Adolescent girl's coping with an STD. Not enough problem solving and too much self-blame

Self-Esteem and Theoretical Mediators of Safer Sex Among African American Female Adolescents: Implications for Sexual Risk Reduction Interventions

Theories of health behavior posit that change is accomplished by modifying factors deemed as mediators. A set of mediators from several theoretical models used in sexual risk reduction programs was assessed among a sample of 522 African American female adolescents. The goal was to determine whether self-esteem was associated with sexually transmitted disease (STD), pregnancy, and the set of theoretical mediators controlling for covariates. Bivariate analyses showed no relationship between self-esteem and STD or pregnancy; multivariate regression analysis revealed a significant relation between self-esteem and the set of mediators. Girls higher in self-esteem were more likely to hold positive condom attitudes, felt more efficacious in negotiating condom use, had more frequent communication with sex partners and parents, perceived fewer barriers to using condoms, and were less fearful of negotiating condom use. Self-esteem should be considered when designing and evaluating sexual risk reduction programs for this population.

Relationships and betrayal among young women: theoretical perspectives on adolescent dating abuse

AIMS

Adolescent dating abuse is not specifically described by any current nursing theory, and this article presents discussion of some existing theories that could inform a nursing theory of adolescent dating abuse. To account for the effects of gender, this discussion is limited to young women.

BACKGROUND

Adolescent dating abuse is an important and understudied international issue for nursing. Theoretical frameworks can support development of nursing scholarship for such issues. No single theory yet exists in nursing to explain the experiences and health ramifications of dating abuse among young women.

DATA SOURCES

A summary table of theories is provided. Literature was gathered via database search and bibliographic snowballing from reference lists of relevant articles. Included literature dates from 1982 through 2010.

DISCUSSION

Theories of relationship formation and function are discussed, including attachment, investment, feminist and gender role conflict theories. Betrayal trauma theory is considered as a mechanism of injury following an abusive dating experience.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING

Gender, relationship and adolescence combine in a complex developmental moment for young women. To improve nursing care for those at risk for or in the throes of abusive relationships, it is critical to develop specific nursing approaches to understanding these relationships.

CONCLUSION

Existing theories related to relationship and traumatic experiences can be combined in the development of a nursing theory of adolescent dating abuse among young women.

Use of the Kidcope to identify socio-economically diverse Spanish school-age children's stressors and coping strategies

BACKGROUND

The process by which children cope with stressful events is a very relevant topic. However, few systematic efforts have been made to design age-specific measures.

METHODS

This study examined problems commonly experienced by children, ages between 7 and 12 years, from two different sources: a primary school mainly enrolling families of medium socio-economic status, and an after-school social care centre from a socially and economically deprived neighbourhood. Data were obtained using the younger version of the Kidcope.

RESULTS

Almost 55% of the sample reported a problem related to others with no differences observed in age, gender or school group. The strategies that children considered the most effective were 'social support' (35%), 'emotional regulation' (33%) and 'wishful thinking' (32%). The children from disadvantaged backgrounds reported different problems mainly related with 'victimization and violence', 'moving house' and conflicts with 'norms and rules' and tended to use avoidant strategies to face them, which could be related to the perception of uncontrollability of these stressors.

CONCLUSIONS

This study reported the first descriptive results in the type of problems and coping strategies of two different social groups of Spanish children using the Kidcope. The Kidcope can be useful to screen children for coping abilities at an early age living under stressful conditions in underprivileged sectors of society.

Biologically confirmed sexually transmitted infection and depressive symptomatology among African-American female adolescents

OBJECTIVE

To determine prospectively the relation between sexually transmitted infection (STI) diagnosis and depressive symptomatology.

METHODS

Secondary data analyses were performed on 175 sexually active African-American female adolescents, who were recruited from high risk neighbourhoods in Birmingham, Alabama, United States.

RESULTS

ANCOVA was used to compare adolescents who tested positive with adolescents who tested negative on three waves of depressive symptom scores, controlling for age. The STI positive group had higher depressive symptom levels at 6 months relative to the STI negative group. This result was moderated by baseline depressive symptom levels: for adolescents above the clinical threshold, the STI negative group experienced a decrease in symptoms at 6 months whereas the STI positive group maintained the same level. For adolescents below the clinical threshold, there were no changes in depressive symptom levels regardless of diagnosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Receiving an STI diagnosis may affect depressive symptomatology for those at risk for depression. Screening for depression in settings that provide STI testing and treatment may be warranted for this population.