MentorOn: A peer mentoring program developed for COVID-19 times.

Burgeoning research has documented COVID-19's detrimental impacts globally, especially on the lives of adolescents. The present study examined the positive influences of a virtual, cross-age peer mentoring program on the development of adolescent participants in the face of the hardships created by the pandemic. In particular, this study focuses on the experiences of high school participants who served as both mentors and mentees in the program. Semi-structured interviews with participating high schoolers (n = 13) were coded and analyzed using the thematic analysis process. The interview data indicated that increased social support, the agency in prosocial pursuits, and greater purpose engagement resulted from their participation in the program. Results are discussed in the context of self-determination theory: youths' needs for relatedness, competence, and autonomy. The program met these basic needs among participants which in turn supported purpose exploration during the pandemic.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of the efficacy of acupuncture as an adjunct to IVF cycles in China and the world.

Acupuncture has been introduced as an adjuvant therapy to in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles in many randomized controlled trials (RCTs). However, there has been a debate among trials regarding the effectiveness and safety of the procedure. To determine how effective and safe acupuncture is as an adjunct to IVF cycles for primary and secondary female infertility. We conducted a literature search for relevant RCTs and ultimately included nine studies. The main selected outcomes included the rates of clinical pregnancy, ongoing pregnancy, miscarriage, live birth, and side effects. Patients receiving acupuncture were grouped together regardless of the acupuncture points used or the protocol for the insertion of needles. We performed a subgroup analysis according to whether studies originated inside and outside China to investigate the results of the different RCTs. We pooled outcomes as a risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). The analysis revealed that in China, acupuncture led to lower clinical [RR=0.80, 95% CI (0.66, 0.97), p=0.02] and ongoing [RR=0.78, 95% CI (0.63, 0.97), p=0.03] pregnancy rates than placebo. Outside China, acupuncture increased clinical pregnancy rates [RR=1.38, 95% CI (1.11, 1.71), p=0.003] and ongoing [RR=1.73, 95% CI (1.29, 2.31), p<0.001] pregnancy rates. Rates of live birth and miscarriage did not significantly differ between the arms. Regarding side effects, acupuncture groups had a significantly higher rate of puncture site itching compared to control groups [RR=1.51, 95% CI (1.12, 2.04), p=0.007]. Overall analysis does not show a statistically significant increase in clinical pregnancy rates worldwide when using acupuncture as an adjunct therapy to IVF. There were no issues regarding patient safety from any included study. Subgroup results indicated that better rates for clinical pregnancy seem to be occurring more often in RCTs performed outside China than within.

MPOWER: The Impact of a Purpose Program on Adolescents' Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations.

Purpose has been defined as an active engagement toward goals that are meaningful to the self (i.e., personal meaningfulness) and contribute to the world beyond the self (BTS). These BTS contributions may reflect the intention to meet a wide range of needs from family financial needs to more macro-level concerns, including social injustices. This study investigates the efficacy of a school-based program called MPOWER expressly designed by the authors to cultivate the BTS aspect of purpose. Previous research suggests that the BTS aspect of purpose has beneficial effects on school engagement, goal-setting abilities and orientations, and ultimately school performance. Ninety-four students participated in this study that utilized a randomized, pre-test-post-test between-subjects design to evaluate MPOWER (52 in MPOWER and 42 in the control group). The ANCOVA results indicated a significant increase in the BTS aspect of purpose among program participants, compared to controls. Moreover, participants had higher post-test levels of general self-efficacy and grade point averages, and decreased performance-approach (e.g., playing to be the best, comparing self to others) and performance-avoidance (e.g., avoiding risks of failure, fear of social consequences) goal orientations. Findings can be used to design programs that aim to cultivate students' intentions to contribute to the world beyond themselves, as well as associated personal benefits (i.e., goal orientations, self-efficacy, academic performance).

Adolescent Profiles of Marginalization and Connection at School: Relations With Academics and Mental Health.

School context serves as a testing ground for exploring social relationships and satisfying needs for connection and affirmation, but often includes feelings of rejection. With a diverse high school sample (n = 645; 55% female; 61% White, 18% African American, 10% Latino, 10% Asian American, 1% Multiracial), patterns of experiences with marginalization and connection were identified and their associations with achievement and mental health examined. Using two-step cluster analysis, three clusters were identified: above the fray, exposed and protected, and targeted and unsupported. Ethnic/racial background was not related to cluster membership. Except for gender and well-being, associations between cluster membership and outcomes were similar across demographic background. The above the fray and the exposed and protected clusters were associated with better outcomes.

The intersectionality of identity-based victimization in Adolescence:A person-centered examination of mental health and academic achievement in a U.S. high school.

INTRODUCTION: Growing evidence indicates that identity-based victimization (IBV; e.g., discrimination) is traumatic, and associated with mental health and academic concerns. Youth with multiple stigmatized identities face a higher risk of both victimization and poor mental health. The current study enhances a growing research base on intersectional IBV by examining 1) identity, rather than attribution, 2) a range of IBV experiences, 3) both mental health and academic achievement, 4) the mediating role of discrimination across multiple social identities, and 5) including gender expansive youth within a diverse sample representative of a high school population in the U.S. METHODS: A cluster analysis was conducted to provide a nuanced depiction of intersectionality in a diverse sample of high school students (N = 946; ages 14-20, 44% cisgender boys, 53% cisgender girls, 3% gender expansive youth). Outcome and IBV differences across clusters were examined, in addition to the mediation of cluster membership and outcomes by discrimination. RESULTS: Three distinct profiles of identity emerged: LGBTQ Youth (24%), Heterosexual Youth of Color (37%), and Heterosexual White Youth (39%). LGBTQ Youth and Heterosexual Youth of Color experienced the most IBV, and had higher levels of depression, lower wellbeing, and lower GPAs. Finally, discrimination partially mediated the association between identity and outcomes for LGBTQ youth, and fully mediated this association for Heterosexual Youth of Color. CONCLUSIONS: The disproportionately of IBV, poor mental health, and lower academic achievement faced by LGBTQ youth and youth with intersecting stigmatized identities suggests that they may benefit from tailored and targeted treatments.

Adolescents' Perceptions of the Economy: Its Association with Academic Engagement and the Role of School-Based and Parental Relationships.

In the context of widespread media coverage of economic problems, un- and under-employment, and overwhelming student loan debt, youth are making sense of the prospects of getting a job and value of education. Further, they are assessing the implications of the job market in curtailing or enhancing their future success. School-based and familial relationships may support students in making sense of the job market. The current study focuses on how youth view the economy, its association with academic engagement, and how parental and school-based relationships shape views of the job market and their impact on academic engagement. With an ethnically diverse sample of high school students (N = 624; 54% female), perceptions of the job market were tested as mediators and moderators of the relations between school-based relationships and parenting on academic engagement. Using structural equation modeling, job market pessimism mediated the relation between school-based relationships and engagement. School-based relationships and parenting practices moderated the relation between job market pessimism and academic engagement. At high levels of parental and school support, interpreted as increased centrality and salience of academic success, there was a stronger negative association between job market pessimism and academic engagement. This set of findings indicates that high school students are thinking about the job market in ways that impact their engagement in school. These findings extend theories that have focused on the job market and the likelihood of dropping out of school or enrolling in post-secondary education. These findings are significant because just staying in school is not enough to succeed. With increased emphasis on college and career readiness, students are required to be more planful and purposeful during high school in order to succeed in the job market.

Trauma Sensitive Yoga as a complementary treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder: A Qualitative Descriptive analysis.

Research on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and chronic childhood abuse has revealed that traditional trauma treatments often fail to fully address the complicated symptom presentation, including the somatic complaints, loss of awareness of one's emotional and physical being in the present moment, and overall lack of integration between the self and the body. The mindfulness-based intervention of hatha yoga shows promise as a complementary treatment, and focuses on personal growth in addition to symptom reduction. This qualitative study explored the experiences of thirty-one adult women with PTSD related to chronic childhood trauma who participated in a 10-week Trauma Sensitive Yoga class, specifically examining perceived changes in symptoms and personal growth. Five themes were identified that reflect participants' feelings of Gratitude and compassion, Relatedness, Acceptance, Centeredness, and Empowerment. Results and implications for research and clinical work are presented.

Creating SPACE through Africa Yoga Project: A Qualitative Study.

This qualitative analysis examined teachers' experiences of the Africa Yoga Project (AYP), a mentoring-oriented yoga program for fostering resilience among individuals and groups impacted by poverty and trauma. Interviews conducted with AYP teachers were coded using qualitative content analysis. Themes demonstrated that AYP benefited participants by creating S.P.A.C.E. (Safety and stability, Personal growth, Action, Cultural diversity, and Empowerment). The findings illustrated ways in which this program fostered individual and community wellness and positive engagement. Implications are discussed including the potential for providing yoga as a low-cost, sustainable, and effective intervention to promote health, economic self-sufficiency, and community engagement in diverse settings with limited resources.

Searching for a sense of purpose: the role of parents and effects on self-esteem among female adolescents.

Achieving a sense of purpose during adolescence is a developmental asset; however, searching for that purpose may be a developmental stressor. Supportive parent-child relationships may help youth during this stressful experience. The present study included 207 female students in the sixth, eighth, and tenth grades from two competitive private schools. Searching for purpose negatively predicted self-esteem. Hierarchical linear regression examined moderating effects of parental trust and alienation on searching for purpose as a predictor of self-esteem. Parental alienation significantly moderated the association between search for purpose and girls' self-esteem; conversely, parental trust did not moderate the association. Results suggest that parent-child relationships characterized by high levels of parental alienation may exacerbate the pernicious effects of search for purpose. Person-based analyses found four clusters corresponding to Foreclosed Purpose, Diffused Purpose, Uncommitted Purpose/Moratorium, and Achieved Purpose. We discuss implications for practice and research based on these results.

Expanding the reach of youth mentoring: partnering with youth for personal growth and social change.

The goals of youth mentoring have broadened from redressing youth problems to promoting positive youth development. Yet, many of the principles associated with contemporary conceptualizations of development found in the positive youth development (PYD) and community psychology (CP) literature have yet to be fully integrated into mentoring research and practice. These approaches place greater emphasis on youth as assets to their communities and the promotion of positive development through the cultivation of these assets, often by fostering collaborative partnerships between youth and adults to effect social change. In this paper, we examine how bringing these systemic, asset-oriented approaches more fully to bear on the youth mentoring process creates opportunities that may both extend the reach and deepen the impact of youth mentoring through the promotion of community, social, and individual change.

Relational health, alexithymia, and psychological distress in college women: testing a mediator model.

Relational health refers to interpersonal interactions that are growth-fostering or mutually empathic and empowering. Poor relational health increases an individual's risk for developing psychological distress. Alexithymia is the inability to recognize and express one's own internal emotional experience. In this study, the associations of relational health, psychological distress, and alexithymia were examined by surveying 197 female undergraduate psychology students. Support was found for the hypothesis that alexithymic symptoms mediate the direct effect of poor relational health on psychological distress. The importance of assessing relational health and tailoring counseling interventions for people with low relational health and alexithymic symptoms is discussed.

"She gives me a break from the world": formal youth mentoring relationships between adolescent girls and adult women.

Formal mentoring programs have historically tended to match youth with same-sex mentors; more recently, mentoring programs designed specifically for girls have begun cropping up in response to theories on gender and adolescent girls' psychological health and development, which suggest girls have particular psychosocial needs and ways of relating. Yet, there have been few empirical studies that explicitly examine the relational processes in adolescent girls' relationships with female mentors from the perspectives of the participants themselves. In the present study, qualitative interviews conducted with 12 female youth-adult pairs of participants (N = 24) in a one-to-one community-based mentoring program were analyzed thematically using a holistic-content approach. Examining these participants' narratives about their experiences in the program, three interrelated relational processes were identified: (a) engaged and authentic emotional support; (b) the development of new skills and confidence through collaborations; and, (c) experiences of companionship that provided relief from daily stresses. Editors' Strategic Implications: the focus on female dyads and relationships will richly inform further studies of the process of mentoring and provide insights for practitioners of a variety of gender-specific prevention programs.

Relational outcomes of childhood sexual trauma in female survivors: a longitudinal study.

This longitudinal study examines the effects of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) on the intimate and marital relationships of adult survivors from a sample composed primarily of African American women. In addition, the authors explore the protective role of maternal support. Interview data are collected on 136 women with documented histories of CSA who indicate the quality and nature of their current marital relationships and other interpersonal connections. Results suggest that CSA survivors with poor maternal attachment are more likely to enter into marital or cohabiting relationships. However, more severe sexual trauma in childhood correlates with greater marital dissatisfaction. Good maternal attachment during childhood has a negative main effect on adult interpersonal problems and a buffering effect on the relationship between abuse and marital dissatisfaction. These data can help guide future research on the adult relational outcomes of female CSA survivors, especially among minority populations.

Peace Talk: a relational approach to group negotiation among Arab and Israeli youths.

In response to conflict in the Middle East, a group intervention for Arab and Jewish youths has been developed to promote communication and healing. Using ethnographic observations of this relational, group-based program, this study examines the complexities involved in peace negotiation group work. There was evidence that although this program is met with real-life challenges and oppositional forces, such as genuine danger in negotiation between Arabs and Jews, the program showed success in encouraging otherwise untenable communication. Using this program as a starting point, this study engages the wider issue of the inherent difficulties faced by interventions that pursue mutual empathy, empowerment, and conflict tolerance between individuals and groups that are historically and politically at odds.

A theoretical framework for understanding help-seeking processes among survivors of intimate partner violence.

This paper suggests a conceptual framework for understanding the processes of help-seeking among survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV). A cognitive theory from general literature on help-seeking in "stigmatizing" situations suggests three relevant processes or stages of seeking help in the IPV context: defining the problem, deciding to seek help, and selecting a source of support. Individual, interpersonal, and sociocultural factors that influence decision-making at each of these stages are discussed and illustrated with case examples.

Mentoring college-age women: a relational approach.

Despite the popularity of mentoring programs, the relational dimension of mentoring has not been elucidated. Traditional conceptions of mentoring may exclude factors that are particularly important for women and girls, thus limiting the efficacy of mentoring programs for female adolescents. We suggest that the presence of relational qualities in the mentoring relationship (e.g., empathy, engagement, authenticity, and empowerment) strongly influences the success of mentoring in the lives of young women. In this study, we use a promising new measure of mentoring, the Relational Health Index - Mentor, to explore the impact of relational aspects of mentoring in female college students. We found that mentoring relationships high in relational qualities were associated with higher self-esteem and less loneliness