Gender differences in developmental assets profile of college going youth: a report from India

Authors

  • Sisira Satheesan Institute of Psychiatry and Human Behaviour, Bambolim, Goa, India
  • Noufal Hameed Department of Clinical Psychology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bangalore, Karnataka, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20180256

Keywords:

Developmental assets profile, College youth, External assets, Internal assets, Thriving, Vulnerable, Challenged

Abstract

Background: Recent years have seen a paradigm shift in the way development during young age is considered where the focus of attention has moved from the deficit based approaches to one that of strength based. Among the various strength based approaches in youth development, developmental assets profile has achieved a prominent place. The present study is aimed at providing a preliminary evaluation of developmental assets on a group of young people from Kerala State, India.

Methods: One hundred and forty (63 females, 77 males) participants were assessed on developmental assets profile survey.

Results: Of the sample, 6.4%, 58.6%, 33.6%, and 1.4% of youth fell in the thriving, adequate, vulnerable, and challenged categories, respectively. Analysis of composite internal assets showed that 15.7%, 47.9%, 33.5%, and 2.9%, fell in the thriving, adequate, vulnerable, and challenged categories respectively. In the external assets scores, this was 22.1%, 49.3%, 27.9%, and 0.7%. Significant gender differences were found in the number of total internal, external, and total assets reported.

Conclusions: The present study is one of the first studies attempting to assess the developmental assets profile of the college going youth in India and to analyse the gender differences on the same. This way, the study provides a preliminary, nonetheless important understanding about the developmental assets profile of a sample of college going youth. 

Author Biographies

Sisira Satheesan, Institute of Psychiatry and Human Behaviour, Bambolim, Goa, India

Clinical Psychologist

Noufal Hameed, Department of Clinical Psychology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bangalore, Karnataka, India

Dotoral Research Fellow, Department of Clinical Psychology

References

Roth J, Brooks-Gunn J, Murray L, Foster W. Promoting health adolescents: Synthesis of youth development program evaluations. J Res Adolescence. 1998;8:423-59.

Benson PL, Scales PC, Hamilton SF, Sesma A. Jr. Positive youth development: Theory, research, and applications. In: Lerner RM, ed. Handbook of Child Psychology Vol. 1 Theoretical models of human development. 6th ed. Editors-in-chief: Damon W, Lerner RM. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. 2006: 894-941.

Catalano RF, Berglund ML, Ryan JAM, Lonczak HS, Hawkins JD. Positive youth development in the United States: Research findings on evaluations of youth development programs. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 1999: 6-7.

Benson PL, Mannes M, Pittman K, Ferber T. Youth development, developmental assets, and public policy. In: Lerner RM, Steinberg, L, eds. Handbook of adolescent psychology, 2nd ed. Hoboken, NJ US: John Wiley & Sons Inc; 2004: 781-814.

Olweus D, Limber S, Mihalic SF. Blueprints for violence prevention, book nine: Bullying prevention program. Boulder, CO: Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence. 1999.

Benard B. Fostering resiliency in kids: Protective factors in the family, school, and community. Portland, OR: Western Center for Drug-Free Schools and Communities; 1991. ERIC Document Retrieval No. ED335781

Lerner RM. Concepts and theories of human development, 3rd ed. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates; 2002.

Lerner RM. Diversity in individual-context relations as the basis for positive development across the life span: A developmental systems perspective for theory, research, and application. Research in Human Development, 2004;1:327-46.

Lerner RM. Developmental assets and asset-building communities: A view of the issues. In: Lerner RM, Benson PL, eds. Developmental assets and asset-building communities: Implications for research, policy, and practice. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Press; 2003; 3–18.

Damon W. What is positive youth development? Ann Am Acad Political Social Sci. 2004;591:13-24.

Larson R. Toward a psychology of positive youth development. Am Psychol. 2000;55:170-83.

Roth JL, Brooks-Gunn J. What exactly is a youth development program? Answers from research and practice. Applied Developmental Sci. 2003;7:94-111.

