Youth, Volume 4, Issue 2 (June 2024) – 31 articles

Youth homelessness represents a persistent and significant challenge for service sectors with limited best practice guidance. Housing supports, in particular, are widely deployed, with the practice-oriented literature providing little detail regarding service design beyond broad domains such as employment support and life skills coaching. The present multiple case study investigation was designed to develop a preliminary understanding of the guiding principles that attend the development of interventions that support youth exiting homelessness in the Canadian context. These case studies were conducted with a diverse group of five organizations recognized as sector leaders, with findings considered in light of practice standards from the better-established adult housing literature. Key findings with respect to service models included the strategies used to provide flexible, culturally responsive, tailored services with an emphasis on specialist support. Implementation factors included the navigation of strategic partnerships, the use of data in capacity-building, and the benefits and drawbacks of larger, centralized service environments versus smaller, dispersed environments. Youth-specific considerations in housing stabilization models are highlighted. This work contributes to a growing body of literature that seeks to articulate best practices in the effort to address and prevent youth homelessness. Full article

Young adulthood is an important developmental milestone during which individuals could greatly benefit from health promotion tools. Civic engagement has been linked with positive mental health and well-being; however, little is known about civic behavior among young adults who do not attend college. We investigated the relationship between civic engagement and well-being among non-college-bound young adults (NCYAs). Investigators conducted semi-structured focus groups and interviews with 14 young adults (aged 18–25 years old) who were not enrolled in college. Using qualitative thematic analysis procedures, coders defined five key themes within the data pertaining to the intersection of civic engagement and mental health: (1) experiencing, witnessing, and believing in the fruits of civic engagement labor; (2) managing emotions and conflict; (3) balancing individual needs with those of the collective; (4) garnering social connectedness and support; and (5) acting in alignment with values. Participants described complex, bidirectional relationships between civic engagement and well-being. Participants experiencing empowerment and political efficacy resulting from their civic engagement experiences reported greater well-being. Some participants used civic engagement as a strategy to cope with distressing emotions, while others were civically disengaged to avoid conflict and negative affect. Participants described the need to attend to personal needs first before engaging in actions to help the collective. Connecting with others was a notable promoter of well-being among those who were civically active, although negative peer influence was also a notable detractor. Finally, participants described strong value systems and identities related to civic engagement. Civic engagement can elicit both positive and negative emotional, psychological, and social well-being. The results underscore potential mechanisms that mediate the civic engagement to well-being pathway, which can be used to inform efforts to engage and retain NCYAs in civic engagement. Interventionists should cultivate strong coping and conflict management skills among engagers to manage difficult emotions that arise before, during, and after civic activity if health outcomes are to be achieved. Full article

This article explores the experiences of young people navigating an evolving system of housing and homelessness services in Vancouver, Canada. Despite recent shifts toward Housing First policies and calls for prevention-oriented initiatives, many young people continue to rely on temporary emergency accommodations. Amid a surge in youth homelessness and unstable housing in Vancouver, our study examines young people’s “homing” strategies across time and place and temporary and more permanent living environments. We draw from an ongoing ethnographic study that began in 2021 and has involved over 70 interviews and 100 h of fieldwork with 54 young people aged 19 to 29. Our findings emphasize that feeling at home extends beyond having a roof over one’s head for an extended period of time. A focus on homing strategies—that is, the day-to-day practices, routines, and forms of sociality that generate a sense of stability and care even in un-homelike places—highlights how young people can be better supported in making themselves at home in the places where they live, potentially preventing returns to street-based homelessness. This study contributes insights to youth homelessness prevention policies, urging a strengths-based approach that aligns with young people’s needs, priorities, and desires for homemaking. Full article

