Fifty-two parents of adopted children with histories of abuse or neglect were interviewed. Parents of children with histories of physical and sexual abuse reported lower family functioning than parents of children with histories of neglect. Also, parents who adopted sibling groups reported fewer child externalizing behavior problems but lower…

Studied 82 maltreating and normative families to determine whether reported maltreated children and their siblings differ in terms of maltreatment and/or developmental anomalies. Findings indicated reported abused children and their siblings were similar in stressful life experiences, quality of home environment, reported behavior problems, and…

Reviews research on the effect of marital violence on children. Discusses some of the adjustment problems children face when exposed to parental fighting, the prevalence of marital violence, the factors that may protect children from the effects of violence, and the implications for professionals who work in the area of family violence. (JPB)

Examines the relationship of individual family members' perceptions and family mean and discrepancy scores of cohesion and adaptability with child psychopathology in a sample of 138 families. Results indicate that family mean scores, contrary to family discrepancy scores, explain more of the variance in parent-reported child psychopathology than…

Hypothesizes that marital conflict contributes unique variance of child functioning only when it occurs in front of children. Subjects were 146 mother/adolescent pairs. Results indicated that general family conflict was more predictive of child adjustment problems than marital satisfaction, and marital conflict occurring in front of children was…

The present study sought to examine the perceptions of giftedness and identification procedures held by experienced teachers of gifted minority students. Twenty-seven 4th-grade teachers of gifted students in an urban school system with a high representation of minority and economically disadvantaged students were surveyed. Results indicated that…

ATTEMPTS WERE MADE TO DISCOVER WHETHER THE OBSERVABLE BEHAVIOR SYMPTOMS OF YOUNG CHILDREN IN THE SCHOOL SETTING, WHEN MEASURED BY OBJECTIVE SCREENING METHODS, WILL REFLECT FAMILIES THAT HAVE DISORDERED BEHAVIOR. THE OBJECTIVES INCLUDED TESTING THE VALIDITY OF TWO BEHAVIOR RATING SCALES, DEVELOPING A SINGLE RATING TEST, AND ANALYZING THE…

Evaluated was the relationship of the personal and marital adjustment of 31 sets of parents to their own behavior as parents and the behavior problems of their children (mean age 7.7 years). Families who had been referred for behavioral counseling regarding child problems were given a diagnostic battery which included home observations as well as…

Evaluated the psychometric characteristics of the Children's Beliefs about Parental Divorce Scale with three nonclinic samples. Demonstrated six subscales: Peer Ridicule and Avoidance, Paternal Blame, Fear of Abandonment, Maternal Blame, Hope of Reunification, and Self-Blame. The number of problematic beliefs varied by family structure but not by…

Overviews a counseling approach designed to help parents shift from focusing on negative aspects of their lives and children to a more positive focus. Discusses the counseling theory system which is based on social learning theory. Presents counseling strategies and describes a typical counseling series using this approach. (RC)

Presents a method of therapy for families with an acting-out adolescent or young adult. Aims at altering the underlying problem of immaturity. Outlines a four-phase process in working with the parents over an extended period of time. (Author/JAC)

Examined within-family differences in parenting and problem behavior in 95 nondivorced and 421 remarried families. Within-family differences in parenting and problem behavior were greatest in remarried families where siblings did not share the same biological parent. Differential treatment was also more strongly related to problem behavior in this…

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…

Behavior problems were examined in 225 three-year-old children with or without developmental delays. Staff-completed Bayley Behavioral Scales and parent-completed Child Behavior Checklists (CBCLs) showed children with delays were 3 to 4 times as likely to have a score within the CBCL clinical range. Behavior problems caused more parent stress than…