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PubMed2007

Patterns of sedentary behavior among adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: Reducing certain sedentary behaviors (e.g., watching television, using a computer) can be an effective weight loss strategy for youth. Knowledge about whether behaviors cluster together could inform interventions. STUDY DESIGN: Estimates of time spent in 6 sedentary behaviors (watching television, talking on the telephone, using a computer, listening to music, doing homework, reading) were cluster analyzed for a sample of 878 adolescents (52% girls, mean age = 12.7 years, 58% Caucasian). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The clusters were based on the sedentary behaviors listed above and compared on environmental variables (e.g., household rules), psychosocial variables (e.g., self-efficacy, enjoyment), and health behaviors (e.g., physical activity, diet). RESULTS: Four clusters emerged: low sedentary, medium sedentary, selective high sedentary, and high sedentary. Analyses revealed significant cluster differences for gender (p < .002), age (p < .002), body mass index (p < .001), physical activity (p < .01), and fiber intake (p < .01). CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest a limited number of distinct sedentary behavior patterns. Further study is needed to determine how interventions may use cluster membership to target segments of the adolescent population.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

An assessment of the effect of data collection setting on the prevalence of health risk behaviors among adolescents.

PURPOSE: To examine the effect of data collection setting on the prevalence of priority health risk behaviors among adolescents. METHODS: Analyses were conducted using data from two national probability surveys of adolescents, the 1993 national school-based Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) and the 1992 household-based National Health Interview Survey (NHIS/YRBS). Forty-two items were worded identically on both surveys. RESULTS: Thirty-nine of the 42 identically worded items (93%) showed that the YRBS produced estimates indicating higher risk than the NHIS. Twenty-four of these comparisons yielded statistically significant differences. The prevalence estimates affected most were those for behaviors that are either illegal or socially stigmatized. CONCLUSIONS: School-based surveys produce higher prevalence estimates for adolescent health risk behaviors than do household-based surveys. Each has advantages and disadvantages, and both can play a role in assessing these behaviors.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Meanings of gender and suicidal behavior during adolescence.

In the United States, gender differences in suicidal behavior rates emerge during adolescence, when females are more likely to engage in suicidal behavior, but are less likely to die as a result of a suicidal act than males. These gender patterns of suicidal behavior are common but not universal, suggesting cultural influences. This article reviews the highlights of the research on cultural meanings of gender and suicidal behavior. Studies suggest that U.S. adolescents perceive nonfatal suicidal behavior as more "feminine" and less potent than killing oneself. Persons who are suicidal in response to a relationship problem are considered more "feminine" than persons who become suicidal in response to an achievement failure. Males are more critical and avoidant of suicidal persons than females, especially when the suicidal person is a male. These beliefs may play a role in decisions about suicidal behavior (what kinds of suicidal behavior are chosen, and under what conditions). Cultural narratives of gender and suicidal behavior may be particularly influential for adolescents because adolescents are in the process of defining their identity, and often take cultural messages about "appropriate" gender behavior more seriously and more literally than adults. The implications of the findings from the research on cultural meanings of gender and suicidal behavior for prevention programs are outlined.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

[Smoking and sexual behavior of junior college students (report II). Relation to alcohol consumption and problematic behavior during adolescence].

A survey was performed on 581 junior college women regarding smoking, sexual behavior, alcohol use and problem behavior during adolescence to assess possible mutual relationships. The results are as follows: 1) Of these women, 37% experienced smoking; 9% were habitual smokers; 39% experienced kissing; 18% experienced sexual intercourse; 86% experienced alcohol drinking. 2) Many of the women had cross-experience in the combination of smoking, sexual behavior and alcohol drinking. A mutual relationship among these behaviors is suggested. 3) Many of the women who experienced smoking or sexual behavior had either experienced or considered problem behaviors during adolescence including attempted suicide, running away from home, bullying, etc. Poor adaptation to their home or school appears to be a factor associated with tendency toward smoking and sexual behavior.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

An integrative treatment approach to child and adolescent suicidal behavior.

