Late adolescents' conceptualizations of home-leaving

Separation from the family, a key developmental task, has received scant attention from developmentalists. In this study, college students' dissimilarity ratings and ratings on 22 bipolar adjective scales were obtained for a set of 20 definitions of home-leaving. Results of a cluster analysis revealed that conceptualizations of the definitions are organized in terms of eight clusters. Ratings on the 22 adjective scales provided an empirical means for interpreting the typological structure of the home-leaving definitions. Convergence the results of this inductive study of home-leaving and elements of ego development theory was noted.Received Ph.D. from Michigan State University in 1979. Major research interests are moral development, parent-adolescent separation, and attribution theory.Received Ph.D. from Michigan State University in 1979. Major research interests are parent-adolescent separation, attitudes/values in adolescence, and evaluation research.     

The structure of values among college students: An examination of sex differences

Male and female college students stated how proud or ashamed they would be of 96 behaviors. The ratings by each sex were then factor analyzed. While personal accomplishments was found to be the primary factor for males, academic failure was the primary factor for females. An interpretation of these differences in terms of the operation of fear-of-failure dynamics among college women was suggested. Further examination of the factor structures revealed a larger number of morality-related factors for females than for males, suggesting that morality is more differentiated for females. The compatibility of this finding with previous research in the area of moral development was noted.This research was supported in part by a Michigan State University research grant to John Paul McKinney.Received Ph.D. from Michigan State University, 1979. Major interests are creativity, play, and values.Received Ph.D. from Ohio State University, 1961. Major interests are adolescence, values, and family patterns.Received Ph.D. from Michigan State University, 1979. Major interests are parent-adolescent separation, values, and evaluation research.     

Parental influence on adolescent sexuality: Implications for parents as educators

While parents may not be recognized as disseminators of sexual information, positive and negative sexual messages are communicated by parents to their children, both verbally and nonverbally. The results of this study indicate that the impact of parental messages upon the sexuality of youth appears relatively straightforward for males, but quite complex for females. This article suggests educational approaches that can be used to recycle early parental sexual messages.This study was funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, #HD 10689-02. David J. Kallen, Department of Pediatrics/Human Development, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University was the principal investigator.Received Ph.D. from Michigan State University. Current research interest is Human sexuality.Received Ph.D. from Pennsylvania State University. Current research interest is Relationships.     

Long-term effects of parental divorce on young adult male crime

The purpose of this study was to explore the long-term effects of parental divorce on young adult male crime from a longitudinal perspective. Four hundred and twenty-three males were randomly selected from a Danish birth cohort. Results of analyses of variance showed an initial significant relationship between divorce and young adult crime. However, the effects of divorce disappeared when further path analysis controlled for the effects of social class and father's criminality. In addition, time of divorce did not have an effect on later criminal behavior.Received her Ph.D. from Teachers College, Columbia University, in 1975. Current interests are interactions between biological and social variables.Received her Ph.D. from the University of Southern California in 1986. Current interests are social intervention and delivery of human services.Received his Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1974. Current interests are measurement, causal modeling, and individual differences.Received his Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska (Lincoln) in 1955. Current interests are learning, instructional development, and the development of human potential.     

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.     

Adolescent autonomy and parental stress

The present investigation explores the relationship between adolescent autonomy and parental stress among families with children aged 10–17. Independent measures were obtained from parents and children. Parents of early adolescent children reported significantly more stress than parents of preadolescents or middle adolescents. Parents of first-born children reported significantly more stress than did more experienced parents. Although mothers and fathers reported comparable levels of overall parental stress, their stress was, in part, the result of different factors. Fathers reported higher levels of stress if their children reported not following their advice and being involved in deviant activities. For mothers, stress was significantly related to their children's desire for greater autonomy. Emotional detachment was not a significant predictor of parental stress for either mothers or fathers. Implications of the findings for the parent-child relationship during adolescence are discussed.Received Ph.D. from Cornell University in 1984. Research interests include parent-adolescent relations and the work-family interface.Research interests include home-school relations and parenting.Received Ph.D. in 1978 from the Pennsylvania State University. Research interests are in adult development and aging.     

