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 mothers' knowledge of child development and expectations for their own infants

Adolescent mothers of 8- to 14-month-old infants gave fewer correct responses on the Developmental Milestones Survey (DMS) and were less accurate in predicting whether or not their infants would pass Bayley items than adult mothers of same-aged infants. Adolescent mothers were more likely to underestimate their infant's performance if the mothers received lower scores on the DMS, especially if they were likely to guess too young an age when they missed DMS items. Adult mothers, on the other hand, were more likely to underestimate their infant's performance if the mothers were likely to guess too old an age when they missed DMS items. Some adolescent mothers thus expect too little too late from their own infant and too much too soon from the average infant. These mothers may fail to encourage their infant's development and may perceive their infant as less competent than other infants because of these expectations.This article is based on a master's thesis completed by the second author. An earlier version of these findings was presented at the meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, New Orleans, Louisiana, March 1993.Received Ph.D., from Michigan State University. Research interests include adults' perceptions of infants and infant emotional regulation.Received M.A. from West Virginia University. Research interests include adolescent parenting and infant social development.     

Physical activity and adolescent female psychological development

This study explored the relationship between self-reported past and present physical activity levels and high school adolescent women's self-image, sense of mastery, gender role identity, self-perceived physical ability, and self-perceived attractiveness. The Offer Self-image Questionnaire and the Bem Sex Role Inventory were administered to 149 high school adolescent women who were categorized as either physically active, physically inactive, decreasing in physical activity, or increasing physical activity. Results indicated the physically active group members reported self-image and coping characteristics that were significantly more positive than those reported by the physically inactive group members. They also reported significantly more masculine and feminine characteristics and higher physical ability ratings than inactive group members. The decreased activity group did not differ from any of the other groups. These results suggest that physical activity in adolescence, in comparison with physical inactivity, is associated with healthier emotional expression and emotional control, and higher levels of perceived mastery and coping skills for adolescent women. A decrease in physical activity over the course of adolescence does not necessarily result in psychological distress for adolescent women.Received Ph.D. in counseling psychology from Michigan State University. Major interests are concepts of the self, psychological health, and developmental psychology.Received Ph.D. in sport psychology from The Pennsylvania State University. Current research interests include social cognitions in sport and physical activity and the role of sport and physical activity in adolescent development.     

Trends in dating patterns and adolescent development

A developmental scheme has been proposed which recognizes clusters of variables of adolescent behavior in the area of heterosexual object relationship development. These periods-(I) stage of sexual awakening (13–15), (II) stage of practicing (14–17), (III) stage of acceptance (16–19), (IV) stage of permanent object choice (18–25)-reflect the developing capacity of object relationship and are a a recapitulation on a higher level of functioning of the separation-individuation operations of the infant. The dating patterns at these levels of development provide a sensitive indication of growth, and unworked-through development is reflected in immature patterns. The current trends in dating described are considered to be a function of the prolongation of adolescence and not pathological.Graduate of the Chicago Medical School, psychiatric training at The University of Michigan Neuropsychiatric Institute and the Institute for Juvenile Research, Chicago. Major interests research in child and adolescent development and the affective disorders.Graduate of Woman's Medical College, Philadelphia. Psychiatric training at the Menninger Foundation and the Psychosomatic and Psychiatric Institute, Michael Reese Hospital, Chicago. Pediatric training at the University of Iowa Hospitals. Current interest child development.     

Adolescent maturational changes and psychosocial development: A dynamic interactional perspective

Models of reciprocal biological-psychosocial relations may be quite usefully studied in adolescence. This period of life represents a natural laboratory for assessing these relations, and may be an ideal sample case illustrating their role in life-span development. In this article a dynamic interactional model of these relations is described and evaluated. This model stresses that on the basis of his or her characteristics of individuality (e.g., bodily characteristics that result from his/her maturational status), an adolescent will evoke differential reactions in his/her socializing others; these reactions will feed back to the adolescent and influence his/her further development. The nature of the feedback (e.g., its positive or negative valence) will depend on the goodness of fit between the adolescent's individual characteristics and the demands (e.g., the preferences, expectations, values, or behaviors) of significant others (e.g., parents, peers, teachers). The model is evaluated in regard to its use in understanding data pertinent to the role of characteristics of physical individuality in adolescent development. Conclusions pertain to the importance of studying the processes by which adolescents, and particularly early adolescents, attain good fits with their contexts.The preparation of this article was supported in part by grants from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and from the William T. Grant Foundation.     

