Youth Studies Australia articles from December 2008

Youth Studies Australia archives from December 2008

Signs of the times.(Editorial)
December 1, 2008... We live in interesting times (again). For a few years there, it looked like anomie might be the biggest threat to young (and older) people's wellbeing. While none of us would wish climate change, warmongering, and inhumane regimes on the world,...

Housework 'still marked as feminine' by young men.(ATTITUDES & OPINIONS)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Although young men support the idea of sharing domestic duties with women, they still regard such tasks as a threat to their masculinity, according to a recent international survey of young people's attitudes towards domestic issues. 'Men...

Life experiences shape the generations.(ATTITUDES & OPINIONS)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... An analysis of the influences, tastes and spending habits of different generations of Australians shows that although young Australians have the lowest incomes, they are more likely than older generations to spend money on items such as...

Students keen to tackle climate change.(ATTITUDES & OPINIONS)(University of Technology, Sydney)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... A survey of 1,500 students at the University of Technology, Sydney, indicates that most students have modified their lifestyles in order to reduce their greenhouse emissions, and many are willing to go further. Approximately 78% of students...

Physical perceptions aren't quite right.(ATTITUDES & OPINIONS)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... A study of the body image ideals of 160 university students discovered that participants had inaccurate perceptions about what their opposite sex looked for in an ideal opposite-sex physical specimen. 'Girls imagined that men preferred the...

More support needed for young people leaving care.(CARE & PROTECTION)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... The transition from out-of-home care to independent living is 'the biggest burning issue' for young people in care, according to CREATE Foundation chief executive officer Jacqui Reed. Ms Reed made this comment at the beginning of National Child...

New figures show increase in youth detention.(CRIME & JUSTICE)
December 1, 2008... The number of young Australians in detention has increased in the last few years, according to a report released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare in August. The report, Juvenile justice in Australia 2006-2007, noted that...

Victorian youth suggest crime reduction measures.(CRIME & JUSTICE)
December 1, 2008... Heavier fines for antisocial behaviour, around-the-clock public transport, a police crackdown on fake IDs and bans on alcohol advertising on television, public transport and at sporting events are among the strategies recommended by young...

Uncovering the reasons behind teen embarrassment.(DEVELOPMENT)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... British research published in the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience may explain the heightened sense of embarrassment typically experienced during the teenage years. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans of teenagers' brains found...

Study shows correlates of heavy youth drinking.(DRUGS)
December 1, 2008... Young people with higher disposable incomes, those who live away from their parents, those who begin drinking at an early age and those living in rural areas are more likely to engage in harmful levels of alcohol consumption, according to a...

Cigarettes still play starring role.(DRUGS)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... A monograph on the media's role in promoting and reducing smoking, released in August by the National Cancer Institute in the United States, says that smoking continues to be depicted in at least three-quarters of box-office films, which...

Drinking may be a risk to motherhood.(DRUGS)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Although excessive alcohol consumption among young women is often associated with early, unplanned pregnancy and motherhood, an American study has found that it is also associated with delayed childbearing. The University of Washington study...

Substitution effect or marketing strategy?(DRUGS)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... The Distilled Spirits Industry Council claims that the Australian Government's decision to increase the excise on ready-to-drink (RTD) alcopops, designed to cut binge drinking among young people, has merely resulted in a 'substitution effect',...

Report favours alcopop excise increase.(DRUGS)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... A report commissioned two years ago by the federal Department of Health and Ageing under former prime minister John Howard suggests that the Rudd government's decision to increase the excise on alcopops as a measure to reduce alcohol...

Waterpipe warning.(DRUGS)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... In September, the New South Wales Government issued a health warning against smoking tobacco in waterpipes amid concerns that people incorrectly assumed that the practice, popular among Arabic-speaking communities, was safer than smoking...

Young people taking up 'pharming'.(DRUGS)
December 1, 2008... Close to one-quarter of the 12- to 25-year-olds who took part in a South Australian survey reported that they had taken prescription drugs recreationally, while 13.8% reported using illegal drugs. Those who took prescription drugs...

