Contacting the Spirits of the Dead: Paranormal Belief and the Teenage Worldview

A number of previous studies have examined both the overall level of belief expressed by young people in the paranormal and the major demographic predictors of such belief. Building on this research tradition, the present study examines how one specific paranormal belief concerning contact with the spirits of the dead integrates with the wider teenage worldview. Data provided by 33,982 pupils age 13 to 15 years throughout England and Wales demonstrated that almost one in three young people (31%) believed that it is possible to contact the spirits of the dead. Compared with young people who did not share this belief, the young people who believed in the possibility of contacting the spirits of the dead displayed lower psychological wellbeing, higher anxiety, greater isolation, greater alienation, less positive social attitudes, and less socially conforming lifestyles. Overall, paranormal beliefs seem to be associated with a less healthy worldview, in both personal and social terms.     

Spontaneous imitation in the social interactions of young people with developmental delay and their adult carers

This paper examines the presence of spontaneous imitation within the social interactions of young people with developmental delay and their adult carers. There have been only a handful of observational studies examining imitation in this population, despite the relevance of such work to contemporary theoretical debates about imitation and the potential that imitation holds as an intervention for promoting communicative skills. The play of eight young people and 13 adult carers over 10 sessions at an after‐school club was videotaped and analysed for the presence and impact of spontaneous imitative bouts. Results showed that, in the majority of cases, it was adults who initiated imitative bouts and that the young people generally did not reciprocate such acts. However, even such brief instances of adult imitation were sufficient to increase the children's subsequent smiles and speech vocalizations, as well as the adults' own use of smiling, eye contact, and speech vocalizations. These findings confirm that these young people are sensitive to imitation. The implications for designing interventions that promote communicative exchanges in young people with developmental delay are discussed. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Decision-Making by Children and Young People in the Home: The Nurture of Trust,Participation and Independence

This article presents the findings of a qualitative research study of children and young people (aged 7–17 years) in Ireland. It seeks to investigate whether, for the children and young people involved, the home is a space where supportive, trusting family relationships can be nurtured; where independence grows with age; and where parents listen, discuss and explain decisions made. It furthermore outlines the views and experiences of parents with regard to children and young people’s participation in the home and will focus on relational and spatial aspects of child participation within the home. The study recognizes children and young people as social actors and is also informed by a relational and spatial approach to children’s participation which recognizes the respective roles and positions of children in facilitating child participation. The results indicate that age and issues of trust and tokenism were significant barriers in young people’s participation and decision making at home. Key enablers of children and young people’s participation included spaces where discussion can happen at home, good family relationships, being listened to by parents, trust and growing levels of independence with age, seeing decisions as fair and having the rationale for decisions explained to them by parents. Among suggestions for improvements the most important were designated family spaces for discussion, encouragement of active listening by parents, and promotion of explanation by adults of their decisions.     

Academic achievement in Norwegian secondary schools: the impact of violence during childhood

Using data from a national survey (N = 6,979) of young people in their last year in Norwegian secondary schools in 2007 (aged 18 and 19), this paper examines the effect of experience of violence including sexual abuse during childhood (before the age of 13) on the later academic achievement of young people. This investigation includes three types of violence: non-physical, physical and sexual, and two types of victimisation: being abused and witness to abuse. First we investigate the relationship between the experience of various violent acts before the age of 13 and young people??s later academic achievement. Second, applying the structural equation modelling technique, we take into account the effect of background factors such as parents?? educational attainment and gender, and the effect of mediating factors such as social capital and educational motivation on the academic achievement of the young victims. The results show that exposure to violence during childhood not only directly influences young people??s educational outcomes but also exerts indirect influences on their achievement through its impact on young victims?? social relations and psychological health.     

