This paper discusses the relation between feelings about body development and other aspects of self-image such as social relations, external mastery and impulse control. The Offer Self-Image Questionnaire was administered to about 400 sixth grade students in two middle class suburban school districts. Results indicate that, compared to boys of the…

Describes the physical and emotional changes of adolescence and suggests ways teachers can help their students cope with these growing pains. (JMB)

Reports the results of a broad-scale survey of the sexual knowledge and development of Chinese middle school youth. Includes information on sources of sexual knowledge, age of onset for specific sexual acts, psychological characteristics, and the goals of the sex education curriculum in Chinese middle schools. (JDH)

The premise that effects of maturational timing are mediated by social context is explored by comparing adolescent girls in dance and nondance schools. The findings are discussed in terms of a goodness of fit between the requirements of a social context and a person's physical and behavioral characteristics. (Author/LMO)

The verbal interaction of 31 middle-class early adolescent boys and their parents was analyzed to provide information about the impact of the onset of puberty and formal operational thinking on relationships in the family system. (Author/MP)

Examined effects of early physical maturation and accelerated pubertal changes on symptoms of major depression among 639 African American adolescents. Found that for girls, early maturation was consistently associated with elevated levels of depressive symptoms. For boys, early maturers showed elevated depression only at age 11, with symptoms…

Examines the relations between physical maturation and youths' perceptions of their family context and the associated daily stresses experienced. Results extend the literature on physical development and urban African American populations. Findings suggest that adolescent-perceived hassles are indications of parental monitoring and more adaptive…

In a study of eating problems in adolescent girls, researchers saw 193 White adolescent females and their mothers in the girls' middle school years and two years later. Examined was the emergence of eating problems as a function of pubertal growth, body image, personality development, and family relationships. (RH)

Examined mutual influences in parent and adolescent psychological distress reported independently by respondents in each of four parent-child dyads: mothers-sons, mothers-daughters, fathers-sons, and fathers-daughters. Found that parent and adolescent stress were reciprocally related across time, even after earlier emotional status was…

Responds to Maccoby's and Hinde's commentaries on the Belsky, et al. article in this issue. Highlights several points of concurrence and disagreement. Draws attention to the potential benefits of asking questions about proximal and ultimate causation simultaneously and, thus, the need for child developmentalists to think about both the how and why…

Daughter's early childhood stress, conflict in the family environment, childhood behavioral symptoms, early puberty, and early dating behavior are related to mothers' early menarche and sexual involvement by a retrospective self-report survey (21 mothers; 28 daughters). Intended as a test of Belsky's theory, alternative explanations for findings…

The psychological experience of ejaculation was examined for 188 Nigerian adolescent boys to determine emotional reactions, feelings of preparedness, sources of preexperience information, and the extent of peer discussion after the experience. The experience was not perceived negatively, and boys usually told their friends. Most suppliers of…

Event history analysis, spanning grades 7 through 12, was used to test a developmental model of the timing of first sexual intercourse among boys at risk for delinquency. As predicted, antisocial/delinquent behavior and substance use along with early physical maturity and parental transitions predicted early onset of sexual intercourse. Anxiety…

A series of meta-analyses identified changes in parent-child conflict during adolescence and moderating factors. Results of age meta-analyses indicated that conflict rate and total conflict declined from early to mid adolescence and from mid to late adolescence; conflict affect increased from early to mid-adolescence. Puberty meta-analyses…

Explores the relevance of gender to social work practice in the middle school by examining three domains of importance to young adolescents: academic achievement, puberty and sexuality, and mental health. Suggests that a systemic perspective on those difficulties that asks serious questions about puberty and gender is vitally important. (Contains…