Jim Liebelt's Youth Culture Watch

Teens Less Likely to Obey Mothers with Controlling Tone of Voice

*The following is excerpted from an online article posted on StudyFinds.

Teenage years are about the time when it becomes infinitely more difficult for parents to convince their kids to do just about anything. Adolescents are usually just discovering their first taste of freedom, and as such it’s typical for the average teen to disregard mom’s or dad’s orders more often. Well, if you’ve been having trouble with the teen in your life, take heed: A new study finds that teens are much less likely to cooperate with a mother’s requests or orders if she has a controlling tone of voice.

While the experimental phase of the study consisted only of mothers, researchers believe their findings also apply to other important authoritative figures in teens’ lives, such as fathers or teachers. Furthermore, the study also concluded that speaking to a teen in an especially pressuring manner results in a range of negative emotions and reduced feelings of closeness in the adolescent.

The study, conducted at Cardiff University in Wales, is the first ever to examine how teenage subjects respond to different tones of voice when receiving instructions from their mother. In all, 1,000 adolescents took part in the experiment; 486 males and 514 females, all 14-15 years old.

“If parents want conversations with their teens to have the most benefit, it’s important to remember to use supportive tones of voice. It’s easy for parents to forget, especially if they are feeling stressed, tired, or pressured themselves,” comments Dr. Netta Weinstein, the study’s lead author, in a release.

Teens were much more likely to respond to requests given in an encouraging manner that emphasized the adolescent’s right to self-expression and personal choice. This tone of voice was classified by researchers as “autonomy-supportive.”

“Adolescents likely feel more cared about and happier, and as a result they try harder at school, when parents and teachers speak in supportive rather than pressuring tones of voice,” Dr. Weinstein continues.

The study is published in the scientific journal Developmental Psychology.

Source: StudyFinds
https://www.studyfinds.org/teens-less-likely-to-obey-mothers-with-controlling-tone-of-voice/

What's Hot? 09/27/19

Trending Today on Twitter - 9/27/19
1. #ChickenNoodleSoup
2. #FridayFeeling
3. Liddle
4. #FridayThoughts
5. Kevin Gates
6. #FridayMotivation
7. #Powertrip
8. Hyphen
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Source: Twitter

Trending Today on Google - 9/27/19
1. Google
2. Kanye West
3. Memphis football
4. Eagles vs Packers
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9. Felix Hernandez
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Source: Google

iTunes Top 10 Singles - 9/27/19
1. Chicken Noodle Soup (feat Becky G.) - j-hope
2. Truth Hurts - Lizzo
3. Memories - Maroon 5
4. Someone You Loved - Lewis Capaldi
5. Circles - Post Malone
6. Lonely - Diplo & Jonas Brothers
7. Old Town Road (feat. Billy Ray Cyrus) - Lil Nas X
8. Senorita - Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello
9. Good as Hell - Lizzo
10. One Thing Right - Marshmello & Kane Brown
Source: iTunes

Top 10 TV (Broadcast) Shows - Week Ending 9/22/19
1. Sunday Night Football
2. Sunday Night NFL Pre-Kick
3. America's Got Talent - Wed
4. Football Night in America - Part 3
5. 60 Minutes
6. America's Got Talent - Tue
7. Home Depot Prime College Football
8. Dancing with the Stars
9. Emmy Awards
10. NCIS
Source: Nielsen Co.

Trending Today on YouTube - 9/27/19
1. NBA YoungBoy - House Arrest Tingz
2. I Bought my Dad a Brand New Lamborghini
3. Celebrities Read Mean Tweets #12
4. Ashton Kutcher Gets an Endorphin Rush While Eating Spicy Wings
5. LILLY PRANKS ABBY LEE
Source: YouTube

Top 5 Movies - Last Weekend
1. Downton Abbey
2. Ad Astra
3. Rambo: Last Blood
4. It Chapter Two
5. Hustlers
Source: Rotten Tomatoes

Staying at Elementary School for Longer Associated with Higher Student Attainment

*The following is excerpted from an online article posted on EurekAlert.

A new study has discovered that U.S. students achieve better results in reading and mathematics tests when they stay in elementary school for grades six (age 11-12) and seven (age 12-13), rather than transfer to middle school. In contrast, students in grade eight (age 13-14) achieve better results in middle school than high school.

"The current study adds to the growing body of research that experiencing a school transition during early adolescence is associated with detrimental outcomes," said lead researcher Marisa Malone from the University of Virginia, Charlottesville. Malone and her colleagues report their findings in School Effectiveness and School Improvement.

In the U.S., there are various ways that students can transfer between schools as they age, with the span of grades covered by different schools known as grade configuration. One of the most common configurations is to go to elementary school up to grade five, and then to middle school from grades six to eight, and then to high school from grade nine onwards. But several studies have found that academic motivation and achievement tend to fall in middle school, with sixth-grade students in middle schools more likely to exhibit lower academic competency, more disciplinary problems and poorer attendance than those who stay in elementary schools.