Boys' bad behaviour impedes educational achievement.(EDUCATION)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... A New Zealand study that tracked the educational outcomes and post-school qualifications of 1,200 young people found that differences in classroom behaviour rather than intelligence accounted for the differences in academic achievement recorded...

Principals highlight importance of student mental health.(EDUCATION)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Australian school principals believe that around one in five of their students are in need of mental health support, according to an international survey of school principals conducted by the International Alliance for Child and Adolescent...

Majority meet minimum benchmarks.(EDUCATION)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Results from national literacy and numeracy tests taken by over 1 million Australian students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 in May this year were released in September by Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard. 'On average, 90% of Australian students who...

Students lacking important skills.(EDUCATION)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... A four-year study of Australian school students has found that more than 40% have poor social and emotional skills, exhibiting symptoms such as low self-esteem, stress, anxiety, loneliness, anger and academic underachievement. The study of...

Many young Australians not faring well.(EDUCATION)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... One in five 20- to 24-year-olds and one in ten 15-to 19-year-olds in Australia are engaged in neither full-time study nor work, according to the How young people are faring report commissioned by the Foundation for Young Australians. The report...

Decline in science and maths participation.(EDUCATION)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... A report released in October by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) highlights declining trends in the number of senior secondary school students studying mathematics and science. In 1976, 55% of Year 12 students studied...

Gambling education needed in schools.(GAMBLING)(Australian Hotels Association)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... The Australian Hotels Association has asked the Australian Government to incorporate gambling education into the national curriculum in order 'to adequately prepare students for life after school'. In its submission to a Senate inquiry into...

Optimal sleep time for students.(HEALTH)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Young people's ability to perform complex memory tasks is impaired by a lack of sleep, according to an Australian study involving 143 adolescents. Conducted by Dr Michael Gradisar, head of the Flinders University Child and Adolescent Sleep...

More youth sleep studies.(HEALTH)(Conference notes)
December 1, 2008... Findings from a number of studies presented at the Australasian Sleep Conference held in Adelaide in October highlight the importance of adequate sleep for young people. University of South Australia researcher Tim Olds suggests that lack of...

Tassie teens D-deficient.(HEALTH)(Menzies Research Institute)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Research conducted by the Menzies Research Institute in Tasmania suggests that a significant proportion of Tasmanian teenagers may be deficient in vitamin D. Menzies researchers found that 36% of a group of 16-year-olds tested had the...

Teens report low neighbourhood activity.(HEALTH)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... More than half of the teenagers who took part in a Victorian survey of the neighbourhood walking and cycling habits of Australian teens do not walk or ride around their local areas. Of the 357 teenagers who took part in the Deakin University...

Teen girls not getting their calcium.(HEALTH)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Around 80% of 14-to 16-year-old teenage girls are not consuming the recommended amount of calcium, according to the 2007 Australian children's nutrition and physical activity survey, released in October. Survey coordinator Dr Jane Bowen, from...

Report suggests declining health and wellbeing.(HEALTH)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... The health and wellbeing of Australia's young people is in decline, according to the report Never better or getting worse? The health of young people in Australia written by Dr Richard Eckersley, a founding director of the research organisation...

Many young women low in iron.(HEALTH)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... A study by a human nutrition researcher from Sydney University suggests that over one-third of young women are iron deficient. Associate Professor Samir Samman measured the eating habits and iron levels of 308 young women, finding that 38% of...

Young not feeling the pinch.(INCOME & EXPENDITURE)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... While a trends index survey released in August this year found that consumer spending has decreased in the past 12 months, it also found that a significant proportion of young Australians are spending more money on non-essential items. The...

Code of conduct will address body image problems.(MEDIA)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... The unrealistic portrayal of the female body in the media will be the first issue addressed by the Federal Government's newly created Office for Youth, according to federal youth minister Kate Ellis. Ms Ellis said that the government plans to...

Law students under pressure.(MENTAL HEALTH)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... A national study of around 2,400 law students, barristers and solicitors has found that around 40% of law students have experienced a level of psychological distress serious enough to necessitate a medical assessment. Close to one-third of...

