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Parental deployment has substantial effects on the family system, among them ambiguity and uncertainty. Youth in military families are especially affected by parental deployment because their coping repertoire is only just developing; the requirements of deployment become additive to normal adolescent developmental demands. Focus groups were used to inquire about uncertainty, loss, resilience, and adjustment among youth aged 12-18 that had a parent deployed, most often to a war zone. The nature of uncertainty and ambiguous loss was explored. Response themes included overall perceptions of uncertainty and loss, boundary ambiguity, changes in mental health, and relationship conflict. These accounts suggest that ambiguous loss is a useful concept for understanding the experiences of these youth and for structuring prevention and intervention efforts.

The context of military service has changed greatly since the events of 9/11. The forward deployment of service members to active war zones, which involves the issues of separation, time away from home, and eventual reunion, increases the vulnerability of their families to multiple, negative short‐term and long‐term effects. This article explores these issues and suggests a new approach to building support systems to support these military families. To this end, a capacity‐building framework is introduced, and 4 diverse and innovative social action programs consistent with this approach are highlighted. Implications for implementing the community capacity‐building model are presented.

The purpose of this study was to examine the utility of social control theory's “attachment” and “involvement” bonds as protective factors to examine gender differences in reports of delinquency and academic achievement in a sample of 7th to 12th graders. Attachment bonds were operationalized as attachment to parents, to nonparent adults, and to peers; involvement bonds were operationalized as time spent in various school- and non-school-based activities. It was expected that, with respect to delinquency and academic achievement, attachment bond variables would be more protective for females than the involvement bond variables, whereas the involvement bond variables would be more protective for males than the attachment bond variables. The findings suggest that although several of the involvement bond variables of social control theory are predictive of both delinquency and academic achievement for both genders, only the attachment bond variables provide such an overall protective function for females. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

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The relationships between risk behaviors and factors representing multiple ecological layers are examined among a sample of youth in grades seven through 12 (n = 2,701). Our primary interest is in the relationship between structured time-use as a protective factor and youth risk behavior patterns. Two other layers of protective factors are also examined, those dealing with interpersonal connections and with self-system characteristics. Concomitant demographic factors in the study are age, ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status. Stepwise multiple regression analysis reveals that less risk behavior is associated with greater attachment to school, greater school success, closer relationships with parents, and greater participation in structured time-use; significant predictors of more risk behavior are being older, being Jay A. Mancini is affiliated with the

Despite escalating interest in positive youth development, there is little agreement on what comprises the actual “work” of youth development and even less on the role of staff development for youth workers. To strengthen professional practice and hence the quality of youth development programs, an understanding must be developed of the distinguishing features or the essential elements of positive youth development work and the ways in which these elements can best be communicated to the field through staff development. This article suggests a framework for critical reflection on practices that encourage community-based youth workers to explore and apply the lessons of positive youth development in their programs. The article discusses the experience of facilitating adult learning within this curriculum, the responses of participants, and the implications for the youth development field.

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