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Results for “Adolescent Behavior”

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PubMed2005

Psychosocial and environmental correlates of adolescent sedentary behaviors.

OBJECTIVE: To determine correlates of sedentary behaviors in adolescents through the examination of psychosocial and environmental variables. METHOD: The study used a cross-sectional design to evaluate an ethnically diverse clinic-based sample of 878 adolescents who were 11 to 15 years old. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were stratified by gender to assess correlates of sedentary behaviors occurring on the most recent nonschool day (television viewing, computer video games, sitting listening to music, and talking on the phone). RESULTS: For girls, age, family support, television/video rules, and hills in the neighborhood were associated with sedentary behaviors. Furthermore, psychological constructs such as self-efficacy, enjoyment, change strategies, and pros and cons of change emerged as correlates of sedentary behaviors. A moderator effect revealed that the proportion of girls in the low-BMI group decreased with increased self-efficacy, whereas the proportion of girls in the high-BMI group did not vary significantly by self-efficacy. For boys, age, ethnicity, BMI, cons of change, and self-efficacy were associated with sedentary behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence of factors associated and not associated with adolescent sedentary behaviors. Similar to physical activity, measures of specific psychosocial constructs of sedentary behavior demonstrated important associations. The results highlight the need for additional examination of the correlates of sedentary behavior to determine which correlates are mechanisms of behavior change.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1999

Integrative research review of risk behaviors among adolescents in rural, suburban, and urban areas.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this integrative review was to describe the state of the science regarding adolescent risk behaviors, with particular emphasis on comparisons among rural, urban, and suburban populations. METHOD: The review was done at two levels, moving from the major national survey studies which included data collected in the late 1980s up to 1993, to more focused topical areas including studies with data collection and publication between 1990 and 1996 within each identified category of adolescent health issues. A total of 137 published works across several disciplines were reviewed. Suggestions for clinical practice were drawn from the significant research findings. In addition, risk behaviors were compared to national baseline data and objectives. RESULTS: The level of research in this topic area was primarily descriptive. Currently, only a small portion of the national objectives for decreasing adolescent risk behaviors have been met. Successful intervention programs, although few in number, usually included not only topical education but also adolescent interaction with peers and support systems to raise awareness and change behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: The risk behaviors for the adolescent population as a whole have been well described. Education alone is not sufficient to change behaviors. Objective outcomes must be identified and health care providers need to use research findings in their practice with adolescents. It is time to intervene with developmentally and culturally appropriate strategies. There was a large gap in the literature regarding risk behaviors and protective factors for rural adolescents. The few studies that included subjects from rural settings indicated that the view that rural adolescents are engaged in fewer or less severe risk behaviors is misleading.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1991

The effects of family structure on the sexual behavior of adolescents.

The effects of two family structures, single- and two-parent homes, on adolescent sexual behavior were studied. The variables of race, age, and gender were controlled. The analysis compared the age at first intercourse, frequency of intercourse in the last four weeks, and virgin/nonvirgin status of adolescents from black single-parent families, white single-parent families, black two-parent families, and white two-parent families. For males, the two-parent family was related to less sexual activity and older age at first intercourse. For females, the two-parent family was not as important as race in influencing sexual behavior. The white females from two-parent families were more likely to be virgins, but once having had sexual intercourse, tended to have a higher level of sexual activity than did black females from two-parent homes.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1985

Relationship between subjective expected utility and behavior: a longitudinal study of adolescent drinking behavior.

The relationship between subjective expected utility (SEU) and the use of beer and distilled spirits by adolescents is examined. A panel design with 1339 subjects who began the study as seventh graders indicated that there were reciprocal relationships between SEU and behavior. It is concluded that SEU should be considered when attempts are made to explain adolescent drinking behavior.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Where is the syndrome? Examining co-occurrence among multiple problem behaviors in adolescence.

The authors examined co-occurrence among a wide range of adolescent problem behaviors: alcohol, smoking, marijuana, hard drugs, sexual activity, major and minor delinquency, direct and indirect aggression, and gambling. Using a large self-report survey of high school students, confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the problem syndrome model proposed by problem behavior theory. A 3-factor model provided better overall fit than did a single problem syndrome factor model. Contingency table analyses were used to examine the co-occurrence of problem behaviors at different levels of involvement within individuals, as well as relative risk ratios. Analyses offered modest support for a limited problem syndrome encompassing the report of high-risk involvement with alcohol, minor delinquency, direct aggression, and, to a lesser extent, marijuana. For each problem behavior, the majority of adolescents did not report high-risk involvement, and only a minority reported any involvement with multiple behaviors.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

False consensus and adolescent peer contagion: examining discrepancies between perceptions and actual reported levels of friends' deviant and health risk behaviors.