Specialist services needed for youth.(MENTAL HEALTH)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... In October, four Australian mental health organisations came together to call for significant reforms to the nation's youth mental health services. The Brain and Mind Research Institute, ORYGEN Research Centre, Mental Illness Fellowship of...

One in four face problems.(MENTAL HEALTH)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Mental health prevalence data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in October showed that 26% of young Australians aged 16-24 years experienced some form of mental illness last year. The 2007 edition of the National survey of mental...

Senator calls for more youth participation.(PARTICIPATION)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Newly elected Australian Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, the youngest person ever elected to the Senate and the youngest woman ever to be elected to the Australian Parliament, used her first speech in the Senate to call for young people to...

Finding new ways to have their say.(PARTICIPATION)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Young people may not be joining political parties and trade unions in the same numbers as in previous generations, but an Australian report released in September indicates that this does not mean that today's youth are apathetic about social...

Government announces new youth mechanisms.(POLICY)(Australian Youth Forum)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... In October, federal Minister for Youth and Sport Kate Ellis announced the creation of the Australian Youth Forum, a new mechanism for young people to take part in public discussions and dialogue with the federal government. Ms Ellis said that...

Significant minority experiencing problems.(RESEARCH)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... A research paper written by Diana Smart from the Australian Institute of Family Studies suggests that although the majority of young Australians in their mid-twenties are doing well in life (indicated by factors such as employment, positive...

ARACY report card shows room for improvement.(RESEARCH)(Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... The Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY) released a report card in October which measured the wellbeing of young Australians against that of young people living in other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and...

Depression linked to sexual activity.(SEXUALITY)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... American research published in the Journal of Health Economics indicates a link between sexual activity among young women and an increased risk of exhibiting symptoms of depression. Examining data from 14,000 American teenagers aged 14-17...

Tassie sex lessons too simplistic.(SEXUALITY)(sex education in Tasmanian schools)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... PhD research conducted by University of Tasmania graduate Jo Winckle suggests that teachers teaching sex education classes in Tasmanian schools often have 'little or no training in the field'. Dr Winckle's research involved observing sex...

More sex education and support needed.(SEXUALITY)(Marie Stopes International)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Research commissioned by the sexual and reproductive health organisation Marie Stopes International suggests that around one in five adults have never talked to their adolescent children about sexual health, while many adolescents are unaware...

Studies highlight violence against parents.(VIOLENCE)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Several recent Australian studies have highlighted the issue of the abuse of parents by their adolescent children, with most cases involving mothers and their adolescent sons. A Victorian report indicates that around one in 10 family violence...

Youth studies Australia (1998-2007): a review and content analysis.
December 1, 2008... In this analysis of material published in Youth Studies Australia during the period 1998-2007, Brian Hemmings classifies 252 articles into 15 categories, and considers the characteristics of the contributors, the type of submission and the...

A curriculum for youth work: the experience of the English youth service.(Report)
December 1, 2008... For the past 20 years, youth services in England have increasingly articulated their work in terms of curriculum, yet youth work academics have consistently maintained that a youth work curriculum is anathema. This paper argues that youth work...

Happy to talk ... to a point: bereaved young men and emotional disclosure.(Report)
December 1, 2008... This study focuses upon the social experiences of bereaved young men, with particular emphasis on the social costs of bereavement-related personal disclosure. Participants' experiences of regulating their social behaviour were suggestive of the...

Rethinking the digital divide: findings from a study of marginalised young people's information communication technology (ICT) use.(Report)
December 1, 2008... This paper presents findings from a study which investigated young people's ICT use and the capacity of service providers to utilise these technologies in their practice. The results suggest that ICT may be an important resource for mental...

Exploring young people's beliefs and images about sun safety.(Report)
December 1, 2008... To understand young people's low levels of sun protection behaviour, 145 young people (12-20 years) were recruited from Queensland to participate in a one-hour focus group where they discussed issues related to sun protection and images of...

Cyberbullying: an ethnographic case study of one Australian upper primary school class.
December 1, 2008... The issue of cyberbullying has been reported on widely in the press, with extreme cases generally presented as the norm. In this article, the interactions of Australian primary children aged 11 to 12 years old are presented to illustrate some...

