Existential anxiety is hypothesized to be a core human issue in a great deal of theoretical and philosophical writing. However, little is known about the emergence of these concerns and their relation to emotional functioning in youth. The purpose of this study was to examine the phenomenon of existential anxiety in a sample of adolescents. Data…

The current study compared levels of family processes, internalizing behaviors, and externalizing behaviors as well as developmental processes, namely the associations among family processes and measures of internalizing or externalizing behaviors, in native Swiss, 2nd and 1st generation immigrant adolescents (N=3,540). Findings provided evidence…

From sexual name-calling and grabbing to sexual threats, Iowa high school students face situations in their schools that fit traditional definitions of sexual harassment. This report details a first-of-its-kind study of 503 Iowa high school students. Incidents that could be described as harassment are common in Iowa high schools: 19 percent of…

This book offers journaling ideas for girls and young women ages 11-16, although it states that others who like to "journal" will find something here for them, too. The book discusses the reasons for journaling, including that it can serve as a good release when angry, sad, troubled, or even happy. The book also states that a journal is…

This handbook presents course information, reading materials, and application/research projects for a distance education course that provides an introduction to the genre of texts targeted for adolescent/young adult readers. The first section of the handbook discusses the goals, structure, assessment scheme, readings, and resources for the course.…

This document presents the curriculum guide for Life Planning Education, a youth development program that focuses on two of the most important tasks teenagers face: preparing for the world of work and dealing with their own sexual and reproductive development, feelings, and behaviors. These two tasks are integrated in the curriculum in a way that…

There is considerable awareness among Israeli mental health workers and citizens of the importance of differentiating between acute or chronic reactions to severely stressful life situations and manifestations of mental illness and anxiety, or developmental and adjustment disorders. Israeli mental health workers have become expert and are heavily…

This document consists of Part 4 of a book of readings on at-risk youth designed to provide information and strategies for counselors, teachers, parents, administrators, social workers, and others who work with youth at risk. Part 4 deals with the school dropout and school and community programs that have proven to be effective in working with…

It is possible that conflicts in families with adolescents are linked to the transitions and individual development that occur during adolescence. A study was conducted to describe domains of conflictual issues associated with adolescent grade in school, pubertal status, and gender. The sample was comprised of 78 seventh graders, 115 ninth…

Conflictual family issues appearing during adolescence have not been adequately dimensionalized. In addition to this problem, researchers have focused on age-related variations in family conflicts without investigating other characteristics. A study was conducted to describe organized domains of conflictual family issues and to describe variations…

A three-section survey instrument was developed to provide descriptive and expressive information about teenagers' attitudes and fear reactions related to the nuclear threat. The first section consisted of one open-ended statement, "Write down your three greatest worries." The second section consisted of 20 areas of potential worry or…

Although many studies have described adolescents' sexual behavior and attitudes, there are little data available on the nature of the questions that occur to adolescents as they move toward maturity. A study was conducted to determine whether the questions children and adolescents ask reflect developmental differences in cognitive abilities and…

The purpose of the Academy in Mentoring (Project: AIM) was to increase the number of junior high girls with academic potential to elect mathematics, science, and technical courses throughout high school and/or college, in order to provide them with greater future career opportunities. Teachers and counselors from three selected junior high schools…

This document describes the population of youth needing special assistance in the transition to adulthood and the special problems they face. It describes the social systems that attempt to serve these youth and examines the deficiencies of current social policies. Promising developments in policy and practice that can offer guidance in finding…

Research has consistently shown parents' nurturance, acceptance, affection, support, and attention to be positively related to their children's self-esteem. Absent in these investigations of the relationship between parental nurturance and self-esteem, however, has been a consideration of whether the nurturance bases upon which these…