Scholars have documented positive and negative relationships between adolescents’ critical consciousness and mental health. This study aims to clarify the role of friendship networks contributing to these associations. Using egocentric network data from a nationwide adolescent sample (N = 984, 55.0% female, 23.9% nonbinary, 72.7% non-white), regression analyses examined whether adolescents’ psychological distress and flourishing were predicted by their friend group’s average critical consciousness and the difference between adolescents and their friends on critical consciousness dimensions (sociopolitical action, critical agency, and critical reflection), accounting for network and demographic covariates. Higher friend group critical consciousness positively predicted flourishing, and higher friend group sociopolitical action negatively predicted psychological distress. Adolescents who participated in sociopolitical action more frequently than their friends had higher psychological distress and lower flourishing. Those with higher agency than their friends had lower flourishing. At the individual level, adolescents’ sociopolitical action predicted higher psychological distress and flourishing, critical agency predicted higher flourishing, and critical reflection predicted higher psychological distress and lower flourishing. Adolescent mental health is uniquely related to their friends’ critical consciousness. Findings highlight the utility of social network analyses for understanding social mechanisms that underlie relationships between critical consciousness and mental health. Full article

Dyslexia is classed as a neurobiological difficulty and is referred to as a Specific Learning Disability (SPLD) that primarily affects reading, writing, working memory (WM), and organisational skills. Positive psychology interventions (PPIs) have been found to increase self-esteem, self-efficacy, and confidence and lower anxiety among students with dyslexia. Therefore, to summarise the current evidence on PPIs, a narrative review was undertaken. The review synthesised the findings from six studies that investigated PPIs for dyslexic individuals across various education settings. Four key themes emerged: (1) characteristics and effectiveness of PPIs, (2) level of education, (3) gender differences, and (4) PPIs differences in Western and Eastern countries. The analysis revealed that group interventions in secondary schools positively impacted self-esteem and social skills among dyslexic pupils, while the efficacy of sunflower therapy for dyslexic children showed inconclusive results on academic performance but potential psychological benefits. Socioemotional wellbeing programmes for dyslexic children yielded mixed outcomes, with temporary increases in self-esteem post-programme. Mindfulness meditation demonstrated promise in improving reading accuracy and attention functions in adults with dyslexia. Positive psychology group interventions effectively enhanced subjective wellbeing, academic self-concept, and achievement among dyslexic children. Early interventions showed promise in improving coping strategies, perceived control, and overall wellbeing among students with dyslexia. This review highlights the potential benefits of diverse interventions across different educational settings, emphasising the importance of early support and targeted interventions for individuals with dyslexia. Full article

The primary research question driving this paper is the following: “What are the schooling experiences of young people who are at risk of or experiencing homelessness?” Through interviews with 28 young people in two cities in Ontario, Canada, the authors identified several common experiences, including the following: lack of available information that could help them cope with their housing difficulties; prejudice and bullying from other students, sometimes stemming from their housing problems but also due to factors such as racialization, gender identity, poverty, and substance use; and individual support from some teachers and support staff, although this was dependent on being in school. They proposed changes to help young people still in school, including the inclusion of non-judgmental information and guidance on dealing with poverty and homelessness in school curricula, educating school staff about the ‘symptoms’ of homelessness to help them identify students at risk, and creating more safe and supportive school environments overall. Full article

In recent years, girls and young women have become particularly visible as leaders of activist campaigns and social movements. Drawing on data collected from an ACLU summer program for youth activists and advocates, this study explores the costs and benefits cisgender girls incur as a result of their activism. The findings reveal that although girls report more benefits than costs overall from their activism, the costs are correlated with the number of marginalized identities they hold. Queer Black girls report the greatest overall costs from their activism, and queer Multiracial girls report the highest rates of burnout. Queer White girls report significantly greater overall costs and problems as a result of their activism than heterosexual White girls, more burnout than heterosexual Black girls, and more empowerment than heterosexual Latinas. Informed by intersectionality and the PVEST framework, implications for supporting the sociopolitical action of girls with different social locations are discussed. Full article

