Perspectives Of Young People Research Articles

Święty Jan Paweł II – autorytet młodych

Niniejszy artykuł jest próbą analizy autorytetu Jana Pawła II, widzianego z perspektywy ludzi młodych. Podstawowym warunkiem autorytetu jest życie w prawdzie. Być autorytetem − to być za autorytet uznanym. Autorytet ma to do siebie, że jest przede wszystkim wartością dla innych, i to jest istota autorytetu moralnego, być dla innych wartością w dobru i prawdzie. W takiej perspektywie dobra i prawdy widać autorytet Jana Pawła II, autorytet pielgrzyma, który stał się dla ludzi świadkiem Bożej miłości, i tą miłością przyciągał do Boga wielkie rzesze młodych ludzi w czasie Światowych Dni Młodzieży.

Ritual Links Worship and Learning: An Empirical and Theoretical Contribution from the Perspective of Young People Participating in the Lord's Supper

This article aims at more clarity on the interrelationship between worship and learning, and more insight into the ‘how’ of the formative power of worship practices. By a theoretical discussion, and by an empirical investigation into the practice of the Lord's Supper, this article serves current practical theological research on the edge of liturgical studies and religious education. The leading research question is: How do worship practices of the Lord's Supper contribute to the religious learning of young participants? The authors conclude that religious learning can be interpreted as a communal quality of participation in the Lord's Supper, which is anchored in social, cognitive and action processes before, in and after participation in the liturgical – ritual aspect of the practice of worship. The conclusion is that the liturgical ritual basically serves the relationship between worship and learning in faith communities.

Rules or No Rules? Three Strategies for Engagement with Young People in Mandated Services

A qualitative study of 61 youth receiving mandated services (child welfare, mental health, probation) or services where there were no alternatives (residential care for homeless youth) explored worker-client relationships from the perspective of young people themselves. Findings suggest three different but related roles played by workers that successfully engage adolescent clients: (1) “Informal supporters” de-professionalize their role and flatten hierarchies, emphasizing empathy and enforcing few rules; (2) “Administrators” enforce rules that are in the child’s best interest but do so with little emotional engagement; and (3) “Caregivers” who hold reasonable expectations and impose structures but are flexible in their negotiations with youth when rules were broken. While youth spoke most positively about their workers when they acted as informal supporters, a deeper analysis of the data showed that youth also engaged well with workers who enforced rules when those rules were necessary for the child’s safety, applied flexibly, age-appropriate, and fit with cultural norms. Use of all three approaches to youth engagement may help workers create better therapeutic relationships with youth receiving mandated services.

Mind the gap between school and adulthood for people with intellectual disabilities

ABSTRACTConsiderable research has explored the “transition to adulthood” but few studies have considered the conceptualisation of emerging adulthood or adulthood for young people with intellectual disability. This article reviews the current literature about developmental and social constructions of adulthood for people with intellectual disabilities and explores how these definitions align with the perspectives of families, service providers, and policymakers. The article suggests that “transition to adulthood” would be better termed “transition from school” and into adult services, as such transitions rarely coincide with other typical markers of adulthood for many people with disabilities. Instead, it highlights the notion of “emerging adulthood” as an extended life stage for people with disabilities, which is supported by families and service providers. However, the article notes that differences in personal and political constructions of adulthood by these stakeholders contribute to tensions during such transitions. As a result, it suggests that there needs to be greater alignment between the definitions of adulthood between families and service providers and the goals of such transitions. In addition, there needs to be more consideration of the perspectives of young people with disabilities and more support for them as they navigate adulthood.

Engaging young people in the prevention of noncommunicable diseases.

