Childhood and adolescence are important developmental phases which influence health and well-being across the life span. Social relationships are fundamental to child and adolescent development; yet studies have been limited to children's relationships with other humans. This paper provides an evidence review for the potential associations between pet ownership and emotional; behavioural; cognitive; educational and social developmental outcomes. As the field is in the early stages; a broad set of inclusion criteria was applied. A systematic search of databases and grey literature sources found twenty-two studies meeting selection criteria. The review found evidence for an association between pet ownership and a wide range of emotional health benefits from childhood pet ownership; particularly for self-esteem and loneliness. The findings regarding childhood anxiety and depression were inconclusive. Studies also showed evidence of an association between pet ownership and educational and cognitive benefits; for example, in perspective-taking abilities and intellectual development. Evidence on behavioural development was unclear due to a lack of high quality research. Studies on pet ownership and social development provided evidence for an association with increased social competence; social networks; social interaction and social play behaviour. Overall, pet ownership and the significance of children's bonds with companion animals have been underexplored; there is a shortage of high quality and longitudinal studies in all outcomes. Prospective studies that control for a wide range of confounders are required.

The study examined the moral competence levels in adolescents participating in individual/team sports compared with those not undertaking sports at all. In total, 827 students aged 15-17 years old (45.4% boys, 54.6% girls) from randomly selected secondary schools in the Wielkopolska region in Poland participated in the study. The moral competences were assessed using the Lind's Moral Competence Test. The students also answered questions concerning their statues of involvement in sport (not involved; amateur; professional), years of involvement, and the type of sport they partook in (individual/team). The results highlight that the moral competence level in most of the examined adolescents (71.6% girls, 76.8% boys) was low. Those who presented a high moral competence level were 10.4% in girls, 8% in boys. There was no interaction between modes of involvement in sport and moral competence when comparing adolescents. The moral competence levels were not correlated with years of training in either mode of involvement or with type of sports. Therefore, we assume that, at this age, the type of sport and the level of engagement do not differentiate moral competence level and that there must be more factors contributing to this. This opens new directions for further research on the role of external factors stimulating the socio-moral growth of youth.

Fundamental movement skills (FMS) are frequently referred to as the "building blocks" of movement for children and adolescents in their lifelong physical activity journey. It is critical, however, that FMS are developed within Physical Education learning environments and other sport-related settings, specifically as these building blocks of movement require appropriate teaching and practice opportunities. While FMS are well-established as an "important focus" for children and adolescents, to the authors' knowledge, there appears to be no standardized FMS development guidelines existent within the literature. This paper will examine whether the frequency, intensity, time, and type (FITT) principle could be transferable to interventions focusing on FMS development, and if so, whether sufficient consistency of findings exists to guide practitioners in their session design. Applying the FITT principle in this way may help to facilitate the comparison of FMS-related intervention studies, which may contribute to the future development of practical FMS-related guidelines for children and adolescents.

Clinical practitioners treating moyamoya disease recognize the need for a systematic approach to better manage the disease in adolescent patients with the disease. Methods: This study aimed to develop and evaluate the validity and reliability of a disease scale which measures the health-related behaviors of adolescents with moyamoya disease. Results: The final 12-item Moyamoya-HB Scale for adolescents was categorized by three sub-domains: implementation of treatment for moyamoya disease (four items); health promoting behavior for moyamoya disease (four items); and health coping behavior for moyamoya disease (four items). Overall, these factors explained 68.97% of the total variance. The results of the confirmative factor analysis supported the construct, convergent and discriminant validity of the three sub-domains. The Moyamoya-HB Scale for adolescents also demonstrated a concurrent validity with the Korean Adolescents' Health Behaviors Tool (r = 0.59, p < 0.001). Reliability analysis showed an acceptable-to-high Cronbach's alpha of 0.865 in total, and the subscales ranged from 0.800 to 0.841. Conclusions: Initial findings support the Moyamoya-HB Scale as a reliable and valid measure of health behaviors in adolescents with moyamoya disease.

