Promotion as Prevention: Positive Youth Development as Protective against Tobacco, Alcohol, Illicit Drug, and Sex Initiation

Internet addiction and depressive symptoms in adolescents: joint trajectories and predictors

Objective

Internet addiction and depressive symptoms are common mental health problems in adolescents. Due to the comorbidity of Internet addiction and depressive symptoms, their mutual relationship influences their developmental trajectories over time. Thus, this study aimed to identify the joint trajectories of Internet addiction and depressive symptoms, and examined the individual, family, and school antecedents of these trajectories among Chinese adolescents.

Methods

Using a battery of self-report scales, three waves of data collection were conducted in a Chinese adolescent sample (N = 1,301). The co-developmental trajectories of Internet addiction and depressive symptoms were extracted by adopting parallel-process latent class growth modeling (PPLCGM). Multinomial logistic regression was performed to assess predictive factors.

Results

Four unique joint trajectory classes were detected: the Health Group (n = 912, 70.1%), Comorbidity-Worsening Group (n = 85, 6.5%), Asymptomatic-Comorbid Risk Group (n = 148, 11.4%), and Prominent Depressive Symptoms-Remission Group (n = 156, 12.0%). Individual, family, and school factors (e.g., gender, positive youth development, family function, academic performance) significantly predicted the membership in these distinct co-developmental trajectories.

Conclusion

Our findings illustrate that the joint development of Internet addiction and depressive symptoms among adolescents presents a heterogeneous distribution, which could better inform prevention and intervention strategies since each co-developmental trajectory may represent unique experience for adolescents who need targeted treatment. Various individual, family, and school factors are important predictors that play different roles in distinguishing the joint trajectories of Internet addiction and depressive symptoms during this critical developmental transition period.

The association between family dynamics and Positive Youth Development in secondary education students

INTRODUCTION

The Positive Youth Development (PYD) framework is a strengths-based approach to adolescence that states that adolescents will thrive if nurtured by the right developmental assets. The family is one of the most important developmental assets, but studies about the relationship between family dynamics and the overall PYD of adolescents are scarce.

OBJECTIVE

The present study aims to examine the associations between five family dynamics indicators and PYD, while taking into account the role of gender.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was carried out with a representative sample of adolescents from the city of Huelva, Spain (n = 1,036). Data were collected in 14 randomly selected secondary education schools. A Structural Equation Model (SEM) was tested to determine the effect of family dynamics on PYD, both for the whole sample and within each gender.

RESULTS

The SEM for the whole sample showed a positive effect of the family dynamics factor on the PYD factor, explaining 51.8% of its variance. The indicators of satisfaction with the relationship with the mother, satisfaction with the relationship with the father, frequency of engaging in joint family activities on weekends, and frequency of sharing daily occurrences at home showed factor loadings over 0.50, while the indicator of frequency of contribution to household chores had the lowest loading. The family dynamics factor in the model with the subsample of girls explained 54.8% of the variance in PYD, while in the SEM with the subsample of boys this factor explained 47.6% of it. Additionally, among girls, the relative influence of satisfaction in the relationship with the parents, as well as of frequently discussing the day at home, is higher than among boys.

CONCLUSION

These results highlight a strong association between family dynamics indicators and PYD among adolescents and indicate that this relationship is stronger for girls than for boys. Intersectoral policies enhancing improvements in family dynamics (e.g., facilitating the practice of joint family activities on weekends) may have a relevant impact on PYD.

