Jim Liebelt's Youth Culture Watch

More Than One in Three Teens are Victims of Dating Abuse

More than a third of teen guys and girls say they've been physically, emotionally or sexually abused in their dating relationships, according to new, unpublished data from a nationwide survey. Similar numbers of both sexes say they've been abusers.

Additional new research shows teens who abuse their girlfriends and boyfriends often share a past as middle-school bullies.

These findings, to be presented today in Honolulu at a meeting of the American Psychological Association, are the latest to shed light on a problem that has only come out of the shadows in recent years.

In the new nationwide survey, which included 1,058 youths ages 14 to 20, 41% of girls and young women and 37% of boys and young men said they had been victims of dating abuse; 35% of girls and 29% of boys said they had physically, emotionally or sexually abused a partner, according to a news release from the association. Girls were more likely to say they had physically abused their partners; boys were "much more likely" to say they had sexually abused someone, the association says. But it did not provide specific numbers on those differences.

The survey also found that 29% of girls and 24% of guys said they had been both victims and abusers, in the same or different relationships.

The new survey results are in the line with some other findings, says Carlos Cuevas, a researcher from Northeastern University-Boston, who is presenting new data on dating violence among Latino youth at the conference. But he says the details behind the gender findings in various studies are important. When girls are the aggressors, he says, "it tends to be low-level behaviors, light hitting, name calling, things like that. When you look at serious sexual and severe physical assault, we tend to see a bit more from the boys than the girls."

Source: USA Today
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/07/31/teen-dating-violence/2596255/

Engaged Teens More Likely to Stay in School

Keeping teens engaged in school helps reduce their risk of behavior problems, substance use and dropping out, according to a new study.

Specifically, it's important to provide teens with a supportive learning environment that gives them opportunities to feel competent and independent, and meets their emotional needs, the University of Pittsburgh and Connecticut College researchers said.

The study authors noted that active engagement in high school has been found to promote the skills and values that help teens successfully move into adulthood. Actively engaged students are those who participate in academic activities, feel connected to their school, value their education and are motivated to learn.

However, research suggests that as students progress through high school, they may tend to become disengaged. Some studies estimate that 40 percent to 60 percent begin to show signs of disengagement, such as losing interest in their education, demonstrating a lack of effort or simply not paying attention.

According to the study's lead researcher, Ming-Te Wang, an assistant professor of psychology in education at the University of Pittsburgh, "Youths who are engaged with school feel more academically competent, are more connected to the institution, and elicit more positive reactions from their teachers and parents. In contrast, disengaged youths have more academic difficulties, receive less positive support from teachers, and are more likely to associate with disengaged peers."

"The study also suggests that early behavioral and emotional engagement in school can buffer against participation in problem behavior," Wang added.

Source: U.S. News & World Report
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/news/articles/2013/07/30/engaged-teens-more-likely-to-stay-in-school-study-shows

Injuries From Teen Fighting Reduces IQ

A new Florida State University study has found that adolescent boys who are hurt in just two physical fights suffer a loss in IQ that is roughly equivalent to missing an entire year of school. Girls experience a similar loss of IQ after only a single fighting-related injury.

The findings are significant because decreases in IQ are associated with lower educational achievement and occupational performance, mental disorders, behavioral problems and even longevity, the researchers said.

“It’s no surprise that being severely physically injured results in negative repercussions, but the extent to which such injuries affect intelligence was quite surprising,” said Joseph A. Schwartz, a doctoral student who conducted the study with Professor Kevin Beaver in FSU’s College of Criminology and Criminal Justice.

The findings were published in the Journal of Adolescent Health. The study is among the first to look at the long-term effects of fighting during adolescence, a critical period of neurological development.

Schwartz and Beaver used data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health collected between 1994 and 2002 to examine whether serious fighting-related injuries resulted in significant decreases in IQ over a 5- to 6-year time span.

The research found boys experienced a higher number of injuries from fighting than girls; however, the consequences for girls were more severe, a fact the researchers attributed to physiological differences that give males an increased ability to withstand physical trauma.

