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Introduction: Early diagnosis and treatment concerning bipolar disorder (BD) are related to a better functioning over the long-term period. Although pharmacotherapy is indicated for approximately all youths with BD, nearly one-third of patients do not receive adequate medications for their condition. Areas covered: The authors discuss the available scientific evidence from the current literature about the management of BD in both children and adolescents, giving particular focus to the efficacy and tolerability of the available pharmacological agents. Studies were identified searching MEDLINE and retrieved from reference listings of relevant articles and through consultation with experts in the field. Expert opinion: Many D2-blockers, approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) based on their antimanic properties in youths, are related to both short- and long-term side effects. Lurasidone was found to be effective for the treatment of acute juvenile bipolar depression, while lithium for the treatment and recurrence prevention of manic/mixed episodes. The most common anticonvulsants were found to be most useful as adjunctive antimanic agents in non-responders to first-line monotherapies. No data was found to support the use of antidepressants in juvenile BD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2016, the Middle Level Education Research Special Interest Group (MLER SIG) of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) published The MLER SIG Research Agenda, a white paper identifying critical issues and concerns facing the field of middle level education. Since its release, much has changed. This manuscript is a revised version of The MLER SIG Research Agenda. More than 40 researchers from across the globe collaborated to develop an agenda for future middle level research that illuminates strategies for moving middle level education forward in support of young adolescents within the current state of affairs. The research summarized in this manuscript represents eight focus areas: (a) middle grades curriculum; (b) middle grades pedagogies; (c) middle level certification and licensure; (d) middle level leadership; (e) middle level schools, classrooms, culture, and learning environments; (f) middle level teacher development; (g) social and emotional wellbeing; and (h) young adolescent identity and experiences. Each group summarized the current literature in their area and developed a list of questions to guide future middle level education research. This manuscript is intended to start conversations, generate ideas for research projects, and contribute new knowledge to the field of middle level education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an effort to advance the middle school movement, this paper examines the research trends from three organizations that support middle grades educational innovation, assessment, and research: The Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Educational Testing Service, and the Institute of Education Sciences. Using an instrumental, multiple case study design, trends within and across these organizations regarding research on middle grades education were identified. We found trends across these organizations that reveal the following: They privilege quantitative methodologies; the research topics examined are limited in focus; and the end-result for much of their work results in exclusive products for sale. Further, each of these organizations has deep pockets that provide significant funds for their research projects and products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

School-based outdoor learning is an experiential learning approach that involves the integration of the natural environment with the learning process. This study focused on investigating the effect of a school-based outdoor learning experience on mood among 83 sixth grade students. The researcher found a positive correlation between time spent outside and feeling energetic, and a negative correlation with feeling angry, confused, or tired and with total mood state after students participated in an outdoor learning experience. Additionally, the researcher found a statistically significant improvement in overall mood and in anxiety and confusion following the outdoor education experience. Furthermore, two students participated in interviews and the researcher identified three themes: (a) enhanced learning, (b) improved mood, and (c) nature connectedness. The researcher discusses implications for practice, including teachers collaborating with community and government organization and universities. Furthermore, the author presents considerations for future research to expand upon the current findings, including replication studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known about the outcomes of in-school comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) programmes two or more years after programme completion, particularly in low-income countries. Projet Jeune Leader, a youth-founded Malagasy organisation, conducted a retrospective, qualitative evaluation of a CSE programme in Madagascar. The objective was to explore how former participants assessed the programme’s influence on their behaviours and lives. Our team conducted in-depth interviews with 34 young people (16–24 years old) who had participated in the programme when they were in middle school. We then synthesised the data using qualitative thematic analysis. Most interviewees indicated that the CSE programme positively contributed to some aspect of their transition to adulthood. Some reported safer sex practices, refraining from drug and alcohol use, and pregnancy prevention, while others reported improved relationships, and acts of leadership. While it is not clear which elements of the programme facilitated these changes, participants made recurrent references to relatable CSE educators and engaging pedagogy in their