AIDS Risk Behaviors among American and Australian Homeless Youth

We examined HIV/AIDS risk behaviors among homeless youth in cross-national data collected in Melbourne, Australia ( n = 398), and Los Angeles, California ( n = 498). Using structural equation modeling, we found that the Australian youth reported greater involvement in AIDS risk behaviors than the American youth and the Australian youth were more involved in intervening risk factors that promote risk behaviors and less involved with protective factors that reduce risk behaviors. Youth reporting the highest rates of delinquent behaviors also had peers engaging in delinquent acts, used alcohol and marijuana, and were more likely to utilize social services. These findings underscore the importance of having a service sector that is able to adequately address the needs of homeless youth .     

体验本真性：北漂青年的社会交往与双重生活

通过对A青年空间的案例研究,本文力图呈现制度性个体化背景下中产阶层北漂青年所经历的双重生活。在高度竞争性的制度环境中,北漂青年一方面形成了适应功利型人生模式的奋斗自我,另一方面却对制度化的生活感到怀疑和失落,在制度依赖与自主需求之间挣扎。在青年空间中建构社会交往成为他们探寻“本真性自我”的方式。然而,青年空间中的社会交往以“反日常”为前提,本真性自我的建构往往成为一种悬置性体验,并且悖论式地遵循着制度化生活的逻辑。本文反思了现有文献对中国社会个体化的讨论中功利型取向的“奋斗个体”范式,丰富了对个体化进程中当代青年生活处境与主观世界的理解。     

Do Marginalized Youth Experience Strengths in Strengths-Based Interventions? Unpacking Program Acceptability through Two Interventions for Sexual and Gender Minority Youth

ABSTRACT

Strengths-based interventions have potential to improve the wellbeing of sexual and gender minority youth (SGMY). This study examined the youth program acceptability of two strengths-based programs tailored for SGMY: ASSET (group counseling), and strengths first (SF) (care coordination). A mixed-methods approach was applied to secondary data extracted from client files (n = 247). Most participants were aged 15–18 (89%). Gender identities included woman (66%), man (30%), and transgender (<1%). Sexual orientations included bisexual (32%), lesbian (26%), gay (23%), and queer/pansexual (14%). Most participants identified as White, Hispanic (47%), Black, Non-Hispanic (17%), and Hispanic, No other race (19%). Program acceptability was measured using the 11-item Youth Acceptability and Strengths Scale. Quantitative analyses indicate program acceptability was high for SGMY participants and did not significantly differ across program type, gender identity, sexual orientation, or ethnoracial identity. There were no differences between strengths enhancement or client satisfaction between intervention types. Compared to group counseling, care coordination significantly increased problem-solving skills. Qualitative analysis identified that strengths-based interventions provided: (a) social support; (b) community; (c) confidence; and (d) positive mentors. Findings demonstrate the acceptability of strengths-based programming for SGMY. Strategies are provided to incorporate intervention program acceptability, yet future research is needed to explore youth acceptability.     

A systematic review of studies on ethnic minority youth development in Hong Kong: an application of the ecological framework

Abstract

Ethnic minority young people play a significant role in the socio-economic growth of an ageing society with a decreasing fertility rate. The successful social integration of individuals with diverse cultural backgrounds within a society is a core value of the social work profession. This study examines the understanding of ethnic minority youth development in Hong Kong using a systematic review methodology. Risk prevention and positive promotion factors were identified using Bronfenbrenner’s ecological framework. Articles were searched through multiple databases in English, and 36 academic articles were reviewed. These studies mainly examined the risks of academic failure of these students in Hong Kong while few focused on the positive directions of multidimensional youth development. Future social work research and practice should examine positive youth development for ethnic minorities which can inform social work practice in Hong Kong and within other East Asian traditionally ethnically homogeneous societies undergoing significant changes in ethnic diversity.     

Promoting Self-Efficacy and Self-Esteem for Multiethnic Sexual Minority Youth: An Evidence-Informed Intervention

ABSTRACT

Sexual minority youth face multiple challenges, yet research regarding evidence-informed practice strategies for this population is limited. This study describes the pilot efforts of Strengths First, the first strengths-based intervention created specifically to promote self-esteem and self-efficacy among multiethnic sexual minority youth. A pretest–posttest design was used to gather preliminary data from program participants (n = 162) about the potential effectiveness of the program during a 2-year period that ranged from the inception of the program in June 2008 to September 2010. Significant increases in self-esteem and self-efficacy were found. Implications for social service research and practice are discussed.     

