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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1997

Families of homeless and runaway adolescents: a comparison of parent/caretaker and adolescent perspectives on parenting, family violence, and adolescent conduct.

OBJECTIVE: Almost all of what is known about the families of runaways and homeless adolescents is based on adolescent self-reports. The validity of such research is currently being questioned by policy makers. The purpose of this study was to compare runaway and homeless adolescent reports and parent/caretaker reports on measures of parenting, family violence, and adolescent conduct. METHOD: Reports of 120 runaway adolescents and their parents/caretakers from four Midwestern states were compared on measures of parental monitoring, parental warmth and supportiveness, parental rejection, physical and sexual abuse, and adolescent conduct. Comparison groups of nonrunaway adolescents and their mothers in two-parent and single-parent families from the same geographical area were also used for parenting and adolescent conduct measures. RESULTS: The findings indicated that although there were significant differences in means between adults and adolescents regardless of runaway status, adults and adolescent reports were in the same direction and present similar portraits of families of runaway and homeless young people. Both the parents/caretakers and their runaway adolescents reported lower levels of parental monitoring and warmth and supportiveness and higher levels of parental rejection than comparison groups of nonrunaway families. Parents/caretakers and runaway adolescents reported high levels of family violence and sexual abuse. Similarly, they concur regarding conduct problems for the adolescents. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that runaway and homeless adolescents accurately depict the troubled family situations that they choose to leave. The policy implications for recent debates involving criminalization and mandatory return to parental custody of homeless and runaway youth are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

T-lymphocyte subsets in HIV-infected and high-risk HIV-uninfected adolescents: retention of naive T lymphocytes in HIV-infected adolescents. The Adolescent Medicine HIV/AIDS Research Network.

BACKGROUND: The capacity of the immune system of adolescents to generate and repopulate naive and memory cell populations under conditions of normal homeostasis and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is largely unknown. OBJECTIVE: To assess lymphocyte subsets in HIV-infected and high-risk HIV-negative adolescents. DESIGN: The Reaching for Excellence in Adolescent Care and Health Project of the Adolescent Medicine HIV/AIDS Research Network recruits a cohort of HIV-infected and high-risk HIV-uninfected adolescents, aged 13 to 18 years 364 days, into a study of biomedical and behavioral features of HIV infection as seen in the context of full availability of primary care and HIV-related consultative services. Lymphocyte phenotypes were determined using standard 3-color flow cytometry. SETTING: The Reaching for Excellence in Adolescent Care and Health Project is carried out at 16 clinical sites in 14 urban areas. PARTICIPANTS: T-lymphocyte subsets are reported in 192 HIV-positive and 78 HIV-negative youths. RESULTS: For HIV-positive subjects, the total CD4+ cell count and the percentage of CD4+ cells are decreased when compared with those of the HIV-negative controls (P<.001). The reduction in total CD4+ cells reflects a loss of naive, and memory, CD4+ cells compared with HIV-negative youths. Human immunodeficiency virus-infected adolescents, many of whom have been infected recently (ie, those with CD4+ cell counts > or =0.500 x 10(9)/L [500/microL]), have a significant increase in naive CD8+ cells compared with HIV-negative youths (P<.01). There also is a significant increase in memory CD8+ cells at all strata of total CD4+ cells compared with HIV-negative youths (P<.01). The increase in naive CD8+ cells in those subjects with CD4+ cell counts of 0.500 x 10(9)/L or greater is a unique finding in this cohort. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates high levels of naive CD8+ cells in response to HIV infection in adolescents with CD4+ cell counts of 0.500 X 10(9)/L or greater. The presence of high levels of naive CD8+ cells suggests functioning thymic tissue in some adolescents infected with HIV. Furthermore, the normal level of naive CD4+ cells in adolescents with CD4+ levels of 0.500 x 10(9)/L or greater provides additional support for the concept of a more robust immune system in HIV-infected adolescents compared with HIV-infected adults. These observations suggest that the immune system of HIV-infected adolescents may be capable of better responses to neoantigens and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte responses to HIV than the immune system of infected children or adults. Human immunodeficiency virus-infected adolescents may have an immune system that is capable of reconstitution following highly active antiretroviral therapy.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Familial, interpersonal, and intrapersonal correlates of drug use: a longitudinal comparison of adolescents in treatment, drug-using adolescents not in treatment, and non-drug-using adolescents.