responses. These results encourage further research on the multi-faceted, and in some cases, non-health-related, outcomes of in-school CSE programmes in low-income countries. The work also provides critical youth-driven insights into CSE programme design to guide future programme planning and evaluation efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many mothers do not communicate with their adolescent about sexual health topics due to perceived barriers. Our goal in this study was to shed light on the activities mothers engage in to prepare for sexual health discussions with their young adolescents. We also examined the extent to which mothers' past sexual communication behaviour and intentions were associated with engaging in these activities and perceptions of their helpfulness. Participants were 244 mothers of young adolescents who completed surveys at two points in time separated by 6 months. Overall, 64% of the mothers had engaged in one or more preparatory activity but found doing so only somewhat helpful. More extensive past sexual communication and higher sexual communication intentions were associated with engaging in preparation activities and finding them more helpful. However, past communication was significantly associated with the likelihood of engaging in preparatory behaviours for mothers with low, average, but not high sexual communication intentions. The results point to the importance of strengthening mothers' sexual communication intentions and providing them with information about high-quality resources and/or a resource package as means to increase the likelihood that they will engage in activities that prepare them to discuss sexual health topics with their adolescent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social media has opened new doors of opportunities and risks for youth. Potential risks include exposure to harmful content, engagement with strangers, or unwanted consequences from irresponsible or naive use. Social media literacy has been proposed as a way to mitigate such risks and promote positive ways of social media engagement. This paper aimed to develop a comprehensive Youth Social Media Literacy Inventory (YSMLI) to objectively assess young adolescents' (9–13 years) knowledge and skills in the context of social media use. The development process included four consecutive steps: 1) an in-depth review of the literature to identify core competencies and domains of social media literacy, 2) creation of a large item pool that assesses these core competencies within six domains (advertising, cyberbullying, privacy, news, phishing, and media balance), 3) expert review and cognitive pretesting with youth, and 4) empirical validation of the final 90-item pool using item response theory based on a sample of n = 306 youth participants in the US. The final item bank is well-fitting, reliable, and valid, offering scales with varying lengths for different purposes including domain-specific assessment and parallel testing. Social media literacy has been proposed as a way to mitigate risks and maximize the benefits of social media use. Yet, there are currently no objectives and validated measures for assessing young children's social media literacy knowledge and skills. We developed and validated the Youth Social Media Literacy Inventory, a 90-item bank, that can be used to objectively assess youth's social media literacy. Due to its excellent psychometric properties, it allows scholars to create scales of varying length and for different research purposes. Educators and researchers can use the inventory to assess the effectiveness of social media literacy interventions; compare levels of social media literacy across groups, schools, or populations; and assess antecedents and consequences of social media literacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peer reputation (PR) refers to how peer groups collectively view an individual in terms of socio-behavioral characteristics, such as aggression, social withdrawal, leadership, and prosociality. Despite considerable research on PR, few studies have considered PRs in relation to indices of friendship, particularly with a person-centered approach. The goal of the current study was to adopt such an approach and identify peer reputation configurations and their defining characteristics, and to examine how such configurations are linked to friendship prevalence and quality. Four hundred and twenty-six Italian seventh-grade students (57.3% male, Mage = 12.07) completed peer nomination measures of PR and reported on their friendships. Their mutual best friends were subsequently determined, and a friendship quality measure was completed. Teachers rated participants' problem behaviors and competencies. Cluster analytic methods produced four PR configurations that were defined by the following characteristics: (1) Shy/Excluded/Victimized, (2) Normative, (3) Aggressive/Arrogant, and (4) Prosocial/Popular. Teacher ratings supported these configurations such that Prosocial/Popular students were rated the lowest in problem behaviors and Shy/Excluded/Victimized and Aggressive/Arrogant were the highest in learning problems. Additional analyses showed numerous linkages between the configurations and friendship. For instance, Prosocial/Popular students were more likely to have mutual and satisfying friendships relative to students in the other groups. These findings provide new insights into the complex linkages between group- and dyadic-level peer experiences during early adolescence and may inform prevention and intervention efforts aimed at Shy/Excluded/Victimized youth struggling with peers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dominant 'heterosexual script' positions men as sexually desiring subjects who initiate sex and use active displays of power to attract women, and women as passive sexual objects who use indirect means to attract men (e.g. physical appearance). While much research has highlighted how this script is