Substance use and abuse among adolescent runaways: A four-year follow-up study

Using data from the National Longitudinal Study Youth Survey (NLSY), runaway status in early adolescence (ages 14–15) was associated with subsequent (four years later) substance abuse, alcohol problems, and school dropout status. Three runaway categories were formed—never runaway, runaway once, and runaway two or more times. Overall, the repeat runaways reported engaging in higher levels of substance use and abuse than never and once runaways. However, some degree of gender specificity in the relationships for repeat runaways and substance abuse was found. Female repeat runaways were particularly susceptible to abusing illicit drugs (and not acoohol), whereas male repeat runaways manifested a more generalized susceptability to abusing alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, and other illicit drugs. Whereas substance use and abuse were linearly associated with runaway status, both the one-time and repeat runaways manifested equivalent proportions of school dropouts, and at levels far exceeding never runaways. Results are discussed with regard to the heterogeneous developmental pathways leading toward and away from adolescent runaways.Dr. Windle's major research interests involve the identification of high risk factors and then influences on adolescent substance use and other problem behaviors.     

The effect of parental divorce on parent-adolescent separation

The purpose of this study was to identify variables that differentially affect parent-adolescent separation in subjects from separated vs subjects from intact families. The subjects were 318 introductory psychology students at the University of Manitoba who had already left home. They were given the Moving Out questionnaire as well as Rotter's Internal-External Locus of Control Scale. Contrary to our hypotheses, subjects from separated families did not experience more conflict when leaving home than subjects from intact families, and the type and amount of divorce-related conflict was not related to higher emotional separation or locus of control scores. However, it was found that as divorce-related conflict became more openly expressed, feelings of personal control increased and feelings about leaving home became more positive. Emotional separation scores were significantly higher for all males and for subjects from separated families. Also, females had a greater sense of external control than males.Research interests include separation, divorce, and fster parenting.Research interests include separation, divorce, and child development.     

The Effects of Neighborhood Proportion of Single-Parent Families and Mother–Adolescent Relationships on Adolescents' Number of Sexual Partners

Using both individual-level and census-level data, this study predicts the number of sexual partners reported by male and female adolescents from the quality of their mother relationship and neighborhood proportion of single-parent families. Both predictors were associated with number of sexual partners for both males and females in OLS analyses. However, in Repeated Measures analyses of females, neighborhood proportion of single-parent families was not significant. In both OLS and Repeated Measures formats models with individual-level single-parent family status, race, mothers' education and family income variables, neighborhood proportion of single-parent families was not significant for either gender. Interaction models found that neighborhood proportion of single-parent families moderated the influence of mother relationship on the number of sexual partners in OLS analyses for both sexes, but only for males in the Repeated Measures format. The direction of these two-way interactions varied significantly by gender–in both OLS and Repeated Measures. Mother relationships were more influential for females in neighborhoods with fewer single-parent families. In contrast, mother relationships were more influential for males in neighborhoods with more single-parent families.     

Parenting factors,social skills,and value commitments as precursors to school failure,involvement with deviant peers,and delinquent behavior

Elements of social control theory were combined with social learning theory to construct a model of delinquency which specifies the manner in which parenting factors, social skills, value commitments, and problems in school contribute to association with deviant peers and involvement in delinquent behavior. The model was tested using a sample of 61 families, each of which included a seventh grader. Questionnaire responses and coded videotaped family interaction were employed as measures of study constructs. The results largely supported the proposed model.This work was supported by Research Grants DA 05347 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, MH 43270 from the National Institute of Mental Health, and MCJ 190572 from the Bureau of Maternal and Child Health, Department of Health and Human Services.Received Ph.D. in sociology from Florida State University. Research interests: etiology of adolescent depression, substance abuse, and delinquency; identification of factors that influence parenting practices; causes and consequences of adolescent and adult homelessness.Received Ph.D. in sociology from Washington State University. Research interests: impact of family and peers upon adolescent value socialization, self-esteem, and perceptions of self-efficacy; street culture among adolescent runaways and adult homeless.Received Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Washington. Research interests: impacft of economic stress upon family dynamics, and relationship between parenting practices and adolescent developmental outcomes.Doctoral candidate in sociology at Iowa State University. Research interests: economic hardship and marital interaction, and determinants and consequences of variation in sibling interaction.     

Portrait of the North American runaway: A critical review

Runaway behavior has been viewed as a psychopathological problem by many. However, a review of the available research literature questions this perspective. An examination of the reported psychological profile of runaways suggests no clear relationship between personality and runaway behavior. Further, a multiplicity of factors can be noted which are potential causal agents for running away. These factors range from sociocultural values to school problems. Runaway research is shown to be methodologically limited by several factors, but the data are suggestive. Also, the authors conclude that future research on this growing social problem might utilize an “alternative values” or “deindivuation model” in generating testable hypotheses about runaway behavior.     

