In order to provide a fuller and more satisfying description of the significant others in the social world of an adolescent, the Social Relations Questionnaire was developed and then administered to almost 3000 seventh-through tenth-graders in a midwestern suburban school district. The sample was randomly split in half and analyses were run on both halves separately to test for replicability. Results indicated that parents and siblings are almost always listed as significant others by adolescents in all four grade levels. Furthermore, the majority of adolescents listed at least one extended family adult and at least one nonrelated adult as important in their lives. The nonrelated adults lived closer to the adolescents and were seen more frequently and in more contexts than extended family members. Fewer extended family adults were listed in the older grades. Females listed more significant others than males both overall and in terms of both same- and opposite-sex nonrelated young people. As hypothesize, an increasing number of opposite-sex young people was listed as a function of grade level. Most nonrelated young people listed (a loose definition of peers) were from the same grade, same school, and same neighborhood as the respondent. The authors conclude that age-segregation in this community is not extreme (over 40% of the significant others listed were adults) and that the Social Relations Questionnaire provides a useful and holistic description of an adolescent's social world.

No abstract

Individuals with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) are vulnerable to many forms of victimization. FASD is associated with cognitive deficits and a set of behaviors that may limit an individual's ability to recognize and report victimization experiences and provide testimony in judicial proceedings. Services must be established and provided to educate and train individuals with FASD, their family members, teachers, and social service workers to prevent victimization and report victimization when it occurs. Law enforcement and the judicial system also should develop systems to protect the rights of individuals with FASD who are victimized, especially when they appear as witnesses.

No abstract