Dealing with homesick campers can be challenging. Camper encouragement and counselor planning before camp starts is helpful. Upon arrival, don't dwell on the campers' homesickness. Help the camper connect--with older campers, a counselor, or a potential bunk-mate--and avoid free time. The first night is often the most difficult time; consult with…

Followed 500 juveniles adjudicated as delinquents into adult life. Subject's self-report of delinquent or criminal acts committed before first contact with Juvenile Probation Department bore no relationship to adult criminal conviction. Self-report of involvement in delinquent or criminal acts with friends, and frequency with which friends were…

Examined situations associated with excessive drinking among college students (n=78). Compared to light and moderate drinkers, heavy drinkers were more likely to report excessive drinking in situations involving social pressure to drink, pleasant times with others, pleasant emotions, and physical discomfort. (Author/NB)

Most school-based drug abuse prevention programs comprise five categories, stressing knowledge change, attitude change, knowledge and attitude change, peer relationships, or drug use alternatives. Peer programs seem most effective. Programs often fail because of unrealistic expectations, wasted energy, program weakness, lack of creativity, failure…

Children between 7 and 11 years of age with moderate learning difficulties were tested for conservation. Nonconservers were divided into experimental and control groups. Experimental group children performed conservation tasks with conserving children in their class. Posttests indicated that the increase in performance in conservation tasks was…

A survey of the factors that influence adolescents (n=246) to smoke found that family smoking behavior, peer pressure, and prior beliefs were more important in predicting smoking level than were advertising and antismoking information. (Author/JOW)

Correlates of stealing behavior were investigated in non-delinquent 10 to 15 year-olds (N=167). Stealing was related to youths' attitudes toward parents and school, as well as reasons for stealing. It was most frequent among older males. Attitude toward school was most consistently related to stealing behavior, though perceptions of family's…

Investigates perceptions of adolescents concerning relationship between chronic peer abuse and suicidal behavior, contending chronic peer abuse is a risk factor for adolescent suicidal behavior. Results upheld this contention, adding that bystander perceptions supported victims' views. Suggests interventions to stop bullying should be expanded to…

Using a framework drawn from recent social psychological work on shame and related feelings, this study collected qualitative data from twelve college students. Findings indicate that negative emotions play a role in peer influence, particularly feelings of inadequacy and isolation, as well as feeling ridiculed, all of which are indicative of…

Analyzes responses to the College Student Experiences Questionnaire from 51,155 undergraduates at 128 institutions to develop a student typology based upon their patterns of engagement in educationally purposeful activities and the progress they reported making toward important outcomes of college. The typology reported yields new insights into…

Study considers variables that distinguish between attempters, ideators, and nonsuicidal youth in a sample of homeless and runaway adolescents. Analyses reveal five variables that best distinguish among the three groups: self-esteem, depression, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and having a friend who attempted suicide. Suggests that accumulation of…

Identifying factors that contribute to delinquency and recidivism is critical in predicting the success of incarcerated youth transitioning back to the community. The task of identifying these salient factors becomes increasingly complex when compounded by the disproportionate representation of youth with disabilities in juvenile corrections.…

This paper reports findings from a qualitative study examining young people's perceived motivations for "binge drinking", and the associated harmful outcomes. Sixty-four, in-depth, one-to-one interviews were carried out with 14 to 17 year olds in southern England who had experience of binge drinking. Given the underage sample, most of…

Used longitudinal data from the National Survey of Children to examine factors explaining the higher school dropout and lower high school graduation rates in socioeconomically distressed communities. Results suggest that educational performance of peers is a key mechanism linking neighborhood disadvantage to youth educational attainment. Some of…

The purpose of the current study was to test whether perceived peer influence is related to image of a typical smoker, and whether image of a typical smoker is associated with beliefs about the effects of smoking among preadolescent nonsmokers. Two hundred and ninety-two preadolescents completed a survey indicating their perceptions of the…