Showing papers on "Peer group published in 1994"
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a study of how students change and develop in college and how colleges can enhance that development based on more than 20,000 students, 25,000 faculty members, and 200 institutions.
Abstract: From the author of Four Critical Years--a book the Journal of Higher Education called the most cited work in higher education literature--What Matters in College? presents the definitive study of how students change and develop in college and how colleges can enhance that development. Based on a study of more than 20,000 students, 25,000 faculty members, and 200 institutions, the book shows how academic programs, faculty, student peer groups, and other variables affect students' college experiences.
4,462 citations
TL;DR: It is suggested that part of the effect of socioeconomic status on children's aggressive development may be mediated by status-related socializing experiences.
Abstract: The goal was to examine processes in socialization that might account for an observed relation between early socioeconomic status and later child behavior problems. A representative sample of 585 children (n = 51 from the lowest socioeconomic class) was followed from preschool to grade 3. Socioeconomic status assessed in preschool significantly predicted teacher-rated externalizing problems and peer-rated aggressive behavior in kindergarten and grades 1, 2, and 3. Socioeconomic status was significantly negatively correlated with 8 factors in the child's socialization and social context, including harsh discipline, lack of maternal warmth, exposure to aggressive adult models, maternal aggressive values, family life stressors, mother's lack of social support, peer group instability, and lack of cognitive stimulation. These factors, in turn, significantly predicted teacher-rated externalizing problems and peer-nominated aggression and accounted for over half of the total effect of socioeconomic status on these outcomes. These findings suggest that part of the effect of socioeconomic status on children's aggressive development may be mediated by status-related socializing experiences.
1,103 citations
TL;DR: Poorly monitored adolescents are more likely to use drugs, and drug-using adolescents seek out like-minded friends, once an adolescent associates with drug- using peers, his or her own substance use approaches their level.
Abstract: Objective. To examine the joint influences of parental monitoring and peer influence on adolescent substance use over time. Subjects. 6500 adolescents attending six high schools in Wisconsin and northern California. Design. Longitudinal study. Results. Parental monitoring was negatively associated with substance use, whereas the more involved an adolescent9s peers were in substance use, the more likely he or she also was to use drugs and alcohol. Effects of monitoring and peer coercion were strongest for boys and girls at the transition into substance use, rather than at the transition from experimentation to regular use. The effect of parental monitoring on changes in adolescent substance use is mediated not so much by the nature of the adolescent9s peer associates, but by its direct effect on the adolescent. Specifically, poorly monitored adolescents are more likely to use drugs, and drug-using adolescents seek out like-minded friends. Once an adolescent associates with drug-using peers, his or her own substance use approaches their level. Conclusions. Intervention efforts should include both parents and community-level efforts. Parental monitoring is an effective tool both in the prevention of drug use and in the amelioration of drug use.
571 citations
TL;DR: Social network analysis was used to identify peer groups (cliques), clique liaisons, and isolates among adolescents in 5 schools at 2 data collection rounds and suggested the importance of using social network analysis in studies of peer group influence and selection.
Abstract: Understanding the homogeneity of peer groups requires identification of peer groups and consideration of influence and selection processes. Few studies have identified adolescent peer groups, however, or examined how they become homogeneous. This study used social network analysis to identify peer groups (cliques), clique liaisons, and isolates among adolescents in 5 schools at 2 data collection rounds (N = 926). Cigarette smoking was the behavior of interest. Influence and selection contributed about equally to peer group smoking homogeneity. Most smokers were not peer group members, however, and selection provided more of an explanation than influence for why isolates smoke. The results suggest the importance of using social network analysis in studies of peer group influence and selection.
560 citations
TL;DR: It is shown that friends' smoking affects adolescent initiation into smoking both directly and indirectly, whereas parental smoking influences smoking initiation only indirectly, and there are some significant differences in the pathways of friends' influences among the four groups.