The study included 573 public schools in Virginia, which adopts various grade configurations. Most students transfer to middle school for grades six, seven and eight, but in some areas, students stay in elementary school until grade six or seven and then transfer straight to high school, missing out middle school.

All schools in Virginia conduct mandatory tests of reading and mathematics from grade three onwards. Malone and her colleagues recorded the pass rates for these tests in grades six, seven and eight for each school over three years, and then compared the pass rates between the different configurations. They found that the pass rates for these tests were significantly higher for sixth and seventh grade students at elementary schools when compared to middle schools, although the effect was more pronounced for sixth grade students than seventh grade. For eighth grade students, the pass rate was higher in middle schools than high schools.

Together, these results suggest that students struggle with the transfer between schools, especially in early adolescence, adversely affecting their academic achievement.

Source: EurekAlert!
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-09/tfg-sae091319.php

7 In 10 Parents Admit They’ve Sent Their Sick Child to School

*The following is excerpted from an online article posted on StudyFinds.

School attendance is important. That being said, at a certain point sending a sick child to school can put other children at risk of becoming ill. That’s why a recent survey is raising so many eyebrows: seven out of ten parents say they have sent their child (between the ages of 3-16) to attend school even when they knew they were sick.

When asked why they would send a sick child into school, most of the 2,000 British parents of children ages 3-16 who participated in the survey blame their actions on pressure at work, while others listed the school’s strict attendance rules.

According to the survey, commissioned by hygiene company Essity, six in 10 parents of kids have even sent their child to school with a contagious infection, such as a cold or stomach bug. Furthermore, more than a third of respondents believe their child had spread an illness to other children after being sent to school while unwell.

It seems parents are willing to do just about anything to make sure their child attends school; nearly one in four admitted that they had asked their child to lie about their health in order to attend school!

Regarding specific ailments, 70% of parents have sent their child to school with a cold, while 17% have insisted their child go to school while suffering from diarrhea or vomiting symptoms. Another 14% sent their child to school with chicken pox, as well as 22% with an ear infection, and 19% with a viral infection.

Besides pressure at work and strict attendance policies, nearly three in 10 parents say they had sent their sick child to school because they absolutely couldn’t afford to miss another day of work. Interestingly, more than one in five parents admit they worry what their co-workers would think of them if they stayed home to care for their sick children.

Often times, the sick child doesn’t make it through a full school day; 64% of parents who had sent their child to school while unwell ended up getting a phone call to pick them up early.

Source: StudyFinds
https://www.studyfinds.org/cant-miss-work-7-in-10-parents-admit-theyve-sent-sick-child-to-school/

Teen E-Cigarette Use Doubles Since 2017

*The following is excerpted from an online article posted on MedicalXpress.

Data from the 2019 Monitoring the Future Survey of eighth, 10th and 12th graders show alarmingly high rates of e-cigarette use compared to just a year ago, with rates doubling in the past two years. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, scientists who coordinate and evaluate the survey released the data early to The New England Journal of Medicine(NEJM) to notify public health officials working to reduce vaping by teens. The survey is funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health.

The new data show a significant increase in past month vaping of nicotine in each of the three grade levels since 2018. In 2019, the prevalence of past month nicotine vaping was more than 1 in 4 students in 12th grade; 1 in 5 in 10th grade, and 1 in 11 in eighth grade.

"With 25% of 12th graders, 20% of 10th graders and 9% of eighth graders now vaping nicotine within the past month, the use of these devices has become a public health crisis," said NIDA Director Dr. Nora D. Volkow. "These products introduce the highly addictive chemical nicotine to these young people and their developing brains, and I fear we are only beginning to learn the possible health risks and outcomes for youth."

Source: MedicalXpress
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2019-09-teen-e-cigarette.html

More U.S. Teen Girls Are Victims of Suicide Than Thought

*The following is excerpted from an online article posted on HealthDay.

The gender gap in teen suicide is smaller than previously estimated, with more girls dying by suicide each year, a new study contends.

Suicide death rates among 10- to 19-year-old girls have been systematically underestimated, while rates among boys have been overestimated, according to the report published in JAMA Network Open.

Experts have pegged the male-to-female gender gap in suicide among teens at 3-to-1, but it's really closer to 2-to-1, researchers said.

"The reduced gender gap in suicide is a surprise," said lead researcher Dr. Bin Yu, a doctoral student in epidemiology at the University of Florida. "It is really important that we not underestimate the risk of suicide among girls."

The new model found that suicide deaths among U.S. teens have risen continuously during the past decade, and at a more rapid rate than reflected in earlier estimates, researchers said.

