Engagement in excessive sedentary behaviour represents a health risk for adolescents. The current study aimed to investigate patterns of sedentary behaviour amongst Irish female adolescents aged between 15 and 19 years old. 314 adolescents completed a questionnaire on their sedentary behaviour habits, health behaviours (physical activity, smoking,…

This article describes a collaborative research project that took place in two south-western US border towns and sought to understand how four "muslim" girls (age 14-17) expressed and negotiated their bodily learning experiences. Drawing on both the work of "arab-muslim" critical feminist Fatima Mernissi who utilized classical Islamic tools of…

Impact of parent alcohol misuse on the sexual behavior of female adolescents was studied with 1,134 teenagers of alcohol-misusing parents. Index adolescents were more likely to report sexual intercourse and greater frequency of intercourse. Gender of the drinking parent was related to a number of factors related to sexuality. (SLD)

Interviews with 60 female victims (ages 7-12) of sexual abuse found that most viewed relationships with their mothers as warm and accepting. Girls who perceived lower maternal rejection had higher competency ratings and fewer behavior problems. Abuse involving force was correlated with lower victim competency. More violent abuse was correlated…

This study addresses two specific questions: (1) can changes in infant behavior and maternal attitudes be observed as a function of the child's sex, and (2) if so, at what age do the sex differences become observable? (Author/AM)

A primary purpose of the present study was to further investigate the effects of children upon parents in order to gain a better understanding of the interactional relationship between parents and children. Subjects were 42 middle and upper-middle class parents and their daughters. Mothers and fathers were first observed separately with their…

Sex differences in verbal family interactions were investigated in a group of 79 adolescents and parents from normal and psychiatric settings. Individual speech in interactions was observed and scored using the Constraining and Enabling Coding System. Findings showed strikingly higher levels of cognitive enabling speeches expressed by fathers and…

Self-perceptions of competence of white, middle-class fifth- and tenth-grade girls were examined in relation to (a) maternal variables and (b) self-esteem and anticipated role pattern (career aspirations and desired family size). Subjects were 79 fifth-graders and 51 of their mothers, and 49 tenth-graders and 38 of their mothers. Results are…

This paper presents preliminary data on 100 subjects of the first longitudinal study of Canadian widows. Widows have more psychological problems than a comparison group of women under treatment for breast cancer. Widows living alone with dependent children report higher stress levels. (Author)

Recent investigations of gender are fostering structurally deterministic explanations by focusing exclusively on social processes. A balanced understanding of femininity involves considering psychic forces in conjunction with social factors. An interpretation of Freud currently being articulated in Europe delineates unconscious forces fruitfully…

A program for treating the incestuous family is presented which concentrates on group treatment for female adolescent incest victims between the ages of 12 and 17. Two groups which have met weekly for one year are described in terms of the girls' progress. Suggestions are offered to insure treatment success, including: (1) the ideal time for…

This study used multivariate techniques to examine the relationship between extent of psychological and physical maltreatment by mothers and fathers and a variety of current psychological symptoms in 251 university women. Behaviors reflective of both psychological and physical maltreatment by both mothers and fathers were found in the same…

Twenty-nine years ago Minnesota Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (MLSPC) was launched at the Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota. It was one of the first prospective longitudinal studies of how parent-infant attachment develops, how it changes over time, and how the quality of attachment in infancy influences…

Family background variables such as race, religion, and gender of household head emerged as significant predictors of communication about sex in interviews conducted with a sample of mothers and teenage daughters. A suprising finding was a strong positive association between family religion and early sexual communication, although this may reflect…

Two studies compared individuals at high- and low-risk for child physical abuse on measures of social information processing. In both studies, either childless women or mothers read vignettes of parent-child interactions in which the child's compliance was difficult to interpret. High- and low-risk participants used different evaluation standards…