Health behavior, knowledge and attitudes among Swedish university students

A range of health behaviors was related to beliefs concerning health practices and health knowledge. A questionnaire dealing with health-related practices, health beliefs and knowledge of health risk factors was answered by 166 male and 179 female students aged 18–30 years at Stockholm University. Female students reported engaging in better health behavior than males. Beliefs about the importance of health behaviors were closely related to their frequency of occurrence. There was only a weak relationship between health behaviors and knowledge of specific health matters. It is concluded that health attitudes rather than health knowledge determine health behavior.     

Increasing prosocial behavior and academic achievement among adolescent African American males

African American adolescents disproportionately perform poorly compared to peers in both behavioral and academic aspects of their educational experience. In this study, African American male students participated in an after-school program involving tutoring, group counseling, and various enrichment activities. All students were assessed regarding their behavioral changes using attendance, discipline referrals, suspensions, and expulsions reports. The Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test (KBIT) and the Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement (KTEA) were used to assess the adolescents' improvement in their skills in reading and mathematics. After the end of the two-year program, initial results showed that the adolescents had increased their daily attendance, decreased discipline referrals, and had no suspensions or expulsions. These results also indicated that although the students entered the program at different skill levels, they were assessed to have the ability to function at their appropriate grade level. Their average improvement in basic skills was at least two grade levels. Implications drawn from the findings include: (a) there is a need to emphasize appropriate assessment prior to beginning a skill improvement program; (b) a need to emphasize the use of individualized learning plans and tutors; and (c) a need to further investigate the role of assessment and intervention in after-school programming in order to close the achievement gap.     

Mental health,self-esteem,and influences on sexual values and attitudes among black South African adolescent males

This study investigated the relationships between sexual values and attitudes, self-esteem, and mental health among black South African adolescents. Adolescent males (n = 522) aged between 13 and 21 years participated in the study. They completed the Mathteck Sexuality Questionnaire for Adolescents: Attitude and Value Inventory, the Rosenburg Self-esteem Scale, and the Mental Health Continuum. Structural Equation Modelling (Mplus 7.31) was computed to identify an explanatory model for sexual values and attitudes as correlated to self-esteem and mental health of black adolescent males. Results suggest the youth's self-esteem significantly mediate the relationship between mental health and sexual values and attitudes. Specifically, mental health had indirect effects on values about sexuality and on healthy attitudes towards aspects of intimacy, through the teenagers’ self-esteem.     

Aids-risk behavior among homosexual males: The role of attitudes and substance abuse

Abstract

This paper reports the results of a broad survey of homosexual males regarding AIDS-risk behavior. A very high proportion reported both anxiety over possible HIV infection, and a high probability of exposure to HIV. Although over 80% of respondents reported changes in sexual behavior, the frequency of monogamous, stable relationships is unchanged from that found 16 years ago, and 19% reported continued frequent sexual partners. Consistent with “health belief” models, fear of future exposure and perceived control over behavior were strongly related to behavioral change. However, those who felt they had already been exposed were not substantially more likely to decrease current AIDS-risk behavior, which may have important public health ramifications. Alcohol and drug abuse were related to “high risk” behavior, particularly among respondents who are generally motivated to use substances to decrease “tension” or self-monitoring. Thus, using substances to decrease stress may not only relate to substance abuse itself, but to the role of substances in increasing AIDS-risk behavior.     

Mexican adolescent sexuality: attitudes,knowledge, and sources of information

Data from a study of the attitudes, knowledge, and sources of information of Mexican adolescents are presented. 24 male and 57 female unmarried adolescents of mean age 16.2-16.5 years (range 14-19 years) from Cuernavaca and Guadajara responded to a 66-item questionnaire. Participants were from a broad range of socioeconomic levels and 86% self-identified as being Catholic. 12 males and 4 females had experienced sexual intercourse. Responses to the questionnaire indicate that 85% had received some sex education in school, yet only 8% thought that teachers should be responsible for sex education. Further, the majority were satisfied with what they knew about sex, but the greatest mean score was 5.5 on a series of 9 knowledge questions. The youths were generally conservative, holding that people, especially females, should be married before having sex and that sex without love is unacceptable. The author hopes that these findings will help health education providers plan programs for this population in Mexico and the US.     