Masturbation and the Media

This paper explores the important role the media play in informing young people about masturbation. A pilot study of focus groups with twenty-two young Australians aged between 14 and 16 explored what they know about sex and sexuality, and where they have found that knowledge. This paper reports on their knowledge about masturbation. Although researchers agree that masturbation can be a positive part of healthy sexual development, most young people reported that they received very little positive information about it from their parents or in formal sex education in school. These young people’s discussions around this topic were largely ambivalent, but also highly complex due to the varying levels and types of information that they receive. In this context the media play a vital role in providing information about masturbation through books and magazines for young women, and television comedies for young men.     

Protected or Unprotected Sex: The Conceptions and Attitudes of the Youth in Bolgatanga Municipality,Ghana

The youth in Bolgatanga municipality in Ghana have relatively less knowledge of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) compared to the youth in other parts of Ghana. More fundamental knowledge is needed of the factors that influence young people to have protected and unprotected sex in specific social and cultural contexts, in order to protect them from adverse consequences, such as sexually transmitted diseases (STIs), HIV/AIDS and unintended pregnancies. This study therefore analyzed the conceptions and attitudes of the youth toward protected and unprotected sex, and particularly condom use, in Bolgatanga municipality. Semi-structured and focus group interviews were held with 71 young males and females and 17 adults. The results indicated that many of them lack a comprehensive knowledge of STIs, contraceptives and pregnancy, while a group of them had a negative attitude towards contraceptives. Not all parents, schools and organisations provide young people with a comprehensive education about SRH, and some even discourage such education because they believe it would encourage young people to have sex before marriage. In addition, young people also inform each other about SRH issues, sharing stories and personal experiences with their peers. The information they exchange is not always correct, however; sometimes it merely reflects their own personal preferences. The unequal power in the sexual relationships of young people—related to the traditional value system that gives men, but not women, “sexual freedom, both in and outside marriage”—is another determining factor for unprotected sex.     

Parental negotiations of the moral terrain of risk in relation to young people with intellectual disabilities

This paper draws upon parental accounts from a study of the process of transition for a cohort of 28 young people with relatively severe intellectual disabilities who left special schools in 2004 and 2005 in two adjacent English localities. This paper examines how parents negotiate these boundaries and position themselves in relation to risk. A primary concern identified by parents during this transition period focuses on the risk of harm facing these vulnerable young people (whether through accidents or through sexual, emotional, physical or financial abuse) as they move into the adult world. These concerns are juxtaposed with discourses that increasingly promote the possibilities for people with intellectual disabilities to express and follow their own wishes and aspirations. For example, the policy agenda in England and Wales actively endorses the start of adult life as a time of opportunity for young people and promotes the values of independence and choice. In accounting for the management of risk in the young people's lives, we conclude that parents navigate complex boundaries between being seen to be over‐protective and ‘letting go’; between trusting others to act in the young adults' best interests and allowing these young people the autonomy to negotiate risk. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Young People and Volunteerism: A Model of Sustained Volunteerism During the Transition to Adulthood

A model of sustained volunteerism in young people is proposed. The longitudinal study addresses the questions “Why do young people decide to continue to volunteer over an extended period of time?” There were 158 volunteers (82 female and 76 male). The volunteers completed measures of motivation to volunteer, integration, and satisfaction with the organization, merged effects due to voluntary service, social support, identity, and intention to volunteer on a first (Time 1) and a second research wave (Time 2). Results show that both dispositional and organizational variables are important in determining long-term volunteerism in young people and confirmed that role identity is the best predictor of intention to volunteer.     

The Norwegian translation of the Francis Scale of Attitude toward Christianity

This paper reviews the development of the Francis Scale of Attitude toward Christianity and then examines the psychometric properties of the Norwegian translation of this instrument among a sample of 479 young people between the ages of 11 and 18 years attending secondary school. The data support the reliability of this instrument and commend it for further validation studies and for wider general use among young people in Norway.     