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are one of the biggest public health challenges of the 21st century.1 The social and economic impact of NCDs are threatening progress towards sustainable development. NCDs are the leading causes of death,2 causing 16 million premature deaths annually.3 Four main groups of noncommunicable diseases – cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes – account for 82% of all NCD attributable deaths.3 By 2025, the global economic cost from these four groups of diseases is predicted to surpass 51 trillion United States dollars.4 Despite a common assumption that NCDs are “diseases of affluence” only affecting people in wealthy nations, NCDs disproportionately affect people in low- and middle-income countries. The probability of dying prematurely from NCD in a low- and middle-income country is four times higher than that in high-income countries.3 It is important for young people to understand NCDs and their risk factors. Two-thirds of premature deaths in adults are associated with childhood conditions5 or behaviours initiated in youth: over 150 million young people smoke;5 81% of adolescents don’t get enough physical activity;6 11.7% of adolescents partake in heavy episodic drinking7 and 41 million children under 5 years old are overweight or obese.8 Entrenched behaviours and unhealthy environments ensure that NCDs will continue to affect future generations. Many young people today have unprecedented access to information and the capacity to act on that information in shaping their own lives, and determining their own health status.9 Young people can contribute in several ways to prevent NCDs. By using new media, young voices can provide a novel perspective on NCD prevention and control by sharing targeted messages on key risk factors and interventions. Young people can engage with different communities and share information about NCDs. Young people can lead programmes to promote healthy behaviour, such as community exercise classes, or healthy eating programmes. We can contribute to education and awareness initiatives, to inform the public and decision-makers about health problems and solutions. Young medical and allied health students also have a unique opportunity to get involved. Students on clinical rotations can promote effective disease prevention measures such as tobacco cessation. Young people can also advocate for policies and practices that aim to improve NCD prevention and care. In 2011, more than 190 countries agreed on global mechanisms to reduce the avoidable NCD burden including a Global action plan for the prevention and control of NCDs 2013–2020.10 So far this commitment has yielded insufficient resources and political action to reach the target of 25% reduction in premature NCD mortality by 2025. It is our responsibility to hold our governments accountable for their commitments to the 2011 political declaration on NCDs. We suggest that all institutions working on NCDs evaluate how they gather and act on the perspectives of young people. NCD prevention should be included in the agenda of international youth groups and integrated in all medical, nursing and allied health curriculums. To reduce the impact of NCDs, the next generation needs to be involved in recognizing and changing the conditions that favour these diseases.

Perspectives on Desirable Work: Findings from a Q Study with Students and Parents in Rural Ghana

The perspectives of young people and parents are important to policy that seeks to address youth unemployment in Africa. A systematic understanding of these should help to avoid implementation failure caused by incompatible assumptions or world views, and increase the likelihood that policies promoted by officials will be effective. We present results of a series of Q Methodology studies with senior high school students and parents at two rural locations in Ghana. At both sites, the dominant perspective among students and parents was that professional jobs were most desirable and that low-skill or manual jobs were least desirable. There was little indication that respondents saw “being your own boss” as making a job desirable. Students showed a strong social ethos: jobs were desirable if they helped people, made the world a better place or built the nation. These results have important implications for strategies that seek to address youth unemployment primarily by promoting entrepreneurship.

Young people living with mental illness: Managing parental involvement

Background/Aims: Parents can be an important source of support for young people living with mental illness. Young people have the potential to shape this support to best suit their needs, however little is known about this issue. This paper explores, from the perspectives of young people, how they manage parental support and involvement. Methods: Interviews were conducted with 26 young people (15–24 years old) who were living with mental illness and in frequent contact with at least one parent. These were analysed using constant comparative analysis. Findings: Young people reported shaping parental involvement using a combination of facilitation, compliance and resistance. Their actions were determined by a complex alignment of their wish for parent involvement, perceived potential to influence their parents, and ability to communicate their needs. Conclusions: By understanding these dynamics, therapists working with young people and their parents can help address barriers to achieving optimal parent support for young people experiencing mental illness.

Participation, empowerment and capacity building: Exploring young people's perspectives on the services provided to them by a grassroots NGO in sub-Saharan Africa

This paper explores young people's perspectives on the services that were provided to them by one NGO in sub-Saharan Africa. Semi-structured interviews and discussion groups were carried out with 71 young people, aged between 10 and 18years old, who lived and worked on the street. Volunteer facilitators (n=26) who run the groups and who had either previously lived on their street themselves or who lived in the ‘informal slum areas’ also took part in the discussions. A number of challenges and tensions became apparent from discussions including issues around capacity building, empowerment, participation and the depoliticised nature of social action.

