Health concerns of young adolescents

Assessment of health concerns independent of health knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors is important for understanding health among adolescents, who are being socialized into adult health roles yet have their own particular concerns. The health concerns of 278 young adolescents were examined with respect to 30 topics in a survey of all seventh- and eighth-grade students attending an urban school. Their highest levels of concerns pertained to dental health, friendships, nutrition, and sex; their lowest levels pertained to smoking, birth control, pregnancy, and homosexuality. Younger, female, and less healthy students expressed greater health concerns. Most desired class health presentations (particularly about sex), while relatively few requested private counseling on specific health topics. Health concerns need to be emphasized as a component of theoretical models, and also applied in the development of health education and school health programs.     

Self-perceived information needs and concerns of elderly persons.

The research was intended to identify the dimensions underlying self-perceived information needs and concerns of an elderly population. The spontaneously mentioned needs and concerns expressed in 271 letters from a sample of the population were extracted and a multidimensional scaling procedure was used to represent the 58 most frequently mentioned items in configurations of varying dimensionality. To interpret the multidimensional spaces, another sample of 176 elderly subjects was asked to rate the 58 concerns on eight properties. These ratings were then regressed onto the multidimensional configurations. The results indicate that the most frequently mentioned information needs and concerns of elderly persons can be parsimoniously understood in terms of three underlying dimensions: (1) Improving the Quality of Life vs Securing the Necessities of Life, (2) Health-related vs Not Health-related, and (3) Individual vs Societal Responsibility.     

Assessment of weight and eating concerns in Norwegian adolescents

The aim of the present study was to test the properties of an instrument that assesses concerns about weight and eating without reference to dieting behavior. A short instrument, the Weight and Eating Concerns Inventory (WECI) was examined in a sample of 569 boys and 548 girls aged 11 to 15 years. Confirmatory factor analyses with LISREL showed a better fit with a version of the instrument that did not include a reference to dieting behavior, compared to a version that included such a reference. This was true for both boys and girls, irrespective of their age group. However, the results indicated that both versions should be used with caution for young boys. The internal consistency of the WECI (that is, the version without reference to dieting) was satisfactory, ranging from 0.78 to 0.86 for girls and from 0.68 to 0.73 for boys. The WECI correlated quite substantially with negative self-evaluations and depression for boys and girls in all the age groups assessed, suggesting that high scores on the WECI may indicate a problem that goes beyond worries or concerns, and should be taken seriously. In general, girls reported more of these concerns than boys, and the correlation between the WECI and dieting was stronger among girls compared to boys.     

School competence needs of mildly handicapped adolescents

Mildly handicapped adolescents have been identified by their deficient social skills as well as by their learning difficulties. School failure may be due not only to academic difficulties but to ineffectiveness in meeting the demands of the school environment. Using a naturalistic emergent design, this study identifies specific areas of need in coping with the high school environment. Individual interviews were conducted with "stakeholders" in the education of mildly handicapped high school students: 41 teachers, 12 handicapped students, and 12 parents of handicapped students. An analysis of the qualitative data indicated that study and organizational skills, communication, and social skills are areas of particular concern. Specific skill areas are delineated (i.e., class participation, handling criticism, and test taking), and recommendations for direct instruction that could affect both school and postschool success are made.     

Worldly and workaday worries: Contemporary concerns of children and young adolescents

Top-of-the-head worries were elicited from young people, grades 4 to 8, both before and after they completed quantitative risk assessments of specific health and environmental problems. Results revealed that many students carry a substantial worry burden that includes not only personal matters such as grades and social relations, but also concerns about death and about global issues such as homelessness and environmental degradation. The gender and grade differences that emerged were consistent with a developmental extension from self to societal perspectives. Differences in worry profiles from before to after the risk assessment interviews revealed some impact of recent exposure, as illustrated by a pre—post increase from 7% to 30% in students spontaneously expressing AIDS-related concerns. Implications of the breadth and severity of young people's concerns are discussed, as are the ambiguities inherent in standard assessment approaches.This research was supported by grants from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (HD27035) and the University of California Universitywide AIDS Research Program (R901040). We very much appreciate the cooperation of Sally Snyder and the Irvine Unified School District, Amy Watson and the Corinne A. Seeds University Elementary School, Trina Panaqua and the Bruin Kids of UCLA, and the Fernald Child Study Center. Special thanks are due to the 4th- through 8th-grade student participants. We are also grateful to Ellen Dellis, Virginia Elderkin-Thompson, Judy Hollingshead, Alison Holman, Judy Koch-Jones, and Kim Witte for their help with the interviews and to Tammy Merlo, Shealen Nash, and Beth Twambley for competent coding assistance. Finally, we thank the anonymous editorial reviewers for constructive comments on the nature of fear and worry.     

