Perspectives Of Young Adults Research Articles

Up against the System: A Case Study of Young Adult Perspectives Transitioning from Pediatric Palliative Care

Advances in pediatric care have not provided the interdisciplinary support services required by those young adults with pediatric life-threatening conditions (pedLTCs) who live beyond childhood but have limited expectations to live past early adulthood. These young adults, the first generation to live into adulthood, face multiple challenges transitioning from a plethora of pediatric palliative services to scant adult health services. In a case study, using an innovative bulletin board focus group, we describe the complex interplay of the health, education, and social service sectors in this transition. Our descriptions include system deficits and strengths and the young adults' resilience and coping strategies to overcome those deficits and move forward with their lives. Young adults with pedLTC need knowledgeable providers, coordinated and accessible services, being respected and valued, and services and supports that promote independence. We recommend implementation of multidisciplinary solutions that are focused on young adult priorities to ensure seamless access to resources to support these young adults' health, educational, vocational, and social goals. The input and voice of young adults in the development of these services are imperative to ensure that multisystem services support their needs and life goals.

Sustainable occupational responses to climate change through lifestyle choices

Occupational therapists and occupational scientists are increasingly aware of the relationship between occupation and global climate change, with some working to raise awareness of the issues and others proposing that an occupational perspective can make a valuable contribution to understanding and addressing the issues. In this discussion paper the United Nations Global Survey on Sustainable Lifestyles (), which reports young adults' beliefs about everyday occupations that have a substantial impact on the environment (food, housekeeping, and transportation) is introduced. The authors argue that the survey findings are a valuable resource for occupational therapists who are concerned about global climate change and work with young adults (age 18–35), providing valuable insights into their concerns and preferences in relation to sustainability. To illustrate the insights contained in the reports, findings from four countries are presented: New Zealand and Sweden, the authors' countries of origin, and the Philippines and Lebanon which have people living in New Zealand and Sweden. Application to individual and community-based interventions to promote more sustainable lifestyles is suggested, along with studies to examine the perspectives of young adults with a disability, as their concerns and sustainability preferences might differ due to the barriers that limit their participation in educational and vocational occupations.

Enablers and challenges of post‐16 education and employment outcomes: the perspectives of young adults with a history of SLI

Research studies have begun to investigate the post-16 outcomes for young adults with a specific language impairment (SLI). As yet only tentative conclusions can be drawn with respect to academic and employment outcomes and the factors that are associated with more positive outcomes. Evidence for these findings has relied predominantly on associations between various language, academic and psychosocial assessments. Little attention has been paid to the perspective of the young person. To investigate from the perspective of a group of young people with a history of SLI the factors they believed have enabled and presented a challenge to their post-16 education and employment outcomes and experiences. Nineteen (four female, 15 male) young people aged from 19 to 23 years (average age 21 years), who had all attended the same residential special school for pupils with SLI, were interviewed face to face to explore their views as to what had enabled and limited their transition experiences to date. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. The majority of the young people saw themselves as key agents of change and very active participants in steering their own transition since leaving school. They acknowledged the important role played by their parents and families and how factors such as SLI had affected their transition experiences. The study supports evidence from research with different groups of young people with special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities of the importance of school and post-16 curriculums which develop agency on behalf of the young person.

Decoding media images of political leaders: The perspective of young adults on the relation of gender and power

How are media representations of male and female political leaders appropriated by young adults? Do young people negotiate questions of occupational success during media use? The article gives answers to these questions by referring to a qualitative audience study that analyses the negotiation of femininity and power as well as the (de-)construction of gender. It is based on focus groups with 17-19-year-old male and female students with different educational backgrounds. The findings show that the young adults do not reproduce traditional concepts of femininity: Male and female political leaders are described as powerful persons. Nevertheless, gender is articulated and therefore reconstructed in appropriation. Not female politicians but managers are seen as examples of reaching leading positions. Altogether, media images of female leaders are decoded as proof of potential success of women and therefore are meaningful for society.

Identifying Religious/Spiritual (R/S) Perspectives of Adolescents and Young Adults Receiving Blood and Marrow Transplant: A Qualitative Study

Identifying Religious/Spiritual (R/S) Perspectives of Adolescents and Young Adults Receiving Blood and Marrow Transplant: A Qualitative Study

On the border: Young adults with LGBQ parents navigate LGBTQ communities.

