Young Lives Research Articles

Longitudinal analysis of growth and nutritional disparities across socio-demographics from early childhood to adolescence: Findings from the Indian cohort of the Young Lives Survey.

Previous studies generally used cross-sectional data and focused on under-five children to assess the risk factors for malnutrition among Indian children. Some recent studies have reported that recovery from or faltering in malnutrition is possible after five years of age, but socio-demographic subgroup disparities have not been explored. This study aims to find the longitudinal disparity in height-for-age Z-scores (HAZ) and body-mass-index-for-age Z-scores (BMIAZ scores) across various sub-groups of a cohort from childhood to adolescence. This study used a cohort from the Young Lives Survey, which followed children aged of 1-15 years between 2002 and 2016-17 in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, India. Mixed-effect models were applied to find the main, time, and interaction effects of HAZ scores and BMIAZ scores. In addition, an extended Kitagawa-Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition approach to assess group-based differences over time was used. The cross-sectional prevalence of stunting reduced across all subgroups, while thinness rose during the same period. The interactions of child sex, mother's education, place of residence, wealth index, and antenatal care with time were statistically significant at p <0.05. The gender disparity in adjusted HAZ score decreased from 0.214 units at 1 year to 0.011 units at 15 years, whereas BMIAZ score differential increased from 0.106 to 0.538 units over same timeframe. Disparities in scores were also observed across rural-urban, maternal education, social group, religion, socioeconomic status, maternal age at birth, antenatal care, and premature birth status. The study sheds light on the nuanced dynamics of paediatric growth, emphasising the importance of longitudinal approaches in understanding and addressing the health disparities across different stages of childhood and adolescence.

Protecting Young Lives: A Systematic Review of the Impact of Secondhand Smoke Exposure and Legislative Measures on Children's Health

Protecting Young Lives: A Systematic Review of the Impact of Secondhand Smoke Exposure and Legislative Measures on Children's Health

The spillover of violence: The gendered relationship between parental physical violence and peers’ bullying victimization

Child welfare and protection are of importance in low- and middle-income countries, yet parental physical violence (PPV) towards children is still widespread in Vietnam. Despite existing research on the adverse consequences of PPV, there is a lack of evidence from developing countries, particularly regarding its peer effects. This study investigated the association between class-level exposure to PPV and an individual student’s risk of bullying victimization. Potential gender differences in the association were also examined. This study utilized nationally representative data from the Young Lives: School Survey, Vietnam, 2011–2012 (YLSSV 2011–2012) (N = 2,508). This study leveraged quasi-exogenous variation arising from the random assignment of students to classes by employing school fixed effects models. The results of this study showed a significant positive association between a higher proportion of classmates exposed to PPV and an individual student’s risk of bullying victimization. This association remained significant even after adjusting for individual-level exposure to PPV and a variety of individual- and class-level covariates. Gender-stratified analyses revealed that PPV among male peers (but not female peers) is significantly associated with bullying victimization risk for both boys and girls. The findings of this study highlight that the negative impacts of violent parenting practices extend beyond the directly affected children, influencing their peers as well. This emphasizes the importance of protecting students from physical violence in the home environment.

Impact of chronic pelvic pain on quality of life in diverse young adults.

To examine the relationship between quality of life (QoL) and chronic pelvic pain (CPP), including an evaluation of whether differences exist between reported races and coping mechanisms used. We used a cross-sectional survey design and analyzed data using descriptive and inferential statistics. We administered two surveys: the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (26 items) and the Impact of Female Chronic Pelvic Pain Questionnaire (8 items). We recruited young adults aged 18-25 who menstruate from college campuses in a large metropolitan area in the Midwest region of the United States, utilizing flyers, online social media platforms, and snowball sampling techniques. Out of the 585 respondents, 153 (26%) reported "yes," and 95 (16%) were "unsure" they had CPP. Those with CPP and unsure reported using various coping mechanisms for pain. They had lower scores in all four domains (physical health, psychological, social relationship, and environment) and statistically significant lower scores in three domains (physical health, social relationship, and environment) on the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF when compared to those who said "no." Respondents identifying as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color had statistically significantly lower QoL in the physical health and environment domains compared to white respondents. Young adults with CPP experience a significantly lower QoL than those without CPP, and racial differences further widen this gap. Future research should explore coping mechanisms that could benefit young adults' daily lives.

