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This work is part of a doctoral research, which aimed to know the life projects of teenagers, children of babassu coconut breakers in eastern Maranhão, in an attempt to understand if in their projects is the continuity of the activities realized by their families or turn to other professional activities. The research is part of a doctoral thesis and had the participation of thirteen teenagers who attended the 8th and 9th year of elementary school in a public school in the rural area of Maranhão, children of babassu coconut extractivists, as well as other collaborators who work in education, but only the ones will be mentioned here. The research revealed that the school where they study does not yet work with the "life project" curricular axis, however, based on the teenagers' speeches, it was understood that working with this curricular axis, striving to strengthen their life projects, there is theoretical support in the perspective of Freire's teaching. It is noteworthy that the school interferes with their life projects, as both students and parents see it as an alternative for better economic and social conditions. Therefore, from the study, it was also evident that these teenagers have as their main target in their life projects, a higher education academic training to have a good profession that is not related to the activities of babassu coconut. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although research has established that school adjustment is associated with marijuana use (MU) in adolescence, few studies have tested these associations bidirectionally. Using random intercepts cross-lagged panel modeling, this study examined reciprocal associations between MU and school adjustment across 8th to 10th grade, including the transition to high school. Participants included 5470 rural adolescents (59% White, 41% Black) aged 12-17 years in 2002-2005. School adjustment factors predicted subsequent MU (i.e., higher self-reported grades were protective for Black and White youth; valuing education was protective for Black youth; school behavior problems predicted increased MU across the transition to high school for White youth). MU had several adverse effects on school adjustment, particularly during the transition to high school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study took a differentiated perspective on parental psychological control to examine its impact on adolescent adjustment among urban (n = 349, females: 53%) and rural (n = 293, females: 54%) Chinese adolescents (Mage = 12.14 years). Four times over the first 2 years of Junior High school (from October, 2016 to April, 2018), adolescents reported on parental psychological control, their psychological well‐being (life satisfaction and depressive symptoms), and academic relative autonomy. Adolescents' grades also were obtained. The findings show generally negative effects of social comparison shame, love withdrawal and harsh psychological control (but not shared shame or parental relationship‐oriented guilt induction) on adolescents' psychological well‐being, and negative effects of social comparison shame on adolescents' academic functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article takes a phenomenological approach that combines interpretivist and critical forms of research paradigms to explain mmino wa bana (children's songs) as a determinant of reading recorded knowledge among teenagers in Ga Molepo, South Africa. Data was collected from focus groups in a purposive sample of rural teenagers engaged in learning through song and repetition. The multiple case study method was employed to draw data from multiple sources including the rural teenagers' childhood experiences and literature in library and information science, the behavioral sciences (i.e., anthropology, sociology, and psychology), musicology, and folklore. Photovoice was used to visualise rural teenagers in their natural habitat. This research argues that recorded knowledge in the form of books and other printed material is what drives reading within the school system and the purview of mass reading. The findings reveal that best practice in reading programmes should consider ways of knowing from traditional and modern communities. The driving of reading programmes in South Africa and the continent at large requires a critical interpretivist approach that acknowledges the nature of being of traditional communities and their local epistemologies. The article concludes that mmino wa bana should be catalogued and made accessible in new formats that integrate technology. Policymakers in arts, culture, and heritage (i.e. library and information services) should consider the importance music plays in the early development of rural teenagers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adolescents from rural, resource poor regions of the United States have disproportionately higher rates of drug and alcohol misuse, which may lead to increased sexual risk behaviors. Adolescents living in both urban and rural areas are major users of smartphones as a source for health information. Yet, the quality and accuracy of some Internet sites tend to be unreliable. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions and attitudes of adolescents from a rural region in the southeastern United States regarding health and social concerns to inform the development of a risk reduction application for smartphone use. This study used a qualitative descriptive design guided by the Theory of Triadic Influence. The research team was composed of community partners, faculty, and students from a mid-Atlantic university. Forty-nine adolescents (18 boys and 31 girls) participated in one of five mixed-gender focus groups; they were predominantly Black and Latino, with a mean age of 13.8. Content and thematic analysis led to three interrelated themes: Family as Nexus, Unlevel Playing Field, and Threats to Safety and Security. Structural (racism and bullying) and proximal (neighborhood, family and peers) determinants of health were congruent with other recent reports. Snapchat and Instagram were the most popular social media platforms used. Using a contextual approach, we analyzed the daily experiences of ethnic minority adolescents to inform the development of a risk reduction mobile health application. Community-academic partnerships with engaged youth can assist in smartphone application development and beta testing. Highlights: The Theory of Triadic Influence illustrated contexts of adolescent decision-making. Adolescents made decisions in the contexts of racism, poverty, and violence. Contextual elements provided a holistic approach to mobile health applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Situated