IBM SPSS for Intermediate Statistics: Use and Interpretation, 4th Edition

Up the Hierarchy

Although prior research finds a robust link between delinquent behavior and expectations, or an adolescent’s perceived likelihood of obtaining one’s future goals, fewer studies have evaluated aspirations, or the perceived importance of achieving one’s goals. In addition, few studies consider how individual traits such as impulsivity affect the degree to which expectations and aspirations motivate or deter delinquent behavior. We contribute to this body of research by evaluating the independent effects of expectations and aspirations, and the aspiration-expectation gap (i.e., strain) on delinquent behavior during the year following an adolescent’s first arrest using a large (N = 1117), racially/ethnically diverse sample of male adolescents (46.55% Latino, 35.81% Black, 14.95% White, and 2.69% Other race). In addition, we considered how impulse control interacts with expectations, aspirations, and strain to motivate behavior. Our results indicated that both aspirations, expectations and strain uniquely influence criminal behavior. Importantly, aspirations interacted with impulse control, such that aspirations affected delinquency only among youth with higher impulse control. Our findings suggest that aspirations may only influence behavior if youth also have the psychosocial capabilities to consider their future aspirations when behaving in the present.

Aspirations, Expectations and Delinquency: The Moderating Effect of Impulse Control

Although explanatory models of adolescent risk behavior have predominantly focused on adolescents’ limited ability to self-regulate impulsive and/or reward-driven behavior (reactive risk behavior), recent arguments suggest that a significant proportion of adolescent risk behavior may actually be strategic and planned in advance (reasoned risk behavior). The present study evaluates hypothesized predictors of reasoned versus reactive risk behavior using self-reported and neurocognitive task data from a large, diverse adolescent sample (N = 1266 participants; N = 3894 risk behaviors). Participants’ mean age was 16.5 years (SD = 1.1); 56.9% were female, 61.9% White, 17.1% Black, 7.0% Hispanic, and 14.1% other race/ethnicity; 40% were in 10th grade, 60% in 12th grade. As hypothesized, reasoned risk behavior (compared to reactive risk behavior) was associated with higher levels of sensation seeking, better working memory, greater future orientation, and perceiving risk behavior to be more beneficial than risky. These results support the distinction between reasoned and reactive risk behavior as meaningful subtypes of adolescent risk behavior and challenge prevailing frameworks that attribute adolescent risk behavior primarily to poor response inhibition.

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Adolescent Risk Behavior: Differentiating Reasoned And Reactive Risk-taking.

The following study assessed whether future orientation and self-esteem mediated the relationship between family stress and mental health problems among African American youth. Data from this study included 638 African American adolescents purposively sampled from predominantly low-income neighborhoods. Major variables assessed were family stress, self-esteem, future orientation, mental health, and covariates (i.e., gender, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic proxy). Structural equation modeling computed direct and indirect (meditational) relationships between family stress and youth mental health. The average age of participants was 15.83 years old, slightly half of whom were female. The path model detected a significant relationship between family stress and mental health problems. Self-esteem and future orientation had a significant mediation effect on the relationship between family stress and mental health problems. Overall findings underscore the importance of strengthening resilience factors for African American youth, especially those who live in low-income communities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Family stress and youth mental health problems: Self-efficacy and future orientation mediation.

This study’s purpose was to examine the relations among future orientation, self-esteem, and later adolescent risk behaviors, and to compare two mediational models involving self-esteem versus future orientation as mediators. An ethnically diverse sample of 12- to 14-year-olds (N = 862, 54% female, 53% ethnic minority) was assessed longitudinally. Correlations supported the hypotheses that future orientation and self-esteem are (a) positively correlated with each other (r > .40) and (b) negatively related to various risky behaviors that were composited into a measure of risk orientation. Controlling for social desirability, self-esteem partially mediated the relation between future orientation and later risk orientation, and future orientation partially mediated the relation between self-esteem and risk orientation. The results shed light on how the concept of possible selves might factor into adolescents’ risk avoidance. In particular, both future orientation and healthy self-esteem may serve as protecti...

Self-Esteem and Future Orientation Predict Adolescents' Risk Engagement.

Quality of life and independent living and working levels of farmers and ranchers with disabilities.

Disability rates resulting from work-related injuries remain steadily high among farmers and ranchers. To address the gap in services within this population, USDA implemented AgrAbility nationally. Using part of Bennett's hierarchical model, the current study evaluated the KASA and practice change levels of 401 farmers and ranchers and compared them to the levels of 401 AgrAbility professionals who participated in Colorado AgrAbility Project workshops (1998-2013). Results indicated that although KASA and practice change levels decreased somewhat from immediately following the workshop to follow-up, 90%-98% of participants reported KASA improvements 4 months afterwards. Implications are discussed.

Danielle M. Jackman

Papers

Self-Esteem and Future Orientation Predict Adolescents' Risk Engagement.

Quality of life and independent living and working levels of farmers and ranchers with disabilities.

Colorado's AgrAbility Project's Effects on KASA and Practice Changes with Agricultural Producers and Professionals.

Assessing changes in quality of life and independent living and working levels among AgrAbility farmers and ranchers with disabilities