deployed in high school settings, less work has attended to primary schools. We demonstrate how the script operates in the talk of primary school students in low resource South African schools. Data were generated in group discussions conducted for a mid-term review of a school-based sexual violence prevention programme. We show how the heterosexual script is embedded in students' accounts through the regulatory mechanisms of interpersonal and social risks: threats of being 'dumped', sexual coercion, violence, and humiliation. These risks are learnt from an early age and may outweigh sexuality education messaging provided later on, which has implications for such interventions. To address this we advocate for early engagement with young people using a dialogical approach that creates a relational context for resistance to inequitable sexual scripts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores how international-mindedness is defined and cultivated in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Program (MYP) schools in different regions of the world as young adolescents face their main developmental task of identity development. An online survey that contained demographic and open-ended questions was administered to MYP students. Mixed methods design and data analysis provided insight into the ways international-mindedness is experienced and developed within the IB community. Open-ended responses were analyzed using thematic analysis from which a grounded theory emerged. The most frequently mentioned themes in defining international-mindedness were understanding, awareness, and acceptance of different others. Respondents emphasized that family and school experiences were the main factors that influenced their international-mindedness with travel being frequently mentioned in both. Factors, such as make-up of participants' families, their history of moving internationally, and the advice and modeling provided by parents and extended family as well as school experiences (e.g., field trips, debates, multicultural classrooms, curriculum focus) significantly contributed to their high self-ranked stance on the developmental continuum of international-mindedness. Consistency in responses across the regions demonstrate a paradigmatic understanding of international-mindedness among the respondents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perceptions of middle level learners vary, and unfortunately, some are deficit-oriented, labeling young adolescents as "hormonal" and "erratic" without a deep understanding of their emotional and physical development or the knowledge and skills that they bring to a classroom. In this paper, we provide empirical evidence for this deficit narrative—including the marginalization of middle level learners—from interviews conducted with teacher candidates in elementary, middle, secondary, and K-12 programs in two different states. Three themes around perceptions of teaching middle grades students are shared: adult needs and interests, resistance to student agency, and challenging the deficit narrative. We posit that developing a broader understanding of young adolescents might inform and inspire teacher candidates to choose to become middle school teachers. Thus, we encourage an asset approach to recruitment of middle level teacher candidates entering teacher preparation programs, and we offer recommendations for middle level recruitment into teacher education programs with an explicitly asset lens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study explores possible relations between students' epistemic perspective, learning strategies and text comprehension. In Study 1, 79 sixth graders completed paper-and-pencil instruments to measure their epistemic perspective and learning strategies. Students' epistemic perspective was assessed using a scenario-based instrument, the Livia Problem. Students were epistemically profiled as Absolutists, Multiplists and Evaluativists. Students' learning strategies were assessed through the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (Pintrich & De Groot, 1990). In Study 2, 20 of the students who participated in Study 1 were individually interviewed to measure their learning strategies, where they were asked to read a text and think aloud. Results revealed that students who were profiled as Evaluativists showed greater self-efficacy, intrinsic value, use of cognitive strategies and self-regulation. In addition, students who were profiled as Evaluativists engaged in more effective learning strategies and exhibited better text comprehension compared to students who were profiled as Absolutists. In particular, students who exhibited an Evaluativist epistemic perspective engaged in the strategies of understanding vocabulary, summarising and underlying, while students who exhibited an Absolutist epistemic perspective engaged more in repeating information and quick reading. Our findings show that a mature epistemic perspective is associated with effective usage of learning strategies and text comprehension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since middle school is a critical time for literacy learning in general and comprehension in particular, educators are left to ponder how best to teach these students. In addition, what role might student perception of reading strategies through visual depictions have in order to help teachers decide how best to guide their students with challenging reading. In this conceptual piece, questions that guided our research were, What can we learn from students about the strategies they use to read challenging texts? and How do these strategies challenge adult norms of what constitutes strategic reading for young adolescents? We collected and analysed 332 seventh grade student drawings that depicted how students approached difficult text, identifying types of reading strategies. We used Mokhtari and Reichard's framework of Support, Problem-Solving and Global reading strategies as a holistic and analytic lens to group the codes where appropriate. Findings revealed students' heavy reliance on support and problem-solving strategies, in contrast to relatively few global strategies, suggesting a need for educators to teach global strategies skills more often and directly. Unexpected findings further revealed a visually powerful alternative response, which suggest that educators should consider how to manage more affective reactions to challenging text. