Although several factors condition mental health differences between married and never-married adults, given recent increases in marriage delay and permanent singlehood, one modifying factor--deviation from desired age at marriage--has yet to be examined. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (N = 7,277), the author tested…

This study analyzed six waves of panel data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY). These analyses were conducted to test the stability of self-reported lifetime use and age of onset. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) indicated that the stability of age of onset reports decreased with longer time frames between follow-ups.…

Parental income and wealth contribute to children's success but are at least partly endogenous to parents' cognitive and noncognitive skills. We estimate the degree to which mothers' skills measured in early adulthood confound the relationship between their economic resources and their children's postsecondary education outcomes. Analyses of…

Adolescents have begun to initiate sexual activity at increasingly early ages in the past few decades. Using a sample of 2,494 adolescents from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY97), structural and parental process variables were examined in the prediction of sexual onset. Results indicated that the age at which youth initiate sexual…

Applies logit models to study youth's dropout behavior and decisions whether to return to school. Most results from the logistic regression for dropping out are consistent with other findings; however, being black is less associated with dropping out. A dropout's Armed Forces Qualification Test score, age, and out-of-school duration are…

Adult students (25 years old and over) currently constitute 43% of all college students. This paper investigates the importance of college timing in determining earnings. Findings show that those who complete college at a later age receive a significantly smaller initial earning increase than those who acquire their education earlier in life.…