The Impact of School Social Bonds

Students' experiences in the school environment are not limited to purely academic activities, responsibilities, and relationships. Their complete educational experience encompasses social ties, commitment centered on stakes in conformity, beliefs about rules and regulations, and involvement in pursuits that are indirectly tied to their scholastic performance. Using CNMI Youth Survey data, this chapter explores these social bonds in the school setting and examines their impact on indigenous and indigenous high school students in the Northern Mariana Islands. The relative importance of these social bonds is compared to the influence of social bonds outside the school environment. The findings highlight the importance of teacher attachment and the belief in the validity and fairness of school rules on the risk-behavior for both indigenous and non-indigenous youth, with non-indigenous youths experiencing teacher attachment as a relatively stronger protective factor.

Overview and Insight from the China Research Report on the Global Youth Survey of Social and Emotional Skills by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development

Social and emotional skills are important for students in 21st century study, life, and future work. In 2018, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) officially launched the first round of social and emotional skills tests for 10-year-old and 15-year-old students worldwide. After 3 years of research, the first round of global data collection ended and at the end of 2019 the OECD published the Social and Emotional Ability Assessment International Report. As one of the participating cities, Suzhou, China, successfully completed the first round of testing and released a series of reports. This article summarizes the research work of the OECD and China on social and emotional capabilities of students and discusses a few insights from the data.

Neighborhood Income Inequality and Alcohol Use among Adolescents in Boston, Massachusetts

Objectives: Previous research has indicated that area-level income inequality is associated with increased risk in alcohol consumption. However, few studies have been conducted among adolescents living within smaller area units, such as neighborhoods. We investigated whether neighborhood income inequality is associated with alcohol consumption among adolescents. Methods: We analyzed cross-sectional data from a sample of 1878 adolescents living in 38 neighborhoods participating in the 2008 Boston Youth Survey. Multilevel logistic regression modeling was used to determine the role of neighborhood income inequality and the odds for alcohol consumption and to determine if social cohesion and depressive symptoms were mediators. Results: In comparison to the first tertile of income inequality, or the most equal neighborhood, adolescent participants living in the second tertile (AOR = 1.20, 95% CI: 0.89, 1.61) and third tertile (AOR = 1.44, 95% CI: 1.06, 1.96) were more likely to have consumed alcohol in the last 30 days. Social cohesion and depressive symptoms were not observed to mediate this relationship. Conclusions: Findings indicate that the distribution of incomes within urban areas may be related to alcohol consumption among adolescents. To prevent alcohol consumption, public health practitioners should prioritize prevention efforts for adolescents living in neighborhoods with large gaps between rich and poor.

Did the Arab Spring lead to economic, institutional and sociopolitical changes? An empirical analysis through the perceptions of Egyptian youth

PurposeEgyptian youth played a central role in the Arab Spring (AS) uprisings, demanding bread, justice and opportunities. This paper examines the perceptions of young Egyptians about the AS through their responses on the economic, institutional and sociopolitical conditions in the pre-AS and post-AS periods.Design/methodology/approachThe empirical analysis relies on a micro-level dataset extracted from the SAHWA Youth Survey. The estimations are carried out through the bivariate ordered probit model.FindingsThe results reveal that the perceptions about the AS-related outcomes are not uniform, and that social values and ideological characteristics matter more than the standard socioeconomic attributes in comprehending the responses. They indicate that individuals with secularist, non-traditionalist and gender equality inclinations have generally formed more favorable perceptions about the AS-related changes. Also, the results suggest that the AS has generated propitious perceived conditions for further global connection, relative to the Arab and Islamic ties. They show that the perceptions of individuals who place credence in entrepreneurial attitude have been relatively unfavorable vis-à-vis the post-AS conditions.Originality/valueThe findings underscore the importance of comprehending the perceptions about the AS-related outcomes. They imply that the AS has produced “winners” and “losers,” and has laid down the basis for social transformations in Egypt.

A novel concept of screening for subgrouping factors for the association between socioeconomic status and respiratory allergies

Background The new subgroup screening tool “subscreen” aims to understand the unclear and complex association between socioeconomic status (SES) and childhood allergy. This software R package has been successfully used in clinical trials but not in large population-based studies. Objective To screen and identify subgrouping factors explaining their impact on the association between SES and respiratory allergies in childhood and youth. Methods Using the national German childhood and youth survey dataset (KiGGS Wave 2), we included 56 suspected subgrouping factors to investigate the association between SES (low vs. high) and allergic rhinitis and/or asthma in an exploratory manner. The package enabled a comprehensive overview of odds ratios when considering the SES impact per subgroup and analogously all disease proportions per subgroup. Result Among the 56 candidate factors, striking subgrouping factors were identified; e.g., if mothers were younger and in the low SES group, their children had a higher risk of asthma. In addition children of the teen’s age were associated with increased risks in the low SES group. For the crude proportions, factors such as (parental) smoking or having had no “contact with farm animals” were identified as strong risk factors for rhinitis. Significance The “subscreen” package enabled the detection of notable subgroups for further investigations exemplarily for similar epidemiological research questions.