Conventional methods of estimating annual suicide death rates are flawed, Yu said, because they don't take into account the generational risks associated with suicide.

To develop the best possible estimate, Yu and co-author Dr. Xinguang Chen from the UF College of Medicine created a model that combines three factors: a person's age, the year of their birth, and the year in which they died by suicide.

This new way of estimating suicide rates pegged the death rate among boys at 4.9 per 100,000 in 1999 and 8.7 per 100,000 in 2017. Previous estimates placed boys' rates at 7.4 in 1999 and 10.7 in 2017.

Using the new model, suicide rates among girls were 1.7 per 100,000 in 1999 and 4.2 in 2017, compared with earlier estimates of 1.6 in 1999 and 3.5 in 2017.

"The persistent suicide increase we see without a tendency to slow down underscores the need for increased effort at all levels for youth suicide prevention, with a further strengthening of suicide prevention interventions aimed at girls," Yu said.

The new rate model supports other recent studies that have found an increase in suicide among teens, particularly among girls, said Dr. Igor Galynker, director of the Suicide Research and Prevention Laboratory at Mount Sinai in New York City.

"Not only is the suicide rate increasing in the United States, the increase in suicide rate is increasing," he said.

The teenage suicide rate rose roughly 3% a year up to 2014, but since then, it has increased by an average 10% a year, said Galynker, who wasn't part of the new study.

While this new study did not examine possible reasons for the increase, Yu noted that teens born after 1995 have been more heavily exposed to social media and have grown up during the ongoing U.S. opioid epidemic.

Galynker said teens' screen use and the amount of time they spend with social media have both been linked to increased suicide risk.

Source: HealthDay
https://consumer.healthday.com/kids-health-information-23/adolescents-and-teen-health-news-719/more-u-s-teen-girls-are-victims-of-suicide-than-thought-study-finds-750254.html

What's Hot? 09/20/19

Trending Today on Twitter - 9/20/19
1. #LiveFromTheArea51Raid
2. #ClimateStrike
3. Bill de Blasio
4. #FridayMotivation
5. #FridayThoughts
6. #FridayMorning
7. Lisa Bonet
8. Happy Friyay
9. Sophia Loren
10. Finally Friday
Source: Twitter

Trending Today on Google - 9/20/19
1. Friends Ross
2. Rugby World Cup 2019
3. Gardner Minshew
4. Area 51 raid
5. Houston Weather
6. iOS 13
7. Rachel Green
8. Cardi B
9. Europa League
10. Downton Abbey
Source: Google

iTunes Top 10 Singles - 9/20/19
1. Truth Hurts - Lizzo
2. Someone You Loved - Lewis Capaldi
3. Senorita - Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello
4. Circles - Post Malone
5. The Git Up - Bianco Brown
6. You Are the Reason - Calum Scott & Leona Lewis
7. Good as Hell - Lizzo
8. Memories - Maroon 5
9. You Need to Calm Down - Taylor Swift
10. Take What You Want (feat. Ozzy Osbourne & Travis Scott) - Post Malone
Source: iTunes

Top 10 TV (Broadcast) Shows - Week Ending 9/15/19
1. Sunday Night Football
2. ABC News: Democratic Debate
3. Sunday Night NFL Pre-Kick
4. The OT
5. America's Got Talent - Tue
6. Football Night in America - Part 3
7. America's Got Talent - Wed
8. 60 Minutes
9. NCIS
10. Celebrity Family Feud
Source: Nielsen Co.

Trending Today on YouTube - 9/20/19
1. Shia LaBeouf Sheds a Tear While Eating Spicy Wings
2. Ariana Grande - thank u, next (the fragrance)
3. KUS Navy confirms UFO videos are the real deal
4. PSG 3-0 Real Madrid: Champions League Group A Recap
5. Kodi Lee Wins America's Got Talent Season 14!
Source: YouTube

Top 5 Movies - Last Weekend
1. It Chapter Two
2. Hustlers
3. Angel Has Fallen
4. Good Boys
5. The Lion King
Source: Rotten Tomatoes

Slower Growth in Working Memory Linked to Teen Driving Crashes

*The following is excerpted from an online article posted on ScienceDaily.

Research into why adolescent drivers are involved in motor vehicle crashes, the leading cause of injury and death among 16- to 19-year-olds in the United States, has often focused on driving experience and skills. But a new study suggests that development of the adolescent brain may play a critical role in whether a teenager is more likely to crash.

The study finds that slower growth in the development of working memory is associated with motor vehicle crashes, which points to cognitive development screening as a potential new strategy for identifying and tailoring driving interventions for teens at high risk for crashes.

The study, led by researchers at the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania (APPC) and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), is the first longitudinal study of working memory development in relation to vehicle crashes. The paper "Working Memory Development and Motor Vehicle Crashes in Young Drivers" was published in JAMA Network Open.