Adolescents' perceptions of their friends' behavior strongly predict adolescents' own behavior, however, these perceptions often are erroneous. This study examined correlates of discrepancies between adolescents' perceptions and friends' reports of behavior. A total of 120 11th-grade adolescents provided data regarding their engagement in deviant and health risk behaviors, as well as their perceptions of the behavior of their best friend, as identified through sociometric assessment. Data from friends' own report were used to calculate discrepancy measures of adolescents' overestimations and estimation errors (absolute value of discrepancies) of friends' behavior. Adolescents also completed a measure of friendship quality, and a sociometric assessment yielding measures of peer acceptance/rejection and aggression. Findings revealed that adolescents' peer rejection and aggression were associated with greater overestimations of friends' behavior. This effect was partially mediated by adolescents' own behavior, consistent with a false consensus effect. Low levels of positive friendship quality were significantly associated with estimation errors, but not overestimations specifically.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Adolescent antisocial behavior and substance use: longitudinal analyses.

This study explores how antisocial behavior among adolescents at age 14 is related longitudinally to their daily smoking, heavy alcohol use, and illicit drug use (hashish and amphetamines) at age 17. The sample of 9th graders (n = 1293) attending compulsory schools in Reykjavik, Iceland participated in the study and in the follow-up 3 years later. The focus is on a subgroup of 17-year-old adolescents who had not experimented with cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, or illicit drug use at age 14. Even after eliminating from the study those who had experimented with smoking at age 14 and those whose peers smoked, the adolescents who showed more signs of antisocial behavior at age 14 were more likely to smoke daily at age 17. Similar findings were revealed for illicit drug use at age 17. Further, with regard to alcohol use, adolescents who had not experimented with alcohol but showed indications of antisocial behavior at age 14 were more likely to drink heavily at each episode at age 17 if their parents drank.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1996

Alcohol misuse and adolescent sexual behaviors and risk taking.

OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to examine the associations between alcohol misuse and measures of early onset sexual activity and sexual risk-taking behaviors during adolescence and the extent to which any association between these two sets of behaviors could be explained by common risk factors that predisposed individuals to both outcomes. METHODS: Data were gathered during the course of a 16-year longitudinal study of a birth cohort of 953 New Zealand children and included: (1) self-report measures of early onset sexual activity (before the age of 16 years), multiple partners (three or more), and unprotected intercourse during the interval from 15 to 16 years; and (2) prospectively measured risk factors, including social background, childhood adversity, novelty seeking, and affiliations with delinquent peers. RESULTS: Adolescents who reported misusing alcohol had odds of early onset sexual activity, multiple partners, and unprotected intercourse that were 6.1 to 23.0 times those of young people who did not misuse alcohol. After adjustment for common or correlated risk factors, the adjusted odds ratios between alcohol misuse and early onset sexual activity and unprotected intercourse were reduced but remained statistically significant. However, no significant association between alcohol misuse and multiple partners was found after adjustment for common or correlated risk factors. CONCLUSIONS: Much of the apparent association between alcohol misuse and teenage sexual activity and risk taking seems to arise through the influence of common family, individual, and peer factors. However, alcohol misuse may also place teenagers at greater risk of initiating early onset sexual intercourse and engaging in unprotected intercourse.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

HIV infection. Helping adolescents choose safer behaviors.

