Youth

Peer role models are an important factor in supporting academic achievement, social development, and mental health, particularly in out-of-school-time (OST) programs that emphasize character and leadership. This mixed-methods study explored whether Scouts’ racial/ethnic identity was associated with identifying a peer role model and examined the character assets youth valued in those role models. We purposively sampled 104 Scouts (aged 11–18), 89% male and 70% White, with additional racial diversity across all U.S. regions. Interviews were analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Most Scouts identified a peer role model, and there were no significant differences in identification or valued characteristics across racial/ethnic groups. Scouts most frequently valued character assets related to caring, contribution, and connection. These findings point to the value of structured, youth-led, multi-age OST environments, indicating that program policies which embed opportunities for peer role modeling may help promote character development across diverse backgrounds.

Perceived time poverty is a major stress factor in university life, reflecting a lack of attentional resources. While nature-based interventions (NBIs) are recognized for restoring psychological resources, the psychological processes behind these interventions are not fully understood. This three-wave longitudinal study (N = 36) used linear mixed-effects models to examine the impact of a three-day camping trip on students’ psychological outcomes before, immediately after, and one month later. Findings show that the trip immediately and significantly boosted state nature connectedness and prosocial behavior intentions, while reducing perceived time poverty and psychological distress. Unexpectedly, it also led to a temporary decrease in both hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. By one month, most benefits had returned to baseline levels. Significantly, perceived time poverty fully mediated the link between nature connectedness and most outcomes. These results suggest camping helps restore attention, but short-term NBIs can only exert a temporary effect. The study enhances scarcity and attention restoration theories by testing specific psychological pathways and targets, offering valuable insights for creating nature-based programs that reduce stress and improve experiences, especially for university wellness initiatives.

The AIMS-3G was developed to expand and reconceptualize previous measures and conceptualizations of athletic identity. Although the AIMS-3G has appeared in research, comprehensive tests of its validity and reliability had not extended beyond the initial work by Brewer and his colleagues. This study examined the psychometric properties of three AIMS-3G models: the unidimensional Athletic Identity Scale, the Athletic Identity Property model comprising Prominence and Self-worth Contingency components, and the Athletic Identity Process Model comprising Self-presentation and Social Reinforcement components. In total, there were 366 participants (M age = 21.52, SD = 3.68), primarily team sport athletes (n = 322, 87.98%). A smaller portion of the sample (n = 50, 13.66%) competed at the highest levels of sport, including the Olympics, World Championships, or top professional basketball leagues (e.g., the WNBA). Gender distribution was nearly equal (female n = 195, 53.28%). Participants were drawn from European women’s basketball teams and from an American university club and recreational sport teams. The university sample completed the full AIMS-3G, whereas the European women’s sample completed the four-item unidimensional scale. The results strongly supported the psychometric soundness of the four-item Athletic Identity Scale. For the Property model, reliability and factor loadings were acceptable, though confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) produced mixed fit indices. For the Process model, CFA indicated inadequate fit despite good to excellent reliability and significant factor loadings. Practical implications, limitations, and future directions were discussed in relation to Brewer and colleagues’ work and this study’s findings.