Associations Between Father Absence and Age of First Sexual Intercourse

Children raised without a biological father in the household have earlier average ages of first sexual intercourse than children raised in father-present households. Competing theoretical perspectives have attributed this either to effects of father absence on socialization and physical maturation or to nonrandom selection of children predisposed for early sexual intercourse into father-absent households. Genetically informative analyses of the children of sister dyads ( N  = 1,382, aged 14–21 years) support the selection hypothesis: This association seems attributable to confounded risks, most likely genetic in origin, which correlated both with likelihood of father absence and early sexual behavior. This holds implications for environmental theories of maturation and suggests that previous research may have inadvertently overestimated the role of family structure in reproductive maturation.     

Association of “Macho Man” Sexual Attitudes and Behavioral Risks in Urban Adolescents

We examined whether sexual attitudes of adolescents were related to their self-reported sexual risk behavior by analyzing survey data from 1,052 boys and girls aged 14 to 17 years from a low income, urban community. Sexual behavior norms that may increase sexually transmitted infection/HIV risks in youth were sanctioned more by males and by sexually experienced youth, but their attitudes were unassociated with either their age or race/ethnicity. Endorsement was correlated with greater intention to have sexual intercourse among all youth. Among sexually experienced participants, it was associated with earlier sexual debut, more partners, and less intention to use condoms but not with the number of unprotected sexual episodes in the prior six months. Sexual attitudes of youth may conflict with initiation and maintenance of safer sex practices, making them vulnerable to HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. Risk reduction interventions for adolescents should address this.     

Relations between colorblind socialization and children's racial bias: evidence from European American mothers and their preschool children

To examine European American parents’ racial socialization, mothers (n = 84) were videotaped while reading 2 race‐themed books to their 4‐ to 5‐year‐old children and completed surveys concerning their racial attitudes and behaviors. Children completed measures of their racial attitudes and both groups (mothers and preschoolers) predicted the others’ racial attitudes. Results indicated that nearly all mothers adopted “colormute” and “colorblind” approaches to socialization. Furthermore, neither children nor mothers accurately predicted the others’ views. Children’s racial attitudes were unrelated to their mothers’ attitudes but were predicted by their mothers’ cross‐race friendships; those children whose mothers had a higher percentage of non‐European American friends showed lower levels of racial biases than those children whose mothers had a lower percentage of non‐European American friends.     

Peer group socialization of homophobic attitudes and behavior during adolescence

A social developmental framework was applied to test for the socialization of homophobic attitudes and behavior within adolescent peer groups (Grades 7-11; aged 12-17 years). Substantial similarity within and differences across groups were documented. Multilevel models identified a group socializing contextual effect, predicting homophobic attitudes and behavior of individuals within the group 8 months later, even after controlling for the predictive effect of individuals' own previously reported attitudes and behavior. Several group characteristics moderated the extent to which individuals' previously reported attitudes predicted later attitudes. Findings indicate the need to integrate the concurrent assessment of individual and social factors to inform the construction of more comprehensive models of how prejudiced attitudes and behaviors develop and are perpetuated.     

Emotional support and adjustment over a year's time following sexual abuse discovery

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated age and gender differences in perceived emotional support in children and adolescents who experienced sexual abuse from the time of discovery to 1 year later. Also examined were the relations among sources of support and adjustment and whether support explained resilience, defined as better adjustment over a year's time. METHOD: One hundred and forty-seven sexually abused youth were interviewed at the time of discovery (T1) and 1 year later (T2). Information gathered included severity of the sexual abuse, satisfaction with support from caregivers, same-sex and other-sex friends, feelings of shame about the abuse, and attributional style. Youth adjustment was measured using reports from the youth themselves, caregivers, and teachers. RESULTS: Children reported the most satisfaction with support from caregivers followed by friends whereas adolescents reported similar levels of support from friends and caregivers. Satisfaction with support was differentially related to adjustment. Youth who reported more satisfaction with caregiver support at T1, reported less depression, better self-esteem but more sexual anxiety 1 year later. More satisfaction with support from friends predicted lower self-esteem but less sexual anxiety. More satisfaction with initial caregiver support at T1 predicted better parent- and teacher-rated adjustment 1 year later, after controlling for initial adjustment. CONCLUSIONS: In general, initial caregiver emotional support at the time of abuse discovery predicted resilience in child and adolescent victims of sexual abuse. Findings suggested that treatment should include a focus on helping caregivers provide appropriate emotional support.     

Socialization Values and Practices of Indian Immigrant Parents: Correlates of Modernity and Acculturation

Mothers and fathers from 100 first-generation, Gujarati, Indian immigrant families were interviewed about their socialization values and practices. Adolescents provided data about their parents' behavior as well. 3 predictors of parental attitudes and behavior were examined: modernity, acculturation, and time in the United States. The effects of the predictors varied as a function of parent and child gender. Whereas modernity and acculturation predicted socialization values for fathers of girls, only time in the United States predicted the socialization values of mothers. Parental modernity, acculturation, and time in the United States predicted the use of induction and psychological control, but differently as a function of parent and child gender. Implications for understanding the selective nature of acculturation are considered.     

