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This report presents findings on underage alcohol use (i.e., alcohol use among persons under the age of 21) from the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA). The NHSDA asks respondents about the quantity and frequency of their alcohol use in the past month. The NHSDA also asks about problems or behaviors associated with their alcohol use in the past 12 months, including driving under the influence of alcohol, symptoms of alcohol dependence or abuse, and receipt of treatment for alcohol problems. Data also were analyzed by the type of county in which respondents lived at the time of the interview and by college enrollment status. Moreover, because the NHSDA since 1999 has included people in all 50 States and the District of Columbia, it is possible to produce estimates at the State level. Therefore, this report also includes estimates of underage alcohol use at the State level based on combined data from 3 survey years: 1999 through 2001. (Author)

This summary presents data from seven papers based on six different data sets (three national and three local). Data were collected for different purposes, in different years and places, using different interview techniques. Overall, nearly one in five adolescents has had sex before his/her 15th birthday. In early adolescence, being sexually experienced does not necessarily mean that young adolescents are having sex regularly. Contraceptive use among young adolescents is relatively low, and one in seven sexually experienced 14-year-old girls has been pregnant. Many young adolescents report dating or being in romantic relationships, sometimes with older partners. Dating in general, and dating some older in particular, greatly increase the chances of having sex. Many young adolescents experience pressure to have sex. Sexually experienced young adolescents are also engaging in other risky behaviors. Data do not shed much light on the extent to which young adolescents are engaging in oral sex and other sexual behavior. Young adolescents do not seem to know a lot about sex. Parents and youths give mixed reports about family communication about sex and seem to have misperceptions about each others' attitudes and behaviors. Many young adolescents have ample opportunities to have sex, and many report willingness to have sex. (Contains 14 references.) (SM)

Current middle-school standards require students to operate at levels of literacy never before expected of 10- to 14-year-olds. This monograph, written for teachers, addresses literacy development in middle-school students, stressing the crucial role of teachers. It suggests that teachers must change the core of educational practice and examine their ideas about knowledge, the role of students and teachers in the educational process, and how their ideas or beliefs about learning are translated into instructional practice. The first chapter, "The Best of Times and the Worst of Times: Early Adolescence in the 21st Century," discusses biological, physical, cognitive, social, and emotional changes that occur during the ages between 10 and 14. The second chapter, "New Learning Paradigms for a New Millennium," provides an overview of learning theories that influence classroom practice, including behavioral theory and cognitive theory. The third chapter, "Creating Optimal Literacy Environments for Young Adolescents," examines how three principles of learning-construction of meaning, active engagement, and meaningful content-can be used to visualize literacy environments for middle-school students that maximize reading and writing achievement. Appendix I, "Suggested Professional Books," and Appendix II, "Suggested Authors and Their Works," are annotated bibliographies. (Contains 100 references.) (WFA)

Although it is commonly assumed that children living in public housing are at greater risk of experiencing academic and behavioral problems than other low-income children, there is little research available documenting the circumstances and experiences of these children and examining whether differences in outcomes between them and their non-public housing counterparts are associated with characteristics of the developments in which they live. This study used data on nearly 1,500 children--ages 6 to 17 years--from 850 public housing families. Data were collected prior to the implementation of the Jobs-Plus demonstration program at seven sites to examine the well-being of children living in public housing developments and explore whether characteristics of their parents and the communities are associated with differences in the childrens outcomes. Among the key findings of the study are that on some, but not all, measures of school and behavioral outcomes, a substantial proportion of public housing children exhibited negative outcomes. Older children and boys were at greater risk than younger children and girls. When compared with children receiving welfare in selected states, children in the Jobs-Plus developments were at slightly greater risk of experiencing negative school and behavioral outcomes. Few associations were found between measures of the Jobs-Plus children's well-being and their parents employment or welfare status. Parents mental health and experience with domestic abuse were associated with negative aspects of childrens schooling and behavior. Contextual factors of the housing development, such as proportion of parents who had jobs, were not related to children's outcomes. (Contains 27 references.) (KB)

