Representative Sample Of Young People Research Articles

'I will choose when to test, where I want to test': investigating young people's preferences for HIV self-testing in Malawi and Zimbabwe.

The current study identifies young people's preferences for HIV self-testing (HIVST) delivery, determines the relative strength of preferences and explores underlying behaviors and perceptions to inform youth-friendly services in southern Africa. A mixed methods design was adopted in Malawi and Zimbabwe and includes focus group discussions, in-depth interviews and discrete choice experiments. The current study was conducted during the formative phase of cluster-randomized trials of oral-fluid HIVST distribution. Young people aged 16-25 years were purposively selected for in-depth interviews (n = 15) in Malawi and 12 focus group discussions (n = 107) across countries. Representative samples of young people in both countries (n = 341) were administered discrete choice experiments on HIVST delivery, with data analyzed to estimate relative preferences. The qualitative results provided additional depth and were triangulated with the quantitative findings. There was strong concordance across methods and countries based on the three triangulation parameters: product, provider and service characteristics. HIVST was highly accepted by young people, if provided at no or very low cost. Young people expressed mixed views on oral-fluid tests, weighing perceived benefits with accuracy concerns. There was an expressed lack of trust in health providers and preference for lay community distributors. HIVST addressed youth-specific barriers to standard HIV testing, with home-based distribution considered convenient. Issues of autonomy, control, respect and confidentiality emerged as key qualitative themes. HIVST services can be optimized to reach young people if products are provided through home-based distribution and at low prices, with respect for them as autonomous individuals.

The influence of the Big 5 personality traits on young people’s political consumer behavior

Purpose– The purpose of this article is to use the “Big Five” personality structure (openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and emotional stability) to explore the relationship with political consumer behavior.Design/methodology/approach– Political consumer behavior is (not) buying products for social, political or environmental reasons. Cited motivations for political consumption include preserving the environment, developing a sustainable economy or using boycotts as political pressure, alongside social reasons such as reducing child labor. We explored this relationship among two representative studies of young people using ordinary least squares regression.Findings– We concluded that in particular openness to experience leads to more political consumer behavior. Agreeableness or trust in people also often has a positive effect on political consumer behavior, while the effects of extraversion tend on the contrary to be negative.Research limitations/implications– Although in the literature the “Big Five” is generally accepted as the best measure for the main personality traits, there is no consensus on the measurement of personality. The research area has thus a clear need for a good, reliable measurement of the five personality traits, such as the TIPI or a short version of the bipolar personality scales.Practical implications– The research suggests that a more specific approach towards young political consumers might be valuable.Social implications– The research can influence how marketers deal with fair trade products or how boycotts can attract larger audiences. Through this knowledge, social responsibility and environmental conscientiousness will increase.Originality/value– This article focuses on the personality traits and motivations of the political consumers and how these personality traits interact with the attitudes that motivate political consumption using representative samples of young people. It also focuses on a specific and different outcome, political consumption, whereas most studies focused solely on single items of pro-environmental behavior .

Functional impairment in adolescents and young adults with emerging mood disorders.

Between 30 and 60% of adults with unipolar or bipolar disorders exhibit impairments across multiple domains. However, little is known about impaired functioning in youth with mood disorders. To examine the prevalence of objective, subjective and observer-rated disability in a large, representative sample of young people with a primary mood disorder. Individuals aged 16-25 years presenting to youth mental health services for the first time with a primary mood disorder participated in a systematic diagnostic and clinical assessment. Impairment was assessed using objective (unemployment or disability payments), observer- (Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale; SOFAS) and self-rated measures (role functioning according to the Brief Disability Questionnaire). Of 1241 participants (83% unipolar; 56% female), at least 30% were functionally impaired on the objective, self-rated and/or observer-rated measures, with 16% impaired according to all three criteria. Even when current distress levels were taken into account, daily use of cannabis and/or nicotine were significantly associated with impairment, with odds ratios (OR) ranging from about 1.5 to 3.0. Comorbid anxiety disorders were related to lower SOFAS scores (OR = 2-5). Levels of disability were significant, even in those presenting for mental healthcare for the first time. Functional impairment did not differ between unipolar and bipolar cases, but some evidence suggested that females with bipolar disorder were particularly disabled. The prevalence of comorbid disorders (50%) and polysubstance use (28%) and their association with disability indicate that more meaningful indicators of mood episode outcomes should focus on functional rather than symptom-specific measures. The association between functioning and nicotine use requires further exploration.

