Maternal influences on youth responses to peer stress.

Understanding how youths develop particular styles of responding to stress is critical for promoting effective coping. This research examined the prospective, interactive contribution of maternal socialization of coping and peer stress to youth responses to peer stress. A sample of 144 early adolescents (mean age = 12.44 years, SD = 1.22) and their maternal caregivers completed questionnaires and semistructured interviews in 2 waves over a 1-year period. Results revealed that mothers' disengagement coping suggestions predicted maladaptive responses to stress, particularly for youths who received low levels of engagement suggestions, and engagement coping suggestions protected youths against maladaptive responses to stress. Importantly, these effects emerged only in the context of heightened peer stress. This research suggests that maternal socialization of coping has the potential to support or undermine youths' development of an effective repertoire of responses to stress. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Suicide among gifted women: A prospective study.

The longitudinal data from the Terman Genetic Studies of Genius (L. M. Terman, 1925; Terman and M. Oden, 1947, 1959) were used to predict suicide in 40 women: 8 suicides, 15 Ss who were matched with the suicides on age of death, and 17 Ss who were still living in 1964. The Terman studies covered 60 yrs and followed 1,528 gifted individuals (IQs over 135) from childhood into the retirement years. Seven variables from the Ss' files were assessed as possible predictors of suicide: S's physical health, early loss of the father, stress in the family of origin, problems with alcohol, and 3 indices of mental health ("signatures" [e.g., suicide attempts, alcohol abuse, depression]; self-reports of temperament; and a cumulative mental health rating developed by Terman). A discriminant function analysis was able to differentiate the women who committed suicide from the 2 control groups. A 7-variable function predicted 100% of the suicides. A 4-variable function predicted 75% of the suicides. It is concluded that suicide risk factors can be identified in women and that certain signatures of suicide are as useful in predicting female suicide as male suicide. (49 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Firearm deaths among children and youth.

Nationally, homicide and suicide are the 2nd and 3rd leading causes of death among children and youth under the age of 21. Sixteen to 19-year-olds now have the highest rate of handgun victimization among all age groups. The firearm suicide rate for White males is over 4 times higher than the rate for African American males, whereas the firearm homicide rate is over 9 times higher for African American males. Almost half of all deaths among African American male teenagers now involve firearms. Multiple steps, both short- and long-term, need to be taken to reduce firearm death rates among children and youth. Some of the possible methods to do so are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Substance abuse among Native-American youth.

Substance use and abuse poses serious risks for American-Indian youth, their families, and their communities. This article briefly reviews the relevant social epidemiological data followed by a discussion of culturally relevant etiological factors. Current strategies for identification of youth at high risk for substance use are highlighted, concentrating primarily on the theoretical and methodological aspects appropriate for this population. In this context, data from recent work are reported. Given the nascent state of culturally appropriate prevention technology, issues of sensitive technology transfer and stereotyping are discussed in the context of current research. Study results from this sample, although dramatic, should not be overgeneralized to all American-Indian youth. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-concept and peer acceptance in students with learning disabilities: A four- to five-year prospective study.

Examined the peer relations and self-concepts of students prior to and following their identification by the school district as learning disabled (LD) in a 4- to 5-yr prospective study. Self-concept ratings (kindergarten–4th grade) and peer acceptance ratings (kindergarten–3rd grade), as well as academic achievement scores, were compared across 3 groups: LD students who were placed in resource special education programs during 2nd grade, low-achieving (LA) students, and average-achieving/high-achieving (AA/HA) students. For peer acceptance, AA/HA students' scores were higher than LA students' scores only. No between-groups differences were obtained during any school year on the self-concept measure. Findings suggest that LD students' self-perceptions are not negatively affected by academic and social difficulties in the early grades or by the identification and labeling process. Though generalization is limited by the small sample size, few studies have examined students with learning disabilities longitudinally or prior to and following their identification. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social relations of gifted children as a function of age and school program.

