Vulnerable Youth Research Articles

Power and vulnerability: Re-reading Mark 6:14–29 in the light of political violence in Zimbabwe

This article examined the story of the beheading of John the Baptist according to the Gospel of Mark (6:14–29) and drew lessons for the situation of politically motivated violence perpetrated by the youth in Zimbabwe. Politically motivated violence in Zimbabwe is a well-documented problem that negatively impacts on human rights. The article used the historical-critical method in its re-reading of the text in question and the ‘youth bulge theory’ as theoretical framework. Documentary analysis was employed to solicit data from various reports, documents and the Internet. Results showed that it was mostly the poor and unemployed youth who engaged in acts of politically motivated violence and did so on behalf of political parties and leaders. Based on these findings, it is argued that just as both Herod and Herodias abused their power by manipulating the daughter of Herodias in their plot to eliminate John the Baptist, so did powerful Zimbabwean politicians and leaders manipulate economically and socially vulnerable youth for their own political expediency.Contribution: Drawing from Mark 6:14–29, this article presents an application of the New Testament text of Mark 6:14–29 to the politically motivated violence in Zimbabwe in order to promote responsible leadership for a peaceful and tolerant Zimbabwean society. It also contributes to the argument that New Testament texts are intrinsically political documents, which scholars should try to unpack.

Making a way out of no way: The importance of improving financial instability among African American kinship care families

Close attention should be given to the increased reliance on kinship care to provide out-of-home care for vulnerable children and youth because although these families have various strengths, they also frequently face financial instability and experience material hardship. Living in poverty and experiencing material hardship are linked to an array of negative outcomes, including physical and mental health problems, elevated parental stress, and children’s academic difficulties and social and behavioral problems. This study examined African American families who are providing informal kinship care with the aim of developing a nuanced understanding of the financial characteristics, challenges, and coping strategies of these families. Data for this study were obtained from two sources: (1) an exploratory sequential mixed-method pilot study and (2) the National Financial Capability Study. It was found that most caregivers in the pilot reported their family resources were only seldom or sometimes adequate to cover their household’s basic needs. Some caregivers reported being unaware of public benefits and community resources available for kinship care families, and they had difficulties navigating the system. Additionally, family members’ love and support for each other helped them to cope with financial instability. Using a nationally representative dataset, predicted probabilities for three types of financial instability were higher among households with demographic characteristics of kinship care families including difficulty covering expenses, having income that exceeds expenses, and having emergency savings. Implications for practice, policy, and future research are discussed.

Media image of the environmentally vulnerable territory: eye-tracking analysis of the impact of the environmental media agenda on youth audiences

Issues of the environmental media agenda are acute in the media space and particularly relevant for the image of environmentally vulnerable territories. The impact of the environmental agenda on youth audiences of these territories is poorly studied, which actualizes the research topic. The purpose of the work is to study the impact of the environmental agenda on the image of the environmentally vulnerable region and youth audiences using eye-tracking technologies aimed at measuring the audience’s unconscious reactions. It is the first time when the topic is studied theoretically and empirically from the standpoint of a cognitive approach and the use of eye-tracking technologies aimed at analyzing the audience’s cognitive and affective reactions to the environmental agenda. It is established that messages of negative content, such as air pollution, waste management, and pollution of water bodies, predominate (74%) among the selected issues of the environmental agenda. These data are consistent with the results of eye-tracking studies, which show that the patterns of the audience attention are concentrated on these issues and a negative attitude is formed towards the territory image. The results obtained will make it possible to adjust the media ecovoice to neutralize conflictogenicity.