Covid-19 Pandemic and its relation to the Unemployment situation in Malaysia: A Case Study from Sabah

Covid-19 not only exposed the vulnerability of most industries especially industries that relies on air travel and tourism but resulted in the exponential increase of unemployment in Malaysia. At the same time, online business or trade and ‘GIG’ economy increased exponentially. The sudden and unexpected loss of jobs had dire consequences for many people. This paper examines how policies enacted during the Covid-19 pandemic affected unemployment in Malaysia by focussing on the situation in Sabah, one of the three remaining partners in the formation of Malaysia. It draws on data from the Family, Women and Youth Survey conducted online towards the end of 2020, as well as secondary data. The study shows that hardship has been faced by many people, especially those previously in professional roles, and those who are younger. The widespread damage to the economy, and to social cohesion, will require significant collaboration between business and industry, the government and the people.

Religion as an influencing factor of right-wing, left-wing and Islamist extremism. Findings of a Swiss youth study

In criminological research the relationship between religion and delinquency has received great attention. Religiosity has been shown to be a protective factor for violent behaviour, drug use and other types of crime. In contrast, the relationship between religion and extremism was rarely investigated and then almost exclusively in relation to Islamist extremism. This paper presents results of a youth survey on extremism in Switzerland. A total of 8317 young people in ten cantons were interviewed about right-wing, left-wing and Islamist extremism. The study allows in a unique way to analyse religion, religiosity and religious attitudes in relation to three forms of extremist attitudes. The results show that religion is an important influencing factor of extremism, but religious affiliation and religiosity are less important than specific religious attitudes such as religious tolerance and religious exclusivity.

Diversity, National Identity, and Political Participation among Young People in Luxembourg

Luxembourg is known for its cultural and national diversity. Approximately 48% of the population is foreigners live in Luxembourg. For 15-29-year-olds, this share wasapproximately 42% in 2019 and 2020. Furthermore, approximately 185,000 foreign workers commute to Luxembourg daily. Considering this, Luxembourg is an interesting case for investigating national identity and political participation of a diverse society (STATEC 2020a, STATEC 2020b, STATEC 2021). Especially, as the biographies of young people in Luxembourg are becoming increasingly complex (e.g., mixed national parents; highly skilled expatriates), it is worth looking into different aspects and valuations of national identity and political participation of youth in Luxembourg (Amtépé and Hartmann-Hirsch, 2011). In this policy report, we look into the aspects of national identity and how young people living in Luxembourg define a ‘real Luxembourger’ using the Youth Survey Luxembourg (2019) data (Sozio et al., 2020). This will give us the opportunity to investigate what aspects of identity (e.g. Luxembourgish ancestry; the time spent living in Luxembourg) matter for young people to feel part of Luxembourgish society and how these change across different social backgrounds and demographics. The discourse about the interrelations of political participation and youth brings forward the dominant narrative of a disengaging and passive youth. Here, we also investigate these statements in the Luxembourgish context. We analyse the level of interest in politics across young people in Luxembourg and their means of political participation. Finally, we especially investigated the relationship between aspects of national identity, and political interest and engagement of young people in Luxembourg.

Bullying in Schools and LGBTQ+ Youth Mental Health: Relations with Voting for Trump

The current study utilized the 2018 Washington State Healthy Youth Survey to explore the relations among school district political attitudes, bullying experiences, and mental health outcomes, particularly for LGBTQ+ students. Although bullying was associated with greater psychological distress (i.e., anxiety, depression, and suicidality) for all students, LGBTQ+ students experienced more bullying and psychological distress. Bullying experiences mediated the relation between LGBTQ+ identity and psychological distress. However, school district voting record moderated the relation between LGBTQ+ identity and bullying, such that LGBTQ+ students in more conservative districts, or districts with more votes for Donald Trump in the 2016 election, experienced more bullying, which was associated with greater psychological distress. Additionally, increased teacher intervention during instances of bullying was related to less bullying for LGBTQ+ students. Finally, in more conservative-leaning districts, LGBTQ+ students reported less teacher intervention, which was associated with more bullying and psychological distress. Given that political conservatism was related to higher rates of bullying and poorer mental health outcomes for LGBTQ+ students, we recommend improving school-based LGBTQ+ bullying policies to prioritize the mental health of LGBTQ+ youth.