Preventing and reducing acting-out or externalizing behaviors is a goal often targeted by out-of-school time programs for children and youth. The term "externalizing" refers to disruptive, harmful, or problem behaviors that are directed to persons and/or things. Examples include aggressive behaviors such as getting into fights and bullying;…

Investigated public school vandalism with 7th through 12th grade students. Found vandalism highest in 7th grade, decreasing progressively with each increase in grade level. Predictors of vandalism included being from the lowest academic track, having committed acts of vandalism during junior high school (for high school students), coming from…

Previous methods of classifying motives for firesetting into categories such as "revenge" and "excitement" have been criticized for their failure to reflect the heterogeneity of firesetting. In this study, 17 young firesetters were interviewed. In keeping with previous studies, six distinct groups emerged. Implications for…

Adolescence has often been construed as a difficult period in life, consisting of storm and stress. It is estimated that 25-50% of adolescents engage in risk behaviors with negative health and behavior outcomes such as drug abuse, unwanted pregnancy, or sexually transmitted disease. Topics covered in this literature review are: (1) child…