Adolescents’ Conceptions of the Influence of Romantic Relationships on Friendships

Although researchers have investigated how adolescents’ friendships affect their romantic relationships, the influence of romantic relationships on friendships is unexamined. As a first step, 9th- (n = 198) and 11th grade students (n = 152) reported on their conceptions of friendship when one friend had a romantic relationship and when neither friend had a romantic relationship. As predicted, adolescents believed friendships in which a friend was dating would be characterized by less positive features and more negative features than friendships in which neither friend was dating. Additionally, older adolescents thought romantic relationships were more damaging to companionship and corumination than did younger adolescents. The closer nature of older adolescents’ romantic relationships may result in lower quality friendships or older adolescents may be more aware of the potential negative consequences of romantic relationships for friendships. Girls viewed friendships as higher in conflict-rivalry and lower in corumination when one friend was dating while boys did not. And although girls and boys viewed friendships as lower in intimacy and companionship when a friend has a romantic partner, the difference was greater for girls than boys. Girls may be more sensitive to the effects of a friend's romantic relationship on their friendship than are boys. Findings necessitate theories of close relationships that incorporate age and gender as important variables.     

Mental Health Literacy of Australian Rural Adolescents: An Analysis Using Vignettes and Short Films

The mental health literacy (MHL) of rural adolescents has rarely been investigated. This study examined the MHL of 122 rural‐based adolescents (49 males, 73 females) aged 12–18 years (M = 16, SD = 1) using written vignettes and short films to examine knowledge about depression. For the written vignettes, 68% of the rural adolescents were able to correctly identify someone with depression, which is similar to the findings for metropolitan adolescents; however, knowledge about recovery times and avenues of assistance were below that of their metropolitan peers. Participants were less likely to correctly diagnose depression when suicidal intent was not expressed and when the scenario was presented in the more naturalistic form of a film. This finding raises questions about the place of films and written vignettes in future MHL research.     

Emotional and Behavioural Problems Among Refugee Children and Adolescents Living in South Australia

While there is a growing body of literature on the mental health status of adult refugees, children have been relatively neglected in research, particularly in Australia. This study investigated the prevalence of emotional and behavioural problems and patterns of service utilisation among 530 refugee children and adolescents aged 4–17 years living in South Australia. Parents and teachers of children aged 4–17 years and adolescents aged 13–17 years completed the appropriate versions of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Of the 11.0% of children and adolescents found to have borderline or abnormal emotional and behavioural problems, only 13.0% accessed professional help. The study has practical implications for policy and practice.     

Does school suspension affect subsequent youth non‐violent antisocial behaviour? A longitudinal study of students in Victoria,Australia and Washington State,United States

School suspension has been not only associated with negative behaviours but also is predictive of future poor outcomes. The current study investigates (1) whether school suspension is a unique predictor of youth non‐violent antisocial behaviour (NVAB) relative to other established predictors, and (2) whether the predictors of NVAB are similar in Australia and the United States (USA). The data analysed here draw on two statewide representative samples of Grade 7 and 9 students in Victoria, Australia and Washington State, USA, resurveyed at 12‐month follow‐up (N = 3,677, 99% retention). School suspension did not uniquely predict NVAB in the final model. The predictors of NVAB, similar across states, included previous student NVAB, current alcohol and tobacco use, poor family management, association with antisocial friends, and low commitment to school. An implication of the findings is that US evidence‐based prevention programmes targeting the influences investigated here could be trialled in Australia.     

A Place at the Table: Integrating Diet and Nutrition into Family Therapy Practice

Most schools of family therapy directly or indirectly recognize that personal qualities of the therapist influence therapy process. If personal qualities of therapists are associated with therapy process, it seems plausible that there would be some interaction between their personal relationships and therapy process. The present study examines the relationship between emotion management at home and emotion management at work to job satisfaction and marital satisfaction of marriage and family therapists. Results suggest that men and women experience a different interaction between emotion management, relationship satisfaction, and job satisfaction.     

Learning from women with psychosis

The article describes psychoanalytic reflections in the work of a consultant psychiatrist responsible for a recently developed female intensive care unit. The manifestations of aggression were observed to be different from that of male patients. The behavioural manifestation of aggression by women was linked to the themes of secrets, and of hidden aggression, which are described in the analytic literature as feminine characteristics. The relationships between women as sibling inpatients and with female staff may explain some of the difficulties in managing aggression. Hidden aggression in the dyad of female-to-female transferences and countertransference may contribute to problems in all female inpatient settings. Bringing together the themes of psychosis and of women from a psychoanalytic perspective, the author suggests that the care pathway leading to transfer to the intensive care unit may exacerbate psychotic symptoms in acute states, due to specific vulnerabilities of women. The provision of specialized inpatient services for women may be more therapeutic if female development and the nature of their relationships were better understood.     

Awakening Resilience: Recovery Within Intimate Female Friendships

A multi-ethnic female creates her own definition of self with the help of strong female role models—women of strength. The author uses a storytelling method, characteristic Native American way of relating, as a vehicle for her narration. It is a story of transitions with challenges in relationships and new beginnings that define the woman as well as the therapist.     

青少年早期抑郁的自尊缓解假设的追踪研究

本研究采用追踪设计和青少年自我报告法,以初一年级598名青少年为研究对象,运用分层多元回归分析,考察其自尊缓解生活事件对抑郁的影响是否随自尊与抑郁之间的时间间隔而异。发现当前自尊显著缓解压力事件对抑郁的即时作用和长期作用;先前自尊不能显著缓解先前压力事件对抑郁的长期作用,反而加剧压力事件的长期作用。这些发现对青少年抑郁的干预将有重要启示。