Aggression and delinquency: Family and environmental factors

Juvenile delinquency has become an increasing concern to society; aggressive behaviors are particularly harmful. This study examined parent and youth behaviors and personality types that may influence delinquent and aggressive behaviors. Youths were referred by the court to an intervention program; ratings of delinquency and aggression were derived from parent reports, self-reports, and court referral data. Results showed that high parent ratings of youth aggressiveness were related to high turmoil in the home and to youths' positive opinions of delinquent peers, while high aggressiveness of the youths' referring offenses was related to lax punishment. Developmentally, this suggests that in adolescence both the peer group and home influences are important in shaping different aspects of the youths' aggressive and delinquent behaviors.This study was partially conducted under University of Virginia Research Policy Council Grant No. 199505. The study was funded in part by a NICHD Training Grant (HD07289) to Dr. D. W. Fulker. Preparation of the paper was facilitated by grant RR-07013-20 awarded to the University of Colorado by the Biomedical Research Support Grant Program, Division of Research Resources, National Institutes of Health.Received Ph.D. in psychology from University of Virginia. Current research interests are intelligence and prosocial and antisocial behaviors from a developmental behavior genetics perspective.Received Ph.D. in psychology from Michigan State University. Current research interests are developmental pathways to problem behaviors of youth in high-risk communities.Current research interests are volunteer interventions with adolescents at risk for delinquency.Current research interests are clinical applications and intervention with adolescents and families.     

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.     

Death fantasies of father-absent and father-present late adolescents

Parental perceptions of father-absent and father-present late adolescents were studied by having them create stories to selected pictures from the Thematic Apperception Test and the Michigan Pictures Test. Ratings on the manifest thematic content of the stories revealed that father-present females, but not males, introduced themes of death and loss involving the parents with significantly greater frequency than did late adolescents who had actually lost their fathers. One of the tasks of adolescence, as described in psychoanalytic writings, is decathecting internalized parental images. It is possible that father-present females produced significantly more death and loss themes because they were actively coping with their fantasies of parental loss. The significantly fewer fantasies of parental loss given by father-absent females is consistent with this psychoanalytic model which suggests that the loss of a parent at an earlier developmental period complicates the decathexis process in adolescence. Reasons for the failure to find differences between father-absent and father-present males are discussed, and suggestions for future research are provided.This research is based upon the doctoral dissertation of the first author.Received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Texas at Austin; internship at the Children's Hospital Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts. Current research interests include death and dying and adolescent personality development.Received his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. Current research interests include imaginary companions and fantasy in young children and adolescent psychosexual development.     

Timing of first sexual intercourse: the role of social control,social learning,and problem behavior

Prior research has pointed to several distinct processes that may affect the timing of first intercourse among adolescents. In the present study, the role of six hypothesized processes was assessed in a sample of 289 rural adolescent boys and girls. Results support the importance of family socialization and problem-behavior for both sexes, the role of biological factors for boys, and the role of social control processes for girls. Two other hypothesized influences—social class and poor psychosocial adjustment—were not supported in either gender. These results indicate that multiple processes influence the timing of first intercourse; thus, they underscore the need for eclectic predictive models that incorporate the multiplicity of influences.Received Ph.D. in Human Development from the University of Chicago. Current research interests include adolescent psychosocial development and risk behaviors.Received Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies from the Pennsylvania State University. Current research interests include adolescent sexuality and health-related behaviors.Received Ph.D. in Health Education from The Pennsylvania State University. Current research interests include adolescent health.Received Ph.D. in Education from The Pennsylvania State University. Current interests include adolescent substance abuse and pregnancy, as well as community health interventions.     

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.     

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.     

