Studied the relationships among sexual activity, pregnancy, and deviance in a cohort of 196 urban African American adolescent girls and compared the risk factors that predict these behaviors. Results indicate that girls who engage in early sexual activity and those who become pregnant are more likely to be involved in substance abuse and status…

Studied rates of somatic complaints and the association between stress and somatic complaints for 1,030 low-income urban adolescents in grades 6 through 8. For both boys and girls, somatization was the most commonly reported internalizing symptom, and heightened rates of urban stress predicted heightened rates of somatic complaints. (SLD)

Studied the frequency of self-mutilation among adolescents through a literature review, epidemiological data, and screening measure results for 440 students from an urban and a suburban high school. Interviews suggest that 13.9% of students had hurt themselves on purpose at some time, with girls more likely to hurt themselves and cutting the most…

The impact the father's attitude toward premarital sexual intercourse has on the sexual behavior of the father's adolescent child was studied with approximately 750 inner-city African American youth. Results showed that adolescent perceptions of paternal attitudes were predictive of teen sexual behavior independent of perceptions of maternal…

Studied the relation between urban psychosocial stressors and intimacy achievement in a sample of 59 African American, Hispanic American, and White adolescent fathers-to-be. Those with higher cumulative psychosocial stressors had lower levels of intimacy, and low interpersonal empathy was significantly associated with intimacy levels. African…

Investigated the influences of ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and ethnic peer group composition on awareness and internalization of socially sanctioned standards of appearance using the Sociocultural Attitudes towards Adolescence Questionnaire. Findings for 208 adolescent females highlight the importance of multiple ecological factors in…

Applied a cultural phenomenological perspective to the investigation of whether self- and other-perceived physical maturity and racialsocialization experiences were influential in the expressions of anger and aggression among African American youth. Findings for 127 urban youth suggest patterns characteristic of those most likely to be involved in…

Existing literature on drug dealing and inner-city adolescents was reviewed. Around one in six urban adolescents has had some involvement with drug dealing, with rates higher for African-American males males over age 16. For inner-city teenagers, there are many problems associated with drug dealing, and few efforts to prevent it. (SLD)

Studied the context in which eighth graders in India watch television through an experience sampling study of 100 urban middle-class Indian families. As a whole, findings indicate that the television viewing of middle-class Indian youth is typically a relaxed antidote to the stresses of the day that they share with their families. (SLD)

Evaluated an early intervention, risk-reduction strategy in comparison with a standard intervention approach in the treatment of inner-city youth at risk of adopting a deviant life style. Regression analysis of outcome measures for 428 inner-city youth revealed significant differential results for delinquent activity, favoring the experimental…

Psychosocial differences between 56 adolescent urban school-based clinic users and 108 nonusers were examined, considering the influence of gender. While a number of gender differences were noted, differences between clinic users and nonusers were limited. Nonusers were rated as more socially withdrawn by their peers. (SLD)

Examined the relationship between perceived maternal control and depression for 11 urban adolescent girls seeking psychological services at an outpatient clinic. No relation between control and depression was found for Caucasian and Latina girls, but high control was linked to less depression among African American girls. Findings highlight the…

No significant differences in global self-esteem and self-concept stability were found between 380 self-identified majority and 262 self-defined minority (i.e., Turkish, Moroccan, and Surinamese) youth in the Netherlands. Minority youth did identify more strongly with their ethnic groups, and they evaluated their groups more positively than their…

The hypothesis that gender differences in adult social status are greater in the kibbutz than in the Israeli urban setting and that this gap is associated with gender differences in global self-esteem among kibbutz youth was supported in studies with 569 kibbutz and urban high school students. (SLD)

Multivariate patterns of associations among psychological distress, anticipated mortality, and perceived vulnerability to HIV among urban multiethnic samples of 120 adolescents in substance-abuse treatment and 222 young adult university students were identified. Implications of the findings for the planning and implementation of effective HIV…