Academic literature on the topic 'Youth friendliness'

IntroductionTo better reach youth in need of mental health and addiction (MHA) services, there is increasing emphasis on making MHA services ‘youth friendly.’ However, it is unclear what youth friendliness means on a practical level. This scoping review explores (1) how youth friendliness in mental health services is defined in the literature, (2) what characteristics make MHA services youth friendly and (3) how youth friendliness is expected to impact service use by young people.MethodsA search will be conducted of eight electronic bibliographic databases over the last 15 years (2002–2017) to identify literature on youth friendliness consistent with the modern youth experience. Grey literature will also be searched. The search and literature selection process will include all study designs, as well as non-research literature. Two independent raters will determine eligibility based on a review of the titles and abstracts of the identified literature, followed by full text reviews when required. Data will be extracted from the identified literature and then synthesised using qualitative and quantitative approaches. As a final step, we will conduct stakeholder consultations with youth, family members and service provider groups to validate the findings and identify any characteristics of youth friendliness that they deem important that were not reported in the findings.Ethics and disseminationResults will be disseminated through a peer-reviewed publication, as well as international, national and local conference presentations. Agency reports will be developed to present the findings in a user-friendly format, including a youth-friendliness checklist for youth-serving organisations. Research ethics approval has been obtained for the consultation component of this study.

Aim: This study presents the validation process of a tool to assess the youth-friendliness of Swedish youth clinics, based on the Youth-Friendly Health Services – World Health Organization Plus (YFHS-WHO+) questionnaire but adapted to the specific context of differentiated services catering only for young people in this country. Methods: The validation process followed five steps: (1) translation, (2) revision by professionals, (3) pretests with young people, (4) back-translation and discussion with the developers of the original YFHS-WHO+ questionnaire and (5) internal consistency and test–retest reliability testing. Results: The final Swedish version, titled Youth-Friendly Health Services-Sweden (YFHS-Swe), differs from the original in terms of adjustments in language and in changes to make it better correspond to the reality of the Swedish youth clinics, while maintaining the meaning and intention of the original questionnaire. The YFHS-Swe questionnaire generated reproducible responses (test–retest coefficient of 0.79 for the total score) and can be considered a measure of a cohesive construct (Cronbach alpha of 0.95 for the total score). Conclusions: The study suggests that the YFHS-Swe questionnaire is a reliable instrument that can be an asset for youth clinics to evaluate their work and make regional and national comparisons between clinics. The YFHS-Swe could also serve as a basis for validating instruments to assess youth-friendliness of differentiated services for young people in other countries.

Abstract Background Ensuring a good quality service and equal access according to need for all young people is a key objective of the Swedish health system. The aim of this study was to explore youths’ perception of youth health centres’ (YHCs’) friendliness and to assess the differences in perception between immigrant and Swedish-Scandinavian youths. Methods All YHCs in the four northern counties in Sweden were invited (22 centres), and 20 agreed to participate. Overall, 1089 youths aged 16–25 years answered the youth-friendly health services-Sweden questionnaire between September 2016 and February 2017. Thirteen sub-domains of friendliness were identified and their scores were calculated. Multilevel analysis was used to examine the differences in perception between immigrant and Swedish-Scandinavian youths. Results Our sample consisted of 971 Swedish-Scandinavian youths (89.2%) and 118 immigrants (10.8%). Generally, both groups perceived the services to be very friendly. All 13 sub-domains were rated more than three in a four-point scale except for fear of exposure and parental support of psychosocial services. However, immigrant youths perceived YHCs less friendly than their counterparts, particularly regarding the domains of equity, respect, quality and parental support. Conclusions Our study suggests that even though youths perceived YHCs as highly friendly, there is a space for improvement regarding access to health care. Our findings highlight the importance of an open and culturally sensitive attitude of the staff and the need to engage parents and community as a key to improve immigrant youths’ accessibility to health care.

