Advancing Optimal Well-Being in Adolescence
This is a large scale study on well-being in adolescent samples by investigating minority and mainstream groups in Bulgaria and Sweden. The main subject matter of my project deals with better understanding PYD (Positive Youth Development). The PYD is a strength-based conception of adolescence, particularly novel in working with youth and ethnic minority groups as past research had often started from a deficiency perspective (emphasizing problems and difficulties rather than strengths). In adopting PYD, this project builds on the strength rather than weakness among ethnic minority and mainstream youth and their communities and respective countries.
Participants
600 youth and families in Bulgaria and 2000 youth and their families in Sweden.
Topics of study
PYD, ethnic and personal identity, social trust, parenting (support for learning, democratic parenting, communication, parental warmth, control and monitoring, child disclosure), school engagement, educational aspirations & expectations, bullying & victimization, peer relations, mental health outcomes, life satisfaction, positive affect, hope, school climate.
Collaborators
Laura Ferrer-Wreder (Stockholm University), Rosaria Galanti (Karolinska Institute) kupolstudien.se/
Products
Dimitrova, R., Ferrer-Wreder, L., & Trost, K. (2015). Intergenerational transmission of ethnic identity and well-being of Roma minority adolescents and their parents. Journal of Adolescence. doi:org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2015.10.014
Dimitrova, R. & Ferrer-Wreder, L. & Galanti, R. (2015). Pedagogical and Social Climate in School (PESOC) Questionnaire: Psychometric Properties of the Teacher Version in Bulgaria, Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, doi:10.1177/0734282915595332
Dimitrova, R., & Ferrer-Wreder, L. (2016). Resources for positive youth development of Roma ethnic minority across Europe. In N. Cabrera & Leyendecker, B. (Eds.), Handbook of Positive Development of Minority Children, NY, USA: Springer, forthcoming