Awareness of demands and unfairness and the importance of connectedness and security : teenage girls’ lived experiences of their everyday lives

In recent years, a number of studies have demonstrated that stress and mental health problems have increased among adolescents and especially among girls, although little is still known concerning what girls experience in their everyday lives. The aim of this study was to describe the phenomenon of teenage girls’ everyday lives, as experienced by the girls themselves. A phenomenological approach of reflective lifeworld research was used, and the findings are based on eight qualitative interviews with girls aged 13–16 years. The essence of teenage girls’ everyday lives as experienced by the girls themselves can be described as consciousness regarding demands and unfairness and regarding the importance of connectedness and security. The girls are aware of the demands of appearance and success, and they are conscious of the gender differences in school and in the media that affect them. The girls are also conscious about the meaning of connectedness with friends and family, as well as the importance of the security of their confidence in friends and feeling safe where they stay. If teenage girls feel connected and secure, protective factors in the form of manageability and meaningfulness can act as a counterweight to the demands and unfairness of everyday life. For professionals who work with teenage girls, the results from this study can be important in their work to support these girls

Estilos educativos familiares y acoso escolar: un estudio en la comunidad autónoma de la Rioja (España)

Se ha pretendido averiguar si el estilo educativo familiar influye en el desencadena - miento de acoso escolar, para lo que se ha estudiado primero el porcentaje de casos de acoso escolar y el estilo educativo familiar entre los participantes, así como la relación entre ambas variables. Se ha realizado un amplio estudio en la comunidad autónoma de La Rioja, a través de un cuestionario dirigido a 348 alumnos de la ESO, cuatro grupos de discusión con padres y alumnos de la Educación Secundaria Obligatoria (ESO) y entrevistas dirigidas a treinta profesionales de la educación. Los resultados muestran que la gran mayoría de las familias riojanas se relacionan con sus hijos de forma democrática, y a su vez, el porcentaje de acoso escolar en La Rioja es relativamente bajo. La conclusión principal es que los estilos demo - cráticos parentales influyen altamente en el bajo porcentaje de acoso escolar, algo apoyado ampliamente por todos los participantes