Youth Project Research Articles

Determinants of Cohabitation in Taiwan: A Panel Data Analysis

Cohabitation has become more common in communities that have experienced demographic transitions, including in Taiwan, and hence it has become a research interest. However, our understanding of cohabitation in Taiwan has been limited to indirect estimations and cross-sectional analysis due to the lack of appropriate data. These analyses can provide a quick overview of the prevalence of cohabitation at specific periods, but they cannot portray the risk of cohabitation over the life course. Using recent panel data from the Taiwan Youth Project, we estimate cohabitation risk among young adults in their mid-20s to early-30s. We also examine the determinants of cohabitation. Results show that being a woman, not employed, living in emerging regions, not having varying residential locations, ever having sex (especially at an earlier age), and being more open to premarital intimacy were associated with higher odds of cohabitation.

Recognize and Support Caregiving Youth in Your Care.

Recognize and Support Caregiving Youth in Your Care.

Manifestations of social activity of youth in Ukraine in the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic and a full-scale invasion

The article defines the concept of «social activity», manifestations of social activity of Ukrainian youth in the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic and the full-scale invasion of Russia into Ukraine. The results of surveys conducted by the international youth project of the United Nations Children’s Fund U-Report (UNICEF) and the Sociological Group «Rating» (Rating Group Ukraine) are presented. The author gives her own table of levels of social activity with examples of manifestations of social activity in each level.

Youth project Space-π using small spacecraft for research of near-Earth space and remote sensing of the earth

One of the promising areas of research applicable in astrophysics is the study of the properties of quantum dots (QDs) and quantum wells (QWs) in the IR region of the spectrum. The IR region of the spectrum contains a huge amount of astronomical information. Devices based on GaAs/AlGaAs QWs and Ge/Si QDs can serve as detectors and sources of IR radiation. In the current work, the photoluminescence, absorption, and transmission spectra of these nanoheterostructures were obtained in the near, mid, and far IR ranges using Fourier spectroscopy. Thus, the studied optical properties of QWs and QDs make it possible to use these structures in astrophysics as sources and detectors of IR radiation.

Дайджест опитувань U-Report: IV квартал 2022 р. (медіаграмотність, молодіжні ради, бонуси від волонтерства)

The results of surveys of the innovative youth project U-Report for October – December 2022 on media literacy, youth councils, benefits from volunteering.

Evaluation of Youth Empowerment Projects From an Educators’ Perspective

Purpose: This article focuses on the evaluation of youth empowerment projects from the perspective of the educators themselves. Method: HEBE Rubric (collects quantitative and qualitative data) was applied to 20 youth projects. The selection of projects was based on intentional sampling. Results: The results show that the projects focus on some youth empowerment dimensions to the detriment of others. The most important dimensions are responsibility and self-sufficiency. There is also evidence of more work from the individual perspective of empowerment than from the community perspective, and from a perspective that is more internal to the project than in relation to the context. Discussion: Important educational work is carried out in the projects analyzed, according to the educators themselves. It would be interesting to reinforce the educational work carried out by these projects with activities and strategies that facilitate contact, openness, and educational work with the community.

Relationship between adverse childhood experiences and problematic internet use among young adults: The role of the feeling of loneliness trajectory.

Given problematic Internet usage's (PIU) negative impact on individual health, this study evaluates how adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) affect young adults' PIU and the possible underlying mechanism of the "feeling of loneliness" (FOL) trajectory. Analyzing a retrospective cohort sample from the Taiwan Youth Project, 2,393 adolescents were interviewed from the average ages of 14-28. We constructed ACE in 2000 using six categories (e.g., abuse and low family socioeconomic status) and 5-item PIU in 2017 from Chen's Internet Addiction Scale. FOL trajectories measured eight times, at average ages 14, 16, 17, 18, 20, 22, 25, 28 years-old. Overall, 12.65% ofthe participants did not have ACEs, and 12.78% exhibited PIU. FOL trajectory analyses yielded threegroups: "constant low" (reference group: 53.25%); "moderate decline" (36.81%); and "increasing" (9.94%). Regression models showed a dose-response association between ACE and young adults' PIU(adjusted odds ratio = 1.12; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.02-1.23) and the two risky lonelinessgroups (moderate decline: relative risk ratio [RRR] = 1.42, 95% CI = 1.32-1.54; increasing: RRR=1.52, 95% CI = 1.37-1.71). Structural equation modeling further found that ACEs increase young adults' risk of being in the increasing group, and consequently, the risk of PIU. We demonstrated that ACE may be associated with 1) adults' PIU, 2) FOL from adolescence to emerging adulthood, and 3) young adults' PIU through its association with FOL trajectories.

