Seven focus groups were held in an Appalachian county in western North Carolina to examine residents' socially constructed identity as "mountain people." The groups were asked seven general discussion questions about social change, quality of life, and the terms "mountain people" and "Southerners." In striking…

A multimethod approach to program evaluation using quantitative methods, subjective assessments, and qualitative case study methods was used to evaluate a federally funded grant to improve quality of life for persons with developmental disabilities. Discussion focuses on the strengths and weaknesses of each evaluation method and impact of the…

Describes the nature of technology. Summarizes the claims of the anti-technologists, such as Marcuse and Ellul, and the moderate pro-technologists, such as Ferkiss, Mesthene, Brooks and Bowers, National Academy of Engineering, Norman, and Weizenbaum. Provides 79 references. (YP)

Alaska's efforts toward sustainable development include protecting the subsistence lifestyle by involving indigenous people in stakeholder decisions about whaling and fishing quotas and offshore oil drilling; developing rural energy, water, and sewage infrastructures; using telecommunications to bring health care and education to remote areas; and…

This review of the literature on older American Indians with disabilities examines the "early" aging of American Indians compared to the general population. It discusses the situation of American Indians on reservations, focusing on their socioeconomic conditions; education, housing, and transportation; health conditions; and service delivery.…

Use and non-use of assistive technology by people with physical disabilities were explored. Also examined were the beliefs subjects held about technology use and the quality of their lives. The study began in 1986 with five women with severe cerebral palsy and five men with spinal cord injuries. All participants were equipped with one or more…

Although research has demonstrated the potentially salutary effects of peer support among older persons, salutary peer support and significant interpersonal bonds are often lacking within the confines of a nursing home. A program was designed to train nursing home residents to serve as peer counselors for newly-admitted residents in an effort to…

A central issue in thinking about the quality of life is the relationship between objective and subjective indicators. A study was conducted to examine the relative importance of objective status indicators, internal referents of life conditions, residential characteristics, and self-esteem on life satisfaction. Socioeconomic status and gender of…

Psychological well-being has been shown to be significantly influenced both by daily and major life events. The impact of two types of daily events on reports of physical and mental well-being was investigated in a multiple-time measurement design. Demand events which occur independently of one's volition, and desire events which arise from one's…

While the relationship between stressful life events, social support, and health outcomes has received much attention, efforts to quantify social support and directly examine specific ameliorative effects have resulted in mixed findings. Direct and mediational effects of two psychometrically validated measures of perceived and received social…

Self-perceived quality of life (QOL) was studied using data collected by Carter (1984) on 56 men and 83 women psychology graduate students. Attention was directed to QOL, adjustment, and stress in the study population. Life component satisfaction ratings were multiplied by the importance ascribed to them by the respondents. Life component scores…

Chicano youth violence (CYV) is a serious problem, progressively more generalized and vicious and increasingly involving girls and children as assailants and also attacks on old people, whites and Mexican nationals. Becoming romanticized and institutionalized into a subculture, CYV is an important factor in the destruction of authentic Chicano…

It is the role of schools and colleges to teach certain truths that can enhance the quality of one's life in society. Yet often these truths are not learned at school because many students do not accept them as truths, because they are not actually included in the curriculum, or because they are mistaught. These truths revolve around eight…

Conceptualization of the lives of adult women and the forces affecting their well-being have concentrated on five constructs: (1) chronological age; (2) menopause and the empty nest; (3) marital status; (4) parity; and (5) multiple role involvement as a source of stress. A re-examination of these variables focused on the concerns and…

Very little research has been undertaken to assess what factors are related to the utilization of coping strategies to deal with the losses associated with aging. Volunteers (N=40) 65 years of age or older were interviewed to determine if people at different levels of ego development differ in the number and type of coping strategies employed in…