This study examined familial, interpersonal, and intrapersonal factors associated with adolescent drug use from both developmental and etiological perspectives. Retrospective case-control and prospective longitudinal designs were used. A multivariate analysis of variance with repeated measures design was conducted to examine changes over time and differences between groups of adolescents in treatment for alcohol and drug problems, drug-using adolescents not in treatment, and non-drug-using adolescents, on 16 measures of familial, interpersonal, and intrapersonal variables. Significant differences were found between adolescents using drugs (clinical or nonclinical) and those not using drugs and alcohol. No differences were found in any of the variables between clinical adolescents and those using drugs but not in treatment.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Body composition of adolescent males. Part I. Total body water in normal adolescent males. Part II. Body composition of the male reference adolescent.

This study was undertaken to obtain total body water (TBW) data suitable for derivation of body composition of the typical adolescent male. TBW by the deuterium dilution method, stage of sexual development and anthropometric parameters (weight, height and triceps and subscapular skinfold thickness) were determined in 108 males between 10 and 14 years of age, whose weight and height fell between the 10th and the 90th percentile of the NCHS reference data. TBW/weight did not change significantly between 10 and 14 years, although a slight increase after age 11 years and from genital stage 2 to stage 5 was present. This indicates that body fat content decreases after 11 years and after genital stage 2, especially if the fact is taken into account that water content of fat-free body mass decreases during this age period. The ability of single anthropometric parameters to predict TBW/weight was low (subscapular skinfold thickness, r = -0.62; triceps skinfold thickness, r = -0.54; weight/height cube ratio, r = -0.48). Even with the use of various combinations of anthropometric parameters in multiple stepwise prediction equations it was not possible to explain more than 50% of the variation of TBW/weight and the high standard error of the estimate indicated large errors in prediction. Thus, body composition of normal adolescent males cannot be predicted with an acceptable degree of accuracy by anthropometric parameters. On the other hand, the deuterium dilution method using salivary water represents a noninvasive method for the determination of TBW which is quite simple and suitable for field studies.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

[Adolescent psychiatry addiction centers--necessary and effective? Treatment follow-up of adolescent psychiatric treatment and rehabilitation for adolescent drug addicts].

194 patients who were referred to adolescent psychiatry inpatient unit (98) and a drug rehabilitation unit (96) in 1999 and 2000 were compared as to sociodemographic variables, comorbidity and course of treatment. Female patients were overrepresented in the psychiatry unit, whereas in the rehab unit more immigrants or referrals from juvenile detention were treated. Most psychiatry patients were comorbid with at least one, a quarter with more than one additional diagnosis and had less polysubstance dependence (69%). Due to a drop out rate of 71% in the patients with a criminal justice status, rehab patients did not complete treatment as often as psychiatry patients. Three years after their first dismissal and, in some cases, after several new admissions, 60% of rehabilitation clients completed the program. Both settings have their own right in the system because comorbid patients need highly individualized therapy, and rehab patients need programs able to address school-based, family-related, and gender-specific issues.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Adolescents with cystic fibrosis: family reports of adolescent health-related quality of life and forced expiratory volume in one second.

