Search Results (633)

Cyberbullying has emerged as a significant concern for the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents, yet evidence from nationally representative surveys in Latin America remains limited. This study examined correlates of cyberbullying victimization among Costa Rican youth using data from the 2023 Kids Online survey. The initial sample consisted of 1200 participants aged 9–17 years; however, analyses were restricted to the 264 respondents who reported having experienced offensive or unpleasant treatment by a peer during the previous year and therefore completed the cyberbullying follow-up items. Descriptive analyses and nonparametric tests were conducted to examine demographic differences, followed by an ordinal logistic regression model evaluating individual, family, and school-related correlates, including age, caregiver supervision of internet use, teacher support, negative emotional experiences associated with online activities, and engagement in online aggressive behaviors toward peers. Among respondents reporting peer victimization, 13.2% met the study criterion for cyberbullying victimization, defined as online victimization occurring at least once per month. Older age was associated with higher levels of cyberbullying victimization, whereas sex was not a significant predictor after adjustment for other variables. The regression model revealed nonlinear associations between cyberbullying victimization and both caregiver supervision and teacher support, suggesting patterns consistent with reactive supervision. In addition, negative emotional online experiences emerged as one of the correlates of victimization, while online aggressive behavior showed a marginal positive association. These findings suggest that, among victimized youth, cyberbullying victimization reflects a complex interaction of individual characteristics, emotional experiences, and the quality and timing of adult guardianship. Prevention efforts should therefore emphasize proactive, trust-based support from families and schools, alongside strategies that strengthen adolescents’ emotional resilience and digital citizenship. Full article

Cannabis use is prevalent among LGBTQ+ youth and is often framed within deficit-oriented models emphasizing risk and mental health vulnerability. This study moves beyond these perspectives by examining how LGBTQ+ youth understand and mobilize cannabis use in relation to mental health, gender, and sexuality. Guided by queer theory and an ethics of care, and grounded in a community-based participatory approach, this photovoice study was conducted in collaboration with three LGBTQ+ youth peer researchers who contributed to data collection, analysis, and interpretation. A total of 46 LGBTQ+ youth (aged 15–24) in Quebec, Canada, generated photographs and narratives exploring their motivations and experiences of cannabis use, which were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Findings highlight cannabis use as a situated and relational practice embedded in three intersecting processes: reconfiguring thought, enacting identity, and practicing care. Cannabis was mobilized to facilitate introspection, support identity exploration, and affirmation, and foster relational and collective forms of healing, while also producing ambivalent effects, including disorientation and emotional numbing. By centering youth perspectives, these findings challenge harm-focused framings and underscore the need for more nuanced, youth-informed and strengths-based approaches to LGBTQ+ youth well-being. Full article

Participation in organized sports has been shown to enhance youths’ development, improve mental health symptoms, and maintain overall well-being. Research on the outcomes of bullying in the youth population shows the opposite. Youth from marginalized communities in particular—specifically sexual and gender minority or lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual (LGBTQIA+) youth—are at an increased risk of being victims of bullying than their counterparts. However, there is a gap in the literature on the relationship between the three variables. Thus, this review explored the relationship between bullying among sexual and gender minority youth and its impact on the level of engagement in organized sports participation. Psychosocial risk factors and responses are identified, and suggestions for sports programs are proposed. A total of 16 articles, categorized by sexual and gender identity groups to further highlight the current literature on specific groups, were included in the final synthesis of this review. The findings revealed a range in the experiences of bullying and levels of sports participation among LGBTQIA+ youth, highlighting individual differences and impacts of various factors. The findings also emphasized the importance of involvement from schools, administrators, and policymakers in creating a safer, inclusive environment for LGBTQIA+ youth to increase engagement in sports, ultimately improving overall well-being and development. Full article

Background/Objectives: The relationship between experiential avoidance (EA) and anxiety and depression symptoms is well established, yet the adaptive psychological resources involved in these associations remain insufficiently clarified. This cross-sectional study tested a theoretically informed serial mediation model examining whether EA is associated with anxiety and depressive symptoms in a youth sample through lower spontaneity and subjective well-being. Creative adaptability was examined as an exploratory outcome of spontaneity. Methods: The sample comprised 444 participants aged 16–24 years (M = 18.87, SD = 2.04; 72.3% female), who completed self-report measures for EA, spontaneity, creative adaptability, subjective well-being, depressive and anxiety symptoms. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics and Amos to estimate the observed-variable path model. Results: The model showed acceptable fit (CFI = 0.989, RMSEA = 0.074) and explained 54.1% of the variance in anxiety symptoms and 51.1% of the variance in depressive symptoms. EA was positively associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms (β = 0.531 and 0.448, p < 0.001) and negatively associated with spontaneity and subjective well-being (β = −0.441 and −0.250, p < 0.001). Spontaneity was positively associated with subjective well-being (β = 0.545) and creative adaptability (β = 0.384). The serial indirect effect from EA to symptoms through spontaneity and well-being was significant for both depression and anxiety (β = 0.089 and β = 0.088, p < 0.001). Conclusions: EA was associated with higher anxiety and depressive symptoms, and these associations were partly reflected in lower spontaneity and subjective well-being. In addition, spontaneity was associated with creative adaptability, although creative adaptability was not associated with symptom outcomes. Full article