in a review of rural, cultural, and youth geographies, this article reports on a qualitative study of the role of reading and libraries in the lives of older rural teenagers. The primary method of data collection was the use of in-depth, flexibly structured interviews with twenty-seven youth between the ages of fifteen and nineteen years, supplemented with data from unobtrusive observation and environmental scanning in a specific geographic locale. Four themes are discussed: the habitual, quotidian reading of teenagers; the shifting visibility of the public library; the Internet and the World Wide Web as a default reading site; and the temporal constraints on reading for pleasure. With the use of ideas informed by cultural geography, the space of nonactive teen readers and the placelessness of reading are explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parental absence, a consequence of parents' rural-to-urban migration, exerts negative influences on their left-behind adolescents in rural China. Existing studies are limited by their focus on the isolated developmental outcomes of left-behind adolescents and by a dearth of work focused on naturally occurring patterns of their developmental outcomes. The present study used a person-centered approach to identify adolescents' adaptation profiles based on internalizing indicators (i.e., depressive symptoms, loneliness, subjective happiness, life satisfaction), externalizing indicators (i.e., rule-breaking behavior, aggressive behavior, prosocial behavior) and academic achievement and to relate these profiles to left-behind status, characteristics of parent-adolescent separation and gender. The study included 2102 adolescents (Mage = 13.48 ± 1.10 years, 46.8% girls) in junior high schools in rural China. A latent profile analysis identified 3 profiles: an adequate adaptation profile, an internalizing problem profile and an externalizing problem profile. These profiles were linked to left-behind status, to characteristics of parent-adolescent separation (i.e., separation duration, interval of long-distance communication and face-to-face communication) and to gender. These findings provide significant implications for future research and the development of interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of disease, disability, and death in the United States. Smokeless tobacco (SLT) is primarily used by younger, rural males and often in the presence of other males. This formative study examined how hegemonic masculinity and male norms can lead to initiation and continued use of SLT by rural adolescent males and females. Survey data collected from high school sophomores in 4 rural high schools (n = 293) explores perceptions of masculinity and male norms' contribution to SLT uptake and use. About 22.5% of total sample reported lifetime use (34.4% male, 13.7% female), 10.9% reported past-month use (20.0% male, 4.2% female). Logistic regressions show a one-unit increase in adherence to traditional perceptions of masculinity more than doubled the odds of ever using SLT and significantly increased odds of 30-day use. Having male household family members who uses SLT significantly increased the odds of lifetime and 30-day SLT use for both genders, while having male family members who smoke cigarettes was not a significant correlate. Recognition of health warnings on SLT packaging was negatively associated with SLT use for both genders. Implications for inclusion of masculinity and male role models in SLT prevention intervention strategies are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To determine the associations of reduced presenting visual acuity (VA), refractive errors and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in healthy adolescents in rural China.Methods: A total of 2,235 grade 7 students without systemic medical problems from 10 middle schools aged 13-14 years in Mojiang, a small county located in southwestern China, were included in the analysis. Reduced VA was defined as presenting VA of worse than 6/12 in the presence of an ophthalmic aetiology which could be identified. The refractive status of each participant was measured after cycloplegia using an autorefractor. The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory Version 4.0 Generic Core Scales was used for measuring HRQoL of the participants.Results: Among all the participants included in the data analysis, 279 (12.5 per cent) individuals were affected by reduced VA based on the better-seeing eye data. After adjusting for the effect of gender, body mass index, the education level of the father, and the use of a corrective device, the total (adjusted mean difference: -3.27; 95 per cent confidence interval [CI] -4.95 to -1.59; p = 0.01), social functioning (adjusted mean difference: -3.44; 95 per cent CI -5.87 to -1.01; p = 0.02) and school functioning scores (adjusted mean difference: -3.12; 95 per cent CI -5.89 to -0.35; p = 0.04) of the adolescents with reduced presenting VA were significantly lower compared with those with normal vision. The associations between corrected refractive errors and HRQoL were not significant.Conclusions: Healthy adolescents with reduced VA reported lower HRQoL scores including total, social functioning and school functioning scores, compared with those with normal vision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was conducted to examine the learning styles and metacognitive skills of rural adolescents. The sample for the study comprised 200 rural school going adolescents (grade 9th & 10th) randomly drawn from the selected Government Senior Secondary Schools of the selected village of Ludhiana-I Block. The subjects were equally distributed across both the grades (grade 9th =100 & grade 10th =100) as well as genders (males= 100 & females =100). VAK Learning Styles Self Assessment Questionnaire (Chislett & Chapman, 2005) and Meta-cognitive Awareness Inventory (Schraw & Dennison, 1994) were used to collect data. Results of this research indicated that the major proportion of sample adolescents had an average level of metacognition with a preference for Visual and Kinaesthetic learning style. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We report baseline dietary intake using the Healthy Eating Index (HEI) - 2010 in rural, diverse adolescents from Minnesota. Methods: In 2013-2014, 9th-10th graders who reported eating breakfast less than 3 or fewer times per week were recruited from 16 rural schools. Data included computer-based survey results, measured height and weight, and 24-hour dietary recalls. Schools provided student data on free/reduced meal status. The HEI-2010 was calculated from 24-hour dietary recalls. Regression models assessed demographic differences in HEI-2010. Results: The sample mean HEI-2010 score was 52 out of 100 (N = 732 adolescents). Boys (mean HEI-2010=50.1) were statistically significantly lower than girls (mean HEI-2010=53.4). There was no significant difference by free/reduced price lunch or white versus students of color. Conclusion: Rural adolescent breakfast skippers report poor dietary intake quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility and effectiveness of a web-delivered multicomponent behavioral and family-based intervention targeting self-regulation and self-monitoring of blood glucose levels (SMBG) and glycemic control (HbA1c) in teens with type 1 diabetes (T1DM) living in rural US. Methods. 15 teens with poorly controlled T1DM participated in a 25-week web-delivered intervention with two phases, active treatment (weekly treatment sessions and working memory training program) and maintenance treatment (fading of treatment sessions). Results. Almost all (13 of 15) participants completed at least 14 of 15 treatment sessions and at least 20 of 25 working memory training sessions. SMBG was increased significantly at end of active and maintenance treatment, and HbA1c was decreased at end of active treatment (p’s ≤ 0.05). Executive functioning improved at end of maintenance treatment: performance on working memory and inhibitory control tasks significantly improved (p’s ≤ 0.02) and parents reported fewer problems with executive functioning (p=0.05). Improvement in inhibitory control was correlated with increases in SMBG and decreases in HbA1c. Conclusions. An innovative web-delivered and multicomponent intervention was feasible for teens with poorly controlled T1DM and their families living in rural US and associated with significant improvements in SMBG and HbA1c. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study examined multilevel risk factors and developmental assets on longitudinal trajectories of aggressive behavior in a diverse sample of rural adolescents. Using ecological and social capital theories, we explored the impact of positive and negative proximal processes, social capital, and contextual characteristics (i.e., school and neighborhood) on adolescent aggression. Data came from the Rural Adaptation Project, which is a 5-year longitudinal panel study of more than 4,000 middle and high school students from 40 public schools in two rural, low income counties in North Carolina. A three-level HLM model (N = 4,056 at Wave 1, 4,251 at Wave 2, and 4,256 at Wave 3) was estimated to predict factors affecting the change trajectories of aggression. Results indicated that negative proximal processes in the form of parent-adolescent conflict, friend rejection, peer pressure, delinquent friends, and school hassles were significant predictors of aggression. In addition, social capital in the form of ethnic identity, religious orientation, and school satisfaction served as buffers against aggression. Negative proximal processes were more salient predictors than positive proximal processes. School and neighborhood characteristics had a minimal impact on aggression. Overall, rates of aggression did not change significantly over the 3-year study window. Findings highlight the need to intervene in order to decrease negative interactions in the peer and parent domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the difference inperceived parenting styles and hardiness in rural and urban adolescents. The sample comprised of 300 (150 males and 150 females) adolescents in the age group 14-17 years studying in rural and urban schools of Jaipur District. They were administered perceived parenting scale(Bhardawajetal. 1995) and hardiness scale (Singh, 2008) to measure the variables perceived parenting style and hardiness respectively. One way ANOVA followed by post-hoc test revealed a significant F-ratio on five out of seven modes of perceived parenting style and on hardiness. One of the significant findings of this study was that urban girls scored highest on hardiness and five out of seven modes of perceived parenting style as compared to other groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using data from the 1994-2008 National Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (Add Health), this research examines the relationship between residential mobility and weight gain over time among urban and non-urban young adults. It is theorized that changes in residence act as a barrier to achieving an active lifestyle, which would increase an individual's body mass index (BMI) over time. Relying on linear mixed-effects growth curve models, the results indicate that mobility is protective against weight gain over time after controlling for sociodemographic characteristics. For young adults who are residentially stable in urban neighborhoods, increases in physical activity are associated with a linear decline in BMI. In non-urban areas where respondents are residentially mobile, body weight does not fluctuate as sedentary behavior increases. However, in those areas, weight increases as sedentary behavior increases for those who did not move. Overall, the results suggest that the effect of mobility on weight gain is partially due to the kind of health behaviors that one engages in as well as whether or not one lives in an urban area. Policies geared toward relocating residents (such as Moving to Opportunity), and neighborhood processes that can lead individuals to change residences (such as foreclosures or gentrification) may have adverse health effects depending on whether they are occurring in urban or non-urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To develop profiles of sexual risk behavior among rural adolescents by examining multiple risk and protective factors. Methods: Data are from the Rural Adolescent Health Survey conducted with 14-19 year-olds (N = 322) in frontier counties of a Midwestern state. Logistic regression was used to create separate probability profiles comparing the likelihood of engaging in sexual risk behaviors given combinations of risk and protective factors. Results: The likelihood of each sexual risk behavior decreased with the presence of protective factors and was sustained even in the presence of salient risk factors. Conclusions: Findings demonstrate the dramatic risk reduction that can occur by mitigating risk factors and increasing protective factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers. Alabama ranks fourth in the United States for teen crash fatalities. We sought to describe risky driving behaviors among teens in the rural areas of the state's most populous county. Methods: A questionnaire was adapted from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System. Each of the schools in Jefferson