The essays collected in this book examine the effects of ethnicity on the mental health of adolescents. A dual set of issues emerges throughout the volume: the importance of adolescent mental health in contributing to adult well-being, and the necessity of understanding ethnicity in studying and treating mental health problems. The book is divided into five parts, each of which covers a specific mental health problem. Part 1, "General Mental Health Issues," contains the following chapters: (1) "Mental Health Issues of Black Adolescents: Implications for Policy and Practice" (Jewelle Taylor Gibbs); (2) "Ethnic Identity Development and Psychological Adjustment in Adolescence" (Jean S. Phinney, Bruce T. Lochner, Rodolfo Murphy); (3) "Psychocultural Factors Affecting the Mental Health Status of Mexican American Adolescents" (John M. Chavez, Collette E. Roney); and (4) "The Mental Health of Asian American Teenagers: A Research Challenge" (William T. Liu, Elena S. H. Yu, Ching-Fu Chang, Marilyn Fernandez). Part 2, "Antisocial Behavior/Violence/Delinquency," presents: (5) "Violence and Minority Youth: An Ecological Perspective" (Nora S. Gustavsson, Pallassana R. Balgopal); (6) "In Pursuit of Affirmation: The Antisocial Inner-City Adolescent" (Cheryl L. Thompson); and (7) "Hispanic Adolescents and Antisocial Behavior: Sociocultural Factors and Treatment Implications" (Orlando Rodriguez, Luis H. Zayas). Part 3, "Sexuality," consists of the following chapters: (8) "High Risk Sexual Behavior among Black Adolescents" (Algea Harrison); (9) "Social Support and Teen Pregnancy in the Inner City" (Brenda G. McGowan, Amy Kohn); (10) "Black Teens Parenting in the Inner City: Problems and Recommendations" (Sandra Y. Lewis); and (11) "Pregnant and Parenting Black Adolescents: Theoretical and Policy Perspectives" (William Marsiglio, John H. Scanzoni). Part 4, "Substances: Use and Abuse," includes the following chapters: (12) "Social Competence as a Framework for Addressing Ethnicity and Teenage Alcohol Problems" (Edith M. Freeman); (13) "The Role of Family Factors in the Primary Prevention of Substance Abuse among High Risk Black Youth" (Ura Jean Oyemade, Valora Washington); (14) "American Indian Adolescents: Combating Problems of Substance Use and Abuse through a Community Model" (E. Daniel Edwards, Margie Egbert-Edwards); and (15) "Hispanic Adolescents and Substance Abuse: Implications for Research, Treatment, and Prevention" (Melvin Delgado). Part 5, "Suicide," contains: (16) "Suicidal Behavior among Minority Youth in the United States" (Karen F. Wyche, Mary Jane Rotheram-Borus); and (17) "Suicide among Black Adolescents and Youth Adults: A Rising Problem" (Essie Manuel Rutledge). Each chapter includes a list of bibliographic references. Biographical information on the contributors is appended. (AF)