Organized Activity Participation and Positive Youth Development: Trajectories and Mechanisms.

Abstract

Participation in organized activities plays a key role in positive youth development (PYD). Few researchers have considered the possibility of multiple participation trajectories during the high school years, predisposing and contextual factors that may influence trajectory group membership and how various trajectories may be associated with young adult outcomes. Furthermore, few researchers have explicitly examined PYD as a mechanism by which organized activities influence youth outcomes. I used growth mixture modeling with longitudinal data from African American adolescents attending urban high schools to identify latent classes of participation (N=681 Wave 1, 49% male). I examined how predisposing risk and promotive factors and ecological contexts were related to participation trajectory subgroups. I investigated if subgroup membership predicted psychological well-being, substance use, educational and employment-related outcomes in young adulthood. I also used structural equation modeling to investigate if PYD mediated the relationship between participation and relational aggression among a diverse sample of early adolescents (N=196, 60% female). My results indicated three participation trajectories during the high school years: low, decreasing class (74% of the respondents); moderate, consistent class (21%) and moderate, increasing class (5%). Results indicated that, net of sociodemographic and self-selection factors, substance use, parent support and participation across contexts were associated with trajectory class membership. I also found that psychological well-being, substance use and educational attainment in young adulthood differed by participation trajectory class. Finally, I found that PYD partially mediated the relationship between participation and relational aggression. My results suggest that early substance use may reduce the likelihood of participation over time in activities that support positive development. Participation across contexts may promote participation over time. Young people who expand their participation over time may be more likely to experience the positive effects of this involvement into young adulthood. My results also support the idea that the positive effects of participation operate in part through building assets and resources related to PYD. This research suggests that efforts to address barriers to participation and enhance opportunities for involvement may be helpful for development of skills and resources that adolescents need to become healthy, productive adults.