ADOLESCENTS
Academics
Diego, M.A., Field, T. & Sanders, C.E. Academic Performance, Popularity
and Depression Predict Adolescent Substance Use. (2003). Adolescence, 38,
35-42.
• High school seniors completed a questionnaire on their feelings and
activities, including their use of drugs. Adolescents with a low grade point
average, high popularity, and high depression were more likely to smoke cigarettes,
drink alcohol, and smoke marijuana than were their peers.
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Sanders, C., Field, T, & Diego, M. (2001) Adolescents academic expectations
and achievements. Adolescence, 36, 795-802.
• High school seniors from middle to upper socioeconomic status families
completed questionnaires on behavioral and psychological aspects of adolescent
life. Academic expectations were found to be highly correlated with academic
achievement.
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Best Friends
Lundy, B.L., Field, T.M., McBride, C., Field, T., & Largie, S. (1998).
Same-sex and opposite-sex best friend interactions among high school juniors
and seniors. Adolescence, 33, 280-289.
• Adolescents were videotaped during same-sex and opposite-sex interactions
in the eleventh and twelfth grades. In both grades, females felt more comfortable
during same-sex partners more positively than did males. Females in both grades
and males in eleventh grade showed more peer intimacy than did males in twelfth
grade. Eleventh-grade females showed the most playful behaviors (the most
engaged state).
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McBride, C., & Field, T.(1997). Adolescent same-sex and opposite-sex best
friend interactions. Adolescence, 32, 515-522.
• In the present study, 48 high school juniors selected their best same-sex
and opposite-sex friends for a videotaping of 10-minute face-to-face interactions
together. Females felt more comfortable with same-sex interactions than during
opposite-sex interactions, and they rated their same-sex partners more positively
than the males. Although second-by-second codings of the videotapes yielded
no group differences on the percentage of time the dyads were in interested
or animated states, females were in more playful states during their same-sex
interactions and males were more playful during their interactions with females.
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Depressed Mood
Lasko, D., Field, T., Gonzalez, K.P., Harding, J., Yando, R., &
Bendell, D. (1996). Adolescent depressed mood & parental unhappiness.
Adolescence, 31, 49-57.
• A set of self-report scales on depression, parental happiness, intimate
relationships, social support, self-esteem, and risk-taking behavior were
administered to adolescents to determine the relationship between depression
and these other variables. Adolescents with depressed mood were found to be
less intimate with both parents, felt less social support, and had lower self-esteem
than their peers. Adolescents who perceived their mother or father as unhappy
also reported less intimacy with both parents and less social support.
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Depression
Field, T., Diego, M. & Sanders, C. (2001). Adolescent depression
and risk factors. Adolescence, 36, 492-498.
• High school seniors from a suburban private high school were administered
a comprehensive questionnaire to determine differences between adolescents
who rated the quality of their parent and peer relationships as high or low.
Adolescents with high parent and high peer relationship scores had more friends,
greater family togetherness, lower levels of depression and drug use, and
higher grade point average.
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Divorce
Gonzalez, K., Field, T., Lasko, D., Harding, J., Yando, R., &
Bendell, D. (1995). Adolescents from divorced and intact families. Journal
of Divorce and Remarriage, 23, 165-175.
• Adolescents were given a set of scales on relationships (intimacy
with parents and peers, social support, family responsibility-taking) and
psychological variables (happiness, self-esteem, depression and risk-taking)
to determine the effect of divorce on these variables. The adolescents from
divorced families differed very little from those of intact families. As might
be expected, they perceived less intimacy with their father as well as less
social support, and they assumed more family responsibilities.
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Drug Use
Scafidi, F.A., Field, T., Prodromidis, M. & Rahdert, E. (1997)
Psychosocial stressors of drug-abusing disadvantaged adolescent mothers. Adolescence,
32, 93-100.
• The Problem Oriented Screening Instrument for Teenagers (POSIT) and
the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were administered to disadvantaged adolescent
mothers who abused drugs during pregnancy and nondrug-abusing disadvantaged
adolescent mothers. Results suggest that drug-abusing mothers were depressed
while the non-drug abusing mothers were not depressed. In addition, the drug-abusing
mothers reported more mental and physical health problems, more problematic
family and peer relationships, poorer social skills, more aggressive behavior,
less constructive use of leisure time, and a lower educational and vocational
status than did nondrug abusing adolescent mothers.
Field, T., Scafidi, F., Pickens, J., Prodromidis, M., Pelaez-Nogueras, M.,
Torquati, J., Wilcox, H., Malphurs, J., Schanberg, S., & Kuhn, C. (1998).
Polydrug-using adolescent mothers and their infants receiving early intervention.
Adolescence, 33, 117-143.
• This study investigated the effects of an intervention for polydrug-using
adolescent mothers. The drug rehab mothers improved on several lifestyle variables.