Abstract: Smoking-related behaviors and attitudes of significant others (especially friends and parents) are among the most consistent predictors of adolescent smoking. However, theorists remain divided on whether the behaviors of significant others influence adolescent smoking directly or indirectly, and the relative influence of parental and peer smoking on adolescents' own smoking is still a matter of debate. In addition, little research has examined the role of significant others' behavior on different stages of smoking onset. In particular, not much information is available regarding gender and ethnic differences in social influences on smoking behavior. We use structural equation modeling to address these issues. Different theoretical perspectives from cognitive-affective theories (Ajzen 1985; Ajzen and Fishbein 1980) and social learning theories (Akers et al. 1979; Bandura 1969, 1982, 1986) have been integrated into a structural model of smoking influence. The results show that friends' smoking affects adolescent initiation into smoking both directly and indirectly, whereas parental smoking influences smoking initiation only indirectly. The data also show that friends' and parents' smoking affect smoking escalation only indirectly. In general, friends' smoking has a stronger effect on adolescents' smoking behavior, particularly on initiation. Multiple group comparisons of the structural models predicting smoking initiation among males and females reveal that parental approval of smoking plays a significant mediating role for females, but not for males. Comparisons of Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, and other ethnic groups reveal that there are some significant differences in the pathways of friends' influences among the four groups.
455 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors employ a cumulative risk approach and use Bronfenbrenner's (1979, 1989) ecological perspective as a framework for organizing the risk factors that are examined.
Abstract: Understanding the factors that influence an adolescent's decision to have sexual intercourse has important implications for theory, policy and practice. Because sexual intercourse is the single most important determinant of pregnancy, a fuller understanding of the factors related to heterosexual sexual activity is central to addressing the issue of teenage pregnancy. In addition, the current AIDS epidemic, along with the proliferation of other diseases that can be transmitted through sexual contact, make early sexual intercourse a potentially serious health hazard. Over the past two decades there has been a steady increase in the number of teenagers who are sexually active (Moore, 1992). In 1988, 52% of females aged from 15 to 19 had had premarital sexual intercourse, compared to only 29% in 1970. The birth rate among 15- to 17-year-old teens increased by 19% from 1986 to 1989. In addition, of the 12 million cases of sexually transmitted diseases that are estimated to occur annually, adolescents account for one quarter of those infected (Moore, 1992). In recent years a growing body of research has reported on the antecedents and correlates of sexual intercourse during the adolescent years. Numerous factors have been identified as being related to heterosexual adolescent sexual activity. They include poor school performance and low educational aspirations, alcohol and marijuana use, early pubertal development, low SES, living in a single-parent family, low religiosity, frequent dating with the same partner, and having a mother who was an early childbearer (Brooks-Gunn & Furstenberg, 1989; Flick, 1986; Hayes, 1987). Other factors that have been less extensively studied but have been linked to early sexual activity are a history of sexual abuse (Butler & Burton, 1990), a lack of positive experiences in school (Quinton & Rutter, 1988), poor neighborhood characteristics (Moore, Peterson, & Furstenberg, 1986), and a perception of poor employment prospects (Dash, 1989). The relationship between some variables and early heterosexual sexual activity remains ambiguous. For example, parental supervision was associated with less sexual activity in one study (Hogan & Kitagawa, 1984) but was unrelated in others (Inazu & Fox, 1980; Newcomer & Udry, 1983). Likewise, evidence regarding the degree to which peers influence sexual behavior is unclear (Hayes, 1987). There is some evidence that suggests that teens are more likely to be sexually active if they perceive that many of their peers are also sexually active (Flick, 1986). While there have been many studies that have examined disparate factors related to early sexual activity, fewer studies have integrated these multiple factors into a unified understanding of the causes and correlates of adolescent sexual intercourse. Exceptions to this include the work of Day (1992) and Udry and Billy (1987). In contrast to these past multivariate studies, the present investigation employs a cumulative risk approach and uses Bronfenbrenner's (1979, 1989) ecological perspective as a framework for organizing the risk factors that are examined. Borrowing from the field of epidemiology, a number of behavioral scientists have begun to employ a risk factor approach to the study of such diverse social problems as drug use (Newcomb, Maddahian, & Bentler, 1986), psychopathology (Rutter, 1978), and low intellectual achievement (Sameroff, Seifer, Barocas, Zax, & Greenspan, 1987). This approach suggests that there are probably many diverse paths to the development of a particular behavior (Newcomb, Maddahian, & Bentler, 1986) and that efforts to find a single cause may not be useful because most behaviors have multiple causes. Werner and Smith (1982) define risk factors as individual or environmental hazards that increase an individual's vulnerability to negative developmental outcomes. The presence of risk factors does not guarantee a negative outcome will occur, but simply increases the probability of its occurrence. …
443 citations
TL;DR: Examination of the effects of classwide peer tutoring relative to traditional reading instruction on reading skills and social interaction time for 3 high-functioning students with autism and their typical peers in integrated, general education classrooms demonstrated that classwidepeer tutoring increased reading fluency and correct responses to reading comprehension questions for students with Autism and their peers.
