Group cognitive behavioural therapy program shows potential in reducing symptoms of depression and stress among young people with ASD

We examined the efficacy of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) delivered in groups on the reduction of symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress in young people on the autism spectrum. Utilising a quasi-experimental design, comparisons were made between individuals allocated to a group intervention program and individuals allocated to a waitlist. Following the intervention program, participants who were initially symptomatic reported significantly lower depression and stress scores on the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales in comparison to individuals on the waitlist. There was no significant change in anxiety related symptoms. The benefits were maintained at 3 and 9 month follow-up. Our findings demonstrate the potential of CBT in a small group setting for assisting young people with ASD who have symptoms of depression and stress.

Young people, pleasure, and the normalization of pornography: sexual health and well-being in a time of proliferation?

It has been argued that pornography is the most prominent sex educator for young people today (Flood, M. (2010). Young men using pornography. In E. Boyle (Ed.), Everyday Pornography (pp. 164–178). Oxford: Routledge). Research indicates that first exposure to pornography can be as young as 11 years of age. There is evidence that exposure to pornography is shaping young people’s sexual expectations and practices (H€aggstro ̈ m-Nordin et al. 2005). Many young people are learning what sex looks like from what they – or their partner or peers – observe in pornography. Significantly,pornography is normalizing sex acts that most women do not enjoy and may experience as degrading, painful, or violating. This raises serious implications for young people’s capacity to develop a sexuality that incorporates mutual pleasure, respect, and negotiation of free and full consent.While the results are complex and nuanced, research into the effects of pornography consumption provides reliable evidence that exposure to pornography increases aggressive attitudes and behavior towards women for some viewers (Malamuth et al. Annual Review of Sex Research 11, 26–91, 2000). Pornography consumption also has been found to be associated with sexual health risk taking and can impact negatively on body image and sense of self (Dean, L. (2007). Young Men, Pornography and Sexual Health Promotion, MA Research, Brighton University, Brighton, in possession of the author), and as such is a serious health and well-being issue, particularly for young women.This chapter explores preservice teachers’ reactions to pornography education using two examples from teaching of an elective Teaching Sexuality in the Middle Years, in 2011. These examples explore the complex emotions such teaching can generate and the challenges faced by preservice teachers when they are encouraged to confront the gendered and violent consequences of the normalization of pornography in a coeducational setting.

Keeping connected: the lives of young people with ongoing health conditions in Australia

This chapter draws from a three year longitudinal Australian Research Council (ARC) project conducted in Victoria, Australia with 31 young people who were living with ongoing health conditions. The aim of the Keeping Connected project was to elicit the young people’s views of schooling, their relationships with peers and teachers, and their altered educational opportunities, given their ongoing and widely varying health conditions. Elsewhere in the literature these young people are often described as living with chronic illness (Hopkins et al., 2013; Moss, 2012). Victoria, Australia, is home to more than 1.2 million children and young people, representing just under 25% of the national child population. The Royal Children’s Hospital Education Institute (RCHEI), one of the sponsoring research partners for this study is located in Melbourne, the capital city of Victoria. The study makes a unique contribution to our knowledge of chronic illness, or what we prefer to refer to as ongoing health conditions, which affect 12% of school age students in Australia. One of my ongoing observations is that not all research that is produced in the name of social justice or analysing exclusions in schooling is approached through the repositioning of the qualitative research which has occurred over the past two decades. Throughout this chapter I aim to demonstrate how a post qualitative approach can produce a secondary analysis of data once a large scale project is completed. Data can be reworked and represented through networks of the social world, in this case the networks of living with an ongoing health condition as a young person in Australia at the end of the first decade of the twentieth first century.

What young people say about physical activity: the children's sport and physical activity study

The Children’s Sport Participation and Physical Activity (CSPPA) study is a unique multi-centre/ discipline study undertaken by three Irish institutions, Dublin City University, University of Limerick and University College Cork. The study sought to assess participation in physical activity, physical education and sport (PAPES) among 10-18 year olds in Ireland. This paper shares what Irish children and young people convey, using their own voices, about their sport and physical activity (PA) experiences and how such experiences may result in their feeling included or excluded in PAPES. Eighteen focus groups (FG) with 124 boys and girls elicited descriptive data from students and were conducted with homogeneous groups of 6-8 boys and girls aged 12-18 years (selected for convenience) identified as male/female, primary/post-primary and generally active/ inactive. Five themes (‘being with friends’, ‘variety in activity content’, ‘experiencing fun’, ‘time constraints’ and ‘opportunity to be outside’) ran across the three PAPES opportunities for young people. Overall data revealed that these young people have a positive attitude towards PA which does not diminish as they age despite activity levels decreasing. Other choices of activity participation (e.g. debate, music), or more focused activities took the place of previous choices as young people came to realise what they most enjoyed. If we are to encourage and provide opportunities for young people to choose active lifestyles, it is important that we address what these young people report affects their involvement in PA across a number of contexts. Two such developments within Irish school and community contexts are discussed: Active School Flag initiative and Senior Cycle Physical Education framework.

