Positive Youth Development Theory Research Articles

Promote or inhibit? Examining the influence of youth digital advocacy on digital social entrepreneurship

Purpose This study aims to investigates the impact of felt obligation for constructive change, constructive voices on social media and social media knowledge competence on digital social entrepreneurship among Indonesian youth. Design/methodology/approach This study uses Hayes’ process model to assess the stated hypotheses using survey data gathered from 489 Indonesian youth. Findings Youth with elevated social media knowledge competency might display diminished motivation to participate in digital social entrepreneurship, even when their felt obligation for constructive change remains robust. While promotive voice on social media mediates the relationship between felt obligation and digital social entrepreneurship, the notable absence of a mediating role for prohibitive voice on social media contradicts traditional Positive Youth Development (PYD) theory Research limitations/implications This research challenges conventional PYD theory by suggesting that youth with high social media knowledge competence may have reduced motivation for digital social entrepreneurship, despite a strong commitment to positive change. While promotive voice behavior mediates the relationship between felt obligation and digital entrepreneurship, the absence of mediation by prohibitive voice contradicts traditional PYD principles. This study expands the PYD framework, highlighting the challenges related to social media knowledge competence and prohibitive voice in engaging youth advocates for digital social entrepreneurship. It emphasizes the need to adapt PYD theory to address the complexities of the digital age effectively. Practical implications The findings offer valuable insights for students, aspiring young entrepreneurs, educators and policymakers interested in advancing the development of digital social entrepreneurship in a developing nation. Social implications This research offers valuable practical implications for policymakers, educators and society. It suggests the importance of nurturing a sense of responsibility among young individuals, enabling their active involvement in addressing issues like environmental degradation and discrimination. Creating supportive online communities for collaboration and constructive voice behavior on social media can provide judgment-free environments. Additionally, advocating for partnerships between youth and various stakeholders can boost resources, mentorship and funding opportunities, enhancing the prospects for impactful digital social entrepreneurship. Originality/value This study contributes to an underexplored area in the field of social entrepreneurship by investigating the intersection of youth, digital advocacy and digital social entrepreneurship. The incorporation of the PYD theory introduces a novel dimension to recent research in this domain

EXAMINING THE CRITICAL ROLE OF YOUTH'S PARTICIPATION AS CATALYSTS FOR SUSTAINABLE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DRIVERS OF DEVELOPMENT

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to examine the critical role of youth participation as catalysts for sustainable social and economic drivers of development in Africa. Theoretical Reference: The study adopted the theory of Positive Youth Development to contexualise the aim of the study. The study argues that, youth workers and other service providers using a youth development approach would be able to analyze the theories in this study and determine what influences their practice, anticipate the results of their interventions, choose the best course of action at each stage of the process, and explain their actions when working with young people. Method: Through the application of qualitative research techniques, the study primarily used peer-reviewed secondary sources available within the public domain. Since they provided the researchers with a great opportunity to connect with the body of knowledge already in existence and allowed the researchers to gain insight into the thoughts and experiences of other scholars regarding the area of study. Hence advanced searches of baseline literature were used to collect qualitative data. Results and Conclusions: The literature review examined the vital role that young people play as engines for long-term social and economic development in several African. The study argued that youth involvement promotes project ownership and sustainability and increases young people's ability to meet their basic needs. Implications of Research: Unemployment has caused Africa a lot of woes as youths embrace violence rather than embarking on projects that would benefit the continent. The paper concluded that unless impediments to the actualisation are expunged, the African continent will still take its back seat in this era of unprecedented development. Originality/ Value: The study made the case that young people must be involved as advisors, collaborators, and stakeholders if development initiatives are to be effective and representative. To guarantee that young people are engaged, it is not enough to rely just on one-time conversations; there needs to be an ongoing process.

