Youth & Society

Gibson, Kerry; Wilson, Jan; Grice, Jade Le; Seymour, Fred

doi: 10.1177/0044118X17720986pmid: N/A

Suicide prevention strategies include attempts to control information young people receive about suicide, but digital communication provides young people with alternative forums to engage with this issue. This article explores the constraints and opportunities for youth to talk about suicide in New Zealand. A thematic analysis of data from focus groups with young people suggests they resist what they see as a taboo on talking about suicide, see adults as unwilling to engage in conversations with them about suicide, and are reluctant to seek help for suicide from mental health professionals. They prefer to talk about suicide with peers, although there are challenges with doing this in person. Access to digital communication may provide young people with alternative forums to communicate about suicide which further undermines their willingness to engage with adults on the subject. This has led to a gap in communication between youth and adults on suicide.

Wretman, Christopher J.; Bowen, Gary L.

doi: 10.1177/0044118X17721272pmid: N/A

Research demonstrates students with a family member serving in the military often experience deleterious effects on their developmental outcomes. This study addresses two knowledge gaps in this area of research. First, we present a conceptualization of a unique typology of military connectedness, including the potentially unique effect of having both an adult and sibling in the military. Second, the analysis used sophisticated propensity score techniques to properly control for substantive and methodological differences arising from hidden selection bias. Multinomial propensity score matching was used to analyze a large, diverse sample of middle- and high school students (N = 9,536; mean age: 13 years). Results show statistically significant differences exist between adult-only, sibling-only, and adult + sibling military connections. Implications include the need for research to statistically model adult + sibling military connections, and for practitioners to consider how various forms of military connectedness might differentially influence children’s development.

MacQuarrie, Colleen; Bryanton, Janet; Greaves, Lorraine; Herbert, Rosemary; Smith, Philip; Begley, Lorraine

doi: 10.1177/0044118X17720367pmid: N/A

Our longitudinal, qualitative study with 29 pregnant adolescents who smoke used a Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach to understand experiences and the function of tobacco through pregnancy to 6 months postpartum. The young women described complex lives of overlapping oppressions interspersed with expressions of resistance; these were lived experiences on the threshold of both adulthood and an anticipated better life. Our research implicated tobacco use as a value laden action at the border of oppression and resistance. Thinking about tobacco as a component of and a flag for oppression, we combined a gender based focus with the social ecological model to create a rich understanding of the opportunities for designing equitable interventions that address a range of interconnected influences on an adolescent mother’s health. Opportunities for interventions open briefly in the space between the early idealism displayed by adolescent mothers and the impinging potential reality of oppressive life trajectories.

Arrington-Sanders, Renata; Fields, Errol; Greenberg, Lauren; Henry-Reid, Lisa; Stines Pehoua, Stephanie; Korelitz, James; Kapogiannis, Bill; Ellen, Jonathan; Boyer, Cherrie B.

doi: 10.1177/0044118X17723655pmid: N/A

Venue-based strategies offer effective means of targeting men who have sex with men. Few studies have sought to focus on where younger men congregate and understand risk behaviors that may occur at lower (i.e., community centers) versus higher risk venues. Data from 1,311 young men who have sex with men (YMSM) aged 12- to 24-years-old recruited from publicly accessible venues was used to examine the association between venue type (bar/club, community center, mixed [adjacent to bar/club, including parking lot/alley]) and HIV-related risk factors. YMSM recruited from community venues were more likely than those from bars/clubs to report more partners in last year, receive money in exchange for sex, and to be tested for HIV in prior 6 months, whereas YMSM from mixed-use venues were more likely to have ever received money in exchange for sex, and injected drugs. Community and mixed venues may be key access points for YMSM.

Kornbluh, Mariah Elsa

doi: 10.1177/0044118X17723656pmid: N/A

The exploration of social networking sites (SNS) offers great potential for understanding novel forms of youth civic engagement within the 21st century. SNS can foster a young person’s social capital by connecting them to others with different backgrounds, thereby exposing them to alternative perspectives and lived experiences within a growingly polarized political environment. This study provides an innovative framework for examining the communication trends and perceived sociopolitical benefits for adolescents engaging diverse groups in a youth-led social-justice-oriented SNS. The author linked three school-based youth participatory action research projects involving 54 high school students through an SNS. Employing a mixed-method approach (i.e., social network analysis, key student interviews), results indicate an increase in communication between students in different schools and an increase in levels of civic participation. In addition, interviewees reported perceived gains in communication, perspective taking, and sociopolitical awareness. Implications for practitioners, as well as future research, are discussed.

Willis, Don E.; Fitzpatrick, Kevin M.

doi: 10.1177/0044118X17725460pmid: N/A

This study examines the relationship between social capital, poverty, limited food accessibility, and food insecurity among fifth to seventh graders (N = 317), ages 10 to 14, attending a middle school in Northwest Arkansas. Using survey data that overcomes methodological limitations of previous research on youth food insecurity, we answer the following questions: Does social capital have a direct impact on youth food insecurity? And, does social capital buffer the influence of negative circumstances on youth food insecurity? The broader theoretical question asks “In places where there is an abundance of natural, economic, and technological resources, what stands in the way of consistent access to food for everyone?” Regression analysis finds that various indicators of social capital have a significant relationship with food insecurity even after controlling for multiple sociodemographic and circumstantial factors. In addition, significant moderating effects reveal the unique capability of two-parent households to buffer the impact of poverty and limited accessibility.

Keppens, Gil; Spruyt, Bram

doi: 10.1177/0044118X17722305pmid: N/A

This study contributes to the literature on school-based strategies to prevent and reduce truancy by investigating the relationship between an authoritative school climate and class skipping. We use data from The Programme for International Student Assessment with 15-year-old pupils (N = 2,539) in secondary education in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium, to answer three research questions: (a) Is there a relationship between an authoritative school climate and class skipping? (b) Is this relationship mediated by individual school bonding? (c) Does school bonding moderate the relationship between an authoritative school climate and class skipping? In line with the authoritative school climate model, our results indicate that class skipping occurs less frequently in authoritative schools, irrespective of a pupil’s personal background or the school composition. In addition, this study demonstrates that (a) the influence of authoritative socialization at least partly acts through the enhancement of school bonding and (b) the link between school bonding and class skipping is stronger in authoritative schools. In the discussion, we elaborate on the implications of our findings.