One of the most dramatic changes in the American culture in recent years is the emergence of a family unit experiencing stages of disruption and reorganization as a common pattern. The stereotypical middle-class, suburban family continues to exist, but other variations of families exist also, family units for which past guidelines and assumptions…

The first in a series on parenting education, for American Indians, the booklet looks at preparation for parenthood. Learning to be a good parent begins when one is a child, watching our parents and copying their ways with our own children. The booklet recognizes problems and needs of new parents. Some problems are an unplanned pregnancy,…

Marital infidelity has two primary dimensions--on overt social-cultural facade and a covert, intense, emotional component. A therapy strategy, based on this formulation and on the presumption that both spouses were equally responsible for the marital fracture, is presented. (Author)

The author discusses the utility and drawbacks of social work counseling in the homes of clients based on his own experiences. Such an approach allows the social worker to assess the home and intrafamilial communications patterns plus the adolescents involved often feel more comfortable in the home setting. (EJT)

Alcoholism is a growing problem in America today. Children are becoming addicted to chemicals at a much younger age. Those children who have alcoholic parents and/or grandparents are more susceptible to addiction because of hereditary factors. Children of alcoholic parents live amidst conflict and confusion. Because of this conflict and confusion,…

This booklet provides mental health professionals with an analytic framework for understanding psychosocial reactions to bereavement of adults and children and for selecting appropriate intervention strategies. It also identifies those people most likely to need the intervention of a mental health professional to help prevent or mitigate…

An update of a bibliotherapy bibliography compiled by the Church and Synagogue Library Association (CSLA) a decade ago, this list includes books intended for children from a preschool to a sixth-grade reading level. Although the first edition included works concerning religion, this edition does not, since those works are already covered in other…

Noting that children growing up with an alcoholic parent often suffer from underdeveloped perceptual skills, unhealthy self-concepts, and low self-esteem, a study examined the impact of an alcoholic family environment on the ability of adult children of alcoholics (ACOAs) to communicate interpersonally. The Communicator Style Measure (CSM) was…

This Congressional report found that today's social and economic conditions harm large numbers of American families in ways that the child welfare, mental health, and juvenile justice systems were not created and are ill-prepared to address. The following findings are reported: (1) the number of children placed outside of their homes during the…

Conditions in India that contribute to child abuse and neglect are discussed. Sections focus on child rearing practices, discipline of children at home and in school, the nation's six million abandoned children, child sexual abuse, causes of abuse, poverty, lack of education, characteristics of abused children and their abusers, situational…

The role of social support in moderating stress was examined in 65 parents of hyperactive children. The sample included 29 couples and 7 single mothers. The theoretical framework guiding the research was Lazarus' general model of stress. Each parent's psychological functioning was hypothesized to be a function of the severity of the child's…

This report begins by providing two case examples of closed head injuries in families. Closed head injuries or traumatic brain injuries are briefly defined and it is noted that brain injury can cause socialization problems, personality changes, and confusion. It is suggested that families that have an individual member with a closed head injury…

The author suggests three major factors which tend to influence stress on parents and potential marital problems associated with rearing a handicapped child: (1) Support received from family or significant others, (2) Periodic respite care, and (3) Counseling service sought early in the traumatic experience. Cited are studies showing parental…

This guide on counseling abused children was written to help counselors meet the needs of children and adolescents and to provide ways of working with the child's family. Chapter 1 presents an overview of child maltreatment by identifying types of maltreatment (neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse and exploitation, and emotional abuse or neglect)…

The most remarkable trend in the U.S. labor force over the past 3 decades has been the entrance of more and more mothers of young children. In 1985, a total of 54 percent of the women with children under 6 years of age were working--four times the 1950 level. This report summarizes recent trends in labor force participation and outlines some of…