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Hernandez BE, McDaniel HL, Bradshaw CP. Urban Black adolescents' victimization experiences: The moderating role of family factors on internalizing and academic outcomes. JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY 2024. [PMID: 39319627 DOI: 10.1002/jcop.23151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2024] [Revised: 07/22/2024] [Accepted: 09/04/2024] [Indexed: 09/26/2024]
Abstract
This study investigated the moderating role of family factors on victimization experiences and internalizing and academic outcomes. Data (collected 2017-2019) on 471 Black urban ninth graders (51% male; Mage = 14 years) with elevated externalizing symptoms were analyzed and we explored how the interaction between (self-reported) racial socialization, parent relations, and (teacher-reported) family academic involvement and (self-reported) violence exposure, racial discrimination, and (teacher-reported) bullying potentially influenced (student- and teacher-reported) anxiety and depression, and (student-reported) academic engagement and negative school attitudes. High racial socialization and parent relations were associated with lower internalizing symptoms for youth with discrimination and heard violence, respectively. High academic involvement and parent relations were linked with higher internalizing symptoms for youth with discrimination and high parent relations were linked with higher anxiety for bullied youth. Racial socialization and parent relations may help offset the potential influence of discrimination and heard violence, respectively, for adolescents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Belinda E Hernandez
- Department of Human Services, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Heather L McDaniel
- Department of Human Services, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Catherine P Bradshaw
- Department of Human Services, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
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`Parenting practices and callous unemotional traits predict behavioral infractions at military-style youth challenge academies. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-022-03840-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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Ong ML, Klopack ET, Carter S, Simons RL, Beach SRH. School Disengagement Predicts Accelerated Aging among Black American Youth: Mediation by Psychological Maladjustment and Moderation by Supportive Parenting. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:12034. [PMID: 36231334 PMCID: PMC9564392 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191912034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Revised: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 09/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Early experiences of school disengagement may serve as a warning sign for later young adult adjustment difficulties and eventually contribute to accelerated aging among Black American youth. At the same time, supportive parenting may play a protective role. Using longitudinal data from the Family and Community Health Study (FACHS), we examined psychological maladjustment (comprising depression, lack of self-regulation, and low self-esteem) as a mediator of the relationship between school disengagement and accelerated aging. We also examined the effect of supportive parenting in buffering the impact of school disengagement on adulthood outcomes by controlling for covariates. Hypotheses were examined in a sample of 386 (Mean age = 28.68; Females = 62.7%; Males = 37.3%) Black American youth who were followed into young adulthood. Path modeling was used to test hypothesized relationships. We found school disengagement, i.e., problems with school attendance, performance, and engagement, reported across ages 10-18, predicted psychological maladjustment, which, in turn, predicted accelerated aging at age 29. We also found a buffering effect for supportive parenting. No significant gender difference in the indirect effect or buffering effect was found. This study highlights the potential importance of greater attention to school disengagement to identify and potentially influence long-term health trajectories and adult outcomes for Black American youth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mei Ling Ong
- Center for Family Research, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30605, USA
| | - Eric T. Klopack
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Sierra Carter
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
| | - Ronald L. Simons
- Department of Sociology, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30605, USA
| | - Steven R. H. Beach
- Center for Family Research, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30605, USA
- Department of Psychology, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30605, USA
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Jochim J, Meinck F, Steventon Roberts KJ, Wittesaele C, Langwenya N, Toska E, Cluver L. Which factors affect postpartum educational enrollment of adolescent mothers in South Africa? A latent class analysis. PSYCHOL HEALTH MED 2022; 27:138-154. [PMID: 35934947 DOI: 10.1080/13548506.2022.2108085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Interrupted education of adolescent mothers remains a major concern, but limited evidence-based programming exists to support postpartum schooling of this group. This study aimed to better understand the factors that render some adolescent mothers vulnerable to school non-enrollment, and how to reduce these risks. Data from 1,046 adolescent and young mothers (10-24 years) from rural and urban communities in South Africa's Eastern Cape was obtained through a questionnaire containing validated and study-specific measures relating to sociodemographic characteristics, schooling, relationships, violence exposure, and health. Using latent class analysis, we explored emerging latent groups and their relationship to mothers' enrollment in school, college, or tertiary education. The analyses revealed three distinct groups of mothers: The 'most disadvantaged' subgroup (39%) experienced multiple risks, including food insecurity, living in informal housing, lacking positive relationships with their caregiver, and the highest distance to school; The 'disadvantaged' subgroup (44%) did not experience food insecurity whilst reporting better caregiver relationships and lower distance to school. However, this group still showed high probabilities of residing in informal housing and in communities that expose them to violence; A 'least disadvantaged' subgroup (17%) was largely unaffected by economic and community risks and experienced good caregiver relationships. Compared to the most disadvantaged mothers, the least disadvantaged mothers showed the highest probability of being enrolled in education (65% versus 45%). Adolescent motherhood can impede continued enrollment in education and individual-centered interventions alone might not be sufficient to mitigate the risks for non-enrollment. Services and provisions that address severe poverty and improve family relationships might provide an opportunity to positively influence schooling among adolescent mothers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janina Jochim
- Department of Social Policy and Intervention, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Franziska Meinck
- School of Social and Political Science, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.,Optentia, Faculty of Health Sciences, North-West University, Vanderbijlpark, South Africa
| | - Kathryn J Steventon Roberts
- Department of Social Policy and Intervention, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Institute for Global Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Camille Wittesaele
- Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Nontokozo Langwenya
- Department of Social Policy and Intervention, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Elona Toska
- Department of Social Policy and Intervention, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Department of Sociology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.,Centre for Social Science Research, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Lucie Cluver
- Department of Social Policy and Intervention, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
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Theron L, van Breda A. A special issue on child abuse and resilience in sub-Saharan Africa: The role of multisystemic resilience-enablers. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2021; 119:105174. [PMID: 34175154 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2021.105174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Linda Theron
- Faculty of Education, University of Pretoria, South Africa.
| | - Adrian van Breda
- Department of Social Work and Community Development, University of Johannesburg, South Africa.