Young people's perceptions of the risks of methamphetamine use in Adelaide nightclubs: a quantitative study

Understanding young people’s perceptions of the risks associated with the use of methamphetamines is an important but under-researched area. Precisely how these young people use the space of Adelaide nightclubs, perceive such drug risks, employ risk management strategies and how these factors interact to influence their experience of methamphetamines in the nightclub is largely unknown. This article presents self-report data drawn from a sample of 457 young people who completed the Perception of Risk survey questionnaire while waiting to enter one of five key Adelaide nightclubs in 2010. Participants were examined in terms of gender, age, drug use history, motivations for nightclub attendance and frequency of nightclub attendance. Approximately one-fifth of the sample reported using methamphetamines (21.0 percent).Participants demonstrated a pattern of attendance at Adelaide nightclubs that reflects a broader understanding of the important role of the nightclub in their social lives, which for some also involves the use of methamphetamines. Specifically, participants’ motivations for ‘nightclubbing’ concern the consumption of leisure and are guided by social group membership, in which methamphetamine use is not prioritised, as evident in the development of knowledge and risk management strategies to ensure safe consumption in the club. Perceptions of risk reflect concern surrounding unregulated methamphetamine use, as well as gendered concerns linked to safety and the prevalence of alcohol misuse, violence, drink spiking, physical injury and sexual assault. These findings were consistent across the sample, suggesting a shift in youth nightclub culture that has numerous implications for understanding and reducing the use of methamphetamines and regulation of the night-time economy generally, which are discussed herein.

Parent and family factors associated with service use by young people with mental health problems: a systematic review

AIM: To conduct a systematic review of parent and family factors associated with service use for young people with mental health problems, to inform early intervention efforts aimed at increasing service use by young people. METHODS: A systematic search of academic databases was performed. Articles were included in the review if they had: a sample of young people aged between 5 and 18 years; service use as the outcome measure; one or more parental or family variables as a predictor; and a comparison group of non-service using young people with mental health problems. In order to focus on factors additional to need, the mental health symptoms of the young person also had to be controlled for. Stouffer's method of combining P-values was used to draw conclusions as to whether or not associations between variables were reliable. RESULTS: Twenty-eight articles were identified investigating 15 parental or family factors, 7 of which were found to be associated with service use for a young person with mental health needs: parental burden, parent problem perception, parent perception of need, parent psychopathology, single-parent household, change in family structure and being from the dominant ethnic group for the United States specifically. Factors not found to be related to service use were: family history of service use, parent-child relationship quality, family functioning, number of children, parent education level, parent employment status, household income and non-urban location of residence. CONCLUSIONS: A number of family-related factors were identified that can inform effective interventions aimed at early intervention for mental health problems. Areas requiring further research were also identified.

Smartphone apps to improve fitness and increase physical activity among young people: protocol of the Apps for IMproving FITness (AIMFIT) randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Physical activity is a modifiable behavior related to many preventable non-communicable diseases. There is an age-related decline in physical activity levels in young people, which tracks into adulthood. Common interactive technologies such as smartphones, particularly employing immersive features, may enhance the appeal and delivery of interventions to increase levels of physical activity in young people. The primary aim of the Apps for IMproving FITness (AIMFIT) trial is to evaluate the effectiveness of two popular "off-the-shelf" smartphone apps for improving cardiorespiratory fitness in young people.

METHODS/DESIGN: A three-arm, parallel, randomized controlled trial will be conducted in Auckland, New Zealand. Fifty-one eligible young people aged 14-17 years will be randomized to one of three conditions: 1) use of an immersive smartphone app, 2) use of a non-immersive app, or 3) usual behavior (control). Both smartphone apps consist of an eight-week training program designed to improve fitness and ability to run 5 km, however, the immersive app features a game-themed design and adds a narrative. Data are collected at baseline and 8 weeks. The primary outcome is cardiorespiratory fitness, assessed as time to complete the one mile run/walk test at 8 weeks. Secondary outcomes are physical activity levels, self-efficacy, enjoyment, psychological need satisfaction, and acceptability and usability of the apps. Analysis using intention to treat principles will be performed using regression models.

DISCUSSION: Despite the proliferation of commercially available smartphone applications, there is a dearth of empirical evidence to support their effectiveness on the targeted health behavior. This pragmatic study will determine the effectiveness of two popular "off-the-shelf" apps as a stand-alone instrument for improving fitness and physical activity among young people. Adherence to app use will not be closely controlled; however, random allocation of participants, a heterogeneous group, and data analysis using intention to treat principles provide internal and external validity to the study. The primary outcome will be objectively assessed with a valid and reliable field-based test, as well as the secondary outcome of physical activity, via accelerometry. If effective, such applications could be used alongside existing interventions to promote fitness and physical activity in this population. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry: ACTRN12613001030763. Registered 16 September 2013.

Clinical and histopathological analysis of oral squamous cell carcinoma in young people A descriptive study in Brazilians

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Urban segregation and public space: young people in enclaves of structural poverty

Includes bibliography

Problemas y perspectivas de la integración de los jóvenes en las sociedades latinoamericanas = Integration of young people into Latin American societies: problems and prospects

Incluye Bibliografía