PURPOSE: To assess the relationship between adolescent and parent reports of adolescent health-related quality of life (HRQL) and between adolescent pulmonary function (forced expiratory volume in 1 second as percent of predicted) and reporter perceptions of adolescent health. METHODS: Twenty-four adolescents with cystic fibrosis (CF), their mothers, and their fathers completed the Child Health Questionnaire during routine CF clinic visits at 2 urban hospitals. Patients were between the ages of 11 and 18 years (mean age: 14.2 years) and were predominantly male (75%). The best measure of forced expiratory volume in 1 second as percent of predicted for the year of the study was also collected for each adolescent. RESULTS: Adolescent pulmonary function was related to the perceived adolescent physical health scales. It was not, however, associated to perceptions of adolescent emotional, social, or behavioral HRQL by any of the 3 family reporters. Associations were found between adolescent pulmonary function and self-reports of general health (0.73), role/social limitations-physical (0.47), and bodily pain (0.42). Adolescent pulmonary function was related to mother reports of adolescent general health (0.73), role/social limitations-physical (0.73), bodily pain (0.55), and physical functioning (0.70). Father perceptions of adolescent health were associated to adolescent pulmonary function on general health (0.54), role/social limitations-physical (0.60), and physical functioning (0.64). Associations between adolescent and parent perceptions of adolescent HRQL were also health scale-specific. Mother and child reports of adolescent HRQL were related on adolescent behavior problems (0.71) and role/social limitations attributable to behavior (0.48), role/social limitations attributable to physical (0.62), bodily pain (0.69), physical functioning (0.69), family activities (0.45), and general health (0.66). Associations were found between father and adolescent reports on perceived adolescent behavior problems (0.66); self-esteem (0.65); and role/social limitations attributable to physical (0.49), general health (0.61), and perceived mental health (0.48). CONCLUSIONS: Results demonstrate the need to include multiple informants and comprehensive, multidimensional measures of HRQL, in addition to pulmonary function, when assessing health in adolescents with CF.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

A comparison of parent and adolescent reports describing the health-related quality of life of adolescents treated for cancer.

Our objectives were to compare adolescent and parent ratings of the health-related quality of life (HRQL) of adolescents treated for cancer, to compare the HRQL of adolescents who were on treatment vs. the HRQL of those who were off treatment following their diagnosis with cancer and to assess the HRQL of adolescents who were at different points of time following their diagnosis with cancer. The HRQL of 70 adolescents (aged 10 to 18 years) consecutively attending the Women's and Children's Hospital Oncology Clinic in South Australia was assessed by means of standard questionnaires. Parents completed the Child Health Questionnaire, the Functional Status II(R) Questionnaire and the Impact-on-Family Scale. Adolescents completed the self-report version of the Child Health Questionnaire. In general, there was good agreement between parent and adolescent reports. However, parents of adolescents receiving active treatment for cancer reported that their illness was having a greater impact on the adolescents' physical functioning than was reported by the adolescents. The psycho-social functioning of adolescents in single-parent families was reported also by parents to be worse than that of adolescents in 2-parent families. The physical functioning of adolescents had only a weak relationship with parental status but a significant relationship with treatment status. Despite generally good agreement between parent and adolescent reports describing the HRQL of adolescents treated for cancer, it cannot be assumed that reports from parents are always an accurate reflection of the views of the adolescents. Studies examining the influence of independent factors on adolescents' HRQL must take into account differences in reports from these 2 informants and the possibility that key independent variables have differing relationships with the various domains which comprise adolescents' HRQL.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

The relationship between adolescent suicidal behavior and life events in childhood and adolescence.

OBJECTIVE: Although the relationship between experience of problematic life events and adolescent suicidal behavior has frequently been recognized during the past decade, few studies of life events have been initiated that discriminated between adolescent suicide attempters and depressed adolescents. Therefore, the authors compared adolescent suicide attempters with both depressed and nondepressed adolescents who never attempted suicide with respect to life events that happened in two periods: childhood (defined as the period up to age 12 years) and adolescence (age 12 and older). METHOD: Using a semistructured interview, the authors gathered life event data about childhood and adolescence from three groups of adolescents: 48 suicide attempters, 66 depressed adolescents who had never made a suicide attempt, and 43 nondepressed adolescents who had never made a suicide attempt. RESULTS: The group of adolescents who attempted suicide differed from both of the other groups in that they had experienced more turmoil in their families, starting in childhood and not stabilizing during adolescence. During adolescence, they were more often sexually abused. During the last year before the attempt, further social instability, such as changes in residence and having to repeat a class, occurred. CONCLUSIONS: For suicidal adolescents, the suicide attempt seems embedded not just in the problems every adolescent has to deal with but in greater turmoil in their families, rooted in childhood and not stabilizing during adolescence, in combination with traumatic events during adolescence and social instability in the year preceding the attempt.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Characteristics of adolescent patients and their health problems at an adolescent health clinic.

