Gay Youth

Abstract

In recent years there has been a growing awareness among parents and social service professionals of the complex sexual identity development of adolescents. Despite this, adolescents continue to struggle to define their sexual identity. Gay and lesbian adolescents in particular are at risk for a host of problems, including substance abuse and suicide. In this context it is important for social service researchers to study adolescent sexual identity and to report their findings in such a way as to be accessible to professionals and to the public.     

A Family Therapist's Look Into Interpersonal Neurobiology and the Adolescent Brain: An Interview With Dr Daniel Siegel

Advances in brain research are increasingly having an impact on clinical interventions in all fields of psychotherapy. For adolescent family therapists it is important not only to understand the developing adolescent brain, but also how brain research can influence interventions aimed at interrupting problematic familial interactions. Interpersonal neurobiology and the ideas of Dr Daniel Siegel synthesise the interpersonal with the scientific, offering practical clinical methods of incorporating the research into everyday practice. This article incorporates a verbatim interview with Dr Siegel about the adolescent brain, interpersonal neurobiology and attachment with an outline of key concepts from interpersonal neurobiology including the hand model of the brain, nine functions of the prefrontal cortex, the triangle of wellbeing and eight domains of integration. Clinical applications are suggested using a common presenting problem of escalating conflict between teenagers and their parents.     

An Empirical Examination of Sexual Relations Between Adolescents and Adults

SUMMARY

The American view that adolescent-adult sexual relations are by definition “child sexual abuse” has spread throughout the Western world and reshaped public policy. This paper, originally presented as a talk, examines the scientific validity of this view. A historical perspective traces the conflation of the adolescent experience with rape, incest, and that of the young, prepubescent child. Biological and cognitive perspectives support the view that adolescents have more in common with adults than children. Sweeping claims that adolescents react as children are said to is critically tested by examining two types of relations-those between heterosexual teenage boys and women and those between gay or bisexual teenage boys and men. Non-clinical empirical data show overwhelmingly that such relations are characterized mostly by positive reactions based on consent if not initiative on the part of the minor, with perceived benefit rather than harm as a correlate. It is concluded that the American view is false, and that public policy that heightens official reaction to such relations, such as that currently proposed by the European Union, are either misinformed or disingenuous in alleging to protect when the motive is to control adolescents.     

Adolescent Socialization in Rural Appalachia: The Perspectives of Teens,Parents, and Significant Adults

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the social networks of Appalachian adolescents to understand socialization strategies and goals. A total of 46 interviews were conducted with five families (mothers, fathers, and adolescents) and 11 socialization agents the families identified as exerting significant influence in the lives of the adolescents. Interviews were transcribed and then analyzed using principles of grounded theory. Five themes developed from the interviews: the importance of community to the socialization process, adult involvement and support, adolescent monitoring, teaching respect and responsibility, and adolescent autonomy. Results suggest the need for in-depth investigation of adolescent development within a variety of cultural and social contexts to more fully understand these processes.     

Being there: a family centre worker's role as a secure base for adolescent girls in crisis

Childcare social work practice with troubled adolescent girls can benefit from drawing on attachment theory, not only as a frame-work for understanding their relationship history and current behaviour but also as a framework for defining the nature and potential value of a specific kind of relationship provided by the social worker. This paper offers an analysis of the relevance of attachment theory for work with adolescent girls, particularly models of secure and insecure attachments, and examines practice experience in a family centre setting. The young women referred to the family centre had experienced a range of adversities, including sexual, physical and emotional abuse, which had seriously affected their development. They were drifting outside the systems of family, education and local authority care, because none of these could hold onto them. The paper describes how the social worker aimed to change their internal working model by offering them a different kind of relationship experience. She provided a secure base from which they could begin to develop trust, to repair their self-esteem and to build a sense of self-efficacy – the necessary ingredients for resilience and for more successful future relationships.     

对师范院校大学生进行性教育的必要性

当今社会对青少年进行性教育势在必行 ,但性教育的开展面临着师资力量不足的窘迫局面 ,作为师范院校必须充分认识到对在校大学生进行性教育的必要性。     

Gender,Family Structure,and Adolescents’ Primary Confidants

Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (N = 4,190), this study examined adolescents’ reports of primary confidants. Results showed that nearly 30% of adolescents aged 16 – 18 nominated mothers as primary confidants, 25% nominated romantic partners, and 20% nominated friends. Nominating romantic partners or friends was related to increased risk‐taking behaviors, supporting the attachment notion that shifting primary confidants to peers in adolescence may reflect premature autonomy from parents. Tendencies to prefer romantic partners over parents varied by gender and family structure, which were greater for those from single‐father families and girls from mother‐stepfather families, but less for those from single‐mother families and boys from mother‐stepfather families, compared with their counterparts from two‐biological‐parent families.     

青少年对父母权威的认知及其与父母教养方式的关系

青少年对父母权威的认知是青少年社会认知研究领域的重要内容,它对青少年的行为、社会适应和青少年期的亲子关系具有重要作用。本研究采用整群随机抽样法,运用父母权威认知问卷和父母教养方式问卷对640名初一、初三和高二年级的青少年进行了调查,结果发现:(1)总体而言,青少年对父母的权威较为认同,认为父母“可以”或“基本可以”对其行为作出规定,但不同年级与性别的青少年又表现出相对不同的特点。(2)与父亲权威相比,母亲权威更为青少年所认同,而且这种特点不随青少年年龄与性别的变化而变化。(3)不同教养方式下的青少年对父母权威的认知显著不同。     

浅谈西部未成年人思想道德建设

西部未成年人思想道德关系着西部能否快速持久发展。面对西部家庭、社会和学校等诸多因素给未成年人思想道德建设带来的消极影响 ,提出解决问题的措施和方法。     

从社会性别视角透析女大学生遭遇性骚扰

运用社会性别视角对女大学生遭遇性骚扰现象进行研究,可以看到,男权文化将女性(女大学生)当作性的客体,通讯的发达使得性骚扰载体多样化,女大学生主体意识的缺乏为性骚扰者提供可乘之机是女大学生遭遇性骚扰的深层原因。要防范女大学生遭遇性骚扰,必须消除社会文化中的性别歧视,用法律的武器禁止和杜绝性骚扰现象,女大学生自身也要培植警觉意识,学会自我保护。