Three hypotheses derived from Hilde Bruch's formulations regarding onset differences among the obese were tested. In Bruch's theory, adult-onset, or reactive, obesity is a result of psychological trauma; the individual uses eating as a defense against anxiety and depression. Child-onset, or developmental, obesity results from a mixture of…

Using a developmental perspective, this study contrasted learning and nonlearning disabled adolescents on three variables: Erikson's stages of psychosocial development; self-concept; and delinquent behavior. The results indicated that the learning disabled subjects, due to years of failing, were unable to develop a sense of industry and…

The article examines the critical differences between discipline and punishment, discusses the dynamics in the interaction between discipliners and youths, and describes adult responses appropriate for different developmental stages. Focus is on the development of the adolescent's understanding, the processes involved, the behavioral stages, and…

Compares psychoanalytic, systems, and social learning theories to determine the empirical support for each theoretical orientation in treating problematic conflict between parents and adolescents. Discusses parent-adolescent conflict, including developmental stage theory, parenting styles, peer pressures, communication skills, marital conflict,…

Brief essays examine such issues as adolescent development, infant care crisis, after-school programs, workfare benefits, dyslexic diagnosis, teenage mothers and employment, and family day-care training. (HOD)

Turning Points is a New American Schools design for comprehensive middle school reform coordinated by the Center for Collaborative Education (CCE) in Boston Massachusetts. It focuses on creating a professional collaborative culture and using data-based inquiry to improve teaching and learning for all students. Turning Points seeks to create…

This workshop was the first of two designed for the purpose of developing specific recommendations for a program of research on adolescent literacy. Together these workshops, jointly sponsored by government and private sector entities, will draw on the knowledge and experiences of researchers and practitioners who work with adolescents and their…

Opportunities for children and youth to engage in activities during out-of-school hours come in various shapes, sizes and flavors. At one end of the spectrum are highly structured, five-day-a-week, school-based programs focused broadly on encouraging and supporting academic and social development. At the other end are assorted activities and…

The purpose of this paper was to construct, refine, and test a measure of adolescent peer susceptibility. Current conceptualizations of peer susceptibility largely are one dimensional and include at most one or two domains of psychosocial functioning. In addition, most assessments of peer susceptibility are situation- or behavior-specific, thus…

Recent efforts targeting teenage pregnancy in the United States have marked a renewed conviction to reduce the level of childbearing among adolescents. Some of the behavioral, psychosocial, and ethnographic studies that explore the underlying motivation to delay sex and to effectively use contraception are the focus of this literature review.…

This report of the Australian Ministerial Committee on Middle Schooling examines emerging conceptions of middle schooling and educational arguments regarding adoption of middle schooling, weighs financial implications, and provides several brief policy recommendations. Chapter 1, "Introduction," reviews the establishment of the…

The incidence of teenage depression has increased all over the world. In some populations it is has been accompanied by suicide, but suicide remains rare. Clinical depression, which entails many debilitating physical and psychological symptoms, is a serious disease that can do terrible and even permanent damage to a teenager's developmental…

Noting that during adolescence the importance of feeling intimate or close to a relationship partner (mothers, fathers, or friends) increases and that closeness to parents is associated with positive adolescent outcomes, this study examined how features of adolescent relationships are related to adolescents' experience of subjective closeness in…

This KIDS COUNT report examines trends in the well-being of Vermont's youth. The report balances at-risk youth data with survey results related to "positive youth development," an approach that promotes beneficial attributes of youth and their communities. Following an introduction and discussion of positive youth development and youth…

Sexual assault is a trauma that affects the entire family as well as the individuals involved. It is a social disease that alters human development and the ability to relate to others. Without treatment, the effects of abuse can progressively undermine and overwhelm all areas of both the abused individual's and the family's functioning. This book…