Resilience and Deviant Behavior Among Institutionalized Adolescents: The Relationship with Significant Adults

The transition to institutional care often implies the separation from a dysfunctional environment, marked by neglect, abandonment and lack of emotional responsiveness, which makes youth more vulnerable to the development of deviant behavior. The quality of the relationship established with significant figures within the institution as well as with teachers is suggested as a protective factor for the development of resilience and the detachment from deviant behaviour. The present study aims to test the predictive effect of the quality of relationship to institutional caregivers and teachers on the development of resilience and deviant behaviour in institutionalized adolescents. We also intend to test the mediating effect of resilience in the previous association. The sample was composed by 202 institutionalized adolescents, 12–18 aged (M = 14.96, SD = 1.80), and from both genders. Data were collected using self-report questionnaires. The results demonstrated that the quality of relationship with significant figures was positively associated with resilience and may play an important role in preventing deviant behaviour. There was also a total mediation effect of resilience on the association between quality of relationship with significant figures and development of deviant behaviour. The results suggest that the affective reorganization of institutionalized adolescents can be promoted by the establishment of safe havens, which reflect feelings of belonging and acceptance, facilitating a more adaptive experience.     

The effect of artificial light on bat richness and nocturnal soundscapes along an urbanization gradient in an arid landscape of central Peru

Urbanization usually reduces bat richness; however, the presence of green areas within cities and peripheral rural areas in arid ecosystems may provide microhabitats for some species. Light pollution is a major feature of urbanization, but its impact on bat behavior appears to be species-specific and previous studies have documented contrasting responses. Moreover, the effect of urbanization on bat species has been poorly studied in arid regions. We assessed the effect of artificial night light intensity (as a proxy of urbanization) on both bat occupancy and the acoustic space used (ASU) in an urbanization gradient in Peruvian central coast, based on passive acoustic recorders. We collected 26,169 recordings from 19 sites which resulted in 579 independent detections of 15 bat species. Variation in both ASU and species richness was best explained by artificial night light intensity. Species-specific effects of the artificial night light intensity based on a multi-species occupancy modeling showed that this covariate had a negative effect on occupancy for most of the bat species (12 species). ASU and both observed and posterior bat species richness were positively correlated, suggesting that ASU can be used as a proxy of bat richness. This study provides evidence that both bat richness and occupancy decrease with artificial light intensity; nevertheless, eight species used urban areas, similar to results found in other cities around the world.