‘I don’t know where to find the careers adviser … he has disappeared’: the impact of changes to careers advice on 14–16 year olds in University Technical Colleges and schools

Recent policies in England have enacted significant changes to careers information advice and guidance (CIAG) and work-related learning (WRL). This paper offers insight into these changes from the perspective of young people studying engineering at University Technical Colleges (UTCs) as well as ‘comprehensive’ schools. Face-to-face CIAG was conspicuously absent from the young people’s decision to pursue engineering. Whilst they were studying engineering, the young people at the comprehensive schools had quite variable experiences of receiving CIAG and WRL. Although there were instances of young people receiving careers advice from teachers, careers advisors or employers, many young people had not received this input. As well as accessing advice from a careers teacher or advisor more frequently, the UTC students were also much more inclined to be explicitly positive about this advice. Many young people had positive work experience placements. They felt that the experience had given them a greater understanding of ‘what it’s like to be in a workplace’. However, not all students had such positive experiences. They told us that it could be ‘extremely hard’ to find a place, especially one related to the course of study. We relate the findings to the current policy context and implications for the UTC model.

What Do Meaningful Consequences and Fair and Proportionate Accountability Mean to Youth Offered Extrajudicial Sanctions in Ontario?

Extrajudicial sanctions (EJS) under the YCJA are meant to make youth accountable in a fair and proportionate way and to be a meaningful consequence, yet little is known about whether these goals are being accomplished from the perspective of youth. This exploratory study was aimed at examining the perceptions of young persons who have accepted an EJS in a single courthouse in Ontario. Interviews were conducted with youth (N = 20) who provided critical insight into their views about valuable programs, such as counselling, and less valuable aspects, such as writing an essay about the impact of having a criminal record. Some youth revealed that the process of coming to court to be offered an EJS and accept it was more meaningful and made them more accountable than the requirements of the program itself. This research underscores the importance of considering the perspective of young people if the youth justice system is to accomplish its key goals. Such an approach may not only lead to responses that have a greater impact on their behaviour, but it may also, in turn, shift them to be more active and engaged participants in taking responsibility for their actions and the process of justice.

Secondary school student perspectives on community resilience in Grey District

For a national competition supported by the New Zealand Board of Geography Teachers, secondary school students in years 10–13 were asked to identify and investigate factors that were building community resilience in their home areas, and the entries provided young people's perspectives on how well individuals, families and communities ‘bounce back’, adapt, change and become stronger following an adverse event. This article concerns the findings of students at Greymouth High School. Their entries showed that community resilience in Grey District depended on individual and collective capacity for action. The greater their involvement in community affairs and projects, the more likely individuals and families were to form networks and participate in communal activities. In Greymouth, as elsewhere in New Zealand, membership of voluntary organisations and participation in planning for, and responding to, catastrophic events has helped residents respond effectively in times of adversity and has enhanced community resilience.

Children of prisoners – children's decision making about contact

AbstractChildren commonly experience considerable disruption to their care when a parent is incarcerated. Maintaining relationships between children and their incarcerated parents can present particular challenges, and for a growing number of children, continuing contact with their incarcerated parent is a key issue. Most of the research about children's experiences of parental incarceration is filtered through adults who may or may not have spoken with children. This article draws on data collected for a research project which aimed to build an understanding of the needs and issues facing children and young people living in the Australian Capital Territory, who have experienced parental incarceration. This paper considers one key finding; children and young people's perspectives on contact with their incarcerated parent. This was reflected in four thematic clusters: quality of relationships; participation in decision making; the challenges and benefits of contact and practical issues.

Being trusted: The perspectives of trusted adults about engaging with young people

Trusted adults outside the home often play an important role in young people's lives, providing motivational, emotional and practical support as young people navigate the social and economic transitions of young adulthood. Their support is developmentally appropriate as they often treat young people as adults, as they are guiding them towards that status. Yet knowledge of trusted adult relationships is largely drawn from the perspectives of young people. How do trusted adults themselves experience the relationship?Drawing on a broader study of young people's social and economic engagement during adolescence to adulthood, this paper explores the perspectives of 23 trusted adults, including those in family/friend, paid professional and community roles. It looks at how trusted adults' accounts of the relationship compare with young people's accounts. It examines some subtleties trusted adults experience in the relationship, related to their perception of their role and the roles of others, the impermanence of the relationship and personal–professional boundaries. It draws policy and practice implications regarding how to support both trusted adults and young people in the relationships they share.