The suicide rate for adolescents has tripled during the last 30 years in North America and many Western countries. Although some high risk factors have been defined, the literature is weak on the prevention and treatment issues. This article defines an integrative treatment approach for self-destructive behavior. This model attempts to integrate the well-recognized theoretical and therapeutic approaches such as biologic, psychodynamic, behavioral, cognitive, self-directed, strategic, experiential, and systemic frameworks. In the integrative approach, the therapist integrates the use of drug therapy and child, group, milieu, and family therapy, depending on the needs of each child. After a brief presentation of the author's comprehensive, in-depth study with 139 suicidal children and adolescents, the commonly seen family reactions to suicidal behavior were described. Family stage reactions of shock and fear, panic and action, guilt, resentment, reparation, and partial recovery are defined with case examples. The complementary nature of the supportive and therapeutic work for the families of suicidal children and adolescents with other preventative and therapeutic interventions is highlighted.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Adherence-related behavior in adolescents with asthma: results from focus group interviews.

Focus group interviews were conducted with 14 adolescents with asthma to explore self-management behavior, in particular with regard to adherence behavior. In addition, the adolescents discussed their feelings about having asthma, gave insight into how they evaluate the provided health care, and made recommendations for healthcare providers and for the development of patient education materials. The majority of participants did not take their prophylactic asthma medication regularly, and were rather late in starting to use their bronchodilator. They were sometimes fed up with having asthma. Moreover, the majority of participants were not always frank in telling their pediatrician how they managed their asthma. Finally, they found it essential that information about asthma should be given personally and not by means of leaflets, and recommended that healthcare providers should use audio-visual aids to illustrate what they are explaining. The results of the focus group interviews have been used for the development of an intervention program which aims at enhancing adherence in adolescents with asthma.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Social contagion, adolescent sexual behavior, and pregnancy: a nonlinear dynamic EMOSA model.

Nonlinear dynamic modeling has useful developmental applications. The authors introduce this class of models and contrast them with traditional linear models. Epidemic models of the onset of social activities (EMOSA models) are a special case, motivated by J. L. Rodgers and D. C. Rowe's (1993) social contagion theory, which predict the spread of adolescent behaviors like smoking, drinking, delinquency, and sexuality. In this article, a biological outcome, pregnancy, is added to an earlier EMOSA sexuality model. Parameters quantify likelihood of pregnancy for girls of different sexuality statuses. Five different sexuality/pregnancy models compete to explain variance in national prevalence curves. One finding was that, in the context of the authors' simplified model, adolescent girls have an approximately constant probability of pregnancy across age and time since virginity.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Improving adolescent sexual behavior: a tool for better fertility outcome and safe motherhood.

The consequences of increased adolescent sexuality worldwide include: an increased rate of adolescent pregnancies and abortions; a high prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases; and a significant number of psychosocial problems. Improvement of adolescent sexual behavior should be one of the primary goals of the 21st century. This includes development of new contraception techniques, providing protection from sexually transmitted diseases, improvement of contraception compliance and the correct use of mass media. As adolescents seek advice on sexual matters, it is our responsibility to provide them with accurate consultation as well as free family planning services in well organized adolescent units, where they may be counselled on the prevention of unwanted pregnancy, and sexually transmitted diseases. This will assist in a better fertility outcome and a safe motherhood.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Measurement of adolescent smoking behavior: rationale and methods.

The initiation of cigarette smoking among adolescents is a health problem which has been the subject of discussion and study for many years. The evaluation of strategies to deter the adoption of smoking has long been hampered by the problems of measuring adolescent smoking behavior. Recently, interest has increased in biochemical measures of smoking under the assumption that they are more objective measures. The validity of this assumption is addressed for several ages of adolescents. This paper presents saliva thiocyanate levels, expired air carbon monoxide levels, and smoking self-reports from a sample of 2200 junior and senior high-school students. Interrelationships among the biochemical and behavioral measures are strong among the total population, ranging from 0.48 to 0.95 (Pearson r) but are much weaker at the younger age levels. Normative levels of carbon monoxide and saliva thiocyanate are presented by age (11-13, 14-15, and 16-17 years old). These data indicate that habitual smoking appears to develop in a gradual fashion and that several years may pass between initial experimentation and adult levels of smoking. Younger students consistently display lower levels of thiocyanate and carbon monoxide than older students of the same self-reported levels of smoking, suggesting that inhalation patterns may vary as a function of age or years smoking.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Adolescent health behavior and conventionality-unconventionality: an extension of problem-behavior theory.

