Jim Liebelt's Youth Culture Watch

Summer Catch-Up Programs Need to Focus on Teens' Wellbeing, Not Just Academic Progress

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

A new study finds that summer vacation school catch-up programs to address gaps in knowledge after school closures need to support children who are still struggling due to social isolation.

Findings from the study, published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, focused on the connections between loneliness, social contact, parental relationships, and the mental health of adolescents aged 11-16 during the first full UK lockdown from March to May 2020.

Their analysis drew on self-reported data from 894 young people who each completed a survey throughout to gauge their experiences of lockdown and its effects on their emotions, relationships, and feelings.

The team from the universities of Bath, Bristol, Oxford, Leicester, Reading, and UCL identified that it was the type of social contact with friends and family that most shaped young people's mental health outcomes. For example, whereas regular voice and video calls with friends had positive impacts for individuals, more indirect communications, such as increased texting / messaging, including via social media, either made no difference or had a negative impact.

The study found a strong association between perceived closeness with parents and positive impacts on psychological distress. This, say the authors, is different from proximity with parents and instead is about emotional connection. For example, parents may have been working away from the home during lockdown but what mattered was the closeness of their connection with children when they returned. Unsurprising and consistent with previous findings, young people who were lonelier also had greater mental health difficulties at the outset of lockdown.

With their results, in the context of a further disrupted year and with the prospect of summer holiday catch-ups, the researchers suggest that schools and other community support organizations need to address the differential experiences of young people to ensure those who have struggled get appropriate support.

They argue that summer holiday programs must prioritize wellbeing support, including social interaction either in-person or digitally. This means making time for socializing is crucial. In addition, policymakers need to acknowledge the growing demand for mental health services that will be required and urgently increase funding in child and adolescent mental health services.

First author, Dr. Kate Cooper from the Department of Psychology at the University of Bath, explained: "Schools have been working incredibly hard to meet student needs throughout the pandemic, but it's important that when we think about catch-up programs this summer these are not just orientated towards academic support. That is, of course, important, but it's children's wellbeing and mental health that provide the foundation for learning, and so it would be counterproductive to provide catch-up programs which do not prioritize mental health and social connections."

Source: ScienceDaily
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/06/210621123730.htm

Evidence Against Physically Punishing Kids is Clear, Researchers Say

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

A conclusive narrative review has found physical punishment of children is not effective in preventing child behavior problems or promoting positive outcomes and instead predicts increases in behavior problems and other poor outcomes over time. The study by an international group of scientists including a researcher from The University of Texas at Austin was published in The Lancet.

Caregivers in many parts of the world use physical punishment as a response to children's perceived misbehavior: 63% of children between the ages of 2 and 4 worldwide - approximately 250 million children - are regularly subjected to physical punishment by caregivers.

Sixty-two countries have banned the practice, which is increasingly seen as a form of violence.

The team looked at studies involving physical punishment such as spanking and excluded any behaviors that could constitute child physical abuse.

"There is no evidence that physical punishment is good for children," said Elizabeth Gershoff, the Amy Johnson McLaughlin Centennial Professor in Human Development and Family Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin and senior author of the paper. "All the evidence indicates that physical punishment is harmful to children's development and well-being."

The review looked at 69 studies, most of which were from the United States, with eight from other countries. Scientists found that physical punishment was not associated with any positive outcomes for children and increased the risk that children would experience severe violence or neglect. The paper points out that negative outcomes associated with physical punishment, such as behavior problems, occurred no matter the child's sex, race, or ethnicity and regardless of the overall parenting styles of the caregivers. The authors also found evidence that the magnitude of negative outcomes for children increased the more frequently physical punishment was used.

"Parents hit their children because they think doing so will improve their behavior," Gershoff said. "Unfortunately for parents who hit, our research found clear and compelling evidence that physical punishment does not improve children's behavior and instead makes it worse."

In the U.S., it is legal in all 50 states for parents to use physical punishment. It is also legal in 19 states for schools to use physical punishment against children. The paper was intended as a resource for policymakers and people who work with families, such as medical and mental health providers.

Source: EurekAlert!
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-06/uota-eap062521.php

No Drop in Teens' Use of Pot, Binge Drinking Despite Pandemic Lockdowns

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

U.S. high school seniors say marijuana was significantly harder to come by during the pandemic — yet their use of the drug continued at rates similar to those before school closures began, a new study finds.