Wykształcenie akademickie wobec realiów rynku pracy – możliwości i perspektywy młodych

Wykształcenie akademickie wobec realiów rynku pracy – możliwości i perspektywy młodych

Clinical effectiveness and patient perspectives of different treatment strategies for tics in children and adolescents with Tourette syndrome: a systematic review and qualitative analysis.

Tourette syndrome (TS) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterised by chronic motor and vocal tics affecting up to 1% of school-age children and young people and is associated with significant distress and psychosocial impairment. To conduct a systematic review of the benefits and risks of pharmacological, behavioural and physical interventions for tics in children and young people with TS (part 1) and to explore the experience of treatment and services from the perspective of young people with TS and their parents (part 2). For the systematic reviews (parts 1 and 2), mainstream bibliographic databases, The Cochrane Library, education, social care and grey literature databases were searched using subject headings and text words for tic* and Tourette* from database inception to January 2013. For part 1, randomised controlled trials and controlled before-and-after studies of pharmacological, behavioural or physical interventions in children or young people (aged < 18 years) with TS or chronic tic disorder were included. Mixed studies and studies in adults were considered as supporting evidence. Risk of bias associated with each study was evaluated using the Cochrane tool. When there was sufficient data, random-effects meta-analysis was used to synthesize the evidence and the quality of evidence for each outcome was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach. For part 2, qualitative studies and survey literature conducted in populations of children/young people with TS or their carers or in health professionals with experience of treating TS were included in the qualitative review. Results were synthesized narratively. In addition, a national parent/carer survey was conducted via the Tourettes Action website. Participants included parents of children and young people with TS aged under 18 years. Participants (young people with TS aged 10-17 years) for the in-depth interviews were recruited via a national survey and specialist Tourettes clinics in the UK. For part 1, 70 studies were included in the quantitative systematic review. The evidence suggested that for treating tics in children and young people with TS, antipsychotic drugs [standardised mean difference (SMD) -0.74, 95% confidence interval (CI) -1.08 to -0.41; n = 75] and noradrenergic agents [clonidine (Dixarit(®), Boehringer Ingelheim) and guanfacine: SMD -0.72, 95% CI -1.03 to -0.40; n = 164] are effective in the short term. There was little difference among antipsychotics in terms of benefits, but adverse effect profiles do differ. Habit reversal training (HRT)/comprehensive behavioural intervention for tics (CBIT) was also shown to be effective (SMD -0.64, 95% CI -0.99 to -0.29; n = 133). For part 2, 295 parents/carers of children and young people with TS contributed useable survey data. Forty young people with TS participated in in-depth interviews. Four studies were in the qualitative review. Key themes were difficulties in accessing specialist care and behavioural interventions, delay in diagnosis, importance of anxiety and emotional symptoms, lack of provision of information to schools and inadequate information regarding medication and adverse effects. The number and quality of clinical trials is low and this downgrades the strength of the evidence and conclusions. Antipsychotics, noradrenergic agents and HRT/CBIT are effective in reducing tics in children and young people with TS. The balance of benefits and harms favours the most commonly used medications: risperidone (Risperdal(®), Janssen), clonidine and aripiprazole (Abilify(®), Otsuka). Larger and better-conducted trials addressing important clinical uncertainties are required. Further research is needed into widening access to behavioural interventions through use of technology including mobile applications ('apps') and video consultation. This study is registered as PROSPERO CRD42012002059. The National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment programme.

Role of the general practitioner in providing early intervention for youth mental health: a mixed methods investigation.

