Abstract Purpose The purpose of the current article was to examine the adolescent risk and protective factors (at the individual, peer group, and family level) for young adult cyberbullying ...perpetration and victimization. Methods Data from 2006 (Grade 9) to 2010 (young adulthood) were analyzed from a community sample of 927 Victorian students originally recruited as a statewide representative sample in Grade 5 (age, 10–11 years) in 2002 and followed-up to age 18–19 years in 2010 (N = 809). Participants completed a self-report survey on adolescent risk and protective factors and traditional and cyberbullying perpetration and victimization and young adult cyberbullying perpetration and victimization. Results As young adults, 5.1% self-reported cyberbullying perpetration only, 5.0% reported cyberbullying victimization only, and 9.5% reported both cyberbullying perpetration and victimization. In fully adjusted logistic regression analyses, the adolescent predictors of cyberbullying perpetration only were traditional bullying perpetration, traditional bullying perpetration and victimization, and poor family management. For young adulthood cyberbullying victimization only, the adolescent predictor was emotion control. The adolescent predictors for young adult cyberbullying perpetration and victimization were traditional bullying perpetration and cyberbullying perpetration and victimization. Conclusions Based on the results of this study, possible targets for prevention and early intervention are reducing adolescent involvement in (traditional or cyber) bullying through the development of social skills and conflict resolution skills. In addition, another important prevention target is to support families with adolescents to ensure that they set clear rules and monitor adolescents' behavior. Universal programs that assist adolescents to develop skills in emotion control are warranted.
•Adolescence is a peak period for the incidence of psychosocial problems.•Help-seeking behavior within social networks provides an important adaptive advantage.•Both informal help-seeking behavior ...and social support may have potential benefits.
The roles of help-seeking from informal sources and social support in their association with psychosocial outcomes during adolescence remain unclear. Yet, help-seeking behavior within informal and supportive social contexts brings young people into contact with a range of important resources with the potential to reduce the likelihood for poor psychosocial outcomes. This study presents a systematic review and meta-analysis exploring both help-seeking behavior from informal sources and social support in their association with psychosocial outcomes in adolescence. The meta-analysis examines 79 effect sizes from 8 studies, analyzing data on informal help-seeking from 5285 youth aged 12–19 years. For social support, the meta-analysis examines 378 effect sizes from 51 studies, analyzing data from 196,247 youth aged 12–19 years. The results of a series of random effects models showed significant associations between help-seeking from informal sources and each of externalizing behavior (OR 0.44, 95% CI 0.34, 0.56, p < .0001), educational outcomes (OR 2.24, 95% CI 1.84, 2.73, p < .0001) and other help-seeking behavior (e.g. help-seeking for peers; OR 2.43, 95% CI 1.97, 3.00, p < .0001). Results showed social support was significantly associated with internalizing behavior (OR 0.57, 95% CI 0.48, 0.68, p < .0001) and substance use (OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.65, 0.84, p < .0001). Social support also showed significant associations with bullying perpetration and victimization with effect sizes ranging from odds ratios of 0.55 to 0.68. Moderator analyses showed variation in results based on methodological-level (e.g. study design) and sample-level (e.g. gender) variables. Although it is difficult to draw overarching conclusions regarding help-seeking from informal sources, given the small number of included studies, findings of the meta-analysis showed that both help-seeking from informal sources and social support may have potential benefits in reducing the likelihood of poor psychosocial outcomes among adolescents. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
The purpose of the present article is to compare the individual, peer, family, and school risk and protective factors for both traditional and cyber-bullying victimization. This article draws on data ...from 673 students from Victoria, Australia, to examine Grade 7 (aged 12-13 years) predictors of traditional and cyber-bullying victimization in Grade 9 (aged 14-15 years). Participants completed a modified version of the Communities That Care youth survey. There were few similarities and important differences in the predictors of traditional and cyber-bullying victimization. For Grade 9 cyber-bullying victimization, in the fully adjusted model, having been a victim of traditional bullying in Grade 7 and emotional control in Grade 7 were predictors. For Grade 9 traditional bullying victimization, predictors were Grade 7 traditional bullying victimization, association with antisocial peers, and family conflict, with family attachment and emotional control marginally statistically significant. The use of evidence-based bullying prevention programs is supported to reduce experiences of both traditional and cyber-bullying victimization, as is the implementation of programs to assist students to regulate their emotions effectively. In addition, traditional bullying victimization may be reduced by addressing association with antisocial friends, family conflict, and bonding to families.
