Preventing Violence among Gang-Involved and High-Risk Youth in El Salvador: The Role of School Motivation and Self-Control

El Salvador, as a country of the Northern Triangle, exhibits significantly higher rates of crime and delinquency than the rest of the Latin American countries (World Bank 2011). Mass media portray transnational youth gangs in marginalized communities in Central American nations, such as El Salvador, as one of the main factors responsible for the high levels of violence. Few studies have empirically studied active youth gang members and high-risk youth in these contexts. Among the studies that have accessed active youth gang members, the focus has been on problem behaviors and risk factors analyses; little is known about what variables appear to serve as protective factors for these youth. Based on a cross-sectional sample of high-risk youth and youth gang members (n = 184) between the ages of 13 and 25 living in 10 urban communities in San Salvador, this study used linear regression modeling to analyze protective factors for three outcome variables: aggression, violence, and delinquency. Results reveal that self-control and school motivation act as important protective factors across the three domains, while school behavior is a protective factor of aggression and delinquency. Implications for community-based prevention and harm reduction policies are discussed.     

The academic achievement of African American students during early adolescence: an examination of multiple risk,promotive, and protective factors

This study examined the effects of multiple risk, promotive, and protective factors on three achievement-related measures (i.e., grade point average, number of absences, and math achievement test scores) for African American 7th-grade students (n = 837). There were 3 main findings. First, adolescents had lower grade point averages, more absences, and lower achievement test scores as their exposure to risk factors increased. Second, different promotive and protective factors emerged as significant contributors depending on the nature of the achievement-related outcome that was being assessed. Third, protective factors were identified whose effects were magnified in the presence of multiple risks. Results were discussed in light of the developmental tasks facing adolescents and the contexts in which youth exposed to multiple risks and their families live.     

大学生网络成瘾者人格特征和心理健康水平的研究

研究影响大学生网络成瘾的人格特征和心理健康因素,选取网络成瘾的24名大学生进行16PF、SCL-90的问卷调查,并和对照组比较.结果发现在人格特征上,成瘾组在乐群性、稳定性、怀疑性和独立性有别于对照组;在心理健康水平上,成瘾组在抑郁和敌对等项目得分要高于对照组.成瘾组心理健康水平低于对照组,具有不良的人格特征.     

陕西地区初中生心理健康素质特点调查

对陕西地区1299名城乡初中生进行分层整体取样调查,结果表明：（1）初中生心理健康素质在人际素质、动力系统、自我和归因风格方面城乡差异显著;（2）在适应、人际素质、动力系统、自我和归因风格方面初二得分高于初一和初三,年级差异显著;（3）在动力系统和归因风格方面女生得分显著高于男生,男生认知风格得分显著高于女生。     

Risk and protective factors for urban African-American youth

The present study investigated risk and resilience processes in a sample of urban African-American youth. Risk and protective factors were assessed across ecological levels including individual, family and community. Both externalizing and internalizing symptomatology were included as measures of child adjustment. Youth and parental reports as well as various methods, such as the Experience Sampling Method, were used to capture the daily experiences of the adolescents from different perspectives. Poverty, hassles, and exposure to violence predicted higher rates of externalizing and internalizing symptoms. Individual and family protective variables emerged as powerful sources of resilience. An inner sense of confidence and helpful family support were associated with reductions in the deleterious effects of community poverty. Two main patterns, protective-stabilizing and overwhelming-risk, seemed to characterize most of the risk by protective factor interactions. The present findings are important for understanding the complex experiences of urban youth and furthering the literature on sources of risk and protection for African-Americans.     

Resilience in the Face of Maternal Psychopathology and Adverse Life Events

Maternal psychopathology has long been recognized as a risk factor for psychopathology in offspring; however, some resilient youth achieve a favorable outcome in the presence of maternal psychopathology. We identified factors that predicted resilience among youth who were exposed to adverse life events, and also examined whether the same factors protected youth against maternal psychopathology and adverse life events. Main and interaction effects of child and family factors were examined employing cross-sectional data from a household probability sample of 1285 youth aged 9 through 17 collected at four sites. On average, children exhibited a greater degree of resilience when they had higher IQ, closer parental monitoring, better family functioning, higher educational aspiration, and were female. Interaction between maternal psychopathology and IQ was significant, and there was a trend between maternal psychopathology and gender. A higher IQ is a protective factor against both maternal psychopathology and adverse life events; whereas being a girl seems to be a protective factor against maternal psychopathology, but not adverse life events.     

