Examined the impact of support systems on post-divorce family functioning. Results suggest that families under extreme stress need to be provided with relatively high levels of support or their dissatisfaction with support systems will appear in harsher and more restrictive relationships with children. (Author)

Recently more attention has been focused on elder abuse, with laws enacted requiring reporting of this crime. Since service providers often do not recognize elder abuse, a validated screening tool for elder abuse is needed. A screening tool called the Hwalek-Sengstock Elder Abuse Screening Protocol has been developed and is currently being…

Medical student marriages were examined in order to identify areas of stress, evaluate the congruence between expectations and actualities in the marital partner's role performance as perceived by the spouse, investigate the spouse's attitudes toward marital counseling, and determine whether a marital counseling service should be made available.…

Objective: This study evaluated the relationship between a family adversity index and DSM-IV attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) subtypes and associated behavior problems. The relationship of family adversity to symptoms and subtypes of ADHD was examined. Method: Parents and 206 children aged 7-13 completed diagnostic interviews and…

Although much has been written suggesting that stress, grief, and other factors associated with parenting a child with disabilities results in high rates of marital discord, marital dissatisfaction, and divorce, this notion is poorly supported by research. Research demonstrates that parents of children with disabilities have marriages that exhibit…

This paper reviews the literature on the role of mediating cognitive factors in marital functioning and satisfaction. Types and patterns of causal attributions of distressed and nondistressed couples are compared and the effectiveness of various intervention models is discussed. The materials also discuss the role of unfulfilled expectations as a…

Compared adults who came from disrupted families with those who lived with biological parents (at age 16). Little difference was found and those effects noted were positive. Results suggest that under certain circumstances a family disruption and associated stress may eventually turn to the individual's advantage. (Author/JAC)

Examines hypothesis that effect children have on parents' marriage is due to stress in parental role. Collected data from 287 intact couples with children living at home. Findings indicate parenting was affected by number of children and economic distress, but not by other roles. For both spouses, psychological well-being and perceived marital…

To assess the impact of economic hardship on 111 European American and 167 Mexican American families and their 5th-grade (M age 11.4 years) children, a family stress model was evaluated. Structural equation analyses revealed that economic hardship was linked to indexes of economic pressure that were related to depressive symptoms for mothers and…

The booklet examines the effects of parental and family stress on gifted children. Four areas of family turmoil are covered: (1) separation and divorce, (2) death and dying, (3) violence, and (4) serious family illness. Problems are addressed in terms of considerations for preschool, school-aged, and high school gifted students. The first section,…

Reviews research on the components and stages of stress in the lives of children, identifying three stages and six categories of stress factors: personal child variables, ecological stressors, socioeconomic status, catastrophes and terrors, family events, and spouse problems. (KS)

Assesses relationships between child vulnerability to stress, birth order, and stage of family development. Identified four stages of family structure. Results showed vulnerability of first-borns and last-borns shifted across stages in a complementary fashion. Interpreted results in terms of a linkage between emotional symptoms and family…

Counselors must deal with loss in their own lives before helping provide strategies for students and clients. In addition to coping with death, clients may grieve over the loss of home, job, personal relationships, and body appendages. Counselors must be ready to offer services, alternatives, and understanding. (JAC)

Studied role of adolescents' awareness in relationship between marital conflict and adolescent distress. Found marital conflict was related to parental hostility toward adolescents and adolescents' awareness of conflict; parental hostility and adolescents' awareness of marital conflict were related to adolescent-perceived parental hostility. Found…

Stresses which accompany graduate education are often a source of marital conflict and disruption for students and their families. To investigate the effects of the graduate experience on intra- and inter-family relationships among married doctoral student couples, and to discover how these students cope with the dual student/spouse role, 16…