Lived and care experiences of young people with chronic musculoskeletal pain and mental health conditions. A systematic review with qualitative evidence synthesis.

Chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMP) and coexisting mental health conditions impact young people; however, little is known about their lived and care experiences. In a prospectively registered systematic review with qualitative evidence synthesis (PROSPERO: CRD42022369914), we explored the following: (1) lived physical, psychological, and social experiences; and (2) care experiences/preferences of young people living with CMP and mental health conditions. Inclusion criteria: studies using qualitative methods; participants aged 16 to 24 years with CMP and coexisting mental health condition(s); phenomenon explored included lived and/or care experiences. Seven databases were searched (inception to 19-May-2024), study quality was assessed, data were extracted and analysed thematically, and GRADE-CERQual was used to assess confidence in findings. Twenty-two studies (23 reports) were included (>239 participants, 82% women). Lived experiences yielded 4 themes (9 findings): 2-way relationship between CMP and mental health (2 findings, low to moderate confidence); psychosocial implications of CMP (3 findings, very low-moderate confidence); uncertainty about future (2 findings, low-moderate confidence); coping with CMP and mental health conditions (2 findings, low-moderate confidence). Care experiences/preferences yielded 3 themes (8 findings): navigating healthcare systems (2 findings, moderate confidence); receiving appropriate care (3 findings, very low-moderate confidence); point-of-care experiences and care preferences (3 findings, very low-moderate confidence). Chronic musculoskeletal pain and mental health conditions are interconnected, significantly impacting young people's lives, identities, and socialisation, yet services for CMP and mental health are often inadequate and poorly integrated. The mechanisms and interplay of CMP and mental health require deeper exploration, including how young people may be better supported with personalised, holistic, developmentally and/or life-stage-appropriate integrated care.

Introduction to special issue: youth, rural places and marginalisation

ABSTRACT This Special Issue on Youth, Rural Places and Marginalisation, brings together nine papers from six countries – Australia, England, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden – to explore young people's experiences of living in rural locations. We focused on rural youth for two main reasons: firstly, there are relatively few sociological studies of young people's experience of rural life and, secondly, academics and policymakers have tended to frame discussions about young people and rural places in negative terms. Together the papers here use a wide range of methods – quantitative and qualitative longitudinal approaches, questionnaire surveying, face-to-face and online qualitative interviews, ethnography, visual methods, ‘mobile probes', ‘walk-along' and ‘drive-along' interviews – in order to understand young people's everyday life. We were particularly interested in the stories of young people who appeared to resist ‘the mobility imperative' and chose to stay rather than leave their rural homes. Our introduction focuses on ‘rethinking concepts of staying'; ‘gender and the risks of staying' and ‘geographies of rural opportunities'. We conclude with a call for a sociological imagination of rural youth that avoids romanticizing narratives of ‘the rural idyll’ or which paints rural places and populations as backward or lacking.

Self-Presentation on Social Media: Sociological Research of Young People in the City of Split (Croatia)

Youth self-presentation represents the creative expression of personality, interests, and attitudes through the formation of an online identity on social media, which is an indispensable component of young people's lives nowadays. Just as Goffman's actor presents himself on stage in everyday life, people on social media have unique modes of expression that include filtering, editing, and selective sharing of content in order to present themselves in the best light and impress their target online audience. This sociological research aims to gain an insight into how young people present themselves to their online audience by examining why and how often they use and post on social media, as well as how they create and edit content on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok as the most popular social media. An online survey was used in 2023 to gather data from a sample of 283 young people in Split (Croatia), who were between the ages of 20 and 34. The study's findings indicate that young people follow posts and stories of others every day and that women spend more time both following and posting content on social media than men. In comparison with Facebook and TikTok, they prefer to use Instagram. Compared to men who use social media because of its popularity or in order to make new acquaintances, women use it for entertainment (Facebook) and to follow and create content (Instagram). At the same time, women are more inclined to use various options and tools when creating and editing content on social media.