Emerging adulthood may be particularly challenging for young people who have graduated from educational frameworks for adolescents at risk, many of whom have faced complex social, emotional, or familial hardships, alongside academic challenges such as school dropout, yet the mechanisms linking such adversity to well-being remain insufficiently understood. Drawing on Self-Determination Theory, this study examined whether satisfaction of three basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness) mediates the association between negative life events and mental well-being among emerging adults from at-risk educational backgrounds. Participants were 256 Israeli emerging adults (aged 18–25; 48.8% female) who had completed their secondary education in frameworks for youth at risk. Mental well-being was assessed across emotional, social, and psychological dimensions, alongside measures of negative life events and need satisfaction. Parallel mediation analyses indicated that exposure to a greater number of negative life events was associated with lower psychological need satisfaction. Direct effects of negative life events on well-being became nonsignificant once need satisfaction was included, whereas total indirect effects remained significant across outcomes. Competence emerged as the most consistent mediator, while autonomy was specific to emotional well-being and relatedness to social and psychological well-being. These findings identify need satisfaction as a key mechanism linking adversity to well-being and highlight the importance of maintaining supportive relational and developmental structures for young adults transitioning out of at-risk educational frameworks. Full article

The ability to effectively use different emotion regulation (ER) strategies across situations—i.e., ER flexibility (ERF)—plays a key role in emotional intelligence and social functioning. However, it has rarely been studied in young people, partly due to the lack of age-appropriate measurement instruments. This study investigated children’s perceptions of ERF by adapting an adult scale and proposing the 10-item Emotion Regulation Flexibility Questionnaire for Children (ERFQ-C). A sample of 346 children aged 9–12 years was recruited, who completed the ERFQ-C along with questionnaires assessing emotion malleability and school-related well-being. First, the analyses confirmed the scale’s unidimensional structure and measurement invariance across sex and school level. Second, the scale showed adequate fit to the Rasch model, and item scores were converted into Rasch scores. Third, path analyses indicated that emotion malleability was positively associated with ERF perception, which, in turn, was positively associated with school-related well-being. Notwithstanding the limitations of self-report data, the instrument can be used in future research to advance theoretical understanding of the intertwinement between perceived ERF and other constructs related to children’s functioning (e.g., emotional intelligence) and inform interventions aimed at improving youth well-being. Full article

This study examined associations between race-based discrimination and substance use among a predominantly minority sample of male youth, ages 13–19, residing in under-resourced neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Youth completed in-person, anonymous electronic surveys about their lifetime experiences with race-based discrimination and past 30-day tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use. Logistic regression models examined associations between race-based discrimination, measured as a sum of each discriminatory experience endorsed and by each individual discriminatory experience, and past 30-day substance use. Models controlled for age, sexual orientation, school suspension history, parental education, and intervention status. Although most youth (85.6%) reported experiencing one or more forms of race-based discrimination in their lifetime, total discrimination scores were not significantly associated with past 30-day substance use. However, item-specific analyses revealed that unfair police treatment was significantly associated with greater odds of tobacco use (AOR = 2.18; 95% CI 1.39, 3.41) and marijuana use (AOR = 2.26; 95% CI 1.51, 3.39). Study findings highlight the importance of item-specific measurement since types of race-based discrimination have different consequences for youth (e.g., detention from an unfair teacher, police arrest). Study results suggest the need for healing-centered strategies and policy reforms to address the negative impact of policing on minority youth’s well-being. Full article

