Alcohol and cannabis use among adolescents in Flemish secondary school in Brussels: effects of type of education

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Research regarding socio-economic differences in alcohol and drug use in adolescence yields mixed results. This study hypothesizes that (1) when using education type as a proxy of one's social status, clear differences will exist between students from different types of education, regardless of students' familial socio-economic background; (2) and that the effects of education type differ according to their cultural background.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data from the Brussels youth monitor were used, a school survey administered among 1,488 adolescents from the 3rd to 6th year of Flemish secondary education. Data were analyzed using multilevel logistic regression models.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Controlling for their familial background, the results show that native students in lower educational tracks use alcohol and cannabis more often than students in upper educational tracks. Such a relationship was not found for students from another ethnic background.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Results from this study indicate that research into health risks should take into account both adolescents' familial background and individual social position as different components of youngsters' socio-economic background.</p

School dropout, problem behaviour and poor academic achievement : a longitudinal view of portuguese male offenders

This study examines school drop outs from the perspective of male adults themselves through interviews with offenders currently serving sentences. Participants were 10 Portuguese male inmates, between the ages of 19 and 46 years of age, incarcerated in two prison facilities of the Azores. Qualitative and interpretative methods were carried out using a semi-structured in-depth individual interview that was audiorecorded and conducted on the basis of a list of topics. Interview transcripts and thematic analysis were used in data treatment and analysis. The findings primarily indicate that poor academic achievement and emotional and behavioural difficulties of participants played a particular role in early school drop out. The trajectories these individuals followed within the education system presented problem behaviour, learning disabilities, and/or foster care interventions. While school drop out circumstances were apparently various, analysis showed that they were underpinned by three distinct sets of conditions generally not addressed by the education system. The analysis of the triggering factors and the maintenance dynamics of school drop outs indicated three distinct types: retention/absenteeism, life turning points and positive resolution. Implications for secondary prevention and screening practices are discussed.FCT (SFRH/ BD/ 44245/ 2008)CIEC - unidade de investigação 317 da FC

L’adolescent en fugue : fuir… quoi, pour…quoi ?

peer reviewe

Effect of β-sitosterol in the antioxidative activity of oxidized lipid–amine reaction products

Phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylcholine (PC), lysine (Lys), and mixtures of them were tested for activity in a polar compound-stripped olive oil (SOO) and in the same oil after addition of 1500 ppm of β-sitosterol (phytosterol-added olive oil, PAO) to evaluate the role of phytosterols in the antioxidant activity of oxidized lipid–amine products. None of the added compounds protected either SOO or PAO, when tested alone at 0–400 ppm. However, mixtures of PE/Lys and PC/Lys (100/300, 200/200, and 300/100 ppm) significantly increased the induction periods of both oils. Furthermore, there was a synergism between the phospholipids and Lys, which was a consequence of the reaction between the carbonyl compounds produced in the oxidation of the phospholipid fatty acid chains and the amino group of Lys. Some of these carbonyl–amine reaction products were determined by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry after converting them into volatile derivatives. In addition, stepwise multiple regression analysis demonstrated the relationship between the induction periods and the formed products. However, the contribution of carbonyl–amine reaction products to oil stability also depended on the type of oil, therefore suggesting a role of β-sitosterol in the antioxidative activity of the compounds produced by carbonyl–amine reactions. This contribution was also confirmed by the higher synergism observed for PE/Lys and PC/Lys mixtures in PAO than in SOO.This study was supported in part by the European Union (FEDER funds) and the Plan Nacional de I + D of the Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia of Spain (Project AGL2006-01092).Peer reviewe

The emotional experiences of early first intercourse: A multi-method study

The experience of the first intercourse at an early age is a well-established sexual risk behavior as it is related to adverse physical and mental health outcomes. However, the diversity within the group of early starters as well as the actual processes that make early first-time intercourse (potentially) more harmful remain understudied. The goal of this research is to understandthe mechanisms that make an early experience of the first intercourse either more or less emotionally harmful. Therefore, a combination of quantitative and qualitative data are used. The quantitative data stem from a population survey (ages 14-35 years; N = 705); the qualitative data were gathered by in-depth interviews among 24 young people (ages 16-18 years) with an early first-time intercourse (at age 14 years or younger). Quantitative analyses show that the age at first-time intercourse is positively related to the feeling of readiness. For the male respondents only, it is also positively related to the general experience of the first intercourse. For female respondents, the age at the first intercourse is only related to the general experience ofit in interaction with the age difference with the first partner. Qualitative analyses show that much variation goes behind these statistical regularities. Successful early starters can be differentiated from problematic early starters based on relationship characteristics, the preceding sexual trajectory, and the preceding sexual decision making. Practical implications are described,and recommendations for further research are made