Adolescent Skills Research Articles

Emotional symptoms and interpersonal skills in Colombian adolescents: gender differences after a year of pandemic

Emotional symptoms and interpersonal skills in Colombian adolescents: gender differences after a year of pandemic

Development and validation of the Relational Skills Inventory for Adolescents

IntroductionDating violence prevention initiatives are intended, not only to reduce the occurrence of violent behaviors, but also to promote the development of positive dating relational skills starting in adolescence. However, despite the growing interest in examining adolescent relational skills in adolescents, no specific measure is yet available to assess post program gains relative to dating violence prevention and intervention. The current study addressed this important gap in dating relationships research by developing and validating a new measure of relational skills for adolescents. MethodsExploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted on two samples of French-speaking dating adolescents from Quebec, Canada (n1= 384; n2= 687). ResultsExploratory factor analysis revealed a three-factor structure reflecting constructs of Assertiveness, Support and Individuality (α = 0.69-0.81). Results also support evidence of convergent validity with related measures. The three-factor structure was cross-validated among a second sample (α = 0.74-0.79). Two-way ANCOVAs were also conducted to examine differences in levels of relational skills as a function of sex and previous dating violence perpetration. Results indicated that girls reported higher levels of assertiveness than boys, and that adolescents who reported the use of dating violence also reported lower levels of all relational skills. ConclusionThe validation of the Relational Skills Inventory for Adolescents (RSI-A) will help researchers assess the effectiveness of interventions aimed at promoting the development of positive dating relationships during adolescence.

Social and life skills in adolescents who have self-harmed: analysis of survey responses from a national sample of adolescents in Norway

ObjectiveSocial and life skills (SLS) may be important in the prevention and treatment of self-harm, but few studies have described this relationship. We examined three components of SLS in adolescents...

Emotional skills in adolescents and young adults suffering from Anorexia Nervosa : An integrative approach.

Emotional skills in adolescents and young adults suffering from Anorexia Nervosa : An integrative approach.

Emotional skills in adolescents and young adults suffering from anorexia nervosa – an integrative approach

BACKGROUND: Although emotional difficulties are amongst the core deficits of individuals with anorexia nervosa, little is known about the specific emotional functioning. Therefore, this study used an integrative approach to examine the emotional skills of adolescents and young adults suffering from compared with healthy controls.

Determinants of Risky Sexual Behaviors Among Adolescents

As adolescence is a stage in which human beings face once throughout a lifetime and it is the experimental period for this reason risky sexual behavior is common among young people, and it has several sexual and reproductive health consequences. In Ethiopia, mostly as in many other settings, the behaviors of adolescents strongly influence the course of STDs including HIV/AIDS due to their risky sexual practices. This study is a descriptive cross sectional survey research design. The finding showed that, Pocket money, peer pressure, substances use and self-efficacy to resist sexual advances are associated with risky sexual behaviors. The findings regarding gender difference showed that there was no statistically significant difference between male and female students with regard to age of first sexual intercourse. Concerned with risk factor for unsafe sexual behavior of adolescents was observed with abuse of alcohol, Khat, Shisha, Tela and cigarette. Providing the necessary knowledge and skills for adolescents, parents and different stakeholders are the suggested recommendation.

Study protocol for a randomised controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a serious game targeting interpersonal emotion regulation in early adolescents

BackgroundAdaptive interpersonal emotion regulation (iER) is a vital tool for positive relations. During early adolescence, peer relations become increasingly important, making this age group a relevant target group for interventions promoting positive interactions with each other, yet no evidence-based intervention exists for iER and early adolescents specifically.MethodsThis randomised controlled trial (RCT) aims to test effectiveness and feasibility of a serious game training iER skills in early adolescents by comparing outcomes with a control group playing a game without psychoeducational content in a pre- and post-test design. German- and English-speaking early adolescents (10–14 years) are eligible for participation. IER skills improvement as assessed by a vignette task is the primary outcome and will be analysed with a chi-square test. Secondary outcomes include feasibility and acceptability, emotional competence, personal emotion regulation, gender, and sex.DiscussionThis RCT will test whether playing a serious game about iER strategies results in an improvement of iER skills and whether the game is feasible and acceptable for early adolescents with the ultimate aim to implement the game in schools and help early adolescents achieve positive peer relationships.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.govNCT04808102, Registered on 19 March 2021