Disruptiveness, Friends' Characteristics, and Delinquency in Early Adolescence: A Test of Two Competing Models of Development

This study tested 2 competing models of friends' influence on the development of delinquency in disruptive boys. In so diong, we examined whether highly disruptive, moderately diseuptive, moderately conforming, and highly conforming boys' delinquecy increased or decreased depeniding on their friends' characteristics. A sample of 868 boys was classified into the 4 groups according to teacher tating at ages 11 and 12. Each group was then subdivided by mutual friends' peer-rate aggressiveness-disturbance at the same ages: aggressive-disturbing friends, average friends, nonaggressive-nondisturbing friends, and no friends. Subgroups were mext compared on self-reported delinquency at age 13 while controlling for average self-reported delinquency and socioeconomic variables at ages 11 and 12. Results indicate that moderately disruptive boys with aggressivedisturbive friends were more delinquent at age 13 than other subgroups of moderately disruptive boys. Highly disrupitve and confroming boys, however, were unaffected by their friends' characteristics. We conclude that the results partially support each theoretical model, suggesting that both individual characteristics and deviant peer association might play causal roles.     

Gender differences in developmental links among antisocial behavior, friends' antisocial behavior, and peer rejection in childhood: results from two cultures

This study addressed gender differences in the developmental links among antisocial behavior, friends' antisocial behavior, and peer rejection. High and increasing, moderate, and low antisocial developmental trajectories were identified among 289 Dutch children, ages 7 to 10, and 445 French-Canadian children, ages 9 to 12. Only boys followed the high trajectory. These boys had more deviant friends and were more often rejected than other children. A minority of girls followed the moderate antisocial behavior trajectory. These girls had fewer deviant friends than moderate antisocial boys, but moderate antisocial boys and girls were equally likely to be rejected. The influence of friends and poor peer relations plays a crucial but different role in the development of antisocial behavior among boys and girls.     

Multiple Influences on the Acquisition and Socialization of Children''s Health Attitudes and Behavior: An Integrative Review

An overview and synthesis of the literature documenting various influences on the socialization and acquisition of children's health attitudes and behavior is the focus of this review. Cognitive-developmental approaches to understanding children's health attitudes are presented, followed by an exploration of an individual differences perspective on children's acquisition of health attitudes and behavior. The influence of various socialization agents, including families, peers, schools, and the media, on children's acquisition of health attitudes and behavior is considered. Implications of these findings for social policy, future research, and modeling of child health attitudes and behavior are examined.     

Premarital Sex, Social Support, Submissive Behaviors, and Loneliness Among Turkish University Students

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether differences in social support, submissive behaviors, and loneliness existed among Turkish university students who had had premarital sexual intercourse and those who had not. Using self-reported questionnaires, students who had experienced sexual intercourse were contrasted with those who had not. Data were gathered on 420 university students in Ankara, Turkey. MANOVA statistics were used in the data analysis. Results indicated that more than 75?% of the total respondents reported that they had never had sexual intercourse; the frequency of sexual intercourse was higher among males than females. It was found that students who had had sexual intercourse reported less perceived support from family. The two groups were not significantly different, however, in perceived support from friends, submissive behaviors and loneliness. Possible interpretations of these data and implications for future study are suggested.     

Predicting Mothers' Beliefs about Preschool-Aged Children's Social Behavior: Evidence for Maternal Attitudes Moderating Child Effects

Maternal beliefs about children's social behavior may be important contributors to socialization and development, but little is known about how such beliefs form. Transactional models suggest that children's characteristics may influence parents. At 2 years of age, the shy and aggressive behaviors of 65 toddlers (28 females) were observed during interactions with an unfamiliar peer; as well, mothers described the extent to which they advocated protective and authoritarian childrearing attitudes. These variables were used to predict mothers emotions, attributions, parenting goals, and socialization strategies in response to vignettes depicting aggressive and withdrawn child behaviors 2 years later. Most child effects were moderated by maternal attitudes or gender effects. Authoritarian mothers of aggressive toddlers were most likely to report high control and anger, to blame their children for aggression, and to focus on obtaining compliance rather than teaching skills to their children. Protective mothers reported that they would use warmth and involvement to comfort withdrawn children, especially their daughters.     

