Parental contexts of adolescent self-esteem: A developmental perspective

Relationships between parental behaviors and adolescent self-esteem were analyzed in a group of 95 early adolescents from multiple settings. The study was designed to investigate hypotheses regarding associations between observed parental interactions (e.g., accepting and devaluing) and adolescent self-esteem. Parents' verbal interactions with their adolescents were assessed through application of the constraining and enabling coding system to transcribed family discussions, generated through a revealed differences procedure. Adolescent self-esteem was measured with the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory. Parent interaction-self-esteem associations were examined in the pooled sample, as well as in specific sub-groups based on gender, health, and ego development (measured by the Washington University Sentence Completion Test). Boys had more numerous associations between their self-esteem and parental interactions than girls, and psychiatrically ill boys had particularly high associations. Parental interactions were found to be most strongly related to adolescent self-esteem for adolescents at the lowest levels of ego development. Our findings are consistent with the view that increasing individuation in self-esteem regulation occurs during adolescent development, such that adolescents at higher levels of ego development evaluate themselves more independently of parental feedback than do their less mature peers.This study was supported through a Research Training Grant No. MH16259 (Dr. Isberg) from the NIMH, a grant from the National Institute of Child and Human Development (NICHD Grant No. 5 R01 HD18684-02), and a Research Scientis Development Award No. 5 K-02-MH-70178 (Dr. Hauser) from the NIMH.Received M.D. from Harvard University. Currently studying adolescent development and working with the school consultation program of the Massachusetts Mental Health Center.Received M.D. from Yale University and Ph.D. from Harvard University (Psychology). Currently studying family contexts of adolescent development.Received M.D. from The University of Chicago. Currently studying psychological consequences of diabetes mellitus.Received Ed. D. from Harvard University (School of Education). Currently studying family coping processes in response to stressful events.Received Dipl. Psych. from Freie Universitat, Berlin (Clinical Psychology). Currently studying relationships between psychopathology and development among adolescent psychiatric patients.Received Ph.D. from Ohio State University (Psychology). Current interests in assessing ego development and family systems.Received Ph.D. from the University of Miami (Clinical Psychology). Research interests in family studies and adolescent development.     

Public transit and the spatial distribution of minority employment: Evidence from a natural experiment

A recent expansion of the San Francisco Bay Area's heavy rail system represents an exogenous change in the accessibility of inner‐city minority communities to a concentrated suburban employment center. We evaluate this natural experiment by conducting a two‐wave longitudinal survey of firms, with the first wave of interviews conducted immediately before the opening of service, and the second wave approximately a year later. Within‐firm changes in the propensity to hire minority workers for firms near the station were compared with those located farther away. Also estimated was the effect of employer distance to the new stations on changes in propensity to hire minorities. Results indicate a sizable increase in the hiring of Latinos near the new stations, but little evidence of an effect on black hiring rates. © 2003 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management.     

Introduction: A Sense of Place

In his book No Sense of Place: The Impact of Electronic Media on Social Behavior (1985), Joshua Meyrowitz analyzes the ways in which electronic media of the twentieth century have broken down the "once strong relationship between physical place and social 'place,'" engendering greater social mobility and blurring distinctions based on social class, gender, race, and age (ix).     

African–American Parents’ Racial and Ethnic Socialization and Adolescent Academic Grades: Teasing Out the Role of Gender

This study examined the relationship of racial and ethnic socialization and academic achievement in a sample of 218 African American adolescents (grades 9–12; 52% girls) attending a public high school in the northeastern United States. Researchers were particularly interested in whether adolescent gender moderated the relationship between racial and ethnic socialization and academic grades. Results indicated that aspects of ethnic socialization, African American cultural values and African American heritage were linked to adolescent grades. Additionally, adolescent gender was found to moderate the association between these socialization variables and grades. The findings also suggest that socialization provided by paternal caregivers around African American cultural values and African American heritage may have differential effects for academic grades than the socialization messages provided by maternal caregivers. Information generated from this study broadens the understanding of socialization factors that can facilitate positive academic outcomes in African American youth and has practical implications for parents and educators.

Sibling violence and agonistic interactions experienced by early adolescents

Negative physical and verbal interactions occurring between early adolescents and their closest-spaced sibling were examined. Two hundred forty-four junior high school students provided information concerning their experiences as victims and perpetrators of aggressive and agonistic behaviors. Results confirm earlier studies' findings that siblings engage in numerous hostile interactions and that females and males perform these behaviors to an almost equal extent. Participants' self-reports suggest that parents may underestimate sibling use of physical force to resolve conflicts. Findings indicate there is further need to examine sibling interactions in order to better understand family functioning and family violence.     

Volunteerism and technology transfer: A case study

The withdrawl of Federal funds in a number of social service programs and state and local government budgets calls for an upsurge in volunteerism. Since August 1978, a Technical Volunteer Service (TVS) has been doing just that at one of the nation’s largest Federal laboratories. As measured by service to the community, acceptance by laboratory management, and satisfaction for the volunteers, this program has been an outstanding success. The time is ripe to transfer this program to other Federal laboratories, universities and industry. This paper describes the program and offers practical suggestions for its transfer to other organizations.     

Does ink age inside of a pen cartridge?

In questioned document examination and ink dating, it has been assumed that the ink inside of a pen cartridge does not begin aging until the ink is dispensed onto paper. Positive ion laser desorption (LD) mass spectra were obtained of ink-on-paper samples containing methyl violet, from new and old pens. Mass spectral studies with methyl violet have established the mechanism for how the dye degrades over time, and have provided structural information concerning the dye's degradation products. This information was used as an indication of the relative age of ink on paper. The LD mass spectrum of the ink from a new pen was indicative of "new" ink, whereas the spectra of the ink found in some older pens may appear to be either new or old. The ink from most of the old pens studied appears not to have aged, supporting the common assumption, whereas other ink samples produced "aged" ink spectra, suggesting otherwise.