The 5Cs of Positive Youth Development and Risk Behaviors in a Sample of Spanish Emerging Adults: A Partial Mediation Analysis of Gender Differences

Positive Youth Development (PYD) emerged as a holistic and strength-based perspective that focuses on the fact that young people may have the internal and external resources for healthy and successful development through five dimensions (5Cs) that empower them: Perceived Competence, Confidence, Character, Connection, and Caring. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between the overall PYD factor, the 5Cs, and risk behaviors, in addition to analyzing gender differences. This study showed the results of a cross-sectional study of 1044 emerging adults from 11 Spanish universities in 2021. Data collection was performed by applying an online self-report measure. The results showed that the Character was protective against substance abuse, mainly in women, while the connection was related to the participation of betting money and online betting in men. Caring was protective against money bets in the men's sample. However, controversial results were found regarding Perceived competence, which had a positive association with substance abuse, money bets, and drunk driving. It seems that high levels of Perceived competence, rather than objective competence, were associated with engagement in various risk behaviors. Concerning gender differences, men showed more risky behaviors than women. A partial mediation model pointed out that lower character and higher perceived competence in men partly explained the higher presence of risky behavior compared to women. These results underline the need to promote PYD within the university context to prevent risky behaviors by addressing gender differences and the separate role of the 5Cs.

Substance use and individual assets in urban adolescents: Subgroups and correlates in emerging adulthood

INTRODUCTION

To investigate patterns of divergence in adolescent adjustment, this study examined the co-occurring patterns of adolescents' individual assets (e.g., school engagement, values) and substance use, and whether the co-occurring patterns were associated with later functioning in emerging adulthood.

METHODS

Participants were 358 (54% females), predominantly African American, urban adolescents, recruited at birth for a prospective study on the effects of prenatal substance exposure in the Midwest United States. Individual assets, using the Developmental Assets Profile, substance use (alcohol, tobacco, marijuana), via biologic assays and self-report, and substance use-related problems were assessed at age 15 years. High-school completion, substance use disorder, mental health symptoms, and legal problems were assessed at age 21 years.

RESULTS

Latent class analysis identified five classes as follows: high assets with low substance use (C1, 10.2%); moderate assets with low substance use (C2, 28.7%); low assets with low substance use (C3, 32%); moderate assets with high substance use (C4, 9.4%); and low assets with high substance use (C5, 19.2%). Despite similar levels of assets, adolescents in C5 reported more life adversities (suboptimal caregiving environment, daily hassles, non-birth parents' care) than those in C3. C4 and C5 reported more substance use disorder at age 21 years than the three low substance use classes; adolescents in C5 were less likely to complete high school than those in C2. More females in C5 reported greater mental health symptoms than those in C1 and C3, and criminal justice involvement than those in C1.

CONCLUSIONS

The current findings underscore the significance of substance use in adolescence in disrupting healthy transition to adulthood, especially among females in the context of low individual assets.

What Racism Has to Do with It: Understanding and Reducing Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Youth of Color

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are high in populations of color compared to Whites. High-risk sexual behaviors are widely viewed as the key contributors to the levels of STDs, especially in adolescents and young adults. This article situates the sexual risk behaviors of Black, Indigenous, and other young people of color within the framework of racism. It begins with an overview of racial inequities in common STDs and shows how racism gives rise to several risk factors for high-risk sexual behaviors. These risk factors for STDs identified in prior research are best understood as adaptations to the challenges and constraints faced by youth in socially disadvantaged environments. Both social adversity and the mental health problems that it triggers can lead to risky sexual behaviors. Drawing on findings from prior research with youth of color, this paper describes the needed interventions that can markedly reduce STDs and their risk factors. It also describes needed research on interventions that could contribute to the knowledge and understanding of the adverse conditions fueled by racism that affect youth of color, their health, and their communities.

Sex and Violence in the Movies: Empathy as a Moderator of the Exposure-Behavior Relationship in Adolescents

Sexual and violent media content is prevalent, and adolescents exposed to this content may be more likely to enact risky sexual and aggressive behaviors. According to the Differential Susceptibility Model, dispositional traits, such as empathy, can predict risky media exposure and moderate the relationship between exposure and behavior. A total of 2,424 US adolescents (ages 14-17) participated in an online study that measured exposure to sex, violence, and their co-occurrence from the same character in a list of movies content analyzed for sex and violence. The survey outcomes of interest included adolescent sexual behavior, aggressive behavior, and both behaviors together, as well as empathy, which was included as a moderator. The exposure to movie character behavior was matched to adolescents' survey responses. Results showed that empathy was a predictor of media exposure to sex and violence in movies, and was a moderator of the exposure-behavior relationship. The exposure-behavior relationship was moderated by empathy, such that empathy had an ameliorating effect on the exposure-behavior relationship, but did not negate it completely. This study furthers our understanding of how exposure to sexual and violent content in media, combined with individual differences, may play a role in adolescent enactment of risky behaviors.

