Educators’ perceptions of the impact of reading difficulties for young people

We studied the associations between childhood-identified learning disabilities and adult-age mental health and whether adult-age reading and math skills, coping styles, or resilience influenced the associations. The participants were 159 Finnish adults (60.4% males). Of them, 48 (30%) had a reading disability (RD), 22 (14%) had a math disability (MD), 21 (13%) had RD + MD identified in childhood, and 68 (43%) were population-based controls, matched based on gender, age, and place of residence. At ages 20–40 (Mage = 29), they reported their mental health, coping styles, and resilience, and their reading and math skills were assessed. The hierarchical regression analyses, predicting mental health with RD, MD, and their interaction while controlling for gender and age, indicated that childhood MD predicted the occurrence of more mental health problems in adulthood, but this was not observed in the case of RD. The RDxMD positive interaction effect reflected better mental health in both the RD and the RD + MD groups than in the MD group. Controlling for adult-age reading and math skills had no effect on the association between MD and mental health outcomes while controlling for resilience and coping styles diminished the impact of MD. Strong resilience without the use of an emotion-oriented coping may thus alleviate the association between MD and mental health. As childhood MD can have long-term associations with mental health problems, these issues need to be addressed in school, at work, and in healthcare. Based on our findings, strengthening effective coping and resilience may be one avenue of support.

A rejuvenated approach to urban development and inequality: Young people's perceptions and experiences in Rio de Janeiro

IntroductionIt is increasingly accepted that young people need to be centrally involved in research on issues that affect them. The aim of this study was to explore young people's perceptions of the benefits for them of being involved in mental health research and the processes that enabled these benefits.MethodsQualitative interviews were conducted by co‐researchers (young people with lived experience and/or interest in mental health) with 13 young people (aged 13–24 years) who had experience of being involved in mental health research when they were between 11 and 16 years of age. Reflective thematic analysis was used to identify important aspects of young people's experiences.ResultsFour main themes were identified: (1) opportunity to have a meaningful impact, (2) opportunity to be part of a supportive community, (3) opportunity to learn and grow and (4) increasing opportunities for young people.ConclusionThis study highlights young people's experiences of being involved in mental health research and identifies ways in which researchers can ensure that involvement opportunities bring benefits to both the young people and the research.Patient or Public ContributionThis research was a response to issues raised by young people involved in research. The project was supported by co‐researchers throughout, including design, data collection, analysis and write‐up.

Standardized tobacco packaging was introduced in the United Kingdom in May 2016, together with larger graphic warnings. This study explored young Scottish people's awareness of and perceptions about standardized tobacco packaging in the United Kingdom. Qualitative study using 16 focus groups conducted February-March 2017. Four schools in Scotland based in areas of differing socio-economic status (high versus medium/low) and two levels of urbanity (large urban versus small town/other urban). Eighty-two S2 (13-14years) and S4 (15-16years) students who were smokers or at-risk non-smokers. Focus groups explored perceptions of standardized packaging and health warnings. The qualitative data underwent thematic analysis. Views about standardized packaging were generally negative. Packs were described as being unattractive, drab and less appealing than non-standardized versions. The new health warnings generated negative affective, often aversive, responses. These varied depending on the image's perceived 'gruesomeness' and authenticity. Most participants thought that the impact would be greatest on young non/occasional smokers. There were divergent views about whether established smokers would be affected. The introduction of standardized tobacco packaging and new larger graphic health warnings in the United Kingdom seems have reduced the perceived attractiveness of cigarette packs among young people in the United Kingdom who smoke or are at elevated risk of becoming smokers, disrupting positive brand imagery (the brand heuristic), increasing the salience of health warnings and contributing to denormalizing smoking.