Little research has examined the perspectives of young adults with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) parents, particularly in relation to their identification with the LGBTQ community. To address this gap, we conducted a qualitative study of 42 young adults (ages 18-29) who were raised by LGBQ parents. We found that participants often described their sense of belonging to the LGBTQ community as shifting over the life course. Some participants, particularly those whose parents had always been out, felt connected to the LGBTQ community as children. Of these, most maintained those connections over time. However, some increasingly deidentified with the LGBTQ community, which they sometimes attributed to their own heterosexual identification. Others, particularly those whose parents came out later in life, described a lack of connection to the LGBTQ community as children. Of these, most became increasingly identified with the community, which they often attributed to their own and their parents' increasing sense of comfort with their parents' sexuality. Heterosexual participants who sought out LGBTQ-oriented groups in young adulthood sometimes encountered resistance from these groups, whereby participants' reasons for wanting to become involved were not readily apparent or appreciated. Our findings highlight the need for practitioners to understand the complex and often changing role of the LGBTQ community in the lives of young adults with LGBQ parents.

Transition to Adult Care: Systematic Assessment of Adolescents with Chronic Illnesses and their Medical Teams

To examine the process of transition from pediatric to adult health care services from the perspectives of young adults with chronic disease and both pediatric and adult health care providers. A qualitative approach using focus-group interviews was performed to investigate transition experiences. Novel games were also used to generate data. Content and narrative analyses of interview transcripts were performed. We conducted 6 focus groups with 10 young adults who had chronic disease and with 24 health care providers. Content analysis yielded 3 content domains: (1) transition experiences in the context of relationships among patients, parents, and health care providers; (2) differences between pediatric and adult-oriented medicine and how these differences inhibit or facilitate transition; and (3) identification of transition services that should be provided to young patients who have chronic disease. This study demonstrates the need for gradual transfer of disease management from parent to child and the need for better communication between adult and pediatric services during the transition process. Pediatric medicine and adult medicine represent different subcultures; acknowledging these differences may improve cooperation during transition from pediatric to adult providers. Young-adult patients with chronic disease embrace the use of technology for specific interventions to improve the transition experience.

Perspectives of Adolescents and Young Adults with Cerebral Palsy on the Ethical and Social Challenges Encountered in Healthcare Services

Healthcare is a context where individuals with disability confront important ethical and social challenges. Adolescents and young adults with cerebral palsy (CP) seem to face additional challenges but we have little insight into their perspectives. This qualitative study aimed to identify and better understand such challenges. We interviewed 14 participants with CP aged 18 to 25. Participants described a range of challenges experienced when using health services, including: lack of long-term follow-up, shortcomings in physical access to infrastructures, and situations of injustice. Challenges specific to medical consultations were reported (e.g., rude attitudes, belittlement, inadequate communication, lack of consideration). We discuss and explain further that: (1) the ethical principle of respect for persons needs to be concretely specified to improve current practices; (2) respect for autonomy calls for further direct empowerment of individuals with CP and, (3) gaps in dedicated healthcare resources for CP and the long-term needs associated should be addressed.

Sporting Events and the Use of Alcohol by University Students: Managing the Risks

Recent media releases have highlighted the increasing problem that binge drinking and excessive alcohol consumption is creating among Australian youth. Yet despite these concerns, it would appear that little attention has been given to this core problem by many sport event organizers beyond the standard security measures. The Australian University Games, the largest event of its type held annually in the Southern Hemisphere, attracts more than 6,500 participants as well as 1,700 different teams and support staff for 1 week of scheduled sporting and social activities. Despite its size and complexity, only limited research had been undertaken to date with respect to the motivations, behavior, and perspectives of young adults attending this type of university-related sport tourism event. The primary aim of this exploratory study was to identify the underlying motivations for students to participate in the Australian University Games in Brisbane, Australia, and their subsequent use of alcohol during the event. Importantly the study also sought to determine whether a relationship existed between the participants' motivations and their predisposition to engage in alcohol consumption. Study results found that socializing and being with friends were critical factors for the participants. It was also found that alcohol consumption figured prominently in the lives of the majority of attendees. These findings have provided strong support for the provision of a cohesive and purposeful social program as a major component part of the wider sporting based activities, and needs to be seen as a critical factor in the successful staging of future sports events such as the University Games. Results also highlighted the need for event organizers to schedule more social activities, which are paramount when seeking to effectively reduce the level of risk as well as need for better profiling of event participants, which needs be implemented by management in the event preplanning stage.