Their binge-drinking also continued at similar rates, according to the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

"Last year brought dramatic changes to adolescents' lives, as many teens remained home with parents and other family members full time," said NIDA director Dr. Nora Volkow. "It is striking that despite this monumental shift and teens' perceived decreases in the availability of marijuana and alcohol, usage rates held steady for these substances. This indicates that teens were able to obtain them despite barriers caused by the pandemic and despite not being of age to legally purchase them."

For the study, lead author Richard Miech of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and colleagues used an annual survey of substance use behaviors and attitudes among U.S. teens to assess the pandemic's impact.

The teens reported the largest year-to-year decreases in perceived availability of marijuana and alcohol in the survey's 46 years.

For marijuana, the percentage of students who reported "fairly" or "very" easy access dropped 17 points — from 76% in the spring before the pandemic to 59%. For alcohol, it dropped 24 points, from 86% to 62%.

Even with lower perceived availability, about 20% of students said they had used marijuana in the past month, compared with 23% before the pandemic. And 13% reported binge drinking in the past two weeks during the pandemic compared with 17% before.

The authors cited the wide availability of alcohol and marijuana as a factor in the continued use of these substances.

One behavior that did decline substantially was vaping, the study authors noted.

Before the pandemic, 24% of respondents said they had vaped nicotine in the past month, compared with 17% during the pandemic.

"These findings suggest that reducing adolescent substance use through attempts to restrict supply alone would be a difficult undertaking," said Miech, of the Monitoring the Future study. "The best strategy is likely to be one that combines approaches to limit the supply of these substances with efforts to decrease demand, through educational and public health campaigns."

The survey results were published online in Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

Source: HealthDay
https://consumer.healthday.com/b-6-25-no-drop-in-teen-s-use-of-pot-binge-drinking-despite-pandemic-lockdowns-2653526933.html

Marijuana Use May be Associated with Suicidality in Young Adults

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

An analysis of survey data from more than 280,000 young adults ages 18-35 showed that cannabis (marijuana) use was associated with increased risks of thoughts of suicide (suicidal ideation), suicide plan, and suicide attempt. These associations remained regardless of whether someone was also experiencing depression, and the risks were greater for women than for men. The study published online in JAMA Network Open and was conducted by researchers at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health.

"While we cannot establish that cannabis use caused the increased suicidality we observed in this study, these associations warrant further research," said NIDA Director Nora Volkow, M.D., senior author of this study.

The number of adults in the United States who use cannabis more than doubled from 22.6 million in 2008 to 45.0 million in 2019, and the number of daily or near-daily users almost tripled from 3.6 million to 9.8 million in 2019. Over the same time span, the number of adults with depression also increased, as did the number of people who reported suicidal ideation or plan or who died by suicide. To date, however, the relationship between trends in cannabis use and suicidality is not well understood.

The current study sought to fill this gap.

The results of the study indicated that even people who used cannabis nondaily, fewer than 300 days a year, were more likely to have suicidal ideation and to plan or attempt suicide than those who did not use the drug at all. These associations remained regardless of whether someone was also experiencing depression. Among people without a major depressive episode, about 3% of those who did not use cannabis had suicidal ideation, compared with about 7% of those with nondaily cannabis use, about 9% of those with daily cannabis use, and 14% of those with a cannabis use disorder. Among people with depression, 35% of people who did not use cannabis had suicidal ideation, compared to 44% of those with nondaily cannabis use, 53% of those who used cannabis daily, and 50% of those who had a cannabis use disorder. Similar trends existed for the associations between different levels of cannabis use and suicide plan or attempt.

Moreover, the researchers found that women who used cannabis at any level were more likely to have suicidal ideation or report a suicide plan or attempt than men with the same levels of cannabis use.

Source: MedicalXpress
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-06-cannabis-suicidality-young-adults.html

Parents May Underestimate Impact of Involving Adolescent Children in Conflicts

*The following is excerpted from an online article posted on Penn State News.

When parents who are fighting with each other draw their adolescent children into their conflicts, the children may perceive those conflicts very differently than their parents, according to a new Penn State study.

"Parents may not realize the impact they are having on their children," said Devin McCauley, a doctoral candidate in human development and family studies and principal investigator on the project.

Parents may bring their children into a conflict — called "triangulation" — for different reasons, such as to diffuse tension or to ask their children to side with them in an argument.

Involving children in verbal or physical hostility can be damaging, as children may blame themselves or feel threatened, McCauley noted. Possible outcomes from frequent triangulation can include depression, anxiety, behavioral issues, or trouble in school.

The research team analyzed data from 150 families with adolescents who were asked about occurrences of triangulation, interparental conflict, and their feelings of family cohesion once per day for 21 days. They found that on days when triangulation happened more often, the children reported significantly higher levels of interparental conflict and less feelings of family cohesion than their parents did.

