Search

Mentoring is often utilised to support youth who have low levels of protective assets. This study explored 300 NZ youth (16-18 years old) who were involved in mentoring relationships to better understand how developmental assets influence depressive symptoms and misconduct behaviours. Results suggest that most participants possessed low to fair levels of internal (77.3%) and external (72.6%) assets with high levels of major depressive symptoms (40.7%) and moderate to high levels of misconduct behaviours (29.4%). There were demographic differences in developmental assets (e.g. Pacific youth reported higher assets and non-student participants reported lower assets than others), depressive symptoms (e.g. higher ranks for females than males) and misconduct behaviours (e.g. higher misconduct behaviours among Māori youth, non-student and full-time employed participants). Importantly, lower levels of external assets (β =  – .90, S.E = .20, p = <.001; 95% CI [−1.30, – .50]) and internal assets (β =  – .76, S.E = 29 .28, p = <.001; 95% CI [−1.31, – .20]) predicted depressive symptoms and low levels of external assets significantly contribute to youth misconduct behaviours (β =  – .40, S.E = .08, p = 31 < .001; 95% CI [-.56, – .23]). These findings suggest strategies, programmes and policies to improve developmental assets which may decrease emotional and behavioural distress among youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the relationship between Positive Youth Development (PYD) Internal and External assets and life satisfaction among Albanian adolescents. Data were collected from a sample of 409 Albanian students aged 14-19 years using the Developmental Assets Profile and the Life Satisfaction Scale. The sample included the majority group (51%) and various minority groups in Albania. Statistical analyses were conducted to explore the association between PYD assets, demographic variables, and perceived life satisfaction. The results revealed significant differences in Internal and External assets across all groups, with life satisfaction reported at a moderate positive level. Gender and minority group differences were observed in the relationship between assets and life satisfaction. The findings of this study reveal that the ten Positive Youth Development (PYD) assets serve as predictors for life satisfaction. Additionally, it was observed that the same set of ten PYD assets acts as a predictor for life satisfaction. These results provide valuable insights into the implementation of PYD strategies and the impact they have on life satisfaction within an under-researched community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Internacional de Investigación en Adicciones is the property of Centros de Integracion Juvenil A.C. (CIJ) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The theoretical approach of Positive Youth Development Assets focuses on developmental assets that play a crucial role in the understanding of the whole person. According to the ecological approach of PYD, factors such as family support school climate, neighborhoods, communities, and the dispositions of adolescents to be more responsible, develop a sense of purpose, altruism, and commitment to education, are considered critical factors that help create a positive climate for adolescents to grow and flourish. This study aims to understand the role of the PYD framework in external and internal assets. This framework holistically saw adolescents, focusing on external and internal assets. External assets like Support, Empowerment, Boundaries, Expectations and Constructive Use of Time help adolescents create a climate that helps them feel supported and have a positive experience with people and other institutions. Internal assets are related to Commitment to learning, Positive values, Positive identity, and Social competencies. According to the current theoretical perspectives, the PYD model seems to be a valid method to explore factors that affect the positive development of adolescents and an excellent approach to building intervention programs for them.

This research aimed to design a structural model for relationships between developmental assets with thriving and wisdom. For this aim, based on multistage-cluster sampling method, a sample of 668 students from Kermanshah universities was selected, and Wisdom Scale (3D-WS), Thriving Scale and Developmental Assets Profile (DAP) were completed by them. The data analyzed by using the path analysis method. The final model presented a particular pattern of relationship between the research variables, and could explain 0/23 of the variance of wisdom. The fitness indicators of the model showed the proper fit with the data (χ2/df=2.57, RMSEA=0/05, GFI=1/00, CFI=1/00,). Direct effects of internal assets on three dimensions of wisdom were confirmed, its indirect effects through thriving on cognitive and effective dimensions were significant but on the reflective dimension was not significant. Also, direct effect of external assets on reflective dimension was confirmed, but on the cognitive and effective dimensions didn''t confirm, and its indirect effects on cognitive and effective dimensions were significant but on reflective dimension was non-significant. Totally, internal assets more than external assets explained wisdom in the students.

