This study examines the cultural and contextual factors that influence the decisions of underrepresented urban youth, who identify themselves as Black/African American, Latino, Arab, or Chaldean, to participate in youth programs. Although youth programs are increasingly recognized for their positive influences, little is known about the factors…

Drawing on a three-year study of the I Have a Dream (IHAD) program, examined whether personalized philanthropic programs can build bridges across social class and racial and ethnic divides. Considers the significance of the philanthropists' personal involvement for themselves and for those they are trying to help. (Author/SLD)

Using power-control theory as the theoretical framework, the present study examines the gender gap in delinquency for White and African American youth from single-mother households. The research is driven by the need to focus more attention on understanding how delinquency theories apply across different racial groups. Results from both bivariate…

Teens may leave school because of academic failure, disciplinary problems, or employment opportunities. In this article, the authors test whether the reasons dropouts leave school differ by grade level and age. We compare dropout rates and reasons across grade levels and ages for all high school students, ethnic groups, and gender groups. Across…

Investigated suicidal strains contributing to suicidal behaviors among adolescents by race. Data from the Add Health Project support the presence of process differences by race and delineate the specific nature of these differences. For example, Blacks experience more status strains, but they are more religious than Whites (which serves to…

Examines relationships among prosocial values and three measures of self-efficacy as predictors of delinquency, risky sex, and drug use in a sample of 2,146 racially diverse adolescents. Adolescents with strong prosocial values and self-efficacy reported fewer problem behaviors. Discusses implications for program development and implementation.…

Used longitudinal Denver Youth Survey data to examine repeat victimization and concentration of victimization among a relatively few high-frequency victims and intermittency of victimization in a sample of adolescents in a high-risk neighborhood. Chronic, multiple, intermittent victimization was the usual pattern among respondents. Men had higher…

Using data from the Survey of Adults and Youth, the authors examine the effect of economic status on youths' involvement in both school- and nonschool-related extracurricular activities. Specifically, they assess the association between four alternative measures of economic status--recipiency of food stamps, Aid to Families with Dependent…

Adolescents (n=414) living with rural Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) families were studied to determine predictors of sexual behavior in blacks and whites. Sex- and age-related differences were noted. The role of family support, welfare, and feelings of frustration were studied along with other variables. (Author/MMU)

Uses 1996 Saskatchewan Youth Attitude Survey data to explore the nature of youth gambling and its relation to social disadvantage, comparing minority and white youth and males and females. Results indicate that youth gamble significantly, and youth gambling is a form of regressive taxation that exploits those most vulnerable because of their…

Data from a nationally representative sample of adolescents studied at two points in time are used to examine gender-specific influence of parent-youth closeness on youth's suicidal ideation and its variations by stages of adolescence and race or ethnicity. Logistic regression analyses yielded interesting findings: (a) Closeness with fathers…

This article examines whether the importance of parents, siblings, best friends, and romantic interests are sex-specific in predicting daily juvenile smoking. Juveniles who smoke daily are strongly influenced by prosmoking attitudes and behaviors of same-sex family members. However, peers remain the most important associations in predicting daily…

Data from the 1988 National Family Growth Cycle IV are used to identify individual, family, sociocultural, and social structure factors that influence pregnancy resolution decisions of first conception among African American and Hispanic American adolescents aged 15 to 21 years. The discriminating power of variables differs with race and…

Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth merged mother-child file, this article examines the relationship between living in four different family structures on key measures of youth well-being, studied separately by race. The authors also examine whether contextual factors mediate these associations. For Black youth, we find no…

Data from the National Longitudinal Surveys of Labor Market Experience of Youth are used to examine and contrast the effects of family context and individual characteristics on adolescents' expectations about adolescent fertility, nonmarital childbearing, family size, and childlessness. Socioeconomic and racial patterns are identified. (SLD)