A therapeutic group for young people with diverse gender identifications

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 241-257
Author(s):  
Sarah Davidson ◽  
Annabelle Morrison ◽  
Elin Skagerberg ◽  
Ian Russell ◽  
Anna Hames
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Young People ◽  
Identity Development ◽  
Peer Relationships ◽  
Support Groups ◽  
Therapeutic Group ◽  
Negative Experiences ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Psychosocial Difficulties ◽  
Psychological Difficulties

Young people are presenting to specialist gender services in higher numbers than before and many with significant psychosocial difficulties. Negative experiences of stigma, difficult peer relationships and discrimination exacerbate distress and psychological difficulties, negatively impacting wellbeing and resilience. Social support is advocated as a means of supporting young people with diverse gender identifications, such as through peer support groups. This article describes the establishment of a young persons’ group in 2011 within the United Kingdom’s Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS), for those attending the service as a means of enabling their coping with difficult experiences and facilitating their wellbeing and resilience through effective social support. The group was evaluated using qualitative and quantitative measures and has subsequently run each year. Now in its sixth year, the authors reflect on their learning and experiences.

scholarly journals Sociodevelopmental Challenges Faced by Young People with Chronic Pain: A Scoping Review

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abigail Jones ◽  
Line Caes ◽  
C Meghan McMurtry ◽  
Christopher Eccleston ◽  
Abbie Jordan
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Pain ◽  
Young People ◽  
Identity Development ◽  
Social Development ◽  
Peer Relationships ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Autonomy Development ◽  
Future Research Agenda ◽  
Developmental Domains

Abstract Objective Map the current literature investigating autonomy development, identity development, and peer relationships in young people aged 10–24 years with chronic pain. Methods A scoping review method was used to systematically search four databases (APA PsycNET, PubMed, Web of Science, and Cinahl) for peer-reviewed articles. Search results were screened against inclusion and exclusion criteria to ensure they met the objective. Eligible papers were assessed for quality, their data relating to the objective were extracted, and results are synthesized. Results Searches returned 3,815 papers after the removal of duplicates, with 42 papers included in the full review. The majority of papers investigated peer relationships (86%). Fewer papers investigated autonomy (43%) and identity (21%) development. Included papers were mostly quantitative (64%), with fewer qualitative (34%) and mixed-methods papers (2%). Overall, we found bidirectional relationships between chronic pain in young people, their social development, and a range of functional outcomes. However, the mechanisms underlying these relationships remain relatively unexplored. Conclusions Review results are mapped onto the model proposed by Palermo et al. (2014). Guided by this model, clinical treatment for young people with chronic pain should consider social development. The model also sets out a future research agenda focused on exploring: (a) identity development, (b) the mechanisms underlying the relationships between social–developmental domains, pain, and outcomes, (c) a variety of participants and populations, and (d) a variety of methods, including longitudinal study designs.

scholarly journals Loneliness as an active ingredient in preventing or alleviating youth anxiety and depression: a critical interpretative synthesis incorporating principles from rapid realist reviews

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eiluned Pearce ◽  
Pamela Myles-Hooton ◽  
Sonia Johnson ◽  
Emily Hards ◽  
Samantha Olsen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Young People ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Mechanisms Of Action ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Quantitative Evidence ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Stakeholder Views ◽  
Randomised Controlled

