OBJECTIVE To evaluate an HIV risk-reduction intervention among Namibian adolescents. METHODS A randomized trial of a 14-session face-to-face intervention emphasizing abstinence and safer sexual practices conducted among 515 youths (median age 17 years and median grade 11) attending 10 secondary schools located in two districts in Namibia. Youths were randomly assigned to the intervention or c...

OBJECTIVES The objectives of this study were to: (i) describe the phenomenology of youths diagnosed with subsyndromal bipolar disorders; (ii) describe the phenomenology of youngsters who are the children of bipolar parents, who are also experiencing subsyndromal symptoms of bipolar disorder (patients with 'cyclotaxia'); and (iii) explore which symptoms may be most useful in identifying youths w...

The Youth Self Report (YSR) is a widely used measure of youth emotional and behavioral problems. Although the YSR was designed for youths ages 11 to 18, no studies have systematically evaluated whether youths younger than age 11 can make valid reports on this measure. This study thus examined the reliability and validity of the YSR scales scores for younger (ages 7-10; n = 184) and older (ages ...

OBJECTIVE To examine whether there were differential rates of hepatitis C virus (HCV) incidence in injecting drug-using youths who did and did not report involvement in survival sex work. DESIGN Data were derived from 2 prospective cohort studies of injecting drug users (May 1, 1996, to July 31, 2007). Analyses were restricted to HCV antibody-negative youths who completed baseline and at leas...

Developmental research suggests that adolescents may be highly influenced by their peers to take risks. Although youths with callous-unemotional (CU) traits engage in high-risk behaviors in the form of antisocial behavior and aggression, little is known about their decision making, particularly when their peers are present. Youths high on CU traits may be most susceptible to influence, especial...

OBJECTIVES To assess youth perceptions of the causes and consequences of violence generally, the causes and consequences of fighting specifically, and to determine how best to approach fighting in the context of violence prevention activities. METHODS Thirteen structured focus group interviews with youths from three high violence urban settings: a large, urban high school, a training center f...

We examine the moderating role of friendship and school network characteristics in relationships between 1) youths' friends smoking behavior and youths' own generalized expectancies regarding risk and future orientation and 2) generalized expectancies of youths' friends and youths' own generalized expectancies. We then relate these constructs to smoking. Using a longitudinal sample from the Nat...

OBJECTIVES This article introduces a new measure of problem-solving skills of youths with type 1 diabetes (T1DM) and adult caregivers in correcting glycemic fluctuations. METHODS The Diabetes Problem Solving Interview (DPSI), a structured interview, was validated during a pilot study of a behavioral intervention. DPSI data and measures of diabetes management were obtained at baseline from 114...

A randomized prevention design was used to investigate a moderation effect in the association between a polymorphism in the SCL6A4(5HTT) gene at 5-HTTLPR and increases in youths' risk behavior initiation. Participation in the Strong African American Families (SAAF) program was hypothesized to attenuate the link between 5-HTTLPR status and risk behavior initiation. Youths (N = 641, M age = 11.2 ...

This study compared levels of drug use and risk and protective factors among 18,767 adolescent youths from communities of less than 50,000 in population living either on farms, in the country but not on farms, or in towns. Current alcohol use, smokeless tobacco use, inhalant use, and other illicit drug use were more prevalent among high school-aged youths living on farms than among those living...