Tests the feasibility of a one-year group education model for patients with type 2 diabetes in Sweden. Within study circles led by pharmacists, participants learned to self-monitor glucose, to interpret the results and to act upon them. Results show that study circles held at pharmacies are a feasible way of education persons with type 2 diabetes.…

Describes a teacher-directed reclaiming intervention that targets the problems of a young girl who allows herself to be put down and manipulated by a boyfriend who is meeting his own needs to look good to his peers at her expense. (Author/MKA)

Looks at the organization of street gangs and suggests that some of the same concepts used to describe family systems may be applied to them. States that the complex organization of gangs forms a web of interconnectedness, and that in order to provide effective intervention plans, gangs must be viewed from a systematic and holistic perspective.…

Interviewed junior high school students regarding sexual activity. Females were less likely to have "ever had sex." More males anticipated partner pressure for sex and believed they might have sex before marriage. Among nonvirgins there was little gender difference in frequency or recency. Asserts that understanding adolescent sexual…

In 1980-83, a study assessed adolescent girls' smoking, their peers' smoking, and their parents' smoking and beliefs and strictness regarding smoking. Similar assessments were made in 1995 for these girls, now mothers, and their children. Found that general and smoking-related parenting practices, as well as peer smoking, were related to…

Investigates female friends' influence on achievement-related choices using the Thematic Apperception Test. Study tests two hypotheses: (1) achievement-related stimuli will elicit stories with more unfavorable outcomes than will affiliation stimuli; (2) thematic representation of achievement will be more homogeneous in more highly cohesive peer…

Data from 1,375 female and 1,401 male adolescents in Britain were analyzed to investigate influences on intention to stay past the postcompulsory education age. Peer groups had a strong and significant impact on boys' intention to stay. Boys were influenced by a variety of factors, girls predominantly by their perceived ability. (Contains 34…

Examines acculturation, peer relations, and delinquency in a sample of Chinese-Canadian youth using the Behavioral Acculturation Scale (Szapocznik) Results reveal that adherence to Chinese culture was related to lower delinquency, whereas the opposite was true for North American acculturation. Reports on the unexpected finding that association…

In this study of the origins of individual differences in theory of mind (ToM), the Environmental Risk (E-Risk) Longitudinal Twin Study sample of 1,116 sixty-month-old twin pairs completed a comprehensive battery of ToM tasks. Individual differences in ToM were striking and strongly associated with verbal ability. Behavioral genetic models of the…

Cocaine is a major problem in the rural South, but knowledge is limited regarding the impact on African American populations. Purpose: This study of 18-39-year-old black drug users assessed perceptions of contributing factors to drug use and possible interventions. The study design was qualitative-descriptive, utilizing 4 focus groups with 5 rural…

Past research suggests that adolescents whose parents are violent toward one another should be more likely to experience dating violence. Having friends in violent relationships also may increase the odds of dating violence. The authors examined which antecedent, friend dating violence or interparental violence, if either, is more strongly…

This introduction sets the stage for the themed issue. It describes the ambiguities inherent in the interpretation of the literature on compositional and peer effects and the genesis of the project. The balance of the introduction then describes the approach adopted to search for peer effects. First, there is a brief outline of the Barr and…

Precursors of adolescent sexual risk taking were examined in a multiethnic sample consisting of 443 children (51% girls) of National Longitudinal Survey of Youth participants. Respondents were 12-13 years old in 1994 and 16-17 in 1998. Controlling for demographic and contextual factors, self-regulation--but not risk proneness--was significantly…

Social withdrawal is one symptom displayed by students categorized as "internalizers," who may also experience anxiety and depression. These are the quiet, invisible students. Internalizing disorders can negatively affect a student's academic performance, physical health, future psychological adjustment, and employment opportunities. Supportive…

The current study provides new information on the etiology of adolescent problem behaviors in African American youth by testing the importance of known predictors, namely parenting measures (monitoring, support, and communication), peers, and neighborhood characteristics across rural and non-rural developmental contexts. More specifically, the…