Participation and learning in Vocational education and training - a cross-national analysis of the perspectives of youth at risk for social exclusion

ABSTRACT The article explores the experiences of youth at risk for social exclusion and is part of cross-national research involving Norway, Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia. 79 young people aged 16–29 who are at risk of becoming economically and socially marginalised were interviewed about circumstances that may support or hinder their participation and learning in VET. The study draws on sociocultural theory, emphasising learning as participation in social practices. Thematic analyses indicate that negative experiences in the past affect current participation in VET. In all countries, VET offers opportunities for participation for students at risk of social exclusion. However, vulnerable youth do not navigate the paths of social engagement well on their own. In the case of VET-students at risk for social exclusion, the mere development of knowledge and skills relevant for employment in the labour market does not suffice. VET institutions will need to facilitate students’ participation in learning communities. Building social capital for youth at risk through developing relationships that generate motivation, trust, and confidence enhances students’ opportunities for participation and subsequent learning. VET teachers and workplace supervisors will need guidance on how to develop the pedagogical competencies necessary to nurture social capital for students at risk for social exclusion.

‘Even with the craziness, it worked’: PE teachers working in and with an Activist Approach

ABSTRACT Background As one pedagogical approach, an Activist Approach to teaching offers a structure for inquiry-oriented, learner-centered processes for context-specific educational endeavors (Oliver and Kirk [2015]. Girls, Gender, and Physical Education: An Activist Approach. New York: Routledge). With its four critical elements of student-centered pedagogy, attentiveness to issues of embodiment, inquiry-based learning centered in action, and listening and responding over time, this approach was developed to engage disengaged girls in PE. An Activist Approach has since expanded into coeducational PE, after-school sport and dance clubs, work with socially vulnerable youth, and teacher education programs. While increased interest exists with scholars learning to integrate an Activist Approach with youth in physical education and physical activity settings, little research exists with physical education teachers learning to use the approach in their own classrooms. Purpose This study’s purpose was to explore secondary physical education teachers’ perceptions of working in and with an Activist Approach. Methods This paper draws from a longitudinal study in PE professional development for physical education teachers learning to use an Activist Approach. Participants included six physical education teachers (three middle school and three high school) with 7–34 years of experience teaching across four school districts, plus four researchers. With the reflective and integrative process of an Activist Approach, data analysis took place in three levels as not only as a culminating review but also serving as a regular, ongoing feature to help build the programming workshop-to-workshop. Findings The first theme explores teachers’ perspectives working in an Activist Approach, highlighting their engagement in a community of learners and how they broadened their perspectives of content. The second theme examined teachers’ perspectives on their students working with an Activist Approach, demonstrating teachers’ recognition of increased student engagement and its intersection between incorporating student voice in the curriculum and developing relationships. Conclusion While we have known an Activist Approach allows us to meet the needs of those involved because of its commitments to the four critical elements, never could we have imagined a pandemic as the context within which we would find ourselves working. Nonetheless, an Activist Approach helped us create a professional development program that met teachers where they were in the moment and guided teachers in meeting students where they were in the moment. For these teachers, having opportunities to share with and hear from each other was critical to not feeling alone and helped them connect to their specific contexts, increasing their abilities to better hear their students’ needs.

Rapid-Onset Gender Dysphoria: Parent Reports on 1,655 Possible Cases

During the past decade, there has been a dramatic increase in adolescents and young adults (AYAs) complaining of gender dysphoria. One influential if controversial explanation is that the increase reflects a socially contagious syndrome among emotionally vulnerable youth: rapid-onset gender dysphoria (ROGD). We report results from a survey of parents who contacted the website ParentsofROGDKids.com because they believed their AYA children had ROGD. Results focused on parent reports on 1,655 AYA children whose gender dysphoria began between ages 11 and 21 years, inclusive. These youths were disproportionately (75%) natal female. Natal males had later onset (by 1.9 years) than females, and they were much less likely to have taken steps towards social gender transition (65.7% for females versus 28.6% for males). Pre-existing mental health issues were common, and youths with these issues were more likely than those without them to have socially and medically transitioned. Parents reported that they had often felt pressured by clinicians to affirm their AYA child’s new gender and support their transition. According to the parents, AYA children’s mental health deteriorated considerably after social transition. We discuss potential biases of survey responses from this sample and conclude that there is presently no reason to believe that reports of parents who support gender transition are more accurate than those who oppose transition. To resolve controversies regarding ROGD, it is desirable that future research include data provided by both pro-transition and anti-transition parents, as well as their gender dysphoric AYA children.

