This study compares the well-being of African American, Latina, and White grandmothers raising or helping to raise grandchildren in custodial and coparenting families. Grandmother caregivers (N = 1,051) were recruited through schools and media for 1-hr interviews. Latina grandmothers had higher life satisfaction than African American or White…

Background: This study examines the contribution of the marital relationship to the well-being of both mothers and fathers of children with developmental disabilities. Parent well-being is conceptualized in terms of mental health, parenting stress and parenting efficacy. Methods: These analyses are based on data from 67 families participating in…

Parents are increasingly expected to supplement their children's school-based learning by providing support for children's homework. However, parents' capacities to provide such support may vary and may be limited by the experience of depression. This may have implications for child development. In the course of a prospective, longitudinal study…

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…

Adolescents with disabilities are at increased risk for school failure, and those in special education as the result of emotional disturbances consistently have the highest dropout rate of any disability. This paper discusses the importance of feelings of security in relationships for these adolescents and the results of a study designed to…

This report highlights the progress of the 15 statewide family advocacy projects funded by the Center for Mental Health Services of the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration during the 1993 fiscal year. Section 1 provides an historical background and a summary of the interim report. A qualitative description of the…

This speech focuses on the ways in which many individuals try to teach others about emotional health and well-being without having accomplished the same for themselves. The speaker posits that some are better talkers than doers because to really find a sense of health and stability, one must forget about oneself; one must become "absent" of self…

In Iowa in the 1980s, dreams of prosperity were suddenly replaced by economic nightmares as plummeting land values generated economic decline and dislocation in rural communities and individual lives. This book examines the experience of over 400 Iowa families who lived through the Great Farm Crisis and now face an uncertain future. Interviewed as…

This report summarizes and analyzes the actions of the 104th Congress in legislative areas of importance to children with serious emotional disturbances. Emphasis is on the obstacles now facing advocates and policymakers concerned with these children. An executive summary identifies program changes in child mental health services programs,…

The book presents 13 papers that explore the intriguing and sometimes baffling phenomenon of children's capacity to deal with adversity. It is divided into three sections. The book's opening section provides an overview of stress research and coping strategies. Section 2 focuses on the determinants of competence and investigates the complex…

The Arizona Head Start-Public School Transition Project was one of 31 federally created programs designed to improve low-income children's transition from Head Start to public schools through the third grade, making earlier interventions, and promoting continuity with the participation of parents, teachers, and community members. The Transition…

This document highlights 101 partnerships developed as part of Ohio's welfare reform initiative, Ohio Works First (OWF). Section 1 deals with communication strategies: a new lexicon; interagency information exchange and confidentiality issues; intake, referral, and case management tools; and cross-agency communications. Section 2 describes…

This health curriculum guide for preschool teachers is structured around units with specific health themes. The 10 areas addressed are growth and development; mental and emotional health; personal health; family life and health; nutrition; disease prevention and control; safety and first aid; consumer health; drug use prevention; and community…

This monograph is based on experiences of the national Child and Adolescent Service System Program (CASSP) and describes a plan for developing and implementing community based systems of care for children and adolescents with serious emotional disorders and their families. It draws on examples from state mental health plans to illustrate planning…

This guidebook for parents of children with emotional or behavioral disorders includes descriptions of common diagnoses and therapies, information on programs and services, and a description of the roles of various mental health professionals. Introductory sections note the extent of the problem and the importance of parents not blaming…