AbstractLoneliness is a relatively common problem in young people (14–24 years) and predicts the onset of depression and anxiety. Interventions to reduce loneliness thus have significant potential as active ingredients in strategies to prevent or alleviate anxiety and depression among young people. Previous reviews have focused on quantitative evidence and have not examined potential mechanisms that could be targets for intervention strategies. To build on this work, in this review we aimed to combine qualitative and quantitative evidence with stakeholder views to identify interventions that appear worth testing for their potential effectiveness in reducing loneliness, anxiety and depression in young people aged 14–24 years, and provide insights into the potential mechanisms of action. We conducted a Critical Interpretative Synthesis, a systematic review method that iteratively synthesises qualitative and quantitative evidence and is explicitly focused on building theory through a critical approach to the evidence that questions underlying assumptions. Literature searches were performed using nine databases, and eight additional databases were searched for theses and grey literature. Charity and policy websites were searched for content relevant to interventions for youth loneliness. We incorporated elements of Rapid Realistic Review approaches by consulting with young people and academic experts to feed into search strategies and the resulting conceptual framework, in which we aimed to set out which interventions appear potentially promising in terms of theoretical and empirical underpinnings and which fit with stakeholder views. We reviewed effectiveness data and quality ratings for the included randomised controlled trials only. Through synthesising 27 studies (total participants n = 105,649; range 1–102,072 in different studies) and grey literature, and iteratively consulting with stakeholders, a conceptual framework was developed. A range of ‘Intrapersonal’ (e.g. therapy that changes thinking and behaviour), ‘Interpersonal’ (e.g. improving social skills), and ‘Social’ Strategies (e.g. enhancing social support, and providing opportunities for social contact) seem worth testing further for their potential to help young people address loneliness, thereby preventing or alleviating depression and/or anxiety. Such strategies should be co-designed with young people and personalised to fit individual needs. Plausible mechanisms of action are facilitating sustained social support, providing opportunities for young people to socialise with peers who share similar experiences, and changing thinking and behaviour, for instance through building positive attitudes to themselves and others. The most convincing evidence of effectiveness was found in support of Intrapersonal Strategies: two randomised controlled studies quality-rated as ‘good’ found decreases in loneliness associated with different forms of therapy (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy or peer network counselling), although power calculations were not reported, and effect sizes were small or missing. Strategies to address loneliness and prevent or alleviate anxiety and depression need to be co-designed and personalised. Promising elements to incorporate into these strategies are social support, including from peers with similar experiences, and psychological therapy.

scholarly journals Loneliness as an active ingredient in preventing or alleviating youth anxiety and depression: a critical interpretative synthesis incorporating principles from rapid realist reviews

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eiluned Pearce ◽  
Pamela Myles-Hooton ◽  
Sonia Johnson ◽  
Emily Hards ◽  
Samantha Olsen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Young People ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Social Contact ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Social Strategies ◽  
Critical Approach ◽  
Quantitative Evidence ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Positive Attitudes

Background Loneliness is a common problem in young people (14-24 years) and predicts the onset of depression and anxiety. Interventions to reduce loneliness thus have significant potential as active ingredients in strategies to prevent or alleviate anxiety and depression among young people. In this review, we aimed to combine qualitative and quantitative evidence with stakeholder views to identify interventions that appear worth testing for their potential effectiveness in achieving this.Methods We conducted a critical interpretative synthesis, a systematic review method that iteratively synthesises qualitative and quantitative evidence and is explicitly focused on building theory through a critical approach to the evidence that questions underlying assumptions. Literature searches were performed using nine databases, and eight additional databases were searched for theses and grey literature. Charity and policy websites were searched for content relevant to interventions for youth loneliness. We incorporated elements of rapid realistic review approaches by consultating with young people and academic experts to feed into search strategies and the resulting framework, in which we aimed to set out which interventions appear potentially promising in terms of theoretical and empirical underpinnings and fit with stakeholder views.Findings Through synthesising 27 studies (total participants n=105,649; range 1-102,072 in different studies) and grey literature and iteratively consulting with stakeholders, a conceptual framework was developed. A range of Intrapersonal (e.g. therapy that changes thinking and behaviour), Interpersonal (e.g. improving social skills), and Social Strategies (e.g. enhancing social support, providing opportunities for social contact) seem worth testing further for their potential to help young people address loneliness, thereby preventing or alleviating depression and/or anxiety. Such strategies should be co-designed and personalised to fit individual needs. Plausible mechanisms of action are facilitating sustained social support, providing opportunities for young people to socialise with peers who share similar experiences, and changing thinking and behaviour, for instance through building positive attitudes to themselves and others.Interpretation Strategies to address loneliness and prevent or alleviate anxiety and depression need to be co-designed and personalised. Promising elements to incorporate into these strategies are social support, including from peers with similar experiences, and psychological therapy.