Evaluating a Future-Oriented Positive Youth Development Intervention to Reduce Sexual Risk Among Highly Mobile Youth: Results and Challenges

PurposeYouth experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness need tailored prevention programming to prevent unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. This study evaluated the efficacy of a small-group, future-oriented positive youth development (PYD) intervention to reduce sexual risk behaviors. MethodYouth aged 14–19 (n = 483) experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness were recruited at youth-serving agencies and in alternative schools. Each cohort enrolled was randomized either to a 10-session, 5-week group future-oriented intervention to support them in adopting health-promoting behaviors such as using contraception, including condom use (n = 244) or to a no-treatment condition where they received usual services/schooling (n = 239). We assessed at baseline and 3-month and 9-month follow-up (1) vaginal intercourse without consistent contraception use, (2) vaginal and anal intercourse without consistent condom use, and (3) sexual risk behaviors, including current (last 3 months) effective contraception use by females who did not report current use at baseline. ResultsThere was no significant difference between treatment and control conditions for most outcomes. However, among females not currently using contraception at baseline, 34% in the treatment condition compared to 12.9% in the control condition reported using contraception in the 3 months before the 9-month survey, a statistically significant difference. DiscussionThis sexual risk reduction intervention, grounded in PYD theory and tailored to address the needs of marginalized groups of youth, demonstrated efficacy at increasing contraceptive uptake among females. The need for PYD interventions that can be delivered in a variety of nontraditional school and service settings are discussed.

The family as a key context for positive youth development. Legal, organizational, and psychological opportunities for integrating the family into the network of support and development of adolescents

This article presents the importance of the family as a context for adolescent development. The concept of positive youth development was presented, which emphasizes strengthening adolescents' strengths, resources and potential, as opposed to theories focusing on the deficits and difficulties of adolescence. The idea is to propose creative forms of spending free time as a way to "break away" from various risky behaviors typical of the turbulent times of adolescence. The basis is the assumption that everyone regardless of previous functioning and experience, has the potential to develop and self-realization. To achieve this, it is necessary to believe in the teenager's abilities and to be surrounded by appropriate mentors who show development paths and create a support network. Among them, teachers, trainers, educators and extended family play an important role, but the primary role can and should be played by parents. The article presents the practical use of the theory of positive youth development in the Polish educational system - both legal possibilities and limitations that require research and development of interdisciplinary cooperation.

“They're scared that somebody's gonna judge them”: Female African American youth in foster care's perspectives on sexual and reproductive health communication with caregivers

BackgroundObtaining accurate information is critical for youth's sexual and reproductive health (SRH). Youth not in foster care often learn about SRH from their biological parents. Separated from their biological parents, youth in care depend on healthcare providers and caregivers for SRH information. However, they often receive insufficient information and feel unsupported in meeting their needs for SRH information. PurposeThis study explored female African American adolescents in foster care's perspectives on effective SRH communication with caregivers to help them avoid sexual risks. MethodsA qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews. We used purposive sampling to recruit 16 adolescents aged 18 to 20 years old with a history of foster care placement. The transcribed interviews underwent inductive thematic analysis. The Positive Youth Development theory underpinned this research. ResultsTwo prominent themes emerged: establishing a relationship and preferred communication approach. Youth reported that for caregivers to engage in effective SRH communication, they must first establish a relationship by being aware of the youth's childhood trauma, building trust, having patience, and being vulnerable. Youth also appreciated caregivers who ensured comfortability and were honest and straightforward. DiscussionCaregivers should be trained on adverse childhood experiences, trauma-informed approaches, SRH knowledge, and communication. Implications to practiceHealthcare providers should make use of the time spent with youth and discuss SRH topics during clinical encounters. This time spent with youth may be their only chance to obtain accurate SRH information. Youth's perspectives regarding communication about SRH should be implemented in future SRH communication interventions.

Mental health and wellbeing outcomes of youth participation: A scoping review protocol.

