Abstracts:
January
2002 , Volume 48, Number 1
Lehman,
S. J., & Koerner, S. S. (2002). Family financial hardship
and adolescent girls' adjustment: The role of maternal disclosure
of financial concerns. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 48, 1-24.
Abstract:
The primary purpose of the present study was to assess whether
maternal disclosure of financial concerns is related to difficulties
in adolescent daughters' adjustment and whether such disclosure
acts as a mediator in the relationship between family financial
hardship and adolescent daughters' adjustment in a sample of 62
adolescent girls and their recently divorced mothers. Descriptive
analyses revealed that the majority of participating mothers have
disclosed their financial concerns to their adolescent daughters
but vary with respect to the amount of detail they offer. Regression
analyses revealed a positive direct relationship between family
financial hardship and girls' psychological distress. In addition,
family financial hardship was indirectly related to girls' psychological
distress through maternal disclosure of financial concerns. Findings
are discussed in terms of their relevance and significance for
developmental psychologists, counselors, and parent educators.
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Thorkildsen, T. A., Reese, D., & Corsino,
A. (2002). School ecologies and attitudes about exclusionary behavior
among adolescents and young adults. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 48,
25-51.
Abstract:
Diverse samples of adolescents (n = 643) and young adults (n = 474)
reported on how often they observed exclusionary behavior, how much
they disapproved of such behavior, whether exclusion influenced
their social and academic adjustment, and their academic grades
and college plans. Perceptions of exclusion in school ecologies
were distinguished from attitudes about exclusion and age-related
differences were apparent. Among adolescents, norms apparent in
school ecologies reflected concern with safety, achievement, social
activism, and elitism. Attitudes reflected concerns with censorship,
ambition, and the preservation of group boundaries. Among young
adults, there were no common perceptions of school ecologies or
attitudes toward exclusion. These findings offer definition to young
people's awareness of whether exclusion promotes harm and feelings
of disengagement in educational settings.
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Estell, D. B., Cairns, R. B., Farmer, T. W.,
& Cairns, B. D. (2002). Aggression in inner-city early elementary
classrooms: Individual and peer-group configurations. Merrill-Palmer
Quarterly, 48, 52-76.
Abstract:
While recent investigations suggest that subtypes of aggressive
youth differentially experience social support for problem behavior,
little work has examined if this holds for younger children. This
study examined the classroom social structure and social functioning
of inner-city African American early elementary school children.
Ninety-two (53 boys, 39 girls) 1st graders from two inner-city schools
were followed for two years. Configural analysis uncovered considerable
heterogeneity in the relationships among overt aggression, popularity,
and social network centrality. Two subsets of aggressive students
were identified, one marked by high social prominence, the other
by low levels of popularity. Peer groups marked by the behavioral
similarity of constituent members were identified, and changes in
affiliation patterns over time indicated selection criteria.
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Brendgen, M., Vitaro, F., Doyle, A. B., Markiewicz,
D., & Bukowski, W. M. (2002). Same-sex peer relationships and
romantic relationships during early adolescence: Interactive links
to emotional, behavioral, and academic adjustment. Merrill-Palmer
Quarterly, 48, 77+.
Abstract:
It was examined whether early adolescents' involvement in a romantic
relationship would be differentially related to adjustment, depending
on their relations with the same-sex peer group. Three hundred and
twelve 7th graders were assessed with respect to their social acceptance
by same-sex peers, involvement in reciprocal same-sex friendships,
involvement in romantic relationships, self-esteem, antisocial behavior,
and academic performance. Social acceptance by other-sex peers and
involvement in reciprocal other-sex friendships were also assessed
for control purposes. The results showed that having a boyfriend/
girlfriend was related to poorer emotional and behavioral adjustment
for those early adolescents who were unpopular among same-sex peers.
For adolescents who were popular among same-sex peers, romantic
involvement was not related to emotional and behavioral adjustment.
Independently of same-sex peer acceptance, however, romantic involvement
was negatively related to academic performance, albeit only for
girls. The results are discussed in light of Sullivan's theory of
social development.
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