The handicapped school leaver and the transition to work

Handicapped young people are disadvantaged in the search for work, and many of the most severely handicapped from special schools face particularly difficult problems in adjusting to the realities of the labour market. Careers advisers also face some acute difficulties in their interactions with handicapped young people. The relevant results of a recent national investigation into the employment experience of handicapped school leavers are examined, including information about careers advice and sources of information about jobs. It is argued that, despite the existence of careers officers who specialise in work with handicapped young people, careers guidance for this group is under-developed both inside and outside schools.     

The Management of Disclosure in Children’s Accounts of Domestic Violence: Practices of Telling and Not Telling

Children and young people who experience domestic violence are often represented as passive witnesses, too vulnerable to tell the stories of their own lives. This article reports on findings from a 2 year European research project (Understanding Agency and Resistance Strategies, UNARS) with children and young people in Greece, Italy, Spain and the UK, who had experienced domestic violence. It explores children and young people’s understandings of their own capacity to reflect on and disclose their experiences Extracts from individual interviews with 107 children and young people (age 8–18) were analysed. Three themes are presented, that illustrate children and young people’s strategies for managing disclosure: (1) “Being silenced or choosing silence?”, explores children and young people’s practices of self-silencing; (2) “Managing disclosures: Finding ways to tell” outlines how children and young people value self-expression, and the strategies they use to disclose safely; and in (3) “Speaking with many voices” considers how children and young people’s accounts of their experiences are constituted relationally, and are often polyvocal. The article concludes that children and young people can be articulate, strategic and reflexive communicators, and that good support for families struggling with domestic violence must enable space for children and young people’s voice to be heard. This is possible only in an integrated framework able to encompass multiple layers and perspectives, rather than privileging the adult point of view. Practitioners who work with families affected by domestic violence need to recognize that children and young people are able to reflect on and speak about their experiences. This requires that attention is paid to the complexity of children and young people’s communication practices, and the relational context of those communications.     

Message in a bottle: a comparative study of spiritual needs of children and young people in and out of hospital

Using the metaphor of a message in a bottle as a framework and sending an S.O.S. to adults, the question of what are the three biggest needs of children and young people was asked. Data consisting of 107 important needs of children and young people was collected from 36 children and young people both in and out of hospital: in hospital by chaplains and other health care professionals, and out of hospital by children and youth work undergraduate students. This was a convenience sample across the United Kingdom with the majority of respondents in the Midlands. The data were coded and then thematically analysed and separately compared to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Emotional needs was the largest theme for hospitalised children and young people and relationship needs for the non-hospitalised children and young people. For both groups Maslow’s level 3 need of belonging was the greatest averaging at just over half the needs shared. A discussion of the results of the analyses identifies some ways in which the needs of hospitalised children and young people may differ, identifying some implications for practice.     

Change in value orientations of Turkish youth from 1989 to 1995

The purpose of this study was to investigate the changes in value orientations of Turkish youth from 1989 to 1995 and to see how changes in Turkish society affected the value orientations of Turkish youth. The Rokeach Value Survey (RVS; M. Rokeach, 1973) was administered in Ankara to 289 young people in 1989, to 318 young people in 1992, and to 397 young people in 1995. Results indicated that the value orientations of the Turkish youth in 1989 underwent major changes that were manifested in 1992, toward a more competitive and individualistic orientation. Similar characteristics were reflected in the value priorities of the young people in 1995, which indicates that values are modified to fit the changes the society experiences.     

Change in Value Orientations of Turkish Youth From 1989 to 1995

The purpose of this study was to investigate the changes in value orientations of Turkish youth from 1989 to 1995 and to see how changes in Turkish society affected the value orientations of Turkish youth. The Rokeach Value Survey (RVS; M. Rokeach, 1973) was administered in Ankara to 289 young people in 1989, to 318 young people in 1992, and to 397 young people in 1995. Results indicated that the value orientations of the Turkish youth in 1989 underwent major changes that were manifested in 1992, toward a more competitive and individualistic orientation. Similar characteristics were reflected in the value priorities of the young people in 1995, which indicates that values are modified to fit the changes the society experiences.     

