Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning/queer, and other gender diverse (LGBTQ+) adolescents face daunting hardships within the rural contexts they navigate (e.g., community, school), and these onerous demands make it difficult for them to maintain optimal mental well-being. This scoping review described the psychosocial protective and…

Crucial to understanding an individual, presenting with intellectual disability and the management of their challenging behaviours, is the knowledge of the types of those specific behaviours. The term aggressive behaviour is a universal term that embraces many aspects of behaviour that vary in terms of severity, frequency and seriousness for the…

Discusses impact of defining homosexual orientation on development and identity formation of youths who "come out" during adolescence. Four dimensions are presented: recognizing oneself as lesbian or gay, exploring sexual orientation through the gay and lesbian community, disclosing sexual orientation to others, and becoming more comfortable with…

Reviews changes in biopsychosocial development during adolescence. Addresses aspects of individual change during the adolescent decade as well as effects of context on normal development and responses to challenges. Predispositions or vulnerabilities present prior to a developmental transition may be exacerbated. Provides advice on encouraging a…

Reviews developmental models for understanding adolescence as they might be applied to emerging sexuality and the challenges and risks that may be associated with different sexual orientations and identities. Models have been identified as: cumulative events or simultaneous change, accentuation, or trajectory models. Models have been useful in…

Presents three surveys conducted at the University of Puerto Rico concerning college students' AIDS knowledge and their sexual and preventive behaviors. Findings show students had knowledge of how HIV is transmitted, but they also harbored misconceptions about ways the disease can spread. These misconceptions coupled with the machismo attitude…

Counselors who work with children regularly face the ethical dilemma of confidentiality for which there are few definitive answers. Confidentiality and Minors Questionnaire about managing student's confidential information was distributed to district guidance supervisors. It appears that counselors' judgment of what breaches confidentiality is…

Research on the hypothesized relationship between sexual orientation and suicide is limited. National or statewide data on frequency and causes of completed suicide in gay and lesbian people do not exist. Methodological limitations in research literature include lack of consensus on definition of key terms, nonrepresentative samples, and lack of…

This chapter moves toward defining high-risk youth as young persons with low probabilities of gaining an education, getting a job, parenting effectively, or being able to participate in the political process. Five snapshots are presented of the latest information on the prevalence of the five categorical behaviors of interest: (1) substance abuse,…