Reports on the findings of a study of drug and alcohol use among adolescents (N=779) who attended middle schools in a large urban city in the southwest United States. Examines the relationships between substance use, social support, and a variety of other psychosocial factors. Discusses implications of those relationships for human service…

Examines the effect of having a sibling or a dating partner on adolescents' relationships with others, focusing on the social rules used in relationships with peers, siblings, and parents. Data support a model of relationship management using siblings as stepping-stones of egalitarian peer features to the world of friends and authoritative parent…

Investigates environmental and behavioral risk factors as predictors of involvement in violent behavior among African American youth. Analyzed risk factors include exposure to violence, deteriorated school environment, negative peer environment, traumatic experiences, alcohol use, and substance abuse. Explores gender differences and suggests that…

Reviews the literature on young children's peer social development. Addresses implications of social learning theory and empirical research. Discusses recurring themes, including child/peer versus child/adult interactions, incorporation of toys and games, influence of mothers, and gender peer preferences. Considers areas lacking empirical support…

Reports on a qualitative investigation of the effects of indirect aggression from peers on teenage girls. Outlines the perceived characteristics of victims and their responses to indirect aggression. Asserts that an understanding of the painful effects of indirect aggression on girls is an important prelude to designing interventions to assist…

Forty-eight children (ages 5 to 13) with autism or related pervasive developmental disability were paired with normally developing peers for informal play periods. Compared to a control group, the experimental children demonstrated improved social behavior which sometimes generalized to interactions with other children and the larger school…

Presents an account of how a composition program can effectively address English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) writers' linguistic, strategic, and rhetorical differences without separating them from their native-English-speaking (NES) peers. The program provided a positive cross-cultural communication experience for the ESL and NES participants. (six…

Examined familial and peer correlates of eating attitudes in 38 American and 70 Japanese preadolescent girls. Responses showed correlates of eating attitudes shared by American and Japanese girls were self-perception of being overweight, number of friends dieting, and frequency of talking with mother about food and diet. Japanese girls were more…

Describes the characteristics of a multifaceted approach to violence prevention, Students for Peace, which was introduced in four, urban middle schools in Texas. Components consist of modification of the school environment, introduction of a violence-prevention curriculum, use of peer resources, and parent education. Barriers to implementation are…

Uses the concept of cross-pressures to predict frequency of adolescent alcohol, cigarette, and drug use. Eighth-, 10th-, and 12-grade respondents reported frequency of alcohol, cigarette, and drug use for 30 days prior to the survey. They also reported perceptions of friends' approval/disapproval of substance use, peer pressure to use, and their…

Details a study evaluating the construct and concurrent validity of a modified version of the Penn Interactive Peer Play Scale (PIPPS), a teacher-rating instrument of interactive play behaviors of preschool children. Use and further study of developmentally appropriate social competencies for African-American Head Start children are discussed.…

Increasing gang membership among Mexican-American adolescents is rooted in a cultural context and reflects a desperate attempt to gain some control over barrio life marked by low employment, poverty, and discrimination. Discusses the decision-making process involved, and recommends three ways schools can reframe their views towards these students,…

Used a bio-psychosocial approach to examine predictors of onset of sexual intercourse among adolescents interviewed at ages 13-14, 16-17, and 22-23 years. Found that for girls, always-married parents and less dating alone predicted later first intercourse. Earlier timing of first intercourse for boys was related to associating with peers with…

Critically examines three propositions of Harris' group socialization theory (1995, 1998) related to parents' long-term effects on children's psychological characteristics, peer groups' influences, and the nature of dyadic relationships. Maintains that available evidence is more consistent with a model of multiple socialization agents. Proposes a…

Maintains that context effects and genetic effects are among the confounding factors that make it impossible to reject the null hypothesis of zero long-term parenting effects on child outcomes. Asserts that group socialization theory attributes outside-the-home socialization to identification with a peer group and assimilation of group norms, but…