Does screening high school students for psychological distress, deliberate self-harm, or suicidal ideation cause distress--and is it acceptable? An Australian-based study

Programs designed to detect students at risk of depression and suicidality have shown success (Shaffer et al., 2004). The current study sought to examine whether or not such a program was acceptable to participants and whether or not it caused distress. Participants were boys aged 14 to 16. Participants were assessed using an on-line questionnaire; acceptability was measured via postal questionnaire. Of 272 participants, 31 (11.4%) were considered at-risk; 13 required ongoing support, 8 of whom had not previously sought help. Overall screening did not appear to cause significant undue distress, although some differences were evident between at-risk and not at-risk students. All participants found the program acceptable. When conducted carefully, early detection programs can be an effective and acceptable method of identifying at-risk adolescents.

Stories from high school and prisons rattle institutional cages

AbstractThis paper is based on two research projects. One considered ‘unsettling’Aboriginal prisoner education and the other ‘troubling’ education in high school.Juxtaposed are two critical research methodologies; critical ethnography and arelational critical allied methodology. Whilst these may at first appear very similar,on closer scrutiny it becomes clearer that independently, the place of the researcherbecomes situated in a somewhat different relationship with participants. Inworking through these layers of difference, what emerges are the entwined voicesof participants who are clearly telling us what ‘bars hold them in their cages’ andwhat spaces between could be transformational.

Psychosocial moderators of associations between life events and changes in physical activity after leaving high school

To examine 1) associations between life events and changes in leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) in school leavers and 2) whether these associations are moderated by psychosocial factors.

Healthy weight regulation and eating disorder prevention in high school students: a universal and targeted web-based intervention

Background: Given the rising rates of obesity in children and adolescents, developing evidence-based weight loss or weight maintenance interventions that can be widely disseminated, well implemented, and are highly scalable is a public health necessity. Such interventions should ensure that adolescents establish healthy weight regulation practices while also reducing eating disorder risk.

Objective: This study describes an online program, StayingFit, which has two tracks for universal and targeted delivery and was designed to enhance healthy living skills, encourage healthy weight regulation, and improve weight/shape concerns among high school adolescents.

Methods: Ninth grade students in two high schools in the San Francisco Bay area and in St Louis were invited to participate. Students who were overweight (body mass index [BMI] >85th percentile) were offered the weight management track of StayingFit; students who were normal weight were offered the healthy habits track. The 12-session program included a monitored discussion group and interactive self-monitoring logs. Measures completed pre- and post-intervention included self-report height and weight, used to calculate BMI percentile for age and sex and standardized BMI (zBMI), Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) nutrition data, the Weight Concerns Scale, and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale.

Results: A total of 336 students provided informed consent and were included in the analyses. The racial breakdown of the sample was as follows: 46.7% (157/336) multiracial/other, 31.0% (104/336) Caucasian, 16.7% (56/336) African American, and 5.7% (19/336) did not specify; 43.5% (146/336) of students identified as Hispanic/Latino. BMI percentile and zBMI significantly decreased among students in the weight management track. BMI percentile and zBMI did not significantly change among students in the healthy habits track, demonstrating that these students maintained their weight. Weight/shape concerns significantly decreased among participants in both tracks who had elevated weight/shape concerns at baseline. Fruit and vegetable consumption increased for both tracks. Physical activity increased among participants in the weight management track, while soda consumption and television time decreased.

Conclusions: Results suggest that an Internet-based, universally delivered, targeted intervention may support healthy weight regulation, improve weight/shape concerns among participants with eating disorders risk, and increase physical activity in high school students. Tailored content and interactive features to encourage behavior change may lead to sustainable improvements in adolescent health.

The discourse of public education: an urban campaign for a local public high school in Melbourne, Victoria

This paper explores the metonymic slippage surrounding the discourse of public education, through observations and interviews with Lawson High School active campaigners in the state of Victoria, Australia. The notion of campaigning for public education has become an ever-present issue on an international scale, and this article aims to contribute qualitative knowledge regarding the key concepts that lobbyists produce and articulate within their meetings concerning public education. Data have been obtained through direct participatory observation within a contextually specific campaigning site, lobbyists' publications and one-on-one interviews with active campaigners. Findings indicate that campaigners present distinct conceptualisations of public education as a discourse and a well-defined model of their school-of-choice.

