Truants living in a depressed urban area were compared with other absentees from school living in the same area. Results, discussed in reference to research differentiating truants and school refusers, showed few differences in the social and financial circumstances of the two groups, but reflected considerable differences in the children's…

This research, based on approximately 650 college student questionnaires, suggests that it is difficult for youth to think of their parents as sexual beings. Students' estimates of their parents' sexual behavior disagreed significantly with research data on the sexual behavior of parent-age populations. (Author)

The potential for role strain is much greater in single-parent families where one person functions as both caretaker and provider than in the two-parent household where these roles can be shared. Role strain affects the quality of relationshps and the interactions between parent and child(ren). It was hypothesized that the role strain felt by…

Comparative examination of effects on decision making and social interaction revealed that dependent husbands are less involved in both, and likely to reflect more conjugal role flexibility. (Author)

Discusses symptom production and symptom maintenance in terms of psychodynamic and system-oriented family therapy approaches. The conceptual and operational hypotheses of both approaches stem from different logics. Describes their different sets of data, lines of inquiry and treatment strategies. (Author/JAC)

The communication patterns of two family sitcoms were examined as models for viewers. "The Cosby Show" portrays a child-centered family with parents not active in giving direction or modeling supportive communication; whereas "The Simpsons" model an adult-centered family, actively supporting each other and children and giving…

PRIMARILY AN OVERVIEW AND ANALYSIS OF RESEARCH ON CHILD-REARING AND FAMILY LIFE PATTERNS, THIS BOOK FOCUSES ON THE LIFE OF THE VERY POOR AND COMPARES THEIR LIFE PATTERNS AND PRACTICES WITH THOSE OF MIDDLE-CLASS FAMILIES. THE TWO SETS OF PATTERNS ARE ANALYZED UNDER FIVE HEADINGS--MENTAL HEALTH, EDUCATION, "MORAL" CHARACTER, SOCIAL ACCEPTABILITY,…