During the past 40 years, the rapid pace and complex nature of social change has created a stress-filled environment for families. New challenges such as AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome), drug abuse, increasing crime, economic malaise, moral deterioration, and increases in mental health problems contribute to the increasing stress in…

This book presents strategies for building strong partnerships between service providers and the families of individuals with disabilities. Papers have the following titles and authors: "Contributing to Resilience in Families: An Overview" (George H. S. Singer and Laurie E. Powers); "Parent to Parent Programs: A Unique Form of…

This paper brings together information on the conditions and needs of children who have been exposed to drugs, federal programs that affect the well-being of these children, and policy questions that need resolution. Discussion concerns: (1) characteristics of infants who have been exposed to drugs and their families, including prevalence and…

The 12 states comprising the North Central Region have been affected in similar ways by the farm crisis of the 1980s. Statewide surveys show sizeable proportions of farm operations that are experiencing moderately high levels of financial stress. The problems caused by chronic stress on family structure and functioning, the loss of mainstreet…

Dislocated workers are distinguished from chronically unemployed individuals in that the former have a stable work history and are generally unaware of the community's social services programs and how to use them. Dislocated workers frequently lack job search skills and do not see the transferability of their work skills. Often, they have heavy…

A descriptive-comparative study was designed to document the service delivery functions and impacts of three different parent-aide programs ongoing in Michigan. The study took place over the period of summer 1978 to summer 1979. The programs involved in the study were the Genesee County Department of Social Services' Volunteer Services Parent-Aide…

A special curriculum to be used in training sessions on Mexican American culture was developed to assist Texas Department of Human Resources personnel with service delivery for Mexican American children. Designed to heighten awareness in caseworkers and other personnel on the cultural variables affecting their relationship with Mexican American…

A program to teach behavioral analysis principles and applications to parents and other caretakers of disturbing children (normal, retarded, neurotic, psychotic, and others) was developed while serving 50 families. A nine-family study was then done comparing three 12-week treatments (minimum contact 1, nonoperant 1, and operant 1) in terms of…

This study sought to construct a set of family strengths using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth - Child Supplement (NLSY-CS), and, if the family strengths' construct was possible, to discern whether the presence of these family strengths predict better outcomes for children. The original NLSY sampled approximately 12,000…

The high incidence of divorce and remarriage means that the structure of American families is changing. Drawing on 13 studies that explore intergenerational obligations, this book discusses the responsibilities of family members to one another after divorce and remarriage. Chapter 1, "Who Is Responsible for Dependent Family Members?," presents an…

This publication summarizes challenges and emerging issues that cities face as they respond to the needs of children and families. Data come from in-depth interviews with officials from 28 cities that participate in the National League of Cities' Municipalities in Transition Project, a high-level research effort drawing on information and…

This paper explores the concept that the experience of growth may be structurally similar to the emotional experience of religion and hope. It develops this view by focusing on two studies that involve a series of coping and outcome variables, together with analysis of Park, Cohen, and Murch's (1997) instrument on stress related to personal…

Addresses the critical need for culturally competent assessments of the risk of child maltreatment in African American families and the implications for both policy and practice. Advocates development of comprehensive, community-based, and culturally synthesizing approaches to evaluating potential and realized risks to the healthy development of…

Examined the adjustment of boys from intact, single-mother, stepfather, and multiple-transition families. Boys who had experienced multiple transitions showed the poorest adjustment. The antisocial mother was most at risk for transitions and unskilled parenting practices, which in turn placed her son at risk for poor adjustment. (BC)

An increasing number of children have family problems that interfere with their ability to learn at school. This book provides information about developing a clearer and more sophisticated child-centered school and classroom by making teachers and administrators more knowledgeable about the varieties of students' family structures, both healthy…