Are the Perpetrators of Aggression Also its Victims?

Project of Merit Winner In lower income areas it has been found that there is a relationship between the annual household income and types of anxiety found in adolescence. This relationship is theorized in part to exist because of the stressors the adolescents are exposed to in lower income neighborhoods i.e. trauma such as violent crimes (Vine et al., 2013). As a result of traumatic experiences from school violence children may become aggressive or exhibit bully behaviors (Blaustein & Kinniburgh, 2010). It is theorized that people who have been traumatized themselves may become aggressors or perpetuators of others’ trauma possibly due to the fact that by becoming the aggressor they create a semblance of control over the trauma that occurred (U.S. Department of Health, 2014). Relational aggression is an aggressive act that seeks to isolate an individual through rumors or ostracization. Physical aggression is displayed by acts such as hitting or kicking. Verbal aggression manifests in the form of name calling or attacking an individual’s character (Coyne et al., 2008). Past research has almost entirely focused on samples that are white, in order to study aggression and trauma (Waasdorp & Bradshaw, 2009). AIMS: 1) To investigate the different forms of aggression, victimization and traumatic exposure in a sample of AA girls. 2) To examine if the same individuals are both the victims and aggressors. Methods: 100 AA girls ages 11-15 enrolled in a health promotion intervention, in a mid-Atlantic city. The Problem Behavior Frequency Scale (PBFS) a 37-item questionnaire was self-administered to asses violent and non-violent delinquent behavior and exposure within the last 30 days (Farrell et al., 2018). There are seven factors: three forms of aggression (physical, verbal, and relational), two types of victimization (overt or relational), substance use and delinquent behavior. Results indicate that the AA female participants were both victims and aggressors. In terms of Physical Aggression, 52% of the adolescent AA girls reported shoving or pushing a peer within the last 30 days, 6% endorsed threatening a peer with a weapon. In terms of Victimization, 12% reported being threatened with a weapon (knife, gun etc.). While 47% of the sample reported being shoved or pushed by another child at least once in the last month. The majority of the individuals who reported simple aggression also indicated that they had experienced similar aggression directed towards them. AA youth in this sample engaged in aggressive behaviors and were exposed to violence. The majority of the individuals who were engaging in the aggression had also experienced victimization or trauma. It is important to note that trauma in this study centers around school violence trauma, it does not include other traumatic experiences such as natural disasters or parental death

Obesity and Self-Esteem in African American Youth

Honorable Mention Winner African Americans (AA) have the highest rates of obesity among all other ethnic groups (CDC, 2020). Male and female AA’s are disproportionately impacted by obesity and have an increased risk for health disparities (Abraham et al., 2013). Obesity is characterized as a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater (Chooi et al., 2019). Self-esteem (SE) is an individual’s subjective evaluation of the self (Abdel-Khalek, 2016). Obese youth have lower levels of SE than youth at a healthy weight (Gow et al., 2020). The association between low SE and high BMI is more pronounced in AA females than AA males (Borders et al., 2006). The aim of the study was to examine how obesity relates to self-esteem in AA youth. We hypothesize that youth who are obese will have lower levels of self-esteem. We also believe that females will have lower levels of self-esteem and have higher rates of obesity than males. 235 male (50.6%) and female (49.4%) youth (mean age 13.2) from low-income, predominantly AA urban communities participated. The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE) was self-administered to assess self-esteem. To measure obesity, BMI was calculated, and participants were categorized by percentiles for their weight status. There was a significant difference between normal weight and obese individuals in self-esteem [mean difference = 0.40 (CI = 0.09, 0.70) p = .01]. Additionally, there was a significant difference between overweight and obese individuals in self-esteem [mean difference = 0.47 (CI = 0.01, 0.94) p = .05]. Age and gender were not significant

The Knights of the Self-Efficacy Table: Taking Back the Table as a Family

Aims: The present study will examine parental Self-Efficacy as a mediator between shared family mealtimes and child outcomes as an aid to promote overall childhood and family wellbeing. There is a gap in literature in “coining” Self-Efficacy as a mediator between shared family mealtimes and child behavior outcomes and health. For my thesis I want to fill this gap by establishing parental Self-Efficacy as a mediator between shared family meals and children’s behaviors and health. Also, I want to further investigate the role that shared family mealtimes play in overall child behavioral and general health. Background: Family meals can be described as a socializing process as well where parents can teach the children their family’s food culture, teach broad food tastes and to prepare the child to experiment with different food types (Anving & Sellerberg, 2015). Family meals are an example of a parent-child interaction, associated with positive health outcomes and a decreased risk in childhood obesity (Fiese, Hammons, & Grigsby-Touissaint, 2012). Shared family mealtimes do not only promote a change in the consumption of food and BMI, but a change in academic achievement, language development and overall improvement of the family climate (Fiese & Schwartz, 2008). Bandura’s Self-Efficacy Theory (1977) is a social cognitive construct that describes a person’s confidence to perform a certain behavior in a particular situation. Parenting self-efficacy refers to the caregiver’s beliefs in their ability to parent propitiously (Jones & Prinz, 2005). Methods: I will be conducting a systematic review of literature on shared family mealtimes to catalog the predictors and outcomes related to implementing family mealtimes. A secondary investigation will be on how family mealtime is assessed. Results: N/A Conclusions: N/