Family influences,school behaviors,and risk for the later development of an eating disorder

Interviews were conducted with parents of 136 female and 45 male adolescents categorized into risk groups for the later development of an eating disorder. The family and school concomitants of risk status in females were demonstrated to be different from that in males. Risk group female adolescents rated family cohesion, parent-adolescent communication processes, and overall family satisfaction more negatively than the comparison group. Mothers of moderate risk group females reported lower family cohesion than the comparison group; there were no group differences for adolescent females in fathers' ratings of family measures. However, no group differences were found on any of the family measures between male risk and comparison males. For both females and males, there were no significant group differences in family history of eating and mood disorders, or alcohol dependence. Teacher ratings indicated relatively greater internalizing tendencies in the high-risk female group.This investigation was supported by NICHD Grant Number 1R01-HD24700 awarded to Gloria R. Leon.Received Ph.D. from University at Maryla. Research interests include precursors of eating disorders and stress and coping in extreme environments. To whom correspondence should be addressed.Received M.A. from San Diego State University. Research interests include precursors of eating disorders, substance abuse, and personality.Received Ph.D. from Stanford University. Research interests include psychosocial aspects of health promotion and disease prevention.Received B.A. from University of Maine. Research interests life span development and family issues.     

Adolescent autonomy,parent-adolescent conflict,and parental well-being

The present study examines whether parents' reports of well-being are related to the level of parent-adolescent conflict in the family and their youngsters' level of emotional autonomy. The sample is composed of 129 intact families with a first-born child between the ages of 10 and 15. Measures included parents' reports of midlife identity concerns, self-esteem, life satisfaction, psychological symptoms, and parent-adolescent conflict, as well as youngsters' reports of emotional autonomy vis-à-vis parents. Findings indicate that (1) parents' experience of midlife identity concerns is positively related to the level of emotional autonomy reported by same-sex children; (2) mothers', but not fathers', well-being is negatively related to the intensity of parent-adolescent conflict; and (3) socioeconomic status moderates the relation between parental well-being and parent-adolescent relations. These results are discussed in terms of psychoanalytic and parental stress perspectives on parental well-being during the adolescent years.The work described herein has been conducted during the second author's tenure as a Faculty Scholar under the William T. Grant Foundation's Program in the Mental Health of Children and is supported as well by a grant to the second author from the Graduate School of the University of Wisconsin.Received Ph. D. in Child and Family Studies from University of Wisconsin-Madison. Major research interests are in the psychological well-being of parents with adolescent children.Received Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies from Cornell University. Major research interests are in social relations during adolescence.     

From trust on intimacy: A new inventory for examining erikson's stages of psychosocial development

A new inventory for examining the first six of Erikson's psychosocial stages is described. The self-report questionnaire, developed in a pilot study of 97 adolescents and tested in a study of 622 adolescents, has 12 items for each subscale. Measures of reliability and validity are reported. It is concluded that the Erikson Psychosocial Stage Inventory (EPSI) is a useful measure for researchers interested in development from early adolescence and in mapping changes as a function of life events.This research was supported by a grant from the Education Research and Development Committee.Received Ph.D. from University of Melbourne. Current research interests are adolescent adjustment, ethnicity, and sex-role psychology.Received Ph.D. from University of Melbourne. Current research interests are effects of unemployment and adolescent adjustment.Received Ph.D. from Florida State University. Current research interests are sex-role psychology and adolescence.     

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.     

Psychological mindedness and abstract reasoning in late childhood and adolescence: An exploration using new instruments

This study introduces two new measures of psychological mindedness, applying them in a study of the growth of abstract thinking in children and adolescents in a developmental design. The capacity to achieve psychological understanding of the self and of others involves comprehension of the motives, attitudes, and characteristics of the self and others. Psychological mindedness toward the self (PS) and toward others (PO) may be seen as complex cognitive capacities that should show a pattern of related development in childhood. Three groups of 60 fifth, eighth, and twelfth graders completed two measures of formal operations and two instruments to assess the two components of psychological mindedness. We find that psychological mindedness and abstract thinking both increase significantly with age, although the relationship between them is complex and varies with gender and age. Because the development of abstract reasoning skills does not correlate with the development of psychological mindedness in a simple way, a more complex model is necessary, taking age and gender differences into account. Performance on the two measures of psychological mindedness is found to be largely unrelated, suggesting that these are two different psychological skills. Implications of these findings are discussed, with special reference to education, peer counseling, and psychotherapy.Received Ph.D. from University of Michigan and psychoanalytic training from The Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute. Main research interests are psychoanalytic theory, the therapeutic alliance, and insight and self-observation.Received Ph.D. from University of Michigan. Main research interests are adolescent development, peer counseling, short-term psychotherapy, and the psychology of women.Received M.A. from The University of Michigan. Main research interests are infant mental health and attachment theory.Received M.A. from The University of Michigan. Main research interests are gender identity and children of divorce.Received B.A. from The University of Michigan. Main research interests are gender issues and adolescent development.     

