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How does adolescence offer a second chance to vulnerable teenager

BY BENJAMIN PERKS As you read this, a teen somewhere is making a decision they may regret for the rest of their lives, one with high costs for their, their families and their communities. Joining a gang or a terrorist organization or committing a serious crime.Every teen everywhere faces a turbulent transition to adulthood: the […]

Combining mentoring with structured group activities: A potential after-school context for fostering relationships between girls and mentors

The Journal of Early Adolescence 2012 Deutsch summarized by UMass Boston clinical psychology student Laura Yoviene Problem: Most after-school programs are activity-oriented and aim to serve a specific purpose (i.e., sports, gang prevention), whereas mentoring programs offer a more relationally based intervention and have been linked to a myriad of positive youth outcomes. Accordingly,  with […]

How close relationships can help teens manage rejection

McDonald, Bowker, Rubin, Laursen & Duchene (2010). Interactions between rejection sensitivity and supportive relationships in the prediction of adolescents’ internalizing difficulties. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 39, 563-574. Summarized by Stella Kanchewa, MA, University of Massachusetts at Boston Clinical Psychology student. In adolescence, young people must learn to contend with increasingly complex social worlds and […]

The influence of school-based mentoring relationships on school attachment and risk behaviors

Black, D.S., Grenard, J.L., Sussman, S. & Rohrbach, L.A. (2010). The influence of school-based natural mentoring relationships on school attachment and subsequent adolescent risk behaviors. Health Education Research, 25(5), 892-902. Background: Adolescents spend a significant percentage of time at school and in after school programs, which have the potential to offer a variety of prosocial […]

Why are boys less likely to disclose their problems: Implications for mentoring

Rose, A. J., Schwartz‐Mette, R. A., Smith, R. L., Asher, S. R., Swenson, L. P., Carlson, W., & Waller, E. M. (2012). How Girls and Boys Expect Disclosure About Problems Will Make Them Feel: Implications for Friendships. Child Development, 83(3), 844-863. Summary One of the strongest findings in the sex differences of friendships is that girls […]

New research highlights how relationships support young people

Summarized by UMass Boston doctoral student Stella Kanchewa, M.A. Guay, F., Ratelle, C., Larose, S., Vallerand, R.J., & Vitaro, F. (2013). The number of autonomy-supportive relationships: Are more relationships better for motivation, perceived competence, and achievement? Contemporary Educational Psychology, 38, 375-382. Introduction: Self-determination theory (SDT) suggests that students are “…inherently self-motivated to master their environment. […]

Adolescents Prefer More Immediate Rewards When in the Presence of their Peers

 O’Brien, L., Albert, D., Chein, J., & Steinberg, L. (2011). Adolescents prefer more immediate rewards when in the presence of their peers. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 21(4), 747-753. Summarized by Carol Lee, University of Massachusetts Boston Clinical Psychology Graduate Student Introduction: Researchers have found that adolescents are more likely to engage in risky behaviors […]

Meet Kate Bronner, Foster Forward Program Coordinator

A note from Connected Learning Editor, Dr. Sarah Schwartz: Mike Garringer recently wrote a thoughtful column about whether we should be devoting more time and resources to natural mentoring or focusing primarily on formal mentoring relationships. I wanted to highlight a program working with youth in the foster care system that is doing both, including […]

Adolescents’ Digital Media Use and Friendships

Davis, K. (2012). Friendship 2.0: Adolescents’ experiences of belonging and self-disclosure online. Journal of Adolescence, 35, 1527-1536. Summarized by UMB clinical psychology doctoral student, Stella Kanchewa, M.A. Introduction: As adolescents strive for autonomy away from parents/guardians, they turn to peer relationships in order to meet social needs, and to establish an integrated sense of self […]

Social and Identity Development in After-school Programs

Jones, J.N., & Deutsch, N.L. (2013). Social and identity development in an after-school program: Changing experiences and shifting adolescent needs. Journal of Early Adolescence, 33(1), 17-43. Introduction: Experiences afforded through a theprograms, activities and social interactions in after-school settings provide a context for positive social and identity development. This is particularly true for youth with […]