Adolescent Relationship Violence: Help-Seeking and Help-Giving Behaviors among Peers

Young people tend to disclose relationship violence experiences to their peers, if they disclose at all, yet little is known about the nature and frequency of adolescent help-seeking and help-giving behaviors. Conducted within a sample of 1,312 young people from four New York City high schools, this is the first paper to ask adolescent help-givers about the various forms of help they provide and among the first to examine how ethnicity and nativity impact help-seeking behaviors. Relationship violence victims who had ever disclosed (61 %) were more likely to choose their friends for informal support. Ethnicity was predictive of adolescent disclosure outlets, whereas gender and nativity were not. Latinos were significantly less likely than non-Latinos to ever disclose to only friends, as compared to disclosing to at least one adult. The likelihood of a young person giving help to their friend in a violent relationship is associated with gender, ethnicity, and nativity, with males being significantly less likely than females to give all forms of help to their friends (talking to their friends about the violence, suggesting options, and taking action). Foreign-born adolescents are less likely to talk or suggest options to friends in violent relationships. This study also found that Latinos were significantly more likely than non-Latinos to report taking action with or on behalf of a friend in a violent relationship. This research shows that adolescents often rely on each other to address relationship violence, underlining the importance of adolescents’ receipt of training and education on how to support their friends, including when to seek help from more formal services. To further understand the valuable role played by adolescent peers of victims, future research should explore both which forms of help are perceived by the victim to be most helpful and which are associated with more positive outcomes.     

Neighborhood-Level Factors Associated with Physical Dating Violence Perpetration: Results of a Representative Survey Conducted in Boston, MA

Neighborhood-level characteristics have been found to be associated with different forms of interpersonal violence, but studies of the relationship between these characteristics and adolescent dating violence are limited. We examined 6 neighborhood-level factors in relation to adolescent physical dating violence perpetration using both adolescent and adult assessments of neighborhood characteristics, each of which was aggregated across respondents to the neighborhood level. Data came from an in-school survey of 1,530 public high school students and a random-digit-dial telephone survey of 1,710 adult residents of 38 neighborhoods in Boston. Approximately 14.3% of the youth sample reported one or more acts of physical aggression toward a dating partner in the month preceding the survey. We calculated the odds of past-month physical dating violence by each neighborhood-level factor, adjusting for school clustering, gender, race, and nativity. In our first 6 models, we used the adolescent assessment of neighborhood factors and then repeated our procedures using the adult assessment data. Using the adolescent assessment data, lower collective efficacy (AOR = 1.95, 95% CI = 1.09–3.52), lower social control (AOR = 1.92, 95% CI = 1.07–3.43), and neighborhood disorder (AOR = 1.19, 95% CI = 1.05–1.35) were each associated with increased likelihood of physical dating violence perpetration. However, when we used the adult version of the neighborhood assessment data, no neighborhood factor predicted dating violence. The implications and limitations of these findings are discussed.     

Nonverbal Response Cards Reduce Socially Desirable Reporting of Violence Among Adolescents in Rural Burkina Faso: A Randomized Controlled Trial

PurposeAccurate measures of violence are difficult to obtain from self-reported data because of stigmatization and social undesirability of the topic. Most methods that attempt to reduce such biases require literacy and either remove the benefits of interviewer guidance or do not give individual-level results. We tested a low-tech nonverbal response card that avoids revealing interviewees' responses to interviewers while retaining interviewer support among adolescents in communities with very low educational attainment.MethodsAs part of a broader health questionnaire, we asked a sample of 1,644 adolescents, aged 12–20 years, in northwestern Burkina Faso about their experiences of physical and sexual violence. We randomized participants to either a conventional verbal response arm or a nonverbal response card arm where respondents' answers were unspoken and not displayed to interviewers. We first evaluated response validity and reliability in each arm, then compared prevalence rates across arms and evaluated whether any differences varied by respondent characteristics using regression models.ResultsThe level of internal reliability of responses among nonverbal respondents was similar to or greater than that of verbal respondents. Nonverbal respondents reported similar patterns of physical assault and sexual debut as verbal respondents but significantly higher levels of sexual assault and forced sex. These differences were broadly similar across sample subgroups defined by age, gender, proneness to social desirability, and mental health.ConclusionsNonverbal response cards offer a practical and beneficial method for reducing underreporting of stigmatized and traumatic experiences while maintaining data quality in low-literacy populations.     