To Brunswick and Beyond: A Geography of Creative and Social Participation for Marginalised Youth

Young people, 10-24 years, go through many physical, psychosocial and emotional changesas they transition to adulthood. This period is also critical for young people as they graduallyestablish health-promoting behaviours that will contribute to their present and future wellbeing. Africa has the largest number of young people who face the worst health challenges.Technology can help us address the health challenges that young people face. This studyexplored how young people use mobile phones to access reproductive health in Tamale,Ghana. The research used a qualitative method in three communities in Tamale: Tishigu,Tutingli, and Warizehi, in the Northern region of Ghana. Data were collected from 18 FocusGroup Discussions (FGDs) with young people of ages between 10-14, 15-19 and 20-24 inthree locations in Tamale and triangulated with nine (9) in-depth interviews with keyinformants (KII) working with non-governmental mHealth service providers and researchers.All respondents were selected through purposive sampling. The interviews were taperecorded, fully transcribed, and uploaded into NVivo Pro 11. The results showed that theprime health care risks young people face are sexually transmitted diseases, teenagepregnancy, and early marriage. The issues which young people sought healthcareinformation most for were female reproductive health and menstruation issues. The issue ofshame was a major reason why young people failed to discuss their reproductive healthneeds with others. Illiteracy posed a communication barrier to young people accessingreproductive health services. Young people faced financial constraints in accessingreproductive health information and services. The poor attitude of healthcare providerstowards young people was a concern. The top most social media platforms for sharingreproductive health information were WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram. There is a need toensure that health service providers get trained to provide youth-friendly health services toyoung people. Reproductive health service providers and policymakers need to incorporatetechnology in addressing the challenges faced in accessing reproductive health.Keywords: mHealth, Reproductive Health, Young people, Healthcare.

After summarising previous research into reading disability, certain areas of psychology which are the scene of considerable contemporary activity and which are believed to have important relevance to the understanding of reading disability are discussed. These include the reawakened interest in the concept of dyslexia and the relatively new science of psycholinguistics. A number of exploratory experiments and empirical inquiries are described, including: 1. The identification of symptoms which discriminated between controls and severe reading disability cases referred to the Remedial Education Centre. 2. An examination of sub-tests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children which discriminated between referrals and good readers. In particular, the Coding (Form B) and Digit Span appear to test skills at the Integrative level of perceptual organisation. 3. An examination of the relationships between reading disability and performance on the Illinois Test of Psycholinguistic Abilities, and a comparison between these relationships and that of measured intelligence and reading disability. 4. An experiment to examine the relative abilities of poor readers and controls, at Grade IV level, to reproduce tachistoscopically presented letter sequences in writing. The controls' superiority was more marked at higher order approximation to English.Similar inquiries, together with an examination of ability to discriminate and reproduce auditorily presented stimuli were consolidated into a single experiment at Grade II level. In general, this experiment confirmed earlier findings, except that WISC (Form A) favoured the reading disability group rather than the controls, while the control group was consistently superior in the written reproduction of letter sequences, irrespective of order of approximation to English. In the light of the experimental findings, the belief is expressed that a diagnosis of dyslexia can be made with some confidence, and educational implications are discussed.

AimsCopy number variants (CNVs) are large changes in the structure of DNA. Certain rare CNVs are associated with elevated chance of neurodevelopmental conditions and difficulties (NDs), including autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability, alongside various physical health complications. Currently, CNV testing in children with NDs is only recommended under limited circumstances, in part because their impact on outcomes and prognosis remains unknown. We aimed to investigate whether individuals with NDs in childhood, with and without rare pathogenic CNVs, differ in terms of functional outcomes in early adulthood.MethodsPathogenic CNV carriers were identified in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), a UK birth cohort of individuals born in 1991–1992. Individuals with the following childhood NDs were identified through parent-reported diagnostic interviews and questionnaires, and assessment with the child: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity-Disorder (ADHD), ASD, reading difficulties, coordination difficulties, language difficulties, and chronic tics. Outcomes were measured at age 25 and included: presence of an emotional disorder, being in receipt of sickness/disability benefit, ability to make and maintain friendships, not being in education, employment, or training (NEET), and self-reported life satisfaction. We will use logistic regression to measure the association between carrying a pathogenic CNV and each functional outcome in ALSPAC. Sensitivity analyses will be conducted on all large (>250kb), rare (<1%) CNVs, as opposed to only pathogenic CNVs.Results983 individuals with probable NDs (39.4% female, n = 387) were identified in ALSPAC, including 495 people with ASD, 163 with ADHD, 16 with Tourette's syndrome, 210 with reading difficulties, 295 with language difficulties, and 166 with coordination difficulties. Many individuals met criteria for more than one ND.43 (4.4%) of individuals with an ND carried a pathogenic CNV. CNV carrier status amongst individuals with a ND was not associated with sex (4.4% of females vs 4.4% of males, OR = 1.007 [0.539–1.882] p = 0.981). Analysis of CNV carrier status on outcomes in NDs will be conducted between February and April 2024.ConclusionEvidence in support of poorer outcomes in CNV carriers could suggest that neurodiverse young people with CNVs may benefit from intervention to improve outcomes, and thus more individuals may benefit from genetic testing. Conversely, evidence indicating that CNVs do not impact outcomes may suggest that current clinical guidelines are appropriate within the current research landscape, and that further research is needed to understand the impact of carrying a pathogenic CNV in young people with NDs.

