bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Re-Examination of Mexican American Service Utilization and Mental Health Need
Authors: Griffith James
Published: March 2007

Most discussions of Mexican American mental health need have been limited to analyses of service utilization or rates-under-treatment data. Such analyses have been fairly consistent in showing Mexican Americans to be underutilizers in relation to their occurrence in the general population, and consequently, they have been viewed as a subgroup having greater unmet mental health need than other ethnic subgroups. Yet, these rates-under-treatment studies implicitly assume that the proportion of psychological impairment is equivalent across ethnic sub-groups. Results from recent epidemiologic surveys, and conceptual and methodological shortcomings of the rates-under-treatment method seriously question the accuracy of this approach to need assessment. An alternative conception of mental health need is offered which includes two components believed to be essential to derive an estimate of mental health need for Mexican Americans: the degree to which this subgroup is actually at-risk to develop psychological disorders, and the availability and use of naturally-occurring emotional support networks.
Bicultural Effectiveness Training (BET): An Experimental Test of an Intervention Modality for Families Experiencing Intergenerational/Intercultural Conflict
Authors: Szapocznik Jose , Rio Arturo , Perez-Vidal Angel , Kurtines William , Hervis Olga , Santisteban David
Published: March 2007

This study compares the efficacy of Bicultural Effectiveness Training (BET), a new intervention modality, and Structural Family Therapy (SFT), an established treatment approach. Cuban American families experiencing intercultural and intergenerational differences in which an adolescent member manifested symptoms of conduct disorder and/or social mal-adjustment were the subjects. The experimental intervention condition, BET, uses culture as content around which to bring about changes in the family's style of relating. The comparison (control) condition, SFT, is an approach which also focuses on changing the family's style of relating but, in comparison to BET, it is more process oriented and may use any content that emerges from the family. The relative effectiveness of the two family intervention modalities was determined by the degree to which improvement was achieved, as assessed by treatment outcome instruments designed to measure family interactional patterns (structure), family levels of acculturation and biculturalism, and adolescent behavior problems and psychopathology. The findings indicated that families/adolescents in both treatment groups demonstrated significant pre-post treatment changes in the hypothesized direction. This finding is important since BET is a standarized method of service delivery that is attractive to families, is easily replicable, and has the potential for broad distribution, making it useful to early intevention and prevention approaches.
Chicano Caló: Description and Review of a Border Variety
Authors: Ornstein-Galicia Jacob L.
Published: March 2007

This article surveys briefly both the development and present status of U.S.-Mexico Border Caló or, as it is increasingly called, Chicano Caló (ChC). Despite a former highly stigmatized status, this variety has been upwardly mobile, serving as a source for much of the lexicon of the informal registers of Mexican and Southwest Spanish, adding dimensions of chic, daring, and boldness. ChC developed from a Romany (Gypsy) base, reflected, by the 15th century, in the speech of this Indo-Iranian group who settled in Spain (and elsewhere in Europe). Additional elements come from Spanish (the major source), particularly those employed in the discourse of "underworld" speakers in the Spanish and Spanish American world, from American English slang, and from the creation or coining of new lexemes or loan translations making maximum use of simile and particularly metaphor and playing upon exaggeration, minimization, irony, sarcasm, ridicule, and humor. The ChC lexicon is eagerly "adopted" by younger males to reflect at least mild rebellion, but it is used also by most sociocultural strata of Southwest (and Mexican) Spanish speakers. The intra-language borrowing is thus affective in nature.
Differences in Alcohol Use Between Mexican Americans in Texas and California
Authors: Caetano Raul
Published: March 2007

This article examined the frequency of drunkenness, alcohol problems, and attitudes toward drinking and appropriate drinking for Mexican Americans in Texas and California. Respondents were part of a multistageprobabilitysample of U. S. Hispanics 18 years of age and older. The response ratefor the survey was 72%. Results indicated that Mexican Americans in California report more episodes of drunkenness, moreproblems, and are more accepting of drinking and drunkenness than those in Texas. These results confirmed differences in drinking patterns between Mexican Americans in these two states reported in a previous analysis of the same sample. They also were in agreement with regional differences in alcohol consumption reported in the literature.
Clinical Issues in the Treatment of Chicano Male Gang Youth
Authors: Belitz Jerald , Valdez Diana
Published: March 2007