Stand Tall to Protect Students: School Counselors Strengthening School Connectedness

In an urban sample of 5,595 students in Grades 7–12, the authors found that (a) personalized counseling services that were responsive to student needs enhanced school connectedness, (b) risk factors (e.g., poverty, mobility rates, limited English proficiency) were associated with lower school connectedness scores, and (c) responsive counseling services acted as a protective factor that reduced some of the negative effects of risk factors on school connectedness, and consequently, student success in academic and nonacademic areas.     

Taiwanese adolescent cognitive autonomy and identity development: the relationship of situational and agential factors

Taiwanese professionals have adopted information about adolescent psychosocial development from Western societies. However, scholars know little about whether they have properly applied the models to both rural and urban youth. The purpose of this study was to examine the development of cognitive autonomy and ego identity in Taiwanese adolescents from Taipei City and surrounding rural counties. We controlled for gender and examined both situational (residential location, family income, and school type) and agential factors (culture value affiliation, attachment, and resiliency) to determine the extent to which each predicted psychosocial developmental outcomes. Among all the factors in this study, resiliency had the most distinctive relationship with adolescent psychosocial development. Each factor successfully predicted specific aspects of psychosocial development for these youth. We conclude with a discussion of the utility of using Western models of development.     

儿童经验开放性:城乡差异及其与家庭、班级环境的关系

采用问卷法,以483名小学五、六年级儿童为被试,考察了经验开放性的城乡差异及其与家庭环境、班级环境的关系。结果发现:1)城市儿童经验开放性得分显著高于农村儿童。2)家庭(控制性维度除外)、班级环境与经验开放性存在有显著的相关关系。在控制了学校类型、年级和性别因素的影响后,班级环境、家庭社会经济地位、家庭环境的知识性、独立性对于经验开放性仍具有显著的预测作用。     

School adjustment of children from rural migrant families in urban China

The purpose of this study was to examine school adjustment of rural-to-urban migrant children and its relations with acculturation in China. Migrant children were those whose official hukou status was in a rural region outside the city. Data were collected for 1175 students (M age = 11 years) in urban public schools from multiple sources including peer evaluations, teacher ratings, self-reports, and school records. The results showed that migrant students performed more competently than urban non-migrant students in social and academic areas. Migrant students displayed better psychological adjustment than non-migrant students in higher grades, but not in lower grades. Among migrant students, those with higher scores on accommodation to urban culture and maintenance of rural culture tended to be better adjusted. These results indicate the implications of migration and change in life circumstances for children's school functioning in social, academic, and psychological domains.     

The characteristics of separation-individuation in Turkish High School students

The aim of the present study was examine the characteristics of separation-individuation in Turkish high school students and to investigate the contribution of sociodemographic variables on this second individuation process of adolescence. The sample consisted of 618 adolescents between the ages of 14 and 18 in three urban and two rural high schools (338 females and 280 males). Measures used included a demographic questionnaire and the Separation-Individuation Test of Adolescence (SITA), developed by Levin, Green, and Millon (1986). Results indicated that the 16-year-old group had significantly higher mean scores on the Engulfment Anxiety, Dependency Denial, and Rejection Expectancy subscales than the 15-year-old group. Males had significantly higher scores on the Practicing-Mirroring subscale than girls. Tenth graders had significantly higher mean scores on the Practicing-Mirroring, Nurturance Seeking, Peer Enmeshment, Teacher Enmeshment, and Healthy Separation subscales but the mean scores on the Dependency Denial and Engulfment Anxiety subscales decreased. The means scores on the Practicing-Mirroring, Dependency, Denial, Separation Anxiety, Teacher Enmeshment, and Rejection Expectancy subscales were significantly different among the socioeconomic status groups. Also, rural adolescents can be distinguished from urban counterparts by their increased tendency to perceive themselves as self-centered, to experience separation anxiety, to seek close interpersonal ties with caretakers, teachers, and peers, and by an integration of needs for dependence and independence. The general pattern of results investigating the separation-individuation development of Turkish adolescents suggested that compared with individualistic Western cultures, Turkish culture stressed the importance of connection as well as separation and psychic restructuring and interpersonal relatedness changes leading to an autonomous self within relational contexts.     

