A study employed a Burkeian framework in order to determine the nature of Al-Anon's rhetoric and evaluate the success of the organization's rhetorical strategies in appealing to the co-alcoholic population that it addresses. According to Kenneth Burke, a message is persuasive if the audience perceives a commonality with the central beliefs of the…

The booklet provides an overview on the school-related issues involved in child abuse and neglect. Definitions, causes, and effects of abuse and neglect are reviewed in the first chapter; guidelines for identifying physical and sexual abuse, neglect, and emotional maltreatment are offered in chapter 2. Aspects of reporting abuse are noted as are…

This document uses family systems constructs to explain the onset and maintenance of clinical symptoms such as depression and their relation to life cycle issues among the elderly. The basic assumptions of family systems thinking about structure and function are summarized. Figures and tables are used to illustrate changing family circumstances…

The study examines the issue of wife abuse in a rural area, assesses major service interventions suggested by the literature, and evaluates their practicality in rural areas. The area used for the study was the 10 rural and most southern counties in Southern Illinois, characterized by high unemployment and low per capita income. A questionnaire…

This handbook was written for parents, law enforcement officers, attorneys, and government officials who deal directly with cases of parental kidnapping. It provides a guide through the criminal and civil justice systems and a summary of the laws on parental kidnapping. Actions that parents can take and laws that may help them when their children…

This document presents an overview and progress report on the Family Research Project, started in 1974 to (1) study the relationship between family process and individual development of family members, especially children, (2) conceptualize and measure system level variables describing family structure and process, (3) develop microanalytic…

Results of a review of problems associated with divorce indicate that not only are very large numbers of children involved, but divorce seems to be associated with serious effects for children and adults. A very substantial number of children of divorced parents live in poverty and nearly all experience substantial reductions in family income. One…

A description of the effects of rejected minority status on the stability of the black family unit and the consequent personality distortions of black children. (EH)

Staff of a child abuse program in a Philadelphia hospital worked with parents in their own homes to help them develop greater competence as adults and as parents. This article describes the use of social learning theory, with some techniques of behavior therapy, as the basis for treatment. (Author)

Examined was the nature of "psychosomatic" diabetes in children-a condition resistant to treatment and thought to be triggered by emotional upheaval. Continuous blood samples taken during the child's viewing parental conflict indicated that the psychosomatic diabetics were different in their stress reactions than control groups. Results of family…

Describes the use of tape recordings of interviews with divorced individuals for use in class discussions on marriage. (EJT)

Describes the Marital Studies Program focusing on intervention modules and specific assessment procedures. Then looks at a specific case study and describes how therapeutic objectives for the couple are accommodated within the over-all system. Comments on this article are included at the end. (Author/EJT)

Case studies demonstrate that when chronic sexual conflict constitutes a factor in family homeostasis, nursing home placement of the aged ill is a likely event when either there is a shift in family dynamics due to death or illness of a key member or the aged becomes overtly psychiatrically disabled. (Author)

Examines the rationale for relating the concept of "child density" to measures of marital satisfaction or adjustment. (Author)

This publication provides chapter-by-chapter synopses of the 1981 report of the Danish Child Welfare Commission. Chapter 1 contains the Commission's introductory remarks on its terms of reference and emphasizes that parents have primary responsibility for the raising of their children. Chapter 2 provides a documentary account of the living…