Emerging adulthood in developmental co-ordination disorder: Parent and young adult perspectives

Recent research widely acknowledges that developmental co-ordination disorder (DCD) is a pervasive and enduring disorder, which persists into adolescence and adulthood ( Cousins & Smyth, 2003; Kirby, Sugden, Beveridge, & Edwards, 2008). However, few studies have given detailed consideration to the range and level of functioning difficulties in emerging adults with DCD, and no studies to date have gained a parental perspective. Current functioning of 19 young adults with DCD was examined using the Adult Dyspraxia/DCD Checklist (ADC, Kirby, Edwards, Sugden, & Rosenblum, 2010) and parents’ views of their child's current functioning was also obtained. Results suggest that whilst some motor skills such as handwriting continue to impact in emerging adulthood, not all skills are as problematic, such as self-care skills. Additionally, executive functioning, and social skills seem to be a key areas of concern for both young adults and their parents. Results provide guidance for areas of intervention that need to be considered, especially focusing on executive functioning skills. Also they highlight the need for gathering information from more than one source to gain a complete picture of functioning.

Perspectives of Young Adults With Disabilities on Leadership

Increasingly, researchers have linked greater self-determination capacities to improved postsecondary outcomes for youth with disabilities. Although leadership is one component of self-determination, little is known about how youth and young adults with disabilities define, develop, and demonstrate leadership. In this qualitative interview study, the authors examined the perspectives on youth leadership development of 34 young adults with disabilities. Participants identified key attitudes and skills possessed by leaders and addressed the influence these qualities have on others. They also communicated their own experiences of developing their capacities as leaders, emphasizing the importance of early involvement in school and community activities and their relationships with family members, teachers, mentors, and friends. The authors offer recommendations for fostering youth leadership during the transition period.

Huir del laberinto.

In Huir del laberinto Esther Aliaga offers an innovative view on the Northern Irish conflict as she engages with four contemporary novels written from the perspective of children and young adults. Analysing Robert McLiam Wilson’s Ripley Bogle, Frances Molloy’s No Mate for the Magpie, Glenn Patterson’s Burning Your Own and Julie Mitchell’s Sunday Afternoons, she engages with a dimension of the so-called Troubles novel which has almost entirely been neglected by literary critics. Through her ca...

Understanding a Pacific Islander Young Adult Perspective on Access to Higher Education

The Pacific Islander (PI) community suffers disproportionately from illnesses and diseases, including diabetes, heart disease and cancer. While there are tremendous health needs within the PI community, there are few health care providers from the community that exist to help address these particular needs. Many efforts have focused on health care workforce diversity to reduce and eliminate health disparities, but few have examined the issues faced in the health care work force pipeline. Understanding educational attainment among PI young adults is pivotal in speaking to a diverse health care workforce where health disparities among Pacific Islanders (PIs) may be addressed. This paper provides an in-depth, qualitative assessment of the various environmental, structural, socio-economic, and social challenges that prevent PIs from attaining higher education; it also discusses the various needs of PI young adults as they relate to psychosocial support, retention and recruitment, and health career knowledge and access. This paper represents a local, Southern California, assessment of PI young adults regarding educational access barriers. We examine how these barriers impact efforts to address health disparities and look at opportunities for health and health-related professionals to reduce and care for the high burden of illnesses and diseases in PI communities.

Living With Juvenile Arthritis: Adolescents' Challenges and Experiences

Introduction The objective of this study was to identify challenges that teens experience while living with juvenile arthritis (JA) from the perspective of youth and young adults with JA. Method Focus group interviews were conducted with youth (aged 14-21 years) and young adults (aged 22-29 years) with JA using a semi-structured interview protocol that included questions about the challenges adolescents experience while living with arthritis. Results Challenges of living with JA were identified in the areas of (a) health care, (b) relationships, (c) school, (d) physical, and (e) individual. However, distinct perspectives emerged between youth and young adult participants. For youth, challenges were situated in present time and focused heavily on interpersonal situations. Alternatively, young adults reported challenges that illuminated their experiences of movement from adolescence into young adulthood (e.g., independently managing their JA and disclosure to dating partners). Discussion Findings from this study display complex and multifaceted experiences that teens face while living with arthritis. Experiences associated with arthritis were not limited to being described as health care–related challenges; rather, arthritis permeates multiple contexts in adolescents' lives.