心理健康素质测评系统·情绪性素质全国采样调查报告

应用《国人心理健康素质调查表·情绪性分量表》对全国28个省、市、自治区6433名成年人的情绪特质进行了调查。结果发现:(1)男性在镇定性方面强于女性,而女性的情绪表达性高于男性。(2)中年人的情绪表达性强于青年人和老年人。(3)初中文化程度被试的情绪表达性和镇定性不如高中、大专及以上文化程度的被试。(4)城市户口人群的情绪的镇定性和表达性强于农村户口人群。(5)年龄与受教育程度在愉悦性、镇定性和量表总分上存在交互作用,其中大专以上学历的老年组被试在上述指标的得分最高。(6)性别和年龄在表达性上存在交互作用,其中中年女性被试最善于表达情绪。     

The structure of self-reported aggression, drug use, and delinquent behaviors during early adolescence

Examined the structure of self-report scales designed to assess the frequency of adolescent problem behaviors. Urban (n = 988) and rural (n = 1,895) middle school students completed the Problem Behavior Frequency Scale (Farrell, Danish, & Howard, 1992a) and measures of other relevant constructs. Confirmatory factor analyses supported a model that included specific factors related to aggression, drug use, and delinquent behaviors, and a higher order problem behavior factor. Findings did not support a distinction between physical and nonphysical aggression. Results were generally consistent across settings (i.e., urban vs. rural) and gender. Other relevant constructs, including peer pressure for drug use and attitudes favoring aggression, had both specific associations with relevant first-order factors and more general associations with the second-order factor. These findings support the construction of separate scales assessing specific domains of problem behaviors in studies of adolescents' problem behaviors.     

大学生人际信任变迁的横断历史研究

在当代剧烈的社会变迁背景下, 人们的信任水平可能会发生改变。本文采用横断历史研究方法, 对采用Rotter “人际信任量表”调查大学生人际信任水平的53篇研究报告进行了元分析, 这些文献涉及24233名大学生, 调查的时间跨度为1998年至2009年。研究结果表明：(1)我国大学生人际信任水平在这11年间显著降低, 相比1998年, 2009年时大学生的人际信任水平下降了1.19个标准差; (2)无论男生还是女生, 人际信任水平在11年间均显著下降, 其变化趋势和人际信任水平本身均不存在性别差异; (3)农村生源大学生的人际信任下降趋势呈边缘显著, 而城市生源大学生的人际信任水平没有明显变化, 但人际信任得分本身不存在生源地差异。     

Psychological Factors in High School Accidents

The role of human characteristics in accident-engendering behavior was studied in 146 high school students by evaluating the relationship between Aviator (Av) scores on the Strong Vocational Interest Blank with records of accidents over three consecutive years. Students with a history of one or more accidents had a mean Av score of 44.89 which was significantly higher (.001 level) than the mean of 37.86 for those without a recorded accident. Follow-up on 22 juniors in their senior year for subsequent accidents showed that high Av scores yielded a significant relationship (.05 level) to future accidents. The available data also suggested that accident-engendering behavior may be different in rural and urban settings.     

大学生心理健康变迁的横断历史研究

自恢复高考至今, 中国的高等教育取得了巨大进步, 这一历史时期大学生整体的心理健康水平如何变化呢？本研究对1986至2010年间237项采用90项症状自评量表(SCL-90)的研究报告进行了横断历史的元分析, 以考察这些研究(被试为30多万名大学生)所测心理问题的9个因子得分随年代的变化趋势。结果表明：(1)SCL-90各因子均值与年代之间均呈负相关, 年代可以解释9个因子4%至36%的变异; 25年来9个因子均值分别下降了1%至13%, 其中偏执、人际关系、抑郁、敌对因子变化较明显。这说明25年来大学生的心理问题逐渐减少, 即大学生心理健康的整体水平逐步提高。(2)25年来大学生心理健康水平的提高, 主要体现在大学一年级以上的学生上, 而且重点大学学生(较之非重点大学)、城市生源学生(较之农村)、男生(较之女生)的心理健康改善更快。     

Evaluation of the Responding in Peaceful and Positive Ways (RIPP) Seventh Grade Violence Prevention Curriculum

We evaluated the impact of RIPP-7, a seventh grade violence prevention curriculum designed to strengthen and extend the effects of the sixth grade RIPP-6 curriculum. Classes of seventh graders at two urban middle schools serving predominantly African-American youth where RIPP-6 had been implemented the preceding school year were randomized to intervention (N = 239) and control groups (N = 237). Compared to students in the control group, students who participated in RIPP-7 had fewer disciplinary code violations for violent offenses during the following school year. A limited number of main effects were found on self-report outcome measures and measures of attitudes. Although significant main effects were not found on self-report measures of physical aggression, drug use, or anxiety, analyses of interactions with pretest scores indicated that intervention effects were significantly moderated by pretest scores for several outcome measures. Students most likely to benefit from the intervention were those who reported higher pretest rates of problem behaviors including violent behavior, nonphysical aggression, and delinquent behavior.     

