Assessed impact of school-based social competence training on skills, social adjustment, and self-reported substance use of 282 sixth and seventh graders. Found positive training effects on subjects' skills in handling interpersonal problems and coping with anxiety. Teacher ratings revealed improvements in subjects' constructive conflict…

Investigated parenting behavior, parent/adolescent relationship, and adolescent attitudes and behaviors in three family types. Results showed minimal support for the hypothesis that welfare is negatively related to family processes and adolescent attitudes and behavior, although mothers receiving welfare reported fewer effective parent-management…

Examines one aspect of the same-sex parent-child hypothesis within the context of mother's versus father's custody. Stresses that the gender of the custodial parent matters very little for the social functioning of the children. Finds the social adjustment of adolescents of divorced parents is somewhat poorer than adolescents from intact families.…

Examined technical and adaptive competence in coping among 97 African-American adolescents with learning disabilities. Findings indicated that short-term, reactive, technical competence was a better predictor of feelings of efficacy, and longer-term, developmental adaptive competence was a better predictor of behavioral problems. Gender subsample…

A study of 3,331 college freshmen in 18 institutions investigated the factors influencing their openness to cultural diversity and challenges to their beliefs and values. Results indicated a nondiscriminatory racial environment, on-campus residence, participation in a racial or cultural awareness workshop, and involvement with diverse peers had…

Reviews recent research on the development of aggressive behavior in childhood and early adolescence using an ecological perspective focusing on social development in the family, school, peer group, and community. Asserts family processes and early childhood peer relations that appear to tip developmental trajectories toward social rejection at…

Discusses the feelings of displacement and alienation suffered by members of aboriginal groups who must leave their communities to attend institutions of higher education. Notes specific problems encountered by these individuals and suggests some solutions that can ameliorate the lack of cultural support in urban areas. (DSK)

Examines why children who experience high levels of peer acceptance in preschool and who have friends entering kindergarten with them make a better adjustment to school. Reviews research on the relation between social behavior and peer acceptance in preschool children and discusses recommendations for fostering social development in preschoolers.…

Examined the relationship between early adolescents' involvement in romantic relationships and their emotional, behavioral, and academic adjustment, depending on same-sex peer relationships. Found a negative relationship between romantic involvement and emotional and behavioral adjustment for adolescents who were unpopular with same-sex peers.…

Tested model of gender's moderating effects on behavior problems among early adolescents. Found that increasing girls' internalizing symptoms were partly explained by greater stability in girls' interpersonal vulnerabilities and greater magnitude in coefficients linking girls' relationships with parents and peers and internalizing problems. Boys'…

Investigated effects of divorce and family relations on young children's development in ethnically diverse low-income families. Found that soon-to-be-divorced families demonstrated higher rates of preschool-age behavior problems, and already-divorced families showed similar trends. Parental conflict and behavior problems accounted for pre-divorce…

Examined associations between parental monitoring and adolescent adjustment. Found that higher monitoring was associated with higher grade point average, lower depression, less sexual activity and minor delinquency, except for boys' depression. Monitoring effects increased across grade level for boys and decreased for girls. Monitoring predicted…

Describes developmental interventions, attachment issues, curricular ideas, and nutritional considerations that can facilitate successful integration into U.S. early childhood environments of children adopted from overseas. Asserts that early childhood educators can nurture adopted children's development by arranging a conducive environment,…

This study describes the lived experience of Kevin, a young child with physical disabilities who is placed in an inclusive classroom, a classroom where children with and without disabilities are educated together, with extra support provided for the child with disabilities. Children with disabilities who are placed in inclusive early childhood…

The Circle of Courage identifies four universal needs of all children: Belonging, Mastery, Independence, and Generosity. When these needs are met, children grow and thrive. But when these growth needs are frustrated, multiple problems follow. The Circle of Courage defines problems of youth in terms of strengths and developmental needs. These…