Youth Assets and Associations With Adolescent Risk Taking

BACKGROUND

Positive youth development emphasizes that adaptive features of adolescence may contribute to teenage pregnancy prevention.

METHODS

Using data from approximately 1300 seventh-ninth graders, we describe positive youth development assets (external and internal) and their association with sexual risk taking. School-, sex-, and race/ethnicity-stratified logistic or linear models assessed associations between developmental assets and 6 outcomes (continuous attitudes about teenage sex and marriage, abstinence intentions, and nonsexual risk-taking behavior; dichotomous high risk-dating behavior, friends' sexual activity, and prior sexual activity).

RESULTS

Associations between developmental assets and youth sexual behavior differed by school, sex, and race/ethnicity. White female respondents showed the most consistent associations between higher amounts of each of the positive youth development assets and attitudes and behaviors conducive to delaying sexual activity while black youth showed the fewest associations.

CONCLUSION

These results contribute to the positive youth development literature by identifying that relationships between assets and adolescent risk differs by race and sex.

The Impact of Positive Youth Development Attributes and Life Satisfaction on Academic Well-Being: A Longitudinal Mediation Study

While research studies revealed that positive youth development (PYD) attributes have beneficial impact on adolescent developmental outcomes, whether and how PYD qualities are related to academic well-being (such as academic stress and academic satisfaction) are unclear. Based on a longitudinal study (N = 2,312 secondary school students; Mage = 12.54 ± 0.68; 51% female) in Hong Kong, the present study tested a longitudinal mediation model in which it was hypothesized that PYD qualities predicted life satisfaction, academic stress, and academic satisfaction, with satisfaction with life mediating the influence of PYD qualities on academic well-being. Results showed that PYD qualities positively predicted academic satisfaction but negatively predicted academic stress over time. While life satisfaction partially mediated the influence of PYD attributes on academic satisfaction, it fully mediated the influence of PYD attributes on academic stress. The present study supports the proposed conceptual model and underscores the role of PYD qualities in academic well-being through the mediation of life satisfaction.

Long-Term Self-Regulation Moderates the Role of Internal Resources for Resilience in Positive Youth Development in Portugal

Positive Youth Development (PYD) presents a strength-based conception of transition to adulthood that has been well-supported by literature to date. However, research is needed to integrate the pathways to PYD and the possible moderators. This study aimed to analyze the relationships between internal resources for resilience and PYD and to examine the moderating role of short-term and long-term self-regulation by gender. To reach this overall aim, a cross-sectional study was performed with a national sample of 2700 youths (73.3% girls; M_age = 21.3, SD = 2.79) from Portugal, who completed self-report measures. Regression-based moderation models were developed. Results indicated that greater presence of internal resources for resilience was related to higher PYD. Long-term self-regulation and gender moderated this relationship, such that a greater effect was observed in men with high levels of long-term self-regulation. These results highlight the need to integrate prevention and promotion paradigms to foster healthy development in youth, as well as the importance of taking self-regulation skills and gender into account in program design.

Mediators of Effects of Cooperative Learning on Prosocial Behavior in Middle School

In this study, we tested the effects of cooperative learning on students' prosocial behavior. Cooperative learning is a small-group instructional technique that establishes positive interdependence among students and, unlike most current school-based programs, does not mandate a formal curriculum. Given the emphasis in cooperative learning on peer reinforcement for positive and helpful behavior during learning activities, we hypothesized that cooperative learning would promote higher levels of prosocial behavior, and that these effects would be mediated by peer relatedness. Using a sample of 1,890 students (47.1% female, 75.2% White) from a cluster randomized trial of 15 middle schools, we found that cooperative learning significantly enhanced prosocial behavior across two years. Mediation was only partial, however, suggesting that additional mechanisms were at work, such as changes to social norms or teacher behavior. Given that cooperative learning has been shown to enhance student engagement and academic achievement in prior research, we argue that cooperative learning should be a central component of teacher training and professional development.