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) often occurs before age 15, yet the majority of research on risk factors for this dangerous behavior has focused on samples of older participants. Insecure attachment has been previously identified as a risk factor for both NSSI and behavioral problems, and behavioral problems appear to be particularly associated with NSSI among young populations. Redressing the lack of young adolescent NSSI research, the present study uses longitudinal data from a sample of young adolescents to test a model in which insecure attachment acts as a prospective risk factor for NSSI via emotional and behavioral problems. Data on NSSI, child-mother attachment, and emotional and behavioral problems were collected from 559 (41.1% male) Flemish adolescents when they were 13 years old (M = 12.71, SD =0.32), and again 1 year later. Insecure attachment was measured using maternal items on the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised Child scale. Psychological adjustment was assessed with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. We found that anxious and avoidant attachment were indirectly associated with NSSI through behavioral problems but not through emotional problems. Findings highlight the role of behavioral problems as a risk factor for NSSI in early adolescence, a rarely studied developmental period during which NSSI often first starts. Findings suggest that one possible pathway for the attachment-NSSI association among young adolescents is through behavioral problems. Therapies that improve child-parent attachment may reduce NSSI among young adolescents both directly, and indirectly by improving behavioral problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: An understudied, yet important area of youth development research is the examination of how place affects critical psychosocial processes such as identity formation, problem solving, emotional regulation, and in particular with adolescents, belongingness, autonomy, social competency, and behavioral health. A growing spatially informed literature indicates that youth interactwithmeaningful places as environmental strategies, shaping developmental trajectories related to behavioral health. Objectives: The objective is to investigate the relationship between place preference and health behavior among adolescents, with a focus on substance use behavior, specifically, cannabis use. We theorize that cannabis use is associated with place preference for urban, city types of places, and that this particular place preference interacts with close peer network behaviors. Methods: To understand the role of preferred locations, close peer relations, and mental health on cannabis use, 248 adolescents (ages 13 to 14) were studied longitudinally. Logistic regression models tested the moderating effects of peer network health (sum of close friends risk and protective behaviors) on selecting city locations (urban stress/neighborhoods) as preferred places, and subsequent cannabis use. Results: Results indicated that peer network health moderated the effects of choosing city locations as favorite, increasing the odds of cannabis use more than eight-fold at 24 months. Conclusions: Favorite places located in city environments appear to interact with peer risk behaviors influencing the cannabis use of young urban adolescents, even after controlling for the influence of baseline cannabis use, neighborhood disorder the home neighborhood, age, gender, and mental health effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative study explores and describes adolescent risk behaviours, specifically consumption of alcohol and use of violence; the perceived consequences of these behaviours on future well-being and relationships; and collaboratively identifies the essential components of a prevention intervention for risk behaviours (alcohol use, violence) among young adolescents while strengthening the protective individual and relationship factors in post-conflict Democratic Republic of Congo. One-on-one in-depth interviews were conducted with 28 male and female youth, 20 parents/guardians and 20 stakeholders in three rural villages of South Kivu Province. Trained interviewers conducted interviews and participated in daily debriefing. Descriptive qualitative analysis was used to analyse the data. Youth use of violence and alcohol was associated with a range of factors including peer influence, parent behaviours, school enrolment and poverty. The consequences of risk behaviour include damaged family and social bonds, reduced economic and educational productivity and promise. Community-based, multilevel prevention interventions that promote protective factors and reduce youth exposure and vulnerability to risk factors may have immediate and long-term impact on youth health and behaviour. Such a programme could engage youth, adults and local stakeholders in a range of social, educational and economic activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learning to read is a complex process with many people being influential in supporting the success of students. As young adolescents often tend to show a lower motivation to read and also as at this critical time in their schooling, more curriculum areas require students to be competent readers, this article focuses on how parents can play a complementary role alongside the students’ teachers. Nine parents of 11- to 13-year-old students in New Zealand were interviewed using a semi-structured interview schedule. The research found that even though the parents had a range of formal educational qualifications or lack of them, they all wanted their children to be successful readers. Their interest, personal experiences and perceived ability in reading were seen to be influential in encouraging children to read. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In New Zealand schools, the focus continues to be on improving the reading achievement of all students situated across a range of socio-economic groups. This is particularly so for our young adolescent students, where research investigations have indicated some concerning trends which influence reading development for this age group. This research explored 11—13-year-old students in six case-study schools in New Zealand. Year 7 and 8 teachers and the principals of the six schools were interviewed. The research found changing use of information communication technologies to engage and motivate these young adolescents in reading. In some of the case-study schools, the increased use of iPads and laptops during reading facilitated a means of high interest engagement in reading for contextual purposes. The variance of access to a reliable infrastructure impacted on some schools’ ability to effectively integrate digital technologies within their literacy programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Advances in learning approaches can enhance deeper levels of mathematical thinking and engagement through the use of new digital environments and technologies. The growing utilisation of portable digital devices in schools has meant there are enhanced tools to support mathematical learning and understandings. This article focused on those who work together to provide learning approaches in mathematics for 11- to 13-year-old students in New Zealand primary schools. The research study involved six schools, chosen to reflect a variety of school types and populations. We interviewed six principals and eight teachers about aspects of eLearning in their school mathematics programmes. The study found that the cost of some programmes and the lack of Internet connections and lack of computers in poorer homes did not allow for a level digital playing field for all children. Teachers considered eLearning as an opportunity to practice skills in a high interest and varietal way. However, in some cases, the teachers had little confidence to use information and communications technology (ICT) effectively. Only one school provided ongoing professional development on ICT use for mathematics learning. Even though many of the classrooms were well resourced, the teachers did not appear to have knowledge of learning approaches which encourage higher-order thinking skills to raise mathematics achievement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young adolescent students are at a critical time in their schooling. Once they embark into secondary schooling their prospects of achieving well across a range of curriculum subjects can often depend on their ability to critically analyse and understand a range of text types. This article focuses on 34 young adolescent students’ views about learning to read. By better understanding what works for these young adolescents, teachers and educators can further enhance effective learning environments for students’ reading development. The research study explored the views of 11 to 13 year old students who came from six schools. Overall, the school populations had a higher representation of students from diverse cultural backgrounds, than in the majority of New Zealand schools. Five of the schools were in low to mid socio-economic areas and one school was in a higher socio-economic area. The small group interviews with the students found that they appreciated teachers using explicit teaching strategies to guide their learning during reading. Many of the students valued learning to read as they perceived it as an essential skill for their long-term wellbeing and career opportunities. It was apparent that these young adolescents valued learning to read in a safe and respectful learning environment. Irrespective of socio-economic or cultural backgrounds, the students viewed learning as a serious matter. Learning to effectively read and comprehend was viewed as a foundation to their success in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Research confirms that when students disengage from learning, there is a greatly increased risk of them dropping out of school and not completing secondary education (Year 12). In an Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) report on Equity in Education [OECD. 2012. “Investing in Equity in Education Pays off”,in Equity and Quality in Education:Supporting Disadvantaged Students and Schools. Paris, France: OECD. doi:10.1787/9789264130852-3-en], school dropout rates in developed countries averaged 20% and, in some countries, was as high as 25%. Lyche [2010.Taking on the Completion Challenge. A Literature Review on Policies to Prevent Dropout and Early School Leaving. OECD Education Working Papers, No. 53. OECD. doi:10.1787/5km4m2t59cmr-en] noted that school dropout does not ‘just happen’ but rather is a long process of disengagement from school. Students entering early adolescence are experiencing rapid and complex changes to their social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development that can positively or negatively affect their experience in education environments. During this time, there is also an increased expectation, both at school and at home, that young adolescents should accept greater responsibility for themselves and their learning. However, when individual students fail to regulate their behaviour or manage the increasing difficulty of the academic work, they can begin to disengage from learning and become entrenched in a downward cycle of poor academic achievement and poor social competence. With an increasing trend in young adolescents to disengage from learning, identifying how to reengage students is critical to their social and academic success. This study reports on the key features of an early intervention programme that targets young adolescent students who are already showing early signs of disengaging from school. Data show that the programme aligns with evidence-based practice and has had a positive effect in promoting and building students’ social and emotional efficacy and re-engaging them in learning. