Proposes a perspective for understanding the development of adolescent sexual intimacy. Describes a "transitional stage" in which adolescents, driven by developmental needs, experiment with sexual behaviors, and which results in the ability to achieve "relational" sexual intimacy when completed. Discusses problems and implications for counseling…

Challenges the use of ethnicity as a predictor of school-level achievement because of its lack of manipulability, lack of intrinsic association with home processes, and inability to advance the understanding of models of school-level achievement. The use of socioeconomic status as a more robust predictor of school-level achievement is recommended.…

A survey of 880 faculty received 424 usable responses identifying the following factors contributing to feelings of career success: personality variables (competence, self-esteem), family variables (multiple role stress), and organizational variables (resource availability, networking). (SK)

Examined the relationship between acculturation and familism among 182 Hispanics of Puerto Rican descent. Three dimensions of familism (familial obligations, support from relatives, and family as referents) had different relationships to acculturation. Results also suggest that acculturation may be better represented as a single, second-order…

Examines the influences of neighborhood and family contexts on the transition to first sex, using a community-based sample of adolescents (N=870) in Los Angeles. Results suggests that the risk of sex is not solely due to neighborhood socioeconomic status and race, but that the risk increases is with the social conditions (i.e., single-parent…

Reviews the literature on psychosocial correlates of contraceptive practices among sexually active late adolescents. Helps identify subgroups of adolescents who either do not use or misuse contraceptive means, putting them at risk for unwanted pregnancy, AIDS, and other sexually transmitted diseases. Promotes further research on those variables…

Tested a path model so as to examine how a modified version of the coercion theory of delinquent behavior fits the data. Focused on family functioning rather than parental behavior. Results suggest that family cohesion is a salient issue in adolescent delinquent behavior, particularly as mediated by involvement with deviant peers. (RJM)

Examines how familial factors influence childhood depression and anxiety, with special reference to middle school and early adolescence. Comparisons of 16 students receiving psychiatric treatment with 16 non-treated students indicate significant differences between the groups on several familial characteristics, including frequency of major family…

A sample of 444 nationally certified school psychologists were surveyed to determine which causes of dropping out should be national priorities. The five factors that emerged are criminal/victimization, different from peer group, school conflict, dysfunctional family/lack of support, and family responsibilities. School psychologists perceived…

This review of vocational psychology research in Singapore, 1985 to 1997, addresses career development, interests, sex stereotypes, work values, job satisfaction, and home/family influence. The review shows an increase in research on school-aged populations and a need to study the vocational behavior of the work force. (SK)

Provides a rationale and interdisciplinary framework for integrating work and other dimensions of life by: reviewing relevant changes in society and the career development and counseling profession; describing one holistic career-planning model, Integrative Life Planning; and discussing questions and issues surrounding narrow versus broad…

The Syracuse Dinnertime project investigated the relationship between family dinnertime rituals and narratives and child behavior. Findings indicated that couples that worked together to tell their family story also worked together and with their children in positive dinnertime exchanges. Narratives were not significantly related to child behavior…

Examined family narratives among adoptive parents. Found that individual interviews of parents in open adoptions showed greater narrative coherence than those with parents in mediated adoptions; joint interviews produced greater narrative coherence than individual interviews; more coherence in joint interviews was correlated with partners' greater…

Estimates alternative models of the effect of neighborhood characteristics on outcomes for young adult women using family and neighborhood data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. Includes a standard model with controls for family background and fixed-effect models that control for unobservable family characteristics. Isolates social and…

Examined sibling influence on delinquency in 164 brother and sister pairs over 4-year period. Found that sibling similarity for self-reports of delinquent behavior were highly correlated for brothers and sisters. Conditional effects of high hostile-coercive relationships and older sibling delinquency predicted younger sibling delinquency in both…