The mystique of first intercourse among college youth: The role of partners,contraceptive practices,and psychological reactions

The purpose of this study was to examine first sexual intercourse as it relates to gender differences regarding involvement in various sexual behaviors, the role of the partner, contraceptive practices, sexual guilt, and sexual satisfaction. An anonymous 155-item questionnaire was distributed to 304 never-married female and male undergraduate students at a Midwestern state university. Of these respondents, only those with sexual intercourse experience were included in this study. The overall mean age at first sexual intercourse was 17.7 years for females and 17.8 years for males. Although both males and females experienced first intercourse with older partners, females were more likely to be in committed relationships. First intercourse was characterized by a lack of contraceptive use, primarily due to lack of planning. Compared to males, females were less physiologically and psychologically satisfied with their first sexual intercourse experience.Support for data collection and coding was from the College of Arts and Sciences, University of Wisconsin—Eau Claire and for data analyses from Academic Computing Services, University of Wisconsin—Eau Claire. In addition, tables were produced by the Media Development Center with support from the School of Graduate Studies and Office of University Research, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.Received Ph.D. in human ecology from Michigan State University. Her major research interests include the female sexual response and sexual satisfaction; family, health, and stress issues of menopausal women; and work and the family.Received Ph.D. in marriage and family from the University of Florida. His major research interests include sexual altitudes and behavior of college women and men, the female sexual response and sexual satisfaction including perceptions of the Grafenberg Spot and female ejaculation, and attitudes toward adoption among unmarried teens.Received Ph.D. in marriage and family therapy from the Florida State University. Her major interests include the influence of early sexual involvement on contraceptive practices and sexual satisfaction, and adult children of alcoholics.     

Sex differences in identity and intimacy development in college youth

This study examined sex differences in the processes of identity and intimacy development among college youth. Fifty males, and 50 females were given measures of identity status, intimacy status, and self-esteem. Males were found to focus on intrapersonal aspects of identity status, intimacy status, and self-esteem. Males were found to focus on intrapersonal aspects of identity, females on interpersonal aspects. The pursuit of various identity development pathways affected self-esteem differentially for the two sexes. More females than males were found to be intimate and the achievement of intimacy seemed more closely related to identity in males than in females. The findins were interpreted in the context of Eriksonian theory, which seemed more adequate in explaining male than female development.This article is based in part on the doctoral dissertation by James W. Hodgson in partial fulfillment of the Doctor of Philosophy degree, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania.Received his Ph. D. in human development and family studies from The Pennsylvania State University. Current research interests include normative and dysfunctional development of late adolescence.Received her Ph.D. in social personality psychology from the University of Colorado. Current research interests include the developments of friendships and sex roles in adolescence.     

Separation-individuation and ego identity status in late adolescence: A two-year longitudinal study

This study was undertaken to clarify developmental relationships between intrapsychic object relations structure and ego identity status during late adolescence; one purpose was to examine the possible predictive relationship between initial attachment style and later identity status. A total of 76 subjects (41 females and 35 males) who had been given the Marcia Ego Identity Status Interview and the Hansburg Separation Anxiety Test (SAT) as first-year university students in 1984 were reassessed two years later. Fitted log linear models indicated strong links between attachment style and identity status in 1986, and between identity status in 1984 and 1986; only an indirect connection existed between attachment style in 1984 and 1986 as measured by the SAT. When 1984 and 1986 identity status were known, it was possible to predict 1986 attachment style without knowing 1984 attachment style; 1984 attachment style alone was unable to predict later identity status accurately.This research was supported by a grant from the Internal Research Committee, Victoria University of Wellington.Received Ph.D. in Child Development from the Florida State University. Current research interest is identity formation from a life-span perspective.Received Ph.D. in Mathematical Statistics from Victoria University of Wellington. Among current research interests is the analysis of sparse contingency tables.