Examined social crowd construct among 489 white seventh-, ninth-, and eleventh-graders. Found that self- and peer-nominated crowds were reasonably congruent and related in the same way to delinquency, substance use, and grade point average. Adolescents were friendliest to their own crowd and had more than expected number of friends from their…

Examined risk factors associated with acquisition of sexually transmitted diseases (STD) among adolescents. Found that demographic factors were associated with being sexually experienced, but few demographics were associated with specific STD-related risk behaviors. Knowledge was not associated with any risk behaviors. Use of alcohol and drugs was…

Examined whether attachments to family and school reduced five forms of adolescent deviance (smoking, drinking, marijuana use, delinquency, and violent behavior). Found that adolescent attachments to family and school reduced overall frequency, prevalence, and intensity of deviant involvement, regardless of community context, gender, or ethnic…

Examined benefits/risks of participation in five types of extracurricular activities (prosocial, team sports, school involvement, performing arts, academic clubs). Data for 1,259 adolescents were drawn from the Michigan Study of Adolescent Life Transitions. Found that prosocial involvement was linked to positive educational trajectories and low…

Identified predictors of normative, unconventional, and deviant identity orientations among youth in a nationally representative sample of 13,000 high school seniors. Found that frequency of community service substantially increased predictability of identity orientation above background characteristics and part-time work involvement. Most…

This study examined antecedents to early patterned alcohol and tobacco use and marijuana experimentation between ages 11 and 16 for an at-risk male sample. Findings suggested that family, peer, and child characteristics were inextricably connected within an ecology of development. A structural equation prediction model suggested a higher order…