The problem of gang violence poses a significant threat to the mental health of Chicano children. Although there has been considerable media attention given to the increase in gang violence, the mental health literature is sparse with clinical information on the assessment and treatment of Chicano gang-involved youth. The sparsity of information has been related to public apathy toward these youth, and negative and stereotypic views of these youth as antisocial. This article examines family systems dynamics and adolescent developmental variables that contribute to gang participation. Specific treatment modalities are discussed and the importance of a multimodal approach is emphasized. Two cases are presented: one that addresses family systems and cultural identityfactors ofgang participation; the other case highlights the importance of a multimodal treatment approach as well as extendedfamily involvement in treatment. Finally, recommendations are made for mental health professionals to advocate the needs of Chicano ganginvolved youth in both mental health and correctional settings.
The "Bleaching Syndrome": Implications of Light Skin for Hispanic American Assimilation
Authors: Hall Ronald E.
Published: March 2007

Light skin is an ideal in the United States because it is indicative of the dominant mainstream population. For Hispanic Americans whose skin reflects a range of colors, this causes distress. In their efforts to assimilate via a domination model, they are forced to internalize norms that conflict with that range. A result is the "bleaching syndrome, " manifested in the preference for light skin where applicable. The alternative causes them to su;ffer depression and other mental health disorders. Only by adhering to the internalization of nonns that idealize their population in toto can Hispanic Americans assimilate fully without incident.
Language Acquisition and Gender for Limited-LanguageProficient Mexican Americans in a Maintenance Bilingual Program
Authors: Medina Marcello , Escamilla Kathy
Published: March 2007

The major purpose of this dual-focused study was to determine the long-term effect of a maintenance bilingual education (MBE) program (K-2) on the acquisition of English (L2) and/or Spanish (L1)forfour groups of native Spanish-speaking boys and girls with varying degrees of Spanish oral proficiency who were all limited English proficient (LEP). The first part of the study examined the acquisition of English oral language proficiency forfluent Spanish-speaking boys (n = 65) and girls (n = 46), as well asfor limited-Spanish-proficient boys (n = 102) and girls (n = 85). The second part further examined the limited-Spanish-proficient subjects by gender for their acquisition of English and Spanish. These two groups were the most-limited language proficient (boys n = 45, girls n = 32) and the very-limited language proficient (boys n = 60, girls n = 53) students. The most significant overall findings emerging from this study related to the additive effects that the MBE program fostered for boys' and girls' oral English and/or Spanish.
Childhood Sexual Abuse among Hispanic and Non-Hispanic White College Women
Authors: Arroyo Judith A. , Simpson Tracy L. , Aragon Alfredo S.
Published: March 2007

This study is thefirst to describe childhood sexual abuse (CSA) experiences of Hispanic and non-Hispanic White college women. There were no significant ethnic differences in the prevalence of CSA reported by Hispanics (2 7.1%) and non-Hispanic Whites (33.1%). Although the Hispanic women reported CSA that was more serious on almost every dimension (e.g., beginning at a younger age, more physically intrusive), no significant ethnic differences were found on severity nor on numerous other aspects of the CSA. A significantly greater proportion of Hispanic women reported that the perpetrators of their CSA were extended family members, as opposed to nuclear or extrafamilial perpetrators, than did non-Hispanic White women. Non-Hispanic Whites were more likely than Hispanics to indicate that nothing happened as a result of disclosing their CSA.
How Social Categorization May Inform the Study of Hispanic Immigration
Authors: Lorenzo-Hernandez Jose
Published: March 2007

The basic tenet of this article is that social categorization theories are usefulfor a better understanding of the immigration experience. The article summarizes findings in the categorization literature as they may serve to clarify many aspects of the immigration phenomena. How social categorization theories may contribute to the understanding of immigration, particularly Hispanic immigration, is also examined. It is argued that immigration necessarily involves changes in the way immigrants make sense of the world and that immigration poses new challenges to the host group. Entering a new society implies a dual process in which immigrants are categorized by others and recategorize themselves based on new comparison groups. Some options to negotiate self-imposed and socially imposed categories are: assimilation, integration, alternation, acculturation, biculturalism, and separation. Finally, ethnocentrism and emotional problems that may resultfrom the dynamic involved in categorization are examined.
Drug Problem Recognition among Mexican American Drug-Using Arrestees
Authors: Longshore Douglas
Published: March 2007

Demographic factors, drug-use severity indicators, social resources, and personal perceptions were tested as correlates of drug-problem recognition among Mexican American drug-using arrestees. Ethnicity-related attitudes, perceptions, and experiences were among the factors tested. Multivariate regression analysis found that lifetime polydrug use and conventional moral beliefs were key deterninants of the perception that one's own drug use is a problem. Implications of these findings are cited for help-seeking and engagement in treatment by Mexican American drug users.
Research as Social Practice
Authors: HERNDL CARL G. , NAHRWOLD CYNTHIA A.
Published: March 2007

