NCJ Number
146615
Date Published
1993
Length
94 pages
Annotation
Based on responses to a 152-item questionnaire completed by representatives of public schools in 111 communities, this book examines the attitudes and behaviors of students in the 6th through 12th grades.
Abstract
The study measured 30 assets. The 16 external assets were grouped into three categories of support, control, and structured time use, while the 14 internal assets were clustered into educational commitment, positive values, and social competencies. The most frequently reported assets included educational aspiration, parental monitoring, and friendship-making skills; involvement in community organizations, value on sexual restraint, and positive school climate were at the bottom of the list. The average number of assets declines between the 6th and 12th grades. Ten deficits, associated with various at-risk behaviors, were studied; four of them ("alone at home," drinking parties, stress, and sexual abuse) strongly increased with grade. The only deficit that fell substantially was overexposure to television. The study findings also showed that, in general, students exhibited a shift away from prosocial values toward hedonistic ones as they grew older. At-risk indicators that increased dramatically with age included sexual activity, frequent alcohol use, binge drinking, driving and drinking, and riding and drinking. In designing prevention programs, communities should focus on reducing deficits, increasing assets, highlighting assets most strongly associated with prevention of at-risk behavior, and dealing with co-occurrence. 38 figures and 1 appendix