大学生社交回避及苦恼与领悟社会支持状况分析

目的了解大学生社交回避及苦恼、领悟社会支持状况,探讨社会支持与社交回避及苦恼的关系,为大学生健康教育工作提供依据。方法采用领悟社会支持量表(PSSS)、社交回避及苦恼量表(SAD)为调查工具,通过分层整群抽样,对河北师范大学1196名本科生进行调查。结果大学生的社交回避及苦恼(77.69±12.20)处中等偏下水平。领悟社会支持(62.84±11.78)处于中等偏上水平。在社交回避及苦恼方面,男生显著高于女生,二、三年级学生高于一、四年级学生,没有恋爱学生显著高于恋爱学生,非独生学生显著高于独生学生,农村学生显著高于城市学生;在领悟社会支持方面,男生显著低于女生,二、三年级学生低于一、四年级学生;文科生显著低于理科生,非独生显著高于独生学生;农村学生显著低于城市学生。性别和年级在社交苦恼因子、家内支持因子上均存在交互作用(P=0.026,0.001)。领悟社会支持与社交回避及苦恼呈显著负相关。结论大学生的社交回避及苦恼、领悟社会支持受性别、年级、专业、是否恋爱、是否独生、城乡来源等因素的影响,领悟社会支持是影响大学生社交回避及苦恼的个体内部心理因素。     

The Role of Perceived Social Support on Quality of Life in People with Cardiovascular Diseases

BackgroundCardiovascular Diseases (CVDs) are one of the major causes of hospitalization and mortality worldwide. Strengthening perceived social support and quality of life can reduce these problems. This study aimed to describe the role of perceived social support on cardiovascular patients'' quality of life.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2020 to February 2021. We selected 150 cardiovascular patients through convenience sampling. The questionnaires included: the Persian version of the WHOQOL-BREF, Perceived Social Support, and demographic variables. Hierarchical linear regression was used to explore the association between perceived social support and quality of life. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 21.0 software. A P-value less than 0.05 is considered statistically significant.ResultsThe demographic variables could predict 12.2% of the variance of quality of life in the first step. In the second step, after adjusting control variables and dimensions of social support, the predictability increased to 29% of the variance with the addition of variables. All dimensions of social support, excluding tangible assets support, were significant predictors of quality of life and monthly income status. Self-esteem support (β= 0.387) was the strongest predictor of quality of life in cardiovascular patients.ConclusionsPatients with higher perceived social support have a better quality of life than the other patients. Perceived social support is one of the strategies that can be utilized to improve quality of life and overcome disease in cardiovascular patients.     

Weight, Diet, and Physical Activity-Related Beliefs and Practices Among Pregnant and Postpartum Latino Women: The Role of Social Support

Objectives: Eating and physical activity patterns may contribute to excessive pregnancy weight gain and postpartum retention that increase the risks of obesity and diabetes for both Latino mothers and their children. Social support is an important health determinant and may affect health-related beliefs and behaviors. The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of social support on weight, diet, and physical activity-related beliefs and behaviors among pregnant and postpartum Latinas. Methods: A community-based participatory project, Promoting Healthy Lifestyles among Women, was conducted in southwest Detroit to plan interventions aimed at reducing risks of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Qualitative analyses of in-depth semistructured interviews with dyads of 10 pregnant and postpartum Latinas, and 10 people who influenced them were conducted. Results: Husbands and some female relatives were primary sources of emotional, instrumental, and informational support for weight, diet, and physical activity-related beliefs and behaviors for Latina participants. Holistic health beliefs and the opinions of others consistently influenced Latinas' motivation and beliefs about the need to remain healthy and the links between behavior and health. Absence of mothers, other female relatives, and friends to provide childcare, companionship for exercise, and advice about food were prominent barriers that limited women's ability to maintain healthy practices during and after pregnancy. Conclusion: The findings support evidence that low-income, recently immigrated pregnant and postpartum Latinas could benefit from community-based, family-oriented interventions that provide social support necessary to promote and sustain healthy lifestyles.     

