Reasons for the “after-school pressure cooker” in Affluent Communities: It’s Not How Much Time, but Why

Abstract

This study extends the over-scheduling hypothesis literature by focusing on affluent adolescents and exploring relations between psychosocial adjustment and reasons for organized activity (OA) involvement rather than focusing solely on time spent in OAs. Variable-and person-centered analyses were used to evaluate associations between intensity of OA participation and reasons for involvement, perceived parental pressure, and adjustment (depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, life satisfaction) in a sample of 10th graders (N = 122) from affluent communities. When adolescents' perceptions of parental pressure were controlled for in analyses, more intensely involved youth reported lower levels of depressive symptoms. ''For Fun'' was the most highly rated reason for involvement and was linked to lower levels of perceived parental pressure, but was unrelated to all indicators of adjustment. Conversely, involvement in OAs ''for Parents'' was linked to more perceived parental pressure and lower levels of life satisfaction. Two OA participant profiles emerged in person-centered analyses: (1) primarily intrinsic reasons (high Fun, moderate Future, low Parents) and (2) intrinsic and extrinsic reasons (high Fun, high Future, high Parents) for involvement. OA participation simultaneously motivated by extrinsic and intrinsic reasons was linked to fewer psychosocial benefits than intrinsically motivated OA involvement.

Reconceptualising play: Balancing childcare, extra‐curricular activities and free play in contemporary childhoods

“…What is most notable is that children do not regard themselves as overscheduled. They not only consider participation in multiple clubs a normal part of everyday life (with only one extremely busy child in our study suggesting that he did too much), but also feel that it is children themselves, in the context of adult support and encouragement, who make the choices about which, and how many, activities they do (Randall et al, ). They thus feel in control of the balance between organised activities and other forms of play.…”

“…Their individual choice of activities – with large numbers of children trying a diversity of clubs before settling on those which suit them as a person – underpins enthusiasm and satisfaction with extra‐curricular activities. Quite simply, they continue with those they like and leave those that they do not enjoy (Randall et al., ). As Megan (MC‐Y6), one of the busiest children in this study, argues in respect to her parents: “they encourage me…they don't force me to do anything…I decide…if ever I was tired…of doing them then I'd just say right I don't want to do this anymore”.…”

Prospective Associations of Parenting and Childhood Maltreatment with Personality in Adolescent Males

“…This concern is perhaps most relevant for the assessment of supervision. For example, there is evidence that children’s days are more scheduled and thus more structured now than they have been in the past and this, like parental supervision, is associated with positive outcomes (Mahoney & Vest, 2012), although this may vary by demographics (Randall, Travers, Shapiro, & Bohnert, 2016). Hence, supervision by parents may be less important for children whose days are highly scheduled, as these activities tend to be monitored by other adults (e.g., involvement in sports, clubs, community service).…”

Bem-estar, desenvolvimento e atividades organizadas: um estudo com alunos adolescentes

“…E nós, o que desejamos para os nossos alunos? A missão atual da escola, para além da vocação académica, integra o bem-estar e o desenvolvimento integral de cada aluno (OECD, 2018), particularmente durante a adolescência, enquanto período-chave do desenvolvimento (Randall, Travers, Shapiro, & Bohnert, 2016;Veiga, 2013;Veiga, García & García 2019). Na demanda de uma melhor compreensão do que significa esta missão, destacam-se duas linhas de investigação que partilham a importância de ir além do défice para identificar e promover as capacidades, forças e possibilidades de cada contexto e de cada jovem (Benson, Scales, Hamilton & Sesma, 2006).…”

“…O estatuto socioeconómico surge em vários estudos, como variável positivamente relacionada com o BEP (Carvalho & Veiga, 2020;Fernandes, 2007), com os RD (Benson & Scales, 2014;Carvalho & Veiga, 2020) e com o próprio envolvimento em atividades extracurriculares, marcado por fortes assimetrias (Meier, Hartmann & Larson, 2018;Veiga, 2013;Veiga et al, 2019) e seletividade, com vantagem para os jovens com recursos socioeconómicos e culturais mais elevados, maior apoio parental e maior apoio escolar (Larson, 2000). Contudo a investigação mostra que o rendimento não é garante de bem-estar nem de crescimento humano (Ryff, 2018b); mostra também que a participação em atividades organizadas por parte de jovens com estatuto socioeconómico mais elevado não é isenta de fragilidades que podem inibir os benefícios da própria participação (Randall et al, 2016). Porque todas as realidades contextuais e pessoais possuem forças e fragilidades específicas que é preciso compreender, a amostra deste estudo é um convite a ir além do preconceito para identificar as exigências e desafios da realidade destes jovens.…”