Factors preventing gun acquisition and carrying among incarcerated adolescent males

CONTEXT: Despite the wide availability of guns in the United States, not all delinquent adolescents own guns and not all adolescent gun owners carry them at all times. Research about the factors that prevent high-risk youth from acquiring and carrying guns is limited. OBJECTIVE: To determine, from the perspective of incarcerated adolescent males, factors that prevent acquiring or carrying guns, either on a temporary or permanent basis. DESIGN AND SETTING: In-depth, semistructured interviews were conducted with randomly selected incarcerated adolescent males at a residential juvenile justice facility from January to May 1998. Transcribed interviews were examined for recurrent themes. PARTICIPANTS: Forty-five incarcerated adolescent males. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Reported factors limiting gun acquisition and carrying. RESULTS: Seventy-one percent of the sample had either owned or carried a gun out of their home. We identified 6 recurring themes that, at least on occasion, prevented or delayed delinquent youth from acquiring or carrying guns. The most commonly cited factors were fear of being arrested and incarcerated and lack of perceived need for a gun. Other themes included not wanting to hurt oneself or others, respect for the opinions of others, inability to find a source for a desired gun, and lack of money to acquire a desired gun. CONCLUSIONS: We identified 6 factors that limited gun acquisition and carrying among a sample of incarcerated male adolescents. Knowledge of these factors should inform intervention efforts to reduce youth gun acquisition and carrying.     

Predictors of repeat pregnancy outcome among black and Puerto Rican adolescent mothers.

This prospective study investigated predictors of repeat pregnancies by 12 months after the delivery of a first child and their outcomes in inner-city adolescent mothers. The sample included four groups: those who had therapeutic abortions, miscarriages, full-term deliveries, and no repeat pregnancy. The therapeutic abortion group had more pregnancies before their first delivery (41%) than did full term (20%) and no repeat (15%), p less than .01. More delayed grade placement was found in therapeutic abortion -1.6 years (1.3) and full term -1.8 years (.9) than in no repeat pregnancy -.6 years (1.1), p less .001. Reading achievement scores were higher in no repeat 86.3 (17.1) than in full term 75.0 (16.5), p less than .05. School attendance was higher in no repeat (65%) than in therapeutic abortion (35%) and full-term (24%) p less than .01 groups. Depressive symptoms at baseline were higher among therapeutic aborters 18.9 (9.9) than among full term 10.2 (8.2) and no repeat pregnancy groups 12.2 (6.2). Logistic regression analyses identified delayed grade placement as the most important predictor of pregnancy outcome.     

Isolation of Neisseria gonorrhea from the urethra of asymptomatic adolescent males

Symptomatic infection with Neisseria gonorrhea (NG) has become a major health problem in the adolescent population. While sexually active adults, who carry Neisseria gonorrhea may serve as a reservoir of infection even when asymptomatic, there are few data documenting the frequency of the asymptomatic carrier state in adolescent males. The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of NG isolates in a sample of asymptomatic adolescent males (ages 13-18 years). Urethral cultures and gram stains were performed on 249 males (95% black) from a lower socioeconomic background presenting to an adolescent clinic for routine health care. Of the 249 males cultured, 177 were without symptoms or signs of urethritis. NG were isolated from four (2.26%) patients (Z = 2.03, p less than or equal to 0.043). They were also isolated from 65 (90.3%) of the remaining 72 who had either symptoms or signs of urethritis. Although 26% of the patients had documented gonococcal disease, only 8% offered a genitourinary complaint at the time of initial evaluation. Our data indicate a low but statistically significant incidence of NG colonization comparable to that found in adult males in this population of asymptomatic adolescent males.     

Predictors of parental posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in the year after adolescent traumatic injury

ObjectivesParental posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is common after pediatric traumatic injury and may negatively impact parental functioning and quality of life during this key period of the child’s early postinjury recovery. This study aimed to evaluate the course and predictors of PTSD in parents during the year after an adolescent traumatic injury.MethodsThis prospective cohort study included a population-based sample of 99 parent-adolescent dyads. Assessment was through structured interview administration of standardized measures. Interviews were conducted within 30 days of injury and 2, 5, and 12 months after injury. Mixed model regression was used to evaluate variables potentially associated with repeated measures of parental PTSD symptoms at the follow-up time points.ResultsTwenty-three percent of parents met symptomatic criteria for PTSD at the first postinjury evaluation, as did 15% at 2 months, 7% at 5 months, and 6% at 12 months after the injury. The percentage of parents meeting symptomatic PTSD criteria decreased significantly between the 2-month and 12-month evaluations. Mixed-model regression analyses revealed greater PTSD symptoms within 30 days of injury and a greater number of postinjury parental traumatic and/or stressful life events as significant predictors of parental PTSD. Adolescent factors did not affect the risk of parental PTSD.ConclusionsA substantial subgroup of parents demonstrate high PTSD symptom levels during the course of the year after an adolescent injury. Given that early modifiable risk factors can be identified, future investigations focusing on screening and intervention are warranted.     

