"CAN'T YOU SEE THE COURAGE, THE STRENGTH THAT I HAVE?"Listening to Urban Adolescent Girls Speak about Their Relationships

This study explored, qualitatively, the ways in which 12 urban, poor and working-class adolescent girls spoke about themselves, their relationships, and their school over a 3 year period. The ability to be outspoken or to "speak one's mind" in relationships was identified as the most prevalent theme in their interviews. Ten of the 12 adolescent girls indicated that they were able to speak openly and honestly in many of their relationships. These outspoken voices were focused not only on expressing anger and disagreement in relationships, but also on voicing care and connection. Seven of the adolescents indicated, however, that while they were outspoken in their relationships with parents, teachers, and female friends, they were not willing to "speak their minds" in their relationships with boys. These findings raise critical questions regarding the psychology of girls and women.     

Sex differences in indicators of well-being in adolescents

The 1999 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, administered to 964 females and 852 males in randomly selected high schools in a midwestern state, indicated significantly greater negative indicators of mental and physical well-being for adolescent girls than adolescent boys. Results of the 1997 survey finding that significantly more adolescent girls reported engaging in several high risk sexual and drug behaviors such as having their first drink of alcohol at an earlier age, driving a vehicle in the past 30 days when they had been drinking, smoking at an earlier age, smoking more cigarettes per day, and using over-the-counter drugs to get high more often, were supported and enlarged.     

Is the Positive Illusory Bias Illusory? Examining Discrepant Self-Perceptions of Competence in Girls with ADHD

It has been claimed that excessively positive self-perceptions of competence are a key risk factor for concurrent and subsequent impairments in youth with attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We examined whether girls with ADHD demonstrate positive illusory self-perceptions in scholastic competence, social acceptance, and behavioral conduct domains. We then tested, across a five-year longitudinal span, whether (a) such self-perceptions versus (b) the constituent informant ratings or test scores were more strongly predictive of adolescent impairment and positive adjustment. Participants included an ethnically diverse sample of 140 girls with ADHD and 88 comparison girls, aged 6-12 at baseline (M?=?9.0, SD?=?1.7). Girls with ADHD rated themselves as more positive than indicated by external ratings, but these self-reports were still in a negative direction (comparison girls rated themselves as less positive than these indicators). ADHD subtypes were not related to discrepancy scores. Higher rates of depression symptoms were associated with attenuated discrepancy scores. Crucially, measures of actual competence were more strongly associated with adolescent impairment and positive adjustment than were "illusory" self-perceptions for girls with ADHD. Our findings challenge the view that, at least in girls with ADHD, overly positive and "illusory" appraisals of competence are strongly associated with future impairment and adjustment. The key psychometric point is that, in difference or discrepancy scores, the individual components of such scores should be separately examined.     

Preliminary examination of sex differences in depressive symptoms among adolescent psychiatric inpatients: the role of anxious symptoms and generalized negative affect.

Assessed the emerging view that generalized negative affect and anxious symptoms are important in understanding sex differences in depressive symptoms. Sixty-three adolescent psychiatric inpatients (32 boys, 31 girls), ages 12 to 16 (M = 13.87, SD = 1.36), completed measures of positive and negative affect and anxious and depressive symptoms. Results demonstrated, as predicted, that depressive and anxious symptoms were more highly associated in adolescent girls than boys. Furthermore, girls with depressive symptoms were more likely to have comorbid anxious symptoms than boys with depressive symptoms. Sex differences were not found for adolescents with specific depressive symptoms and specific anxious symptoms (i.e., the absence of comorbidity). Our findings supported the possibility that sex differences in pure forms of depression are overestimated and that comorbid internalizing conditions may be more prevalent in adolescent girls than boys.     