肝硬化患者社会支持与生活质量的相关性研究

目的了解肝硬化住院患者的社会支持和生活质量状况，分析影响其生活质量的因素，为临床医疗与护理干预提供依据。方法采用生活质量量表和社会支持评定量表对112例肝硬化住院患者的生活质量和社会支持状况进行调查。结果肝硬化患者的社会支持与生活质量、成正相关，其生活质量总分及各维度得分均低于常模。肝硬化患者获得的社会支持总分较正常人低，社会支持主要来源于配偶（90．10％），其次是家庭（78．6％）。而其希望得到社会支持的对象分别为医护人员、配偶及家人、亲戚朋友。结论帮助肝硬化患者建立有效的社会支持系统，对提高其生活质量有重要意义。     

Situational Stressors Among African-American Women Living in Low-Income Urban Areas: The Role of Social Support

We investigated the role of social support in the stress process by focusing on African-American women caring for young children in a high-poverty socio-economic context. Data came from 736 women living in Detroit who completed face-to-face interviews in 2002–2003 and 2004–2005. Regression analyses illustrated that the influence of social support varied according to instrumental and emotional support types as well as the stressor examined. Transportation and childcare support partially buffered the negative effects of food insufficiency on psychological distress. Financial support buffered the influence of neighborhood disorganization on psychological distress. Findings help to explicate further the complex role of social support in the stress process and have implications for social policy.     

贫困大学生社会支持和应对方式与心理健康的相关研究

目的了解贫困大学生社会支持状况、应对方式特点及其与心理健康状况的关系，为高校贫困大学生心理卫生工作提供依据。方法采用SCL-90、社会支持评定量表（SSRS）、应对方式问卷（CSQ）对梅州地区2所高校大学生进行问卷调查，对306份有效问卷进行分析。结果贫困生SCL-90各症状因子分均高于普通大学生；贫困大学生的社会支持状况更差，在主观支持、支持总分上差异有显著性；贫困大学生更多地采用消极的应对方式，自责因子与普通大学生比较差异有显著性。社会支持、应对方式与身心健康水平显著相关，自责、幻想应对方式和对支持的利用度可进入回归方程。结论贫困生的心理健康水平较差。需改善贫困大学生的社会支持，引导他们采用积极的应对方式，有针对性地加强对贫困大学生的心理健康教育和咨询。     

大学生社会支持和应对方式与抑郁和焦虑情绪的关系

目的了解大学生的社会支持和应对方式与抑郁和焦虑情绪的关系,为大学生的心理健康教育提供支持。方法采用分层整群抽样法抽取广州某综合大学1447名学生,用自填问卷对他们的心理压力应对方式、社会支持、郁量和焦虑情绪进行调查。结果大学生的压力应对方式以积极的心理调节为主,自我防御和外部疏导使用较少。社会支持平均总得分为36.29分,不同亚群大学生间社会支持情况差异有统计学意义。有35.29%的学生可能或肯定有抑郁症状,有16.16%的大学生有焦虑症状。社会支持、积极的应对方式与抑郁、焦虑呈负关联,而消极的应对方式则与抑郁、焦虑呈正关联。结论社会支持和应对方式对大学生的心理健康状况有影响作用。     

中学教师一般自我效能感与社会支持及防御方式的相关研究

目的 探索中学教师一般自我效能感与社会支持及防御方式的关系.方法 于2005-10采用一般自我效能感量表(GSES)、社会支持评定量表(SSS)及防御方式问卷(DSQ)抽取358名广东省中学教师进行抽样测试.结果 ①GSES:女教师GSES得分较男教师低;教龄13年以上教师GSES得分较13年以下教师低; 35岁以上教师GSES得分较35岁以下教师低.② SSS:男教师SSS总分、主观支持及支持利用度两因子得分均较女教师高;教龄13年以上教师SSS总分及主观支持因子得分均较13年以下教师高; 35岁以上教师SSS总分及主观支持因子得分均较35岁以下教师高.③女教师DSQ不成熟防御因子的退缩防御方式得分较男教师高;文科教师不成熟防御因子的幻想防御方式得分较理科教师高,而理科教师成熟防御因子的压抑防御方式得分较文科教师高;教龄13年以上教师的不成熟防御因子及其投射、被动攻击、潜意显现、躯体化防御方式得分,中间型防御因子的同一化、消耗倾向防御方式得分均较教龄13年以下教师高,成熟防御因子中的幽默防御方式得分较教龄13年以下教师低; 35岁以上教师不成熟防御因子及其投射防御方式得分均较35岁以下教师高.④多因素逐步回归分析显示,被动攻击、退缩防御方式对一般自我效能感有负向预测作用;社会支持利用度和幽默防御方式对一般自我效能感有正向预测作用,这4个因素共能解释教师一般自我效能感总方差的65.6%.结论 中学教师的社会支持利用程度及防御方式的选择对其一般自我效能感产生一定影响,建立及善于合理利用社会支持系统,发展成熟防御方式,有利于维护自身心身健康.     