A Motivation-Based Explanatory Model of Street Drinking among Young People

This social marketing study focuses on street drinking behavior among young people. The objective is to divide the market of young people who engage in this activity into segments according to their motivations. For the three segments identified, a behavior model is created using the beliefs, attitudes, behavior, and social belonging of young people who engage in street drinking. The methodology used individual questionnaires filled in by a representative sample of young people. The results show that the behavior model follows the sequence of attitudes-beliefs-behavior and that social belonging influences these three variables. Similarly, differences are observed in the behavior model depending on the segment individuals belong to.

Racial/ethnic differences in accuracy of body mass index reporting in a diverse cohort of young adults.

Surveillance data describing the weight status of the U.S. population often rely on self-reported height and weight, despite likely differences in reporting accuracy by demographics. Our objective was to determine if there were racial/ethnic differences in accuracy of self-reported body mass index (BMI) in a diverse nationally representative sample of young people. Using data from Wave III (data collected in 2001-2002) of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health when respondents were aged 18-26, we used gender-stratified multivariable linear regression models to examine the association of race/ethnicity and self-reported BMI controlling for measured BMI while also adjusting for factors known to be associated with weight self-perception. Black males and females (b(Female)=0.45, confidence interval (CI): 0.19, 0.71; b(Male)=0.34, CI: 0.17, 0.51) and Hispanic females (b(Female)=0.30, CI: 0.08, 0.52) and Native American males (b(Native) American=0.87, CI: 0.15, 1.58) reported higher BMIs than their similarly weighted White peers, leading to more accurate BMI reporting in these groups at higher BMIs. Caution should be taken in interpreting results from studies relying on self-reported BMI, as they may exaggerate racial/ethnic differences in weight status.

Toleration or trust? Investigating the acceptance of ‘boat people’ among young Australians

There has been intense debate in Australia regarding how asylum seekers who arrive by boat should be treated. Some call for compassion towards those prepared to risk their lives to seek protection, whereas others believe ‘boat people’ should not be allowed into the country. This article uses data from a large representative sample of young people in Queensland, Australia, to understand the acceptance of asylum seekers by young people in Australia. The findings suggest that young Australians are more accepting than the Australian adult population. Several social and political background factors were also found to be associated with the belief that ‘boat people’ should be permitted into Australia. Fewer factors, however, are associated with the trust young Australians have in people from another country. This suggests that while some young Australians may believe boats carrying asylum seekers should not be turned away, fewer might be prepared to enter into trusting relationships with ‘boat people’ should they resettle in Australia.

The great equalizer? Patterns of social media use and youth political engagement in three advanced democracies

Recent developments suggest a strong relationship between social media use and political engagement and raise questions about the potential for social media to help stem or even reverse patterns of political inequality that have troubled scholars for years. In this paper, we articulate a model of social media and political engagement among young people, and test it using data from representative samples of young people in Australia, the USA, and the UK. Our results suggest a strong, positive relationship between social media use and political engagement among young people across all three countries, and provide additional insights regarding the role played by social media use in the processes by which young people become politically engaged. Notably, our results also provide reasons to be optimistic concerning the overall influence of this popular new form of digital media on longstanding patterns of political inequality.

Clinical and neurocognitive markers of suicidality in young adults

BackgroundSuicide represents a leading cause of death in young people, yet relatively little is known regarding the neurobiological sequelae of preceding suicidal thoughts and behaviours. Although some studies have reported cognitive deficits associated with suicidality, very few studies have been undertaken in young people, especially from non-clinical contexts. AimsTo quantify cognitive deficits associated with suicidality using a representative sample of young people, recruited from the general community using media advertisements. Method304 adults (18–29 years) undertook the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Inventory (MINI) suicidality module, along with Cambridge Gamble and Stop-Signal tasks. Suicidality was defined as non-zero MINI scores (broad definition) and a past history of suicide attempt(s) (narrow definition). Clinical features and cognitive performance were compared between those with and those without suicidality, using analysis of variance/chi-square; findings were further explored using linear regression. ResultsSuicidality was relatively common (broad definition: 14.8%; narrow definition: 5.3%) in young people and was associated with impaired decision-making on the Cambridge Gamble task (p < 0.05, Bonferroni corrected at the analysis level of each suicidality definition). Linear regression demonstrated that decision-making performance was associated with a significant incremental benefit with respect to predicting suicidality, over and above the utility of demographic and clinical variables considered (p < 0.05 uncorrected). ConclusionsImpaired decision-making exists in young people with suicidality, and may thereby predispose towards a range of suicidal thoughts and behaviours. Further work is needed to clarify the chain of progression from such thoughts/behaviours, which are relatively common, through to actual suicide, which is not.

