Investigated homesickness in boys ages 8 through 16. Results indicated that homesickness was prevalent and varied in intensity, was experienced as a combination of depression and anxiety, was presented most often as internalizing behavior, and was more typical for younger boys. The most-homesick became increasingly so during the separation,…

Internalizing disorders are a public health issue affecting up to 20% of school-age children, yet few receive assistance. Internalizing difficulties can emerge in the preschool years, with stability from this time onward. To inform prevention programs, knowledge is needed about early internalizing indicators in community samples. This study…

This case study describes the separation distress experienced by Mei Mei, a 2-year-old Chinese-American female toddler at a midwestern university laboratory preschool. The toddler, who could not speak English, was undergoing the first substantial separation from her parents. The toddler was observed over a 9-week period, during which behaviors…

Explores the extent of Navajos' bond with their homeland. The land is critical to the Navajo world view, which emphasizes harmony and orderly conditions, and plays an essential role in myths and ceremonies. When Navajos leave their homeland to pursue educational or professional endeavors, emotional distress can undermine their success. Includes…

The normal, biologically adaptive development of attachment between the human infant under 3 years of age and mother/caregivers contrasts with the Anglo-Saxon cultural belief that babies should be accustomed to unpleasantness. Separation of hospitalized children from their mothers, as frequently done in the past, has resulted in psychological…

Presents four articles illustrating the impact of children's changing schools: (1) "Managing Changes in Primary Teachers" (Carla Gwinn); (2) "Losing a Child from a Primary Teaching Group: Breaking Up Is Hard to Do!" (Brooke Harrington); (3) "What to Say to Children Who Are Leaving" (Kay Albrecht); and (4) "Those Bonds Remain Forever" (Linda…

As a part of the teacher licensure program at the graduate level at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC), the M.Ed. Licensure candidate is required to complete an action research project during a 3-semester-hour course that coincides with the 9-semester-hour student teaching experience. This course, Education 590 Culminating…

Noting that families are increasingly spending time apart from one another due to work or other commitments and the ease of travel, this booklet discusses how parents can learn to cope with being away from their children and how they can feel comfortable integrating back into family life. The booklet also includes useful tips on how to help…

Gender differences were examined in 182 freshman college students who had completed a packet of questionnaires and inventories to address the impact of separation from parents and to test relevance of self-in-relation theory. Differences indicated that women reported establishing more of all kinds of support. Other results are reported. (JBJ)

Examined the effects of college students' (n=90) family structures on the separation-individuation process. Family structure groups investigated were intact; divorced, mother-custody, no remarriage; and divorced, mother-custody, remarried. The components of the separation-individuation process examined were attachment to parents, conflictual…

PACT: Helping Children with Special Needs, an affiliate of the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, operates a therapeutic nursery that serves families who have at least one child from birth to 3 years of age, and who are living in a Baltimore City homeless shelter. In partnership with the Martin Luther King Early Head Start Program…

The Infant/Toddler Program of the Louise Child Care Center began providing full time day care to young children of working parents in the fall of 1978. While delivering this service, the Center conducted a longitudinal, exploratory investigation into the responses of children and their families to a group-home day care setting. The study was…

Argues that happy separations are characterized by good relationships between teacher/caregiver and parents and ample time for parents to be in the classroom environment. Provides 10 suggestions for easing the transition for children starting or changing schools to ease the separation anxiety and to make transitions as smooth as possible. (SD)

Discusses two problems related to young children's arrival to and departure from child care centers: parents who have a hard time separating from their children in the morning; and children who cry and do not want to go home at the end of the school day. (AA)

Young children may experience stress and emotional problems in reaction to natural and other disasters. This brochure presents a number of strategies for teachers and caregivers to use to help children cope with this stress. These strategies include: (1) providing reassurance and physical comfort; (2) being aware of separation anxiety; (3)…