Although adolescents comprise only 1% of the diagnosed cases of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), the risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection among this group should not be underestimated. This article discusses how adolescents' behaviors place them at risk for HIV infection. One educational program is described that illustrates an innovative approach to use with adolescents. Nurses who use the Relationship Safety and Vigilance Plan can assist individual adolescents to assess their interpersonal relationship patterns to establish goals and reduce impulsive or destructive behaviors.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Suicidal behavior in the family and adolescent risk behavior.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence and sociodemographic characteristics of adolescents exposed to suicide attempts and suicide deaths by a family member and to evaluate the separate associations between exposure to a family member's suicide attempts or suicide death and risk behaviors, social-emotional functioning, and family connectedness. METHOD: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of data collected in 1995 for wave I of the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health (n = 5,918). The independent variable was the exposure to suicidal behavior by a family member during the past 12 months (death by suicide, suicide attempt, and no suicidal behavior). The dependent variables were substance use, suicidal behavior, violent behavior, perceived shortened life expectancy, emotional distress, and parental and adolescent reports of family connectedness. RESULTS: In the year before the survey, 3.9% of adolescents experienced a family member's suicide attempt whereas 1.2% experienced a family member's death by suicide. In regression analyses adjusting for sociodemographic variables, adolescents who had experienced the suicide attempt of a family member were more likely than those with no exposure to report the following: cigarette and marijuana use, alcohol misuse, suicidal ideation and attempts, fighting and inflicting injuries, decreased life-expectancy, emotional distress, and decreased adolescent reports of parent-child and family connectedness. Adolescents who had experienced a family member's death by suicide were more likely to report marijuana use and alcohol misuse, suicidal ideation and attempts, inflicting severe injuries, and emotional distress. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents who have experienced suicide attempts or suicide deaths in the family show high levels of at-risk behaviors, most notably their own suicidal ideation and attempts.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Patterns and correlates of physical activity and nutrition behaviors in adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Knowledge of the prevalence, clustering, and correlates of multiple adolescent health behaviors can inform the design of health promotion interventions. METHODS: A cross-sectional design was used to assess 878 adolescents aged 11 to 15 years (53.6% girls, 58% non-Hispanic white) recruited in primary care clinics in 2001-2002. Adolescent physical activity (assessed with accelerometers), television viewing time (reported), percent calories from fat, and servings of fruits and vegetables (assessed with multiple 24-hour recalls) were dichotomized into meeting or not meeting national guidelines. Parent health behaviors were assessed with self-reported measures. Analyses were conducted in 2006. RESULTS: Fifty-five percent of adolescents did not meet the physical activity guideline, and 30% exceeded 2 hours daily of television viewing time, with boys more active and less sedentary than girls (p <0.01). The majority of the adolescents did not meet dietary guidelines. Nearly 80% had multiple risk behaviors and only 2% met all four guidelines. The number of risk behaviors was associated with being older and being at risk for overweight or being overweight, for boys and girls (p <0.05). Two parent health behaviors-history of smoking and failure to meet the fruits and vegetables guideline-were significantly associated with a higher number of risk behaviors for girls (p <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Eight of ten adolescents in this sample failed to meet guidelines for two or more diet, physical activity, and sedentary risk behaviors. Some parent health behaviors, along with the adolescent's weight status and age, were associated with a higher number of adolescent health risk behaviors.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Psychological risk and protective factors for antisocial behavior in adolescents.

The aim of this paper is to analyze the influence and differential weight of some specific psychological variables on adolescent antisocial behavior. A sample of 1,851 adolescents (49.92 % men and 50.08 % women) from the Autonomous Community of Madrid was assessed. Several stepwise regression analyses were conducted, considering three different age groups (14-15, 16 and 17-18 years), with the criterion variables and the results showed that the main psychological risk factors associated with antisocial behavior were variables linked to sensation seeking construct (impulsiveness, disinhibition, excitement seeking, etc.), while the protective factors identified were variables such as empathy and religious practices. The age groups were considered, keeping a design of optimum prevention programs with psychological character in mind.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1999

Development of adolescent problem behavior.

The developmental model of adolescent antisocial behavior advanced by Patterson and colleagues (e.g., Patterson, Reid, & Dishion, 1992) appears to generalize the development of a diverse set of problem behaviors. Structural equation modeling methods were applied to 18-month longitudinal data from 523 adolescents. The problem behavior construct included substance use, antisocial behavior, academic failure, and risky sexual behavior. Families with high levels of conflict were less likely to have high levels of parent-child involvement. Such family conditions resulted in less adequate parental monitoring of adolescent behavior, making associations with deviant peers more likely. Poor parental monitoring and associations with deviant peers were strong predictors of engagement in problem behavior. These constructs accounted for 46% of the variance in problem behavior. Although association with deviant peers was the most proximal social influence on problem behavior, parental monitoring and family factors (conflict and involvement) were key parenting practices that influenced this developmental process.

Achievement↗

PubMed1992

The relationship between adolescent suicidal behavior and life events in childhood and adolescence.

