Applies codependency group model to families of obsessive-compulsive people based on view that these families are normal, feeling people who are trying to cope with unremitting stress. Clinical vignettes illustrate how these families are similar to families of alcoholics in their management of emotions and in their dysfunctional behaviors. (JBJ)

A "recovering" former principal humorously discusses the collapse of society, the condition of today's children, and the pressures facing parents. Noting dramatic changes in principals' roles, he offers tips for eliciting parents' support. Principals should make parents feel welcome, use proper body language during conferences, and…

Physically maltreated children (n=38) and their parents or guardians were assigned to either individual child and parent cognitive-behavioral treatment (CBT) or family therapy (FT). Overall levels of parental anger and physical discipline/force were lower in CBT than FT families, though each group showed a reduction on these items from early to…

Reviews recent empirical, case study, and conceptual literature that examines or discusses treatment techniques for adult female survivors in individual therapy. Divides various techniques into 11 categories. Concludes that more research is needed to determine which techniques hold the most promise. Discusses implications for researchers and…

This pilot study investigated the prevalence of physical and sexual abuse, and current levels of psychological distress correlated with a history of abuse, in 102 Vietnamese Amerasian adults bound for the United States. A history of abuse was reported by 22% of males and 18% of females. Significant psychological distress was reported by abused…

This study examined the prevalence and clinical correlates of sexually inappropriate behaviors in 499 youth treated at a public psychiatric hospital over a 5-year period. Those with histories of sexually inappropriate behaviors had higher rates of being sexually abused or physically abused/neglected and more frequently had behavior disorders,…

A survey of 69 family service workers at the Children's Aid Society of Metropolitan Toronto found that a family's housing situation was a factor in 18.4% of cases that resulted in the placement of children into care and that, in 8.6% of cases, the return home of children was delayed because of housing-related problems. (MDM)

The mother of a son with dyslexia recounts her efforts to help him, by removing the "negatives and stress-makers" from his life, by breaking every piece of information into its smallest components, and by finding something at which he could really excel. Problems and successes during adolescence are recounted, as well as the son's initial year at…

Investigated the relationship between adolescents' suicidal behavior and family dysfunction by focusing on the concepts of boundary transgression, double-bind interactions, and the demarcation of family kinship roles. Explores the possibility that suicidal behavior is a double-bind response to contradictions in the way families distribute roles…

Compared the family environments of adolescent sex offenders and violent and nonviolent juvenile delinquents with a normative sample of adolescents. Differences between the delinquents and the normative sample arose on 6 of 10 subscales of the Family Environment Scale. No differences were found among the three categories of juvenile delinquents.…

Used community samples to determine the effects of childhood family support or dysfunction and the extent of parent drug-use problems on adult intimacy issues, such as sexual satisfaction. Results showed that parent drug-use predicted poor family support; family support correlated strongly with good adult intimate relations. (RJM)

Reviews sex differences in child adjustment in intact families. Maladjustment in boys is not more related to marital discord than maladjustment in girls. However, the association between marital discord and adjustment difficulties is stronger in boys than in girls when clinical samples are used, when family members are the only informants, and…

Parents of an adolescent with severe physical disabilities talk with a counselor about their marital problems, which are focused on the financial strains caused by the expenses of sending their daughter to a private school. Counseling focused on the parents' need to reevaluate their own desires. (DB)

Costa Rica's Ministry of Education has documented the need for a stronger school-family partnership. Parents must communicate honestly with their children; address drugs, corruption, and behavior problems; reinstate a positive family culture; and encourage morally responsible behavior. Principals must become empowerers, protectors of values,…

This article examines child abuse and neglect in terms of the potential proportional threat to children with disabilities. Characteristic traits of abusers and victims, environmental and sociocultural factors, and the history of maltreatment of the disabled are discussed. Recommendations for practitioners and a list of child abuse organizations…