The Relationship Between Friendship Quality and Self-Esteem in Adolescent Girls and Boys

Much has been written about the low self-esteem of adolescent girls relative to adolescent boys, but little research has explored the role that friendship quality may play in affecting self-esteem. Ninety-seven female and 67 male 11th and 12th graders completed measures of self-esteem and of friendship quality with both same- and cross-gender best friends. Ninety-five percent of the participants were White, and ranged across the socioeconomic spectrum with the majority coming from middle-class families. We found that girls' self-esteem was significantly lower than boys' self-esteem and that girls rated their relationships as stronger, more interpersonally rewarding, and more stressful than boys did. Boys reported that their friendship with their best female friend was more interpersonally rewarding than their friendship with their best male friend, whereas girls rated the quality of their same- and cross-gender friends similarly. As expected, girls' self-esteem was positively correlated with the friendship quality of their cross-gender best friend. However, their self-esteem was not correlated with the quality of their same-gender friendship. Boys' self-esteem did not correlate with the quality of their same- or cross-gender best friendship. Results may help us understand the relatively low self-esteem experienced by adolescent girls.     

Eating pathology among adolescent girls with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

The authors investigated prospectively assessed eating pathology (body image dissatisfaction and bulimia nervosa symptoms) among an ethnically and socioeconomically diverse sample of adolescent girls with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder-combined type (ADHD-C; n=93), ADHD-inattentive type (ADHD-I; n=47), and a comparison group (n=88). The sample, initially ages 6-12 years, participated in a 5-year longitudinal study (92% retention rate). After statistical control of relevant covariates, girls with ADHD-C at baseline showed more eating pathology at follow-up than did comparison girls; girls with ADHD-I were intermediate between these two groups. Baseline impulsivity symptoms, as opposed to hyperactivity and inattention, best predicted adolescent eating pathology. With statistical control of ADHD, baseline peer rejection and parent- child relationship problems also predicted adolescent eating pathology. The association between punitive parenting in childhood and pathological eating behaviors in adolescence was stronger for girls with ADHD than for comparison girls. Results are discussed in terms of the expansion of longitudinal research on ADHD to include female-relevant domains of impairment, such as eating pathology.     

Barriers to mother-adolescent communication about sex,maternal monitoring and sexual behaviour among adolescents in Mexico

Mexican mothers have an important role in adolescent sexuality; however, they report multiple barriers to parent–child sex communication, which may impact adolescent sexual behaviour. This cross-sectional study examines whether adolescent perceptions of maternal barriers to communication are associated with adolescent sexual behaviour frequency indirectly through its association with maternal monitoring, and whether these associations differ by age and gender. Mexican adolescents (N = 1433), ages 12–19 (53% girls), completed a survey on normative sexual behaviours, adolescent perceptions of maternal barriers to sex communication, and maternal monitoring. Structural equation modelling analyses revealed that more barriers to communication (adolescent perceptions) were associated with more sexual behaviour frequency (i.e., oral and vaginal sex) among Mexican adolescents indirectly through its association with maternal monitoring. Findings were stronger for adolescents in 8th grades, but no differences were found by gender. This model expands our understanding of the parenting factors that impact Mexican adolescent sexuality.     

Gender differences in adolescent self-esteem: an exploration of domains

The relationship between gender and global self-esteem in adolescence, while modest, has been well established, with boys consistently scoring higher than girls. In the present study, we sought to understand gender differences in adolescent self-esteem in terms of its component parts. With a relatively large (n = 545) sample of adolescents, drawn from Grades 8, 10, and 12, we specified 8 domains of adolescent self-esteem (personal security, home/parents, peer popularity, academic competence, attractiveness, personal mastery, psychological permeability, and athletic competence) across a number of different instruments and brought them together into a common assessment superstructure. Gender differences as well as the relative contributions of the different domains to overall self-esteem scores were measured. As predicted, boys attained slightly higher global self-esteem scores than girls did, by a difference of .22 standard deviation units. Contrary to our expectation of more balanced domain effects, boys significantly outperformed girls in 6 of 8 domains, whereas the 2 remaining domains exhibited no significant gender differences. There were no main or interaction effects for grade level. In terms of relative contribution of these domains to global self-esteem for the 2 genders, global self-esteem in boys and girls is predicted in very similar strengths and in the same order of magnitude by identical domains of self-esteem: home/parents, personal security, academic competence, attractiveness, and personal mastery--yielding multiple R2s from .88 to .91.     

