Early Adolescent School Research Articles

초기 청소년기 학교폭력 피해경험과 교우관계의 관계와 전학경험의 조절효과

Objectives This study examines the relationship between early adolescence school violence victimization, peer relationships, and the moderating effect of school transfer experience.
 Methods Using panel data from the Korean Educational Development Institute's ongoing Korean Education Longitudinal Study, which has been conducted since 2013, we conducted an analysis of school violence victim-ization experiences, peer relationships, and transfer experiences from elementary 5th grade to high school graduation. For data preprocessing and identifying transfer experiences, we utilized SPSS 27, while for examining moderation effects (multigroup analysis) using structural equation modeling, we employed Mplus 8.3.
 Results Firstly, experiences of school violence during early adolescence have a negative impact on subsequent peer relationships during the adolescent period. Secondly, transfer experiences moderate the effects of school violence victimization during early adolescence on later peer relationships in adolescence.
 Conclusions Experiencing school violence during early adolescence had a negative impact on the formation of peer relationships during subsequent schooling. However, it was found that when students transfered schools and joined a new peer group, they experienced less difficulty in forming peer relationships. Therefore, policy alter-natives that allow school violence victims to choose school transfers are needed.

Acceptability of A Web-based Character Strengths Module for Early Adolescent School Children

Background: Frequent socio-political conflicts in the past decades have adversely affected the well-being of youth in Sri Lanka. There is a need to support youth development, mitigate past trauma, and promote social harmony. School-based interventions to improve character development, emotional regulation, and tolerance have good evidence and may benefit adolescents in Sri Lanka. Our objective was to develop a novel character strength program in Sinhala to promote Leadership, Empathy, Altruism, Personal Growth, and Social Responsibility (LEAPS). This program consists of ten web-based modules and is facilitated by teachers. This initial evaluation focuses on the first module and its acceptability among students and teachers. Method: Program modules were developed by a child and adolescent psychiatrist with the support of mental health and educational experts. The first module was piloted among grade 8 students (12-14 years) and teachers of two schools in the Gampaha District. It was designed to be interactive and contains various cultural activities and questions. On completion, participants gave feedback online via Likert scales. Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya. Results: A total of 115 students and 66 teachers participated. Overall, more than 95% of students and teachers found the module appropriate and suitable. The students had more favourable ratings for the module compared to the teachers on aspects of understanding the content (p<0.001), ability to complete by self (p<0.001), suitability to age (p<0.001), shorter time for completion (p<0.001) and suitability of the design (p<0.001). Both groups suggested that the pictures and activities be increased. Conclusions: Teaching character strengths using a web-based intervention was well accepted by adolescent students and teachers in Sri Lanka.

Bullying Among Early Adolescent Egyptian School Students

Bullying Among Early Adolescent Egyptian School Students

Impact of child development at primary school entry on adolescent health\u2014protocol for a participatory systematic review

BackgroundReducing child health inequalities is a global health priority and evidence suggests that optimal development of knowledge, skills and attributes in early childhood could reduce health risks across the life course. Despite a strong policy rhetoric on giving children the ‘best start in life’, socioeconomic inequalities in children’s development when they start school persist. So too do inequalities in child and adolescent health. These in turn influence health inequalities in adulthood. Understanding how developmental processes affect health in the context of socioeconomic factors as children age could inform a holistic policy approach to health and development from childhood through to adolescence. However, the relationship between child development and early adolescent health consequences is poorly understood. Therefore the aim of this review is to summarise evidence on the associations between child development at primary school starting age (3–7 years) and subsequent health in adolescence (8–15 years) and the factors that mediate or moderate this relationship.MethodA participatory systematic review method will be used. The search strategy will include; searches of electronic databases (MEDLINE, PsycINFO, ASSIA and ERIC) from November 1990 onwards, grey literature, reference searches and discussions with stakeholders. Articles will be screened using inclusion and exclusion criteria at title and abstract level, and at full article level. Observational, intervention and review studies reporting a measure of child development at the age of starting school and health outcomes in early adolescence, from a member country of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, will be included. The primary outcome will be health and wellbeing outcomes (such as weight, mental health, socio-emotional behaviour, dietary habits). Secondary outcomes will include educational outcomes. Studies will be assessed for quality using appropriate tools. A conceptual model, produced with stakeholders at the outset of the study, will act as a framework for extracting and analysing evidence. The model will be refined through analysis of the included literature. Narrative synthesis will be used to generate findings and produce a diagram of the relationship between child development and adolescent health.DiscussionThe review will elucidate how children’s development at the age of starting school is related to subsequent health outcomes in contexts of socioeconomic inequality. This will inform ways to intervene to improve health and reduce health inequality in adolescents. The findings will generate knowledge of cross-sector relevance for health and education and promote inter-sectoral coherence in addressing health inequalities throughout childhood.Protocol RegistrationThis systematic review protocol has been registered with PROSPERO CRD42020210011.

