counterparts.