The Role of the Informal Economy in Child Labour in Rural India

This research paper delves into the heartbreaking reality of child labour within India’s informal economy, where millions of children are forced to abandon their childhoods for work. Despite laws designed to protect their rights, countless young lives are caught in a web of exploitation driven by poverty and a lack of opportunity. This study reveals the complex factors that lead children into labour—such as economic hardship, inadequate access to education, and societal norms that often overlook their suffering.

Explaining the Family-Centred Care of Young People With Depressive Disorders and Suicidal Ideations: A Grounded Theory Study.

This study aimed to develop a theory to guide family members caring for young people with depressive disorders and suicidal ideations. Strauss and Corbin's Grounded Theory. Theoretical sampling was used to recruit primary family caregivers (aged 22-60) of young people experiencing depressive disorders and suicidal ideations from hospitals and psychiatric clinics in Taiwan. Data were collected using interviews (n = 23) in 2023. Data were analysed using Corbin & Strauss' analytical framework, including open, axial and selective coding until theoretical saturation was reached. A paradigm model was used to link the 13 categories and develop a substantive theory to help guide family members in the care of their young persons with depressive disorders and suicidal ideations. The core category that emerged was 'Struggling to contain the young person's life by adjusting, assisting, and protecting them from diving into depression'. Other key categories interconnected with this core category were-creating a nurturing environment, adjusting to changes, protecting the young person's safety and assisting with their medical treatment. Family caregivers could use this theory as a guide to enhance the care of young persons experiencing depressive disorders and suicidal ideations and accompany them alongside the healing process. Nursing professionals could provide psychoeducation to family caregivers on how to hold the young person gently and acquire compassion for the young persons' lived experience, thoughts and emotions, by creating a nurturing environment, adjusting to changes, protecting their safety and assisting with their medical treatment. This theory provides valuable guidance for future intervention research aimed at improving family caregivers' ability to care for young persons with depressive disorders and suicidal ideations. The COREQ guidelines were utilised. No patient or public contribution.

Athlete's ECG Made Easy: A Practical Guide to Surviving Everyday Clinical Practice.

Electrocardiogram modifications in athletes are common and usually reflect structural and electrical heart adaptations to regular physical training, known as the athlete's heart. However, these electrical modifications sometimes overlap with electrocardiogram findings that are characteristic of various heart diseases. A missed or incorrect diagnosis can significantly impact a young athlete's life and potentially have fatal consequences during exercise, such as sudden cardiac death, which is the leading cause of death in athletes. Therefore, it is crucial to correctly distinguish between expected exercise-related electrocardiogram changes in an athlete and several electrocardiogram abnormalities that may indicate underlying heart disease. This review aims to serve as a practical guide for cardiologists and sports clinicians, helping to define normal and physiology-induced electrocardiogram findings from those borderlines or pathological, and indicating when further investigations are necessary. Therefore, the possible athlete's electrocardiogram findings, including rhythm or myocardial adaptation, will be analyzed here, focusing mainly on the differentiation from pathological findings.

Дисфункции проектирования молодёжной политики в российских университетах (на примере участников программы «Приоритет 2030»)

The article analyzes the models of youth policy presented in the development programs of universities participating in the Priority 2030 Federal Project. The author considers the University as the most important institution for the socialization of Russian youth, especially in a situation of geopolitical instability. This stage of a young person's life is defined as a time of social experimentation, selfdiscovery, and the acquisition of important personal qualities and values that contribute to the expansion of solidarity in Russian society. In this regard, the systemic youth policy of the university is becoming a key factor in the social integration of the younger generation. Based on the structural analysis of the program texts, the article draws conclusions about the existence of a number of dysfunctional patterns that significantly reduce the effectiveness of university youth policy. The most significant of them are the insufficient level of goal setting, the lack of measurable performance criteria, descriptive nature, weak correlation with national objectives and priorities. The article concludes that it is necessary to change the university's youth policy and adapt it to the peculiarities of the geopolitical situation in which Russia finds itself.

