Hostname: page-component-7dd5485656-tbj44 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-10-30T10:51:48.888Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The relationship of adolescents' expectations and values to delinquency, hard drug use, and unprotected sexual intercourse

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 October 2008

Joseph P. Allen ,
Bonnie J. Leadbeater  and
J. Lawrence Aber
Joseph P. Allen*
Affiliation:
University of Virginia
Bonnie J. Leadbeater
Affiliation:
Yale University
J. Lawrence Aber
Affiliation:
Barnard College of Columbia University
*
Address reprint requests to: Joseph Allen, Department of Psychology, Gilmer Hall, Univerisity of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This study examined adolescents' expectations and values about how competent behaviors would work for them in difficult social situations and explored the relation of these appraisals to adolescents' delinquency, drug use, and sexual intercourse without use of adequate birth control. Several lines of research on the determinants of adolescent achievement motivation, social competence, and various problem behaviors are integrated within a unified framework based on both motivational and cognitive-social learning theories. One hundred adolescents at-risk for problematic behaviors, aged 15½–18, received structured interviews measuring their expectations of self-efficacy in performing socially competent behaviors, their expectations about the outcomes of these behaviors, their values toward these behaviors, their perceptions of the values of peers, and their identification with the values of important adults. Adolescents also reported their recent levels of delinquency, hard drug use, and unprotected sexual activity. Adolescents' expectations and values were significantly related to all three problem behaviors; males' low efficacy expectations and females' lack of identification with an adult's values were the strongest correlates of problem behaviors. Adolescents' expectations and values are considered as potentially important aspects of adolescents' models of themselves in social interactions, which may mediate the link between problematic family relationships in childhood and deviant behavior in adolescence.

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 2 , Issue 1 , January 1990 , pp. 85 - 98
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1990