Youth suicide in Ireland is now the second highest in the European Union. General practitioners (GPs), as the health-care professional most often consulted by young people, have a central role in early detection of youth mental health problems. However, evidence regarding the perspectives of young people and health-care workers towards screening and treatment for such issues in primary care in Ireland is lacking. This study aimed to examine the role of GP in providing early intervention and treatment for youth mental health problems. A mixed methods study that involved qualitative interviews with health-care workers from primary care, secondary care and community agencies (n = 37) and young people (n = 20) in two of Ireland's most socioeconomically disadvantaged areas and a national cross-sectional survey of GPs (n = 175) were carried out. GP satisfaction rates were low in regard to postgraduate training received in child and adolescent mental health (17%) and substance use (21%). Key barriers to treatment included the attitude of patients/families, lack of specialist staff, poor service availability and time. Access to services (66%), knowing which interventions can be initiated in primary care (44%), having appropriate time and space (47%) and access to a youth worker (42%) were the interventions most commonly identified that would facilitate screening and treatment. The research outlined potential implications for clinical practice, research and education such as promoting awareness of mental health and the role of the GP in helping these issues, education of practitioners and improving access to psychological treatments.

Poor youths and ‘pacification’: Dilemmas between discourse and practice from the perspective of young people about policing in Rio de Janeiro’s favelas

This article explores the social representations of youngsters from favelas in Rio de Janeiro on police practices in the context of the implementation of ‘Pacifying Police Units’. Drawing from fieldwork, participant observation and interviews, the authors analyse the narratives and practices which influence relations between young people and the police in the Complexo do Alemão area of the city. The interviewees expressed a demand for further public security and social services. Young people noted some progress in police practices, although these changes appear to be unstable. The permanence of violent practices and prejudice by the police was verified in youngsters’ narratives. Any change in this scenario should be based on the replacement of the war logic of ‘pacification’ for another logic, that of participation.

The experience of adolescent inpatient care and the anticipated transition to the community: Young people's perspectives

This study explored adolescents' perspectives of inpatient mental health care, focussing on aspects of the inpatient environment they anticipated would help or hinder their transition back home. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 adolescent inpatients; transcripts were analysed thematically. Participants experienced inpatient treatment as offering a mix of benefits (e.g., supportive relationships) and drawbacks (e.g., living in a “fake world”). They anticipated the transition home as providing opportunities for personal growth and consolidation of new coping skills, but also posing challenges concerning re-entering the “real world” after the experience of being “wrapped in cotton wool”. Self-determination theory and attachment theory offer two potential frameworks for understanding these opportunities and challenges. Inpatient care has the potential to foster key mechanisms for adaptive development, creating a platform for developing positive future behaviours. Community teams should work closely with inpatient units to support the generalisation of the young person's newly acquired coping skills.

Experiencing Youth Justice: Process, Meaning and Legitimacy

This policy briefing paper reports on findings from a study funded by the Youth Justice Agency, which explored the transitions of young people into and beyond Woodlands Juvenile Justice Centre (JJC). Using a longitudinal qualitative approach which involved baseline life-history interviews along with follow-up interviews upon release, it explored from the perspectives of young people their: life histories – including family, school, community, employment; contacts with the criminal justice system; experiences of system contact; routes into custody; experiences of custody; plans for release, and challenges of transition from custody.

'Troubling' moments in health promotion: unpacking the ethics of empowerment.

Concepts of empowerment feature strongly in global health discourses. Empowerment is frequently advocated as a positive approach to addressing individual and community-level health needs. Despite its popularity, relatively little has been said about the unintended consequences of empowerment, which may give rise to some troubling ethical issues or, indeed, result in outcomes that may not be considered health promoting. Drawing on current uses of empowerment within health promotion, along with insights from an ethnographic study on young people's health, this paper raises some critical questions about the ethics of empowerment. By doing so, the paper troubles the idea that empowerment is a 'good thing' without some careful attention to the varying ways in which the ethics of empowerment may unfold in practice. Findings revealed young people's different perspectives on health and priorities for health promotion. The present analysis highlights how these alternative framings prompt a number of ethical tensions for understanding and operationalising empowerment. In conclusion, the findings underscore the importance of promoting ethical reflexivity in health promotion and, crucially, attending to the unintended and potentially ethically problematic consequences of empowerment. So what? This paper raises some critical questions about the ethics of empowerment and calls for a more thorough engagement with the unintended consequences of empowerment within health promotion.