Age segregation of adolescents in and out of school

In a naturalistic study of age segregation during adolescence, 403 adolescents making up 153 separate groups were observed in three high schools and seven out-of-school settings. Age segregation was extensive, especially in school, among older adolescents in same-sex groups of friends. More mixed-age association was observed out of school among younger adolescents who were in mixed-sex groups containing relatives. Adolescents were most often observed with friends who were other adolescents, next with adults, and least frequently observed with children. Parents, particularly fathers, were rarely present. It was suggested that age segregation during adolescence is the result of a lack of contact with relatives.Received his Ph.D. from Michigan State University in 1974. Major research interest is parent-adolescent relations.Major research interests are adolescence and clinical psychology.     

The incidence of bulimic behavior in a secondary and University school population

A survey questionnaire was instructor administered to high school and university students (n=1500) to assess the incidence of bulimic behavior. The questionnaire was tested and found to be a reliable and valid index for bulimic symptomatology. Respondents included 59% high school and 41% university level students. Data was evaluated by school, grade, sex, race, and interest area. Bulimic behavior was demonstrated at an incidence of 4.30% for the total sample. There was a nonsignificant higher incidence found in university (5.31%) compared to high school (3.98%) respondents. A significantly greater percentage of females responded with bulimic behavior than did males; however, there were no significant differences found between university and high school females. Bulimic behavior appeared to peak at Grades 11 and 13. Significantly more whites reported bulimic behavior than did blacks. Several academic interest areas not previously indicated in the literature may be more vulnerable to bulimic behavior.Received her Ph.D. from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, M.P.H. from School of Public Health, University of North Carolina. Major interest is eating disorders.Received his Ph.D. from North Carolina State University. His major interest is statistical design and evaluation of Experiment Station projects.     

Health habits and depression in adolescence

In a study of the relationship between health habits and depression, 80 high school students, selected on an availability basis, were administered a Health Behaviors Questionnaire (HBQ) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The HBQ and the BDI significantly correlated (r=0.43p<0.01). Those who smoked were more frequently depressed than those who did not (X ²=10.5p<0.05), and those who used drugs other than marijuana were depressed more frequently than those who did not (X ²=9.2p<0.01). Mildly overweight boys (overweight by more than 5% of their ideal weight) and mildly under-weight boys (underweight by more than 5% of their ideal weight) were moreThis research was supported in part by a grant from the American Diabetes Association and by National institute of Health Grant MH 15529.Received his M.D. at George Washington School of Medicine. Major interest is interface of child psychiatry and pediatrics.Received his M.D. at Downstate Medical Center, State University of New York. Major interest is metabolic changes in adolescence.Received her M.A. from Queens College, New York. Major interest is measurement of human behavior.Received his M.D. from the University of Wisconsin. Major interest is adolescent sexuality.Received her Ph.D. in psychology from Hofstra University. Major interest is evaluation of clinical programs. depressed than boys of normal weight (p<0.02). The more pounds underweight the girls were, the more depressed they were (r=0.482, p<0.05). The closer the weight of a girl who perceived herself as overweight was to her ideal weight, the more depressed she was (r=–0.428,p<0.05).     

Social class,socialization practices,and psychosomatic ailments in adolescents

The relationships among social class, socialization practices, and psychosomatic ailments have been reported by several psychological and sociological studies. However, a careful review of these studies reveals some contradictory results. In addition to inadequate sample size, these studies have been carried out on children of preschool and grade school ages. We collected data from 1518 high school aged adolescents who had unbroken families and who might be regarded as products of their families' class and socialization practices. Our findings suggest definite effects of socioeconomic status on the mental health of the developing female children. The effects of some socialization practices, such as parental dominance, restrictiveness, punishment types, and warmth, on psychosomatic incidences are further examined. Implications of the present study are discussed.Received his Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University. Major interests include sociology of mental illness and deviant behavior. Currently he is working on a book concerning the mentally ill.Received his Ph.D. from Iowa State University. Major interests include methodology and social disorganization. Current research is in social gerontology and applied statistics.     