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Technology’s rapid evolution applies constant pressure to educational organizations, suggesting a need to continually re-envision schools for the digital age. Yet educators often struggle to understand the growing chasm between students’ out-of-school and in-school technology lives. This gap is particularly noticeable during the middle grades years, when home technology use increases dramatically. The purpose of this research was to examine the experiences of teachers and students engaged in collaborative action research for middle school improvement in technology-rich settings. We begin by outlining our theoretical framework, emphasizing Fletcher’s Ladder of Student Involvement. We then describe our case-study design and methods. Findings are organized by action research components and a discussion of key themes follows. Finally, we consider the implications of this study for action research as a means of student involvement and teacher learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the storylines of four student ballet dancers who attend a specialist performing arts secondary school and who, in differing ways, envisage futures which ‘look straight at ballet’. When decisions about schooling intermingle with long-held imaginings of futures in ballet, thought is provoked about ways the young adolescents embody and express notions of becoming. A Deleuzian lens is employed to explore assemblages of the self through the deterritorialisation that is provoked when unforeseen images emerge and imaginings are challenged. The data discussed in this paper include interview transcripts and pictures participants have drawn of themselves. The analysis uses notions of rhizomatic becoming and positions students' decision-making in oscillation between deterritorialisation and reterritorialisation as new languages make sense of how a future in ballet is configured from different perspectives. Themes of being in love with ballet and identities of dancers/non-dancers are negotiated through the data. As talented ballet students are compelled to move away from schooling in order to move closer to their future, concepts of schooling are problematised. Understandings of rhizomatic structures offer insight into the working out of desires, particularly in the context of a specialist performing arts school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Entering middle school can cause apprehension for young adolescents who face many cognitive, physical, social, and emotional changes. A quantitative, descriptive study was designed to identify and explain the concerns of rising sixth graders in = 225) regarding their transition to the middle grades. Survey data were analyzed with regard to gender, race, and school type (i.e., inner city, urban, suburban, and rural). Undressing in front of others for RE. was the most frequently rated area of high concern. There was a significant effect of gender on the level of concern for getting lost, changing clothes for RE., peer pressure, being bullied, and academic performance. There was a significant effect of race on the level of concern for using a locker, having enough time to eat lunch, and going to the restroom. There was a significant effect of school type on the level of concern for making friends, belonging to the right clubs and groups, getting lost, having enough time to eat lunch, going to the restroom, and new school rules. Findings suggest at least a moderate level of concern by most fifth graders regarding various issues associated with middle school transitions, thus confirming the need for special programs to assist new students in acclimating to these changes and further research to determine their impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the influence of interpersonal style on the outcomes of an established eating disorder prevention program for 5th-grade females. Participants were assigned to either a school-based manualized eating disorder prevention group or wait-list control. Drive for Thinness and Body Dissatisfaction subscales from the Eating Disorder Inventory–3 were significantly reduced for those in the treatment group when compared to controls. The Bulimia subscale was related to lower interpersonal affiliation only for the treatment group. Results highlight the need to take interpersonal styles into account when providing eating disorder prevention programming with children. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This comparative case study examines the manner in which 2 middle-level social studies teachers established connections between the past and the present within their curriculums. The teachers who participated in this project worked in different school districts: one teaching a 7th-grade U.S. History curriculum and the other teaching a 6th-grade Global Studies curriculum. Data were obtained through classroom observations, teacher interviews, and the collection of instructional artifacts. This study employed a conceptualization of a history curriculum for democratic citizenship as the framework for critique of each of the past/present connections made by the participating teachers. Analysis of the data explored how some forms of past/present connections enabled students to use their understanding of the past to apprehend and act for the common good in the present, while others fell short of this ultimate goal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim was to investigate whether the daily intake of special