Feasibility and acceptability of a future-oriented empowerment program to prevent substance use and school dropout among school-disengaged youth

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a health promotion program to prevent school dropout and substance use among middle school-aged youth who display early warning signs of school disengagement.

INTERVENTION

Youth Empowerment Solutions for Positive Futures (YES-PF), an intensive, theoretically driven, 5-week summer enrichment program, aims to prevent school dropout and substance use by promoting youth empowerment, school engagement, and future orientation.

DESIGN AND SAMPLE

Using a pre-post-intervention design, we test feasibility and acceptability with 6th and 7th grade students (n = 43) who exhibited early warning signs for school disengagement (e.g., chronic absenteeism) in two school districts.

MEASURES

Program evaluation components included: (a) program session forms completed by facilitators; (b) post-program interviews with facilitators; (c) post-intervention program evaluation surveys with youth; (d) attendance; and (e) baseline and post-intervention surveys with youth to assess behavioral and psychosocial outcomes.

RESULTS

Facilitators routinely delivered core component lesson activities. Acceptability and program satisfaction were evidenced in strong program attendance by youth. Youth participants reported higher levels of leadership efficacy (p < .05) and a greater sense of control over their lives and potential problems (p < .01).

CONCLUSIONS

YES-PF was feasible and acceptable to school personnel and youth. Program refinement, based on implementation findings, is discussed.

Moving adolescents for a lifetime of physical activity: shifting to interventions aligned with the third health revolution

Public health advocates have been calling for an intensified focus on early, middle, and late adolescence health behaviours due to both the short- and long-term health consequences. Hence, both the health-risk (e.g., alcohol consumption) and health-promoting (e.g., physical activity) behaviours of adolescents have been widely studied to better understand the underlying causes or determinants with an eye towards implementing more effective interventions. The success of these interventions, typically grounded in a risk-reduction/prevention-oriented intervention approach has been modest, especially those focused on health-promoting behaviours, such as physical activity. The purposes of this paper are to (1) conduct a conceptual critique of the risk-reduction/prevention-oriented approach underlying traditional adolescent physical activity interventions, and (2) examine the potential usefulness of an emerging person-based, development-oriented (PBDO) approach for enhancing the motivation and sustainability of adolescent physical activity. Within this PBDO perspective, emphasis is on adolescent growth and development as the starting point for initiating and sustaining physical activity. Implications of the PBDO approach for adolescent physical activity interventions are presented.

Profiles of individual assets and mental health symptoms in at-risk early adolescents

INTRODUCTION

Few studies investigated the combined patterns of individual assets (e.g., social competence, positive identity) and mental health symptoms (MHS) in adolescents. This study examined the patterns of early adolescents' individual assets and MHS and whether identified patterns were associated with later adolescents' outcomes.

METHODS

Participants were 352 (164 boys, 188 girls) adolescents who were primarily African-American and from low socioeconomic status families, participating in a prospective study of the effects of prenatal cocaine exposure from birth in the Midwest United States. Individual assets, using the Developmental Assets Profile, and MHS, using the Youth Self-Report, were assessed at age 12. Substance use, via self-report and biologic assays, early (before age 15) sexual behaviors, and behavioral adjustment were assessed at age 15.

RESULTS

Latent profile analysis indicated four distinctive profiles: low assets with elevated MHS (P1, n = 54, 15.3%); adequate assets with thought and social problems (P2, n = 84, 23.9%); low assets without MHS (P3, n = 101, 28.7%); and high assets without MHS (P4, n = 113, 32.1%). Children in the profile with high assets without MHS (P4) were more likely to have a higher IQ and to be in a more optimal environment (higher parental monitoring and less family conflict) than those in other profiles. Although profiles with MHS were associated with adolescent risk behaviors, this relationship was more pronounced for girls than for boys.

