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What Protects Teenagers from Engaging in Early Unprotected
Sex, Violence, Drug and Alcohol Use and Suicide?
• Resiliency Research Report conducted by Hope Enterprises/RFSO in collaboration with the CHANGE project funded by USAID
PROMOTING POSITIVE AND HEALTHY BEHAVIOUR
To see all children as “at promise” rather than “at risk” is a fundamental shift that means teaching rather than fixing,pointing to health rather than dysfunction.”
STOP TO START
• STOP using drugs!• STOP drinking!• STOP having sex!• STOP being violent!• STOP feeling depressed!
• START DOING WHAT ?? • The resilient adolescent is one who prays well,
works well, plays well and expects well.
RESILIENCY
• Resilience, youth development, building social capital,developmental assets all represent the same positive approach.
• All variations on the developmental theme of meeting adolescents’ need for love and belonging,respect, identity, power, and meaning.
RESILIENCY RESEARCH
• Growing body of research that provides evidence of both external and internal factors that protect adolescents from engaging in health risk behaviour
• the precise nature of the network of relationships between risk and resilience are topics of ongoing investigation.
RESEARCH QUESTION
The provision of environmental supports and opportunities, defined as external assets: caring relationships, high expectations and opportunities for meaningful participation will engage the adolescent’s innate resilience and promote positive outcomes in many aspects of behaviour.
Youth Development Conceptual Model
INTERNAL
ASSETSIImmpprroovveeddHHeeaalltthh,,SSoocciiaall &&AAccaaddeemmiiccOOuuttccoommeess
Safety
Love
Belonging
Respect
Mastery
Challenge
Power
Meaning
EXTERNAL
ASSETS
YOUTH NEEDS
Home
Caring Adult Relationships
High Expectations
Meaningful Participation
Community
Caring Adult Relationships
High Expectations
Meaningful Participation
Cooperation &
Communication
Empathy
Problem Solving
Self-Efficacy
Self-Awareness
Goals & Aspirations
Peer
Caring Adult Relationships
High Expectations
School
Caring Adult Relationships
High Expectations
Meaningful Participation
Troubles
Healthy childHealthy adolescent
Healthy adult
RESILIENCIES
CHILDPathology
CHALLENGE MODEL
Challenges Rebounds
SuccumbsDamages
SURVEY DESIGN and ADMINISTRATION
• Instrument adapted from the CHKS, West Ed Corporation,California.
• Identified 13 external and 6 internal assets measured using 61 questions.
• Enumeration districts were randomly selected and all households within each cluster visited-1004 adolescents between 12-16 were interviewed.
GENDER DISTRIBUTION
52%48%
Male
Female
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
12 13 14 15 16 Missing
Age
AGE DISTRIBUTION
BACKGROUND DATA
• 52% Male
• 48% Female
• 12-16 yr olds(Sample skewed to younger age)
• 97% currently in school
• 78% living with one or both parents
• 5 out of 10 attending church
• 53% with piped water in house,
• 58% pit latrine
• 97% radio, 90% T.V, 50% phone
EXTERNAL ASSETS• External assets measured in school, home,
community and peer environments.
• CARING RELATIONSHIPS: supportive connections to others in the adolescents life who model and support healthy development and well-being.
• HIGH EXPECTATIONS: consistent communication of direct and indirect messages that the adolescent can and will succeed.
HIGH EXPECTATIONS
• Outside my home and school, in the community there is an adult….
– who expects me to follow the rules.
– who always wants me to do my best.
– who believes that I will be a success.
EXTERNAL ASSETS, CONT’D MEANINGFUL PARTICIPATION:
The involvement of adolescents in relevant, engaging and interesting activities, which provide opportunities for responsibility and contribution. This fulfils the fundamental need for persons to have some amount of control and ownership over their lives.
CARING RELATIONSHIPS• Eg In my home there is a parent……..
– who is interested in my school work.
– who pays attention to me.
– who talks to me about my problems.
– who listens to me when I have something to say.
– who I trust.
– who helps me when I’m having a hard time.
– who notices when I’m not there.
MEANINGFUL PARTICIPATION
• I do interesting activities at school.
• I help make decisions with my family.
• I do helpful things at school.
• I am involved in organised activities to help others.
• I am part of a club, sports team, church group, etc.
Figure A:Overall Asset Scores: Home Environment
1
13
1
13
1
79
74
26
32
80
20
13
73
55
19
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Caring rel.Parents Highexpectations:Parents
MeaningfulParticipation
Pe
rce
nt
of
Ad
ole
sc
en
ts
Low Moderate High
INTERNAL ASSETS
• Cooperation and Communication:– Having flexibility in relationships, the ability to
work effectively with others, to effectively exchange information and ideas and to express feelings and needs to others.
• Self Efficacy:– The belief in one’s own competence and feeling
one has the power to make a difference. Related to task mastery, the sense of doing something well, having the ability to act and exert ones will.
INTERNAL ASSETS cont’d• Empathy:
– The understanding and caring about another’s experiences and feelings, is considered essential to healthy development and the root of morality and mutual respect.
• Problem Solving:– Includes the ability to plan, to be resourceful, to think critically,
reflectively and creatively examine multiple perspectives before making a decision or taking action.
