Young People In Relation Research Articles

Editorial

PurposeTo explore the importance of joining up and making the links between different topic areas within health education, as well as the importance of working effectively with key partners including children, young people and their families.Design/methodology/approachThe editorial draws on a range of national participation and practice development projects to offer some of the views and ideas of children and young people in relation to health education planning, development and delivery.FindingsChildren and young people want to participate in the development of health education; they want it to focus on both the physical and the emotional aspects of health and reflect the realities of their lives; they want professionals to work alongside parents, and for education to be well linked to confidential advice and support.Practical implicationsThis editorial encourages practitioners to reflect on their practice and consider how they are joining up the different content areas in health education, e.g. sex, alcohol and risk taking, how they are joining up education with health services and how professionals are working with children, young people and their families to develop high‐quality consistent health education.Originality/valueThe paper serves as a reminder to colleagues to draw on the expertise of children and young people and to consider whether and how their work is reflecting the realities of children's lives.

Sex, sexuality and relationships for young people with learning disabilities

Summary Learning about sex, sexuality and relationships is a significant part of growing up for all young people. Access to good quality information and advice on sexual health, relationships, sexuality and related issues is an important part of this learning. Children and young people with learning disabilities are less likely than others to have access to this. This is common and occurs for a range of reasons including a lack of appropriate resources, professionals not knowing where to find information and societal attitudes to disability and sexuality.

Subcultures, Scenes or Tribes? None of the Above

The concept of subculture has been criticised a great deal in recent research on youth and popular music. Two concepts have emerged as offering new ways of conceiving musical collectivities, particularly among young people: scenes, and tribes (or neo-tribes). I offer criticisms of the work of advocates of both terms. I also argue, however, that there is no possibility of a return to the concept of subculture in any adequate sociology of popular music, even if the concept may have some residual use in the sociology of youth. I discuss the potential advantages of the concepts of genre and articulation as a way of at least beginning to address some of the problems raised in the literature on subcultures, scenes and tribes, concerning the politics of musical collectivities. The common feature of the three terms under discussion is that they have been discussed by those concerned with the relationship between youth and popular music, and I close by reflecting on the relationship between the study of these two entities. I suggest that the assumption that there is a close relationship between youth and popular music was the result of particular historical circumstances and I argue that, while the study of young people's relationships with popular music remains a topic of interest, the privileging of youth in studies of music has actually become an obstacle to a more fully developed understanding of music and society.

Feeling the Noise: Teenagers, Bedrooms and Music

How does music transform the contemporary teenage bedroom from the mundane (doing homework, sleeping) into a dynamic cultural and social space? Previous research has suggested that, in an exclusively female sphere, the role of music in teenage girls’ bedroom culture was purely one‐dimensional, part of the ideology of romance that rarely went beyond the adoration of the pop idol. More recent research not only demonstrates that both teenage boys and girls engage in bedroom culture, but also that, as a cultural form, music is integral to the creation and evolution of their youth cultural biographies, and works as a ‘soundtrack’ (DeNora 2000) to their social lives. In this paper I explore the dynamic relationship of young people, bedroom space and music. Through in‐depth ethnography, the complexities of the musicalisation of everyday teenage life are examined using the theoretical concept of ‘zoning’. Music is used by teenagers as a way of creating a specific type of atmosphere in their bedrooms. The dynamics of this are primarily controlled by the individual, depending on their age, their mood, the time of day, what other activities they are involved in and who else is occupying that space (friends or siblings for example). The creation of atmosphere through music is often spontaneous, of the moment and inter‐changeable. Significantly, music is a medium through which the boundaries of public and private space are necessarily blurred. For example, music played at a high volume spills out of the bedroom zone into other rooms in the house. Music is also used as a ‘prequel’ and a ‘sequel’, facilitating getting ready for nights out on the town, setting the right tone and atmosphere. The further multi‐layering of bedroom and music zones is also explored in relation to new technologies such as the Internet, which have the capacity to zone music from the physical into the virtual and back again. Finally, what is the significance of music in shaping a teenager’s cultural biography? Here teenagers’ influences on their musical interests are examined as evolutionary, alongside how musical biographies are translated into bedroom content.

