Pubertal status and body image: An inquiry into experiences of adolescents in Ghana and Kenya.

The current study uses a mixed method design to investigate Kenyan and Ghanaian adolescents' experiences of puberty, and the relations between gender, country of origin, pubertal status, and body image appraisals (N = 86; Ghana = 46, Kenya = 40, 52.9% female aged 13 and 14). Qualitative results revealed seven major themes; puberty means a universal period of growth and transition into adulthood but also evokes negative emotions of shame, anxiety, and embarrassment, being in sync with peers during puberty is important and knowing that others in their lives similarly experience puberty is reassuring. Quantitative results revealed significant gender and country differences in pubertal status and body image. Ghanaian adolescents had more advanced pubertal status and more positive body image appraisals compared to Kenyan adolescents. Moderation analysis results revealed that for the Kenyan sample, post-pubertal males had less favorable body image appraisals than their counterparts who were still pre pubertal whilst for females, post-pubertal girls had more favorable body images than their counterparts. No such effects were observed with the Ghanaian sample. The findings highlight the need for context considerations in understanding body image during the pubertal transition to help identify relevant protective factors for possible interventions. The results affirm the importance of positive body image promotions for adolescents within the African context and suggest the need for much more comprehensive sex education with gender-specific components to help allay fears about puberty, thus preventing the development of possible adaptation problems.

Feedback negativity and decision-making behavior in the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART) in adolescents is modulated by peer presence.

Adolescent risk taking is strongly influenced by peer presence. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of peer presence on the ERP after negative and positive feedback in the time range of the feedback-related negativity (FRN). Eighteen male adolescents completed a version of the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART) under two conditions: playing alone and while observed by a peer. We recorded the ERPs after success or failure feedback and analyzed risk-taking behavior under both conditions. Behavioral results show that the participants were more cautious when being watched by a peer, especially after success. ERPs show that participants under peer presence exhibit more negative FRN after failure feedback than in the single condition, but no greater positivities after success feedback in the observed condition compared to the single condition. Results are in line with reinforcement learning theory and psychological aspects of loss prevention. The results suggest that the effect of peer presence on risk-taking behavior depends on the specific situational context.

Long-Term Effects of the Life Skills Program IPSY on Substance Use: Results of a 4.5-Year Longitudinal Study.

This study investigated the long-term effectiveness of a Life Skills program with regard to use and proneness to legal and illicit drug use across a 4.5-year study interval. The universal school-based Life Skills program IPSY (Information + Psychosocial Competence = Protection) against adolescent substance use was implemented over 3 years (basic program in grade 5 and booster sessions in grades 6 and 7). Over the same time period, it was evaluated based on a longitudinal quasi-experimental design with intervention and control group, including two follow-up assessments after program completion [six measurement points; N (T1) = 1657 German students; M age (T1) = 10.5 years]. Applying an HLM approach, results showed that participation in IPSY had a significant effect on the frequency of smoking, and proneness to illicit drug use, across the entire study period. In addition, shorter-term effects were found for the frequency of alcohol use in that intervention effects were evident until the end of program implementation but diminished 2 years later. Thus, IPSY can be deemed an effective intervention against tobacco use and proneness to and use of illicit drugs during adolescence; however, further booster sessions may be necessary in later adolescence to enhance youths' resistance skills when alcohol use becomes highly normative among peers.

The development of leisure boredom in early adolescence: Predictors and longitudinal associations with delinquency and depression.

The literature proposes that leisure boredom may systematically increase during adolescence. Moreover, some authors assume that this hypothesized developmental trend is associated with increases in youthful delinquency and depression. Individual dispositions (e.g., temperamental disinhibition) are believed to exacerbate the relationship between boredom and delinquency. This study investigated whether (1) leisure boredom really is an increasing phenomenon during early adolescence; (2) gender, temperamental disinhibition, shyness, family relationship quality, peer rejection, a deprived school context, and rural/urban living explain developmental variations in boredom; (3) boredom is longitudinally and reciprocally related to delinquency and depression; and (4) bored disinhibited adolescents are particularly likely to become delinquent and to use delinquent acts to mitigate boredom. Analyses were based on a German sample of school students (N = 722) who provided annual self-reports on study variables from age 10 to 14 years. Bivariate growth curve models captured correlations between developmental trajectories of boredom and delinquency/depression. Cross-lagged models examined reciprocal short-term associations. Analyses revealed a modest increase in leisure boredom during early adolescence. Disinhibition and qualities of proximal social contexts (family, peers, school) were related to boredom with peer rejection showing the most consistent longitudinal association. Boredom was developmentally associated with depression whereas longitudinal associations with delinquency were weaker and more short-term. Temperamentally disinhibited adolescents appeared to buffer leisure boredom by means of delinquency. Results support person-context models of leisure boredom with regard to its etiology and consequences. Findings further demonstrate that leisure boredom plays a prominent role in the developmental adaptation of adolescents.

Translation of etiology into evidence-based prevention: the life skills program IPSY.

