Youth Need Research Articles

Provision of online information and resources for resistance training in Australian youth sports: A scoping review

Objectives This study aimed to identify and synthesize online information/resources related to resistance training provided by governing bodies of the ten most popular youth sports in Australia. Design A scoping review. Methods The top 10 organised out-of-school sports were eligible for the review. A systematic search of national sporting organisation and associated websites was conducted, using key search terms. Data were extracted regarding information and/or resources aligning with current international youth muscle-and-bone strengthening activity guidelines (i.e., 5–17 years, three days per week). Results For all ten sports, information/resources on resistance training were provided for athletes or coaches, however the type of information and level of detail varied. There was lack of consistency between guidelines and information provided by sports. Age of commencement recommendations ranged from four years (athletics) to 14 years (Australian football), whilst others suggested resistance training for all ages (gymnastics) or did not provide an explicit age range (tennis and cricket). Regarding frequency, few sports organisations provided a recommendation for how many days per week resistance training should be performed. Some sports alluded to the need for youth to develop muscular fitness to enhance fitness and performance, whilst others focused primarily on the need for resistance training as an injury prevention tool. Conclusions Our findings highlight the gap that exists in the provision of information in relation to resistance training in Australian sports. It is important that national sporting organisations look to educate athletes and coaches (and parents) from grassroots levels on the need for muscular fitness.

Visual Communication Bridging Intercultural Barriers: Collaborative Methods Supporting the Social Inclusion of Young Refugees

This paper explores the possibilities of graphic languages in an intercultural context while analysing the potential of creative methods when working with refugee youth. The practice-based aspect of this research is undertaken with Open Doors Hungary, a community-based design project that creates a programme for unaccompanied refugee minors. The aim of Open Doors is to help young refugees integrate into Hungarian society and develop means of communication and quality relations with the host society. Refugee youth arriving in Hungary face serious problems: the loss of home and community, the traumas suffered during the journey, the cultural differences, and the lack of a common language make their social integration extremely challenging. These challenges are exacerbated by xenophobia and stereotypical opinions about foreigners. Social inclusion requires frequent contact with the local society, and refugee youth need new tools (cultural knowledge, language skills, intercultural skills) to overcome their disadvantages. Since 2013, the author has been working with refugee youth using participatory design tools such as regular creative sessions, workshops, and eight camps based on the integrating role of creativity and art. During these sessions, young refugees and their Hungarian and European peers learned about different visual communication tools and created common messages in the form of videos, animations, photos, posters, booklets, and murals. Through these activities, refugee youth become part of the design process, and the final result is based on their choices. In the theoretical research and field experiences, this paper states that design thinking and the creative process allow interactive cultural exchange, value sharing, safe and open discussions, and community building. As a global language, visual communication can be a tool for intercultural communication, storytelling, and self-expression. The opportunity for refugee youth and their Hungarian peers to work in intercultural teams develops new competencies and creates shared ownership and community.

Pivoting: Responding to the Mental Health Needs of Youth of Color With Technology

Mental health treatments currently available to address racial discrimination for 21 million youth of color are inadequate. Given the nascent but promising mechanisms found within behavioral health interventions via racial socialization, or the process through which children acquire knowledge about race, developing effective and scalable therapeutic strategies to contend with the stress from racism and discrimination is possible. We outline the active ingredients that facilitate behavioral change for youth psychosocial outcomes impacted by racial discrimination and describe how technology is being utilized for current and future implementation efforts. We argue that technological advancement, in addition to ecological considerations, is crucial for the reduction of structural and interpersonal risk factors negatively influencing the psychological wellness of youth of color. Technology integration across implementation and assessment will be critical, particularly given the potential for technology to further exacerbate mental health disparities.

Semiotically deconstructing parental and adolescent failed communication: It’s not what they’re saying, it’s their words

Language change and creativity among adolescent language use, is nothing new. However, teachers in schools and parents in homes continue to feel left out of the linguistic figured world of the youth that they teach or raise, often leading to either perceived or real failed communication. In this study I offer a thoughtful and perhaps unique social semiotic analysis of the process and motivation for youth creation of new words or the resemanticization of existing words. Understanding the need for youth to create their own linguistic worlds for acceptance into social worlds has less to do with creating a barrier between them and their parents or teachers and more to do with positive identity development, could be the key for unlocking positive communication with the adults in their lives. Within, I put forth the idea that there exist purposeful in-groups and out-groups, of which the out-groups can be further divided into desirable and un-desirable out-groups. It is important to uncover the different affordances of existing terms and to create inventories of new terms and their synchronic meanings and possible diachronic evolution, in order for parents to understand the motive and need for youth creativity with language. Accepting the possibility, that youth are simply constructing and describing the world around them, changes the paradigm of parental-adolescent communication from a gulf or abyss to a potential bridge or a passageway connecting the two worlds.

