Bully Victimization, Truancy, and Violent Offending: Evidence From the ASEP Truancy Reduction Experiment

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-26
Author(s):  
Stephanie M. Cardwell ◽  
Sarah Bennett ◽  
Lorraine Mazerolle

Research indicates truancy and being bullied (otherwise called bully victimization) are independently linked to violent offending. We examine the associations between truancy, bully victimization, and violent offending in a sample of young people who participated in the Ability School Engagement Program (ASEP) truancy reduction experiment. Pre-intervention, half of the sample reported missing school because they were being bullied. Experiment and control participants both exhibited significant reductions in bully victimization and missing school because of bully victimization. Neither groups exhibited significant reductions in violent offending. Contrasting expectations, participants in the control group had significantly larger reductions in missing school because of bully victimization. Post-intervention measures of bully victimization were significantly related to higher odds of violent offending. Bully victimization is a critical factor in understanding the nexus between truancy and violent offending which, if neglected in an intervention (like ASEP) can lead to backfire effects for young people.

2015 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. O’Keeffe ◽  
A. O’Reilly ◽  
G. O’Brien ◽  
R. Buckley ◽  
R. Illback

ObjectivesJigsaw is an early intervention mental health service developed by Headstrong which provides support to young people, aged 12–25 years, in 10 communities across Ireland. This study aimed to profile young people who availed of Jigsaw, in one calendar year, and to provide evidence that Jigsaw’s model facilitates the reduction of psychological distress.MethodsParticipants were 2420 young people who received support, directly or indirectly, from Jigsaw. Demographic details, including age, gender, presenting issues and referral pathways, captured on the Jigsaw Data System were described and psychological distress was assessed using the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation (CORE) questionnaires.ResultsA gender balance was almost observed and the majority of participants were between 15 and 17 years old. The most common presenting issue was anxiety and the most common referral sources were self, parent, general practitioner, school and Adult Mental Health Services (AMHS). Participants reported high levels of psychological distress pre-intervention and levels were significantly lower post intervention.ConclusionsAlthough a lack of control group limits interpretation of the study findings, this study provides emerging evidence that Jigsaw is an accessible and effective service which plays a key role in the continuum of mental health care for young people in Ireland.


2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 153-158

Mothers are fundamental caregivers for under-five children and thus, family participation in child health services is very important. Therefore, a quasi-experimental study for promoting key family practices of mothers with under-five children was conducted among 278 respondents from Oaktwin Cantonment and Inndaing Cantonment in 2014. Data were collected by face-to-face interview with pretested structured questionnaire. Health promotion program including health education and advocacy for unit supports was implemented in study group. Before intervention, baseline data of respondents and pre-intervention knowledge and practices levels were identified. In the three-month and six-month after interventions, post-intervention data collection was done in both groups and data were analyzed. Findings show that there was a statistically significant difference of knowledge and practice scores between study group and control group after three-month interventions (t=10.827, p<0.0001, eta squared=0.297 and t=8.2, p<0.0001, eta squared=0.195, respectively), and six-month post-intervention (t=10.035, p<0.0001, eta squared=0.267 and t=8.773, p<0.0001, eta squared=0.304, respectively). Moreover, knowledge and practice level within study groups have a significant effect for time (F=160.45, p<0.0001 and F=113.06, p<0.0001, respectively) and the magnitude of this effect was also large (eta squared=0.699 for knowledge and 0.621 for practice). At the same time, knowledge and practice of control group have a significant effect for time (F=3.648, p=0.029 and F=19.564, p<0.0001, respectively) but this effect was very small. It can be asserted that health promotion program can improve the knowledge and practice of mothers regarding key family practices. The findings of current study might be a cornerstone for improvement of maternal knowledge and practice on caring for children in the military community.


2020 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-42
Author(s):  
Anna Kostiukow ◽  
Wojciech Strzelecki ◽  
Mateusz W. Romanowski ◽  
Marta Rosołek ◽  
Ewa Mojs ◽  
...  

Introduction: The study is aimed at drawing the attention of the medical environment to the mental health aspects of young patients as a factor that significantly influences the efficiency of their rheumatic disease treatment. Aim: This paper is to check the risk of depression among a group of adolescents and young adults with rheumatic diseases. Material and Methods: The study was conducted among a group of 68 late adolescents and young adults (18-22 years old) with rheumatic diseases. The control group consisted of 102 young people (18-22 years old) without a diagnosed chronic disease. Risk of depression was measured using a screening tool – the Kutcher Adolescent Depression Scale (KADS). Results: The analysis showed that the probability of depression in the study group was 35.3%. In the control group, this rate was 19.6%. The results were statistical significance (p=0.028). Conclusions: The results of this study prove that the risk of depression among adolescents and young adults with rheumatic diseases is significantly higher than in healthy young people. The highest risk of depression is related to feeling tired, fatigue, low energy levels and lack of motivation as well as feeling worried, nervous, panicky, tense, keyed-up and anxious.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong Zhang ◽  
Yang Tao ◽  
Yun Zhong ◽  
Jacqueline Thompson ◽  
Jamal Rahmani ◽  
...  