The relationship between child development and adolescent health, and how this may be modified by socio-economic conditions, is poorly understood. This limits cross-sector interventions to address adolescent health inequality. This review summarises evidence on the associations between child development at school starting age and subsequent health in adolescence and identifies factors affecting associations. We undertook a participatory systematic review, searching electronic databases (MEDLINE, PsycINFO, ASSIA and ERIC) for articles published between November 1990 and November 2020. Observational, intervention and review studies reporting a measure of child development and subsequent health outcomes, specifically weight and mental health, were included. Studies were individually and collectively assessed for quality using a comparative rating system of stronger, weaker, inconsistent or limited evidence. Associations between child development and adolescent health outcomes were assessed and reported by four domains of child development (socio-emotional, cognitive, language and communication, and physical development). A conceptual diagram, produced with stakeholders at the outset of the study, acted as a framework for narrative synthesis of factors that modify or mediate associations. Thirty-four studies were included. Analysis indicated stronger evidence of associations between measures of socio-emotional development and subsequent mental health and weight outcomes; in particular, positive associations between early externalising behaviours and later internalising and externalising, and negative associations between emotional wellbeing and later internalising and unhealthy weight. For all other domains of child development, although associations with subsequent health were positive, the evidence was either weaker, inconsistent or limited. There was limited evidence on factors that altered associations. Positive socio-emotional development at school starting age appears particularly important for subsequent mental health and weight in adolescence. More collaborative research across health and education is needed on other domains of development and on the mechanisms that link development and later health, and on how any relationship is modified by socio-economic context.

As reported by the World Health Organization in 2017, there are 2 million+ young people living with HIV worldwide. The World Health Organization also reported that a third of all new HIV infections around the world are estimated to occur among youths (aged 15⁻25). and teen pregnancy rates are on the rise in many places. These worrying trends suggest that existing sexuality education programs and interventions may be inadequate and/or ineffective. Although the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development's (ICPD) Programme of Action highlighted the roles of Governments to offer sex education to young people to promote teenage reproductive health, yet inconsistency exists in the related initiatives in the global context. The present article aims to provide a comprehensive literature review of the existing sexuality programs in selected places in both English-speaking (i.e., the United States of America, the United Kingdom) and Chinese-speaking contexts (i.e., Hong Kong, Mainland China, and Taiwan). Based on the review, observations and implications for sexuality education policy and practice, as well as recommendations for future research for youths are outlined.

In view of growing adolescent Internet addiction (IA) in the global context, there is a great need to understand the predictors of IA and design related evidence-based intervention and prevention programs. This longitudinal study investigated the relationships between Positive Youth Development (PYD) attributes and IA problems and the mediating role of life satisfaction using a large sample of Chinese high school students (N = 2648). Separated by one academic year, students completed a questionnaire evaluating their adolescent psychosocial adjustment, including validated PYD and IA measures. Multiple regression and structural equation modeling analyses were used. Consistent with the theoretical predictions of PYD models, results revealed a significant negative influence of PYD attributes on IA symptoms concurrently and longitudinally. In particular, general PYD attributes, such as emotional competence, spirituality, and resilience, showed strong and stable protective effects against IA. Life satisfaction also served as a mediator of the influence of all measures of PYD attributes on IA symptoms. The study underlines the importance of PYD attributes in promoting adolescents' life satisfaction and preventing IA, and thus contributes to the design and implementation of evidence-based intervention and prevention programs.

Background: 21 million girls get pregnant every year. Many initiatives are empowering girls. Various studies have looked at girl empowerment, however, there is contradicting evidence, and even less literature from developing countries. Methods: We searched articles published between January 2000 to January 2019. We followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and registered our protocol on the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews PROSPERO (CRD42019117414). Nine articles were selected for review. Quality appraisal was done using separate tools for qualitative studies, cohort and cross-sectional studies and randomized control trials. Results: Eight studies included educational empowerment, four studies included community empowerment, three studies included economic empowerment, while two studies discussed policy empowerment. Three studies were of fair quality; two qualitative and one cross-sectional study were of high quality, while three studies had low quality. Discussion. Studies showed a favorable impact of girl empowerment on adolescent pregnancies and risky sexual behaviors. Education empowerment came through formal education or health systems such as in family planning clinics. Community empowerment was seen as crucial in girls' development, from interactions with parents to cultural practices. Economic empowerment was direct like cash transfer programs or indirect through benefits of economic growth. Policies such as contraceptive availability or compulsory school helped reduce pregnancies.

