Youth Social Capital Research Articles

Validation of a youth social capital scale Informed by positive youth development

Informed by a positive youth development perspective, the current study develops and validates a brief social capital scale for adolescents and emerging adults from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds. We first detail the development of the scale and examine its factor structure using exploratory factor analysis. Second, using a new and independent sample, we use confirmatory factor analysis to replicate and confirm the factor structure of the scale. Finally, we conduct measurement invariance by gender, age, and race-ethnicity to determine if the scale held similar meaning for participants from different groups. Findings support a multidimensional scale of youth social capital that captures three important elements: network strength, network diversity, and network mobilization. The creation of this scale expands possibilities for researchers and practitioners by providing a comprehensive and actionable measure for empirically assessing youth social capital, which can be leveraged to support positive youth development.

Youth Social Capital for the Sustainability of Halal Tourism in Setanggor Village

The development of a halal tourism village requires the role of youth social capital to ensure the sustainability of its tourism management. The purpose of this study was to identify and analyze the role of youth social capital in the development of halal tourism in tourist villages. This research was conducted in Setanggor Tourism Village, West Praya District, Central Lombok using a qualitative method of content analysis. Data was carried out by means of observation, documentation, and in-depth interviews with tourism managers in Setanggor Village.The results of this study indicate that there are several important elements that shape youth social capital, namely, social trust, self-help, collaboration, and social networks. The element of social trust is the main locomotive for encouraging youth to participate, such as: having a common identity as a Muslim who adheres to Islamic values, having an Islamic (culture) behavior, and both come from the same village. These social trust values serve as the basis for youth in increasing other elements of social capital. In an effort to maximize the strengthening of youth social capital in tourist villages, it is necessary 1) to have a meeting agenda between youth and adults in improving the quality of services such as politeness, hospitality, greetings, full of smiles, and humility of the community in serving tourists, smooth communication and information needed by tourists; 2) there is space for youth to show their existence and creativity; 3) the need for collaborative work between youth and adults through mentoring/training programs to improve the optimization of the role of youth social capital in managing and developing rural tourism. Therefore, strengthening youth social capital should be one of the strategic efforts in the context of developing sustainable halal tourism in tourist villages.

The longitudinal effects of youth social capital on self-rated health

The longitudinal effects of youth social capital on self-rated health

Evaluation of Youth Social Capital Scale in a Malaysian Undergratuate Sample: A Confirmatory Factorial Analysis

Studies on adolescents’ development have shown that social capital plays an important role in reducing engagement in risky behaviours. However, social capital has been broadly conceptualized. The differences in definition raise the need for a comprehensive scale to capture the full picture of social capital especially among young people. Onyx, Wood, Bullen, and Osburn (2005) developed the 34-itemYouth Social Capital Scale (YSCS), which taps on seven dimensions of social capital (Family and Friends, Participation in Community, Moral Principles, Neighbor Connections, Trust and Safety, Friends and Youth Social Agency). The YSCS is one of the few scales available to measure social capital among young people. Although the YSCS has been found to be reliable and valid, a study using Greece sample revealed that only five out of the seven subscales were psychometrically sound. The inconsistency suggests that structure of the YSCS may vary culturally. The primary goal of this study was to evaluate factor structure of the YSCS in Malaysia context. Confirmatory factor analysis on responses obtained from 194 undergraduates supported the theoretical structure of seven first-order factors and one second order factor upon running the necessary modifications. Specifically, all items loaded on the corresponding seven dimensions as assumed except two items (item 3 and 15). Moreover, a general social capital score can be accounted for by the seven dimensions. The findings offer preliminary evidence that YSCS is a valid measure of social capital among young Malaysians.However, some items were found conceptually overlapped and modifications are needed to improve qualities of the YSCS.