Examined social and personal concomitants of exceptional academic capability in the context of various educational settings. Students in Grades 5, 8, and 10 participated in the study. At each grade level, there were students in classes for the gifted (self-contained gifted), gifted students in regular classes (integrated gifted), and classmates of the integrated gifted (matched and random controls). Subjects completed self-report scales of social competence and feelings about school. Peer nominations for social competence were also obtained from children in the integrated classes. The integrated gifted children at all three grade levels had higher scores for academic self-concept than the other groups; there were no differences in social or physical self-concept. In Grade 5 only, the integrated gifted were rated by their classmates as higher in social competence than were controls. Although there were no significant differences among groups in terms of attitude toward school, feelings toward school became less positive as age increased. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-verification and depression among youth psychiatric inpatients.

According to self-verification theory (e.g., W.B. Swann, 1983), people are motivated to preserve stable self-concepts by seeking self-confirming interpersonal responses, even if the responses are negative. In the current study of 72 youth psychiatric inpatients (36 boys; 36 girls; ages 7-17, M?=?13.18; SD?=?2.59), the authors provide the 1st test of self-verification theory among a youth sample. Participants completed self-report questionnaires on depression, self-esteem, anxiety, negative and positive affect, and interest in negative feedback from others. The authors made chart diagnoses available, and they collected peer rejection ratings. Consistent with hypotheses, the authors found that interest in negative feedback was associated with depression, was predictive of peer rejection (but only within relatively longer peer relationships), was more highly related to cognitive than emotional aspects of depression, and was specifically associated with depression, rather than being generally associated with emotional distress. The authors discuss implications for self-verification theory and for the phenomenology of youth depression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Intrapersonal and interpersonal risk factors for peer victimization in immigrant youth in Finland.

This study (a) compared native Finns and immigrant children with respect to different forms of peer victimization and (b) tested whether intrapersonal (e.g., depression) and interpersonal (e.g., peer rejection) risk factors help to explain the association between immigrant status and peer victimization. The sample was drawn from the first phase of a large intervention evaluation project, KiVa, in Finland, composed of 4,957 native Finns (51% girls), 146 first-generation immigrants (48% girls), and 310 second-generation immigrants (53% girls) 9 to 12 years of age. The concurrent data included self- and peer reports collected via Internet-based questionnaires. Compared with native youth, first- and second-generation immigrants were more often targets of both peer- and self-reported victimization. Both immigrant groups experienced higher levels of physical, racist, and sexual victimization than natives. Furthermore, second-generation immigrants reported higher levels of property damage, threats, and cybervictimization than native Finns. Significant indirect effects were found between immigrant status and victimization. Interpersonal but not intrapersonal risk factors helped to explain these associations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceptions of peer pressure, peer conformity dispositions, and self-reported behavior among adolescents.

Two samples, consisting of a total of 1,027 6th–12th graders from separate communities, were given measures of peer conformity dispositions (willingness to accede to peer pressure), perceptions of peer pressure, and self-reported frequency of behavior concerning 2 major aspects of teenage life: peer involvement (degree of socializing with friends) and misconduct (drug/alcohol use, sexual intercourse, and minor delinquent behavior). Results indicate that Ss perceived less peer pressure toward misconduct than peer involvement and also were comparatively less willing to follow peers in misconduct. Nevertheless, perceived peer pressure and conformity disposition accounted for more of the variance in self-reported misconduct than in self-reported peer involvement. Age differences were modest and varied among measures and samples. The samples also differed in the magnitude of perceived pressures and conformity dispositions as well as in the degree to which these variables were associated with self-reported behavior. It is concluded that the findings reveal a complexity in adolescent conformity that bears elaboration in future research. (31 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality and status profiles of peer counselors and suicide attempters.