Structural characteristics of the online social networks of maltreated youth and offline sexual risk behavior

Maltreated youth are at risk for exposure to online sexual content and high-risk sexual behavior, yet characteristics of their online social networks have not been examined as a potential source of vulnerability. The aims of the current study were: 1) to test indicators of size (number of friends) and fragmentation (number of connections between friends) of maltreated young adults’ online networks as predictors of intentional and unintentional exposure to sexual content and offline high-risk sexual behavior and 2) to test maltreatment as a moderator of these associations. Participants were selected from a longitudinal study on the effects of child maltreatment (n = 152; Mean age 21.84 years). Data downloaded from Facebook were used to calculate network variables of size (number of friends), density (connections between friends), average degree (average number of connections for each friend), and percent isolates (those not connected to others in the network). Self-reports of intentional and unintentional exposure to online sexual content and offline high-risk sexual behavior were the outcome variables. Multiple-group path modeling showed that only for the maltreated group having a higher percent of isolates in the network predicted intentional exposure to online sexual content and offline high-risk sexual behavior. An implication of this finding is that the composition of the Facebook network may be used as a risk indicator for individuals with child-welfare documented maltreatment experiences.     

家庭变量与儿童社会化

家庭是儿童社会化的主要场所,也是儿童接触的第一社会环境。家庭的各种因素都会影响儿童的社会化发展,因此家庭是儿童社会化的一个关键点,它对个体社会化的影响将持续一生,其主要表现在形成个体的生活习惯、态度和行为方式等方面。     

Implementation and Evaluation of a Condom Availability Program on a College Campus: Lessons From the Field

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advocate access to condoms as a critical sexual health prevention strategy. The purpose of this article is to discuss the implementation and evaluation of a condom availability program using dispensing machines in residence halls at a Midwestern U.S. university. Undergraduate students (N = 337) living in on-campus housing participated in a survey about their utilization of condom dispensers at the beginning and end of three academic years (2008–2009, 2009–2010, and 2010–2011). Questions also addressed students' attitudes toward the condom dispensers and related sexual behavior. Results indicated that the presence of condom machines did not increase rates of sexual activity (a concern of university administrators), but there was also no improvement in rates of unprotected sex. Overall, students reported high levels of satisfaction with the condom availability program. Implementation challenges are discussed and recommendations for universities and colleges wishing to execute similar programs are provided.     

Depressive Symptoms and Help-Negation among Chinese University Students in Taiwan: The Role of Gender,Anxiety and Help-seeking Attitudes

This study extended the consideration of help-negation in regard to suicide to that of depressive symptoms in a large sample of 981 Chinese university students in Taiwan. The study examined the help-negation effects of depression and the impact of gender, anxiety, and help-seeking attitudes on that relationship. Chinese students, aged 17 to 27 years, completed a self-report survey that included measures of help-seeking behavior, depression, anxiety, and help-seeking attitudes. Results revealed higher levels of depressive symptoms were related to decreased likelihood of seeking help from friends and parents, indicating a possible help-negation effect of depression. In regard to the impact of gender, anxiety, and help-seeking attitudes, results showed that help-seeking attitudes were consistently positively correlated with seeking help from friends, parents, and professional helpers. Gender significantly moderated the relationship between depression and professional help-seeking. Implications for intervention are discussed within the Chinese cultural context.     

Holism, contextual variability, and the study of friendships in adolescent development

This study treated a key relationship in the developmental ecology of adolescence, friendships, as multidimensional and context specific. First, it examined 4 characteristics of friends (academic achievement, alcohol use, emotional distress, and extracurricular participation) as independent factors and as components in holistic friendship group profiles. Longitudinal analyses of 9,224 adolescents (ages 12-20) revealed that multiple characteristics of friends predicted adolescent behavioral problems, as did membership in the best adjusted group profile. Second, the study examined whether the associations between friendship factors and adolescent behavior varied as a function of the larger peer network and school context, finding that network centrality, school academic press, and intergenerational bonding in schools conditioned the role of friends' characteristics and group profiles in positive and negative ways.     

Risky Business: South African youths and HIV/AIDS prevention

Behavior change is the only available means of curtailing new HIV infections in South Africa. This study investigated the relationship between sexual risk taking and attitudes to AIDS precautions. The participants were about 25% white, about 30% colored/mixed blood and 45% black in their second year in polytechnics (413 females and 402 males). Participants responded to the 40-item HIV-related knowledge, attitudes and behaviors. Data indicated that young women showed more positive attitudes to AIDS precautions than young men (reflecting in part the stereotypic negative attitudes of young men toward condoms). In general, most males and females were found to have less knowledge about HIV transmission and less favorable attitudes toward safe sex behavior than their counterparts in the west. Also young men with more partners expressed more fatalistic attitudes toward AIDS. The possibility that a finergrained multivariate analysis of attitudes to AIDS and safe-sex behaviour is something that needs to be taken seriously in future research, however.     

Situational and Personal Causes of Student Cheating

The causes of students’ academic dishonesty behavior were explored using survey and experimental vignette methods. Participants were surveyed about their own cheating behavior, neutralizing attitudes, performance/mastery orientation and perceptions of peer attitudes and behavior. As predicted, neutralizing attitudes influenced cheating behavior directly, but also indirectly, increasing the effect of individual attitudes. Observing others cheating was strongly correlated with one’s own cheating behavior. These variables are also shown to have different effects on exam cheating and plagiarism and cases of giving and receiving unauthorized information. Correlations were tested using experimental vignette methods, which supported the claims made from survey data.