Family interaction patterns and the development of social conceptions in the adolescent

The relationship between family interaction and the formation of family and life conceptions in adolescence was studied in an interactional framework. It was hypothesized that openness and constructiveness in family communication and the expression of marital conflicts are positively related to number and content of family and life conceptions. A sex difference was also hypothesized for these conceptions. Fifty-three 15-year-old girls and boys participated in the study. They were interviewed individually and afterward presented with a questionnaire on their family ratings. In addition, most parents—40 mothers and 30 fathers—answered their own questionnaires. The ratings of family interaction by adolescents and parents, respectively, correlated positively, indicating the reliability of the adolescents' ratings. The hypotheses were supported by the results. The richness of family-centered communication and the open expression of marital conflicts together with a positive emotional atmosphere were crucial to the number and content of the adolescents' social conceptions, especially family conceptions.The study is a part of a research project that deals with value orientation in adolescence. The study was supported by a grant to Dr. M. L. Rauste-von Wright from the Council for Social Science Research, the Academy of Finland. The author wishes to express her gratitude to Dr. M. L. Rauste-von Wright.Ph. Lic. in Psychology from University of Turku. Research interests include social development in adolescence, social cognition, and family interaction.     

Adolescent males with urogenital anomalies: Their body image and psychosexual development

Three midadolescent males with major congenital urogenital anomalies and multiple surgical repairs are described. Each patient had suffered repeated profound insults to body image concepts and gender identity from infancy onward, now clearly reflected in his psychosocial behavior and in figure drawings. Of major importance is the total lack at any time of counseling and emotional support as a part of comprehensive management. A plea is made for awareness of the psychological effects of such disorders and the need for long-range therapeutic planning from early childhood through adolescence to develop sound compensatory modes of coping with this stress.Formerly fellow in adolescent medicine, New York University Medical Center, at the time the material for this report was collected. Received his M.D. and pediatric training at Boston University School of Medicine and Boston City Hospital. Research interests include comprehensive health care for adolescents and the effects of illness on adolescent psychological development.Received his Ph.D. in psychology from Heed University, Miami, Florida, and training in psychology and child development at New York University. Research interests include the psychological effects of hospitalization on children and youth, minimal brain dysfunction, and developmental assessment in infancy.Received her M.D. from the University of Rochester, pediatric training at University of Minnesota Hospitals and Babies Hospital, New York City, and training in adolescent medicine at Beth Israel Hospital, New York. Research interests include psychological effects of illness and hospitalization in adolescents, legal rights of minors, and adolescent sexuality.     

Attachment as an Organizational Construct for Affect,Appraisals, and Coping of Late Adolescent Females

The purpose of this study was to 1) compare general affective dispositions (depression and anxiety) and negative affect during interpersonal conflict as a function of attachment security, 2) examine appraisals as a function of attachment style and as predictors of coping, 3) compare strategies of coping with interpersonal conflict as a function of attachment style, and 4) investigate the roles of attachment style, affect, and appraisals in predicting coping in the context of interpersonal conflict. Seventy-three late adolescent females participated. Insecure participants reported higher levels of depression, anxiety, and negative affect during interpersonal conflicts. Insecure participants were more likely to cope with interpersonal conflicts through support seeking or avoidance. Hierarchical regression analysis indicated that general and specific attachment style, affect, and appraisals significantly predict coping strategies. Implications for general and specific models of attachment as organizational constructs and attachment as a predictor of coping with interpersonal and non-interpersonal stressors are discussed.     

青少年依恋的测量方法述评

青少年依恋研究领域的丰富和发展是以其测量方法的发展为基础的。目前主要有6种普遍使用的青少年依恋测量方法:父母同伴依恋问卷(IPPA)、父母联结测量(PB I)、父母依恋问卷(PAQ)、成人依恋访谈(AAI)、成人依恋问卷(AAQ),以及青少年依恋问卷等。     

Relationships between psychosocial development and personality disorder symptomatology in late adolescents

The present study investigated the extent to which psychosocial development through the first five stages of Erik Erikson's theory of personality development is associated with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (third edition, revised; DSM-III-R) Axis II personality disorder symptomatology in a late adolescent sample of undergraduate students. The Inventory of Psychosocial Development (IPD) and the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire—Revised (PDQ-R) were administered to a mixed-sex sample of 106 undergraduate students. The results of this research were that IPD scores assessing negative resolutions of the first five Eriksonian developmental stages consistently predicted scores on the PDQ-R composite scale and the PDQ-R impairment/distress index—both measures of overall personality disorder symptomatology. The IPD subscales varied substantially in the extent to which they predicted scores on the 13 PDQ-R subscales that assess symptoms of specific DSM-III-R personality disorders—ranging from the trust vs. mistrust subscale, which predicted scores on 12 of the 13 PDQ-R subscales, to the initiative vs. guilt subscale, which predicted scores on only 6 of the 13 PDQ-R subscales. Implications of these findings for our understanding of the relationship between psychosocial development and psychopathology are discussed in the context of previous research in this area, and suggestions for future research are offered.Received Ph.D. from Temple University. Research interests include personality disorders, depression, and life events.     