Sexual Health Services for Homeless Youth: A Qualitative Analysis of their Experiences

The sexual health problems experienced by homeless youth bring into question their use of available sexual health services. Using a qualitative typological analysis, this study aims to identify sexual health services utilization profiles for homeless youth, and to understand the role of the homeless experience on the utilization of sexual health services. Individual interviews were conducted with 33 homeless youth (17 men, 16 women) between 18 and 25?years of age. Typological analysis identified four profiles: (1) a targeted use of sexual health services to determine one’s serological status following a relational change during the homeless experience; (2) a limited use of sexual health services to manage sexual emergencies that arise during the homeless experience; (3) a regular use of sexual health services to avoid the risks associated with the homeless experience; (4) a frequent use of sexual health services to obtain support when engaging in prostitution during the homeless experience. This study shows that the precarious and unstable conditions within the homeless experience incite youth to utilize sexual health services in different ways. These findings point to the importance of rethinking sexual health services to better adapt them to the different utilization profiles of homeless youth.     

Social Context of Service Use Among Homeless Youth in Los Angeles,California

ABSTRACT

Little is known about rates and correlates of service use or the role that social context plays in service engagement among homeless youth. This study compares two distinct service areas and uses a social network approach to examine how environmental factors (e.g., neighborhood), social factors (e.g., social capital and network engagement) and individual level factors that relate to service use patterns among homeless youth in Los Angeles, California. A sample of 938 youth was recruited from three drop-in centers in two distinct service sites. Individuals were surveyed about their individual and social network attributes. Univariable and multivariable analyses were utilized to understand the influence of social-contextual variables on service use. Service use behaviors varied across site and service type with youth in Hollywood showing greater engagement than youth at the Beach site. Across both sites and several service types, staff emotional support was positively correlated with levels of service use. The site comparisons also point to the fact that even within a single geographic area, like Los Angeles County, client profiles and rates of service use can significantly vary. Future research needs are presented with specific emphasis on understanding the needs of non-service-seeking youth.     

Digital Storytelling: A Narrative Method for Positive Identity Development in Minority Youth

This article explores the use of digital storytelling as a group narrative method for positive identity development in the case of African American youth residing in economically disadvantaged, urban areas. Factors such as ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and/or violence exposure may heighten normal youth challenges and affect identity development. Narrative tools that help minority adolescents produce agentic, coherent, affective, and adaptive self-concepts contribute to a proactive identity system and, therefore, an enhanced capacity for them to intervene in their own lives. The purpose of the afterschool digital storytelling group was for youth to gain opportunities in media production and in personal story construction. As a result, youth gained a valuable narrative medium for constructing their stories, and thus their identities, into ones of possibility, promise, and potential. Implications for helping professionals include how to use digital storytelling with youth to gain insight and understanding into a personally difficult life event.     

Exploring the promotion of youth voice in community-based youth development programmes

This constructivist grounded theory study used semi-structured interviews with 19 youth service providers in community-based youth development programmes to develop a context-specific framework of how and why youth voice promotion occurred. Factors external to the youth programmes, such as funder expectations, influenced the conceptualization of role for youth workers. The social process of meaning making in relation to role identity impacted how youth workers perceived self-efficacy when working with youth, especially when engaged with behaviours falling outside programmatic expectations or norms. Workers prioritized fostering physical and psychological safe spaces for youth participants. When conflict occurred, perceptions of efficacy guided workers in taking positions that either promoted or restricted youth voice based on their perceptions of efficacy in resolving conflict safely. Youth programmes have the capacity to resist or replicate oppression present within the educational system. The adoption and adaptation of educational models of resistance offer a strategy for community-based youth organizations to promote equity and thriving youth.     

Waivers of parental consent for sexual minority youth

ABSTRACT

The Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine emphasizes the need for research to focus on the health outcomes of sexual minority youth (i.e., lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer). However, sexual minority youth (SMY) are often less willing to participate in research studies where parental consent is required due to potential victimization and discrimination. This is a major concern given that more research is needed to understand the health needs of this population, especially in terms of suicide, substance use, and HIV prevention. The National Suicide Prevention Strategy classifies SMY as a high-risk group, emphasizing the need to explore suicide risks (along with other health outcomes) among this group. However, this high-risk classification also increases the safeguards necessary to conduct research with this population. Many researchers have argued for waivers of parental consent, but such waivers present with several ethical implications. This article discusses ethical principles, risks, benefits, safeguards, and potential alternative approaches to waivers of parental consent for SMY. We conclude by emphasizing the need for policy changes to allow parental consent waivers for research targeting SMY.     

