Three focus groups examined stress and conflict among 30 older African American women in Boston. Stress stemmed from worries about functional disability, accessing transportation, conflicts with family and peers, and grandchildren's lack of respect. Participants tended to use avoidant strategies to deal with stress and conflict. A training program…

College academic success and retention have traditionally been predicted using demographic and academic variables. This study moved beyond traditional predictors. A survey of 218 undergraduate students revealed that emotional and social factors (e.g., stress, frequency of alcohol consumption) related to GPA and emotional factors (e.g.,…

A review of articles concerning use of social support to alleviate stress in mothers of children with autism found an association between challenging child characteristics and mothers seeking social support, with mothers under greater stress being more prone to pursue social support. Informal support appeared more effective than formal support.…

This study assessed attitudes of parents in 48 families with young children having special needs concerning: (1) social support, (2) family satisfaction, and (3) impact of the special child on the family. Significant differences were found between mothers' and fathers' responses on subscales concerned with time demands, coping, and well-being.…

Family responses to family-school conflicts may be manifested in family interaction and/or work performance and are influenced by numerous factors including socioeconomic status, child's grade level, family structure, cultural background, financial or structural stress, and rigidity of functioning. (Author/PB)

Investigates the incidence of potentially stressful life events among members of an urban population of 433 minority youths of low socioeconomic status. Results are discussed, and potential directions for future research are suggested. (TE)

This feature discusses the diminishing number of female administrators, coaches, and officials involved in girls' and women's sports, the reasons for this decline, and strategies to increase the number of women in athletic leadership positions. (IAH)

Developed creative approach to conduct needs assessment in rural schools that involved sending questionnaires to 49 key informants and 145 high school students. Key informants and students agreed that the 2 most serious issues were alcohol-related problems and family dysfunction (violence, divorce). Both groups indicated need for a teen center;…

Mental illness has a catastrophic impact on the family, subjecting its members to severe burden and life stress. In addition, families are often implicated in the origins of the illness by themselves, society, and mental health professionals. New alliances with clinicians are helping to support and destigmatize these families. (AF)

Discusses results of a longitudinal study of effects of divorce and remarriage on children's adjustment. Results suggest that individual characteristics play an important role in either protecting children from negative consequences associated with their parents' marital transitions or in making children vulnerable to such consequences. (RJC)

Utilizes two different experiments to test the effectiveness of a variety self-instructional training methods to reduce the dental fears of groups of 8- to 12-year-old children. Results indicate that high levels of anxiety impair the effectiveness of self-instruction. (FMW)

Surveys, focus-group interviews, observations, and journal writings of 11 Canadian student teachers revealed sources of stress during the teaching practicum: role clarification, expectations, conformity, time, evaluation, assignments, peer discussions, and inconsistent feedback. Student teachers identified communication, conformity, initiative,…

Wilson's stance on research and teaching practices leads to the conclusion that only those with certain conceptions of teaching and research can be effective researcher/teachers. It will be more beneficial to the field of educational research to believe that a wide variety of practices may be appropriate for researcher/teachers. (SLD)

After presenting positive and negative aspects of stress, the paper looks at definitions of stress that emphasize the environment, responses to the environment, individual characteristics, or a combination of these elements. A proposed definition of stress is offered. (SM)

Comparison of 40 French-speaking Canadian negligent mothers with 40 similar nonnegligent mothers found an extreme level of parental stress and a high level of depression for the negligent mothers, who also had a history of placements, violence, and sexual abuse. They did not differ from nonnegligent mothers for parental breakups and…