To explore and understand young people's perspectives of fixed orthodontic treatment. In particular, understanding how young people perceived and experienced having a fixed appliance and how their experiences can change during their treatment. Qualitative study carried out longitudinally. In-depth qualitative interviews carried out in participants' homes, video diaries recorded by participants when and where they wish. Fifteen patients aged 10-15 years undergoing NHS fixed appliance treatment. Data were collected by in-depth interviews and video diaries throughout the participants' course of orthodontic treatment. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Young people's friends, family and social media influenced how young people felt about the appearance of their teeth. Young people can perceive negative social judgements are made about them based on the appearance of their teeth; however, the appearance of the brace was not a concern. For some of the young people, the presence of the brace formed a rite of passage throughout adolescence. Pain and discomfort caused by fixed appliances was expected and tolerated and felt normal with time. Young people's perceptions about appearance are influenced by people around them and social media. The physical feeling of the brace was normalised, although it did affect young people's lives.

PurposeThe purpose of the article is to explore young people's perceptions of the desirability of brands and brand ownership in Hong Kong using drawings and open‐ended questions.Design/methodology/approachA total of 48 Chinese children aged 13 to 19 were asked to draw what comes to their minds for two statements: “This young person has a lot of new and expensive branded goods”; and, “This young person does not have a lot of branded goods”. After drawing, respondents were personally interviewed to answer four questions associating possessions of branded goods with happiness, friendship, and personality traits.FindingsAnalysis of the drawings and interviews indicated that there were significant differences in young people's perceptions of someone with or without a lot of branded goods in terms of type of possessions, leisure activities, observable qualities and personality traits. Respondents were more likely to relate possessions of branded goods with happiness, friendship, and self‐esteem. A person with a lot of branded goods however, was perceived as arrogant, wasteful, vain and superficial. A person without a lot of branded goods was perceived as easygoing, friendly and down‐to‐earth. Results demonstrate that respondents were able to appreciate the value of possessions based on emotional attachment, personality association and social meaning. The results supported John's model of consumer socialization that children and young people in the reflective stage of consumer socialization could understand fully the value of possessions.Practical implicationsMarkets and advertisers that target young Chinese consumers should be sensitive to their negative association of personality traits and possessions of branded goods with arrogance and wastefulness. They can encourage the instrumental materialism of how to use branded goods to enhance friendship and to achieve self‐defining goals.Originality/valueBased on these findings, three hypotheses were proposed about young people's perceptions of possessions that can be further tested in a quantitative survey.

This paper explores young people's access to and use of computers in the home and at school. Drawing on a questionnaire survey, conducted in 2001 and 2003 with over 1800 children in the South‐West of England, on group interviews in school with over 190 children and with visits to 11 families, the paper discusses: (1) children's current use of computers in the home and in school; 2) changing patterns of computer use in home and school between 2001 and 2003; (3) the impact of age, gender and socio‐economic area on young people's computer use in home and school. The paper then goes on to discuss young people's perceptions of the differences between home and school use of computers and to address the question of whether young people's home and school use of information and communications technologies (ICTs) are really ‘different worlds’. Through analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data, the paper proposes that the boundaries between home and school are less distinct in terms of young people's ICT use than has previously been proposed, in particular through young people's production of virtual social networks through the use of instant messenger that seem to mirror young people's social school contexts. The paper concludes by suggesting that effective home–school link strategies might be adopted through the exploration of the permeability of home/school boundaries.