UNSTRUCTURED Lifestyle interventions have been recognised as a line treatment of non-communicable diseases. The aimed of this study was to evaluate a bespoke mHealth approach to delivers personalised feedback to improve blood pressure and weight for hypertensive patients in community settings. A total of 307 participants, 50 from each community, were expected to be in the intervention or control group. A professional health facilitator was assigned for each of the 6 communities. The primary outcomes of the study are the reduction in blood pressure and weight at baseline and post-intervention. Of 307 recruited,192 (62.5%) participants completed the study (intervention: 104 and control: 88). There was no difference in attrition rates between the two groups (33.5%vs41.9%, p=0.291). After 6-months of intensive feedback intervention through mHealth approach, patients had better blood pressure, weight, and BMI compared with control. People who were adherent to the intervention demonstrated a clinical benefit with regards to weight and blood pressure.


Author(s):  
Miriam Romero-López ◽  
María Carmen Pichardo ◽  
Ana Justicia-Arráez ◽  
Judit Bembibre-Serrano

The objective of this study is to measure the effectiveness of a program on improving inhibitory and emotional control among children. In addition, it is assessed whether the improvement of these skills has an effect on the reduction of aggressive behavior in pre-school children. The participants were 100 children, 50 belonging to the control group and 50 to the experimental group, aged between 5 and 6 years. Pre-intervention and post-intervention measures of inhibitory and emotional control (BRIEF-P) and aggression (BASC) were taken. A Generalized Linear Mixed Model analysis (GLMM) was performed and found that children in the experimental group scored higher on inhibitory and emotional control compared to their peers in the control group. In addition, these improvements have an effect on the decrease in aggressiveness. In conclusion, preventive research should have among its priorities the design of such program given their implications for psychosocial development.


2021 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Younes Lotfi ◽  
Mahdieh Hasanalifard ◽  
Abdollah Moossavi ◽  
Enayatollah Bakhshi ◽  
Mohammad Ajalloueyan

Abstract Background The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of “Spatially separated speech in noise” auditory training on the ability of speech perception in noise among bimodal fitting users. The assumption was that the rehabilitation can enhance spatial hearing and hence speech in noise perception. This study was an interventional study, with a pre/post-design. Speech recognition ability was assessed with the specific tests. After performing the rehabilitation stages in the intervention group, the speech tests were again implemented, and by comparing the pre- and post-intervention data, the effect of auditory training on the speech abilities was assessed. Twenty-four children of 8–12 years who had undergone cochlear implantation and continuously used bimodal fitting were investigated in two groups of control and intervention. Results The results showed a significant difference between the groups in different speech tests after the intervention, which indicated that the intervention group have improved more than the control group. Conclusion It can be concluded that “Spatially separated speech in noise” auditory training can improve the speech perception in noise in bimodal fitting users. In general, this rehabilitation method is useful for enhancing the speech in noise perception ability.


Author(s):  
Leticia Borfe ◽  
Caroline Brand ◽  
Letícia Schneiders ◽  
Jorge Mota ◽  
Claudia Cavaglieri ◽  
...  

Physical exercise reduces the biochemical markers of obesity, but the effects of multicomponent interventions on these markers should be explored. The present study aimed to elucidate how overweight/obese adolescents respond to a multicomponent program approach on body composition, physical fitness, and inflammatory markers, using a quasi-experimental study with 33 overweight/obesity adolescents (control group (CG) = 16; intervention group (IG) = 17). The intervention consisted of 24 weeks with physical exercises and nutritional and psychological guidance. Both groups were evaluated at the pre/post-intervention moments on body mass index (BMI); body fat (%Fat); waist circumference (WC); waist/hip ratio (WHR); waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF); abdominal strength, flexibility; leptin; interleukin 6; interleukin 10; and tumor necrosis factor-alpha. Mixed-analysis of variance and generalized estimation equations were used for statistical analysis. There was an interaction effect between groups and time on %Fat (p = 0.002), WC (p = 0.023), WHR (p < 0.001), WHtR (p = 0.035), CRF (p = 0.050), and leptin (p = 0.026). Adolescents were classified as 82.4% responders for %Fat, 70.6% for WC, 88.2% for WHR, and 70.6% for CRF. Further, there was an association between changes in %Fat (p = 0.033), WC (p = 0.032), and WHR (p = 0.033) between responders and non-responders with CRF in the IG. There was a positive effect on body composition, physical fitness, and leptin. In addition, reductions in body composition parameters were explained by CRF improvements.


