Education Commons^™

The Role Of Community Sports Clubs In Adolescent Mental Health: The Perspectives Of Adolescent Males' Parents, Diarmuid Hurley, Christian F. Swann, Mark S. Allen, Anthony D. Okely, Stewart A. Vella

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Adolescent males are at relatively high risk of developing mental health disorders and show low rates of help seeking when mental health disorders arise. Parents are the primary source of support for adolescents and therefore have an important role in mental health promotion and prevention of mental health disorders. The aim of this study was to examine the perceptions of adolescent males' parents on the potential role of community sport clubs in adolescent mental health promotion. Forty-six parents of adolescent males took part in 10 focus groups to investigate parents' mental health knowledge, beliefs and attitudes, perceptions of the role …

Violent Aggression Exposure, Psychoemotional Distress, Aggressive Behavior, And Academic Performance Among Adolescents, Joyce Renee Evans

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Sixty percent of youth indicate exposure to violence. Such exposure is a noted risk factor for youths' well-being, including cognitive, emotional, and behavioral development. However, there is a gap in the literature regarding whether exposure to violence predicts impaired academic performance. The purpose of this quantitative study was to test a model with cognitive, behavioral, and emotional sequelae of exposure as mediators of the relationship between exposure to violence and academic performance among adolescents who are at risk for exposure and attend inner-city high schools. Ninety-nine students, primarily female and African-American, in Grades 10 to 12 at two public schools …

Reducing Adolescent Anger And Aggression With Biofeedback: A Mixed-Methods Multiple Case Study, Jedidiah S. Savard

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

Adolescent anger, aggression, and violent outbursts are social problems significantly affecting each of us. Individual therapeutic management of pathological anger is treated in various ways depending on practitioners’ theoretical orientations and competency levels. Popular psychological individual and group therapies addressing anger and aggression in adolescents focus primarily on cognitive-behavioral techniques that manage anger’s symptoms. Evidence-based cognitive-behavioral therapies often require clients to self-identify emerging antecedents of anger without assistance; such therapies employ predetermined strategies to assist the client to emotionally de-escalate prior to an angry or aggressive episode. However, cognitive responses to an emotional upheaval stemming from an emergence of anger …

Alcohol Use And Strenuous Physical Activity In College Students: A Longitudinal Test Of 2 Explanatory Models Of Health Behavior, Heather A. Davis, Elizabeth N. Riley, Gregory T. Smith, Richard S. Milich, Jessica L. Burris

Psychology Faculty Publications

Objective: To help clarify the effect of gender on the bidirectional relationship between alcohol use and strenuous physical activity in college students. Participants: Five hundred twenty-four (52% female) college students recruited in August 2008 and 2009 and followed up in April 2009 and April 2011, respectively. Methods: Participants reported their alcohol use and strenuous physical activity on 2 occasions (baseline and follow-up) spaced approximately 1 or 2 years apart. Results: For females, alcohol use quantity at baseline was associated with increased strenuous physical activity at 1- and 2-year follow-ups, and alcohol use frequency at baseline was …

Gambling Education Programs For Adolescents: A Systematic Review, Brittany Keen, Alex Blaszczynski, Fadi Anjoul

International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking

Around two thirds of Australian adolescents aged 10-14 years old have gambled in the last year, and rates of problem gambling are up to four times higher among adolescents than in the adult population. Schools provide a unique opportunity to intervene in cognitive and behavioural development, and while several gambling education programs exist in schools across Australia and internationally, few have been empirically evaluated. The purpose of this review was to provide a systematic appraisal of the published research on gambling education programs for adolescents. The review aimed to identify the number and quality of studies that have evaluated gambling …

The Role Of Individual Character Strengths In Adolescent Academic Achievement And Risky School Behavior, Paul Deschamps

Wayne State University Dissertations

Adolescent achievement is a major developmental task in adolescence and reducing Risky School Behaviors is an important part of the process. Patterns of adolescent achievement and general development are the result of the cumulative process that includes a long history of experience and socialization in school, in the family, in the peer group, and in the community. This study is the first to expand understanding of these key interrelated but unique outcome variables of both Academic Achievement and risky School Behavior through examination of individual Character Strengths in the presence of other key intrapersonal and contextual variables from multiple systems …

