Showing papers in "Youth & Society in 2005"

Identity and Agency in Emerging Adulthood: Two Developmental Routes in the Individualization Process.

Abstract: The study of emerging adulthood—the prolonged transition to adulthood extending into the 20s—is a rapidly growing area of research. Although identity issues are prominent during this period, the role of personal agency and individualization in the identity formation process during these years is not well understood. This study examines three psychological aspects of identity formation (style, status, and process) in relation to personal agency associated with the individualization process. Structural equation modeling analyses suggest that higher levels of agency are positively related to exploration and flexible commitment, unrelated to conformity, and negatively related to avoidance. Cluster analysis was used to examine and support a theorized polarity between developmental and default forms of individualization. Replicated across three U.S. ethnic groups, the results suggest that emerging adults utilize agentic capacities to varying degrees, and that the degree of agency utilized is directly related to...

Adolescent Peer Networks as a Context for Social and Emotional Support

Abstract: The findings reported here emerged from a larger study of the social support networks and help-seeking experiences of low-income, Mexican-origin adolescents in San Diego, California. This larger st...

The Influence of Delinquent Peers on Delinquency: Does Gender Matter?.

Abstract: Research indicates that gender is one of the strongest correlates of juvenile delinquency. Additionally, a growing body of literature suggests that the association with delinquent peers is an important predictor of delinquent behavior. Although a few studies have examined how delinquent peers condition the gender-delinquency relationship, the authors extend this body of literature by using longitudinal data from a sample of adolescents to explore the extent to which internal and external constraints condition the relationship between gender, delinquent peers, and delinquent behavior. Findings indicate that delinquent peer association is an important predictor of delinquency generally, but the effect varies across gender. Specifically, delinquent peer associations are a better predictor of delinquency among boys compared to girls. In addition, the effect of delinquent peers on delinquency varies according to the level of internal and external constraints. Future research directions for unraveling the role ...

Rave and Straightedge, the Virtual and the Real Exploring Online and Offline Experiences in Canadian Youth Subcultures

Abstract: Over the past 10 years, sociologists have attended to the impacts of the Internet on youth subcultural coalescence, display, identity, and resistance In this article, the authors develop a critique of this body of work, describing how existing research places undue emphasis on young people’s experiences either online or offline and how a lack of consideration has been given to the ways that subcultural expressions are continuous across the apparent “virtual-real” divide With the aim of addressing some of these concerns, the authors draw on ethnographic case studies of “Rave” and “Straightedge” to explore the impact of the two realities (ie, online and offline realities) on understandings of subcultural experience in these youth formations and articulate how the theoretical split between the virtual and real in cyber-subcultural research does not accurately capture the lived experiences or identity negotiations of these youth

The Robustness of Self-Control in Relation to Form of Delinquency:

Abstract: This study of a statewide, stratified random sample of 3,335 public high school students is designed to examine the robustness of self-control in predicting alcohol consumption, other drug use, cri...

Moving into Motherhood: Gang Girls and Controlled Risk.

Abstract: A growing body of research challenges the popular characterization that young mothers are bad mothers. This article focuses on a group of girls and young women who were pregnant or mothers and who were engaged in a risky lifestyle through their heavy involvement in gangs, partying, and drinking. The authors examine the impact of the process of motherhood at its different stages (from pregnancy to parenthood) on both the “homegirls’” involvement and membership in the gang and their alcohol consumption. The authors consider the extent to which different stages of motherhood influence a homegirl’s overall alcohol consumption and drinking practices both within and outside of the gang. The analysis draws from the qualitative and quantitative data of an ongoing comparative study on ethnic youth gangs in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Urban Teenagers Work and Dropout

Abstract: This article explores how employment affects the likelihood of dropout among high school students in Baltimore, a high-poverty city with a high dropout rate. Among 15-year-olds, those with teen jobs (e.g., lawn mowing, babysitting, etc.) were less than one third as likely to drop out as those who took adult-type jobs (manufacturing or business). This pattern reversed at age 16, however, because, at that age, holding an adult-type job as compared to a teen job reduced dropout risk. Patterns of work, for those older than ages 15 and 16, also affected dropout risk. Students who had been retained, but who made an orderly transition into work, were less likely to drop out than retained students who made a disorderly transition.

Community Opportunity, Perceptions of Opportunity, and the Odds of an Adolescent Birth

Abstract: The ability of the opportunity cost framework to predict the risk of a teen birth is tested by analyzing the relationship between adolescents’ perceptions of opportunity and the odds of a teen birth across levels of community opportunity. Patterns of this relationship are compared across African American, Latina, and White teens and across socioeconomic status (SES) level. High educational expectations protect Whites, Latinas, and low-SES teens from low-opportunity communities from a teen birth.