CONCLUSIONS

Girls in the low assets with elevated MHS (P1) should be a primary concern for preventive intervention. Our study demonstrates the heterogeneity of individual patterns of adaptation and maladaptation.

Individual assets and problem behaviors in at-risk adolescents: A longitudinal cross-lagged analysis

Autoregressive cross-lagged structural equation modeling was conducted to examine longitudinal relationships between individual assets (social competence, positive values and identity) and problem behaviors in 373 adolescents (174 boys, 199 girls) who participated in a prospective study on the effects of prenatal cocaine exposure from birth. More behavioral problems at age 12 were related to fewer individual assets at age 15, while greater individual assets were related to more behavioral problems, with a non-significant yet nuanced (p = .076) gender difference. More problem behaviors were associated with decreased individual assets in girls, yet greater individual assets were associated with more problem behaviors in boys. Efforts to promote individual assets may not lower the risk of engaging in problem behaviors especially among boys. Continued studies into adulthood will uncover how individual assets and problem behaviors in childhood and adolescence may affect social and vocational adjustment in this high risk population.

The efficacy of a relationship building intervention in 5th grade

The present study reports initial efficacy data for a new school-based intervention - the Relationship Building Intervention (RBI) - that includes a series of teacher-facilitated, structured activities designed to promote positive peer relationships and inclusive classroom communities. The RBI was evaluated in fifth-grade classrooms by estimating multilevel model (MLM) analyses of covariance (ANCOVA) comparing 368 fifth-grade students in intervention classrooms with 259 fifth-graders in control classrooms on social behaviors, perceptions of classroom connectedness, and academic performance. Controlling for pretest scores, cohort, and demographic variables, findings revealed that students who participated in the RBI liked school more, felt a greater sense of classroom identification and inclusion, were perceived by teachers to be less aggressive, and performed better academically than students who were in control classrooms. Further, implementation data showed that students and teachers responded positively to the activities. These results suggest that the RBI is a promising approach for improving the social and learning environment in fifth-grade classrooms.

Self-Perceived Strengths Among Adolescents With and Without Substance Abuse Problems

The importance of examining positive aspects of youth development has been emphasized across disciplines involved in the care of youth with substance abuse problems. However, little is known about the strengths of adolescents with substance abuse problems, especially youth entering residential treatment. Utilizing the Strengths Assessment Inventory, a measure assessing psychological and social strengths, we examined patterns of strengths across groups of age- and gender-matched youth who reported no substance use, frequent substance use, and those entering treatment for severe substance use. Each group consisted of 43 participants ranging in age from 14 to 18 years. Results indicated that, on average, individuals entering treatment scored lower on personal strengths. However, through the use of more sophisticated statistical approaches, it was found that certain strengths were predictive of individuals belonging to the treatment group. Results are discussed in terms of their relevance to the treatment of adolescent substance abuse problems.

Potential impact of internet addiction and protective psychosocial factors onto depression among Hong Kong Chinese adolescents - direct, mediation and moderation effects

BACKGROUND

Internet addiction (IA) is a risk factor while some psychosocial factors can be protective against depression among adolescents. Mechanisms of IA onto depression in terms of mediations and moderations involving protective factors are unknown and were investigated in this study.

METHODS

A representative cross-sectional study was conducted among Hong Kong Chinese secondary school students (n=9518).

RESULTS

Among males and females, prevalence of depression at moderate or severe level (CES-D≥21) was 38.36% and 46.13%, and that of IA (CIAS>63) was 17.64% and 14.01%, respectively. Adjusted for socio-demographics, depression was positively associated with IA [males: adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=4.22, 95% CI=3.61-4.94; females: AOR=4.79, 95% CI=3.91-5.87] and negatively associated with psychosocial factors including self-esteem, positive affect, family support, and self-efficacy (males: AOR=0.76-0.94; females: AOR=0.72-0.92, p<.05). The positive association between IA and depression was partially mediated by the protective psychosocial factors (mainly self-esteem) across sexes. Through significant moderations, IA also reduced magnitude of protective effects of self-efficacy and family support among males and that of positive affect among both sexes against depression.