'Physical Activity 4 Everyone' School-Based Intervention To Prevent Decline In Adolescent Physical Activity Levels: 12 Month (Mid-Intervention) Report On A Cluster Randomised Trial, Rachel Sutherland, Elizabeth Campbell, David R. Lubans, Philip J. Morgan, Anthony D. Okely, Nicole Nathan, Luke Wolfenden, Jarrod Wiese, Karen Gillham, Jenna Hollis, John Wiggers

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: Adolescence is a recognised period of physical activity decline, particularly among low-income communities. We report the 12-month (midpoint) effects of a 2-year multicomponent physical activity intervention implemented in disadvantaged secondary schools. Methods: A cluster randomised trial was undertaken in 10 secondary schools located in disadvantaged areas in New South Wales, Australia. Students in Grade 7 were recruited, with follow-up in Grade 8. The intervention was guided by socioecological theory and included seven physical activity strategies, and six implementation adoption strategies. The primary outcome was mean minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) per day assessed using Actigraph GT3X accelerometers. Outcome …

Social Climate Profiles In Adolescent Sports: Associations With Enjoyment And Intention To Continue, Lauren Gardner, Christopher A. Magee, Stewart A. Vella

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This study explored whether adolescent sports participants' perceptions of the social climate fall into distinct profiles, and whether these profiles are related to enjoyment and intention to continue. A Latent Profile Analysis using 313 Australian sports participants (M_age = 13.03 years) revealed four distinct profiles: positive social climate (45.1%), diminished social climate (19.8%), positive coach relationship quality (19.8%), and positive friendship quality (15.3%). Individuals within the positive social climate and the positive coach relationship quality profiles reported relatively higher levels of enjoyment and intention to continue than individuals in the diminished social climate and the positive friendship quality …

Parent-Focused Childhood And Adolescent Overweight And Obesity Ehealth Interventions: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Megan Hammersley, Rachel A. Jones, Anthony D. Okely

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: Effective broad-reach interventions to reduce childhood obesity are needed, but there is currently little consensus on the most effective approach. Parental involvement in interventions appears to be important. The use of eHealth modalities in interventions also seems to be promising. To our knowledge, there have been no previous reviews that have specifically investigated the effectiveness of parent-focused eHealth obesity interventions, a gap that this systematic review and meta-analysis intends to address. Objective: The objective of this study was to review the evidence for body mass index (BMI)/BMI z-score improvements in eHealth overweight and obesity randomized controlled trials for children …

Assessing The Sustained Impact Of A School-Based Obesity Prevention Program For Adolescent Boys: The Atlas Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial, David R. Lubans, Jordan J. Smith, Ronald Plotnikoff, Kerry A. Dally, Anthony D. Okely, Jo Salmon, Philip J. Morgan

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: Obesity prevention interventions targeting 'at-risk' adolescents are urgently needed. The aim of this study is to evaluate the sustained impact of the 'Active Teen Leaders Avoiding Screen-time' (ATLAS) obesity prevention program. Methods: Cluster RCT in 14 secondary schools in low-income communities of New South Wales, Australia. Participants were 361 adolescent boys (aged 12-14 years) 'at risk' of obesity. The intervention was based on Self-Determination Theory and Social Cognitive Theory and involved: professional development, fitness equipment for schools, teacher-delivered physical activity sessions, lunch-time activity sessions, researcher-led seminars, a smartphone application, and parental strategies. Assessments for the primary (body mass index …

High School Teachers' Perceptions Of Mental Health And Adolescent Depression, Christine Ann Breuer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Adolescents have a high rate of untreated mental health issues, specifically related to depression. Current literature does not indicate the impact of teachers' attitudes toward mental health on their decisions to refer students for services. This study provides understanding specifically, how teachers' beliefs about mental health, as well as their age, gender, ethnicity, years of education, and years of teaching, were analyzed to determine the impact each these characteristics had on the decision to refer a student for services. 92 high school teachers participated in this quantitative study by completing a survey measuring their attitudes of mental health, and then …

Early Adverse Experiences And Health: The Transition To College, Kelly B. Filipkowski, Kristin E. Heron, Joshua M. Smyth