Individuals differ in the level of skill with which they can identify their feelings and the feelings of others, manage these feelings, and use the information provided by their feelings to motivate adaptive behavior in themselves. Identifying the skill of a serious and violent juvenile offender (SVJ) to manage his emotional state is important for intervention and rehabilitation, especially when the offender uses crime as a strategy in coping with a negative emotional state. This study designed a paper and pencil instrument to assess the ability of an SVJ to manage emotions in various social contexts. Reliability and validity measures were constructed to determine the extent to which responses to scale statements provided evidence that the instrument assessed the emotion management construct. An initial pool of 50 items was generated from researchers observations, interactions, and interviews with male juveniles who had been involved with the juvenile justice system. The initial pool was administered to 28 male middle school students who had been grouped by teachers into a group with high positive feelings about self and school and a history of positive behaviors and negative feelings about self and school with a history of negative behaviors. The instrument was revised on the basis of these responses and administered to 41 students from the negative feelings/actions group. After factor analysis and revision, the instrument was administered to six male juvenile offenders at a residential facility. The instrument was correlated with a measure of balanced emotional empathy, and discriminant validity was also studied. Findings suggest that the developed scale, the Juvenile Emotion Management Scale, is capable of assessing an SVJ offenders skill in responding to emotional arousal. (SLD)

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was an association between HIV sexual risk and substance use behaviors among a sample of inner-city African American youth. As part of a larger study, youth (n=193) competed questionnaires that measured sexual risk as well as substance use. Participants were separated in to high risk and low risk groups. A greater proportion of high risk participants as compared to low risk youth used alcohol and marijuana in the last month. Further, a significant correlation between sexual risk scores and alcohol consumption in the last month was observed, with greater sexual risk being associated with greater alcohol consumption and marijuana use. High risk youth also report lower self-efficacy for refusing drugs or refusing sex after drinking. Results indicate that African American youth who engage in high risk sexual behaviors are more likely to use alcohol and marijuana than those who do not. Prevention programs should be designed to address the interaction of these risk behaviors. (Author)

A study of research was conducted to determine how welfare and work policies enacted in 1996 targeted at low-income parents have influenced their adolescent children. Using meta-analytic techniques, the research synthesis integrates survey data collected from parents in eight studies of 16 different welfare and employment programs, focusing on children aged 12 to 18 when surveyed, as well as drawing on ethnographic case studies. In each study, some parents were randomly assigned to a program that included some combination of three key policies--mandatory employment activities, earnings supplements, and time limits on welfare receipt--while others were randomly assigned to a control group that was neither eligible for the program's services nor subject to its requirements. Key findings of the studies were the following: (1) parents in the programs being studied reported worse school performance, a higher rate of grade repetition, and more use of special educational services for their adolescent children than did control group parents; (2) no single one of the three policies studied could explain the programs' effects on adolescents; (3) adolescents with younger siblings experienced the most troubling effects (poor school performance, suspension or dropping out of school), perhaps because they were more likely than the control group to provide care for their siblings. The study points to the difficulties low-income parents face when forced to juggle often-inflexible mandatory work or training requirements and multiple child-care responsibilities. Study methodology is examined in two appendixes. (Contains 63 references.) (KC)

While parenting, attachment, individuation, and identity theories suggest relationships between parent-adolescent relationships, parenting behaviors, and adolescent self-evaluations, these theories differ in whether parent-adolescent relationship quality or parenting behaviors are more directly linked to adolescent self-evaluations. For this study, 970 students (seventh and tenth grades) completed supra-scales for parent-adolescent relationships, parenting, and self-evaluations. These sets of scales intercorrelated moderately to highly. Two mediation models according to attachment and individuation/identity theories were tested. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that effects of the parent-adolescent relationships scales on adolescent self-evaluations were mediated by the scales of parenting behaviors. These results supported the individuation/identity hypothesis that parenting behaviors are more closely linked to adolescent self-evaluations and that they mediate the effects of parent-adolescent relationships. (Contains 27 references.) (Author)

