TEENAGERS AND YOUNG PERSONS AGES 15 TO 23 YEARS WERE SOLICITED FROM 5 GROUPS REPRESENTING A DIVERSE POPULATION (SUBJECTS FROM A HIGH SCHOOL, CITY COLLEGE, UNIVERSITY, AND A FACILITY FOR DELINQUENT YOUTH). THE GROUPS WERE TREATED AS ONE FOR DATA ANALYSIS BECAUSE THEY DID NOT DIFFER SIGNIFICANTLY ON SUCH VARIABLES AS PARENTAL DIVORCE AND SEPARATION, FAMILY SIZE, ETHNICITY, OR AGE WHEN LEAVING HOME. RESULTS SHOW THAT WHILE THE FEMALE ADOLESCENTS MAY ASSUME A MORE PASSIVE, CONFORMING ATTITUDE TO PUNISHMENT AND ABUSE AND SEE CORPORAL PUNISHMENT AS JUSTIFIED, ADOLESCENTS OF BOTH SEXES COPED WITH ABUSE BY VIEWING IT AS (1) A SIGN OF PARENTAL CARING, (2) A PARENTAL EFFORT TO MAKE THEM A 'GOOD CHILD'. VICTIMS TEND TO BECOME HYPERVIGILANT, INHIBITED, AND WITHDRAWN. SEVERITY OF PUNISHMENT WAS CORRELATED WITH VICTIM'S FEELING OF GUILT FOR CAUSING ABUSE. THREE MAJOR ADOLESCENT PROBLEMS--DELINQUENCY, RUNNING AWAY FROM HOME, AND SUICIDE--APPEAR TO BE RELATED TO FREQUENT AND SEVERE PUNISHMENT AND TO CHILD ABUSE. THIS STUDY INDICATES THAT THE DELINQUENT ADOLESCENT SHOULD BE TREATED AS A VICTIM OF AGGRESSION RATHER THAN AS INSTIGATOR OF ASSAULTIVE BEHAVIOR. FURTHER RESEARCH IS CALLED FOR ON INTERVENTIONS THAT WOULD BE EFFECTIVE IN BOTH PREVENTING CHILD ABUSE AND ASSISTING OLDER CHILDREN IN RECOGNIZING AND COPING WITH AN ABUSIVE ENVIRONMENT. REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (RFC)