nutrients, enriched with supplements from natural origins, has any effect on blood parameters. Design and subjects: In this double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial, 80 healthy subjects (mean age 26.3 years) were statistically assigned to two groups. Group I had to eat two special yoghurt and bread products a day. The other probands represented the control group (II). Setting: Plasma concentrations of blood parameters were measured at the beginning and at the end of the study, and dietary intake was calculated. Results: In group I, total cholesterol decreased. This was due to a significant drop of low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol from 106.0 to 99.0 mg/dl. A significant reduction of the apolipoprotein B and an increase of vitamin A in group I were also observed. Conclusion: Regular intake of specially fortified food influences parameters, especially lipids and lipoproteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Contemporary intervention models use research about the determinants of adolescent problems and their course of symptom development to design targeted interventions. Because developmental detours begin frequently during early-mid adolescence, specialized interventions that target known risk and protective factors in this period are needed. Methods: This study (n = 83) examined parenting practices as mediators of treatment effects in an early-intervention trial comparing Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT), and a peer group intervention. Participants were clinically referred, low-income, predominantly ethnic minority adolescents (average age 14). Assessments were conducted at intake, and six weeks after intake, discharge, and at 6 and 12 months following intake. Results: Previous studies demonstrated that MDFT was more effective than active treatments as well as services as usual in decreasing substance use and improving abstinence rates. The current study demonstrated that MDFT improves parental monitoring—a fundamental treatment target—to a greater extent than group therapy, and these improvements occur during the period of active intervention, satisfying state-of-the-science criteria for assessing mediation in randomized clinical trials. Conclusions and Scientific Significance: Findings indicate that change in MDFT occurs through improvements in parenting practices. These results set the foundation for examining family factors as mediators in other samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is today considered an important assessment measurement, but still only a few measures assess HRQOL outcomes for children and adolescents. One of them is the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL™). This correlation study explored the associations between depressive symptoms in young adolescents and the PedsQL scores when controlling for known risk factors. An adolescent sample (n=425) completed a battery of measures including the PedsQL™ Norwegian version, the Short Mood and Feeling Questionnaire (SMFQ), the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory for children (SPAI-C), and the occurrence of Stressful Life Events (SLE). The results showed a mild to moderate correlation between the measures PedsQL, SMFQ, SPAI-C and SLE. The presence of depressive symptoms significantly predicted the PedsQL scores for the adolescence, and explained 17% of the variance in outcome for the PedsQL Total Scale. The findings suggest that the PedsQL™ is an adequate assessment instrument regarding depressive symptoms in young adolescents, and can be useful in both clinical practice and further research as an assessment measure regarding children's mental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contributes to the empirical knowledge of determinants of smoking initiation in adolescents. The instrument we used was a structural equation model, which is a powerful tool to analyze causal relationships in nonexperimental studies. We used a school-based sample of 1198 teenagers from Spain. We measured the attitude of the adolescents towards tobacco. Attitudes and smoking status are related. Attitudes become more favorable to smoking, as experimentation with cigarettes progresses and pupils become older. Teenagers who have tried at least one cigarette are on average more favorable to smoking than those who had never smoked. The study's limitations were noted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the cognitive processes used by learners (adults and young adolescents) for tasks that require the integration of geographical information across spaces, hierarchies, and geographic scales. An experiment simulated basic GIS functions and contained four experimental conditions (Chunk, Layer, Scale, and Whole). Reaction time, accuracy, and confidence were recorded as dependent variables related to the success of the integration process. The data were used as input for a back-propagation neural-network model. The neural network model was successful in learning patterns and could be used to predict the confidence, reaction time, and accuracy for combinations of learners, experimental conditions, and map-feature categories. A multivariate analysis of variance was used to determine significant relationships among the behavioral variables and characteristics of the learners, experimental conditions related to GIS functions, and map features (points, lines, and areas). The results of the analysis generally indicated that young adolescent learners were slower, less accurate, and more confident than adult learners for all experimental conditions. Overall, subjects were more accurate and confident in tasks that required less integration of geographical information. Learners had the most success recalling information related to area symbols and the least success recalling information related to point symbols. Key Words: G/S; neural network; spatial abilities; spatial cognition; young adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]