In Taiwan, there has been an increase in biopsychosocial morbidity among adolescents in the past ten years, but neither an adolescent health care delivery system nor a subspecialty training program in adolescent medicine has been hitherto established. To better understand the characteristics of adolescent patients and their health problems, the sociodemography and health problems of all adolescent patients aged 11 to 21 years who visited the Adolescent Health Clinic twice or more during January, 1994 and December, 1995 at a college hospital, were analysed by reviewing patients' medical records and the adolescent registration records. There were totally 264 adolescent patients with an average age of 18.7 +/- 3.4 years. The number of female adolescents involved in the study (139 persons or 52.7%) was little more than that of male adolescents. Most of the adolescent patients (67.4%) were in late stage of adolescence; in addition, most of them (81.4%) were students. During the 2-year study period, there was a total of 350 independent health problems among 957 office visits made by the 264 patients, averaging 1.3 problems and 2.7 office visits per patient and per problem, respectively. Supplementary classification, mental disorders, and respiratory system diseases were the three leading disease classifications, occupying 66.6% of all disease classifications. General medical examination, upper respiratory tract infection, and immunization were more common among all individual diagnoses. Regarding gender difference in the encountered health problems, hepatitis B, office visiting for counseling, and conductive disorder, were more prominent in the male adolescents, whereas upper respiratory tract infection, goiter, acne vulgaris, peptic ulcer disease, migraine, and eating disorders were more common in the female adolescents. Moreover, the patients in the different stages of adolescence had their unique health problems. It was concluded that there were variations in the health problems encountered among adolescents of different genders and of the different stages of adolescence.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Tricyclic drugs for depression in children and adolescents.

BACKGROUND: There is a need to identify effective and safe treatments for depression in children and adolescents. While tricyclic drugs have proven effectiveness in the treatment of depression in adults, individual studies involving children and adolescent have been equivocal. OBJECTIVES: To examine whether orally administered tricyclic antidepressants are superior to placebo in the treatment of child and adolescent depression SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched the literature using CD ROM Silver Platter and On-Line MEDLINE (1966-1997) and Excerpta Medica (June 1974-1997) data bases. Terms used for the search were: the exploded terms child and depression; the Medical Subject Headings of antidepressant drugs, tricyclic and affective disorders; individual tricyclic drugs by name; names of well-known researchers in the field; and school phobia. We searched the trials database of the Cochrane Collaboration Depression, Anxiety and Neurosis Group. Abstracts in English (of English and non-English papers) were reviewed. Bibliographies of previously published reviews and papers describing original research were cross-checked. Current Contents was screened for recent publications. We contacted authors of abstracts describing "work in progress" identified in conference proceedings of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry to determine whether they held data which could be included in the meta-analysis. We have hand searched the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry to identify randomized controlled trials. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomized controlled trials comparing the efficacy of orally administered tricyclic medication with placebo in depressed subjects aged 6-18 years. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Most studies reported multiple outcome measures including depression scales and clinical global impression scales. For each study the best available depression measure was taken as the index measure of depression outcome. Predetermined criteria were established to assist in the ranking of measures. Where authors reported categorical outcomes we calculated individual and pooled odds ratios for the odds of improvement in treated compared with control subjects. For continuous outcomes pooled effect sizes were calculated as the number of standard deviations by which the change in depression scores for the treatment group exceeded those for the control groups. MAIN RESULTS: Twelve studies fulfilled the criteria for inclusion in the review, eight from which dichotomous outcome data could be extracted, and eleven from which continuous outcome data could be extracted. Pooled odds ratios calculated from the dichotomous data indicated no advantage of treatment over placebo for children or adolescents (odds ratio = 0.83, 95% confidence interval 0.48 to 1.42). Effect size calculations from the continuous data suggested a statistically significant but small benefit of treatment over placebo in reducing symptoms for the aggregate sample (effect size = -0.38, 95% confidence interval -0.74 to -0.02) with subgroup analyses suggesting a larger benefit among adolescents (effect size = -0.59, 95% confidence interval -1.12 to -0.06), and no benefit among children (effect size = 0.15, 95% confidence interval -0.34 to 0.64). Treatment with a tricyclic antidepressant caused more vertigo (odds ratio = 8.47, 95% confidence interval 1.40 to 51.0), orthostatic hypotension (odds ratio = 4.77, 95% confidence interval 1.11 to 20.49) and dry mouth (odds ratio = 5.19, 95% confidence interval 1.15 to 23.51) than did placebo, but there was no statistically significant difference in other possible adverse effects. REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS: Data suggest tricyclic antidepressants are of unlikely benefit in the treatment of depression in pre pubertal children. There is marginal evidence to support the use of tricyclic antidepressants in the treatment of depression in adolescents, although the magnitude of effect is likely to be moderate at best.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed2003