Verbal giftedness and sociopolitical intelligence: Terman revisited

This paper reports on a three-year study of sociopolitical intelligence-defined as the ability to formulate viable solutions to moral, social, and political problems—in adolescence. From an initial sample of 659 intellectually gifted 12- and 13-year-olds, 58 students with the highest SAT-V scores were selected for study. From a later sample of 506 equally gifted 13- and 14-year-olds, 120 students were selected using measures of verbal intelligence (DAT), social insight, and creative potential, as well as academic and nonacademic achievement. On the basis of a variety of personality and cognitive measures the students in both samples were found to be unusually mature and well adjusted but to vary considerably in sociopolitical intelligence. These results suggest in partial agreement with Terman's earlier findings concerning the gifted, that above a certain level of tested intelligence the critical determinants of effective, practical performance may be personality and biographical variables.This research was supported by a grant from the Spencer Foundation to the first author.Received his Ph.D. in psychology from the University of California at Berkely. Major interests are personality theory and moral developmentReceived her Ph.D. in psychology from The Johns Hopkins University. Major interests are personality theory and medical psychology.Received his Ph.D. in psychology from The Johns Hopkins University. Major interests are education and developmental psychology.Graduate student in psychology, The Johns Hopkins University. B. A. University of Oregon, 1973. Major research interest is personality correlates of high-level achievement.Main research interest is the development of sociopolitical achievement.     

Timing of menarche,preparation, and initial menstrual experience: Replication and further analyses in a prospective study

The goals of this study were to assess the significance of two timing variables (objective timing of menarche and subjective timing, i.e., the belief—not necessarily true—about one's status as early, average, or late maturing) and two cognitive variables (preparation for menstruation and ego functioning) as predictors of the experience of menarche. Subjects were 92 girls who changed from pre- to postmenarcheal between two test occasions, six months apart. Findings were that subjective timing of menarche and preparation were significant predictors of menarcheal experience, while objective timing and ego functioning were not. The results replicated earlier findings based on cross-sectional analyses. Interpretation of the results suggested some directions for further exploration of determinants of initial menstrual experience.This research was supported by National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Grant 16034 to the first two authors.Received Ph.D. from Clark University. Major interest is in clinical-developmental psychology.Received Ph.D. from Tufts University. Major interests are psychobiology and adolescent development.Received Ph.D. from Brandeis University. Major interest is early adolescent girls' development.     

Sex differences in the causes of adolescent suicide ideation

A model that incorporates both socioenvironmental and psychological factors was developed in an attempt to explain adolescent suicide ideation. A sample of 407 high school students was used to test the model. Most of the previous research on the causes of adolescent suicidal behavior has not used multivariate data analysis techniques and has failed to explore sex differences. Results of the present study suggest that these are important omissions. Although significant at the zero-order level, factors such as self-esteem and interpersonal problems at school were not related to suicide ideation when the effects of the other explanatory variables were controlled. The incidence of suicide ideation was higher for females. Emotional problems and involvement in delinquent behavior were important predictors of ideation for females, while employment problems were the most potent predictor for males.Received his Ph.D. from Florida State University. Current interest is the etiology of various forms of deviant behavior, especially among adolescents.Therapist, Story County Center for Personal Development. Received her M.A. in clinical sociology from Iowa State University.     

The contribution of family structure and differentiation to identity development in females

We examined the relationship between Minuchin's structural family model, adolescent separation-individuation, and identity development. One hundred sixty-four female undergraduate students completed the Structural Family Interaction Scale Revised (SFIS-R), the Parental Relationship Inventory (PRI), and the Extended Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status (EOM-EIS) scale. Exploratory Factor Analysis of the SFIS-R and PRI scales indicated that two factors, Proximity-Differentiation and Generational Hierarchy-Differentiation, accounted for 90% of the variance. Canonical correlation analysis with the two factor scores and age included in the predictor variables, and the four measures of ego identity included in the dependent variables, yielded two significant roots. The results supported Minuchin's model.Received her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Major interests are family factors influencing adolescent development and family assessment.Received her Ph.D. from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Major interests are family factors and the separation/individuation process.Received Ph.D. from The Ohio State University. Major interests are statistical issues related to chi-square analyses.     

