The results highlight the importance of studying family variables in adolescents' diabetes care within the wider cultural factors affecting the patient.

Study Objective Few studies have examined the effects of maternal depressive symptoms among adolescent women. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of depressive symptoms on birth outcomes of infants born to adolescent mothers. Design The medical records of pregnant adolescent patients were examined. Information about maternal depressive symptoms and birth outcomes was collected. Setting Data were collected at Washington Hospital Center, a nonprofit, community-based hospital that serves residents throughout the Washington, DC area. Participants Participants were 294 African-American and Latina adolescent mothers. Mean age was 16.2 years (standard deviation [SD] 1.4). Based on self-reports of depressive symptoms, adolescents were categorized by the following: no reported symptoms, depressive symptoms without SI/SA (suicidal ideation or attempt), and depressive symptoms with SI/SA. Main Outcome Measures Infant birth weight and gestational age at delivery. Results Over one-quarter of pregnant adolescents in this study reported symptoms of depression. Adolescents reporting depressive symptoms with SI/SA delivered babies that weighed 239.5 grams (98.3% confidence interval [CI] 3.9 to 475.1) less than babies born to mothers reporting depressive symptoms without SI/SA. There was no association between reported symptoms and gestational age. Conclusions Results suggest that compared to nonpregnant teens and adults, pregnant teens may have an increased risk for depression. Additionally, pregnant adolescents with suicidal ideation are at greater risk for delivering infants of lower birth weight compared with teens reporting depressive symptoms without SI/SA and teens reporting no symptoms. This study supports the need for early screening and treatment of depression for young pregnant women.

153 first graders were given Piagetian moral judgment problems with a new simplified methodology as well as the usual story-pair paradigm. The new methodology involved making quantitative judgments about single stories and examined the influence of level of intentionality and degree of damage upon absolute punishment ratings. Contrary to results obtained with a story-pair methodology, it was found that with single stories even 6-year-old children responded to the level of intention in the stories as well as the quantity and quality of damage involved. This suggested that Piaget's methodology may be forcing children to employ a simplifying strategy while under other conditions they are able to perform the mental operations necessary to make complex moral judgments.

Examined the relationship between certain handwriting characteristics and Eysenck's Extraversion-Introversion and Kagan's Impulsivity-Reflectivity personality dimensions. Using 46 female subjects, scores on the EPQ inventory and Matching Familiar Figures test were compared by factor analysis to the handwriting characteristics of: middle zone height; middle zone breadth; upper zone height; lower zone height; space between words; right margin breadth; left margin breadth; a general size measure; handwriting time; paragraph indention; slant. The factor analysis revealed three distinct writing styles: one related to Extraversion; another related to Introversion; and a final one related to Reflectivity. These findings were discussed in relation to statements made by graphologists. Also, the significance of trait-sign and factor analysis in comparison with other methods of graphoanalysis was discussed.

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