Vladimir Skorikov

Vocational Identity Development: Its Relationship to Other Identity Domains and to Overall Identity Development

This article examines age-related trends in general ideological identity status and identity in the domains of vocation, religion, lifestyle, and politics during early adolescence and relationships between adolescent vocational identity and identities in the other domains. A cross-sectional study of 1,099 high school students in Grades 7 through 12 revealed a developmental progression in adolescent vocational identity characterized by an increase in the proportion of students classified as identity achieved and moratorium and a decrease in the proportion of students classified as identity diffused and foreclosed. Statuses in the general ideological, religious, lifestyle, and political identity domains appeared to be related to, but clearly lagged behind, identity status development in the domain of vocation. No sex differences were found in the age-related trends in vocational identity status and its relationships with the other identity domains. The results are interpreted as indicative of the leading role of vocational development in adolescent identity formation. Applicability of the construct of vocational identity status to career assessment is discussed.

Relationships Between The Underlying Constructs Of The Beck Depression Inventory And The Center For Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale

This study examines the relationships between the constructs of depression as measured by the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) and the revised Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) in a sample of 261 college students. The two scales were found to have a moderately high correlation and a similar pattern of relationships to measures of anxiety, hostility, self-esteem, hypochondriasis, and locus of control. However, the relations between the subscales and the factor structure of the subscales derived from both instruments suggest that the BDI and CES-D measure different aspects of depression despite sharing some symptoms. Therefore, the authors argue that the BDI and CES-D should not be used interchangeably. The results are discussed in terms of the applicability of the two measures of depression for use with nonclinical populations.

Specific and Diversive Career Exploration during Late Adolescence.

The exploration literature suggests that career exploration may be separated into two distinct forms. Diversive career exploration involves learning broadly about the world of work and the self, whereas specific career exploration involves an in-depth investigation focused on aligning one’s perceptions of self and career prospects. The goal of the current study was to validate the structure of career exploration over time as being composed of diversive and specific forms. The study was conducted on a diverse sample of 308 college and work-bound youth, 19—22 years old, who were assessed annually three times. Structural equation modeling was used to test a longitudinal measurement model and the structural relationships corresponding to the noted distinction between the forms of exploration. Associations between exploration and several additional indicators of career development were further assessed. The results support the theoretically derived distinction between diversive and specific career exploration and demonstrate that they are differentially linked to career indecision, confidence, and planning. Implications for research and practice are offered in light of the results.

Physical health and social network characteristics as determinants of mental health across cultures

This study examines cross-cultural differences in the etiology of depression and anxiety, two common indicators of mental health problems. Using an ethnically diverse sample of 162 college students, we found that chronic physical symptoms and social network characteristics, particularly network quality, were predictive of both depression and anxiety, yet their effects were mediated by ethnicity. Multiple regression analyses showed that social network quality, compared to physical health, was a much stronger predictor of mental health in Caucasian students, whereas among students of Asian/Pacific descent, physical health was a much stronger predictor of mental health than the social network characteristics. The observed differences were particularly strong for anxiety, which was not significantly associated with physical health in Caucasian students or social network size and quality in the Asian/Pacific group. Theoretical and clinical implications of the results are discussed.