The recognition of the need for Adolescent and Youth-Friendly Health Services (AYFHS) is growing. It is important to ensure the provision of high-quality sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services that cater to the unique needs of adolescents and young people (AYP). Adolescents and young people spend a significant amount of time in Higher and Tertiary Education Institutions (HTEIs) where adolescent friendly services are needed. However, there is limited evidence on the availability of sexual and reproductive health services for young people in HTEIs in Zambia. Using the Human Rights Based Approach to healthcare availability, accessibility, acceptability, and quality of care (AAAQ) framework, this study explores young people's perceptions of youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services in selected HTEIs in Zambia. Between March and June 2021, a qualitative case study was conducted in 12 selected HTEIs located in Lusaka, Central, and Copperbelt provinces of Zambia. The study employed In-depth Interviews (IDIs) and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with AYPs, as well as Key-informant Interviews (KIIs) with healthcare providers. The healthcare providers at health facility, district and provincial levels were interviewed to provide insights about the services provided in the HTEIs. A total of 112 interviews were conducted. Data analysis was performed using thematic analysis in NVivo version 11. In the study, young people reported the availability of primary health services like malaria, HIV, and pregnancy testing, as well as screening for STIs. However, their awareness of SRH services was limited. Contraception, STI testing and treatment, and HIV and pregnancy screening and testing were the most accessed services. Equipment and commodity shortages were common, hindering care provision. Young people found healthcare services in educational institutions inaccessible, with limited comprehensive care and understanding from providers. Services lacked tailoring for key populations and privacy/confidentiality. Health care providers also reported inadequate youth-friendly spaces, equipment, medication and trained workers which compromised the quality of care. Peer educators and provider training were seen as essential for improving accessibility and acceptability of services. The findings indicate significant barriers to the accessibility, availability, and acceptability of SRH services for AYP in HTEIs in Zambia. There is a pressing need to enhance AYSRH programming by increasing awareness of services and ensuring their availability and accessibility for young people. Sufficient funding for AYFHS can address challenges related to service quality, including inconsistent availability of medical equipment and supplies. Building the capacity of service providers can potentially enhance the uptake of services by AYP. It is crucial to target services to address the specific vulnerabilities of students with disabilities and key populations, aligning with the goal of achieving universal health coverage and leaving no one behind.

Purpose: This essay aims to reconstruct young people's understanding of and attitude towards social entrepreneurship as a field of endeavour critical to developing crucial competencies in the New Economy. The study also aims to describe young people's perceptions of their willingness to participate in society and the current economy as agents.
 Design/methodology/approach: In order to accomplish this, a diagnostic study (based on a so-called task catalogue) was carried out with a group of more than 500 students in Indonesian vocational high schools, senior high schools, and private schools, as well as three workshops with students from particular school types.
 Findings: According to the study, students are aware of the possibilities of engaging in social activism through broadly construed social entrepreneurship and third sector involvement. It was also proven that they are well cognizant of the opportunities and requirement for action in this regard. The materials that students have discussed transfer into skills required in the New Economy.
 Research limitations/implications: A lot of variables that could influence teenage behaviour must be taken into account in modern study. These difficulties will undoubtedly merit consideration throughout the formulation and creation of the research's tools in further in-depth studies.
 Practical implications: Young people's social entrepreneurship is constantly evolving, and even though its focus shifts (from shared management activities to civic engagement and social solidarity activities), it always refers to collaborative efforts on the cusp of economic and social reality. Young people's attitude towards carrying out duties that are beneficial to society is also evolving. Young people view them as a chance to address both societal issues and the difficulties posed by the postmodern world's transformations.
 Social implications: Young people are more conscious and involved citizens as well as more responsible future members of the New Economy thanks to the competencies they have acquired.
 Originality/value: The paper reconstructs the tools, strategies, and perspectives of young people towards the agency opportunities provided by social entrepreneurship. The knowledge that was gathered was examined in light of the project's competency-based competence issues.

Perspectives of LGBTQA+ young people on suicide prevention services in Australia

Exploring young people's perceptions of health and inequality through art: a co-produced qualitative study