Parental preferences regarding sex education topics for sixth graders

The purpose of this study was to ascertain which sex education topics parents of preadolescents regarded as appropriate for their children. The sample was comprised of 146 respondents randomly selected from a class list of sixth graders in a suburban school district. A mailed, self-administered questionnaire listing 48 possible topics was used to elicit parental response. Pretesting found the questionnaire to be highly reliable (Cronbach's alpha = .95). Overall, parents strongly supported the inclusion of a broad range of sex education topics regardless of parental age, sex, marital status, income, education, or child's sex. Moreover, parents were largely in agreement with the inclusion of sensitive topics in addition to those which were more physiological or behavioral. Catholics more often than Protestants agreed with the inclusion of birth control, abortion, and sterilization even after controlling for income and education. Thus, the findings suggest that parents of sixth graders find a broad sex education program in the school appropriate. To this end, school officials and sex educators should not overlook the needs of preadolescents for sex education solely on the basis of perceived parental opposition.     

Adolescents' perception of aspects of the home environment and their attitudes toward parents, self, and external authority

Although there is extensive literature on the home environment as a socializing agent and on the perception of self and others, research relating home environment variables to adolescents' perception of themselves and others is not common. The present study, using a survey of 480 students, attempts to define and relate these two domains. Factor analyses of 16 semantic differential scales generated three dimensions--evaluation, understandability, and potency--for specifying attitudes toward self, parents, and certain external authority figures (teachers and police). In addition, factor analysis of 20 variables relating to adolescents' perception of their home environment suggested five factors: (1) extent of punishment, (2) amount of chores at home, (3) perceived parental control, (4) absence of parents, and (5) parents' attitude toward authority figures. Controlling for sex and age, these home environment factors were found to account for sizable portions of variance in certain components of the person perception domain. Particular relevance for several of these factors are discussed.     

Coitally active university students: sexual behaviors, concerns, and challenges

The past fifteen years, in particular, have seen a major increase in the extent to which both adolescents and young adults are engaging in sexual intercourse. While several studies call attention to the increasing incidence among college/university students, the concomitant shifts in the sociopsychological realms of sexuality are also important dimensions which impact upon sexual concerns of youth. Hence, the purposes of this study are to examine the behaviors, attitudes, and concerns of students who have engaged in coitus, as well as any changes they seek in their sex lives. The sample consisted of 123 never-married male and 205 never-married female undergraduate students from a state university. The data were obtained by utilizing an anonymous questionnaire administered to volunteers during regular university classes. Among the coitally active, 67.4% of males were psychologically satisfied after their first sexual experience, but only 28.3% of females. In contrast, 80.9% of males and 28.3% of females reported current psychological satisfaction with their sexual experiences. Significant differences between genders focused on male dissatisfaction with infrequent opportunities for sexual intercourse, lack of variety of sex partners, and insufficient oral-genital stimulation, whereas females expressed concerns relating to lack of stimulation to their breasts, painful sexual intercourse, lack of orgasm during sexual intercourse, and feelings of guilt and fear. An increasing awareness of current sexual behaviors, attitudes, and concerns of university students can help family life educators to meet student needs as they react to changes in interpersonal relationships, families, and society.     

Health needs and concerns of male adolescents

Lifestyle factors established within the family help determine health-care functioning. Adolescents first may be challenged to meet their own health needs as freshmen in college. A 153-item questionnaire was utilized to examine concerns in the areas of alcohol and other drug use, auto safety, weight and dieting, smoking, sexuality, coping and stress, and selection and utilization of health-care services. One hundred fifty-nine male college students responded. Major problems with alcohol use, auto safety, weight control, stress and sexuality were identified. Positive lifestyle factors that were strongly supported included regular exercise, nonsmoking, regular medical and dental checkups, and the development of some support systems to cope with stress. Health-care services designated by respondents to meet their own needs were significantly different from those services they pointed out as needed for their peers.     