Pesticides used to control insects, such as pyrethroids, are neurotoxicants, yet adolescent researchers often overlook their potential role in adolescent psychological adjustment. This brief report is guided by bioecological theory and considers the possible independent and interactive effects of environmental pyrethroid pesticide exposure for adolescent depressive symptoms. Self-reported adolescent appraisals of the parent-child relationship and depressive symptoms were obtained from a convenience sample of impoverished, predominantly Latino urban youth (n = 44). Exposure to environmental pyrethroids was obtained from wipe samples using a standardized protocol. Parent-adolescent conflict was higher in households with bifenthrin than those without, and adolescent depressive symptoms were elevated in homes where cypermethrin was detected. In addition, the presence of bifenthrin in the home attenuated the protective effects of parental involvement on adolescent depressive symptoms. The current results suggest that adolescent mental health researchers must consider the synergistic combinations of adolescents' environments' physical and social features. Given the endemic presence of pesticides and their neurotoxic function, pesticide exposure may demand specific attention.

During their school years, students can have different experiences and go through various emotional and motivational states that can affect their learning experience and play a key role in their personal and academic development. The goal of this paper is to analyse the relationship between goal orientation, burnout and academic performance. Material and methods: The study comprised a sample of 2652 students aged between 12 and 19 years (M = 14.55; DT = 1.70), both male (n = 1.368; 51.58%) and female (N = 1.284; 48.41%), from 14 secondary schools. The instruments used were the Perception of Success Questionnaire (POSQ), the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey (MBI-SS) and academic performance, which was measured using the students' average school marks. Results: Results indicate a significant relationship between task orientation (and, to a lesser extent, ego orientation), efficacy and academic performance in line with adaptive behaviours. In addition, it was demonstrated that task orientation, efficacy and cynicism (burnout) can be used to predict academic performance in adolescents. Conclusion: It is argued that goal orientation plays a key role in promoting adaptive behaviours in an academic context and in the personal and academic development of adolescent students.

Adolescence is a stage when individuals are especially vulnerable to the influence of their peer group, which could lead to the development of problematic behavior, such as drinking alcohol, due to perceived pressure. The objective of this study was to analyze the role of self-esteem, impulsivity, anxiety sensitivity and expectations for use under perceived pressure to drink alcohol among young people.

Physical inactivity of children can be a precursor of reduced bone mineral density, considered to be a typical problem only in old age. The aim of this study was to evaluate bone mineral density in 96 Polish boys aged 14-17 years with varied physical activity (swimmers, track and field athletes, non-athletes) and the effect of bone composition, birth weight and breastfeeding during infancy on bone parameters. Anthropometric and body composition measurements were performed according to the kinanthropometric standards. Bone parameters of the forearm were measured by means of dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Data on the infant's birth weight and the length of breastfeeding were collected during direct interviews with mothers. The strongest links with bone parameters were found for the type of physical activity and birth weight. Regardless of birth weight, track and field athletes had the most advantageous bone parameters (mainly sT-score prox values). Swimmers with normal or low birth weight had less favourable sT-score prox values than non-athletes. The type of physical activity proved to be an important determinant of bone parameters. Childhood and adolescence are important periods of bone development and increasing the content of bone mineral components, and the bone status in later years of life depends to a large extent on this period. The perinatal period, especially the correct birth weight of the child, not only has a significant effect on general health, but also on bone status.

Concerted cultivation is a parenting strategy that parents nurture their children intensively by involving heavily in their children's academic sphere as well as offering them different structured "enrichment" activities so that their children can succeed in the future competitive "rug rat race". While this parenting strategy has been regarded as an effective strategy to promote child and adolescent development, it is deemed to create stress and anxiety for their children. The present study examined the relationship between concerted cultivation and adolescent psychopathology (indexed by depression and anxiety) via parent-child conflict among Chinese adolescents in Hong Kong over time.