The Increasing Vulnerability of African Youths to Mental Health Disorders: Risk Factors, Advocacy and Recommendations

The Increasing Vulnerability of African Youths to Mental Health Disorders: Risk Factors, Advocacy and Recommendations

Changing the Story: The Evaluation of a Leadership Development Programme for Vulnerable and Deaf Youth in South Africa

Vulnerable youth and youth with disabilities are at great risk of not having their rights met. In addition, they face challenges with regard to empowerment and participation in their own lives. Youth development programmes frequently focus primarily on the individual skills of the youth. However, reviews have indicated that for youth to be able to drive change, additional opportunities at community and broader society levels are required. This project sought to evaluate the changes facilitated by the Changing the Story—Leadership Development Programme as implemented in the Youth Accountability and Deaf Inclusion in South Africa project, for both vulnerable and Deaf youth. A longitudinal Q-sort methodology was used to measure the youths’ changes in perceptions. The results provided evidence of significant change following the programme, including increases in perceptions of empowerment within the community. Furthermore, although vulnerable and Deaf youth began the programme with differing perceptions of self, community and society, these perceptions were more aligned after completion of the programme. The results and challenges experienced using a longitudinal Q-sort methodology are presented and discussed. Recommendations and limitations are also highlighted.

An Education in Exploitation

Canada’s international education system is highly unregulated, with many recruitment agencies and homestay services taking agency in providing these services to students, leaving them vulnerable and open to exploitation. Furthermore, many school boards often do not take responsibility in arranging these services for international students, resulting in a lack of accountability that can further contribute to a cycle of deceit and students navigating this process with limited knowledge or oversight. Utilizing international student security (ISS), this article draws on interviews with six Canadian secondary school teachers from and two Chinese international secondary school students all located in Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) to reveal the profitability of international students, and the exploitative nature of international student services providers like recruitment agencies and homestay companies. Ultimately, the article identifies responsible key stakeholders and beneficial institutional and policy improvements to better regulate international education and protect these vulnerable international youth.

Methanol Formation, Toxicity and its Impact on the Human Nervous System and Liver

Methanol poisoning is a severe public health issue that causes disease and death, particularly in developing countries. Exposure can occur intentionally or unintentionally through several industrial products such as cleansers, solvents, antifreeze, perfumes, and paints. The toxic dose of methanol is approximately 1g/kg, emphasizing its potent toxicity. Methanol intoxication is chiefly caused by the harmful metabolites which are formed during its breakdown. These metabolites encourage metabolic acidosis. Formic acid, a methanol breakdown product, troubles mitochondria, distressing cytochrome oxidase and ATP production. Methanol-related problems include neurological disorders, vision problems, liver impact, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson's. Key lab tests, including osmolality and anionic gap, aid in recognizing alcohol harm. Furthermore, detecting a faint smell of methanol in the breath, observing visual disturbances, and altered sensory neurons, seeing a history of abdominal pain, and conducting routine checkups support the early diagnosis of methanol poisoning. Treatment using prompt gastric lavage, sodium bicarbonate given intravenously, management with ethanol, folate-dependent folate systems suggest, dialysis, competent ADH inhibitor “pyrazole”, specific antidote “Fomepizole” can be used to treat methanol poisoning. Regular toxicologist check-ups are critical in such cases. Definite symptoms like basal ganglia issues and eye problems require consultations with neurologists and ophthalmologists. For cases needing hemodialysis or liver tissue recovery, consulting a nephrologist is essential. It is suggested to immediately act to prevent harm, especially for industrial workers, rural alcohol sellers, those with alcoholism, and vulnerable youth vulnerable to methanol poisoning.