County, Alabama, participated in 2009 and 2010. Surveys were anonymous and data were entered into an Excel spreadsheet. Inclusion criteria were age 15 years and older. Results: A total of 1399 surveys met inclusion criteria. A total of 52% of respondents were boys; 64% were white, 29% were African American, and 3% were Hispanic. Respondents were 15 (38%), 16 (36%), 17 (21%), and 18 (5%) years old. When asked about behaviors during driving in the last 30 days, 41% reported texting and 11% reported driving after drinking. Teens reported being a passenger in a car with the driver texting (67%) or after the driver had been drinking (27%) in the last 30 days. Overall, 58% reported not wearing a seatbelt; 13% reported driving after using drugs; 60% reported routinely exceeding the speed limit; 80% reported having discussed safe driving with a parent, but only 16% with their doctor; 25% had signed a safe driving contract; and 63% had taken a driving class. Conclusions: Many risky behaviors were identified for both teen drivers and passengers. A concerning number of teens are not receiving safe driving educational messages from parents, doctors, or driver's education classes. Some interventions have been instituted; however, more outreach efforts should be made to focus on strengthening driving laws and educating parents and teens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was designed to examine the role of locale in career maturity of adolescent. The sample of the present study included 200 urban subjects in which 100 male and 100 female, both are students of X class, and 200 rural students in which 100 male and 100 female of X class are included. Subjects were administered Career maturity Inventory developed by Gupta. MANOVA was used for the data analysis. Results revealed that locale affect the career maturity of adolescent; it produces significant difference in career maturity. Results of this study revealed that urban students showed higher mean scores on total scores of career maturity in comparison to rural subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives As only about 50% of Chinese suicides have mental disorders, nonpsychiatric factors such as social environment and personality may account for the variance that is not explained by mental problems. We try to explore the effects of impulsivity on Chinese suicides and the role impulsivity plays in the relationship between negative life events (NLEs) and suicidal behavior. Method A total of 392 suicide cases (178 female and 214 male, aged 15-34 years) and 416 community controls (202 males and 214 females) of the same age range were sampled in China. The case-control data were obtained using psychological autopsy method with structured and semistructured instruments. Results Impulsivity was an important predictor of Chinese rural young suicides and it was a moderator between NLEs and suicide. Conclusions Findings of the study may be translated into practical measures in suicide prevention in China as well as elsewhere in the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was undertaken to analyse the relationship between intellectual abilities, metacognitive skills and academic performance of rural adolescents (13-16 years). The study was conducted in Government schools in villages of Ludhiana-I Block. The final sample comprised 240 rural school-going adolescents (N=240) studying in grade 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th. The subjects were equally distributed across both the genders (Males=120 and Females=120) and all the grades. To assess the metacognitive skills of the adolescents, a Self-Structured Metacognitive Questionnaire adapted from Metacognition Inventory (Govil 2003) and Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (Schraw & Dennison 1994) was used. Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices (Raven 1960) was used to assess the intellectual abilities of the selected subjects, whereas the academic performance was assessed through aggregate percentage of marks/ grades obtained by the subject in the last school examination substantiated by teacher ratings. It was found that majority of the adolescents had an 'Average' level of metacognition. 'Above Average' and 'Average' level of Intellectual Abilities and Grade A' and 'Grade B' level of Academic Performance. However, gender differentials were found to be non-significant in distribution across the various levels of Intellectual Abilities, Metacognition as well as Academic Performance. Further, the subjects were found to be reasonably well in their Procedural skills, Declarative Knowledge, Evaluation, Comprehension, Monitoring and Planning aspects, but were quite weak in some of the learning strategies like Conditional Knowledge, Debugging and Information Management Strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study attempts to explicate empirically the relationships among the domains of Perceived social support and those of achievement motivation in relation to the level of education and sex of rural adolescents. This is an empirical investigation in psychology which involved 2 (level of education) x 2 (sex) factorial design. Accordingly, there were 120 (30 x 4 cells) rural adolescents in this study. They were administered two standardized scales named "Achievement Motivation Scale" and "Perceived Social Support Scale" to find out the role of sex, and level of education in promoting social support, achievement motivation and academic achievement. The findings of the study as reflected in the results highlighted certain interesting dimensions of the study. Most of the findings are similar to the hypotheses made in the study. However, some unusual findings have also been found in relation to interactional effect of level of education and sex on a domain of achievement motivation like motive to achieve through independence. Similar findings have also been yielded with respect to components of social support such as perceived moral support and perceived aggregate social support. With the above findings some socially useful suggestions have been recommended for future care of rural adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children and adolescents living in rural areas have difficulty accessing psychological services due to a lack of psychologists and other behavioral health professionals, especially those with expertise in treating youth. Telepsychology helps bridge this access gap. This article extends evidence supporting videoconferencing for psychological assessment and treatment in adults to support telepsychological treatment for youth. In addition, the basic components needed to begin and sustain a telepsychological practice are explored. Finally, a case example of an adolescent