This review of international literature assesses the impacts that the relationship breakdown of parents has on children and factors that can provide support should this occur. The parental separation process causes significant albeit short-term distress for most children, with a minority reporting longer-term outcomes such as socio-economic…

Data on the relation between marital turmoil (i.e., discord and divorce) and behavior problems in children are reviewed. Several parameters of this relation are outlined, including type of marital turmoil, form of the child's behavioral response, sex differences, age effects, parental buffering, and effects of parental psychopathology. (Author/MP)

The purpose of this study was to examine the attitudes of the general public with regard to the acceptability of adoptive parents changing their minds and returning an adopted child who, after placement, had severe behavior problems. Results revealed that only 23% believed parents should be permitted to return an adopted child when the child has…

The development of behavioral parent training research and changes that have taken place in the field over the past 20 years are reviewed. The author describes the evolution according to three phases. Phase 1, Early Work-Child Focus (1960-1970), is seen to have emphasized the analysis of child behavior change. Phase 2, Mid-Period--Parent Focus…

Compares the ways in which behavioral and family systems theories conceptualize family problems and explains maintenance and change processes within the family system. Systems and behavioral theories share functional views of problem behaviors and interactive sequences. Discusses areas of potential integration of the two perspectives. (Author)

Investigates the personal concerns and causes of difficulties perceived by Hong Kong adolescent students (N=2,103). Results reveal that academic achievement was perceived as the most pressing concern, while problems at home and maladjusted behavior were seen as lesser concerns. Discusses implications for psychologists working with adolescents in…

Runaway children and youth in Canada is the focus of an analysis and review of the literature which explores the following dimensions of the problem: history, prevalence, legislation, socio-psychological explanations, reasons for leaving home, runaway profile, and types of community services needed. (JW)

Methodological flaws have spoiled the literature that attempts to link maltreatment to juvenile delinquency. This article presents improved definitions and measuring procedures for maltreatment and delinquency. The empirical findings show that certain types of child abuse and neglect are related to delinquency but that other types of maltreatment…

Research suggests it is possible for a child's school-based problem to have some sort of functional role in the family system, but serious work is needed to understand how it happens. Three cases are described. (MT)

Attempts to identify some of the factors of child abuse and suggests these solutions to the problems. Citizens must be educated about the abuse problem and motivated to help stamp out the disease. Programs should be developed to teach Black parents how to parent and find alternative ways of expressing anger. (Author/BEF)

Reviews anecdotal research and empirical studies that examine the relationship between work addiction and family-of-origin dysfunction and its impact on family development. The latest empirical research, although tentative at best, was found to corroborate earlier anecdotal reports on nearly all the variables studied. Presents intervention…

Reviews available research studies of high-conflict divorce and its effects on children. Factors believed to contribute to high-conflict divorce are explored, and a model of their interrelationships is proposed. Dispute resolution, intervention, and prevention programs are discussed, and implications for social policy are outlined. (SLD)

Conduct disorder (CD), primarily a childhood disorder, is associated with oppositional defiance disorder and antisocial personality disorder. Differentiating between the disorders requires a preview of the intensity of the disorder. There are many approaches to treating CD. The traditional approach has been psychoanalytically oriented…

An often overlooked problem in corrections is the way children are influenced by their parents' incarceration. Although in the past prisons were more tolerant of parent-child relationships, since the 1970's until recently, the prevailing philosophy has been to keep children separated from their incarcerated parents. Because of the shift from…

Summarizes research on single-parent households and families whose mothers have remarried. This research concentrates on the effect of marital transitions on family functioning and children's adjustment. Introduces a longitudinal study that examined transformations in marital, parent-child, and sibling relationships following the remarriage of a…