Nowadays, the transition from child to young adult is often completed faster than was the case even a decade ago: the puberty stage comes earlier, and childhood ends correspondingly earlier, too. Today’s external influences result in young people passing through stages of life much more quickly than their parents. How, though, do youngsters aged between 12 and 17 see this themselves; what do they feel about this stage of life? Now they are being given the opportunity to express their thoughts. A unique nation-wide survey recently initiated draws on the successful Bremen youth survey carried out in 1997. The results obtained from evaluation of the present study will also provide unique comparative data, and researchers are now looking for young people prepared to take part in the new study.
The “Bremen Youth Study” research group at the University of Bremen is investigating the challenges, stresses, and problems facing today’s teenagers. The objective is to find out how young people themselves experience the manifold physical, social, and mental changes that take place during the stage of adolescence. In order to obtain as accurate a picture as possible, a total of 400 young people will be interviewed between now and the end of March 2012.
In addition to this, the researchers are also looking for parents who are prepared to complete a questionnaire on the situation in their family. So far, around 250 young people of school age have already been interviewed.
A unique feature of this investigation, which is being carried out under the scientific coordination of Professor Franz Petermann, is that the young people themselves are being asked about their life situation. Until now, research on adolescence has rested mainly on the data gathered from adult persons, whose memory of events may have become somewhat blurred. Moreover, due to the numerous biological and social changes that have taken place (earlier puberty, the difficulty in obtaining vocational training etc.), many previous findings have become outdated. The “Bremen Youth Study” will close many gaps in our knowledge of the issues at stake. The results are expected to contribute towards a better understanding of the concerns and interests of young people on the part of other age groups involved in youth work, and hopefully towards developing suitable approaches to solving problems.
Protection of the data of those taking part is ensured, and all pertinent issues have been clarified with the data protection officer of the State of Bremen. The interviews are carried out on the premises of the Center for Clinical Psychology and Rehabilitation of the University of Bremen.
For further information contact:
Universität Bremen
Zentrums für Klinische Psychologie und Rehabilitation
Arbeitsgruppe „Bremer Jugendstudie“
Dr. Julia Jascenoka
Grazer Str. 2 and 6
Phone: +49 421 218 - 68639
e-mail: bjs2011protect me ?!uni-bremenprotect me ?!.de