Helpline-Informed Approaches to Remote Learning Needs for Students at Risk of Maltreatment

Remote schooling during the COVID-19 pandemic offered a window into unique concerns regarding student well-being, particularly for students lacking a safe and supportive home environment. We sought to identify school-related concerns voiced by youth under age 25 who reported distress to a hotline via text or chat while in remote school during the pandemic. Qualitative thematic analysis was conducted on 60 transcripts. Help-seekers were an average age of 15.4 years (range: 10-21 years), from 25 states and Canada, and mostly female (57%). Our results yielded five student concerns: feeling trapped, school as escape, isolation, distress from parental schoolwork enforcement, and accommodation challenges for students with disabilities. We identified needs regarding novel methods for abuse reporting, social support, and access to services for student mental health, students with disabilities, and parents. This work demonstrates the importance of incorporating the voices of vulnerable youth in interventions to support students during remote learning.

The effectiveness of school based interventions to prevent psychotic experiences over a year period

Abstract Prevention is a key step to improving public mental health. Psychotic experiences, transient hallucinations/delusions which occur outside of a psychotic disorder, are relatively prevalent in the general population, particularly in childhood (∼15%) and adolescence (7-8%). They are associated with high psychopathology, increased risk of mental disorders, and suicidal behaviours. Therefore, psychotic experiences are well-placed to be used as a “marker” for prevention interventions. Current knowledge on prevention of psychotic experiences is extremely limited, with one previous study. With such limited information, but such potential benefits, we opted to conduct a secondary data analysis to test three school based interventions for their potential efficacy at preventing psychotic experiences. This study used the Saving and Empowering Lives in Europe study, Irish site (n = 1096). The interventions were a teacher training intervention, an educational tool, and a universal mental health screener and selective referral system (ProfScreen). A minimal intervention arm was used as a control. Schools were randomly assigned to one of the arms, and the students were followed over a year period. ProfScreen showed a 12-month reduction in point prevalence in psychotic experiences. This intervention was also associated with prevention of incident psychotic experiences, and a reduction in depression and anxiety scores in those with psychotic experiences. Ours is the first study to look at school based interventions for psychotic experiences, offering promising evidence for universal screening and selective referral strategies. Notably, the intervention showed improvements for all students in that sample, not just those who attended the clinical referral. This suggests that universal screening may itself support better mental health, and may be an important integrative component to improving mental health at a population level. Key messages • Psychotic experiences are a valid marker of vulnerable youth, and prevention of psychotic experiences in schools is possible using a universal screening and selective referral intervention. • Regardless of if the child was referred/attended services, overall mental health rates improved in this arm, suggesting a universal mental health screening tool in schools itself may be valuable.

Understanding and Addressing Youth Mental Health: Challenges and Strategies

The tumultuous phases of adolescence and early adulthood, marked by a whirlwind of physiological, emotional, and psychological changes, form the foundation of an individual’s identity and resilience. This research paper unfolds an intricate narrative—a deep exploration of the multifaceted realm of youth mental health. The weight of academic expectations, the ebb and flow of peer dynamics, the intricate tapestry of familial relationships, and the ever-present societal benchmarks all contribute to the complex matrix of factors that either nourish or erode youth mental health. The urgency of unraveling this complexity stems from an ethical imperative and a pragmatic realization—the mental well-being of our youth not only shapes individual destinies but also reverberates through the very fabric of our society. We confront not only the challenges but also the barriers that obstruct young individuals from seeking assistance. The stubbornness of stigma erects barriers that hinder vulnerable youth from accessing the support they deserve. Limited awareness of available resources and concerns about confidentiality compound these obstacles, creating a chasm between struggling youth and the avenues of aid. These barriers compel us to devise strategies that erode stigma, propagate awareness, and build bridges towards confidential and accessible mental health support.

Climate-related experiences and harms in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic: results from a survey of 152,088 Mexican youth

The dual crises of COVID-19 and climate change are impacting the lives of adolescents and young people as they transition to adulthood in an uncertain world, yet they are often excluded from research and political discourse. We surveyed young people about their needs and experiences, critical to engaging them and designing effective programs and policies to address these intersecting harms. The 2022 round of a national online survey through the Violence Outcomes in COVID-19 Epoch (VoCes) Study surveyed 152,088 Mexican youth (15–24 years). Logistic regressions were implemented to identify characteristics associated with four climate responses (economic, work-related, receiving government support, or social network support). Overall, 8.1% of participants experienced a recent climate hazard, with major impacts including housing damage from floods, and crop/livestock losses from drought. Participants who experienced a climate hazard were more likely to have experienced a pandemic-related harm, suggesting a dual impact. Poor youth were more likely to report economic losses from both the pandemic and a climate event but least likely to receive government support. Economic effects from the pandemic are exacerbating climate-related harms, unequally threatening the poorest youth. Engaging young people in decision-making and supporting the most vulnerable youth is critical for the next generation to thrive.

