Points out characteristics of young adolescents, including mood swings, concern with self, and reliance on peers as a reference group. For English translation, see EJ 242 849. (Author/RH)

Dean's alienation scale was employed with a sample of adolescent suicide attempters. Several variables were examined by multiple regression procedures and eight found to be statistically significant. The fact that adolescence, by itself, seems to be a good predictor of whether a person will attempt suicide is discussed (Author/SJL)

This article discusses social giftedness and its characteristics. Social giftedness is defined as the exceptional capacity to form mature, productive relationships and develop effective social interactions with peers and others. Special abilities include understanding, empathy, tolerance, and justice. A study using the Delphi technique to identify…

Presents results from a study that examined the characteristics of young people in Russia related to their self-determination and socialization. Uses data from a questionnaire survey of college and university students, school students, military school trainees, white-collar workers, and others from the ages of sixteen to twenty-three (84.7 percent…

This study documented suicidal behavior among 90 children and adolescents with mental retardation and psychiatric disorders in a psychiatric hospital. Suicidality was found in 21% of admissions and was distributed across gender, level of mental retardation, and psychiatric diagnosis. Results indicate that suicidality is an underrecognized but…

Studied when and how adolescent girls become involved in violent street crime as well as the explanatory factors for this criminal behavior. Subjects were 85 incarcerated women in New York City. Results suggest a need to better understand the impact of neighborhood, peer, and addiction factors in female adolescent criminal violence. (GLR)

Examined individual characteristics, family relations, and stress/social support of 50 maltreated adolescents and their mothers. Adolescent neglect was associated with extrafamilial difficulties and social isolation; physical abuse was linked more with rigidity in family relations, poorer maternal understanding of child development, and adolescent…

Studied parent-child agreement on parenting behaviors and mediators of agreement for 134 families. Results revealed low degree of agreement between parents and children in reports of parenting behaviors. Differential levels of agreement between father-child and mother-child reports suggests that reports might be related to children's transition…

Studied 43 youthful male offenders. Over 50% of subjects had antisocial, antiauthority values; did not know how to be anything other than criminal; had been subjected to physical, psychological, or sexual abuse; were members of minority group; and were gang members. Whites were less likely to be gang members; those who were tended to be Skinheads…

Cluster analysis was conducted to examine clinical characteristics of 1,961 boys and 1,320 girls (ages 10-19) with serious emotional disturbances entering systems of care funded by the Center for Mental Health Services. Combining functional and behavioral characteristics of participants indicate that symptom measures alone could not adequately…

A study examined the types and extent of academic deficiencies of 130 adolescents held in a regional detention facility. Most participants' achievement scores in reading, language, and mathematics were below their grade-level placements, students with experience in special education scored lower than other offenders, and males scored lower than…

A study examined the executive functioning, in particular the attentional set-shifting deficits in Australian individuals ages 6-20 with high-functioning autism (n=12) and Asperger's disorder (n=12). Results indicate that individuals with autism had a deficiency in shifting from local to global processing, however, this was not observed in…

Examines Chinese adolescents' rankings of peer social status and differences between United States and Chinese adolescents in predictors of social success, to challenge the dominance hierarchy model of peer relations being based on physical traits. A total of 111 Beijing students were ranked by 300 classmates on measures of social status. Findings…

A British study involving 17 children with autism, 17 children with learning difficulties, and 17 controls (ages 7-13) investigated whether children with autism could correct errors on a computerized task. The children with autism were more likely than the others to fail to correct external and internal errors. (CR)