Examined the relation of psychosocial and behavioral conventionality-unconventionality to health-related behavior in cross-sectional data from 1,588 male and female 7th to 12th graders. Conventionality-unconventionality was represented by personality, perceived social environment, and behavior variables selected from the social-psychological framework of problem-behavior theory (R. Jessor & S. L. Jessor, 1977). Greater psychosocial conventionality correlates with more regular involvement in health-related behavior (regular physical activity, adequate sleep, safety belt use, attention to healthy diet). Greater behavioral conventionality (less involvement in problem behaviors such as marijuana use, problem drinking, delinquent-type behavior, and greater involvement in conventional behaviors such as church attendance) was also associated with greater involvement in health-maintaining behavior. The overall findings provide support for the extension of problem-behavior theory to the domain of adolescent health behavior and for the relevance of the dimension of conventionality-unconventionality.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The breakdown of meaning and adolescent problem behavior.

This paper attempts to account for the upsurge of adolescents' problem behavior in high-income countries in terms of Lifton's paradigm of symbolic immortality. Whilst most of the works dealing with this subject focus on the level of the individual adolescent and his or her surrounding, Lifton shows that societal processes can affect the individual. Drawing upon his approach, it was argued that desymbolization,--the collapse of society's symbols system--produces "divided selves," individuals who harbor an 'aggressor-victim double' in their psyche, wherein an internal conflict between the aggressor and the victim engenders self-destructive impulses. In this study it is hypothesized that problem behaviors are external manifestations of underlying self-destructiveness. Thirty-four Jewish-Israeli adolescents involved in sexual promiscuity, drug abuse, anorexia nervosa, and violence were interviewed. It was found that despite individual and social dissimilarities, and the different problem behaviors, the participants were marked by inner-directed destructiveness as well as a sense of meaninglessness of life and lack of symbolic relationship to what transcends their here-and-now selves. Significantly, violent adolescents whose aggression is other-directed were found to be marked by underlying self-directed aggression as well. If the findings of this study are representative of Israeli society at large or of other affluent societies, then the epidemic proportions of youth problem behavior may indicate that these societies are undergoing desymbolization, a psychocultural breakdown.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Interparental conflict and adolescent problem behavior: an examination of mechanisms.

The purpose of the present study was to examine several competing hypotheses which have been utilized to explain the negative relationship between interparental conflict and child/adolescent problems. These mechanisms of operation have included modelling, genetic transmission, disrupted parenting, the role of perceptual/appraisal processes of the conflict, and an inhibition hypothesis. One hundred and forty-two young adolescents and their mothers served as subjects. Eighty were from intact families and 62 from recently divorced families. Data were collected from the perspective of the adolescent, mother, behavioral observer, and social studies teacher. The results indicated that intact and divorced samples had to be considered separately as different pathways contributed to adolescent behavior problems in the two samples. For externalizing problems, a direct path between interparental conflict and problem behavior existed for the divorced sample whereas an indirect path through the adolescent's perceptions of the conflict existed for the intact sample. The different context in which the interparental conflict occurred for the two samples was offered as an explanation of this difference. For internalizing problems a significant direct path existed between conflict and problem behavior for both samples; however, the indirect paths through the adolescent's perceptions and through poor parenting skills contributed only for the divorced sample. The results suggest that various mechanisms appear to operate in influencing how interparental conflict influences behavior problems of young adolescents. Both the type of problem examined and the marital status of the parents appear important in determining the relative impact of the mechanisms. Implications for the behavior therapist are noted.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Violent behavior in Chinese adolescents with an economic disadvantage. Psychological, family and interpersonal correlates.

Two studies investigating the psychological, family and interpersonal correlates of adolescent violent behavior are reported in this paper. In Study 1, secondary school students (N = 1,519) responded to established scales assessing their psychological attributes, family functioning, parenting qualities and psychosocial support and conflict. Results of Study 1 showed that: a) adolescents who showed higher levels of perceived stress and psychological symptoms displayed more signs of adolescent violence; b) adolescents who had a higher sense of mastery and existential mental health displayed less signs of violence; c) adolescents' attitudes towards poverty and traditional Chinese beliefs about adversity were significantly related to adolescent violence; d) higher levels of family functioning, positive parenting styles as well as interpersonal support and lower levels of interpersonal conflicts were associated with a lower level of adolescent violence. Results further showed that some of the above factors were more strongly related to adolescent violence in adolescents experiencing economic disadvantage than in adolescents who did not experience economic disadvantage. Some of the findings of Study 1 were replicated in Study 2, where adolescents from 229 families (either families on welfare or low income families) were recruited. These studies suggested that several psychological, family and interpersonal factors are related to adolescent violent behavior, particularly in adolescents with economic disadvantage.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

[The suicidal behavior of adolescents suffering from slowly progressing schizophrenia].