Astrocyte-derived exosome-transported GJA1-20k attenuates traumatic brain injury in rats.

Astrocyte-derived exosome-transported GJA1-20k attenuates traumatic brain injury in rats.

The Role of the Belarusian Republican Fund for Fundamental Research in the Training and Education of the Young Scientific Elite

The analysis of the basic principles of the youth policy of the Belarusian Republican Foundation for Fundamental Research (BRFFR) and its role in the training of the young scientific elite has been carried out. On the example of the results of the youth competition “Science M” for the period 1997-2022 the dynamics of participation in this competition of various contingents of young scientists according to the departmental subordination of universities and scientific organizations is shown, as well as the sectoral structure of youth projects in scientific areas and their compliance with modern trends in the development of world science. On the basis of the data of a sociological study of professional and career trajectories of leaders of youth scientific projects in the “Science M” competition, supported by the BRFFR for the period 1997-2017, the quantitative and gender composition of the defended leaders, as well as the sectoral structure of their doctoral and master’s theses, are shown. In conclusion, the ways of improving the youth policy of the scientific fund in the conditions of sanctions pressure on the scientific sphere in Russia and Belarus are determined.

The dynamics of adolescents’ pubertal maturation, depressive symptoms and friendship networks: stochastic actor-oriented model

This study aimed to examine whether adolescents select friends based on their friends’ levels of depressive symptoms, and to determine whether the potential homophily phenomenon for depressive symptoms is attenuated after considering pubertal maturation and gender. Data were from the first three waves of the Taiwan Youth Project, a longitudinal study that annually surveys 7th graders from 40 junior high schools. Participants were asked at each wave to fill out a survey including depressive symptoms, pubertal maturation, and to name three best friends in school. Stochastic actor-oriented models were built to explore the dynamic changes in friendship networks by estimating the probability of the friendship connections and behavioral changes depending on the individual’s current network position and behavioral status. We used a sample of 2,336 adolescents. From 8 to 9th grade, adolescents tended to select friends who were similar in terms of their levels of depressive symptoms (B = 0.358, SE = 0.131, p < .001), without adjusting for gender and pubertal maturation. This homophily effect based on depressive symptoms became non-significant when pubertal maturation was included. Adolescents’ depressive symptoms did not further influence their friends’ depression levels, after controlling for pubertal maturation and gender. Future studies should further examine the mechanisms and group dynamics within clusters of adolescents who are depressed. Providing a supportive environment and tools is warranted to help adolescents cope with negative emotions within their peer group.

A Six-Year Longitudinal Study of Parenting and Depressive Symptoms among Taiwanese Adolescents.

This study investigated the associations between early parental warmth, harsh discipline, and adolescent depressive symptoms from early to late adolescence, with attention to gender differences in these associations. The sample was drawn from a longitudinal study, the Taiwan Youth Project, including 2,690 Taiwanese adolescents from wave 1 in 2000 (first year in junior high school) to wave 6 (third year in high school) in 2005. The results showed a nonlinear developmental trajectory of adolescent depressive symptoms during the middle- to high-school period. Harsh discipline was associated with the significantly higher initial presence and faster growth rate of depressive symptoms, while parental warmth and monitoring were associated with the significantly lower initial presence of depressive symptoms. In addition, female adolescents displayed a higher initial level of depressive symptoms than males when parents exercised higher levels of monitoring and harsh discipline. Finally, we provided suggestions for practice and research.