VOX Teen Communications, a non-profit youth development organization in Atlanta, GA, positions adolescents as leaders in their community. Empowerment theory and a participatory approach are tools often utilized to achieve youth leadership. Teens participated in a community organizing project to create a “for-teens”, “by-teens” resource guide Web site (www.teenresourceatl.org). This guide evaluates agencies, Web sites and hotlines on their “teen-friendliness” when providing services to youth in need. The empowerment-based program allowed the teens to take ownership of the project, resulting in a high level of commitment. Anticipated successes of the program include better access to help for teens in need; positioning teens as both users of the guide and leaders of the project; increased confidence and skill-level of the teen participants; and better informed service providers in the community.

This project explored the integration of Responsible Fatherhood within Foster Care Service within Philadelphia Pennsylvania. It was hypothesized that the key to reducing the number of children who are at risk of entering, re-entering and remaining in various systems of care are the social service programs and systems created to meet the needs of children. One element to improve the outcomes for children is to establish that engaging fathers of foster children can be important not only for the potential benefit of a child-father relationship but also for making placement decisions and gaining access to resources for the child. A diverse group of n=22 service providers voluntarily became involved in a multi-year participatory action research to explore the value of building capacity to integrate Responsible Fatherhood practices, programs, and/or initiatives within foster care service delivery and other children and youth servicing systems. The results from the study highlight a substantial distinction between baseline and post-evaluation of the agency’s father readiness. The findings suggest that there were significantly higher scores on the father friendly checklist in the areas of leadership, polices & procedures, staff development, parent programming, and fatherhood. The article summarizes key recommendation for social service agencies to develop initiatives that outreach to fathers not only to connect with their children, but to build a broader support network that enhances child safety, permanency and well-being.

Adolescent pregnancy is an important public health issue, and pharmacist prescribing has the potential to expand contraceptive access and decrease unintended pregnancy. However, little is known about acceptability and uptake of pharmacist prescribing among adolescents, particularly among youth in socially and politically conservative regions of the country. The study objective was to identify how young women in Indiana perceive pharmacist contraceptive prescribing. Participants were recruited from clinics and completed a simulated pharmacist contraception-prescribing encounter; a demographic and behavioral questionnaire; and an in-depth qualitative interview focused on adolescent perspectives on pharmacist prescribing. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Sixty young women aged 14–21 years (mean age 17.0 ± 1.7 years) completed in-depth interviews. The majority expressed interest in pharmacist contraceptive prescribing (n = 33, 55.9%). Three overarching themes were identified, focusing on accessibility; quality of care; and pharmacist knowledge and youth friendliness. Subthemes highlighted the need for improved confidential access; a desire for additional pharmacist training in contraception; and interactions with a pharmacist that can relate to the young person. Increased awareness of the perceptions of young people can inform state policies and pharmacy protocols. Pharmacists, because of their accessibility, are well poised and equipped to assist in this public health concern.

The concept of youth activity centre (YAC) has not yet been evaluated. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the YAC in Botswana. Accordingly, the researcher explored and described the lived experience of young people utilising the YAC as well as the perceptions of service providers at the Mochudi Centre in the Kgatleng District, in Botswana. Furthermore, the objective was to develop and describe guidelines for the facilitation of youth-friendly services (YFS) at YAC. A phenomenological, qualitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual research design was used to extract young people’s experiences and perceptions of service providers. Thirty-two young people and 27 service providers (peer educators and service delivery officers [SDOs]) were purposefully selected. Methods of data collection used were unstructured individual in-depth interviews, focus group discussions and observations in the forms of field notes. The data, mainly tape-recorded interviews and field notes were transcribed verbatim for data analysis. Tesch’s eight-step data analysis model (Creswell 1994:155) was used. One major theme, youth friendliness emerged with three categories, namely: physical, administrative, and psychological aspects of youth-friendly services. All the respondents indicated that they benefited and affirmed they were empowered and better people after using the facility. However, limited access to the facility by the target group due to location, cost of reaching the facility, and attitudes of service providers as well as failure to implement planned activities due to financial and staff shortage were obstacles to youth friendliness of the YAC. Based on the findings and literature review, the researcher developed guidelines to facilitate YFS and improved access to the YAC. Recommendations made are for practise in the YAC, education of SDOs and for further research.
Health Studies
D. Litt. et Phil. (Health Studies)