Abstract: A multiple baseline design across subjects with a reversal was used to examine the effects of classwide peer tutoring relative to traditional reading instruction on reading skills and social interaction time for 3 high-functioning students with autism and their typical peers in integrated, general education classrooms. Traditional reading instruction consisted largely of teacher-led instruction with individual student participation and seat work. Classwide peer tutoring consisted of 25 to 30 min of well-specified instruction in which tutor-learner pairs worked together on a classwide basis on reading fluency and comprehension skills. All students participated in 15- to 20-min unstructured free-time activities immediately following reading instruction. Results of reading assessments demonstrated that classwide peer tutoring increased reading fluency and correct responses to reading comprehension questions for students with autism and their peers. The procedure further increased the total duration of free-time social interactions for students with autism and typical peers, with individual variation in performance.
343 citations
TL;DR: Although children's knowledge about the hazards of sex increased with age, their sexual activity also increased, and the perceived behavior of friends was associated with the rate at which sexual activity progressed with age and the degree to which condom use was maintained with age.
Abstract: OBJECTIVES. Adolescents are increasingly at risk for infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and other sexually transmitted diseases, especially in poor urban minority communities. To aid the design of interventions in these communities, this study investigated the role of knowledge, attitudes, perceived parental monitoring, and peer behavior in the onset and progression of sexual behavior in children at risk for exposure to HIV. METHODS. A computerized personal interview was administered to 300 African-American 9- to 15-year-old children living in six public housing developments in a large US city. RESULTS. Although children's knowledge about the hazards of sex increased with age, their sexual activity also increased (from 12% sexually experienced at 9 years of age to more than 80% experienced at 15 years of age). Parental monitoring appeared able to influence sexual activity. However, the perceived behavior of friends was associated with the rate at which sexual activity progressed with age an...
331 citations
TL;DR: The PPVT-R, a receptive measure of single-word vocabulary, was found to be the best predictor of peer popularity and was discussed in terms of a social consequences account of language limitations.
Abstract: Recent research suggests that children’s linguistic competence may play a central role in establishing social acceptance. That possibility was evaluated by examining children’s peer relationships i...
313 citations
TL;DR: This article investigated the impact of peer responses on subsequent revisions, comparing comments from the teacher with other sources, and found that the students who made the greatest number of changes made predominantly more text-based changes.
311 citations
TL;DR: Testing the hypotheses that children's behavioral competence is a function of patterns of social information processing and the relation between processing and behavior is stronger within than across domains supported hypotheses, with the magnitude of relations being modest.
Abstract: This article tested the hypotheses that (1) children's behavioral competence is a function of patterns of social information processing; (2) processing correlates of behavior occur at each of 5 steps of processing within each of 3 social situations; (3) measures at each step uniquely increment each other in predicting behavior; (4) the relation between processing and behavior is stronger within than across domains; and (5) processing patterns are more sophisticated among older than younger children and the processing-behavior relation is stronger among older than younger children. Videorecorded stimuli were used to assess processing patterns (encoding, interpretational errors and bias, response generation, response evaluation, and enactment skill) in 3 domains (peer group entry, response to provocation, and response to authority directive) in 259 first-, second-, and third-grade boys and girls (ages 6-9 years). Ratings of behavioral competence in each domain were made by peers and teachers. Findings generally supported hypotheses, with the magnitude of relations being modest.