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The internet as a setting for mental health service utilisation by young people

To explore patterns of internet use by young people in Australia and assess the usefulness of online resources for mental health problems, exploring functionality that may be relevant in the development of online mental health services. Cross-sectional survey of a nationally representative sample of young people (2000 randomly selected participants aged 12-25 years), via telephone interview, conducted in January-March 2008. Patterns of internet use including type of use, social networking, sources of information about mental health, alcohol or other substance use problems and levels of satisfaction with the information, and type of information accessed via websites. Young people reported using the internet to connect with other young people (76.9%; 1464/1905) and to seek information about a mental health problem, regardless of whether they had a problem themselves (38.8%; 735/1894). Twenty per cent of young people (398/1990) had personally experienced a mental health problem in the previous 5 years; when these people were asked about sources of information used for this problem, 30.8% (70/227) reported searching the internet. Patterns of internet use and types of resources used differed by age and sex. Our findings suggest that technology is important in the everyday lives of young people, and online mental health services that encompass promotion and prevention activities should include a variety of resources that appeal to all ages and both sexes, such as "question and answer" forums and email.

Using Multiple Sampling Approaches to Measure Sexual Risk‐taking Among Young People in Haiti: Programmatic Implications

No previous published research has examined the applicability of varying methods for identifying young people who are at high risk of experiencing unintended pregnancy and acquiring HIV infection. This study compares three surveys of young people aged 15-24 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in terms of their sociodemographic characteristics and sexual behaviors and the surveys'usefulness for identifying young people at high risk and for program planning. The surveys consist of responses from: a representative sample of young people in the 2005-06 Haiti Demographic and Health Survey (HDHS), a 2004 facility-based study, and a 2006-07 venue-based study that used the Priorities for Local AIDS Control Efforts (PLACE) method. The facility-based and PLACE studies included larger proportions of single, sexually experienced young people and people who knew someone with HIV/ AIDS than did the HDHS. More respondents in the PLACE sample had multiple sex partners in the past year and received money or gifts in return for sex, compared with respondents in the facility study. At first and last sex, more PLACE respondents used contraceptives, including condoms. Experience of pregnancy was most commonly reported in the data from the facility-based sample; however, more ever-pregnant PLACE respondents than others reported ever having terminated a pregnancy. Program managers seeking to implement prevention activities should consider using facility- or venue-based methods to identify and understand the behaviors of young people at high risk.

Prévalence de l’asthme et des symptômes évocateurs chez les adolescents guadeloupéens selon l’enquête ISAAC, phase I, en 2003

The aim of the ISAAC 1 study was to determine the prevalence and severity of asthma among adolescents in Guadeloupe. The study was carried out with a representative sample of young people in the second and third years of "college" (secondary school) in classes selected at random. The anonymous questionnaires were completed by pupils in 2003. 5097 questionnaires were processed. 49.7% of the adolescents stated they had already felt breathless or oppressed; 29% said they had experienced wheezing. Of the 812 adolescents who declared they had already suffered asthma attacks the medical diagnosis was confirmed for 89%. 22% had been hospitalised at least once for asthma. A high proportion had suffered severe attacks (3.5%). A considerable number of school days had been lost by asthma sufferers. Medical care is inappropriate and the pupils' knowledge of the peak flow is poor (only 15%). The study confirmed the high frequency of asthma in Guadeloupe (14.1%) with high indicators of severity and it allowed a comparison to be made between Guadeloupe and the other regions which have carried out the ISAAC 1 study.

Community Characteristics, Sexual Initiation, and Condom Use among Young Black South Africans

Individual and household-level characteristics that influence sexual behavior have been extensively studied in South Africa, but community characteristics have received limited attention. We use multilevel discrete time hazard models and multilevel logistic regression models to analyze data from a representative sample of young people in KwaZulu Natal, and from several sources of community data. Results suggest that, net of individual and household characteristics, higher levels of community concentrated disadvantage are associated with increased hazard of sexual initiation and higher risk of unprotected sex. Social disorder increases the hazard of sexual initiation, while greater community social cohesion is associated with delayed sexual debut, although the latter association appears stronger for young men than for young women. We discuss these results and the ways they vary from predictions based on US. theory in light of conditions prevailing in contemporary South Africa.

