An exploratory study involving 31 families found that chronically ill children and their parents express needs and concerns to their pediatricians in veiled ways. Physicians sometimes provide reassurance too soon rather than attending to the family's underlying pathology. Vignettes describe the families' styles of communication with their…

The article examines why women and young girls are predisposed to tobacco use, what gender-based variables are at play, what external variables facilitate the initiation of tobacco use, why women continue to smoke, and what intervention strategies can address females and at-risk subgroups. (SM)

Childrens' psychological well-being is threatened by many of today's social ills. It is important to protect childrens' minds and let them consider schools a safe haven where they are supported, nurtured, and welcomed. Because many parents cannot foster self-esteem, teachers and schools must help students feel important. (SM)

Reviews recent research on the epidemiology, subject characteristics, and service needs of the homeless population who are dually diagnosed to suffer both severe mental illness and substance abuse disorders. Discusses evolving approaches to providing social services, various treatments, system and legal issues, and problems with current research.…

The main outcomes of the Prague (Czechoslovakia) longitudinal studies following over 1,000 children for almost 30 years are summarized. The children were either born from unwanted pregnancies, with alcoholic fathers, born out-of-wedlock, or in divorced families. A theory of psychological subdeprivation is offered and applied to children with…

Multivariate patterns of associations among psychological distress, anticipated mortality, and perceived vulnerability to HIV among urban multiethnic samples of 120 adolescents in substance-abuse treatment and 222 young adult university students were identified. Implications of the findings for the planning and implementation of effective HIV…

Planning meetings requires careful attention to three essential elements: purpose, participants' needs and expectations, and a suitable agenda. Meetings are great for problem solving, professional development, and team building. Serving snacks; choosing a comfy, well-arranged setting; adopting brainstorming rules; and involving teachers as…

The Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (MPS) was administered to 219 Czech adolescents, 132 of whom were mathematically gifted. Two distinct orthogonal constructs of perfectionism were identified, indicating that healthy and unhealthy perfectionism are not opposite poles on a single continuum but are independent constructs. Perfectionism was…

Dropping out of school is an event in a long series of life stresses. This paper gives the results of an in-depth ethnographic study of 11 at-risk females at a high school in the greater New York metropolitan area. The primary themes that emerged from the students were centered around their desire to have adults communicate with them in a…

This guidebook describes the Martin Luther King Program at Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania, a program expressly created to provide services and resources to assist the minority student in coping with any adjustment problems that may be entailed in entering a predominantly white university in a rural community. The university's supplemental…

Four models are discussed with which to view students, educational goals, and learning environments. Each of the four theories emphasizes a unique aspect of the total development process. Piaget's model describes the development of structures and processes which characterize mature logical thinking. Perry provides a closer look at students'…

Refugees, like most other migrants, are at increased risk for various forms of psychopathology. This paper documents the relationship between refugee migration and psychopathology by reviewing pertinent epidemiological, clinical, and survey studies from the refugee literature. The picture that emerges shows consistently increased levels of serious…

This paper examines five factors that should be considered in planning an open education program in an English classroom: (1) The physical layout of the room should be carefully planned to support the learning needs and characteristics of students. (2) Three types of learning activities should be provided: activities for the entire class, for…

Children aged 10-14 need to assume responsible and challenging roles as part of their adolescent development. Based on the physical, social, moral and ethical, and emotional developmental characteristics of this age, adolescents need to discover and test new skills; develop a sense of competence; socialize to develop close friendships; take part…

This paper provides the researchers interested in the psychological effects of school space on students' learning and behavior with a description of selected resources. Source materials are divided into five categories: (1) general background information lists of bibliographies, directories, encyclopedias, books, and libraries; (2) abstracting and…