CONCLUSIONS

The high IA prevalence contributes to increased risk of prevalent depression through its direct effect, mediation (reduced level of protective factors) and moderation (reduced magnitude of protective effects) effects. Understanding to mechanisms between IA and depression through protective factors is enhanced. Screening and interventions for IA and depression are warranted, and should cultivate protective factors, and unlink negative impact of IA onto levels and effects of protective factors.

The five Cs of positive youth development in Norway

As the field of positive youth development (PYD) emerges internationally, models of PYD designed for use in the US must be extended to diverse contexts. For instance, a robust body of evidence supports Lerner and colleagues’ Five Cs Model of PYD in the US, but it remains unclear whether the Five Cs Model can validly capture positive development in other contexts. In this article we examined the Five Cs of PYD using data from 1195 upper secondary school students (ages 16 to 19) in Norway and 839 participants who took part in the 4-H Study of PYD in the United States. Despite some differences, the tests of weak and strong measurement invariance do suggest that the overarching PYD factor as well as a majority of the Cs, retain their qualitative interpretation between the two samples. We next examined correlations between the full battery of PYD items administered to the Norwegian sample and three relevant criterion measures: Anxiety and Depressive symptoms; Life Satisfaction; and Empowerment. The residual Cs tended to correlate positively with indicators of adaptive development and negatively with maladaptive outcomes. The one exception was a positive correlation between Caring and Anxiety and Depressive symptoms. These findings are discussed. Measuring the same constructs in the same way across countries is a prerequisite for studying cultural differences and similarities in development. This study thus represents a step forward in the application of PYD research among diverse youth.

Do Adolescent Sexual Behavior and Intention to Engage in Sexual Behavior Change in High School Years in Hong Kong?

STUDY OBJECTIVE

In this study we examined sexual behavior and intention to engage in sexual behavior among Chinese high school students in Hong Kong using 6 waves of data collected over 6 years. We also focused on the related sociodemographic and family correlates. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, INTERVENTIONS, AND MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: A 6-year longitudinal study was conducted. At each wave, a questionnaire was used to collect data on sociodemographic characteristics, positive youth development, and family functioning in the respondents.

RESULTS

Individual growth curve models showed that adolescent sexual behavior and intention increased over time. Adolescents with higher levels of positive youth development reported lower levels of past sexual behavior. Youths from better-off and higher functioning families increased their sexual behavior at slower rates than did youths from families with economic disadvantage and poor family functioning. Regarding intention to have sex, older adolescents reported higher levels of intention. Youngsters with higher levels of perceived family functioning and positive youth development reported lower levels of initial intention. Adolescent boys increased their intention at a faster rate than did girls.

CONCLUSION

Findings from the study identified risk factors (ie, age, gender, and economic disadvantage) and protective factors (ie, healthy family functioning, positive youth development) that influence the levels and growth rates of adolescent sexual behavior and intention. Implications for future research and interventions are discussed.

Sexual-Orientation Differences in Positive Youth Development: The Mediational Role of Bullying Victimization

OBJECTIVES

To examine sexual-orientation differences in positive youth development, and how bullying victimization mediated these differences in a sample of adolescents.

METHODS

In 2007 to 2008, positive youth development was measured in 1870 adolescents from US schools and after-school programs in 45 states by using the validated Five Cs model of competence, confidence, connection, character, and caring/compassion. Sexual-minority youths (6.8%) reported having same- or both-gender sexual attractions. Nonattracted youths (4.2%) reported having no sexual attractions.

RESULTS

Compared with sexual-minority youths, heterosexual and nonattracted youths had lower odds of being a victim of bullying. Heterosexual and nonattracted youths also had higher average scores in competence, confidence, and connection, but these associations between sexual orientation and positive youth development scores were partly attributable to lack of bullying victimization.

CONCLUSIONS

Designing, implementing, and evaluating interventions that reduce bullying can give sexual-minority youths access to several building blocks of health and well-being.

