The relationship of the Contraceptive Self-Efficacy Scale to contraceptive behavior was explored in four female samples: (1) 258 California adolescents, (2) 259 Chicago (Illinois) adolescents, (3) 231 Montreal (Canada) high school students, and (4) 148 college students. Results are discussed in terms of use in research and clinical settings. (SLD)

Studied the similarity of behaviors among group members and the effects of a risk-reduction intervention aimed at AIDS/HIV prevention with 76 groups of African-American urban adolescents (n=382 youth) studied over 18 months. Data support the usefulness of HIV prevention through groups of friends. (SLD)

Used data from 134 female and 135 male, Caucasian, Protestant college students to develop a path model of psychosocial development. For both genders, identity encompassed both personal competence and social connection, and intimate relationships served as a bridge between the private and social selves. (SLD)

Repeated surveys assessing demographic variables, family relationships, parental behavior, and parent/child characteristics were administered to 664 families and compared with child abuse and neglect data from state records and retrospective self-reports. Analysis found maternal youth and sociopathy predicted general child maltreatment, but…

A study examined the predictive power of selected social and academic variables regarding the arrest frequency for 11th-grade boys who seven years earlier had been judged to be at risk of developing antisocial behavior patterns. Antisocial measures on which participants scored higher were associated with more frequent arrests. (Author/CR)

Two levels of education (high school or less, or training beyond high school) and nine content scales of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 were used to predict employment-related outcomes of 109 blind adults. Education, anger, cynicism, obsessiveness, and family problems were significant predictors of employability. Self-esteem,…

Sexual behavioral risk factors were studied in 1,090 youth (mean age 14 years) in Moscow (Russia) using the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance survey. Only 26.3% of youth reported being taught about HIV/AIDS infection in school, and just 41.7% indicated discussion of HIV/AIDS with parents or other familial adults. Condoms were used in 41.7% of…

A study analyzed behavior patterns, conditions under which students learn, and educational achievements of German university students with disabilities. Results indicate students have common coping strategies regardless of disability type. The more the students had learned to accept and understand their disabilities during childhood and early…

Presents results from a study of three federal government statistical Web sites. Objectives were to determine who uses these services, types of tasks brought to the sites, strategies used for finding statistical information, and to make recommendations for design improvements. (Author/AEF)

Investigated the relationship between sleep patterns and behavioral adjustment with 4- to 5-year-old children from low-income families. Found that disrupted child sleep patterns, including variability in parentally reported amount of sleep, variability in bedtime, and lateness of bedtime, predicted less optimal adjustment in preschool, even after…

Investigated the efficacy of positive behavior support (PBS) prevention/early intervention strategies on the rate of problem behavior displayed by elementary schools students during recess. Specifically, this study examined the effects of directly teaching playground-related behaviors and the use of a group contingency to reinforce mastery in an…

The functional play of children with autism (n=15) was compared to that of developmentally matched children with Down syndrome (n=15) and typical infants (n=15). The functional play of the children with autism was less elaborated, less varied, and less integrated than that of the controls. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

Analyzes the importance of vocational education in the careers of six cohorts born in the Federal Republic of Germany between 1919 and 1961. Questions how the behavior of the cohorts regarding vocational training and further education changed over a period of four decades. (CMK)

Assessed young children's perceptions about what misconduct behaviors peers are likely to commit at school and the grocery store. Found more moral than conventional misbehaviors were generated; moral acts were expected more often at school whereas conventional misbehaviors were expected in both contexts; and expectations of peers' misbehaviors…

Investigated the role of behavioral style and cognitive performance as predictors of cognitive development in extremely low-birth-weight children assessed at age 2 and again at age 4. Found stability of cognitive performance from 2 to 4 years of age; this as well as behavior style and orientation-engagement predicted subsequent cognitive…