Intergenerational transmission of violent behavior in adolescent males

The purpose of this study was to examine the intergenerational influence of experiencing parental violence on the expression of violent behavior in adolescent males and to attempt to assess the importance of psychological mechanisms in this transmission. Sixty-five consecutive male admissions to a Young Offenders Unit and 25 male high school boys were administered the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), the Culture-Free-Self-Esteem Inventory, an intelligence test, and a violence questionnaire. Violent behavior in adolescence was found to be associated with experiencing paternal violence. This transmission was also found to be associated with higher levels of psychotic symptomatology. Violent behavior in adolescence was not found to be associated with maternal violence experienced or parental violence witnessed or with low self-esteem, externalizing defences, or internalizing defences. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Attachment style, ethnicity and help-seeking attitudes among adolescent pupils

The present study set out to explore influences on help-seeking attitudes among adolescents. The roles of attachment style, ethnicity and symptomatology were examined, as previous research (predominantly from outside the UK) has shown they have an influence on help-seeking. A self-report questionnaire survey of help-seeking attitudes was carried out among 112 Asian, black and white UK pupils (age 15 years). Teachers were identified as the most frequently used source of previous professional help. Greater intentions to seek help were associated with being female, having a secure attachment style and having had previous experience of obtaining professional psychological help, but ethnicity and level of emotional and behavioural difficulties did not predict. Results are discussed in terms of implications for enhancing adolescent help-seeking.     

The effects of value confrontation and reinforcement counseling on the career planning attitudes and behavior of adolescent males

An experiment was conducted to compare the relative effectiveness of a value confrontation procedure and a procedure based on verbal operant conditioning in enhancing career development attitudes and increasing the frequency of information-seeking behavior in rural adolescent males. Ninety subjects were identified as internally controlled or externally controlled based on their locus of control scores and then randomly assigned to one of the two experimental treatment groups or a control group. The value confrontation procedure involved developing an awareness of self-dissatisfaction about one's career planning and relating this self-dissatisfaction to the importance one gave to the values logical and responsible. These values had been identified empirically in this study as having a relationship to career planning. The reinforcement counseling treatment involved the interpretation of individual career maturity data followed by the verbal operant conditioning of responses indicative of career maturity. Post tests administered 7 weeks after the treatments showed that the value confrontation procedure resulted in significantly greater frequency of information seeking for internally controlled subjects when compared to the reinforcement counseling and control procedures. No treatment was significant in increasing the maturity level of career development attitudes.     

Drivers' knowledge, attitudes, and behavior: a cross-sectional study

A cross-sectional survey was conducted by random duster sampling in the city of Tehran. Knowledge of the drivers was assessed with 6 questions about national traffic laws. Attitude was assessed on a 7-item scale of drivers' perceptions. Behavior was observed by a police officer on 13 areas of assessment. Correlations were low among these three scores. Drivers with advanced education had higher scores on behavior. Knowledge, attitude, and behavior of these drivers did not seem associated.     

Environmental attitudes, knowledge, intentions and behaviors among college students

College students (N = 90) reported their pro-environment behaviors as well as their pro-environment intentions, their explicit and implicit attitudes about the environment, and their knowledge about environmental issues. Intentions and knowledge significantly and independently predicted behavior. Environmental knowledge was not significantly related to attitudes. Implicit and explicit attitudes were significantly but only moderately related. Only explicit attitudes, however, were strongly related to intentions, and intentions completely mediated the influence of explicit attitudes on behavior. Men were found to be more knowledgeable than women about environmental issues; older students had more favorable implicit and explicit environmental attitudes. This research suggests that knowledge about the environment and explicit attitudes influence behavior through different pathways, which may have implications for interventions seeking to increase environmentally friendly behavior.     

West Indian teachers', parents', and students' attitudes toward adolescent behavior problems

Attitudes toward adolescent behavior problems were surveyed using samples of teachers, parents, and secondary school students in Barbados. Fifty-two behaviors were rated for their impact on students' school and general social adjustment. Results revealed high positive correlations between groups in terms of ranked positions of problems, and also between rankings of problems of both boys and girls. However, parents rated the majority of problems higher (more serious) than did teachers, while adults generally awarded higher ratings than did male students, especially for conduct problems. Female students' responses were highly similar to those of adults, except in respect to heterosexual activity, which they rated more serious in boys, while most adults rated it much more serious in girls. Implications for discipline and guidance are considered.     