‘Getting off’ and ‘going out’: young people's conceptions of (hetero)sexual relationships

Research that has explored young people's (hetero)sexual behaviour has often assumed that the idea of ‘relationships' is transparent. Subsequently, the diversity which exists within this concept has been neglected. This paper endeavours to unpack the concept of ‘relationships' with reference to young people's own understandings and meanings of the term. Drawing on findings from focus group research with 17–19 year‐olds in New Zealand, it analyses how relationships are constituted and differentiated. Some of the determining characteristics are: the time partners spend together, a sense of exclusivity and intimacy, emotional attachment and the kinds and frequency of sexual activity engaged in. On the basis of various configurations of these elements, young people's relationships can be loosely categorized as ‘one‐night stands’, ‘short‐term relationships’, ‘casual dating’ and ‘going out’. The diversity, complexity and fluidity in these conceptualizations present a challenge to traditional understandings of these relationships, and have implications for how sexual health promotion might be carried out.

‘Bus fare please’: the economics of sex and gifts among young people in urban South Africa

In South Africa, young people's sexual relationships are often underpinned by an economic exchange: gifts or favours for sex. Studies have pointed out the negative consequences of the exchanges that are often characterized by large age differences or power imbalances. Perhaps more pervasive but largely ignored, gift giving in like‐age relationships may also be associated with sexual leverage, an exchange which somehow entitles one partner physical and sexual rights to the other's body. The circumstances surrounding gifts and favours may shape young women and men's sexual experiences, their ability to negotiate the circumstances of those encounters, and the possibility of concluding or remoulding a relationship into another form. Using focus group discussions collected in the Durban metropolitan area among young people aged 14–22, this paper examines the economic context of gift giving or receiving and its relationship to patterns of risky sexual behaviour. Findings suggest that gift giving among like‐age adolescents is common and important in shaping sexual relationships. Young people associate money or cash with prostitution, but do not consider gifts as such. Types of gifts and their meaning varied considerably by racial group and by gender.

Young people's relationships with sugar daddies and sugar mummies: what do we know and what do we need to know?

This paper critically synthesises available research that examines young people's relationships with sugar daddies and mummies. It considers definitional, measurement and analytical issues involved in assessing these relationships, their magnitude, patterns, determinants and consequences. The review compares and contrasts the experiences of young people in a variety of settings in developing countries versus developed countries, and identifies key associated factors perpetuating those relationships. The implications of this endeavour for data needs and future research and intervention studies targeted at promoting young people's health and well being are discussed within the contexts of globalisation and localisation and recommendations for dealing with these experiences.

Young People's Relationships with Sugar Daddies and Sugar Mummies: What do We Know and What Do We Need to Know?

Young People's Relationships with Sugar Daddies and Sugar Mummies: What do We Know and What Do We Need to Know?

NEWS AND NOTES

NEWS AND NOTES

Notions of ‘Us and Them’: markers of stratification in clubbing lifestyles

This article discusses the routine ways in which young people call on material, cultural and interactional resources to assemble typifications in dance club cultures. These constructs highlight the divisions and distinctions that illustrate what Hollands (2002) calls the structuration of youth cultures. My findings suggest that in elective cultural groups such as clubbers, notions of ‘us and them’ are present; these are related to the process of ‘becoming a clubber’. These processes and practices are not just associated with cultural taste, but also cultural knowledge. In order to conceptualise these findings I look to various theoretical frameworks that have been used to understand the lives of young people in relation to their lifestyles, cultural groups, capitals and identities. I discuss the utility of such frameworks, as well as the concepts that have been used to understand club culture itself. My analysis drew me to the work of Schutz (1967, 1970a, 1970b, 1973, 1976; Schutz & Luckmann 1974); this work helped illuminate the ways in which young people constructed typifications and cultural boundaries that were illustrative of their identification with and differentiation from ‘others’. I outline some of the central notions found in the work of Schutz and illustrate how these were used in the analytic process. I suggest that the work of Schutz can be used in conjunction with the concept of social capital, the concept of lifestyle and symbolic interactionism to take account of the role of social divisions and status inequalities in lifestyle ‘choices’ and cultural affiliations of young people. The article concludes by suggesting that many of the study participants used knowledge in constructing ‘otherness’ as a powerful means of identification and differentiation, inclusion and exclusion.