This study sought to appraise internationally published literature investigating bullying in its association with deliberate self-harm (DSH). A systematic review and series of meta-analyses using ...random effects models were conducted. A total of 68 effect sizes, analyzing data from 156,284 adolescents aged 11-19 years were examined. Results showed significant associations between both traditional bullying perpetration (OR 1.81, 95% CI 1.33, 2.47, p < .0001) and victimization (OR 2.34, 95% CI 1.89, 2.89, p < .0001) and DSH. Cyber-bullying victimization (OR 3.55, 95% CI 2.71, 4.65, p < .0001) and the co-occurrence of traditional and cyber-bullying victimization (OR 3.39, 95% CI 1.56, 7.37, p = .002) were also associated with DSH. Moderator analyses showed variation in results based on methodological- and sample-level variables. Findings suggested that exposure to bullying, either as perpetrators or victims, poses risks for DSH.
There is a need to further understand the development of student engagement. Ecological models of adolescent development state that proximal factors, such as teacher support, should strongly ...influence student engagement. Theoretical models also explain concurrent influences from the individual, family, peer, and community contexts. The current study applied an ecological model to the development of five indicators of students' engagement in school. Six hundred and sixty-five full-time Grade 11 students and an additional 54 students who had dropped out of school from Victoria, Australia, completed a Communities That Care survey in term 3 of Grade 10 and term 3 of Grade 11. Grade 10 risk and protective factors from the school (e.g., teacher support), individual (e.g., academic grades, prior engagement), family (e.g., family management practices), peer (e.g., antisocial peer affiliation), and community contexts (e.g., community disorganization) were modeled as predictors of five indicators of Grade 11 engagement (academic engagement, emotional engagement, school discipline, absences from school, and school dropout). Teacher support at Grade 10 had bivariate associations with Grade 11 academic engagement (r = 0.37), emotional engagement (r = 0.35), absences from school (r = −0.14), and school discipline responses (OR = 0.64). The full ecological models explained between 22 and 34% of the variance in engagement; however, teacher support did not predict engagement. Prior engagement and academic grades explained the greatest proportion of variance in students' engagement. Factors from the family, peer, and community contexts made unique contributions to some indicators of engagement. The findings suggest that there is a need to consider student engagement as a long-term process. Implications for improving students' engagement are discussed within an individualized stage-environment fit model of adolescent development.
Adolescent and young adult health, development, and behavior lay a foundation for future population health. Increasing rates of young adult homelessness mean there is a need for research which ...generates evidence to support a stronger focus on population-level prevention. Using longitudinal data from a population-based sample of young adults participating in the cross-nationally matched International Youth Development Study, we examined adolescent antecedents of young adult homelessness in Washington State in the USA and in Victoria, Australia. Participants were surveyed using a modified version of the Communities That Care youth survey. Analyses of prospective, longitudinal data from 1945 participants, recruited as state-representative secondary school samples at grade 7 (average age 13, 2002) and longitudinally compared at young adulthood (average age 25, 2014), showed that young adults in Washington State reported higher rates of past year homelessness (5.24%) compared to those in Victoria (3.25%). Path modeling showed less positive family management strategies at age 13 uniquely increased risk for age 25 homelessness. This effect remained after accounting for age 15 antecedents in peer-group, school, and community environments. Friends’ drug use, school suspension, academic failure, and low neighborhood attachment at age 15 mediated the association between less positive family management strategies at age 13 and age 25 homelessness. Despite observing some cross-national differences in levels of family, peer-group, school, and community antecedents, we found that these factors equally increased risk for age 25 homelessness in both states, suggesting similar cross-national influences for young adult homelessness. The findings indicate cross-nationally common adolescent antecedents for young adult homelessness that could be targeted by prevention strategies across international settings.