Most discussions of qualitative research organize research methodologies according to their place in a set of research paradigms identified by epistemological and ontological commitments. Drawing on the work of Bourdieu, the authors argue for a theory of research as social practice in which researchers' purposes are determined not by philosophical paradigms but by their commitments to specific forms of social action. The authors offer a model of research practices organized according to their relationship to social power rather than abstract paradigms. From this perspective, the dilemmas presented by recent postmodern critiques of representation, the inclusion and co-optation of participants' voices, and validity become a question of ethics. The authors explore the problems of postmodern ethics and qualitative research through the work of Bauman.
Nuclear Information
Authors: BAZERMAN CHARLES
Published: March 2007

Information is humanly created for human purposes in specific historical situations. This study examines how an anti-nuclear test activist group in the Cold War period, to foster public opposition to government policy, asserted an alternative understanding of information against centralized governmental definitions of information. Such citizen information, validated by citizen scientists to serve the needs and concerns of citizens, pervaded the antiwar, environmental, and consumer movements of the second half of the 20th century. An enthymematic analysis of the newsletter of the Greater St. Louis Citizens' Committee for Nuclear Information and successor journals reveals multiple assumptions embodied in beliefs and practices of citizen information. These beliefs and practices concern threats to everyday life, orientation toward threat-reducing action, large interested institutions that limit access to relevant information, science as an independent and objective source of information, and the responsibilities of a citizen to be informed.
Textual Objects
Authors: GEISLER CHERYL
Published: March 2007

Texts function as both means and motive for human activity in the same way that other technological objects function: They move from private mediational means to public motive as part of the shifting consciousness that sustains the everyday life of complex organizations. In complex organizations, the status of text, the condition of public visibility, is an achievement rather than a given. Seeing texts as objects calls our attention to a range of textual phenomena associated with the advent of information technologies. In infomated environments, the virtual states of textual objects are becoming ever more ubiquitous and consequential. A sample analysis of the texts produced and used in the context of the new technology of personal digital assistants (PDAs) suggests, for example, that such “ITexts” may facilitate the migration of the documentary reality of the workplace into the home.
The Rhetoric of Explanation
Authors: CONNORS ROBERT J.
Published: March 2007

Most rhetorical history has concerned itself with the theory of argumentation discourse as it developed from classical to modern times. This article traces a parallel but much less investigated strand of rhetorical history: the theory and practice of explanation. The slow growth of a body of knowledge about how information could best be communicated without necessary reference to overt persuasion is followed from Henry Day's Art of Rhetoric through contemporary explanatory rhetoric.
Composition Textbooks
Authors: DE BEAUGRANDE ROBERT
Published: March 2007

A critical area in the advancement of literacy is the production of textbooks that reflect recent insights on language and discourse. However, this project is problematic within the established procedures whereby textbooks are reviewed and approved. This article presents an ethnography of one author's experience and suggests some guidelines whereby rational criteria might be widely established.
Editing Strategies and Error Correction in Basic Writing
Authors: McCUTCHEN DEBORAH , HULL GLYNDA A. , SMITH WILLIAM L.
Published: March 2007

Two studies investigated the editing strategies used by college basic writing (BW) students as they went about correcting sentence-level errors in controlled editing tasks. One study involved simple word processing, and a second involved an interactive editor that supplemented the word-processing program, giving students feedback on their correction attempts and helping them focus on the errors. In both studies BW students showed two clearly different editing strategies, a consulting strategy in which grammatical rules were consulted and an intuiting strategy in which the sound of the text was assessed for “goodness” in a rather naturalistic way. Students consistently used their intuiting strategies more effectively; however, errors requiring consulting strategies showed a larger improvement after intervention by the interactive editor. Cognitive implications of the editing strategies are discussed in terms of the requisite knowledge involved in successful application of each strategy.
Crossing the Bridge to Practice
Authors: FREEDMAN SARAH WARSHAUER
Published: March 2007

Vygotsky's and Bakhtin's theories of social interaction are so general that they are not always useful guides for classroom practice. This study of secondary school classrooms in Great Britain and the United States reveals that when teachers apply similar theories to everyday practice, important pedagogical contrasts remain—both in terms of the ways in which instruction is organized and in terms of what students produce. The theories need elaborating. In everyday practice, social interaction is not binary, that is, either there is interaction or there is not. Rather, participants position themselves along a continuum of involvement—from highly involved to relatively uninvolved. Learners occupy different points within classrooms, from one classroom to another, and for the same student at different times. Also, the social space within the classroom affects student involvement and the teacher's ability to track it. This study found that in classrooms with the most highly involved interactions, students participated in curriculum making and belonged to a close-knit community.
Early Engineering Writing Textbooks and the Anthropological Complexity of Disciplinary Discourse
Authors: HAGGE JOHN
Published: March 2007