Running Away From Home: A Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Risk Factors and Young Adult Outcomes

Little is known about the adolescent risk factors and young adult health-related outcomes associated with running away from home. We examined these correlates of running away using longitudinal data from 4,329 youth (48% female, 85% white) who were followed from Grade 9 to age 21. Nearly 14% of the sample reported running away in the past year at Grade 10 and/or Grade 11. Controlling for demographics and general delinquency, running away from home was predicted by lack of parental support, school disengagement, greater depressive affect, and heavier substance use at Grade 9. In turn, runaways had higher drug dependence scores and more depressive symptoms at age 21 than non-runaways, even after taking these antecedent risk factors into account. Runaway status did not predict alcohol dependence risk at age 21. Results highlight the importance of substance use and depression, both as factors propelling adolescents to run away and as important long-term consequences of running away.     

Educational Aspirations of Male and Female Adolescents from Single-Parent and Two Biological Parent Families: A Comparison of Influential Factors

Youth from single-parent families report lower educational aspirations than those from two-parent families. This study explored the influence of background factors (gender, grade, parental education and SES), parental involvement with education, academic self-concept, and peer influences on educational aspirations. The participants were Canadian adolescents; 2751 from two parent and 681 from single-parent families. ANOVA results showed that adolescents from single-parent families scored significantly lower than adolescents from intact families on educational aspirations, and other predictor variables. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that the pattern of relationships between educational aspirations and other factors was very similar for adolescents from both types of families; namely academic self-concept significantly predicted educational aspirations. The family involvement and background factors predicted educational aspirations via academic self-concept. Having academically oriented peers was especially beneficial to adolescents from single-parent families. Implications for intervention programs are discussed. The research was supported by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Grant. Rashmi Garg is an Associate professor in the Department of Psychology at Laurentian University. She received her PhD in 1983 from the University of Ottawa. Basically she is interested in applied research in the areas of educational and psychological measurement and testing. More specifically she is interested in the adolescent's education and career development. Stella Melanson received a master's degree in Human Development from Laurentian University in 2003. She is working as a research data analysis coordinator for Ontario Early Years Education and Social Planning Council. Her interest is in early childhood education. Elizabeth Levin is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychology at Laurentian University. She received her PhD in 1986 from the University of Waterloo. Her major research interests focus on parenting styles and children's conceptions of parenting.     

Family interaction patterns among families with normal,disturbed, and drug-abusing adolescents

The relationships between family interaction patterns and the symptomatology of the individual family member are central to many therapeutic approaches. This study was designed to determine whether family interaction patterns differ significantly among three groups of families defined according to the adolescent offspring's symptoms. Thirty families were evaluated in a one-hour interview while three observers behind a one-way mirror rated verbal behavior and the quality of interaction between father, mother, and adolescent. Assessed behaviors included the ability to reach a decision, decision time, scapegoating, and double-bind messages. In addition, the quality of the family's interaction was assessed at four different times during the interview. The results established that the three family groups did not differ demographically. A comparison of the two disturbed family groups yielded no significant differences, with the exception of the adolescent's presenting problem and behaviors. The normal group was significantly different from the other two groups in frequency of scapegoating of the adolescent and the ability to reach a decision. Additionally, the normal families displayed clearer communication, more freedom of expression, more cooperation, and greater sensitivity among members. Several variables did not discriminate the normal group from the disturbed family groups.Received her Ph.D. from Bryn Mawr College. Research interests are adolescent psychopathology as it relates to family, group psychotherapy with adolescents, and use of the therapeutic milieu.     

The impact of divorce and subsequent father absence on children's and adolescents' self-concepts

The self-concepts of 406 grade school and junior high school students were assessed in this study. It was found that children and adolescents who had experienced father loss through divorce and whose mothers hadnot remarried demonstrated significantly lower self-concepts than those who were from intact families. Interestingly, children and adolescents who had experienced father loss through divorce and whose mothers had remarried were found to possess lower self-concepts than those from intact families, but this difference was not statistically significant. These findings were found across grade levels (i.e., grades 3–8) and for both sexes. The importance of these findings are discussed in light of current trends toward an increasing divorce rate and an increasing presence of stepfathers in American families.Recieved his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois in 1972. Research has been varied, ranging from assessment and amelioration of emotional and social problems in children to the impact of father loss on children and adolescents.Currently serving in the U.S. Navy. He has pursued graduate studies at Kansas State University. Primary research interests have been in the assessment of inter- and intrapersonal attitudes of children.     