This study examined associations between the quality of adolescent relationships with mothers, fathers, best friends, and boy/girlfriends. One hundred and sixty-two adolescents from three high schools completed questionnaires, in a one-on-one setting in which they rated parent and peer relationships on seven relationship features including commitment, satisfaction, respect, secure base effect, separation protest, proximity seeking, and companionship. Among dating adolescents, an additional scale indexed sexual activity and risky sexual behavior. Findings revealed a consistent negative association between girls' relationships with parents and peers. In contrast, boys' reported continuity between parents and best friends and a lack of association between parents and romantic partners. Among both boys and girls, parental closeness, especially to fathers, was negatively associated with sexual activity. Findings suggest that peers may compensate for weak filial ties and that parental relationships may serve as a protective factor against over-commitment to peers and risky sexual behavior. (Contains 54 references.) (Author/KB)

This qualitative research examined classroom behaviors and school perceptions of female students of color (Latina and African American) in single-gender and coeducational secondary-level special education placements for students with mild to moderate learning disabilities. Classroom observations and interviews were conducted with eight female special education students (ages 15-18) in both single-gender and coeducational special education classrooms on one urban school site servicing a large special education population. The study used classroom observations and focus-group interviews to gather information on the single-gender and mixed-gender programs. In addition, class assignments, homework, and other classroom documents were collected. In comparison to Latina and African American students attending a coed special education classroom, students in the single-gender special education classroom reported a greater degree of comfort and support from teachers and peers in class. Overall, girls in the single-gender class interacted with greater frequency, were observed on task during class, and produced more completed assignments than their counterparts in the coed classroom. Classroom participation was much higher for Latina students in the single-gender classroom compared to their coed classroom counterparts. However, notable differences in classroom participation were not observed between the two groups of African American students. (Contains 26 references.) (CR)

A mediational model was tested where religiosity predicted sexual behaviors of 386 Catholic Latino adolescents aged 12 to 16 based on parental-adolescent communication about sex. Religiosity predicted greater intentions to delay intercourse after controlling for differences in age and gender. This effect was not mediated by extent of communication. Frequent parental communication about sex predicted adolescents being older at first intercourse after controlling for age and gender. Religiosity and communication did not predict contraceptive use. Results suggest religiosity and parental communications about sex contribute independently to the sexual socialization of Latino youth. (Contains 64 references and 3 tables.) (Author)

The present study uses an exemplar of contextual adolescent behavior theory, Jessor and Jessor's (1977) Problem Behavior Therapy (PBT), to review the current state of drug use prevention strategies. An overview of PBT theory and research are provided, and health communication programs, both academic and professional, are evaluated accordingly. It is suggested that numerous potential prevention pathways remain generally unattended, and strategies are presented for bridging gaps between theory and practice. (Contains 55 references.) (Author)

Discovering why adolescents take sexual risks, despite knowledge of consequences, is a vital first step in combating the problem. Optimistic bias, the misperception that one is less likely than others to experience negative consequences from health behaviors, offers a promising explanation for adolescents' sexual risk-taking. Unfortunately, optimistic bias research has over-emphasized convenient college student samples and neglected adolescents and minority populations targeted with the actual campaigns. Results from a small-scale survey of "at-risk" youth indicate that African American adolescents exhibit optimistic bias, believing they are less likely than peers to become pregnant (or cause a pregnancy). Findings indicate that optimistic bias is linked to sexual risk-taking in youth, sexual intentions, and attitudes toward sexual activity. Although the current study is one of the first to include minority youth and one of the first to confirm a relationship between optimistic bias and risk behaviors, the findings suggest a promising course of action in reducing risky sexual practices among youth and, eventually, teen pregnancies. (Contains 62 references.) (Author)

