The Impact of Pubertal Timing and Parental Control on Adolescent Problem Behaviors

This study examined the relationship among pubertal timing, parental control, and problem behaviors. There were 267 participants, whose ages ranged from 9 to 16 years. Both maternal and paternal psychological control predicted problem behaviors over and above the effects of behavioral control. For boys, early maturation and high levels of paternal psychological control, whereas for girls, on-time maturation and low levels of paternal psychological control were associated with low levels of internalizing problem behaviors. Early maturation and high levels of maternal psychological control predicted high levels of externalizing problem behaviors. The implications of these findings were discussed in terms of the detrimental effects of psychological control on adolescent wellbeing, the role that pubertal timing may or may not play during this period, and finally the need to separately examine fathers’ parenting and mothers’ parenting while investigating the impact of parental control on adolescent problem behaviors. Rübab G. Arım is a Doctoral Student at the University of British Columbia. She received her M.A. degree in Human Learning, Development, and Instruction from the University of British Columbia. Her major research interests include evaluating the long-term impact of biological and contextual factors on adolescent problem behaviors. Jennifer D. Shapka is an Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia. She received her Ph.D. in Human Development and Applied Psychology from the University of Toronto. Her major research interests include identifying patterns of risk and protective factors impacting adolescent well-being over time.     

INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE RISK AMONG VICTIMS OF YOUTH VIOLENCE: ARE EARLY UNIONS BAD,BENEFICIAL, OR BENIGN?

Youth violent victimization (YVV) is a risk factor for precocious exits from adolescence via early coresidential union formation. It remains unclear, however, whether these early unions 1) are associated with intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization, 2) interrupt victim continuity or victim–offender overlap through protective and prosocial bonds, or 3) are inconsequential. By using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (N = 11,928; 18–34 years of age), we examine competing hypotheses for the effect of early union timing among victims of youth violence (n = 2,479)—differentiating across victimization only, perpetration only, and mutually combative relationships and considering variation by gender. The results from multinomial logistic regression models indicate that YVV increases the risk of IPV victimization in first unions, regardless of union timing; the null effect of timing indicates that delaying union formation would not reduce youth victims’ increased risk of continued victimization. Gender‐stratified analyses reveal that earlier unions can protect women against IPV perpetration, but this is partly the result of an increased risk of IPV victimization. The findings suggest that YVV has significant transformative consequences, leading to subsequent victimization by coresidential partners, and this association might be exacerbated among female victims who form early unions. We conclude by discussing directions for future research.     

The Strategic Timing behind Position-taking in the US Congress: A Study of the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act

Roll call voting by members of the US Congress has been frequently studied. In contrast, the various decisions leading up to roll call voting are relatively unexplored. This article analyses one of those decisions: when senators announce their final passage vote intention. The authors use the same set of variables to analyse both the timing of the announcement and the final passage vote. They find that different independent variables predict these two different decisions, though the constituency and the senator's institutional setting matter in both. Furthermore, this study corroborates an assumption in the rational choice literature that those members with the most information are the first movers.