Text in Afrikaans with Abstracts in Afrikaans, English and isiZulu
In hierdie proefskrif word ondersoek ingestel na die parateks as narratiewe strategie vir toeganklikheid in geselekteerde Afrikaanse kinder- en jeugliteratuur. Die kern van hierdie ondersoek is die toeganklikheid van die boodskap binne die paratekstuele en narratiewe kommunikasiesituasie. Vir hierdie ondersoek is die sentrale probleemstelling soos volg geformuleer: hoe word die parateks as narratiewe strategie gebruik om kinder- en jeugliteratuur meer toeganklik vir jong lesers te maak? Gérard Genette se werk oor die parateks (1997a) en die narratologie (1983, 1990) dien as teoretiese basis vir hierdie studie se konseptuele raamwerk, aangevul deur die werk van Mieke Bal (1991, 2009). Jauss (1982) se resepsie-estetika word ook betrek ten einde toeganklikheid ten opsigte van die primêre teikenmark te formuleer. Binne die konteks van hierdie konseptuele raamwerk, word daar afsonderlik ondersoek ingestel na die ontvangers, senders en boodskap van die paratekstuele en narratiewe kommunikasiesituasie. Die ontvangers is die lesers van die parateks as narratiewe strategie vir toeganklikheid en word bespreek as die primêre, dubbele en tweeledige teikenmarkte. Die senders is die verskillende skrywers betrokke by die skepping en implementering van die parateks as narratiewe strategie vir toeganklikheid. Onderskeid word getref tussen die primêre skrywer, die tweede skrywer en die sekondêre skrywer. Laastens word die boodskap ondersoek soos dit met die visuele parateks en die talige parateks verband hou. Aan die hand van die konseptuele raamwerk van hierdie studie, en die verskillende rolspelers en boodskappe binne die paratekstuele en narratiewe kommunikasiesituasie, dui die studie aan hoe die parateks as narratiewe strategie gebruik kan word om kinder- en jeugliteratuur vir veral die primêre teikenmark meer toeganklik te maak.
This thesis sets out to illustrate how the paratext can be used as narrative strategy for accessibility in selected Afrikaans children’s and youth fiction. Central to this study is the accessibility of the message in the paratextual and narrative communication situation. In this regard, the central research question is as follows: how can the paratext be used as a narrative strategy to make children’s and youth literature more accessible for young readers? Gérard Genette’s work on the paratext (1997a) and narratology (1983, 1990) serves as the theoretical basis for this study’s conceptual framework, along with the work of Mieke Bal (1991, 2009). In order to define accessibility in terms of the primary target audience, reference is also made to Jauss’s (1982) reception theory. Within the context of this conceptual framework, focus is placed on the receivers, senders and message of the paratextual and narrative communication situation. The receivers are the readers of the paratext as narrative strategy for accessibility and are discussed as the primary, twofold and dual target audiences. The senders are the different writers involved in the creation and implementation of the paratext as narrative strategy for accessibility. Here a distinction is made between the primary writer, the second writer and the secondary writer. Lastly, the message is discussed as it relates to the visual paratext and textual paratext. Through the conceptual framework of this study, along with the different role players and messages of the paratext as narrative strategy for accessibility, this study shows how the paratext as narrative strategy can be used to make children’s and youth literature more accessible for especially the primary target audience.
Le thisisi ihlose ukuveza ukuthi umbhalo ohunyushiwe ungasetshenziswa kanjani njengesu lokuxoxa emibhalweni ekhethiwe yesiBhunu yezingane kanye naleyo yabantu abasha .Okubalulekile kulesi sifundo socwaningo wukutholakala komlayezo wombhalo ohunyushiwe kanye nesimo sokuxhumana ngengxoxo. Ngalokho-ke, umbuzo oyinsika kulesi sifundo socwaningo ngolandelayo: Ngabe inkulumo ehunyushiwe ingasetshenziswa kanjani njengesu lokuxoxa, elingenza ukuthi imibhalo yobuciko yezingane kanye naleyo yabantu abasha ukuze itholakale kalula kubafundi abasebasha? Umsebenzi kaGérard Genette i-paratext (1997a) kanye ne-narratology (1983, 1990) usebenza njengesisekelo sesakhiwo sebizo salesi sifundo socwaningo, kanti lokhu kuhambisana nomsebenzi ka MiekeBal (1991,2009). Ukuze siphumelele ukuchaza mayelana nokutholakala kwabafundi bezincwadi abahlosiwe, uyanxuswa ukuthi ufunde ithiyori emayelana nokutholakala kwabafundi bomlayezo ka Jauss (1982). Ngaphansi kwesimo sesakhiwo segama, kugxilwe kakhulu kubamukeli, kubathumeli kanye nakumlayezo wombhalo ohunyushiwe kanye nesimo sokuxhumana ngengxoxo. Abamukeli bomlayezo kungabafundi bombhalo ohunyushiwe, okuyisu elisetshenziswa ukuthola umlayezo, kanti la masu axoxwa njengalawo aqonde abafundi bokuqala, abambaxambili futhi anezinhloso ezimbili.. Abathumeli bomlayezo kungabhali abadlala indima yokwakha kanye nokusebenzisa imibhalo ehunyushiwe njengesu lokuxoxa elisetshenziswa ukuthola umlayezo. Lapha, kuvezwa umehluko ophakathi kombhali wokuqala, umbhali wesibili kanye nombhali osezingeni lesibili. Okukugcina, umlayezo uxoxwa njengoba uhlobana nombhalo ohunyushiwe obukelwayo kanye nombhalo ohunyushiwe olotshiwe Ngokusebenzisa uhlelo lwesakhiwo segama salesi sifundo, esisebenzisana ndawonye nabadlali bendima abahlukahlukene kanye nemilayezo yombhalo ohunyushiwe njengesu lokuxoxa elisetshenziswa ukuthola umlayezo, lokhu kukhombisa ukuthi umbhalo ohunyushiwe oyisu lokuxoxa ungasetshenziswa kanjani ukwenza ukuthi imibhalo yobuciko yezingane kanye naleyo yabantu abasha ingatholakala kanjani, ikakhulukazi ngabafundi bokuqala abahlosiwe.
Afrikaans and Theory of Literature
D. Litt et Phil. (Afrikaans)