presenting with depression and disordered eating illustrates the practice of, and ethical standards needed for, telepsychology. Future technologies and applications around telepsychology are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A life skills-based approach allows the development of psychosocial skills in adolescents, particularly, cognitive and social skills that play a fundamental role. This concept gives rise to the objective of the present study, which is to strengthen, through the implementation of two psychoeducational intervention programs, cognitive skills such as self-efficacy and coping, as well as social skills, in middle school adolescents in a rural area. It is based on a quantitative methodology with a pre-experimental design of correlational descriptive scope involving 96 adolescents. The results showed an improvement in social skills; additionally, an association was found between advanced social skills and self-efficacy, as well as between active coping and social skills. No changes in self-efficacy and coping were observed. We conclude that the program was effective in improving teenagers' social skills; however, more time is required for the improvement of cognitive abilities, given the conditions in rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines low-income white rural teenagers' management of race and class-based inequality. It analyzes how these teenagers constructed boundaries to distinguish themselves from outsiders, but also to distinguish themselves from the local abject category of 'rutter.' The findings reveal hidden interconnections between race and class in interactional practice, and highlight local processes of differentiation through which actors attempt to deflect stigma and attain credibility. The paper discusses how interactional mechanisms such as 'internal othering' and 'stigma-theory' bolster race and class credibility, but reproduce inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports on factors influencing condom use among out-of-school adolescents in rural southwest Uganda. Despite an abundance of negative discourses and myths about condoms in the community, these adolescents believe condoms protect them from sexually transmitted infections, HIV, and premarital pregnancies. Girls want partners to use condoms, but most lack the confidence to insist. Girls aged 13 to 14 reported the least difficulty asking for condoms; older girls attributed this to coming-of-age in the era of AIDS when condom use is the norm. Boys under 16 years want to use condoms, but lack confidence in application skills. Boys over 17 years always use condoms with casual partners, but only occasionally for pregnancy prevention with steady partners. Girls need skills training to improve confidence in negotiating condom use. Younger boys require training to improve confidence in skills with condom application. These findings are compared with studies conducted with in-school adolescents in the same study area. Health promotions that provide this skills training and focus on the need to think of the health of future family would be most effective for out-of-school adolescents. This study shows that it is self-confidence, rather than years of schooling, that has the greatest impact on condom use in this cohort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the literacy of the teenage street literature readers in the inner cities in the U.S. It explores how street literature authors portray the daily lives of those who lack education and employment, and argues that people excluded from the inner-city American life face difficulties in accepting that the street literature genre can parallel the realities faced by many Americans. It also describes the benefits derived by teen urban readers from the themes and plots of street literature, and offers a list of authors who are popular to inner-city teen readers including Lenora Adams, Coe Booth and Paul Langan.

Due to the lack of programs designed to prevent and treat problems related to alcohol consumption in adolescents in rural communities, two brief in­tervention modalities were evaluated: a) a brief program with five sessions and, b) a brief advice session. During the first stage, an exploratory study was undertaken, on the basis of which a descriptive chart of alcohol consumption among adolescents in three rural communities was obtained, while in the second stage, comparison groups were designed to determine the effects of both interventions on consumption patterns and other psychosocial variables in a sample of 24 rural adolescents of the state of Aguascalientes, Mexico. The conclusion was that both interventions are effective in working with rural adolescent alcohol users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The current study was designed to explore the prevalence of child sexual abuse (CSA) and its association with health risk behaviors (i.e., smoking, alcohol use, binge drinking, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempt) among rural children and adolescents in China. Methods: A sample of 683 rural children and adolescents (8 to 18 years of age) completed an anonymous questionnaire which assessed experiences of CSA and 5 health risk behaviors. Data on several potential confounding factors were also collected. Results: A total of 123 (18%) respondents reported experiencing at least 1 kind of CSA before 16 years of age, with more boys reporting CSA than girls (21.5% vs. 14.2%). In addition, attending non-boarding schools, lower levels of self-esteem, and higher levels of perceived peer pressure for engagement in health risk behaviors were associated with higher rates of CSA. Multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that CSA experience was significantly associated with cigarette smoking (aOR=2.14), binge drinking (aOR=2.68), suicidal ideation (aOR=1.69), and suicide attempt (aOR=2.69) after controlling for several demographic and psychological factors. Conclusion: More attention should be paid to the issues of CSA among rural children and adolescents in China. Effective CSA prevention intervention needs to address the vulnerabilities of the population, increase children's and parents’ awareness of CSA and ability of self-protection. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Most studies of active travel to school (ATS) have been conducted in urban or suburban areas and focused on young children. Little is known about ATS among rural adolescents. Purpose: To describe adolescent ATS in two predominantly rural states and determine if school neighborhood built environment characteristics (BECs) predict ATS after adjusting for school and individual characteristics. Methods: Sixteen BECs were assessed through census data and onsite observations of 45 school neighborhoods in 2007. ATS and individual characteristics were assessed through telephone surveys with 1552 adolescents and their parents between 2007 and 2008. Active travelers were defined as those who walked/cycled to/from school ≥1 day/week. Hierarchic linear modeling was used for analysis, conducted in 2009. Results: Slightly less than half (n=735) of the sample lived within 3 miles of school, of whom 388 (52.8%) were active travelers. ATS frequency varied by season, ranging from a mean of 1.7 (SD=2.0) days/week in the winter to 3.7 (SD=1.6) in the spring. Adolescents who attended schools in highly dense residential neighborhoods with sidewalks were most likely to be active travelers. ATS frequency was greater in school neighborhoods with high residential and intersection densities, on-street parking, food outlets, and taller and continuous buildings with small setbacks. Conclusions: The BECs that support safe travel may be necessary to allow for ATS, whereas ATS frequency among adolescents may be influenced by a wider variety of design characteristics. Additional strategies to promote ATS and physical activity are needed in rural areas because of long commuting distances for many students. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This research applied social domain theory to illuminate reasoning about the perceived legitimacy and limits of group decision making (majority rule) among adolescents from urban and rural China ( N = 160). Study 1 revealed that adolescents from both urban and rural China judged group decision making as acceptable for both social conventional and prudential issues, but not for personal issues or those that entailed possible harmful coercion of others. Study 2 revealed that personal jurisdiction develops later for rural than urban adolescents for certain issues (democratic rights to political participation and choice of friends). Results indicate that reasoning about group and personal jurisdiction in a non-Western society (China) is influenced by social domain, age, and environmental setting (modern vs. traditional). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the school adjustment of adolescents with disabilities and their nondisabled peers in a national sample of rural high school students. The total sample consisted of 7,376 students: 6,704 nondisabled students, 70 students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD), 512 students with learning disabilities (LD), and 90 students identified as English language learners (ELL). Teacher ratings on the Interpersonal Competence Scale-Teacher (ICS-T) were used to assess students' adjustment on seven factors: academic, affiliative, aggressive, internalizing, popular, Olympian, and shy. Cluster analyses were used to identify distinct configurations of competence and risk separately for boys and girls. Differences between educational classifications were identified for the ICS-T factors and for the interpersonal competence configurations. Students with EBD were overrepresented in Multi-risk configurations (aggressive high-risk profiles), students with LD were overrepresented in both the Multi-risk and Disengaged (non-aggressive high-risk profiles) configurations, and students identified as ELL were overrepresented in Disengaged configurations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of sports participation on school adjustment, self-esteem, peer and individual substance use (alcohol, marijuana, other drugs) was examined among a sample (n = 1,976) of rural and urban dwelling African American adolescent girls. Additionally, a model of adolescent substance use, based upon the health belief model and social control theory and comprised of the aforementioned variables of study, was proposed and tested upon the two locations of residence. Multivariate analyses and structural equation modeling were performed General results indicated that participation in sports enhanced school adjustment and self-esteem. However, the notion of sport as a universal protective mechanism to substance use received mixed support as differential effects were found between rural and urban settings. Sports participants reported higher level of peer use for all substances in rural areas, but only for alcohol in urban settings. Sports participation did not directly impact individual substance use. The proposed model of use, in which sports participation indirectly predicts individual substance use through paths involving school adjustment, self-esteem, and peer substance use, fit better in the urban than in the rural sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stress, developmental changes and social adjustment problems can be significant in rural teens. Screening for psychosocial problems by teachers and other school personnel is infrequent but can be a useful health promotion strategy. We used a cross-sectional survey descriptive design to examine the inter-relationships between depressive symptoms and perceived social support, self-esteem, and optimism in a sample of rural school-based adolescents. Depressive symptoms were negatively correlated with peer social support, family social support, self-esteem, and optimism. Findings underscore the importance for teachers and other school staff to provide health education. Results can be used as the basis for education to improve optimism, self-esteem, social supports and, thus, depression symptoms of teens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although research has identified numerous neighborhood mechanisms influencing urban adolescent risk behaviors, less is known about how community contexts influence rural adolescents. This study explores perceived controls against adolescent drinking (i.e., tolerance of community adolescent alcohol use), adolescent perceptions of community supportiveness, and the prevalence of community alcohol use exhibited by adolescents and adults. Multilevel analyses were applied to 1,424 sixth- through eighth-grade students residing in 22 rural communities in the Northern Plains. Perceptions of tolerance, prevalence, and support from 790 parents, teachers, and community leaders were also collected. Analyses revealed that community supportiveness and controls against drinking reduced both the decision to try alcohol and past-month use among early adolescents. Adolescents were more likely to have ever tried alcohol if they lived in a community with higher peer prevalence than higher levels of adult alcohol prevalence, but in communities where peer drinking was lower; adolescents were more likely to have tried alcohol if they lived in a high adult-prevalence community. Perceived peer drinking was not related to past-month use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recently