Sex education for emotionally disturbed adolescents

Under investigation were effects of a course in sex education on a population of emotionally disturbed adolescents who were enrolled as day patients in a school program that is part of the Adolescent Treatment Program of the Institute of Pennsylvania Hospital. Pre- and posttesting of knowledge and attitudes and staff observation were used to measure changes. The results of the study indicated that patients responded age appropriately and gained knowledge and an increased openness about sexuality issues. In addition, there was no regression nor dysfunction as a result of the materials presented, and therapeutic and educational processes were not disrupted by the patients' involvement in the course. It was concluded that a sex education course is clinically and educationally useful on many levels within a therapeutic setting.Received M.S. from University of Pennsylvania. Research interests: Special education, Sex education.Received M.D. from Temple University School of Medicine. Research interests: Psychopathology of adolescence, treatment of seriously disturbed adolescents.Received Ph.D. from Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Research interests: Sexuality education.     

Predictors of Psychosocial Well-Being in Urban African American and European American Youth: The Role of Ecological Factors

Hierarchical regression analyses were used to identify factors that functioned as either promotive or protective factors against the impact of ecological risk on the psychological adjustment of 112 African American and 94 European American adolescents (13–19 years of age). Indicators of ecological risk, promotive/protective factors, and adjustment were assessed concurrently via adolescent self-report questionnaires. Supportive parenting emerged as a promotive factor for both African American and European American adolescents for academic achievement, competence, and problem behaviors. Additionally, school connectedness served as a promotive factor for both African American and European American adolescents with competence as the criterion. However, in analyses with problem behaviors as the criterion, school connectedness intensified the effect of ecological risk for European American adolescents. Of the three hypothesized positive factors (supportive parenting, ethnic identity, and school connectedness), only ethnic identity emerged as a protective factor for problem behaviors and this effect was only observed for European American adolescents. An assistant Professor in Psychology at the University at Albany, State University of New York. Received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of North Texas. Major research interests are risk and resiliency processes in ethnic minority youth and measurement equivalence issues. Doctoral student in Clinical Psychology at the University at Albany, State University of New York. Research interests are risk and protective factors in minority youth Post-doctoral Fellow now at Arizona State University. Received his PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University at Albany, State University of New York. Research interests are risk and protective processes in minority youth and measurement equivalence issues     

Maternal employment and adolescent sexual behavior

This study investigated whether maternal employment would be associated with teenage sexual attitudes and behaviors likely to increase the probability of teenage pregnancy. Female subjects whose mothers were employed outside the home during the high school years (a) had a greater tendency to begin sexual relations before age 19, (b) expressed less concern regarding the risk of unintended pregnancy, and (c) scored lower on an objective test of their practical knowledge about contraception.Received Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Washington. Research interests include personality and environmental influences on adjustment.Received Ph.D. from University of Georgia. Current research interests are in behavioral teratology.Received Ph.D. from Oklahoma State University. Research interests are in loneliness and adjustment.Received Ph.D. from North Carolina State University. Research interests are in population and urban sociology.     

School return among pregnant adolescents

School return by adolescent mothers has been problematic. Many of the barriers to continuing education have been created by school system practices and policies. Recent administrative and court decisions are forcing changes in these traditional practices. Participants in an adolescent pregnancy program were permitted to attend their usual high school during and after pregnancy. Staff members discussed this and other educational opportunities with each eligible student and her family. More members of the program than control group reported some school attendance during the quarter of the delivery. Compared with the control group, which was permitted but not systematically encouraged to return, more program participants returned to day school following the pregnancy. Unexpectedly high rates of return to other school programs (other than day school) were reported by members of the control group. It is argued that the program effects are primarily a function of elimination of school system barriers, both formal and informal, to school return so that the subjects' already high motivation to return could be realized.Received her Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Washington. Main interests include social pathological aspects of fertility and fertility-related behavior.Received his Ph.D. in sociology from University of Washington. Main interests include sociology of the family. Current research is in family structure and suicide.     

