A description and comparison of kinship relations among older and younger blacks and the changing conceptualizations of growing old and the changing status of older persons are presented. The sample consisted of 198 younger (under 50) and older (over 50) blacks in a low income area within a Southern city. The three major areas studied under…

Reports a longitudinal study comparing the differential influence of stress on the interpersonal relationships of 101 representative rural and urban families. Notes that high stress rates adversely affected rural, but not urban, intrafamilial interaction, and affected young families more than older ones. Notes implications for mental health and…

Presents an Adlerian vocational theory with several hypotheses and corollaries regarding: (a) life style, (b) work as life task, (c) family atmosphere and relationships, and (d) early recollections. Develops predictive vocational statements and offers the resulting framework as a stimulant to generate further study of Adlerian vocational…

The socialization process results from development within cultural or social contexts. This study examined attitudes of 107 college students surveyed regarding the negotiation of rules in both the family and the classroom, which are regarded as socialization contexts. Three major concepts formed the framework for the study: first, the theoretical…

Since 1962 this private, non profit American Host Foundation has brought 2700 teachers from 13 countries to live with American families under a program of free optional activities. (IR)

A two-year study of 239 families comprising both substance-abusing and nonsubstance-abusing parents found parental substance abuse greatly increased the likelihood of poorer family functioning and re-reports for maltreatment to the child protection services. The findings support the need for including parental substance abuse in risk assessment…

Explored role of adolescent's perception of family environment and its relationship to underachievement. Normal ability underachievers and matched group of achievers completed Family Environment Scale. Identified four variables that distinguished between achievers and underachievers: moral-religious emphasis, achievement orientation, family…

The impact of a child's learning disability on the family system is explored using Feuerstein's concept of mediated learning experience. Four prototypical patterns of family response are identified, with descriptions of the mediational restrictions and potentialities embedded within them. (DB)

Comments on Belsky, Steinberg, and Draper's article in this issue. Discusses the claim for a connection of stressful childhood environments and early pubertal maturation. Argues that early puberty need not imply a shift from a "quality" toward a "quantity" reproductive strategy and that nonevolutionary factors can account for…

Describes a preventive intervention that was randomly offered to a group of (n=67) non- to mildly distressed couples who participated in a larger study on relationships. At nine-month follow-up, couples in which one partner experienced parental divorce demonstrated increased problem intensity, decreased problem-solving ability, and rational…

This study investigated to what extent abuse-related symptoms and family functioning are related to intra- or extrafamilial sexual abuse. One hundred adolescents (12 to 18 years old) were recruited shortly after disclosure of the abuse. Information from the participants was obtained through self-report questionnaires and a semistructured…

Kin caregivers can provide continuity and connectedness for children who cannot remain with their parents. This is one reason kinship care has become the preferred placement option for foster children. However, despite the growing reliance on kin caregivers, kinship care policies have evolved with little coherent guidance. This article examines…

A study involving 109 male and 116 female high achieving high school students (ages 16-18) and their parents investigated the causal linkages among home environment, self-concepts, prior ability, and socioeconomic status on mathematics achievement, science achievement, and Scholastic Aptitude Test-Quantitative (SAT-Q) and Verbal scores. Students…

A study was conducted to achieve two objectives: (1) identify priority problems/concerns of Florida families as perceived by home economics supervisors and teachers; and (2) determine prevention and intervention strategies viewed as successful in addressing the identified social/family concerns. Thirty-two problems/concerns were identified and…