They demonstrated a lower incidence of continued drug use and repeat pregnancy,
and a greater number continued school, received a high school or general equivalency
diploma, or were placed in a job. Thus, a relatively cost-effective high school
based intervention had positive effects on both adolescent mothers who had
used drugs and their infants.
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Eating Concerns
Mueller, C., Field, T., Yando, R., Harding, J., Gonzalez, K.P., Lasko,
D., & Bendell, D. (1995). Under-eating and over-eating concerns among
adolescents. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 36, 1019-1025.
• Adolescents were given a set of scales to determine their concerns
about eating (under-eating or over-eating), and perceptions of family and
peer intimacy, social support, self-esteem, depression and exercise. Although
only 10% stated that they were “underweight” and 21% that they
were “overweight”, as many as 50% reported having eating concerns.
As compared to those who did not have concerns about eating, those who where
concerned about undereating felt that they had poorer relationships with their
mothers and fathers, less social support, lower self-esteem and less exercise.
Those concerned about overeating perceived having an intimacy problem only
with their fathers and scored higher on the depression scale.
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Employment
Largie, S., Field, T., Hernandez-Reif, M., Sanders, C. & Diego,
M. (2001). Employment during adolescence is associated with depression, inferior
relationships, lower grades and smoking. Adolescence, 36, 395-401.
• A self-report questionnaire was administered to high school seniors
to collect data on the psychological, behavioral, and social aspects of their
lives. It was found that employment was associated with (1) greater depression;
(2) inferior relationships with parents and best friends, including less time
and physical contact with parents; (3) lower grade point average; and (4)
smoking.
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Exercise
Field, T., Diego, M. & Sanders, C. (2001). Exercise positively
affects adolescents’ relationships and academics. Adolescence, 36, 105-110.
• High school seniors were administered a questionnaire that gathered
information on their exercise habits, relationships with parents and peers,
depressive tendencies, sports involvement, drug use, and academic performance.
Students with high levels of exercise had better relationships with their
parents, were less depressed, spent more time involved in sports, used drugs
less frequently, and had higher grade point averages then did students with
a low level of exercise.
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Family Responsibility and Taking
Taylor, S., Field, T., Yando, R., Gonzalez, K.P., Harding, J., Lasko,
D., Mueller, C. & Bendell, D. (1997). Adolescents' perceptions of family
responsibility-taking. Adolescence, 32, 969-976.
• A scale was developed to solicit adolescents’ perceptions of
their family responsibility-taking (defined as helping out and being supportive).
Adolescents were administered this scale together with self-report measures
of intimacy with parents and peers as well as other psychological variables.
Results revealed that adolescents who felt they assumed more family responsibility
reported less depression, more intimate relationships with their parents and
higher self-esteem.
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Gifted Students
Field, T., Harding, J., Yando, R., Gonzalez, K., Lasko, D., Bendell,
D., & Marks, C. (1998). Feelings and attitudes of gifted students. Adolescence,
33, 331-342.
• Differences between the self-perceptions of gifted high school freshmen
and nongifted peers were assessed regarding intimacy with family and peers,
social support, family responsibilities, self-esteem, depression, and risk-taking
behavior. Gifted Students and their teachers were also administered the Perceptions
about Giftedness Scale. Gifted students reported feeling the same as or better
than their peers about their academic and social skills, and their teachers
closely agreed. Gifted students also perceived themselves as being more intimate
with friends, assuming fewer family responsibilities, and taking more risks.
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Interactions
Lasko, D., Field, T., Bendell, D., Yando, R., Scafidi, F., La Greca,
A., & Trapani, L. (1997). Adolescent psychiatric patients’ interactions
with their mothers. Adolescence, 32, 977-988.
• Adolescent psychiatric patients and their mothers engaged in two dyadic
interactions. The participants rated themselves and each other on four behavioral
dimensions (calmness, friendliness, involvement, and bossiness) during a videotaped
playback. Analyses were conducted based on classification of adolescents as
internalizers/externalizers, depressed/nondepressed, and socially anxious/nonanxious.
Internalizing adolescent dyads were significantly calmer, friendlier, and
more involved than were externalizing adolescent dyads. The dyads in which
the adolescents scored lower on the depression scale were calmer, friendlier,
and more involved than were the dyads with adolescents who had higher depression
scores. No differences were noted between high and low socially anxious dyads.
Feldstein, S. & Field, T. (2002). Vocal behavior in the dyadic interactions
of preadolescent and early adolescent friends and acquaintances. Adolescence,
37, 495-513.
• Conversational interactions of sixth-grade friends and acquaintances
in mixed-and same-gender pairs were computer analyzed so that the individual
and dyadic time patterns of their vocal behavior could be examined. Boy-boy
pairs used more and longer segments of simultaneous speech with acquaintances
than with friends whereas the girl-girl pairs did the opposite.
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Internet Use
Sanders, C., Field, T., Diego, M. & Kaplan, M. (2000). The relationship
of internet use to depression and social isolation among adolescents. Adolescence,
35, 237-242.
