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Anonymous questionnaires are frequently used in research with adolescents in order to obtain sincere answers about sensitive topics. Most longitudinal studies include self-generated identification codes (SGICs) to match information. Typical elements include a combination of letters and digits from personal data. However, these data may make the participant feel that their answers are not truly anonymous, and some studies using these types of SGICs have been perceived as not entirely anonymous by some participants. Furthermore, data protection laws could place limits on research carried out with these codes. The objective of our article is to test an SGIC with a higher degree of anonymity. We conducted two studies. In Study 1, we tested the perceived anonymity of this new SGIC code. Adolescents aged 12 to 18 years (N = 601) completed an anonymous questionnaire about lifestyles and risk behaviors, which also included the SGIC. Adolescents with and without risk behaviors were compared regarding whether or not they answered to the SGIC questions. We did not find any differences to suggest that participants felt identifiable. In Study 2, we assessed the efficiency of the new SGIC. At baseline, 123 students from two high schools (eighth grade) filled in questionnaires consisting of the new SGIC and their full names. Two years later, these same students (then in the 10th grade) were invited to fill in the same information again (116 students responded to this second call). A total of 97 students were present in both waves. The SGIC showed a moderate performance, with good enough indices of recall and precision. Evidence suggests that the new SGIC is a suitable tool for the anonymous matching of adolescents in follow-ups of school cohorts.

How young people spend time out of school is important for their character development. In this article we explore the relationships between adolescents' leisure time and other aspects of their lives, with a particular focus on religion. Using a data set generated by secondary school students in Peru and El Salvador (n = 6085) for a public health project, "YOURLIFE," we conducted multiple logistic regression analyses of the relationships between religious identification, salience and practice; five indicators of adolescent risk behaviors; and, four indicators of prosocial attitudes and behaviors. In addition to not participating in risk behaviors such as sex, smoking, drinking alcohol and taking illicit drugs, these analyses show significant relationships between religion and prosocial activities and attitudes. These data are considered in the context of the wider debate over the role of religion in adolescent character development in Latin America and elsewhere.

Anonymous questionnaires are frequently used in research with adolescents in order to obtain sincere answers about sensitive topics. Most longitudinal studies include self-generated identification codes (SGICs) to match information. Typical elements include a combination of letters and digits from personal data. However, these data may make the participant feel that their answers are not truly anonymous, and some studies using these types of SGICs have been perceived as not entirely anonymous by some participants. Furthermore, data protection laws could place limits on research carried out with these codes. The objective of our article is to test an SGIC with a higher degree of anonymity. We conducted two studies. In Study 1, we tested the perceived anonymity of this new SGIC code. Adolescents aged 12 to 18 years (N = 601) completed an anonymous questionnaire about lifestyles and risk behaviors, which also included the SGIC. Adolescents with and without risk behaviors were compared regarding whether or not they answered to the SGIC questions. We did not find any differences to suggest that participants felt identifiable. In Study 2, we assessed the efficiency of the new SGIC. At baseline, 123 students from two high schools (eighth grade) filled in questionnaires consisting of the new SGIC and their full names. Two years later, these same students (then in the 10th grade) were invited to fill in the same information again (116 students responded to this second call). A total of 97 students were present in both waves. The SGIC showed a moderate performance, with good enough indices of recall and precision. Evidence suggests that the new SGIC is a suitable tool for the anonymous matching of adolescents in follow-ups of school cohorts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increased interest on measuring violence in romantic relationships has led to the identification of some risk factors for intimate partner violence (IPV) in its different forms. Some of them are often present from the onset of the relationships. However, little attention has been paid to the engagement period. This might be, in part, due to the cognitive dissonance that hinders partners reporting intimate violence when they are planning their wedding. The purpose of our study is to test the association between the individual perception of relationship power imbalance (RPI)—a possible indirect measure of intimate violence—and known predictors of IPV. To test this hypothesis, a total of 254 premarital couples taking part in a dynamic prospective cohort study completed a questionnaire with questions about the perception of RPI and referred predictors of IPV. Results showed a positive correlation between the perception of RPI and known predictors of IPV. These findings suggest that RPI is a powerful indirect measure to detect situations that might imply a mild form of IPV and that could evolve into stronger presentations of violence later in marriage. Noticing the presence of RPI before marriage could encourage the prevention and development of personal and relational strategies to avoid the consolidation of violent dynamics within the marital relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Waiving parent permission can be an option in some epidemiological and social research with adolescents. However, exemptions have not been uniformly considered or applied. Our aim is to critically assess the different factors that could be taken into account when making decisions about waiving active parental permission in observational research with adolescents. Discussion In some cases alternatives to parental permission could be applied to protect the rights of both adolescents and parents and also to assure the benefits to adolescents as a group that can come from appropriately conducted studies. However, the criteria of ensuring minimal risk can be difficult to define and apply and a distinction between harm and discomfort is reviewed. Waiving active parental permission could be acceptable when the risk of harm is minimal; when the research questions are related to an activity for which adolescents are not legally considered to be children; when the risk of harm or discomfort may increase if parental permission is required; and when risk of discomfort is low because the questionnaire is not potentially offensive for some adolescents and/or for some parents. Summary Stringent rules concerning parental permission in some studies could be detrimental to adolescents. A framework and a decision tree guide are proposed to help researchers and Research Ethics Committees in their decisions on whether active parental permission must be obtained.

Abstract Background In order to achieve a change among teens' sexual behavior, an important step is to improve our knowledge about their opinions concerning relationships, love and sexuality. Methods A questionnaire including topics on relationships, love and sexuality was distributed to a target population of 4,000 Filipino students from third year high school to third year college. Participants were obtained through multi-stage sampling of clusters of universities and schools. This paper concentrates on teens aged 13 to 18. Results Students reported that they obtained information about love and sexuality mainly from friends. However, they valued parents' opinion more than friends'. They revealed few conversations with their parents on these topics. A majority of them would like to have more information, mainly about emotion-related topics. Almost half of respondents were not aware that condoms are not 100% effective in preventing STIs or pregnancies. More girls, compared to boys, were sensitive and opposed to several types of sexism. After adjusting for sex, age and institution, the belief of 100% condom effectiveness and the approval of pornography and sexism were associated with being sexually experienced. Conclusion There is room for further encouraging parents to talk more with their children about sexuality, specially aspects related to feelings and emotions in order to help them make better sexual choices. Indeed, teens wish to better communicate with their parents on these issues. Condoms are regarded as safer than what they really are by almost half of the participants of this study, and such incorrect knowledge seems to be associated with sexual initiation.