Adverse Experiences in Late Adolescence and Young Adulthood Disadvantages.

Despite extensive research documenting associations between adverse early-life experiences and negative outcomes in later life, little is known about how adverse experiences in late adolescence relate to young adulthood disadvantages. This study examines the role of adverse experiences during late adolescence on young adults' education and work trajectories in Taiwan. Drawing theories and research from human development and sociology, the study links indicators of disadvantages in young adulthood to measures of adverse experiences in late adolescence using data from the Taiwan Youth Project data (n = 1221; median ages 18, 20, and 22; 49.4% female). The analysis found that running away from home was associated with instability in education or employment and that having cumulative adverse experiences was associated with graduating with debt and instability in education or employment. Some associations were explained by financial pressure, however, taken together, the findings suggest that certain adverse experiences in late adolescence have a significant impact on disadvantaged education and work trajectories in young adulthood.

Scan of physical activity policy actions in Europe: Lessons learned from populating the MOVING database.

Adequate levels of physical activity are important for population health. Policy databases can track, monitor, and compare the development and implementation of physical activity policy actions and are populated by different methods. The new MOVING database, developed through the Confronting Obesity: Co-creating Policy with Youth (CO-CREATE) project, collates governmental policy actions designed to increase physical activity and is populated by an in-depth scan of implemented national policy actions. This paper presents lessons learned from conducting the policy scan across 27 European countries. Policy actions were identified using a structured search protocol from preselected sources, assessed against pre-specified inclusion criteria and verified by an in-country expert. 625 eligible national implemented policy actions were identified. Challenges included policy actions falling out of scope, a lack of available information on policy actions, difficulty in identifying policy actions using specific search terms, and increased resource requirements for translation of policy actions into English. The scan indicated improvements, which informed protocol modifications. Identifying the challenges and opportunities around conducting a policy scan is necessary to understand and assess the reliability, validity, and utility of a policy database. The policy scan will help to deliver a comprehensive picture of physical activity policy actions across Europe.

Different Time Frames, Different Futures: How Disadvantaged Youth Project Realistic and Idealistic Futures

ABSTRACT Existing sociological literature provides conflicting theoretical accounts of disadvantaged youth’s aspirations. While structuralists and rational choice theorists contend that disadvantaged young people tend to form low aspirations in the face of limited structural opportunities, cultural sociologists maintain that disadvantaged youth construct highly aspirational imagined futures to claim their moral self-worth in the present. I argue that incorporating time frames into the study of aspirations helps resolve the tension by enabling researchers to investigate when—in what time frame—one model works better than others. I demonstrate the value of this approach using qualitative interviews with 31 eighth-grade students in China’s rural Shanxi Province, where structural constraints of socioeconomic attainment undercut cultural ideals of social mobility. In this context, findings show that respondents focused on practical constraints from their academic performance and family economic strains when projecting their short-term futures (structural/rational choice model) while they constructed future selves distinctive from rural origins in their long-term futures (cultural model). I conclude by discussing this approach’s implications for studying aspirations, expectations, and their relationships to educational and career outcomes.

Dynamic weight status changes and peer lifestyles in early adolescence: A social network analysis on a longitudinal cohort of Taiwanese youth

BackgroundFriendship networks are relevant to adolescent weight status and lifestyle, but little is known about their relationship in an East Asian setting. Using a longitudinal cohort of Taiwanese adolescents, we studied how weight status and lifestyles might influence friendship. Simultaneously considering the influence of friendship networks, we further examined the effects of peers’ lifestyles on the body weight status of adolescents. MethodsData were retrieved from the first three waves of the Taiwan Youth Project (N = 2409; 51 % boys). Participants were asked to nominate their friends at school and to report their lifestyle factors (e.g. sleep habits, internet use, and athletic performance). Weight status was proxied by body mass index calculated from self-reported weight and height. Stochastic actor-based modeling was used for the friendship network analyses. ResultsConsidering network structure, adolescents selected friends based on similarities in weight status (β = 0.147 [standard error = 0.044], p < 0.001) and lifestyle factors, such as athletic performance (β = 0.181 [0.034], p < 0.001), internet use (β = 0.156 [0.039], p < 0.001), and social jetlag (β = 0.055 [ ± 0.022], p < 0.05). In the behavior dynamics model, we did not observe any peer influence on changes in adolescents’ weight status. ConclusionThese findings suggest a pervasive homophilic friendship selection explained by weight and lifestyle-based similarities, despite no evidence of peer influence on weight status. Stakeholders and care providers of adolescent health should be aware of the social network processes that underlie weight problems.

