Puberty culminates in a dramatic and visually apparent set of changes in each individual. Social and psychological effects of the meaning of these changes are an important component in understanding the significance of puberty for adolescents and their behavior. (CJ)

Demonstrates value of pooled time series by analyzing behavior of youths in specialized foster care treatment setting in response to changes in number of youths living together in setting. Suggests that method exceeds clinical analyses by statistically controlling for within-subject effects with clinically useful measure of effect size.…

Reviews epidemiological studies of adolescent cocaine use. Attributes increased cocaine use among adolescents to lower prices and availability of crack. Identifies risk factors for initial cocaine use as male gender, use of marijuana, lack of social connections to family and school, peer influences, and psychopathology. Suggests targeting…

Factors influencing the psychological impact of menarche include age at time of first period, social factors, amount of preparation, and cultural factors. (Author/MP)

Under the careful supervision of a trained fitness professional, the benefits of prepubescent strength training (improved strength, power, muscular endurance, bone density) outweigh the risks (acute and chronic musculoskeletal injuries). (CB)

Education programs to prepare young women for menarche can potentially affect their self-view; peer interaction, decision making; and self-care capabilities. A review of literature on menarche and menarcheal education is presented with implications for program development. (Author/MT)

Describes investigation utilizing sickle cell disease subjects from a stress and coping project. Found little stability in classification of individuals' adjustment, low congruence in behavior problem patterns and diagnoses, and less stability in adjustment by child report than mother report. Suggests children's coping strategies are intervention…

Presents a case study of the treatment of a pre-adolescent female survivor of incest. The treatment integrated relational and trauma theory perspectives in focusing on reducing self-blame, preventing further isolation, creating a safe, secure environment, and helping the patient develop positive connections with others and feelings of…

Briefly summarizes Vygotsky's life, the appeal and subsequent abandonment of his ideas in the 1960s, and renewal of interest in the 1970s and 1980s (often at the expense of Piaget). Praises van der Veer and Valsinger's book as a realistic picture of Vygotsky's background, life, and work, of the scientific and political context in Russia and of his…

Based on studies of girls' loss of voice and self-confidence in early adolescence, the author introduces a poetics of research grounded in feminist epistemology to explore why this happens and how women can recover their "courage"--to speak one's mind by telling all one's heart. (SK)

Charles W. Eliot, president of Harvard University from 1869 to 1909, has been credited by educational historians with either the conception of the junior high school or the inspiration behind the junior high school movement. This study largely used only primary sources and secondary sources from the period before or during the emergence of the…

Describes investigation systematically comparing influence of naturalistic social behaviors and nonbehavioral variables, measured by live observations, on development of peer status in unfamiliar boys attending summer research program. Participants included attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and comparison boys. Discusses implications for…

This article examines stresses faced by today's adolescents, the problem of alienation from adult society, and some partial answers to these problems. (CJ)

Examination of the treatment of religion in world-future novels for young people provides a discussion of science fiction and cites 14 novels as examples with grade levels indicated. Four references are listed. (EJS)

Using Erikson's theories on identity development as a framework, this paper examines the motives for and contexts of suicide among preadolescents, adolescents, and young adults, identifies specific school-age populations that are vulnerable to suicide, and discusses implications. (Contains 45 references.) (GCP)