OBJECTIVE: Although the relationship between experience of problematic life events and adolescent suicidal behavior has frequently been recognized during the past decade, few studies of life events have been initiated that discriminated between adolescent suicide attempters and depressed adolescents. Therefore, the authors compared adolescent suicide attempters with both depressed and nondepressed adolescents who never attempted suicide with respect to life events that happened in two periods: childhood (defined as the period up to age 12 years) and adolescence (age 12 and older). METHOD: Using a semistructured interview, the authors gathered life event data about childhood and adolescence from three groups of adolescents: 48 suicide attempters, 66 depressed adolescents who had never made a suicide attempt, and 43 nondepressed adolescents who had never made a suicide attempt. RESULTS: The group of adolescents who attempted suicide differed from both of the other groups in that they had experienced more turmoil in their families, starting in childhood and not stabilizing during adolescence. During adolescence, they were more often sexually abused. During the last year before the attempt, further social instability, such as changes in residence and having to repeat a class, occurred. CONCLUSIONS: For suicidal adolescents, the suicide attempt seems embedded not just in the problems every adolescent has to deal with but in greater turmoil in their families, rooted in childhood and not stabilizing during adolescence, in combination with traumatic events during adolescence and social instability in the year preceding the attempt.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

Risk and protection in the development of problem behaviors in adolescents.

The development of problem behaviors among adolescents is affected by complex interactions between risk and protective factors. This study was designed to determine whether selected risk and protective factors described among participants in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health predicted problem behavior cluster membership. Approximately, 13,000 adolescents from the Add Health study were examined. Three clusters of adolescents (exhibiting normal, problem, and deviant behaviors) and changes in cluster membership over 1 year were examined for relationships to specific risk and protective factors. Findings revealed that factors for current behavior problems differ from those for changes in cluster membership. These results suggest that approaches to preventing problems may differ from those required to help adolescents who are already manifesting problems.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1991

Adolescents' smoking behavior and risk perceptions.

Risk-perception theory, derived largely from studies of technological risk assessment by Slovic and associates (Slovic, 1987; Slovic, Fischhoff, & Lichtenstein, 1986), may assist in understanding the risks seen to be associated with health-related behaviors. Risk perceptions, and their relationship to different stages of the acquisition of smoking behavior, were examined in a sample of 205 Australian high school students who were in Grades 10 and 11, and had an average age of 15 years. Current smokers differed from experimenters, ex-smokers, and never smokers on a number of factors that are argued to underlie perceptions of risk: They perceived less personal risk, less severe health consequences, greater benefits relative to risks, found it more difficult to picture harmful consequences to themselves, and perceived smoking to be less avoidable. Implications for understanding and for dealing with the initiation and maintenance of smoking behavior in adolescence are discussed.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

Gambling behavior of adolescents in residential placement in northwest Louisiana.

BACKGROUND: The rapid expansion of legalized gambling in the United States necessitates evaluation of its impact on vulnerable populations, especially adolescents. METHODS: Gambling behavior in 135 adolescents in residential placement in northwestern Louisiana was measured using the South Oaks Gambling Screen-Revised for Adolescents. RESULTS: During the past year, 41% of these adolescents reported minimal problems with gambling, 21% reported level 2 or problem gambling, and 38% reported level 3 or pathologic gambling. In this population, the first drink of alcohol, the first cigarette, and the first experience with gambling began on average at 11 years of age, with the first use of marijuana and the first episode of alcohol intoxication occurring a year later. CONCLUSION: The level 2 rate of gambling exceeded the upper extreme of the adolescent community sample range, and the level 3 rate was approximately six times the reported level 3 community prevalence rate for adolescents. Residential placements sites should be considered when developing prevention programs for gambling disorders.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2000

Structure of the Weinberger Adjustment Inventory Self-Restraint scale and its relation to problem behaviors in adolescence.

The authors examined the structure of the Weinberger Adjustment Inventory (WAI) Self-Restraint scale in derivation (n = 1,286) and cross-validation (n = 1,154) samples of mostly African American 6th graders in 3 urban schools. Four models were compared: (a) a 1-factor model; (b) a hierarchical model in which factors representing Impulse Control, Suppression of Aggression, Responsibility, and Consideration of Others were subsumed by a higher order factor; (c) a model that represented these 4 factors as correlated but distinct constructs; and (d) a model that excluded Consideration of Others from the higher order factor. Consistent support was found for the last model based on confirmatory factor analyses and latent-variable analyses examining the relations among self-restraint scales, drug use, delinquency, and aggression. These findings have implications for using the WAI, particularly in studies of adolescent problem behaviors.

Adolescent↗