Personality-motivation was compared for age- and gender-matched individuals with Williams (n=35) or Prader-Willi (n=35) syndromes or mental retardation due to nonspecific causes (n=35). Each syndrome featured aberrant motivational profiles and similarities were found across groups in social interaction, anxiety, and orderliness. Recommendations…

Results are reported of an analysis of Wechsler IQ scores of 37 children (ages 3-14) with Asperger syndrome. Data revealed cognitive patterns dissimilar to those of children with other autism related disorders and similar to many typically developing and achieving individuals.. Findings are discussed in reference to identification and intervention…

In this article we describe the leisure reading practices and attitudes towards reading of two cohorts of teenage boys and their parents from one educated, middle-class school community in Australia. Leisure reading refers to free choice or recreational reading across a range of genres (e.g., fiction/nonfiction) and modes (e.g., print/electronic).…

Among the chief reasons for adolescent alcohol use are demographic characteristics, family relationships, social relationships, peer relationships, low self-esteem, social pressure, rebellion, and depression. It has been shown that alcohol users display a tendency for violence and aggressive behavior. The present study explores the relationship…

The first national toll free suicide crisis line for South Africa was launched in October 2003 with the aim of providing a service dedicated to the prevention of suicide in this country. The intervention was motivated by South Africa's suicide rate which had risen higher than the global suicide rate, with the majority of attempted suicides…

"Kids Count in Colorado!" is an annual publication of the Colorado Children's Campaign, which provides the best available state- and county-level data to measure and track the education, health and general well-being of the state's children. "Kids Count in Colorado!" informs policy debates and community discussions, serving as…

Now more than ever, counselors, teachers, community youth workers, and parents are striving to prevent individual and school-wide tragedy before it happens. Critical to the success of their efforts is a deep respect for the adolescent experience. In this book, author and social worker Michael Ungar takes a fresh, hopeful approach to challenging…

A secondary analysis of data collected from 1,130 young people ages 15 to 24 in a population-based household survey to assess the reproductive health needs of young people in three communities in Jamaica was conducted to determine the relationships among three measures of sexual violence, background variables, three measures of sexual risk taking…

This article examines the explanations behind these questions: (1) Why do American teenagers behave the way they do?; (2) Why are many obsessed with the brands of clothes they wear, their lunchtime seatmates, the parties they are invited to, the latest popular music, the intrigues of school cliques, and who is hooking up with whom?; (3) Why do…

The present study explores the characteristics and concerns of a group of mothers of young people with a history of specific language impairment (SLI). Altogether, 52 young people and their mothers participated. Psychometric tests were used to assess mothers' cognitive and literacy performance and socio-economic status was also recorded. Maternal…

Approximately 3 million teens are diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease (STD) annually; STDs rates for American Indian young adults are among the highest of any racial/ethnic group. An important risk factor for STDs is early initiation of sex. In this study, we examined risk for early initiation with 474 American Indian youth ages 14-18,…

Adolescence is characterized by a set of dramatic physical, cognitive, and psychological changes which affect the developmental process in many ways. This study sought to develop and test the adequacy of a theoretical model of adolescent worry and to determine whether there is a relationship between adolescent demographic characteristics and the…

Examines the relation of depression to locus of control and to the perceived causes of depression in a nonpsychiatric population. Findings suggest that adolescent females tend to hold themselves more responsible than males for unsatisfactory personal situations, and this extends to the attribution of causes for unhappy moods. (Author/PC)

Determinants of Schaefer's (1965) three dimensions of perceived parenting (Acceptance vs. Rejection, Psychological Control vs. Psychological Autonomy, and Firm vs. Lax Control) were investigated by administering a shortened Children's Reports of Parental Behavior Inventory to adolescent twins. The sample consisted of 46 pairs of identical twins…