McCauley said feelings of family cohesion — often resulting from emotional support from family members — can help bolster adolescents' well-being.

The findings were published in the Journal of Family Psychology.

Source: Penn State News
https://news.psu.edu/story/662026/2021/06/21/research/parents-may-underestimate-impact-involving-adolescent-children

Obesity in Teens Raises Adult Diabetes Risk, Even After Weight Loss

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

In a finding that confirms what many suspect, a new study shows that teens who are overweight or obese may be more likely to develop type 2 diabetes or have a heart attack in their 30s and 40s.

These teens are also more likely to have other health issues down the road, regardless of whether they shed any excess weight during adulthood.

"Adolescence is an important time period to prevent future diabetes and heart attacks," said study author Dr. Jason Nagata, an assistant professor of pediatrics in the division of adolescent and young adult medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.

For the new study, the researchers analyzed data on 12,300 adolescents who were followed for 24 years as part of the U.S. National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. The investigators tracked body mass index (BMI) z-scores. BMI is a measure of body fat based on height and weight, and the z-score puts it into perspective based on a child's age and sex.

When compared with teens who had lower BMI-z scores, adolescents with higher scores had a nearly 9% increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes, a 0.8% greater risk for having a heart attack in their 30s and 40s, and a 2.6% higher risk for being in overall poorer health, and this held regardless of their adult BMI. The researchers also controlled for other factors known to affect health outcomes, such as race/ethnicity, tobacco, and alcohol use.

"Parents should encourage teenagers to develop healthy behaviors, such as regular physical activity and balanced meals," Nagata said. Doctors should also consider BMI history in their evaluations, he added.

The findings were published online in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Source: HealthDay
https://consumer.healthday.com/6-21-obesity-in-teens-raises-adult-diabetes-risk-even-after-weight-loss-2653402308.html

Fast-Food Companies Spending More on Ads Aimed at Youth

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

The U.S. fast-food industry has boosted spending on ads targeting kids, especially Black and Hispanic youth, new research shows.

For the study, the researchers analyzed data on ad spending and TV ad exposure for 274 fast-food restaurants and found that annual spending hit $5 billion in 2019, up more than $400 million between 2012 and 2019.

"Fast-food consumption by children and teens has increased over the past decade, and fast-food advertising definitely plays a role in that rise," said study co-author Jennifer Harris. She is senior research advisor for marketing initiatives at the University of Connecticut's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, in Hartford.

In 2019 alone, 2- to 5-year-olds saw an average of 830 fast-food TV ads; 6- to 11-year-olds saw 787 ads; and 12- to 17-year-olds saw 775 ads, her team reported.

Just 1% of the ads promoted healthy menu choices. The rest touted full-calorie menu items or the restaurants in general.

Only 10% of the ads kids saw appeared during children's TV programming, and fewer than 10% promoted kids' meals, the researchers found. Many ads touted mobile apps or websites for digital orders.

Ads on both Spanish-language and Black-targeted TV programming increased dramatically over the study period, the findings revealed. Fast-food ad spending on Spanish-language TV rose 33% between 2012 and 2019. In 2019, Black youth saw 75% more fast-food ads than white youth did, up from a 60% difference in 2012.

On both Spanish-language and Black-targeted TV programming, fast-food ads more often featured low-cost, large-portion menu items and meal deals versus other offerings. No healthy menu items at all were advertised on Spanish-language TV, according to the report.

The findings were published on the center's FACTS website. FACTS is an acronym for Food Advertising to Children and Teens Score.

Source: HealthDay
https://consumer.healthday.com/b-6-17-fast-food-companies-spending-more-money-on-ads-aimed-at-youth-2653321351.html

What's Hot? 06/18/21

Trending Today on Twitter - 6/18/21
1. Kemba
2. Brad Stevens
3. #fridaymorning
4. Juneteenth
5. #FridayFeeling
6. Waffle House
7. #FridayThoughts
8. #FridayVibes
9. Bullard
10. Danny Ainge
Source: Twitter

Trending Today on Google - 6/18/21
1. Grand Army
2. Juneteenth federal holiday
3. U.S. Open
4. Clippers
5. iCarly reboot
6. Madden 22
7. Paramount Plus
8. Rick Carlisle
9. Supreme Court
10. Alex Harvill
Source: Google

Top Five on Spotify - 6/18/21
1. good 4 u - Olivia Rodrigo
2. Kiss Me More (feat. SZA) - Doja Cat
3. deja vu - Olivia Rodrigo
4. RAPSTAR - Polo G
5. traitor - Olivia Rodrigo
Source: Spotify

