Academic performance is among the several components of academic success. Many factors, including socioeconomic status, student temperament and motivation, peer, and parental support influence academic performance. Our study aims to investigate the determinants of academic performance with emphasis on the role of parental styles in adolescent students in Peshawar, Pakistan. A total of 456 students from 4 public and 4 private schools were interviewed. Academic performance was assessed based on self-reported grades in the latest internal examinations. Parenting styles were assessed through the administration of the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI). Regression analysis was conducted to assess the influence of socio-demographic factors and parenting styles on academic performance. Factors associated with and differences between “care” and “overprotection” scores of fathers and mothers were analyzed. Higher socio-economic status, father’s education level, and higher care scores were independently associated with better academic performance in adolescent students. Affectionless control was the most common parenting style for fathers and mothers. When adapted by the father, it was also the only parenting style independently improving academic performance. Overall, mean “care” scores were higher for mothers and mean “overprotection” scores were higher for fathers. Parenting workshops and school activities emphasizing the involvement of mothers and fathers in the parenting of adolescent students might have a positive influence on their academic performance. Affectionless control may be associated with improved academics but the emotional and psychosocial effects of this style of parenting need to be investigated before recommendations are made.

Background: The burden of unintentional injuries among youth 15-24 years is high. There is paucity of data on unintentional injuries in youth working in Vocational Training Institutes. Objective: To determine the incidence, characteristics, and risk factors of non-fatal self-reported unintentional injuries among youth. Methods: Design: This was a retrospective cross-sectional survey of youth recruited from vocational training centers in Peshawar Pakistan between February 2022 to October 2022. Participants: There were 547 study participants with 356 males and 191 females. Data were collected on self-reported unintentional injuries in the previous 12 months, using the WHO tool for injuries and violence [1]. Analysis for total injuries as an outcome and sociodemographic risk factors was done using a multilevel negative binomial regression model, adjusting for age and sex. Results: We documented a total of 503 injuries, with road traffic injuries being the most common (n=197, 39%), followed by burns (n=89, 18%) and falls (n=79,16%). Poisonings n=13%) and drownings (n=23, 7.1%) were the least common injuries. In-training occupational injuries reported were (n=95,18%). Females had a higher incidence rate of burns 2.19 [1.785-3.46] compared to males, while males had a higher incidence of RTI 3.24[2.35-5.3], falls 1.30 [0.74-2.27], poisonings 2.14 [0.57-7.58] and drownings 2.46(0.84-7.21). lack of education 4.6 [1.12 -18.91] (p=0.034), lack of helmet use 4.54 [2.12 -9.76] (p=<0.001), lack of seat belt use 1.3 [1.14 -1.69] (p= <0.001), smoking 1.25 [1.05 -2.69] (p=0.049), lack of fathers education 4.71 [2.12 -10.49] (p=<0.001), carrying a gun 6.59 [2.54 -17.11] (p=<0.001), crowded families 3.59 [3.11 -5.07] (p=<0.001) and lower family income 2.04 [1.04 -4.02](p=0.039*) were significant risk factors for unintentional injuries in youth. Conclusion Added value of the study: This study provides up-to-date counts and incidence rates of unintentional injuries in youth from Peshawar Pakistan. It also provides a recent trend of the types of unintentional injuries among youth with sex-adjusted rates. The area of concern remains an increasing number of RTIs in both males and females and a higher rate of burn among females compared to males and falls among youth. A high incidence of in-training occupational injuries was reported among the vocational youth.