The evolution of technical communication conventions in America is more anthropologically complex than the traditional linkage to the scientific plain-style tradition suggests. Analysis of leading ideas in early 20th-century engineering writing textbooks and other primary sources demonstrates that disciplinary discourse conventions develop from an intricate nexus of human motivations, beliefs, and social activity. This article explores currents in American social and intellectual history that explain this complex, sophisticated view of language, which combines a rhetorically sensitive formalism with the ideas of professional literacy and cultural reading to facilitate communication with various audiences and to reinforce the status and dignity of the emerging profession.
Displaying Disciplinarity
Authors: SULLIVAN DALE L.
Published: March 2007

Publishing in professional journals requires the author to display disciplinarity and yet to say something novel. This article approaches this familiar rhetorical problem from a novel perspective by analyzing disciplinarity as a kind of orthodoxy. Four elements of orthodoxy (narrative knowledge, assumptions and methodologies, hierarchy, and doctrinal knowledge) are identified. Then, the article argues that an orthodox ethos is created by signaling allegiance to a plurality of these elements. An example of an article that displays disciplinarity, David Raup's “Cohort analysis of generic survivorship,” is analyzed, showing the author establishes his orthodox ethos by challenging only one of the elements of orthodoxy while simultaneously signaling allegiance to the others.
Virtual and Material Buildings
Authors: MEDWAY PETER
Published: March 2007

The article offers a fresh perspective on semiotic approaches to writing. It endorses recent arguments for more study of writing that shapes and directs the production of material artifacts and for considering writing as one semiotic mode among others. The main purpose, however, is to consider a case of nonwritten symbolic production, architectural design, for what it may suggest for the study and the teaching of writing. A constructivist account is proposed whereby the design (like equivalent written texts) not only proposes and foreshadows a new object in the world but creates one, bringing into existence, through acts of representation, a virtual object that is real in its social effects. Transcripts from design conversations are drawn on to elucidate the characteristics of such virtual artifacts, and implications for writing are drawn.
The Writing Process from a Sociolinguistic Viewpoint
Authors: GUNNARSSON BRITT-LOUISE
Published: March 2007

This article elaborates and evaluates a sociolinguistic framework for the study of writing. The first part of the article discusses different sociolinguistic concepts and theories and introduces the two concepts of communicative community and communicative group, which encompass speech and writing, as well as communication of both local and distant and public and private types. For the purposes of these concepts, written and spoken discourse are assumed to be intermingled in the communicative process and steered by similar sociocognitive conditions. The second part of the article discusses the application of the theoretical framework to a specific case, the writing that takes place at a local government office. The study comprises analyses of the organizational structure and its effects on writing at work, the communicative process and the role of spoken discourse and collaboration in the construction of documents, and the social dimension of writing at work. This workplace is found to constitute a communicative group of the local-public type, which means that communication at the office is part of a socially based and hierarchically structured set of communicative activities, with a close intertwinement of spoken and written discourse.
Comments on "Decision-Makers of an American Community"
Authors: Mezirow Jack D. , Luke Robert A.
Published: March 2007

The following comments on some of the issues raised by Harry Miller's review of Floyd Hunter's Community Power Structure were solicited as a means of starting discussion. Other comments will be welcomed and will be published as space permits.
Common Concerns: the Position of the Adult Education Association of the U.S.a
Authors: McMahon Ernest E. , Coates Robert H. , Knox Alan B.
Published: March 2007

Fifteen interrelated concerns of adult education are identified. They are: 1. agencies of adult education, 2. adult education and the process of social change, 3. the American adult as a learner, 4. objectives of adult education programs, 5. learning experiences especially for adults, 6. evaluation to improve program effective ness, 7. public understanding of adult education, 8. professionali zation and staff development, 9. appropriate facilities, 10. relations among adult education agencies, 11. relations with other agencies, 12. financing adult education, 13. a body of professional knowl edge, 14. research, 15. international adult education. For each concern a statement of the present situation, a list of goals and a platform statement of the Adult Education Association of the U.S.A. is given.
Adult Education Participation in the Industrial Suburb of West Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Authors: Robinson Russell D.
Published: March 2007

The village of West Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was studied to de termine availability of and participation in adult education pro grams by village residents. Although funds and facilities were available to support educational programs, the survey revealed a low participation rate of 9.4 per cent. It is felt that this and other findings reflect the traditionally negative attitude toward further education often found in lower middle-class societal groups and the inability of adult education agencies to provide educa tional programs to attract this segment of the population.
Innovation in Adult Education: an Organizational Analysis
Authors: Darkenwald Gordon G.
Published: March 2007

