Jane Tuttle

The Lived Experiences of Adolescents with Disabilities and Their Parents in Transition Planning

The educational transition process experienced by adolescents with disabilities and their parents was examined in this study. The results of the qualitative study can be interpreted to conclude that students rarely were engaged in transition planning, and when they were engaged, it came too late in their high school careers. Students with disabilities and their parents described dissatisfaction in the following areas: inadequate communication from school staff, frustration with assumptions made about the student, funneling of the student into traditional adult service programs, and a lack of accountability from the schools. Even those students who reported being engaged in the transition process experienced inadequate transition planning. Strategies to improve transition planning are presented.

Successful contraceptive behavior among adolescent mothers: Are there predictors?

Of 43 adolescent mothers who had been enrolled in a specialized program of prenatal care, 20 reported no subsequent unplanned pregnancy for 2 years. Descriptive statistics were used to identify differences between these nonrepeaters and 23 repeaters. The locus-of-control framework provided the theoretical basis for the study. The two study groups and those lost to follow-up were similar in demographic characteristics. School attendance, contraceptive knowledge, use of contraception, locus of control, and maternal support did not effectively differentiate the two groups. Program activities, including attendance at prenatal groups and nurse/social worker visits, also did not explain recidivism. Implications of these findings for health care providers and for further research are discussed.

Intergenerational family relations and sexual risk behavior in young women.

PurposeTo more fully understand the associations between family variables and sexual behavior of young women. Study Design and MethodsForty-two female clients of an urban youth agency (16 to 25 years of age) were interviewed about intergenerational stories and contact with extended families. Individuation was measured by self-report using the intergenerational individuation subscale of the Personal Authority in the Family System Questionnaire. Self-report questions were used to gain information about the young women’s sexual risk behavior. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation, independent t-tests, and multiple regression. Family stories were analyzed for themes of resilience or vulnerability. ResultsYoung women who perceived their connection with previous generations in a resilient light tended to be more individuated and report less risky sexual behaviors. Clinical implicationsThese results may give direction in the design of family interventions for reducing sexual risk taking and enhancing positive health behavior. Interventions would include promoting a healthy degree of attachment between adolescents and their families, exploration of family of origin issues, and referral for more intensive services when needed.

The Effect of Positive Adolescent Life Skills Training on Long Term Outcomes for High-Risk Teens

&NA; This paper reports on long term follow‐up data—12 months post intervention—from a clinical trial of an intervention designed to enhance teen resilience by supporting the development of social skills needed to make positive connections and overcome the influence of negative environmental influences. Sixteen adolescents aged 12 to 16 (10 boys and 6 girls) attending an inner city urban secondary school participated in a 32 week intervention study. Subjects were randomly assigned within sex to Teen Club plus Positive Adolescent Life Skills (PALS) or Teen Club intervention groups. The Problem Oriented Screening Instrument for Teenagers (POSIT) was used to measure the dependent variables (problems related to substance use, health, mental health, family relations, peer relations, education status, vocational status, social skills, leisure and recreation, and aggression). The small sample size limited the ability to determine statistical differences between the POSIT sub‐scale scores for PALS plus Teen Club or Teen Club only interventions. Descriptive data suggest mixed results for both interventions and sex groups. Most important were reductions in mental health problems for all boys in both groups and only slightly increased numbers of problems in substance use for PALS boys and girls over time. Other trends by group and sex are reported.

Adolescent drug and alcohol use Strategies for assessment, intervention, and prevention

Adolescent alcohol and other drug use continue to elude prevention efforts and fall short of the Healthy People 2010 targets. How is a clinician to know when an adolescent is experimenting with alcohol or other drugs, and when there is a potential problem? Beginning with an overview of the prevalence and clinical significance of various substances used by adolescents, this article considers the family, peer, and community context within which substance abuse develops. Indicators of problematic use patterns and some of the factors that protect adolescents are explored. Prevention and treatment strategies are outlined, including suggestions for counseling parents how to protect their teens from substance abuse.

Teen club: A nursing intervention for reducing risk-taking behavior and improving well-being in female African-American adolescents

This article describes a nursing intervention called Teen Club that was designed to reduce risk-taking behavior and improve well-being in female African American adolescents. Participants were referred to Teen Club by their nurse practitioners, physicians, and a community health nurse who were working at an urban neighborhood health centers teen clinic. Referrals were based on factors such as parental substance abuse, lack of social and family support, and other characteristics thought to increase vulnerability to risk-taking behavior. The 2-year intervention included weekly group meetings co-led by a European American female community health nurse and a Latino American male community worker, supplemented by case management and home visits by both these persons. Findings from a retrospective group interview conducted with 11 of the 12 original participants are presented. This is the first step in a series of pilot studies designed to refine the Teen Club intervention in anticipation of a future prospective, randomized investigation of this health promotion and disease prevention model of nursing care.

The Buffering Effects of Connectedness: Teen Club Intervention for Children of Substance Abusing Families

&NA; This paper will trace the clinical evolution and demonstrated efficacy of Teen Club—a community-based nursing intervention designed to reduce high-risk behaviors in female teens who are children of substance abusing families. Special emphasis is on the relevance of connectedness as a theoretical underpinning for support group interventions. The paper also describes the clinical applications of this research for practice and the teams plans for further testing the Teen Club program in other inner city high-risk adolescent populations.

Adolescent pregnancy: Factoring in the father of the baby

Abstract The male contribution to adolescent pregnancy has long been overlooked. Although most fathers of infants born to adolescent mothers are not themselves teenagers, it has been suggested that these fathers are developmentally similar to adolescent males. This article reviews existing literature on the characteristics of fathers of infants born to adolescent mothers. Suggestions are made for considering the male influence on sexual and contraceptive behavior during adolescence. Clinical practice with adolescents and research on adolescent pregnancy prevention can be more effective when the male contribution is taken into account.

Menstrual disorders during adolescence

Concerns about menstrual function are a frequent reason for primary care visits during adolescence. Following a review of normal pubertal development and menstrual function, primary care assessment and management of delayed menarche, amenorrhea, and dysfunctional uterine bleeding during adolescence are presented.