Proposes developmental approach to smoking education and prevention for children and adolescents. Reviews literature concerning most appropriate agent, content, and presentation of antismoking education for different ages, concluding that best agents for young children are parents and best agents for pre/early adolescents are peers. For…

Examines development of the concept of commitment in relation to adolescents' choice of a career and romantic partner. Subjects were 163 male and female ninth graders, twelfth graders, and college juniors from public and private schools. Findings support the proposition that the concept of commitment is affected by grade, gender, and type of…

Families were interviewed and participated in a social interaction task. Results indicated that married mothers of adolescents generated more conflicts than did divorced mothers, and adolescents from married families exhibited more positive communication than did adolescents from divorced families. There was a greater trend toward harmonious…

As part of a longitudinal study of psychosocial development, 148 girls and 130 boys were administered a questionnaire about a close friend in their eighth grade school year. The subjects began the study in the sixth grade. Findings on intimacy and emotional closeness are discussed concerning gender socialization and friendship. (SLD)

The relationship between very early menarche and depression was studied in a sample of 488 girls (336 sixth graders and 152 seventh graders), less than 10 percent of whom were very early maturers. Very early menarche was associated with higher levels of depression than was more normative development. (SLD)

Adolescents have no prepared, appreciated, approved place in society, so they tackle identity formation and development of self-worth and self-efficacy on their own. Society must change its view that youth are troubled or harmful and instead provide opportunities for meaningful roles for adolescents, particularly those without many years of formal…

Examined the relation between part-time employment and adolescent development. Long work hours were associated with lower performance in school, greater psychological and somatic distress, drug and alcohol use, delinquency, and autonomy from parents. Workers do not have any advantages over nonworkers in self-reliance, work orientation, or…

Reviews "Understanding Black Adolescent Male Violence" (Amos N. Wilson, 1991). Violence among young African-American males is explored, with a comprehensive analysis of causes of violence in the inner-city and suggested remediation and preventive methods for solving the violence problem. Theories of male development and the role of an…

Replicates Jessica Davis' study of the U-shaped aesthetic development curve in a cross-cultural setting. Examines whether a similar U-curve is evidenced in Chinese aesthetic development. Presents results that suggest that Chinese aesthetic criteria do not produce a U-shaped evaluation of artistic skills. Discusses limitations of the study. (DSK)

Examined predictors of nonmarital motherhood between eighth and twelfth grade in nationally representative sample. Found that risk for early motherhood was predicted by low individual educational performance measures, being held back in school, and repeatedly changing schools. Lower risk was associated with substantial involvement in school clubs…

Discusses how teaming, attaching a group of students to a block of teachers for an extended period of time, can provide a supportive environment that facilitates middle school students in their developmental tasks. Describes how one middle school in Utah uses this strategy. Includes discussion of stage theory and its impact on teaching practices.…

Presents a model for the relationships between poverty and violence. Argues that exposure to violence may lead to more high-risk behaviors in adolescence and adulthood. Offers a psychoeducational framework for understanding the complex issues posed by damaging effects of violence and poverty on children. Recommends school-based prevention programs…

Investigated effects of acculturation on psychological well-being of 588 immigrant 11- to 20-year-olds in Finland. Found that most indices of well-being were negatively related to perceived discrimination, and some were positively related to second-language proficiency. Adolescents' experiences of parental support and adherence to traditional…

Used panel study of representative community sample to compare volunteer and nonvolunteer adolescents and identify effects of volunteerism on development. Found that volunteers had higher educational plans and aspirations, grade point averages, academic self-esteem, and intrinsic motivation toward school work than did nonvolunteers. Volunteerism…

Longitudinal study from early through late adolescence investigated gender differences in relation between internalizing symptoms of depression and anxiety reported by adolescents, and emotional distress and marital discord reported by mothers. Found that gender differences emerged in midadolescence, by which time parental disturbances were…