This study sought to document optimistic bias among older adolescents in the context of numerous hazards. It was among the first studies to triangulate quantitative and qualitative measures to investigate how individuals make personal risk assessments within the optimistic bias literature. Results from a small-scale survey and follow-up interviews of college students indicate that students exhibit optimistic bias regarding arrest for criminal activity, lung cancer, unplanned pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, alcohol addiction, and violent crime. Consistent with previous research, college students draw considerably from personal experience when making comparative risk assessments. Personal interviews suggest new directions in optimistic bias research, such as the role of the mass media, as well as raising some methodological concerns. (Contains 35 references.) (Author)

Noting that research on long-term effects of attending preschool has found social as well as cognitive effects, this study explored the association between preschool participation and adolescent goals and activities in a sample of 80 urban eighth graders who had attended different types of preschool and kindergarten programs. The sample was 55 percent female; 94 percent of the sample were African American. Most students (76 percent) qualified for subsidized school lunch based on low family income, and 70 percent lived in single-parent families. Students were individually interviewed using a modified version of the Youth Follow-Up Interview. Subjects reported that the hardest adjustment in the transition to junior high school was the new school routine, followed by adjusting to a new physical environment, and making new friends. Findings indicated that these inner city students were highly involved in the typical activities of early adolescence. Their educational and career aspirations were high. More adolescents involved in extracurricular activities hoped to complete college. Few had violated rules of their community, and all had accomplished something that made them proud. Adolescents who had attended preschool were more likely than those who had not to be proud of themselves for achievement-related reasons and, of those, graduates of child-initiated preschools were most likely to report prosocial reasons for feeling proud. Graduates of teacher-directed, academic early childhood programs had somewhat lower postsecondary aspirations, were less likely to participate in sports, and were the only ones to report intentional violation of community rules. (KB)

Noting that the dynamics of interaction in the coparenting setting, the mother-father-child triad, may change substantially during the transition to adolescence and that there is a need for an observational tool that describes both the verbal and nonverbal aspects of triadic dynamics, this study examined the Coding System for Family Triads (CST), an intensive analysis of triadic discussion from videotaped conversations. Participating in this longitudinal study were 43 two-parent Caucasian middle-class families and their oldest child at the ages of 12, 13, 14, and 15 years. Parents and their child were given a discussion topic with the instruction to read the topic from a card (for example, "When traveling together parents wish to visit a museum and the child does not. What will be the decision?") and discuss for about 2 minutes. Categories developed for the rating scale were: (1) formal aspects, such as who takes the card and who reads the discussion topic; (2) global rating of the triad, including seating arrangement, dominance of one dyad, outsider, closeness/cohesion, and openness; (3) child in front of parents, comprised of child as the center rating and childs orientation toward parents; and (4) course of discussion, including taking up the topic, triadic connection, dynamic, and solution when finished. The findings indicated that children experienced notably different communication environments according to the parent-parent communication quality. Discussions became more distant during the transition to adolescence, with increasing disagreements, declining cohesion, and more hypothetical discussion. Few gender differences were identified. (Contains 11 references.) (KB)

Video games have become one of the favorite activities of children in America. A growing body of research links violent video game play to aggressive cognitions, attitudes, and behaviors. This study tested the predictions that exposure to violent video game content is: (1) positively correlated with hostile attribution bias; (2) positively correlated with arguments with teachers and physical fights; (3) negatively correlated with school performance; and (4) positively correlated with hostility. Participating in the study were 607 eighth and ninth graders from 4 schools. Each prediction was supported. Youth who exposed themselves to greater amounts of video game violence saw the world as a more hostile place, were more hostile themselves, got into arguments with teachers more frequently, were more likely to be involved in physical fights, and performed more poorly in school. Video game violence exposure was a significant predictor of physical fights even when respondent sex, hostility level, and weekly amount of game play were statistically controlled. The findings suggest that video game violence is a risk factor for aggressive behavior and that parental involvement in video game play may act as a protective factor for youth. Results support the framework of the General Aggression Model. (Contains 3 tables and 33 references.) (Author/KB)