Time discounting over the lifespan

Several theories of intertemporal choice predict systematic age differences in the rate at which people discount the future. Different theories, however, predict different patterns: one predicts that discounting will decrease over the lifespan, so that young people will discount more than the middle aged or elderly, another suggests it will increase over the lifespan, and yet another suggests that the middle-aged will discount less than either the young or the old. We conduct a study testing these predictions. 123 respondents between the ages of 19 and 89 made a large number of time discounting decisions on both computerized and paper-and-pencil questionnaires. The results suppported the view that older people discount more than younger ones, and that middle aged people discount less than either group. This finding appears to contrast with earlier work (Green, Fry, & Myerson, 1994) but, as we show, our results are remarkably congruent with that study. We conclude by considering whether our results can be reconciled with the fact that young people commit more apparently impulsive acts than do the elderly.     

Help‐Seeking for Suicidal Thoughts and Self‐Harm in Young People: A Systematic Review

There is a growing body of evidence to suggest that only a minority of young people experiencing suicidal thoughts or self‐harm present to any health services. This is of concern given that young people with suicidal thoughts or self‐harm often require treatment for mental illness as well as to reduce their risk of completed suicide. We reviewed previously published international community epidemiological studies examining help‐seeking for suicidal thoughts or self‐harm in young people up to the age of 26. The studies confirm that the majority of these young people do not seek professional help, and this includes seeking medical help after an overdose. The majority of young people studied do, however, seek help from social networks that most commonly are peers. Factors influencing and barriers to help‐seeking are discussed and highlight a need for further research into the role that peers and family play in the help‐seeking process for young people with suicidal thoughts or self‐harm.     

A review of online grooming: Characteristics and concerns

The process of online grooming facilitates child abuse and is a threat to young people across the world. This literature review explores the research surrounding how young people are targeted by offenders on the internet. Definitions, prevalence, and characteristics of online grooming are addressed in addition to consideration of child sexual abuse theories and internet behaviors. There are a variety of techniques used by internet groomers to manipulate young people (e.g., flattery, bribes, and threats) and different ways that young people engage in risk taking behavior on the internet (e.g., communicating with strangers online and sharing personal information). While models and typologies can aid professionals in understanding the crime, it is important to acknowledge that internet offenders, victims, and the dynamics between the two are often unique and varied. This is fundamental to the development of effective preventative education for online grooming and abuse. The review concludes that research concerning the online grooming of young people is limited, and calls for further study in this field.     

Purpose in Life and Prayer Among Catholic and Protestant Adolescents in Northern Ireland

Data are provided from a sample of 2,670 young people aged between 13 and 15 years from Northern Ireland. This article compares the replies of 1,206 young people who attend a Catholic school and 1,464 young people who attend a Protestant school. The data examine the relationship between frequency of personal prayer, perceived purpose in life, sex, age, church attendance, and personality (extraversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism). These data demonstrate a clear relationship between frequency of prayer and perceived purpose in life among the young people from the Protestant and Catholic communities.     

Weekend alcoholism in youth and neurocognitive aging

Numerous studies have shown that alcohol intake causes neuropsychological disorders that affect various brain structures. The ?premature ageing? hypothesis proposes that the brain areas of alcoholics undergo deterioration similar to that observed in old age. We investigated whether alcohol abuse by young people (binge drinking) causes alterations comparable to some found in elderly people. Ninety-one people were divided into four groups: a) young people who abused alcohol; b) young people who drank alcohol in moderation; c) young people who did not drink alcohol; and d) elderly adults without any significant cognitive deterioration. All of them were assessed with a neuropsychological battery. We observed some similarities in the results obtained by young drinkers and the elderly participants, which would provide some support for the hypothesis of premature aging. The tasks that young drinkers performed worse were those related to executive functions, in which the prefrontal cortex plays an essential role. We also found differences between the two groups of young drinkers (moderate and high consumption), which leads us to believe that the amount of alcohol consumed and the pattern of consumption are factors to consider in relation to cognitive impairment.