Youth homelessness presents a complex and persistent challenge worldwide, particularly affecting young adults between 16 and 24 years of age in the US and Canada. This population faces elevated risks of exploitation, victimization, and various health issues upon detachment from familial support structures. Understanding the multi-faceted nature of youth homelessness requires the consideration of individual, structural, and systemic factors within the socio-ecological model. Historically, when examining youth homelessness, traditional methods have concentrated either on individual factors contributing to homelessness or on broader structural issues within society. The emergence of the new orthodoxy attempted to bridge the apparent gap between individual- and structural-level factors by considering both to be equally significant, but it faced skepticism for its theoretical framework. In response, the “pathways” approach gained traction, emphasizing the subjective experiences and agency of youth experiencing homelessness. Departing from conventional epidemiological models, the pathways approach views homelessness as a dynamic process intertwined with individual life contexts. This paper navigates the scholarly discourse on youth homelessness and examines the distinct characteristics of the pathways approach. By exploring its implications for research and policy, this study contributes to a nuanced understanding of youth homelessness and informs future prevention-focused interventions. Full article

Female undergraduate students have drastically increased in higher education over the last three decades. The increase in the number of students has come during unprecedented cost increases associated with attending a four-year higher education institution. The increases can be related to tuition but are also associated with mandatory fees (fees all students must pay regardless of status). These fees are associated with programs and services that enhance the collegiate experience (academic tutoring, health services, and Game Day activities). Conversely, little is known concerning how holistic experiences (prior experiences) can shape payment methods. Through a quantitative survey analysis that collected female participants’ self-reported data on payment methods across four states, we employed a regression analysis to predict their payment methods. Our findings suggest the (a) demographic characteristics, (b) university knowledge, (c) knowledge and attitudes toward mandatory fees, and (d) several academic capital subsets that shape women’s payment methods. Full article

This study explores anxiety and depression among young individuals in Kosovo, considering socio-political and economic influences. Introducing Positive Youth Development (PYD) as a framework, the study explores its integration with Internal Cohesion Psychotherapy (ICP) to address youth mental health challenges. Empirical evidence underscores ICP’s positive impact on mental health outcomes, emphasizing developmental assets. Thematic analysis of participant narratives reveals six key themes, showcasing ICP’s transformative nature, the critical role of social support networks, values and beliefs, reflections on personal growth, and therapy’s extended impact on relationships. Participants’ stories highlight ICP’s profound influence on personal growth, social relationships, and mental health. The study examines internal and external assets, emphasizing social networks, values, beliefs, and cultural competence. Insights into ICP’s intrapersonal and professional systems reveal developmental assets fostering growth, motivation, and engagement. External assets like empowerment, safety, and service to others, alongside internal assets like commitment to learning, positive values, integrity, and responsibility, contribute to an understanding of factors influencing Kosovo’s young population. In conclusion, the integration of PYD and ICP offers a powerful synergy to address mental health challenges, providing valuable insights into specific developmental assets crucial for optimizing interventions and promoting mental health among young Kosovars. Full article

Youth work is not unitary, has a diverse history, and draws upon differing traditions; however, the focus of all major youth work traditions has been anthropocentric. This approach is now challenged by young people themselves through the climate justice movement, and institutionally through the United Nations Agenda 2030 resolution, which has developed integrated Sustainable Development Goals, which aim to “balance” social, environmental, and economic imperatives. This article examines what insights can be gained from ecopedagogy that would enable youth work to fully integrate an ecological perspective alongside traditional anthropological concerns. The discussion focuses on the nexus and tensions between ecopedagogy and youth work from a theoretical perspective to draw out insights into how changes need to be made to the aims and purposes of youth work, how this might be achieved, and barriers in the current environment. Full article

Selection into a County Age Group (CAG; under 10–18) programme is the first step for young aspiring cricketers on their journey to achieving professional status. Recognising that the British South Asian (BSA) community represents 30% of those who play recreational cricket compared to less than 5% of those who are selected to play at the professional level in England and Wales, it is important to better understand the characteristics of selected and non-selected players based on ethnicity to identify potential sociocultural differences during selection. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the multidimensional factors that differentiated between selected and non-selected adolescent male cricketers as well as between White British (WB) and BSA selected players into a CAG programme. A total of 82 male participants aged between 14 and 17 years were included (mean = 15.3 ± 1.1 years: selected n = 33 and non-selected n = 49: WB n = 34, BSA n = 44, Other n = 4). In total, 104 characteristics were measured over nine tests, which were subsequently placed into five overarching factors: (a) physiological and anthropometrical, (b) perceptual–cognitive expertise, (c) psychological, (d) participation history, and (e) socio-cultural influences. A Bayesian binomial regression was performed in rSTAN using a weak normal prior to highlight differentiators in selection as well as differences between WB and BSA selected players. The results highlighted that athleticism, wellbeing and cohesion, the number of older brothers, and being born in birth quarters two and three were positively correlated with player selection into a CAG. Conversely, increases in psychological scores, a greater number of younger brothers and older sisters, as well as antisocial behaviour resulted in a reduced chance of player selection. Finally, several developmental factors (i.e., athleticism, wellbeing and cohesion, psychological distress, and levels of anti-social behaviour) differed based on ethnicity. These exploratory findings serve as a useful opening to highlight there are important differences to consider based on selection and ethnicity in CAG cricket. Full article

