The Development and Validation of a Measure of Identity Distress

The most frequently used measures of identity development do not contain a scale to measure the distress that can sometimes be associated with the process. The purpose of this study was to assess the reliability and validity of the Identity Distress Survey. The measure was found to have high internal consistency and test–retest reliability. Identity distress was related to the constructs of identity style and identity status. Identity distress was positively correlated with identity exploration and associated with the informational style and was negatively correlated with identity commitment. This measure could help identify those people who are having exceptional difficulties in the process of identity development and in need of intervention

A Multistage Longitudinal Comparative (MLC) Design Stage II: Evaluation of the Changing Lives Program (CLP): The Possible Selves Questionnaire-Qualitative Extensions (PSQ-QE)

The study reported in this paper, a Multistage Longitudinal Comparative (MLC) Design Stage II evaluation conducted as a planned preliminary efficacy evaluation (psychometric evaluation of measures, short-term controlled outcome studies, etc.) of the Changing Lives Program (CLP), provided evidence for the reliability and validity of qualitative measures under development as well as the utility of unifying qualitative (e.g., open coding, theoretical sampling/saturation, etc.) and quantitative (e.g., quasi-experimental designs, advanced statistical analysis, psychometric analysis, etc.) research methods and procedures for evaluating intervention programs. Specifically, when analyzed using Relational Data Analysis, response data from the Future Possible Selves Questionnaire yielded theoretically meaningful categories with robust levels of reliability and construct and concurrent (external) validity. Additionally, the pattern of qualitative change for participants in the intervention condition, the CLP, were found to be positive, significant, and in the hypothesized direction relative to the comparison group, providing support for the feasibility of creating evidence-based youth development programs for promoting positive development in self and identity in troubled youth

Identity Distress and Adjustment Problems in At-Risk Adolescents

This study assessed the usefulness of the Identity Distress Scale (IDS), a measure modeled after the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd ed., rev. [DSM–III–R]; American Psychiatric Association, 1987) defined Identity Disorder, by investigating links between identity distress and poor psychological adjustment in at-risk middle adolescents. A significant proportion (16%) met DSM–III–R criteria for Identity Disorder, and 34% met the more liberal criteria for Identity Problems as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; American Psychiatric Association, 1994). Significant associations were found between identity distress and both internalizing and externalizing symptoms. The IDS appears to be useful for identifying youth experiencing significant difficulties in developing an identity and for exploring links between Identity Problems and other areas of psychological functioning

A Multistage Longitudinal Comparative (MLC) Design Stage II: Evaluation of the Changing Lives Program (CLP): The Possible Selves Questionnaire—Qualitative Extensions (PSQ-QE)

The study reported in this paper, a Multistage Longitudinal Comparative (MLC) Design Stage II evaluation conducted as a planned preliminary efficacy evaluation (psychometric evaluation of measures, short-term controlled outcome studies, etc.) of the Changing Lives Program (CLP), provided evidence for the reliability and validity of qualitative measures under development as well as the utility of unifying qualitative (e.g., open coding, theoretical sampling/saturation, etc.) and quantitative (e.g., quasi-experimental designs, advanced statistical analysis, psychometric analysis, etc.) research methods and procedures for evaluating intervention programs. Specifically, when analyzed using Relational Data Analysis, response data from the Future Possible Selves Questionnaire yielded theoretically meaningful categories with robust levels of reliability and construct and concurrent (external) validity. Additionally, the pattern of qualitative change for participants in the intervention condition, the CLP, were found to be positive, significant, and in the hypothesized direction relative to the comparison group, providing support for the feasibility of creating evidence-based youth development programs for promoting positive development in self and identity in troubled youth

A Comparison of Two Approaches for Facilitating Identity Exploration Processes in Emerging Adults

