Childhood sexual abuse has often been implicated in the etiology of adolescent sex offending behavior. Victimization rates in the literature vary according to whether data are collected prior (22%) or subsequent (52%) to treatment. Previous research suggests that the incidence of sexual abuse varies as a function of victim age and gender. Sexual abuse histories were collected from 87 adolescent...

Adolescent rats have been observed to be less sensitive than adults to a number of ethanol effects that may serve as feedback cues to reduce further ethanol intake. Among these findings are a few reports of attenuated sensitivities of adolescents to ethanol-induced motor impairment. The purpose of the present study was to further explore potential age-related differences in ethanol-induced moto...

Findings from several studies suggest that higher levels of neighborhood safety and social capital are associated with higher levels of physical activity, a known predictor of obesity. Presently, the obesity rate for adolescents ages 12 to19 in the United States is 16.9%, which is four times the rate noted in the 1960s. This study focuses on neighborhood characteristics, activity patterns and t...

This study tested a social-ecological model of adolescent substance use. Multilevel modeling was used to investigate how systems, such as parents, peers, schools, and communities, directly influence and interact together to influence adolescent substance use. Participants included 14,548 (50.3% female) middle school students who were 78.6% White, 5.4% Biracial, 4.8% Asian, 4.8% Black, and 3.6% ...

A rare case of multifocal cystic tuberculosis of hands and feet is presented in an adolescent female. The presence of multiple lytic areas mimicked secondary metastases and biopsy remained the mainstay for final diagnosis.

This randomized trial of a family-focused preventive intervention for Mexican American middle schoolers examined internalizing, externalizing, and substance use outcomes in late adolescence, 5 years after completing the intervention. Parent-adolescent conflict was tested as a mediator of these effects. The role of parent and adolescent acculturation in these pathways was also examined. There we...

The Synergistic Effects of Methylphenidate on the Behavioral Effects of Nicotine by Kristen K. Leedy One of the most common childhood disorders, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) places individuals at a higher risk for nicotine (NIC) dependence. Approximately 37.2% of individuals with ADHD currently smoke compared to the 18.3% of individuals with no record of mental illness. Methy...

Associations between histories of family disruption (residential moves and separations from parent figures) and adolescent adjustment (including educational, internalizing, externalizing, and sexual behavior outcomes) were examined in a random sample of 267 African American girls from 3 urban poverty neighborhoods. Higher numbers of residential moves and parental separations significantly predi...

To evaluate a model of social contextual influences on risk for adolescent pregnancy, 368 target adolescents (52% female, 48% male) and their mothers, fathers, and closest age siblings were assessed 6 times over a 7-year period beginning when the target adolescents were in 7th grade. Two pathways were found to increase risk for involvement in a pregnancy by late adolescence. Middle adolescent r...