Creating a ‘Masala’ Self: Bicultural Identity in Desi Young Adult Novels

2010 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Superle
Keyword(s):  
Young Adult ◽  
Young People ◽  
Identity Development ◽  
Small Body ◽  
The United States ◽  
Young Adult Fiction ◽  
Bicultural Identity ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Institutional Forces ◽  
Cultural Identity Development

In the past two decades, the previously silent voices of diasporic Indian writers for young people have emerged, and a small body of texts has begun to develop in the United States and the United Kingdom. One of the major preoccupations of these texts is cultural identity development, especially in the novels published for a young adult audience, which often feature protagonists in the throes of an identity crisis. For example, the novels The Roller Birds of Rampur (1991) by Indi Rana, Born Confused (2002) by Tanuja Desai Hidier, and The Not-So-Star-Spangled Life of Sunita Sen (2005) by Mitali Perkins all focus on an adolescent girl coping with her bicultural identity with angst and confusion, and delineate the ways her self-concept and relationships are affected. The texts are empowering in their suggestion that young people have the agency to explore and create their own balanced bicultural identities, but like other young adult fiction, they ultimately situate adolescents within insurmountable institutional forces that are much more powerful than any individual.

MINIMUM CONSUMER BASKET: WHAT SHOULD IT BE IN TODAY’S RUSSIA?

2020 ◽  
pp. 54-73
Author(s):  
V.N. Bobkov ◽  
A.A. Gulyugina ◽  
Ye.V. Odintsova
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Statistical Method ◽  
Food Products ◽  
Russian Population ◽  
Entire System ◽  
Quantitative Structure ◽  
Social State ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Subsistence Minimum

The article argues for a proposal for such a step in the direction of strengthening social support for the least protected groups of the Russian population and the development of the entire system of social state guarantees as a whole, as the introduction of a socially acceptable consumer basket instead of a consumer basket of the subsistence minimum. The advantages of the normative method of forming consumer baskets over the normative-statistical method are revealed. Based on the analysis of actual consumption of both food and non-food products and services, the qualitative and quantitative structure of the socially acceptable consumer basket is determined (using natural and value indicators).

The impact of algorithmic decision-making processes on young people’s well-being (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elvira Perez Vallejos ◽  
Liz Dowthwaite ◽  
Helen Creswich ◽  
Virginia Portillo ◽  
Ansgar Koene ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Negative Experiences ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Online Platforms ◽  
Internet Users ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND Algorithms rule the online environments and are essential for performing data processing, filtering, personalisation and other tasks. Research has shown that children and young people make up a significant proportion of Internet users, however little attention has been given to their experiences of algorithmically-mediated online platforms, or the impact of them on their mental health and well-being. The algorithms that govern online platforms are often obfuscated by a lack of transparency in their online Terms and Conditions and user agreements. This lack of transparency speaks to the need for protecting the most vulnerable users from potential online harms. OBJECTIVE To capture young people's experiences when being online and perceived impact on their well-being. METHODS In this paper, we draw on qualitative and quantitative data from a total of 260 children and young people who took part in a ‘Youth Jury’ to bring their opinions to the forefront, elicit discussion of their experiences of using online platforms, and perceived psychosocial impact on users. RESULTS The results of the study revealed the young people’s positive as well as negative experiences of using online platforms. Benefits such as being convenient and providing entertainment and personalised search results were identified. However, the data also reveals participants’ concerns for their privacy, safety and trust when online, which can have a significant impact on their well-being. CONCLUSIONS We conclude by making recommendations that online platforms acknowledge and enact on their responsibility to protect the privacy of their young users, recognising the significant developmental milestones that this group experience during these early years, and the impact that technology may have on them. We argue that governments need to incorporate policies that require technologists and others to embed the safeguarding of users’ well-being within the core of the design of Internet products and services to improve the user experiences and psychological well-being of all, but especially those of children and young people. CLINICALTRIAL N/A

Contextual Behavioral Approaches to Understanding Body Image Threats and Coping in Youth: A Qualitative Study

2021 ◽  
pp. 074355842110078
Author(s):  
Anna L. Brichacek ◽  
Kristen Murray ◽  
James T. Neill ◽  
Elizabeth Rieger
Keyword(s):  
Body Image ◽  
Young People ◽  
Developmental Changes ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Life Domains ◽  
Negative Experiences ◽  
Semistructured Interviews ◽  
External Sources ◽  
And Coping ◽  
Selection Of

