Biological and Sociocultural Factors During the School Years Predicting Women's Lifetime Educational Attainment

The Effects of Pubertal Timing on Academic Performance in Adolescence and Career Success in Adulthood: Evidence from a 16-year Longitudinal Study

Previous research showed inconsistent effects of pubertal timing on adolescent academic performance and adult career success. Moreover, the relative importance of biological vs. perceived pubertal timing has not been examined. This study examined effects of biological and perceived pubertal timing on academic performance throughout adolescence and career success in adulthood together with sex differences in an understudied population of pre-dominantly Black youth from lower income families. The sample included 704 youth (52% male, 76% Black, 22% White) interviewed at four time points (Mean ages: 11.8, 13.2, 17.6, and 27.7 years). The results from a mediation path model showed that among males, perceived off-time pubertal timing uniquely predicted lower concurrent academic performance as well as lower objective career success in adulthood; this effect was mediated by lower academic performance throughout adolescence. Additionally, results from bivariate correlation analyses showed associations between early biological pubertal timing and lower concurrent academic performance in males and early perceived pubertal timing and lower concurrent academic performance among females. These findings contribute to the understanding of more nuanced links between pubertal timing, academic performance and subsequent career success in an understudied population of pre-dominantly Black youth from lower income families.

Family as a health promotion setting: A scoping review of conceptual models of the health-promoting family

Background

The family is a key setting for health promotion. Contemporary health promoting family models can establish scaffolds for shaping health behaviors and can be useful tools for education and health promotion.

Objectives

The objective of this scoping review is to provide details as to how conceptual and theoretical models of the health promoting potential of the family are being used in health promotion contexts.

Design

Guided by PRISMA ScR guidelines, we used a three-step search strategy to find relevant papers. This included key-word searching electronic databases (Medline, PSycINFO, Embase, and CINAHL), searching the reference lists of included studies, and intentionally searching for grey literature (in textbooks, dissertations, thesis manuscripts and reports.)

Results

After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, the overall search generated 113 included manuscripts/chapters with 118 unique models. Through our analysis of these models, three main themes were apparent: 1) ecological factors are central components to most models or conceptual frameworks; 2) models were attentive to cultural and other diversities, allowing room for a wide range of differences across family types, and for different and ever-expanding social norms and roles; and 3) the role of the child as a passive recipient of their health journey rather than as an active agent in promoting their own family health was highlighted as an important gap in many of the identified models.

Conclusions

This review contributes a synthesis of contemporary literature in this area and supports the priority of ecological frameworks and diversity of family contexts. It encourages researchers, practitioners and family stakeholders to recognize the value of the child as an active agent in shaping the health promoting potential of their family context.

Timing of puberty and reserve capacity in adolescence as pathways to educational level in adulthood-a longitudinal study

BACKGROUND

Family socioeconomic status (SES) is related to a child's educational success. Intermediate pathways for this relationship, such as through pubertal timing and reserve capacity, occur in adolescence.

AIM

To study whether family SES affects a child's adult education through a psychosocial and behavioural pathway (reserve capacity) and/or a biological pathway (pubertal timing) or only through school achievement in adolescence.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Finnish adolescents sampled in five cross-sectional surveys from 1985 to 1995 (n = 37,876) were followed through the Registry of Completed Education and Degrees until 2009, when they were 29-43 years old. Family SES data also came from this registry. Structural equation modelling adjusted for ages at baseline and follow-up was used.

RESULTS

Low family SES increased the probability of low adult education, delayed pubertal timing (in boys), weak reserve capacity and low school achievement. Reserve capacity and school achievement directly affected adult education and mediated the relationship of family SES with the outcome. Delayed pubertal timing predicted low adult education, except when school achievement was added to the model.

CONCLUSIONS

The results show that family SES affects the child's adult education level through psychosocial and biobehavioural pathways, but the biological pathway is mediated by school achievement.