Weight-Related Sport Motives and Girls’ Body Image, Weight Control Behaviors, and Self-Esteem

Research has shown that exercise for weight control is associated with disordered eating indices in older adolescent or adult exercisers in fitness centers. This study examined whether these relationships could be replicated in a more general sample of 140 Dutch adolescent girls between 13 and 18 years old. Questions about sport participation, items from the Multidimensional Body Image Questionnaire and BULIT-R, the Contour Drawing Rating Scale and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale were completed. The girls were categorized as sport-participants with or without weight-related motives or as non-sport-participants. Weight-related sport participation was significantly associated with body dissatisfaction, more weight control and lower self-esteem. In conclusion, it is important to consider motives for sport participation when studying relationships between sport and well being.     

Treating bulimia

Bulimia has been recognized as a distinct eating disorder which is affecting a growing number of young adolescent women. It is characterized by the consumption of huge amounts of food followed by some form of purging, usually vomiting, in order to lose the gained weight. Most bulimics keep their activities secret, which makes diagnosis difficult. The counselor or therapist who is aware of the secretive nature of the disorder will be more alert to the symptoms. Most bulimics experience cognitive distortions relating to food, weight loss, eating, and dieting. The purpose of this paper is to identify and to discuss treatment of some of these irrational cognitions through the use of cognitive, behavioral, and emotional interventions. The importance of providing nutrition information and realistic diet practices is also noted. A group treatment approach is briefly addressed in dealing with the bulimic's problems of isolation, shame, and social acceptance.     

Internet Use and Web Communication Networks,Sources of Social Support,and Forms of Suicidal and Nonsuicidal Self‐Injury Among Adolescents: Different Patterns Between Genders

The relationships of Internet use, web communication, and sources of social support with adolescent self‐injurious thoughts and behaviors (SITBs) in Taiwan were investigated. The study sample of 391 12 to 18‐year‐olds was selected from nine public high schools. Findings show that girls are more likely to have SITBs, except for suicide gestures. Web communication is a risk factor for SITBs in boys but not in girls. Family support is protective in both genders. Support from friends is protective and support from significant others was a risk factor for suicide plans in girls. Support from virtual social communities can have both positive and negative effects on adolescent SITBs, with different effects by gender.     

Women to women: facilitating decision-making about contraception

A group of women social scientists and mental health practitioners formed the nucleus of a research project designed to address unacceptably high levels of adolescent pregnancy in Chicago. A central concern was the dilemma teenagers face in contraceptive decision making of balancing self-interests with the need for acceptance by others. To increase teenagers' sense of control over their lives, the group designed a program of 12 weekly meetings for groups of 10-20 adolescent girls. The groups were led by 2-4 peer leaders assisted by 1 professional adult. Each session was organized around a specific topic (e.g., birth control, abortion, teen pregnancy, teenage parenting) and utilized exercises that reinforced appropriate decision making and self-care. Also utilized were techniques for fostering a cost-benefit analysis of the decision to be sexually active. Group leaders supported reserving sexual activity for meaningful relationships and using contraception to delay childbearing until adulthood, but acknowledged the positive and negative consequences of these positions. Peer leaders were invaluable in embodying the message that adolescent girls can think, share ideas, and responsibly function in the sphere of sexual activity. Focused interviews with these peer leaders, conducted 6-12 months after the intervention, indicated they were helped by training sessions, pregroup consultations with the staff, the presence of a professional in the group, and the session outlines. The group's emphasis on control and responsibility for one's decisions seemed to be far more effective than more manipulative interventions that simply tell girls not to be sexually active.     

Girls�� and Boys�� Disclosure about Problems as a Predictor of Changes in Depressive Symptoms Over Time

Gender differences consistently emerge in adolescents?? friendships, with girls disclosing to friends about troubles and concerns more than boys. Although theories regarding possible emotional benefits of catharsis, as well as everyday assumptions, suggest that talking about problems makes people feel better, research regarding the impact of disclosure about problems on depressive symptoms has not been conclusive. In the current study, 79 early adolescent high school students residing in the Southeastern United States (73% European American) were observed talking about problems with a friend. Of primary interest was whether disclosure to friends predicted changes in self-reported depression over 6 months for girls and boys. Although girls disclosed to friends about problems (especially interpersonal problems) more than did boys, disclosure did not buffer girls from the development of depressive symptoms over time. In contrast, boys?? disclosure predicted their experiencing fewer depressive symptoms 6 months later. Results suggest that talking to friends may not be an especially effective method of coping with problems for girls.     