Recent research has documented the relationship between the promotion of ‘ideal’, ‘fit’ bodies in social media, body image and associated body concerns and conditions. This article expands this scholarship, focusing specifically on gender, body disaffection and social media. Thus far, body disaffection has mostly been understood through a psychological framing, as a pathology residing within an individual and strongly associated with poor body image because of internalizing media images. In this paper, drawing on feminist new materialism, I offer a framing of body disaffection as a relational phenomenon. The paper draws on a mixed method study in England, with over 1000 young people examining their experiences with a range of digital health technologies. I focus specifically on their engagement with social media, to explore the relationship between ideal images and body concerns. Far from being a simple process of internalization of negative perceptions or image one has of their body, disaffection is formed through the body via a complex process of entanglement with social media and other elements. I outline how disaffection materialises as part of an assemblage of elements, including discourses, humans, bodies, digital objects and platforms. The paper reveals how entanglements with social media can generate powerful affects such as shame, pleasure and belonging along gendered lines, which may have significant implications for young people’s relationships with their bodies. I analyse how social media events focused on the ‘transformation’ of bodies generate powerful affects, which open or limit capacities for what ‘boys’ or ‘girls’ bodies might become in deeply gendered and sometimes harmful ways. Full article

Young people need opportunities that support their well-being while enabling them to take meaningful action. There has been strong interest in youth participatory action research (YPAR) as a form of sociopolitical action for marginalized youth seeking to address inequities that undermine individual and community well-being. The rapid growth of the YPAR literature in the last decade has involved studies analyzing the impact of YPAR on dimensions of youth empowerment, sociopolitical development (SPD), and well-being. The relatively new framework of Transformative Social Emotional Learning (tSEL) is potentially fruitful in identifying relevant constructs, skills, and strategies to support well-being during the YPAR process. This article seeks to advance our integrative conceptualization and analysis of the impact of YPAR by (1) considering the overlapping and unique dimensions of SPD and tSEL: agency, belonging, collaborative problem solving, curiosity, identity, societal involvement, and worldview and social analysis; and (2) applying this integrative lens to the analysis of novel data from an updated systematic review of U.S. and international YPAR studies (2015–2022). We summarize youth outcomes reported in 25 studies to assess the evidence for YPAR as an approach for promoting youth SPD and tSEL outcomes, identifying limitations and next steps for advancing our understanding of these impacts. Full article

In recent times, research has focused on positive youth development (PYD) amidst the deficits of youth. However, little is known about PYD and its potential to predict social engagement. Thus, this study aimed to examine the presence of the 5Cs of PYD (competence, confidence, connection, character, and caring) and its difference in gender and prediction to contribution, specifically social engagement among family, peers, schools, and community. The sample size consisted of Nigerian youth in University (N = 394, M_age = 18.42, SD = 1.02). The PYD framework served as the theoretical perspective underpinning the study. Questionnaires were administered using the 5Cs model of PYD and contribution items. Data were analysed for descriptive, correlations, and hierarchical regression to examine the predictors of contribution while controlling for demographics. The results showed greater scores in competence, connection, and character for women. Competence and connection (β = 0.56, p < 0.05) specifically had significantly independent associations with community volunteerism. While the findings highlight the Cs experienced and predictive values among each variable in the Nigerian context, future research could consider how each domain of the 5Cs holistically promotes contribution equally in males and females among diverse Nigerian youth. The research has implications for research, policy, and practice. Full article