Background: Mental health services are currently experiencing much systemic and organisational change. Many countries have adopted a recovery approach to service provision through the development of national policies and frameworks. Within an Irish context, co-production has been identified as one of the four pillars required for services to become recovery orientated. However, there is a paucity of literature relating to the concept within child and adolescent mental health services. This paper aims to synthesise the peer-reviewed evidence on co-production within such services. Methods: A PRISMA compliant systematic review was undertaken. This includes how the reviewer retrieved, shortlisted, and selected studies for inclusion in the review. It outlines the inclusion/exclusion criteria and how these were further developed through the PICO framework. Finally, the methods also outline how the reviewer assessed bias and quality, as well as the process of data synthesis. Results: Two studies were included in this review, both focusing on co-production, but in different contexts within child and adolescent mental health. Two themes were identified: 'road less travelled' and 'co-producing equality'. These themes and the associated sub-themes describe how co-production works in these services. Discussion: These results highlight the paucity of quality literature in co-production within child and adolescent mental health. Both studies scored poorly in terms of quality. Resulting from this review, a number of actions relating to the therapeutic environment need to be taken into account for co-production to be further implemented. Other: The reviewer has not received any funding for this paper. A protocol was not created or registered for this review.

Much of what is known about food insecurity (FI) experiences for young people is based on caregiver report. As such, our understanding of relationships between youth FI and dietary intake (DI) may be limited, particularly among adolescents who often eat away from home. This study examined relationships between youth-reported past-month FI, past-week DI, and school lunch behavior. Data are from middle and high school participants in the 2019 Minnesota Student Survey (N = 125,375), one of the longest-running youth surveys in the US. Logistic regression assessed relationships between FI and DI, including fruit, vegetable, milk, sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB), and fast food consumption, and school lunch behavior, adjusting for demographic, physical, and emotional health indicators. Past-month FI was associated with reduced odds of meeting minimum thresholds for daily fruit, vegetable, and milk intake, and increased odds of daily SSB and frequent fast food consumption. Among food-insecure students, no participation in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) or NSLP participation uncertainty was associated with increased odds of skipping lunch. Findings suggest the importance of clinical and community innovations to prevent the loss of nutritional quality in favor of energy density for youth and families experiencing FI.

Physical activity promotes mental health. A key factor is self-regulation. In the field of sports, self-regulation is related to the psychophysiological competence of rating of perceived effort (RPE). It was reported that adolescents have lower RPE competencies than adults, and it was hypothesized that this effect depends on physiological and cognitive development. The present study investigated in a sample of adolescents whether the RPE is related to basic cognitive competencies. Twelve rowers performed cognitive tests and a graded exercise test on a rowing ergometer, in which they continuously rated their perceived effort. Objective load measures and subjective perceptions were highly correlated (rho = 0.95-0.99). Furthermore, these correlations were inter-individually moderated by measures of mental speed and spontaneous flexibility. The results confirm the significance of basal cognitive competencies for conscious load perception. It is discussed whether regular sport has beneficial effects on the development of RPE competencies by enhancing cognitive regulation.

The use of several sources of information (parents and children) is scarce in family studies. Child-to-parent violence (CPV) is still considered the most hidden and stigmatized form of family violence. One objective of this study was to analyze the prevalence of child-to-parent violence and perceptions of family environment as a function of the informant (parent or child), child's sex, and parents' sex in a community population. The study also aimed to analyze the predictive power of family conflict and aggressive family discipline in child-to-parent violence depending on the informant. A sample of 586 adolescents (49% boys, aged between 12 and 18) and their parents (40%) participated in the study. The Family Environment Scale and the Conflict Tactics Scales were administered. Results showed good consistency between adolescent reports and parent reports for physical CPV, but adolescents perceived worse family environments than their parents. Multiple regression models revealed that aggressive family discipline and family are important risk factors for CPV. Early intervention to prevent CPV is recommended, focused on promoting family relationships and avoiding harsh discipline practices. It is important that parents are able to ask for help when they need it.