There is growing recognition that young people should be given opportunities to participate in the decisions that affect their lives, such as advisory groups, representative councils, advocacy or activism. Positive youth development theory and sociopolitical development theory propose pathways through which youth participation can influence mental health and wellbeing outcomes. However, there is limited empirical research synthesising the impact of participation on youth mental health and/or wellbeing, or the characteristics of activities that are associated with better or worse mental health and/or wellbeing outcomes. This scoping review seeks to address this gap by investigating the scope and nature of evidence detailing how youth participation initiatives can influence mental health and/or wellbeing outcomes for participants. To be eligible, literature must describe youth (aged 15-24) in participation activities and the impact of this engagement on participant mental health and/or wellbeing outcomes. A systematic scoping review of peer-reviewed and grey literature will be conducted using Scopus, PsycINFO, Embase, Medline and grey literature databases. The scoping review will apply established methodology by Arksey and O'Malley, Levac and colleagues and the Joanna Briggs Institute. Title, abstract, and full text screening will be completed by two reviewers, data will be extracted by one reviewer. Findings will be reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR), including a qualitative summary of the characteristics of youth participation and their influence on youth mental health outcomes. Youth advisory group members will be invited to deliver governance on the project from the outset; participate in, and contribute to, all stages of the review process; reflect on their own experiences of participation; and co-author the resulting publication. This scoping review will provide essential knowledge on how participation activities can be better designed to maximise beneficial psychosocial outcomes for involved youth.

Positive youth development attributes and cyberbullying victimization among Chinese middle school students: A longitudinal moderated mediation model involving internet gaming disorder and depression.

As an extension of traditional bullying, cyberbullying emerges with the increasing popularity of the internet, and seriously affects the health of students. However, fewer studies have explored the potential influencing mechanisms of cyberbullying victimization from a positive psychology perspective. Therefore, based on the positive youth development theory, this study will explore the potential mediator and moderator in the relationship between positive youth development (PYD) attributes and cyberbullying victimization through a longitudinal design. 719 students (Mage = 15.95 years, SD = 0.76, 45.2% boy) participated in the study and completed self-report questionnaires on relevant variables. The result found that students' level of PYD significantly and negatively predicted the level of cyberbullying victimization. Meanwhile, SEM analysis showed that PYD influenced individuals' cyberbullying victimization by affecting their internet gaming disorder (IGD), while depression levels moderated the relationship between PYD and IGD. This study examines cyberbullying victimization from a positive psychology orientation, with potential prevention and intervention value.

The theory of positive youth development – Polish adaptation of the PYD-SF and PYD-VSF questionnaires

The article presents the theory of positive youth development, its main assumptions and practical implications for work with youth. At the same time, the publication is a report on the adaptation of the PYD-SF-PL questionnaires and the shortened version of PYD-VSF-PL, used to measure the five main indicators of adaptation to adulthood (5 Cs). The study involved 573 people aged 14 to 25 (x = 18.5; Sd = 2.7). The questionnaires in the Polish version are characterized by good psychometric properties: they are reliable (alpha of the full version = 0.905; alpha of the shortened version = 0.843) and accurate, correlations with the level of perceived social support, the level of life satisfaction and mental resilience were observed.

Stress and depressive symptoms in university students in Hong Kong under the pandemic: Moderating effect of positive psychological attributes.