The effects of incorporating extended conversations into video-based story retelling instruction on oral narrative skills in adolescents with intellectual disability in China

Background/aimsOral narrative language is a persistent area of language difficulty for individuals with intellectual disability (ID). This study aims to explore the effectiveness of a comprehensive intervention program that incorporates extended conversations into video-based story retelling instruction with a novel visual support strategy, Story Hand, to develop oral narrative skills in adolescents with ID in China. MethodsUsing a single-case multiple-probe across participants design, the researchers examined whether the comprehensive intervention program could improve participants’ oral narrative skills both microstructurally and macrostructurally. ResultsAll three participants demonstrated moderate to high treatment effects in the microstructural narrative outcomes (i.e., the mean length of utterance in morphemes [MLU-M] and the number of different words [NDW]) and one of the macrostructural narrative outcomes (i.e., the complexity of story grammar [SG-complexity]) in response to the comprehensive intervention program, and these acquired effects were maintained at a high level for up to one month. However, all three participants demonstrated limited treatment effects in one of the macrostructural narrative outcomes (i.e., cohesion) in response to the comprehensive intervention program. Conclusions/implicationsThe comprehensive intervention program that incorporates extended conversations into visually supported video-based story retelling instruction offers an option for teachers to develop oral narrative skills in adolescents with ID. However, the relative effectiveness of the different components of the intervention needs to be further explored.

Improving sensitivity to eye gaze cues in adolescents on the autism spectrum using serious game technology: A randomized controlled trial.

Perceiving and interpreting eye gaze cues is foundational for social cognition and social interactions because it involves the ability to use eye gaze direction to predict the actions and intentions of others. Autism is a disability that impacts social interactions. A diagnostic symptom of autism is difficulty understanding eye gaze cues as social signals. This deficit has long-term consequences for understanding goal-directed behavior, language learning, and social communication. We hypothesize that targeted intervention methods designed to improve sensitivity to eye gaze cues may begin to treat core symptoms of autism and potentially alter multiple aspects of social functioning. Social Games for Autistic Adolescents (SAGA) is a serious computer game intervention designed to improve sensitivity to eye gaze cues. Serious games improve targeted skills with the goal of enhancing real life outcomes. In SAGA, participants progress through a narrative storyline and interact with animated characters. In so doing, they implicitly discover that eye gaze cues are useful for guiding their own goal-directed behavior to solve problems in the game. We evaluated the feasibility and effectiveness of SAGA in a hybrid phase 1/2, randomized controlled trial. Forty adolescents on the autism spectrum were randomized to either the treatment or standard care control group. Adolescents in the treatment group were asked to play SAGA for 30-minute sessions at home 3 times a week over 10 weeks. A group × time interaction revealed that the treatment group developed increasing sensitivity to human eye gaze cues, whereas the standard care group did not. Participants who experienced a sufficient dose of gameplay showed larger treatment-related improvements. Critically, increases in sensitivity to human eye gaze cues were associated with improvements in social skills. This accessible, scalable, and affordable intervention shows promise as an effective tool for improving the ability to interpret and understand eye gaze cues and social skills in adolescents on the autism spectrum.

Executive functioning profiles in adolescence: Using person-centered approaches to understand heterogeneity

The current study investigated patterns in executive functioning (EF) skills in adolescents (N = 991; 48.8% male; 81% White; mage = 14.91) and examined how EF profiles were associated with adolescent wellbeing. Eight EF skills, comprising foundational, complex, and affective EF, were assessed via self-rated EF, parent-reported EF, and neuropsychological tasks. A latent profile analysis (LPA) revealed four distinct EF profiles representing unique constellations of higher, lower, or mixed performance across all eight EF skills. When compared across domains, profiles characterized by higher foundational and complex EF skills exhibited positive, contemporaneous associations with academics, mental health, and health behaviors. Profiles characterized by discordant or mixed performance also exhibited unique strengths, such as positive peer relationships. Findings indicate that person-centered approaches to examining EF may reveal important sources of heterogeneity that have functional significance for health and wellness.