Prevalence of dentine hypersensitivity, erosive tooth wear, gingival recession and periodontal health in seven European countries

ObjectivesTo determine the prevalence and associated risk indicators for dentine hypersensitivity (DH), erosive tooth wear (ETW), gingival recession (GR), and gingival inflammation (bleeding on probing, BOP), with clinical and questionnaire data from seven European countries. MethodsA cross-sectional, observational, seven-European country, epidemiological study in systemically healthy adults. Participants completed a questionnaire regarding oral hygiene, diet and lifestyle factors. A clinical examination, by calibrated examiners, measured DH (Schiff; participant yes/no), ETW (basic erosive tooth wear examination, BEWE), GR (mm), and BOP (yes/no). Results3551 participants completed the study, mean age 44 ± 17.4, 43.6 % male, 26.1 % rural dwellers. DH (Schiff ≥ 1) was seen in 75.9 % of participants, ETW (BEWE ≥ 1) in 97.6 %, GR (≥1 mm) in 87.9 %. 65.7 % participants had BOP ≥ 10 % sites, 34.3 % BOP<10 % with probing depths ≤3 mm. DH, ETW, GR and BOP increased markedly during young adult life. Thereafter, GR and ETW continued to increase, DH declined after around age 38–47, and BOP plateaued after age 48. DH was significantly associated with ETW (p < 0.001) and GR (p < 0.01); GR was significantly associated with BOP on lingual surfaces (p = 0.017). There were significant associations between increased full mouth BOP ≥ 10 % and reduced brushing duration and exercise frequency (p < 0.001); increased DH and heartburn (p < 0.001); decreased DH (p < 0.001), ETW (p < 0.001) and BOP ≥ 10 % (p = 0.002) with powered toothbrush use. ConclusionsPrevalence of oral conditions assessed was high, greater than in the majority of the GR, DH and ETW literature. Periodontal health was seen in a third of sampled individuals. All these conditions varied markedly by country and age. Clinical significanceOral diseases and conditions were highly prevalent throughout the seven European countries investigated. For the majority, these conditions are eminently preventable and treatable by changing behaviours. Upstream policy changes are needed to address these health challenges, to raise awareness and to empower individuals with oral health education and support.

"No such thing as good cancer": a qualitative exploration of the experience of early-onset thyroid cancer in survivors.

The incidence of thyroid cancer has increased exponentially in recent decades. At the same time, there is a growing concern surrounding the overdiagnosis of indolent thyroid cancer, leading to invasive and potentially unnecessary interventions that can significantly impact young patients' lives. Yet, the experiences of survivors of thyroid cancer have been largely understudied. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of survivors of early-onset thyroid cancer. The qualitative research design of hermeneutic phenomenology guided this study. Participants completed a demographic survey and semi-structured interview that was subsequently transcribed verbatim and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Thirty-six survivors of thyroid cancer (83% female, median age at diagnosis: 37.1years, median age at interview: 43.5years) participated. Participants' experiences were characterized by two themes: (1) reconciling the meaning of the "c" word (cancer) as a dangerous and life-threatening diagnosis with lived experience of thyroid cancer and (2) thyroid cancer leaves patients with lifelong physical and emotional scars. Survivors of early-onset thyroid cancer experience significant short and late effects on their physical and psychosocial well-being. Survivors shared some of the difficulties of having to reconcile what they were told was a "good cancer" and their previously held beliefs of cancer, including feeling lost in the healthcare system and like they could not access services or be impacted because they had been told they had "good cancer." Increased communication of risks and acknowledgement of the perceptions surrounding cancer is needed to help patients make better informed decisions and feel supported throughout their thyroid cancer journey. Gaps in care pathways, especially adjustments post-treatment, should be filled to help support these survivors.

Transition to Adulthood through Coaching and Empowerment in Rheumatology (TRACER): A feasibility study protocol.

