Latino adolescents are disproportionately impacted by HIV, but researchers have documented few programs to prevent and reduce HIV risk. The Storytelling for Empowerment (SFE) "HIV StoryBook" was designed with an innovative ecodevelopment approach combining empowerment, family communication, and positive cultural identity. A mixed method…

Although peer status has been studied extensively in childhood and adolescence, little is known about social status in peer groups of emerging adults. The current study filled this gap by testing whether preference and popularity are distinct dimensions of peer status and uniquely associated with social behavior in emerging adulthood. Participants…

Attitudes formed in adolescence create a foundation for family-formation decisions in adulthood. Drawing on qualitative interviews with fifty American adolescents, this article details five relationship-relevant factors that emerge in the teens' discussions of their relationship views. These are personal communication style, divorce acceptance,…

This study compares hope in street youth, former street youth, and school youth (aged 12-18) in Tanzania. Responding to Snyder's hope theory, the author argues that not only personal agency but also the stability of living context (street, shelter, home) shapes hopefulness. Employing qualitative and quantitative analyses, the author presents a…

During adolescence, identity development reaches its crucial point. Siblings foster the search for their own uniqueness through social comparisons. These comparisons can lead to identification ("I am like you." or "We are special.") as well as deidentification ("I am different from you!"). In this study, 204 siblings were interviewed to determine…

Increasingly influential theories hold that the "teenage brain" suffers cognitive flaws that impel risk taking. Aside from warnings by leading researchers that brain science is insufficiently advanced to yield definitive findings that teenage behaviors are internally driven, the belief that adolescents take excessive risks has been developed using…

Dating behaviors and sexual attitudes of Asian-American youth were examined in a cross-sectional, mixed-methods study in the context of adherence to Asian values, measured by the Asian Values Scale (AVS). In all, 31 Asian-American adolescents (age 14-18 years old) from a Houston community center were interviewed regarding dating behaviors and…

This report describes intervention effects on parent-imposed driving limits on novice young drivers at licensure. Parent-adolescent dyads (4,344) completed baseline surveys at permit and were randomly assigned to intervention or comparison groups. Intervention families received persuasive communications related to protection motivation theory…

Little is known of smoking trajectories or of the correlates of smoking trajectories among African American youth. Ninth-grade African American adolescents (n = 566) were interviewed in Year 1 and then were subsequently interviewed annually for 3 additional years. Five trajectories of cigarette smokers were identified: abstainers,…

Examined cross-generational influences of adolescent parenthood on psychosocial functioning with a random sample of adolescent mothers in state care due to child abuse/neglect in their family of origin. Found that participants whose main parenting figure was an adolescent parent reported higher parenting stress and lower educational attainment…

This study examined whether and which types of voluntary service might facilitate adolescents' civic development. Analyses showed that social-cause service participation was positively related to concern for social issues, future unconventional civic intentions, and future intended service. Findings suggest a developmental connection between…

This study examined social support and social strain in the sibling relationships of 536 adolescent mothers, primarily African American, low-income, and attending an alternative school. Findings indicate that older sisters were nominated twice as often as any other sibling group as a source of support. Older sister support was not associated with…

Examined relationship of role models among African American ninth-graders to substance use, delinquency, academic engagement, and psychological well-being. Found that males without male role models and females identifying brothers as role models reported the most problem behavior. Adolescents with paternal role models had most positive school…

This study compared attitudes toward social limits among adolescents detained for criminal offenses and nondetained adolescents. Findings indicated significant differences between groups in knowledge of behavioral alternatives and behavioral intentions. Nondetained youth reporting high rates of undersocialized behavior were more inclined to…

In a study of social class influences on schooling, adolescents from high-income families and low-income families were interviewed about various aspects of special education. Responses indicated that lower income students had ambivalent or negative feelings about special education, whereas high-income students, with few exceptions, regarded…