With China's fast-growing economy, family dinners are often overlooked. However, family dinner, as an important routine family activity, provides an opportunity for interaction between adolescents and their parents, which promotes adolescents' happiness. Guided by the positive youth development perspective, the character strength theory of happiness and the family investment model, the current study simultaneously investigated the mediating role of adolescents' internal assets and the moderating role of parental educational level in the influence of family dinner on adolescents' happiness in Chinese families. A three-wave longitudinal study spanning approximately three years was conducted among 817 Chinese seventh graders (52.4% male; Mage = 12.62 years). The frequency of family dinner at the first year was significantly positively correlated with adolescents' happiness in the first and third years. The cross-sectional and longitudinal results showed that adolescents' internal assets mediated the relationship between family dinner frequency and happiness. Specifically, family dinner with higher-educated parents was a stronger predictor of internal assets than family dinner with lower-educated parents after one year. These findings from the Chinese cultural context complement the research in this field and inform practical endeavors to promote adolescents' happiness worldwide based on the strengths of different cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Adolescents are in a unique developmental stage, ideal for initiating healthy behaviors and benefiting from health promotion interventions. In this study, we used positive youth development and resilience frameworks, to investigate the role of internal assets as a protective factor for bullying and emotional distress among early adolescents, with attention to whether those associations vary by sex. METHODS: This is a secondary analysis of the 2013 Minnesota Student Survey, a cross‐sectional, population‐based survey of Minnesota youth. Participating eighth grade students (N = 42,841) reported on internal assets, physical, relational and cyberbullying involvement, and emotional distress. RESULTS: Logistic regression analyses, stratified by sex and controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, revealed that students with higher internal assets had lower odds of all forms of bullying victimization and perpetration than those with lower internal assets. Higher levels of internal assets were also associated with lower odds of emotional distress. All associations were significant for boys and girls, but appeared stronger for girls. CONCLUSIONS: Findings indicate that internal assets may buffer young teens from bullying and from the emotional distress that may result from bullying involvement. Approaches bolstering internal assets may be beneficial for combating bullying and emotional distress during early adolescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Colombiana de Ciencias Sociales is the property of Fondo Editorial Fundacion Universitaria Luis Amigo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Introduction: Early adolescence is a critical risk period for initiation of substance use. Internal assets (IAs), which are individual qualities guiding positive choices, and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are important protective and risk factors, respectively, against substance use. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether IAs modify associations between ACEs and early initiation of alcohol and marijuana use. Method: Data were from 9th and 11th graders who completed the 2013 Minnesota Student Survey (n = 79,339). Students reported on experiences of abuse, household dysfunction, and substance use. Multivariable logistic regressions examined associations between different types of ACEs and substance use. Interactions between IAs and ACEs were added to models to test effect modification. For significant interactions, main effects models were re-estimated at different percentiles of IAs. Result: IAs moderated associations of both abuse and household dysfunction with early initiation of marijuana (p <.003) and alcohol (p =.007) for females but not for males. For females with low IAs, odds of early initiation of marijuana were approximately twice as high as students without any ACEs. A similar pattern was detected for females' initiation of alcohol use. No effect modification was detected for IAs and experiencing only abuse or household dysfunction on initiation. Conclusion: Special attention should be paid to improving IAs among girls who have already experienced ACEs. Future research should examine protective factors that buffer the effects of ACEs for boys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Youth who experience homelessness have worse health and well-being than housed youth. Internal assets, including social competency and positive self-identity, are factors that promote healthy development. This study compared internal assets between homeless and housed youth, and examined whether connectedness with parents moderates the association between homelessness and internal assets. Using data from a large population-based survey of middle- and high-school aged youth, we found that homelessness was associated with lower levels of internal assets. However, having high connectedness with a parent significantly predicted the strength of these assets, suggesting opportunities to promote health equity among homeless youth.