Living with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis from childhood to adult life. An 18 year follow-up study from the perspective of young adults

PURPOSE: . To obtain a deeper understanding of the meaning of living with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) through childhood and adolescence into adult life as described by young adults with JIA themselves.METHOD: Based on a qualitative study design, 15 young adults were interviewed individually. The data were analysed using a qualitative content analysis approach.RESULTS: Living with JIA involves struggle and adjustment to an insecure everyday life and an unpredictable life course. The informants' experiences emerged as dichotomies on a continuum describing the dynamics in life experiences individually and over time. The categories include bodily experiences of limitations or freedom, being acknowledged or set aside in interpersonal relationships, and intrapersonal experiences of insecurity or confidence. The findings indicate a change to greater acceptance and adjustment to the disease over time.CONCLUSION: The impact of JIA on life in a time of transition from childhood to adult life involves complex challenges on coping strategies and adjustment processes. Understanding this complexity is urgent for health professionals to contribute to both normal developmental task achievements and overall well-being for young people with JIA. Further investigations should focus on coping and adjustment processes when facing disease fluctuations and unpredictability in a life-span perspective.

Young adults’ experience of stroke: a qualitative review of the literature

Stroke is a life-threatening event that has a devastating impact on young adults and their families. The author conducted a systematic review of the qualitative literature to explore the experience of stroke from the perspective of young adults. Four primary research 'papers' were analyzed using the Qualitative Assessment and Review Instrument; 60 findings were extracted from the papers and merged into 13 categories, from which three synthesized findings were developed - disorientation, disrupted sense of self, and roles and relationships. Many of the effects of stroke are 'invisible' but have significant impact on social participation, including the ability to return to work and to enjoy an active social life. Young adults feel the same and yet different following stroke, which may have a profound effect on relationships. Effective communication between patients, families and health professionals is crucial to all aspects of recovery.

Living with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis from childhood to adult life. An 18 year follow-up study from the perspective of young adults

Living with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis from childhood to adult life. An 18 year follow-up study from the perspective of young adults

When to tell and test for genetic carrier status: Perspectives of adolescents and young adults from fragile X families

We report here on our findings from adolescent and young adult females (ages 14-25) with a family history of fragile X syndrome regarding their perceptions of the optimal ages for (1) learning fragile X is inherited, (2) learning one could be a carrier for fragile X, and (3) offering carrier testing for fragile X. Three groups were enrolled: those who knew they were carriers or noncarriers and those who knew only they were at-risk to be a carrier. Only 2 of the 53 participants felt that offering carrier testing should be delayed until the age of 18 years. Participants who knew only that they were at-risk to be a carrier provided older optimal ages for offering carrier testing than those who knew their actual carrier status. Participants did not express regret or negative emotions about the timing of the disclosure of genetic risk information regarding their own experiences. Participants' reasoning behind reported ages for informing about genetic risk and offering carrier testing varied depending on what type of information was being disclosed, which carrier status group the participant belonged to, and the preferred age for learning the information. Study findings suggest that decisions regarding the timing to inform about genetic risk and offer testing should be tailored to the individual needs of the child and his/her family.

The Perspectives of Young Adults on Recovery from Repeated Suicide-Related Behavior

This qualitative study sought to develop an understanding of how young adults between the ages of 18-25 years, who have a history of two or more suicide attempts, transition away from high-risk suicide-related behaviors. To understand the transition to safer behaviors and to provide clinical suggestions for those who provide care to this population. Sixteen young adults under the age of 25 years, who had completed at least one cycle of intervention for people with repeated suicide attempts, participated in this qualitative, grounded theory study. The young adults described a pathway that included three major elements: (a) "living to die", (b) ambivalence and tipping/turning points, and (c) a process of recovery that included small steps or phases (pockets of recovery) toward life. The journey was not always experienced as steady movement forward, and the potential for relapse either in the young people's behavior or their wish to engage in their relationship with death could ebb and flow. Clinicians need to be aware that the struggle to live is a process involving a fluid pathway moving between three key elements.

The Body Projects of University Students with Type 1 Diabetes

Young adults with type 1 diabetes are a "forgotten group." Their perspectives are rarely addressed by research studies, meaning that we know little about the reasons why they engage (or not) in diabetes self-care practices. The limited work that has investigated these young people's perspectives suggests that they experience a tension between being healthy and being normal. In this article, I examine this tension from the viewpoints of a particular group of young adults with diabetes: university students. I examine what being normal means for these students and how their attempts to be normal impact upon their diabetes control. I argue that normalcy for these students is constructed and maintained through the body. Respondents attempt to be normal by engaging in what Shilling refers to as "body projects." Each of the body projects that students are involved in developing is intended to produce a particular kind of normal embodied identity that is unaffected by diabetes. Unfortunately, the constitutional practices of particular body projects often undermine those of others, and can be risky for students' diabetes control. As such, students have to reach a balance between their different body projects. This article helps to address the lack of research on the perspectives of young adults with diabetes, and contributes to theoretical research on the concept of body projects.