Organized youth sport has considerable potential to promote young people’s physical health, well-being, and personal and social development. However, these positive outcomes are not guaranteed. When sport environments are poorly structured, excessively performance-oriented, or inadequately supervised, participation may also lead to exclusion, excessive pressure, and other harmful experiences. Creating genuinely youth-centered sport environments is therefore essential, both to foster positive developmental outcomes and to prevent transgressive behavior. Despite growing attention to these issues, the field of youth sport lacks an overarching framework for the development of pedagogically sound, development-oriented, and socially safe sport environments. This study aimed to develop an overarching framework that integrates the developmental, motivational, and safeguarding dimensions of youth sport into one coherent model for creating optimal learning environments. Through an iterative process, a practice-based framework was developed, theoretically grounded, and initially operationalized. Early versions of the framework were subsequently examined for conceptual alignment through expert opinions, focus groups, and group discussions with existing European youth sport initiatives. This process resulted in the development of the Youth Sport Compass (YSC), a coherent conceptual and practical framework designed to support youth-centered and socially safe sport environments. Experts from different countries and disciplines considered the framework highly relevant, conceptually robust, and broadly applicable in practice. The YSC provides a strong conceptual and practical foundation for coaches, sport organizations, and policymakers seeking to create pedagogically sound, youth-centered, and socially safe sport environments. Although the YSC is firmly grounded in theory and practice, it has yet to be empirically validated. Further research is needed to assess its validity and practical effectiveness. Full article

The purpose of this study is to examine positive and negative emotions about climate change reported by youth living in northern California and explore how these emotions are linked to climate anxiety, activism, and other measures of well-being. We surveyed ethnically diverse first- and second-year students (N = 521, mean age = 19) at a Jesuit, urban university in California in Fall 2022. Survey measures assessed climate-related emotions, eco-anxiety, and eco-impairment, along with activism, optimism, and compassion. Bivariate and multivariate models examined positive and negative eco-emotions, controlling for race, gender, and income. Overall, climate anxiety was linked to greater activism and confidence that actions matter. However, experiencing positive climate-related emotions had a stronger relationship to activism and optimism for the present and future, compared to negative emotions which were linked to higher eco-anxiety and greater compassion for others. Climate education and communication should consider inducing and reinforcing positive emotions to encourage youth activism, especially since negative emotions in response to climate change are linked to worse mental health. More research on a range of climate emotions is needed, and future interventions should test how to induce hope without minimizing the seriousness of climate change to support confidence and youth action. Full article

Background: This study aimed to compare a limited set of predefined diet-, lifestyle-, knowledge-, and psychosocial indicators across school youth, students, and adults in Poland, and to examine their associations with three predefined outcomes: BMI ≥ 25 kg/m², poorer mental well-being, and high stress/overload. Diet quality, daily health-related practices, psychosocial well-being, and stress/overload may co-occur across different life stages, but online survey data require a focused analytical framework to avoid overinterpretation. Methods: This cross-sectional anonymous online survey included 360 respondents: 154 school youth aged 15–19 years, 127 students aged 20–29 years, and 79 adults aged 30 years or older. Dietary assessment was based on the KomPAN questionnaire and included the pro-healthy diet index, non-healthy diet index, and Diet Quality Index. Study-specific scores were used for knowledge, healthy practices, psychosocial well-being, and stress/overload. Analyses were restricted to predefined group comparisons, selected correlations, and three whole-sample adjusted logistic regression models. Results: Adults had the highest BMI and waist/hip circumference, whereas school youth showed the highest non-healthy diet index and more frequent high processed-food intake. Among the knowledge and psychosocial indicators, only obesity knowledge differed significantly between groups, with the highest mean value among students. Stress/overload was inversely associated with psychosocial well-being, and DQI was positively associated with psychosocial well-being after adjustment for age, sex, and group. In adjusted whole-sample models, BMI ≥ 25 kg/m² was positively associated with age and DQI and inversely associated with physical activity frequency and regular meals; the positive DQI–BMI association was interpreted cautiously as potentially reflecting reverse causality, reporting bias, or compensatory dietary modification among respondents with excess body weight. Poorer mental well-being was associated with higher stress/overload and inversely associated with DQI, physical activity frequency, and family meals. High stress/overload was positively associated with highly processed food intake and inversely associated with regular meals. Conclusions: The findings suggest that diet quality, behavioral regularity, and psychosocial burden may be more informative than knowledge alone when describing health-related profiles across age-defined groups. Because the study was cross-sectional, self-reported, anonymous, and based on a modest sample, the results should be interpreted as preliminary and hypothesis-generating rather than causal. Full article

This paper examines whether, and to what extent, social relations can be understood in terms of utilitarian exchange, or whether they are more adequately interpreted through the categories of solidarity and social love. More specifically, the article develops a critical analysis of reductionist theories of exchange by focusing on the relationship between young people, participation, and local communities in the inner areas of Molise, a region in southern Italy that is particularly marked by socio-economic fragility. Within this framework, the study adopts a qualitative research design, based on semi-structured interviews with 62 young people aged 16 to 34, introduced using a photo-elicitation prompt. The findings indicate that, despite experiencing the constraints associated with a limited availability of services, opportunities, and resources, people in these territories cultivate forms of relational well-being that cannot be reduced to a mere cost–benefit calculus. Rather, these relationships generate recognition, mutual support, and orientations towards the common good, through practices of care directed both towards the local territory and towards family ties. From this perspective, the paradigm of social love may provide a particularly successful interpretive framework for understanding youth solidarity and the persistence of community bonds within the contradictions of late modernity. Full article