Psychology Faculty Publications

Objective: This study cross-sectionally and prospectively examined the impact of adversity experienced prior to college on the health and well-being of students adjusting to their first college semester. Methods: Two-hundred sixteen (216) first-year students completed measures of adverse life experiences, perceived stress, physical symptoms, and health-related behaviors during the first 2 weeks of college entry and again at the end of the first semester. Results: Reported adversity prior to college predicted greater perceived stress and physical symptoms at college entry and an increase in physical symptoms over the semester; perceived stress mediated the prospective changes. Early adversity …

Experiences Of Neurotypical Siblings Of Children With An Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Qualitative Exploration, Stacie R. Keirsey

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

In recent years, the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been on the rise, prompting a simultaneous increase in scientific study regarding cause, impact, and intervention (Hughes, 2009; Ravindran & Myers, 2012). Research has proposed advances in the treatment of the individuals diagnosed and focused efforts on scholastic, parental, and professional intervention and supports. However, the siblings of ASD children have largely been neglected in this scientific investigation. The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore neurotypical siblings’ experiences in living with a child diagnosed with ASD. Seven adolescents were selected using criterion, convenience, and snowball sampling. …

Reflection Impulsivity In Adolescent Cannabis Users, K Jones, N Solowij, M Rozman, S Davis, Joseph Ciarrochi, Patrick Heaven, Daniel Lubman, M Yucel

joseph Ciarrochi

Abstract of a conference paper presented at the 2010 summer meeting of the British Association for Psychopharmacology.

Verbal Learning And Memory In Adolescent Cannabis And Alcohol Users, N Solowij, K Jones, M Rozman, S Davis, Joseph Ciarrochi, Patrick Heaven, Daniel Lubman, M Yucel

joseph Ciarrochi

Abstract of a conference paper presented at the 2010 summer meeting of the British Association for Psychopharmacology.

The Longitudinal Relationships Between Adolescent Religious Values And Personality, Lee Huuskes, Joseph Ciarrochi, Patrick Heaven

joseph Ciarrochi

This research examined the longitudinal relationships between personality and religious values. High school students in Grades 10 (381 males, 384 females; mean age = 15.40 yrs) and Grade 12 (195 males, 215 females; mean age = 17.02 yrs) completed personality and religious measures as part of the Wollongong Youth Study. Structural equation modelling (SEM) indicated that religious values at Time 1 predicted an increase in Agreeableness and a decrease in Psychoticism at Time 2. These effects were confirmed to be independent of each other when the SEMs included both Agreeableness and Psychoticism. Results are discussed with reference to the implications …

Black Deaf Individuals' Reading Skills: Influence Of Asl, Culture, Family Characteristics, Reading Experience, And Education, Candace Myers, M. Diane Clark, Millicent Musyoka, Melissa Anderson, Gizelle Gilbert, Selina Agyen, Peter Hauser

Melissa L. Anderson

Previous research on the reading abilities of Deaf individuals from various cultural groups suggests that Black Deaf and Hispanic Deaf individuals lag behind their White Deaf peers. The present study compared the reading skills of Black Deaf and White Deaf individuals, investigating the influence of American Sign Language (ASL), culture, family characteristics, reading experience, and education. (The descriptor Black is used throughout the present article, as Black Deaf individuals prefer this term to African American. For purposes of parallel construction, the term White is used instead of European American.) It was found that Black Deaf study participants scored lower on …

The Perceptions And Experiences Of Adolescent Boys With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Personal Construct Psychology Perspective, Elizabeth Kate Cridland, Peter Caputi, Sandra C. Jones, Christopher A. Magee

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background This study applies personal construct psychology for understanding the experiences of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Method Semistructured interviews were conducted with 26 participants from 8 families, including adolescent males with ASD, mothers, fathers, and adolescent neurotypically developing siblings. Analysis of interview data was structured according to the themes presented in a previous theoretical application of personal construct theory (PCT) for understanding adolescents with ASD. Results Themes included complexity of the adolescent social realm, sense-making in multifaceted situations, identity development, development of flexible processing styles, and understanding and managing physical and emotional changes associated with puberty. Conclusion The …

