The goals of youth mentoring have broadened from redressing youth problems to promoting positive youth development. Yet, many of the principles associated with contemporary conceptualizations of development found in the positive youth development (PYD) and community psychology (CP) literature have yet to be fully integrated into mentoring research…

Documents the health needs of young offenders aged 10-17 attending a community Youth Offending Team. Health information was collected via semi-structured interviews and standardized questionnaires. Potential mental health problems that required further specialist assessment were identified in 56% of those assessed. Discusses the process of meeting…

Uses data concerning all young sex offenders (N=56) to construct and validate an introductory young sex offender typology based solely on offense characteristics. A 5-cluster solution received optimal support from cluster analysis of 15 offense-related variables. Survival analysis revealed that the clusters differed with respect to sexual but not…

Reviews research which has clarified the needs and problems of adolescents in secure units and has highlighted the relationship between provision offered in child care, penal, and health services. Discusses new research findings, particularly those arising out of studies of young people (n=104) in two youth treatment centers. (Author/ABL)

A review of international statistics indicates that youth suicide rates are not increasing in all nations. Furthermore, it is suggested that the quality of life in nations is improving and that this improvement itself may increase the risk of suicide, especially in youth with narcissistic personality traits and antisocial personality disorder…

Discusses the issues of child and adolescent prostitution, focusing on the youth prostitution situation in London, England. Briefly describes "Streetwise," a support and counseling program developed to aid London youth who have been involved in any form of prostitution. (NB)

Explores the possibilities provoked by the construction of the category of "youth-at-risk." Argues that discourses which attempt to regulate the behaviors and dispositions of youth provoke dangerous possibilities for the increased surveillance of, and intervention into, young people's lives by regulatory authorities. (Contains 67…

Screens penal, social services, and special education agencies in one region to determine the need for mental health services among adolescents. Determines that the need for mental health care greatly outstrips the supply. Discusses the effectiveness of treatment for the problems of these youth and a possible structure for service delivery.…

Investigates to what extent the juvenile criminal law achieves the goal of providing effective professional help in cases for which such assistance is indicated, by reviewing assessments of a sample of juveniles (N=108) brought before the court. It concludes that young delinquents need to be more adequately screened for psychiatric disorders as…

Examines some of the reasons for the differences between depressed and non-depressed adolescent suicidal attempters in their response to a brief family intervention. Determined that efficacy of the family intervention in reducing suicidal ideation within the nondepressed sub-group was probably not mediated by changes in variables such as family…

Offers practitioners and researchers an overview of two inventories used in the study of antisocial and delinquent behavior. Evidence suggests that the inventories are related to behavioral indices associated with antisocial and delinquent behavior. Concludes that both instruments are robust and can yield valuable results. (RJM)

Examined stressors preceding the suicide attempts of 40 adolescents. Results show that 77.5% of the youth reported conflict with their parents in the few hours before the event. Significantly more suicidal subjects experienced family conflict, problems at school, and problems with boy/girlfriends during the preceding six months when compared to a…

Young people who experience homelessness, in Australia and in other western contexts (US, Canada, England), are widely perceived to use and abuse alcohol and drugs. The available research indicates that homeless young people use all drug types, whether injected or otherwise, more frequently than their home-based peers. Debate exists in the…

Many homeless youth may be considered "thrownaway" in that they have specifically been told to leave home. Prevalence data, family background characteristics, and high-risk behaviors of youth are examined in two national samples: (1) youth residing in shelters; (2) street youth in 10 cities. Implications of findings are discussed.…

Examines the relationship between students' exposure to violence and symptoms of depression and hostility. Survey revealed that males had greater exposure to violence than females; exposure to violence was predictive of hostility for both genders; and predictive of depression for females. Suggests clinicians help adolescents make sense of events…