Stunting and Its Associated Factors among Early Adolescent School Girls of Gondar Town, Northwest Ethiopia: A School-Based Cross-Sectional Study.

Introduction Stunting is a crucial indicator of long-term chronic undernutrition that reflects a failure to reach a linear growth. Adolescent girls are potentially at a higher risk of stunting as they are traditionally married at an early age in low-income countries. In Ethiopia, stunting has mostly been examined in early childhood, with limited information at the early adolescent age. Therefore, this study is aimed at determining the prevalence of stunting and its associated factors among early adolescent school girls age 10 to 14 in Gondar town. Methods We conducted a school-based cross-sectional study. A multistage sampling method was used to sample 662 adolescent girls in selected primary schools. A pretested, structured, and interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect the required data. Stata Version 14 and WHO Anthro-plus software were used to analyze the data. The bivariable and multivariable logistic regression model was fitted to identify factors associated with stunting. Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) with its 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated, and a p value ≤ 0.05 was considered to declare statistically significant variables. Results The prevalence of stunting was 27.5% [95% CI: 25.5%-29.5%]. The odds of stunting were found to be higher among grade 5 students [AOR; 95% CI: 1.90; 1.13-3.20], those who reported a daily meal frequency of less than three [AOR; 95% CI: 2.37; 1.60-3.50], and those who were from food-insecure families [AOR; 95% CI: 2.52; 1.70-3.73]. Adolescent girls whose mothers were government employees [AOR; 95% CI: 0.48; 0.26–0.89] or merchants [AOR; 95% CI: 0.43; 0.28–0.67] were less likely to be stunted compared to those whose mothers were housewives. Conclusion Stunting among early adolescent girls is found to be a moderate public health problem. A school-based nutritional program might be helpful to reduce stunting in this group of adolescent girls.

Bracketed morality in adolescent football players: A tale of two contexts

BackgroundThe concept of bracketed morality has received some empirical support in several sport studies. In this research, we examined bracketed morality in adolescent football players. Specifically, we investigated: (a) whether moral behaviour differs between two contexts - sport and school - and whether these differences are moderated by age and sex; and (b) whether context differences in moral behaviour are explained by corresponding context differences in peer motivational climate, moral disengagement, and empathy. DesignWe conducted two studies using a cross-sectional design. MethodIn both studies, adolescent football players completed measures of prosocial and antisocial behaviour toward their teammates and opponents in sport and toward their classmates in school. Participants also completed measures of peer motivational climate (Study 1) and moral disengagement and empathy (Study 2) in the two contexts. ResultsAcross the two studies and all age groups, prosocial teammate behaviour was more frequent in sport than school; the opposite pattern was revealed for prosocial opponent behaviour. Antisocial teammate behaviour was less frequent in sport than school in younger athletes, but there was no (overall) context difference in older athletes. In Study 2, in girls, antisocial opponent behaviour was more frequent in sport than school across all age groups. In boys, this behaviour was less frequent in sport than school in early adolescence, but this pattern was reversed in middle and late adolescence. Context differences in task peer climate accounted for context differences in the two prosocial behaviours, while context differences in moral disengagement accounted for context differences in the two antisocial behaviours. ConclusionsOur findings extend the concept of bracketed morality to moral behaviour in sport and school in adolescents and suggest that by intervening on task peer climate and moral disengagement we could reduce the gap in prosocial and antisocial behaviours between the two contexts.

Early Adolescent Health Problems, School Performance, and Upper Secondary Educational Pathways: A Counterfactual-Based Mediation Analysis

Abstract Early health problems predict lower educational attainment, but it remains unclear whether this is due to health problems weakening school performance or due to other mechanisms operating above and beyond school performance. We employed counterfactual-based mediation analysis on a register-based sample of Finnish adolescents born in 1988–1993 (n = 73,072) to longitudinally assess the direct (unexplained by school performance, as measured by grade point average) and indirect (pure mediation and mediated interaction via school performance) effects of early adolescent somatic and mental health problems on the noncompletion of upper secondary education and track choice (vocational vs. general). Mental disorders were associated with the largest increases in both noncompletion and choosing the vocational track, but somatic conditions also showed small but robust associations. Weakened school performance mediated up to one-third of the differences in noncompletion and around half of the differences in track choice. When the same analyses were conducted within sibships, the total effects of health problems on educational pathways were weaker, but the contribution of school performance remained similar. In counterfactual simulations that assigned everyone an above-median school performance—that is, eradicating below-median school performance—about 20–40 percent of the effects of mental disorders on educational pathways remained. Our results suggest that while impaired school performance is an important component in health-related selection to education, it does not fully explain the shorter and less academically oriented educational careers of adolescents with health problems. These adolescents may benefit from additional educational support regardless of their formal school performance.