Popular Culture: A Support Or A Disruption To Talent Development In The Lives Of Rural Adolescent Gifted Girls?, Denise Wood, Wilma Vialle

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Gifted adolescent rural girls live in a world where popular culture is a key source of information about their present and future lives. This study asked whether, as a key influence, popular culture supported or disrupted the talent development process of gifted adolescent girls in rural settings. Through an embedded case study approach this research study explored the responses of two groups of gifted adolescent girls to the messages presented to them in popular culture about talent development and giftedness. Data were generated predominantly through a series of focus groups and interviews. A narrative recount emerged after analysis of the …

The Effect Of Bullying Prevention Programs On The Perceptions Of Bullying Among Female Youth, Karen Tokarick

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Bullying has become a widespread social issue. Previous research has focused on both genders and various grade levels; it has shown that programs reduce bullying and improve social climates and attitudes toward academics. The effect of these programs, specifically on female youth, has not been studied. This study addressed the effect of bullying prevention programs on perceptions of bullying among female youth in Grades 5-7 in 2 schools in rural eastern Pennsylvania. One school utilized a prevention program while the other did not. Teachers and administrators were also interviewed to gain insight regarding their perceived effectiveness of the program. The …

Predicting Outcome At Posttreatment For Adolescent Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder In A Residential Treatment Setting, Heather M. Jones

Theses and Dissertations

Exposure and response prevention (ERP) paired with psychopharmacological interventions are considered first line treatments for pediatric obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Recent literature has emphasized the importance of investigating effectiveness and treatment outcomes for difficult-to-treat cases of pediatric OCD who do not respond to outpatient treatment. Effectiveness studies have found that adolescent patients treated in residential settings have demonstrated gains comparable to those patients included in published outpatient outcomes studies (Bjorgvinsson et al., 2008; Leonard et al., 2014). Current research efforts are needed to 1) better predict gains in real-world clinical settings and 2) identify risk factors for difficult-to-treat patients who …

From Their Perspective: How Adolescents And Young Adults Experience And Conceptualize Life And Occupation Surrounding Parental Divorce Or Separation, Laura R. Hartman

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Parental divorce affects adolescents’ emotions, routines, habits, occupations and relationships. The current body of research indicates that parental divorce leads to many unfavourable social, behavioural, and mental health outcomes for adolescents. This dissertation explores the daily lives and occupations of adolescents and young adults surrounding the transition of a parental divorce or marital separation.

This thesis contains four manuscripts in addition to the introductory and final reflection chapters. The first manuscript explores the current North American literature relating to adolescent life surrounding a parental divorce or marital separation, ranging form 1998 to 2014. The second manuscript provides an overview of …

Measuring Adolescent Boys' Physical Activity: Bout Length And The Influence Of Accelerometer Epoch Length, Taren Sanders, Dylan Cliff, Chris Lonsdale

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objectives

Accurate, objective measurement is important for understanding adolescents' physical activity (PA) behaviour. When using accelerometry to objectively measure PA, a decision must be made regarding how frequently data is recorded (i.e., epoch length). The purpose of this study was to examine i) PA bout length, and ii) the effect of variations in accelerometer epoch length on PA estimates during physical education (PE) and leisure time in adolescent boys.

Design

Cross-sectional study.

Methods

Year 9 boys (N=133; mean age ±SD =14.36±0.48 years) wore accelerometers during two PE lessons, and for a period of seven consecutive days. Data were reintegrated from …

The Effects Of A Multi-Component Higher-Functioning Autism Anti-Stigma Program On Adolescent Boys, Jessica J. Staniland, Mitchell K. Byrne

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

A six-session higher-functioning autism anti-stigma program incorporating descriptive, explanatory and directive information was delivered to adolescent boys and the impact upon knowledge, attitudes and behavioural intentions towards peers with autism was evaluated. Participants were seventh-, eighth- and ninth-grade students (N = 395) from regular classes in a mainstream school. Two-eighth-grade classes were randomly allocated to the intervention condition and all remaining students were either allocated to the no-intervention peer or no-intervention non-peer condition. The anti-stigma program improved the knowledge and attitudes, but not the behavioural intentions of participants towards their peers with autism. Knowledge and attitudinal changes were maintained at …