Developing the ACEIG-scale: An adverse childhood experience scale for Inuit youth in Greenland

BackgroundAdverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) have been identified as a major public health challenge in Greenland. No previous studies have created a multi-item ACE- scale among an Arctic Indigenous population. ObjectiveTo develop a multi-item ACE-scale among Inuit youth in Greenland (the ACEIG scale). MethodsThe ACEIG scale was created with data from the ‘Wellbeing among Inuit youth in Greenland’-survey. Scale items were based on a recognised ACE-scale and further adapted to the context of Inuit youth in Greenland by adding items relevant for the population. The scale was validated through item response theory (IRT) and reliability was assessed by Cronbach's alpha. ResultsFour items relevant for Inuit youth in Greenland were added to the recognised ACE scale (bullying, death of parent, gambling problems in close family, and suicide in close relations). The scale was reduced by IRT, as three items (bullying, divorce of parents and parents passing away) exceeded the difficulty index threshold. The ACEIG scale therefore consists of 10 items: alcohol problems in close family, marijuana use in close family, domestic violence, being victim of physical violence, being victim of psychological violence, any type of sexual abuse, sexual abuse (intercourse), sexual abuse (more than once), suicide in close relations, and gambling problems in close family. Cronbach's alpha was 0.7. ConclusionThe ACEIG scale includes 10 items with acceptable reliability. The scale can inform future screening tools to identify vulnerable youth and target interventions. Future studies should investigate the association between the ACEIG scale and health outcomes.

“We Must Sit Like This and Discuss”: Introducing Needs Ranking as an Innovative Qualitative Methodology for Engaging Disengaged Youth

Giving a voice to youth and promoting their health and well-being is essential for successful future communities. However, millions of youth, particularly in low-to middle-income countries, are misunderstood, lack a voice, and face many challenges, which maintains their disengagement. As approaches for youth engagement evolve, this paper presents an innovative, qualitative methodology to engage vulnerable youth (NEETs – acronym for youth who are Not in Education, Employment or Training) in identifying and ranking their needs and giving them a voice to contribute to prevention programming. Drawing on principles of empowerment theory, the paper expands on the popular youth-adult partnerships’ literature by injecting a new engagement approach that focuses on (i) using a literature-based community needs assessment, (ii) engaging vulnerable youth in small group discussion to rank their needs, (iii) comparing rankings between groups, (iv) creating spaces for youth to include other pressing issues not identified in the literature, and (iv) comparing rankings across surrounding communities. The ideas presented demonstrate that the Needs Ranking activity, as an engagement and data collection tool, may be particularly relevant in gathering viewpoints and opinions of underserved youth. These youth are traditionally not well represented through the more conventional and common methods currently employed in research and community development such as local government community development board meetings and needs assessments, and research interviews. The paper also creates awareness around the Needs Ranking activity as a viable and verifiable qualitative approach in youth engagement.