When adolescents disagree with their mothers: CBCL-YSR discrepancies related to maternal depression and adolescent self-esteem.

OBJECTIVE: To facilitate understanding of disagreement between mothers and adolescents when they report on adolescents' mental symptoms, discrepancy of reports were studied in relation to depressive symptoms of mothers and self-esteem of adolescents. PARTICIPANTS: Sixty-eight mother-adolescent pairs participated. All the adolescents (11-17 years) were referred to child and adolescent psychiatric outpatient clinics in Norway for emotional or behavioural disorders. METHODS: The adolescents completed the questionnaire Youth Self Report (YSR), and mothers completed the corresponding Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL). Maternal depression was measured with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scales and adolescent self-esteem was measured with Self-Perception Profile for Adolescents. RESULTS: Mothers' level of depression emerged as a significant variable (P < 0.001) predicting CBCL-YSR discrepancy on internalizing disorders, explaining 41% of the variance. With increased levels of depression mothers tended to report more internalizing problems compared to the adolescents. For mother-adolescent discrepancy on externalizing problems, adolescents' age was the most significant variable. With increasing age the adolescents were more in agreement with their mothers when reporting their externalizing problems. But also self-esteem problems concerning their looks made adolescents inclined to admit more externalizing problems, thus being more in agreement with their mothers. CONCLUSIONS: Subjective, psychological variables such as mothers' level of depression and self-esteem of adolescents may be useful to consider when interpreting informant discrepancy concerning the mental problems of adolescents.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Family risk factors associated with adolescent pregnancy: study of a group of adolescent girls and their families in Ecuador.

PURPOSE: To identify characteristics within the family that were associated with adolescent pregnancy in a group of adolescent girls in Quito, Ecuador. METHODS: Of 135 female adolescents (12-19 years of age), 47 were pregnant and seen at the adolescent prenatal care clinic at an inner city hospital in Quito, and 88 were students from schools located within the same geographic area. Family variables were compared for pregnant and nonpregnant adolescents using chi-square, Student's t-test, and analysis of variance. RESULTS: More nonpregnant adolescents lived with their biological parents when compared with their pregnant peers (p < .002). Pregnant adolescents reported lower mother-daughter and father-daughter communication (p < .02), lesser life satisfaction and happiness in general, and more school and economic difficulties (p < .001). They were less likely to find support for their problems in or outside the family (p < .0001) and showed higher levels of depression and sexual abuse than their nonpregnant peers (68.8% vs. 34.5%, and 14.9% vs. 4.5%, respectively). Nonpregnant adolescents showed higher school performance and expectations regarding school achievement and future perspectives (p < .001). Values such as respect for others and religiosity were higher among nonpregnant adolescents (p < .0001). Parental education was lower in the families of pregnant adolescents (p < .05). Among nonpregnant adolescents, both parents worked outside the home (p < .006), whereas mothers of pregnant adolescents usually stayed at home. CONCLUSION: The current study showed that parental separation or divorce, and poor parent-daughter communication were associated with adolescent pregnancy. Families of nonpregnant adolescents had a higher educational level, and both parents worked to provide financial support to the family in an environment where family authority is shared by both parents. There were also better problem-solving strategies and parent-daughter communication, higher levels of cohesion, connectedness, and life satisfaction in general, and higher future expectations.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

