Although adolescence has been defined as a stage of vulnerability, due to the biopsychosocial changes that happen throughout this developmental stage, it is also one of growth. Some of the core ...personal competencies that have been identified to promote positive development at this stage while simultaneously preventing risks are: (1) a positive sense of self, (2) self-regulation, (3) decision-making skills, (4) a moral system of belief, and (5) prosocial connectedness. There are many factors and contexts that influence adolescent development. The school climate, for example, has the capacity to promote positive development and life satisfaction, yet on the other hand, it is a context within which different forms of violence, such as bullying, can occur. The principal aim of this study, therefore, is to analyze the influence that bullying has on one's life satisfaction, while taking into account participants' socio-demographic characteristics (i.e., gender and developmental stage), their core personal competencies (i.e., problem solving strategies, empathy, emotional repair, self-esteem, and values), and the school climate. To obtain data, a hierarchical regression analysis was conducted with a sample of 647 Spanish students (53.3% female), ranging in age from preadolescence (10-13 years old; 60.3%) to mid-adolescence (14-18 years old; 39.7%), and belonging to diverse socio-economic contexts (15.3% rural) and schools (32.1% public). After gaining informed consent from both the participants and their parents, students completed the survey voluntarily, and under anonymity. Initially results show that gender, developmental stage, and having been bullied were predictors of participants' levels of life satisfaction. When the core personal competencies were also considered in data analysis process, self-esteem, emotional repair, and social values were those demonstrating significant effects on one's life satisfaction; moreover, being bullied was a significant predictor too. Finally, after taking school climate into account, only this variable as well as self-esteem and emotional repair were significant predictors of life satisfaction: the other assessed variables were no longer found to be significant predictors (i.e., gender, developmental stage, being bullied, and social values). These results have important implications for education objectives, methodologies, and school functioning: school climate, self-esteem and emotional repair seem to be particularly important for promoting student life satisfaction and for preventing the negative consequences associated with being bullied.
Sexual coercion is a worldwide health problem that endangers the well-being of those involved. In the same line of the most recent and comprehensive studies, this study sought to investigate the ...extent of sexual coercion, both perpetration and victimization, among male and female adolescents. Moreover, it jointly analyzed the predictive power of different variables that have been considered as useful to design preventive programs. For this purpose, a cross-sectional study, using proportional stratified cluster sampling, was performed and 1,242 Spanish adolescents (15-19 years old) were surveyed. Results show that both genders had reported committing and suffering sexual coercion. However, perpetration was reported more often by males: no significant gender difference was found in victimization. It was also concluded that need for control and power, normative beliefs about sexual coercion, hostile sexism, negative alcohol expectancies, and sociosexual orientation were significant predictors of perpetration for both genders. Concerning victimization, need for control and power and normative beliefs were found to be significant predictors for males and females, as were negative alcohol expectancies and sexual esteem, though only for males. According to these results, both genders can be both perpetrators and victims of sexual coercion in adolescence, but not to the same extent. Moreover, preventive programs should include activities related to perpetration and victimization, taking into account the effectiveness of their components to intervene with male and female adolescents.
The role of sexual satisfaction in adolescents and young adults' mental health has not been thoroughly investigated. The aim of this work is to study differences in sexual satisfaction and mental ...health (anxiety and depression) based on romantic relationship status (having a partner vs. not having one) and gender. Likewise, the association between sexual satisfaction and mental health and the moderating effect of romantic relationship status and gender was addressed in this research. A total of 1682 Spanish adolescents (14-17) and young adults (18-29) agreed to participate in this cross-sectional investigation. Two-factor ANOVA and MANOVA, and hierarchical regression models were utilized in this study. In general, results showed more difficulties in sexual satisfaction and mental health for those not in a current relationship and for women. Additionally, higher levels of sexual satisfaction was associated with lower levels of anxiety for adolescents and lower levels of depression for young adults. These associations were stronger for those in a current relationship. This study highlights the importance of sexual satisfaction as a modifying factor against mental health problems, especially in the context of a current romantic relationship.
The exposure to violence increases risk for future involvement; however, given that the transmission of violence is not universal, mechanisms underlying such association must be explored. The main ...aim of this study was to analyze the contribution of expected costs and benefits of aggressive behavior and romantic attachment to the association between past and present teen dating violence.
A stratified two-stage cluster sampling was used to select a sample of 593 high school students. Participants were between 15 and 18 years old (M = 16.97, SD = 0.95; 41.82% male and 58.18% female) and were either currently involved or had been involved in at least one serious relationship in the previous 12 months.
An association between past and current aggressive behavior in dating relationships was found, as well as between dating violence and expected benefits of aggression. Other analyzed variables were found to have little or no influence on current dating violence perpetration (i.e., verbal-emotional, physical and sexual).
This study offers evidence of the importance of early intervention. In addition, it is essential to change adolescent perceptions regarding any expected benefits of aggression and to promote skills as an alternative to violence.
•Females perpetrate more verbal-emotional aggression than males and males perpetrate more sexual aggression than females.•Males report more cost of aggression than females and females report more benefit of aggression than males.•Violence in past relationships and the expected benefits of aggression predict current dating violence.•Anxious attachment is related to verbal-emotional aggression and avoidant attachment is related to sexual aggression.