Family life education needs of mentally disabled adolescents

This study identifies the family life education needs of minimally and mildly mentally disabled adolescents as a basis for curriculum development. Respondents were 134 students from 11 school districts in a midwestern state. Through the administration of 50 needs statements, they were asked to indicate the magnitude of need and the extent to which the need was being met. Special education teachers were allowed to assist in reading or interpreting the directions and needs statements. Priority need statements--those with a high need score which were not being met--are related to the decision to parent, careers and work, marriage and parenthood, decision making and goal setting, and resource management. Six clusters or groups of family life education needs were identified: Basic Nutrition, Teenage Pregnancy, Sex Education, Developmental Tasks of Adolescents, Marriage and Parenthood, and Planning and Decision Making. Females reported significantly greater need for information on nutrition, teenage pregnancy, and marriage and parenthood.     

Computer games,self-esteem and gratification of needs in adolescents

Playing computer games has become an increasingly popular leisure time activity amongst adolescents, but concerns have been expressed over possible associated consequences. One research area has investigated reasons for playing, and two prior explanations relate it to the functional concepts of ‘electronic friendship’ and ‘self-esteem’. A questionnaire study was conducted among 120 adolescents to obtain information on a number of measures including gratification of needs and self-esteem. Results showed that playing computer games is equally popular with males and females, but males spend more time on it. Positive correlations between playing and items on the needs scales were obtained. In particular males who were heavy players scored highly on the ‘preference to friends’ need, but interestingly they were also likely to see their friends more often outside school, thus providing no support for the theory that computer games are taking the place of normal social interaction. For females there was evidence of a negative relationship between self-esteem and need gratification through playing computer games. However more adolescents spend much more time watching television than playing computer games. These results are discussed in the context of previous research.     

Handgrip strength and socially dominant behavior in male adolescents

Handgrip strength (HGS) is highly heritable and a good overall measure of strength and muscle function. Indicative of blood testosterone levels and fat-free body mass, HGS is also highly sexually dimorphic. Recent psychological research shows that HGS is correlated with a number of social variables, but only in males. We conducted three studies to further investigate the relationship between HGS and measures of aggression and social competition among adolescents. Consistent with previous reports, correlations were almost exclusive to males, but this was only visible during late adolescence (i.e., high school). These findings support evolutionary hypotheses regarding grip strength in male-male competition and suggest that similar to measures of testosterone, HGS is a measure that is predictive of social behavior in older adolescent males.     

The influence of personal and family factors on achievement needs and concerns of African-American and Euro-American college women

The relation of personal and family factors to three types of achievement was examined. A sample of 172 African-American and 105 Euro-American women completed four instruments assessing gender role attitudes, daydream achievement, daydream affiliation, n Ach and n Aff, and a demographic profile. Multivariate and univariate analyses of variance showed that African-American more than Euro-American women described themselves as masculine and androgynous and reported more traditional achievement-related daydream activity. Racial differences were also observed for family factors' contributions to gender role attitudes. However, personal variables contributed to gender role attitudes for both groups. Gender role attitudes were also differentially associated with n Ach, daydream achievement, and daydream affiliation. The results are interpreted as support for the continued need to consider structural and cultural influences when investigating women and achievement.     