Konaway Nika Tillicum Native Youth Academy: Enacting a medicine wheel educational framework.

Native American youth need educational experiences that promote positive, healthy development, which requires decolonizing current educational experiences. Konaway Nika Tillicum Native Youth Academy (KNT) offers a holistic approach to education, incorporating Tribal cultures and values along with valuing higher education. Across two complementary studies, we seek to understand how the Medicine Wheel framework supports the design of educational experiences and the effectiveness of this design on positive development factors, including cultural identity development, self-esteem, and academic optimism. To address our research questions, we first share an ethnographic study including participant observations and interviews with five KNT staff to investigate how the educators of KNT enact the Medicine Wheel in designing educational experiences for Native youth. We then examined the effectiveness of this Medicine Wheel framework on positive development factors across two summers of the academy with youth ages 11-18 (23 boys, 38 girls) representing diverse tribal affiliations. Findings from our first research question reveal a Medicine Wheel Educational Framework that offers holistic and culturally sustaining/revitalizing education experiences for Native youth. Findings from our second research question indicate that Native youth experienced significant increases in their cultural identity and academic optimism directly and indirectly via increasing self-esteem through engaging in the KNT. Implications of findings show that when educated in a learning space that promotes Native students' culture, youth show healthy development in factors valued across Indigenous and Western perspectives, including cultural identity, self-esteem, and academic optimism. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Youth Mental Health First Aid Training: Impact on the Ability to Recognize and Support Youth Needs

Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) trains individuals who regularly interact with youth to identify youth experiencing mental health challenges. Several studies demonstrate positive training impacts, but few assess whether the training equally impacts participants of different demographic and professional backgrounds or those who participate in different training modalities. Using a pre-post follow-up design with a comparison group, this study examined changes in participants’ confidence in their ability to recognize and support youth mental health needs 1 to 2 months after training. Data were collected over two years (2021–2023) from training participants (n = 480) and comparable non-participants (n = 51). The authors examined whether changes in confidence varied by participant race/ethnicity, professional role in the education or mental health fields, and training modality (online versus hybrid). Training participants’ confidence in supporting youth mental health increased significantly compared to non-participants. Although the training was effective for all participants, those with less mental health experience benefited more, consistent with previous research. While both in-person and hybrid training were effective, in-person training participants reported slightly higher confidence scores than virtual at follow-up. Study findings suggest that educational and social service organizations should offer this training to their staff and community members who interact with youth, prioritizing participants with less prior mental health training and delivering training through an in-person training modality when possible. However, additional research is needed to explore how aspects of in-person training, such as trainer characteristics and group dynamics, impact outcomes.

Understanding the Needs of Gender-Diverse Youth and Young Adults and Their Staff Members in Homeless Shelters and Supported Housing

Understanding the Needs of Gender-Diverse Youth and Young Adults and Their Staff Members in Homeless Shelters and Supported Housing

‘I Was Part of Minority Group’: Youth’s Attitude Towards Multiculturalism and Their Awareness of Being an Intercultural Citizen

ABSTRACT This study explored the Indonesian youth’s attitude towards multiculturalism and their awareness of being an intercultural citizen. The research methodology adopted a qualitative method with a questionnaire as the research instrument. The Indonesian youth come from varied backgrounds. Thematically, the data were analysed based on race, ethnic, religious and other cultural issues particularly attitudes towards multicultural state, diversity and awareness of being an intercultural citizen. The findings provided that the youths’ attitudes are quite varied and tend to have a positive attitude towards a broad concept of multiculturalism, whilst when the concept provides real-life cases, there is a possibility for them to respond negatively. The youths also have significant awareness in responding to the idea of coexisting in diversity, however, there is a possibility to reject the concept of intercultural citizen and have a positive attitude towards a multicultural state at the same time. Thus, some factors might affect youth’s attitudes towards multiculturalism which are colonial legacy, political situation, deeply embedded concept of native inhabitants and socio-religious issues. Ultimately, the backgrounds of the youth need to be considered as those have a big influence on the way they see and define both concepts.