Gender Differences in Adolescent Self-Esteem: An Exploration of Domains

The relationship between gender and global self-esteem in adolescence, while modest, has been well established, with boys consistently scoring higher than girls. In the present study, we sought to understand gender differences in adolescent self-esteem in terms of its component parts. With a relatively large (n = 545) sample of adolescents, drawn from Grades 8, 10. and 12, we specified 8 domains of adolescent self-esteem (personal security, home/parents, peer popularity, academic competence, attractiveness, personal mastery, psychological permeability, and athletic competence) across a number of different instruments and brought them together into a common assessment superstructure. Gender differences as well as the relative contributions of the different domains to overall self-esteem scores were measured. As predicted, boys attained slightly higher global self-esteem scores than girls did, by a difference of .22 standard deviation units. Contrary to our expectation of more balanced domain effects, boys significantly outperformed girls in 6 of 8 domains, whereas the 2 remaining domains exhibited no significant gender differences. There were no main or interaction effects for grade level. In terms of relative contribution of these domains to global self-esteem for the 2 genders, global self-esteem in boys and girls is predicted in very similar strengths and in the same order of magnitude by identical domains of self-esteem: home/parents, personal security, academic competence, attractiveness, and personal mastery—yielding multiple R ²s from .88 to .91.     

Passionate love and anxiety in young adolescents

Two studies tested the hypothesis that young adolescents who experience a great deal of anxiety will be more likely to experience passionate love as well. In the first study, 24 boys and 17 girls, ranging in age from 12 to 14, were given the Child Anxiety Scale (which measures trait anxiety) and the Juvenile Love Scale (JLS). In the second study, 32 adolescent girls and 32 adolescent boys, ranging in age from 13 to 16, were given the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (which measures both trait and state anxiety) and the JLS. The studies found significant correlations between anxiety (both state and trait) and JLS scores in these young adolescents.As you might guess, it is extremely difficult to secure permission to interview children and adolescents about their feelings of passionate love. Thus, we would like to thank Dr. Mark Silzer, Principal of Our Redeemer Lutheran Elementary School, for his help on this project.     

Le modèle diathèse–stress de la dépression appliqué à une population d’adolescents

This study evaluates the applicability of the depression diathesis-stress theoretical model to an adolescent group. The mediatory and moderating functions of two types of cognitions, (dysfunctional attitudes and automatic negative thoughts) on the relationship between stressful negative life events and depressive symptoms was studied. Research hypotheses made it possible to verify if an individual that shows cognitive vulnerability towards a stressful negative event also shows more risks at developing depressive symptoms. The study was conducted on a sample of 752 participants from 4th, 3rd and 2nd grade, 55% of which were girls and 45% were boys. The study was carried out for 12 months in four Quebec high schools in Canada. The results showed that automatic negative thoughts are partly mediatory in the relationship between stress and depressive symptoms, among girls as well as boys. As for dysfunctional attitudes, the interaction effect between the autonomy schema and performance stress, as well as the interaction effect between the sociotropy schema and relational stress, predicted depressive symptoms only among boys.     

Suicidal Ideation of Psychiatrically Hospitalized Adolescents has One-Year Predictive Validity for Suicide Attempts in Girls Only