The Development and Testing of an Instrument to Measure Youth Social Capital in the Domain of Postsecondary Transitions

Through the development and field testing of an instrument designed to measure youth social capital in the context of postsecondary transitions, this research addresses the need for theory-driven measures of social capital among youth. The results offer preliminary evidence that dimensions of youth social capital, including network structure and network content, can be reliably measured and that these dimensions of social capital are interrelated in a manner consistent with theory. The results also offer initial support for the validity of the social capital construct within the domain of youth postsecondary transitions. Taken together, the findings provide a foundation for continued research that might surmount inadequate measures and theoretical disputes to encompass more careful and rigorous empirical scrutiny when it comes to the measurement of social capital among children and adolescents.

Social Capital, Perceived Economic Affluence, and Smoking During Adolescence: A Cross-Sectional Study

ABSTRACTBackground: Smoking is among the health risk behaviors taken up by many adolescents with lifelong consequences and associations with multiple health risk behaviors. Smoking and smoking initiation in adolescence involves an interaction between micro-, meso-, and macro systems, including neighborhoods and the greater community. Objectives: To examine the associations of individual social and economic capital with self-reported health, life satisfaction, and smoking behavior in adolescents. Methods: Using a multistage random sampling of junior high school students (16–18 years old) in Crete, Greece, 703 adolescents (90.2% 16 years old; 55.6% girls, participation rate 84.2%) completed an anonymous questionnaire based on HBSC study and the Youth Social Capital Scale (YSCS) during April–June 2008. Multiple logistic regression models were performed adjusted for potential confounders. Results: Adolescents with high participation in their neighborhoods and communities (higher structural social capital) displayed lower odds for daily smoking; those feeling unsafe (lower cognitive social capital) were at greater odds of daily smoking. Adolescents with less friends and acquaintances had lower odds of having tried tobacco products. Smoking was not related to any economic capital variables (perceived affluence, paternal and maternal employment status). Adolescents with low/medium versus high total social capital were at higher odds for low life satisfaction and fair/bad versus excellent self-rated health. Conclusions/Importance: Social capital theory may provide a better understanding in identifying the social context that is protective or harmful to adolescents' smoking. Public health organizations at all levels need to incorporate social capital theory in their interventions.

Relationship Between Participation and Adolescent Social Capital

Abstract Date Presented 4/8/2016 This quantitative research study explored the relationship between adolescent participation in out-of-school activities, youth social capital, and parent social capital. Results support the importance of youth participation in community-based activities and the importance of parent social capital. Primary Author and Speaker: Emily Reddy Contributing Author: Lou Ann Griswold

The impact of mediating factors on youth social capital and substance use

The aim of this study is to evaluate how the impact of social capital on youth behaviour varies by mediating factors and to suggest evidence-based policy interventions. The type of activities adolescents participate in, the time and type of intra-familial interactions between parents and adolescents and the type of peer groups adolescents interact with were employed as indicators of social capital. The study examined the variation in substance use among youth by age, gender, ethnicity, income level and mobility. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health 2007 was employed and structural equation modelling (SEM) was used for hypothesis testing. Findings show that there is a relationship between youth substance use and social capital. While peer influence is positively correlated with substance use, family attachment and youth activities have a negative relationship with substance use. The impact of social capital varies by age, gender, ethnicity, mobility and income level. Furthermore, those mediating factors have strong relationships with the creation of social capital.

Youth Social Capital Formation in Nicaragua

In many Latin American countries, stringent crime control measures have failed to stem high levels of youth crime and violence. As a consequence, there is burgeoning interest in the notion of youth social capital as a basis for policies and programmes designed to enhance the rights of young people living in circumstances of poverty and risk. Yet there is little knowledge of existing sources of youth social capital in poor urban communities in Latin America. To address this gap, the authors conducted an inquiry into the sources and aspects of youth social capital in one low-income urban neighbourhood in Nicaragua. The study revealed that despite a local context fraught with the effects of poverty, youth experienced varying benefits from family and peer relationships, and from their differentiated associations with school, church, and places of work. In recognition of these existing sources of local support, we argue that youth social capital formation, particularly through family assistance and investments in schooling, has considerable merit as both a means and an end of community development strategies in low-income neighbourhoods. We acknowledge, however, that social capital formation as a basis of youth policies and programmes must be founded on a broad civic and political commitment to children’s rights which, as yet, is far from evident in Nicaragua.

