Concerned with the ongoing youth mental crisis in the United States, researchers intentionally planned for positive youth development (PYD) practices in nature. Educators, appreciating the critical importance of youth developing relationships and a sense of belonging, may regard this model as a powerful tool to enhance existing programs. Both…

In this study, we investigate how the accumulation of stressful life events and chronic stressors experienced in adolescence predict young adults' future self-identification (i.e., connectedness, vividness, and valence of the future self) in a sample of 1482 Swiss youth. Furthermore, we investigate future self-identification as a source of…

New developments in the field of youth studies are calling for a reorientation of discourses of adolescence away from developmental tropes of transition, crisis, and dysfunction, and towards a more fluid sociocultural framework. Meg Rosoff's acclaimed novel "How I Live Now" (2004) achieves a balance that transcends the pitfalls of…

Like many youth development programs, most youth mentoring programs do not have prescribed practices that target specific outcomes. Because the construct of mentoring represents a broad range of potential activities, researchers face a conundrum when making generalizable causal inferences about the effects of this and similar services. On the one…

Despite its implications for positive youth development, factors and processes that promote civic engagement are critically understudied, particularly among Muslim American adolescents for whom opportunities for civic engagement could be hindered by Islamophobia and hate crimes. Prior work has proposed that parents can strengthen adolescents'…

Youths' affinity for snack foods is well-documented; in various contexts, they sell chips, candy, and other goods. Adults may frame such sales as either entrepreneurial or deviant, which can contribute to positive youth development (on one hand) or cycles of disengagement and criminalization (on the other). Drawing on ethnographic and interview…

There is an emerging interest in studying social action and civic engagement as a part of the developmental process. Studies among youth of color indicate that empowerment has been associated with well-being, a critical perspective, and in combating social oppression. These studies also show that civic involvement and awareness of social justice…

School choice research is abundant, but rarely incorporates students' experiences or perspectives. This study investigates a diverse group of students' school choice experiences as they applied to, gained admission to and enrolled in high school in Chicago Public Schools, which offers over 130 options. Adapting Ball and colleagues' (2012) concept…

Emotion regulation abilities play a crucial role in child and adolescent development. Thus, there is a need to investigate correlates and predictors of the emotion regulation abilities in adolescents. Previous studies have shown that attachment security plays an important role in the development of adaptive emotion regulation strategies; however,…

Accelerating the Boys and Girls Clubs to continued learning and growing in their practices is one key to transforming the young boys and girls which they serve. The purpose of this study was to examine the affects that the Boys and Girls Clubs have had on the membership and to utilize the information learned to endorse the Clubs work going…

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, outdoor spaces remained one of the few places for youth recreation. Outdoor recreation and sport have been associated with positive youth development (PYD) prior to the pandemic, so we sought to test these relationships during the pandemic, accounting for self-efficacy and demographic factors that may be…

Adolescence is a period of heightened emotionality. If the adolescents cannot perceive, understand, regulate and function with their emotions it will leave indelible marks on their behaviour and personality. During adolescence (age 12 to 18 yrs), the transition from childhood to adulthood is most important. Children are becoming more independent,…

The developmental shifts encountered by boys during adolescence can have long-term implications for mental health. This paper describes a holistic approach to wellbeing and development (the On Queenslea Drive, or OQD, program), which draws upon a traditional Rites of Passage framework to support the development of boys during this period. This…

Prioritizing digital well-being for teens helps them develop healthy relationships with technology and navigate the digital world safely. This Spotlight will help one learn how social media is affecting many teen girls' sleep and mental health; explore tips to support students' mental health; investigate how social media habits can influence…

Background: Prior studies have emphasized the importance of parents' educational involvement (a type of cognitive involvement) to academic engagement, although little is known about emotional involvement. Aims: This study investigated whether and how different facets of involvement (cognitive vs. emotional, paternal vs. maternal) are…