recommended that all children 6 months to 18 years old be vaccinated annually against influenza. School-based influenza vaccination interventions may potentially increase influenza vaccination rates among hard-to-reach populations, particularly rural adolescents. This article describes the theoretical framework, intervention development, and lessons learned from 1st-year implementation of a multicomponent intervention aimed to promote influenza vaccine acceptance among multiethnic (predominantly African American) adolescents attending middle and high school in rural Georgia. Adolescents, parents, and school administrators were active participants in the development and implementation of the intervention. The educational intervention, which consisted of a brochure and a school skit/ presentation, was guided by constructs from the Health Belief Model and social norms. Process evaluation results indicated that our intervention development methods were successful in creating a low-cost, theory-based educational intervention that garnered community investment and met the cultural relevance and literacy needs of our target audience. To our knowledge, this study is the first to extensively engage middle- and high-school students and parents in the design and implementation of key educational components of a theory-based influenza vaccination intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peer victimization (PV) has been associated with a number of negative psychological sequelae. Few studies, however, have examined the relationship between PV and the symptomatology of post-traumatic stress disorder, and no studies to date have examined this relationship in a rural sample. Adapted versions of the SEQ-SR and the TSCC were used to assess the relationship between PV and post-traumatic stress symptomatology in a sample of 244 rural youths (ages 10–14) in two school districts in a south-central area of the United States. In addition to a positive relationship between PV and post-traumatic stress symptomatology, the results indicated relatively high rates of adult presence and peer bystanding during PV experiences. Limitations and implications for practice are discussed. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adolescence is a critical time for developing lifelong healthy behaviors, including active lifestyles. Participation in sport and physical activity, however, declines during adolescence, and few studies have comprehensively identified why, particularly among rural girls. This article identifies a range of independent and interacting factors that influence sport and physical activity participation of rural adolescent girls. The socioecological model of health was used to guide four focus group discussions with Grade 7 girls (n = 34). The results showed that adolescent girls were positively influenced when sports or physical activities were fun, when they involved being with friends, and when they were supported by families and teachers through role modeling and positive feedback. A range of intrapersonal and organizational factors affected perceived self-competence, particularly the coeducational nature of school physical education classes and peer teasing, which supported social comparisons of skill level. In promoting sport and physical activity to rural adolescent girls, focus must be directed on developmentally appropriate activities that are fun, offering opportunities for single-sex classes, and generating cultural changes that encourage noncompetitive and self-referencing activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of religious attendance, religious importance, and gender on well-being, substance use, and academic engagement were examined among early adolescents (N = 683) from rural schools. Results indicated that females viewed religion as more important than males, although the frequency of religious attendance did not differ for males and females. Hierarchical regression results revealed that religious importance was a more prominent protective factor than attendance against substance use even after accounting for parental support; however, no links were found between religiosity and depression or self-esteem. Adolescents who reported that religion was important in their lives reported lower school misbehavior and higher motivation, although those with high religious attendance had higher grades. Interaction effects indicated that religious importance was particularly salient for males compared to females in terms of enhanced school bonding and self-efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the social networks of Appalachian adolescents to understand socialization strategies and goals. A total of 46 interviews were conducted with five families (mothers, fathers, and adolescents) and 11 socialization agents the families identified as exerting significant influence in the lives of the adolescents. Interviews were transcribed and then analyzed using principles of grounded theory. Five themes developed from the interviews: the importance of community to the socialization process, adult involvement and support, adolescent monitoring, teaching respect and responsibility, and adolescent autonomy. Results suggest the need for in-depth investigation of adolescent development within a variety of cultural and social contexts to more fully understand these processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the psychometric qualities of the Coping Response Inventory-Youth (CRI-Y) form. Participants were 376 females and 248 males (age 15.9 + 1.0 year) recruited from four rural high schools in Western Pennsylvania who completed the CRI-Y as part of the instrument battery of a longitudinal study. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted to examine the factorial validity of the CRI-Y scale, and reliability coefficients were examined to address the reliability of the scale. The eight subscales of CRI-Y exhibited low to moderate reliability coefficients (from .47 to .70). The approach, avoidance, cognitive, and behavioral coping domains and total CRI-Y showed good reliability coefficients (.81, .87, .85, .84, and .91, respectively). Factor analysis of CRI-Y subscales exhibited a unidimensionality of the subscales with a one-factor solution explaining 28%-40% of the total variance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objectives of this article are to expand and comment upon a recent review in Australian Psychologist of the literature in relation to mental health problems in rural contexts by Jackson et al. (2007). In the present article we review recently published qualitative research on the help-seeking attitudes and experiences of rural Australian adolescents. While we agree on the