Three Dimensions of Youth Social Capital and Their Impacts on Substance Use

Substance use is a threat to the health and well-being of youths, their families, and society as well. The literature shows that social interactions with peers, parents, and community may have an impact on adolescents’ behavior. Using data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health of 2007, this study investigated the impact of social capital on youth behavior. The results show that peer influence is the strongest among the three significant predictors of substance use. While peer influence is positively correlated with substance use, family attachment and youth activities have a negative relationship with substance use. Findings demonstrate that there is a relationship between youth substance use and different aspects of social capital. By integrating different perspectives in social capital and substance use, this study successfully demonstrates how social capital can be utilized as a policy and intervention tool.

Social capital and regular alcohol use and binge drinking in adolescence: A cross-sectional study in Greece

Aims: The purpose of this study is to examine the gender-specific associations of different dimensions of individual-level social capital with regular alcohol consumption and binge drinking in 16–17 years old adolescents in Crete, Greece.Methods: Of the 835 randomly selected students, 708 completed the Youth Social Capital Scale and the Health Behaviours in School-aged Children (HBSC) questionnaire from April through June 2008 and 650 (92%) were included in this analysis. The outcome of interest was regular alcohol use and binge drinking. A gender specific backward stepwise logistic multivariate regression was performed adjusted for potential confounders.Findings: For both boys and girls, higher score on some structural social capital subscales was associated, per unit increase, with increased likelihood of regular drinking. Neighbourhood connections were also associated with increased binge drinking in girls. Cognitive social capital subscales were associated with decreased likelihood of binge drinking in girls. For both genders, total social capital-score was positively associated with the probability of regular, but not of binge drinking.Conclusions: Cognitive and structural social capital dimensions have different patterns of association with regular and binge alcohol use in adolescent boys and girls. Social capital's dimensions should receive greater emphasis for the design of effective preventive interventions in adolescence, particularly in the light of an increasing prevalence of alcohol consumption in modern societies.

Psychometric Validation of the Youth Social Capital Scale in Greece

Objectives: This article describes the psychometric validation of the Youth Social Capital scale (YSCS) in 16- to 17-year-old students living in rural and urban areas in Crete, Greece. Methods: Sampling was performed among 27 secondary education units of Heraklion Prefecture. The self-reported questionnaire was answered by 692 participants (response rate 96.3%). The validation of the scale included both internal consistency and construct, convergent and discriminant validity tests. Results: Exploratory factor analysis yielded five social capital factors. The overall Cronbach’s α was coefficient .771. Factor analysis revealed common patterns for many questions between the Greek and the original scales. Conclusions: This article supports the validity of the YSCS for assessing the social context of young individuals in Greece.

Exploring the Hypothesis of Ethnic Practice as Social Capital: Violence Among Asian/Pacific Islander Youth in Hawaii

Studies of youth violence have usually examined social capital using qualitative methods, but remain limited by small sample sizes. In addition, few studies examine violence among Asian/Pacific Islander (API) youth, even though they are one of the fastest-growing youth populations in the USA. To contribute to a better understanding of culture and ethnicity in youth violence among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders by quantifying ethnic forms of social capital. We use an n = 326 sample of three API groups from Oahu, Hawaii. Defining social capital as ethnic practice, we test Filipino, Hawaiian and Samoan forms of youth social capital on intimate and non-intimate violence. Bivariate findings associate lower violence with language ability among Filipinos, coming-of-age practices among Hawaiians, and community leader engagement among Samoans. Multivariate tests showed language to be the strongest correlation. Bivariate tests also suggested potentially risky forms of social capital. results lead us to hypothesize that social capital that deliberately places individuals within their respective ethnic communities are risk-reducing, as are those that promote formal ethnic community structures. Those that formalize ethnic practice and social capital into commercial activities may be associated with higher risk of violence. Given the relatively small sample size and the exploratory approach for the present investigation, further research is needed to determine whether the findings can be replicated and to extend the findings of the present preliminary study.