Desire for thinness among high school cheerleaders: relationship to disordered eating and weight control behaviors

The eating disorders of anorexia nervosa and bulimia are increasing in frequency among adolescent females. These increases have been linked to the cultural ideal in American society of thinness. Attempting to control weight is one behavioral manifestation of the desire for thinness. One particular group of adolescents, female cheerleaders, often experience pressure to attain and maintain weight that is lower than other adolescents of the same height. This study examined cheerleaders' desire for thinness in relationship to disordered eating and weight control behaviors. A Desire for Thinness Scale and selected scales from three eating disorders instruments were administered to 751 high school cheerleaders from the Midwest. Cheerleaders who scored in the upper third on the Desire for Thinness Scale were compared with those who scored in the lower third. Cheerleaders who expressed a strong desire for thinness had significantly higher scores (p less than .0001) on 7 of 8 eating disorders scales. The greater the desire for thinness, the more likely the tendency to report disordered eating and weight control behaviors associated with bulimia. Implications from this study include an awareness of how a cultural ideal of thinness may indirectly increase disordered eating and weight control behaviors by making weight loss a salient goal. A proactive approach to modifying negative aspects of the cultural emphasis on thinness is proposed.     

Factors associated with juvenile detention truancy

Factors influencing truancy from a juvenile court treatment facility were investigated. Youth born in 1962 (N = 124) who were placed in the facility were compared for number of truancies, background, and personality variables. Results showed that males with prior adjudication for home or school truancy had a 65% probability of eloping from the court facility as compared to a 34% probability for youth adjudicated for other offenses. Most females were adjudicated for truancy offenses and showed a 62% probability of truancy while in the court facility. Further, for females who eloped and were returned, the probability of a subsequent truancy was above 80%. Personality characteristics of truants varied with sex: male truants were more likely to be conduct disordered youth for which impulsivity and disregard for social norms is prevalent; female truants appear more likely to be in conflict over autonomy issues.     

Factors related to eating disorders in young adolescent girls

The objective of this study was to identify factors related to eating disorders in young adolescent girls. Three hundred eighty-five girls who were attending a career conference at a midwestern university completed the Eating Disorder Instrument (EDI) along with a biographical data sheet. The EDI is designed for the assessment of psychological and behavior traits common in eating disorders. While 81% of the young subjects were assessed to be within the range for ideal weight or were underweight, 78% preferred to weigh less. Only 14% were satisfied with their current weight. Findings for each of the subscales used revealed significant differences among the girls based on intact versus broken family; subjects' actual and preferred weight; whether the family ate meals together; average grades; age and grade in school; fathers' occupation; future career plans; place of residence; and feelings toward their mothers.     

Variables which differentiate placement of adolescents into juvenile justice or mental health systems

Studies of the variables that determine whether an adolescent is placed in the mental health or juvenile justice system for treatment have led to conflicting conclusions based on impressionistic data. The primary hypothesis of this study--that demographic variables would and personality/psychopathology variables would not differentiate into which system a youth will be placed--was supported. Adolescents were studied at intake into both the juvenile justice system and the mental health system. Data were collected on demographics (structured interviews), personality/psychopathology (MMPI), social adjustment (CAAP), and academic achievement (PIAT). A discriminant function analysis identified eight statistically significant variables which differentiated the two groups. In order of decreasing importance they are: ethnicity, gender, MMPI-depression, previous mental health history, CAAP-productivity, drug use, parental marital history, and parental religious preference.     

Psychoanalytic supervision and the larger truth

If one asks, then, what is the larger truth in supervision and where is it to be found, the answer is that it is to be found in the history and character of the student; in the intersubjective encounter between the student and the supervisor; in the secret use of supervision by the student as he creatively searches for himself. However one chooses to define truth or to speak to a theory of supervision, it is important to note that supervision is not purely an educational activity nor a therapeutic one. It lies somewhere in between and therefore requires some unique theoretical formulations.     

Working together separately: clarifying the relationship between college therapist and dean of students

The authors, a college psychotherapist and dean of students, describe the relationship between these college personnel. They describe the dynamics of their interaction and the importance of communication and mutual understanding. They define counseling and therapy, discuss the issues of agency and confidentiality, suggest methods of referral and consultation, and emphasize the need for support and trust within a school community. Finally, they present case studies that illustrate the benefits of mutual trust, understanding, and respect.