Défavorisation du quartier de résidence et comportements déviants chez les adolescents : une perspective écologique et développementale

Thèse numérisée par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal

Mémoire présenté à la Commission de l’économie et du travail : dans le cadre des consultations particulières et auditions publiques sur le projet de loi 19 : loi sur l’encadrement du travail des enfants

Avec la collaboration (ordre alphabétique) : Direction régionale de santé publique de Montréal, Fédération étudiante collégiale du Québec, Force Jeunesse et Réseau réussite MontréalListe des recommandations ; Introduction ; 1. Des balises essentielles pour l’accès au statut de travailleuse et de travailleur au stade de l’adolescence ; 2. Développer la littératie juridique en matière de travail des futures générations dans une perspective durable de santé des populations ; 3. Sensibiliser et former l’ensemble des parties prenantes aux besoins particuliers de supervision des travailleuses et travailleurs âgés de 16 ans et moins ; 4. Renforcer les mécanismes de surveillance populationnelle captant la réalité des travailleuses et travailleurs âgés de 16 ans et moins ; 5. Apprendre des efforts collectifs de prévention au bénéfice des futures générations et de l’ensemble de la société québécoise ; Conclusion ; Référence

Beyond college for all : portrait of rapid and successful school-to-work transitions among vulnerable youth

For noncollege-bound youth, swiftly finding a satisfying job upon exiting compulsory schooling might support adjustment. Yet, youths’ own job perceptions have rarely been considered in school-to-work transition research. Sequence analysis of monthly occupational status over 4 years (ages 16–20) in a low socioeconomic status Canadian sample overrepresenting academically-vulnerable youth (N = 386; 50% male; 23% visible minority) generated five school-to-work pathways: two work-bound ones with jobs perceived as aligned with career goals (Career Job, 10%) or not (Fill-In Job, 26%), alongside three others (Disconnected [15%], Prolonged Secondary Education [25%], Postsecondary Education [24%]). Mental health was strongest in the Career Job pathway. Male sex and adolescent employment were precursors to this advantageous pathway, underscoring the crucial role of work experience

Beyond college for all: Portrait of rapid and successful school-to-work transitions among vulnerable youth

For noncollege-bound youth, swiftly finding a satisfying job upon exiting compulsory schooling might support adjustment. Yet, youths’ own job perceptions have rarely been considered in school-to-work transition research. Sequence analysis of monthly occupational status over 4 years (ages 16–20) in a low socioeconomic status Canadian sample overrepresenting academically-vulnerable youth (N = 386; 50% male; 23% visible minority) generated five school-to-work pathways: two work-bound ones with jobs perceived as aligned with career goals (Career Job, 10%) or not (Fill-In Job, 26%), alongside three others (Disconnected [15%], Prolonged Secondary Education [25%], Postsecondary Education [24%]). Mental health was strongest in the Career Job pathway. Male sex and adolescent employment were precursors to this advantageous pathway, underscoring the crucial role of work experience

Social contagion and high school dropout : the role of friends, romantic partners, and siblings

Social contagion theories suggest that adolescents in relationships with same-age high school dropouts should be at a greater risk of dropping out themselves. Yet, few studies have examined this premise, and none have considered all potentially influential same-age intimates, focusing instead on only either friends or siblings. Moreover, a key influence in adolescents’ social worlds, romantic partners, has been ignored. The goal of this study was to provide a comprehensive view of dropout contagion by considering occurrences of dropout among friends, siblings, and romantic partners. Data came from a sample of Canadian adolescents (N = 545) comprising one third of high school dropouts; a second third of carefully matched at-risk but persevering schoolmates; and a last third of average, not-at-risk students. As predicted, adolescents were at greater risk of dropping out when a member of their network had recently left school (i.e., in the past year, OR = 3.11; 95% CI [1.78, 6.27]), with independent associations of nontrivial sizes for occurrences of dropout among friends, romantic partners, and siblings (ORs between 1.97 [95% CI 1.25, 3.41] and 3.12 [95% CI 1.23, 11.0]). Moreover, adolescents seemed particularly at risk of quitting school (OR = 4.88; 95% CI [2.54, 12.5]) when their networks included more than one type of same-age intimate (e.g., a friend and a sibling) who had recently dropped out. Findings suggest that social contagion of dropout is a pervasive phenomenon in low-income schools and that prevention programs should target adolescents with same-age intimates who have recently left school

