For African American youth disproportionately exposed to community violence and the associated risk of externalizing behaviors, developmental assets that reduce the risk for externalizing behaviors and enhance adaptive coping should be explored. In a sample of 572 African American adolescents (M[subscript age] = 15.85; SD = 1.42), the current…

This study examined relations between effortful control, parent-adolescent conflict, and teacher-student relationships and the concurrent and longitudinal impact of these factors on adolescent depression and misconduct. In particular, we examined whether the risks of low effortful control and parent-adolescent conflict could be buffered by…

The present study tested for mediators of the relation between neighborhood risk characteristics and internalizing and externalizing symptoms in a sample of 1,120 low-income urban adolescents. Results indicate that a composite of census tract variables predicted both internalizing and externalizing symptoms in this sample. Stressful life events…

This study examines the effects on adolescent offending of lifestyle risk and the individual propensity to offend. It is assumed that lifestyle risk will have a more important effect on offending for those individuals with high levels of individual propensity, whereas for individuals with low levels of individual propensity it is assumed that a…

The theory of sensation seeking has conceptualized this construct as a stable personality trait associated with a variety of problem behaviors. Reckless behavior theory posits that increases in reckless behavior during adolescence can be attributed, in part, to increases in sensation seeking. This study evaluated patterns of stability and change…

There is considerable debate regarding the extent to which punitive parenting adversely impacts youth well-being. Using an ecological-transactional model of human development, we examined reciprocity and contextual variability in associations between maternal punitive discipline and adolescent adjustment among 1,147 low-income, urban youth…

Prior studies have suggested that living in high-risk neighborhoods is associated with youths' maladjustment. Youths who maintained favorable outcomes, despite being exposed to such neighborhood risks, were considered resilient. Using structural equation modeling techniques, longitudinal data of 877 youths from the Denver Youth Survey were…

Schools provide a context or moral space for youth to develop their identity; however, with the racialized ideology, language and practices that promote Black youth criminality, criminalized schools become a racialized, classed, and gendered moral space that feeds into the school-to-prison pipeline. The criminalization of schools refers to a…

At study sites in Rochester (New York), Denver (Colorado) and Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania), three research teams studying the impact of family disruption on juvenile delinquency have interviewed approximately 4,000 participants at regular intervals for a decade, recording their lives in detail. Findings to date indicate that preventing delinquency…

Tested effectiveness of Conflict Tactics Scales and adaption of Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory to differentiate between aggressive and nonaggressive inner-city black adolescent males. Subjects (N=83) were classified as either institutionalized aggressive, noninstitutionalized aggressive, or noninstitutionalized nonaggressive. Results indicated…

Two analyses of New York City crime data--one for the entire city, and one for the Bronx--compare the crime rates of Hispanics, Whites, and Blacks. Analysis of crime rates for the city as a whole indicates that Hispanic crime patterns are different from those of Blacks and Whites. Hispanics have lower than expected crime rates, given their…

This Bulletin describes the racial distribution of serious and violent offending among juveniles in the United States. It provides a picture of the short-term national trends for offending patterns by race and ethnicity and summarizes research findings on racial and ethnic differences in chronic juvenile offending. Various explanations are given…

Investigated differences between father absence and father presence among 433 male African-American adolescents in a Midwestern city. Results for the 74.1% who were "father absent" support the importance of the father's presence, although the mother's involvement was a buffer for some delinquent behaviors. (SLD)

The relationships between delinquent behavior and labor market experiences of teenagers are examined in this study. Variables include incidence of self-reported delinquent behavior, gender, race, age, suspension from school, and current residence. Findings and the implications for educational policy are examined. (CT)

Juvenile courts in the United States processed more than 1.5 million delinquency cases in 1994, representing a 5% increase over the 1993 caseload and a 41% increase over the number of cases handled in 1985. These figures are taken from "Juvenile Court Statistics, 1994," the latest in a series of annual reports on cases handled by courts with…