TL;DR: This study supports a model of adolescents' risky sexual behavior in which this behavior is seen as a product of the same peer and family factors which influence a wide range of problem behaviors.
Abstract: This study supports a model of adolescents' risky sexual behavior in which this behavior is seen as a product of the same peer and family factors which influence a wide range of problem behaviors. The Patterson et al. (1992) model of peer and parental factors associated with adolescents' sexual risk-taking behavior was tested on three independent samples of adolescents, ages 14 through 18. Adolescents whose peers were reported to engage in diverse problem behaviors were more likely to engage in risky sexual behavior. Poor parental monitoring and parent-child coercive interactions were associated having deviant peers, and poor parental monitoring also had a direct relationship to risky sexual behavior. Family involvement was associated with fewer parent-child coercive interactions. Less availability of parental figures in the family was directly associated with risky sexual behavior and was also associated with poorer parental monitoring.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: The findings indicated that victimisation was associated with fear of negative evaluation amongst males and females and social avoidance amongst females.
Abstract: InStudy One the nature of peer bullying among 353 Australian primary school children from years three to seven was studied with a view to understanding the anxiety generated by victimisation. Over one-third of the sample reported feeling unsafe from bullying at school and over half of the sample believed that the reason children did not ask for help from bullying was that they were too afraid. InStudy Two 114 primary school students from a second school were assessed for social-evaluative anxiety associated with peer victimisation at school. The findings indicated that victimisation was associated with fear of negative evaluation amongst males and females and social avoidance amongst females.
TL;DR: Results indicated that teenagers may view smoking as a vehicle for entering a desired friendship group and ways that prevention programs might address this mechanism for adolescent smoking initiation are suggested.
Abstract: In this study, the authors compared group members' and group outsiders' susceptibility to the influence of their friends' smoking. Ss were nonsmokers in Grade 7 who were observed for 1 year. Consistent with their hypothesis, the authors found that group outsiders (Ss who did not have reciprocal friends) were affected more by the smoking of their best friend and by the overall level of smoking among their friends than group members were. Furthermore, this peer influence was strongest for teens who were very concerned about their friends' reactions to their substance use. In addition, consistency in smoking status was related to the formation, but not the breakdown, of reciprocal friendships. Results indicated that teenagers may view smoking as a vehicle for entering a desired friendship group. The authors suggest ways that prevention programs might address this mechanism for adolescent smoking initiation.
TL;DR: Results suggested a common trajectory existed across the 8 years represented by the cohort-sequential analysis, with alcohol use increasing more rapidly during the adolescents' transition to high school.
Abstract: This article demonstrates a latent growth curve methodology for analyzing longitudinal data for adolescent alcohol use by combining information from different overlapping age cohorts to form a single developmental trajectory. Hypotheses concerning the form of growth in alcohol use, the extent of individual differences in the common trajectory over time, and covariates influencing both initial status and the form of growth were tested. Utilizing five separate age cohorts each measured over the same 4-year period, results suggested a common trajectory existed across the 8 years represented by the cohort-sequential analysis, with alcohol use increasing more rapidly during the adolescents' transition to high school. Family cohesion and peer encouragement for alcohol use were hypothesized to influence both initial status and the trajectory of alcohol consumption during adolescence. While family cohesion served to suppress initial levels of consumption delaying the upward trajectory of alcohol use, peer encouragement was related not only to initial, and elevated, levels of use, but was predictive of those changes that occurred during adolescence. Discussion involves the importance of family and peer influences in the development of adolescent alcohol use and the utility of the cohort-sequential approach in the analysis of longitudinal data.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: For instance, this article found that both peer social status and friendship contribute uniquely to children's socio-emotional adjustment, academic competence, and self-concept, and argued for the functional importance of both types of peer relationships for school-aged children.
