The paper suggests the importance of psychological intervention during the initial stages of chronic disease in children, and cites cases illustrating patient reactions. (CL)

Measures such as achievement test scores, school absences, grades, and citizenship were used to examine effects of a 1979 tornado disaster on fourth and fifth graders over a four-year period. Overall results indicated no significant differences between victims, observers of the tornado, and new residents. Related research and implications are…

The mental health consequences of having a handicapped brother or sister and factors that may be related to psychological adjustment are discussed. Also explored are the use of parental consultation, behavior modification, and discussion groups as potential intervention strategies with siblings of the handicapped. (Author)

Perceived school loneliness and isolation of 73 partially mainstreamed retarded students (mean age 13.5 years) and their nonretarded peers was assessed using a five-point Likert-type loneliness scale. Retarded students reported significantly more loneliness and isolation than nonretarded peers suggesting that mainstreaming by itself does not…

Utilizes concepts of family systems theory to describe the way emotional attachments and child focus operate in families undergoing separation or divorce. Compares and contrasts the management of emotional attachment in families with either a mild or severe degree of child focus. Considers family therapy in relation to these issues. (Author/GC)

Investigates the differential adjustment of men and women during the process of marital separation. Prior to separation, women reported significantly more severe psychological symptoms. During the early postseparation period, men reported significantly more severe symptoms. A brief self-report measure of psychopathology is described. (Author)

This article describes how child welfare workers manage their feelings about residential care decisions which they consider inappropriate. Peer support groups offer a way to provide both social support for workers and a base for actions to correct the conditions which produce incompatible demands. (Author/DB)

This paper discusses the rationale for school-based suicide postvention consultation, various arguments for utilization of external and internal consultants, and basic goals of postvention consultation. It advocates an ecological systems view of postvention consultation. (Author/DB)

Childhood experiences and long-term psychological outcomes were investigated with 10 adults, ages 33 through 71, who were self-identified victims of illness fabrication by a parent (Munchausen by Proxy). During childhood they felt unloved and unsafe and had emotional and physical problems. As adults, problems included insecurity, reality-testing…

This study examined the amount of psychosocial disturbance experienced by adults (n=53) in India with epilepsy, as well as the relationship between psychosocial dysfunction, duration of illness, and computerized axial tomography findings. Results indicated that three-quarters exhibited no or very mild psychosocial dysfunction. (DB)

A model of the grief cycle was developed based on data from studies of the grief process and observations of 130 parents of children with disabilities. The model involves three phases: confronting (including shock, denial, blame/guilt); adjusting (depression, anger, bargaining); and adapting (lifestyle changes, realistic planning, adjusted…

This article examines effects of separation and divorce on children in the context of possible psychological maltreatment. Common behavior patterns of children in this situation are discussed in terms of those that are acceptable and those that must be considered harmful. (Author/DB)

Examined relationships between adolescent emotional and behavioral problems and late adolescent personality in a longitudinal study. Found that psychological distress and behavioral problems experienced during adolescent years of 7th to 10th grade are significantly related to personality structure during the final year of high school. (JPB)

This article discusses the emotional aspects of hearing loss on the individual and the family. It explores the grief and guilt that parents feel, social isolation of the individual, negative effects for siblings, and emotional problems of adults losing their hearing. Suggestions for counseling techniques are provided. (Contains references.) (CR)

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…