Mentoring, competencies, and adjustment in adolescents: American part-time                 employment and European apprenticeships

Based on the conceptual argument that the European apprenticeship might explain cross-national variability in adolescent adjustment, the current investigation tested the relationships between mentoring experiences, namely joint activities with mentors as well as perceived mentoring behaviors by unrelated adults in the work setting, and measures of both psychosocial competencies (job skills, self esteem, and well-being) and measures of adjustment (alcohol use, drug use, and deviance). Data were collected from n = 2735 Swiss apprentices and n = 368 U.S. part-time employees who attended high school. Findings provide evidence that perceived mentoring behaviors by unrelated adults in the work setting in both developmental contexts were associated with both psychosocial competencies and adjustment indicators. Contrary to the idea that the European apprenticeship may provide a unique “protective” developmental experience for youth in comparison with U.S. adolescents who work part-time, adolescents in both contexts benefited equally from good mentoring experiences.

Download Full-text

Predicting Adolescent Adjustment and Well-Being: The Interplay between Socio-Emotional and Personal Factors

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph16234650 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 16 (23) ◽

pp. 4650 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Usue de la Barrera ◽

Konstanze Schoeps ◽

José-Antonio Gil-Gómez ◽

Inmaculada Montoya-Castilla

Keyword(s):

Psychological Adjustment ◽

Protective Factor ◽

Emotional Competence ◽

Descriptive Analysis ◽

Well Being ◽

Self Esteem ◽

Adolescent Adjustment ◽

Subjective Well Being ◽

Personal Factors ◽

Emotional Factors

Social and emotional factors such as emotional competence and self-esteem are protective factors that promote adolescent mental health and well-being. In this paper, we will examine the combined contribution of these socio-emotional factors in addition to personal factors, in the prediction of psychological adjustment and subjective well-being in adolescence. The study included 840 adolescents aged between 12 and 16 years old (M = 13.37, SD = 1.16, 51.4% girls). We measured personal variables (sex, age, number of siblings), socio-emotional variables (emotional competence and self-esteem), psychological adjustment (emotional and behavioural problems) and subjective well-being (life satisfaction and affect balance). Besides descriptive analysis and Pearson bivariate correlations, two different methodologies were performed, including hierarchical regression models and a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). The results show that emotional competence is a protective factor for optimal adjustment and well-being, and suggest that self-esteem reinforces this relation. Different patterns were observed for female and male adolescents of different ages and with different family backgrounds. The practical implications of our findings for intervention programs have been discussed.

Download Full-text

Are Older Adults Sexually Well: A Comparative Qualitative Study in Portugal and Romania

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.992 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 310-310

Author(s):

Sofia von Humboldt ◽

Georgeta Niculescu ◽

Gail Low ◽

Isabel Leal

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Content Analysis ◽

Qualitative Study ◽

Family Support ◽

Well Being ◽

Good Health ◽

Open Communication ◽

Joint Activities ◽

Supportive Relationship ◽

Cross National

Abstract Objective: This study aims the perspectives of older adults on their sexual well-being. For this purpose, a qualitative research was carried out, which analyzes older adults’ perspectives on indicators of sexual well-being in Portugal and Romania. Methods: Forty seven older participants aged 65 to 91 years, were interviewed. Participants lived in the community. All the interviews went through content analysis. Results: Preliminary results of content analysis generated 5 themes for the Romanian sample: Supportive relationship (k = .92, p < .01); positive financial situation (k = .91, p < .01); good health (k = 94, p < .01); education (k = .88, p < .01); and family support (k = .89, p < .01); and five themes for the Portuguese sample: Supportive relationship (k = .91, p < .01); demonstration of love (k = .91, p < .01); sharing joint activities (k = 92, p < .01); positive attitude and good humor (k = .91, p < .01); and open communication (k = .99, p < .01); Conclusions: This study highlighted the perspectives of Portuguese and Romanian older adults concerning sexual well-being. For both samples, showing a supportive relationship with a partner was the more frequent theme. Keywords: Content analysis; cross-national; older adults; qualitative study; sexual well-being.

Download Full-text

Analysis of Self-Concept in Older Adults in Different Contexts

European Journal of Psychological Assessment ◽

10.1027/1015-5759.20.4.262 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 20 (4) ◽

pp. 262-274 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Manuel de Gracia Blanco ◽

Josep Garre Olmo ◽

María Marcó Arbonès ◽

Pilar Monreal Bosch

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Nursing Home ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

External Validity ◽

Aging Process ◽

Well Being ◽

Self Esteem ◽

Self Concept ◽

Self Perceptions ◽

Discriminatory Capacity

Summary: Self-concept is a construct consisting of a group of specific self-perceptions that are hierarchically organized. Age-associated changes of self-concept are related to the individual's perception of the changes occurring throughout the aging process. The authors examined external validity and internal consistency of an instrument that has been developed to assess self-concept in older adults and examined self-concept's characteristics in two different contexts. Results confirm the multidimensionality of the scale and show a satisfactory external validity, indicating good discriminatory capacity. Findings support the hypothesis that older people who live in a nursing home have a poor self-esteem, self-concept, and psychological well-being and have a greater presence of depressive symptoms than people who live in their own home.

Download Full-text