LES WHITBECK, PhD
Professor
Department of Sociology
739 Oldfather Hall
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Lincoln, Nebraska 68588-0324
(402) 472-5562

Biography

Les Whitbeck earned his PhD in Sociology from Washington State University in 1986. He is currently a Professor in the Department of Sociology, following a 15 year career at Iowa State University. His current research activities include several federal grants related to substance abuse among Native American children and families, risk factors and mental illness associated with homeless youth, and resilience. He has numerous scholarly publications, including journal articles appearing in the Journal of Research on Adolescence, Child Development, Journal on Interpersonal Violence, Child Abuse and Neglect, Journal of Marriage and the Family, and Journal of Health and Social Behavior. In 1999, he published "Nowhere to grow: Homeless and runaway adolescents and their families" with Dan Hoyt (New York: Aldine deGruyter).

Recent Publications

Journal Articles

Yoder, K., Whitbeck, L., & Hoyt, D. (2003). Gang involvement and membership among homeless and runaway youth. Youth & Society, 4, 441-467.

McMorris, B., Tyler, K., Whitbeck, L., & Hoyt, D. (2002). Familial and on the street risk factors associated with alcohol use among homeless and runaway adolescents. Journal of Alcohol Studies, 6, 34-43.

Whitbeck, L., Hoyt, D., Chen, X., & Stubben, J. (2002). Predictors of gang involvement among American Indian adolescents. Journal of Gang Research, 10, 11-26.

Whitbeck, L., McMorris, B., Hoyt, D., Stubben, J., & LaFromboise, T. (2002). Perceived discrimination, traditional practices, and depressive symptoms among American Indians in the upper Midwest. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 43, 400-418.

Tyler, K., Hoyt, D., Whitbeck, L., & Cauce, A. (2001). The effects of a high-risk environment on the sexual victimization of homeless and runaway youth. Violence and Victims, 16, 441-455.

Tyler, K., Hoyt, D., Whitbeck, L., & Cauce, A. (2001). The impact of childhood sexual abuse on later sexual victimization among runaway youth. Journal of Research on Adolescents, 11, 151-176.

Whitbeck, L., Hoyt, D., McMorris, B., Xiaojin, C., & Stubben, J. (2001). Perceived discrimination and early substance abuse among American Indian children. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 42, 405-424.

Whitbeck, L., Hoyt, D., Stubben, J., & LaFromboise, T. (2001). Traditional culture and academic success among American Indian children in the Upper Midwest. Journal of American Indian Education, 40, 48-60.

Whitbeck, L., Hoyt, D., Yoder, K., Cauce, A., & Paradise, M. (2001). Deviant behavior and victimization among homeless and runaway adolescents. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 16, 1175-1204.

Yoder, K., Whitbeck, L., & Hoyt, D. (2001). Event history analysis of antecedents to running away from home and being on the street. American Behavioral Scientist, 45, 61-65.

Bao, W., Whitbeck, L., & Hoyt, D. (2000). Life stressors, social support networks, and depressive symptoms among homeless and runaway adolescents. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 41, 408-420.

Tyler, K., Hoyt, D., & Whitbeck, L. (2000). The effects of early sexual abuse on later sexual victimization among female homeless and runaway adolescents. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 15, 235-250.

Tyler, K., Whitbeck, L., Hoyt, D., & Yoder, K. (2000). Predictors of self-reported sexually transmitted diseases among homeless and runaway adolescents. Journal of Sex Research, 37, 369-377.

Whitbeck, L., Hoyt, D., & Bao, W. (2000). Depressive symptoms and co-occurring depressive symptoms, substance abuse, and conduct problems among runaway and homeless adolescents. Child Development, 71, 719-730.

Bao, W., Whitbeck, L., Hoyt, D., & Conger, R. (1999). Perceived parental acceptance as moderator of religious transmission among adolescent boys and girls. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 61, 362-374.

Whitbeck, L. (1999). Primary socialization theory: It all begins with the family. Substance Use & Misuse, 4, 1025-1032.

Whitbeck, L., Hoyt, D., & Yoder, K. (1999). A risk-amplification model of victimization and depressive symptoms among runaway and homeless adolescents. American Journal of Community Psychology, 27, 292-296.

Whitbeck, L., Yoder, K., Hoyt, D., & Conger, R. (1999). Early adolescent sexual activity: A study of eighth, ninth and tenth graders in two-parent and single-mother families. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 61, 934-946.

Scaramella, L., Conger, R., Simons, R., & Whitbeck, L. (1998). Predicting risk for pregnancy by late adolescence. Development Psychology, 34, 1233-1245.

Tyler, K., Hoyt, D., & Whitbeck, L. (1998). Coercive sexual strategies. Violence and Victims, 13, 47-61.

Yoder, K., Hoyt, D., & Whitbeck, L. (1998). Suicidal behavior among homeless and runaway adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 27, 753-771.

 

Research Projects

Partnerships for Culturally Specific Drug Prevention
NIH-NIMH-NIDA
Role: PI	2003-2004

Cultural Resilience/ Rural and Remote Ojibwe Families
NIH-NIMH
Role: PI	2001-2004

Pathways to Substance Abuse among Ojibwe Children
NIH-NIDA
Role: PI	2003-2004