Promotive Factors and Psychosocial Adjustment Among Urban Youth

• Published in: Child & youth care forum 2016-12, Vol.45 (6), p.947-961
• Main Authors: O’Neal, LaToya J., Cotten, Shelia R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Academic Achievement; Adjustment; Adolescents; Anxiety; At Risk Persons; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Belonging; Child and School Psychology; Child Development; Children; Children & youth; Depression (Psychology); Educational attainment; Elementary School Students; Elementary schools; Empowerment; Expectation; Friendship; Grade 4; Grade 5; Health Promotion; Least Squares Statistics; Low income groups; Mental depression; Minority & ethnic groups; Minority Group Students; Original Paper; Population growth; Positive Attitudes; Poverty; Predictor Variables; Program Effectiveness; Psychological Patterns; Psychology; Psychosocial factors; Regression (Statistics); Risk factors; Secondary schools; Self Efficacy; Self image; Social interaction; Student Adjustment; Thinking Skills; Urban Areas; Urban Youth; Vulnerability; Youth
• ISSN: 1053-1890; 1573-3319
• DOI: 10.1007/s10566-016-9364-z

Background Urban youth are often exposed to compounded risk factors which make them more vulnerable to negative outcomes. Research examining promotive factors which may reduce vulnerabilities to poor psychosocial adjustment among this population is limited. Objective The current study addresses this limitation by examining the impact of self-efficacy and positive expectations about the future, as promotive factors, on levels of depressive and anxious symptomatology, sense of belonging, and friendship among a sample of urban youth. Methods Data are from 1202 4th and 5th grade students enrolled at 27 elementary schools in a high poverty, high minority school district in the Southeastern United States. Results Using ordinary least squares regression, analyses reveal that promotive factors are significant predictors of psychosocial adjustment and thus have implications for improving negative outcomes among urban minority youth. Conclusions The findings suggests that interventions aimed at increasing self-efficacy and positive expectations about the future may reduce child and adolescent vulnerability to negative outcomes associated with poor psychosocial adjustment.