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Aber, J. L., Allen, J. P., & Leadbeater, B. J. (1988, 03). A components analysis of social competence in multi-problem adolescents: Toward an integrative model. Paper presented at the Society for Research on Adolescence Biennial Meeting, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Adams, G. R. (1983). Social competence during adolescence: Social sensitivity, locus of control, empathy and peer popularity. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 12, 203–211.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Allen, J. P., Aber, J. L., & Leadbeater, B. J. (in press). Adolescent problem behaviors: The influence of attachment and autonomy. Psychiatric Clinics of North America.Google Scholar
Allen, J. P., Weissberg, R. P., & Hawkins, J. (1989). The relation between values and social competence in early adolescence. Developmental Psychology, 25, 458–464.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
American Psychiatric Association [APA]. (1987). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd ed., rev.). Washington, DC: Author.Google Scholar
Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84, 191–215.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bandura, A., Adams, N. E., Hardy, A. B., & Howells, G. N. (1980). Tests of the generality of self-efficacy theory. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 4, 39–66.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bank, L., Patterson, G. R., & Reid, J. B. (1987). Delinquency prevention through training parents in family management. The Behavior Analyst, 10, 75–82.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bell, R. Q. (1986). Age-specific manifestations in changing psycho-social risk. In Farran, D. C. & McKinney, J. D. (Eds.), The concept of risk in intellectual and psychosocial development. New York: Academic.Google Scholar
Brook, J. S., Whiteman, M., Gordon, A. S., & Brook, D. W. (1984a). Identification with paternal attributes and its relationship to the son's personality and drug use. Developmental Psychology, 20, 1111–1119.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brook, J. S., Whiteman, M., Gordon, A. S., & Brook, D. W. (1984b). Paternal determinants of female adolescent's marijuana use. Developmental Psychology, 20, 1032–1043.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brown, S. A., Creamer, V. A., & Stetson, B. A. (1987). Adolescent alcohol expectancies in relation to personal and parental drinking patterns. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 96, 117–121.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Buck, C. L. (1984, 08). Cohesiveness and positiveness of norms in delinquency treatment groups. Paper presented at the American Psychological Association Annual Meeting, Toronto, Canada.Google Scholar
Cohen, A. K. (1955). Delinquent boys: The culture of the gang. New York: Free.Google Scholar
Cooper, M. L., Russell, M., & George, W. H. (1988). Coping, expectancies, and alcohol abuse: A test of social learning formulations. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 97, 218–230.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dodge, K. A. (1980). Social cognition and children's aggressive behavior. Child Development, 51, 162–170.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dodge, K. A., & Murphy, R. R. (1984). The assessment of social competence in adolescents. In Karoly, P. & Steifen, J. J. (Eds.), Advances in child behavior analysis and therapy. Volume 3: Adolescent behavior disorders: foundations and contemporary concerns. Lexington, MA.: Heath.Google Scholar
Donovan, J. E., & Jessor, R. (1985). Structure of problem behavior in adolescence and young adulthood. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 53, 890–904.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dweck, C. S., & Elliott, E. S. (1983). Achievement motivation. In Mussen, P. (Ed.), Handbook of child psychology: Social and personality development (4th ed.) (pp. 643–691). New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
Elliott, D. S., & Ageton, S. S. (1980). Reconciling race and class differences in self-reported and official estimates of delinquency. American Sociological Review, 45, 95–110.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Elliott, D. S., Ageton, S. S., Huizinga, D., Knowles, B. A., & Canter, R. J. (1983). The prevalence and incidence of delinquent behavior: 1976–1980. Boulder, CO: Behavioral Research Institute.Google Scholar
Epstein, S. (1979). The stability of behavior. I: On predicting most of the people much of the time. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 37, 1097–1126.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Farrington, D. (1973). Self reports of deviant behavior: Predictive and stable? Journal of Criminal Law, Criminology and Police Science, 61, 99–110.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Frank, S., & Quinlan, D. M. (1976). Ego development and female delinquency: A cognitive-developmental approach. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 85, 505–510.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Freedman, B. J., Rosenthal, L., Donahoe, C. P., Schlundt, D. G., & McFall, R. M. (1978). A social-behavioral analysis of skill deficits in delinquent and nondelinquent boys. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 48, 1448–1462.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gaffney, L. R., & McFall, R. M. (1981). A comparison of social skills in delinquent and nondelinquent adolescent girls using a behavioral role-playing inventory. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 49, 959–967.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gaffney, L. R., & McFall, R. M. (1985). A multiple-choice test to measure social skills in delinquent and non-delinquent girls [Printed raw data]. University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia.Google Scholar
Hanson, C. L., Henggeler, S. W., Haefele, W. F., Rodick, J. D., & Douglas, J. (1984). Demographic, individual, and family relationship correlates of serious and repeated crime among adolescents and their siblings. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 52, 528–538.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Harter, S. (1982). The perceived competence scale for children. Child Development, 53, 87–97.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Huesmann, L. R., Eron, L. D., Lefkowitz, M. M., & Walder, L. O. (1984). Stability of aggression over time and generations. Developmental Psychology, 20, 1120–1134.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hunter, N., & Kelley, C. K. (1986). Examination of the validity of the adolescent problems inventory among incarcerated juvenile delinquents. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 54, 301–302.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jones, J. B., & Philliber, S. (1983). Sexually active but not pregnant: A comparison of teens who risk and teens who plan. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 72, 235–251.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jorgensen, S. R., King, S. L., & Torrey, B. P. (1980). Dyadic and social network influences on adolescent exposure to pregnancy risk. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 42, 141–155.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kandel, D., & Raveis, V. (1987, 04). Depression, suicidal ideation, and substance use in adolescence and young adulthood. Paper presented at the Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Baltimore, MD.Google Scholar
Kobak, R. R., & Sceery, A. (1988). Attachment in late adolescence: Working models, affect regulation and representations of self and others. Child Development, 59, 135–146.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kohlberg, L., Ricks, D., & Snarey, J. (1984). Childhood development as a predictor of adaptation in adulthood. Genetic Psychology Monographs, 110, 91–172.Google Scholar
Lamb, M. (1981). Developing trust and perceived effectance in infancy. In Lipsitt, L. (Ed.), Advances in infancy research. Norwood, NJ: Ablex.Google Scholar
Leadbeater, B. J., Hellner, L., Allen, J. P., & Aber, J. L. (1989). Assessment of interpersonal negotiation strategies in youth engaged in problem behaviors. Developmental Psychology, 25, 465–472.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leaper, C. (1986). The sequential patterning of agency and communion in children's talk: Differences associated with age, speaker gender, and partner gender. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of California, Los Angeles.Google Scholar
Lefkowitz, M. M., & Tesiny, E. P. (1984). Rejection and depression: Prospective and contemporaneous analyses. Developmental Psychology, 20, 776–785.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lieberman, J. J. (1981). Locus of control as related to birth control knowledge, attitude and practices. Adolescence, 16, 1–10.Google Scholar
Loeber, R. (1982). The stability of antisocial and delinquent child behavior: A review. Child Development, 53, 1431–1446.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Loeber, R., & Dishion, T. (1983). Early predictors of male delinquency: A review. Psychological Bulletin, 94, 68–99.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Main, M., Kaplan, N., & Cassidy, J. (1985). Security in infancy, childhood, and adulthood: A move to the level of representation. In Bretherton, I. & Waters, E. (Eds.), Growing points in attachment theory and research. SRCD Monographs, 50 (Serial No. 209, pp. 66–104).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McIntyre, K. D., Lichenstein, E., & Mermelstein, R. J. (1983). Self-efficacy in smoking cessation: A replication and extension. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 51, 632–633.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mischel, W., & Peake, P. (1982). Beyond deja vu in the search for cross-situational consistency. Psychological Review, 89, 730–755.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Patterson, G. R. (1986). Performance models for antisocial boys. American Psychologist, 41, 432–444.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Patterson, G. R., & Stouthamer-Loeber, M. (1984). The correlation of family management practices and delinquency. Child Development, 55, 1299–1307.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rees, C. D., & Wilborn, B. L. (1983). Correlates of drug abuse in adolescents: A comparison of families of drug abusers with families of non-drug abusers. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 12, 55–64.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rotter, J. B. (1975). Some problems and misconceptions related to the construct of internal vs. external control of reinforcement. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 43, 56–67.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Seligman, M. E. P. (1975). Helplessness. San Francisco: Freeman.Google ScholarPubMed
Ward, C. I., & McFall, R. M. (1986). Further validation of the problem inventory for adolescent girls: Comparing Caucasian and black delinquents and nondelinquents. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 54, 732–733.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Weisz, J. R. (1986). Contingency and control beliefs as predictors of psychotherapy outcomes among children and adolescents. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 54, 789–795.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Weisz, J. R., Weiss, B., Wasserman, A. A., & Rintoul, B. (1987). Control-related beliefs and depression among clinic-referred children and adolescents. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 96, 58–63.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed