Adolescents

New resource links Penn State researchers with teen stakeholders for input

Oct 17, 2022

 Penn State PRO Wellness is organizing a network of teens, who are trained as stakeholders, and could give health researchers feedback as they build and develop their studies. The project is funded through the Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Awards, an initiative of the Patient-Centered Outcomes…

Penn State researchers study adolescents' life aspirations in Cambodia

May 31, 2022

Adolescents are tasked with navigating competing priorities, including whether to marry, have children, pursue a job/career, go to college, and contribute to society. A paper recently published in Developmental Psychology describes one of the first studies to examine how adolescents in a developing…

Connection to racial identity may boost body image in Black youth

Jan 27, 2022

Adolescence can be a time filled with anxiety and insecurity about body shape and size, but a new Penn State study found that for Black youth, having a strong racial identity may help stave off these worries. The researchers found that among Black youth between the ages of 11 and 19 with high body…

Consequences of COVID-19 on adolescent behavior

May 12, 2021

Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have been widely reported, but less is known about the indirect consequences on health-related behaviors. Researchers recently discovered that while there was a decline in physical activity in adolescents during stay-at-home orders, there were no changes in the…

Are more parents letting their teens drink during the pandemic?

May 11, 2021

COVID-19 stay-at-home orders during spring 2020 dramatically changed daily life and created significant challenges for families. A new study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health found that 1 in 6 parents first allowed their adolescent children to have an alcoholic drink with their families…

Parents more lenient about alcohol with teens who experience puberty early

Apr 29, 2021

Parents of teens who went through puberty early may be more lenient when it comes to letting them consume alcohol, according to a new Penn State study. But the researchers said that even if adolescents appear more mature, drinking alcohol is still not safe for them. Rebecca Bucci, a doctoral…

Learning about health from trusted sources may help teens battle depression

Mar 4, 2021

Depression can be a common problem for teens and adolescents, and while many treatments exist, they don’t always work for everyone. A new study found that feeling more informed about their health may help teens take better care of themselves, leading to less depressive symptoms. The researchers…

Et tu, Brute? Teens may be more likely to be bullied by social-climbing friends

Feb 24, 2021

Adolescents and teens may be more likely to be bullied by their friends — and friends-of-friends — than classmates they don’t know as well, according to a new study. Diane Felmlee, distinguished professor of sociology and demography at Penn State and researcher on the paper, said the findings give…