Pregnancy prevention in primary care for adolescent males.

Despite federal, state, and community attention to the issue, pregnancy among adolescents remains a significant problem, with close to a million adolescents becoming pregnant each year. Most pregnancy prevention programs focus on young women; few effective or innovative programs exist for adolescent males. Current research supports the supposition that gender differences exist with regard to sexual knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors and that young men are at an educational disadvantage compared with their female peers. Gender differences must be addressed when planning effective pregnancy prevention interventions. Using the Health Belief Model, pediatric nurse practitioners can better design interventions that actively involve adolescent males in the responsibilities of pregnancy prevention.     

Physical and psychological effects of aerobic exercise in delinquent adolescent males

Aerobic exercise has been associated with improved psychological status and physical fitness in adults, but its effects in adolescents have been less clear. This study evaluated the effects of aerobic exercise on the self-concept, depression level, and physical fitness of juvenile delinquents. Ninety-eight incarcerated youths who volunteered to participate were assigned in a blind fashion to one of two exercise programs lasting three months. Sixty-nine completed all phases of the study and are the subjects of this report. One exercise program (32 subjects) emphasized aerobic exercise; the other (37 subjects), limited exertion. Before and after participating, each subject underwent measurement of self-concept, mood, and physical fitness. While the aerobic and comparison groups were initially similar, the data demonstrated an association between participation in the aerobic exercise program and improved self-concept, mood, and fitness. Improvement in psychological variables was not dependent on improved physical fitness and was not related to preintervention measures.     

Physical fighting and associated health behaviours among Swedish adolescents

Objective : To investigate the prevalence of physical fighting among Swedish adolescents and to compare the health profile and risk-taking behaviour of the fighters with a non-fighting "diplomatic" group. Methods : Results are based on 4516 self-reports, representing 82% of available students with mean age of 13.5, 15.5 and 17.5 years. Results : Among 13.5-year-olds, 22% ofmalesand5% of females reported three or more fights. Fighting decreased with age. Significantly more fighters reported problem behaviours and fewer had healthy habits than the "diplomats". Significantly more fighters also suffered from psychosomatic disorders and injuries requiring medical services. Twenty percent of the fighting males stated that they would definitely continue to fight. Conclusion : The data indicate that physical fighting is strongly associated with other problem behaviours, which needs to be considered when designing prevention and intervention.     

Fear of obesity among adolescent girls

The perceptions concerning weight, dieting practices, and nutrition of 326 adolescent girls attending an upper middle-class parochial high school were studied in relation to their body weight. Underweight or overweight students were those with greater than 10% body weight differential for height. The high school students reported an exaggerated concern with obesity regardless of their body weight or nutrition knowledge. Underweight, normal weight, and overweight girls were dieting to lose weight and reported frequent self-weighing practices. As many as 51% (n = 60) of the underweight adolescents described themselves as extremely fearful of being overweight and 36% (n = 43) were preoccupied with body fat. A distorted perception of ideal body weight was documented, particularly among the underweight students; the greater the underestimation of perceived ideal body weight, the greater the actual deficit in ideal body weight for height of the students (r = .73; P less than .001). Normal weight and overweight girls had better concordance between their actual and perceived ideal body weight for height. The frequency of bingeing and vomiting behaviors was similar among the three weight categories. The data suggest that fear of obesity and inappropriate eating behaviors are pervasive among adolescent girls regardless of body weight or nutrition knowledge.     

Perceptions of parenthood among adolescent fathers

To investigate perceptions of parenthood among adolescent fathers, we studied three groups of first-time fathers: adolescent fathers with adolescent partners (n = 21), adult fathers with adolescent partners (n = 14), and adult fathers with adult partners (n = 55). Subjects were interviewed during the immediate postpartum period and then again 3 months later. Group differences were noted concerning items related to paternal involvement, sex stereotypic behaviors, and stress, but not concerning preparation for parenthood. Fathers' perceptions appeared to be influenced by both their ages and those of the mothers as well as an interaction between these two fathers (adult fathers with adolescent partners v adult fathers with adult partners). Our results suggest that fathers with adolescent partners may benefit from interventions designed to promote more active involvement in parenthood.