The study aimed at characterization of suicidal behavior of adolescent schizophrenics early at the disease onset. Suicidal actions of such patients often simulate the behavior of depressed, psychopathic subjects, being different from those in that suicidal attempts of schizophrenics are not provoked by psychogenic factors, but by misunderstanding of reality and changes in the mood; schizophrenics usually have several suicidal attempts in the past, have true desire to die or no such a desire against somatically severe suicides, they are schizoid by personality.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

Continued self-destructive behaviors in adolescent suicide attemptors, Part II--a pilot study.

This investigation examined the continued self-destructive behaviors of adolescent suicide attemptors treated at Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles from 1972 through 1978. A total of 235 questionnaires were mailed to subjects who were hospitalized as a result of an accident, illness, or suicide attempt. The questionnaire was designed to elicit data with respect to the occurrence, frequency of occurrence and medical consequences of various self-destructive behaviors. The results suggest that certain continued self-destructive behaviors may be manifested by adolescents who have attempted suicide. Implications of the findings of this pilot study are discussed with regard to developing a theoretical model of self-destructive behaviors in adolescent suicide attemptors and the clinical prediction of adolescent suicide.

Accidents↗
PubMed1991

Self-reported health concerns and sexual behaviors in adolescents with cervical dysplasia. A pilot study.

A group of 46 women attending an adolescent dysplasia clinic were surveyed regarding the reported impact of cervical dysplasia on sexual beliefs and behaviors. The adolescents reported being concerned about their future health and having changed their sexual practices. There were no clear relationships between demographic variables or sexual attitudes and changes. The adolescents' self-reports of their behavior were not consistent; those adolescents who reported safer sex practices did not have lower rates of sexually transmitted diseases postbiopsy. The results of this study indicate the important but complex impact of sexually transmitted disease on adolescents and suggests that this impact on adolescents may be different from that on adults.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Adolescent sexual behavior: estimates and trends from four nationally representative surveys.

CONTEXT: Accurate information about trends over time in adolescent sexual behavior is essential to understand changes in adolescent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases and to monitor the progress of health promotion activities in the United States METHODS: Estimates from the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG), the National Survey of Adolescent Males (NSAM), the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) and the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) were compared. While methodologies and populations varied by survey, adolescents aged 15-17 who attend high school were a common subpopulation among all four. For each survey, the prevalence of sexual intercourse, contraceptive use and multiple sexual partners was measured in this population. RESULTS: Trend comparisons fell into four categories. First, some similar significant trends were found across surveys. The proportion of all males and of white males who reported ever having had sexual intercourse decreased significantly, while condom use rose significantly among males in both the NSAM and the YRBS. For such behaviors as ever having had sexual intercourse (among Hispanic males and black females), using the pill and using the condom (among all females) and having four or more lifetime sexual partners (among white males), a significant trend was found in one survey while a similar but nonsignificant trend was found in another. Several trend comparisons were not significant in any survey. Finally, having had intercourse in the past three months (among all males and all females), having had two or more partners in the past three months (for males) and having had four or more lifetime sexual partners (among white females and all males) showed a significant trend in one survey but lacked a parallel nonsignificant trend in another. Prevalence estimates in 1995 differed significantly in at least one comparison of surveys for all behaviors except having four or more lifetime sexual partners (both genders) and having two or more recent sexual partners (females). Gender differences within the YRBS and between the NSFG and the NSAM generally were consistent. CONCLUSIONS: Trends over time and gender differences were similar across surveys, underscoring their value for tracking adolescent sexual behaviors. Differences in prevalence estimates across surveys probably result from differences in question wording, diverse interview settings and modes of data collection, and varying statistical power. These findings suggest a need to increase our understanding of how methodologies influence survey response in research on adolescents.

Adolescent↗