Hearings were conducted in Newark (New Jersey), Los Angeles (California), Detroit (Michigan), and Atlanta (Georgia) to elicit testimony concerning public investment in education and social services for children and their families. At each of the four hearings, an opening statement by Senator Tom Harkin was followed by statements from individuals…

This document examines the problem of illiteracy. The first chapter provides background and general information about illiteracy, while the second chapter distinguishes between "illiterate" and "functionally illiterate," and provides a new look at the concept of functionality. The third chapter begins with a section about illiteracy in the United…

Compiled in this volume are summaries of the knowledge base on prevention of alcohol and other drug use and mental disorders in children and adolescents. The papers address risk factors, preventive interventions, conceptual and methodological issues, epidemiology, identification, service delivery and treatment, research, and professional training.…

The fourth revision of this text offers both tested prevention strategies for work with diverse at-risk populations and counseling techniques that address the complexities of destructive behavior from individual, family, school, and community perspectives. Drawing on the wisdom of 24 experts, this book provides concrete advice for creating and…

Evaluated over 6 years a comprehensive treatment program for abusive families in Spain. Findings were similar to those obtained for similar programs in the United States and other developed countries. Lowest success rates were found for neglectful and abusive-neglectful families. Dropout and nondropout families differed in presence of alcohol…

Identifies health risks and other factors that determine the need for health care services among children and adolescents. Recommendations are made to develop reforms through a coordinated care program rather than through competing systems of services. Models for community-based health care monitoring and coordination exist in other industrialized…

Reviews evidence about health care resources currently available to children and pregnant women in the United States. Evidence suggests that the maldistribution of resources remains a serious threat to health care access for women and children at greatest risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes and child morbidity and mortality. (SLD)

Examines changes in children's health insurance status and utilization of health services in the past decade, using 1977 National Medical Care Expenditure Survey data and 1987 National Medical Expenditure Survey data. Policies that could reduce the number of uninsured children (mandated employment-related coverage and incremental Medicaid…

Reviews the association between material deprivation and child abuse and considers the implications of this association for preventive strategies. It is concluded that communitywide strategies aimed at supporting all care providers are more likely to succeed than those based on at-risk groups. (SLD)

Racial bias and inadequate financial supports place the children of the urban poor at risk. Implications of urban conditions for research, policy, and practice are discussed, with emphasis on delivery of social welfare services. (SLD)

This journal issue brings together research on perceptions of control of several vulnerable populations, specifically children, lower level employees, the ill, and the aged. This introduction discusses positive outcomes associated with sense of control and identifies common themes found in work in this area. (SLD)

This exploratory investigation examined the relationship between childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and related psychosocial characteristics and sexual behaviors among 46 gay/bisexual male escorts who advertise via the Internet. More than a quarter of men (28.3%) reported some history of CSA. Men reporting CSA were more likely to be from an ethnic…

This paper will address the development and offering of two combined (BSW and MSW) courses in Grief and Bereavement. This is a description of the purposes, educational units, and assignments for both courses. In addition, there is discussion of the learning environment to include educational strategies to promote both didactic and experiential…

This article examines the subculture of violence thesis as it relates to female street sex workers in Miami. Interview and focus group methods were used to study the intersections of childhood trauma, drug use, and violent victimization among 325 women. Using targeted sampling, crack- and heroin-using sex workers were recruited through street…

This document is intended to present briefly the needs of children and families, to identify the greatest gaps in services, and to discuss how psychology can mobilize as a profession to address both needs and gaps. It begins by highlighting prominent indicators to demonstrate that America's children and families are in crisis. Following that are a…