Realizing the Social Internet? Online Social Networking Meets Offline Civic Engagement

ABSTRACT Does Internet use have the potential to build social capital? Emerging evidence suggests that politically knowledgeable, interpersonally trusting, and civically engaged individuals share particular patterns of Internet use. In previous national survey studies, Internet use has been divided into a handful of excessively broad categories, and researchers have been unable to address newer, category-spanning Internet uses as well as the potential impact of individual Web sites. By examining the use of online social networks in a nationally representative sample of young people, this study explores the varied relationships between indicators of social capital and Internet use on a site-specific level (i.e., MySpace vs. Facebook). Indeed, differences between social networking sites are as large as those between more global categories of use (e.g., informational vs. social networking) and are robust to attempts to account for differences between the users of the sites. In explaining these relationships and exploring the differences between social networking sites, we suggest that Web site use induces a site-specific culture that can either encourage or hinder social capital.

Should We Recriminalize Cannabis Use? The Case against

Can J Psychiatry 2008;53(12):793-794 If cannabis is a contributory cause of psychosis does it follow that we should recriminalize its use in countries that have removed criminal penalties? Leading politicians in Australia and the United Kingdom think we should. We disagree. We accept it is more likely than not that cannabis is a contributory cause of psychosis but we doubt that recriminalizing its use will achieve the goal of reducing cannabis use or cannabis-related psychosis at an acceptable social and economic cost. We accept that regular, especially daily, cannabis use probably is a contributory cause of psychosis for reasons spelt out in detail elsewhere.1 Briefly, these are: * Regular cannabis use and psychotic symptoms and disorders are associated in population surveys and in clinical settings. * Longitudinal studies of representative samples of young people have consistently found that cannabis use at baseline predicts an increased risk of psychotic symptoms or disorders. * This association has persisted after controlling for plausible confounding variables such as personality traits and other drug use.2 * A causal relation is biologically plausible given evidence of interactions between the cannabinoid and dopaminergic neurotransmitter systems.1 Some leading researchers remain skeptical about this evidence. They argue that the modest size of the relation (relative risk, 2) and its attenuation after adjustment for confounders suggests that residual confounding provides the best explanation of the association.3 For the purposes of this article, we will assume that the relation is causal, in the sense that cannabis is a contributory cause that acts in concert with preexisting vulnerability and other unknown factors to increase the risk of psychotic symptoms. Under current patterns of cannabis use (and assuming the relation is causal), the attributable risk of psychosis from cannabis use is around 10%. Epidemiologic modelling indicates that any effects of a causal relation of this size on the incidence or prevalence of psychosis may be difficult to detect.4 Cannabis use among young people is unlikely to produce an epidemic of schizophrenia, as is suggested in media stories, but any increase in such disorders would nonetheless be of public health and humanitarian concern because of the adverse effects that these disorders have on the life chances of the young people affected by them. Concern about any psychotogenic effects of cannabis has been heightened by reported increases in the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content of cannabis products that are nowadays available to young people. Similar claims have been made for over 20 years with a lack of supportive evidence, but there is now evidence that THC content has increased in recent decades from 3% to 6% in the United States.5 Such an increase reflects increased efficiency in the cultivation of high THC yield cultivars and hydroponic methods of cultivating sinsimella plants. It may also reflect increased demand for higher THC content cannabis products from regular users and increased regular use of cannabis beginning at an earlier age.5 It should be noted that, to the extent cannabis users titrate their doses, the result of higher THC cannabis may be a reduction in some adverse physical health effects for regular users. While accepting the likelihood that cannabis makes a modest contribution to psychosis risk, we nonetheless argue that policy-makers should avoid an unreflective leap to the policy conclusion that recriminalizing cannabis use is the obvious remedy. We do so for 5 main reasons. First, there is no evidence that removing criminal penalties has had any effects on rates of cannabis use. In the mid-1970s in the United States, rates of cannabis use increased at the same rate in states that legislated to remove criminal penalties as it did in those that retained them.6 The same was true in the Netherlands in the mid- 1 970s. …

