College students completed measures of separation-individuation and college adjustment as first-year students (n=130) and again as juniors (n=81). Revealed significant increases in individuation from parents over time along most, but not all, dimensions of individuation. Gender-specific patterns were found. In general, independence from parents in…

Examined affiliation need and interpersonal closeness in college students (n=74). Need for social comparison declined with age for both sexes; females were more attached to their partners than were males. For females only, adolescents' need for stimulation peaked around age 18 or 19 and then declined, and need for emotional support declined in…

Assesses the moral reasoning of Hawaiian youths. Findings challenge C. Gilligan's theoretical proposition that gender differences exist in moral development. Implications for counseling theory, research, and practice are discussed. (Author)

A study of the value systems of 739 adolescents in Grade 5, 7, 9 and 11 using the Rokeach Value Survey. Discussion focuses on the relative stability of the rankings over grades and value differences related to age and sex. (SDH)

Relations between hormone levels and aggressive behavior of adolescents in family interactions were examined. Higher estradiol and androstenedione levels were associated with higher degrees of aggressive behaviors in girls. Findings for boys were sparse. (PCB)

Reviews literature on various aspects of adolescent sexual development, such as masturbation, how knowledge of sex is learned, sexual preferences, sexual practices, and values. (DB)

Conducted three studies using early and late adolescents to examine gender differences in identity development. Found that both genders used identity statuses comparably, except for foreclosure which characterized males significantly more than females. Both genders used identity process similarly in domains of vocational choice, religious beliefs,…

Examined significant interrelations between measures of family structure and psychological separation and between psychological separation and college adjustment measures among 554 undergraduate students from intact families. Found two significant and stable canonical relations among family structure and psychological separation variables, and a…

Examined research involving over 3,000 adolescents from various cultures to determine problems typical of this developmental phase and ways of coping with normative demands. Found that adolescents' response to problems stemming from different developmental fields such as parents, peers, school, or future involved three main modes of coping: Active…

Studied occurrence of completed suicide by age in one-year age groups in adolescence and young adulthood via official Finnish mortality statistics and population statistics. Suicide rates increased sharply by age during adolescence, starting somewhat earlier among boys than among girls. (Author/NB)

Fifth through eighth graders completed self-reports in response to pager signals received over one week and again four years later. Responses indicated that thinking about the opposite sex occurs earlier than spending time with the opposite sex alone and that both increase over time. Girls spent more time with opposite sex and more time thinking…

Research on the emergence of sex differences in spatial ability during early adolescence prompted a meta-analysis of 172 spatial ability studies conducted since 1974. The meta-analysis confirmed that there are actually several spatial abilities, that some types of spatial ability show marked sex differences while others show none, and that spatial…

Ascertained whether high levels of stress at different periods of development were related to an external locus of control. Externals and internals completed the Life Events Scale. Data indicated that stress, for females in preschool and pubescent years and males in elementary and pubescent years, is related to externality. (Author/BEF)

Examined the constructions of sexuality among 470 high school students. Identified five sexual styles (naive, unassured, competent, adventurous, driven), characterized by differences in gender, age, and virginity status, but not simply delineated along demographic lines. Also found that sexual styles differed in level of sexual risk-taking,…

Reviews the literature on shame and on adolescence and suggests that attention to the role of shame in adolescent development is warranted. Discusses how social-cognitive, physical, and interpersonal changes associated with adolescence may be associated with normative increases in shame, and how shame may be implicated in gender-related shifts in…