Determination of nutrient adequacy of the food catered in the child care homes (CCHs) of Sunsari district

Summary Malnutrition continues to be a primary cause of ill health and mortality among school age orphan and vulnerable children in developing countries. Objective: Determination of nutrient adequacy of the food catered in the child care homes of Sunsari district. Methods: Weighing method was used for determining the amount of food eaten. T-test and bivariate spearman correlation coefficients were used to compare the nutrient intake with respective RDA and to determine the association between nutrient intake and malnutrition respectively. Results: The study revealed, 33.82% and 17.39% of study population were stunted and underweight respectively. Equal percentages (7.81%) of study population were overweight and thin. Probability of calorie and protein adequacy was found in 52.94% and 89.71% of study population in CCHs. Calcium intake of all children and adolescent were found to be below their RDA. Cereals contributed the highest amount by weight (355.3 g) and proportion (39%) to the total diet for the study population in CCHs. Fruits 1% (12.9 g) and additional oil 2% (20.9 g) made a small contribution to the study population dietary intake. Fish and eggs were completely lacking in their diet. Probability of iron inadequacy was found in 80.9% of study population in CCHs.

Early temperament and middle school engagement: School social relationships as mediating processes.

Young children’s temperament was examined as a potential predictor of early adolescent school engagement, with elementary school teacher–child and peer relationships included as potential mediators of these effects. A large national longitudinal dataset (N = 1,032) was used to estimate structural equations models that showed children’s social dissatisfaction and teacher–child closeness mediated links from early temperament (i.e., negative affect, effortful control at age 54 months) to early adolescent (age 11) emotional engagement in school. These findings suggest that aspects of teacher and peer relationships in elementary school classrooms are key mediators of the long-term effects of early childhood temperament on later school engagement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved)

EFFECT OF EARLY SEXUAL DEBUT ON HIGH SCHOOL COMPLETION IN SOUTH AFRICA.

Early sexual debut is of major concern because it is a correlate for health and economic shocks experienced in adulthood. In South Africa, this concern has provided impetus for research directed at the HIV and AIDS epidemic, teenage pregnancy and the effect of adolescent sexual behaviour on persistence in school. Of interest to the present study is high school completion, which is a well-established empirical barometer of adult socioeconomic opportunities. Using data from the five waves of the Cape Area Panel Study (CAPS), this paper examines the association between sexual behaviours initiated in pre- and early adolescence and high school completion rates. The CAPS study is a longitudinal survey that was designed to investigate young people's (aged 14-22 years) educational attainment and sexual behaviours in Cape Town, South Africa. The sample was constituted from 3213 individuals who had initiated sex during their teenage years and the analysis was undertaken when the youngest cohort was aged 21, an age at which they should have completed high school if they were on time. Logistic regression models were fitted separately for males and females. Overall, the results reveal that early sexual debut is correlated with long-term negative educational outcomes. Individuals who experience early sexual debut are less likely to complete high school than their counterparts who make their sexual debut later on in life. This effect is worse for Africans, who also disproportionately have an earlier sexual debut than other race groups. Apart from race however, the findings also reinforce the effect of other demographic factors on high school completion, namely, place of residence and family socioeconomic status as measured by parental education and household income. Hence, early sexual debut adds another layer of inequality and worsens the plight of Africans, females, those living in rural areas and those who come from low-income families.

Overweight and obesity and their associated factors among early adolescence school children in urban and rural Portugal

