International Journal of Child, Youth and Family Studies

REACHING YOUTH WITH RELIABLE INFORMATION DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: “SOCIAL MEDIA FOR SURE”

2023-11-29T15:55:32-08:00

As the COVID-19 pandemic evolves, it is important to continue providing accurate updates and public health information to various target audiences. In support of such efforts, this study aims to understand how youth have accessed information about COVID-19 and to record their perspectives on how such information is best communicated. As part of a larger longitudinal study, 463 youth (M = 21.2 years, SD = 2.2) were surveyed about their sources of information on COVID-19, with qualitative questions regarding their perspectives on optimal public health communication strategies. A majority of youth reported using online sources to access information about COVID-19, including online news sources and social media. They used a diversity of such sources, with a preference those they regarded as reliable. Participants recommended that public health information campaigns be conducted on a variety of social media channels. Other digital campaigns were also recommended, while some suggested providing information through schools. Information should be brief, engaging, accessible, and frequently updated, using verified sources to ensure accuracy. We conclude that, to reach youth effectively, it is essential that accurate COVID-19 information and public health guidelines be disseminated in an engaging manner using digital means, particularly social media. Communication campaigns should be developed in partnership with youth in order to best reach this audience with the information they need.

GENDERED AND INTERGENERATIONAL RELATIONALITIES IN FUTURE ORIENTATIONS: GUATEMALAN SCHOOLCHILDREN’S REPORTS OF GENDER ROLES IN PRESENT AND FUTURE HOUSEHOLDS

2023-11-29T15:50:27-08:00

This article examines children and youth’s future orientation in rural Guatemala by examining their reports of activities of adults and children in present and future households. A total of 690 students in a small town in highland Guatemala completed a household task attribution form that listed 29 tasks in seven domains (domestic chores, care for children, household decisions, responsibilities, household purchases, work for money, development) with four gendered household figures (man, woman, boy, girl). Using cultural consensus analysis, we analyze patterns of agreement and variation in responses to determine the existence of shared cultural models and gendered submodels in both time periods. Taking a gendered and intergenerational relationality perspective, we focus on the ways that future orientations reflect, (re)produce, and contest contemporary gender norms. Reports of task distributions in the present reflect “traditional” gender norms divided along “productive” and “reproductive” lines. While male participants’ conceptions of the future largely reproduced these structures, female participants appeared willing to increase their own domestic work to foster greater gender equality among their children.

HOW ARE CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE ENGAGED IN RESEARCH ON PAEDIATRIC OBESITY AND WHICH ISSUES DO THEY REPORT? A SCOPING REVIEW

2023-11-29T15:45:53-08:00

The importance of engaging children and adolescents in research is increasingly acknowledged. The aim of this scoping review is to explore how children and young people have been engaged in research on paediatric obesity and which issues they have reported, in order to highlight areas that require further inquiry or action by researchers and health care professionals. There were 13 papers eligible for this review. Methods used included in-depth interviews, structured or semi-structured interviews, and focus groups, as well as more creative qualitative research methods. Half of the studies included young people with their parents; parents were always present when the interviewees were young children. Personal and sensitive themes, such as bullying, a desire to “fit in”, strong negative emotions about oneself (e.g., low self-esteem, low self-efficacy), and not feeling supported by family, peers, and professionals, were more often shared if parents were not present. An additional issue, wanting to be independent versus being under parental control was found in studies with adolescents. Engaging children and adolescents in multiple phases of research on paediatric obesity is beneficial in allowing better insight into their perspectives and providing recommendations that are more in line with their personal needs and life circumstances; such studies are still scarce in this field, however.

THE ROLE AND IMPORTANCE OF AVIATION FUEL IN THE HEALTH-SEEKING BEHAVIOR OF CHILD MIGRANTS LIVING ALONG THE UGANDA–KENYA BORDER AT BUSIA

2023-11-29T16:04:46-08:00

This study aimed to understand the health-seeking behaviors of the child migrants, commonly known as Chokola, who live along the Uganda–Kenya border at the town of Busia. The study used qualitative data collection methods: in-depth interviews, life-histories, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews. At the border, Chokola are accorded a marginal status and identity, limiting their health rights. Chokola face many health challenges, some of which arise from risky sexual behaviors and practices. Their health problems include gonorrhea, HIV, malaria, and cholera. The Chokola in our study exhibited specific health-seeking behaviors, with sniffing aviation fuel being the most pronounced. Although this practice was intended to alleviate common ailments and discomfort, it was also reported to have side effects ranging from loss of appetite to early death. Sniffing aviation fuel as a health-seeking behavior is a construction of individuals. Chokola constructions of the efficacy of aviation fuel are inculcated during socialization and are supported by a shared belief in the fuel as a panacea. Scientific views regarding the risks of side effects are irrelevant to them. In terms of access to health services, Chokola are vulnerable and require affirmative action and targeted interventions.

THE MEDIATING ROLE OF PERCEIVED PARENTAL COMPETENCE IN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PARENTAL PSYCHOPATHIC TRAITS AND PARENTING BEHAVIORS

2023-11-30T10:23:30-08:00

The importance of parenting in shaping child development has been widely supported, with many researchers considering parenting to be one of the factors most predictive of child outcomes. Despite the importance of parenting behaviors, not enough is known about their antecedents. In this study, we examine the extent to which psychopathic personality traits relate to parenting behaviors by determining which aspects of parental competence mediate these associations in a community sample. Our analyses support the mediating role of one aspect of parental competence — parental satisfaction — in the relationship between several domains of psychopathic personality traits and parenting behaviors. The results suggest that the relationship between parental personality traits and parenting behaviors is nuanced and involves underlying mechanisms related to parental competence.