There are very few studies examining the psychological well-being of university students in Hong Kong under the COVID-19 pandemic. Besides COVID-19-related stress, the "social event" in 2019-2020 has caused significant stress in young people. As such, we attempted to answer several research questions in this paper. First, what are the relationships between stresses (COVID-19 and "social event" related stresses) and psychological well-being indexed by depressive symptoms? Based on the stress and coping perspective, we predicted that there would be positive relationships between both types of stress and depression. Second, what are the relationships between different positive psychological factors (including life satisfaction, resilience and emotional management, flourishing, and beliefs about adversity) and depression? Based on different theoretical models of positive psychology, we hypothesized that negative relationships would exist between positive psychological factors and depressive symptoms. Third, do positive psychological attributes moderate the associations between stresses (COVID-19 and "social event" related stresses) and depressive symptoms? Based on the positive psychology literature, we hypothesized that positive psychological attributes would buffer the negative impact of stresses on depression. We recruited university students roughly one year after the first wave of the pandemic (N = 1,648) in early 2021. We used 25 items to measure COVID-19-related stress and "social event" related stress. For psychological well-being indexed by depressive symptoms, we used the "Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale Revised (CESD-R)". For positive psychological attributes, we employed established measures of life satisfaction, resilience and emotional management, flourishing, and beliefs about adversity. Regarding the relationship between stress and depression, we found positive relationships between both types of stress and depressive symptoms. As predicted, negative relationships existed between all positive psychological attributes and depressive symptoms. Besides, the positive psychological attributes significantly moderated the effects of stresses on depression, suggesting that these factors can reduce the negative impacts of stresses on depression. The present findings provide support for those models, highlighting the importance of positive psychological attributes as protective factors for university students' depression. The findings of this study underscore the important role of positive psychological attributes in the stress-depression relationship in university students under the pandemic. The findings also generalize the positive youth development theory in the Chinese context. In terms of practice, university administrators and service providers should consider cultivating positive psychological attributes in university students with the purpose of promoting their psychological well-being.

The relationship between positive youth development and internet gaming disorder in Chinese adolescents: A moderated mediation model.

Internet gaming disorder (IGD) is a social problem that cannot be ignored. Considerable research has shown that IGD can impede the healthy physical and mental development of adolescents. Based on positive youth development theory and stage-environment fit theory, the current study explored the mediating effect of depression and the moderating effect of gender to determine the association between positive youth development (PYD) and IGD. A sample of 1970 Chinese adolescents aged 11-18 years (1021 boys, 940 girls, and 10 unidentifiable individuals) completed questionnaires related to PYD, depression, IGD, and their background information. The results revealed that PYD negatively predicted IGD. After controlling for gender and age, this study found that depression mediated the relationship between PYD and IGD. Furthermore, gender moderated the relationship between depression and IGD. Boys with depressive symptoms were more likely to indulge in IGD than girls. This research contributes to a more thorough understanding of how PYD decreases the risk of IGD. These findings suggest that cultivating PYD attributes is a promising approach to prevent or reduce depression and IGD among adolescents in mainland China.

Social support, empathy, social capital and civic engagement: Intersecting theories for youth development

An emerging body of theory, research, and practice literature places empathy, social support and social capital as intersectional and the cornerstone of sustained citizenship and youth action in general, but particularly around issues of social justice. While there is now an acceptance of the importance of young people exercising their voice, participation, and agency as part of their positive and personal development, equally this also requires opportunities and avenues for them to do so. Also argued here is that the ongoing advancement of positive youth development theory to reflect voice and agency needs further elaboration and more in-depth research.

Links between Chinese vocational school students' perception of parents' emotional support and school cooperation climate and their academic performance: The mediating role of school belonging.

The role of social environmental factors on student academic achievement has been conceptualized from the perspective of the ecological system theory. In the present study, a strengths-based approach derived from the theory of positive youth development was adopted to explore the two favorable aspects of proximal social environments, including parents’ emotional support and school cooperation climate, and to examine how these two factors influence the academic performance among Chinese senior-secondary vocational school students. Participants were 1,940 students (55.4% male) who took part in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018 test from four regions in China. The students completed the questionnaires to assess parents’ emotional support, school cooperation climate, school belonging, and academic performance. By adopting the structural equation model, the results revealed that school belonging fully mediates the association between parents’ emotional support and academic scores, and the association between school cooperation climate and academic scores. In addition, multiple group comparison analyses showed there were some gender differences in the relationships between school cooperation climate and academic performance. The practical significance of the influence of parental support and school cooperation climate on student academic achievement was also discussed.