The Judge Specificity of Evaluations of Youth Social Behavior: The Case of Peer Provocation

Increasingly, theorists have suggested that social competence is an evaluative construct that will vary as a function of who is judging behavior. This study examined how two key groups in children's social environments—peers (N = 663, age range = 10.83–15.25 years) and teachers (N = 49)—rated the effectiveness of different behaviors generated by youth in response to physical, verbal, and relational provocation by peers. Results indicated that youth evaluated aggressive responses as more effective than teachers whereas teachers evaluated seeking an explanation as more effective than youth. Both groups judged responses combining assertive and aggressive elements to be more effective than ‘pure’ aggression. Implications for measurement and intervention models of social competence are discussed.     

Characteristics of the Social Support Networks of Maltreated Youth: Exploring the Effects of Maltreatment Experience and Foster Placement

Little is known about the social support networks of maltreated youth or how youth in foster care may compare with those who remain with their parent(s). Social network characteristics and perceived social support were examined between (1) maltreated and comparison youth, (2) maltreated youth who remained with their biological parent, those with a foster parent, or a those with a kin caregiver, and (3) youth in stable placements and those who have changed placements. Data came from a sample of 454 adolescents (241 boys, 9–13 years old at enrollment) who took part in a longitudinal study of child maltreatment. Participants completed three assessments approximately 1 year apart. Results showed that on average, maltreated adolescents named significantly fewer people in their network than comparison adolescents. At Time 2, comparison adolescents reported more same‐aged friends. In the maltreatment group, youth with a foster parent reported significantly more older friends than maltreated youth with a kin caregiver. Fewer maltreated youth named a biological parent on the social support questionnaire at all three time points. More youth in kinship care described their caregiver as supportive than those in foster care. These findings indicate that despite heterogeneous placement histories, social support networks among maltreated youth were very similar.     

Youth Experiences Survey (YES): Exploring the Scope and Complexity of Sex Trafficking in a Sample of Youth Experiencing Homelessness

ABSTRACT

In the United States, sex trafficking victims have been identified at ages across the lifespan but young persons (under age 25) have been found to have unique vulnerabilities. At-risk youth, such as those who run away from home or those experiencing homelessness, are also at an increased risk of sexual exploitation. To better understand the scope and complexity of sex trafficking among these at-risk youth, a convenience sample of 131 homeless youth aged 12 to 25 years old experiencing homelessness recruited from Kentuckiana youth service providers completed an enhanced version of the Youth Experiences Survey (YES). Univariate and bivariate analyses were conducted. Results indicated that 41.2% of the homeless youth were victims of sex trafficking. The sex trafficked youth were more likely to report previous self-harm behaviors, suicide attempts, and substance use. This study not only provides support for improved service delivery, but also provides essential statistics that should inform internal policy and procedures for youth serving agencies in Kentucky and Indiana. Findings highlight a need for trauma-informed interventions designed to treat not only females but also males and LGBTQ youth. Additionally, service providers should consider partnering with victim providers and clinicians to offer therapeutic groups, individual therapy, and supportive services that increase prevention, education, and wraparound care for clients. In regards to future research, findings point towards a need to better understand the role that trauma and adverse childhood experiences may play in making young people vulnerable to sex trafficking, and encourage the need for testing prevention and early intervention practices among vulnerable youth.     

农民工社会认同的决定因素研究：基于上海的实证分析

本文首次从国际移民的涵化理论视角对农民工的社会认同方式及决定因素进行探讨,通过对上海市农民工抽样调查数据的实证分析发现,农民工作为国家内部城乡移民的重要组成部分,其社会认同存在以户籍为基础的制度性约束和以资源匮乏为特征的能动性限制。农民工社会认同主要受文化态度、社会交往、经济成功和社会环境四类变量的影响,农民工的个体人口统计特征也会影响城市认同的意愿。当地语言的熟练程度、与当地人交朋友的意愿（而非与外省市的农民工交朋友）、类似群体的收入地位水平、感知到的社会歧视程度和参与保险的程度都成为重要的决定因素。因此,公共政策的制定与执行应该要有助于农民工的心理层面的社会认同的转变,尤其是从“外地人”向“本地人”的认知转型。     