A longitudinal study of the relations between parent-adolescent conflict and adolescent psychological well-being.

In this longitudinal study, the relationships between parent-adolescent conflict and adolescent psychological well-being were examined in a sample of Chinese adolescents (N = 378) via children's and parents' reports of parent-adolescent conflict. The results indicate that parent-adolescent conflict based on ratings obtained from the different sources was concurrently related to hopelessness, life satisfaction, self-esteem, purpose in life, and general psychiatric morbidity at Time 1 and Time 2. Longitudinal and prospective analyses (Time 1 predictors of Time 2 criterion variables) suggest that the relations between parent-adolescent conflict and adolescent psychological well-being are bidirectional. Although the strengths of association between parent-adolescent conflict and adolescent psychological well-being were similar for male and female adolescents, father-adolescent conflict, relative to mother-adolescent conflict, was found to exert a stronger influence on adolescent psychological well-being.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1999

Peripheral blood mononuclear cell markers in antiretroviral therapy-naive HIV-infected and high risk seronegative adolescents. Adolescent Medicine HIV/AIDS Research Network.

OBJECTIVE: To examine potential hematologic and immunologic markers for healthy adolescents and for adolescents infected with HIV. DESIGN: The REACH Project (Reaching for Excellence in Adolescent Care and Health) of the Adolescent Medicine HIV/AIDS Research Network (AMHARN) recruits HIV-infected and high-risk HIV-uninfected adolescents, aged at least 13 but less than 19 years. The study evaluates biomedical and behavioral features of HIV infection as observed while under medical care for HIV infection and adolescent health. METHODS: Blood samples were collected from HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected subjects at 16 clinical sites. Cell phenotypes were determined using standard single, dual or three-color flow cytometry. RESULTS: This report includes data at enrollment for 94 HIV-positive adolescents who had never received antiretroviral therapy (ART) (mean age, 17.4 +/- 1.0 years for males and 16.5 +/- 1.3 years for females) and 149 HIV-negative adolescents (mean age, 16.7 +/- 1.2 years for males and 16.6 +/- 1.2 years for females); this is the antiretroviral therapy-naive subset drawn from 294 HIV-positive and 149 HIV-negative adolescents enrolled in the REACH Cohort. The total leukocyte count was significantly reduced in the HIV-positive females in comparison with the HIV-negative females (P < 0.001). There was a reduction in natural killer cells (P < 0.05) in HIV-positive females (mean, 140.6 +/- 104.2 x 10(6) cells/l) in comparison with HIV-negative females (184.3 +/- 142.5 x 10(6) cells/l), whereas no differences were found between the two groups of males. The reduction in the total CD4 cell count in HIV-positive males and females in comparison with the HIV-negative subjects was the consequence of a decrease in both the naive CD4 and memory CD4 components. There was a striking increase in the mean number of CD8 memory cells in HIV-positive compared with HIV-negative adolescents, and a corresponding increase in the percentage of these cells. In contrast, naive CD8 cells were present in increased numbers but their percentage was decreased. CONCLUSIONS: These studies of adolescents provide normative data for high-risk healthy adolescents as well as baseline immunologic data for a cohort of ART-naive HIV-positive adolescents. This comparison suggests that this untreated, recently infected group had relatively intact immunologic parameters.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Communicating with children and adolescents about their cancer.

