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DIFFERENCES IN PURPOSES AND LIFE-GOALS FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF HEALTH BEHAVIOR IN A ROMANIAN ADOLESCENT SAMPLE
19-29Views:285The goal of this research was to investigate specific personality factors theorized to be involved in adolescents’ health behavior, such as individual differences in the level of purposes in life and the variations of life goals. The instrumentation for the study was a self-completed questionnaire, which included items for assessing health-behavior data, the Purposes in Life scale, and the Aspiration Index for life-goals’ assessment. There were 385 teenage study participants aged between 16-18 years (mean = 16.8 years; 182 boys – 47.3 % and 203 girls – 52,7%) in Transylvania, Romania. Results showed that adolescents who engaged in health-protective behaviors (e.g., physical activity, fruit /vegetable consumption) reported higher levels of purposes in life and intrinsic life-goals, such as affiliation or personal growth. Conversely, those engaged in health risky behaviors (e.g., substance use, sweet/soft drink consumption) not only reported lower levels in having a purpose in life but also tended to report fewer health goals for the future as well as personal growth. These findings argue that health professionals should incorporate and emphasize the development of teenagers’ life goals and purposes in the design and conceptualization of school-based prevention and health promotion programs that focus on fostering healthy lifestyle adoption.
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Parenting Styles as Predictor of Adolescents’ Delinquent Behaviours
71-83Views:335Adolescence is a period attributed with series of changes, and sometimes, adolescents engage in deviant behaviour and violate societal norms. The impacts of these delinquent acts are deleterious and needed to be curbed. This study examined parenting styles as predictor of adolescents' delinquent behaviours. Married adults in Kwara State, Nigeria comprised the population of this study (n=300) and sample was chosen using simple random sampling technique from Kwara South Senatorial Districts. Questionnaire designed by the authors was used to collect data from the respondents. Mean and rank order analysis was used to answer the research questions. The hypothesis was tested using multiple regression at 0.05 level of significance. The finding revealed that authoritarian and authoritative parenting styles were common among married adults. It was shown that permissive and uninvolved parenting styles were the predictors of adolescents’ delinquent behaviours. It was recommended that parent should endeavour to create adequate time to interact with adolescent, sten to their worries, provide unambiguous responses to their queries and relate friendly with them. Counsellors should be adequately prepared to address the cases of youthful exuberance.
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Interpersonal Closeness and the Meaning of Life of Adolescents - Preventive and Therapeutic Value.
171-180Views:86In this article, the authors will present an extremely interesting and at the same time very topical topic concerning two areas - interpersonal closeness and adolescents' sense of meaning in life. Young people today, in what we can call the age of consumerism, focus on taking rather than giving. Interpersonal relationships are diminishing, closeness, as well as the sense of life, in young people, are losing their value. This can lead to many dangerous situations, as a consequence of which the adolescent may stop coping with life in the real world. The article presents a qualitative study of young people from Poland. The study used a structured interview, whose questions concerned the meaning of life and the sense of interpersonal closeness. The results of the study have preventive and therapeutic value.
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PARENTAL FACTORS AS PREDICTORS OF IN-SCHOOL ADOLESCENTS’ BULLYING BEHAVIORS IN KWARA STATE, NIGERIA
73-88Views:336Bullying is a complicated issue that arises from intricate relationships between family members, peers, the school community, and culture. One of the key indicators of bullying is parental variables. Studies linking various parental factors to bullying behaviour or roles are scarce, particularly in Nigeria. Therefore, this study examined parental factors as predictors of in-school adolescents’ bullying behaviors in Kwara state, Nigeria. The population comprised 223, 893 in-school adolescents in Kwara State and a sample of 400 was drawn from this population across the State. The data were collected through the use of researchers’ designed scale. The data collected were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistic. In the results, parental factors significantly predict in-school adolescents bullying perpetration and victimization. Based on the findings of the study appropriate recommendations were made.
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Experiences of Stress Management Group Sessions with Adolescents Living in the Child Protection System
163-173Views:106The development of adolescents living in the child protection system is often shaped by early traumatic experiences, losses, and unstable attachment patterns, which may result in heightened emotional stress and impaired self-regulation. The aim of the present study is to present a group-based intervention focusing on stress management and the development of self-awareness among adolescents aged 14–18. The group work was designed to reduce tension, increase awareness of personal resources, and enhance coping skills. The theoretical framework of the program was grounded in the self-regulatory model of personality, the psychodynamic approach to group development, and the group development model proposed by Amundson et al. (2013). International research findings—particularly meta-analyses on the group-based application of trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT)—support the effectiveness of group interventions. Our experiences indicate that a structured group setting facilitated emotional expression, self-reflection, and the experience of social support, thereby contributing to the adolescents’ personality development and psychological well-being.