IPSY (Information + Psychosocial Competence = Protection) is a universal life skills program aiming at the promotion of generic intra- and interpersonal life skills, substance specific skills (for example, resistance skills), school bonding, knowledge, and the prevention of substance misuse with a focus on alcohol and tobacco in youth. This program is based on the WHO's life skills approach as well as on theories and empirical findings concerning the development of substance misuse during early adolescence. IPSY is implemented by teachers over three years of schooling (grades 5-7 in Germany). Guided by models of translational research dealing with conditions of a successful translation of etiological findings into evidence-based prevention programs, the chapter highlights the results of a more than ten-year research program focusing on the development and evaluation of the IPSY program. Findings on long-term general effects, mediators and moderators of program effectiveness, and cross-cultural transferability of the program to other European countries are summarized and discussed in light of dissemination issues.

Childhood predictors and mid-adolescent correlates of developmental trajectories of alcohol use among male and female youth.

The identification of salient risk factors for alcohol consumption among male and female adolescents is an important topic not only for etiology research but also for designing effective gender-specific alcohol prevention programs for young people. This study examined the extent to which problematic alcohol use trajectories from ages 14 to 18 among male and female youth were related to childhood predictors assessed at age 9 (i.e., impulsivity, academic self-confidence, social problems with peers), socio-demographic variables, and mid-adolescent correlates [i.e., parental use, body mass index (BMI), risky peer context, conduct problems at school, parent-child relationship, somatic complaints]. Data analysis was based on a representative German longitudinal study (1986-1995, n = 1,619, 55 % female). Using growth mixture modeling methodology, associations of childhood predictors and mid-adolescent correlates to distinctive trajectories of alcohol use were examined for males and females separately. For males, a problematic consumption trajectory was associated with poor relationships to parents in adolescence and small community size. For females, low impulsivity during childhood, high BMI, and contact with deviant peers during adolescence predicted problematic as compared to normative alcohol use trajectories. Additionally, high parental alcohol use, low parental educational background, and conduct problems at school during adolescence were common predictors of a problematic alcohol use trajectory in both genders. The results provide insights regarding differences in the gender-typical development of adolescent alcohol use as well as stress the need of gender-specific intervention components along with universal prevention strategies against problematic consumption trajectories.

Examining the differential effectiveness of a life skills program (IPSY) on alcohol use trajectories in early adolescence.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated whether a universal school-based life skills program-IPSY (Information + Psychosocial Competence = Protection)-against substance misuse exerted the same effectiveness for young adolescents (10.5-13 years) from distinct alcohol use trajectories characterized by late childhood risk factors (temperament, self-worth, social problems with peers). METHOD: Analyses were based on a German sample of school students (N = 1,484). A longitudinal quasi-experimental design (intervention/control) with schoolwise assignment to the respective groups was used. Data were gathered via self-report questionnaire. Two-part growth mixture modeling was applied. RESULTS: Two prototypical trajectory classes of early alcohol use were found: a problematic group with a sharp increase in prevalence and quantity of consumed alcohol (19.7%) and a normative group with a moderate increase in both outcomes (80.3%). The problematic trajectory class was associated with several risk factors. IPSY decreased the likelihood of membership in the problematic group. Furthermore, IPSY buffered the increase in prevalence and quantity for the normative group, whereas it had no effects on these indicators for the problematic group. Concerning quantity of alcohol use, the effect size in terms of a difference in estimated means between intervention and control group at the last measurement point in the normative group was d = 0.33 (95% CI [0.21, 0.44]). CONCLUSIONS: Study findings indicate the usefulness of IPSY for reducing alcohol use especially in normative developing adolescents. However, the minority of adolescents consistently pursuing a problematic developmental pathway of alcohol use seem to be in need of earlier, more tailored treatments.

The life skills program IPSY: positive influences on school bonding and prevention of substance misuse.

The present study investigated whether a life skills program (LSP) for the prevention of adolescent substance misuse can have positive influences on a school context and on school bonding. The study also explored whether effects on alcohol use are mediated by positive effects on school bonding resulting from program participation. The LSP IPSY (Information+Psychosocial Competence=Protection) was implemented over a 3-year period via specially trained teachers. Analyses were based on a German evaluation study utilizing a quasi-experimental design (intervention/control) with school-wise assignment to the respective groups. Analyses were based on four measurement points (N=952, 10 years at pre-test). Results indicated that IPSY was well implemented, highly accepted by teachers and students, and that teachers profited regarding their teaching methods. ANCOVAS revealed positive program effects on alcohol use and school bonding. Multiple regressions indicated that positive influences on school bonding following program participation partially mediated effects on alcohol use.

Trajectories of alcohol use among adolescent boys and girls: identification, validation, and sociodemographic characteristics.

This longitudinal study used data from a secondary data archive of 1,619 East German adolescents (mean age, 14.05 years at the initial wave). Latent growth mixture modeling was used to identify distinctive developmental trajectories of alcohol consumption from ages 14 through 18 years. Four groups were found for both boys (rare users, late escalators, early peakers, regular users) and girls (rare users, increasers, decreasers, regular users). Further analyses showed reasonably good external validity of the identified alcohol consumption trajectories. Finally, female alcohol use trajectory groups differed in terms of financial resources (socioeconomic backgrounds), whereas male trajectory groups did not differ at all in terms of sociodemographic characteristics. Overall, evidence for gender-specific alcohol use trajectories was mixed.