Adolescent Participation in Structured and Unstructured Activities: A Person-Oriented Analysis

• NCJ Number: 200191
• Journal: Journal of Youth and Adolescence Volume: 32 Issue: 4 Dated: August 2003 Pages: 233-241
• Author(s): W. Todd Bartko; Jacquelynne S. Eccles
• Date Published: August 2003
• Length: 9 pages
• Grant Number(s): R01HD33437
• Sponsoring Agency: John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study used a person-oriented approach to examine adolescents' participation in both constructive, organized activities as well as unstructured leisure activities for the purpose of determining psychosocial indicators related to these different types of activities.

Abstract

Data were obtained from the Maryland Adolescent Development in Context study, an ongoing longitudinal study of adolescent development. Data used in the current study came from individual in-home interviews with the 1,004 urban and suburban adolescents and their parents living near Washington, DC. The sample was 50-percent female, 66-percent African-American, and 34-percent European-American. Interviews were completed in the summer and fall of 1997 as the youths were beginning their senior year in high school. Adolescents' involvement in structured and unstructured activities was assessed by 11 items that focused on their participation in these activities over the past year. The activities were sports, reading for pleasure, homework, chores, time with friends, watching television, school clubs, community clubs, volunteering, religion, and paid work. To assess the correlates of adolescents' activity choices, reports were obtained for academic performance, problem behavior, and psychological functioning. Generally, the findings show that participation in structured, prosocial activities was associated with positive functioning for these youths, and the poorest functioning was noted for adolescents who engaged in few constructive activities. Several of the activity clusters, each with a unique combination of activity involvement, were associated with positive psychological and behavioral functioning. There is thus more than one path that links activity choices and psychological health. These findings fit with results from previous research that has linked participation in constructive activities and positive developmental indicators. 3 tables and 35 references