3 groups of 20 female college students-peer counselors, suicide attempters, and a control group of nonsuicidal Ss-were compared for personality characteristics and family background, using the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule and a questionnaire. The control group consisted of Ss who thought about suicide frequently, but had never attempted it (high thinkers) and Ss who thought about suicide infrequently or not at all (low thinkers). The peer counselors presented a personality profile similar to high thinkers or attempters, but they thought about suicide infrequently, and unlike the attempters, they had more stable family backgrounds and showed more adaptive modes on the behavioral items measured. Peer counselors are therefore regarded as especially effective helpers for suicide attempters. (34 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Completed suicide in the gifted: A late comment on "Suicide among gifted women."

A recent study by C. Tomlinson-Keasey et al (see record 1986-24809-001) found differences between completed suicides in L. M. Terman's sample of gifted children and comparison Ss. The present article suggests that the differences identified in Tomlinson-Keasey et al may have been confounded by the fact that completed suicides are typically found to have higher levels of psychiatric disturbance than nonsuicides. Data are presented to illustrate that when the completed suicides in Terman's sample are matched for psychiatric disturbance with the comparison Ss, few differences are found. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Increasing peer praise of socially rejected delinquent youth: Effects on cooperation and acceptance.

This study assessed the effects of positive peer reporting (PPR) on the cooperative behaviors and peer acceptance of 3 socially rejected, delinquent youths (2 males and 1 female) in residential care. PPR involved rewarding classroom peers with token points for publicly praising the social behavior of target students. A nonconcurrent multiple baseline was used to assess the effects of the procedure. Results indicated that PPR increased the use of cooperative statements made to peers. For all 3 students, PPR also led to increases in their peer status. Social validity measures indicated high treatment acceptability and a match between the amount of cooperative behavior emitted by participants and randomly selected classmates. Findings support the use of peers as sources of reinforcement for a rejected youth's prosocial behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parents matter in HIV-risk among probation youth.

We investigated the relationship between parenting practices (i.e., parental monitoring, parent permissiveness, and parent-teen communication), and probation youth's HIV-related sexual risk behavior (i.e., ever having sex, condom use, alcohol and marijuana use before sex). Participants were 61 male and female juvenile offenders, ages 13?17, on probation and awaiting sentencing. Results indicated different relationships between parenting and HIV-related sexual risk behavior for probation boys and girls. Parental monitoring, parenting permissiveness, and parent-teen communication were collectively related to whether girls' ever had sex and with boys' use of alcohol and marijuana use before last sex. Findings underscore the important role of parenting on probation teens' HIV risk behaviors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-concept conflict indicators and learning.

"The present study tests the hypothesis that it will be more difficult to learn syllables associated with conflictual adjectives than it will be to learn syllables associated with neutral ones." On the basis of the results of the Bills-Vance-McLean Index of Adjustment and Values, six conflict and six neutral words, each paired with a nonsense syllable, are presented to 94 college freshman Ss and required to be learned by the anticipation method. The syllables paired with the conflict words require a significantly greater number of trials to learn, supporting the hypothesis of defensive behavior, in terms of elevated learning thresholds, for material associated with words identified as conflictual. 24 references. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Children's loneliness: A comparison of rejected and neglected peer status.

Administered sociometric and loneliness questionnaires to 200 3rd-6th grade children to assess feelings of loneliness in 2 subgroups of unpopular Ss—those who were sociometrically rejected vs those who were sociometrically neglected. Data on popular, average, and controversial Ss were also collected. One-fifth of the the Ss were from low SES families, one-third were from middle SES families, and the rest were from upper middle or upper SES families. Results indicate that rejected Ss were the most lonely group and that this group differed significantly from other status groups. Neglected Ss did not differ from their higher-status peers. Overall, findings provide evidence of the utility of the distinction between neglected vs rejected status and provide support for earlier conclusions that rejected children are more at risk than are other status groups. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Successful adolescent development among youth in high-risk settings.