Research on the diffusion of innovations has largely ignored the effects of organizational variables on planned educational change. The present study developed and tested a theoretical model of the organizational dynamics of innovation in adult edu cation agencies. The data base consisted of a randomly selected, national sample of 651 adult basic education programs. Innovation was measured by a composite index of innovative instructional and administrative practices. Findings based on multiple regression analysis were consistent with the principal assumptions of the model. Size, differentiation of staff roles, staff professionalism, and reliance on professional communication channels were positively associated with innovation. Director's professionalism had the largest direct impact on program innovation. It was concluded that organizational variables, especially staff professionalism, exert a major influence on innovation in adult basic education agencies. Research and policy implications are discussed.
Women in Adult Education: An Analysis of Perspectives in Major Journals
Authors: Hayes Elisabeth R. , Smith Letitia
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this study was to clarify dominant perspectives on women in adult education publications. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze 112 articles in four major adult education journals. Five dominant perspectives were identified, along with a sixth potentially emergent perspective. Strengthsandlimitationsofeachperspectivearediscussedinrelationship to key themes in feminist scholarship.
Popular Theater: A Useful Process for Adult Educators
Authors: Bates Reid A.
Published: March 2007

This article recognizes an emerging social purpose agenda in adult education in the United States and the concomitant need for new processes and tactics to fulfill this agenda. Popular theater is one process that communities and adult educators throughout the world have used to meet a multiplicity of learning needs and as an aid in helping people analyze and solve community problems. Popular theater is defined and contrasting uses of theater as an educational process are discussed. An ideal model of popular theater practice is presented and it is argued that there are aspects of popular theater that suggest it has the potential to be a useful process for adult educators in the United States.
Self-Directed Learning: Toward a Comprehensive Model
Authors: Garrison D. R.
Published: March 2007

Self-directed learning is a core theoretical construct distinguishing adult education as a field of study. Most of the concept's emphasis has been on the external control and management of learning tasks. In an attempt to expand the scope of self-directed learning, this paper presents a comprehensive theoretical model. The proposed model integrates self-management (contextual control), self-monitoring (cognitive responsibility), and motivational (entering and task) dimensions to reflect a meaningful and worthwhile approach to self-directed learning. Explicating the cognitive and motivational dimensions of self-directed learning is identified as an area requiring further research.
Adolescents' Views on Issues Related to Divorce
Authors: Kurdek Lawrence A. , Sinclair Ronald J.
Published: March 2007

In this study, 208 junior high school students were asked to imagine that they were divorced parents. Students' views on child custody and visitation issues were related to their current family structure (intact with low or high levels of interparent conflict, mother-headed divorced, or reconstituted with stepfather), gender, and grade (7 or 9). Girls in intact families indicated that they would see their children more frequently than did boys. Boys wanted their imagined ex-spouses to visit more frequently than girls did. All adolescents predicted more frequent visitation by themselves than by their imagined ex-spouses, and this was particularly true for girls in low conflict intact families. When adolescents from intact families were asked to imagine that their parents were getting divorced, ninth graders (relative to seventh graders) and boys (relative to girls) were more likely to want to live with both parents, and girls were more likely than boys to want to live with their mothers. Relative to adolescents in other family structures, adolescents from reconstituted families were most likely to think that a stepparent could replace a real parent. Finally, adolescents in divorced and reconstituted families were asked about current relationships with their fathers. Although these adolescents did not differ in their reports of paternal involvement, both groups of adolescents desired more frequent visitation. Paternal involvement was unrelated to adolescents' age and gender, was negatively related to length of parental separation, and was positively related to adolescents' adjustment.
Establishing Psychometric Equilibrium: The Balance Puzzle Revised
Authors: Greene A. L. , Bsharah N. , Bandelow D.
Published: March 2007

The Balance Puzzle is a widely used assessment of proportional reasoning in adolescents and young adults (Linn & Pulos, 1980; 1983a; 1983b; Linn & Swiney, 1981). A primary feature of the task is that it permits identification of strategy use through the incorporation of foils in each of the response choices which accompany the thirteen items of the task. Previous research (Greene, 1986), however, indicated that the proportional reasoning strategies described by Linn and Pulos (1980; 1983) are only inconsistently reflected across item response choices. This paper reports the findings obtained using a revised version of the Balance Puzzle task which corrected these problems in strategy reflection. Two hundred ninety four male and female college students participated in the study. As in previous research (Greene, 1986; in press) no significant sex differences in proportional reasoning or volume conservation were obtained. MANOVA analysis revealed significantly higher total item and strategy use scores on the original than on the revised version of the task. Complementarily, internal consistency reliability, as measured by Cronbach's alpha was higher on the revised than on the original version of the task. Taken together, the findings demonstrate the significant improvements in test discrimination and reliability associated with the revised Balance Puzzle.
Diversity in Reported Motivations for Substance Use as a Function of Ego-Identity Development
Authors: Christopherson Bryan B. , Jones Randall M. , Sales Amos P.
Published: March 2007