This study examined experiences of individual, institutional, and cultural racism, along with critical consciousness (i.e., critical reflection, critical agency, critical action), and how they are associated with mental health outcomes for Black adolescents (N = 604; M_age = 15.4; 47.4% female). Consistent with previous research, we found that more experiences of racism were associated with more mental health distress for Black adolescents. We also found that the relationship between racism and mental health varied by critical reflection and critical action, in a three-way interaction effect. The positive association between racism and mental health distress was weaker for the Black adolescents in our sample who reported higher than average critical reflection and lower than average critical action. This evidence suggests that the reflection and action components of critical consciousness, together, can serve as an adaptive coping strategy to guard against the harm racism can cause to mental health. Black adolescents experience less mental health distress when they have a deep understanding of oppression, but do not engage heavily in actions to dismantle those unjust systems. These findings have implications for how youth researchers and practitioners can support critical consciousness development in ways that do not compromise adolescent mental health. Full article

Black young adults participate in activism to challenge and transform oppressive systems. In this qualitative study, we employed thematic analysis and used the framework of sociopolitical development (SPD) to explore their motivations and challenges to participation amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the summer of 2020 in the United States. Semi-structured interviews with 22 Black young adults in early 2022 revealed that social identities, sense of legacy, impact, and morals drove their participation. Further, contending with systemic oppression, impact, harm, and working with others challenged their participation. This study holds valuable insights for stakeholders as they support and empower young Black activists navigating social justice efforts in our dynamic and evolving sociopolitical landscape. Further, this work highlights the enduring tradition of activism within the Black community and emphasizes the need to empower young Black activists as change agents in the pursuit of a more equitable society. Full article

Discrimination based on ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation remains a critical concern across Europe, including within the sphere of youth sports. Research has shown that youth sports can be a fertile environment for discrimination and bullying and that coaches play a key role in preventing or mitigating discriminatory situations. Given the crucial role of coaches, it is therefore important to build our understanding of the experiences, perspectives, and needs of those coaches concerning discrimination in sports. Against this background, this paper presents the results of an applied survey of 174 European youth sport coaches conducted as part of the INCLUDE project. In particular, this survey focuses on the experiences of coaches when witnessing and reporting discrimination, as well as their perspectives on what needs to be done in the policy and educational areas to combat issues of discrimination. Results show that 25% of coaches witness discrimination on a monthly basis and that fans or spectators are perceived as the most common perpetrators. To combat the issues, coaches report a need for greater policy support, funding, training, and awareness raising. To conclude, we discuss the practical, policy, and research implications of these findings. Full article

Background: The prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among young adults aged 18 to 25 in the U.S. is particularly high. Parental communication about sex is crucial in reducing sexual risk behaviors among this group. Due to cultural taboos about sex among Asian and Latino families, little is known about parental sex communication’s prevalence among these groups and its impact on young adults’ sexual behaviors and attitudes. Methods: This study aimed to explore the association between parental sex communication, attitudes toward sex communication, and sexual behaviors among Asian, Latino, and White young adults. A sample of 205 young adults, including 63 Asian, 48 Latino, and 94 non-Hispanic White young adults (Age M = 20.04, SD = 1.22; 68% females; 70% sexually active), completed an online survey. Results: Asian young adults reported significantly lower rates of parental sex communication (39.7%) compared to Latino (69.6%) and White young adults (67.7%) (χ² = 14.07, df = 2, p < 0.001). Parental sex communication predicted viewing sexual topics as cultural taboos among Latino young adults (p < 0.05), subsequently predicting sexual risk behaviors like having multiple partners (β = −4.05, SE = 1.45, p = 0.03). Conclusions: Asian participants’ attitudes and sexual risk behaviors may be influenced by factors beyond familial discussions due to the lack of parental sex communication. Conversely, parental discussions among Latino participants negatively impact attitudes and behaviors related to sexual risk. Strategies for reducing sexual risk behaviors should guide parents in navigating sensitive discussions, especially within Asian and Latino families where such topics are taboo. Full article

