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Interpreting social determinants: Emergent properties and adolescent risk behaviour
Chris Desmond1, Janet Seeley2,3, Candice Groenewald4
1Centre for Rural Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.
Plos One
|December 27, 2019
Summary
Adversity and health risk behaviors like alcohol use are linked, but causes are unclear. This study suggests "emergent properties," like hope, may explain variations in adolescent alcohol consumption, offering new insights for public health.
Area of Science:
- Social Sciences
- Psychology
- Public Health
Background:
- A link exists between adversity (e.g., low socio-economic status) and health-risk behaviors (e.g., alcohol consumption).
- The underlying causes and non-linear nature of this association remain poorly understood, leading to significant variability.
- The concept of emergent properties offers a potential framework for explaining these complex relationships.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of emergent properties in explaining the link between adversity and health-risk behaviors.
- To examine the association between an emergent property, hope, and alcohol consumption in adolescents.
- To explore the non-linear nature of risk behavior associations.
Main Methods:
- A mixed-methods approach was employed.
- The study focused on adolescents in a rural South African setting.
- Data on emergent properties (hope) and alcohol consumption were collected and analyzed.
Main Results:
- Significant variance in reported levels of hope was observed among adolescents in similar contexts.
- An association between levels of hope and alcohol consumption was identified.
- This finding supports the utility of emergent properties in understanding behavioral variations.
Conclusions:
- Emergent properties, such as hope, may help explain variations in health-risk behaviors like adolescent alcohol consumption.
- Further research is needed to refine the measurement of emergent properties for analytical and policy applications.
- This approach offers potential for developing targeted interventions by understanding complex psychosocial dynamics.
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