Presents information about suicide among adolescents. Profiles the suicidal person and reviews general distress signals and events precipitating suicide. Suggests responses to potential or actual suicides, including intervention, prevention, and ministry strategies. Provides recommendations for educators and clarifies common myths about suicide.…

The development of a self-evaluation questionnaire compiled from 2,041 student-generated descriptions of coping behavior is described. A factor analysis of data for 643 students in years 11-12 of Australian secondary school yielded the 90-item Adolescent Coping Checklist--a questionnaire concerning different ways that adolescents cope with…

According to an Oregon longitudinal study, the single best predictor of adolescent criminal behavior is a long-established pattern of early school antisocial behavior. The most promising intervention programs feature a strong family component and direct intervention procedures simultaneously applied to the student's school behavior. A sidebar…

Inconsistencies in adolescents' self-reports of sexual behavior were studied for 758 rural adolescents (eighth-grade students in rural Maryland) who completed surveys over 3 years. Consistency rates fluctuate depending on the measure of sexual behavior, the racial/gender subgroup, age, and prior sexual experience, but the majority present…

The extent to which student questionnaire responses reflect students' active behavior was studied through course attendance patterns of Israeli undergraduates, student completion of a questionnaire rating college lecturers, and interviews with 36 students. In this instance, the questionnaire did not reflect actual behavior. Explanations are…

Reviews by Margaret A. Gibson (1988) and by Margaret A. Gibson and John U. Ogbu, Eds. (1991). These two books contribute significantly to theories of minority school success and failure in plural societies. Both distinguish between immigrant and involuntary minority groups, and attribute differing degrees of academic success to the cultural models…

Increasingly, college faculty are complaining about unacceptable and disruptive student behavior in the classroom. Scholars are publishing articles on the problem and institutions are offering workshops to help faculty cope. Blame is placed on a crisis of authority in American society. Some find the trend is not new, but the behavior has worsened.…

Discusses the effects of child abuse and neglect on young children. Focuses on possible neurological effects; psychological effects, such as disregulation of affect and avoidance of intimacy; and cognitive consequences throughout childhood and adolescence. Describes interventions that can promote resiliency in children, such as providing alternate…

A functional analysis involving antecedent events was conducted with four students identified as having behavior problems. Off-task behavior was measured while task difficulty and level of adult attention was manipulated during analog sessions. Results revealed higher rates of off-task behavior during difficult tasks and improved behavior when…

Configural analyses of teacher- , peer- , and self-assessments of students' interpersonal competence were evaluated with 948 students (including 107 students with mild disabilities) in 59 elementary classrooms. The study found 54% of boys and 64% of girls with mild disabilities were in configurations suggesting adjustment problems or poor outcomes…

A case study of an adolescent with catatonia superimposed on autism is presented. The symptoms of the patient are highlighted and include abnormal social interactions, deficits in symbolic play and in communicative language, and occurrence of hallucinations and delusions. Treatment of the patient with clozapine and lorasepam is described. (CR)

Two tables summarize effects of mentoring in 10 middle schools in De Kalb County (Georgia) and from mentoring programs sponsored by the Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization. Both sets of programs show improved attendance and improved conduct, and the Georgia programs were associated with better grades. (SLD)

Used written narratives to examine gender and age patterns in body image, emotional expression, and self-esteem for 209 students in grades 5, 8, and 12. Results indicate that boys restrict emotional expression in adolescence, whereas girls increase emotional expression in the same period. Girls also are more influenced by body image. (SLD)

Examined the impact of a series of common stressful life events (SLEs) on change in depressive symptoms among the elderly of the Hong Kong Chinese Society. Using multiple regression models, it was found that sense of control acted as a mediator in the linkage between the number of SLEs and depressive symptoms. Findings suggest that sense of…

Examined the relations between family characteristics, childhood temperament, and convictions for violent and nonviolent offenses at age 18. Found that family factors were associated with both violent and nonviolent offenses, whereas childhood temperament was associated primarily with convictions for violent offenses. Results suggest potentially…