Not in Education, Employment, or Training status among young Swiss men. Longitudinal associations with mental health and substance use.

PURPOSE: Not in Education, Employment, or Training (NEET) youth are youth disengaged from major social institutions and constitute a worrying concern. However, little is known about this subgroup of vulnerable youth. This study aimed to examine if NEET youth differ from other contemporaries in terms of personality, mental health, and substance use and to provide longitudinal examination of NEET status, testing its stability and prospective pathways with mental health and substance use. METHODS: As part of the Cohort Study on Substance Use Risk Factors, 4,758 young Swiss men in their early 20s answered questions concerning their current professional and educational status, personality, substance use, and symptomatology related to mental health. Descriptive statistics, generalized linear models for cross-sectional comparisons, and cross-lagged panel models for longitudinal associations were computed. RESULTS: NEET youth were 6.1% at baseline and 7.4% at follow-up with 1.4% being NEET at both time points. Comparisons between NEET and non-NEET youth showed significant differences in substance use and depressive symptoms only. Longitudinal associations showed that previous mental health, cannabis use, and daily smoking increased the likelihood of being NEET. Reverse causal paths were nonsignificant. CONCLUSIONS: NEET status seemed to be unlikely and transient among young Swiss men, associated with differences in mental health and substance use but not in personality. Causal paths presented NEET status as a consequence of mental health and substance use rather than a cause. Additionally, this study confirmed that cannabis use and daily smoking are public health problems. Prevention programs need to focus on these vulnerable youth to avoid them being disengaged.

Linking Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) data to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC): the case for the Seychelles

Tobacco control has been recognized as a main public health concern in Seychelles for the past two decades. Tobacco advertising, sponsoring and promotion has been banned for years, tobacco products are submitted to high taxes, high-profile awareness programs are organized regularly, and several other control measures have been implemented. The Republic of Seychelles was the first country to ratify the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in the African region. Three population-based surveys have been conducted in adults in Seychelles and results showed a substantial decrease in the prevalence of smoking among adults between 1989 and 2004. A first survey in adolescents was conducted in Seychelles in 2002 (the Global Youth Tobacco Survey, GYTS) in a representative sample of 1321 girls and boys aged 13-15 years. The results show that approximately half of students had tried smoking and a quarter of both boys and girls had smoked at least one cigarette during the past 30 days. Although "current smoking" is defined differently in adolescents (>or=1 cigarette during the past 30 days) and in adults (>or=1 cigarette per day), which precludes direct comparison, the high smoking prevalence in youth in Seychelles likely predicts an increasing prevalence of tobacco use in the next adult generation, particularly in women. GYTS 2002 also provides important data on a wide range of specific individual and societal factors influencing tobacco use. Hence, GYTS can be a powerful tool for monitoring the situation of tobacco use in adolescents, for highlighting the need for new policy and programs, and for evaluating the impact of current and future programs.

Female adolescents' views on a youth-friendly clinic.

OBJECTIVE: To assess satisfaction among female patients of a youth friendly clinic and to determine with which factors this was associated. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in an adolescent clinic in Lausanne, Switzerland, between March and May 2008. All female patients who had made at least one previous visit were eligible. Three hundred and eleven patients aged 12-22 years were included. We performed bivariate analysis to compare satisfied and non-satisfied patients and constructed a log-linear model. RESULTS: Ninety-four percent of patients were satisfied. Satisfied female adolescents were significantly more likely to feel that their complaints were heard, that the caregiver understood their problems, to have no change of physician, to have received the correct treatment/help and to follow the caregiver's advice. The log-linear model highlighted four factors directly linked with patient satisfaction: outcome of care, continuity of care, adherence to treatment and the feeling of being understood. CONCLUSIONS: The main point for female adolescent patient satisfaction lies in a long term, trustworthy relationship with their caregiver. Confidentiality and accessibility were secondary for our patients.

