NCJ Number
130083
Journal
American Journal of Community Psychology Volume: 18 Issue: 2 Dated: (1990) Pages: 297-320
Date Published
1990
Length
24 pages
Annotation
Meaningful involvement in instrumental activity, social support, and well-being were assessed in two studies of older adolescents and at-risk urban teenagers.
Abstract
The research sample for the first study consisted of 152 college students with a mean age of 18.8 years who received partial credit toward an introductory psychology course for participating in the study. Participants were informed that the study objective was to learn about supportive relationships and meaningful activities in which students were involved and their sense of well-being. The research sample for the second study included 60 urban black male teenagers and 32 pregnant female teenagers. Only 12 percent of the 60 male teenagers lived in an intact family with mother and father present. Of 32 pregnant adolescents, 18 were currently attending school. Only 19 percent of the female group lived in an intact family. In both studies, results showed that meaningful instrumental activity was positively related to life satisfaction, independent of social support from friends and parents. Meaningful instrumental activity was also positively related to self-esteem to a greater extent for male than for female college students and for school-attending than for school-dropout urban black males. In the study of at-risk teenagers, higher mean levels of meaningful instrumental activity were reported by school-attending than by school-dropout adolescents and by black male teens than by pregnant female teenagers. Implications of the study findings for further research and intervention are discussed. 35 references and 3 tables (Author abstract modified)