Exploring the Meso-System

Abstract

Community contexts are important ecological settings related to problem behavior and positive youth development (PYD). While substantial work has focused on neighborhood disadvantage, the current study explores the role of community assets, specifically linkages to important institutional resources and people in those settings. These concepts are explored in a crosssectional sample of African American and White, male and female adolescent offenders with an eye toward approaches to reducing further delinquency. The findings of confirmatory factor and path analyses demonstrate that personal relationships and linkages to important community resources including recreational, school, faith-based, extended-family, and workrelated sources, are related not only to better family functioning but also to positive peer relations and indirectly to youth self-reliance. This study highlights the potential role of community networks and support in the lives of youthful offenders and their families, a population in need of more research identifying potential positive pathways of development.

Variables psicosociales y violencia escolar en la adolescencia

“…En este sentido, son numerosos los autores que señalan que estas variables se relacionan con el ajuste psicosocial (Albanesi, Cicognani y Zani, 2006;Alfaro, Guzmán, Sirlopú, Oyarzún, Reyes, Benavente y de Rota, 2017;Herrero y Gracia, 2004;Hull et al, 2008;Vieno, Nation, Perkins y Santinello, 2007). Asimismo, se ha constatado que la implicación y la participación comunitarias tienen un efecto amortiguador en los adolescentes respecto de los efectos negativos del estrés (Dumont y Provost, 1999;Smith, Faulk y Sizer, 2016) y de la implicación en conductas violentas en la escuela (Jiménez, Musitu, Ramos y Murgui, 2009;Moreno, Povedano y Estévez, 2010). Se ha observado que el hecho de sentirse implicado en la comunidad y de participar en ella potencia la sensación individual de competencia, el autoconcepto, la autoestima, la autoeficacia y el autocontrol, lo que contribuye, a su vez, a un mayor bienestar y ajuste personal y social en los adolescentes (Palomar y Lanzagorta, 2005;Rey, Extremera y Pena, 2011;Smetana, Campione-Barr y Metzger, 2006;Vieno et al, 2007).…”

Familial understanding and self‐esteem development: Comparing sexual minority and heterosexual individuals

“…These lower levels in perceived familial support in sexual minority individuals have been found to be associated with increased emotional distress (Doty et al, 2010), depression, and substance use (Needham & Austin, 2010), as well as decreased self‐esteem (Ryan et al, 2010). Alternatively, researchers have found that higher levels of familial understanding have been found to be a resiliency factor for sexual minority individuals during the transition to adulthood (Kosciw et al, 2015; Ryan et al, 2010; Sheets & Mohr, 2009; Smith et al, 2016). For example, Ryan and colleagues (2010) found that a greater sense of parental acceptance of one's sexual minority status was associated with increases in self‐esteem during adolescence.…”

Positive Youth Development in 2020: Theory, Research, Programs, and the Promotion of Social Justice

“…Little's conception of PYD, as arising from nurturing, positive relations between the strengths of a young person and the resources in the context-for instance, prosocial peer relationships (e.g., Smith et al, 2016) and, perhaps particularly, warm, trusting, and nurturing relationships between a youth and a caring and competent adult (e.g., Rhodes, 2020)-was both a product and a producer of the historical moment. That is, his conception was formulated in a zeitgeist that included discussions of several other ideas pertinent to a strength-based approach to youth development.…”