Joseph Addison and Henry Sacheverell were almost exact contemporaries. Born within two years of one another, both men attended Magdalen College, Oxford in their youth, and they both took up their studies at the college in the wake of the Glorious Revolution. From this moment onward, the lives and public careers of Addison and Sacheverell would be curiously intertwined. Scholarship and college life would bring them together as friends, but politics and public fame would pull them apart. A contrast between the agreeable Addison and the distasteful Sacheverell is commonplace in eighteenth-century studies, and not without reason. As perhaps the chief proponent of a new culture of ‘politeness’ for post-revolutionary Britain, Addison is well known for his friendliness, if not perhaps for his volubility, in company. Addison’s powerful reputation as the patron saint of eighteenth-century politeness did not sit well with his ties to Sacheverell, whose firebrand reputation was deeply controversial in his lifetime and only declined further as time went by. For this reason, the youthful friendship of the two Magdalen scholars has been a source of awkwardness for later commentators. This chapter places the friendship between Addison and Sacheverell within the context of post-revolutionary political and literary culture.

Joseph Addison and Henry Sacheverell were almost exact contemporaries. Born within two years of one another, both men attended Magdalen College, Oxford, in their youth, and they both took up their studies at the college in the wake of the Glorious Revolution. From this moment onward, the lives and public careers of Addison and Sacheverell would be curiously intertwined. Scholarship and college life would bring them together as friends, but politics and public fame would pull them apart. A contrast between the agreeable Addison and the distasteful Sacheverell is commonplace in eighteenth-century studies, and not without reason. As perhaps the chief proponent of a new culture of ‘politeness’ for post-revolutionary Britain, Addison is well known for his friendliness, if not perhaps for his volubility, in company. Addison’s powerful reputation as the patron saint of eighteenth-century politeness did not sit well with his ties to Sacheverell, whose firebrand reputation was deeply controversial in his lifetime and only declined further as time went by. For this reason, the youthful friendship of the two Magdalen scholars has been a source of awkwardness for later commentators. This chapter places the friendship between Addison and Sacheverell within the context of post-revolutionary political and literary culture