Peer relationships in adolescents experiencing a first episode of psychosis

Background: Psychosis is most likely to occur during adolescence. This transition period is characterized by individuals becoming less reliant on family members, and more reliant on peers, for development and support. Little is understood about the specific nature of peer relationships in young people experiencing psychosis. Method: Twelve participants were interviewed about their peer experiences using a semi-structured interview schedule. Grounded theory was used to develop a "lifespan" model of peer relationships in childhood, and during early and later adolescence. Results: Family adversity and a mixture of positive and negative peer relationships emerged across the lifespan. There was, however, a bias towards more negative relationships. Three stages of development were identified. Conclusions: Early intervention programmes aimed at increasing resilience may enable young people to manage negative peer relationships in childhood and adolescence. Furthermore, mental health services may develop interventions aimed at maintaining and developing peer relationships in those recovering from a first episode of psychosis. Declaration of Interest: None

Mobile Phone Use as Part of Young People's Consumption Styles

The paper reports on an empirical study of the connection between consumption patterns and mobile phone use. The data stem from a survey of Finnish young people aged 16–20. The results indicate that young people's relationship to the mobile phone is consistent with their general consumption styles. An "addictive" use of the phone was related to "trendy" and "impulsive" consumption styles and prevalent among females. Technology enthusiasm and trend-consciousness was linked to impulsive consumption and "hard" values and prevalent among males. A frugal mobile phone use was not related to gender but to environmentalism and thrifty consumption in general. The traditional gender division in mobile phone use styles that could be observed is interesting in the light of conjectures that genders are becoming more alike in their use of new technology. Technology enthusiasm, usually regarded as a "typically male" thing, was also linked to "female" consumption styles. This may reflect young men's changing relationship to consumption.

‘Choice Biography’ and the importance of the social1

SummaryRecent European Union and Economic and Social Research Council funded research has scrutinized the concept of choice and future orientation in those undergoing transitions into adulthood. The focus of interest has been on the interplay of social structure and individual agency. We draw on initial findings from a Department of Health funded study to critique these new ways of thinking. In what ways do people with learning disabilities manifest the same attitudes to choice and risk evident in recent studies of young people? Do they demonstrate similar models of adaptation to the future? We will explore, via three case study examples, the tension between individual agency and family attitudes to future possibilities. We will argue that advances in the sociology of youth are in danger of assuming that the individualized ‘choice biography’ is the predominant model of transition. This does not reflect the importance of social networks and family relationships in young people with learning disability. For them, risk‐management and the pursuit of well‐being are pursued in the social domain.

The Best Days of your Life? Youth, Policy and Blair's New Labour

Since the election of New Labour in 1997, young people's relationship to work and to the labour market has been the subject of intense scrutiny and policy activity. By equipping young workers with the qualifications and skills they are held to need in the knowledge economy, the government hopes to reconcile its quest for economic progress with the commitment to social justice for young people. However, as this article argues, the importance invested in this area of 'youth policy' overlays a more fundamental process of disengagement in which New Labour is presiding over the withdrawal of those traditional sources of support it has held out to the young. For this reason, the article concludes by suggesting that the importance that New Labour attaches to policy for young workers tells us more about the needs of government than it does about the needs of young people.

Youth, age and the representation of fear

In working against media representations of the young as a mindless and violent cabal this paper focuses on young people as victims of harassment and fear. While this reality has been recognised for some time it is clear that the victimhood of young people remains largely absent from public debates. As such it is argued that a process of felon setting against youth reflects the more common positioning of youth by society and the state as feared, out of control, and in need of regulation. The aim of this paper is to illustrate how the production and regulation of young people's space is central to the persistence of this paradox, and reinforced by the continued emphasis on young people as offenders in the policy arena. The paper also draws out the geographies of risk for young people, arguing that dualisms and distinctions between victim/offender, feared/fearful, public/private, and safe/dangerous spaces need to be dismantled, if the complex and multiple position of young people in relation to fear of crime is to be acknowledged and addressed.