“Nutrition is the easiest thing I can do, right?”: Exploring the Nutrition Needs and Priorities of Transgender and Gender-Diverse Youth Through Key Informant Perspectives

“Nutrition is the easiest thing I can do, right?”: Exploring the Nutrition Needs and Priorities of Transgender and Gender-Diverse Youth Through Key Informant Perspectives

Education in India: Issues and Challenges

Education is one of the significant factors instrumental to the development of a country. It should be transformed to the needs of the time and changing scenario of the world. It provides an opportunity to critically reflect upon the social, economic, cultural, moral and spiritual issues facing humanity. India needs more efficient and educated people to drive our economy forward. There are many Indian around the corner who known for their capabilities and skills. To develop India as an education hub or to become a prosperous partner in global economy, India has to qualitatively strengthen education in general and higher education with research and development in particular. This paper is mainly focused on the overall performance of higher education system in India. We try to find out the initiatives taken by the government to raise level of education system. This paper aims to identify emerging issues and challenges in the field of Higher Education in India. Finally, the paper concludes here is need of plans requires solutions that combine, employers and youth need of Expectations of from various stakeholders Students, Industry, Educational Institutions, Parents and Government.

'Do it afraid': An arts-based reflexive collective case study exploring youth responses to post-concussion communication changes in daily life.

Concussion and communication researchers have yet to study how post-concussion communication changes affect youths' daily lives. The lack of attention paid to how young people respond to communication changes during concussion recovery constitutes a significant gap in current concussion management research and practices. To explore how youth respond to the effects of post-concussion communication changes in their daily life, including (1) daily routines, (2) relationships with family members, (3) relationships with peers and (4) participation in school/work and community activities. Five youths (16-25 years) and three family members participated in this arts-based reflexive collective case study. Ecocultural theory provided the theoretical framework for study design, data collection and analysis. Cases consist of (1) pre-interview demographic information, (2) three 60-90-min virtual interviews, (3) optional family member interviews, (4) multi-media arts-based participant-generated materials representing participants' experiences of communication change and concussion, and (5) researcher observations, discussions and reflexive journal entries. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Analysis yielded four themes that illustrate the ways youth navigated and adapted to post-concussion communication changes: (1) navigating changes in communication tasks, daily roles, and identity; (2) re-negotiating relationships and emotional reactions; (3) seeking control and learning to let go during recovery; and (4) helping youth adapt to post-concussion communication changes. The study findings deepen our understanding of the impact of post-concussion communication changes on youths' daily lives and underscore considerations critical to the development ofcommunication-focused concussion education programs and interventions tailored specifically for youth. What is already known on the subject Youth is a critical period of social and emotional development. Communication is integral to identity, relationships, participation in daily activities and well-being. Concussions can affect speech clarity, fluency, understanding and use of language, and social interactions. Re-engaging in routine activities and pre-injury roles can be challenging for youth experiencing communication changes as part of complex concussion recoveries. What this paper adds to the existing knowledge Findings from this research illuminate how youth navigate and adapt to communication changes post-concussion and support the development of youth-focused communication education programs, assessments and interventions. Youth participants actively managed their recoveries by developing innovative strategies to support their communication during daily activities, learning about communication, practicing communication tasks sequentially, and facing fears. Youth also reframed and challenged narrow views of 'normal communication'. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? Findings highlight the need for more youth- and communication-focused education materials and programs within youth concussion management protocols. Information about the specific ecological and sociocultural factors youth encounter during concussion recovery is needed to develop targeted communication-focused education and intervention programs for youth and their families to mitigate risks of isolation, loneliness, and mental health concerns and increase youths' participation in family, community and cultural life. By learning from youth about how communication changes affected their participation in daily activities, identity and relationships, clinicians can provide information and interventions to reduce adverse listener reactions and help young people feel supported and understood.