This report discusses the outcomes of a study that examined the mental health referral patterns of youth referred to a public sector mental health system as the result of a judicial consent decree. The study included two samples of youth ages 13-17 from the entire state of South Carolina. The first group included incarcerated youth recruited from the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice (SCDJJ) central detention facility in Columbia (n=120). The second group included youth referred to South Carolina Department of Mental Health (SCDMH) facilities as part of a judicial consent decree (n=120). Data were collected on both samples between January 1997 and December 1997. Findings from the study indicate there is a substantial level of need for mental health services among detained youth. Ninety-six percent of referred youth and 69 percent of incarcerated youth met criteria for a psychiatric disorder. The most common diagnostic category was disruptive disorder for both referred and detained youth. Referred youth were more likely to have affective diagnoses than detained youth; however, they were less likely to have a substance abuse disorder. Consistent with prior studies, African-American youth were referred for mental health services less often than were Caucasian youth. (Contains 16 references.) (CR)

This report describes outcomes of a survey that investigated the external environment of juvenile courts and whether this environment relates to the treatment of young offenders or custody decisions. In 1997, a statewide survey was administered to all courts with juvenile jurisdiction in a Mid-Southern state. This research was based on 71 courts from whom a completed survey was obtained from the judge. Together, these courts handled over 33,000 youth during 1997 who were referred to them for either a status or delinquency offense. Three measures of service-related decisions were assessed, based on courts offender population only: (1) courts rate of referral to mental health services; (2) courts rate of referral to substance abuse services; and (3) courts custody rate. Results found on average that courts referred about 3 percent of offenders to mental health services and about 4 percent to substance abuse services. Their rate of custody was about 8 percent. Regarding interagency relations, courts had nearly weekly, but less than daily contact overall with other child-serving agencies in their communities. Mental health referral rates were higher for courts located in urban areas having more service resources and for courts that maintained more frequent contact with other child-serving agencies. (CR)

A review of 25 years of research in "Human Communication Research" indicated that the mass media are a significant source of learning and that the media can and do affect attitudes, which in turn influence behaviors. Based on a community sample, a study sought to extend such findings by establishing a direct link between media use, sexual attitudes, and risk-taking behaviors. Study participants were randomly selected from several communities in western Pennsylvania; 162 adolescents and adults anonymously completed the survey instrument. Overall media use was found to be related to a number of risk behaviors and to the age of first sexual encounters. Better indicators of risk behavior were attitudes toward the media, preference for sexually explicit films, listening to music, and viewing television. Findings suggest the need to study preferences for individual media within different context for different users, to establish a link between media use and risk behaviors. (Contains 3 tables of data and 27 references.) (Author/NKA)

The teen court concept has gained popularity in recent years as juvenile courts have had to deal with increased numbers of serious, violent, and chronic juvenile offenders. Its acceptance has been fueled, in part, by positive anecdotal reports from those involved with this peer-centered approach. Growing from a handful of programs in the 1960s, the number of teen courts (or youth courts) now operating in the United States has been estimated to be as high as 675. Communities across the nation continue to demand better information and assistance with which to start or enhance their own teen courts. This bulletin aims to help address that demand by providing information about the characteristics of established teen courts and the operational and managerial challenges they face. It also summarizes the evaluation literature on teen courts. The bulletin provides a background overview; explains the teen court concept; and discusses a national survey conducted by the Urban Institute. (Contains 9 figures, 5 tables, and 19 references.) (BT)

This paper examines the effects of private schooling on adolescent nonmarket behaviors. Differences between private- and public-school students were controlled by making use of the rich set of covariates available with the Nation Education Longitudinal Survey (NELS) microdataset. An instrumental-variables strategy was also employed that exploits variation across metropolitan areas in the costs that parents face in transporting their children to private schools, which stem from differences in the quality of the local transportation infrastructure. Evidence was found suggesting that religious private schooling reduces teen sexual activity, arrests, and use of hard drugs (cocaine), but not drinking, smoking, gang involvement, or marijuana use. Two questions require further research: Could public schools reduce teen sexual activity by either including "character education" as part of the curriculum without reference to specific religious ideologies or by dropping sex and drug education classes? and Are there other policies that public schools could adapt from religious private schools that would improve the academic or nonacademic outcomes of students? (Contains 55 references and 9 tables.) (RT)