Youth of the Eighties, Parents of 2000, Sociological Observations

(Résumé de l'ouvrage) This book is meant to honour the Belgian religious educationalist Herman Lombaerts reflecting on his legacy. He is internationally renowned as a scholar with a strong commitment to and a conceptual analysis of the social and cultural context in which people live and learn. This series of essays is build upon a thought provoking, streamlined design on the relationship between theology and education, relying on Lombaerts' societal and cultural analysis of contemporary religious education. Three key elements are at stake: the self-agency of the learner, the hermeneutic and communitive interpretation of religious traditions in the teaching of religion, and the radical re-imagination of Christian theology relying on this new model of religious educational praxis. For Lombaerts, the search processes of religious people have their own dynamic and dignity. Practical theology should listen carefully and empathetically to this quest. But he is also convinced of the need of solid fundamental research to understand critically its ambiguities and perspectives. Scholars from Europe, the United States and Australia lead the way in this process of "conceptual stretching". Issues such as happiness of children, identity formation of youth, educational and religious insecurity of parents, multi-faith education, tradition crisis of churches, theological education of lay ministers, narrativity and modern art in religious education, etc. are examined from a practical theological point of view, with a strong commitment to the philosophical, psychological, sociological, educational and political dimensions of three issues. With this book the editors hope to commemorate Lombaerts' international radiation, by building a collegial bridge between the different theoretical approaches in the German, Dutch, French, Italian and Anglo-Saxon religious educational research.

Assessing attachment cognitions and their associations with depression in youth with eating or drug misuse disorders.

The study investigates associations between attachment cognitions and depression symptoms in 71 15-25-year-olds, 26 of whom have eating disorders, and 20 of whom are drug misusers. Attachment cognitions were measured with the CaMir Q-sort, which provides indexes for secure, avoidant, and preoccupied attachment, as well as scores on 13 dimensions. The BDI-13 was used to measure depressive symptomatology. Consistent with the literature, BDI scores were associated with cognitions of preoccupied attachment. They were also related to cognitions of avoidant attachment, confirming Bowlby's theory on defensive exclusion. For participants with eating disorders, depressive symptomatology was related to preoccupation and parental interference, whereas for drug misusers, it was negatively related to security, preoccupation, parental support, and lack of parental concern. These findings help understand how attachment cognitions may participate in depressive symptomatology, namely in youth whose behavior problems may be associated with specific attachment experiences.

Sex, drugs and chronic illness: health behaviours among chronically ill youth.

BACKGROUND: A growing body of literature indicates that adolescents with chronic conditions are as likely, or more likely, to take risky behaviours than their healthy peers. The objective of this research was to assess whether adolescents with chronic illness in Catalonia differ from their healthy peers in risk-taking behaviour. METHODS: Data were drawn from the Catalonia Adolescent Health database, a survey including a random school-based sample of 6952 young people, aged 14-19 years. The index group (IG) included 665 adolescents (450 females) reporting several chronic conditions. The comparison group (CG) comprised 6287 healthy adolescents (3306 females). Personal, family and school-related variables were analysed to ensure comparability between groups. Sexual behaviour, drug use (tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, cocaine and synthetic drugs) and perception of drug use among peers and in school were compared. Analysis was carried out separately by gender. chi-square, Fisher's and Student's tests were used to compare categorical and continuous variables. RESULTS: The prevalence of chronic conditions was 9.6%, with females showing a higher prevalence than males. The IG showed similar or higher rates of sexual intercourse and risky sexual behaviour. For most studied drugs, IG males reported slightly lower rates of use than CG males, while IG females showed higher rates for every drug studied. No differences were found in the perceptions of drug use among peers or in their school. CONCLUSIONS: Similar to previous research, chronically ill adolescents in our sample are as likely, or more likely, to take risky behaviours than their healthy counterparts and should receive the same anticipatory guidance.

Adolescent survivors of childhood cancer: are they vulnerable for psychological distress?