Evaluation of a Us School-Based Media Literacy Violence Prevention Curriculum on Changes in Knowledge and Critical Thinking Among Adolescents

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Beyond Blame: Challenging Violence in the Media, at increasing students' knowledge about the effects of media violence and the core concepts of media literacy. During the 2007–2008 academic year, 1,693 sixth–eighth grade students from school districts around southern California participated in the study. Students were assigned to one of three treatment conditions: trained teacher, untrained teacher or control. Compared with controls, students in both intervention groups were more likely to agree that media violence may cause aggression, fear, desensitization and an appetite for more media violence at the post-test. Students in the trained group were also more likely than controls to understand the five core concepts/key questions of media literacy post-intervention.     

Social Media and Mental Health Among Early Adolescents in Sweden: A Longitudinal Study With 2-Year Follow-Up (KUPOL Study)

PurposeThe aim of this study is to assess the longitudinal associations between the frequency of social media use and symptoms of mental ill-health among Swedish adolescents.MethodsData came from KUPOL, a Swedish school-based longitudinal cohort accrued in 101 participating schools in 8 regions of Sweden. The study sample consisted of 3,501 adolescents in grade 8 (14–15 years, 51.5%, n = 1,765 girls) followed for 2 consecutive years. Daily social media use was measured as weighted average of self-reported use in weekdays and weekend days. Mental health was measured with the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). A Random-Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Model was applied to distinguish between-person from within-person associations between social media use and symptoms of mental ill-health.ResultsMedian SDQ score at baseline was 9 (interquartile range [IQR] 6–14). Median social media use was 1.7 hours at baseline (interquartile range .6–3.0) and increased over the 3-year period. Adolescents with more social media use also reported higher SDQ scores, B (95% confidence interval [CI]) = 2.40 (2.03–2.77). On a within-person level, no cross-lagged associations were found between changes in social media use and subsequent changes in symptoms of mental ill-health after 1 year, B (95% CI) = .02 (?.12 to .16) or vice versa B (95% CI) = .00 (?.02 to .02). Weak cross-sectional associations were found between changes in social media use and concurrent changes in symptoms of mental ill-health, B (95% CI) = .24 (.00–.48).ConclusionsAdolescents with higher use of social media report more symptoms of mental health problems, but there is no evidence for a longitudinal association between increased use and mental health problems. This suggests that social media may be rather an indicator than a risk factor for symptoms of mental ill-health.     

Stress in the City: Influence of Urban Social Stress and Violence on Pregnancy and Postpartum Quality of Life among Adolescent and Young Mothers

Adolescent and young mothers transitioning from pregnancy to postpartum need to maintain an optimal quality of life. Stress and exposure to violence (e.g., intimate partner violence (IPV), nonpartner violence) are predictors of poor quality of life for adult women; however, these associations remain understudied among adolescent and young mothers in urban areas. Guided by the social ecological model, the current study created a latent variable, urban social stress, to examine the impact of the urban social environment (i.e., stressful life events, discrimination, family stress, and neighborhood problems) on the quality of life of adolescent and young mothers during both pregnancy and postpartum. The current study is a secondary data analysis of a prospective cohort study of 296 expectant young mothers recruited at obstetrics and gynecology clinics. Results from structural equation and multigroup models found that higher urban social stress predicted lower mental and physical quality of life during pregnancy, but these associations were significantly stronger for IPV-exposed and nonpartner violence-exposed mothers. In the postpartum period, higher urban social stress predicted lower mental and physical quality of life, but these associations were significantly stronger for IPV-unexposed and nonpartner violence-exposed mothers. Stress reduction programs need to help adolescent and young mothers in urban areas develop stress management skills specific to urban social stress. Pregnancy and parenting programs need to be tailored to the specific needs of young mothers in urban areas by becoming sensitive to the role of IPV and nonpartner violence in these young women’s lives.     