Programs for high needs children and young people: Group homes are not enough.(CARE AND PROTECTION)(Author abstract)(Report)
December 1, 2008... E Ainsworth & R Hansen, Children Australia, v.33, n.2, 2008, pp.41-47 This paper examines group home and residential care models for 'high need kids' put forward by the Department of Community Services in New South Wales and similar...

Gender differences in educational achievement to age 25.(EDUCATION)(Author abstract)(Report)
December 1, 2008... S.J. Gibb, D.M. Fergusson & L.J. Horwood, Australian Journal of Education, v.52, n.1, 2008, pp.63-80. Data from the Christchurch Health and Development Study (CDHS), a longitudinal study of a cohort of 1,265 individuals born in 1977 in...

Emotional intelligence and scholastic achievement in Australian adolescents.(EDUCATION)(Author abstract)(Report)
December 1, 2008... L.A. Downey, J. Mountstephen, J. Lloyd, K. Hansesn & C. Stough, Australian Journal of Psychology, v.60, n.1, 2008, pp.10-17. To examine the relationship between emotional intelligence (El) and scholastic achievement, researchers recruited...

Holiday and school-term sleep patterns of Australian adolescents.(EDUCATION)(Author abstract)(Report)
December 1, 2008... S. Warner, G. Murray & D. Meyer, Journal of Adolescence, v.31, n.5, 2008, pp.595-608. This comparison of the holiday and school-term sleeping patterns of adolescents involved 310 senior secondary school students from three metropolitan...

Factors that influence career decision-making among elite athletes.(EDUCATION)(Author abstract)(Report)
December 1, 2008... G. Fogarty & H. McGregor-Bayne, Australian Journal of Career Development, v.17, n.3, 2008, pp.26-37 It is widely believed that young athletes devote so much time to their development as an athlete that they fail to develop other important...

Evaluation of a family-based intervention for siblings of children with a disability or chronic illness.(FAMILY & RELATIONSHIPS)(Author abstract)(Report)
December 1, 2008... R. Giallo & S. Gavidia-Payne, Australian e-Journal for the Advancement of Mental Health, v.7, n.22, 2008. A randomised control trial method was used to evaluate the effectiveness of 'Sibstars', a 6-week, family-based psycho-educational...

Single mothers of early adolescents: Perceptions of competence.(FAMILY & RELATIONSHIPS)(Author abstract)(Report)
December 1, 2008... T.E. Beckert, P.S. Strom, R.D. Strom, K. Darre & A. Weed, Adolescence, v.43, n.170, pp.275-90. A purposive sample of 29 pairs of single mothers and their adolescent children (aged 10-14 years) from the south-western United States took part...

Parents' management of adolescents' romantic relationships through dating rules: Gender variations and correlates of relationship qualities.(FAMILY & RELATIONSHIPS)(Author abstract)(Report)
December 1, 2008... S.D. Madsen, Journal of Youth and Adolescence, v.37, n.9, 2008, pp.1044-58. This study investigated parents' use of rules to manage the dating activities of their adolescent children. The relationship of these rules to parents' and...

How do parents and teenagers get along together? Views of young people and their parents.(FAMILY & RELATIONSHIPS)(Author abstract)(Report)
December 1, 2008... D.F. Smart, A.V. Sanson & J. W. Toumbourou, Family Matters, n.78, 2008, pp.18-27. Longitudinal data from the Australian Temperament Project (ATP) were used in this investigation of parents' and adolescents' perceptions of parent-adolescent...

The physical health status of young Australian offenders.(HEALTH)(Author abstract)(Report)
December 1, 2008... T. Butler, J.M. Belcher, U. Champion, D. Kenny, M. Allerton & M. Fasher, Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, v.32, n.1, 2008, pp.73-80. The socioeconomic background and physical health status of young offenders held at...

Fast food intake: longitudinal trends during the transition to young adulthood and correlates of intake.(HEALTH)(Author abstract)(Report)
December 1, 2008... N.I. Larson, D.R. Neumark-Sztainer, M.T. Story, M.M. Wall, L.J. Harnack & M.E. Eisenberg, Journal of Adolescent Health, v.43, 2008, pp.79-86. To investigate trends in fast food intake during the transition from middle adolescence to young...

Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity from ages 9 to 15 years.(HEALTH)(Report)
December 1, 2008... P.R. Nader, R.H. Bradley, R.M. Houts, S.L. McRitchie & M.R. O'Brien, Journal of the American Medical Association, v.300, n.3, 2008, pp.295-305. In this American study, longitudinal data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human...

Drug use among homeless young people in Los Angeles and Melbourne.(HOMELESSNESS)
December 1, 2008... D. Rosenthal, S. Mallett, N. Milburn & M.J. Rotheram-Borus, Journal of Adolescent Health, v.43, n.3, 2008, pp.296-305. This cross-national survey examined the effect of homelessness on young people's substance use and use of drug and...

Young people leaving state care and homelessness: What needs to be done?(HOMELESSNESS)(Author abstract)(Report)
December 1, 2008... P. Mendes & G. Johnson, Parity, v.21, n.6, 2008, pp.9-11. Extensive research conducted in Australia and overseas over the past 20 years confirms 'a high correlation between state care and later housing instability, transience and...

Youth mentoring--a case for treatment?(MENTORING)(Author abstract)(Report)
December 1, 2008... K. Philip, Youth & Policy, n.99, 2008, pp.17-32. Published as part of a special issue of Youth & Policy devoted to the theme of youth mentoring, this paper examines the general theoretical framework for youth mentoring practices in the...

A comparison of the Response Styles Theory and the Hopelessness Theory of depression in preadolescents.(MENTAL HEALTH)(Clinical report)
December 1, 2008... K.F. Weir & P.E. Jose, Journal of Early Adolescence, v.28, n.3, 2008, pp.356-74. The interrelationships between stress, rumination, sense of control and depressive symptoms among preadolescents were investigated in this New Zealand study,...

Music preferences and civic activism of young people.(PARTICIPATION)(Author abstract)(Report)
December 1, 2008... A. Leung & C. Kier, Journal of Youth Studies, v.11, n.4, 2008, pp.445-60. The relationship between the music genres preferred by young people and young people's levels of civic participation were explored in this Canadian study involving...

Talking about religion: How highly religious youth and parents discuss their faith.(RELIGION & SPIRITUALITY)(Author abstract)(Report)
December 1, 2008... D.C. Dollahite & G.Y. Thatcher, Journal of Adolescent Research, v.23, n.5, 2008, pp.611-41. This qualitative study of the contexts, transactional processes and quality of parent-adolescent religious conversations used grounded theory to...

Gender differences in adolescent risk taking: Are they diminishing?(RISK-TAKING)(Report)
December 1, 2008... J. Abbott-Chapman, C. Denholm & C. Wyld, Youth and Society, v.40, n.1, 2008, pp.131-54. This Tasmanian study investigated patterns of intergenerational and gender differences in adolescent risk-taking. Focus group discussions were...

Virginity pledges among the willing: Delays in first intercourse and consistence of condom use.(SEXUALITY)(Author abstract)(Report)
December 1, 2008... S.C. Martino, M.N Elliot, R.L. Collins, D.E. Kanouse & S.H. Berry, Journal of Adolescent Health, v.43, n.4, 2008, pp.341-48. This American longitudinal study investigated the relationship between adolescent virginity pledges and subsequent...

Adolescent computer use: approach, avoidance and parental control.(TECHNOLOGY)(Author abstract)(Report)
December 1, 2008... G. Giles & I.R. Price, Australian Journal of Psychology, v.60, n.2, 2008, pp.63-71. A sample of secondary school students (n = 178, mean age = 14.7 years) was recruited from two schools in regional New South Wales for this study, which...

The Australian Youth Forum: a conversation with young Australians.(Youth Initiatives)
December 1, 2008... A new conversation between the Australian Government and young Australians was launched on 2 October 2008, when the Hon. Kate Ellis MP, Minister for Youth, announced the Australian Youth Forum (AYF) in Adelaide. About the AYF The AYF...