Analyzes how social support helps explain variations in child and adolescent psychological distress at time of sexual-abuse discovery (N=154). Support from a parent was related to less psychological distress, whereas support from friends is related to increased adjustment difficulties. (Author/MKA)

The effects of family structure and family environment on the initiation of illicit drug use were studied with 3413 U.S. and foreign-born Hispanic, African American, and White adolescent boys. Findings indicate a great deal of instability in family structures. Differences among ethnic groups in relationships among family characteristics and drug…

Examined adolescents' moral values in a fable writing class in 6th grade, 10th grade, and first year of college. Core values identified in the written fables related significantly to grade level but not gender. As adolescents mature, their values shift. Writing fables is well suited for studying and teaching moral values in character-education…

Investigated 87 (British) deputy principals' perceptions of the headship and the likelihood of their applying for such posts. A considerable number (35) replied they were unlikely to apply within the next 5 years. The 11 male respondents showed a greater disposition to apply than the 76 female respondents. Younger and less experienced respondents…

Examined Hong Kong primary schoolchildren's self-concept in several domains over two years. Found that younger children had higher self-concept than older. Self-concept dropped drastically from grade one to three and leveled off thereafter. Girls had higher self-concepts than boys but had a greater drop. Self-concept level predicted depression,…

Studied the relationships among academic achievement, learned helplessness, and psychological adjustment (self-esteem and depression), controlled for gender and age, for 1,580 students with data collected in grades 3 and 4, 6 and 7, and 8 and 9. Results show that academic achievement is directly and indirectly related to the pattern of…

This study examined the prevalence and severity of self-injurious behavior (SIB) in 29 children and adults with Smith-Magenis syndrome, a genetic disorder usually involving moderate mental retardation. Findings confirmed the near universal presence of SIB in this population. The overall prevalence of SIB increased with age. Number of types of SIB…

Trained preschoolers and adults on three sets of successive discriminations with stimuli labeled A, B, and R. Tested for derived stimulus-response relations and stimulus-stimulus relations. Adults displayed class-consistent B-R and A-B performances over all conditions. Children's display of class-consistent B-R performance varied by training…

Examined factor structure of the emotional Autonomy Scale (EAS) in 3 samples of adolescents, with each sample consisting of 3 racial/ethnic groups. Found that the EAS exhibited poor construct validity and behaved quite differently for different grade and ethnic groups. Suggested that the most credible solution may be to reexamine the conceptual…

Examined how self-efficacy level influenced children's motivational intentions, future self-efficacy beliefs, and attributions in physical education or sports. Children participating in low or high self-efficacy groups were exposed to a failure scenario. Higher self-efficacy children chose to participate and had higher future self-efficacy. They…

Examined relationships between perceptions of personal efficacy and affective responsibility to acute exercise in elderly male inpatients and outpatients at a Veterans Administration Medical Center. A significant change in feelings of fatigue was revealed over time but exercise effects on affect were shown to be moderated by perceptions of…

Students (ages 6-10, n=144), grouped by age and reading ability, were administered tasks with a demonstrated relationship to reading. The concept of dyslexia was supported only for the older group, for whom dyslexia appeared to be either a phonological deficit or a developmental lag. (Author/DB)

Investigated adolescent career development and its relationships to self-concept development and identity formation in 268 9th and 12th graders attending a parochial high school. Found that self-esteem and identity achievement were positively related to career planning and exploration and that female students engaged in greater career exploration…

Examine children's and youth's awareness of the evolution and revolution of their own worldviews. Interviews were conducted with 20 well-educated, verbally fluent respondents, ages 9 to 22, using a critical incident technique. Eight developmentally relevant categories emerged from an interview content analysis, and, at older ages, children and…

The structure of temperament over the ages 3 to 7 years was investigated through factor analysis of maternal ratings of 1,366 children on the Childhood Temperament Questionnaire (CTQ). Found four strong factors (inflexibility, sociability, persistence, and rhythmicity) and two weak ones (activity-mood and threshold). Discusses the strengths and…