Collaboration: Report on the Study of Social and Emotional Skills of Chinese Adolescents (III)

Collaboration is essential to social and emotional competence. Accordingly, collaboration has always been considered a key indicator and core accomplishment of students' development. People who excel at collaboration can successfully cooperate with others, reduce interpersonal conflict and achieve the final goal by maintaining a positive attitude. For children and adolescents, greater collaboration means more pro-social behaviors and fewer problem behaviors. Collaboration is also important for students' life development and is closely linked to some life outcome variables, such as educational expectations, health and well-being, according to the OECD. Based on evaluation data out of Suzhou, China, the study under review presents the evaluation results of teenagers' cooperation ability from different dimensions and levels. The authors present the research results from three aspects, including the predictive variable analysis of collaboration ability and the life outcome variable of collaboration ability. Analysis shows that the students’ empathy, trust, and cooperation capabilities differ depending on age, gender, urban & rural areas, and school types; correlation exists in the 15 kinds abilities of the “Big Five Personalities”. Through regression analysis from multiple aspects explored the prediction variables, the researchers explored the student's ability of collaboration and cooperation ability in the 5 major categories of life outcome variables. Specific research results are as follows:

Task Performance: Report on the Study of Social and Emotional Skills of Chinese Adolescents (I)

Task Performance is greatly significant in the field of education. The OECD defines Task Performance as the ability to function based on conscientiousness in the “Big Five” personality domains. People with high Task Performance tend to also have significant conscientiousness. In other words, they are more self-controlled, more responsible, and more persistent. As a result, they focus well on tasks and earn better grades. Task Performance includes self-control, responsibility, and perseverance.

Open-Mindedness: Report on the Study of Social and Emotional Skills of Chinese Adolescents (IV)

As one of the five dimensions of social and emotional ability, open-mindedness is derived from the openness factor of the "Big Five Personality", which describes one’s willingness to try and accept novel experiences. People with a high level of open-mindedness are more creative and artistic, while those with low level of openness are more obedient to tradition and pragmatic, but lack of innovation. According to the OECD research framework, open-mindedness includes tolerance, curiosity and creativity. This study is based on data collected from 10-year-old and 15-year-old students in Suzhou city participating in the OECD social and emotional ability assessment. It uses descriptive statistics, difference testing and regression analysis to present the performance of Suzhou students’ open-mindedness. This allows the study to provide reference for the accurate assessment of teenagers' social and emotional abilities, in addition to further developing the quality of education in China. The study presents data results from the following three parts: the first part presents the overall score of open-mindedness, the correlation between open-mindedness and other sub-abilities, and the age difference of open-mindedness (comparison between 10 and 15 years old group), gender difference, urban-rural difference, and the difference between general high and vocational high; the second part presents the factors influencing open-mindedness through regression analysis, including background variables, individual factors, family upbringing, teacher factors, and school factors; the third part presents the effects of tolerance, curiosity and creativity on academic achievement (Chinese, math, art), educational expectation, global consciousness, closeness to family, closeness to others, health, life happiness, life satisfaction, test anxiety and other life outcome variables of 10 and 15 year old students through regression analysis.

Emotional Regulation: Report on the Study of Social and Emotional Skills of Chinese Adolescents (II)

Recently, an article published in the Journal of East China Normal University (Education Sciences) was based on the data of 10-year-old and 15-year-old students in Suzhou City, China participating in the OECD social and emotional ability assessment. The study used descriptive statistics, difference testing, regression analysis, and other statistical methods to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the emotional regulation performance of Suzhou students.

Cultural adaptation of a scalable psychological intervention for Burundian refugee adolescents in Tanzania: a qualitative study