A preliminary prevention program for eating disorders in a junior high school population

The purpose of the present study was to determine the effectiveness of an experimental program presented to junior high school students that focused on attitudes and knowledge about body weight, dieting, and purging as well as behavioral intentions to diet effectively. In Study 1, the experimental group and the control group were pretested. Two days after pretesting, the subjects in the experimental condition were presented a short videotape followed by a discussion. Both the videotape and discussion were presented by a 23-year-old female. All subjects were assessed again four days and one month after pretesting. In Study 2, subjects were assessed as in Study 1, however, the videotape and discussion were presented by the regular Home Economics I teacher. Based on comparisons of the experimental groups and the control groups, it was found that the experimental program in both studies was successful in changing subject's knowledge, attitudes, and behavioral intentions regarding some aspects of their eating behavior. Limitations of these findings were discussed, as well as implications for further research.Received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology at the University of Missouri—Columbia. Interested in applied work with adolescents and adults.Received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology at Michigan State University.Research interests in eating disorders and intimate relationships.     

The effect of early labor market experience upon internal-external locus of control among young male workers

This study examined the influence of some personal and labor market factors on changes in internal-external control among young male workers. Utilizing 960 respondents from the National Longitudinal Surveys of Labor Market Experience's national sample for young men, multiple regression analysis, and an abbreviated version of the Rotter Internal-External Control Scale, this study found that labor market success, race, and employment in the private sector enhance feelings of internal control during the transition between school and work.This paper is a revision of several parts of the author's doctoral dissertation at Washington State University. Financial assistance was provided by the Richard D. Irwin Foundation and the Center for Public Economics at San Diego State University.Received Ph.D. in economics from Washington State University. Major interests are development of human resources and the effects of attitudes on decision making and economic behavior.     

Fathers,mothers, and adolescents: Gender-based differences in parental roles during adolescence

This study examined the involvement and satisfaction of adolescents with their fathers and mothers. Possible age and sex differences were investigated for three components of involvement: proportion of time spent with fathers and mothers, type of activities engaged in, and degree of satisfaction with those activities. Telephone interviews were used to obtain information about previous day's activities from 61 adolescents in grades 6–12. For each activity, data were obtained on duration, who else was present, and satisfaction. Results indicated that adolescents spent a greater proportion of time in leisure than in work with fathers, and equal time in work and in leisure with mothers. In general, adolescents were as satisfied with activities with their fathers as with their mothers. Adolescents enjoyed working with fathers more than mothers, however. The results demonstrate that activity satisfaction varies as a function of what activities adolescents engage in and who is present.Received his Ph.D. from Michigan State University. Major research interests are in parent-adolescent relations.Received his Ph.D. from Georgia State University. Major research interests are in early peer relations and mother-child interactions.     

The MMPI and adolescent patients in a state hospital

Because of the increasing number of adolescents being admitted to state hospitals and because of the lack of sufficient information regarding the use of the MMPI with these patients, this study was undertaken in order to provide normative data for the MMPI with this particular clinical population. The subjects were 113 male and 97 female psychiatric patients from the Adolescent Unit (AU) at Rusk State Hospital (RSH). As each patient was admitted to the AU, he was scheduled for psychological testing, with the MMPI being a part of this testing. The results indicate that, with this particular psychiatric population, background variables had no significant relationship to MMPI performance. The validity scales were characterized by an extremely elevated F scale for males and females, while male and female performance on the clinical scales showed elevation (above T score of 70) on the Pd and Sc scales. In conclusion, it seems that the most outstanding characteristic of young state hospital patients on the MMPI is extreme elevation on the Pd and Sc scales and the F scale. In interpreting the MMPI, it would seem necessary then to reevaluate the meaning being associated with these scales, especially the F scale, when dealing with this particular psychiatric population.Received B.S. and M.S. in Psychology at North Texas State University in 1967 and 1968. Interests are personality characteristics of psychiatric in-patient adolescents and personality characteristics of drug users, drug experimenters, and non-drug users. In general, most of his interests are confined to describing the characteristics of psychiatric in-patients in our state hospitals.Received A.S. in Data Processing at Miami-State Junior College in 1966; received B.S. in Mathematics at the University of South Florida in 1968; received M.S. in Statistics at Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1970. Major interest is in statistical methodologies in the field of mental health and mental retardation.Received B.S. and M.S. in Psychology at North Texas State University in 1968 and 1969, respectively. Major interest is in personality characteristics of adolescent patients in our state hospitals.     