Adolescence involves significant developmental changes and challenges including heightened body image concerns. However, there is limited research on adaptive ways of responding to perceived threats to body image. This study uses body image flexibility, derived from contextual behavioral perspectives, and coping theories to explore young people’s responses to body image threats. High school and university students (12 male, 15 female) aged 12 to 24 years were recruited from educational institutions in a metropolitan area of Australia. Thematic analysis of semistructured interviews identified themes related to body image threats from internal and external sources. In response to these threats, young people reported coping by changing the content of, and how they related to, perceived threats, and seeking social support. In addition, young people viewed coping as a dynamic process that changed over time and across situations. Reported processes of attending to, and allowing, momentary negative experiences and connecting with other important life domains were consistent with body image flexibility. The coping context affected the selection of coping strategies, with body image flexibility facilitating more adaptive coping for some participants. Further investigation of contextual behavioral approaches, such as body image flexibility, could help to better understand and promote adaptive body image coping in youth.

Formerly Detained Adolescents’ Narratives: On the Interplay between Quality of Life and Desistance

2021 ◽  
pp. 0306624X2110239
Author(s):  
Nele Van Hecke ◽  
Florien Meulewaeter ◽  
Wouter Vanderplasschen ◽  
Lore Van Damme ◽  
Jan Naert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Young People ◽  
Good Life ◽  
Individual Responsibility ◽  
Barriers And Opportunities ◽  
Ambivalent Relationship ◽  
Desistance From Crime ◽  
Good Lives

In recent years, a growing trend to consider strengths and protective factors in studies on desistance from crime has emerged. The present study explores three formerly detained adolescents’ narratives, aiming to tease out how Quality of Life (QoL) and desistance interact in pathways towards a “better life.” The narratives suggest that the journey towards a better life is highly individual, and may unfold via multiple pathways characterized by an ambivalent relationship between QoL and desistance. Alongside the importance of individual aspects and social support, societal barriers and opportunities play a significant role in creating new chances to re-build a life and prosocial identities. This reflects earlier findings that desistance is not an individual responsibility. It is essential to support young people to overcome societal barriers that impede participation in society and living a good life. This research adds to growing evidence of strengths-based approaches to rehabilitation, such as the Good Lives Model (GLM).

scholarly journals Mental health and wellbeing implications of the COVID-19 quarantine for disabled and disadvantaged children and young people: evidence from a cross-cultural study in Zambia and Sierra Leone

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Darren Sharpe ◽  
Mohsen Rajabi ◽  
Clement Chileshe ◽  
Sitali Mayamba Joseph ◽  
Ibrahim Sesay ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young People ◽  
Sierra Leone ◽  
Peer Relationships ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
Planning Tool ◽  
Income Loss ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Children And Young People

Abstract Background The mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and quarantining on children and young people (CYP) living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) has yet to be fully comprehended. CYP in LMICs are at utmost risk, given the COVID-19-related restrictions and social distancing measures, resulting in reduced access to school-based services for nutritional and mental health needs. This study examined mental health of CYP during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Zambia and Sierra Leone. Method A total of 468 disabled and disadvantaged CYP aged 12 to 25 completed a planning tool that comprised the short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (SWEMWBS), as well as open-ended questions covering social connectedness, physical distancing and educational challenges during the lockdown. The community coaches screened individuals and families who could be eligible to receive emergency aid, and based on a convenience sample following distribution of aid, recipients were invited to complete the planning tool. Results The data showed that participants in the global south have increasing anxieties and fears centred on accessing offline educational resources and income loss in the family effecting food security and their ability to return to education. Mean (SD) SWEMWBS scores for all participants in Zambia and Sierra Leone, were 19.61 (3.45) and 21.65 (2.84), respectively. Mental well-being scores were lower in females, children aged 12–14 and participants with two or more disabilities. Factors significantly associated with poor mental wellbeing in the sample were: type of disability, nationality, peer relationships, connection to others during the pandemic, knowledge about COVID-19, worry about the long-term impact of COVID-19, and the types of self-isolating. Conclusion The study shows that participants who self-reported low levels of COVID-19 health literacy also scored low on the mental wellbeing self-assessment. Yet, despite undoubted limited resources, these CYP are doing well in identifying their needs and maintaining hope in the face of the problems associated with COVID-19 in countries where stigma persists around mental ill-health.

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