Positive Youth Development Interventions: A Systematic Review

Abstract

This review synthesizes current literature on the interventions promoting positive youth development (PYD) among adolescents and young adults aged 10-24 in Canada and the United States following the PYD framework. Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, we conducted a systematic review using electronic databases, including Medline, EMBASE, PsychINFO, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature via EBSCOhost, Scopus, and Cochrane Library, focusing on randomized, quasirandomized, pretest and post-test designs studies of PYD interventions. Of the 14 studies included, most (n = 12) targeted skill-building, significantly enhancing youth's interpersonal skills, self-confidence, social engagement and empowerment. About half (n = 8) of the studies incorporated the agency domain, followed by the enabling environment domain (n = 3), and two studies (n = 2) encompassing the contribution domain. The findings emphasize PYD interventions' role in developing essential social skills in youth while highlighting the need for more rigorous, long-term studies to evaluate PYD interventions' effectiveness.

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