Research has shown that siblings can experience either negative or positive mental health outcomes as a result of having a brother or sister with disabilities. When maladjustment occurs, it is frequently attributed to the stress of excessive helping. This research-based paper proposes that siblings of children with disabilities, perceiving…

Several studies have shown that sexual assault may lead to psychiatric problems such as depression, fear or anxiety, substance abuse, or sexual distress. As part of an epidemiologic survey to determine base rates of mental disorder in a Los Angeles household population, 3,132 respondents were surveyed about their sexual assault experiences and use…

Developmental psychopathology can be viewed as a macroparadigm within which to integrate theoretical and empirical contributions stemming from other paradigms such as biomedical, behavioral, psychodynamic, cognitive, sociological, and family systems. By highlighting the interconnections among these different approaches and providing an overarching…

Research in the areas of social networks and social support has illustrated some of the complex ways in which those areas contribute to health. A study was conducted to examine the structure of social support among older women, its influences on physical and emotional health status and on behaviors associated with increased risk of chronic…

Rural outreach in community mental health centers involves staff commuting from a central agency to surrounding rural towns to provide clinical and/or community service. The problem for outreach staff is how to best provide services to a rural network that is distant and different from the urban network. In general the greater the distance, the…

The conversion of stress to distress has been a major assumption in the study of psychological and emotional health. To identify the effects of self-esteem, personal control, and social support in the stress process, hearing-impaired adults (N=386) completed questionnaires including questions about health and well-being, social support,…

There is growing evidence that the stress of caring for a relative with Alzheimer's disease may have adverse effects on the caregivers. This study was conducted to explore the mental health consequences of caregiving. Psychological data and mental health status information were obtained from 50 Alzheimer's disease spousal caregivers and from 50…

The study evaluates the effectiveness of two bilingual, non-traditional mental health peer counseling type programs providing services to Southeast Asian refugees in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. This area has the second highest per capita rate of Southeast Asians in the nation and as these refugees have, in general, experienced a…

This paper provides a description of an online Rorschach interpretation algorithm for the Exner comprehensive system, as well as a study conducted to evaluate the validity of the online interpretive algorithm. The user, systems, and equipment specifications for the algorithm are explained, and the potential advantages of its use to enhance…

Although surveys of mental health involve some controversy, a significant relationship between values and mental health appears to exist. To study the adaption of individuals with alternative values to their psychological worlds, over 2,000 adults identified their most important values. Alcohol abuse, drug abuse, dizziness, anxiety, and general…

The proceedings of a conference on occupational stress are contained in this report. Presentation titles include the following: "Basic Concepts of Organizational Stress--Causes and Problems,""Occupational Sources of Stress: A Review of the Literature Relating to Coronary Heart Disease and Mental Ill Health,""A Review of [National Institute for…

The struggle for a positive self-image in the gay community has been keynoted by confrontations between gays and the censuring public, and by their own introspection. Since the risks demanded by self disclosure are greater for gays than for heterosexuals, a nonsupportive environment may force a strategy of nondisclosure on gays. This often…

A therapeutic technique for dealing with a chronic caller to a suicide prevention center was tested. The two objectives to such a technique were to reduce the frequency of calls made by chronic callers to the suicide prevention service, and to persuade callers to be more specific when discussing their problem. To accomplish these objectives, a…

Community Based Consultation, a consultation/education model appropriate for use in CMHC's and mental health departments is described. The model is being implemented by a Community Services Team of a rural mental health department. Appropriate strategies, a conceptualization of the community along power dimensions, a decision-making structure for…

This paper describes a program of free, short-term, individual bereavement counseling for survivors of sudden death in Marin County, California. Co-sponsors are Marin Suicide Prevention Center and Marin County Coroner's Office. Most survivors are initially referred to the program by the coroner at the time of certifying cause of death, others are…