Background Bullying and prejudice-based harassment frequently occur in school settings and have significant consequences for the health and wellbeing of young people. Yet far fewer studies have examined the role of the school environment in peer harassment than individual factors. This multilevel study examined associations between a variety of school-level risk and protective factors and student-level reports of bullying and prejudice-based harassment during adolescence. Methods Data come from 8th, 9th, and 11th graders who completed the 2013 Minnesota Student Survey ( N = 122,180 students nested in 505 schools). School-level variables were created by aggregating student report data in five areas: academic orientation to school, internal assets, teacher–student relationship quality, feelings of safety at school, and receipt of disciplinary action. Results Results indicated that youth attending schools with a higher proportion of students with strong internal assets had lower odds of nearly every type of bullying and prejudice-based harassment assessed when compared to youth attending schools with a lower proportion of students with strong internal assets. Additionally, the proportion of students feeling unsafe at school was a fairly consistent risk factor for most types of peer harassment. Conclusion Findings support the idea that prevention programs aimed at improving school-wide internal assets and feelings of safety at school may be key prevention points. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to examine internal assets as predictors for positive emotions among at-risk youth in Malaysia. A set of questions was sent out to 1149 youth who were drawn from low-income apartments in the suburbs of Kuala Lumpur. Of the 1149 participants approached, only 403 participants met the inclusion criteria and completed the questionnaires. Multiple regression analysis suggested that school engagement, self-esteem, interpersonal competence and motivation were significantly predicted positive emotions. The findings suggest that at least four predictors of internal assets are required to produce positive emotions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Measures of developmental assets were created as a new self-report to assess positive attitudes and behaviour among at-risk youth. The measure was examined in a sample of 744 at-risk youth aged between 13 and 25 who dwell in public housing projects in Malaysia. The Malaysian version of the developmental assets measures 23 dimensions of the participants in respect of their positive attitude and behaviour towards society, significant others and self. The results show that this measure has good psychometric properties, and is significantly associated with other constructs. This measure is useful in basic and applied research, and for intervention programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored factors related to risk, resilience and health amongst South African teenagers. Grade nine students (N = 472; males -- 210, females = 262, age range = 12 to 18 years) at seven schools in the Western Cape participated in the study. The California Healthy Kids Survey, which includes risk and resilience modules, was utilized. Focus group interviews were also conducted with the students to determine their needs and support at school. Questionnaires relating to the health promoting schools framework were administered to teachers. Quantitative and qualitative research methodologies were employed. The results indicated that the students were engaged in a variety of risk behaviors that threatened their well-being and that their external and internal assets were limited. A multi-faceted approach to reducing risk and enhancing resilience, involving family, peer, school and community support within a health promoting schools framework, is advocated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Youth who experience homelessness have worse health and well-being than housed youth. Internal assets, including social competency and positive self-identity, are factors that promote healthy development. This study compared internal assets between homeless and housed youth, and examined whether connectedness with parents moderates the association between homelessness and internal assets. Using data from a large population-based survey of middle- and high-school aged youth, we found that homelessness was associated with lower levels of internal assets. However, having high connectedness with a parent significantly predicted the strength of these assets, suggesting opportunities to promote health equity among homeless youth.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate contraceptive non-use and associated factors (socio-demographics, sexual behaviour, internal assets and mental health) among undergraduate university students in 22 countries., Methods: Using anonymous questionnaires, data was collected from 16979 undergraduate university students (mean age 20.8, SD=2.8) from 23 universities in 22 countries., Results: Of the total sample of 16979 undergraduate university students, 7032 (41.9%) reported to have been sexually active in the past 12 months. Of those who had been sexually active, 42.6% reported never (42.7% among male and 42.6% among female students) using contraceptives in the past 12 months. In multivariate regression analysis, among both men and women, younger age, religious affiliation (Hindu; and among women only being Muslim), intrinsic religiosity, and sexually protective behaviour were associated with contraceptive non-use. Lack of internal assets (among men, low life satisfaction and lack of personal control, and among women low personal mastery) ; among women not having depressive symptoms and among men having PTSD symptoms were associated with contraceptive non-use., Conclusion: Low contraceptive use was found and several factors identified as associated with contraceptive non-use may help guide intervention efforts.