This publication contains the reports of two major public advisory bodies which studied and conducted hearings on mental health needs of the elderly and developed recommendations for public policy to address these needs. The first report reviews current mental health needs and considers the projected needs for dealing with emotional stress during…

This paper addresses health and social issues as well as other socioeconomic problems which affect the black family, and the development of appropriate policy and programs to deal with those problems. Data on infant mortality, life expectancy, maternal mortality, physician and dental visits, and some selected death rates from specific causes are…

This study explores the influence of cognitive development and health self-perception on Brazilian students' beliefs on the causes of health and illness. Ninety-six randomly selected elementary and junior high school students from two schools in the north area of Rio De Janeiro County were interviewed individually by an investigator. Subjects who…

A study to determine the health status of older persons and to analyze the support provided to them by community health and social service agencies in Ohio is reported. As a cooperative effort of the Gerontology Program and the Medical College at Bowling Green University, the project specifically sought to conduct a health needs assessment of…

Sexism in women's health care has received increasing attention through the women's movement. Many alternative efforts at reform have been targeted to women in their reproductive years, but the older woman has not had similar efforts designed to alter her situation. A Senior Health Center was established by one community hospital to provide…

According to recent research, Hispanic women are a "mosaic" population, being characterized not only according to subethnic group (Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Spanish speakers from other countries) and social dimension (educational attainment, linguistic facilities, cultural and ethnic self-identification), but also…

The study examined the role played by informal (i.e., family, kin, neighbors, friends) and quasiformal (i.e., church-sponsored) support systems in predicting, enhancing, or inhibiting use of social services by Hispanic elderly. Thirty-seven variables and data selected from a 1979-1980 15-state survey of 1,805 noninstitutionalized Hispanic…

This Technical Committee Report provides an overview and historical sketch of research in aging and proposes a need for new knowledge. An examination of key issues notes the difficulty in assigning priority to research topics, and identifies emerging issues of public concern including: (1) physical health (alcohol and drugs, falls and accidents,…

To provide some directions for the design and implementation of innovative health programs, both on an individual and community level, this paper, using both empirical and anecdotal sources, explores some of the possible psychological mechanisms Indian people have used to endure overt and covert Federal policies and social attitudes of termination…

A study was conducted in fall 1980 at Los Angeles Valley College (LAVC) to develop a greater understanding of the mental health/counseling needs of students. Specifically, the study sought to determine which stress-inducing conditions (stressors) had the greatest effect on students and the kinds of interventions and strategies that might be…

In the past, neither the minority individual nor a third world perspective was to be found in the conceptualization or administration of mental health services to minorities. Changes in the emphasis from the Anglo/European focus to a socio-eco-political understanding of people of color were gradual. The final breakthrough came during the l960s…

A study was conducted to identify the factors in the school workplace that may contribute to the health status of secondary agriculture teachers in the United States. The research involved a descriptive-correlational study, in which 303 teachers from a random sample of more than 500 replied to a questionnaire. Results showed that teachers…

Despite recent efforts to encourage federal funding of psychological services for underserved populations such as the elderly and residents of rural areas, ample evidence suggests that rural areas are underserved by psychologists. Drawing on data from rural and urban areas in Pennsylvania, this paper argues that master's level training can provide…

Street youth remain at the fringes of society reflecting larger inherent social problems. Whether due to the death of parents, as a result of war, poverty, famine, disease, abandonment or abuse the health and social problems of the world's 100 million street youth are profound. By 1987 it was accepted that street youth were a high risk population…

This paper discusses the issue of children's rights and describes a study in which a 300-item attitude scale was constructed and administered to several groups of adult subjects. Major content areas, dealing with the rights of children aged 10-14 included: health, safety/care, education and information, economics, and legal, judicial, and…