Adolescent drug use motivations were examined from the perspective of Marcia's (1966) operationalization of Erikson's psychosocial theory of human development. A random sample of 1,691 was drawn from a data base consisting of 12,988 Arizona students in grades seven through twelve. Findings revealed that reported motivations were significantly different across all four ego-identity stages (achievement, moratorium, foreclosure, and diffusion). Generally, respondents classified as either achieved or moratorium were much more likely to cite curiosity and recreation as motivations for substance use than their peers who were classified as foreclosed or diffused (who cited peers and boredom). Diffused respondents were likely to cite fear of parents finding out, and fear of arrest as reasons for not trying alcohol, whereas the achieved and moratorium youths were simply not interested or expressed health concerns. Religion emerged as an important discriminator between the identity statuses as well. Foreclosed respondents were one and one-half times more likely than the achieved, four times more likely than the moratorium, and five times more likely than diffused respondents to cite religion as a motivation for abstinence. These findings indicate that adolescents use psychoactive substances for reasons which vary according to identity status (psychosocial maturity), and point to the need for tailoring prevention efforts to developmental differences.
A Brunswikian Model for Body Image Research in Patients with Eating Disorders
Authors: Seebach Elizabeth E. , Norris Raymond C.
Published: March 2007

Eating disorders have become a national healthl problem, particularly among adolescent girls. Of particular interest with these patienils is their inability to perceive themselves accurately. While many studies have addressed body image distortion, the cognitive process involved has remained elusive. Rather than study this individual process with a group comparisont ietehodology, Brunswik's lens model was employed. Patienits' individual cognitive models were explored prior to aggregating the data on a group level. Impor tant differ enices emerged between anorexic, bulimic, obese, anrd normal female's utilizatioin of available perceptual cues concerning self and other body sizes. All of the participants in the study demonstrated conzsistenti linear models for use of perceptual cue information. Group differenices emerged in relative emphasis placed on each cue. This luse of Brunswik's lens model represents a uniquie applicationi of the methodology that should prove inivalitable for-future studies of self-per-ceptioni in a wide variety of domains.
Attitudinal Predictors of Sexual Activity in Hispanic Adolescent Females
Authors: Gibson John W. , Kempf Judith
Published: March 2007

This study examined attitudinalfactors that discriminate between virgins and nonvirgins among an urban sample of junior and senior high school adolescents. The sample consisted of 240 Hispanic adolescent females, age 12 through 18 years. Virgins significantly differed from nonvirgins within both the junior high school sample (12-through 15-year-olds) and the senior high school group (16-through 18-year-olds). There were notable differences and similarities between the two age groups on which attitudes most powerfully discriminated between the virgins and the nonvirgins. The younger females were most strongly influenced by their perception of their friends 'attitudes and behavior regarding premarital sexuality. The older females were most powerfully influenced by their own attitudes about premarital sexuality. Additionally, achievement orientation discriminated virgins from nonvirgins among the younger females while perception of parental attitudes toward premarital sexuality discriminated older virgins from nonvirgins.
Psychosocial Correlates of Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Sexual Activity in Black Adolescent Females
Authors: Holmbeck Grayson N. , Waters Karen A. , Brookman Richard R.
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this study was to identify personality, demographic, academic, family, and health-related variables that predict a sexually transmitted disease (STD) diagnosis. Subjects were 73 lower-income Black females who presented with an STD diagnosis (n = 24), were sexually active, requested birth control, and had no history of STDs (n = 20), or were not sexually active and presented with a diagnosis unrelated to reproductive health problems (n = 29). Findings revealed that subjects with an STD diagnosis and those who were sexually active tended to be more alike than different and that these two groups differed from the nonse-xually active group. Results are discussed in relation to the existing literature on adolescents and reproductive health care.
Cross-Situation Variability of Attributions for Success and Failure
Authors: Ryckman David B. , Mizokawa Donald T.
Published: March 2007

Although attributional research has attempted to explore general rules for causal beliefs, cross-situational variation has been ignored Because attributions can be argued to be related to self-concept, the findings of self-concept influences across academic contexts and age also may be replicated in parallel studies of attributional beliefs. This study compared cohorts on their attributions for success and failure in two school-subject content areas: math/science and language arts/social studies. The 1,829 White-students in Grades 4 through 11 took the Survey of Achievement Responsibility. Overall, older students evinced greater differentiation between content and outcome for effort and ability attributions than did youngerstudents. Thefindings supportedpredictions derived from self-concept research. Also, the attributions for math became increasingly negative across age cohorts, whereas those for language arts became more positive. A perceived hierarchy of ability, wherein math and language abilities do not enjoy the same status, may explain the content differences.
Conflict Resolution in Parent-Adolescent Dyads
Authors: Openshaw D. Kim , Mills Thomas A. , Adams Gerald R. , Durso Deborah D.
Published: March 2007