Minecrafters

In response to significant global events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, educational environments are undergoing a fundamental transformation towards collaborative online spaces and networked learning. Networked learning includes (a) the process of learning with and through other people and resources and (b) the environment (i.e., the internet) and platforms (i.e., YouTube, websites, social media, discussion forums) that support these connections or networks (Hodgson & McConnell, 2019). This shift in how learning is done necessitates a reevaluation of pedagogical methods to foster the development of students' global skills and competencies. These competencies, as defined by the Council of Ministers of Education Canada (CMEC), are recognized as essential for individuals to not only adapt but thrive in our current and future world. This world is characterized by unprecedented simultaneous challenges, often referred to as a 'polycrisis,' and rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (A.I.) that have the potential to reshape every aspect of human existence. Therefore, it is imperative that we delve into a deeper investigation and understanding of innovative pedagogical approaches to ensure students are adequately prepared for the evolving landscape. Collaboration is arguably one of the most important of the global skills and competencies as it underpins many of the essential skills youth need to thrive in educational and non-educational settings. More specifically, collaboration underpins the type of networked learning rising in popularity in formal and informal learning settings (Bülow & Nørgård, 2021). As a result, this exploratory research focuses on Minecraft: Education Edition (M:EE) as a tool for developing collaboration through critical making and team-based learning. Over a five-day spring-break camp, two cohorts of students (grades four to six and grades seven to eight) participated in open-ended design-based learning challenges online (in the virtual meeting platform, Google Meet, and in the virtual world, M:EE). Data analysis revealed that collaboration manifested itself in three primary modes: co-constructing knowledge, peer-teaching, and conflict management. Analysis further revealed that younger versus older students build and collaborate in the online environment very differently, which at times mirrored the 'real world' classroom. These findings have implications for designing age-appropriate online learning experiences to support collaboration in a networked environment, especially within virtual simulation and creation worlds like Minecraft.

Utah LGBQ + Youth Need Inclusive and Comprehensive Sex Education Opportunities: Results From the 2022 Utah College Retrospective Sexual Behavior Survey

Sex education in Utah teaches abstinence as its primary source of pregnancy and STI prevention. This approach is heteronormative, thus excluding LGBTQ+ youth which has been found to adversely impacts LGBTQ+ outcomes. The current study sought to retrospectively examine the perceptions of the sufficiency of sex education received by Utahns, specifically examining their perceptions of five core topics often included in comprehensive sex education and how their experiences differed by demographics. We conducted a one-time survey, using a convenience sample of 18–21-year-olds who attended high school in Utah. The survey was disseminated at four universities across Utah. The results of our study (N = 1,091) found that LGBQ + participants reported more negative perceptions, or higher levels of disagreement, of sufficiency of learning about CSE topics compared to heterosexual participants. Alternatively, participants who identified as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints reported higher levels of agreement of being taught sufficient information about the five CSE topics. The results of the current study provide a rare examination of sex education in Utah and suggest the need for policy that supports inclusive sex education.

Unmet environmental needs and unmet healthcare needs in a population of young adults with cerebral palsy: what the SPARCLE study tells us.

Optimizing care for young adults with cerebral palsy is crucial for their physical and psychological well-being. The inadequacy of proximal environment may play a role in the provision of health services. The aim of this study is to explore the association between unmet environmental needs in the physical, social and attitudinal domains and unmet healthcare needs in four interventions: physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and psychological counselling. Young adults with cerebral palsy were recruited in the SPARCLE3 European multicenter cross-sectional study. Healthcare needs and coverages were assessed using the Youth Health Care, Satisfaction, Utilization and Needs questionnaire. The need and availability of environmental factors in physical, social and attitudinal domains were collected using the European Adult Environment Questionnaire. Logistic regressions were conducted separately for each intervention to measure associations between unmet environmental needs and unmet healthcare needs. We studied 310 young adults with cerebral palsy, with a mean age of 24.3 years; 37.4% could not walk independently, 51.5% had an IQ below 70, 34.2% had severe communication difficulties. The most commonly expressed need was physiotherapy (81.6% of participants). Unmet healthcare needs were reported by 20.9%, 32.4%, 40.3% and 49.0% of participants requiring physiotherapy, occupational therapy, psychological counselling and speech therapy, respectively. The physical environment was never significantly associated with unmet healthcare needs. In contrast, the social environment was significantly associated with unmet healthcare needs across all interventions, with odds ratios over 2.5, depending on the number of unmet needs and the nature of intervention needed. With regard to the attitudinal environment, when at least one unmet attitudinal environmental need was reported, the odds of also reporting an unmet healthcare need were of 3.68 for speech therapy and 3.77 for physiotherapy. The latter association was significant only for individuals with severe motor impairment. Our results highlight the importance of the social and attitudinal environment in meeting healthcare needs in young adults with cerebral palsy. The lack of correlation between unmet healthcare needs and the physical environment suggests that it can be partly compensated for by social support.