BackgroundObesity is defined as an abnormal or excessive accumulation of body fat and it is currently one of the most concerning public health issues, as it is related to a wide range of serious diseases and disorders. The study of the causes of obesity is multifactorial, and its diagnosis requires specific methods. Its management is complex, and it is crucial that it is handled appropriately, and its primary focus should be on prevention through lifestyle changes.The objectives of this study are to determine the prevalence of overweight/obesity in adolescents of both genders, aged 10 to 12 years, from different geographical environments (rural and urban), as well as to identify the underlying risk factors related to the respective obesity rates, namely: family environment, eating habits, and physical exercise.MethodsAn observational, cross-sectional study in a sample of 129 adolescents aged 10 to 12 years was conducted. Participants of both genders from rural and urban environments were included in this study. A questionnaire was completed on eating habits and physical activity, focusing on the number of daily meals, meal composition, and sedentary lifestyle habits. An anthropometric assessment was also performed, including weight, height, skinfolds, waist circumference, arm circumference, and percentage of lean mass and body fat, using bioelectrical impedance analysis.ResultsIn the rural environment, the obesity rate was 16.9%, with 26.8% being either overweight or obese; whereas in the urban environment, these rates were respectively 16.7% and 33.4%. Living in a rural environment was not an independent predictor of being overweight or obesity, p = 0.581, or for increased percentage of body fat, p = 0.790. In contrast, being 12 years old, eating high-calorie foods four times a week or less, and having at least one obese parent were predictors of being overweight or obesity. Being 12 years old was also a predictor of gaining moderate to high body fat.ConclusionsAdolescents’ residence in a rural or urban environment does not affect the occurrence of being overweight, obesity or high body fat. Paternal obesity was an important predictor of obesity in children. Obese fathers tended to serve higher calorie meals to their children.

Measures of Early Adolescent Development and School Contexts: Narrowing the Research to Practice Divide.

This special issue highlights recent research on measures of early adolescents' development and the school contexts in which they spend their time. We are particularly interested in measures with direct application-providing actionable data to teachers, principals, parents, school counselors, or the students themselves, in ways that promote social-emotional and academic learning. In this introduction, we highlight the ways in which articles in this special issue offer rigorous, relevant, and feasible approaches to this measurement work and discuss future directions for research and practice in this area.

Child and Parent Report of Parenting as Predictors of Substance Use and Suspensions From School

This study examined how child and parent reports of parenting were related to early adolescent substance use and school suspensions. Data were from two time points six months apart on 321 families with an eighth grade student attending one of five schools in the Pacific Northwest. Child- and parent-report measures of family management practices were moderately correlated (r = .29). Child report, but not parent report, of more positive family management practices uniquely predicted a lower likelihood of adolescent substance use. Also, discrepancies between child and parent report of parenting predicted substance use, with child positive report of family management losing its protective association with adolescent substance use when parents had negative reports of their parenting. Parent report, but not child report, of better parenting predicted lower likelihood of suspensions, suggesting that the salience of child and parent report may depend on the type of behavioral outcome.

TWO DIMENSIONAL ANALYSIS OF LANDING KINEMATICS IN MALE AND FEMALE EARLY ADOLESCENT SECONDARY SCHOOL ATHLETES

BackgroundThe intensity and magnitude of secondary school sports participation is increasing annually. In this population there is a high incidence of anterior cruciate ligament injury, particularly in females. Two dimensional...

가족식사 및 가족기능이 초기 청소년의 학교적응에 미치는 영향

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of family mealtime and family functioning (family cohesion, family adaptability, and communication with father and mother) on early adolescent school adaptation. Data of 3,145 middle school students from the Survey on the Family Values and Lives among Adolescents(2010) conducted by National Youth Policy Institute(NYPI) were used. The findings are as follows. First, there were significant differences in the frequency of having breakfast and dinner with father and having breakfast with mother, family cohesion, and communication with father according to gender. Second, hierarchical linear regression analyses revealed that household economic status, mother's employment status and adolescents' gender among demographic characteristics, having breakfast with father and having dinner with mother in family mealtime frequency, and all the variables of family functioning predicted adolescents' school adaptation. Finally, economic status, having dinner with mother, family cohesion, and communication with father and mother were associated with adolescents' school adaptation for both boys and girls. Mother's education and having breakfast with father were found to be significant for only boys, while mother's employment status and family adaptability were found to be significant for only girls. These findings could provide grounds for making family and education policy.

Early adolescent depression symptoms and school dropout: Mediating processes involving self-reported academic competence and achievement.

Research on adolescent well-being has shown that students with depression have an increased risk of facing academic failure, yet few studies have looked at the implications of adolescent depression in the process of school dropout. This study examined mediation processes linking depression symptoms, self-perceived academic competence, and self-reported achievement in 7th grade to dropping out of school in later adolescence. We followed 493 (228 girls and 265 boys) French-speaking adolescents from low-socioeconomic-status secondary schools in Montreal (Quebec, Canada) for 6 years. Almost 34% of participants dropped out of school during this period. Findings indicated that self-reported depression symptoms in 7th grade increased the risk of dropping out of school in later adolescence. Structural equation modeling revealed that the predictive relationship between depression symptoms and school dropout was mediated by self-perceptions of academic competence. Current findings provide support for self-perceptions of competence as mediational processes in the relationship between adolescent depression symptoms and early school leaving.

