Parent involvement is a robust predictor of academic achievement, but little is known about school- and home-based involvement in immigrant families. Drawing on ecological theories, the present study examined contextual characteristics as predictors of parent involvement among Afro-Caribbean and Latino parents of young students in urban public…

Ethnic and American identity were studied as predictors of self-esteem for 372 Latino, 232 African American, and 65 White high school students. For all groups, ethnic identity was a significant predictor of self-esteem, although it accounted for a relatively small portion of the variance. (SLD)

Findings indicate that family-structure variables (family income, parental education, marital status) failed to predict adolescent sexual behavior. In contrast, each family process variable (maternal monitoring, mother-adolescent general communication, maternal attitudes about adolescent sexual behavior) predicted multiple indices of adolescent…

Examined the relationship between drinking and criminal behavior among 342 adolescent offenders. Results showed drinking is strongly associated with minor offenses. Relative to background and behavioral factors, drinking is the strongest single predictor of serious criminal offenses among Blacks, with less importance for whites and little…

Investigates the influence of family characteristics, psychological factors, and socioeconomic factors on youth's occupational status aspirations, female aspirations for atypical occupations, and minority and upper-class youth's employment aspirations. (Author/MJL)

Participation of 1,715 fourth-grade students in family outing activities was compared across three racial groups and used to predict reading and math achievement. Results indicate participation differed across racial groups, and participants were higher achievers than nonparticipatnts. Specific predictors are discussed. (Author/MT)

Multiple problem behaviors, stress, and personal resources were assessed over 2 years among 136 mainly black and Hispanic gay and bisexual males, age 14 to 19 years. Problem behaviors were found to be stable over time; the pattern of change in one behavior problem was not related to patterns of change in other problem behaviors. (MDM)

Compares the high school varsity sports participation of Black, Hispanic, and White students and college attendance by reanalyzing data from the High School and Beyond Survey. Finds a positive correlation between high school athletic participation and academic achievement as represented by college entrance for all three groups. (FMW)

Examines teenage decision making for resolution of an unplanned pregnancy and the predictors of both the initial plan and the consistency of the adoption plan. Data from 162 pregnant adolescents reveal that the mother's preference strongly predicts the initial plan, and the birthfather's preference affects the consistency of adoption. (GLR)

A survey of gifted high school juniors (22 African Americans, 22 Hispanic Americans, 12 Asian Americans, 7 Native Americans) showed that 89% planned to earn at least a bachelor's degree. Those from larger towns, with greater academic comfort, and whose parents had higher educational levels were more likely to plan to attend graduate school. (SK)

Compared generic tobacco use among Hispanic, White, Black, and Asian youths (N=4,980) in grades 4, 7, 10, and 12. Found prevalence of regular use was highest among Whites, followed by Hispanics, Blacks, and Asians. Marijuana, alcohol, and other drug use explained approximately 40 percent of variance in tobacco use in each ethnic group. Other…

Used recent longitudinal cohort of eighth graders to examine whether measures of school engagement predicted school-age pregnancy among white, black, and Hispanic teens. Found that high student engagement was associated with postponing pregnancy. Among white and Hispanic teens, dropouts were more likely than others to have school-age pregnancies.…

Previous research shows that school desegregation has had both positive and negative effects on students, and that desegregation effects have been variously determined by the type of desegregation, the desegregation methods used, and the region in which desegregation was implemented. A study of the effects of court-ordered desegregation on…

Drew on data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth to compare impact of family processes on delinquency in Latino, White, and African American youth. Found that parent attachment, supervision, and involvement predicted delinquency for whites. Supervision was the only significant family influence for Latinos, and attachment to parents was…

Parent and friend support, family stress, and economic hardship are examined as mediators of well-being for 782 African-American, European-American, and Hispanic-American 4th and 6th graders from middle and low income schools. Of these, 172 were immigrants. Well-being indices included loneliness, self-concept, depression, and teacher-rated…