Transport, social exclusion and young people in rural England

Social exclusion is high on the UK Government's agenda, and over recent years there has been an increased recognition that transport should be seen as a central issue in this debate. In particular, a range of evidence has pointed to the need for adequate transport in rural areas and drawn attention to the needs of young people. At the same time, there has been a growing acknowledgement that those who are ‘socially excluded’ should have a voice in decision making, as evidenced in the Local Government Acts 1999 and 2000 and in the Transport Act 2000. Against this background, this paper examines the experiences of young people in relation to transport provision, and also the extent to which they feel that they ‘have a say’ in local decision making. To do this, it draws on a research study involving in-depth interviews with over 200 people in a rural county, paying particular attention to those undertaken with young people. The paper concludes by highlighting the implications for both transport planning and government policy.

Transport, social exclusion and young people in rural England

Social exclusion is high on the UK Government's agenda, and over recent years there has been an increased recognition that transport should be seen as a central issue in this debate. In particular, a range of evidence has pointed to the need for adequate transport in rural areas and drawn attention to the needs of young people. At the same time, there has been a growing acknowledgement that those who are ‘socially excluded’ should have a voice in decision making, as evidenced in the Local Government Acts 1999 and 2000 and in the Transport Act 2000. Against this background, this paper examines the experiences of young people in relation to transport provision, and also the extent to which they feel that they ‘have a say’ in local decision making. To do this, it draws on a research study involving in-depth interviews with over 200 people in a rural county, paying particular attention to those undertaken with young people. The paper concludes by highlighting the implications for both transport planning and government policy.

Listening to Young Peopleís Voices: Youth Sports Leadersí Advice on Facilitating Participation in Sport

This article reports on a study that accepts the proposal that we listento the voices of young people in relation to sport and physical recreation.The study sought the advice of young sports leaders on what can be done to facilitate young people’s involvement in sport. The study used group interviews (Nominal Group Technique) with over 600 14–18-year-olds toelicit responses to a single question, ‘What can be done to help young people participate in sport?’ This article focuses on young people’s views on issues to do with climate and conditions. We argue that, while their advice offers support for some current initiatives in youth sport, it also provides new insights and challenges and suggests a reordering of existing priorities for youth sport and leisure provision.

Cannabis and smoking research: interviewing young people in self-selected friendship pairs.

This paper will discuss the use of paired interviewing as the main method of generating data in a study exploring the social context of young people's smoking and cannabis use. The research, conducted as part of an on-going PhD, involved 59 participants of both genders, aged 13-15 from different socioeconomic backgrounds, and with a wide range of cigarette and cannabis use experience. Participants were offered the choice of an individual interview or a paired interview with a friend of their choice, most opting for the paired format. The paper will discuss many of the methodological and ethical features of this method. In particular, it will discuss the potential for paired interviewing to access accounts generated within close friendship bonds, making this method distinctive from larger focus groups. It will also explore how paired interviewing facilitates access to interactions between participants, shedding light on many aspects of young people's social relationships and allowing occasional glimpses into more private territory. It will argue that the paired interview method can make a novel and distinctive contribution to health education/promotion research, policy and practice, and to any research that aims more fully to understand aspects of young people's social worlds.

Theory and practice: the contribution of off-the-job training to the development of apprentices and trainees

This article uses the findings from a qualitative study of Australian young people in their first year of full-time work to examine the nature and utility of off-the-job training in apprenticeships and traineeships. The findings confirm the conclusions of earlier studies about the importance of off-the-job training as a supplement for workplace learning. It was found that, while initially not attaching much value to off-the-job training, the young people gained more of an appreciation, during the course of the year, of what off-the-job training had to offer. Other findings about off-the-job training included: the superiority of face-to-face training as opposed to other forms of delivery; the importance of the young people's relationships with their off-the-job trainers; the ‘implicit contract’ of expectations of the parties to the training contract; the different viewpoints of the parties; and the dissatisfaction of those in traineeships with the lack of intellectual challenge in their competency-based curriculum.