Determining Normal Deviance: Adolescent Drug Use?

This research examines change in lifetime drug use frequency among three drugs, marijuana, alcohol, and inhalants, and antisocial behaviors using a cohort longitudinal model. Inhalants are the only drugs which use decline with grade level. Focus of the article is whether the use of these three drugs is a normal part of adolescent development. Using three determinants: associations between drug use and grade and scores on an antisocial behavior scale; and percent of abstainers; the authors determined none of the three drugs represent normal deviance. Data are from 2008 thru the 2014 the Caring Communities Youth Survey (CCYS).     

Can Facebook Informational Use Foster Adolescent Civic Engagement?

The findings on the association between Social Networking Sites and civic engagement are mixed. The present study aims to evaluate a theoretical model linking the informational use of Internet‐based social media (specifically, Facebook) with civic competencies and intentions for future civic engagement, taking into account the mediating role of civic discussions with family and friends and sharing the news online. Participants were 114 Italian high school students aged 14–17 years (57 % boys). Path analysis was used to evaluate the proposed theoretical model. Results showed that Facebook informational use was associated with higher levels of adolescent perceived competence for civic action, both directly and through the mediation of civic discussion with parents and friends (offline). Higher levels of civic competencies, then, were associated with a stronger intention to participate in the civic domain in the future. Our findings suggest that Facebook may provide adolescents with additional tools through which they can learn civic activities or develop the skills necessary to participate in the future.     

Does Low Self-Control Predict Fictitious Drug Use and Untruthfulness?

This study tests Hirschi and Gottfredson's (1993 Hirschi , Travis and Michael R. Gottfredson . 1993 . “Commentary: Testing the General Theory of Crime.” Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency 30 : 47 – 54 .[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) argument that self-control is related to survey response patterns. It is hypothesized that individuals who are low in self-control will be less likely to provide honest answers in survey research, a critical but untested question with respect to the general theory. Data from approximately 1,600 high school students in a Southeastern U.S. state are used to examine the relationship between low self-control and self-reported indicators of fictitious drug use and honesty when completing a survey questionnaire dealing with deviant behavior. Findings indicate that low self-control is significantly related to reports of having used a fictitious drug and having been untruthful when completing a survey questionnaire, suggesting that the reliability of survey research may depend on individual traits such as low self-control.     

Reactions to Intragroup Deviance: Does Disidentification Have a Role?

In this study, we address previous evidence about the interchangeable use of derogation and disidentification in protecting the self from intragroup deviance. We argue that when the in-group stands for a valued social identity, members may disidentify from the group, but only if the immediate context provides no opportunity to derogate. In the present experiments (n = 80 and n = 79), we provided or did not provide participants with the opportunity to recommend a punishment for an in-group or an out-group deviant. We also measured in-group identification before and after exposure to deviant behavior and after judgment. The results show that participants first disidentified from the in-group but, when presented with an opportunity to judge the deviant, also derogated. Importantly, participants who could judge the deviant also recovered their initial in-group identification level. Participants’ reactions to the out-group deviant suggest they used an intergroup rather than intragroup strategy.     

Competent Adolescent Readers’ Use of Internet Reading Strategies: A Think-Aloud Study

The purpose of this study was to investigate the type, pattern, and complexity of Internet reading strategies used by seven accomplished high school readers. Individual participants performed an academic Internet reading task with the goal of developing critical questions about their chosen controversial topic. Strategies for Internet reading were analyzed from the perspective of constructively responsive reading, both qualitatively and quantitatively, using participant-generated verbal reports complemented by recordings of their computer screens. The data described the nature and sequence of reading strategies that participants used to construct meaning, and the interplay of those multiple strategies in Internet settings. The results demonstrated that the participants’ Internet reading involved the iteration and modification of traditional print-based reading strategies (e.g., meaning-making, self-monitoring, information evaluation) and also the use of strategies characteristic of Internet settings (e.g., text location). Implications of the study's findings on Internet reading strategy use for theory and research are discussed.     

Honor in Everyday Life in Turkish Society: A Barrier Against Deviance?

It seems that honor in Turkish society has always been brought to light through its connection with violence and homicides committed in its name: the existence of this kind of honor, considered as “barbarous,” seems to have subverted any representations of civic honor. Through interviews made with Turkish young adults, this article will attempt to show that a “civic” honor exists in Turkish society aiming to organize public space to maintain social order. Honor can thus be seen as a principle that can regulate social interactions in everyday life and even curb deviance instead of provoking it.     

Adolescent Suicide Attempters: What Predicts Future Suicidal Acts?

Predictors for repetition of suicide attempts were evaluated among 92 adolescent suicide attempters 9 years after an index suicide attempt (90% females). Five were dead, two by suicide. Thirty-one (42%) of 73 had repeated a suicide attempt. In multiple Cox regression analysis, four factors had an independent predictive effect: comorbid disorders, hopelessness, having ever received treatment for mental or behavior problems, and having a father exerting control without affection. Prediction on an individual level was difficult. Since almost half repeated a suicidal act, the best strategy is to evaluate all adolescent suicide attempters thoroughly and provide treatment as needed.     

Adolescent Boys’ Use of Emo Music as Their Healing Lament

Emo music is one avenue through which God can begin or continue a process of healing found through connectedness, sharing, and understanding. God can use songs of lament to bring awareness of pain. Emo music can also offer an environment for the suffering individual to begin to think about and develop vocabulary to describe their pain. In some cases, the music can serve as a prayer of faith for the adolescent, allowing him to connect with God.     

Adolescent maternity: A risk factor in poverty situations?

This paper describes the psychosocial characteristics of adolescent mothers living in poverty in urban communities of Uruguay, whose children are now 0 to 5 years old. A sample of 965 mothers representative of the poor urban communities in the entire country was studied. One hundred thirty-six of these mothers were adolescents, 19 years old or younger. Six major areas were explored: socioeconomic status and social support, family characteristics, child-rearing practices, maternal and paternal availability, and characteristics of the child. In the group of children 2 to 5 years of age, psychomotor development was explored using the Test de Desarrollo Psicomotor (TEPSI). Psychosocial risk and child development were compared for adolescent and nonadolescent poor urban mothers. Children in both groups showed negative effects. It was not found that children of adolescent mothers did worse than those of nonadolescent mothers. Therefore, it was concluded that adolescent maternity is a complex phenomenon that cannot be viewed in isolation from the social environment in which it takes place. The results indicated that in poor communities the poverty-related risk factors may obscure the effect of the age-related ones.     

Social Deviance Theories: Can They Explain Rural Vandalism in the Twenty-First Century?

Rural crime is a heavily misunderstood and marginalized area of criminology. In the United Kingdom in particular, there is limited scholarship on the issue and even less on particular types of rural crime, such as rural vandalism. With this in mind, this article reviews the applicability of five deviance theories to several forms of rural vandalism, through a less traditional lens that challenges criminological and rural norms. The article concludes by arguing that most of the theories examined are relevant to explanations of rural vandalism. However, it also emphasizes the need for a solid definition of rural crime, and an overall move away from the urban focus of criminology.     

Semantic Hyperpriming in Normal Aging: A Consequence of Instructions?

Abstract

Semantic hyperpriming has consistently been found in normal aging. However, because the standard instructions to test semantic priming are generally ambiguous (focusing on both accuracy and speed), it is difficult to account for hyperpriming in older adults. By using the direct and mediated priming paradigms, this study investigates whether older adults' response mode at testing may explain hyperpriming. First, we show that, under identical conditions, inducing a response mode that favors speed leads to greater priming effects in older adults. The pattern of results is similar to what is observed under standard instructions. Second, prompting a response mode that favors accuracy leads to greater priming effects in younger adults. We discuss various explanations for these findings and conclude, in accordance with the Ratcliff, Thapar, Gomez, and McKoon (2004a Ratcliff, R., Thapar, A., Gomez, P. and McKoon, G. 2004a. A diffusion model analysis of the effects of aging in the lexical-decision task. Psychology and Aging, 19: 278–289. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) diffusion model, that hyperpriming in normal aging is contingent on older adults' response mode at testing.     