A process study was conducted in two phases to measure the effects of whether a mother's participation in a Toughlove program improved her child's behavior. During phase 1, small-group Toughlove meetings were used for observation and then were tape-recorded and transcribed. Transcriptions were coded to identify instances of social support; encouragement of assertiveness; emotional separation from adolescents; and help in overcoming a sense of guilt. In phase 2, 75 individuals from 8 states who participated in similar training workshops responded to a questionnaire exploring variables similar to those coded by observers. Analysis of quantitative and qualitative data suggests that, for these parents, regaining control of their families was a complex problem. Among nonassertive mothers, gains in assertiveness are significant. When nonassertive mothers entered the Toughlove program, they were offered new behavioral repertoires. Within six months, their children's antisocial behaviors declined. Results suggest that community support and validation represent a crucial variable that provides the support to improve adolescent behavior. Results also point to the fact that quantitative and qualitative methodologies properly reinforce one another. While each approach alone may be necessary, it is in combination that they illuminate the interactions between parent-child processes and community supports. (Contains 2 tables, 1 figure, and 16 references.) (Author/JDM)

This report by the Council of Economic Advisers analyzes key trends in teen behavior, and investigates the role of parents' involvement in their teenagers' lives. The report uses data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, a study of a nationally representative sample of seventh through twelfth graders, to examine the relationship between various teen behavioral outcomes and two measures of parental involvement: regularly eating dinner with the teen and perceived parent-child closeness. The report outlines significant opportunities and challenges for adolescents in the 21st century and demonstrates that teens are more likely to maximize opportunities and avoid risks when parents are involved in their lives. The report indicates that teenagers today live far healthier, more prosperous, and promising lives than ever before. Education levels have been improving across the board. College attendance rates have been increasing over the past decade, but income, race, and ethnicity still play a role. School-based teen participation in community service has increased. Despite increasing prosperity, teens are at high risk for poor nutrition. Rates of teen homicide and suicide remain high. Teen birth and pregnancy rates are steadily declining. The incidence of youth smoking rose during the 1990s. The report highlights findings from the longitudinal study indicating that parental involvement was a major influence in helping teens avoid risks while increasing educational achievement and expected attainment. Data tables are appended. (KB)

This study examined the reciprocal influence between parenting style and parental involvement in schooling practices and adolescent autonomy over a 2-year period. Participating in the study were 872 adolescents with a mean age of 14.5 years at Time 1 and attending 5 French-speaking public high schools in Quebec, Canada. From the initial cohort, 676 adolescents participated in the 1-year follow-up (Time 2). Data were collected by means of the student questionnaires regarding their parents' parenting style and involvement and their own level of autonomy. The findings lent support to the effects of parenting style and parental involvement practices on autonomy over time. There were significant increases in autonomy from Time 1 to Time 2, specifically in work orientation and self-reliance, in parental psychological autonomy granting, and in parent-adolescent communication; there were also drops in parental warmth and parent-school communication. Parental affective support, a dimension of parental involvement in school, was rather stable over the 2-year span. Significant path coefficients lent support to the possibility of longitudinal, bidirectional effects between parenting and parental involvement behaviors and adolescents' autonomy. Perceived parental warmth was both a correlate and a contributor to autonomy, with a more important contribution to autonomy at Time 2. Psychological autonomy granting presented the same pattern, with a less important contribution to autonomy at Time 2. Affective support and parent-adolescent communication were more a correlate of autonomy than a contributor to it. (Contains 36 references.) (KB)