Investigating the age effects of family structure on adolescent Marijuana use

This study examines differences among older and younger adolescents in the influence of family structure, family relations, and peer relations on marijuana use. Data from a longitudinal sample of adolescents from the United States were stratified by age and used to assess these potential differences. Precise measures of family structure were constructed to account for the various manifestations of family forms. Multivariate analyses indicate that a recent divorce attenuates attachment among younger adolescents and leads to less family involvement among older adolescents. Moreover, older adolescents from stepparent families are less attached to their families. Changes in these family relationship variables influence associations with drug using peers, but these processes differ for the two age groups. Finally, less family involvement and greater drug using peer associations lead to greater marijuana use among younger adolescents, while only peer associations directly affect use among older adolescents.This research was partially funded by a Faculty Research Grant provided by the University of North Carolina—Charlotte. The data used in this paper were made available by the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research. The data for the National Youth Survey, 1976 to 1978 (Waves 1–3), were originally collected by Delbert Elliott and colleagues at the Institute of Behavioral Science. Neither the collectors of the original data nor the consortium bear any responsibility for the analyses or interpretations presented here.Received Ph.D. from the State University of New York at Albany. Current research interests include adolescent drug use, social-psychological determinants of violence, and behavioral aspects of HIV transmission.     

Young adults' evaluations of themselves and their parents as a function of family structure and disposition

Young adults (N=349) were asked to evaluate, in a counterbalanced fashion, their mothers, fathers, and themselves. They also evaluated their families. Individuals from happy families were found to rate themselves significantly higher and their mothers somewhat higher than did their counterparts from unhappy families. Evaluations of fathers were not found to vary as a function of family happiness. Evaluations of fathers, but not mothers or subjects themselves, were found to vary significantly depending upon the structure of their family environments. Heider's attribution theory seems to be able to account for these varied findings.Received his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois in 1972. Current research interests are primarily focused upon social and personality development.     

The Effect of Religious Membership on Teen Abortion Rates

Religious membership can be related to teen abortion rates both directly, through antiabortion sentiment, and indirectly, through the higher probability of parental involvement laws being enacted in states with high levels of religious membership. Using data from the 1,024 counties in the 18 states that report teen abortion numbers, counties with high levels of religious membership were more likely to be in a state with a parental involvement law. In weighted regressions with several control variables—restrictive public funding, unemployment rate, per capita income, population density, percent white population, percent of families headed by a married couple, and regional indicators—both the religious membership level and a parental involvement law were negatively related to teen abortion rates. The coefficients for both variables were smaller when both variables were included in the model, indicating an interaction effect between religious membership and parental involvement laws on teen abortion rates.     

The development of autonomy among learning handicapped and nonhandicapped adolescents: A longitudinal perspective

Factors that influence the development of adolescent autonomy were examined in a longitudinal study of 30 learning handicapped and 30 nonhandicapped adolescents. Autonomy was represented by three separate measures: distance from parental supervision, responsibility, and deviance. Findings suggest that handicapped adolescents lag behind their nonhandicapped peers in achieving separation from parental supervision, in part because of more restrictive parental rules. But the gap appears to be shrinking as the handicapped adolescents are making strides to catch up during the high school years. In both groups, the families where autonomy is achieved with the least amount of discord are those where parents relax control gradually during the period of adolescence.This research was supported by Grant No. HD23097 from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.Received Ph.D. in Social Sciences from the University of California, Irvine. Current interests include adjustment problems of learning handicapped young adults.Received Ed.D. from Columbia University. Current interest is social competence and family relations of learning handicapped populations.     

Evaluations of self and parent figures by children from intact,divorced, and reconstituted families

A total of 738 children in grades 5–8 from 14 school districts in Kansas voluntarily evaluated themselves, their mothers, and their fathers. The results of this study indicated that children from intact families tended to evaluate themselves and their parents more positively than those from divorced families. Children from remarried families, as opposed to children from nonremarried families, were found to evaluate themselves somewhat more positively, their fathers significantly more positively, and their mothers less favorably. Explanations are offered to account for these findings.Received his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois in 1972. Research interests included the assessment and amelioration of social and emotional problems in children and adolescents.Research interests include the investigation of factors associated with father loss and solo parenting.     

