Youth &Society, Ahead of Print. Between 2014 and 2018, at least 974 youth were fatally shot by the police. Racial disparities in fatal police shootings (FPS) have been well-established in existing research, but less attention has been paid to patterns in fatal police encounters with youth. This study uses a multisource and externally validated research design to track cases of FPS for individuals aged between 10 and 24. Cases were geocoded to the county-level and linked to multiple variables capturing social, demographic, and policing contexts. The results point to substantial racial dispa ..read more

Youth &Society, Ahead of Print. Zero tolerance policies in urban schools increased the disparities in urban school discipline for Black youth in comparison to white youth. Restorative interventions continue to be a popular response to deviant student behaviors; however, exploring the impact of restorative interventions in reducing harsh discipline on Black youth should be a continued focal point for scholars. This study used a scoping review to explore the breadth of knowledge available regarding using restorative interventions in urban schools. Five databases were used to identify relevan ..read more

Youth &Society, Ahead of Print. This study explored racial differences in internalizing and externalizing problems among minority adolescents in impoverished urban communities. The study centered on a sample of 211 participants who were engaged in the 2018 Building Resilience Against Violence Engagement (BRAVE) programs. Their internalizing and externalizing problems were assessed using Youth Self-Report (YSR). The results of a one-way between-subjects Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) uncovered substantial racial disparities, with African American adolescents reporting a higher prevalence of e ..read more

Youth &Society, Ahead of Print. This study explored the intersection of participation rights, politics, and culture in youth councils operating in a polarized socio-political climate. It drew on the case of youth councils integrating Jewish and Palestinian-Arab youth in Israel. Based on interviews with youth council members, adult leaders, and Ministry of Education officials, the findings portray the interrelated political, lingual, and cultural barriers hindering the participation of Palestinian-Arab youth. These barriers were embedded in top-down activities, practices, and structures, un ..read more

Youth &Society, Ahead of Print. Despite high rates of mental health concerns among youth, they are unlikely to receive mental health care, with mental health stigma acting as a barrier. The present study explores youth perceptions of the influences of stigma and what should be done to address it, drawing on a large (n = 705) mixed methods dataset of youth aged 14 to 24 from the National MyVoice Text Message Cohort. Thematic analysis indicated four themes: (1) perceptions of high levels of ignorance about mental health, (2) a continuum from a desire for greater openness to a desire for priv ..read more

Youth &Society, Ahead of Print. Youth create resilience in a landscape of interpersonal, environmental, and political factors by navigating personal and community stressors. The goal of this study was to explore how youth conceptualize resilience and overcome stressors within their everyday life experiences. Using a national text message survey, 894 youth (ages 14–24 years) were asked five open-ended questions about their life experiences relating to stressors and their abilities to express resilience. Four themes were identified through qualitative, thematic analysis: (1) relationships ar ..read more

Youth &Society, Ahead of Print. This study addressed the issue of school alienation (SA) among high school students in Taiwan; SA is believed to contribute to dropout, violence, gangs, and deviant behavior. To measure SA, we propose a four-construct model in this study, comprising powerlessness, normlessness, meaninglessness, and social isolation. Using two studies, an SA scale (SAS) was developed and validated. Study 1 developed and preliminarily validated the four constructs of SA using item and exploratory factor analyses with 227 junior high school students as participants. Study 2 val ..read more

Youth &Society, Ahead of Print. Latinx youth are often engaged in critical action to transform social injustices, yet we know little about the wellbeing of Latinx youth activists. This study draws on critical ethnographic research to understand the multidimensions of wellbeing that Latinx youth experienced when they engaged in critical action toward anti-immigrant politics during the Trump Era. Data collected through open-ended interviews with Latinx youth who participated in social protests revealed that (a) concepts of wellbeing need to be extensively explored for a more nuanced understa ..read more

Youth &Society, Ahead of Print. This study investigated the prevalence of receiving sexts among adolescents and its relationship with depressive symptoms and self-esteem. A survey was administered to 728 high school students in Sweden in 2019 and 2020 (50.4% girls and 46.4% boys) using a cross-sectional design. Findings showed that significantly more boys (28.4%) than girls (12.6%) reported having happily received a sexual picture, while significantly more girls (48.8%) than boys (s.2%) reported having received an unwanted sexual picture at least once in their life. Happily receiving a sex ..read more

Youth &Society, Ahead of Print. Violence and traumatic stress negatively affect physical health in youth. Incarcerated adolescents have high rates of violence exposure and health problems, however, few studies have examined medical records and violence exposure in this high-risk population. Self-reported violence exposure and symptoms of stress were collected in 115 incarcerated male adolescents. Medical charts were reviewed for the presence of somatic complaints and chronic health conditions. Regression modeling and odds ratios demonstrated that exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV ..read more