Effect of socio-economic and institutional factors on common bean commercialization among smallholder farmers in Chepalungu sub-county, Bomet County, Kenya

Smallholder common bean commercialization is a critical factor for rural development as it provides a pathway for improving productivity, food security and alleviating poverty. However, common bean sector is dominated by subsistence farming which is not economically efficient as the level of commercialization is low at 0.4. Therefore, the study intended to determine the effect of socio-economic and institutional factors on common bean commercialization in Chepalungu sub-county, Bomet county. The study utilized cluster sampling procedure to obtain a sample size of 313 and data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and Tobit regression model were utilized to analyze the data through SPSS version 29 and Stata version 15 software. The average level of common bean commercialization was 0.39 indicating a low level of input and output market participation. The model showed that market distance and access to extension services were significant at 1% and positively influenced common bean commercialization among smallholder farmers while marketing experience and total land size were significant at 5% and positively influenced common bean commercialization. Age was significant at 1% and negatively influenced common bean commercialization. Strategies need to be developed to improve farmers’ market participation in input and output markets based on these variables. Youth need to be involved more on common bean production and marketing and the county government can provide training and extension services to farmers to increase level of productivity and commercialization.

Case Management for Social Needs of Youth and Families in School-Based Health Centers.

School-based health centers (SBHCs) are ideal settings to address social needs of youth and families. Case managers can play a vital role in social care interventions. We piloted a program to incorporate a Case Manager into the care team of 1 SBHC serving 2 local schools with over 900 students and their surrounding communities. This project's purpose was to evaluate program feasibility, utilization, and acceptability. Our mixed-methods evaluation included analyses of data from electronic health records, client satisfaction surveys, and staff interviews. During the 6-month pilot, the Case Manager served 133 clients (about one third of all SBHC clients served) through 593 contacts. Most contacts included referrals to support services (90%) and 37% addressed newcomer immigrant adjustment. All 37 respondents to the satisfaction survey during the 3-month administration period (44% response rate) reported that the Case Manager made them feel comfortable asking for help; 95% reported getting the help they needed. The 7 SBHC staff interviewed shared many program benefits, including increased time for clinical services. Inequities in children's health and educational achievement are influenced by structural factors. Results from our pilot program demonstrate that SBHCs may be well-positioned to deliver social care interventions and that case managers enhance the ability to deliver quality care. School-based programs to address unmet social needs are critical to supporting learning and wellness for all youth. Robust studies are needed to further test the impacts of case management in SBHCs.

Research on the Optimization of Ideological and Political Education Based on the Psychological Needs of Contemporary Youth

Research on the Optimization of Ideological and Political Education Based on the Psychological Needs of Contemporary Youth

Залучення молоді до формування та реалізації молодіжної політики на місцевому рівні в умовах війни

The general formulation of the issue and its connection with important scientific and practical tasks. Youth policy is very important for any country because young people are the main resource for the future development of the state. Ukraine is no exception, and youth policy presents great importance from the scientific perspective. If the authorities fail to develop a plan of support for young people in Ukraine, we risk becoming a country of people with disabilities and the elderly, which in turn will lead to the collapse of the social sphere, the bankruptcy of the Pension Fund of Ukraine and the financial crisis. For this particular reason, the consideration of the chosen topic is relevant from the perspective of state administration and implementation of youth policy. The analysis of the recent publications on the issues covered in the article; identification of the parts of the general problem that have not been previously addressed. Since the early days of Ukrainian independence, many public figures, opinion leaders, scientists and practitioners have argued that the youth in Ukraine is a significant social group that impacts the development of the country. Youth need support and development to ensure social, economic and political progress of the country. However, there is still not enough research on the development and implementation of the youth policy in Ukraine during the war, which, unfortunately, has been going on for almost two years. The purpose (the objective) of this article is to theoretically justify the need to involve youth in the formation and implementation of youth policy at the local level in the conditions of war. The key results and background. A complex solution to acute and painful issues in the field of the youth is possible if we’re able to: systematically involve young people in making management decisions at local, regional and state levels; improve the mechanisms of cooperation between the public authorities and institutions of the civil society; lay down funds for the implementation of the necessary volume of financing of targeted youth programs in the budget documents of all levels; create working places for young people; initiate assistance programs for young families (solution of housing issues); adapt educational programs to the requirements of the modern labor market; develop a system of monitoring and testing of the effectiveness of state and local target programs with the involvement of the public in this process with a flexible mechanism of introducing changes and additions; systematically study the needs of young people, taking into account the peculiarities of the regions of Ukraine and the age of the target groups (in Ukraine, people from the age of 14 till the age of 35 are considered young); efficiently inform young people about the opportunities available to them. There are many successful practices at different levels, in particular in the Ivano- Frankivsk municipal territorial community, which should be exchanged and borrowed for more successful experience. Conclusions and prospects of further research. The article describes the role of youth policy in the development of the country and its economic and social stability during the war, as well as suggests ways to solve acute and painful issues in the sphere of the youth. The analysis of scientific literature, normative legal acts and expert developments of the relevant Ministry demonstrates positive dynamics, in particular, during the war financial and expert support from the governments of other countries and international non-governmental organizations is attracted. However, currently available materials still demand a lot of refinement. The existing system of involving young people in public administration is focused on narrow circles of young representatives who have already proven their active position and potential for the state, for example, consultative and advisory bodies of various levels – public councils, youth advisors; contests for youth public organizations, etc. The issue of youth migration and its retention in Ukraine, creation of competitive conditions on the labor market and comfortable community infrastructure, including for internally displaced persons and students, who now have the opportunity to get education in other countries of the world, still remains open. It is also worth remembering the need to find the most effective methods of communication with all subjects of youth policy and with the youth themselves. Further development of this direction should consist in studying and analyzing the prerequisites that influence the formation of a quality youth policy in the country, studying the successful experience and best practices of other countries, especially those that have survived military operations, as well as bringing topical issues of the youth sphere into the public space with the aim of involving a wide range of people in their discussion and resolution.