• High school seniors were administered a questionnaire that measured
low (less than 1 hour per day), moderate (1-2 hours per day), and high (more
than 2 hours per day) internet use as well as their relationships with mothers,
fathers, and peers; and depression. Low Internet users, as compared with high
users, reported better relationships with their mothers and friends.
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Intimacy
Field, T., Lang, C., Yando, R., & Bendell, D. (1995). Adolescents'
intimacy with parents and friends. Adolescence, 30, 133-140.
• Adolescents’ perceived levels of intimacy with their mother,
father and close friend were examined as a function of demographic, school
and psychological variables. Students with same-sex friends and greater interest
in school reported greater intimacy with their mothers. Students with higher
self-esteem, lower depression, and lower risk-taking scores reported greater
intimacy with their mothers and fathers. The greatest number of relationships
with positive variables involved intimacy with mothers.
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Music
Field, T., Martinez, A., Nawrocki, T., Pickens, J., Fox, N. &
Schanberg, S. (1998). Music shifts frontal EEG in depressed adolescents. Adolescence,
33, 109-116.
• The present study investigated the effects of music on mood state
and right frontal EEG activation associated with chronic depression. No group
differences or changes were noted for observed or reported mood state. However,
cortisol levels decreased and relative right frontal activation was significantly
attenuated during and after the music procedure.
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Peer Relationships
Field, T., Diego, M. & Sanders, C. (2002). Adolescents’
parent and peer relationships. Adolescence, 37, 121-130.
• High school seniors from a suburban private high school were administered
a comprehensive questionnaire to determine differences between adolescents
who rated the quality of their parent and peer relationships as high or low.
Adolescents with high parent and high peer relationships scores had more friends,
greater family togetherness, lower levels of depression and drug use, and
a higher grade point average.
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Posttraumatic stress
Pickens, J., Field, T., Prodromidis, M., Pelaez-Nogueras, M.,&
Hossain, Z. (1995). Posttraumatic stress, depression and social support among
college students after Hurricane Andrew. Journal of College Student Development,
36, 152-161.
• A survey of college students conducted one month after Hurricane Andrew
hit Southern Florida included an impact assessment, the Inventory of Socially
Supportive Behaviors, the Reaction Index, the Center of Epidemiological Studies
Depression Scale (CES-D), the State/Trait Anxiety Inventory, and a Pre-/Post-hurricane
Stressors and Hassles Survey. Students who reported having experienced the
most severe impact damage from the storm also reported having experienced
the most stress, anxiety and depressive symptoms. Nearly half of the students
who sustained high damage to their dwellings could be classified as depressed.
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Risk-Taking Behavior
Gonzalez, J., Field, T., Yando, R., Gonzalez, K.P., Lasko, D., &
Bendell, D. (1994). Adolescents' perceptions of their risk-taking behavior.
Adolescence, 29, 701-709.
• A questionnaire comprised of several self-report scales was administered
to adolescents to assess differences between high and low sports and danger
risk-takers on relationship and personality variables. Sports risk-takers
reported more danger-related risk-taking and more drug use but higher self-esteem
than did nonrisk takers. Danger risk-takers reported greater sports-related
risk-taking and more drug use as well as less intimacy with their mothers,
less family responsibility taking, and less depression than did their nonrisk-taking
counterparts.
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Sports
Sanders, C., Field, C., Diego, M., & Kaplan, M. (2001). Moderate
involvement in sports is related to lower depression levels among adolescents.
Adolescence, 35, 793-797.
• High school seniors completed a questionnaire that gathered data on
sports involvement, depression, intimacy with parents and friends, and grade
point average. The moderate sports involvement group (3 to 6 hours per week)
had lower depression scores than did the low sports involvement group (2 hours
or less per week).
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Suicide
Field, T., Diego, M. & Sanders, C. (2001). Adolescent suicidal
ideation. Adolescence, 36, 241-248.
• Adolescent suicidal ideation and its relationship to other variables
was tapped by a self-report questionnaire administered to high school seniors.
Eighteen percent responded positively to the statement “sometimes I
feel suicidal.” Those who reported suicidal ideation were found to differ
from those who did not on a number of variables including inferior family
relationships, family history of depression, inferior peer relations, less
emotional well-being, greater drug use, and lower grade point average.
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Violence
Silver, M.E., Field, T., Sanders, C., Diego, M. (2000). Angry adolescents
who worry about becoming violent. Adolescence, 35, 663-669.
• In the present study, 34% of adolescents responded affirmatively to
the following statement: “Sometimes I get so angry that I worry I will
become violent.” These adolescents (the anger group) were compared with
the nonanger group, and several differences were found. Results showed that
the anger group (1) reported less intimacy with parents, received less support
from them, and was less close to siblings; (2) had more opposite-sex friends,
dated more frequently, and more frequently had a boy friend or girl friend
; (3) had a lower grade point average; (4) were more depressed; and (5) used
marijuana more frequently.
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