utility of the Macintyre, Ellaway, and Cummins (2002) conceptual framework based on notions of health and place, we note that this framework specifically emphasises the importance of the collective dimension. We present a broader perspective on health and place than Jackson et al. (2007) by incorporating social geographic research. We argue that rural mental health research has been hampered by a simplistic view of social stigma of mental illness and that a more thorough conceptualisation of the phenomenon is needed. Finally, we make some further recommendations based on a broader perspective of mental health in rural contexts: one that incorporates an in-depth understanding of the help-seeking attitudes and experiences of rural adolescents as well as an appreciation of the collective social functioning of rural communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inverse relationship between economic status and mental illness is well established. Less is known, however, about the nature of this relationship. A comparison of poor suburban and rural youth receiving services for their emotional and behavioral problems revealed more similarities than differences. Family income increased during the first year of service for a small percentage of families. A small but significant relationship was found between increased income and caregiver strain as well as child outcomes. For families who are poor and have a child with a disability, highly individualized services and support that reduce caregiver strain are necessary to improve child outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A computer- and Internet-based intervention was designed to influence several variables related to the prevention of pregnancy, STDs, and HIV in rural adolescents. Three-hundred and thirty-eight tenth-graders enrolled in two rural public high schools participated in this field experiment. Results indicate that students in the experimental school had greater knowledge, greater condom negotiation efficacy, greater situational efficacy, and more favorable attitudes toward waiting to have sex than students in the control school. In tandem, the results suggest that computer-based programs may be a cost-effective and easily replicable means of providing teens with basic information and skills necessary to prevent pregnancy, STDs, and HIV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to access adolescents' voices regarding the impact of religiosity on everyday experiences of identity construction. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 22 adolescents ages 15—19 living in a rural community; half were regular and committed members of a local church, and the other half never attended church. We wanted to differentiate between the responses that were primarily related to rural culture, and those that were related to religion. Clear differences emerged between the church group and the control group with regard to role models, turning points, career goals, family goals, and commitment to Christian values. Results suggest that differences between urban and rural adolescents in identity-related domains (i.e., career, family) may be a product of religious rather than geographical factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This intervention study was to evaluate the impact of reproductive health education on the knowledge and attitude of adolescents in a rural Nigerian community to reproductive health issues. It compared adolescents in a secondary school (study group), which received health education on reproductive health with another secondary school (control group), which did not receive any. The impact of the programme was evaluated with a pre-test baseline knowledge and post-test gain in the knowledge 6 weeks later, using the same questionnaire. A total of 180 students selected by systematic sampling from each of the two randomly selected schools in Item, a rural community in south-east Nigeria participated in the programme. While all the respondents have heard of reproductive health and could identify at least one of its components, their knowledge of it prior to the health education were defective and were obtained mainly from peers and the mass media. Such information was incomplete and often coloured with cultural and religious bias. However, there was a significant (p < 0.05) gain in correct knowledge following the health education. The students in the study group showed a positive and permissive attitude towards reproductive health education and there was a drop in risky sexual behaviour following the intervention. Pre-marital sex (94.3%), pregnancy prevention and abortion (88.5%) and sexually transmitted infections (82.8%) were common reproductive health problems raised by the students. Reproductive health education as part of the school curriculum will provide an effective means of improving knowledge and reducing reproductive health problems among adolescents in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the production of knowledge in rural youth in Latin America. It suggests a lack of social scientific investigation, in rural anthropology and sociology, in fundamental areas such as the formation of rural youth as identitarian subjects and social actors. It analyzes the contextual theoretical elements that contribute to this deficiency. The study proposes the conceptual restructuring of some of the theoretical approximations on the subject of youth identity, with the aim of filling in some of the gaps that exist in the knowledge about this group, which is often made "invisible" or subject to stereotypes. Advances in anthropological investigation in Chile are discussed.

This article discusses research on the use of tobacco by rural teenagers in India. The research applied simple random sampling in selecting students from co-education schools and used a structured close-ended questionnaire for data collection. It showed their knowledge of tobacco and tobacco products and history of tobacco use. It revealed the reasons for initiation of tobacco use among users: access to and availability of tobacco; the source of funding for tobacco habit; and the history of tobacco usage among family and teachers.

The article discusses a study on the effect of the number of risk factors on betel quid chewing in adolescents living in rural Taiwan. It mentions that betel quid chewing has been found to increase the risk of oral cancer and emphasizes the need to prevent and control such practice among rural adolescents. Under the study, 2079 such adolescents were asked about betel chewing, cigarette smoking, family support, depression and sociodemographic factors. Results show that the risk on betel chewing tends to increase along with an increase in risk factors.