Community health nurses' knowledge of, attitudes toward, and involvement with adolescent contraceptive services

A national sample of community health nurses were surveyed to assess their knowledge of, attitudes toward, and involvement with reproductive health services. Results indicated that slightly more than half of the nurses provided or administered contraceptive services to adolescents, although 73% worked in settings where contraceptive services were provided to adolescents. However, only 3.6% indicated that adolescents were their primary client population. The majority (64.3%) stated that they felt as prepared to work with adolescents as they did with adult clients. While 98% were aware that most adolescents are sexually active before seeking family planning services, a minority correctly answered questions about pregnancy and contraception among adolescents. Ninety-five percent agreed that contraceptives should be available to adolescents, and 90% agreed that parental consent should not be required for adolescents seeking contraceptive services. Yet only 21.5% were aware of the implications of the Adolescent Family Life Act.     

Local erotic songs and chants among rural Nigerian adolescent males

This paper investigates local erotic songs and chants circulating among adolescent males in Nigeria. The purpose is to assess the critical themes which these erotic verses evoke and their potentials in the discursive construction of adolescent sexual identities and definition of the (erotic) spaces and meanings on the basis of which young Nigerian males constitute their sexual conducts. Data indicate high level of awareness and knowledge of local erotic songs and chants among adolescent males. The songs and chants were reportedly used to learn about gender and sex roles, the body, and sexuality, and for recreation. Themes in local boys’ erotic songs and chants are primarily male privileging and penis advantaging, and celebrate male sexual activity, desire, violence, ruthlessness, and risk-taking as well as male control and subordination of women and their body. The songs and chants depict feminity and female sexuality as inferior to masculinity and male sexuality and tend to objectify women’s body as a facility for male sexual pleasure. The paper argues that while erotic verses circulating among adolescent Nigerian males help relieve them of the difficulties caused by the cultural relegation of sex and sexuality to the realm of the unspoken, they contain very disturbing and potentially dangerous images that provide little space for male responsibility and respect for women. Local erotic verses circulating among adolescents present an under-explored resource in sexuality education and a critical entry point for current efforts to understand and help young people extricate themselves from the sea of half-truths, myths, and prejudices about sex and sexuality.     

Sex-role development and parental expectations among disturbed adolescent males.

Seventeen pre-delinquent, 17 mixed psychiatric, and 17 normal adolescents and their parents were compared for the possession of certain personality traits traditionally classified as masculine or feminine. The parents were also compared in regard to the characteristics they expected their sons to possess. The main findings centered around three personality traits that differentiated the adolescents, and also between the expectations of both the mothers and fathers. In general, the parents of the normal adolescents expected their sons to be more achieving, dominating, and enduring than the parents of the other adolescents, which is consistent in regard to the personality traits that differentiated the adolescents from each other. The results suggest that the possession of certain traits, such as dominance and endurance, appear to be important for adequate functioning in adolescent males.     

The relationship of sexual attitudes,attitudes about women,and racial attitudes in white males

A questionnaire measuring sexual attitudes, attitudes about women, and racial attitudes was administered to 350 White male college students. Sexual attitudes characterized by sexual guilt, emphasis on personal and social control of sexual expression, and depersonalization of sex were significantly positively correlated (p<.001) with attitudes that typified women in terms of traditional masculine—feminine stereotypes and good (nonsexual)—bad (sexual) dichotomies. These stereotyped and dichotomous attitudes about women and constricted and depersonalized sexual attitudes were both significantly positively correlated (p<.001) with negative racial attitudes. The implications of these results and other research suggested by this investigation are discussed.This report is based on a dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Ph.D. degree at Michigan State University, 1973. The author would like to express appreciation to Dozier W. Thornton for continued guidance and assistance as dissertation advisor. In addition, the author gratefully acknowledges the assistance of Donald L. Grummon, Andrew M. Barclay, and Jeanne E. Gullahorn, all of whom served on the dissertation committee.     