BackgroundThere is an urgent need for evidence-based, scalable, psychological interventions to improve the mental health of adolescents affected by adversity in low-resource settings. Early Adolescents Skills for Emotions (EASE) was developed by the WHO as a brief, transdiagnostic, group intervention for early adolescents exhibiting internalising problems, delivered by trained and supervised lay providers. This study describes the cultural adaptation of EASE for Burundian adolescents living in Mtendeli refugee camps in Tanzania.MethodsA phased approach to adaptation of the EASE intervention and its implementation, was adopted and comprised of: (1) a desk review to synthesize existing research on mental health issues in conflict-affected Burundian communities, (2) a rapid qualitative assessment involving free listing and key informant interviews with multiple stakeholders, (3) cognitive interviews with end users, and (4) a two-part adaptation workshop involving the implementing partner staff, members of the refugee community and mental health experts. We applied the Bernal framework to systematically document and track adaptations across eight dimensions of the intervention.ResultsProblems associated with worry, stress, sadness, shame and fear were identified as amongst the most critical mental health concerns, alongside a range of experiences of different forms of violence (such as gender-based violence, violence when fleeing from their homes) and associated problems. Problems associated with violence that included past experiences of fleeing as well as ongoing problems of gender-based violence in the camp. The most significant adaptations that were required included providing options for low literacy of participants, safety planning to address the high prevalence of sexual violence, simplification of strategies for the benefit of the end users and of lay facilitators, and implementation changes to consider involvement of refugee incentive workers. A majority of changes were across dimensions of language, people, metaphors, content, methods and context, while there were fewer changes regarding the goals and concepts of EASE.ConclusionsThe approach to adaptation of a psychological intervention suggested both minor and major required changes. Adaptations based on the findings of this study are anticipated to enhance relevance and acceptability of the EASE intervention and its delivery for camp-residing Burundian refugees in Tanzania.

Developing and evaluating the Teen-Strong life skills programme in Southern Thailand

Risk sexual behaviours are known as a threat to health and wellbeing of adolescents. Although there are standard sexual education curriculums in Thai schools, most schools use traditional teaching methods rather than participatory teaching activities. This study aimed to (i) develop 'Teen-Strong' programme by combining the concept of the World Health Organization's life skills programme with Thai sexual education curriculum and (ii) investigate the association of Teen-Strong programme with knowledge and decision-making regarding risky sexual behaviours and teenage pregnancy in Thai adolescents. The Teen-Strong programme was developed by means of experts review and cognitive interviewing process and evaluated in 66 adolescents in Grades 7-9 from six schools in southern Thailand. Twenty-six students were assigned to the experimental group (attended Teen-Strong programme and standard sexual education) and 40 to the control group (attended only the standard sexual education). A pre-post-test quasi-experimental design was used and the Teen-Strong questionnaire (TSQ) was administered to measure knowledge and decision-making at three time points: before (T1), immediately after (T2) and 1 month after (T3) attending the programme. A 2 × 3 mixed-design ANOVA was used to analyse the data. TSQ scores in the experimental and control groups were higher at T2 and T3 as compared with T1. Mean increase in TSQ scores at T2 and T3 compared with T1 were significantly higher in the experiment than the control group [T2 vs. T1: t (64) = 4.07, p-values < 0.0001; T3 vs. T1: t (64) = 3.32, p-values = 0.017]. This study showed that Teen-Strong programme could increase adolescent's knowledge and decision-making skills regarding risk sexual behaviours.

The effect of the adapted soccer programme on motor learning and psychosocial behaviour in adolescents with Down syndrome.

Numerous studies have proven the significant positive impact of the regular physical activity on general health conditions and quality of life of people with intellectual disability. In practice, various adapted sports activities are used. The current study deals with the effects of the soccer programme. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the effects of adapted soccer on the motor learning and some psychosocial characteristics in adolescents with Down syndrome. Twenty-five participants were recruited and randomised into two groups (exercise and control). Adolescents placed in the exercise group carried out a special soccer programme twice a week during 16weeks, while adolescents placed in the control group continued with their usual daily regime. Specific motor coordination, level of aggression, attention disorders, level of anxiety and depression, and social problems were measured before and after the training period. Mixed ANOVA were used to evaluate the effects of the experimental treatment. The exercise group had significant improvements (P<0.05) in one of three motor variables (only in the easiest task) and in all psychosocial variables. There are no one significant change in the control group. The adapted soccer programme influenced more seriously on psychosocial characteristics than on motor learning of adolescent with DS. The results suggest that adapted soccer training can decrease aggression, anxiety and depression levels, and improve attention, social behaviour and simple motor skills in adolescents with Down syndrome.