Children and adolescents coordinate group and moral concerns within different goal contexts when allocating resources

Coordinating complex social and moral concerns when allocating resources is a key issue in late childhood and early adolescence. This study explored resource allocation in three goal contexts that required children to focus to differing degrees on moral and group concerns. Children (9–11-years, M^age = 9.84, n = 190) and adolescents (14–16-years, M^age = 14.92, n = 154) were informed their school peer group held an in-group norm (competition, cooperation). Participants allocated resources between their in-group and an outgroup within one of three goal contexts (prosocial, learning-focused, and group-focused). Participants allocated in favour of their in-group to achieve a prosocial goal but attenuated this when the goal was focused on learning and cooperation. Adolescents, more than children, reasoned about the goals of resource allocation to justify their decisions. From 9 years old, children begin to coordinate peer group norms and goal information when deciding how to allocate resources within intergroup contexts.     

Comparing the mental health needs of female and male incarcerated juvenile delinquents

The present study was undertaken to survey the prevalence of mental disorder in juvenile justice facilities and to compare the mental health needs for females and males. Girls displayed significantly more mental health needs than boys. The estimated prevalence of mental disorder for boys was 27%, compared with 84% for girls. The difference is highly significant and is discussed in terms of service system issues in juvenile justice that affect males and females differently. ©1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

青少年健康促进行为的调查研究

本研究采用青少年健康促进量表(Adolescent Health Promotion scale,AHP)以长沙市450名中学生为对象,对青少年的健康促进行为水平及其在不同性别、年龄和学校类型上的差异进行了调查和分析。研究结果表明,青少年在人际支持行为上得分最高,而在运动行为上得分最低;经分析,运动行为及人际支持行为上存在明显的性别差异;AHP的六个因子在不同年龄段和学校类型上均呈现显著差异。     

Longitudinal concomitants of incorrect weight perception in female and male adolescents

The aim of the present study was to analyse the longitudinal concomitants of incorrect weight perception, depressive symptoms, social anxiety, self-esteem, and eating disorders in adolescents. A prospective follow-up study on 283 female and 312 male adolescents aged 15 comprising questionnaires directed at the whole study population and subsequent personal interviews with adolescents found to be screen-positive for eating disorders, at both baseline and three-year follow-up. Body mass index was combined with weight perception to classify adolescents with incorrect weight perception. Twenty-nine percent of females incorrectly perceived themselves as overweight and 14% of males incorrectly as underweight. Incorrect weight perception was in females related to depressive symptoms, social anxiety, eating disorders, and low self-esteem. Males with incorrect weight perception experienced more social anxiety at the follow-up than their counterparts with correct weight perception. Recognition of incorrect weight perception is important for prevention of depression, social anxiety, and eating disorders.     

Untangling developmental relations between depressed mood and delinquency in male adolescents

Relations between depressed mood and delinquency were investigated in a longitudinal sample of 506 urban adolescent males across ages 13.5–17.5, while adjusting for common risk factors. Adolescents provided yearly reports of their delinquent activities and depressed mood, as well as reports of peer delinquency at age 13.5 (i.e., baseline). Primary caregivers and teachers provided reports of risk factors for depressed mood and delinquency such as aggressive behavior problems and low academic achievement. Two-level hierarchical generalized linear models of concurrent relations indicated that depressed mood predicted concurrent variety of delinquent acts, and more variety of delinquent acts predicted concurrent depressed mood, even after controlling common risk factors. Longitudinal analyses indicated that after controlling for common risk factors, depressed mood had a more robust effect on delinquency variety trajectories than delinquency variety had on depressed mood trajectories. Time-averaged depressed mood significantly predicted a more positive rate of change in delinquency variety across time. Baseline delinquency variety predicted baseline depressed mood and time-averaged delinquency variety predicted a more positive rate of change in depressed mood; however, both effects were marginally significant. Implications of the results for theory and intervention are discussed.     

Adolescent health needs. II: Utilization of health care by adolescents

In a random, mailed survey, 730 adolescents supplied information on their patterns and preferences for health care. The majority of respondents reported that they usually receive medical care from a private physician. Girls consulted physicians more frequently than boys, but there was no significant variation by age or social group. As the age of the respondent increased, the proportion visiting pediatricians decreased. When asked what they liked and disliked about their physician, respondents placed great emphasis upon the personal characteristics of the practitioner. Long waiting periods were the most common complaint. A significant proportion of adolescents with health concerns do not consult a health professional, even in cases where efficacious treatment may be available. Nervous/emotional problems, obesity, and birth control are concerns of adolescents which should be discussed with health professionals.