Motor impairment and antisocial behavior in adolescent males at high risk for schizophrenia

A familial link between schizophrenia and antisocial behavior has been established (e.g., Silverton, 1985). This study examined this relationship in a Danish cohort. The subjects were 36 high-risk males (offspring of a schizzophrenic parent) and 36 low-risk males (offspring of parents without psychopathology). This high-risk subjects exhibited more antisocial behavior than the low-risk subjects. We tested the hypothesis of a correlation between neurointegrative deficits, as defined by motor impairment, and antisocial behavior, rated at ages 10–13, in subjects at genetic risk for schizophrenia. Path analyses were conducted from motor impairment at 1 year and motor impairment at 10–13 years to antisocial behavior separately for high-risk and low-risk subjects. Adolescent motor impairment was a significant predictor of antisocial behavior for high-risk subjects. Motor impairment at 1 year was also associated with antisocial behavior for these subjects, although the association was partly due to the indirect effects of motor impairment at 1 year on motor impairment at 10–13 years, which, in turn, was associated with changes in antisocial behavior. As predicted, none of the path coefficients nor the effect coefficient was significant for low-risk subjects.     

Body image and eating attitudes among adolescent Chinese girls in Hong Kong

The study investigated the relation between body image and eating attitudes among adolescent girls in Hong Kong. A sample of 358 senior secondary school girls completed the measures assessing body-part satisfaction and behaviors associated with eating. Analysis indicated that even though only 4.8% of the girls were overweight, 85.16% desired to weigh less. These Chinese teenage girls were concerned about their weight, and the desire for slimness was widespread. Correlations indicated that higher Body Mass Index was associated with lower satisfaction with weight. Lower scores on weight satisfaction were associated with higher scores on attitudes of dieting and food preoccupation.     

An investigation of verbal interaction, knowledge of sexual behavior and self-concept in adolescent mothers

Variables commonly considered to be major factors in contributing to the incidence of adolescent pregnancy may be only part of the total pattern. This study sought to examine the adolescent mothers' communication with significant others and their knowledge about sex, pregnancy, and birth control methods. Self-concepts of the adolescent mothers were compared with those of the published norms of the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale. The study included 23 adolescent mothers between the ages of 13 and 19 who were gravida 1 as indicated by their medical records. They were given a questionnaire constructed from previous research. They also completed a communication scale and the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale. The findings of the present study indicated that most adolescent mothers considered their communication with their parent mothers to be one of mutual understanding. However, it appears that most adolescent mothers obtain much of their information about sex, pregnancy, and birth control methods from significant others. The self-concepts of these adolescent mothers were lower in comparison to the norm. The results indicate a need for further research in the area of adolescent sexual development, sex education in the school, and increased involvement of parents in the communication of sexual mores.     

Sources of sexual information and sexual attitudes and behaviors of Anglo and Hispanic adolescent males.

A survey of Anglo and Hispanic adolescent males' sources of sexual information and their attitudes and practices was conducted. A comparison of attitudes and behaviors revealed little difference by ethnicity; however, a more detailed analysis of sources of information resulted in some interesting findings. The relationship between completing a sex education class and condom use was statistically significant in a positive direction. In addition, this relationship was much stronger for Hispanic youth. The important implications of this finding are discussed.     

AIDS-related knowledge, attitudes, and behavior: a comparison of Dutch students and dropouts.

School dropouts are considered an important target group for AIDS prevention. They are expected to be less knowledgeable about AIDS and to show a higher degree of risky behavior as compared with their school-attending peers. Several small-scale studies among specific groups of dropouts seem to confirm such expectations. However, due to differences in methodology, it is often difficult to compare the results of such studies with findings for youths who have not dropped out of school. The present study sought to remedy this by examining AIDS-related knowledge, attitudes, and behavior among comparable samples of Dutch secondary school students and dropouts (excluding homeless and drug-addicted adolescents). The two groups were compared with regard to knowledge about AIDS prevention, attitude toward condom use, intention to use condoms, sexual history, and condom use. Contrary to expectations, few differences were found. It was concluded that, in most respects, dropouts are similar to those who have remained in school.