Factors That Optimize Engagement for Diverse Learners at Arts Performances for Young Audiences

Field trips to museums and performing arts centers are not a frequent activity for most students, so how do cultural organizations learn to make the most of these limited but potentially valuable “gateway experiences” toward increased arts participation? This cross-sectional study examines the engagement of students during a performance at a performing arts center with data collected over three seasons of performances across art forms, grade levels, and student populations (students who attend Title I schools, English learners, and students with disabilities) under the umbrella of Positive Youth Development theory. The findings of regression analyses and analyses of variance feature three aspects that may optimize positive engagement in the arts experience for students: prior attendance to performances, lessons in the art form, and preparation prior to the performance. However, when the data is disaggregated by priority populations, not all the factors predict higher positive engagement in a statistically significant way. The feature that may have a consistent incidence across all populations, and exclusively for students with disabilities, is preparation prior to the performance. These results present practical implications for audience recruitment, accessibility supports, and learning design for diverse learners.

Challenges Affecting Youth Participation in Governance: A Case of Tharaka-Nithi County, Kenya

County governance can be improved by catalyzing youth participation at the local levels. This research sought to gauge the status of governance in the counties. This study was guided by the theory of Positive Youth Development. The study adopted a case study research design. The study was carried out in Tharaka-Nithi County. The target population of the study was 393,177, the adult population of the county, and the accessible population (N) was 3,698, which was the youth population in the county that is politically active. From this, a sample of 36 was selected purposively. Among them, 28 were interviewed using focus group discussions, and 8 participants used key informant interviews to give in-depth information on youth participation in governance. The focus group discussion guide and interview schedule were the instruments of data collection. The instruments were given to colleagues for validation. Qualitative data were analyzed using a thematic content analysis approach with the help of MAX. Qda software. The findings of this study are of importance to the policy practitioners and county government officials in their bid of enhancing youth participation in governance.

Conceptual Model of Life Skills Transfer in Sport

PURPOSE This study aimed to develop a model for life skills transfer in sport.METHODS A literature review of research on life skills transfer was conducted. The prior representative studies on sport life skills and transfer models were selected and discussed to improve the validity of this study.RESULTS First, based on the basic psychological needs of the internalization and generalization of life skills, the model for life skills transfer should consider the influence of the explicit and implicit climate and environment. Furthermore, access to cognitive processes is required based on the conceptualization and integration of transfer. Second, the concept of a transfer was defined, and key issues of the cognitive processes that support the connection between the sport domain and out of the sport domain were discussed. Third, the model for life skills transfer in sport was presented. In this model, life skills transfer occur through sport context, cognitive process, promoting factors, and out of sport context.CONCLUSIONS Since the 2000s, research on life skills and transfer in sport has developed quantitatively based on positive youth development theory. Unfortunately, research on this area in South Korea is very insufficient. This study suggests a model for life skills transfer in sport based on an extensive and systematic analysis of the prior research, and this model can be used for future research.

"If Someone Has It, I'm Gonna Hit It": Lessons Learned From Minnesota Teens About Vaping.

Youth e-cigarette use or "vaping" has increased substantially in the past few years, an escalation attributable to flavored "pod mod" e-cigarette devices that deliver higher levels of nicotine compared with free-base nicotine found in other types of e-cigarettes. Use rates, addiction, and harms are alarming as negative effects from nicotine on adolescent brain development are well documented, and e-cigarette use is predictive of cigarette smoking initiation. This qualitative study examined what drives the appeal of these products through 10 focus groups conducted in 2019 with 67 Minnesota high school students. Focus groups aimed to understand students' personal experiences and contextual factors that may contribute to current vaping trends and explore opportunities for improved prevention messaging. Study results revealed participants' divergent perceptions of tobacco products (i.e., vaping vs. e-cigarettes vs. cigarettes) and the benefits and harms of each product. Participants provided insights into why youth vape, describing vaping as an easily accessible coping method to help teens manage stress and anxiety. Peer normalization and invincibility beliefs about harms were also present. Participants generated ideas about prevention messaging, describing the ineffectiveness of prevention messages they currently receive, and expressing the need for accurate information about e-cigarette health risks presented in personalized, nonjudgmental contexts by people they know care about them. These results have clear implications for prevention initiatives and can be used to inform effective prevention strategies, messaging, programming, and policies, some of which are specific to e-cigarette prevention and others that align with the theory of positive youth development.

