Suggests that the issue of group psychotherapy being harmful to some inpatients, although significant, is meaningless in the absence of further specification of what is being done with whom. Emphasizes the need to address therapeutic "casualties." Questions the clinical folklore regarding patients who must be protected from group psychotherapy,…

Implemented a three-year youth suicide prevention school program established by legislative mandate in 1983. Showed significant gains in understanding of youth suicide prevention techniques for high school students who completed a four-hour training course. School staff and parents who attended seminars appreciated receiving practical advice and…

Effects of preaching, recipient deservingness, personality attractiveness, and sex of subjects on pledging and donating behaviors were investigated with fifth and sixth graders. Findings are discusssed in terms of (1) saliency of stimulus object and children's stereotyping of the elderly; (2) children's conception of relationship between…

Examined the impact of family and demographic factors on the frequency of support from family members among a sample of 581 Blacks aged 55 years and above. The findings revealed that income, education, region, degree of family interaction, proximity of relatives, and having adult children were determinants of frequency of support. (Author/BL)

Analyzed interaction and emotional atmosphere categories of interactions among old and young participants in support-discussion groups. The groups differed in frequencies of boundary, self-disclosure, and support behaviors, with the elderly exceeding the young on the first two and the young exceeding the elderly on the third. The young showed…

Investigated developmental changes in the perceived usefulness of help from the perspective of the person receiving the help. Results indicated a development increase in the perceived usefulness of help across the school-age years. Girls consistently perceived help as being more useful than boys, and girls were generally rated as the most…

Examines the role of confidant support in moderating depressive symptoms among low-income, Mexican immigrant women in discrete marital statuses. Confidant support doubled the explained variance when added to an equation containing a best set of known demographic predictors of depression. (Author/ABB)

Describes the System to Assure Elderly Services, an innovative program operated by Consolidated Neighborhood Services, Incorporated in St. Louis, Missouri, which trains elderly volunteers to provide instrumental support (telephone reassurance, socializing, shopping, transportation) for their elderly neighbors and to maintain regular contact with…

Study participants applied for vocational services at various agencies. Process summaries and interaction logs yielded themes including, among others (1) power and status implications in the helping interaction, (2) ritual role delineation, (3) the apathetic norm, and (4) options of the helper to supersede the focus of helping. (Author/CH)

Maternal behaviors within mother-infant games were examined to determine the amount, type, and functional value of maternal helping behaviors. A total of 17 mother-infant pairs were videotaped on monthly visits while playing five separate games. The study employed a skill-centered analysis to examine maternal scaffolding. (Author/RH)

Review of the literature suggests that hair color influences the quality of interpersonal interactions. Results of a factorially designed study show that while women helped confederates equally regardless of their gender, men helped women more than they helped men. Hair color of confederates was not shown to affect helping behavior. (Author/ABB)

Reviews social support literature and specific findings on the role of communication in the support process. Argues that uncertainty reduction theory may explain how communication affects an individual's perception that he or she is supported. Includes hypotheses for future research and some central dilemmas of supportive relationships. (PD)

Children often have trouble finding effective ways to deal with daily stress. Physical educators work in an environment where they can observe and study their students. Suggestions are offered for physical education teachers dealing with students with problems. (DF)

Examined the family supports of 167 post-hospitalized older adults as they varied by the relationship of the primary caregiver. The findings indicated that the most comprehensive and unstressful support was provided by a spouse. Family members were available in serial order rather than acting as a shared-functioning unit. (JAC)

An analysis of the helping process suggests two important components of behaving competently. In the present research, snake phobics provided help to confederates whom they believed to be similarly phobic. Modeling produces more subjective improvement than the expectancy manipulation. (Author)