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to (i) evaluate psychological distress in adolescent survivors of childhood cancer and compare them to siblings and a norm population; (ii) compare the severity of distress of distressed survivors and siblings with that of psychotherapy patients; and (iii) determine risk factors for psychological distress in survivors. METHODS: We sent a questionnaire to all childhood cancer survivors aged <16 years when diagnosed, who had survived ≥ 5 years and were aged 16-19 years at the time of study. Our control groups were same-aged siblings, a norm population, and psychotherapy patients. Psychological distress was measured with the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18) assessing somatization, depression, anxiety, and a global severity index (GSI). Participants with a T-score ≥ 57 were defined as distressed. We used logistic regression to determine risk factors. RESULTS: We evaluated the BSI-18 in 407 survivors and 102 siblings. Fifty-two survivors (13%) and 11 siblings (11%) had scores above the distress threshold (T ≥ 57). Distressed survivors scored significantly higher in somatization (p=0.027) and GSI (p=0.016) than distressed siblings, and also scored higher in somatization (p ≤ 0.001) and anxiety (p=0.002) than psychotherapy patients. In the multivariable regression, psychological distress was associated with female sex, self-reported late effects, and low perceived parental support. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of survivors did not report psychological distress. However, the severity of distress of distressed survivors exceeded that of distressed siblings and psychotherapy patients. Systematic psychological follow-up can help to identify survivors at risk and support them during the challenging period of adolescence.

Swimming prevents vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque development in hypertensive 2-kidney, 1-clip mice by modulating angiotensin II type 1 receptor expression independently from hemodynamic changes.

Exercise is known to reduce cardiovascular risk. However, its role on atherosclerotic plaque stabilization is unknown. Apolipoprotein E(-/-) mice with vulnerable (2-kidney, 1-clip: angiotensin [Ang] II-dependent hypertension model) or stable atherosclerotic plaques (1-kidney, 1-clip: Ang II-independent hypertension model and normotensive shams) were used for experiments. Mice swam regularly for 5 weeks and were compared with sedentary controls. Exercised 2-kidney, 1-clip mice developed significantly more stable plaques (thinner fibrous cap, decreased media degeneration, layering, macrophage content, and increased smooth muscle cells) than sedentary controls. Exercise did not affect blood pressure. Conversely, swimming significantly reduced aortic Ang II type 1 receptor mRNA levels, whereas Ang II type 2 receptor expression remained unaffected. Sympathetic tone also significantly diminished in exercised 2-kidney, 1-clip mice compared with sedentary ones; renin and aldosterone levels tended to increase. Ang II type 1 downregulation was not accompanied by improved endothelial function, and no difference in balance among T-helper 1, T-helper 2, and T regulatory cells was observed between sedentary and exercised mice. These results show for the first time, in a mouse model of Ang II-mediated vulnerable plaques, that swimming prevents atherosclerosis progression and plaque vulnerability. This benefit is likely mediated by downregulating aortic Ang II type 1 receptor expression independent from any hemodynamic change. Ang II type 1 downregulation may protect the vessel wall from the Ang II proatherogenic effects. Moreover, data presented herein further emphasize the pivotal and blood pressure-independent role of Ang II in atherogenesis.

Assessment of youth-friendly health care: a systematic review of indicators drawn from young people's perspectives.

PURPOSE: To review the literature on young people's perspectives on health care with a view to defining domains and indicators of youth-friendly care. METHODS: Three bibliographic databases were searched to identify studies that purportedly measured young people's perspectives on health care. Each study was assessed to identify the constructs, domains, and indicators of adolescent-friendly health care. RESULTS: Twenty-two studies were identified: 15 used quantitative methods, six used qualitative methods and one used mixed methodology. Eight domains stood out as central to young people's positive experience of care. These were: accessibility of health care; staff attitude; communication; medical competency; guideline-driven care; age appropriate environments; youth involvement in health care; and health outcomes. Staff attitudes, which included notions of respect and friendliness, appeared universally applicable, whereas other domains, such as an appropriate environment including cleanliness, were more specific to particular contexts. CONCLUSION: These eight domains provide a practical framework for assessing how well services are engaging young people. Measures of youth-friendly health care should address universally applicable indicators of youth-friendly care and may benefit from additional questions that are specific to the local health setting.