Discusses the situations of mothers who live apart from their children. Contrasts negative societal evaluations of mothers in this lifestyle with empirical findings. Identifies implications for family life educators and therapists. Prepared for the Groves Conference on Marriage and the Family, Poconos, Pennsylvania, May, 1981. (WAS)

Explores the impact of Minnesota's Open Birth Record Law. Studied adoptees in search of information and contact with their birth parents. Caseworkers were relatively successful in the searches, but personal contacts were achieved for only 35 percent of the adoptees. Supports the value of the Open Birth Record law. (Author)

Assessed how family interaction patterns are influenced by television viewing. Results revealed that children oriented toward their parents less, talked less, and were less active and that fathers oriented toward their children and spouses less, talked less and made fewer positive facial expressions during television-viewing than during family…

Although some couples avoid divorce for children's benefit, divorce may actually be a better solution than an unhappy home. Children's potential for creating stress between spouses may sometimes make divorce more likely. Counseling may provide alternatives. (JAC)

Reports on an investigation that used the Process Model of Parenting Competence to explore factors posited as predicting parenting competence among adult and adolescent populations. Results revealed expected associations, suggesting that the variables suggested by the model, such as maternal competence, are congruent with several hypotheses of…

Examines association between hostile interparental conflict and youth maladjustment. Suggests effects of hostile interparental conflict style on youth maladjustment are more indirect than direct. Delineates three mediating factors: parenting behaviors, parents' depression, and youth's perceptions and appraisals of parents' interactions. Offers…

Describes investigation examining ways in which presence of fathering figure, following separation or divorce of biological parents, was related to preadolescent children's adjustment. Suggests noncustodial fathers' level of contact and involvement with children and cooperativeness of expartner coparenting relationship were positively associated…

Investigates older parents' feelings of closeness with a co-resident child with mental retardation in a sample of 96 married mother and fathers. For mothers, feelings of closeness were related to their education level and adult child's functional skills. For fathers, feelings of closeness were associated with their own personality characteristics,…

Changes in rituals and routines between drinking and sobriety were examined in families in treatment due to paternal alcohol abuse. Information was gathered through a semistructured family interview. Recurrent disruptions of rituals and routines were found between different phases in the drinking cycle. Disruptions were found typically with regard…

We examine the effects of an adult member's religious difference and geographic distance on intergenerational family continuity, using the case example of American Jewish mothers with daughters who became Orthodox and moved to Israel. Using qualitative data from a focus group with 6 women who became Orthodox and moved to Israel and separate…

Using a social exchange perspective and data from a national sample of 978 spouse and child caregivers of older family members, this study assessed the association between caregiver relationship and gender and the costs and rewards of caregiving. We also evaluated whether relationship and gender moderate the effects of helpfulness on caregiver…

Compared parents with retarded children with parents with intellectually average children on marital and family strengths and parental personality characteristics. Parents with retarded children were less critical of family members and had fewer family problems. Spousal support participation in a parents' group and religious beliefs were important…

Findings suggest that parents (N=23) who sought therapy because of "problematic" children differed in valuing style (e.g., rejection, extrinsic valuing, overprotection) from two samples of parents from normal populations. Parents who participated in Gestalt therapy groups made significant changes in their reported parenting styles. (Author/ABB)

Survey results indicated adult day care is a resource that families draw upon to help them cope with the care of an elderly disabled member. It enables them to better attend to the person's needs as well as their own and aids in improving family relationships. Gender effects are discussed. (Author/BL)

Ratings by mother, father/stepfather, and adolescent of 28 stepfamilies and 28 first-marriage families revealed lower family cohesion, adaptability, and quality in male parent-adolescent relationship in stepfamilies. Length of remarriage, amount and quality of contact with biological father, and adolescent gender were not related to family…