The transition from pediatric to adult care for patients with chronic disease is a vulnerable period, with risks of disengagement from care and subsequent complications of inadequately managed disease. This period comes at a time when there are many other transitions occurring in the young person's life, including changes to vocation, social supports, and to their physiology. The aim of the TRACER study is to assess the feasibility of conducting a multi-center, randomized-controlled trial of a virtual Transition Coach Intervention in youth transferring from pediatric to adult rheumatology care. Patients are being recruited at their last pediatric rheumatology visit from McMaster Children's Hospital and Children's Hospital, London Health Sciences Centre in Ontario, Canada. Participants are then randomized to standard of care or to eight transition coaching sessions, covering topics around health management, future planning, and self-advocacy. The primary outcomes of the study are to demonstrate protocol feasibility, including optimal recruitment and consent rates, ≥ 90% coaching session completion, and complete data collection with ≤ 5% missing data. Baseline demographics, transition readiness, global functional assessment, disease activity, and self-efficacy will be collected to characterize the study population. Recruitment has begun and is estimated to last 19 months. This study will inform the design of a robust, multi-centered, randomized-controlled study to investigate the impact of a virtual transition coaching program in supporting the physical, mental, and social well-being of youth with rheumatic disease transitioning into adult care. Clinical trial registration: ClinicalTrials.Gov protocol ID: 14499.

Examining community-level protection from Alaska Native suicide: An Indigenous knowledge-informed extension of the legacy of Michael Chandler and Christopher Lalonde.

Chandler and Lalonde broadened the scope of inquiry in suicide research by providing theoretical grounding and empirical support for the role of community, culture, and history in understanding Indigenous youth suicide and reimagining its prevention. Their work pushed the field to consider the intersectional process of individual and collective meaning-making in prevention of Indigenous suicide, together with the central role culture plays in bringing coherence to this process over time. Their innovation shifted the research focus to include the shared histories, contexts, and structures of meaning that shape individual lives and behaviors. We describe here a new generation of research extending their pathbreaking line of inquiry. Recent work aims to identify complex associations between community-level structures and suicidal behavior by collaborating with Alaska Native people from rural communities to describe how community protective factors function as preventative resources in their daily lives. Community engagement and knowledge co-production created a measure of community protection from suicide. Structured interviews with rural Alaska Native community members allowed use of this measure to produce relevant, accessible, and actionable knowledge. Ongoing investigations next seek to describe their mechanisms in shaping young people's lives through a multilevel, mixed-methods community-based study linking community-level protection to protection and well-being of individual youth. These efforts to understand the multiple culture-specific and culturally mediated pathways by which communities build on their strengths, resources, and practices to support Indigenous young people's development and reduce suicide risk are inspired by and expand on Chandler and Lalonde's remarkable legacy.

Acute Aortic Dissection during Pregnancy: Hideous Clinical Quandaries with Young Lives on the Line—The Role of Hereditary Genetic Syndromes

Objective: Acute aortic dissection is a rare but frequently fatal aortic catastrophe with high morbidity and mortality. Especially in pregnant patients, acute dissection is often misdiagnosed putting two lives on the line. Due to its scarcity, only case reports have been reported. The aim of this study is to analyze the time of aortic dissection during the course of pregnancy and the outcome of emergency surgery in pregnant women with and without hereditary connective tissue disorder. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all acute aortic dissections (type A and B) who underwent emergency aortic surgery at our institution between 1994 and 2022 and identified 13 patients with acute aortic dissection during pregnancy or directly postpartum. Mann–Whitney U and Fisher’s exact tests were used for statistical analysis. Results: Of the 13 included patients, 5 had a genetic syndrome. These patients were significantly younger at the time of dissection and at an earlier stage of pregnancy (second trimester). Even though operative and in-house mortality was zero, we lost one patient on postoperative day 14 due to rupture of the aortic root after transfer to another hospital. Survival of neonates was 77% including two aborted pregnancies. Conclusions: Surgical treatment of acute aortic dissection during pregnancy can be performed with excellent operative mortality for the mothers and satisfying survival of their neonates. In patients with genetic syndrome, dissection occurs during the early second trimester, whereas non-syndromic patients experience acute dissection in the late third trimester. Long-term follow-up is essential for timely re-intervention, if needed.