Silbereisen RK, Lerner RM. Approaches to positive youth development: A view of the issues. In: Silbereisen RK, Lerner RM. eds. Approaches to positive youth development. London: Sage Publications; 2007: 3-30.

Benson PL. Developmental Assets: An overview of theory, research, and practice. In: Silbereisen RK, Lerner RM, eds. Approaches to positive youth development. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. 2007: 33-58.

Scales PC, Leffert N. Developmental assets: A synthesis of the scientific research on adolescent development, 2nd ed. Minneapolis, MN: Search Institute. 2004.

Benson PL. All kids are our kids: What communities must do to raise caring and responsible children and adolescents. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 1997.

Benson PL, Leffert N, Scales PC, Blyth DA. Beyond the “village” rhetoric: Creating healthy communities for children and adolescents. Applied Developmental Science, 1998;2:138–59.

Leffert N, Benson PL, Scales PC, Sharma AR, Drake DR, Blyth DA. Developmental assets: Measurement and prediction of risk behaviors among adolescents. Applied Developmental Sci. 1998;2:209-30.

Scales PC, Benson PL, Leffert N, Blyth DA. The contribution of developmental assets to the prediction of thriving among adolescents. Applied Developmental Sci. 2000;4:27–46.

Search Institute. Developmental Assets Profile. User manual. Minneapolis, MN: Author. 2005.

Franke RW, Chasin BH. Kerala State, India: radical reform as development. Int J Health Serv. 1992;22:139–56.

Scales PC, Roehlkepartain EC, Fraher K. Do developmental assets makes a difference in majority world-context? A preliminary study of the relationships between Developmental Assets and international development priorities. Minneapolis: Search Institute, Final report to United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Education Development Center. (EDC) 2012.

Chew W, Osseck J, Raygor D, Eldridge-Houser J, Cox C. Developmental assets: profile of youth in a juvenile justice facility. J Sch Health. 2010;80:66-72.

Roeser RW, Eccles JS, Sameroff AJ. School as a Context of Early Adolescents' Academic and Social-Emotional Development: A Summary of Research Findings. Elementary School J. 2000;100:443–71.

Lee VE, Smith JB. Effects of school restructuring on the achievement and engagement of middle-grade students. Sociol Education, 1993;66:164-87.

Goodenow C. Classroom belonging among early adolescent students: Relationships to motivation and achievement. J Early Adolescence, 1993;30:79-90.

Kelly KR, Jordan LK. Effects of Academic Achievement and Gender on Academic and Social Self-Concept: A Replication Study. J Counseling Development., 1990;69:173–7.

Broderick PC. Early Adolescent Gender Differences in the Use of Ruminative and Distracting Coping Strategies. J Early Adolescence., 1998;18:173–91.

Nupur C, Mahapatro M. Gender Differences in Self Esteem among Young Adults of Raipur, Uttar Pradesh, India. Austin J Womens Health. 2016;3:1018.

van Goethem AAJ, van Hoof A, van Hoof MAG, Raaijmakers AW, Boom J, de Castro BO. The role of adolescents’ morality and identity in volunteering. Age and gender differences in a process model. J Adolescence. 2012;35:509-20.

Rani EK. Perceived social support and psychological wellbeing: Testing the unique association and gender differences among young working adults. International J Indian Psychol. 2016;3:98-113.

Colarossi LG. Adolescent gender differences in social support: Structure, function, and provider type. Social Work Res. 2001;25:233–41.

Kumar P, Nabi F, Mujoo S, Mir AI, Yangchen R, Basra R, et al. Social Relationships in Students’ Life: Incentives or Liabilities in Mihir Kumar Mallick (Ed.), Teacher Education in 21st Century. New Delhi: New Delhi Publishers; 2016.

Ram U, Strohschein L, Gaur K. Gender Socialization: Differences between Male and Female Youth in India and Associations with Mental Health. International J Population Res. 2014:357145.

Downloads

Published

2018-01-24

How to Cite

Satheesan, S., & Hameed, N. (2018). Gender differences in developmental assets profile of college going youth: a report from India. International Journal Of Community Medicine And Public Health, 5(2), 714–720. https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20180256

Issue

Section

Original Research Articles