The Influence of Families on Early Adolescent School Connectedness: Evidence That This Association Varies with Adolescent Involvement in Peer Drinking Networks

School connectedness is central to the long term well-being of adolescents, and high quality parent-child relationships facilitate school connectedness. This study examined the extent to which family relationship quality is associated with the school connectedness of pre- and early teenagers, and how this association varies with adolescent involvement in peer drinking networks. The sample consisted of 7,372 10-14 year olds recruited from 231 schools in 30 Australian communities. Participants completed the Communities that Care youth survey. A multi-level model of school connectedness was used, with a random term for school-level variation. Key independent variables included family relationship quality, peer drinking networks, and school grade. Control variables included child gender, sensation seeking, depression, child alcohol use, parent education, and language spoken at home. For grade 6 students, the association of family relationship quality and school connectedness was lower when peer drinking networks were present, and this effect was nonsignificant for older (grade 8) students. Post hoc analyses indicated that the effect for family relationship quality on school connectedness was nonsignificant when adolescents in grade 6 reported that the majority of friends consumed alcohol. The results point to the importance of family-school partnerships in early intervention and prevention.

Use of the Internet by parents of middle school students: Internet rules, risky behaviours and online concerns

Using the Internet is a daily occurrence for parents and children in today's world. Although they use the Internet differently, many individuals may face online hazards that they may be ill equipped to deal with. To better understand Internet use and online behaviours, a study was conducted with 227 parents of early adolescent (ages 11 to 14 years) middle school students (grades 6, 7 and 8). Four important findings emerged: (1) parents are using the Internet like their children but have different online behaviours; (2) parents have Internet use rules at home; (3) parents are participating in risky Internet behaviours (electronic aggression, intentional online harassment and communication with online strangers); and (4) parents are concerned about their child's online safety, specifically about the exposure to sexually explicit materials and online strangers, but the majority of parents do not know where to report negative or unsafe Internet experiences. Nurses, clinicians, healthcare providers and other professionals can and do provide comprehensive care to families by identifying needs and areas of knowledge deficit. By asking Internet use questions, nurses and other professionals are able to develop plans of care for all family members that will promote Internet safety and healthy lifestyle choices.

Girls’ and Boys’ Disclosure about Problems as a Predictor of Changes in Depressive Symptoms Over Time

Gender differences consistently emerge in adolescents’ friendships, with girls disclosing to friends about troubles and concerns more than boys. Although theories regarding possible emotional benefits of catharsis, as well as everyday assumptions, suggest that talking about problems makes people feel better, research regarding the impact of disclosure about problems on depressive symptoms has not been conclusive. In the current study, 79 early adolescent high school students residing in the Southeastern United States (73% European American) were observed talking about problems with a friend. Of primary interest was whether disclosure to friends predicted changes in self-reported depression over 6 months for girls and boys. Although girls disclosed to friends about problems (especially interpersonal problems) more than did boys, disclosure did not buffer girls from the development of depressive symptoms over time. In contrast, boys’ disclosure predicted their experiencing fewer depressive symptoms 6 months later. Results suggest that talking to friends may not be an especially effective method of coping with problems for girls.

Violation of School Behavioral Policies and Its Relationship with Overall Crime

Schools enact behavioral policies (e.g., dress codes, truancy policies) to enhance social control and create safe environments. Following the Theory of Social Disorganization, we hypothesize that poor social control measured by violations of behavioral policies is associated with greater rates of school crime. We collected incidence of behavioral policy violations and crime from security reports maintained by a South Los Angeles school district of 19,365 students during two school years (2003-2005). Weekly counts of policy violations and crime were modeled by use of the Generalized Linear Models fit using Generalized Estimating Equations based on an autoregressive correlation structure. Greater rates of school policy violations were associated with greater rates of school crime. The strongest association was between substance use violations and crime (high school: rate ratio [RR], 3.4, 95% confidence limit [CL], 2.6-4.6, middle school: RR, 3.8, CL, 2.6-5.4, elementary schools: RR, 2.4, 95% CL, 1.6-3.6). A one-unit increase in the weekly truancy rate per 1000 students was associated with a sixfold increase in the crime rate at the middle school and a 10% increase at the high school but had no apparent association with crime in elementary schools. A one-unit increase in the weekly dress code violation rate was linked to a 20% increase in crime at the high school. Collective adherence to school behavioral policies may increase social control and reduce disorganization, which may in turn contribute to a positive safety culture and reduced violence at school. Interventions to increase adherence to school policies are needed particularly during early adolescent school years.