BACKGROUND: Communication with children and adolescents with cancer about their disease and treatment and the implications of these is an important aspect of good quality care. It is often poorly performed in practice. Various interventions have been developed that aim to enhance communication involving children or adolescents with cancer. OBJECTIVES: To examine the effects of interventions to enhance communication with children and/or adolescents about their cancer, its treatment and their implications. SEARCH STRATEGY: The following electronic databases were searched: Cochrane Library; Medline; PsycLit; Cinahl; Cancerlit; EMBASE; Sociofile; Health Management Information Consortium; ASSIA; LISA; ERIC; PAIS; Information Science Abstracts; Dissertation Abstracts; JICST; Pascal; Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts; Mental Health Abstracts; AMED; MANTIS. Bibliographies of identified studies were also checked and contact made with experts in the field. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised and non-randomised controlled trials and before and after studies that evaluated the effects of interventions to enhance communication with children and/or adolescents about their cancer, treatment and related issues. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Data relating to the interventions, populations and outcomes studied and the design and methodological quality of included studies were extracted by one reviewer and checked by another reviewer. A narrative summary of the results is presented. MAIN RESULTS: Six studies met the criteria for inclusion. They were diverse in terms of the interventions evaluated, study designs used, types of people who participated and the outcomes measured. One study of a computer-assisted education programme reported improvements in knowledge and understanding about blood counts and cancer symptoms. Two out of two studies of school reintegration programs reported improvements in some aspects of psychosocial wellbeing (one in anxiety and one in depression), social wellbeing (two in social competence and one in social support) and behavioural problems; and one reported improvements in physical competence. REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS: Interventions to enhance communication involving children and adolescents with cancer have not been widely or rigorously assessed. The weak evidence that exists suggests that some children and adolescents with cancer may derive some benefit from specific information-giving programs and from interventions that aim to facilitate their reintegration into school and social activities. More research is needed to investigate the effects of these and other related interventions.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Marital conflict and adolescent distress: the role of adolescent awareness.

The present longitudinal study (1989-1991) of seventh-grade adolescents (173 boys, 197 girls; M age = 12.7 in 1989) living in the rural Midwest examined the influence of children's awareness of marital conflict and reported level of parental hostility on symptoms of adolescent distress. The theoretical model guiding the research indirectly linked marital conflict to adolescent perceptions of parents' hostility through the mediating effects of parents' and observers' report of hostility toward the adolescent and through adolescent awareness of the frequency of interparental conflict. Controlling for earlier levels of psychological distress, we hypothesized a direct path between adolescent report of parent hostility and adolescent maladjustment. Maximum likelihood estimation of the proposed model showed that marital conflict was significantly related to parents' and observers' reports of parent hostility toward the adolescent and to adolescent awareness of conflict frequency. Both parent hostility and adolescent awareness of the frequency of marital conflicts were significantly related to adolescent perceptions of parent hostility. When controlled for earlier distress, adolescent report of parent hostility significantly predicted the later internalizing and externalizing symptoms of these teenagers. The model predicted externalizing problems for boys but not girls. Otherwise, there were no gender differences in the postulated causal processes.

Acting Out↗
PubMed2001

Parent-adolescent conflict and adolescent antisocial and prosocial behavior: a longitudinal study in a Chinese context.

This longitudinal study examined the relationships between parent-adolescent conflict and antisocial and prosocial behavior in Chinese adolescents. Results showed that father-adolescent conflict and mother-adolescent conflict were concurrently related to adolescent antisocial and prosocial behavior. Longitudinal analyses showed that parent-adolescent conflict predicted antisocial behavior but not prosocial behavior. Adolescent antisocial and prosocial behavior was also found to be related to father-adolescent conflict across time. The findings suggest that the linkage between father-adolescent conflict and adolescent social behavior is stronger than that between mother-adolescent conflict and adolescent social behavior.

Adolescent↗