Impacts of State 4-H Council Service: A Phenomenological Study

This qualitative study explored the experience of youth serving on the state 4-H council of Missouri, which provides opportunities to serve as ambassadors of the 4-H organization and influence the experiences of younger members. While many 4-H programs have a statewide youth council, there is little research regarding these groups or the impacts of state 4-H council service. This study employed a hermeneutic phenomenological approach to explore the impacts of State 4-H Council service among alumni, within a framework of positive youth development theory. Council service was found to have provided members experience in working with diverse others, created opportunities to expand relational networks, influenced individual actions, and affected changes in both individuals and their contexts.

Roma Minority Youth Across Cultural Contexts: Taking a Positive Approach to Research, Policy, and Practice.

The publication presents the latest findings on the current issue of the theory of PYD (Positive Youth Development) in a specific group of Roma adolescents. The empirical investigation of the situation of Roma adolescents from different cultural and socio-economic contexts is a very important step in promoting their positive development. As the editors state, the book aims to help readers better understand the conditions that promote the optimal development of Roma adolescents, taking into account a variety of familial, community, social, and cultural factors.

The Importance of Positive Psychological Strengths in Well-Being and Adjustment of Romanian Emerging Adults: A Pattern and Variable-Oriented Approach.

Transition to adulthood in countries that have seen recent historical structural changes in society as well as changes in what it means to be an adult represents important contexts for investigations of ways in which positive development and transition to adulthood are experienced. Situated in such context, this cross-sectional study aimed to (1) describe profiles of positive psychological strengths, as measured by the Five Cs of positive youth development (PYD) and (2) document how identified profiles might differ in relation to other aspects of positive and problematic development. Participants were 272 Romanian emerging adults attending university (76% female; aged 19–29 years old, Mage = 21 years old). Latent class analysis was performed to identify patterns of psychological strengths using the Five Cs theory of positive youth development. Pairwise Wald chi square difference tests were then conducted to determine if the identified Five Cs profiles were associated with significant differences in other key outcomes. Findings indicated that, a two-class model emerged as the best fitting model, and in this model, Class 1 was similar to Class 2 on strengths of competence, confidence, and connection. However, the two classes were distinguishable by caring and character, with Class 2, the numerically more common profile (89%), being elevated on character and caring relative to Class 1 (which was a less frequently occurring profile, 11%). This finding highlights the importance of examining the diversity of positive development, even within the same theoretical framework. Further results indicated that the two identified classes showed similarities in problematic behaviors as well as in purpose in life and psychological complaints. Other group difference tests by profile/class indicated that Class 2 was higher in general and social well-being relative to Class 1, with a trend in the same direction for hope. However, an unexpected finding was that Class 2 was also elevated in somatic complaints relative to Class 1. These are important findings not only because of the contribution to the generalizability of the Five Cs theory and measure but also because of the implications of the findings to research, policy, and practice in the Romanian context and beyond.

Broadening the perspective on youth's systems of support: An ecological examination of supportive peer and adult relationships during adolescence.

This study applies the theory of positive youth development (Lerner et al., 2010) and the youth systems framework (Varga & Zaff, 2018) to the examination of supportive peer and adult relationships across multiple contexts in which youth develop. Results of egocentric social network analysis indicated that high school-aged youth nominated significantly more adults than middle school-aged youth. Peers and adults both acted as important sources of support, although often the types of support they offer differ. Outdegree centrality of peers was a significant predictor of character. The size of a participant's youth system, measured as the number of contexts accessed, along with average closeness in adult relationships, was a significant predictor of contribution. Thematic analysis of interview data identified four themes, aligned with the five actions of developmental relationships, as contributing factors to youth-adultcloseness and youth perceptions of support (Pekel et al., 2018). Implications for youth-adultrelationships are discussed.