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Internet and Social Media Use Patterns Among Youth in State Care
39-50Views:28This study analyses the social media usage patterns of adolescents in state care and young people within the general population, with a particular focus on the relationship between loneliness and digital platform option within the framework of Uses and Gratifications Theory (UGT).This topic is quite relevant today as mobile devices and the Internet had turned into key venues for the socialization and emotional regulation norm of young people, especially those who are disadvantaged in their social relationships. In our research, we seek to answer how young people's use of various social media platforms reflects the fulfilment of their social needs, and how these patterns are influenced by subjective well-being, feelings of loneliness, and family background. The sample consists of 554 young people aged 13–20, including those in state care and a control group. Based on the results of the quantitative analysis, young people in state care primarily use Messenger to maintain family relationships, very intensly, or seldom, as a kind of ‘virtual umbilical cord’, while for the control group, the same platform is a way of strengthening peer relationships. The overall impression indicates that lonely young people in state care are more likely to turn to platforms offering passive, parasocial content (such as YouTube). According to the overall results of our study, the functional role of social media varies significantly depending on social background: For young people in state care, digital communication is not only a form of entertainment but also, in a sense, a partial substitute for a lack of relationships and a psychological coping strategy.
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Supporting Students with Anxiety in Their Studies
83-98Views:391Anxiety is a prevalent mental health issue among children and adolescents, which can have a detrimental impact on their personal relationships and academic performance. This study aimed to identify the manifestations of anxiety in educational settings, the effects of anxiety on educational activities, and the types of support that should be provided to students with anxiety. The following research questions guided this study: 1) How is anxiety expressed among 13-14-year-old students when in school? 2)How does anxiety affect the 13-14-year-old students' educational activities? 3) What kind of support should be provided to students with anxiety at school? The participants were 26 students aged 13-14 from various Estonian schools. The data was gathered for analysis via interviews and a questionnaire. A mixed-methods approach was employed. According to the research, children experience anxiety both before and during a test or presentation. It appears that each student expresses fear at school in a different way. Students who learn remotely report feeling less anxious during class activities. This is because they do not have to answer in front of the class or turn on the camera when participating in online lessons. Furthermore, students aged 13-14 prefer to talk to their friends who are also experiencing anxiety than to adults who do not understand their anxiety. Finally, the students' answers revealed that the teacher should ask all the students with equal frequency to present their homework. It is also recommended that anxious students be supported by helping them recall what they have learned and use different methods to assess their knowledge. The students stated that they require a quiet and safe place to be alone at school. There is a need to raise awareness about anxiety symptoms and ways for teachers to support students.
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Self-Concept as a Correlate of Academic Achievement of Special Needs Students in Kwara State
151-168Views:177Special education has shifted from a position of delivering professional services to students with disabilities to a system that seeks to encompass the broad concept of promoting quality education for students. This study examined the self-concept as correlate of academic achievement of special needs students in Kwara State. The study adopted a descriptive survey research type. Special needs students in the three local government areas in Ilorin, Ilorin South, East and West Local Governments Area constituted the total population for this research. The researchers designed a questionnaire entitled: self-concept as a correlate of academic achievement of special needs students’ questionnaire” (SCCASNSQ). 200 questionnaire forms were administered. Research questions were answered using mean score, while inferential statistics of mean, standard deviation and Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) were used to test the formulated hypotheses. The finding of the study revealed that academic ability, physical ability, social ability, emotional ability, general self-worth ability and scholastic ability influence self-concept as correlate of academic achievement of special needs students in Kwara State. More so, there was no significant relationship between self-concept and academic achievement of special needs students in Kwara state in Kwara state. There was significant relationship between religion, school type, age and self-concept and academic achievement of special needs students in Kwara State. The findings concluded that while self-concept may not directly influence academic achievement among special needs students in Kwara State, factors such as religion, school type, and age significantly impact both self-concept and academic performance. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended among others that parents and other stakeholders in the education sector should enhance adolescents’ interpersonal relationship by strengthening their physical, social and emotional self-concepts through relevant social skills training.
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The Role of Emotional Communication Within the Family in the Development of Emotional Intelligence: Exploring the Potential of Artificial Intelligence in Fostering Emotional Intelligence
101-114Views:254The study, conducted against a systems theory background, aimed to investigate the emotional intelligence of adolescents, comparing it with the communication and emotional expression patterns of their families. A total of 44 young people aged 14-17 years participated in the study, and data were collected using a self-compiled demographic questionnaire, an abridged version of the Bar-On Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire Adolescent Version, an abridged version of the Family Emotional Expression Skills Questionnaire, and the Olson Family Test. The research results showed that in well-functioning families, children's emotional intelligence can develop better through better communication and better emotional expression: the family as a primary socialisation setting thus plays a key role in the acquisition of emotional competences. In addition, artificial intelligence, a modern-day achievement, can also play a role in developing young people's emotional intelligence and increasing their emotional awareness.