Female Adolescents’ Delinquent Activity: The Intersection of Bonds to Parents and Reputation Enhancement

Abstract: According to the reputation enhancement theory, social bonds influence adolescents’ delinquent activity indirectly through the reputations they select. Findings from the current study of a school-b...

The Relationship between Social Capital and Corporal Punishment in Schools: A Theoretical Inquiry

Abstract: This article explores the relationship between the use of corporal punishment in the public schools and the amount of social capital (i.e., residents’ degree of involvement in community matters) in a state. Existing state-level data regarding social capital and incidents of corporal punishment were utilized. Results show a statistically significant inverse relationship between the amount of social capital and the legality and use of school corporal punishment. Social capital is also related to racial disproportionality in the use of corporal punishment in schools. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

Predictors of the Likelihood of Delinquency: A Study of Marginal Youth in Hong Kong, China

Abstract: Different theories offer different factors, each of which partially explain delinquency in young people. An integrated framework incorporating these theories would provide a more complete explanation. Theories that need to be built into such a framework include social control, social learning, strain, and cognitive development theories. Data were collected from 229 marginal youth recruited through outreaching social work teams in Hong Kong. The results indicate that theories of cognitive development, social control, and social learning are important in predicting the likelihood of delinquency among marginal youth. They highlight the influences of the young people's own theorizing about social problems, attachment to work, moral belief, and friends' approval of delinquency. Moreover, their frustration and perceived social inequality were predictive of a lower likelihood of delinquency. The findings carry implications for the prevention of crime and delinquency.

Race, gender, single-mother households, and delinquency: A further test of power-control theory

Abstract: Using power-control theory as the theoretical framework, the present study examines the gender gap in delinquency for White and African American youth from single-mother households. The research is driven by the need to focus more attention on understanding how delinquency theories apply across different racial groups. Results from both bivariate and multivariate analyses indicate that, with few exceptions, there are significant gender gaps in delinquency for both White and African American youth. Therefore, it appears that gender, more than race, influences nonserious delinquency among youth from single-mother families. These findings suggest that further development of power-control theory may lie in rethinking the classification of single-mother households as inherently balanced, or egalitarian, in nature.

Finding Homeless Youth Patterns Based on Geographical Area and Number of Homeless Episodes

Abstract: A census of homeless youth was conducted in locations across Los Angeles County, California. Building on previous research that has focused on homeless youth in cruise areas, the authors examined d...

It’s for the Rest of Your Life The Pragmatics of Youth Career Decision Making

Abstract: Although new understandings of career decision-making processes are emerging, the prevailing rhetoric points to careers imbued with new worker attributes—flexibility, job mobility, and constant ups...

Stress and Coping among Migrant and Local-Born Adolescents in Hong Kong:

Abstract: This study compared stress and coping among 243 migrant and 750 local-born Chinese adolescents in Hong Kong. Findings showed that compared to their local-born counterparts, migrants showed no difference in perceived stress, whereas they were less likely to use withdrawal coping and showed higher self-esteem and less delinquent behavior. Adjustment of migrant adolescents was related to the father’s education level and years of residence in Hong Kong. Research and policy implications were discussed.

Barriers to Antiretroviral Medication Adherence in Young HIV-Infected Children:

Abstract: The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine, from the perspectives of both HIV-infected children and such children's primary guardians, the barriers children face in adhering to combination antiretroviral therapies. Nine HIV-infected young children and 14 guardians of HIV-positive children were interviewed about what the children's lives were like, including the difficulties they faced in adhering to therapy, while taking antiretroviral medications. Results showed that children faced six main barriers to adherence related to (a) family daily routines; (b) medication side effects; (c) medication taste, size, and shape; (d) the stigma of HIV/AIDS; (e) medications as a reminder of HIV/AIDS; and (f) child deception. The findings underscore the difficult nature of the antiretroviral regimens and illuminate the daily obstacles children face in adhering to therapy. Interventions that target children's unique barriers are needed to improve adherence to antiretroviral medication regimens.

Parent-Youth Closeness and Youth's Suicidal Ideation: The Moderating Effects of Gender, Stages of Adolescence, and Race or Ethnicity.

Abstract: Data from a nationally representative sample of adolescents studied at two points in time are used to examine gender-specific influence of parent-youth closeness on youth's suicidal ideation and it...