AIDS: late adolescents' knowledge and its influence on sexual behavior

Approximately 300 late adolescents were surveyed to assess their knowledge of AIDS, and to determine if and how their sexual behavior had changed as a result. Findings suggested that late adolescents were quite knowledgeable regarding AIDS and its transmission; however, only about one-third had altered their sexual behavior as a result of fear of the disease. Findings are discussed in terms of the need for AIDS education, and recommendations are presented.     

The frequency and significance of additional self-reported psychiatric diagnoses in children with attention deficit disorder

The frequency of additional self-reported diagnoses in a large, heterogeneous sample of attention defiict disorder (ADD) children (N=182)was determined using the Diagnostic Interview for Children and Adolescents (DICA). Over half the children had additional DICA diagnoses, with oppositional disorder and anxiety/mood disorders the most frequent. ADD boys with internalizing-type diagnoses had lower verbal IQs and arithmetic scores and performed more poorly on attention tasks than those without; parents also rated them more adversely. Those with externalizing- type diagnoses were rated as more aggressive by teachers and had sociopathic, thrill- seeking profiles on paper-pencil self-ratings. Over 40% of the children were dyslexic or slow learners but they had no higher rate of DICA diagnoses than those who read adequately.This research was supported by NIMH grant R01-MH39189 and by the Marie Wilson Howells Fund. The authors are grateful to the Chid Study Center staff who assisted in recruiting and evaluating subjects and to the Behavioral Laboratory team members who collected and analyzed the data.     

Conventional warfare and United States military involvement in Latin America: early adolescents' views

Early adolescents' views concerning conventional war were assessed in order to better understand the thinking of today's youth, and to determine similarities and differences of the views expressed by adolescents 15 years ago. Three hundred sixty-two seventh-grade students were surveyed regarding conventional warfare in general and United States military involvement in Latin America specifically. Results suggest participants were somewhat more accepting of war in 1986, and that many were skeptical of President Reagan's honesty and wisdom on the issue of United States military involvement in Latin America.     

Dating infidelity: behaviors, reasons and consequences

Older adolescents were surveyed concerning three issues: behaviors which constitute infidelity in a dating relationship, reasons for a dating partner to be unfaithful, and reactions to a dating partner's infidelity. Responses from 247 participants indicated more similarities than differences between dating infidelity and extramarital affairs with regard to behaviors, causes, and consequences. Results are discussed in terms of similarities between dating and marital infidelity, and the rationale for professionals to interact with adolescents concerning the potential long-term consequences of dating infidelity.     

Perceptions of conventional war: late adolescents' views

Late adolescents' views concerning conventional war were assessed in order to better understand the thinking of today's youth and to compare their views with those of early adolescents previously reported in the literature. Three hundred ninety-nine college undergraduates from two universities were surveyed regarding conventional warfare in general and United States military involvement in Latin America specifically. Results suggest that attitudes toward war were related to sex, socioeconomic status, and political affiliation. Although two-thirds of the respondents believed wars were sometimes needed, there was little support for United States military involvement in Latin America and much skepticism of President Reagan's honesty on the issue. Overall, late adolescents' views were less positive and less extreme than were those of early adolescents.     

Adolescents' knowledge of nuclear issues and the effects of nuclear war

Three hundred fifty-seven college students were surveyed to assess later adolescents' awareness of the status of nuclear arms development and possible effects of a nuclear war on people and the environment. Chi-square analyses were performed to determine whether the frequency of correct responses differed with regard to participants' sex, political orientation, and position toward the United States' possession of nuclear weapons. Results suggest that later adolescents are extremely uninformed regarding the current status of nuclear issues and the consequences of a nuclear war. These data, coupled with findings from previous studies reporting children's and adolescents' concerns and fears about nuclear war, indicate that there is a strong need to educate young people concerning nuclear issues.     