Predictors of academic attainments of young people with Down's syndrome

Earlier studies of young people with Down's syndrome have investigated a relatively limited range of variables which may influence their academic attainment. The relative strength of such influences and how they may vary during the school career, has also been under-researched. The aim of the paper is to identify the contemporary and antecedent predictors of the level of academic attainment achieved by a representative sample of young people with Down's syndrome. Sample The paper reports data from three studies of 71 young people with Down's syndrome and their families. Mean IQ at the time of the first study (t1) was 40.4. Mean chronological age was 9 years at t1, 14 at t2, and 21 at t3, when all the young people had left school. The outcome measure was the 58-item Academic Attainments Index (AAI), comprising three sub-scales covering reading, writing and numeracy. Predictors of the outcome were derived from questionnaires and interviews from tutors, mothers and fathers. A path analysis approach was used to investigate the pattern of predictors of the outcome over the three studies. Factors predicting greater progress in this measure between t2 and t3 were lower chronological age and attendance at mainstream school. Progress from t1 to t2 was also associated with attendance at mainstream school, as well as with higher t1 mental age, mother's practical coping style and higher child attentiveness. Background factors predicting higher t1 AAI scores were higher mental age, attendance at mainstream school and father's internal locus of control. The path analysis model predicted 48% of the variance in t3 outcome scores. Severity of intellectual impairment was by far the most significant predictor. Limitations to the study include evidence of attrition bias towards more able children, and the need to obtain the t3 outcome measure from tutors for some young people and parents for others. Parents may have over-estimated abilities. Results are broadly in agreement with other studies, and confirm the pattern reported earlier with this group. Mainstream school attendance had a modest beneficial effect on AAI scores throughout the school career of the children, independently of level of intellectual disability. Identification of predictors of attainment levels and of improvement over time may help parents, teachers and other professionals involved with families of children and young people with Down's syndrome optimise the attainment of such skills.

A Life Course Model of Education and Alcohol Use

Working from a life course perspective, this study examined the paradoxical association between academic status and drinking across the transition to young adulthood with multilevel modeling and a nationally representative sample of young people from the Add Health data project (n = 6,308). Taking academically advanced courses in high school was associated with lower rates of current drinking and binge drinking during high school (grades 9-12) but higher rates of both after high school (age range: 20-26). This positive longitudinal association between academic status and drinking was explained partly, but not completely, by educational, family, and work circumstances in young adulthood. The association was less likely to occur among students who attended high schools in which high achievement was the norm. Thus, the association between academic status and drinking behavior reverses across the transition to young adulthood, especially in certain types of peer environments within the educational system.

Subjective Well-being Among Young People in Transition to Adulthood

This study used a nationally representative sample of young people in Germany from the German Socio-Economic Panel to examine how demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the young persons and their parents, personality traits of the young persons, quality and quantity of relationships, the parent's level of life satisfaction, and other measures of satisfaction for the young person are related to the initial assessment of life satisfaction by the individual at the critical point of transition from adolescence to adulthood. The results indicated that consistency existed across different domains of satisfaction, specifically satisfaction with life and satisfaction with grades. A strong pattern of association was also observed between the subjective well-being of the adolescents and variables that measured different dimensions of the quality and quantity of interpersonal relationships, including relationships with parents.

A short form of the Diabetes Quality of Life for Youth questionnaire: exploratory and confirmatory analysis in a sample of 2,077 young people with type 1 diabetes mellitus

The aim of this study was to test the construct validity of the Diabetes Quality of Life for Youth (DQOLY) questionnaire in a large representative sample of young people with type 1 diabetes mellitus. The 52-item DQOLY questionnaire was completed by 2,077 adolescent individuals (aged 10-18 years) with type 1 diabetes. Participants were recruited from 22 paediatric diabetes centres in 18 countries across Europe, Asia and North America. HbA(1c) levels were determined once and analysed centrally. Exploratory factor analysis generated three possible measurement models of a revised questionnaire, two with four factors and one with six factors with all models indicating the presence of one satisfaction scale, but with many of the impact and worry scale items either double loading or not loading on any factors. Subsequent confirmatory analysis indicated that compared with the original DQOLY scales, the six-factor solution was the best-fitting model. The DQOLY factor structure does not show construct validity in a large, diverse representative sample of young people with type 1 diabetes. However, a revised (short-form) version of the DQOLY is proposed that has improved construct validity, adequate internal consistency, and more precise and hypothesised association with HbA(1c). It is anticipated that this shorter version will enhance the acceptability and clinical utility of the measure, making it more feasible to introduce as part of routine care.

Santé mentale des jeunes : perception et prise en charge par les adultes des établissements scolaires

To compare young people's and adult's perceptions of certain mental health issues in order to be able to propose solutions targeting the improvement of the current situation. A school nurse, a chief education counselor and homeroom teacher (3 people per establishment) from 15 schools in the Doubs county were questioned using semi-directed interviews. The schools were all junior high schools or preparatory schools for students aged between 15 and 18 who were studying to take the baccalaureat examination. The data were compared with those of the Health Barometer (a national representative sample of young people attending school in France). Adults have a different perception of health in general and mental health in particular compared to that of young people. There is a perceptible gap between certain adults on the one hand, given their motivation, investment and wish be of help to young people, and on the other hand, young people's perception of it. It seems that for everyone questioned, the school nurse is a uniquely, important contact person. She is in a considerably favourable position for listening and providing assistance on difficult questions like suicidal thoughts, depression, and problems linked to sexuality or contraception.