In the late 1970s, adolescents in East Harlem, New York, participated in a program called the Youth Action Program where they worked collectively to address systemic issues causing inequities in their communities (e.g., inequities in housing and education). In the current study, we integrate the sociopolitical development framework with life-course health development to explore how participation in the program shaped adolescents’ skills and capacities for social transformation in ways that were health-promotive and informative for life trajectories. Data included retrospective interviews and member-checking focus group data of 10 former Youth Action Program members (current M_age = 63; 45% female; 55% male) from predominantly Black and Latinx backgrounds. We used reflexive thematic analysis and adopted a case study approach to highlight how participants’ adolescent experiences of sociopolitical development and resistance against oppressive circumstances propelled healthy life-course development. Specifically, participants were able to establish healthy lives through four health-promotive sociopolitical developmental processes: questioning the system not the self; carving out alternative spaces and pathways; building agency in a dehumanizing society; and finding purpose through committing to social change. Our study suggests that contemporary youth organizing programs can incorporate sustaining practices including the careful vetting and training of adult staff, pursuing tangible opportunities to create change, and embedding youth voice and leadership into programmatic structures to encourage healthy development via sociopolitical development. Full article

Despite a rhetorical turn towards prevention in homelessness policy and research, the work of youth homelessness prevention continues to be frustrated by persistent structural barriers. In this article, we examine how youth homelessness prevention is being implemented in the province of Ontario, with a focus on targeted provincial support programs and local shelter diversion practices. Drawing on interviews with workers in the homeless-serving sector, we describe the implementation of these initiatives and identify points of frustration and potential that workers encounter as they try to prevent experiences of homelessness for youth. We contend that these points of frustration illuminate persistent structural barriers that continue to forestall the work of youth homelessness prevention. Meanwhile, points of potential demonstrate the importance of empowering workers to creatively adapt and offer responsive services. Taken together, these signal the critical importance of two aspects of contemporary homelessness prevention typologies—primordial prevention and empowerment. We end by offering aspirations for action, a political reframing of the policy recommendations sections more typical of social science research articles. We do so to affirm our commitment to advancing the work of structural transformation that is required to achieve the right to housing for all, including youth. Full article

The current study aims to explore the relevance of ‘time spent with parents’ for different risk behaviors (i.e., alcohol use, smoking, gambling and problematic social media use), peer factors (i.e., time spent with peers, peer pressure and peer support) and parenting behaviors (i.e., control, relatedness and family support). A cross-sectional design was employed, including 2165 adolescents aged from 12 to 18 years (Mage = 14.7, SD = 1.33; 52% girls; 30% in pre-vocational education). Independent sample t-tests were performed to compare different contrasting groups (≤1 h vs. >1 h; ≤2 h vs. >2 h; ≤3 h and >3 h) for relevant outcomes. Results. Adolescents spending on average >1 h per day with their parents in joint activities reported lower levels of risk behavior, less peer pressure, more peer support and more parental control, relatedness and family support. At the same time, this does not seem to come at the expense of spending time with peers, as adolescents spending 1 h or more with their parents did not spend less time with their peers. All the findings point at the relevance of parents spending time and undertaking joint activities with their adolescent children. Full article

The objectives of the present study were to describe civic attitudes and behaviors among Latinx child farmworkers in North Carolina, examine civic outcomes across relevant demographic characteristics, and discuss the implications for research on sociopolitical development among Latinx child farmworkers and for developmental theory. Descriptive statistics (count, percent, or mean, standard deviation as appropriate) were calculated for demographic and civic variables. Associations between the demographic variables and the four civic summary variables were calculated using Generalized Linear Models, the Kruskal–Wallis test, t-tests, or Chi-Square tests. Latinx child farmworkers in North Carolina (N = 169; ages 11–19, M_age = 15.8, 62.7% boys) endorsed relatively high levels of beliefs that society is fair and connections/efficacy in their communities. They reported relatively low involvement in volunteering and political activity. Future work should examine how the daily lives and experiences of child farmworkers inform their developing ideas about civic life in the US and their behavioral participation as they mature. Full article