The researchers found that each fighting-related injury resulted in a loss of 1.62 IQ points for boys, while girls lost an average of 3.02 IQ points, even after controlling for changes in socio-economic status, age and race for both genders. Previous studies have indicated that missing a single year of school is associated with a loss of 2 to 4 IQ points.

The impact on IQ may be even greater when considering only head injuries, the researchers said. The data they studied took into account all fighting-related physical injuries.

Source: Newswise
http://www.newswise.com/articles/injuries-from-teen-fighting-deal-a-blow-to-iq

What's Hot? 7/26/13

Trending Today on Twitter - 7/26/13
     1. #NASCAR
     2. Rand Paul
     3. #BB15
     4. #giveaway
     5. #music
     6. The Wolverine
     7. #socialmedia
     8. Alfonso Soriano
     9. Lincoln Memorial
    10. Sounds
Source: Twitter

Popular Today on Bing - 7/26/13
    1. Stomach Bug
    2. American Idol Sued
    3. Japan Scrambles Jets
    4. Tropical Storm Dorian
    5. Samantha Geimer
    6. Sandlot Reunion
    7. Mama June Blind
    8. Crimes on Cruise Ships
Source: Bing

iTunes Top 10 Singles - 7/26/13
     1. Blurred Lines (feat. T.J. & Pharrell) - Robin Thicke
     2. Best Song Ever - One Direction
     3. We Can't Stop - Miley Cyrus
     4. Holy Grail (feat. Justin Timberlake) - JAY Z
     5. Radioactive - Imagine Dragons
     6. Beneath Your Beautiful (feat. Emeli Sande) - Labrinth
     7. Get Lucky - (feat. Pharrell Williams) - Daft Punk
     8. Burn - Ellie Goulding
     9. Safe and Sound - Capital Cities
    10. Same Love (feat. Mary Lambert) - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Source: Apple iTunes

Top 10 TV Shows in Prime Time - Week Ending 7/21/13
     1. America's Got Talent - Wed.
     2. Under the Dome
     3. Fox MLB All-Star Game
     4. America's Got Talent - Tues.
     5. NCIS
     6. 60 Minutes
     7. America's Got Talent - Wed. 8p
     8. The Big Bang Theory
     9. Big Brother 15 - Sun.
    10. Big Brother 15 - Thurs.
 Source: Nielsen Co

Top YouTube Videos - 13-17-Year-Olds - Today - 7/26/13
    1. Gravity - "Detached"
    2. Comic-Con Madness! Jennifer Lawrence Videobombs Jeff Bridges
    3. Let's Make Food Battle: The Game
    4. Could We Stop an Asteroid?
    5. Bill Clinton Singing Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke
Source: YouTube

Top 5 Movies - Last Weekend
    1. The Conjuring
    2. Despicable Me 2
    3. Turbo
    4. Grown Ups 2
    5. Red 2
Source: Rotten Tomatoes

Marijuana Use in Adolescence May Cause Permanent Brain Impairment

Regular marijuana use in adolescence, but not adulthood, may permanently impair brain function and cognition, and may increase the risk of developing serious psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, according to a recent study from the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Researchers hope that the study, published in Neuropsychopharmacology will help to shed light on the potential long-term effects of marijuana use, particularly as lawmakers in Maryland and elsewhere contemplate legalizing the drug.

"Over the past 20 years, there has been a major controversy about the long-term effects of marijuana, with some evidence that use in adolescence could be damaging," says the study's senior author Asaf Keller, Ph.D., Professor of Anatomy and Neurobiology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

"Adolescence is the critical period during which marijuana use can be damaging," says the study's lead author, Sylvina Mullins Raver, a Ph.D. candidate in the Program in Neuroscience in the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. "We wanted to identify the biological underpinnings and determine whether there is a real, permanent health risk to marijuana use."