A Qualitative Analysis of Vietnamese Adolescent Identity Exploration Within and Outside an Ethnic Enclave

Focusing on identity development explorations enables a greater understanding of contexts that affect immigrant adolescents. Utilizing thematic and grounded narrative analysis of 46 journal writings, during a one-month period, from first and second generation Vietnamese adolescents ranging in age from 15 to 18 (26 residents of a culturally and politically active ethnic enclave in Southern California; 20 adolescents living outside the enclave), this study establishes ways in which a focus on social context and exploration processes illuminates the complexity of immigrant adolescents’ identity formation. The two groups shared many similarities, including precipitants to exploration and steps undertaken to explore identity. However, two factors—social and cultural influences and emotional reactions—revealed interesting contrasts distinguishing enclave from non-enclave dwelling Vietnamese adolescents. Data also suggested that immigrant adolescents strive to integrate different domains of identity (ethnicity, gender, career) both with one another and with the historical, social, and cultural contexts they occupy.

Differentiating Peer Contexts and Risk for Adolescent Substance Use

The peer context is perhaps the most salient, robust predictor of an adolescent's substance use. However, in previous studies, the peer context is often poorly defined. The current study examined 3 models to understand how substance use within best friendships, peer cliques, and social crowds predicts adolescents' substance involvement. A sample of 377 high school juniors and seniors completed surveys assessing substance use and peer relationships. Results suggest that each of these 3 dimensions of the peer context uniquely predict adolescent substance use. Moreover, these peer contexts interacted in the prediction of adolescents' substance use such that adolescents who were more highly embedded in substance-using peer contexts showed greater risk for substance use whereas adolescents with substance-using best friends showed a reduced risk for substance use if they had other close friends who were less involved with substances.     

Adolescent depression and the susceptibility to helplessness

Subjects scoring above and below a sample median on the Beck Depression Inventory were randomly assigned to one of four experimental conditions in which they were exposed to either (1) an unsolvable task accompanied by unavoidable aversive noise, (2) an identical but solvable task whose solution prevented the noise, or conditions designed to control for the effects of (3) the aversiveness of the noise, or (4) possible baseline performance differences between subject groups. The adolescents in the depressed group who were exposed to the unsolvable task showed a significant performance deficit on a subsequent solvable task when compared to their counterparts in the other three conditions. Subjects in the nondepressed group showed no such deficit, suggesting that as level of depressive symptomatology increases, adolescents become more vulnerable to suffering a disruption of active coping (effort, persistence, problem solving) when confronted with uncontrollable events. Theoretical and treatment issues related to adolescent depression are discussed.Received Ph. D. in clinical psychology, from Syracuse University. Research interests: clinical training, treatment program development, and organizational dysfunction/intervention.     

Law and disorder at home: free love,free speech,and the search for an anarchist utopia

Japan's trade unions were a crucial battlefront in the Cold War. Western governments and trade unions made every effort to integrate Japanese labor into the Free World, but the ‘anti-communist’ and the ‘social democratic’ approaches competed against each other in their dealings with the neutralist Sohyo. The former hard-line measures by the Republican Administration and the American Federation of Labor merely resulted in the formation of a small right-wing national center Zenro in 1954. After the mid 1950s, international economic interdependence promoted the latter conciliatory policy of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), the International Metalworker's Federation (IMF), the Congress of Industrial Organizations, the Trades Union Congress, the US Democratic Administration, and the British government. The establishment of the IMF–Japan Council as well as Zenro's affiliation with the ICFTU in 1964 was a great turning point in the process of incorporating Japanese labor into the Free World.     

青年学生思想教育：方法与原则——一种基于社会工作介入视角的教育方法

青年学生的思想教育是学校教育的一个重要方面.本文结合大学生的群体特点,用社会工作的介入视角探讨青年学生思想工作的方法、策略和原则.