优势视角下的青少年网络成瘾干预研究

我国青少年网络成瘾现状堪忧,不同领域有不同的研究视角和干预方法。社会工作以优势视角介入青少年网络成瘾行为,不仅注重挖掘和利用青少年的优势资源,而且重视从个人、家庭、朋辈、学校、大众传媒、社会组织等各方面开展系统干预。     

Variability in the Inter‐group Attitudes of White Children: What We Can Learn from Their Ethnic Identity Labels

The current study examined the ethnic identity of White (N = 120), Latino (N = 87), and African‐American (N = 65) children and early adolescents (aged = 9–14 years), with an emphasis on whether the specific ethnic label White children used to describe themselves might reflect differences in their inter‐group attitudes and whether those differences mirror group differences between White children and children in ethnic minority groups. Results indicated that White children who identified with a minority label (i.e., White biracial, hyphenated American, ethnic/cultural/religious label) had more positive ethnic identities, were more aware of discrimination, and were less likely to show biases in their perceived similarity to in‐group and out‐group peers than youth who identified as White or American. In many instances, White children who identified with a minority label did not differ from ethnic minority youth. In addition, although all participants were more positive about their ethnic in‐group than out‐groups, children who identified their ethnicity as American were less positive about out‐groups relative to other children. Taken together, the findings indicate that children's self‐chosen ethnic identity is as important as their ascribed ethnic or racial identity in predicting their inter‐group attitudes.     

Effects of a Solution-Focused Program on the Reduction of Aggressiveness and the Improvement of Social Readjustment for Korean Youth Probationers

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this investigation was to explore appropriate intervention methods for helping Korean youth probationers reduce their aggressiveness and increase their social adjustment. This study examined the effectiveness of solution-focused group treatment with Korean youth probationers using a pre- and post-test control group design. The researcher randomly assigned the consented 40 participants either to an experimental group that received the solution-focused session or to a control group that took individual supportive sessions on a needed basis. The pre- and post-test scores of each group were compared using the Aggressiveness and Social Readjustment Questionnaire to confirm the levels of statistical significance between the two groups. Results indicate that solution-focused group treatment was followed by positive changes with the participants' aggressiveness and social adjustment problems. This study also suggests that a solution-focused program is an appropriate short-term intervention for Korean probation youth.     

Defining the boundaries: social worker assessment of sexual abuse in a cultural context – multivariate analysis of personal and professional factors influencing social workers' labelling of intimacy behaviour

To explore personal and professional factors influencing social worker assessment of family intimacy behaviour in diverse cultural groups, a 27‐item questionnaire was mailed to a random, stratified sample of MSW‐level social workers. The instrument measured rank‐order responses to 10 questions about attitudes towards public exposure to sexual stimuli and rank‐order responses to questions about three vignettes depicting culturally informed family intimacy behaviour. The instrument also measured sample characteristics such as area of social work practice and per cent of caseload involving sexually abused as well as diverse clients. Completed questionnaires (n = 387) were analysed for association between respondents' definition of intimacy behaviour (dependent variable), attitude towards sexual stimuli, and intervening variables thought to explain variance in the dependent measure. Labelling theory provided a basis for hypotheses testing. When mean attitude scores were correlated with mean definition scores, Pearson's r returned a significant low, positive association between conservative attitudes towards exposure to sexual stimuli and definitions of cross‐cultural scenarios as sexual abuse. Holding attitude scores constant, regression modelling of the sample's definition of scenarios indicated that practice area, minority status, and per cent of caseload with sexual abuse clients were significant predictors of R² change in the dependent variable. Further analysis of data through regression tree modelling showed that a small group of conservative practitioners with ethnically diverse caseloads were more likely to label culturally influenced behaviours as deviant. Among conservative practitioners with less diverse caseloads, number of hours in sexuality training had a moderating influence on deviancy labelling. Tree modelling of the data also indicated that an ethnic minority subgroup within the sample accounted for the lowest ranking of scenarios as sexual abuse. Results support earlier work on social worker assessment of child maltreatment as a function of agency setting. Another implication for social work is the need for practitioners to understand their attitudes towards human sexuality in relation to assessment of diverse patterns of childhood sexual socialization.