Measured anxiety and autonomy in kibbutz father-orphaned (n=28) and nonorphaned (n=42) adolescents. Found no significant differences on levels of manifest anxiety and autonomy. When groups were broken down according to gender and age, found that older father-orphan girls manifested significantly greater anxiety than any group and significantly…

Israeli participants (N=80), 16 to 78, were asked to divide course of life into periods, starting at age 11, and to mark range of each period. Younger people perceived lifespan as more differentiated (divided into more periods), whereas older people perceived it in a less differentiated way. (Author)

Reports findings of national survey on school violence in Israel. Revealed high rates of violence in all areas and among all age groups, but relatively higher rates of low-level violent behaviors and lower rates of more severe violent events. Reports on age-related, gender, and cultural differences; discusses social workers' roles in shaping…

Surveyed drinking habits among 520 Israeli high school sophomores and seniors from seven schools. Revealed link between use of alcohol, hashish, and cigarettes and link between alcohol use of student, family, and friends. Found gender differences, grade level differences, and differences between religious and secular schools. Evaluated…

Two groups of Israeli boys and girls in Grades 4-8, one group of 182 intellectually gifted with a mean WISC IQ of 140, and one group of 310 nongifted, were compared on several indices of personal-social adjustment. (MS)

Examines the attitudes of educators among four groups of Hebrew-speaking Israeli Haredim Jews towards teaching English at the elementary and the high school levels, examining issues of language policy, and gender and age differentiation. (VWL)

Surveyed 553 Jewish, Moslem, and Christian teachers concerning their perceptions of alcoholism. Found differences in perception of alcoholism among teachers of different religions, educational levels, gender, and drinking practices. Found no differences among teachers of different ages or among those working in different types of schools.…

Examined the effects of awareness of peers' risky behaviors on elementary students' experiences of school victimization. Surveys of Arab and Jewish students indicated that students' awareness of risky peer behaviors in school was one of the strongest predictors of their own personal victimization at school, controlling for gender, ethnicity, and…

Examined role of close relationships during adolescence and their contribution to individual coping. Data from series of studies on early adolescents showed that availability of family and peers combined with support of adolescent's independence contributed to individual adaptive coping. Contribution of close relationships to coping differed for…

The effectiveness of the Offer Self-Image Questionnaire (OSIQ) in separating normal, juvenile delinquent, and emotionally disturbed adolescents, older and younger teenagers, and males and females is discussed. The results of the OSIQ in four different cultures (United States, Ireland, Australia, and Israel) are also described. (Author/MV)

Examined Israeli adolescents' responses to impending unconventional warfare by administering Nuclear Threat Index to 269 junior high school students 2 months prior to Persian Gulf War. Younger adolescents and females reported more activity, pessimistic thoughts, and concerns than older adolescents and males, respectively; and "internal"…

Interviewed 150 Palestinian mothers and their children living amidst the Intifada uprising in what was then the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Found that the number of risks present in a child's life was significantly correlated with the number of behavioral problems the child exhibited. Under conditions of high accumulated risk, boys evidenced more…

This study explored children's perceptions of good parenting. An open-ended question "What makes a good parent?" was asked of children aged 8 to 9 years, 14 to 15 years, and 17 to 18 years of age to investigate developmental processes. Adolescents' perceptions were compared to parents' perceptions using the same measure among 14- to…

Examined conceptions of adulthood among adolescents, emerging adults, and parents of adolescents in Israel. Found widespread support for individualistic criteria for adulthood, such as accepting responsibility for one's actions, deciding on one's own beliefs and values, and becoming financially independent. Found considerable support for…

Study of problems experienced by ninth and eleventh grade Israeli students (n=1,645) indicated that younger adolescents were concerned with studies/career problems and with social "I"; older adolescents were concerned with existential issues and army/national service. Boys were concerned with existential issues, army/national service,…