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Zuilkowski SS, Thulin EJ, McLean K, Rogers TM, Akinsulure-Smith AM, Betancourt TS. Parenting and discipline in post-conflict Sierra Leone. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2019; 97:104138. [PMID: 31445408 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.104138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2018] [Revised: 07/26/2019] [Accepted: 08/11/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND While the literature on physical punishment concludes that it has negative effects on children, the practice remains common in many countries. In post-conflict countries with nongovernmental organizations (NGO) operating in child protection, traditional disciplinary practices may conflict with international child rights agendas. The country of Sierra Leone has a unique history of conflict, abject poverty, low literacy, and weak governance - often, NGO agents are responsible for providing social services that the government is unable to consistently provide. OBJECTIVE We examined how Sierra Leonean caregivers think about appropriate discipline for children, and whether they perceived any changes in their attitudes toward disciplinary practices since the end of the war. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING We collected data from parents and caregivers in urban, peri-urban, and rural areas of Sierra Leone's four districts. METHODS We used focus groups (12 groups, n = 92) and individual interviews (n = 21) to collect data in 2013. Focus groups and interviews were conducted by research assistants fluent in Krio and English. We used a thematic content analysis approach. RESULTS We found that physical discipline-"beating"-was widely acceptable and common. A few parents mentioned other means of discipline, such as withholding food. Parents widely agreed that parenting had changed since the war, and reported that child rights movements supported by NGOs had made it more difficult to discipline their children in traditional ways. CONCLUSIONS Discipline was seen a central component of child-rearing and a means of ensuring safe and proper development. This may be a protective mechanism in the precarious, high poverty environment of post-war Sierra Leone. The negative responses of parents to NGO efforts to reduce physical punishment and other forms of child abuse suggest that grassroots approaches are needed to address this pervasive problem.
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Theron L, van Rensburg A. Parent-figures and adolescent resilience: an African perspective. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019. [DOI: 10.1080/21683603.2019.1657994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Linda Theron
- Department of Educational Psychology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
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Theron L. Championing the resilience of sub-Saharan adolescents: pointers for psychologists. SOUTH AFRICAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY 2018. [DOI: 10.1177/0081246318801749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
In this article, I argue that an ecological systems approach to resilience – specifically, one that is sensitive to how contextual determinants shape successful adaptation differentially – offers a meaningful way to enable sub-Saharan adolescents to adapt well to the apparently intractable risks to their health and well-being. Accordingly, I draw on studies of child and adolescent resilience from sub-Saharan Africa and the global North to show that the resilience field has largely moved beyond individual-focused theories of resilience that have the (long-term) potential to jeopardize adolescent health and well-being and advance neoliberal agendas. I emphasize that the recent attention to differentially impactful resilience-enablers casts suspicion on incautious application of universally recurring resilience-enablers. Allied to this, I problematize the delay in the identification of resources that impact the resilience of sub-Saharan adolescents differentially. Finally, I distil implications for resilience-directed praxis and research that have the potential to advance the championship of adolescent resilience in sub-Saharan Africa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda Theron
- Department of Educational Psychology, Faculty of Education, University of Pretoria, South Africa
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Herrero Romero R, Hall J, Cluver L. Exposure to violence, teacher support, and school delay amongst adolescents in South Africa. BRITISH JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY 2018; 89:1-21. [PMID: 29336474 DOI: 10.1111/bjep.12212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2017] [Revised: 11/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Many adolescents in South Africa are exposed to multiple types of violence, socio-economic disadvantage, and low-quality education: all risk factors for educational outcomes including school delay (grade enrolment below that which is age-appropriate). Supportive teacher-student relationships are known to be associated with improved academic outcomes in high-income contexts. AIMS To investigate whether the academic and emotional support provided by teachers can protect against school delay for adolescents exposed to multiple types of violence and socio-economic disadvantage in South Africa. SAMPLE High-risk sample of 503 adolescents aged 10-18 exposed to multiple types of violence and socio-economic disadvantage at home, in school, and in their communities. METHODS Multilevel aggregated structural equation modelling was applied to pre/post-RCT data. This investigated whether associations between adolescent exposure to violence and school delay could be lessened by having teachers who were academically and/or emotionally supportive. RESULTS More frequent exposure to 'poly-violence' and receiving more emotional support from teachers were independently associated with greater school delay. On the contrary, higher academic support from teachers was associated with lower school delay. Neither academic nor emotional teacher support was found to moderate the relationship between more frequent exposure to 'poly-violence' and an increased risk of adolescent school delay. CONCLUSION Adolescents' academic support from teachers is low in poorly resourced school contexts in South Africa. School-based secondary prevention programmes assisting teachers with more training and academic support in deprived contexts have potential to reduce the impact of violence and socio-economic disadvantage on adolescents' school delay.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - James Hall
- Southampton Education School, University of Southampton, UK
| | - Lucie Cluver
- Department of Social Policy and Intervention, University of Oxford, UK.,Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, South Africa
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