Adolescents' views of intimacy: distinguishing intimate from nonintimate relationships

Two hundred seventy-seven late adolescents were questioned regarding what they believed differentiated an intimate from a nonintimate relationship. Adolescents' responses supported Erickson's (1963) view of intimacy as being characterized by openness, sharing, and trust, with only minimal differences occurring between the sexes, and relative to current dating/relationship status. Their expressed views varied from Erickson's, however, as they included physical/sexual interaction as a critical component. An additional difference was the relatively few students who included self-abandonment and commitment as necessary elements of an intimate relationship. Explanations for these differences are presented.     

Sporadic transient atrioventricular block and slow heart rate in nervous pointer dogs

Two behaviorally distinct strains of pointer dogs, one bred for nervousness (pronounced freezing behavior, withdrawal behavior), the other bred for normal behavior, exhibit prominent differences in their heart rates and incidence of sporadic occurrences of atrioventricular heart block. Of 67 nervous-line dogs, 70 per cent showed second degree AV-block on at least one occasion, and their heart rates averaged 65 beats/min. Only 15 per cent of 52 normal-line dogs displayed AV-block (generally fewer instances per dog) and their heart rates averaged 110 beats/min. Fifth generation nervous-line puppies, two to six weeks old, exhibited occasional AV-block even at heart rates averaging 183 beats/min. The incidence and “severity” increased as the puppies aged. Dogs crossbred from second and third generation parents of the two main lines show intermediate incidences of AV-block and intermediate heart rates. The incidence of AV-block is predominant in females. This is interpreted as a sex-influenced, agedependent, polygenic mode of inheritance. Humoral factors probably account for the sex-influence, and psychological stress probably also plays a role. No sex difference is noted in heart rates.     

The ontogeny of defensive reactions in the rat: Influence of the monoamine transmission systems

The effects of neonatal treatment of rats with the neurotoxins 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine and 6-hydroxydopamine on the ontogeny of the ultra sound vocalization and the immobility response were studied. The 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine treated rats showed reduced strength of both reactions indicating involvement of the serotonin system in their ontogeny. This hypothesis was supported by experiments with depletion of serotonin by para-chlorophenylalanine followed by replenishment with 5-hydroxytryptophan. The 6-hydroxydopamine treated rats showed normal defensive reactions, but displayed hyperactivity from their second week of age. The role of the dopamine system in the defensive reactions was studied by variations of the dopamine activity level by traditional tools: depletion by α-methyl-tyrosin followed by replenishment by l -DOPA; stimulation or inhibition of the dopamine receptors by apomorphine or haloperidol. The results suggested an inhibitory function of the dopamine system in both defensive reactions, antagonistic to that of the serotonin system.     

Heart rate reactivity in attention deficit disorder subgroups

Beat-to-beat heart rate (HR) was analyzed for 9 contiguous seconds in a warned reaction time (RT) paradigm. Imperative stimuli were tones of three intensity levels (55, 78, and 100 db); a visual warning signal occurred 5 sec before tone onset. Baseline and reward conditions were run. Normal controls were contrasted with three Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) subgroups: ADD-only, ADD with hyperactivity (ADDH), ADD with hyperactivity and aggression (ADDHA). The ADD subgroups were predicted to show less deceleration in HR because of their problem sustaining readiness to respond. Significant sex x group differences in HR levels and change scores were found. Overall, girls had higher HR levels than boys and the ADD-only group (boys and girls) had lower HRs than the other ADD groups. But, the ADD-only boys had more marked deceleration to the warning signal and acceleration to the tones than the other ADD boys, whereas the ADD-only girls were no more reactive than the ADDH and ADDHA girls. Control girls had the highest HR levels and were the most reactive to stimuli. Control boys and ADD-only boys had similar HR levels and reaction patterns. ADD-only girls appear to be underaroused, whereas ADD-only boys do not. Results suggest that cardiac measures can provide external validation of disruptive and nondisruptive ADD subtypes.