Author(s):  
Alex Ojeda-Aravena ◽  
Tomás Herrera-Valenzuela ◽  
Pablo Valdés-Badilla ◽  
Jorge Cancino-López ◽  
José Zapata-Bastias ◽  
...  

The aim of this research was to compare the effects of a technique-specific high-intensity interval training (HIIT) protocol vs. traditional taekwondo training on physical fitness and body composition in taekwondo athletes, as well as to analyse the inter-individual response. Utilising a parallel controlled design, sixteen male and female athletes (five females and 11 males) were randomly divided into an experimental group (EG) that participated in the technique-specific HIIT and a control group (CG) that participated in traditional taekwondo training. Both groups trained three days/week for four weeks. Squat jump (SJ), countermovement jump (CMJ), 5-metre sprint (5M), 20-metre shuttle run (20MSR), taekwondo specific agility test (TSAT), multiple frequency speed of kick test (FSKTMULT), total kicks, and kick decrement index (KDI), as well as body composition were evaluated. Results indicate that there are no significant differences (p > 0.05) in the factors group and time factor and group by time interaction (p > 0.05). Although percentage and effect size increases were documented for post-intervention fitness components in TSAT, total kicks, KDI, and 20MSR, responders and non-responders were also documented. In conclusion, a HIIT protocol based on taekwondo-specific technical movements does not report significant differences in fitness and body composition compared to traditional taekwondo training, nor inter-individual differences between athletes.


Author(s):  
Erin H Feser ◽  
Christian Korfist ◽  
Kyle Lindley ◽  
Neil E Bezodis ◽  
Kenneth Clark ◽  
...  

Time constraints often result in the challenge to fit desired programming into training time allotments. Wearable resistance (WR) may be an option to optimise the training content in function of constrained training time. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a lower-limb WR sprint running training intervention on athlete speed capabilities following a nine-week off-season, low volume training period within a sample of American football high school athletes. Nineteen athletes completed pre- and post-intervention testing of two maximal effort 30 m sprints. Horizontal force-velocity mechanical profiling variables, sprint times, and maximal velocity were calculated from sprint running velocity data collected by a radar device. The athletes completed seventeen dedicated sprint training sessions during the off-season. The intervention (WR) group completed the sessions with 1% body mass load attached to the shanks (i.e. 0.50% body mass load on each limb). The control group completed the same training sessions unloaded. Post-intervention, no statistically significant between group differences were observed ( p > 0.05). However, athletes in both groups experienced increases in velocity measures following the sprint training. The greater adjusted mean theoretical maximal velocity scores ( p > 0.05; ES = 0.30) found for the WR group compared to the control group at post-intervention may suggest that WR amplifies the nuances of the training protocol itself. Coaches can consider using lower-limb WR training to increase in-session workloads during periods of low volume training but more research is needed to better understand to what extent WR training might provide an added value to optimise both the training content and planning, as well as the athlete’s training response in order to improve sprint running performance.


BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. e045235
Author(s):  
Felicity Waite ◽  
Thomas Kabir ◽  
Louise Johns ◽  
Jill Mollison ◽  
Apostolos Tsiachristas ◽  
...  

BackgroundEffective interventions, targeting key contributory causal factors, are needed to prevent the emergence of severe mental health problems in young people. Insomnia is a common clinical issue that is problematic in its own right but that also leads to the development and persistence of psychotic experiences. The implication is that treating sleep problems may prevent the onset of psychosis. We collected initial case series data with 12 young people at ultra-high-risk of psychosis. Post-intervention, there were improvements in sleep, depression and psychotic experiences. Now we test the feasibility of a randomised controlled trial, with a clinical aim to treat sleep problems and hence reduce depression, psychotic experiences, and prevent transition to psychosis.Methods and analysisA randomised controlled feasibility trial will be conducted. Forty patients aged 14 to 25 years who are at ultra-high-risk of psychosis and have sleep disturbance will be recruited from National Health Service (NHS) mental health services. Participants will be randomised to receive either a novel, targeted, youth-focussed sleep intervention in addition to usual care or usual care alone. Assessor-blinded assessments will be conducted at baseline, 3 months (post-intervention) and 9 months (follow-up). The eight-session psychological intervention will target the key mechanisms which disrupt sleep: circadian rhythm irregularities, low sleep pressure, and hyperarousal. To gain an in-depth understanding of participants’ views on the acceptability of the intervention and study procedures, 16 participants (n=10 intervention, n=6 control) will take part in qualitative interviews. Analyses will focus on feasibility outcomes (recruitment, retention, and treatment uptake rates) and provide initial CI estimates of intervention effects. Thematic analysis of the qualitative interviews will assess the acceptability of the intervention and trial procedures.Ethics and disseminationThe trial has received ethical approval from the NHS Health Research Authority. Findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, and lay networks.Trial registration numberISRCTN85601537.


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