Homeless young people are at risk for a range of negative health and behavioral outcomes, and they commonly report exposure to physical violence, as both perpetrators and victims. Semi-structured ...interviews focusing on exposure to physical violence were conducted with 18 homeless young people in Victoria, Australia. Results showed perpetration of physical violence occurred as a form of self-protection. Painful experiences of physical victimization were also described. Injuries were sustained as a result of both physical violence perpetration and victimization. Results suggest an important duality exists between homeless young people's acceptance of exposure to physical violence as normal and requiring emotional detachment at the time of its occurrence, and later reflection about exposure to physical violence with emotional engagement and problematizing the necessity of normalization and detachment. Shame, stigma, and unequal power relationships were described in relation to interactions with health professionals. Future research exploring violence as a response to vulnerability and subsequent feelings of shame and stigma in homeless young people is especially warranted.
IntroductionA rise in premature mortality—defined here as death during the most productive years of life, between adolescence and middle adulthood (15–60 years)—is contributing to stalling life ...expectancy in high-income countries. Causes of mortality vary, but often include substance misuse, suicide, unintentional injury and non-communicable disease. The development of evidence-informed policy frameworks to guide new approaches to prevention require knowledge of early targets for intervention, and interactions between higher level drivers. Here, we aim to: (1) identify systematic reviews with or without meta-analyses focused on intervention targets for premature mortality (in which intervention targets are causes of mortality that can, at least hypothetically, be modified to reduce risk); (2) evaluate the review quality and risk of bias; (3) compare and evaluate each review’s, and their relevant primary studies, findings to identify existing evidence gaps.Methods and analysisIn May 2023, we searched electronic databases (MEDLINE, PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library) for peer-reviewed papers published in the English language in the 12 years from 2012 to 2023 that examined intervention targets for mortality. Screening will narrow these papers to focus on systematic reviews with or without meta-analyses, and their primary papers. Our outcome is death between ages 15 and 60 years; with potential intervention targets measured prior to death. A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews (AMSTAR 2) will be used to assess quality and risk of bias within included systematic reviews. Results will be synthesised narratively due to anticipated heterogeneity between reviews and between primary studies contained within included reviews.Ethics and disseminationThis review will synthesise findings from published systematic reviews and meta-analyses, and their primary reviewed studies, meaning ethics committee approval is not required. Our findings will inform cross-cohort consortium development, be published in a peer-reviewed journal, and be presented at national and international conferences.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42022355861.
Homelessness is associated with a range of negative health and behavioral outcomes, yet life-course pathways to homelessness from adolescence to early adulthood are not well-documented. This study ...asks to what extent do early-mid adolescent risk and protective factors predict young adult homelessness, and whether the predictive nature of these factors is similar in Victoria, Australia, and Washington State in the USA. As part of the International Youth Development Study, adolescents were recruited as state representative secondary school samples at grade 7 (age 13, 2002) and longitudinally compared at average age 25. Higher rates of past year homelessness were reported by Washington State (5.24%), compared to Victorian young adults (3.25%). Although some cross-state differences in levels of adolescent demographic, individual, family, peer group, school, and community predictors were found, cross-state comparisons showed these factors were equally predictive of young adult homelessness in both states. In univariate analyses, most adolescent risk and protective factors were significant predictors. Unique multivariate adolescent predictors associated with young adult homelessness included school suspension (adjusted odds ratio AOR = 2.76) and academic failure (AOR = 1.94). No significant unique protective effects were found. Prevention and intervention efforts that support adolescents’ academic engagement may help in addressing young adult homelessness. The similar cross-state profile of adolescent predictors suggests that programs seeking to support academic engagement may influence risk for homelessness into young adulthood in both states. The similarity in life-course pathways to homelessness suggests that the USA and Australia can profitably translate prevention and intervention efforts to reduce homelessness while continuing to identify modifiable predictors.
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