Examines the emotional and relational components of body image in French (N=80) and American (N=60) adolescents. Results indicate that major cultural differences arose from the belief that the real body and the ideal body coincide. Gender differences centered more on the level of control of body changes and on self-assessment modes. (RJM)

Investigated the relationship of several demographic variables, family structure and family environment among 68 official chronic delinquents and 130 official nondelinquents. Results indicated that 10 variables explained 49 percent of the variance between the chronic delinquent and nondelinquent groups. Personal growth had most discriminating…

Examined whether the former East Germany has produced authoritarian personalities and whether there is age and gender variation on authoritarianism regardless of culture. Subjects were 552 West German, 320 East German, and 619 American adolescents. Found that all three cultures have similar proclivities to exhibit an authoritarian character…

Examined prosocial moral reasoning in Brazilian institutionalized delinquent, orphaned, and noninstitutionalized adolescents. Found that compared to nondelinquent adolescents, delinquent adolescents were less likely to prefer higher level, internalized types of prosocial moral reasoning and more likely to prefer lower levels of prosocial moral…

During a major population study of adolescent functioning, pupils from four comprehensive schools were used to compare validity of several screening measures in this age group. Showed that screening instruments tended to be behavior specific and that antisocial and neurotic behavior were relatively sex specific. (Author)

Examined conceptions of parenting among middle-class African American parents of early adolescents. Found that parents strongly endorsed setting firm limits. Mothers rated limiting adolescents' behavior as more important than permitting or encouraging independence. Mothers of younger adolescent females viewed limits as more important than mothers…

Examined relation between goal orientations of 12- to 15-year-old competitive swimmers, and those of parents, and coaches. Found that adolescents' self-reported goal orientations correlated highly with their perceptions of goal orientations of their significant adults but not with self-reports of their significant adults. Adolescents believed…

Examined impact of mood, age, and gender on decision processes in a job-selection task for seventh through twelfth graders and adults. Found that females discarded more information and took longer to decide in negative versus positive or neutral moods. Junior high females were more pessimistic about their chances to obtain their desired job;…

Examined the association between psychosocial development and the timing of first sexual intercourse in a sample of white, rural adolescents. Two theoretical models were tested. For both boys and girls, early timing of first sexual intercourse was associated with longitudinal patterns of greater transition proneness and poorer psychosocial…

Examined impact of peer experience on seventh graders' strategies for coping with peer hassles. Found that more aggressive adolescents perceived more control over hassles. More aggressive, unpopular adolescents used more negative strategies; more popular aggressive females used more problem-focused strategies. Withdrawn adolescents perceived less…

Examined whether relationship seriousness influenced youths' sexual behaviors and attitudes. Found that interpersonal context influenced sexual timetables of whites more than other groups. Some ethnic differences in sexual timetables were diminished when sociodemographic factors were controlled. Youth generally began sexual activities with a…

Used a person-centered analytic strategy with data from Youth Development Study to describe configurations of time use through the high school years. Found that students highly engaged in multiple domains tended to remain so across grade. Students focused on one or two domains frequently changed commitments, school plans, grade point average,…

Examined self-esteem among Puerto Rican young adolescents. Found that Self-Perception Profile for Children had adequate reliability for use with 13- to 14-year-old Puerto Ricans living on the mainland. Gender differences in different domains were similar to those among Anglo youth. Psychological acculturation played a more protective role for…

One goal of a longitudinal study of stepfamilies, divorced maternal custody families, and nondivorced families was to assess the quality and functioning of the sibling relationship and to determine the conditions under which sibling relationships become more cohesive or more competitive during family transitions. Relationships between the target…

One goal of a longitudinal study of stepfamilies, divorced maternal custody families, and nondivorced families was to assess the response of children to the experiences associated with stepfamily formation and to identify factors that may buffer children against adverse life experiences or make them more vulnerable to negative outcomes. Children's…