A longitudinal study of early adolescents examined gender differences in attitude and behavior, as well as the effects of pubertal change, parental expectations, and parental support. It was hypothesized that sex differences would emerge during preadolescence and that males' and females' rates of change would be significantly different. Subjects…

The purpose of this cross-national descriptive study is to measure the extent of children's sexual knowledge and sexual understanding at various ages and to identify what processes of thought children use in trying to explain biological functions and the phenomena of their own bodies as they grow and change. Sexual thinking is defined as thinking…

In the last decade, there has been a greater demand for high skills to match jobs in the new economy. Are youth changing the time spent in schooling and work? Are youth studying longer? Are they working earlier? Are they combining work and studying? Are they training more? And finally, did the changes come at a price? Using the General Social…

A child who is not granted a familial environment that is fundamentally consistent and harmonious will be more than likely to develop inconsistently, primarily psychologically and, perhaps even physically, in comparison to the accepted standards. This would idealistically make for a scenario within which the child grows into an adult who is under…

It should now be recognized that every child has at least five parallel ages: A "chronological" age, in years, months, and days: a "physiological" age, indicative of physical growth and maturity; a "mental" age, significant of intellectual capacity and ability; a "school standing," or "pedagogical"…

Parent-reported problems and competencies for national samples of 2,600 children and youth assessed at intake into mental health services were compared with 2,600 demographically matched nonreferred children assessed in a home interview study. Age, gender, regional, ethnic, and socioeconomic comparisons drawn from a new questionnaire are…

Adolescents whose parents had not divorced exhibited more social and scholastic competence and fewer adjustment problems than did adolescents from families with remarried or single mothers. Children from divorced, single-mother families demonstrated adjustment difficulties up to six years after their mother's divorce. (BC)

Illinois birth records in 1985 provide information about the educational levels of black, white, and Hispanic-American adolescents aged 15 to 19 years having first and second births. Age and ethnic differences exist in the relationship of first and second births to educational levels of young parents. (SLD)

Demographic characteristics of juvenile victims of crime and a potential relationship between victimization and self-reported delinquency are examined for 877 adolescents from a large midwestern city. Lifetime victimization rates (LVRs) are higher for those involved in delinquency, and LVRs rise with age and higher levels of delinquent behavior.…

A total of 1,179 urban inner-city high school students were surveyed about drug and alcohol use. The extent of use and relationships among use and sex, age, and grade were analyzed. The results confirm that drug use increases as grade level rises and provide other insights into adolescent behavior. (SLD)

Examines knowledge about Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and sexual behavior among 221 midwestern high school and 153 college students. Findings for the 187 males and 187 females studied show that females were more knowledgeable about AIDS and more sexually responsible than males, and AIDS knowledge and level of sexual activity were…

This study assessed 575 students with mild mental retardation in three educational settings. Their loneliness, depression, and social skills were assessed through student self-reports and peer perception of social status. Among findings were that preadolescent students in self-contained classes in regular schools exhibited more loneliness and…

Background: The aim of the study was to examine the association between anxious/withdrawn behaviours at age 8 and the development of internalising disorders in adolescence and young adulthood (ages 16-21). Methods: Data were gathered over the course of a 21-year longitudinal study of a birth cohort of over 1,000 New-Zealand-born young people. Over…

Used data from the Portuguese HBSC (Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children) survey, which was conducted by one of the authors who is the national representative of the European Study HBSC, a World Health Organisation collaborative study (Currie, Hurrelmann, Setterbulte, Smith, & Todd, 2000; Matos, Simoes, Carvalhosa, Reis & Canha 2000),…

The present study addresses the question of equality of access, as it relates to waiting time for specialised mental health treatment for children and adolescents. The aim was to investigate whether demographic, clinical factors and service-related factors were associated with waiting time. Data was based on a documentation system in which all…