This article, using a controlled design, reports the results of an exploratory study to investigate the impact of two types of intervention strategies (cognitively vs. emotionally focused) on two types of identity processes (self-construction and self-discovery) in a culturally diverse sample of 90 emerging adult university students. A quasiexperimental design was used to evaluate the relative impact of the cognitively focused self-construction and emotionally focused self-discovery strategies. Quantitative and qualitative results indicated that cognitively focused intervention strategies were most efficacious in affecting self-constructive identity processes, whereas emotionally focused intervention strategies were most efficacious in affecting self-discovery identity processes. This pattern of differential effects suggests that programs intended to broadly affect identity development should include both types of intervention strategies and should target both self-constructive and self-discovery processes

Identity and Positive Youth Development: Advances in Developmental Intervention Science

This chapter provides an overview of advances in developmental intervention science that have contributed to an emerging literature on identity-focused positive youth development interventions. Rooted in the tradition of applied developmental science, developmental intervention science aims to advance the evolution of sustainable developmental intervention strategies targeting positive developmental outcomes. These developmental intervention strategies are intended to complement the wide array of well-established treatment and prevention intervention strategies targeting risky and problem behaviors. Within this framework, positive identity interventions seek to create empowering intervention contexts that promote the development of an increasingly integrated—and therefore an increasingly complex, coherent, and cohesive—self-constructed self-structure. By linking applied developmental science with treatment and prevention intervention science, developmental intervention science appears to have significant potential for facilitating the evolution of evidence-based positive development strategies for promoting positive life course change

Table of Contents

xviii, 712 hlm.; 21.5 x 15 c

Does Intervention Change Anything? New Directions in Promoting Positive Youth Development

Although a literature on interventions that promote positive development has begun to emerge, important gaps concerning these interventions continue to exist. As part of our program of research, we have made an effort to begin addressing these gaps. An overview of a research project conducted using two sets of multi-ethnic data drawn from the Miami Youth Development Project (Kurtines, Montgomery, Lewis Arango, & Kortsch, 2001) is presented. Though tentative and preliminary, the findings from the project provide preliminary evidence for the success of Changing Lives Program (CLP) in promoting positive qualitative change. Specifically, the results document a relation between participation in CLP and short-term qualitative longitudinal change in life course experiences at the individual developmental level. The basic pattern of qualitative change for participants in the CLP intervention condition tended to be positive, significant, and in the hypothesized direction relative to non-intervention controls, suggesting that intervention does effect positive change

Education for Democracy: A co-constructivist perspective

En el presente artículo describimos el papel que la educación ha de desempeñar en el proceso de mejora de la calidad de vida en el mundo moderno. El enfoque específico de este artículo enfatiza el papel que la educación debe desempeñar para promover la evolución de las formas de vida democráticas como un medio para mejorar la calidad de la vida tanto personal como colectiva e institucional. La calidad de vida, al menos en lo concerniente a la conducta orientada a fines, supone elegir los valores y alcanzar con éxito los objetivos de la vida. Esto último, está relacionado con la utilización del pensamiento y la discusión crítica para realizar elecciones vitales de tipo individual y colectivo. Lo cual, a su vez, tiene que ver con la institucionalización del ideal democrático. En este sentido, el enfoque principal de nuestro trabajo aplicado trata de promover la evolución de las formas de vida democráticas como un medio para mejorar la calidad de vida en los niveles personal, interpersonal e institucional

The Role of Gender and Culture in Treating Youth With Anxiety Disorders

The purpose of this article is to discuss the complexities of working with anxious children and adolescents of diverse cultures within the context of cognitive-behavioral treatment. Our discussion will examine how culture, gender, and minority status affect anxious symptomatology in children and adolescents and how this may be addressed in treatment. The authors discuss the importance of considering the cultural variations in symptom expression, cultural norms and issues of acculturation, effects of discrimination, and finally the ways that gender can moderate symptom expression. Case examples are incorporated into each section. Recommendations include an emphasis on research on working with children of diverse cultures and the need for ongoing training that helps therapists to examine the impact of their own cultural beliefs on clinical care. Keywords: anxiety; gender; culture; youth; children A lthough research has demonstrated many similarities in the expression of anxiety among children, many differences also exist particularly with respect to how children of varying cultures report symptoms, respond to treatment and even respond to the therapis