Sexual violence is a worldwide health and social issue. However, little is known about the sexual violence that occurs in the context of romantic relationships. This study analyzes the existence of ...sexual violence in adolescents' romantic relationships, the possible associations between such violence (both committed and suffered) and myths about sexual aggression and sexual assertiveness, and the possible gender-related distinctions. A sample of 329 students aged between 15 and 19 (M = 16.3; SD = 0.79) was surveyed; all participants were in a romantic relationship when the data were collected. The results reveal that both genders report the existence of sexual violence in their romantic relationships; however, in heterosexual relationships, males were more often the perpetrators of sexual violence. Additionally, myths about sexual aggression and sexual assertiveness were found to be significantly associated with both perpetration and victimization. Accordingly, these predictors should be focal points in prevention programs for adolescent sexual violence. The findings of this study show the de-prioritization of sexuality education in the Spanish educational system, as well as the need to strengthen the competence of adolescents in this area.
This study focuses on sexual violence experiences suffered by Spanish transgender individuals throughout the life span. Using a cross-sectional design, 33 face-to-face semi-structured interviews were ...conducted which included questions regarding the presence and/or absence of sexual violence, the nature of said sexual violence, by whom sexual violences were committed, coping mechanisms used, and certain mental health indicators. Results found a high percentage of transgender individuals to have been victims of sexual violence during childhood, to use avoidance as a coping mechanism for said experiences, as well as the frequent recurrence of experiences of sexual violence, showing victimization processes. In addition, the relationship between said experiences and mental health indicators were observed. This study highlights the importance of and need for addressing sexual violence among this population, and discusses and analyzes possible components of future educative and clinical intervention strategies.
Abstract Objectives The purpose of the study was to examine three aspects of romantic relationships of Spanish adolescents: the prevalence of verbal-emotional and physical aggressive behaviors, ...correlates of dating violence perpetration (both verbal-emotional and physical aggression), and consequences of violence for victims’ well-being. Method A convenience sample of 567 participants (15–19 years old) who voluntarily completed anonymous, self-report questionnaires was used. All were students from 5 public high schools in Salamanca, Spain. Results Females reported having perpetrated significantly more aggressive acts in their intimate relationships than males did, although the magnitude of differences between both groups was small; in contrast, no sex differences were noted in the frequency of aggressions suffered by adolescents. A strong relationship was observed between the perpetration and victimization of both verbal-emotional and physical aggression across genders. A strong link was observed between jealousy and aggression perpetration (both verbal-emotional and physical). Finally, verbal-emotional aggression represented the most common form of aggressive behavior used at these ages, and relationship deterioration was the most frequent consequence of arguments. Conclusions These results demonstrate that the use of abusive behaviors in adolescent dating relationships is prevalent in Spain. Sex differences were evident in the perpetration of aggression, as well as some of the motivations for, and the effects of, dating violence. Practice implications The present study underlines the need for early intervention programs aimed at decreasing any tolerance for the use of violence in dating relationships of Spanish adolescents. Such programs should include both victimization-based and perpetration-based activities, since the evidence on the relatively mutual nature of dating violence in adolescence points in this direction.
Background: School-based mentoring provided by teachers contributes to the ultimate goal of education: all-round student development and a good mutual coexistence. Aims: This study investigates ...secondary school students’ perceptions of a school climate and school-based mentoring provided by teachers; it also examines the relationship between the school climate and peer aggression, and the moderating effect that teacher-led school mentoring could have on this relationship. Methodology: A total of 441 students between 12 and 17 years old (M = 13.99, SD = 1.33) were surveyed in Cantabria (Spain); the high schools were selected by means of a random sampling of two-stage clusters. Findings: The results demonstrated a direct negative relationship between a school climate and school-based mentoring with respect to peer aggression victimization. Likewise, mentoring showed a moderating effect on the relationship between a school climate and peer aggression victimization. Further implications: These findings highlight the importance of the school climate in preventing peer aggression and the central role that school-based mentoring plays in the relationship between a school climate and peer aggression victimization.
This paper explores Spanish adolescents' knowledge of six dimensions of human sexuality: anatomy and sexual physiology; sexual health; sexual behavior and human sexual response; affection and ...sexuality; sexual identity; and sexuality and society. A questionnaire to evaluate their knowledge was administered to a sample of 3853 adolescents aged between 12 and 18 (M = 14.40, SD = 1.44) from 38 secondary schools throughout Castile and Leon (Spain). The results show that adolescents of both genders, mainly those enrolled in lower-secondary education levels, tend to be misinformed about sexuality. Taking into account all the analyzed dimensions, results reveal that adolescents' knowledge of sexual identity is significantly greater than that of sexuality and society, or of anatomy and sexual physiology. In addition, women show more detailed knowledge than men, although the margin between genders is quite small. Finally, this work highlights the need for sexual education in order to promote more thorough scientific knowledge of sexuality among Spanish adolescents.
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Dostopno za:
BFBNIB, DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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