Top Five on Apple Music - 6/18/21
1. good 4 u - Olivia Rodrigo
2. Wants and Needs (feat. Lil Baby) - Drake
3. RAPSTAR - Polo G
4. Hats Off - Lil Baby, Lil Durk, Travis Scott
5. Having Our Way (feat. Drake) - Migos
Source: Apple Music

TV Shows Trending on Streaming Services - 6/18/21
1. Manifest - Netflix
2. Loki - Disney+
3. Yellowstone - Peacock
4. Hacks - HBOMax
5. Lupin - Netflix
Source: Reelgood

Trending Today on YouTube - 6/18/21
1. A Year Later...
2. Transforming ALL of Minecraft
3. 2021 XXL Freshmen Read Mean Comments
4. I WON
5. Another day, another mail-in. It's Crunch Time!
Source: YouTube

Netflix Top 5 in the U.S. Today - 6/18/21
1. Manifest
2. Wish Dragon
3. Sweet Tooth
4. Workin' Moms
5. Cocomelon
Source: Netflix

Head Impacts During Youth Sports (even minor ones) Cause Changes in the Brain

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

With kids finally starting to get back outside to play and join team sports again, a new study may give parents new worries about signing their children up for things like football or soccer. Researchers from Wake Forest School of Medicine say head impacts aren’t just a concern in the NFL, they can be just as serious for youngsters too. Their findings reveal even non-serious head impacts can change a child’s brain for years to come.

Brain scans reveal microscopic abnormalities among youth football players, with the cumulative effect potentially leading to harm after just one season. Previous studies have led to scientists calling for youth soccer programs to ban heading, or hitting the ball with your skull. For football programs, these findings have led to stricter enforcement of concussion protocols.

“Although we need more studies to fully understand what the measured changes mean, from a public health perspective, it is motivation to further reduce head impact drills used during practice in youth football,” said lead author Dr. Jillian Urban in a university release.

Study authors based their recommendations on 3D images of the brain’s white matter, which controls learning and coordination. The team identified “abnormal voxels” in brain scans of several young football players. These changes were absent in their peers playing non-contact sports like swimming and tennis.

The 47 football players, all under 19 years old, played the sport for a variety of teams for two or more consecutive years between 2012 and 2017. All wore football helmets fitted with a special sensor that records head impacts during both practice and actual games. In just one season, youth football players sustained between 26 and 1,003 head impacts. High school players took between 129 and 1,258 hits to the helmet.

Dr. Urban says, fortunately, most of these impacts don’t result in a concussion. In fact, most non-concussive impacts do not produce any acute signs or symptoms of a concussion — a blow that shakes the brain inside the skull. However, a closer analysis of 19 of these players identified changes to their brains after taking minor hits to the head.

Study authors say the amount of head impact exposure an athlete experiences, particularly in training, connects with the amount of change in their neuro-imaging results. Dr. Urban and her colleagues are now backing efforts to reduce the frequency of head contact in youth sports. They believe it will protect participants from brain abnormalities that can develop in as little as one season.

Source: StudyFinds
https://www.studyfinds.org/head-impacts-change-the-brain/

Big Rise in Suicide Attempts by U.S. Teen Girls During Pandemic

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

The suicide attempt rate has risen by as much as half among teenage girls during the coronavirus pandemic, a new government study shows.

Emergency room visits for suspected suicide attempts among girls between the ages of 12 and 17 increased by 26% during summer 2020 and by 50% during winter 2021, compared with the same periods in 2019, researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found. However, ER trips related to suspected suicide attempts among boys of the same age and young adults aged 18 to 25 remained stable during the pandemic.

"The findings from this study suggest more severe distress among young females than has been identified in previous reports during the pandemic, reinforcing the need for increased attention to, and prevention for, this population," concluded the report published in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Self-reported suicide attempts are consistently higher among teen girls than boys, and research prior to the pandemic indicated that girls had higher and increasing rates of emergency department visits related to suicide attempts than boys, the CDC scientists noted.

Young girls might have been more affected by the pandemic due to lockdowns that broke their connectedness to schools, teachers, and friends, the study speculated.

The researchers noted a 31% increase in the proportion of mental health-related emergency department visits that occurred among teenagers in 2020, compared with the year before.

At the same time, there's been no significant increase in suicide deaths among teenage girls during the pandemic.

Source: HealthDay
https://consumer.healthday.com/b-6-11-suicide-attempts-jumped-51-for-u-s-teen-girls-during-lockdowns-2653325226.html