Leveraging Ubuntu values and principles as cultural strength to overcome mental health and emotional wellbeing issues

There is a need for African people living in Australia to consider leveraging Ubuntu values as a cultural strength to address mental health and emotional wellbeing issues. for African people living in Australia. This paper is a systematic review research which employed key terms such as mental health, emotional wellbeing, African Australian, Young people. There were no participants involved, however the research articles that were reviewed in the study only focused on the African Australian community. Mental health issues among African Australian youth need to be better understood, as studies have shown they are at a higher risk for mental health, yet there has been insufficient research on the topic. In this study, most articles we employed highlighted that the extensive research on that reported migrants to be at ten times higher risk of experiencing mental health issues compared to the general population. Many studies carried out in the African Australian community have drawn more attention to the African Australian culture. This raises the need for research to be conducted on African Australian young people aged 15-29 years which is the Australian age range of a young person, to sensitize the African Australian community on mental health issues, and factors leading to young people's mental health problems in African Australian society. The aim of the study was to raise awareness about mental health issues facing the African, Australian young people and suggesting ways forward to support young people. The finding of the study demonstrates significance and values to address mental health issues in African-Australian Community groups. Research asserted that young immigrants are at greater risk of developing mental illness due to resettlement, cultural transition, and separation from extended family members. Young people lacking a secure base for emotional support from their families are more likely to face mental health issues in their lives. Mental health issues in the African context may not be categorized as a vast problem, but instead identified as life circumstances that every individual encounter. Since mental health subject is a taboo in the African culture, the study encouraged young people to pair up with other African youths to create awareness and advocate to access mental health services should need arise. This study encourages young people and their families from African heritage to leverage Ubuntu values and principles as their cultural strengths in dealing with challenging issues such as mental health and emotional wellbeing issues. How to reference using ASWNet style: Kagola F. & Abur W. (2023). Leverage Ubuntu values and principles as cultural strength to overcome mental health and emotional well-being issues. African Journal of Social Work, 13(6), 312-324. https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ajsw.v13i6.5 Visit journal website: https://ajsw.africasocialwork.net

Effects of neighborhood disadvantage and peer deviance on adolescent antisocial behavior: Testing potential interactions with age-of-onset

Abstract Research has suggested that childhood-onset conduct problems (CPs) are more strongly related to individual predispositions, whereas adolescent-onset CP is more strongly associated with social factors, such as peer delinquency. Neighborhood disadvantage (ND) increases the risk for associating with deviant peers. Thus, peer delinquency could mediate the relationship between ND and adolescent-onset CP. This mediational hypothesis has not been tested previously. We tested this hypothesis in 1,127 justice-involved adolescent males using self-reported delinquency and official arrest records over 3 years after the youth’s first arrest as outcomes. Predictors were self-reported and census-derived indicators of ND and self-reported peer delinquency. Age of onset moderated the associations between self-reported ND and arrests and between self-report of peer delinquency and arrests. In both cases, the association was stronger for those with adolescent-onset CP. Peer delinquency mediated all relationships between ND and CP. Our results also showed some unexpected differences in associations depending on whether self-reported ND or census-derived indicators were used as predictors. Specifically, census-derived ND was negatively related to self-reported offending, which could be due to the use of an arrested sample and the need for youth in more advantaged neighborhoods to show a more severe pattern of antisocial behavior to be arrested.