Abstract: Peer social status, friendships, and adjustment were measured for 326 school-aged children (M age = 8 years, 8 months). Although status and friendship were related, they were not redundant. Some rejected and neglected children had friends; and some popular and average children did not have friends. Both peer social status and friendship were found to contribute uniquely to children's socio-emotional adjustment, academic competence, and self-concept. These results argue for the functional importance of both types of peer relationships for school-aged children
TL;DR: It is suggested that peer counselors, well-trained, and with on-going supervision, can have a positive effect on breastfeeding practices among low-income urban women who intend to breastfeed.
Abstract: This study examined the effect of support from trained peer counselors on breastfeeding initiation, duration, and exclusivity among low-income urban women. Training of counselors, under the supervision of a registered nurse certified in lactation, adapted education techniques from Paulo Freire to provide information about lactation management and other health care issues. The study compared infant feeding practices of women who planned to breastfeed and received support from counselors (counselor group, N = 59) to women who requested counselors but, owing to inadequate numbers of trained counselors, did not have a counselor (No-counselor group, N = 43). Women in the counselor group had significantly greater (p < .05) breastfeeding initiation (93 percent vs. 70 percent), exclusivity (77 percent vs. 40 percent), and duration (mean of 15 weeks vs. mean of 8 weeks) than women in the no-counselor group. The findings suggest that peer counselors, well-trained, and with on-going supervision, can have a positive effect on breastfeeding practices among low-income urban women who intend to breastfeed.
TL;DR: Although the program was equally sucessful with students from a wide range of sociodemographic backgrounds, links of program factors to site-level outcomes were found only for middle school but not high school sites, and implications for the development of programmatic interventions targeted at adolescents are discussed.
Abstract: Explored the mechanisms by which a well-validated intervention to prevent school failure, suspension, and teenage pregnancy produces its effects, using site-level data from 66 sites involving over 1,000 students participating in national replication of the Teen Outreach Program. Multiple informants provided data on operating characteristics of each site. These were then used to explain differences across sites in levels of success in reducing youth problem behaviors using a pre-post design and a well-matched comparison group. In accord with predictions from developmental theory, middle school sites that promoted student autonomy and relatedness with peers and with site facilitators achieved significantly greater levels of success in reducing problem behaviors. Offering volunteer experiences perceived as teaching middle school students new skills and leaving them real choices about the type of work they did was also linked to program success. Although the program was equally sucessful with students from a wide range of sociodemographic backgrounds, links of program factors to site-level outcomes were found only for middle school but not high school sites. Implications of these findings for the development of programmatic interventions targeted at adolescents are discussed.
TL;DR: The authors examined the role of self-esteem and peer group membership in risk behavior among 183 8th graders in a multiethnic school and found that domain-specific rather than global selfesteem would be associated with "crowd" membership that in turn would be related to risk behavior.
Abstract: This study examined the role of self-esteem and peer group membership in risk behavior among 183 8th graders in a multiethnic school. The hypothesis was that domain-specific rather than global self-esteem would be associated with "crowd" membership that in turn would be related to risk behavior. Data were gathered through informant interviews and individual surveys. Domain-specific self-esteem was related to crowd affiliation as well as to alcohol and cigarette use; global self-esteem was not related. Crowd affiliation related to alcohol use and sexual behavior after controlling for the effects of demographic and self-esteem variables, but crowd membership did not fully mediate the relationship between self-esteem and risk behavior. Availability of alcohol and cigarettes mediated the relationship between crowd affiliation and use of these substances. Findings support growing evidence that multiple adolescent peer groups exist and that group membership is closely tied to behavior. Language: en
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the factor structure of the peer self-concept and its associations with structural and qualitative features of peer experiences in 1,627 male and female adolescents, enrolled in Grades 9 to 12.