After-School Connectedness, Racial–Ethnic Identity, Affirmation, and Problem Behaviors

After-school programs are potential contexts that may promote positive youth development (PYD) and reduce problem behaviors among African American children. One way after-school programs may be associated with reduced problem behaviors is by fostering an affirming sense of identity. Prior research on racial–ethnic identity among African American children and adolescents has shown that a positive and affirming sense of identity is related to less maladaptive coping, yet little is known about how after-school programs may foster an affirming sense of identity and lead to reduced problem behaviors. The current study adds to this discourse by investigating how children’s connection to staff and peers in after-school settings is associated with racial–ethnic identity (as measured by racial–ethnic affirmation) and reduced problem behaviors. Participants were 186 African American children ages 7–11 (M = 8.44; SD = 1.10) who completed surveys in the LEGACY Together Afterschool research project. Data were collected at 55 community-based after-school programs. Results indicated that positive racial–ethnic affirmation mediated the association between after-school connectedness and problem behaviors, such that childreport of connectedness—that is feeling safe and happy in the after-school programs—was directly related to positive racial–ethnic identity and indirectly to reduced problem behaviors. These findings underscore the importance of supportive after-school programs that encourage meaningful interactions among staff and children that are nurturing and affirming to children’s identities

An Examination of Social Disorganization and Pluralistic Neighborhood Theories with Rural Mothers and Their Adolescents

Neighborhoods matter for youth; yet, most literature focuses on neighborhood deficits rather than strengths. To understand how best to capture neighborhoods, this study used census- and perception-based measures of neighborhood characteristics as suggested by social disorganization and pluralistic neighborhood theories, respectively, to determine the association between structural characteristics and perceptions of positive and negative neighborhood characteristics. The ethnically diverse (59% White and 34% African American) sample (N = 1414) consisted of early adolescents (53% female) and their mothers. We found that participants perceived distinct positive and negative neighborhood characteristics. For adolescents and mothers, neighborhood structural characteristics were positively associated with risk perceptions (e.g., physical and social disorder) but differently associated with positive neighborhood characteristics. In addition, participants perceived their neighborhoods differently (e.g., adolescents perceived less informal social control but more cohesion than their mothers). We discuss the importance of the neighborhood context, particularly positive neighborhood characteristics, for rural families

Stability and Change in Rural Youths’ Educational Outcomes Through the Middle and High School Years

There is a dearth of literature that examines rural youths’ school transition and adaptation over the middle and high school years. Given rural education challenges, this study examines rural youths’ developmental trajectories of self-reported grades and affective and behavioral educational outcomes (i.e., school belonging, value of education, school misbehavior, and extracurricular activity participation). The cohort-sequential study consisted of 3,312 African American and White youth (50% female) who were surveyed over three and a half years, including the transition to high school. The results reveal significant changes in the outcomes from sixth to twelfth grade. For example, on average, school misbehavior increased over time while perceived school belonging decreased over time. Gender and race differences emerged; African American youth reported placing higher importance on education and less participation in school activities than White youth. The discussion focuses on the importance of examining rural adolescents’ educational pathways during the high school transition

Neighborhood Characteristics and Expectations of Racially Discriminatory Experiences Among African American Adolescents

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/134220/1/cdev12595.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/134220/2/cdev12595_am.pd

“You have to be Proactive with Your Child’s Health”: Learning and Health Literacy among Caregivers of Children with ADHD

This paper uses focus group data to examine health literacy among 26 low-socioeconomic status, minority caregivers of school-age children with ADHD. To cope with their child’s ADHD symptoms or diagnosis, caregivers used observation, gathered information from multiple sources, and discerned how to obtain services within confusing system healthcare and education systems

Self-Esteem and Disordered Eating in African American Youth

Background: 30% of girls and 15% of boys engaging in disordered eating (DE) behaviors, such as irregular eating behaviors like bingeing, fasting, or purging (Campbell & Peebles, 2014). Low self-esteem has been found to have a significant impact on the development of mental health disorders (Stadelmann et al., 2017). Youth are susceptible to developing low self-esteem because of the developmental and social milestones that are experienced during this time (Chung et al., 2017). Although previous studies have found a relationship between DE and self-esteem, little research has focused on how self- esteem impacts DE in African Americans (AA). Aims: To learn how self-esteem, relate to DE behaviors in AA youth. We predict that children with lower self-esteem will exhibit more DE behaviors. Methods: 235 male (50.6%) and female (49.4%) youth (mean age 13.2) from low-income, predominantly AA urban communities participated. The Children’s Eating Attitudes Test (ChEAT) and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (SES) were self- administered to assess psychosocial functioning. Results: For self-esteem, there was no significant difference between males and females. Results indicated that girls have higher levels of DE than boys, t (182.71)= -3.38, p \u3c .01. However, the relationship between SE and DE was only significant for females r (93) = .48, p \u3c .001. Conclusions: Results indicate that male and female AA adolescents did not differ in self-esteem but females exhibited significantly more DE behaviors. For AA adolescents, self-esteem was related to DE behavior only in females