Evaluating Youth Development Programs: Progress and Promise

Advances in theories of adolescent development and positive youth development have greatly increased our understanding of how programs and practices with adolescents can impede or enhance their development. In this paper the authors reflect on the progress in research on youth development programs in the last two decades, since possibly the first review of empirical evaluations by Roth, Brooks-Gunn, Murray, and Foster (1998). The authors use the terms Version 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 to refer to changes in youth development research and programs over time. They argue that advances in theory and descriptive accounts of youth development programs (Version 2.0) need to be coupled with progress in definitions of youth development programs, measurement of inputs and outputs that incorporate an understanding of programs as contexts for development, and stronger design and evaluation of programs (Version 3.0). The authors also advocate for an integration of prevention and promotion research, and for use of the term youth development rather than positive youth development.

Effects of the Positive Action Program on Indicators of Positive Youth Development Among Urban Youth

This study evaluated effects of Positive Action, a school-based social-emotional and character development (SECD) intervention, on indicators of positive youth development (PYD) among a sample of low-income, ethnic minority youth attending 14 urban schools. The study used a matched-pair, cluster-randomized controlled design at the school level. A multiple-measure self-report protocol assessed four key strengths and resources for PYD: self-concept, peer affiliations, ethics, and social skills. Students (n=1170) were assessed from grades 3 to 8, the duration of the intervention, with drop-outs and late entrants included in analyses. Growth curve analyses revealed evidence of favorable program effects on each of the four types of resources. The study contributes to PYD research by providing evidence for school-based interventions in low-income, urban contexts for ethnic minority youth.

Delineating prototypical patterns of substance use initiations over time

AIMS

The purpose of this paper is to discover patterns of drug use initiations over time through a multiple event process survival mixture model (MEPSUM model), a novel approach for substance use and prevention research.

DESIGN

The MEPSUM model combines survival analysis and mixture modeling-specifically latent class analysis-to examine individual differences in the timing of initiation and cumulative risk of substance use over time, and is applied to cross-sectional survey data on drug initiations.

SETTING

Data are drawn from the 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

PARTICIPANTS

The survey includes responses from 55 772 individuals (52.05% female).

MEASUREMENTS

The age of first use of nine different types of substances are examined, including alcohol, tobacco, cocaine and non-medical use of prescription drugs.

FINDINGS

It is argued that six patterns parsimoniously describe the population's risk of initiating different substances over time, described colloquially as general abstainers; early, late and progressive soft drug users; and early and late hard drug users. Both gender and ethnicity significantly predict the patterns, with Caucasians and males having a higher risk for the hard drug-using patterns. The MEPSUM model produced stable results in this application, as the patterns are validated in a split-sample design.

CONCLUSIONS

The MEPSUM model provides a statistical framework from which to evaluate patterns of risk for drug initiations over time and predict substance use trajectories relevant to public health interventions. The patterns that result from the model can be used as outcomes for subsequent investigations of etiological and mediating mechanisms.

Cocaine users and self-regulation mechanisms

Purpose

– The prevalence of cocaine use has been increasing since the mid-1990s in many European countries, Italy included. There is a large variety of patterns of cocaine use in natural settings, but on the whole, the existence of different patterns of cocaine use remains widely unknown to drug professionals, as well as to public opinion. The purpose of this paper is to investigate patterns and trajectories of use, the meaning of use within the context of users’ life styles, the perception of controlled/uncontrolled use, personal strategies to keep drug use “under control”.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper illustrates findings from a qualitative study among 115 cocaine users. Participants were recruited using the snow ball sampling (a minimum lifetime experience of 20 instances of cocaine use was required).

Findings

– The findings confirm the variability of cocaine use trajectories and the prevalent tendency towards more moderate patterns of use. Such variability is in patent contrast to the disease model of addiction and its assumed predetermined linear trajectories. Set, and particularly setting and all the environmental factors, such as life events, appear to be the variables that can better explain the dynamic course of patterns of use.