• Self Awareness: – Knowing and understanding ones self.
• Goals and Aspirations: – Using one’s dreams,visions and plans to focus the future, to have
high expectations and hope for one’s self.
RISK BEHAVIOURS
• The prevalence of the following risk behaviours were measured:– Early, unprotected sex– Cigarette, marijuana and alcohol use– Violent and suicidal behaviour
SEXUAL BEHAVIOURS 44% of boys and 16% of girls age 12-16
reported having had sexual intercourse
– 15% reported having sex before age 10
– Three sexual partners on average
– 9% of girls had been pregnant
– 57% reported condom use , <5% used another method
DRUG AND ALCOHOL USE
6% reported having ever smoked ganja- 3% among 12 yr olds, 13% among 16 yr olds, M>F
– 2% reported binge drinking(5 or more drinks at any one time).
– One in 12 smoked cigarette at least three times in the past one month.
VIOLENT BEHAVIOUR
One in 5 adolescents (20%) carried at least one weapon
– 4% carried a gun, 16% carried a knife, 8% some other. – M>F likely to carry weapon (28%vs11%) 29% had
been involved in a fight involving a weapon.– Recent smokers of ganja were significantly more likely
to engage in violent behaviour.
DEPRESSIVE/SUICIDAL BEHAVIOUR
10% of adolescents felt so sad that their life was not worth living often or always
– 1.7% almost always thought about hurting or killing someone.
– 14.5% thought about committing suicide in the past 12 months.
– 8% had actually attempted suicide .
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RISK AND RESILIENCE
The following charts show the relationship between assets and early sexual activity, condom use, violence, drug and alcohol use and suicide
Adolescents with opportunities for meaningful participation with parents in the home and in the community were significantly less likely to engage in sexual initiation.
Chart 2Sexual Risk Behavior: Ever Had
Sex By Home Environment(Parent)
29 30 3126 28 27
57 5764
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Caring Relationships High Expectations Meaningful participation (home)
Low Moderate High
*
* P<0.05
Chart 3Sexual Risk Behaviour: Ever Had
Sex(School)
29 30 3132 28 28
445050
0
20
40
60
80
Caring Relationships High Expectations Meaningful participation
Low Moderate High
32 33 34
28 29
23
28 27
16
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Caring Relationships High Expectations Meaningful participation
Chart 3Sexual Risk Behaviour: Ever Had Sex
(Community)
Total External assets did not show any significant relationship to condom use at last intercourse. High expectations among peers was however found to be a significant factor in terms of increasing condom use at last intercourse.
Chart 6Sexual Risk Behaviour: Did Not Use Condom
at Last Intercourse
4437
43
34
4843
0 0
40
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Caring Relationships High Expectations Meaningful participation
Low Moderate High
School
45 45 4438
42 4344
33
0
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Caring Relationships High Expectations Meaningful participation
Community
* P<0.05
Adolescents with high expectations and opportunities for meaningful participation in the community environment were less likely to have engaged in marijuana use.
All three factors: high caring relationships, high expectations and opportunities for meaningful participation were significantly related to lower cigarette use.
Those adolescents with high levels of external assets were found to be significantly less likely to carry a weapon.
Adolescents with high expectations in the home and opportunities for meaningful participation at school and in the community were significantly less likely to have engaged in a physical fight.
Chart 17Violent Behavior: Have Carried a Weapon by Home Environment
(Parent)
18
29
202216 17
73
5757
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Caring Relationships High Expectations Meaningful participation(home)
% R
ep
ort
ing
Ris
k B
eh
av
iou
r
Low Moderate High* P<0.05
* **
Chart 18Violent Behavior: Ever Carried a Weapon
1923 2223
16 17
50
17 18
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
CaringRelationships
High Expectations Meaningfulparticipation
% R
ep
ort
ing
Ris
k B
eh
av
iou
r
Low Moderate High
School
2123 23
15 16 15
2824
16
05
101520253035404550
CaringRelationships
High Expectations Meaningfulparticipation
% R
ep
ort
ing
Ris
k B
eh
av
iou
r Community
* *
*
*
* P<0.05
Adolescents who enjoyed high expectations in the home and among peers, caring relationships at school and opportunities for meaningful participation in the community were significantly less likely to have thoughts of killing themselves (suicidal ideation).
CONCLUSION
The Jamaica research data clearly shows an overall protective effect of caring relationships, high expectations and opportunities for meaningful participation at home, school or in the community on engaging in high risk behaviour. Both risk behaviour and their protective factors are interrelated and mutually reinforcing.
YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
“When we speak of youth development we must be able to articulate not just what we are trying to prevent but what we are trying to promote. Being problem free is not the same as being fully prepared!”
NEXT STEPS
To apply resiliency approach to USAID Reproductive Health Objectives, select domains that protect against early sex and unprotected sex and build into intervention programming.
Planned Activities• Adolescent parenting program – 10 to 15
rovers.• Meaningful participation (peer-to-peer
mentoring).• Collaboration with adolescent clinic.• ? Funding for integration/evaluation.• ? To scale.• ? Develop appropriate indicators of
protection.