A longitudinal study of the association of adolescent polydrug use, alcohol use and high school non-completion

AIMS: Failure to complete high school predicts substantial economic and social disadvantage in adult life. The aim of this study was to determine the longitudinal association of mid-adolescent polydrug use and high school non-completion, relative to other drug use profiles. DESIGN: A longitudinal analysis of the relationship between polydrug use in three cohorts at grade 9 (age 14-15 years) and school non-completion (reported post-high school). SETTING: A State-representative sample of students across Victoria, Australia. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 2287 secondary school students from 152 high schools. The retention rate was 85%. MEASUREMENTS: The primary outcome was non-completion of grade 12 (assessed at age 19-23 years). At grade 9, predictors included 30-day use of eight drugs, school commitment, academic failure and peer drug use. Other controls included socio-economic status, family relationship quality, depressive symptoms, gender, age and cohort. FINDINGS: Three distinct classes of drug use were identified-no drug use (31.7%), mainly alcohol use (61.8%) and polydrug use (6.5%). Polydrug users were characterized by high rates of alcohol, tobacco and cannabis use. In the full model, mainly alcohol users and polydrug users were less likely to complete school than non-drug users [odds ratio (OR) = 1.54, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.17-2.03) and OR = 2.51, 95% CI = 1.45-4.33), respectively, P < 0.001]. These effects were independent of school commitment, academic failure, peer drug use and other controls. CONCLUSIONS: Mid-adolescent polydrug use in Australia predicts subsequent school non-completion after accounting for a range of potential confounding factors. Adolescents who mainly consume alcohol are also at elevated risk of school non-completion.

Class Action: Homeless in high school, Jessica Boyle fought to make Colby a place where students from all backgrounds can thrive

Once a homeless teen, Jessica Boyle ’12 worked to make Colby a place where students like her can thrive.

Affirmative action in college admission and the proficiency of high school students

Economic theory suggests that a¢ rmative action can either reduce or enhance incentives to invest in human capital. Empirical evidence on this matter, however, is still lacking. Using di¤erence in di¤er- ence estimates, this paper evaluates the e¤ects of the quota system in the admission to Brazilian public universities on the pro ciency of high school students. Our ndings show that favored groups attained lower scores, suggesting a negative link between a¢ rmative action and incentives for e¤ort and skill acquisition.

Diurnal variation in oral temperature, sleepiness and performance of high school girls

Evaluation of rhythmic fluctuations cf physical and mental variables should be of special significance for the understanding of students' performance and setting the schedules of school activities. The present study investigated the pattern of diurnal variation in oral temperature, sleepiness and performance of a group of adolescents undergoing a daytime school schedule. Eighteen girls (mean age 16 years-old), who attended the same class from 0715h to 1645h, were tested on seven days. They measured their oral temperature, quantified their sleepiness level by means of a visual analogue scale, and completed the following tests: letter cancellation test, addition test, and a simple motor task. One-way ANOVA statistics for repeated measures was used in order to verify the effect of test time on oral temperature,sleepiness and performance. Possible correlations between the level of sleepiness and performance were investigated by means of Spearman rank correlation. The results revealed significant time of day effect cn all variables, except for the number of addition errors. Oral temperature values showed an increase from morning to afternoon. Letter cancellation, motor task and addition scores increased from early morning to late afternoon, showing rapid fluctuations throughout the day. Sleepiness level was negatively correlated with letter cancellation scores during the first three tests of the day. In agreement with other work, the diurnal variation of oral temperature, letter cancellation and addition test showed an improvement as the day progressed. Sleepiness, on the other hand, decreased throughout the day, with the highest level associated with the first test of the day, suggesting a circadian pattern of variation rather than a cumulative effect due to school activities.

What does the National High School Exam (enem) tell Brazilian society?

This article assesses the limitations and potentials of the National High School Exam (ENEM) as an indicator of school effectiveness in Brazil, and considers the effects of introducing contextual variables. A multilevel regression analysis was performed on three levels (individual, school and state) using microdata on 17,359 schools from 2009 and 2010. Contextual factors made it possible to explain 79% of the difference between schools. The raw average and value-added (random effect at the school level) produced contrasting evaluations in 34% of cases; and the average was more stable (r = 0.8) than value-added (r = 0.5) in both years. Various shortcomings in the ENEM as an indicator of school effectiveness were identified. The results show that this league table reveals more about socioeconomic conditions than the schools' own merit, in other words the value-added they are supposedly providing to the students.