The meaning of care in residential child care is under-developed. It can often be represented through its absence, seen as offering at best basic physical tending but lacking emotional connection or warmth. At worst, residential care settings said to be institutionally abusive can be characterised as being antithetical to what we might imagine care should be. Residential schools and especially those run by religious orders attract particular opprobrium in this regard. In this article, I adopt a broadly autoethnographic approach to reflect on how boys (now men in their late 40s and early 50s) brought up in the 1980s in a Scottish residential school recall being cared for. The article uses Axel Honneth’s theory of recognition and its three pillars of love, rights and solidarity to group themes from how former pupils speak about their experiences of care. These accounts challenge the received narrative of such settings failing to offer care. The discussion reflects some ideas around care and about how we understand public care historically. Full article

Parents/caregivers remain important in the lives of emerging adults in the modern era and understanding the ways in which parents of emerging adults balance responsiveness, demandingness, and autonomy support can help inform evidence-based recommendations around developmentally appropriate protective parenting. The present study identified four “parenting styles” in emerging adulthood in a sample of 680 4-year university and community college students (M = 19.0, ranging from 18 to 25; 70.7% female, 22.6% male) who reported on their primary parent/caregiver’s parenting behaviors. These parenting styles largely overlapped with traditional conceptualizations of parenting styles (two authoritarian profiles, a potentially indulgent profile, and a profile characterized by the average levels of all parenting behaviors measured, which may reflect the modern authoritative parenting style of emerging adults). No hypothesized overparenting profile emerged. The potentially indulgent profile saw the lowest levels of depression, mood, and anxiety symptoms, whereas the potentially indulgent and authoritative profiles saw the most positive wellbeing outcomes. The findings underscore the way in which responsiveness and autonomy support in emerging adulthood appear developmentally appropriate and adaptive, and how helicopter parenting does not appear to be as important as other aspects of parent–emerging adult relationships. Full article

This article reviews the impacts of the UK Conservative Party’s government policies on ‘open access youth work’ since 2010, giving particular attention to the period since 2018 and to impacts in England. After clarifying the practice’s distinctive features, it outlines the ‘austerity’ demolition of its local provision and—amid continuing wider financial pressures—changes in the role and contributions of the voluntary youth sector. It lists a range of ‘gesture’ funds for financing responses to young people’s needs and interests as the government has defined them and uses the Youth Investment Fund (YIF) as a case study of how this money has been made available and allocated. Initiatives taken by the Department of Digital, Media, Culture and Sport (DCMS) are then examined: its Youth Review, National Youth Guarantee, review of the statutory guidance to local authorities, and support for ‘youth volunteering’. Two key developments are then considered that, by early 2024, were diverting and inhibiting an even partial sustained reinstatement of the lost open access youth work facilities. One, at the policy level, is the redefinition of ‘youth work’ by governments and by some within the youth work sector itself as a wide range of out-of-school practices with young people; the other, at the point of delivery, is the on-going difficulties in recruiting youth workers, especially those with direct practice experience. Finally, two possible tentative suggestions for some reinstatement of open access youth work provisions are then discussed. Full article

Self-regulation has been shown to play a protective role against youth substance abuse, but less is known about its influence on bullying behavior. In the present study, we examined several forms of bullying (physical, social, cyber, and all forms combined) and roles (bullies, victims, and bully-victims). Students (N = 1977, ages 11 to 13) from 27 middle schools throughout the United States (US) completed an online self-reported assessment of bullying and its hypothesized etiologic determinants. Across the outcomes, analyses revealed that social bullying was most prevalent, followed by physical bullying and cyberbullying. For bullying roles, almost two-thirds of students reported bullying victimization, nearly one-quarter reported bullying perpetration, and one in five students reported both. Of those reporting perpetration, 9 of 10 reported being victimized. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to examine the associations between self-regulation, bystander intervention skills, and bullying. For all forms of bullying combined, self-regulation was protective against bullying perpetration (OR 0.51, 95% CI: 0.42, 0.63) and perpetration/victimization (OR 0.55, 95% CI: 0.44, 0.68), while bystander intervention skills were not protective. Similar patterns emerged for physical, social, and cyberbullying. Collectively, these findings indicate that building self-regulation skills may be a critical component of interventions aimed at preventing bullying among school-aged youth. Full article

