Background: This study assesses the long-term effectiveness of a lifestyle intervention on cigarette, passive, and hookah smoking in adolescent boys and girls. Methods: One thousand one hundred and fifty-nine adolescent participants of Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS) (2001-2004) were followed for 12 years. Participants in the intervention…

We used two simple unsupervised machine learning techniques to identify differential trajectories of change in children who undergo intensive working memory (WM) training. We used self-organizing maps (SOMs)--a type of simple artificial neural network--to represent multivariate cognitive training data, and then tested whether the way tasks are…

A number of training interventions have been designed to improve executive functions and inhibitory control (IC) across the lifespan. Surprisingly, no study has investigated the structural neuroplasticity induced by IC training from childhood to late adolescence, a developmental period characterized by IC efficiency improvement and protracted…

Many interventions are characterized by repeated observations on the same individuals (e.g., baseline, mid-intervention, two to three post-intervention observations), which offer the opportunity to consider differences in how individuals vary over time. Effective interventions may not be limited to changing means, but instead may also include…

Communicating with peers often poses challenges for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD); these social interactions, however, can be especially difficult during the teenage years. For many adolescents with ASD, peer interaction is often limited or nonexistent, even for those taught in general education settings. The purpose of this…

The purpose of this study was to analyze whether girls' levels of resilience increased after participation in a variety of programs. In this study, 711 girls participated in one of four program types: adventure education (n = 71), experiential education (n = 164), traditional camp setting (n = 228), and mixed camp setting (n = 248). The study…

Background: As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, governments have implemented preventive measures towards reducing infections. These conditions can affect the mental health of children and adolescents; however, this has not yet been fully explored. Objective: The aim of the study was to analyze changes in symptomatology and positive emotions in…

The longitudinal association between competitive video game play and aggression among young adults and adolescents was examined. Young adults (N = 1,132; M[subscript age] = 19 years) were surveyed annually over 4 years about their video game play and aggression, and data from a 4-year longitudinal study of adolescents (N = 1,492; M[subscript…

As one key element of establishing a superhero persona, many superhero myths are based on the principle of experiencing parental loss at an early age. This study examined the impact of group bibliotherapy using superhero stories with children and adolescents who have experienced parental absence. The 187 participants who resided in foster care…

A recent study in Saudi Arabia uncovered certain prevalent health-risk behaviors amongst the adolescent population. One of the most prevalent behaviors identified by this study is health-risk dietary behavior. In general, adolescents in Saudi Arabia reported poor dietary behaviors. Furthermore, the problem of poor diet in the adolescent population…

This research explores the interdisciplinary collaboration between music therapy and language arts through the implementation of a psycho-educational unit of study. The effect on student motivation, engagement and academic motivation as reflected in approach, persistence, and level of interest were compared to baseline data collection. This study…

This study evaluated the effects of an eight-session female higher-functioning autism anti-stigma program on the knowledge, attitudes and behavioural intentions of adolescent girls. Participants were seventh-, eighth- and ninth-grade students (N = 273) in a mainstream school. Two-eighth-grade classes were randomly allocated to the intervention…

The authors compared 3 measures of readiness to change alcohol use commonly used in clinical research and practice with adolescents: the Readiness Ruler, the SOCRATES (subscales of Recognition and Taking Steps), and a Staging Algorithm. The analysis sample consisted of 161 male and female adolescents presenting for intensive outpatient…

The objective of the present study is to review the evidence on the effectiveness concerning the Saluda program, a school-based substance use prevention protocol used amongst adolescents. We provide a description of the program content and the results from nine controlled trials evaluating the program effectiveness. Participants were Spanish…

This paper examines effects of life-skills, mentoring, and counseling education intervention implemented among primary school attending girls aged between 10 and 19 years, living in Nairobi slums. We hypothesized that interaction between the intervention and aspiration, self-confidence and interest in schooling, mediates the impact of risky…