Social work and social inclusion in sports-based programs: A qualitative study

Summary Although the literature is rich in contributions analyzing the role of social workers in sports, there remains a lack of empirical research with respect to how these workers can be determinant in the development of inclusion outcomes in sports-driven interventions targeting socially vulnerable youth. The investigation analyzes the case of a sports-based program run by an Italian non-profit organization (NGO) from an ecological system perspective. Data from interviews and focus groups with youth involved in the program (21), parents (15), sport coaches (9), and the social workers of the NGO (15) were triangulated with the aim of exploring how social workers promoted inclusion through sport. Data were analyzed in a top–down thematic analysis. Findings Social workers promoted many social inclusion outcomes: (1) they linked sport clubs with the youth excluded from the sport system, thus sustaining access to sport; (2) they emotionally supported youth and their families in the program, fostering the relational dimension of social inclusion; (3) they formed alliances between the diverse systems of youth life, enhancing youth capacity to overcome their personal challenges in sports; and (4) they encouraged the integration of people coming from different socio-economic backgrounds within the sport context. Applications The case informs the practice of social workers in sport-driven interventions providing insights around the tasks they should achieve to promote social inclusion, including (1) recruitment of youth excluded from the sport system and linkage with sport clubs, (2) sport bureaucracy support, and (3) dialogue with diverse youth life systems.

Youth Perceived Social Support and Symptom Distress: A Random-Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Model

Although social support and mental health associations have been extensively investigated, their reciprocal relations in vulnerable youth remain understudied. This study investigated the relations between perceived social support and symptom distress over time whilst differentiating between support from caregivers and significant others. The sample included 257 youth (79% self-identified women, Mage = 19.2, SD = 2.5) who were receiving mental health treatment. Using a Random-Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Model, results revealed no significant concurrent associations, between-person effects, or cross-lagged effects. The autoregressive effects suggested that perceived social support from caregivers was relatively stable over time, while symptom distress and support from a significant other were not. In all, this study challenged the validity of the social causation and social erosion models in the context of perceived social support and symptom distress among vulnerable youth, revealing an absence of significant reciprocal associations. The stable nature of perceived social support from caregivers compared to support from significant others was highlighted. The study design, hypotheses, and target analyses were preregistered under https://osf.io/f4qpg.

The moderation effect of entrepreneurship development programs on the economic and political empowerment association. Empirical evidence from post-revolution rural Tunisia

Purpose This paper aims to explore individuals’ economic empowerment and political empowerment association and the moderation role of entrepreneurship development programs on this relationship in the context of post-revolution Tunisia, which is a newer developing democracy. Design/methodology/approach The study uses a quantitative approach based on econometric modeling. A questionnaire was designed and administrated to a stratified random sample of 343 participants in the Entrepreneurship for the Participation and Inclusion of Vulnerable Youth in Tunisia program, funded by the United Nations Democracy Fund and implemented in rural northwestern Tunisia between 2017 and 2021. A coarsened exact matching method is also applied for robustness analysis. Findings The analysis shows that when individuals have enhanced economic decision-making agency and are involved in economic networks, they are more likely to demonstrate higher political empowerment. It also shows that expanding rural individuals’ economic opportunities by providing entrepreneurial resources, such as entrepreneurial training and microcredit, strengthens individuals’ economic empowerment and political empowerment association. Practical implications The study provides practical implications for policymakers in newer developing democracies. Citizens’ political empowerment and inclusion in rural areas could be promoted by developing entrepreneurship development programs, which could help reinforce the citizens-state relationship and establish more stable social contracts. The research also provides practical implications for the international development community, donor agencies and program designers through duplicating similar programs in other countries with weak central government structures (i.e. post-conflict environments, post-revolution). Originality/value The research attempts to contribute to the ongoing debates linking entrepreneurship, economic empowerment and political/citizen empowerment. It focuses on a Middle East and North Africa country, Tunisia, characterized by socioeconomic issues and low civic participation.

Implementation of Substance Use Services to Justice-Involved Youth: Examining Barriers, Facilitators, and Best Practices.

Justice-involved youth are known to be at elevated risk of substance use disorder (SUD). This review examines literature published over a 10-year period and summarizes evidence-based practices for screening, treatment, and linkage to care for justice-involved youth as well as barriers and facilitators that may arise during implementation. Strategies to incorporate a health equity lens and trauma-informed approaches are discussed. Despite high prevalence of substance use and research showing that treatment reduces recidivism, few juvenile justice systems universally screen and treat youth with SUD. There is limited developmentally appropriate guidance available for those seeking to better address substance use in juvenile justice settings. This review highlights gaps in the literature, which must be addressed to increase access to treatment and improve outcomes for this vulnerable youth population.