As Black and Latina adolescent girls experience race and gender discrimination, they may turn to their families to explore their beliefs about and responses to systemic injustice and oppression. Familial racial socialization is a likely entry point for critical action (like community activism), linking ethnic–racial identity and critical consciousness in youth development. We used hierarchical linear regression to investigate whether familial racial socialization moderated the relationship between experiences of gendered racism and community activism. We analyzed survey data for 315 Black (n = 158) and Latina/Afro-Latina (n = 157) girls (n = 282) and gender-expansive youth (age 13–17) from the southern United States. We found that girls who received more familial socialization and were more frequently stereotyped as being angry participated in more low-risk and formal political activism. Also, Black and Latina girls who were more frequently stereotyped as angry and received more messages about racism from their families engaged in more high-risk activism, while girls who were more frequently perceived as angry and received less racial socialization engaged in less high-risk activism. We discuss the implications of our results for families, educators, and scholars who support Black and Latina girls’ sociopolitical development. Full article

This study examined the risk of low energy availability (LEA) and eating disorders among elite adolescent female athletes from a mixed-sport cohort and ballet dancers in Singapore, where the accelerated biological needs of adolescent growth and maturation overlap with the pursuit of sport/ballet excellence and high-stakes academic testing. All of these are competing demands for adequate fuelling and seeking timely treatment, which consequently affect the risk of LEA. Eighty-nine participants (41 athletes, 48 dancers; age 16.00 [3.00] years old) were screened for the risk of LEA and eating disorders using the Low Energy Availability in Females Questionnaire (LEAF-Q) and Brief Eating Disorder in Athletes Questionnaire (BEDA-Q), respectively. The main effects of athlete/ballet status and age (≤15 years old versus 15.1 years–18 years old) on LEAF-Q and BEDA-Q scores was be determined via Spearman’s correlation coefficient and linear regression analyses. The Mann–Whitney U test and Fisher’s exact test were used to compare the groups for the risk of LEA and ED. We observed that adolescent athletes and ballet dancers had a similar prevalence of being at risk of LEA (61.98% versus 54.17%, respectively, p = 0.529), with the risk of eating disorders absent in most of them. It appeared that the risk of LEA is likely of an unintentional nature in this study as the risk of ED was absent in 90.2% of the adolescent athletes/ballet dancers that were at risk of LEA. The age of the participants was significantly correlated with the risk of LEA, while the number of training hours was negatively correlated with the same factor. Age was also found to be negatively correlated with the number of training hours. The findings suggest that the risk of LEA in Singapore youth athletes and dancers are multifaceted, involving factors such as type of activity, age, and training hours. Targeted and tailored interventions and programmes are thus needed to promote adequate energy availability for optimal physical and psychological growth in sport and dance. Full article

The online environment, where the boundaries between the domains of home, school, work, and leisure are blurred, poses new challenges for youth work practice. Due to limited research on this subject matter, the theoretical underpinnings of the online youth work practice are constrained. The fulfilment of youth work’s aims online, the position it can take in the online context, and its relation to its partners in the online lifeworld need a theoretical base. This paper seeks to analyse the role of youth work in the online lifeworld according to adolescents and youth work’s partners. The research was conducted in the Netherlands in collaboration with 14 youth work organisations. A qualitative research design was used: group conversations with young people and semi-structured interviews with youth work’s partners (i.e., parents, schools, informal networks, neighbourhood support teams, police, and municipal officials). The findings indicate that youth work in the online lifeworld, according to the respondents, is part of the general youth work practice, with a primary role of addressing the developmental needs of young people and creating new developmental opportunities. This role is expected to be fulfilled by engaging and connecting with young people in the online lifeworld and providing them instrumental, informational, socioemotional, and cognitive support. To do so, according to the partners, youth workers can make use of their vantage position in the online relationship with adolescents in order to access online information relevant for support and prudent prevention aimed at adolescents’ development. This vantage position may potentially encourage a collaboration between young people and partners, and between the online and offline youth work practice. Full article