Implicaciones éticas del uso del machine learning como mediador en el desarrollo de habilidades metacognitivas en niños y adolescentes

This article reviews an approach to the use of Machine Learning in the development of metacognitive skills in children and adolescents. The pedagogical relevance and ethical implications in the introduction of emerging digital technologies in the educational field are analysed. We point out the relevance of a pedagogical and ethical approach to digital technologies that are used in the educational field to overcome the visions focused on the exclusive learning of the technique.

The Influence of Web-Based Tools on Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes in Pregnant Adolescents or Adolescent Mothers: Mixed Methods Systematic Review.

BackgroundPregnant adolescent women increasingly seek support during pregnancy and the puerperium through digital platforms instead of the traditional support system of family, friends, and the community. However, it is uncertain whether digital, web-based tools are reliable and effective in providing information to the user on a variety of topics such as fetal development, pregnancy outcomes, delivery, and breastfeeding to improve maternal and infant outcomes.ObjectiveWe aimed to identify web-based tools designed to promote knowledge, attitudes, and skills of pregnant adolescents or adolescent mothers and determine the efficacy of such web-based tools compared with conventional resources in promoting good pregnancy and infant outcomes.MethodsA systematic search was conducted using Medline, Scopus, CINAHL, and PsycINFO for articles published from January 2004 to November 2020 to identify randomized trials and observational studies that evaluated digital, web-based platforms to deliver resources to pregnant adolescents. All articles written in the author’s languages were included. Two authors independently reviewed abstracts and full-text articles for inclusion and assessed study quality. Risk of bias in each study was assessed using appropriate tools recommended by PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses) and the Joanna Briggs Institute. We adopted a qualitative synthesis and presented the results in a narrative format due to the heterogenous nature of the studies.ResultsSeven articles met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. The majority of the studies were graded to be of low to moderate risk for bias. The research methodologies represented were varied, ranging from randomized (n=1) and nonrandomized controlled trials (n=1) and prospective cohort studies (n=1) to mixed methods studies (n=1) and longitudinal surveys (n=3). Four studies included active web-based interventions, and 3 described exposure to web-based tools, including the use of social media and/or other internet content. Web-based tools positively influenced treatment-seeking intentions (intervention 17.1%, control 11.5%, P=.003) and actual treatment-seeking behavior for depression among postpartum adolescents (intervention 14.1%, control 6.5%, P<.001). In contrast, readily available information on the internet may leave adolescents with increased anxiety. The critical difference lies in information curated by health care professionals specifically to address targeted concerns versus self-acquired data sourced from various websites.ConclusionsDespite almost universal web use, few studies have used this platform for health promotion and disease prevention. Social media interventions or web-based tools have the potential to positively influence both maternal and infant outcomes in adolescent pregnancy, but there is a need for more well-conducted studies to demonstrate the effectiveness of these support programs. The vastness of the information available on the web limits the ability of health care professionals to monitor or control sources of information sought by patients. Thus, it is important to create professionally curated platforms to prevent or limit exposure to potentially misleading or harmful information on the internet while imparting useful knowledge to the user.Trial RegistrationPROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews CRD42020195854; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=195854

Workshop On Early Detection Overweight In Adolescents At Karuna Dipa Junior High School In Palu City

Indonesia as a developing country is one of the contributors to the increasing incidence of Overweight adolescents. The form of activities such as providing counseling and training on early detection of overweight and providing short workshops on making healthy snacks to prevent obesity (Banana Bud) is one of the efforts to prevent obesity in adolescents. The purpose of this community service is to increase adolescent knowledge about overweight prevention, improve adolescent skills in early detection of overweight and in selecting and making snacks to prevent overweight.&#x0D; This type of community service is providing counseling and training on early detection of overweight as well as providing a short workshop on making healthy snacks to prevent overweight (Banana bud) at Karuna Dipa junior high school in Palu City.&#x0D; Knowledge assessment results show that an increase in the average knowledge score was 2.9 points (14.5%). For the skill of determining BMI, students achieved the ability of 72% which was assessed from their ability to calculate BMI using discs or using a calculator, while for the determination of overweight, students' abilities reached 83% which was assessed from their ability to use discs to detect overweight.&#x0D; The conclusion of community service is that there is an increase in knowledge, skills for determining BMI using discs and calculators, and knowledge of making healthy snacks to prevent overweight