Temporal patterns and psychosocial consequences of adolescent help-seeking behaviour

This thesis presented an investigation of adolescent help-seeking behaviour that is likely to inform future studies examining adolescent psychology. This research highlighted family help-seeking can be measured separately from family support, and discussed the role of family help-seeking and support in reducing adverse outcomes (e.g. mental health problems) for adolescents

季節変動を考慮した故障データに基づく寿命推定法

電気通信大学201

Associations between youth homelessness, sexual offenses, sexual victimization, and sexual risk behaviors : A systematic literature review

Homeless youth commonly report engaging in sexual risk behaviors. These vulnerable young people also frequently report being sexually victimized. This systematic review collates, summarizes, and appraises published studies of youth investigating relationships between homelessness, perpetration of sexual offences, experience of sexual victimization, and engagement in sexual risk behavior. A systematic search of seventeen psychology, health, and social science electronic databases was conducted. Search terms included “homeless*”, “youth”, “offend*”, “victimization”, “crime”, “rape”, “victim*”, and “sex crimes”. Thirty-eight studies were identified that met the inclusion criteria. Findings showed homeless youth commonly report being raped and sexually assaulted, fear being sexually victimized, and engage in street prostitution and survival sex. Rates of victimization and sexual risk behavior were generally higher for females. Given the paucity of longitudinal studies and limitations of current studies it is unclear whether homelessness is prospectively associated with sexual victimization or engagement in sexual risk behavior, and whether such associations vary cross-nationally and as a function of time and place. Future prospective research examining the influence of the situational context of homelessness is necessary to develop a better understanding of how homelessness influences the perpetration of sexual offences, experience of sexual victimization, and engagement in sexual risk behavior among homeless youth

Temporal patterns and psychosocial consequences of adolescent help-seeking behaviour

This doctoral thesis presented an investigation of adolescent help-seeking behaviour that is likely to inform future studies examining adolescent psychology. Few prior studies have examined the factor structures of typical social support measures to examine whether family help-seeking and family support are single constructs or can be conceptualised as separate constructs. This three-year longitudinal study investigated the temporal characteristics and psychosocial consequences of early adolescent help-seeking behaviour. Findings highlighted that family help-seeking can be measured separately from family support, and discussed the role of family help-seeking and support in reducing adverse outcomes (e.g. mental health problems, school disengagement) for adolescents. The discussion contends there is interplay between family help-seeking and family support; however, the two constructs represent separate components within an over-arching adaptive process, and should be conceptualised and measured in this manner

A systematic review of associations between perpetration of physically violent behaviours and property offenses, victimization and use of substances among homeless youth

Rates of substance use among homeless youth are considerably higher than those for youth within the general population. Homelessness may be associated with perpetration of offenses and victimization among young people. This systematic review examines whether associations exist between perpetration of offenses, victimization experiences, and substance use among homeless youth. Findings showed that youth most commonly report using alcohol, cannabinoids, and sedatives. Perpetrating and being victimized by physical and property offenses were generally associated with alcohol and marijuana use. Substance use may be a coping mechanism relied upon to deal with daily challenges experienced while homeless. Implications for future research contributing to the advancement of current intervention and prevention efforts designed to address the health concerns of homeless youth are discussed

Examination of associations between informal help-seeking behavior, social support, and adolescent psychosocial outcomes: A meta-analysis

The roles of help-seeking from informal sources and social support in their association with psychosocial outcomes during adolescence remain unclear. Yet, help-seeking behavior within informal and supportive social contexts brings young people into contact with a range of important resources with the potential to reduce the likelihood for poor psychosocial outcomes. This study presents a systematic review and meta-analysis exploring both help-seeking behavior from informal sources and social support in their association with psychosocial outcomes in adolescence. The meta-analysis examines 79 effect sizes from 8 studies, analyzing data on informal help-seeking from 5285 youth aged 12–19 years. For social support, the meta-analysis examines 378 effect sizes from 51 studies, analyzing data from 196,247 youth aged 12–19 years. The results of a series of random effects models showed significant associations between help-seeking from informal sources and each of externalizing behavior (OR 0.44, 95% CI 0.34, 0.56, p  <  .0001), educational outcomes (OR 2.24, 95% CI 1.84, 2.73, p  <  .0001) and other help-seeking behavior (e.g. help-seeking for peers; OR 2.43, 95% CI 1.97, 3.00, p  <  .0001). Results showed social support was significantly associated with internalizing behavior (OR 0.57, 95% CI 0.48, 0.68, p  <  .0001) and substance use (OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.65, 0.84, p < .0001). Social support also showed significant associations with bullying perpetration and victimization with effect sizes ranging from odds ratios of 0.55 to 0.68. Moderator analyses showed variation in results based on methodological-level (e.g. study design) and sample-level (e.g. gender) variables. Although it is difficult to draw overarching conclusions regarding help-seeking from informal sources, given the small number of included studies, findings of the meta-analysis showed that both help-seeking from informal sources and social support may have potential benefits in reducing the likelihood of poor psychosocial outcomes among adolescents. Implications for research and practice are discussed

The role of risk and protective factors in the modification of risk for sexual victimization, sexual risk behaviors, and survival sex among homeless youth: A meta-analysis

Youth homelessness is a multifaceted and significant social problem. For many homeless youth, the risk for exposure to sexual exploitation is high, with the experience of sexual victimization and engaging in sexual risk behaviors and survival sex commonplace. This meta‐analysis appraised internationally published literature to investigate the role of risk and protective factors in modifying the occurrence of sexual victimization, sexual risk behaviors, and survival sex among homeless youth. A comprehensive search of psychology, sociology, medicine, health, and criminology electronic abstraction databases was conducted for the period 1990–2016. Search terms included “homeless,” “rape,” “sexual victimization,” “unsafe sex,” and “survival sex.” The perpetration of sexual offences was included in the search strategy. Eighteen studies, examining sexual victimization, sexual risk behavior, and survival sex, met the inclusion criteria and were included in the meta‐analysis. All but two studies were conducted in the United States. No retrieved studies examined sexual offending; hence, this could not be included in the meta‐analysis. Findings showed that substance use, exposure to violence and crime (as victims and perpetrators), childhood abuse, sexual behavior, and peers' antisocial and sexual behavior were unique factors increasing the likelihood for each of sexual victimization, engagement in sexual risk behavior, and engagement in survival sex. Protective factors were peer and family social support. Moderator analyses showed that the influence of risk factors may differ based on study design, sample size, study country of origin, and participant age and gender. Findings suggest that risk and protective factors may be important mechanisms by which to modify the occurrence of adverse sexual behavior outcomes and better contextualize prevention and early intervention strategies for homeless youth