Parenting Scale: Which Version Should We Use?

Factor analytic studies of one of the widely used measurements of parental discipline, the Parenting Scale (PS), have yielded ambiguous results. The purpose of this study was to compare various forms of the PS in terms of factor structure and other psychometric properties. The sample consisted of 617 mothers and 430 fathers of 2 to 5-year-olds. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that shorter structural models provided a better fit compared to the original model; however, none led to an optimal fit. Other psychometric properties such as internal consistency, test-retest reliability, concurrent and predictive validity were slightly higher for the original Laxness and Overreactivity subscales. The findings from this study and previous studies suggest that the inter-item relationship in the scale might be too sensitive to sample characteristics, implying that factor analysis might not be the best way to measure the scale’s validity. Nevertheless, other psychometric properties support the use of the Parenting Scale in the assessment of dysfunctional parenting practices. We recommend using the original Laxness and Overreactivity subscales rather than the later models, especially for research purposes.     

Adolescent Suicidality: Who Will Ideate,Who Will Act?

Responses to the 1999 Youth Risk Behavior Survey including suicide ideation, attempt, medically treated attempt, and six problem behaviors were analysed. Youth across the spectrum ideated. Overwhelmingly, the 17% of youth with more than three problem behaviors were the youth who acted; they accounted for 60% of medically treated suicidal acts. Compared to adolescents with zero problem behaviors, the odds of a medically treated suicide attempt were 2.3 times greater among respondents with one, 8.8 with two, 18.3 with three, 30.8 with four, 50.0 with five, and 227.3 with six. A count of problem behaviors offers a reliable way to identify suicide risk.     

Parent Programs for Reducing Adolescent’s Antisocial Behavior and Substance Use: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Two theoretically based parent training programs, delivered in real-world settings by the social services, were examined in this randomized controlled trial for effectiveness in reducing adolescents’ antisocial behavior and substance use. Two hundred and thirty-seven (237) adolescents in ages between 12 and 18 and their parents were assigned to one of two programs or to a wait-list control condition. The programs were the nine weekly group sessions program Comet 12–18 (Swedish Parent Management Training Program) and the six weekly ParentSteps (Swedish shortened version by Strengthening Families Program 10–14). Outcome measures were antisocial behavior, substance use, and delinquency, and psychosocial dysfunction. Data based on adolescents’ and parents’ ratings of the adolescents’ problem behavior at baseline and 6 months later were analyzed with repeated measures ANVOA, Logistic regression, and Kruskal–Wallis H test. The results showed that parents’ ratings of adolescents’ antisocial behaviors decreased significantly over time, but no time by group effect emerged. No program effects were found in the adolescents’ self-reported antisocial behavior, delinquency, or psychosocial functioning. A threefold risk of illicit drug use was found in both intervention groups. The results suggest that neither Comet nor ParentSteps had beneficial effects on adolescent’s antisocial or delinquent behavior, or on alcohol use. The only significant group difference found was a threefold risk of drug use in the intervention adolescents at follow-up, but for several reasons this finding should be interpreted with caution. Trial registration number: ISRCTN76141538.     

Drug Use and Self-Harming Behavior Among Incarcerated Men: Does Childhood Abuse,Anger, and Executive Function Make a Difference?

Childhood abuse, anger, drug-related problems, and self-harm are commonly seen among incarcerated individuals. Forty-three young incarcerated males from an Istanbul prison were assessed for childhood abuse, anger, drug use, self-harming behavior, and executive function (EF). Further, 58% of the sample was using drugs, and 60.5% showed self-harming behavior. Performing a backward stepwise binary logistic regression model, it was found that the likelihood of using drugs was determined by EF measured by the Trail Making Test form A, childhood abuse, anger, and self-harm. On the other hand, self-harm was determined by childhood abuse, anger, and drug use.