Дайджест опитувань U-Report: III квартал 2022 р. (повернення українців з-за кордону, торгівля людьми, управління відходами)

The results of surveys of the innovative youth project U-Report for July – September 2022: return of Ukrainians from abroad, human trafficking, waste management.

About The Author

About The Author

Unemployment and its implications for Arab youth (Theoretical vision, practical solutions)

The study aimed to identify the reasons of joblessness and its affects with the great ways to reduce their affects, the study use the description way to reach the results, which prove that high education system and the environment of work, unjust distribute of resources, in addition, the study reach the youth avoid the physical Jobs, including the social problems as divorce, crimes, the study recommend we must support the youth projects, and change the strategy of planning in all the sectors of high education and resources.

‘After god, we give strength to each other’: young people’s experiences of coping in the context of unaccompanied forced migration

ABSTRACT Young people arriving alone in the UK due to forced migration face significant hardships including, but not limited to, their history of experiences, current and future uncertainties, and cultural differences. This paper took a critical perspective of current dominant theories of refugee youth through in-depth exploration of lived experiences of coping. Following the authors’ involvement in a community youth project and consultation, five young people took part in individual interviews. The participants were living in semi-independent accommodation in or near London, and were all male, while four identified as Muslim and one as Christian. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), a culturally relative understanding of coping was developed. These young people were found to be taking active roles in managing their lives in the context of extensive loss, and gaining independence through connection to others. Religious practices were important, with young people making sense of their experiences through worldviews shaped by religious beliefs. While religion was described predominantly in a positive and beneficial light, an area for further investigation is the experience of religious struggle, and how this may impact experiences and coping. Implications for support for young people both from services and in communities are suggested.

A cluster randomized controlled trial of an after-school playground curriculum intervention to improve children’s physical, social, and emotional health: study protocol for the PLAYground project

BackgroundThe public health benefits of physical activity for children are well known including contributions to metabolic and cardiorespiratory health. Along with physical benefits, engaging in physical activity can support the social and emotional health of youth and promote health and well-being into adulthood. This cluster-randomized controlled trial assesses the impact of an after-school curriculum aimed at improving physically active and inclusive play to promote physical, social, and emotional health. A secondary focus is on the implementation (appropriateness, feasibility, fidelity, sustainability) of the curriculum.MethodsThe PLAYground (Play and Learning Activities for Youth) project utilizes a social-ecological approach, targeting personal, behavioral, and environmental conditions, and Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) to study how a playground curriculum impacts children’s health. All elementary schools with an existing after-school program in a large, public school district in Mesa, Arizona will be eligible to participate. Seven schools will be allocated to the intervention arm in year one using random sampling stratified by school-income. In year two, the seven control schools will receive the intervention. Intervention schools will implement the research-based PlayOn!® playground curriculum to promote active and inclusive play. After-school staff will be trained to teach activities that address social and emotional skills (e.g., conflict resolution) through physical activity. Participating students will be trained as peer leaders to extend the playground activities to the recess setting. This trial will assess between-group differences in physical activity, social and emotional health indicators, and number of health and behavior incidents among students attending intervention schools and control schools. Implementation outcomes will also be assessed among program facilitators at each school site.DiscussionEnhancement of physical activity opportunities at schools has the potential for high impact and reach due to practicality. Enhancements can also improve quality pedagogy and curricula in after-school settings. Results of this project can inform practical strategies to improve existing after-school programs to prepare leaders (adults and children) to facilitate physical activity, positive social interactions, and emotional well-being.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, NCT ID NCT05470621, Registered July 22, 2022,