长沙市留学生社会支持及生活质量满意度研究

目的了解长沙市留学生社会支持及生活质量现状,探讨留学生社会支持的途径,提高长沙市留学生身心健康水平。方法使用觉察社会支持量表（PSSS）和生活质量满意度调查问卷对长沙市4所大学的120名留学生进行问卷调查。结果长沙市留学生社会支持水平普遍较高,但生活质量满意度因专业、学校、宗教信仰、培养方式、性别和学历不同差异有统计学意义（P〈0.05）。结论长沙市高校关注留学生的身心健康,为其提供良好的社会支持。但留学生生活质量满意度因不同因素存在差异,需更多关注留学生中的弱势群体。     

社会支持与医学生生命质量的关系

目的探讨社会支持与医学生生命质量的关系。方法采用健康状况调查问卷（SF-36）和社会支持评定量表（SSRS）对156名医学本科生的生命质量及社会支持进行评定,并对两者的关系进行统计学分析。结果社会支持与生活质量的总体健康、活力和精神健康3个维度呈正相关（0．164≤r≤0．384,P〈0．05或P〈0．01）,与其他维度不相关（P〉0．05）;主观支持和对支持的利用度均对精神健康和活力有一定的预测作用（β=0．204,β=0．388;β=0．168,β=0．699）,主观支持对总体健康也有一定的预测作用（β=0．321）。结论社会支持与医学生的生命质量有关,从而为如何提高医学生的生命质量提供了启示。     

School Violence,Depressive Symptoms,and Help-seeking Behavior: A Gender-stratified Analysis of Biethnic Adolescents in South Korea

Objectives:

In South Korea (hereafter Korea), the number of adolescent offspring of immigrants has rapidly increased since the early 1990s, mainly due to international marriage. This research sought to examine the association between the experience of school violence and mental health outcomes, and the role of help-seeking behaviors in the association, among biethnic adolescents in Korea.

Methods:

We analyzed cross-sectional data of 3627 biethnic adolescents in Korea from the 2012 National Survey of Multicultural Families. Based on the victim’s help-seeking behavior, adolescents who experienced school violence were classified into three groups: ‘seeking help’ group; ‘feeling nothing’ group; ‘not seeking help’ group. Multivariate logistic regression was applied to examine the associations between the experience of school violence and depressive symptoms for males and females separately.

Results:

In the gender-stratified analysis, school violence was associated with depressive symptoms in the ‘not seeking help’ (odds ratio [OR], 7.05; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.76 to 13.23) and the ‘seeking help’ group (OR, 2.77; 95% CI, 1.73 to 4.44) among male adolescents after adjusting for potential confounders, including the nationality of the immigrant parent and Korean language fluency. Similar associations were observed in the female groups. However, in the ‘feeling nothing’ group, the association was only significant for males (OR, 8.34; 95% CI, 2.82 to 24.69), but not females (OR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.18 to 3.28).

Conclusions:

This study suggests that experience of school violence is associated with depressive symptoms and that the role of victims’ help-seeking behaviors in the association may differ by gender among biethnic adolescents in Korea.     

社会支持与大学生心理健康及人格特征的关系

目的探讨大学生社会支持获得情况与心理健康和人格特征的关系,为大学生心理健康教育提供帮助.方法采用社会支持评定量表(SSRS)、症状自评量表(SCL-90)和艾森克人格问卷(EPQ),对河南省高校1 100名在校本科大学生进行集体测查和分析.结果大学生社会支持水平在性别、年级和城乡之间,学生干部与非干部之间,不同身体健康状况和专业之间存在不同程度的差异;社会支持各维度与SCL-90多项因子呈显著负相关,与EPQ人格P和N维度呈显著负相关,而与人格E维度呈显著正相关.结论社会支持对大学生心理健康和人格发展有重要影响,在高校心理健康教育和人格培养中,要重视学生良好社会网络的建立与利用.