Relationships are a fundamental foundation of human development, shaping developmental trajectories, well-being, and health, yet their psychological assessment remains challenging. Youths’ perceived closeness to others has been linked to a range of prosocial outcomes but has been less extensively examined in research studying problematic developmental outcomes, such as conduct problems. Further, most studies have focused on a single relationship, which ignores the potential importance of determining the extent to which youth’s perceptions of closeness extend beyond immediate social groups. The present study addressed these gaps by examining the factor structure and construct validity of an expanded measure of perceived closeness that includes a broader range of relationships, labeled the Perceived Closeness to Others Questionnaire (PCtO). A sample of 426 middle school students (216 girls; M age = 12.90 (0.91) years) was recruited and completed a visual measure of perceived closeness that utilizes visual images of pairs of circles (i.e., one indicating “the Self” and one indicating “the Other”) at different distances (i.e., from very far away to almost completely overlapping) to indicate how close they feel to others. Participants also completed self-report measures assessing a range of prosocial and problematic outcomes. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) suggested that, despite assessing a wide range of relationships, the measure seemed to be capturing a unidimensional construct. Further, scores from the measure showed adequate reliability and were positively correlated with all the measures of prosocial outcomes and with all but one measure of problematic outcomes (i.e., conduct problems). Overall, the findings provide initial support for a measure of psychological closeness suitable for use in research with youth. This tool may help advance theories of prosocial and antisocial development and guide interventions aimed at enhancing youths’ relationships with others. Full article

Increased attention has been paid in recent years to the study of human flourishing, yet few established tools exist to measure flourishing in marginalized youth populations. The validity of the adolescent version of the Flourishing Index (AFI) was recently substantiated in a sample of youth aging out of foster care. AFI scores are interpreted here as a brief, multidimensional indicator of flourishing among U.S. youth ages 18 to 24 with foster care experience. Building on prior evidence based on internal structure and measurement invariance, this study examines additional validity evidence based on relations with other variables. Convergent and discriminant patterns of association with the PERMA-Profiler, a widely used multidimensional well-being framework, are examined. Incremental prediction of general self-efficacy beyond PERMA was examined using hierarchical regression. These findings provide additional validity evidence for the use of AFI scores in this population. Further evidence is needed before AFI scores are used for individual-level decisions or for program accountability. Full article

The concept of subjective well-being among Orang Asli youth remains insufficiently understood due to limited empirical research on the community. Orang Asli youth represent a unique social group whose experiences are shaped by their culture, language, belief systems, and traditional lifestyle. These elements influence how well-being is perceived beyond economic indicators. Therefore, this study aims to explain the concept of subjective well-being among the Orang Asli Seletar youth. A case study research design was employed in this qualitative study. Twenty (20) informants aged 18 to 30 years, residing in Johor, participated in focus group discussions (FGDs) and in-depth interviews. This study’s findings identified seven (7) main themes related to the concept of subjective well-being among Orang Asli Seletar youth: (i) tranquility; (ii) happiness; (iii) comfort; (iv) sufficiency; (v) preferences; (vi) awareness; and (vii) satisfaction. In conclusion, this study provides a basis for understanding the subjective well-being of youth within the Orang Asli Seletar community. From the perspective of mainstream society, their lifestyle may appear modest and inadequate. However, this does not accurately reflect their true experience, as objective well-being should not be the sole measure of this community’s development. Greater emphasis on subjective well-being is essential to support this community’s thriving. Full article

While much of the current research on early specialization focuses on physical outcomes, training models, and policy implications, little is known about how athletes themselves make sense of their developmental experiences. This study aims to examine how ice hockey players perceive and experience early specialization within competitive youth sport contexts, with the goal of generating a nuanced, inductively grounded understanding of athlete development from the athlete perspective. A qualitative study design was used where eight current and former ice hockey players with experience of early specialization participated. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and analyzed using qualitative conventional content analysis. Three overarching themes emerged, highlighting experiences of loneliness, pressure, and elevated expectations within elite sport environments, alongside the vital importance of support networks and team community: ‘Thrown into adulthood with premature expectations’, ‘Balancing Support and Pressure in Athlete Development’, and ‘The Struggle Between Dream and Reality’. Players described feeling pressured, isolated, and prematurely professionalized, often at the expense of personal development. The findings highlight the psychological and structural challenges of early specialization in elite ice hockey. While support systems played a crucial role, they also contributed to performance anxiety and external expectations. These insights underscore the need for youth sport systems that prioritize long-term athlete well-being over short-term success. Full article