Seven features of adolescents' relationships with mothers and with fathers (time together per day, number of activities, degree of influence, subjective closeness, and frequency of experiencing positive, hostile, and sad emotions in the relationship) were used to predict adolescents' problem behavior and chemical use. Using a sample of 64 seventh- and 43 tenth-grade adolescents and self-report questionnaires, this study: (1) examined age differences in these features of mother-adolescent and father-adolescent relationships; and (2) investigated whether features of relationships with mothers and with fathers predict adolescents' problem behavior and chemical use. Adolescents' reports of hostile emotions experienced in relationships with mothers and with fathers were significant correlates and predictors of problem behavior and chemical use. For adolescents in both grades, features of relationships with mothers explained more variability in reports of problem behavior. Further, lower levels of parental influence were associated with and predictive of higher levels of problem behavior and chemical use in the tenth-grade sample. These findings suggest that intervention that is targeted at assisting parents in developing and maintaining a less hostile, more positive, active, and supportive parent-adolescent relationship may be warranted. (Author/EV)

This study examined the emotional tone and degree of influence in adolescents' relationships with parents and friends. Early adolescent relationships were compared to middle adolescent relationships, and at both ages, relationships with mothers, fathers, and friends were compared. Using a self-report questionnaire, seventh- and tenth-grade adolescents rated the degree to which they were influenced by their mothers, fathers, and best friends and the frequency with which they experienced positive and negative emotions in their relationships with them. Compared to tenth-graders, seventh-graders reported stronger influence, more frequent positive emotions, and less frequent negative emotions in relationships with parents. There were no grade differences in the degree of influence or the frequency of experiencing positive or negative emotions in relationships with friends. The frequency with which seventh-graders experienced positive emotions in relationships with friends did not differ from the frequency with which they experienced positive emotions in relationships with mothers and fathers. Tenth-graders, however, experienced fewer positive emotions in relationships with fathers than in relationships with friends. Both seventh- and tenth-graders reported more negative emotions in relationships with parents than with friends. Mothers' and fathers' influence was stronger than that of friends for seventh-graders, but only mothers continued to be more influential than friends in the tenth grade. (Contains 18 references.) (Author/EV)

This report highlights two studies that are part of the Program of Research on the Causes and Correlates of Delinquency sponsored by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). The Rochester Youth Development Study and the Pittsburgh Youth Study have tracked a sample of urban males through their teenage years. These studies provide an assessment of the significant risk factors for teenage paternity, specifically the role of delinquency in early fatherhood. These risk factors come from a wide range of domains, including race, area characteristics, family structural position, parental stress, school, early sexual activity, peers, individual characteristics, and deviant behaviors. The consistency of agreement in the Pittsburgh and Rochester studies reinforces the conclusion that, while there is no single explanation or decisive risk factor for teen fatherhood, early delinquency is one of the most significant risk factors for becoming a teen father. Each study also reports additional findings concerning cumulative risk and the impact of teen fatherhood on subsequent delinquency. The Rochester study shows that an accumulation of risk factors dramatically heightens a boy's risk of becoming a teen father, while the Pittsburgh study finds that the impact of becoming a teen father may spur even greater delinquency. (GCP)

Recently, training efforts have been undertaken to reduce the negative outcomes associated with increased verbal aggressiveness and accentuate the positive outcomes associated with increased argumentativeness within adolescent populations. This paper presents both positive and negative aspects of assessing aggressive communication predispositions in adolescents. More specifically, the paper briefly describes the use of self-report measures to assess change, the potential use of focus groups to inductively derive adolescent self reports concerning the traits of verbal aggressiveness and argumentativeness, and the use of observers or "other reports" to evaluate both argumentativeness and verbal aggressiveness. It asks what the implications for assessing the effectiveness of training programs (via self report) are, and suggests that, to answer this question, attention must be given to experimental designs and the impact of these designs on self-report measures, noting that if the behavioral objective of a training program is to reduce destructive aggressive communication by adolescents, then the experimental design used by the researchers will inevitably influence assessment of change, especially when change is based on the participants' self-reported perceptions. The paper states that the first step in developing curricular materials to reduce verbally aggressive behavior is the observation of communicative behavior in a variety of contexts, including home and school environments. It states that the second step is to use the information gathered from research to develop, test, and implement curricular materials for a variety of audiences and a variety of contexts. Contains 23 references. (NKA)