The Role of Racial Discrimination in the Economic Value of Education Among Urban,Low-Income Latina/o Youth: Ethnic Identity and Gender as Moderators

The present study used resilience theory to explore relationships among perceived racial discrimination, ethnic identity, gender, and economic value of education (EVE) among urban, low‐income, Latina/o youth. It was expected that racial discrimination would predict poorer perceptions of the EVE among Latina/o adolescents. Ethnic identity was hypothesized to buffer the negative effect of racial discrimination on Latina/o students’ EVE. The participants in this study were 396 urban, low‐income Latina/o high school students from a large, Midwestern city who completed surveys in both 9th‐ and 10th‐grade. Structural equation modeling was used to test the relationships among racial discrimination, ethnic identity, and EVE. Results supported a protective model of resilience. Specifically, ethnic identity served as a protective factor by buffering the negative effect of perceived racial discrimination on EVE for male participants. The present study is the first to examine ethnic identity as a buffer of racial discrimination on EVE among Latina/o high school students. Future directions and implications are discussed.     

Individual and Community Resilience Factors Among Lesbian,Gay, Bisexual,Queer and Questioning Youth and Adults in Israel

Drawing on resilience theories, this study examined the individual and community factors of Israeli lesbians, gays, bisexuals, queers, and questioning (LGBQs) that contribute to positive mental health and the degree to which individual and community protective factors mitigate the adverse effect of risk factors for poor mental health. Differences in resilience factors between LGBQ youth and adults were explored. Data were collected on 890 LGBQ youth and adults. Findings emphasize the role of community‐level resilience factors in the lives of LGBQs, and that these support systems differ slightly between the two age groups. Among youth, family support was both a strong predictor for well‐being and a protective factor for mental distress. Although family support was found as a resilience factor among adults as well, other community‐level factors (friends’ support, LGBT connectedness and having steady partner) were found as protective factors for poorer mental health. These findings suggest for efforts on fostering familial support for LGBQ youth and a multi‐level system that offers support at the familial, peer, relationship and community levels for both LGBQ youth and adults.     

Attitude Towards Premarital Sex among Rural College Youth in Maharashtra,India

Little is known about the risky sexual behaviour, misconceptions and attitudes regarding sexuality and sexual health among rural youth in India. In order to understand these aspects, quantitative data were collected among 1,500 rural college students (800 male and 700 female) in the age group 15–24 years in the Thane district of Maharashtra, India, during 2004. Analysis of variance and regression analysis were performed using the total mean score of attitude towards sexuality as the dependent variable to determine the association and relationship, respectively, with background and familial characteristics. The results clearly showed that the majority of the students in the study expressed conservative attitudes towards premarital sexuality. Many students not only disagreed with casual sex but also considered it immoral. Gender bias i.e. permitting premarital sex for males and not for females, was reflected in their attitudes to some extent. Mean score indicated that male students had higher mean scores compared with their female counterparts and senior students compared with junior students, indicating more liberal attitudes towards sexuality. Bivariate analysis showed positive association between age; peer interaction; erotic exposure; habits of gutaka, tobacco, smoking and alcohol consumption; and knowledge about reproductive health issues with attitudes towards various sexuality issues. Multivariate analysis showed that female students studying in the commerce and science faculties were more liberal in attitude towards sexuality when compared with female students from the arts faculty. Male students with high erotic exposure (odds ratio 2.3); habits of gutaka, tobacco, smoking and alcohol consumption (odds ratio 2.7); and high peer interaction (odds ratio 2.3) had higher attitudinal scores indicated more liberal attitudes. Overall, the majority of the students expressed conservative attitudes towards premarital sex. The programme on sexuality education and responsibility for in-school adolescents should be launched early in secondary schools/college at an early stage of the perception process and formulation of attitudes towards sexuality. This would provide students with more scientific information and deter them from gathering incomplete information through sources such as pornography and peers.