‘Things have changed since we last spoke…’: The impacts of parental death on the life and livelihood of a young informal vendor in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

AbstractWhile an increasing number of studies concerning youth and informality have examined the complex relationship between youth, informal work and transitions to adulthood, this literature has paid little attention to how the death of a family member presents distinctive challenges to young vendors' life and livelihood progression. Addressing this, the paper draws on a case study of a small‐scale informal worker in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, who was participating in in‐depth ethnographic research when their father died suddenly. Through this, it investigates how parental death intersects with the challenges a young vendor experienced working informally while simultaneously attempting to achieve transitions to anticipated adulthood. Life‐mapping interviews and participatory timeline diagrams were employed, gaining rich insights into a young vendor's experiences of parental death, revealing how these were shaped by an interplay between the past, present and future. More specifically, the research, which brings together literature concerning youth, informality and family relations, explores how parental death can (re)configure a young person's household roles, responsibilities and relations in response to sudden precarity in the present, reshaping priorities and plans towards achieving goals over different timeframes. Given persistent levels of informality and uncertainty across employment in sub‐Saharan Africa and beyond, this article provides a timely contribution by highlighting the need for more studies to investigate how parental death creates and exacerbates the challenges youth vendors experience, constraining their abilities to grow and sustain their lives and livelihoods within the informal sector.

Rethinking Empowerment: Young African Migrants’ Understandings of Power and Empowerment in Ghana

Concepts of empowerment pervade popular discourses on youth and the term is often applied uncritically as a means to leverage young people’s perspectives on matters that affect their lives. Despite such focus, little critical work exists that unpacks young people’s own meanings of the term, or indeed considers the possible unintended consequences that may emerge from these framings. Drawing on interviews and focus groups with 59 young African migrants aged 15–24 years in Ghana, we examine young people’s understandings of empowerment and consider the concept’s usefulness for supporting young lives. Findings were analysed thematically and highlighted how socioeconomic conditions shaped young people’s agency and (limited) the opportunities to effect change. Our analysis raises critical questions about the relevance of empowerment to the lives of marginalised youth who live and work in contexts of vulnerability. The paper advances the conceptual elaboration of empowerment as it relates (or not) to the lives of young African migrants and considers how best to harness these perspectives in actions that support positive youth futures.

"I Want Everybody to Know as Much of My Life Story as They Can": Life Stories of Former Foster Youth.

The power of stories shared by young people in foster care is well-documented. Largely left unexplored is a story of foster care that is told within a fuller context of the life course. Using narrative and life history methods, this study sought to retrospectively identify and connect life experiences in histories of young people and explore how systems are portrayed. Twelve adults formerly in foster care completed three interviews each and nominated six professionals from foster care for an interview. A three-phase analytical process identified and displayed themes across six developmental stages. Results suggest that life stories contained adversities that were: (1) intergenerational, (2) chronic, (3) complex, and (4) structural. The participants intentionally acted to try to mitigate adversities by accessing opportunities for prosocial pathways. These exploratory findings challenge child welfare policy and practice to attend to young people's life stories and their conceptions of systems that advance well-being.

Young Spouses' Experiences of Having a Partner With Heart Disease and Adolescents Living at Home.

To describe the life situation of spouses having a partner with heart disease and adolescents living at home. Qualitative inductive design. Participants (n = 22) were included from three Scandinavian countries. Semi-structured interviews were analysed using thematic analysis with an inductive and latent approach. Three themes were derived. 'Being in spousal and parental role transition' described how daily life had been affected and parental responsibilities had been doubled due to their partner's heart disease. 'Living with unpredictability and insecurity' included how the unpredictable illness trajectory caused worries and affected the well-being of the family. 'Managing a challenging life situation' highlights how spouses coped with their partners' heart disease and adapted to a new life situation. Young spouses' life situation was greatly affected by their partner's heart disease, resulting in increased responsibilities and double parenthood. Having a positive attitude and mindset towards life was used as a strategy to cope with the changed life situation and find a new way of life. All family members are affected by heart disease. Spouses needed additional professional support and guidance on how to involve the children when a parent is ill. This study highlights how young spouses, with adolescents living at home, experience their life situation. The life situation is unpredictable due to the partner's heart disease, as they must handle both caring for their partner and taking on double parenthood. Research involving family members can improve person- and family-centred care and treatment outcomes in health care and society. COREQ checklist was used preparing the manuscript. Data collection included interviews with spouse. WHAT DOES THIS PAPER CONTRIBUTE TO THE WIDER GLOBAL CLINICAL COMMUNITY?: By highlighting the spouses changed life situation due to heart disease and the importance of including them in health care.