Abstract: In this study, we examined the factor structure of the peer self-concept and its associations with structural and qualitative features of peer experiences in 1,627 male and female adolescents, enrolled in Grades 9 to 12. Confirmatory factor analysis supported a three-factor model that differentiated the peer self-concept vis-a-vis the peer group, close friendships, and romantic relationships. Results were consistent across grade and gender. Regression analyses indicated that each domain of the peer self-concept was differentially associated with those features of peer experience most relevant to their formation. When considered jointly, both peer network structure and friendship quality were significant predictors of peer self-concept. The results are discussed in terms of adolescents' self-concept and the nature of their interpersonal relationships.
TL;DR: Students who participated in suicide intervention classes showed significant gains in relevant knowledge about suicidal peers and significantly more positive attitudes toward help seeking and intervening with troubled peers.
Abstract: This study employed a self-report questionnaire in a Solomon four-groups design to assess the efficacy of suicide intervention classes in achieving their instructional objectives. Because adolescents are often the first to know of a peer's suicidal thoughts or plans, the goal of the classes was to increase the likelihood that students who come into contact with potentially suicidal peers can more readily identify them and will be consistently inclined to take responsible action on their behalf. Students who participated in the classes as compared to controls showed significant gains in relevant knowledge about suicidal peers and significantly more positive attitudes toward help seeking and intervening with troubled peers. Results of this study will be used to strengthen components of the lessons aimed at enhancing the likelihood of performance of responsible interventions.
TL;DR: It is suggested that violence prevention programs set in elementary and middle schools may reduce aggression and fighting among the authors' youth.
Abstract: OBJECTIVES. This study examined the extent to which individual and family factors are associated with aggression and fighting behavior among African-American middle school adolescents. METHODS. Four hundred thirty-six African-American boys and girls from two middle schools in a predominantly low-income North Carolina school system were surveyed and their school records examined. Information was collected concerning students' aggression levels, school fighting behavior, school suspensions for fighting, attitudes toward violence, perceptions of their families' attitudes toward violence, weapon-carrying behavior, and sociodemographics. Multivariate analyses were employed to predict the students' aggression levels, fighting behavior, and school suspensions. RESULTS. Factors related to the individual adolescents, such as gender, age, weapon-carrying behavior, and attitudes toward violence, were associated with students' reports of aggression and fighting behavior. Factors related to family and school were associated with school suspension for fighting. CONCLUSIONS. This study suggests that violence prevention programs set in our elementary and middle schools may reduce aggression and fighting among our youth. School teachers and public health practitioners are encouraged to work together in understanding and preventing adolescent violence. VioLit summary: OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study by Cotten et al. was to examine the extent to which individual and family factors were related to aggression and fighting behavior among African-American middle school adolescents. METHODOLOGY: A quasi-experimental design was employed. The unit of analysis was black adolescent males from the ages of 11-15. The sampling frame was two middle schools in predominately low income areas in North Carolina where 97% of the students were African-American. A total of 447 adolescents, all of whom received parental consent to participate in the study, were present the day the survey was administered, and filled out the questionnaire. Competed variable information decreased the sample size to 436 students, 222 of whom were female (51%), and 214 were male (49%). The questionnaires were administered by African American college students and confidentiality was ensured. The questionnaire included an aggression scale which listed 12 aggressive behaviors (e.g., threatening peers, destroying property) to which the respondents felt it was "never," "sometimes," or "often" characteristic of them. Items were summed to create an aggression score where the higher the score the more severe the aggression. The scale was tested for internal consistency and achieved a Cronbach's alpha of .75, and a test-retest reliability over a three month period of .60 was achieved. The respondents were also asked about their participation in fights at school. They were asked one question, "While you were at school, has anyone ever attacked or fought with you?" This question was adapted from the Youth Health Risk Behavior Survey. Attitudes toward interpersonal violence were also assessed with a scale developed by the Education and Development Center of Massachusetts. The scale included 15 statements that expressed either a nonviolent or violent orientation to which the respondent indicated that they "disagree a lot" or "agree a lot" (it was based on a 4 point scale where a 1 was received for the former response and a 4 for the latter response). This scale achieved a Cronbach's alpha of .73, and a test-retest reliability score of .59 over a 3 month period. The same response scale was used for the assessment of the student's perceptions of their families' views toward violence, only five items were included. A cronbach's alpha of .55 and a test-retest reliability score of .55 over a three month period was achieved. Students were also asked about their weapon carrying behavior, such as whether they had ever brought weapon (e.g., gun, knife, club) to school to protect themselves. School records were also reviewed to determine whether the students had been suspended from school for physically fighting within the last year. Lastly, poverty was assessed based on enrollment in the school free lunch program which indicated that a family of four had a monthly income of less than $1,452. The study utilized multiple regression, logistical regression, and odds ratio methods of analysis. The authors noted that their study should be viewed with caution based on three limitations. First, self-report data is liable to self-report biases. Second, students perceptions of their families' attitudes may not be reflective of the views the families actually hold. Lastly, accuracy in detecting those who were impoverished may have been biased because there may have been a difference between those who were eligible for the free lunch program and those who were actually enrolled in the program. FINDINGS/DISCUSSION: The findings suggested that age, gender, weapon-carrying behavior, and attitudes toward violence were associated with students reports of aggression, and fighting behavior. Factors associated with family and school were associated with school suspension for fighting. Specifically, the linear regression results found significant positive correlations between the students' reports of aggression and their attitudes toward violence, age, and weapon carrying behavior. That is, students with violent attitudes reported more aggressive behavior, older students were more aggressive than younger students, and students who carried weapons to school scored significantly higher on the aggression scale. Family related factors were not significant predictors of student aggression. The logistical regression results showed that age, gender, and student attitudes toward violence were significant predictors of fighting in school. Specifically, older students reported more fighting than younger students, girls were less likely to fight than boys, and students who had more violent attitudes were more likely to report fighting. Family related factors were not significant predictors of student fighting. However, school records of suspension for fighting were associated with individual, school, and family factors. That is, older students were more likely to have been suspended from school for fighting than younger students, suspension varied by school with the students in school B being less likely to be suspended than the students in school A, and students of impoverished families were more likely to receive suspensions for fighting in school than students whose families were not impoverished. The discrepancy between school suspensions was noted to have been possibly due to a difference in school discipline policies which resulted in higher proportions of suspensions for students in one school than the other. AUTHORS' RECOMMENDATIONS: The authors noted that the findings suggested that violence prevention programs which encourage non-violent attitudes, teach non-aggressive conflict resolution skills and are set in elementary and middle schools may be useful in the prevention of aggression and fighting among youth. (CSPV Abstract - Copyright © 1992-2007 by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, Regents of the University of Colorado) North Carolina Violence Causes African American Aggression African American Behavior African American Violence African American Child African American Juvenile African American Offender Juvenile Behavior Juvenile Problem Behavior Juvenile Aggression Juvenile Offender Juvenile Violence Physical Assault Causes Physical Assault Offender Child Aggression Child Offender Child Behavior Child Problem Behavior Child Offender Child Violence Aggression Causes Behavior Causes Family Relations Family Environment Offender Characteristics Juvenile Male Male Offender Male Violence African American Male Child Male Male Behavior Male Aggression Junior High School Student Family Risk Factors Individual Risk Factors Late Childhood Early Adolescence Fighting Behavior Child Delinquency Child Crime Juvenile Crime Juvenile Delinquency African American Crime African American Delinquency Delinquency Causes Delinquency Risk Factors Crime Causes Crime Risk Factors Behavior Risk Factors Violence Risk Factors
TL;DR: There is an emergent pattern of class based differences in adolescent smoking behaviour, as young people make the transition towards adulthood, according to the social class of the family in middle and later adolescence.
TL;DR: Analysis of data from high school students in the Boston area suggests a process through which chronic family turmoil shapes long-term mental health while also intensifying the distancing from family and investment in peer relationships that typically occurs in adolescence.
