Adolescents with disabilities face many challenges common to their typically developing peers. However, the ways that they resolve them may differ. The focus of this narrative overview was to summarize results from the disabilities in adolescence literature, highlight common research directions, evaluate the overall big picture of this literature, and draw conclusions based on general interpretations. Evidence suggests that the literature in this field of study is lacking. Suggestions for improvement include increasing the number of studies that focus specifically on adolescence across the various types of disabilities, establishing a theoretical base to anchor research, forming cohesion across disabilities among researchers, and taking a comprehensive approach to intervention studies. By addressing these issues in future research, scholarly knowledge will be increased, but more importantly, the lives of young people with disabilities can be greatly enhanced.
Contemporary adolescents rely heavily on technology and media to navigate romantic relationships. In this mixed-methods study, adolescents and young adults (N = 204) detailed their perceptions of how entertainment media and interactive technology influence adolescent romantic relationships. The majority of adolescents and young adults perceived that entertainment media (95%) and interactive technology (97%) did influence adolescent romantic relationships. Using a qualitative analysis approach, we found six major themes. Although entertainment media provided media role models for expected behavior in romantic relationships, it was also associated with the development of unrealistic relational expectations and perceived pressure to be in a romantic relationship. Participants perceived that interactive technology has changed the way adolescents communicate with romantic partners, become integrated into the entire relationship life cycle, and led to a decline in face-to-face communication in adolescent romantic relationships.
In an effort to validate the use of a Western model of adolescent development with Asian youth, 781 urban and rural Taiwanese high school students (56% female) completed questionnaires about their development. Adolescents were first divided into cultural value orientations (i.e. collectivistic, individualistic, or transitional) and compared geographically. There were statistically significant differences in cultural value orientations only for rural youth. Identity statuses and levels of cognitive autonomy were then compared according to cultural value orientations and gender. Adolescents who self-identified as collectivistic were significantly more likely to self-identify as achieved rather than diffused compared to transitional adolescents. Gender, more than cultural value identifications, significantly differentiated these youth in regard to issues of cognitive autonomy measured in this study (i.e. evaluative thinking, voicing opinions, making decisions, self-assessing, and comparative validation). Taken in whole, these findings support the use of a Western model of adolescent development for Taiwanese youth.
Burgeoning technology provides instant access to information and communication. Responsible adults are concerned about the material accessed by adolescent technology users. From an ecological system's lens, using a mixed-methods design, the current study identified adolescent and parent perceptions of parental mediation of adolescent interactive technology use (i.e., cell phones, Internet). Eighty adolescents (16-18 years of age) and their parents (n ¼ 113) participated in the study that identified generational differences in perceptions of parental mediation, techniques for mediating interactive technology (i.e., monitoring data and usage, active mediation, rules, restriction), and adolescent perceptions of the process of parental mediation. We used the results to propose principles for parental mediation of adolescent interactive technology use and provide directions for future research.
Presently, there is a lack of consensus about whether interactive technology enhances or restricts the quality and quantity of shared time between parents and their children. The purposes of this exploratory study were to identify parent and adolescent/young adult perceptions of time spent together and to investigate ways in which the use of technology is related to that time. Using a purposive sample, 766 youth (high school and early college) and their parents ( n = 735) responded to questions about their interactive time spent together. Results indicated that parents and their adolescent/young adult children distinguished between parent–child quality and parent–child quantity time. Participant perceptions of both quality and quantity parent–child time were explored in relation to parent–child computer-mediated communication via text messaging, telephone calls, social networking, video chat, and e-mail. The type of interactive technology was related to participant perceptions of parent–child quality time more than the quantity of time.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.