This is an award under the Grants for Improving Doctoral Dissertation Research program. It will support a study of the coping process of African-American and Asian-American parents whose children are juvenile delinquents, employing family stress theory. Interviews with 40 families in each ethnic group will compare perceptions and coping behaviors, applying a theoretical model that considers ethnicity to shape definitions of stressful events and the selection of strategies for dealing with them. This study will contribute to scientific understanding of juvenile delinquency and of socio-cultural differences between American ethnic groups, thus building the knowledge base for public policy on this social problem. In addition to the scientific gains to be achieved by the research, this award will materially assist a highly promising student in completing research for the Ph.D. dissertation. Thus it contributes to the future scientific manpower of the nation and the thorough training of the next generation of sociologists.