Stressors and turning points in high school and dropout : a stress process, life course framework

High school dropout is commonly seen as the result of a long-term process of failure and disengagement. As useful as it is, this view has obscured the heterogeneity of pathways leading to dropout. Research suggests, for instance, that some students leave school not as a result of protracted difficulties but in response to situations that emerge late in their schooling careers, such as health problems or severe peer victimization. Conversely, others with a history of early difficulties persevere when their circumstances improve during high school. Thus, an adequate understanding of why and when students drop out requires a consideration of both long-term vulnerabilities and proximal disruptive events and contingencies. The goal of this review is to integrate long-term and immediate determinants of dropout by proposing a stress process, life course model of dropout. This model is also helpful for understanding how the determinants of dropout vary across socioeconomic conditions and geographical and historical contexts

High school dropout in proximal context : the triggering role of stressful life events

Adolescents who drop out of high school experience enduring negative consequences across many domains. Yet, the circumstances triggering their departure are poorly understood. This study examined the precipitating role of recent psychosocial stressors by comparing three groups of Canadian high school students (52% boys; Mage = 16.3 years; N = 545): recent dropouts, matched at-risk students who remain in school, and average students. Results indicate that in comparison with the two other groups, dropouts were over three times more likely to have experienced recent acute stressors rated as severe by independent coders. These stressors occurred across a variety of domains. Considering the circumstances in which youth decide to drop out has implications for future research and for policy and practice

Adaptation and validation of the life events and difficulties schedule for use with high school dropouts

The Life Events and Difficulties Schedule (LEDS) is considered the standard for measuring psychosocial stressor exposure, but it has not been used with academically at-risk adolescents, including high school dropouts. The goal of this study was to (1) adapt the LEDS for use with this population, and (2) examine the reliability (interrater) and validity (concurrent and predictive) of this adaptation among a sample of vulnerable adolescents (N = 545). Good reliability coefficients (.79–.90) were obtained, and stressor exposure was associated with concurrent criteria indexing mental health outcomes (depression) and major risk factors for dropout (administratively recorded and self-reported). Also, LEDS scores predicted dropout beyond these risk factors. The adapted LEDS appears useful for describing academically struggling adolescents’ stressor exposure

Gender differences in adolescents’ exposure to stressful life events and differential links to impaired school functioning

Gender differences in exposure and reactivity to specific stressful life events (SLE) contribute to explaining adolescent boys’ and girls’ differential susceptibility to common adjustment difficulties like depression and behavioral problems. However, it is unclear whether these gender differences are also relevant to understanding another key marker of adolescent maladjustment: high school dropout. A state-of-the-art interview protocol was used to assess recent SLE in a sample of academically vulnerable Canadian adolescents (N = 545, 52% boys). The sample was comprised of three groups in approximately equal proportions: 1) students who had recently dropped out; 2) matched students at risk of dropping out but who persevered nevertheless; and 3) “normative” students with an average level of risk. When SLE of all types were considered together, overall exposure was similar for adolescent boys and girls, and the SLE-dropout association did not vary as a function of gender. However, gender differences emerged for specific events. Boys were especially exposed to SLE related to performance (e.g., school failure, suspension) and conflicts with authority figures (e.g., with teachers or the police), whereas girls were particularly exposed to SLE involving relationship problems with family members, peers, or romantic partners. In terms of specific SLE-dropout associations, one consistent result emerged, showing that performance/authority-related SLE were significantly associated with dropout only among boys. It therefore seems that considering gendered exposure and sensitivity to SLE is important for understanding the emergence of educational difficulties with long-ranging consequences for future health and well-being