The Relationship Between Coach Leadership, The Coach-Athlete Relationship, Team Success, And The Positive Developmental Experiences Of Adolescent Soccer Players, Stewart A. Vella, Lindsay G. Oades, Trevor P. Crowe

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: The goals of participation youth sports are primarily concerned with the facilitation of positive youth development as opposed to outright success. Consequently, there are strong theoretical and empirical links between sports coaching and athlete development. Transformational leadership behaviours, in particular, have been theoretically linked to positive developmental outcomes within a youth sport context, while the coach-athlete relationship is a key tool used by coaches who aim to teach life skills to young athletes. Outright team success has also been shown to correlate with important developmental variables such as a mastery climate and athlete perception of youth sports coaches. Aims: …

The Effects Of Maternal Emotional Wellbeing On Mother-Adolescent Communication And Youth Emotional Wellbeing, Young Ju Shin, Jeong Kyu Lee, Michelle Miller-Day

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Communication among children and their parents is consequential for children's development and adjustment. These concerns are particularly relevant for mothers in low-income households, who are more likely to experience depressive symptoms and low self-efficacy than mothers in other socioeconomic groups, with these problems often negatively impacting the emotional wellbeing of children in the household. This study examined associations among maternal emotional wellbeing, parent-adolescent communication, and adolescents' emotional wellbeing in a sample of 93 low-income mothers and adolescents. The results indicated that high reports of maternal self-efficacy were significantly related to perceptions of open and satisfying mother-adolescent communication. In addition, the …

A Pilot Test Of Transformational Leadership Training For Sports Coaches: Impact On The Developmental Experiences Of Adolescent Athletes, Stewart A. Vella, Lindsay G. Oades, Trevor P. Crowe

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This study investigated the impact of a transformational leadership training program for youth sport coaches on adolescent athletes' perceptions of transformational leadership and positive developmental experiences. The transformational leadership training program was associated with higher rates of perceived transformational leadership behaviour at follow-up when compared to baseline measures. Importantly, these increases were associated with significantly higher rates of self-reported developmental experiences. Coach training was associated with a predictability and reliability to athlete outcomes that was not evident in athletes of a comparison group. Transformational leadership may provide a theoretically sound foundation for coaching practice and education in the service of …

A Cluster Randomised Trial Of A School-Based Intervention To Prevent Decline In Adolescent Physical Activity Levels: Study Protocol For The 'Physical Activity 4 Everyone' Trial, Rachel Sutherland, Elizabeth Campbell, David R. Lubans, Philip J. Morgan, Anthony D. Okely, Nicole Nathan, Luke Wolfenden, Jannah Jones, Lynda Davies, Karen Gillham, John Wiggers

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background: Adolescence is an established period of physical activity decline. Multi-component school-based interventions have the potential to slow the decline in adolescents' physical activity; however, few interventions have been conducted in schools located in low-income or disadvantaged communities. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of a multi-component school-based intervention in reducing the decline in physical activity among students attending secondary schools located in disadvantaged communities. Methods/Design: The cluster randomised trial will be conducted with 10 secondary schools located in selected regions of New South Wales, Australia. The schools will be selected from areas that have a level of socio-economic …

Longitudinal Levels And Bouts Of Sedentary Time Among Adolescent Girls, Valerie Carson, Dylan P. Cliff, Xanne Janssen, Anthony D. Okely

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background Adolescent girls are one of the most sedentary demographic groups. A better understanding of their accumulation of sedentary time is needed to inform future interventions. The purpose of this study was to examine the longitudinal levels and bouts of objectively measured sedentary time accumulated during different days of the week and periods of the weekday among a large sample of adolescent girls. Methods The results are based on 655 adolescent girls from the Girls in Sport Intervention and Research Project. Levels and bouts of sedentary time were derived from accelerometer data collected at baseline and 18-month follow-up. Total, weekday, …

Child Mental Health And Service Needs In Iraq: Beliefs And Attitudes Of Primary School Teachers., A Al-Obaidi, B Nelson, G Albadawi, M Hicks, A Guarino

Madelyn Hsiao-Rei Hicks

No abstract provided.