Physical inactivity is a growing concern in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and globally. Data on physical activity (PA) trends, barriers, and facilitators among adolescents in KSA are scarce. This study aims to identify PA trends amongst adolescents in KSA and associated health and lifestyle behaviors. Data from "Jeeluna", a national study in KSA involving around 12,500 adolescents, were utilized. School students were invited to participate, and a multistage sampling procedure was used. Data collection included a self-administered questionnaire, anthropometric measurements, and blood sampling. Adolescents who performed PA for at least one day per week for >30 min each day were considered to "engage in PA". Mean age of the participants was 15.8 ± 0.8 years, and 51.3% were male. Forty-four percent did not engage in PA regularly. Only 35% engaged in PA at school, while 40% were not offered PA at school. Significantly more 10-14-year old than 15-19-year-old adolescents and more males than females engaged in PA (<0.01). Mental health was better in adolescents who engaged in PA (<0.01). Adolescents who engaged in PA were more likely to eat healthy food and less likely to live a sedentary lifestyle (<0.01). It is imperative that socio-cultural and demographic factors be taken into consideration during program and policy development. This study highlights the urgent need for promoting PA among adolescents in KSA and addressing perceived barriers, while offering a treasure of information to policy and decision makers.

Adolescent suse internet via several devices to gather information or communicate. Sleep, as a key factor of adolescents' development, contributes to their physical and mental health. Over the past decades insufficient sleep among adolescents has been wide spread, and one of its attributing factors is the increased availability of technology. This review aims to investigate the body of evidence regarding the impact of problematic internet use on adolescent sleep. Extensive search of databases was performed according to PRISMA guidelines for studies published within the last decade, regarding subjects aged 10-19. The final step of the search yielded 12 original studies. The quality of extracted data was evaluated with the AXIS tool, in order to estimate the risk of bias. All studies showed a negative correlation between adolescent sleep and problematic internet use. It was found to affect sleep quality and quantity and provoke insomnia symptoms. Interestingly, adolescent's sex, parental educational level, type of family and use for leisure or academic reasons appeared as affecting factors of the problematic internet use-sleep relationship. Problematic internet use has several effects on adolescents' sleep. Results of relevant studies should be embedded in educational interventions addressed to adolescents as well as parents, to eliminate the negative outcomes of problematic internet use on sleep and adolescence's health in general.

Balance is an essential prerequisite for the normal physical development of a child. It consists of the ability to maintain the body's centre of mass over its base of support, which is enabled by automatic postural adjustments, and maintain posture and stability in various conditions and activities. The present study aimed to determine the measurement characteristics (reliability and concurrent validity) and the relative ability of balance tests and different motor tests in healthy 11-year-olds. We also evaluated the impact of vision on balance ability. Our results showed high interrater reliability (from 0.810 to 0.910) and confirmed the construct validity of the included balance tests. Girls performed significantly better than boys in laboratory tandem stance in following balance components: total sway path with eyes open (BSEO) (t = 2.68, p = 0.01, effect size (ES) = 0.81), total body sway with eyes closed of centre of pressure (CoP) displacement in the a-p direction (BSEC) (t = 1.86, p = 0.07, ES = 0.57), mean velocity of CoP displacements (VEO) (t = 2.67, p = 0.01, ES = 0.83), mean amplitude of CoP displacements in the a-p direction (AapEO) (t = 3.38. p = 0.00, ES = 1.01) and in mean amplitude of CoP displacements in the m-l direction (AmlEO) (t = 3.68, p = 0.00, ES = 1.19). With eyes closed, girls performed significantly better (t = 2.28, p = 0.03, ES = 0.70) than boys did in the mean amplitude of COP displacements in the a-p direction (AapEO) and significantly better (t = 2.37, p = 0.03, ES = 0.71) in the mean amplitude of COP displacements in the m-l direction (AmlEC). Insignificant correlations between different balance tests, except for a correlation between the flamingo test and one-leg stance on a low beam (r = 0.558, p < 0.01), show that each test assesses different aspects of balance ability; therefore, balance cannot be assessed with a single test.