Older adolescents' engagement in casual sex: Impact of risk perception and psychosocial motivations

The relationship between attitudes for casual sex and casual sex behavior was investigated for a group of older adolescents between the ages of 17 and 19. In addition, factors that influence casual sex orientations were studied. Models of behavior that emphasize disease issues as a primary determinant of casual sex behavior were compared with models that emphasize a broader range of social-psychological motivations. Results showed that the relationship between attitudes and behavior was stronger for females than males. In addition, disease-related variables were found to be correlated with behavior in a direction opposite to what traditional disease models would predict. The results were interpreted in the context of a behavioral inference model. It was found that casual sex behavior is more heavily influenced by a broad range of social-psychological motivations as compared to disease-based variables. Implications for educational interventions were developed.Received Ph.D. in education from Stanford University. Major research interests are in self-efficacy and adolescent sexual risk behavior.Received Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Illinois, Urbana. Major research interests are in parent-adolescent communication and quantitative methods.Received M.A. in psychology from the University at Albany, State University of New York. Major research interests are in attitudes and attitude change.     

Comparison of adolescents' perceptions and behaviors in single- and two-parent families

This study investigated the self-concepts, school achievement, occupational aspirations, vocational maturity, and perceptions of parents of children from two-parent and single-parent homes. The sample contained 559 children, 19% from single-parent homes. A multivariateF indicated children from two-parent homes had significantly higher school grades and occupational aspirations. There were also significant differences in children's perceptions of relationships with fathers, but not with mothers. It was argued that family structure has an impact on adolescents' perceptions and behaviors.Received his Ph.D. from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Current research interests include the impact of family structure on the family and related issues.Received his Ph.D. from the Ohio State University. Current research interests include family research.     

Adolescents and television

This study was divided into two parts. The first part consisted of an investigation of the frequency of television viewing among a sample of 2302 15-year-olds in 12 comprehensive schools. Subjects were divided into two groups, high and low frequency viewers, according to their own estimate of viewing time. The general picture which emerged (with some overlap of scores) was that high frequency viewers tended to be more neurotic and introverted; less intelligent; had less favorable attitudes to school; were less likely to think sport was important; were more likely to be bored in their leisure time; and possessed different social attitudes than low frequency viewers. The second part of the study investigated the program preferences of a subsample of over 900 subjects drawn from the main study. Little difference was found in the program preferences of high and low frequency viewers, but clear differences of preference were found between the sexes.Received his Ph.D. from the University of Aberdeen. Main research interests include social factors influencing education, adolescence, sports psychology, community education, and social psychology.Received her M.Ed. from the University of Aberdeen. Main research interests include community education and television.     

Objective and Self-Perceived Resources as Predictors of Depression Among Urban and Non-Urban Adolescent Mothers

Pregnant and parenting adolescents often cope with a lack of resources as they struggle to negotiate the tasks of motherhood and adolescence. Previous research has determined that young mothers have an increased rate of depression when compared to older mothers. In this study, self-perceived resource adequacy, education, income, age, and environment (urban vs. non-urban) were investigated as predictors of depression at approximately 14 and 36 months after birth in adolescent mothers (N=523). Self-perceived resources accounted for significant variance in depression at 14 and 36 months while controlling for education and income. However, education and income were not significant predictors while controlling for self-perceived resources. Age and environment did not predict depression. Researchers would be wise to focus on a young woman’s view of her situation, as it appears that self-perceived resources play an important role in predicting depression.Post-Doctoral Research Associate at Juniper Gardens Children’s Project, University of Kansas. She received her Ph.D. from Iowa State University in 2005. Her major research interests are adolescent parenthood, mental health, and parenting interventions.Professor at Iowa State University. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in 1976. His major research interests are stress and coping, mental health, and adolescence.Assistant Professor at Iowa State University. She received her Ph.D. from Iowa State University in 1997. Her major research interests are assessment and program planning for children with disabilities and early literacy.