The research examines data from 118 youth in Philadelphia who were part of a larger group that participated in a six-wave survey from when they were 10- to 12-year-olds, in 2005, until they were 18- to 20-year-olds, in 2013-14. The survey measured working memory development, as well as associated risk-related traits and behaviors. This group later participated in a follow-up survey on driving experience.

"We found that teens who had slower development in working memory were more likely to report being in a crash," said the lead author, Elizabeth A. Walshe, Ph.D., who is a postdoctoral fellow at the Annenberg Public Policy Center and at the Center for Injury Research and Prevention at CHOP.

Working memory, which develops through adolescence into the twenties, is a frontal lobe process associated with complex, moment-to-moment tasks essential to driving. "Safe driving involves scanning, monitoring, and updating information about the vehicle and environment while managing multiple subtasks (e.g., adjusting speed, steering, in-vehicle controls) and distractors (e.g., peer passengers and cell phones)," the researchers said in their paper. All of these tasks challenge working memory, especially when a young driver has not yet fully learned to automate many basic driving routines.

The researchers say the study results have important policy implications. While all 50 states have some type of graduated driver licensing (GDL) program that gradually lifts restrictions for young new drivers, the research suggests that individual assessments of adolescents' cognitive development may play an important part, too.

"If our findings hold up in larger samples with diverse youth, we will need to start assessing cognitive abilities, such as working memory, to see if some adolescents are less ready for independent driving," said Daniel Romer, Ph.D., research director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center and a senior fellow at the Center for Injury Research and Prevention at CHOP. "There is considerable variation in working memory development during the teen years, and some teens may not be as ready to drive on their own without additional assistance."

Source: ScienceDaily

Adolescents With High Levels of Physical Activity Perform Better in School Over Two Years

*The following is excerpted from an online article posted on ScienceDaily.

Adolescents with higher levels of physical activity performed better in school during transition from primary school to lower secondary school than their physically inactive peers, a new study from Finland shows. However, the researchers, from the University of Jyväskylä, found that increased physical activity did not necessarily result in improved academic performance.

Previous cross-sectional studies have reported that physically more active children and adolescents achieve better school grades than their less active peers do, but there are few longitudinal studies on the topic. A newly published study showed that adolescents with higher levels of physical activity over a follow-up period of two academic years had higher academic performance than did those who were continuously inactive. Furthermore, the study showed that increased levels of physical activity do not automatically result in improved academic performance. Instead, the results suggest that those adolescents who increased their physical activity had lower academic performance during the follow-up compared to their more active peers.

What the results mean
Highly active adolescents performed better in school compared to their less active peers. However, our results showed that increasing physical activity over a period of two academic years did not necessarily improve academic performance.

What the results do not mean
Based on our results, it is not possible to say whether physical activity improves academic performance or if adolescents with higher academic performance choose a physically active lifestyle. Therefore, no causal interpretations can be made. However, the results of the present study do not refute the findings of previous studies showing small but positive effects of physical activity on learning and its neural underpinnings.

Source: ScienceDaily
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/09/190910105349.htm

Teen Girl 'Night Owls' May Be More Likely to Gain Weight

*The following is excerpted from an online article posted on National Institutes of Health.

Teen girls — but not boys — who prefer to go to bed later are more likely to gain weight, compared to same-age girls who go to bed earlier, suggests a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. The findings by researchers at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, California, and other institutions appear in JAMA Pediatrics.

A total of 804 adolescents (418 girls and 386 boys) ages 11 to 16 took part in the study. The children responded to questionnaires on their sleep habits and wore an actigraph — a wrist device that tracks movement. Researchers measured their waist size and calculated their proportion of body fat. They also estimated the children’s social jet lag — the difference between their weeknight and weekend bedtimes. Those who stayed up far later on weekends than weeknights were considered to have high social jet lag. The authors noted that previous studies had found that adults who preferred to stay up late and had high social jet lag were more likely to gain weight than those who went to be earlier and did not have social jet lag. The researchers undertook the current study to determine if the same associations would be seen in young people.

For girls, staying up later was associated with increases in waist size and body fat. Each hour of social jet lag was associated with a 1.19 cm larger waste size and a 0.45 kg/m²increase in body fat. These associations were reduced—but still remained—after the researchers statistically adjusted for other factors known to influence weight, such as sleep duration, diet, physical activity and television viewing. Although the researchers found slight associations between these measures and waist size and body fat in boys, they were not statistically significant. The researchers concluded that improving sleep schedules may be helpful in preventing obesity in childhood and adolescence, especially in girls.

Source: National Institutes of Health
https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-funded-study-suggests-teen-girl-night-owls-may-be-more-likely-gain-weight