A new, interdisciplinary paradigm is emerging in developmental psychology. It includes contextual as well as individual variation and is more consonant with the complexity of adolescent behavior and development than traditional research paradigms. Social problems, such as poverty and racial discrimination, and the ways that young people negotiate adolescence successfully, are objects of research. A research program sponsored by the MacArthur Foundation, that embodies the new paradigm, is described. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Developmental origins of perfectionism among African American youth.

The present study used a person-centered latent variable approach to classify types of perfectionism among 6th-grade African American children living in an urban setting. In particular, the authors were interested in determining whether an adaptive subtype could be found and validated against external criteria. The authors also attempted to identify any developmental precursors that could reliably differentiate the perfectionist subtypes. A social learning and competence framework was used to select potential 1st-grade risk and protective factors for future perfectionism profiles. Four classes best described the children's perfectionism scores in 6th grade. Three of these classes resembled the profiles most commonly seen in prior perfectionism research (Non-Critical/Adaptive, Critical/Maladaptive, and Non-Perfectionist). The fourth class, Non-Striving, was characterized by extremely low levels of reported personal standards. Sixth-grade correlates confirmed the distinctiveness of these classes. In particular, the Critical/Maladaptive and Non-Striving classes had higher rates of internalizing symptoms and disorders. Additionally, several 1st-grade predictors suggested unique developmental origins of these classes. The Critical/Maladaptive class was characterized by lower academic skills and elevated teacher-rated attention problems, hyperactivity, shyness, and peer rejection. The Non-Striving class had higher rates of family alcohol problems and lower levels of parent praise. Implications regarding the universal and culture-specific origins and effects of perfectionism are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-concept in obese and normal-weight children.

Compared self-concept (as measured by the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale) for 716 White children in Grades 3–8, who were classified as obese or normal-weight after their ideal weight was calculated accounting for age, sex, and height. Ss 20% or more over ideal weight were characterized as obese. No significant differences were found in self-concept in the 2 groups. (5 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social impact and social preference as determinants of children's peer group status.

Evaluated 3 sociometric procedures utilizing a 2-dimensional social-impact and social-preference framework on 3 samples of 4th and 5th graders (ns?=?334, 173, and 89). The stability and distribution of classification, the relationship between dimensions, the validation of dimensions, and the validation of classification groups were considered. The method proposed by J. Peery (see record 1980-06647-001) appeared most problematic, and the procedure proposed by J. Coie et al (see record 1982-27928-001) was found to have nonexhaustive groups and the potential of misrepresenting Ss' social networks when standardized scores were used. An alternative 2-dimensional sociometric model based on probability theory was found to have excellent performance characteristics while still providing a constant frame of reference across social networks. The social reputational correlates of the impact and preference dimensions and the sociometric groups proposed by each model were investigated. Although social impact and social preference were reliable and valid determinants of peer group status, the need for alternative indicators of children's social standing in the peer group is discussed. (35 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prospective associations between coping and health among youth with asthma.

The present study evaluated whether primary and secondary coping would predict longitudinal asthma-related clinical outcomes, such as peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) and self-reported school absenteeism, rescue inhaler use, and asthma-related physician contacts, in youth with asthma. The 62 youth (68% males) had an average age of 12.6 ± 2.73 years and were primarily of European origin. Coping and asthma outcomes were obtained by youth self-report at baseline and over a 12-month follow-up period. Greater secondary coping at baseline was related to greater increases in PEFR and a greater likelihood of physician contact over the following year. Greater primary coping at baseline was related to greater likelihood of rescue inhaler use, school absenteeism, and physician contact over the following year. In contrast, asthma measures at baseline did not predict changes in coping over the following year. These patterns suggest that youth who engage in secondary coping accept and adapt to their asthma in ways that improve pulmonary function over time. Youth who engage in primary coping may be more likely to communicate asthma problems to others, and such communication perhaps leads to increases in behaviors meant to address these problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)