The scientists -- including co-author Sarah Paige Haughwout, a research technician in Dr. Keller's laboratory -- began by examining cortical oscillations in mice. Cortical oscillations are patterns of the activity of neurons in the brain and are believed to underlie the brain's various functions. The scientists exposed young mice to very low doses of the active ingredient in marijuana for 20 days, and then allowed them to return to their siblings and develop normally.

"In the adult mice exposed to marijuana ingredients in adolescence, we found that cortical oscillations were grossly altered, and they exhibited impaired cognitive abilities," says Ms. Raver. "We also found impaired cognitive behavioral performance in those mice. The striking finding is that, even though the mice were exposed to very low drug doses, and only for a brief period during adolescence, their brain abnormalities persisted into adulthood."

The scientists repeated the experiment, this time administering marijuana ingredients to adult mice that had never been exposed to the drug before. Their cortical oscillations and ability to perform cognitive behavioral tasks remained normal, indicating that it was only drug exposure during the critical period of adolescence that impaired cognition through this mechanism.

Dr. Keller's team believes that the results have indications for humans as well. They will continue to study the underlying mechanisms that cause these changes in cortical oscillations.

Source: Science Daily
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130724125028.htm

 

Fewer Parents Can Pay College Tuition

As families continue to recover from the recession, they're relying less on their own income and savings and more on grants and scholarships to finance a college education than in previous years, according to Sallie Mae's How America Pays for College study.

The study, which surveyed a group of 1,602 undergraduates and parents of undergraduates earlier this year, shows that grants and scholarships are used more than any other type of funding, covering 30% of total college costs for a typical family. Five years ago, only half of families reported using grants and scholarships to pay for college. This year, two-thirds of families did, the study shows.

Meanwhile, parents are contributing less of their income and savings toward college costs, covering 27% of college costs compared with 37% in 2010, the study shows.

"The post-recession reality is (parents) don't have the income and savings," says Sarah Ducich, senior vice president of public policy at Sallie Mae. "It's not that they're not willing to stretch. It's that they don't think they have the money to do that."

Source: USA Today
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2013/07/22/recession-college-tuition-savings-plans/2569809/

Study Ties Teen Eating Disorders to Increased Risk of Suicide

A new study finds teens who display binge eating behavior are actually at an increased risk of considering suicide as they turn their emotions inward.

The study was conducted by Dr. Rashelle Musci and colleagues from the Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, and was published in the journal Prevention Science.

In the western culture, a lot of emphasis is put on appearance and it is not surprising to note that numerous young girls and women suffer from eating behavior problems. Binge eating was something most girls resorted to when disturbed, the study noted. This kind of behavior often leads to further distress, shame and embarrassment.

For this study, the team evaluated how depressive and anxious symptoms may be a factor in binge eating and suicidal behavior. They conducted a study on 313 black females between the ages of 6 and 17 and followed them for 11 years.

To examine the level of anxiety, depression, views on their physical appearance and eating disorders, the researchers conducted interviews with teachers, parents and the child. They also kept a track of those who reported suicidal tendencies when the study was conducted.

They noticed that girls who were dissatisfied with their physical appearance often suffered from both depressive and anxious symptoms in adolescence. This in turn led to binge eating. Those adolescent girls who displayed more binge eating behavior reported a greater number of suicide attempts.

Source: Science World
http://www.scienceworldreport.com/articles/8319/20130723/study-ties-teen-eating-disorders-increased-risk-suicides.htm

Young Women Delaying Marriage

The marriage rate in the United States is continuing its decades-long downward slide, with fewer American women than ever getting married and others waiting longer to wed, according to a new report.

The marriage rate has fluctuated in the past, with dips in the 1930s and 1960s, but it has been in steady decline since the 1970s.

Now, researchers report that the marriage rate has dropped to a new low of 31.1, meaning there are about 31 marriages in the U.S. for every 1,000 unmarried women, researchers found. In 1950, that number was 90.2. In 1920, it was 92.3.

The researchers also found that a woman's average age at first marriage in the United States is now nearly 27, the highest in more than a century.