Clinicians commonly incorporate adolescents’ self-reported suicidal ideation into formulations regarding adolescents’ risk for suicide. Data are limited, however, regarding the extent to which adolescent boys’ and girls’ reports of suicidal ideation have clinically significant predictive validity in terms of subsequent suicidal behavior. This study examined psychiatrically hospitalized adolescent boys’ and girls’ self-reported suicidal ideation as a predictor of suicide attempts during the first year following hospitalization. A total of 354 adolescents (97 boys; 257 girls; ages 13–17 years) hospitalized for acute suicide risk were evaluated at the time of hospitalization as well as 3, 6, and 12 months later. Study measures included the Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire-Junior, Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children, Children’s Depression Rating Scale-Revised, Beck Hopelessness Scale, Youth Self-Report, and Personal Experiences Screen Questionnaire. The main study outcome was presence and number of suicide attempt(s) in the year after hospitalization, measured by the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children. Results indicated a significant interaction between suicidal ideation, assessed during first week of hospitalization, and gender for the prediction of subsequent suicide attempts. Suicidal ideation was a significant predictor of subsequent suicide attempts for girls, but not boys. Baseline history of multiple suicide attempts was a significant predictor of subsequent suicide attempts across genders. Results support the importance of empirically validating suicide risk assessment strategies separately for adolescent boys and girls. Among adolescent boys who have been hospitalized due to acute suicide risk, low levels of self-reported suicidal ideation may not be indicative of low risk for suicidal behavior following hospitalization.     

Gender Conceptualizations in Female High School Seniors: Relationships with Global Self-Worth and Multiple Measures of Body Image

This study was conducted to determine if gender-role conceptualizations in adolescent girls were related to their global self-worth and several dimensions of their body image. Self-report surveys were administered to 335 predominantly Caucasian Grade 12 girls from religiously-based high schools in the midwestern part of the United States. It was hypothesized that adolescent females?? gender-typing of themselves as well as their gender-related attitudes towards others would be significantly, and possibly divergently, related to their perceptions of themselves and their physical bodies. Obtained data were analyzed using multivariate canonical correlation procedures. The results of these analyses revealed support for the predicted overall relationship between gender conceptualizations and self-perceptions, but also indicated some differences in the way in which the two dimensions of gender-role conceptualizations (personal and attitudes towards others) were associated with adolescents?? perceptions of themselves. Specifically, girls exhibiting more egalitarian gender-related attitudes towards others scored higher on global self-worth and lower in body appearance orientation. In addition, higher self-endorsement on the masculine subscales was linked with higher global self-worth, lower social physique anxiety, and higher use of competence to evaluate the physical body. In contrast, high self-endorsement on the feminine subscales exhibited mixed links to the set of self-perceptual variables.     

The roles of sex, gender, and coping in adolescent depression

This study investigated the roles of coping and masculinity in higher rates of depressive symptoms among adolescent girls, as compared to boys. A model was designed and tested through path analysis, which involved the variables of sex, gender, problem-focused coping, rumination, and distraction. The Reynolds Adolescent Depression Scale and the Bem Sex Role Inventory, as well as a measure of coping with general stressors was completed by 246 adolescents. Results showed that adolescent girls were more depressed than boys, and that girls used more emotion-focused and ruminative coping than did boys. Greater degrees of ruminative coping were related to high levels of depressive symptoms. Problem-focused and distractive coping were positively correlated with masculinity and negatively associated with depression. Surprisingly, girls were more likely to use problem-focused coping. Problem-focused and distractive coping were found to mediate the negative relationship between masculinity and depression.     

Maximizing the impact of exposure to scientific role models: Testing an intervention to increase science identity among adolescent girls

A field experiment tested an intervention to maximize the impact of a science outreach program by encouraging early adolescent girls (N = 240, M_age =12) to adopt female role models. Girls participated in workshops led by female role models who were scientific experts in their field. Afterward, they were randomly assigned to choose and write about their favorite workshop leader or to write about the first workshop leader. We hypothesized that the intervention would benefit girls who chose and wrote about a favorite leader. However, girls in both conditions experienced significant increases in science identity. Girls demonstrated strong role model identification with the workshop leaders; moreover, role model identification was associated with increases in science identity. Girls in the chosen leader condition focused on her competence and supportiveness more than girls in the assigned leader condition. There was no difference in science identity between girls from well-represented and underrepresented minority (URM) ethnic groups in scientific fields. URM girls, surprisingly, identified more with the workshop leader than well-represented girls. Science workshops led by female role models with relevant expertise may facilitate science identification among early adolescent girls from diverse ethnic backgrounds.