A pretest and posttest experimental and control group study was completed, assessing the effectiveness of a commercially available social skills training program (Adolescent Social Skills Effectiveness Training; ASSET) for improving social skills and reducing family conflict in parent-adolescent dyads. The final sample included 18 experimental and 7 control parent-adolescent dyads with perceived conflict. All subjects were assessed on self-perceived and behavioral social skills indicators. Parents and adolescents in the training group manifested improved social skills. Parents attributed this improvement to the increased ability to accept and give negative feedback Adolescents perceived this improvement to be due to increased ability to accept and give negative feedback improved problem solving, and enhanced negotiation skills. Only parents perceived changes in warmth and hostility in the parent-adolescent relationship. The results partially confirm the effectiveness of ASSET to enhance social skills. Findings are qualified due to limitations of the study.
Predictors of Stress in Adolescents
Authors: Pasley Kay , Langfield Paul A. , Kreutzer Jill A.
Published: March 2007

This study compared level of stress in pregnant and in parenting adolescentfemales and identified the strongest predictors of overall stress and of various sources of stress. Questionnaire datafrom 60 pregnant and 92 parenting females enrolled in 15 programs for pregnant and parenting adolescents were used. No differences were found in overall stress orsources of stress between the two groups. For pregnant adolescents, esteem was a significant predictor of overall stress, stress from deviant behaviors, and stress from "general distress." Frequent use of coping strategies and age also were significant predictors of stressfrom autonomyfor pregnant adolescents. For parenting adolescents, satisfaction with social support was the sole predictor of overall stress and stress stemmingfrom autonomy. The findings are discussed and recommendations for programs to address the unique needs of pregnant and of parenting adolescents are emphasized.
The Role of Stress, Social Support, and Family Environment in Adolescent Mothers' Parenting
Authors: Nitz Katherine , Ketterlinus Robert D. , Brandt Linda J.
Published: March 2007

This study assessed the role of stress, social support, and family environment on adolescent mothers'parenting behaviors. Seventy-five African American, mother-infant pairs participated in the study. Mothers were administered questionnaires and were each observed in a 10-minute teaching task with their babies. Findings revealed that the adolescent mother's own mother was the mostfrequent provider of support. The baby's fatherwas identified as the mostfrequent source of conflict. Mothers who identified more individuals as a source of conflict tended to have less positive parenting behaviors. Analyses revealed that child age and interpersonal conflict were significant predictors of maternal behavior In addition, social support moderated the effects of interpersonal conflict when conflicted networks were large. Parenting stress, per se, was not a significant predictor of maternal behavior.
Television News in the Classroom
Authors: Anderman Eric M. , Johnston Jerome
Published: March 2007

Having adolescents study current events in school is valued highly by teachers. However, schools often do not stress the instruction of current events. In this study, students were compared across high schools that were designated as exemnplary schools in the use of the Channel One television news program and three comparison schools. The results indicated that students who had greater prior knowledge of current events were more likely to report being mastery oriented toward the news; consequently, those students reported engaging in more outside of school news-seeking behaviors and therefore knew more about current events than did other students. In addition, watching television news in supportive environments, grade point average, gender, and socioeconomic status were related to current events knowledge. Implications for the instruction of current events in schools are discussed.
Interruptions in Adolescent Girls' Conversations
Authors: Beaumont Sherry L. , Cheyne J. Allan
Published: March 2007

Previous research examining adolescent girls'conversations suggests that interruptions may serve dominance and/or affiliative functions. More recent research has offered the alternative interpretation that interruptions in adolescent girls' conversations reflect conversational style similarities or differences. This study extends previous research by exploring these hypotheses regarding the meaning of interruptions by analyzing multiple speech functions for interruptions and simultaneous speech. Fifty-six adolescent girls participated in discussions either with their mothers or with same-gender friends. Successful interruptions and instances of simultaneous speech were coded as confirming, disconfirmning, or rejecting. The results indicated that girls used significantly more confirming interruptions and rejecting simultaneous speech than did their mothers, but the functions of girls' interruptions and simultaneous speech were the same with both mothers andfriends. The results are interpreted to suggest that the apparent increase in interruptions often reported in parent-adolescent interactions may resultfrom a change in the style of interaction during adolescence.
An Exploratory Study of Young Persons' Attachment Styles and Perceived Reasons for Parental Divorce
Authors: Walker Tavi R. , Ehrenberg Marion F.
Published: March 2007