Research limitations/implications

– The main limit concerns the non-randomisation in the selection of the nominees. Participants were recruited in the night entertainment scene of the main Tuscan cities through personal contacts of staff from risk reduction facilities: in spite of the personal and confidential approach, the number of “non institutionalized” users willing to collaborate was too low, therefore the authors decided to omit the randomisation.

Social implications

– The findings bear social implications as they can contribute to a change in the social representation of users so as to reduce the stigma. They can also prompt innovation in the operational models of drug services.

Originality/value

– It is the first qualitative research from the “control” perspective ever led in Italy.

Effectiveness of Circle of Life, an HIV-preventive intervention for American Indian middle school youths: a group randomized trial in a Northern Plains tribe

OBJECTIVES

We assessed the effectiveness of Circle of Life (COL), an HIV-preventive intervention developed specifically for American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) middle school youths.

METHODS

By partnering with a tribal community, we conducted a longitudinal wait-listed group randomized trial with 635 seventh and eighth graders in 13 schools of a Northern Plains tribe. We surveyed participants at baseline, 3 months, and 12 months from 2006 to 2007.

RESULTS

COL was found to increase HIV knowledge in the short term, but had no effect on sexual activity compared with those who did not receive it. However, COL was found to be effective for delaying the onset of sexual activity, with the greatest reduction in risk occurring for those receiving COL at early ages.

CONCLUSIONS

Community partnership was key to successful project design, implementation, and analysis. The project confirmed the importance of the timing of interventions in early adolescence. COL may be a key resource for reducing sexual risk among AI/AN youths.

Positive effects of promoting prosocial behavior in early adolescence

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a pilot school-based intervention called CEPIDEA, designed to promote prosocial behavior in early adolescence. The study took place in a middle school located in a small city near Rome. The intervention group included 151 students (52.3% males; Mage = 12.4), and the control group 173 students (50.3% females; Mage = 13.0). Both groups were assessed at three time points, each 6 months apart. A Latent Growth Curve analysis revealed that the intervention group, compared to the control group, showed an increase of helping behavior along with a decrease of physical and verbal aggression across time. Current results also showed that the increase of helping behavior mediated the decline of verbal aggression in adolescents who had attended the intervention. Participants of CEPIDEA also attained higher grades than the control group at the end of middle school. Overall, findings suggest that promoting prosocial behavior may serve to counteract aggressive conduct and enhance academic achievement during adolescence.

Profiles of problematic behaviors across adolescence: covariations with indicators of positive youth development

Previous analyses of data from the 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development (PYD) have examined concurrent trajectories of positive development and risk/problem behaviors among adolescents, finding complex and not necessarily inverse relationships among them. In this article, we expand on prior research by employing a person-centered approach to modeling risk behaviors, assessing development from approximately 6th grade through 12th grade among 4,391 adolescents (59.9% female). Latent profiles involving the problematic behaviors of delinquency, depressive symptoms, substance use, sexual activity, disordered eating behaviors, and bullying were then assessed for concurrent relationships with the Five Cs of PYD: Competence, Confidence, Character, Caring, and Connection. We found six latent profiles, based primarily on mental health, aggression, and alcohol use, with significant differences in Confidence levels among many of the profiles, as well as some differences in the four other Cs. We discuss directions for future research and implications for application to youth policies and programs.

The Association of Well-Being with Health Risk Behaviors in College-Attending Young Adults

The present study investigated the associations of well-being with engagement in illicit drug use, sexual risk taking, and impaired driving in a sample of 9,515 students from 30 U.S. colleges and universities. Participants completed measures of subjective well-being, psychological well-being, and eudaimonic well-being, and indicated how many times in the past 30 days that they had engaged in several illicit drug use, sexual risk, and impaired driving behaviors. Findings indicated that well-being was negatively associated with incidence of illicit drug use and some sexual risk behaviors, but not with incidence of drunk/drugged driving or riding with an impaired driver. Well-being was negatively related to frequency of casual sex, sex while drunk/high, drunk/drugged driving, and riding with an impaired driver. Associations of well-being were strongest for more dangerous types of drug use and sexual behavior and for riding with an impaired driver. Results are discussed in terms of implications for research and intervention development.