"Marriage is no longer compulsory," study researcher Susan Brown, co-director of the National Center for Family and Marriage Research (NCFMR) at Bowling Green State University, said in a statement. "It's just one of an array of options. Increasingly, many couples choose to cohabit and still others prefer to remain single."

To calculate the marriage rate, researchers look at the percentage of women older than age 15 who get married each year. Among all American women over 15, less than half (47 percent) are married today, the lowest since the turn of the 20th century, and down from a peak of 65 percent in 1950, the report found.

On the other hand, the proportion of women who are separated or divorced is on the rise, at 15 percent today, compared with less than 1 percent in 1920, the researchers say.

Source: Live Science
http://www.livescience.com/38308-us-marriage-rate-new-low.html

What's Hot? 7/19/13

Trending Today on Twitter - 7/19/13
     1. #TheConjuring
     2. Zimmerman
     3. #SexIsReallyGoodWhen
     4. #heatwave
     5. #giveaway
     6. #TheOpen
     7. #bulger
     8. Texas
     9. Boston
    10. New York
Source: Twitter

Popular Today on Bing - 7/19/13
    1. Wrong House Demolished
    2. Meskerem Legesse
    3. Detroit Bankruptcy
    4. Charlie Sheen
    5. Daunte Culpepper
    6. Monokini Sophia Vergara
    7. New Corvette Stingray
    8. Dell Buyout
Source: Bing

iTunes Top 10 Singles - 7/19/13
     1. Blurred Lines (feat. T.J. & Pharrell) - Robin Thicke
     2. We Can't Stop - Miley Cyrus
     3. Holy Grail (feat. Justin Timberlake) - JAY Z
     4. Radioactive - Imagine Dragons
     5. Get Lucky - (feat. Pharrell Williams) - Daft Punk
     6. Cups - Anna Kendrick
     7. Same Love (feat. Mary Lambert) - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
     8. Safe and Sound - Capital Cities
     9. Can't Hold Us - (feat. Ray Dalton) - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
    10. Cruise (Remix) (feat. Nelly) - Florida Georgia Line
Source: Apple iTunes

Top 10 TV Shows in Prime Time - Week Ending 7/14/13
     1. Under the Dome
     2. America's Got Talent - Wed.
     3. America's Got Talent - Tues.
     4. NCIS
     5. The Big Bang Theory
     6. The Bachelorette
     7. Two and a Half Men
     8. 60 Minutes
     9. Big Brother 15
    10. America's Got Talent - Wed. 8p
 Source: Nielsen Co

Top YouTube Videos - 13-17-Year-Olds - Today - 7/19/13
    1. Cory Monteith Gives Advice to Fan on Flight to Vancouver
    2. Kids React to Controversial Cheerios Commercial
    3. JJ Watt Box Jump 59.5 inches
    4. Jane Lynch Remembers Cory Monteith - The Tonight Show
    5. 275,000 Dominoes - Enjoy Your Life
Source: YouTube

Top 5 Movies - Last Weekend
    1. Despicable Me 2
    2. Grown Ups 2
    3. Pacific Rim
    4. The Heat
    5. The Lone Ranger
Source: Rotten Tomatoes

Economic Reality: Back-to-School Shoppers Plan to Cut Back

Despite an improving economy, students and parents will spend nearly 8% less this back-to-school season than in 2012, according to an annual survey from the National Retail Federation.

Prices for back-to-school needs are up this year and parents will save by shopping earlier for sales, shopping online and by having children re-use items bought in last year's booming back-to-school season, the NRF says.

Average back-to-school spending will be $635, down from last year's average of $689, the NRF says. Back-to-college spending also will shrink this year, the NRF says, to an average of $837 for supplies — including apparel, electronics and dorm furnishings — down from $907 last year. It estimates total U.S. spending will be $26.7 billion.

The back-to-school drop comes despite a 7.3% increase in the cost of school supplies, fees and activities estimated by Columbus, Ohio-based Huntington Bank's annual "Backpack Index."

Source: USA Today
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2013/07/18/back-to-school-spending-tablets/2522853/