Abstract: This article examines the interrelations of personal and social factors in fostering longitudinal patterns of depressive symptoms, using 3 waves of data from high school students in the Boston area. Previously depressed and nondepressed youths differed markedly in their emotional responsiveness to family and friend relations. Chronically depressed youths were unresponsive to family problems, but were highly reactive to peer relations. Among previously asymptomatic youths, family relations exerted greater effects on depressed mood than relations with peers. Further analyses suggest a process through which chronic family turmoil shapes long-term mental health while also intensifying the distancing from family and investment in peer relationships that typically occurs in adolescence. Findings illustrate the importance of modeling transactions between personal and environmental factors in research on adolescent mental health and development.
Book•
01 Jan 1994
TL;DR: This paper examined both the possible developmental precursors and consequences of gender segregation, implicating social, emotional, physiological, and cognitive factors in the emergence and maintenance of individuals' preferences for same-sex peer groups.
Abstract: At around three years of age, children begin to show a preference for same-sex peer affiliations. This gender segregation occurs in all cultures where children's social groups are large enough to allow choice, and it appears to have important influences on children's development. Different peer group environments may lead to the development of different psychological preferences and skills. They may also foster later gender differences in academic achievement and intimacy. The contributors to this volume of "New Directions for Child Development" examine both the possible developmental precursors and consequences of gender segregation, implicating social, emotional, physiological, and cognitive factors in the emergence and maintenance of individuals' preferences for same-sex peer groups. This is the 65th issue of the journal series "New Directions for Child Development".
TL;DR: The moderator model suggested that father or equivalent absence magnifies the negative impact of peer problem behavior, while a positive mother-adolescent relationship attenuates this risk and served to protect adolescents in father-absent homes from the risk ofpeer problem behavior.
Abstract: Examined the effect of peer problem behavior, the absence of a father or equivalent in the home, and the mother-adolescent relationship as predictors of adolescent problem behavior in a sample of 112 African American adolescents. Statistical analyses compared a moderator model to a mediational model and a cumulative risk model. As predicted, the moderator model was superior to the alternative models. Specifically, whereas the mediational model predicted that the effect of father absence and the mother-child relationship upon adolescent problem behavior would be mediated by peer problem behavior, neither effected peer problem behavior or adolescent problem behavior. Similarly, a cumulative risk index did not predict either child or parent reports of problem behavior and was not sensitive to specific contingencies that existed between the predictor variables. In contrast, an interactive, moderator model described the data quite well. This model suggested that father or equivalent absence magnifies the negative impact of peer problem behavior, while a positive mother-adolescent relationship attenuates this risk. A strong mother-adolescent relationship also served to protect adolescents in father-absent homes from the risk of peer problem behavior.
TL;DR: This report analyzes friendship patterns of individuals 85 and older, 77% of whom are women, and describes how the constraints and facilitators lead to changing criteria for friendships in late late life.
Abstract: This report analyzes friendship patterns of individuals 85 and older, 77% of whom are women. Despite high levels of disability and the loss of age peers, the majority were in frequent contact with friends and still had a close friend. Over 31 months, however, the predictors of friendship involvement changed. At Time 1, mood was most important, but by Time 3, increased disability was most important. Qualitative data describe how the constraints and facilitators lead to changing criteria for friendships in late late life.
TL;DR: Path analysis revealed that adolescents' internalization of parental and peer pressures is a stronger predictor of substance use than are direct effects.
Abstract: Five hundred and seven 14-to-16-year-old students gave self-report responses to a substance use questionnaire. The questionnaire assessed adolescents' use, preferences, and norms and also their perceptions of their parents' and peers' use and norms in relation to alcohol, tobacco, and tea/coffee. Path analysis revealed that adolescents' internalization of parental and peer pressures is a stronger predictor of substance use than are direct effects. Internalized effects occur by means of preferences rather than norms, and peer pressure is predominantly through modeling behavior, whereas parental influence is through perceived normative standards. Peers' influence is stronger in relation to tobacco use, parental influence is stronger in relation to tea/coffee use, and both are equally important in relation to alcohol use. These findings are discussed in relation to preventive strategies.