Parent–Child Relations and Adolescent Self-Image Following Divorce: A 10 Year Study

This Australian study explored the links between self-image, family structure (divorced or intact), parent–child relations, and gender at 3 intervals over 10 years during adolescence (mean ages 14.7 at Time 1, 17.9 at Time 2) to early adulthood (mean age 24.9 at Time 3). The sample comprised 37 families at the point of divorce when interviewed in 1981–82, and 41 intact families of similar age, gender, and socioeconomic background. Initial measures of self-image (Offer Self-Image Questionnaire: OSIQ) and parent–child relations (Parent Bonding Inventory: PBI) were repeated in 1985 and 1990–91. ANOVAs showed that divorced fathers were perceived as significantly less caring than those from intact families at each interval. There were no family group differences on the control scale, nor on either scale for mothers. Correlations between PBI scales and OSIQ were significant for the sample as a whole, but were stronger for those from intact than divorced families. ANOVAs showed that when mothers' and fathers' parenting styles were seen as highly caring and also not over controlling (i.e., optimal), adolescent self-image was significantly better, irrespective of gender or family structure. Examination of the joint influence of both parents showed that at Times 1 and 2 adolescent self-image was significantly better when one or both parents, compared with neither, were optimal. At Time 3, this comparison was significant only when both parents were optimal. Self-image was related to whether or not a custodial parent was seen as optimal but not to the gender of the child or custodial parent.     

An 18-Year Model of Family and Peer Effects on Adolescent Drug Use and Delinquency

The interrelationship of family and peer experiences in predicting adolescent problem behaviors was examined in an 18-year longitudinal sample of adolescents (N = 198) from conventional and nonconventional families. Positive associations among early childhood predictors and adolescent problem behaviors were consistent with problem behavior theory. The most powerful predictors of teen drug use and delinquent behaviors were similar behaviors by peers. Peer behaviors, however, were in turn predicted by earlier family-related variables and the quality of peer relationships in childhood. This study provides supporting evidence that strong peer effects in adolescence reflect even earlier processes in childhood and highlight the importance of linkages from early childhood experiences in family and peer contexts to the development of problem behaviors in adolescence. Implications for prevention and intervention programs are discussed.     

Correlates of depressive symptoms in adolescents

The relationship between a number of social and cognitive variables and depressive symptomatology was evaluated in a sample of public middle-school and high-school students. The variables measured included stressful life events, locus of control, causal attributions, and means-ends problem-solving abilities. Higher levels of depression were found to be associated with a more external locus of control and a tendency to attribute outcomes to causes which are internal, stable, and global. Parental divorce and socioeconomic status were also found to be associated with higher levels of depression. No relationship was found to exist between either amount of life stress or problem-solving ability and depression. The implications of these results for delineating the underlying dimensions of depression in adolescents are discussed.Previously Dr. Siegel was in the Department of Clinical Psychology at the University of Florida. Received his Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University in 1975. Major interest is stress reactivity and coping processes in children and adolescents.Clinical psychology intern at the Dallas V.A. Medical Center and doctoral student in clinical psychology at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Major interest is adolescent psychopathology and self-esteem.     

Self-Concept differences between single and married school-age mothers

This study examined differences in self-perceptions between single and married school-age mothers. The Tennessee Self Concept Scale was administered to 84 single and married girls who passed through a school-age parent program over a two-year period and who chose to keep and rear their babies. Data were subjected to a stepwise discriminant analysis to determine an optimal set of variables that would distinguish between the two groups. Results indicated that the single school-age mothers had extremely low self-concepts, suffered from serious emotional problems, had inappropriate coping behaviors, and exhibited significant differences from the comparison group on 11 of 26 variables. The single subjects, in contrast to their married counterparts, perceived themselves as undersirable, unworthy, morally bad, and unhappy with their behavior, physical selves, and social relationships. The married subjects had nominally low self-concepts, with their most negative perceptions focused on their moralethical selves. Their most positive feelings were expressed about family relationships.Received his Ed.D. from Texas Tech University in 1973. His research interests include adolescent pregnancy, hearing-impaired children and their families, and family therapy.     

Alcohol and Drug Use in Young Apprentices: Effect of Social Control in the Family

In this research, social control used by the families of young apprentices related to certain deviant behaviors such as alcohol and drug use was examined. Finally it was found that most of the young people who use drugs and alcohol were battered frequently. The relationship between deviant acts of young people and social control used by their families was analyzed through theories concerning the socioeconomic status of family and the relations between family members.     

Advice about Life Plans from Mothers,Fathers, and Siblings in Always-Married and Divorced Families during Late Adolescence

The frequency of advice about life plans that older adolescents in always-married and divorced families received from mothers, fathers, and siblings was examined. Also, a pattern-analytic approach that grouped adolescents according to the amount of advice about life plans received from each parent and a sibling was employed to explore the connections between patterns of advice and adolescents' future occupational, educational, and family plans. The sample included 544 and 95 older adolescents in always-married and divorced families, respectively. Findings suggested that while adolescents relied on mothers for advice in both always-married and divorced families, adolescents in divorced families depended on fathers and siblings for advice less often than did adolescents in always-married families. Although there was some evidence of family context differences in the connections between patterns of advice and life plans, overall, adolescents in both family contexts who received more advice from a parent and, in some cases, a sibling compared to other adolescents were the most positive about their future life plans.