The relation between young people 'perceptions of the reasonsfortheirparents 'divorces and their own feelings of security in romantic relationships was explored in this study. Eighty-one young persons from divorced homes completed the Reasons for Parental Divorce Questionnaire (RPDQ) developed specifically for this study and self-report instruments regarding attachment style, as measured by the Relationship Questionnaire (RQ) (Bartholomew & Horowitz, 1991) and the Relationships Scale Questionnaire (RSQ) (Griffin & Bartholomew, 1994). The majority (73%) of young people in this study described insecure attachment styles. As expected, perceptions of why parents divorced were significantly related to young persons'attachment outcomes. Reasons for divorce involving expressions of overt anger; the involvement of the children, and extramarital affairs were most important in differentiating secure and insecure young persons. Thus, these results indicate that there may be meaningful connections between young people 's understandings of theirparents 'divorces and their own romantic relational perspectives.
Prosocial Moral Reasoning in Institutionalized Delinquent, Orphaned, and Noninstitutionalized Brazilian Adolescents
Authors: Carlo Gustavo , Koller Silvia , Eisenberg Nancy
Published: March 2007

Researchers have postulated sociocognitive differences between delinquent and nondelinquent youths. However, prior studies have examined differences in prohibitive moral reasoning, and no studies of prosocial moral reasoning have been conducted with orphaned adolescents or in countries other than the United States. We examined prosocial moral reasoning in Brazilian institutionalized delinquent, orphaned, and noninstitutionalized adolescents. Delinquent, relative to nondelinquent, adolescents were expected to be less likely topreferhigherlevel, internalized types ofprosocial moral reasoning and more likely toprefer lowerlevels ofprosocial moral reasoning. No specific hypotheses were made regarding prosocial moral reasoning in orphaned adolescents. A total of 116 male andfemale Brazilian adolescents (38 delinquent, 38 orphaned, and 40 noninstitutionalized adolescents) were administered an objective measure of prosocial moral reasoning (PROM). In general, the main hypotheses were supported, and gender differences werefound. Discussionfocused on the correlates of prosocial moral reasoning and institutionalization in adolescence.
Family Processes and Deviance
Authors: Vazsonyi Alexander T. , Pickering Lloyd E.
Published: March 2007

The current investigation examined whether apprentices differed from nonapprentices (Gymnasium and teacher’s college students) in rates of deviant behavior. Questionnaire data were collected on more than 4,000 Swiss adolescents (mean age = 18.0, SD = 1.1) between the ages of 16 and 19. The following important findings were made: (a) Male nonapprentices were less deviant than male apprentices; no differences were found for females; (b) nonapprentices perceived more connectedness with and greater peer disapproval from parents than apprentices; nonapprenticeship males, in particular, reported greater maternal monitoring and supervision than apprentice males. At the same time, no differences were found in the affective quality of parent-adolescent relations for males or females by educational track; and finally, (c) a model-free LISREL comparison of developmental processes by educational track indicated great similarity between apprentices and nonapprentices. Results from the investigation suggest that background variables may account for some variability in adolescent deviant behaviors.
Adolescent Social Crowds
Authors: Urberg Kathryn A. , Değirmencioğlu Serdar M. , Tolson Jerry M. , Halliday-Scher Kathy
Published: March 2007

This investigation examined several aspects of the construct social crowd in 489 White 7th, 9th, and 11th graders. The goals of the study were to examine (a) the congruence between self- and peer-nominated crowd membership and (b) the extent to which social crowd serves to channel adolescents’ friendships. Self- and peer-nominated crowd were reasonably congruent and both related in the same way to delinquency, substance use, and grade point average, suggesting that for many purposes it may not matter which method of measuring crowd is used. The evidence is also moderately consistent with the hypothesis that crowds serve to channel adolescent friendships. Adolescents were friendliest to their own crowd and had more than the expected number of friends from their own crowd and crowds similar to their own.
Frequency, Comorbidity, and Psychosocial Impairment of Depressive Disorders in Adolescents
Authors: Essau Cecilia A. , Conradt Judith , Petermann Franz
Published: March 2007

The frequency, comorbidity, and psychosocial impairment of depressive disorders among adolescents was estimated from a survey of 1,035 students aged 12 to 17 years. The adolescents were randomly selected from 36 schools in the province of Bremen, Germany. Depressive disorders and other psychiatric disorders were coded based on DSM-IV criteria using the computerized Munich version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. A high proportion of our adolescents met the lifetime criteria for depressive disorders according to DSM-IV criteria, with a rate of 17.9%. Depressive disorders were significantly higher in females than in males. The rates for all of the disorders increased with age, with the greatest increase occurring mostly between the ages of 14 and 15; such increase was more prominent in females than in males. Our results imply the importance of identifying depressive disorders in adolescence and the need for preventive and intervention strategies.